Progressive Patriots Unite! PUMAs, Don't Back Down!!

Yesterday I wrote about what seems to me to be a mini-explosion of postings on the PUMA blogs. Today I'll talk about how the movement itself is evolving.

The PUMAsphere has been a spectacle to behold, of late. Cat fights breaking out all over. The faint of heart are defecting from our movement. I suspect that is not a bad thing. Wars of the sort we PUMAs are waging, simply cannot be won by the squeamish. Nor can our battle be seen through to victory by the short sighted.

Two essays worth reading, on the subject of PUMA-ology are:

Cinie's PUMApology.

and

D.K. Jamaal's "Does Progressive Mean Left Wing Partisanship?"

At this critical juncture in the PUMA movement, I suggest we ponder them both. Extensively. (Read the comments too.) Then ask ourselves.... is it really all that great to imbibe the talking point elixer of the Left while rejecting that of the Right? How are they different? Or, are they, in reality, the same poison?

Over the course of our year as PUMAs have we not been equally "infiltrated" by Obots and Redstaters? Why are some of us so afraid of the latter, that we will abandon our cause if they show up to titillate us with shiny TPMs?

Quite frankly.... I believe the Obots are more dangerous to PUMAs. Cuz they are our *friends and family* in real life. And because they comfortably spout rhetoric that many of us can't even recognize as meaningless, manipulative talking point jibberish .... due to our own years of desensitization and indoctrination.

Final words...

*No one party has the corner on political truth or idiocy. If you believe that one party is always right, and another is always wrong ... you were not PUMA material to begin with.

*No one politician has all the answers. Not even Hillary. By the same token, no one politician is always wrong.... or "evil" .... or the Anti-Christ. They are just people, folks. Like you and me. Demonization of any one person, including Obama, is counterproductive to our cause. (And that goes for Palin as well.)

*Hang in there, PUMAs! If we are attracting the Wingnuts, we are making a difference. They know who we are. They know we have power.... And they want to get their grubby little hands on us. The PUMA movement has come of age! Pat yourself on the back, and...

Welcome to hardball Politics!!

PUMA Blogroll On The Uptick! (Welcome to Four More this week!!) Plus: Air America Wakes Up, Smells Facism.

Is it just me, or are the PUMA blogs on fire about now? Personally, I can barely keep up with all the fabulous PUMA news coverage. I think that is VERY exciting!!

I have just, this week, re-rolled three blogs that I'd somehow lost track of in the past few months: *PUMA Eyes, *PUMAs Unleashed, and *Always for Hillary. Welcome back!

Interestingly, I have also located a new PUMA blog ... at least new to me. That would be "Progressive Examiner." (If you haven't seen his blog yet, go to my sidebar and check him out!)

I guess it is not a surprise that so many PUMAs are in an uproar over healthcare. Many of us, myself included, supported Hillary for her experience and clear vision in the matter. We didn't like having our dreams and concerns discarded by the DNC back in 2008. And we sure don't like seeing them stomped on by Obama and his "czars" now.

I don't know for sure if the PUMA rolls are truly growing. That remains to be proven. But I can say, without a doubt, that many true Progressives are waking up to the "The Absolute Facist Nightmare" the Obots have wrought. Here's an astounding piece of evidence to that effect from ... good old Obot Central ... Air America:



"What if the people out there screaming and breaking up Town Hall discussions are correct?"

Indeed, Mr. Palast. What if we are?

SYD

Excellent Essay on End of Life Decision Making by Cynthia Yockey

READ IT HERE!

Wow, the PUMAsphere is impressive!!

SYD

Caption this Photo, And Other Great PUMAsphere Finds (As Crossposted at Team Sarah)

H/T to All Things Hillary for this awesome photo:

Can it be made any clearer that our Secretary of State is sick and tired of the little boiz club in the Big White House? I mean, it's bad enough that the preznit had to schedule his own competing press event when S.o.S. Clinton addressed us on foreign policy. But then there is this "anonymous leak" from World Net Daily about Hillary having to reassure diplomats in the Mid-East.

"A senior Middle East diplomatic source said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently apologized to a Mideast leader, explaining to him U.S. policy regarding his country is being dictated by the White House and not her agency.

The diplomatic sources all confirmed Clinton has been largely cut out from the decision-making process, as have U.S. National Security Adviser James Jones and other top figures."

Because the statements are anonymous, you can take them for what they are worth. But, I am inclined to think there's a kernel of truth in them. Based on Mr. Obama's peculiar behavior surrounding S.o.S. Clinton. Their relationship is clearly strained. (H/T to PUMA blogger Shtuey for the WND link.)

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What are my PUMA friends saying about Sarah this week? Check it out: HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. That's just a sampling, mind you. I am sure you can find more if you poke around the sphere. Some good, some bad. But none of us discounting Sarah's power to draw voters.

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One last point that deserves recognition... PUMA blogger, Tom in Paine reveals that CNN is hiding Obama's bad polling numbers. No surprise there, really. But I appreciate him pointing it out. Makes my life as a PUMA poli-news researcher easier!

The PUMAsphere is Split, But I have Made Up My Mind: Sarah or Hillary Are Fine By Me

First of all, I will admit to this much:
Sarah Palin needs to consult with some decent speech writers. I believe she often says things that could be worded better. And I believe she WILL. Just as Obama learned what he could say about "typical white people" the hard way. Sarah will learn what she can say about "typical gay people."

Listen, PCness is not easy. It comes more easily to folks that are schooled at Hahvahd and such. But even they can screw it up. (As did Obama in more than one situation.) This is the cost of putting political neophytes on the fast track to national office. The learning curve is steep. Hillary and Mac had both mastered the lingo. Ivoted for both of them. But they both "lost." That is life in the American Idol milieu that the citizenry allows to dominate it's politics.

Second point:

I have heard Sarah, in her own words, say that abortion should never be criminalized. I believe that was under the intense pressure of Katie Couric... for her to say otherwise.

I really wish that my PUMA friends would be more careful about going back in time and pulling out quotes from a Sarah Palin that was campaigning before only Wasillans, or even Alaskans. Times change. Even for Pols. Sometimes... the change happens at warp speed, right before our eyes. (Just as it did with Obama, who essentially gave a couple of speeches and hired an Ivy League speech writer as his qualifications for the highest office in the land.) Sarah is learning. Faster than most of us could.

My mind is made up. :

I will support Sarah or Hillary. Whomever runs for the White House FIRST.

If they both run in 2016... all the better. Cuz we can all support a woman, whether we want to or not. And we can't lose..... no matter which side wins!

I really do not need to come to the PUMAsphere, day after day, for a synopsis of Palin's shortcomings. I am aware of them, as are most... if not all... PUMAs. We are the smart ones. Remember? We read and listen to original sources as a matter of policy.

I am simply drawing a different set of conclusions from the ones you may be. That doesn't mean I am stupid.

Honestly, though, I can get plenty of "education" about Palin's shortcomings from outside of my PUMA family. If I want that, I'll look for it. Just Sayin'...

It's getting a little bit preachy in here.

SYD

"Sarah Palin is a Bad Mother" and Other Beastie Boi Fantasies: Letterman Day Five in the PUMAsphere

The beastie boiz are at it again. Or should I stay, still? Here we see Ed Schulz and Donny Deutch at MSNBC declaring that "Sarah Palin is a bad mother." Why? Because she defended her daughter:



The PUMAsphere dares to disagree:

Tennessee Guerilla Women respond to the bogus charges.

HILLBUZZ continues to lead the charge in the Letterman boycott. And PUMA PAC adds the effort to their "daily prowl."

The New Agenda points out that Letterman's writers (you know, the ones responsible for researching and writing his jokes) have, in fact, PARADED THEIR OWN DAUGHTERS INTO THE PUBLIC EYE! TNA asks us to respect those girls anyway. Even though their fathers are dickheads.

Besides "prowling" the Letterman advertisers.... I am proud to report that I am also slowly making the rounds with small donations. To all of my favorite news sources (those listed above plus a few more.) I am giving $17 to each of them for the 17% of female elected public officials that hold high office. Anyone that is fighting to increase that number, deserves my support!

Carry on,

SYD

Chapters in PUMA History: Please, PUMAs, Back Up Your Work!!

It was about twenty-four hours ago when Cinie's World fell off the face of the PUMAsphere. Several of us noticed it right away, as we sipped our Sunday morning java. (Thank goodness she is back!)

I don't really know what happened. But the experience of waking up and finding a sister missing from my morning line-up was eerily reminiscent of what I experienced back in the Fall. Then, Hillary supporters were routinely being banned from "Democratic" web communities. And the burgeoning PUMA community was plagued by O-bot "flaggers" that would routinely shut us down as we awaited "review" by T.O.S. personnel at Blogger or Wordpress or wherever.

Look, my PUMA friends, the O-bots are now in planning stages for their "second term." They are targeting Sarah Palin at the moment... but it won't be long until they turn their greedy little cheeto stained fingers back toward us. We need to be prepared. Back up your work! Make sure you are publishing in more than one place. Make it difficult for them to silence you!!

For those of you who are supporting Sarah Palin (or thinking about it)... I'll extend a live invitation to join the PUMAs at Team Sarah. You can find the link in the right hand column here on Stray Dog Blog. Be forewarned: You won't like everything you see over there. Any more than you like everything you are seeing at Huffpo, Kos, or D.U. Partisanship sucks. And there are partisans everywhere. Still, there is a lot to be gained by blogging at T.S. I do it regularly and get many more responses than I get here. The PUMA network there is strong and vocal!

If Team Sarah is not for you... find another back-up. And let us know where it is. So we can find you after the cyberstorm hits again. Seriously.

PUMA history is important! Don't let it die by the cheeto stained, flagging fingers of the paid O-bot astroturfers! Guard your work well!

Under the PUMA Umbrella: Afrocity and Donna Darko Are Spot On! And where is Heidi Li?

It takes a while to find out who the deep thinkers in this movement are. One has to work backwards.... from some of the higher profile "political reporting" blogs to the more obscure, philosophically oriented ones.

The first true gem of a Feminist philosopher I found, while navigating the Pumasphere, was Heidi Li Feldman. But, she has been silent of late. So I've had to go poking about for other purveyors of cutting edge Feminist analysis.

Imagine my pleasure then, just this very week, to stumble upon Afrocity's assessment of how the boyz in the GOP are treating Sarah Palin about now. This author's grasp of western, anti-woman, mythologies is plainly obvious. Her choices of artwork, stunning! I was, quite honestly, bowled over by the deep truths the lie between the lines in her deft analysis.

That such an awesome piece comes on the heels of Donna Darko's excellent rant about why white women are not responsible for other people's misconceptions about Feminism speaks for the incredible wealth of wisdom within the PUMA movement. Yes, Ms. Darko nailed it. Hit the ball out of the park, so to speak. Home run!!

Yoohoo! PUMAs!! We have some real thinkers here! Top notch movers and shakers. Herstorians in the truest sense. Their writings deserve attention... the kind of attention that only we can garner for them. And only if we broaden our movement, rather than narrow it.

So, let's not waste time bickering about whether we should more closely associate with Democrats or Republicans. OK?

Let's embrace them BOTH. And more!

SYD

PS. Many thanks to all who have continued to call for a broad PUMA umbrella this week. This (photo above) was the broadest I could find.

Golf anyone?

PUMA Alert: Obots Going After John Coale and Greta VanSusteren

Here's an example from the Baltimore Sun.

And here's one from a Team Sarah infiltration.

Be on the alert for this kind of BS. It's going to get worse. ...

Coale is a PUMA. He has every right to support (and work for) whomever he wants to. But that won't stop the Bots. They will try to do to him what they did to Joe the Plumber (and others.)

PUMAs... please be watchful! We need to protect our own!

The Pumasphere Is Rocking, Joe Wurzelbacher is Suing, All is Well in My World.

I am working so much this week.... that I simply don't have an easy way to keep up with what's happening in the world at large. Not as much as I'd like, anyways. No worries, though. Cuz the PUMAsphere has it all covered! From Rush and the economy to Judas Richardson and HR Cohen. Dare I say, "it's all good?"

I simply do not see a reason to tune to CNN or FOX-news anymore. Do you?

SYD

PS. Thanks PUMAs! For making news-gathering so easy!! I will pay you back.... when business slows a bit.

PSS. On edit... I'll add this tasty morsel about Ohioan, Joe Wurzelbacher's suit against Helen Jones-Kelly. About time, too!

Reactions to the Ms.Ogyny Are Varied

Around the Pumasphere I have found them to range from humorous, to angry, to scholarly. A few examples would be:
THE NEW AGENDA wonders if NOW will appoint John Edwards to replace Kim Gandy.

PUMA PAC is calling for a letter writing campaign to Ms. Magazine.

Now that the bar has been set so low, THE CONFLUENCE is seeing Feminists everywhere.

RIVERDAUGHTER would like us to remember what a REAL feminist looks like.

Yet again, at The Confluence, TAGGLES is reminded of an Andy Kaufman routine.

Some of the responses to my own musings on the subject have been enlightening as well. For instance, Lawmom (a Kentucky lawyer who works with victims of abuse) responded to my post at Team Sarah. She thought Ms. Magazine was spoofing itself. Seriously. She thought it was a joke. As if Ms. was saying "look what some nuts are calling Feminist."

Here on my blogspot, I was reminded by Kat In Your Hat, that Donna Brazile is on the editorial board at Ms. That does explain alot, now, doesn't it?

I'm sure there are places where the discussion leans more toward "Well, he is a feminist." But I don't frequent O-bot boards. So I'm not seeing those. My response, however, would be along the lines that HEIDI LI's is. "if a feminist looks like President-elect Obama then a feminist looks exactly like somebody who has done nothing, and I do mean nothing, to suggest that he will fight for increased social justice for women."

Or, maybe ... if I was a well spoken historian... I'd say something in the vein of what Anna Belle tells us at PEACOCKS AND LILLIES. "The idea of Barack Obama as Superfeminist is absurd and offensive, but it is also a trick. We’ve seen this kind of rehabilitation before. We saw it with Summers and Favreau, when articles that showed them a favorable light, especially articles by women began to emerge from various media outlets. This is also the same technique we’ve seen the Bush Administration use for eight long years now. Whenever a problem comes up, run it through your personal propaganda mill, the press, and change the narrative."

For me, yet again, it comes down to the sad realization that ... not only have women suffered tremendous abuses of power in the 2008 campaign season, but our own "mothers" have turned on us.

Ms. is corroborating with our abusers. And, that, my friends... is the worst kind of betrayal there is.

S.Y.D.

ADDENDUMS:

1) Some of the bloggers I am referencing are up for Weblog awards. Go HERE to vote for them!

2)Today's image from DancesWithPumas via PUMA PAC.

3) I suspect there will be more and more reaction to the Ms.Ogyny today. I'll try to add links as they come my way!