I understand that many of us are struggling but I was touched by a story and request for help posted tonight by Terence Weyenberg.

His car was about to be repossessed and he asked for immediate help to pay the bill to avoid it.  He received a loan from a friend but had to deplete the last $200 he had and has no cash on hand for luxuries like food.  I know we're a skeptical bunch, but I think it's legit, and maybe a few of you will want to throw $5-10 his way to buy him a meal.  Just a good deed for the day, a few dollars to a freethinking brother who could use a hand up.  

MONEY SENT TO THE PAYPAL CHIP IN ABOVE GOES DIRECTLY TO TERENCE ([email protected]) 

 Chris Hayes wishes you a Merry Christmas or a Happy War on Christmas, whichever you celebrate.

Want to hang out with me for an hour on Friday night (8:30-9:30 EST) to celebrate life, the season, the non-apocalypse, and our heightened awareness?

This Friday on the Winter Solstice and just over 12 hours after the world doesn't end I would like to get together with those who I relate to the most.  Please make sure you add me to your circle, and I'll add you back.  Also RSVP to the event.  If you need an invite please send me a message on Google +.

To keep the party fresh, maybe I'll show a relevant youtube video (or three) if we need.  Do you have a favorite Solstice video?  Maybe a video about the Mayan calender from a skeptics perspective?  

Maybe you have a topic you want to discuss, or a question you want addressed?  Please feel free to post below any videos, topics, questions.

More importantly... please show up.

THE EVENT:

http://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cj8ph6rltv75ud89hf07cqnnus0?authkey=CI2Q_N29_uSftAE

There are a few stories about the amazing teachers who died protecting the lives of their students.  I just wanted to take a moment to honor her.

This is Victoria Soto born 11/04/85. She was killed protecting her students in Newtown. She made her children hide in closets and in the bathroom and in doing so put herself in harms way. I will remember her and I honor her courage and dedication to the well being of her students. And unlike the person who I found out about this story from, I refuse to use her story to make a political point.  I believe she deserves to be honored simply for what she has done.  Her bravery goes above and beyond the call of duty.  

Here is a snippet from the news:

Miss Soto, who had taught at the school for five years was described by one of her deeply distraught 10-year-old pupils as ‘really nice and funny’, was trying to shield her students and usher them into a closet when she came face-to-face with the gunman.
Miss Soto’s cousin, Jim Wiltsie, said: “She put herself between the gunman and the children and that’s when she was tragically shot and killed.

There are some people from the red states that are currently having a public temper tantrum to secede from America.  Why not let them?  The red states are a drain.  They have higher rates of homicide, infant mortality, suicide, and unemployment.  They tend to take higher amounts of federal funds, they are less educated, less diverse, less tolerant, have a lower IQ, and are more religious.  

I'm all for embracing America, I believe we should try to work together rather than divide.  I would never propose a secession for my state when I am frustrated.  When George Bush won as a result of fraud and the Supreme Court selected him in another election you didn't see me proposing we secede.  I knew the damage he would cause, I was disgusted, I lived every day of those 8 years upset at who was in the White House.  I lived every day of those 8 years fearful of what he would do next and sad about the extreme damage he was causing to this country.  I did not propose a secession.  Instead I fought to inform the public.  And in doing so I'd like to believe that I played a very small role in ensuring that we have a better leader now.  Now it's their turn.  

 I recently had an exchange with a Christian friend who was "disgusted" at the states that approved gay marriage.  He believes the people who voted for it are "disgraceful." Christian disapproval of gay marriage was the impetus behind this open letter that will hopefully open the eyes of a few of my Christian readers.

Marriage was initially created by men many years ago to control women, at a time much more archaic than the time we live in now.  It was created at a time that we would stone someone for being gay as well as for cursing at their parents.  Many things have changed in society since marriage was first created.  We now are able to traverse the planet to find a mate and no longer need to claim one within walking distance as our property.  Today marriage is viewed much differently… so is stoning.   In fact we are so far away from the original reasons behind the creation of marriage that nowadays it can feel like marriage is a means for women to control men.  

The atheist community is firmly united in assisting a young girl who was brought up in a religious home that seeks to keep women uneducated and in the kitchen.  Despite her parents refusing to help in any way she has dedicated herself to getting an education and saving her siblings from the same fate.  Please "vote" for her essay about this to help her get a scholarship.  As of my writing of this blog post she has twice as many votes as the second place entry, let's keep it up!

In her essay she states:

This is an appeal to those not planning on voting. Please vote! When polled those who claim they are not voting, if they had to vote would vote Obama 3:2. You (the non-voter) are the biggest voting block. Go to the polls non-voters! 

"I can't promise you that your life will get better, easier under Barack Obama. I do think he cares and I know for sure that if the other guy is sitting in the Oval Office, I can guarantee you that not only will your life not get better, it will get much, much worse. Don't take my word for it. Just ask your parents what life was like before a 30-year pillage by the Republicans of the middle class. Your parents bought a house and eventually owned it outright. They weren't in debt. College was free. They bought a new car every 3 or 4 years. They took vacations and were home for dinner by 5 or 6 PM. They had a savings account in the bank. They didn't live in fear of not knowing if they'd even have a job next year.

That's all gone. I don't know if we can get it back, but I do know that Mr. Romney would love the chance to complete the final elimination of the middle class and the American Dream. " - Michael Moore

Read the entire appeal from Michael Moore to urge you to vote Obama.

Darden Restaurants has gotten involved in politics. They claim they're testing an idea to reduce the amount of full time employees so they can avoid giving benefits that are required under Obamacare to full timers. Not only is their test unnecessary, it is presenting a dishonest viewpoint of how Obamacare works.

The Democrats (as usual) have done a horrible job explaining the benefits of Obamacare and answering the objections. While Obamacare isn't far reaching enough, it is abundantly better than the abundantly more expensive ER plan that Mitt Romney claims to back (even though he created an Obamacare-like plan in his state as Governor).

For companies like Darden that hope to reduce the amount of full time employees in an attempt to avoid giving benefits to full timers, they will be subject to a penalty. I work at a business in which we should have 4 full time workers at my position, but my company has always had 6-8 part time workers at the position to avoid providing benefits. As a result all of us are less informed and aren't as productive at our job as we could be. Obamacare fines businesses "that have workers who are not full-time employees, where a combination of employees working 120 hours per month (around 30 hours per week) count as one employee. "

 David Siegel of Westgate Resorts doesn't need to wait for Romney to get elected to start laying people off, he can start now. Plenty of people will boycott Westgate Resorts as a result of his ridiculously stupid and improper email.  He's a billionaire who clearly is so self absorbed he cares little of his employees who he strikes fear into in an attempt to coerce them to voting for Romney.  

These are the resorts you can start boycotting now: http://westgateresorts.com/  No need for a timeshare with Westgate... why line this jerk-offs pockets?   

David Siegel's self indulgent actions follow after he took credit for earning 2,000 votes for Bush in the 2000 election...