Mocha? Anybody here know where Mocha, Kansas is?

(Overheard in a coffee shop in a small nondescript town in Kansas.)

KIM

The GOP was cutting the security budget and had zero respect for embassies let alone career diplomats until this incident.  The ambassador was moving about in ways most never did to be effective and the world changed in North Africa dramatically as we see more every day.  GOP found an opportunity for false outrage and they just want to milk it. I no longer think think have any credibility on this issue.

ELEANOR (To Kim.)

The President commands the military and the Secretary of State recommends. Neither of these are in the GOP. The lack of leadership is staggering and shameful.

TERPSICHORE  (To Eleanor.)

Just keep saying it and eventually, even though it won't be true, people will believe it.  Mitt Romney!

JAMES  To Eleanor.)

Do ever get tired of broad sweeping statements that mean nothing?

ELEANOR  (to James.)

I thought "blaming the GOP" was a sweeping broad meaningless statement.

FERDINAND  (To Eleanor.)

Right right, they are always free from responsibility of any kind, totally blameless.

ELEANOR  (to Ferdinand.)

They are equally corrupt. That's why "blaming" and "denying" are co-partners in deceiving people for political gain.

ROBERT  (To Eleanor.)

Not equally.

NICHOLAS  (To Eleanor)

...which is funded by Congress.  The military, contrary to popular GOP thought process, has a budget.

FERDINAND  (To Eleanor.)

I believe!  I believe!  I do, I do, I do.

CHRISTOPHER 

GOP lives in a reality of their own construction. When they are ready to deal with the real world and its real problems then they can expect to have adult conversations with adult people. Consign the whole party to the dustheap of crap.

LAWRENCE 

That hearing was such a clear demonstration of our nation's partisanship.  Rather than a truth-seeking endeavor, each side is just trying to confirm what they want to hear.  The left wants to blame the right for insufficient funding and political witch hunts, the right wants to blame the left for lying and stealing the election.  Anything to avoid admitting that America simply preferred Obama's agenda.  It's sad that these are the parts of this hearing that are getting the most focus, instead of Mr. Obama's constructive, productive forward-looking parts.

MINDIE

Good toons.  We have, what, two-hundred-seventy embassies all over the world, this is just one of them.  Requests were made going back to Bush's term in '06 to increase security and they were made each year with some success.  The GOP, the party of "No!",  Hell No!  Said NO!  What else would they say?  We all know what they say.  The dangers were known, the solutions were ignored by Congress and specifically the GOP.  Bobby Jindal is right "the Republicans must stop being the "stupid party".

WILLIAM  (To Mindie.)

The Republicans who make comments like "legitimate rape" and how rape can't lead to pregnancy did seem to be going out of their way to back up John Stuart Mill's 1866 comment: "I never meant to say that the Conservatives are generally stupid.  I meant to say that stupid people are generally Conservative.  I believe that is so obviously and universally admitted a principle that I hardly think any gentleman will deny it."....so, given that.... what makes you believe that only the GOP is stupid?

MARIA

I watched the hearings and have been following the Benghazi "cover up" both in the real and "conservative' media and I still don't understand what the Republicans are asking for, what is wrong with the answers they are getting and what are the answers they so desperately want? Why do they expect the answers to be be simple?

TERPSICHORE  (to Maria.)

I loved John McCain explaining that they needed more information about all of this to the press while skipping an intelligence briefing about it.  You can't make that stuff up. 

BIRDIE  (to Maria.)

Maybe the GOP shouldn't pick fights with Hilary Clinton?

ELEANOR  (To Birdie)

Maybe public employees should be a tad more respectful when asked questions about their job?

BIRDIE  (To Eleanor.)

She was quite a bit more respectful to them than the were to her.  She had every right to even scream profanities, not that she would except maybe in the cloakroom, at their banal and asinine assertions, very few of which actually sought information.  Paul and Johnson were stumping and fundraising on national tv.

LUCILE  (To Eleanor.)

What do you suppose a Senator is, other than a public employee?

ELEANOR  (To Lucille.)

The Koch brothers bitches.

LUCILE  (To Eleanor.)

I can't remember the last time the Senate represented the people.

BIRDIE  (To Lucille.)

Corporations are people too.

TERPSICHORE  (To Lucille.)

They represent some people.

ELEANOR  (To Terpsichore.)

And the Secretary of State, Ms. Clinton, is our President's representative, who represents the people?

MICHAEL

She gave them all the respect they earned.

ELIZABETH

The Secretary of State, and all other Cabinet members, serve at the pleasure of the President.  Therefore, that pontificating Rand Paul  about how he would have relieved her of her duties and wind bag Ron Johnson spouting nonsense have the slightest authority over Clinton.  The entire hearing was just a bunch of stuffed shirt blow-hards blowing as hard as they could.  Not a word they said has the slightest impact on anything.

GORDON

As long as it's a Democrat, roll over and show your belly.  Right?  As Elizabeth said, these hearings are a fine display of what our system has become: a theater of the absurd.  We should all be infuriated that we are now no more than playthings, resources to be exploited and manipulated through television and the internet.  Democracy means nothing to these people.

ELEANOR

I agree.  These clowns appear to be self satisfied that people died.  What better example than this that the GOP has lost compassion and empathy unless it fits their agenda?

FERDINAND

Ask a respectful question, get a respectful answer.  But it does indeed need to be an actual question instead of just spouting the right wing talking points trying to trick her into signing off on it all and hopefully validate the entire crazy conspiracy theory, which is all the GOP Senators were trying to do.  It was more of confirmation hearing on the capabilities of our Secretary of State than it was a fact finding mission.  They got to the bottom of it.  They just don't like what they dug up: brown gold.  It wasn't GOP gold.

BARBRA

Until Johnson and Paul got vindictive.  Hillary was nice to them!  Respectful.  I, on the other hand, would still be in there ripping people like those two and McCain a new one, or locked up for contempt.

PAUL

Right, because the last thing a retiring senior official wants is to annoy someone she doesn't like.

ELEANOR

Clinton is for Clinton, party members are for the party.  The last thing Clinton wants is bad press.

MICHAEL

I didn't get to see or hear the hearings.  Did the Republican members of Congress try to justify their gutting of the security budget for embassies?  Or did they just try to change the subject?

BARBRA

Dozens of our embassies have been attacked over the last two decades.

ROBERT

Paul nailed it.  This whole exercise was about defeating Clinton as a presidential candidate.

NEAL

What I am so angry and frustrated about is how little of what was talked about and discussed was relevant.  They spent a lot of time discussing issues other then the Benghazi.  They discussed the dangerous changes in the region, they discussed the need for funding that the GOP refuses to give.  They talked about our commitment to the region.

ROBERT

She did a wonderful job of putting a couple of the Senators on the spot by reminding them of what the panel is actually supposed to be doing.  That it wasn't formed to be a political spin room.  The panel is supposed to discuss important matters and work to improve our embassies' safety.  

NEAL

I praise to the Democratic Senator who responded to the GOP Senator's comment that the Presidents incorrect early story was the biggest misconception and misrepresentation to the American people since 9/11.  His response: four words."Weapons of Mass Destruction"  One was made after the loss of 4 lives.  One caused over 4000 American lives and 10's of thousands of Iraqi lives and changed the region forever.  Where were the GOP concerns then?

TERPSICHORE

Man, I really hope she runs in 2016, but I've got a feeling that between her health and her quality of life, she won't.  I think her current approval rating will only go up from here as our economy continues it's plodding progress.  I hope her election staff taped the several glowing compliments Republicans Senator paid her.

FERDINAND

For all the crying about the left "not letting tragedies go to waste" the republicans sure seem to be getting a lot of mileage out of this one.

WILLIAM

Mileage? Not really. Wasting time asking the wrong questions while looking petty....pretty much.

AARONY

This is the classic Republican strategy: create the problem then blame someone else for political gain.

FERDINAND

I think the GOP thought this was a confirmation hearing, confirming the truths that the rest of America hold to be self evident:  Hillary is well qualified to confront our foreign enemies as well as domestic enemies.

JAMES

What difference, at this point, does it make?  It is our governments job to figure out what happened 9/11/11and to do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again.

(END)

War is just a racket! I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.

(Monitored in a civics class at Smedley Butler High School.  The class is monitoring their computers, listening to the narrator.)

Computer Monitors

"Are the president’s kids more important than yours?  Then why is he skeptical about putting armed security in our schools when his kids are protected by armed guards at their school?  Mr. Obama demands the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes, but he’s just another elitist hypocrite when it comes to a fair share of security."

Miss Stockman

Has there ever been another president in US history who had his children used in an attack ad by a major lobbying organization?

Johnny

The main aim of the ad is to make sure that we all act to keep our children safe.  It’s not aimed at anyone’s child in particular.  Anyone who claims otherwise is intentionally trying to change the topic or missing the point completely.

Miss Stockman

Why do you say the "main" aim, Johnny?  Was there more than one?

Johnny

Actually, just one aim.

Miss Stockman

And what was that one aim?

Johnny

To make sure the American people act to keep school children safe.

Mary

Can we play that clip again, Miss Stockman.  I don't think Johnny was listening to the man.

Miss Stockman

Let's put it on my big monitor where we can analyze it.

Monitor

"Are the president’s kids more important than yours?"

Miss Stockman

Okay.  Johnny, can you repeat what the narrator said?

Johnny

He said, "Are the president’s kids more important than yours?"

Miss Stockman

Who was he talking about, Connie?

Connie

Malia and Sasha Obama.

Johnny

He didn't say Malia and Sasha Obama!  The guy's not talking about O's kids.  The ad, if it is an ad, was not aimed at Obamarama's kids.

Mark

No wonder you're failing English Johnny.  Are you deaf?  If it's not an evil hit ad from the NRA, what's the purpose?

Johnny

The intent of the ad is to make sure the American people act to keep school children safe.

Barry

I have a solution: Why don't we give every kid a loaded pistol as they enter school?

Miss Stockman

Okay, let's move on.

Monitor  (Continues.)

"Then why is he skeptical about putting armed security in our schools when his kids are protected..."

Miss Stockman

Who is the narrator referring to when he says "... when his kids are protected..."  Mark?

Mark

It's obvious... Mr. Obama.

Miss Stockman

"... by armed guards at their school?"

Johnny

My mom said that in a longer ad, the NRA makes it clear that it is specifically referring to the security force at Sidwell Friends.

Connie

According to the news this morning, their are no armed guards at Malia and Sasha's school.  As the president's children, they are entitled to Secret Service protection.

Barry

Their Secret Service people are armed.

Mark

Well, DUH!

Johnny

That, to my way of thinking, is an armed guard.  My father said that the president and his family have 24/7-security at taxpayer expense, and the NRA ad only asks: If it’s good enough for the Obama's, why shouldn’t it be good enough for the rest for us with armed guards at our school?

Mark

I've heard only one politician wants to confiscate all of your guns, and she was babbling wishful thinking.  So gun huggers, what else you got?

Johnny

We don't need anything else, we've won.

Mary

Hahaha...Romney thought the same thing.

Connie

Ask a member of the Kennedy family why the President and his children get armed guards.

Mark

In China a crazy person attacked and stabbed 25 children with a knife.  They all survived.  Here in Newtown Connecticut a crazy person attacked 20 children with an assault rifle.  Each were riddled with as many as eleven bullets, bullets manufactured with the intent to take down a huge bull elk.  They all died.

Miss Stockman

Doesn't this call into question the patriotism, compassion, and empathy of the NRA?  Do they intend to deny our president's family secret service protection while haplessly arming psychotics with weapons.  Is it time we ran a background check on the NRA?

Johnny

What are you suggesting?

Mary

Did the NRA directly threaten the President's daughters?

Johnny

Nope, the NRA didn't threaten any one.  All of you gun grabbing libs should be proud to display a sign in your window, "This is a gun free house".  I' m sure the criminals roaming your neighborhood would be very interested in that little bit of information.

Mark

Do you want George Zimmerman at your kids' school?

Johnny

Thomas Jefferson supported the right to bear arms in order to allow Americans to protect themselves from the government and those that would be king.  Americans have the right to bear arms.  Granted muskets are not the answer today.  The musket equivalent of today is the assault weapon.  To deny that right only makes us, "We the People" weaker.  Obama or no one else should be allowed to take that right or any other right away.

Mark

That statement only shows how little you know of the U. S. Constitution or American history.  While you seem to have no problem exercising your right to free speech, Johnny....  

Johnny

Obama has no problem ignoring our laws and would love to make Americans subservient to his form of  government: socialism. Hopefully Congress will grow a set and do what is right and support the rights of Americans and put King Obama in his place and make him realize his job is to uphold the laws that are made by Congress.

Mary

Bullies, thieves, crooks, and muggers don't pick on the strong; just the weak. 

Mark

So, let's pass laws that make us weaker ? 

Connie

It is truly a shame to use the tragedy in Connecticut to push a political agenda.

Johnny

Banning guns, ammunition or gun accessories of any kind will not have any real impact on gun violence.  This is a mental health issue.

Mary

I'd be happy with gun show background checks and limits on round sizes.

Miss Stockman

Oh okay... so just about anyone should be able to purchase automatic weapons at gun shows, no matter whether they've been convicted of aggravated assault or been committed to a mental institution, right?

Johnny

We already have laws in place to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and mentally unstable people.  Enforce them.  A murderer is a murderer, whether he or she has a gun, a knife, a cross bow, hatchet, explosives, fertilizer/fuel oil, commercial airliners, dirty bombs, etc.  

Tom

It takes a concerted effort by all of society to find a way to lock these people up and/or get them the mental health care they need before they hurt someone.  This gun control, I'm afraid, is just a political move to make it look like we are doing something.  It will make no difference and not prevent another tragedy like Newtown.

Jackson

Remember: Wayne LaPierre is a Vietnam-era draft dodger.  Given the chance to bear arms against a real enemy, good, ole Wayne, the patriot, got a doctor to diagnose him with a nervous disorder.  My grandfather fought and died over there.  People with nervous disorders shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a gun, let alone head the NRA.  That includes cowards like Wayne LaPierre.  The son of NRA President David Keene is busy serving a ten-year prison sentence for firing a handgun at another driver in a fit of road rage.  Remember, guns don't attempt to kill people, the sons of NRA presidents do at least try to, anyway.

Miss Stockman

Do you think we should begin the psychological examinations of gun-owners with Wayne LaPierre and the entire David Keene family?

Jackson

Good place to staart given the hit ad against our president children.

Johnny

Think about it.  If O gets his way and repeals the Second Amendment, then how are we supposed to protect ourselves?
(END)

Ask my kids how far it trickled down.

(Overheard on a subway in Manhattan: I will identify them by what they are wearing or say; Two women: One is wearing a McDonald's uniform, and the second, a former Tree Hugger, is neatly dressed & Two men: Man One, Suit is well dressed; Man Two, Plumber, is in plumber's overalls.)

Suit

Excuse me miss I saw your uniform, McDonald's is it?

McDonald's

Yes.  But I work two uniformed fast food jobs.  My other uniform is for Godfather's Pizza.  I just finished a six hour shift at Godfather's and am on my way to McDonald's for four hours.

Suit

Ten hour day, aye?

McDonald's

Actually twelve to fourteen, depending on subway connections.

Plumber

Herman Cain was the CEO of Godfather's wasn't he?  Wasn't he also a Republican candidate for president?  Nine, nine...

McDonald's

... nine nine.

Suit

He was the fast-food industry lobby.  He and his cohorts used economic studies, to promote the idea that raising the minimum-wage would create job losses.  They believe that if you gave more to the top-earners it would...

McDonald's & Plumber

Trickle down...

Suit

... down to the workers.

Tree Hugger

Yep.  Ask my kids how far it trickled down.  I applied for food stamps last week.  They said... .

Suit

Ah, You make too much: the multiplier effect, you spend 100% of what you make.  Which means you will have to depend on government assistance, which is a drain on taxpayers.

McDonald's

Don't say just get another job.  I'm already working sixty hours a week.

Plumber

But, you could get...

McDonald's

Don't say get an education.  Unlike Romney, I don't have wealthy parents to borrow from.  Besides, when do I have time?  And if not from my parents, where do I get the money?

Suit

Do you know what the CEO of McDonald's made last year?

Tree Hugger

Much more than me, for sure, for sure.

Suit

Almost nine million dollars.

McDonald's

Between both jobs, I average about nine dollars an hour.  Do you mean to tell me I would have to work a million hours to earn that?  Before taxes?

Plumber

Yep.  He doesn't care about you or your family.

McDonald's

The issue isn't the CEO's paycheck.  The issue is our paycheck.  Raise the minimum wage so we can buy food and clothing for our kids.

Plumber

Get fast food workers out of the fast food business.  Make fast food employees scarce.  So scarce that McDonald's and Carl's Jr. and Taco Bell will have to pay them a living wage.  Something like fifteen or twenty dollars an hour.

Suit

At that rate, you can imagine a McDonald's hamburger at ten dollars?  It's not worth what they charge now.

Plumber

Shame on the CEO for making that kind of money.

Tree Hugger

The issue is that CEOs are making more and more money every year.  Workers at McDonald's or Godfather's aren't seeing any of that profit.  They in fact are making less.  It's built into their financial plan. 

McDonald's

Just getting a different job is a hell of a lot easier said than done.

Plumber

The state where I grew up, minimum wage is seven-forty an hour.  As a plumber's assistant I make just a couple bucks more than that, and I've been on the job for over a year.  I'm lucky if I clear seven - eight hundred a month.  I'm looking for a better, cleaner job right now, trust me, I'd love to have a new job, but after dozens of applications and resumes, I have yet to move on from my bottom-of-the-food-chain job.  I only took it to pay my rent and feed my kids, and now I'm stuck.  If you think it's really so easy, then you're a moron.

Suit

This is the problem, as I see it, well paid CEOs pay their workers so poorly that they force them to look for government assistance programs.  Then the well paid CEOs complain that there are to many entitlement programs in government.  How about we balance CEO and employee compensation?

Tree Hugger

Can you imagine how things would be if the Tea Partiers had their way and got rid of our government?  If you think paychecks are low now just imagine what they would be.  I'm not saying that the government is the solution... because they've allowed it to happened.  But something has'ta be done.

McDonald's

Nine million a year!  If he earns that, say, for the next 15 years... that's one hundred thirty-five million dollars plus yearly or quarterly raises, not including his retirement package which is likely valued in the multi-millions.

Plumber

I can't agree more.

Tree Hugger

I own a marketing and social media company.  I'm in love with all aspects of inbound marketing, search engine optimization and web design.  As such, I make a reasonably good living.  I'm single.  I'm also an avid hippie tree hugger and love everything about Barack's going green movement.  I enjoy talking to people with an open mind and heart.  Finally, there is a geek and nerd side of me that loves to game and hang out with my other geeky nerdy friends.

McDonald's

As a fast food worker I'll be the first to agree that most customer service jobs don't provide a good income that would allow anyone, single, married, with or without kids, to stand on their own.  Low wages makes them rely on the government for things such as healthcare, food stamps, et cetera.  If my kids get sick I take them to the emergency room at the hospital.  I have to tell them to pretend they are asleep and not "wake up" until I say "Doctor, doctor".  This way the admitting nurse gets us in an exam room quickly and I'm not stuck there all day.

Plumber

That's a good idea.  I'll have to use that.  It's a day to day struggle to make ends meet.  If companies would pay their workers a little more, and $15 an hour isn't that far fetched, the need for government assistance would be a lot lower and people would be able to stand on their own.

McDonald's

When I got pregnant with my daughter, I made less than eleven thousand a year, and with my husband working the same type of job, we didn't even reach twenty-five a year.

Plumber

I have moved myself in the direction to get off the system, but it took a long struggle to get there and I'm still having to push, push, push.  Our baby is now 10.  The worst thing of it all is that my company doesn't allow me to make forty hours which would qualify me for benefits; healthcare, vacations... .  They keep us below full time hours so's that they don't have to give the employee anything.  Definitely a messed up system.  Companies should be mandated to pay a reasonable living wage as well as provide benefits.  Give the companies incentives to do this and maybe we can finally see our economy move in the right direction.

Tree Hugger

Not every job is skilled and worth fifteen dollars an hour.  Putting a frozen burger on a grill, flipping it and slapping it on a bun is not worth fifteen dollars an hour, sorry.  That's why people start with newspaper routes, then burger flipping, then maybe cashier, then assistant manager, then manager, then the sky is the limit.

McDonald's

I guess you haven't hit the glass ceiling, yet, huh?  If I, in my next four hours at McDonald's, flipped four thousand, two dollar hamburgers, I would make McDonald's eight thousand dollars in four hours.  That's two thousand dollars an hour.  We do that every hour of every working day!

Tree Hugger

I'm sorry, but if the company you work for doesn't offer any room for growth, you're in the wrong company.  I don't know where you live but in most areas of the country if you're making less than twenty-five thousand dollars a year you shouldn't be having babies.  Sorry, it's harsh, but true.  I can't even imagine how you paid your rent and fed your children on that.

Plumber

The more you talk, the more I realize that you have lost all compassion, empathy... .  What happened to the tree hugging lover you claimed to be?  Do yourself a favor, Tree Hugger, shut up.

McDonald's

Have you ever worked in the service industry?  If you had you would know that it may not be a skilled job, but it isn't easy in the least bit.  Just dealing with the general public and not going postal is an amazing feat.

Plumber

Trust me, our daughter was far from planned.  But she has never gone without.  I made sure she had what she needed.  She is now a happy ten year old.

McDonald's

This isn't the cheapest area to live.  My basic point is, if companies like McDonald's, Carl's Jr., Burger King and Taco Bell paid their workers better wages, gave opportunities for increased pay and advancement and at least gave full time hours where the workers could get benefits, there would be less dependency on the government for help and more people could be able to stand on their own.

Suit

Instead, companies like McDonald's, under the mask of the government instability, do things like cut wages, work their employees only twelve hours in two weeks, make them work several jobs or work several locations and still can't even get forty hours while reaping humungous profits.

McDonald's

Tell me where that's fair?

Tree Hugger

McDonald's jobs are easy to get, ...

McDonald's

... but not so easy to do.

Tree Hugger

That is why they're great for gaining experience.  You get the job, learn skills and gain discipline, and either move up or move on.  There are fast food joints that pay well but those jobs are not easy to get.  They hire the best.  If McD's did the same, it would only mean fewer opportunities for those who lack the skills, experience, and education and need entry level jobs.

Suit

We always tell kids to stay in school so they can better themselves.  If we're going to pay uneducated, unskilled workers the same wage as some college graduates, why bother staying in school?

Tree Hugger

Yes, I've worked for minimum wage, and low wages without benefits.  I knew at the time I was paying my dues and as soon as I had been there 18 months, got a better job, then another one.  If you can't get promoted, the best thing for you to do is leave the dead-end job.

McDonald's

I had that good job, too, until the Bush and the Republicans came into power.  We, as a nation went from a surplus to a deficit, two credit card wars, a deep recession.  That job paid well over thirty dollars an hour, including fully paid medical and dental for my family, vacation, and many more perks.  Now after the Republicans sent us into bankruptcy, the subway topic is how McDonald's type businesses are the savior to the job market!  The average wage after taxes is one hundred fifty to six hundred a month.  How did I go from more than thirty dollars an hour to eight dollars?  That's on a par with third world countries.

Plumber

Am I the only person that remembers pink slime?  I assumed that it would make a difference in McDonald's profits.  What a short memory we have and we also have the ability to forgive our screwers for the royal screwing they gave and are still giving us.

Tree Hugger

If you cared about your health, you wouldn't have ever been eating there in the first place.

Suit

Corporate eateries don't care if all you can afford is to eat at McDonald's type restuarants every night, because there's a new kid in town, well actually, out of town.  They have a near limitless new middle class to make their corporate profits bulge, well in fact, a whole bunch of middle classes are burgeoning in India, China, Brazil to name a few.  For those of you who think "oh well,its not my problem",just remember every action has a reaction and there is always a trickle effect.

Plumber

I have friends with masters degrees, bachelor degrees and even JD's in the plumbing business.  They can't take jobs in their field because they don't pay enough to pay off their student debts.

Suit

When it is all said and done, do you really think that when there is only the extremely rich and the poor classes, like India, with its caste system, we will just accept it as our destiny.  Our Civil War was based on people's belief that they were better than some.  Imagine if there was a class war between the wealthy protecting themselves from the poor who were just trying to survive and feed their children.  I pray it never happens.

McDonald's

How did we get from my minimum wage to a caste system?

Loudspeaker  (v.o.)

Next stop Wall Street.

Suit

My stop.

Tree Hugger

I get off here, too.

Suit

We should do lunch.

(Lights down.)

End