Rant
.
I can't keep my mouth shut any longer. What The Fuck does Israel think they're doing?!
They say they have no wish to invade Lebanon. (even though Israel has sent troops across the border to "attack Hezbollah". No... they're not invading; they're just crossing the border for a while) They say they have no problems with the Lebanese government. They say they're leaving the Lebanese infrastructure in place. And they say they're being mindful of civilians.
Yet the first thing Israel did was bomb the airports. Then the hit the roads, bridges, and bunkers that may or may not hold Hezbollah leaders. They still don't know if they hit their targets, but they know they've killed civilians -civilians from multiple countries, to boot.
Now I'm not saying Hezbollah is in any way innocent. They've been firing missiles and killing Israeli civilians too. But Israel is saying that "Hezbollah and their patrons" should pay for the reconstruction of Lebanon. Um. Really? How do they figure that? Hezbollah and their patrons aren't bombing Lebanese airports etc.
Mind you, Lebanon has been reasonably free of Syrian control for LESS THAN A YEAR. They've been TRYING to deal with the Hezbollah problem. Lebanon is a soveriegn nation and Israel has no business bombing their bridges, roads, homes, ports, airports and people.
This conflict started practically without warning, and there are tourist and visitors from countries around the world who can't fly out of Lebanon. They can't leave by Lebanese ships either, because Israel is blockading the waterways. Which leads to my next bit of ranting...
Canada. France. England. Ireland. And many other countries are evacuating their citizens as fast as they possibly can. America has (8 days into the bombing) begun to "relocate" OUR citizens. The government has told the media not to use the word "evacuation" in reference to U.S. citizens being removed from Lebanon. I guess that means they're not "refugees" when they're taking refuge in Cypress -the country they're being relocated to until they can get back to the U.S.
This is the biggest piece of bullshit since the hurricane Katrina fiasco. And like after Katrina, Bush is doing absolutely nothing about it.
Well, ok... he did one thing. He voted against the UN resolution to stop Israel and order a cease-fire. He was the only holdout.
God, he's such a shitbiscuit.
Showing posts with label History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label History. Show all posts
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Sunday, February 08, 2004
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Three Ring Circus
Remember Schoolhouse Rock? Of course you do. We all have fond memories of our favorites like, "I'm Just A Bill" or "Conjunction Junction". Years ago, we bought the Schoolhouse Rock collection on videotape, and I was re-introduced to "Three Ring Circus" which explains the three branches of government. The Supreme Court doesn't make the news as often as the President or members of the Legislative branch. I think that's good. It frees up the Supreme Court, and gives them the space to do their job. I also like that they get a lifetime appointment, so they don't have to worry about getting booted when they make unpopular decisions. I'd like to talk about some of the decisions they'll be working on after their midwinter break.
The Pledge of Allegiance: I'm all for making kids start their day by pledging their dedication to their country. I'm all for "One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all". I'm all against "Under God".
Looking at how post Sept. 11th deals with terrorism and security: Yes!
The Supreme Courst will be testing the limits of presidential secrecy, civil rights protections for the disabled, and free speech vs protecting children from Internet pRon. They will be looking at patients rights to sue their HMO's. Cases now awaiting rulings include a church-state fight over scholarships for religious education, a look at the role of partisan politics in legislative redistricting, and a case testing the legal rights of more than 650 foreigners held in open-ended military custody at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay.
All I can say is, do it, baby!
Remember Schoolhouse Rock? Of course you do. We all have fond memories of our favorites like, "I'm Just A Bill" or "Conjunction Junction". Years ago, we bought the Schoolhouse Rock collection on videotape, and I was re-introduced to "Three Ring Circus" which explains the three branches of government. The Supreme Court doesn't make the news as often as the President or members of the Legislative branch. I think that's good. It frees up the Supreme Court, and gives them the space to do their job. I also like that they get a lifetime appointment, so they don't have to worry about getting booted when they make unpopular decisions. I'd like to talk about some of the decisions they'll be working on after their midwinter break.
The Pledge of Allegiance: I'm all for making kids start their day by pledging their dedication to their country. I'm all for "One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all". I'm all against "Under God".
Looking at how post Sept. 11th deals with terrorism and security: Yes!
The Supreme Courst will be testing the limits of presidential secrecy, civil rights protections for the disabled, and free speech vs protecting children from Internet pRon. They will be looking at patients rights to sue their HMO's. Cases now awaiting rulings include a church-state fight over scholarships for religious education, a look at the role of partisan politics in legislative redistricting, and a case testing the legal rights of more than 650 foreigners held in open-ended military custody at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay.
All I can say is, do it, baby!
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
(deep sigh) Whenever I blog hop, I wind up at some 9/11 site. I spend hours reading other peoples' memories, and I cry. I wonder about that.
The day it happened, I did not cry. I talked to all my friends through their sobs, and did not cry. Twice a day I drove past the firehouse with it's flag at half mast, and did not cry. Not really. Everything I saw caused a momentary restriction in my throat, a burst of sob-noise and a few tears. But I didn't cry.
Months later, my mother-in-law sent us a Time-Life book about September 11th. I glanced through it, it was very moving. A smattering of tears ran down my face, and I put it away. It sat on the shelf, waiting for me to be ready. I finally was ready one day.
I took the book off it's shelf and opened it. The inside cover is filled with the pictures people had posted all over New York... and then I could cry.
I pressed the book to my chest and rocked back and forth, and cried, and cried, and cried.
I couldn't call anyone, I couldn't tell anyone. They had already had their grief and moved on. I was too late to grieve with the nation. I grieved alone.
I wonder if that's why the Universe keeps pointing me toward 9/11 sites. I am not alone. I was not alone that day. I hope some day I'll find a blog where someone else couldn't cry. I think that would be cathartic.
The day it happened, I did not cry. I talked to all my friends through their sobs, and did not cry. Twice a day I drove past the firehouse with it's flag at half mast, and did not cry. Not really. Everything I saw caused a momentary restriction in my throat, a burst of sob-noise and a few tears. But I didn't cry.
Months later, my mother-in-law sent us a Time-Life book about September 11th. I glanced through it, it was very moving. A smattering of tears ran down my face, and I put it away. It sat on the shelf, waiting for me to be ready. I finally was ready one day.
I took the book off it's shelf and opened it. The inside cover is filled with the pictures people had posted all over New York... and then I could cry.
I pressed the book to my chest and rocked back and forth, and cried, and cried, and cried.
I couldn't call anyone, I couldn't tell anyone. They had already had their grief and moved on. I was too late to grieve with the nation. I grieved alone.
I wonder if that's why the Universe keeps pointing me toward 9/11 sites. I am not alone. I was not alone that day. I hope some day I'll find a blog where someone else couldn't cry. I think that would be cathartic.
Tuesday, October 07, 2003
Found on Free Range Human,
" Nothing but class
The Christian Fundamentalists are on the warpath again. Christianity is a religion centered around a man who told us that if we love each other and love God, we will get into heaven. Period. How that translates into Matthew Shepard going to hell, I'm not entirely sure."
Historical note, taken from Wikipedia:
Shortly after midnight on October 7, 1998, 21-year-old Shepard met McKinney and Henderson in a bar. According to McKinney, Shepard asked them for a ride home. Subsequently, Shepard was robbed, severely beaten, tied to a fence and left to die. McKinney and Henderson also found out his address, intending to burglarize his home. Shepard was discovered by a bicyclist 18 hours later, still alive but unconscious.
Shepard suffered a fracture from the back of his head to the front of his right ear. He also had severe brain stem damage, which affected his body's ability to regulate heart rate, body temperature and other vital signs. There were also about a dozen small lacerations around his head, face and neck. His injuries were deemed too severe for doctors to operate. Shepard never regained consciousness and remained on full life support. He was pronounced dead at 12:53 a.m. on October 12 at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. Police arrested McKinney and Henderson shortly thereafter, finding the bloody gun as well as the victim's shoes and wallet in their truck. The two men had attempted to get their girlfriends to provide alibis.
After the attack, the prosecutor told reporters that Shepard's friends had been vocal about Shepard's sexuality: "They were calling the County Attorney's office, they were calling the media and indicating Matthew Shepard is gay and we don't want the fact that he is gay to go unnoticed."
During court cases both of the defendants used varying stories to defend their actions. They attempted to use the "gay panic defense", arguing that they were driven to temporary insanity by Shepard's alleged sexual advances toward them. At another point they stated that they had only wanted to rob Shepard and never intended to kill him.
The prosecutor in the case charged that McKinney and Henderson pretended to be gay in order to gain Matthew's trust to rob him.[8] During the trial, Chastity Pasley and Kristen Price (the pair's then-girlfriends) testified under oath that Henderson and McKinney both plotted beforehand to rob a gay man. McKinney and Henderson then went to the Fireside Lounge, a gay hangout, and selected Shepard as their target. After befriending him, they took him to a remote area of Laramie where they robbed him, beat him severely (media reports often contained the graphic account of the pistol whipping and his smashed skull) and tied him to a fence with his own shoe laces. Both girlfriends also testified that neither McKinney nor Henderson were on drugs at the time.
Several years after the guilty verdict, Price gave her third different account of the night (the first time she provided her boyfriend with an alibi until learning that Matthew had died and that she could be charged as an accessory to murder; the second time she said Matthew was selected because he was gay). She said the motive for the attack was solely related to drugs and money. She added, "I don't think it was a hate crime at all. I never did."
Henderson pleaded guilty on April 5, 1999 and agreed to testify against McKinney to avoid the death penalty; he received two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. The jury in McKinney's trial found him guilty of 2 counts of felony murder. As it began to deliberate on the death penalty, Shepard's parents brokered a deal, resulting in McKinney also receiving two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. Shepard's parents stated, "We are giving him life in the memory of one who no longer lives."
As Shepard lay in intensive care, candle-light vigils were held in support around the world. The public reaction and media attention focused on Shepard's sexuality.
The anti-gay Fred Phelps and his family picketed Shepard's funeral as well as the trial of his assailants. They displayed signs typical of their protests, with slogans such as "Matt Shepard rots in Hell", "AIDS Kills Fags Dead" and "God Hates Fags".
As a counterprotest during Henderson's trial, Romaine Patterson, a friend of Shepard's, organized a group of individuals who assembled in a circle around the Phelps group wearing white robes and gigantic wings that literally blocked the protesters (who were confined to a small protest square by police) from the view of passers-by.
After the incident, President Bill Clinton renewed attempts to extend federal hate crime legislation to include gay and lesbian individuals, women and people with disabilities. These efforts were rejected by the House of Representatives in 1999. In 2000, both houses of Congress passed such legislation, but it was stripped out in conference committee.
" Nothing but class
The Christian Fundamentalists are on the warpath again. Christianity is a religion centered around a man who told us that if we love each other and love God, we will get into heaven. Period. How that translates into Matthew Shepard going to hell, I'm not entirely sure."
Historical note, taken from Wikipedia:
Shortly after midnight on October 7, 1998, 21-year-old Shepard met McKinney and Henderson in a bar. According to McKinney, Shepard asked them for a ride home. Subsequently, Shepard was robbed, severely beaten, tied to a fence and left to die. McKinney and Henderson also found out his address, intending to burglarize his home. Shepard was discovered by a bicyclist 18 hours later, still alive but unconscious.
Shepard suffered a fracture from the back of his head to the front of his right ear. He also had severe brain stem damage, which affected his body's ability to regulate heart rate, body temperature and other vital signs. There were also about a dozen small lacerations around his head, face and neck. His injuries were deemed too severe for doctors to operate. Shepard never regained consciousness and remained on full life support. He was pronounced dead at 12:53 a.m. on October 12 at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. Police arrested McKinney and Henderson shortly thereafter, finding the bloody gun as well as the victim's shoes and wallet in their truck. The two men had attempted to get their girlfriends to provide alibis.
After the attack, the prosecutor told reporters that Shepard's friends had been vocal about Shepard's sexuality: "They were calling the County Attorney's office, they were calling the media and indicating Matthew Shepard is gay and we don't want the fact that he is gay to go unnoticed."
During court cases both of the defendants used varying stories to defend their actions. They attempted to use the "gay panic defense", arguing that they were driven to temporary insanity by Shepard's alleged sexual advances toward them. At another point they stated that they had only wanted to rob Shepard and never intended to kill him.
The prosecutor in the case charged that McKinney and Henderson pretended to be gay in order to gain Matthew's trust to rob him.[8] During the trial, Chastity Pasley and Kristen Price (the pair's then-girlfriends) testified under oath that Henderson and McKinney both plotted beforehand to rob a gay man. McKinney and Henderson then went to the Fireside Lounge, a gay hangout, and selected Shepard as their target. After befriending him, they took him to a remote area of Laramie where they robbed him, beat him severely (media reports often contained the graphic account of the pistol whipping and his smashed skull) and tied him to a fence with his own shoe laces. Both girlfriends also testified that neither McKinney nor Henderson were on drugs at the time.
Several years after the guilty verdict, Price gave her third different account of the night (the first time she provided her boyfriend with an alibi until learning that Matthew had died and that she could be charged as an accessory to murder; the second time she said Matthew was selected because he was gay). She said the motive for the attack was solely related to drugs and money. She added, "I don't think it was a hate crime at all. I never did."
Henderson pleaded guilty on April 5, 1999 and agreed to testify against McKinney to avoid the death penalty; he received two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. The jury in McKinney's trial found him guilty of 2 counts of felony murder. As it began to deliberate on the death penalty, Shepard's parents brokered a deal, resulting in McKinney also receiving two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. Shepard's parents stated, "We are giving him life in the memory of one who no longer lives."
As Shepard lay in intensive care, candle-light vigils were held in support around the world. The public reaction and media attention focused on Shepard's sexuality.
The anti-gay Fred Phelps and his family picketed Shepard's funeral as well as the trial of his assailants. They displayed signs typical of their protests, with slogans such as "Matt Shepard rots in Hell", "AIDS Kills Fags Dead" and "God Hates Fags".
As a counterprotest during Henderson's trial, Romaine Patterson, a friend of Shepard's, organized a group of individuals who assembled in a circle around the Phelps group wearing white robes and gigantic wings that literally blocked the protesters (who were confined to a small protest square by police) from the view of passers-by.
After the incident, President Bill Clinton renewed attempts to extend federal hate crime legislation to include gay and lesbian individuals, women and people with disabilities. These efforts were rejected by the House of Representatives in 1999. In 2000, both houses of Congress passed such legislation, but it was stripped out in conference committee.
Thursday, October 02, 2003
Once upon a time, in a land flowing with milk and honey, there was a war. It was a silent war, with minimal deaths; and it lasted more than 40 years. They called it "The Cold War". The war ended, not through invasion, but through prosperity. It was won with quality of life.
When the war ended, both sides drastically scaled down their armies. After all, there was no longer a need for a large military. The money could be better used on big companies, so they could hire all the men and women who were no longer needed to staff the army. The military switched from active to passive service. They told new recruits that "reserve" was the way to go. 6-9 months of training and 2 weeks a year for the next ten years would buy all the perks of military service without the risks of death or dismemberment. Recruiters told these bright young men and women that they would be called upon to serve only in a time of great need. They implied that the reservists (as they were called) would fill jobs on our own soil, while the regular army would fight the good fight over seas.
They lied.
The United States of America, winner of the Cold War and all around "good guy" needs to prepare for a new (old) problem. We are going to have battle-scarred, shell-shocked, embittered and disillusioned men and women returning to raise the children that their families have been caring for. There will be no place in society for them. There will be no jobs. There will be no help from the military that used them so poorly. And their children will suffer in silence.
When the war ended, both sides drastically scaled down their armies. After all, there was no longer a need for a large military. The money could be better used on big companies, so they could hire all the men and women who were no longer needed to staff the army. The military switched from active to passive service. They told new recruits that "reserve" was the way to go. 6-9 months of training and 2 weeks a year for the next ten years would buy all the perks of military service without the risks of death or dismemberment. Recruiters told these bright young men and women that they would be called upon to serve only in a time of great need. They implied that the reservists (as they were called) would fill jobs on our own soil, while the regular army would fight the good fight over seas.
They lied.
The United States of America, winner of the Cold War and all around "good guy" needs to prepare for a new (old) problem. We are going to have battle-scarred, shell-shocked, embittered and disillusioned men and women returning to raise the children that their families have been caring for. There will be no place in society for them. There will be no jobs. There will be no help from the military that used them so poorly. And their children will suffer in silence.
Written about a long-gone blogger:
.
...Yet he takes truths (horrible enough on their own) and blows them all out of proportion. He tells his growing circle of readers how nasty the common American is. He ignores the efforts of all the grass roots movements that are doing their damnedest to stop this war and get Bush out of office. He actively sends links to bloggers in other countries, hoping they'll spread his nauseating garbage. Note how he doesn't tell Americans that his site exists.
I'll admit, when we first went after Iraq, I thought it was an OK thing. I grieved over the death, destruction and life altering events that were about to take place, yet I believed the purpose behind it was noble. I never thought we were in "imminent danger", I never saw a connection between Iraq and Al-Qaida. My best friend was vehemently opposed to the war, and I said, "Yes, but the atrocities have to stop!" I believed it was worth American lives and American dollars to save so many families in a country I'll never see. Chasmyn told me it was all about corporate profit, and I couldn't understand. How can a corporation make money off of a war, I wondered. It made no sense to me. It still makes no sense to me, but she was right. 100% correct on all counts. The next time she tells me something I can't understand, I'll believe her.
.
...Yet he takes truths (horrible enough on their own) and blows them all out of proportion. He tells his growing circle of readers how nasty the common American is. He ignores the efforts of all the grass roots movements that are doing their damnedest to stop this war and get Bush out of office. He actively sends links to bloggers in other countries, hoping they'll spread his nauseating garbage. Note how he doesn't tell Americans that his site exists.
I'll admit, when we first went after Iraq, I thought it was an OK thing. I grieved over the death, destruction and life altering events that were about to take place, yet I believed the purpose behind it was noble. I never thought we were in "imminent danger", I never saw a connection between Iraq and Al-Qaida. My best friend was vehemently opposed to the war, and I said, "Yes, but the atrocities have to stop!" I believed it was worth American lives and American dollars to save so many families in a country I'll never see. Chasmyn told me it was all about corporate profit, and I couldn't understand. How can a corporation make money off of a war, I wondered. It made no sense to me. It still makes no sense to me, but she was right. 100% correct on all counts. The next time she tells me something I can't understand, I'll believe her.
Friday, September 26, 2003
But wait...there's more.
Move On also offers an e-mail service called "The Daily Misleader" wherein they email you a story about Bush saying misleading things, and getting caught at it. I'm so impressed with their efforts. The sad thing is that it's so easy to find a misleading speech every weekday. This should not be so! Our president should be generally truthful and up-front, or he should shut his mouth! I'm astounded that he continues to lie to the American public. I'm disgusted that he continues to get away with it.
Today's mislead is titled "President Bush's Inspectors Find No Weapons to Support his Claims about Imminent Threat"
No surprise there.
Researching past polls from CNN.com (they usually use Gallup) shows up some interesting things. Remember back when all we had to worry about was what Clinton did with his cigars? Something else happened too. Two of our embassies were bombed, and Clinton bombed Afghanistan and Sudan. Anybody remember that? Of course not, we've had bigger things to worry about. So let's move forward a year. The U.S. and Britain conduct airstrikes in Iraq because the UN weapons inspectors aren't allowed access to the places they want to inspect. The poll questions were all about whether it was designed as a distraction from Clinton's impeachment proceedings. Ring any bells?
Let's take a trip in the way-back machine. The 1980's saw no major wars for the U.S., but a heck of a lot of retaliatory strikes went on. On April 18, 1983 a car bomb kills 17 people at the U.S embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. On October 23rd, that same year, a truck bomb killed about 240 U.S. marines in Lebanon. (the number of dead varies by site)7 minutes later, 38 French peacekeepers were killed with another truck bomb, also in Lebanon. I remember being in school, with all my friends up in arms because we'd just bombed Libya. Why did we bomb Libya back in 1986? Because the largest peacetime American naval armada ever assembled crossed over into Libyan territorial waters in the Gulf of Sidra. Khadafy naturally shoots off missiles at the fleet. U.S. forces then destroy a missile site and three Libyan naval craft. (hmmm. So who started this one? duh.) In retaliation, Khadafy sponsors the bombing on April 5, 1986, of the La Belle nightclub in West Berlin, which killed an American soldier and a Turkish woman. On April 15, 1986, the U.S. retaliates for the La Belle bombing with air strikes against Libya. My classmates all thought we were going to war. Being in a catholic school, we also thought that smacking the shit out of an Arabian country would bring about Armageddon.
How about this one? In July of 1988, the USS Vincennes was sitting in Iranian waters (the reason behind it leaving international waters is classified). It fired a guided missile at an Iranian passenger plane, killing all 290 passengers and crew on board. The United States refused to compensate Iran for the losses. (the matter was quietly settled in 1996) December of 1988 saw the retaliatory bombing of flight 103, and on March 10th, 1989, the wife of the commander of the USS Vincennes was killed by a pipe bomb. Prior to the downing of the Iranian Airbus by the Vincennes, attacks involving airlines were all hijackings.
The list goes on and on, and researching this stuff took me really far off-topic. I'd meant to rant about how much Bush sucks as a president. I still think he sucks. I think he is one of the worst presidents this country has ever had.
Move On also offers an e-mail service called "The Daily Misleader" wherein they email you a story about Bush saying misleading things, and getting caught at it. I'm so impressed with their efforts. The sad thing is that it's so easy to find a misleading speech every weekday. This should not be so! Our president should be generally truthful and up-front, or he should shut his mouth! I'm astounded that he continues to lie to the American public. I'm disgusted that he continues to get away with it.
Today's mislead is titled "President Bush's Inspectors Find No Weapons to Support his Claims about Imminent Threat"
No surprise there.
Researching past polls from CNN.com (they usually use Gallup) shows up some interesting things. Remember back when all we had to worry about was what Clinton did with his cigars? Something else happened too. Two of our embassies were bombed, and Clinton bombed Afghanistan and Sudan. Anybody remember that? Of course not, we've had bigger things to worry about. So let's move forward a year. The U.S. and Britain conduct airstrikes in Iraq because the UN weapons inspectors aren't allowed access to the places they want to inspect. The poll questions were all about whether it was designed as a distraction from Clinton's impeachment proceedings. Ring any bells?
Let's take a trip in the way-back machine. The 1980's saw no major wars for the U.S., but a heck of a lot of retaliatory strikes went on. On April 18, 1983 a car bomb kills 17 people at the U.S embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. On October 23rd, that same year, a truck bomb killed about 240 U.S. marines in Lebanon. (the number of dead varies by site)7 minutes later, 38 French peacekeepers were killed with another truck bomb, also in Lebanon. I remember being in school, with all my friends up in arms because we'd just bombed Libya. Why did we bomb Libya back in 1986? Because the largest peacetime American naval armada ever assembled crossed over into Libyan territorial waters in the Gulf of Sidra. Khadafy naturally shoots off missiles at the fleet. U.S. forces then destroy a missile site and three Libyan naval craft. (hmmm. So who started this one? duh.) In retaliation, Khadafy sponsors the bombing on April 5, 1986, of the La Belle nightclub in West Berlin, which killed an American soldier and a Turkish woman. On April 15, 1986, the U.S. retaliates for the La Belle bombing with air strikes against Libya. My classmates all thought we were going to war. Being in a catholic school, we also thought that smacking the shit out of an Arabian country would bring about Armageddon.
How about this one? In July of 1988, the USS Vincennes was sitting in Iranian waters (the reason behind it leaving international waters is classified). It fired a guided missile at an Iranian passenger plane, killing all 290 passengers and crew on board. The United States refused to compensate Iran for the losses. (the matter was quietly settled in 1996) December of 1988 saw the retaliatory bombing of flight 103, and on March 10th, 1989, the wife of the commander of the USS Vincennes was killed by a pipe bomb. Prior to the downing of the Iranian Airbus by the Vincennes, attacks involving airlines were all hijackings.
The list goes on and on, and researching this stuff took me really far off-topic. I'd meant to rant about how much Bush sucks as a president. I still think he sucks. I think he is one of the worst presidents this country has ever had.
Thursday, September 25, 2003
I really appreciate the efforts of Move On.org. Move On began as a grass roots movement pushing our congress to get over the whole Clinton and the interns thing and MOVE ON. Fortunately, they didn't stop there. This watchdog organization will pursue any governmental action, or body of legislation, that might infringe our democratic process. I don't have a lot of faith in the power of speaking out or adding my name to a petition. Not after Bush became president. But I do it anyway. Speaking out makes it harder to pass bad legislation.
And speaking of bad legislation...
In 7th grade civics class we learned that there were 3 branches of government. The legislative branch writes the laws, the executive branch approves or vetoes the laws, and the judicial branch makes sure the laws abide by our constitution. That's how it's supposed to work. We all know that each branch does more than the basic things listed above. Our congressmen and women press for perks for their own areas, Our president makes lots of suggestions as to where the laws should be going, the supreme court hears all kinds of cases not related to the constitution, etc.
However... When did President Bush become a member of the legislative branch?
According to the Washington Post, "President Bush repealed and proposed several regulations yesterday to make it easier for religious charities to receive federal money, including allowing such groups to make hiring decisions based on job candidates' faith."
Quick, run out and form a not-for-profit organization so you can only hire people of your own religion!
And speaking of bad legislation...
In 7th grade civics class we learned that there were 3 branches of government. The legislative branch writes the laws, the executive branch approves or vetoes the laws, and the judicial branch makes sure the laws abide by our constitution. That's how it's supposed to work. We all know that each branch does more than the basic things listed above. Our congressmen and women press for perks for their own areas, Our president makes lots of suggestions as to where the laws should be going, the supreme court hears all kinds of cases not related to the constitution, etc.
However... When did President Bush become a member of the legislative branch?
According to the Washington Post, "President Bush repealed and proposed several regulations yesterday to make it easier for religious charities to receive federal money, including allowing such groups to make hiring decisions based on job candidates' faith."
Quick, run out and form a not-for-profit organization so you can only hire people of your own religion!
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Ok. This, I just have to rant about... Town Hall accessibility project underway.
Shutesbury, Mass. has adopted a fragrance-free policy for their public areas. I'd love to see their poor police officers trying to arrest someone for smelling too good. The link has a long FAQ about fragrance-free issues, the last one being:
Q: Why do we have to bother with being fragrance free?
A: Fragrance free is a civil rights issue. The federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guarantees disabled persons access to all public services and programs. This includes public meetings, events, and services such as education and library programs. Your cooperation with Shutesbury's fragrance free policy is the most practical and least expensive way to provide access at this time. Suggestions, questions or comments about accessibility in Shutesbury are welcome. Please contact Town Administrator David Ames, Shutesbury's ADA Coordinator at 259-1214, townadmin@shutesbury.org, or Ziporah Hildebrandt, Chair, ADA Committee at 259-1874, zhildebrandt@hampshire.edu.
Really? A civil rights issue? What about the rights of those who now must shower with baking-soda, wear freshly-laundered-with-nothing-but-water clothing from head to toe, including a hat to cover the residual scents from shampoo, just to enter city hall and pay their taxes? There's also a bit about fragrance-free Mondays at the library. I commend their efforts... and have you ever been in a library? It's full of scents! The smell of age and paper and ink and glue and skin oils permeates the place. (and I think it smells great) How can you get rid of all those fragrances? I assert that no amount of air filtration will do the trick.
Now, look. I think it sucks that some people are so sensitive to chemicals, that they get sick from being around them. I really do. My mother in law is like that. She doesn't shove her disability under everyone's nose, and make them wrong for not living their lives in a way that would make it easier on her. She takes her allergy meds, does her best to eat wholistically (which makes a huge difference in her sensitivity levels), and budgets her body and her time for when she must be in public. She doesn't think herself a second-class citizen. She doesn't scream for every tree in her path to be cut down because it might make her sick. She chooses instead to appreciate the beauty of the world around her, and live with her disability in peace.
Shutesbury, Mass. has adopted a fragrance-free policy for their public areas. I'd love to see their poor police officers trying to arrest someone for smelling too good. The link has a long FAQ about fragrance-free issues, the last one being:
Q: Why do we have to bother with being fragrance free?
A: Fragrance free is a civil rights issue. The federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guarantees disabled persons access to all public services and programs. This includes public meetings, events, and services such as education and library programs. Your cooperation with Shutesbury's fragrance free policy is the most practical and least expensive way to provide access at this time. Suggestions, questions or comments about accessibility in Shutesbury are welcome. Please contact Town Administrator David Ames, Shutesbury's ADA Coordinator at 259-1214, townadmin@shutesbury.org, or Ziporah Hildebrandt, Chair, ADA Committee at 259-1874, zhildebrandt@hampshire.edu.
Really? A civil rights issue? What about the rights of those who now must shower with baking-soda, wear freshly-laundered-with-nothing-but-water clothing from head to toe, including a hat to cover the residual scents from shampoo, just to enter city hall and pay their taxes? There's also a bit about fragrance-free Mondays at the library. I commend their efforts... and have you ever been in a library? It's full of scents! The smell of age and paper and ink and glue and skin oils permeates the place. (and I think it smells great) How can you get rid of all those fragrances? I assert that no amount of air filtration will do the trick.
Now, look. I think it sucks that some people are so sensitive to chemicals, that they get sick from being around them. I really do. My mother in law is like that. She doesn't shove her disability under everyone's nose, and make them wrong for not living their lives in a way that would make it easier on her. She takes her allergy meds, does her best to eat wholistically (which makes a huge difference in her sensitivity levels), and budgets her body and her time for when she must be in public. She doesn't think herself a second-class citizen. She doesn't scream for every tree in her path to be cut down because it might make her sick. She chooses instead to appreciate the beauty of the world around her, and live with her disability in peace.
Friday, September 19, 2003
I think the actions of our current president are bad enough, without making shit up to add to it. Why do people do that? It only serves to cast doubt on the true stuff. I recieved "George W. Bush's resume" in my e-mail today, and now I'm going to pick it apart and try to separate the truth from the fiction. (because I don't wanna clean the house today, and this is a great way to waste 3 hours) Please bitch about the sad state of our country, but do it intelligently! Speak your mind, don't copy blindly someone elses!
I have edited the e-mail, cutting out the irrelevant "proof" that someone made up. I've also removed those annoying little forwarding arrows. All italics are my comments.
Subject:
George W. Bush resume
From:
Don't ya just love forwarded messages? I know I do.
Dear friends:
If I sent this to you and you're a Bush supporter, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you're a Bush supporter. But you can't argue the facts below. Yeah? Watch me move!I hope you don't let this letter end our friendship, but instead it will lead to interesting discussions.
GEORGE W. BUSH RESUME
The White House, USA
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:
I attacked and took over two countries. Well, sort of. Neither Afghanistan nor Iraq are governed by the U.S.
I spent the U.S. surplus and bankrupted the Treasury. We are not bankrupt. We are not even (with adjusted figures) as deeply in debt as we were before World War 2
I shattered the record for biggest annual deficit in history. The Congressional Budget Office forecast a federal budget deficit of $480 billion in 2004, a record shortfall
I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period. bankruptcyaction.com agrees with this statement. An interesting note: business bankruptcies are down 6.9%, and have been falling since 1999.
I set all-time record for biggest drop in the history of the stock market. Untrue! First, you have to define which stock market. Let's assume we're only discussing the workings of Wall Street. This considerably narrows the field. So...in 1929, the stock market lost 12.9% of it's value in one day. This does not include the selling off of the previous business day, which bumps the loss to 22.2%. In 1987 it lost 22.6%, losing 508 points and breaking the record. In 2000, the market lost 504 points in one day, which doen't beat the loss in '87. And the percentage loss was a measly 4% However, the total, continual losses over the months is almost 50%, so that may break a record somewhere. After all 30+ months of loss is a really big deal.
I am the first president in decades to execute a federal prisoner. I think that's right. Not that he gave the injection personally, mind you.
I am the first president in US history to enter office with a criminal record. Somehow I just kinda doubt this one, but I found nothing to refute it.
In my first year in office I set the all-time record for most days on vacation by any president in US history. Yep. Lazy assed bum.
After taking the entire month of August off for vacation, I presided over the worst security failure in US history. Yep.
I set the record for most campaign fund raising trips by any president in US history. I think so.
In my first two years in office over 2 million Americans lost their job. True. The official number of unemployed is 8.9 million. 137.6 million people have jobs.
The list goes on and on, and I've gotten bored with looking things up. You've probably read it all before anyway. One small note, however. The e-mail ended with an "IQ report" saying Bush had an IQ of 91. I have never thought our president stupid. Dyslexic, yes. Below average IQ, no. I can see the intelligence glittering in his beady little eyeballs, and it scares me. Someone dumb might have a little innocence, maybe a little faith in others. It takes a smart person to be as self-serving as he is.
I have edited the e-mail, cutting out the irrelevant "proof" that someone made up. I've also removed those annoying little forwarding arrows. All italics are my comments.
Subject:
George W. Bush resume
From:
Don't ya just love forwarded messages? I know I do.
Dear friends:
If I sent this to you and you're a Bush supporter, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you're a Bush supporter. But you can't argue the facts below. Yeah? Watch me move!I hope you don't let this letter end our friendship, but instead it will lead to interesting discussions.
GEORGE W. BUSH RESUME
The White House, USA
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:
I attacked and took over two countries. Well, sort of. Neither Afghanistan nor Iraq are governed by the U.S.
I spent the U.S. surplus and bankrupted the Treasury. We are not bankrupt. We are not even (with adjusted figures) as deeply in debt as we were before World War 2
I shattered the record for biggest annual deficit in history. The Congressional Budget Office forecast a federal budget deficit of $480 billion in 2004, a record shortfall
I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period. bankruptcyaction.com agrees with this statement. An interesting note: business bankruptcies are down 6.9%, and have been falling since 1999.
I set all-time record for biggest drop in the history of the stock market. Untrue! First, you have to define which stock market. Let's assume we're only discussing the workings of Wall Street. This considerably narrows the field. So...in 1929, the stock market lost 12.9% of it's value in one day. This does not include the selling off of the previous business day, which bumps the loss to 22.2%. In 1987 it lost 22.6%, losing 508 points and breaking the record. In 2000, the market lost 504 points in one day, which doen't beat the loss in '87. And the percentage loss was a measly 4% However, the total, continual losses over the months is almost 50%, so that may break a record somewhere. After all 30+ months of loss is a really big deal.
I am the first president in decades to execute a federal prisoner. I think that's right. Not that he gave the injection personally, mind you.
I am the first president in US history to enter office with a criminal record. Somehow I just kinda doubt this one, but I found nothing to refute it.
In my first year in office I set the all-time record for most days on vacation by any president in US history. Yep. Lazy assed bum.
After taking the entire month of August off for vacation, I presided over the worst security failure in US history. Yep.
I set the record for most campaign fund raising trips by any president in US history. I think so.
In my first two years in office over 2 million Americans lost their job. True. The official number of unemployed is 8.9 million. 137.6 million people have jobs.
The list goes on and on, and I've gotten bored with looking things up. You've probably read it all before anyway. One small note, however. The e-mail ended with an "IQ report" saying Bush had an IQ of 91. I have never thought our president stupid. Dyslexic, yes. Below average IQ, no. I can see the intelligence glittering in his beady little eyeballs, and it scares me. Someone dumb might have a little innocence, maybe a little faith in others. It takes a smart person to be as self-serving as he is.
Thursday, September 11, 2003
Net bouncing through St. Louisans and redheads took me to a site that linked to a WTC survivor story. I wasn't going to read it. I've read all of it before, and saw no reason to make myself cry again. Yet something (probably my macabre curiosity) had me click the link anyway. She is the last person pulled from the wreckage alive. She's had more than her 15 minutes of fame because of it. So I read and cried and read some more, then pondered how things tend to go a certain way. She had a long string of coincidences bringing her to the point where she was rescued.
She was heading down the stairway with her co-workers. Everyone was holding hands. On the 13th floor landing, she paused to take off her shoes. At that moment, the building collapsed. Stopping to remove her shoes gave her a chance to survive. No one else near her did. She fell through an open wall, in a rain of debris onto something soft. It was the body of a firefighter. The rescue workers dug into that particular part of the 7 story pile of debris because they could see reflective tape from the dead firefighter's coat. She says a man, calling himself Paul, took her hand at the end, and held it until she was rescued. There was no one there.
She had returned to her Catholic roots during her ordeal, so perhaps "Paul" was St. Paul the Apostle. Or perhaps he was the firefighter who's body cushioned hers, and who's coat somehow stayed reflective in all that dust. I'll never know and it doesn't matter, but it's one more bit of circumstantial evidence in favor of the supernatural.
She was heading down the stairway with her co-workers. Everyone was holding hands. On the 13th floor landing, she paused to take off her shoes. At that moment, the building collapsed. Stopping to remove her shoes gave her a chance to survive. No one else near her did. She fell through an open wall, in a rain of debris onto something soft. It was the body of a firefighter. The rescue workers dug into that particular part of the 7 story pile of debris because they could see reflective tape from the dead firefighter's coat. She says a man, calling himself Paul, took her hand at the end, and held it until she was rescued. There was no one there.
She had returned to her Catholic roots during her ordeal, so perhaps "Paul" was St. Paul the Apostle. Or perhaps he was the firefighter who's body cushioned hers, and who's coat somehow stayed reflective in all that dust. I'll never know and it doesn't matter, but it's one more bit of circumstantial evidence in favor of the supernatural.
Lest we forget:
It's 8:46 CST. Two years and a few minutes ago I was staring open mouthed at the television. I had a phone pressed to my ear, talking to Chasmyn and waiting for my mom to call back with news of my in-laws in New York. I had already called L's school, and was told they would not be releasing the children early.
News anchors were just beginning to report that a plane or helicopter had crashed into the Pentagon. They couldn't say whether the crash at the Pentagon was related to the crashes at the World Trade Center. United Airlines flight 93 had been in the air for over an hour, and two f-15 fighters were heading from Falmouth Mass. to New York City. 2 more f-15's were scrambled, but no one was willing to speculate as to whether they'd have to shoot down a commercial airplane full of civilians. Nobody mentioned the fighters at all after that.
Our President was somewhere up in the sky on Air Force One. No one knew where he was. The Vice-President was hiding in a bunker in Washington. It was hours before we heard from the President. I'm sure he was busy and all, but we really needed to hear him say something about all this.
My husband and I watched the first building crumble. It was horrible, it was beautiful, it was right and fitting. (not the deaths of the people, the death of the structure) It was eerie seeing only one building where two had been moments before. I was hoping the second tower would survive. I was hoping they had evacuated most of the people. The damage at the Pentagon was practically ignored. There was a brief report that a plane had crashed in Pennsylvania. That it may have also been hijacked, and that something might have gone wrong.
At 9:28 (my time) the second building collapsed, and still very little was said about the Pentagon.
Elections were postponed, our borders were closed, all on military flights were grounded, no stocks were sold. Our country sent warships to protect the East coast, and make the ports less of a target. The President was still flying around in an empty sky, and average people dug through rubble looking for survivors, and looking for hope.
It's 8:46 CST. Two years and a few minutes ago I was staring open mouthed at the television. I had a phone pressed to my ear, talking to Chasmyn and waiting for my mom to call back with news of my in-laws in New York. I had already called L's school, and was told they would not be releasing the children early.
News anchors were just beginning to report that a plane or helicopter had crashed into the Pentagon. They couldn't say whether the crash at the Pentagon was related to the crashes at the World Trade Center. United Airlines flight 93 had been in the air for over an hour, and two f-15 fighters were heading from Falmouth Mass. to New York City. 2 more f-15's were scrambled, but no one was willing to speculate as to whether they'd have to shoot down a commercial airplane full of civilians. Nobody mentioned the fighters at all after that.
Our President was somewhere up in the sky on Air Force One. No one knew where he was. The Vice-President was hiding in a bunker in Washington. It was hours before we heard from the President. I'm sure he was busy and all, but we really needed to hear him say something about all this.
My husband and I watched the first building crumble. It was horrible, it was beautiful, it was right and fitting. (not the deaths of the people, the death of the structure) It was eerie seeing only one building where two had been moments before. I was hoping the second tower would survive. I was hoping they had evacuated most of the people. The damage at the Pentagon was practically ignored. There was a brief report that a plane had crashed in Pennsylvania. That it may have also been hijacked, and that something might have gone wrong.
At 9:28 (my time) the second building collapsed, and still very little was said about the Pentagon.
Elections were postponed, our borders were closed, all on military flights were grounded, no stocks were sold. Our country sent warships to protect the East coast, and make the ports less of a target. The President was still flying around in an empty sky, and average people dug through rubble looking for survivors, and looking for hope.
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