The Kendallian Voice

Thoughts as I get ready to brine my turkey

2009-11-25T20:37:00.001-08:00

Health care, .... not so much. More troops in Afghanistan....likely. Turkey for Thanksgiving....very likely. One question before I start cooking....why are we in Afghanistan and for what purpose and what is the end game?

If we can't answer those questions, it's time to come home. And why aren't the troops back from Iraq yet? Oh, wait, I have neighbors who are working for military contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they are making shitloads of money to send their kids to college, I guess. So, it's better to pay civilian contractors (the greedy SOB's who steal my tax dollars) to make money in US war zones....again, for what ultimate purpose? Greed? Power? Sigh. President Eisenhower was right.

Will they brine the turkeys they serve our troops? Will they be served with love or with greed? I vote greed.

Bring our sons, daughters, nephews, nieces, fathers, mothers, etc.home NOW.

I hope our military service members have a lovely Thanksgiving day and I hope to be able to give thanks again, when they are home.

My nephew will be there soon enough, and selfishly we pray for his safety.

A Tax Payer's Lament

2009-09-18T07:34:00.000-07:00

From John Cole's Balloon Juice:

Some days I honestly think the current Republican party is little more than a long running Second City comedy sketch:

Protesters who attended Saturday’s Tea Party rally in Washington found a new reason to be upset: Apparently they are unhappy with the level of service provided by the subway system.

Rep. Kevin Brady called for a government investigation into whether the government-run subway system adequately prepared for this weekend’s rally to protest government spending and government services.

Seriously.

The Texas Republican on Wednesday released a letter he sent to Washington’s Metro system complaining that the taxpayer-funded subway system was unable to properly transport protesters to the rally to protest government spending and expansion.

The WaPo has more:

Rep. Kevin Brady ( R ) said an 80-year-old woman and her 60-year-old daughter were forced to walk and pay for a cab because the subway system was so crowded. He said he heard many complaints from people who traveled long distances to attend the event, which served to challenge some of President Obama’s signature policies.

Oh. My. God. They had to take a cab? The horror of it all. No doubt those two kids were carrying signs that said “Keep government out of my Medicare!”

While it seems like blogging is easier with the wingnuts going so crazy, it actually is harder than you would think. What can I possibly say that would be clever or funny enough to top these stories?

*** Update ***

It gets even better:

Back in July HR3288, a Transportation and HUD appropriations bill, came up for a vote. It included $150 million for emergency maintenance funding for the DC Metro.

Brady voted against it.

The only appropriate response to people like this is open, mocking laughter.

This parody is hilarious!

2009-09-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

Thoughts on health care

2009-09-03T21:33:00.001-07:00

Dearest family and friends,

I attended a rally for health care in Austin, last Saturday, at the First United Methodist Church. Speakers included Rev. Rigby (whose speech is in full below), Congressman Lloyd Doggett, Austin mayor Lee Leffingwell, Dr. Andrew Weary, and more.

I want to share this article because what Rev. Rigby said speaks to me in the voice of my father, the church of my childhood, and the values my parents instilled in me. After all, Jesus taught us to love and care for one another, didn't he? [Matthew 25:31-46]

I don't often get on my soap box and send things out to my family and friends. I accept whatever emails are sent to me as being sent in the spirit of thoughtfulness, even if I don't agree with them, and as I said, I usually don't comment. However, this issue is so important to me, that I had to send this. I believe that we, as a nation, need single payer healthcare.

Please take a few minutes of your time to read Rev. Jim Rigby's speech.

Sally

Published on Wednesday, September 2, 2009 by CommonDreams.org
Why Is Universal Health Care ‘Un-American’?

by Rev. Jim Rigby

Last week supporters of health-care reform gathered around the country, including in Austin, TX, where 2,000 people crowded into a downtown church to hear speakers talk about different aspects of the issue. Asked to speak about the ethical dimensions of health care, I tried to go beyond short-term political strategizing and ask more basic questions. This is an edited version of what I said.

Is anyone else here having trouble with the fact that we are even having this conversation? Is anyone else having trouble believing this topic is really controversial? I have been asked to talk about the ethical dimension of health care. Here's one way to frame such a discussion:

If an infant is born to poor parents, would we be more ethical to give medicine to that child so he or she does not die prematurely of preventable diseases, or would we be more ethical if we let the child die screaming in his or her parent's arms so we can keep more of our money?

Or, let's say someone who worked for Enron, and now is penniless, contracted bone cancer. I've been asked to discuss whether we are more ethical if we provide such people medicine that lessens their pain. Or would we be more ethical to let them scream through the night in unbearable agony so we can pay lower taxes?

I can't believe I am standing today in a Christian church defending the proposition that we should lessen the suffering of those who cannot afford health care in an economic system that often treats the poor as prey for the rich. I cannot believe there are Christians around this nation who are shouting that message down and waving guns in the air because they don't want to hear it. But I learned along time ago that churches are strange places; charity is fine, but speaking of justice is heresy in many churches. The late Brazilian bishop Dom Hélder Câmara said it well: "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a Communist." Too often today in the United States, if you talk about helping the poor, they call you Christian, but if you actually try to do something to help the poor, they call you a socialist.

Some of the other speakers today have been asked to address what is possible in the current political climate. I have been asked to speak of our dreams. Let me ask a question. How many of you get really excited about tweaking the insurance system so we just get robbed a little less? (silence) How many of you want universal health care? (sustained applause) I realize that insurance reform is all that's on the table right now, and it can be important to choose the lesser of evils when that alone is within our power in the moment. But we also need to remember our dream. I believe the American dream is not about material success, not about being having the strongest military. The American dream is that every person might have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

It's amazing to hear Christians who talk about the right to life as though it ends at birth. They believe every egg has a right to hatch, but as soon as you're born, it's dog eat dog. We may disagree on when life begins, but if the right to life means anything it means that every person (anyone who has finished the gestation period) has a right to life. And if there is a right to life there must be a right to the necessities of life. Like health care.

I believe the American dream was not about property rights, but human rights. Consider the words of this national hymn:

"O beautiful for patriot's dream that sees beyond the years. Thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears."

Doesn't that sound like someone cared about the poor? There are those who consider paying taxes an affront, but listen to these words:

"O Beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved and mercy more than life."

"Mercy more than life" -- have you ever noticed those words before? Supporting universal health care does not make you socialist or even a liberal, it makes you a human being. And it makes you an ambassador for the American dream which, in the mind of Thomas Paine, was a dream for every human being, not just Americans. As we struggle to get health care to all people, we may have to settle for the lesser of two evils, but remember your dream -- the true American dream, a human dream. Whatever we win through reform is just first step toward a day when every human being has a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
The Rev. Jim Rigby is pastor of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Austin.

Bloomberg Beats Federal Reserve

2009-08-25T08:09:00.000-07:00

The Federal Reserve lost a Freedom of Information lawsuit brought by Bloomberg News. Now the Reserve must list the companies that received emergency loans during the last year. Or maybe not.

We may not see any lists soon, according to Matthew Goldstein at Reuters:

""Remember, the Fed fought against releasing the names of the banks that got an indirect bailout from the federal government's rescue of American International Group. And the Fed has been less then forthcoming in providing information about the $30 billion in ailing assets it took on from Bear Stearns as part of the forced sale of the failing investment bank to JPMorgan Chase."

I don't know about you, but all those million dollar bonuses that followed were more than annoying to me.

Another False Email From the Right

2009-04-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

FROM FACTCHECK.ORG

Q:
Would a bill in Congress require looking into possible reparations for slavery?
Please check this out. Thanks

Didn't take long, did it? ---THIS IS A REAL BILL

Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act (Introduced in House)

HR 40 IH

111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 40

. . . [Message truncated]
A:
Such a bill exists but President Obama has nothing to do with it, contrary to what a chain email implies.

We've had several queries about this claim, starting in early February not long after President Barack Obama was inaugurated. Some versions of the email maintain (falsely) that a bill to investigate possible reparations for slavery was part of the new administration's stimulus legislation. All carry the subject line "It didn't take long, did it?" implying none too subtly that Obama, motivated by race, is somehow behind it. He isn't.

The fact is that Rep. John Conyers, a Detroit Democrat, has introduced a version of this bill in every Congress since 1989. Back then, Obama was a law student. As Conyers noted in remarks he inserted into the Congressional Record when he introduced the measure most recently, "This 111th Congress marks the 20th anniversary of this bill’s introduction." That was Jan. 6, two weeks before Obama was sworn in.

The measure would set up a seven-member commission with an $8-million budget to examine the legacy of slavery and make recommendations to Congress regarding "appropriate remedies." These would specifically include "whether the Government of the United States should offer a formal apology" and whether "any form of compensation to the descendants of African slaves is warranted." The bill would also "acknowledge the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery in the United States."

Conyers first introduced the bill not long after Congress in 1988 enacted a law that apologized for the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and provided a $20,000 cash payment to each surviving former internee. He has said the commission he seeks is no different from the one that that led to reparations for Japanese Americans, but he says that the "remedies" mentioned in his bill wouldn't necessarily "equate to monetary compensation" for descendants of slaves.

So far Conyers's bill has gone nowhere. It was referred to a House subcommittee on Feb. 9, and there it still sits with no hearings or votes scheduled. Besides Conyers, it has four co-sponsors.

The high point so far for this legislation came in December 2007, when hearings on the bill took place before the House Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. It was the first time the bill had received a public hearing. Nevertheless, the measure later died in the subcommittee without advancing to the full House Judiciary Committee, of which Conyers is chair.

Obama's Position

Obama hasn't endorsed the reparations idea. During a presidential primary debate on CNN July 24, 2007, he suggested that he favored spending to improve education instead.
CNN's Anderson Cooper: Senator Obama, your position on reparations?

Obama: I think the reparations we need right here in South Carolina is investment, for example, in our schools. I did a . . .I did a town hall meeting in Florence, South Carolina, in an area called the corridor of shame. They've got buildings that students are trying to learn in that were built right after the Civil War. And we've got teachers who are not trained to teach the subjects they're teaching and high dropout rates.

We've got to understand that there are corridors of shame all across the country. And if we make the investments and understand that those are our children, that's the kind of reparations that are really going to make a difference in America right now.
When Cooper asked all eight of the Democratic presidential candidates whether any of them favored reparations, only Rep. Dennis Kucinich said yes: "I am. The Bible says we shall be and must be repairers of the breach. And a breach has occurred."

-Brooks Jackson

What did you get at the CIbolo Nature Center plant sale?

2009-04-04T23:27:00.000-07:00

An excellent analysis of our financial system

2009-03-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

Mr. Taleb Goes to Washington

Nassim Taleb is an unlikely choice to play the Jimmy Stewart role in a 21st-century remake of the Depression-era classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. But the tale of a naive do-gooder who tries to remind a corrupt political class of its obligations was re-enacted this week when Taleb attended the Wall Street Journal's Future of Finance conference in Washington, D.C.

A French- and Arabic-speaking former options trader with a taste for obscure Greek philosophers and the ambition to be seen as a literary figure, Taleb has grown famous for his book The Black Swan, which has sold 1.5 million copies around the world in 12 countries, with 19 more still to come. Although the book does not predict the current economic crisis per se, it rather loudly, elaborately, and—with a comically baroque form of storytelling—uniquely warns of the potential for a great catastrophe in the world economic system.

Now that the catastrophe is here, Taleb's anger at the economic establishment that drove us over this cliff—and populates the Journal's conference—makes him a representative figure of ordinary people. Like most Americans, Taleb is seething with rage about the financial establishment's role in bringing the about credit crash. "Nobody saw the crisis coming," he says. "Bernanke, all these guys, I want them out. They proved incompetent, they crashed the plane."link to article

The Big Take Over

2009-03-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

Link, The Big Take Over
The entire article is worth reading. Comments in this article in the Rolling Stone include:

People are pissed off about this financial crisis, and about this bailout, but they're not pissed off enough. The reality is that the worldwide economic meltdown and the bailout that followed were together a kind of revolution, a coup d'état. They cemented and formalized a political trend that has been snowballing for decades: the gradual takeover of the government by a small class of connected insiders, who used money to control elections, buy influence and systematically weaken financial regulations.

The crisis was the coup de grâce: Given virtually free rein over the economy, these same insiders first wrecked the financial world, then cunningly granted themselves nearly unlimited emergency powers to clean up their own mess. And so the gambling-addict leaders of companies like AIG end up not penniless and in jail, but with an Alien-style death grip on the Treasury and the Federal Reserve — "our partners in the government," as Liddy put it with a shockingly casual matter-of-factness after the most recent bailout.

The mistake most people make in looking at the financial crisis is thinking of it in terms of money, a habit that might lead you to look at the unfolding mess as a huge bonus-killing downer for the Wall Street class. But if you look at it in purely Machiavellian terms, what you see is a colossal power grab that threatens to turn the federal government into a kind of giant Enron — a huge, impenetrable black box filled with self-dealing insiders whose scheme is the securing of individual profits at the expense of an ocean of unwitting involuntary shareholders, previously known as taxpayers.

This Week on the Daily Show

2009-02-10T15:49:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, February 10 -- Thomas Ricks, Author "The Gamble"

Wednesday, February 11 -- Daniel Sperling, "Two Billion Cars"

Thursday, February 12 -- John Sununu, Former U.S. Senator, New Hampshire

This Week on Colbert Nation

2009-02-10T15:38:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, February 10 -- Dr. Robert Ballard, Ocean Explorer

Wednesday, February 11 -- Steven Pinker, Harvard Professor

Thursday, February 12 -- Adam Gopnik, Writer, Essayist & Commentator

Texas electricity rates skyrocketed after dereg

2009-02-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

Oh so true, our electricity rates through our coop have gone way up, so what do we do? Can we get the lege to do something about this? Worth considering.
_______________________________

Texas electricity rates skyrocketed after dereg

Dave Montgomery
dmontogomery@star-telegram.com
AUSTIN – Electricity rates in Texas have soared well above the national average under a 10-year-old deregulation law, according to a study by a coalition of cities.
"As this report illustrates, consumers have paid too much for too long under deregulation," said Jay Doegey, chairman of the Cities Aggregation Power Project, a non-profit coalition of 103 municipalities.

An industry group immediately challenged the findings, saying the report was based on "flawed reasoning" that resulted in erroneous conclusions.

"The simple fact is that in most parts of the state, there are lower competitive prices today than when prices were regulated," said the Association of Electric Companies of Texas. "The Texas competitive market is working, even if CAPP thinks otherwise."

The conflicting viewpoints point to a contentious battle in the 2009 Legislature over electricity rates. Several lawmakers say they plan to pursue legislation to protect consumers from rising costs on a number of fronts, including insurance and utility rates.

The CAPP report examined the impact of Senate Bill 7, which was passed by the Legislature in 1999 in what its sponsors said was an attempt to rein in rising electricity rates.

Got extra time now? Got a few extra pennies?

2009-02-03T11:31:00.001-08:00

I know that I have some free time since the election is over and I wondered what I could do, well here are some ideas I have come up with, anybody else have additions?

Some things you can do:

Donate and/or volunteer at a foodbank. Not sure where Boerne's is located, but here is the San Antonio foodbank which serves our area, it appears.
link

Perhaps we could hold a food drive?
Most Needed Food Items

Peanut Butter
Chili
Canned Stews
Canned Soups
Canned Luncheon Meats
Full Meals in a Can/Box
Tuna
Beans & Rice
Macaroni and Cheese
"Pop Top" Food Items
Full Meals in a Can/Box

Questions?

Contact
Monica Borrego
Food and Fund Drive Coordinator
210-431-8310
mborrego@safoodbank.org

I also found this, but perhaps our librarian can find a local group that does this? This group is in Colorado, website is:
Knitting for Our Troops (K*4*O*T) Caps Project 2009
Pattern Sponsors
We're still counting but so far 5,333 helmet liner hats have been knitted and donated to the Rocky Mountain USO!

Keep checking back this week for official marathon results.
Join the Knitting for Our Troops Project and help reach our goal. We want to send 5280 hand knitted hats from the Mile High City to our soldiers overseas.

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Knitting for Our Troops Marathon on January 23 & 24! Learn more about the marathon (PDF).

Knitting for Our Troops Project - We want you as a new recruit!

Denver library

This Week on Colbert Nation

2009-02-02T15:05:00.000-08:00

Monday, February 2 -- Dan Zaccagnino, Musician

Tuesday, February 3 -- Henry Louis Gates, Jr, Literary Historian

Wednesday, February 4 -- Jonah Lehrer, Author "Proust Was a Neuroscientist"

Thursday, February 5 -- Steve Martin, Actor "The Pink Panther 2"

This Week on the Daily Show

2009-02-02T13:04:00.000-08:00

Monday, February 2 -- Lawrence Lindsey, Economic Advisor

Tuesday, February 3 -- Dev Patel, Actor "Slumdog Millionaire"

Wednesday, February 4 -- Karen Greenberg, Author "The Least Worst Place"

Thursday, February 5 -- TBD

This Week on Colbert Nation

2009-01-26T14:40:00.000-08:00

Monday, January 26 -- Chris Mooney, Pastor Ed Young

Tuesday, January 27 -- Phillippe Petit

Wednesday, January 28 -- Denis Dutton

Thursday, January 29 -- John Podesta

This Week on the Daily Show

2009-01-26T12:28:00.000-08:00

Monday, January 26 -- President Jimmy Carter -- Author, "We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land"

Tuesday, January 27 -- Gwen Ifill -- Editor, Washington Week

Wednesday, January 28 -- Neil DeGrasse Tyson -- Author, "The Pluto Files"

Thursday, January 29 -- P.W. Singer -- Author, "Wired for War"

John Dean article found on Alternet

2009-01-26T10:06:00.000-08:00

Are We Civilized Enough to Hold Our Leaders Accountable for War Crimes? The World Is Watching

By John W. Dean,

Philippe Sands, a Queen's Counsel at Matrix Chambers and Professor of International law at University College London, has assembled a powerful indictment of the key Bush Administration people involved in torture in his book Torture Team: Rumsfeld's Memo and the Betrayal of American Values. He explains the legal exposure of people like former attorney general Alberto Gonzales, Dick Cheney's counsel and later chief of staff David Addington, former Office of Legal Counsel attorney John Yoo, the former Department of Defense general counsel Jim Haynes, and others for their involvement in the torture of detainees at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, and CIA secret prisons.

After reading Sands's book and, more recently, listening to his comments on Terry Gross's NPR show "Fresh Air," on January 7, 2009 I realized how closely the rest of the world is following the actions of these former officials, and was reminded that these actions appear to constitute not merely violations of American law, but also, and very literally, crimes against humanity -- for which the world is ready to hold them responsible.

Here is what Professor Sands told Terry Gross on NPR: "In talking to prosecutors around the world, as I have done, they all recognize the very real political difficulties of taking on someone who has been Vice President of the United States, or President of the United States, or Secretary of Defense of the United States. But those arguments melt away as you go a little down the chain. And I don't think the same arguments would apply in relation to the man, for example, who was Vice President Cheney's general counsel, at the time the decisions were taken, David Addington ... I think he faces a very real risk of, you know, investigation for complicity in an act that amounts to torture ... " Later, referring to "international investigations," he added that Addington (and others) were at "serious risk of being investigated."

NPR interview of Sands

More inauguration adventures

2009-01-23T21:00:00.000-08:00

We had to see this Obama painting, in the National Gallery of Art, as well as the many other fabulous paintings. We also visited the National Portrait Gallery, and found a photo of a supposed ancestor of mine, Chief Red Jacket.

What else did we do?

We looked at all the nation's newspapers outside the Newseum

We continued our visit through the National Portrait Gallery

We had tapas and sangria for lunch
We saw Stephen Colbert's picture in the Smithsonian
and we stopped by Dunkin Donuts

Finally, Inauguration photos

2009-01-21T20:23:00.001-08:00

Inauguration day was a clusterf&%k. We got on a train at 0600, it was crowded, but not bad. However, on the 3rd stop to DC, the train stopped due to a sick passenger, and they made us all get off the train. Then they opened the doors, for about 45 seconds and let some people board the train. That was my first experience with the shoving and pushing that would continue all day long. We knew we would get nowhere and not be able to board any other trains that were coming because they would be too crowded. So, we opted to cross over to the westbound tracks and go back west (the direction from which we had come) and ride to the end of the line. At the end of the line in Vienna, we got a seat on the empty train. Thus began a 3 1/2 hr saga of stopping and starting all along the train route into DC. I'll write more about this later, but suffice it to say, we did not get there in time to get to the "Silver Ticket" gate, so we watched the Inaguration from the Air and Space Museum food court with a family from Lancaster, PA, who had a small TV and a radio.

We ate our hardboiled eggs and had some McD's coffee.

Watching inauguration

The wait for a train after the inauguration ceremony was 3-6 hours, and we battled the crowds for one walk to the Metro station (train) and decided to head back to the Air and Space Museum to wait out the crowds.

At 4 pm, we went the opposite direction and went to the top of Capitol Hill, and on to a bar about 4 blocks north of the Capitol, where we waited out the crowd and watched part of the parade on TV at The Pour House.

Then we decided to think about heading home, and with the help of our waitress (who is from Sioux City, IA) we were advised to go to the Eastern Market metro stop, about 7 blocks away, which we did (in the brrr, cold!). We had a great time at another bar, which was showing Cspan, so we stayed to watch the remainder of the parade there. It was a gay bar, and everyone was very nice to us, and we had a great time.

For all our photos go here

The Capitol the day after.....

Our Long National Nightmare Is Over

2009-01-20T18:43:00.000-08:00

We hoped and prayed and worked for this day. It's now come and gone, and couldn't have been much better.

Obama's truly classic speech wasn't a barn-burnin' pep talk. It was a sobering look at the work ahead of us all. Of my many favorite lines from his speech...was this one:
"We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things."
This was a challenge to the entirety of Washington, letting them know that business as usual isn't good enough anymore. I hope his personal power and the will of the people behind him can cause the change that's so critically needed in Washington DC.

A toast to the new administration, in hopes that his next 4 years will reflect the successes of his 1st half day in office.

This Week on the Daily Show

2009-01-19T12:56:00.000-08:00

Monday, January 19 -- Abderrahim Foukara, Author

Tuesday, January 20 -- Gene Robinson, Bishop

Wednesday, January 21 -- David Sanger, Author

Thursday, January 22 -- Liam Neeson, Actor

This Week on the Colbert Nation

2009-01-19T12:51:00.000-08:00

Monday, January 19 -- Frank Rich

Tuesday, January 20 -- Jabari Asim

Wednesday, January 21 -- Elizabeth Alexander

Thursday, January 22 -- Jon Meacham

We have arrived in DC and we have run ourselves ragged

2009-01-17T18:41:00.000-08:00

We arrived in McLean, VA from BWI airport on the 15th, after a delayed flight from Memphis. The plane that was to arrive in Memphis was over an hour late due to the plane landing in the river in NY. Then the bus at BWI that was to take us to Greenbelt station in MD, was 45 mins late. So, we spent lots of time in the bus shelter in 6 degree weather. I wished for my long johns, but was glad for my hat, gloves and scarf.

It is jut freaking cold here. Yesterday (Friday), our first day here, it was 6 degrees in the morning with wind and the afternoon high temp was 15 BRRRRR!!! We walked ALL day, including long distances outside, from the Metro station to the the Museum of the American Indian where we spent several hours (and the museum is excellent), then Congressman Lamar Smith's office in the Rayburn office building (for info), then the Capitol where we took pictures of the stand being built for the inauguration and then down Pennsylvania avenue in front of Fox News and C-Span offices, to The Irish Times pub for some beer and snacks, and a rest. Then we got back on the Metro, and on into Maryland where we had a long, walk, which included getting lost, for a party with some international students, from Turkey, Brazil, Venezuela, Japan, China, and our hosts from Mozambique and Senegal. Lots of fun, and our first taste of
Cachaça and a Caipirinha, see photo:

Today (Sat), we went to the Eastern Market for breakfast, and admired the wonderful foods for sale in the meat, cheese and other various stalls.

Then we took off on the Metro (again) for the Smithsonian castle and the Museum of Natural History, which just re-opened after a 2 year remodel. The remodel is fabulous! This is probably the most kid friendly museum ever. We had so much fun watching the little ones come into the area with the dinosaurs and fossils...they would squeal with delight and press their noses and hands on the glass cases (that were at a child's level) and point out various items to their parents. It was a joy to see how wonderful the exhbits were, and how interactive. If you have not been to DC, this trip is a must!

We also went to the National Archives and saw the Magna Carta (short line, guess people don't realize how important that document is, or how Bush robbed us of our habeus corpus rights), but we did not stand in the long line for the Constitution as we had seen it before. Then we took a 6 block walk to the pub, Elephant and Castle, we we knocked down a beer or two with our food. Ray and I traveled with an old political friend, Greg and a "couch surfer" who arrived at the party the night before, Adam. A great time was had by all, and at least even though it was only in the low 20's today, there was little wind so it was bearable.

Following this, we got on the Metro (having a one block detour due to Obamas' incipient arrival at Union Station) and went to Eastern Market where we bought food for dinner, came home and cooked Andre some food that he thoroughly enjoyed...a thank you for all his efforts to keep us comfy and for taking us to the Metro every day.

I would like to make one big observation: the mood in this town is so different from what we have experienced in our last 2 visits (over the past 8 yrs)....everyone here is happy. Not just those of us coming for the inauguration, but those we live and work here! They actually thank us for coming to see the inauguration, there are lots of smiles, and just good general conversation.

As for photos, I took photos of portapotties in giant double lines on the mall, the swearing in stand in front of the Capitol, and many more.

I have no card reader and no USB connection for my camera, but our cousin is going to get me fixed up tomorrow so that I can upload some pictures.

Suffice it to say, that we are ready and waiting for the heatwave of 39 degrees tomorrow! We won't know what to do, LOL. On the agenda tomorrow...Costco (food and pillows, as we are currently using folded wool Army blankets). Cousin Andre has been the most gracious host, and we love his greyhounds too, so it's a happy group here in VA.

More later....

Ray and Sally are going to the Inauguration!

2009-01-12T13:19:00.000-08:00

We will be posting pictures, etc. from DC staring Jan. 16th.
Here is what is on tap for the opening ceremonies at the Lincoln Memorial on Jan 18th. So exciting! We can't wait!

Springsteen, Other Acts Confirmed for Inaugural Concert

The rumors were true: the Presidential Inaugural Committee has released the list of confirmed performers for what's being called We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, scheduled to air on HBO on Sunday, January 18 from 7-9 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. There's no set start time for the concert itself yet, just a note that it will be taped on Sunday afternoon. (NB: We've updated this paragraph to clarify the concert schedule).

Confirmed musical performers include: Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Renee Fleming, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, John Mellencamp, Usher Raymond IV, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, will.i.am, and Stevie Wonder.

That's a long list of performers for a 2-hour concert, so expect one or two songs tops from each artist.

Also announced was a list of speakers and individuals who will read historical passages: Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington. The Rt. Reverend V. Gene Robinson will give the invocation. Additional performers will be announced as they are confirmed.

We're thrilled to see the Boss on the final lineup, and many others (Bono! Stevie Wonder! Beyonce! Mary J. Blige!) are also fantastically awesome. The likes of Garth Brooks and Josh Groban are apparently just par for the course when designing something aimed at appealing to the entire country, so we suppose we'll take what we can get.
source

This Week on the Daily Show

2009-01-05T17:34:00.000-08:00

Monday, January 5 -- David Gregory -- Moderator, Meet the Press

Tuesday, January 6 -- Michael Wolff -- Author, "The Man Who Owns the News"

Wednesday, January 7 -- Actor, "Bride Wars"

This Week on the Colbert Nation

2009-01-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

Monday, January 5 -- John King

Tuesday, January 6 -- Matt Miller

Wednesday, January 7 -- Benicio Del Toro

Thursday, January 8 -- Lawrence Lessig

Rove's IT Guru Warned of Sabotage Before Fatal Plane Crash

2008-12-24T06:49:00.000-08:00

I found this story very interesting. But, then we all know we have had criminals running this country for the past 8 years at least. Now, the question is, will anybody be investigated and/or go to trial? Here is just one more example:

Rove's IT Guru Warned of Sabotage Before Fatal Plane Crash; Was Set to Testify
Monday 22 December 2008

»
by: Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
Mike Connell, the chief IT consultant to Karl Rove, reportedly asked for protective custody from the government before he died.

Amy Goodman: A top Republican internet strategist who was set to testify in a case alleging election tampering in 2004 in Ohio has died in a plane crash. Mike Connell was the chief IT consultant to Karl Rove and created websites for the Bush and McCain electoral campaigns. He also set up the official Ohio state election website reporting the 2004 presidential election returns.

Connell was reportedly an experienced pilot. He died instantly Friday night when his private plane crashed in a residential neighborhood near Akron, Ohio.

Michael Connell was deposed one day before the election this year by attorneys Cliff Arnebeck and Bob Fitrakis about his actions during the 2004 vote count and his access to Karl Rove's e-mail files and how they went missing.

Velvet Revolution, a non-profit investigating Connell's activities, revealed this weekend that Connell had recently said he was afraid George Bush and Dick Cheney would "throw [him] under the bus." Cliff Arnebeck had also previously alerted Attorney General Michael Mukasey to alleged threats from Karl Rove to Connell if he refused to "take the fall."
full article here

So What?

2008-12-15T17:25:00.000-08:00

In an interview with our current president, Martha Raddatz (ABC) reminded him that Al Qaeda wasn't in Iraq until we invaded. His reply? "Yeah, that's right. So what?"

January 20, 2009 can't come soon enough!

This Week on the Daily Show

2008-12-15T17:17:00.000-08:00

Monday, December 15 -- Mike Huckabee -- Author, "Do the Right Thing"

Tuesday, December 16 -- Phillip Seymour Hoffman -- Actor, "Doubt"

Wednesday, December 17 -- Don Rickles, Comedian

Poor Perino, a black eye?

2008-12-14T23:39:00.001-08:00

So does perfect spokesmodel Dana get a purple heart???
Sorry, I feel quite snide about now.

Shoes thrown at Bush! LOL.

2008-12-14T23:23:00.001-08:00

Watch this first

and then the version shown on YouTube

and another version:

Listen carefully for the sounds of the reporter continuing to scream off camera. Not to mention the idiotic comments by the lame duck, who got what he wanted, oil

It's snowing!!!!

2008-12-09T22:20:00.000-08:00

We woke the kids up and went outside to play, and had a ball! However, Lexi would not touch the snow, LOL. And, as of 0019 hrs it is still snowing. Wonder what the morning will bring?
Call me crazy but I love snow. I was the biggest kid of all.

This Week on the Daily Show

2008-12-09T06:42:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, December 9 -- Mike Huckabee, Author -- "Do the Right Thing"

Wednesday, December 10 -- Don Rickles -- Comedian

Thursday, December 11 -- Phillip Seymour Hoffman -- Actor, "Doubt"

This Week on Colbert Nation

2008-12-09T06:35:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, 12/09 -- Kevin Bacon, Toni Morrison

Wednesday, 12/10 -- Richard Haass

Thursday, 12/11 -- Michael Phelps

Kendall County Democratic Club float Xmas parade

2008-12-08T22:53:00.000-08:00

here we are in all our glory, so to speak.
A good time was had by all, particularly the girls who got to "high five" Darth Vader and Chewbacca of the San Antonio Starwars Association. I did not get pictures of Darth Vader and Chewy, but I can tell you they looked extremely realistic. The kids were thrilled.

Brand New Controversy Dogging Barack Obama

2008-11-20T19:28:00.000-08:00

In the first two weeks since the election, President-elect Barack Obama has broken with a tradition established over the past eight years through his controversial use of complete sentences, political observers say.

Millions of Americans who watched Mr. Obama's appearance on CBS' "Sixty Minutes" on Sunday witnessed the president-elect's unorthodox verbal tick, which had Mr. Obama employing grammatically correct sentences virtually every time he opened his mouth.

But Mr. Obama's decision to use complete sentences in his public pronouncements carries with it certain risks, since after the last eight years many Americans may find his odd speaking style jarring.According to presidential historian Davis Logsdon of the University of Minnesota , some Americans might find it "alienating" to have a President who speaks English as if it were his first language.

"Every time Obama opens his mouth, his subjects and verbs are in agreement," says Mr. Logsdon. "If he keeps it up, he is running the risk of sounding like an elitist."

The historian said that if Mr. Obama insists on using complete sentences in his speeches, the public may find itself saying, "Okay, subject, predicate, subject predicate - we get it, stop showing off."

The President-elect's stubborn insistence on using complete sentences has already attracted a rebuke from one of his harshest critics, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska ."Talking with complete sentences there and also too talking in a way that ordinary Americans like Joe the Plumber and Tito the Builder can't really do there, I think needing to do that isn't tapping into what Americans are needing also," she said.

(credit to Judy for this one)

Healthcare is my passion, and Daschle will bring us change

2008-11-19T16:45:00.000-08:00

Progressive Solutions to America's Health-Care Crisis
Sen. Tom Daschle
Posted March 3, 2008

Pressure has mounted to fix our broken health-care system. Costs are climbing and coverage crumbling. Democratic presidential hopefuls, and Republicans to a lesser degree, have put forward plans for solving this crisis. Yet, health-care policy remains complicated, personal, and encrusted with special interests. Support and solid plans alone will not yield success.

There are three fundamental problems plaguing our health-care system today: skyrocketing costs, lack of access, and disparity of quality care.
full article

IMHO
Healthcare is a critical issue, and as more and more people are unable to access care, we need to address this issue. I feel that Sen. Daschle is the right man for the job as the head of Health and Human Resources. This shows that Obama has really put healthcare as a top priority.

Bail out the auto industry?

2008-11-19T15:51:00.000-08:00

A road map for Detroit
Don't scrap the US auto industry. Overhaul it. Here's how.

By Mark Lange
link

SAN FRANCISCO - When your car is burning oil, you have a few choices. Buy quart after quart and watch your money go up in smoke. Scrap it and try to manage without. Or overhaul the engine and keep it for the long run.

As it stands, the $25 billion US auto industry bailout championed by congressional leaders amounts to another quart of oil. The only jobs it may save – temporarily – are those of executives, without forcing real accountability for management and unions. Hope, maybe. Change? Not a chance.

But Republican resistance to intervention – the scrap-heap strategy – amounts to principle (or dogma) divorced from reality. With 2.5 million American jobs at risk, from dealers to admakers, we'd abandon the industry at our peril.

Consider a third way: Provide $25 billion in federally guaranteed loans only after company management seeks Chapter 11 protection, to finally and fundamentally restructure their operations, and prepare to compete.

In other words, offer the carrot only after the stick.
__________________

I am torn, I don't want the auto industry bailed out, but then, there are job losses to consider. Where is my bailout?????
I think if the auto workers become our first "national healthcare" members, that should help the auto industry. Then the exects can give up their bennies and take care of the workers.

Very interesting

2008-11-19T15:48:00.000-08:00

Cheney charged over jail 'abuses'

A judge has yet to approve the indictment against Mr Cheney
A Texas grand jury has charged US Vice-President Dick Cheney for "organised criminal activity" related to alleged abuse of private prison inmates.
The indictment says Mr Cheney - who has invested $85m (£56m) in a company that holds shares in for-profit prisons - conspired to block an investigation.full story here

We want to help Malia and Sasha Obama choose a dog

2008-11-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

We are very partial to boxers and think they are the world's best dogs.

After all, our boxer is a friend to small children, and he even allowed my grand daughter to put on a head band, pulling his ears back, and file his nails with a nail file! And they love their family, and will cozy up at the least opportunity.

And, they love soft, cozy places....

What more could a family want?

Colbert Nation

2008-11-17T15:38:00.000-08:00

Monday, November 17 -- Tom Brokaw and Malcolm Gladwell

Tuesday, November 18 -- Paul Simon

Wednesday, November 19 -- Michael Lewis

Thursday, November 20 -- Cory Booker and Tom Friedman

This Week on the Daily Show

2008-11-17T12:27:00.000-08:00

Monday, November 17 -- Sir David Frost -- Political Satirist

Tuesday, November 18 -- Denis Leary -- Comedian

Wednesday, November 19 -- Jon Meacham -- Editor, Newsweek

Thursday, November 20 -- Richard Belzer -- Author, "I Am Not a Cop"

Obama knitters

2008-11-13T21:35:00.000-08:00

Obama Knitter Girl
Originally uploaded by fyberduck

Found on a knitting blog, what an awesome sweater! Don't I wish I could knit with this skill!

The blog where I found this was Keep on knitting in the free world

Colbert Nation

2008-11-11T15:03:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, November 11 -- Kevin Johnson

Wednesday, November 12 -- Bob Woodward

Thursday, November 13 -- Steve Moore

This Week on the Daily Show

2008-11-11T14:55:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, November 11 -- Thomas Friedman -- Author, "Hot, Flat, and Crowded"

Wednesday, November 12 -- Author, T. Boone Pickens -- "The First Billion is the Hardest"

Thursday, November 13 -- Author, Bill O'Reilly -- "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity"

The Now Irrelevant Folks. Awww...poor widdle jerks.

2008-11-08T05:24:00.000-08:00

Here's a pretty good list. Can you think of any others?

In case you need to see it again....

2008-11-07T17:27:00.001-08:00

What now?

2008-11-07T17:19:00.001-08:00

Barack Obama said the following, which sums up what we need to do now.

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. ... There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem.

But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years—block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand."

So, let's go!

Leonard Pitts: ‘We' are finally part of ‘We the People'

2008-11-05T14:30:00.001-08:00

Leonard Pitts is right on target:

For most of the years of the American experiment, "we the people'' did not include African Americans. We were not included in "we." We were not even included in ‘‘people."

What made it galling was all the flowery words to the contrary, all the perfumed lies about equality and opportunity. This was, people kept saying, a nation where any boy might grow up and become president. Which was only true, we knew, as long as it was indeed a boy and as long as the boy was white.

But as of today, we don't know that anymore. What this election tells us is that the nation has changed in ways that would have been unthinkable, unimaginable, flat out preposterous, just 40 years ago. And that we, black, white and otherwise, better recalibrate our sense of the possible.

link to full article

Elementary school voting results

2008-11-04T13:20:00.001-08:00

Fabra:
Leo's class 18 Obama, 1 McCain
Lexi's class 20 Obama, 1 McCain
Now, these are their stated results and they could be inaccurate.
My grandson Xavier's class in NW San Antonio.....the entire school voted for Obama, except for 3 who voted McCain.
Interesting!

It's Obama in a landslide (fine print below)

2008-11-04T03:01:00.000-08:00

(fine print)
In Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, Obama/Biden beat McCain/Wackjob by a vote of 21-15.

"No biggie" you say. "New Hampshire's one of those lefty New England states. It's no surprise they'd go Obama."

Then how do you explain that the last time Dixville Notch went Democratic was with Hubert Humphrey? That's right, they voted Bush in a big way in 2000 and 2004.

While the town is hardly a bellweather for how the rest of the country will vote, it's hardly insignificant that they would vote Obama in a landslide. As I'm up early to go put signs in the ground at the Welfare School House--my polling station--I'm praying for that result. I can report that Obama gets 100% of my household, right on down to my daughter. This is her first non-primary voting experience, and I'm hoping it will be as meaningful for her as it will be for the future of this country!

How Universal Health Care Changes Everything

2008-11-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

Well worth reading, and very true!

By Sara Robinson
With one fell stroke, giving Americans universal access to health care will undermine some of the deepest and most persistent myths of the conservative worldview.
We've worked hard to build a progressive political juggernaut that will, God willing and the creek don't rise, put us in control of both Congress and the Executive Branch starting just a week from now.
But it's one thing to get power, and another thing to keep it.
Someone (OK, it was Rick Perlstein) recently asked a group of friends to name the single most important policy step progressives could take to solidify a long-term grip on the government — the kind of extended run we had from 1932 through to the Age of Reagan.
There were a lot of good answers. Ending privatization was, I thought, the best answer of all. Reinvesting in education is important if we want to ensure that the next generation will support and sustain our work and values. (I like to joke that the reason they call it "liberal education" is that the more of it you have, the more liberal you're likely to be. It's not quite accurate, but it's true enough.) Ensuring that people's interactions with government are useful and positive was another: In a lot of states, one afternoon at the DMV is enough to make the most ardent good-government partisan turn into Grover Norquist. (Maybe we don't want to drag the whole government into the bathtub to drown it, but that SOB at Window 11 would be a fine place to start.)
But in the end, I settled on "provide universal health care—preferably single-payer" as my final answer. I chose this not just because health care is an important public good (though it is), but because I'm convinced that this single step will do more to rapidly and permanently undermine the conservative worldview than anything else we could possibly do.
How Universal Care Changes Everything: The Canadian Example
I've seen this happen, at very close range. Over the course of nearly five years living in Canada, I've been continually impressed by the durable, far-reaching role universal health care plays in expressing and reinforcing the entire country's political philosophy. It's probably not overstating things to say that the health care system is at the very core of the Canadian sense of national identity, right up there with the Mounties and the Hudson's Bay Company and well above the Queen. Every time my neighbors go to the doctor, the experience reaffirms a set of cultural assumptions that, over time, have made and kept the country unwaveringly progressive.
First, they're reminded that taking care of each other is a core Canadian value—a cherished piece of who they are. In the Harper era, the conservatives up here have tried hard to sell American-style rugged individualism and the belief that "you're on your own" (or should be), beholden to no one, needing no one. Most Canadians reject this as a peculiar form of insanity: Their interdependence is so patently obvious to them that it's like denying the existence of gravity. They're so proud of their health care system—and what it says about them as a nation—that, when asked to name the greatest Canadian in history a few years ago, they chose Tommy Douglas, the provincial premier (governor) from Saskatchewan who was the father of the first single-payer plan.
Second, they're reminded that their government does useful and important things that add immensely to their quality of life, and thus deserves their ongoing support. And their high hopes also lead to high expectations. They not only expect a lot from their health care system; they also expect that their police will be respectful and law-abiding, their city parks will be well-tended; and their public buildings will be beautiful. If it takes money to make that happen, they'll spend it—but those who've been trusted with it had better be damned careful. Where Americans believe in "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," the Canadian Constitution calls for "peace, order, and good government." And that set of aspirations is reinforced every time they walk into a doctor's office and get the treatment they need.
Third, they're reminded that certain rights are inalienable, and certain levels of inequality are intolerable—and that every Canadian has an intrinsic and equal entitlement to shelter, food, education, and health care. In the conservative era, America's hypercompetitive society has been very quick to throw away people who haven't made the cut in some way—people without money, connections, or education; people with disabilities that make them economically less viable; people who come from the wrong racial or religious group or the wrong part of the country. You only deserve what you, personally, are capable of earning. If you're badly equipped to do that, it's your own damned fault. If you can't afford health care, you deserve to die. In no case is it the taxpayers' job to step in and make it right.
That attitude is completely foreign up here. It's notoriously hard for immigrants to find good jobs here, but even immigrants get health care. There's a heroin problem in downtown Vancouver, but even junkies get health care. You don't lose your insurance just because you got sick, or got disabled, or had to quit your job; even the unemployed get health care.
Nobody falls through the cracks, no matter what condition their condition is in. Nobody is chained to a job they hate because they can't afford to lose their health care. Nobody has to pass up the chance to go back to school, or take a year abroad, or stay home with their kids. Nobody hesitates before starting their own business, either. The result is a healthier, more skilled, better-traveled, more fulfilled, more entrepreneurial and ultimately more competitive workforce.
A lot of Americans seem downright threatened by the idea that everybody deserves the same level of health care, delivered by the same doctors. It sounds like wild-eyed socialist ranting (all this crazy talk of "rights"!). For Canadians, though, that right is such a basic assumption that it's not even up for discussion. A civilized country does not turn any of its citizens away from the table. And that idea, once set, opens up a broader sense of what we owe each other. Health care is the social contract in daily action. Ultimately, having that contract reaffirmed so intimately and so often affects how my neighbors do business, how they treat the environment, and how they relate to the rest of the world. The effects of this affirmation ripple out into everything Canada touches.
Which brings us to the last observation: sharing a common health care system reminds Canadians that they're all in this together. From the richest to the poorest, everyone arrives and dies in the same hospitals, tended by the same doctors. It's in nobody's interest to let that system fail. (Prairie folks -- Canada's version of Midwesterners -- will tell you that the northern climate extremes also encourage people to look out for each other. And that makes some sense, too: denying help to neighbors and strangers during the winter in places like Edmonton or Winnipeg can all too easily become an act of negligent homicide. In extreme conditions, free access to good hospitals becomes a critical piece of that caretaking.)
The upper classes occasionally try to introduce privatization options in one province or another; but the citizens/patients, the government, and the health care unions have usually brought tremendous pressure to bear to limit or end these experiments. Everybody understands that if the wealthy bail on the system, there won't be the political will to keep the quality high. This conversation is ongoing—and the very fact that they keep having it also helps keep the symbolic importance of the system front and center. Everybody understands very clearly what's at stake.

How Guaranteed Health Care Could Change America
If we could get Americans thinking along similar lines, all manner of impossible things will become possible. With one fell stroke, providing universal access to health care will instantly undermine some of the deepest and most persistent myths of the conservative worldview. People will, very quickly, remember that we cannot function as a democracy unless we're deeply invested in common wealth and a common future—that "you're on your own" is simply a conservative lie that allows the rich to divide and conquer. We'll be startled at first to see just how much a single well-run government program can actually deliver—and then, as our confidence grows, we'll start expecting more of other government efforts, and become more willing to experiment with other kinds of programs. It's quite likely we'll start asking hard questions about programs that divert taxpayers' money away from these essential goods, and re-prioritize our spending. Thrown together into a shared health care system, we may even learn some compassion for each other, and start to heal some of the deep social and political rifts that have divided us for so long.

If it works in the U.S. half as well as it does in Canada, the conservatives will be forced to give up on all those plans for that big 2012 comeback they're so eagerly anticipating right now. With roughly a third of the country either uninsured or under-insured; and everybody else at risk of losing their coverage at a moment's notice, the sheer relief at having that burden lifted from 300 million souls is going to make the old conservative nostrums sound absolutely insane. Anybody who suggests that there's something wrong with universal care, or that it was better the old way, or that this is that Pure Communist Evil they've been warning about since the days of McCarthy, is going to be dismissed out of hand as an ideological crank. Because only people who buy their Kool-Aid by the barrel could even think about going back to the awful way things were in 2008.
It's all happened just this way before, of course. Social Security did all these same things in its time. It shut up the economic royalists and reintroduced Americans to the value of social contracts and a belief in the common good. Americans accepted these ideas so completely that liberals were able to seize control of the country's political discourse, and dominate it for the next four decades. On most issues, the conservatives had no choice but to follow their lead.

Unfortunately, though, all this happened over 70 years ago—so far in the past that most Americans can't even imagine what life was like before we had a guaranteed retirement income. We take that much too much for granted now. Creating a long-term 21st-century progressive renaissance depends on our ability to bring these same lessons home to a whole new generation in the most vivid and unforgettable way possible. Guaranteed health care will do that. It has the potential to become the catalyst for a new season of American progressivism that could last another 40 years.
This notion is no secret to conservatives, who figured out 15 years ago that universal health coverage could well become their undoing. In the heat of the 1993 debate over the proposed Clinton health care plan, Bill Kristol wrote a famous strategy memo in which he argued that "passage of the Clinton health care plan in any form would be disastrous. It would guarantee an unprecedented federal intrusion into the American economy. Its success would signal the rebirth of centralized welfare-state policy at the very moment that such policy is being perceived as a failure in other areas."
Conservatives are already acutely aware that if we get health care that works, they're going to be shut out of power and out of the conversation for decades to come. They also know that, come January, they may find themselves too weak to put up a fight.
Presidential candidate Barack Obama knows it, too, which is why he's made universal health care a central part of his agenda. If he succeeds, I think people are going to be surprised at the depth and speed of the resulting leftward shift in American values. Seeing the government deliver such an essential and powerful good to so many people will permanently discredit many of the most fundamental assumptions of the conservative worldview—and in doing so, will make it much, much harder for the cons to ever make themselves politically relevant again.
There's nothing else that will do so much for so many so quickly—and, at the same time, lay down the sturdy foundation for a long, strong progressive future.

link

As a steerage passenger, I lose in the bailout

2008-11-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

Entire article here

Concentrating The Wealth
By Terrance Heath

A funny thing happened on the way to the bailout. A number of the members of the bucket brigade — that's us, taxpayers — realized that for all the billions of dollars worth of bailing we're doing, we still appear to be sinking. Our task seems to be keeping things afloat long enough for first class passengers to fill the lifeboats. And as the water rises, more of us are less content with apparent the "brokers and bankers first" rule.
And let there be no doubt, as the U.S. economy looks like it's going down for the first time, "brokers and bankers first" is the rule.
In the waning days of, well, everything from the George W. Bush era, to the Reagan era and 30 years of conservative rule — as is often the case in a disaster — men's true characters reveal themselves, and they reveal their intentions when they have little left to lose.
It's heard in back channels, on conference calls when they believe no one from steerage class can hear them.
How do you know that the Wall Street types were trying to steal from us, other than the fact that they said that the refusal to hand over money was akin to a terrorist act? Treasury officials had a secret conference call with Wall Street executives. Unfortunately for them, some bloggers were on the call. The 'Treasury boys' on the call made it clear that "the tranching is a mere formality, and the Treasury boys as much as said so. They could take the $700 billion max as soon as the bill has passed." That was always obvious.
And they admitted that "the exec comp provisions sound like a joke, They DO NOT affect existing contracts, they affect only contracts entered into during the two years of the authority of this program and then affect only golden parachutes." Both of these provisions were 'concessions' sought by Democrats. Of course, no one could have predicted this bill's 'concessions' to Democrats were farcical. No one at all.
And it can be heard in committee meetings, where there's strangely little concern that the news will drift down to steerage, when they essentially ask "How much do you think the take will be?"
In the final days of the election many Republicans seem to have given up the fight for power. But don't be fooled: that doesn't mean they are relaxing. If you want to see real Republican elbow grease, check out the energy going into chucking great chunks of the $700bn bail-out out the door. At a recent Senate banking committee hearing, the Republican Bob Corker was fixated on this task, and with a clear deadline in mind: inauguration. "How much of it do you think may be actually spent by January 20 or so?" Corker asked Neel Kashkari, the 35-year-old former banker in charge of the bail-out.
When European colonialists realized that they had no choice but to hand over power to the indigenous citizens, they would often turn their attention to stripping the local treasury of its gold and grabbing valuable livestock. If they were really nasty, like the Portuguese in Mozambique in the mid-1970s, they poured concrete down the elevator shafts.
Nothing so barbaric for the Bush gang. Rather than open plunder, it prefers bureaucratic instruments, such as "distressed asset" auctions and the "equity purchase program". But make no mistake: the goal is the same as it was for the defeated Portuguese - a final, frantic looting of the public wealth before they hand over the keys to the safe.Whether most of us heard the message in such explicit terms, we got the message. The public anger over the bailout, that in the end did nothing to stop it and little to change it, was probably rooted in what was unsaid in how the bailout was sold: it was never about helping everyday Americans. Certainly, we were told that the bailout was necessary to prevent financial disaster that would devastate Main Street. That much would trickle down. But the rescue, to date, has not.

......read the remainder online...it's worth your time.

Yes we can! Bil Clinton in Florida today

2008-10-29T21:52:00.001-07:00

This Week on the Daily Show

2008-10-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, October 28 -- Steve Martin -- Author, "Born Standing Up"

Wednesday, October 29 -- TBD

Thursday, October 30 -- Bill Kristol -- Editor, "The Weekly Standard"

This Week on the Colbert Report

2008-10-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, October 28 -- Sherman Alexie

Wednesday, October 29 -- David Simon

Thursday, October 30 -- Wilco

Land of the Free...if you agree with ME!

2008-10-27T18:05:00.001-07:00

This is the front yard of a friend of mine here in McCain/Palin-land (Texas). Like me, she's had her Obama/Biden sign stolen. More than once. In fact, when my wife told me about this family's stolen signs, she told me about the above sign, so we drove by to take a picture of it. Whoops. It too had been stolen!

That was last week. Today I drove by and noticed she'd replaced the replacement of her replacement sign.

To me, this is one of the most angering parts of politics in a place that's heavily one side or the other. I'm sure there are McCainiacs in Blue States whose signs have been stolen or defaced. I hate that. I mean...I really hate that. Do Americans really believe in freedom of speech? Then why do they have such a hard time allowing others their opinion?

Obama sucks yelled at us today

2008-10-25T22:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, my grandchildren, Xavier and Ariana helped me man the HQ today and as we stood on the front porch of the building talking about pumpkins in the pumpkin patch across the street, 3 young people who were walking by yelled "Obama sucks." My grandchildren were shocked, and wanted to know why somebody would say something that rude. As Ariana put it, "that just rude, why would they be so rude?" Xavier wanted to know why people would be that mean, because, in his 7 yr old mind, as he stated, "shouldn't you just disagree?, why do you have to be mean?"

I had to work to give him an answer, and I could not come up with a good answer, actually. You have to agree...why can't we just disagree, why DO we have to be mean?

From a child's lips to God's ears.

The wassup guys are at it again, now for Obama

2008-10-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

Sarah Palin's Good Idea

2008-10-23T06:34:00.000-07:00

Aired Tuesday night on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on ABC:

Sarah Palin had a good thought. She suggested that while Barack Obama is over in Hawaii, it might be a good idea for him to keep an eye on Japan.

This Week on the Daily Show

2008-10-21T07:28:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, October 21 -- Christopher Buckley -- Author, "Supreme Courtship"

Wednesday, October 22 -- Tom Brokaw -- Author, "Boom"

Thursday, October 23 -- Governor John Corzine -- Governor of New Jersey

Obama and babies

2008-10-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

I could not resist posting this because I have seen Sen. Obama interact with kids and babies, and this truly shows what a wonderful man he is. These videos will just make you smile.

and one more...

Hofstra University arrests, injuries at peaceful protest

2008-10-15T21:47:00.001-07:00

Thanks Keith Olbermann, this is amazing.

2008-10-15T17:14:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable! Watch this and put it into the current debate context.

friends don't let friends vote McCain

2008-10-14T18:16:00.001-07:00

Obama signs vandalized and more stolen

2008-10-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

The large Obama/Biden sign up at 1376 & Walnut Grove was vandalized last night. Someone spray painted a swastika on it. The morons don't even know how to make a swastika.

This Week on the Daily Show

2008-10-14T07:27:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, October 14 -- Ari Fleischer

Wednesday, October 15 -- Richard Lewis

Thursday, October 16 -- Robert Reich

This Week on the Colbert Report

2008-10-14T07:24:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, October 14 -- Joseph Stiglitz

Wednesday, October 15 -- Shai Agassi

Thursday, October 16 -- Brent Glass and Robert Greenwald

American the Banana Republic

2008-10-09T17:09:00.001-07:00

Christopher Hitchens' article is well worth reading.

America the Banana Republic
The ongoing financial meltdown is just the latest example of a disturbing trend that, to this adoptive American, threatens to put the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave on a par with Zimbabwe, Venezuela, and Equatorial Guinea.

In a statement on the huge state-sponsored salvage of private bankruptcy that was first proposed last September, a group of Republican lawmakers, employing one of the very rudest words in their party’s thesaurus, described the proposed rescue of the busted finance and discredited credit sectors as “socialistic.” There was a sort of half-truth to what they said. But they would have been very much nearer the mark—and rather more ironic and revealing at their own expense—if they had completed the sentence and described the actual situation as what it is: “socialism for the rich and free enterprise for the rest.”

Think about it, spas for the AIG executives, and crap for the rest of us. Sound banana republic-like to me! But welcome to another aspect of banana-republicdom. In a banana republic, the members of the national legislature will be (a) largely for sale and (b) consulted only for ceremonial and rubber-stamp purposes some time after all the truly important decisions have already been made elsewhere.

So, what do we do?? Vote the BUMS out of office! Our government needs drastic reform and that would include ethics and INTEGRITY reform. How do we do it? By calling our legislators ALL the time, and every time, on any bread and butter issue that impacts the middle class.

What else? Help get freedom to organize and join unions nation wide. Unions built the middle class and it is time to rebuild our unions across the nation.

My unscripted take on the Oct. 6 debate

2008-10-07T22:27:00.000-07:00

First, McCain stated that Obama added charges to a bill for overhead projectors--who the hell still uses overhead projectors? Did McCain really mean power point? What century does McCain live in??

Creepy....when McCain said that Obama's secret you don't know is that Obama will increase taxes on small businesses....with a smarmy smile and old man chuckle-thing. It was creepy.

The McCain statement "you know who voted for it? That one!" Now that was just ugly and nasty and creepy too. In a normal conversation who would say "that one" when referring to a person standing next to them? In our house that would have been my 91 yr old mother who could not remember anybody's name. So can't McCain remember names???

McCain's healthcare solutions to save money were laughable..online records to save money (sure), and walk in clinics...didn't they used to be public health clinics, which Bush abolished?

McCain - healthcare = responsbility. So, shouldn't you have to pay a monthly bill for police, fire and 9/11?

Obama - healthcare = a right. As in, we as citizens of our nation, all pay for care for everyone?

And the part of the debate when I knew for sure it was staged, was when a retired Navy chief asked about friendship with Israel....BS. Who really believed that a retired USN chief really wanted to know that? My brother in law is retired USN and I know that was NOT the burning question that he had.

All in all, I think debates are not all that informative because they are too scripted.

AND ONE LAST COMMENT....
I just watched the debate for a second time and I now truly believe that this debate was scripted totally. After all, who in a so-called town hall meeting, would ask about the cold war???? That is dead, gone and last century. This was scripted. What did they pay the audience members to ask these lame questions?

"That one" statement by Sen. McCain

2008-10-07T22:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, this was one of many things that totally pissed me off during the debate tonight. What the heck did this mean,really? It was when I first heard it, very demeaning, and as the grandmother and Auntie of a "rainbow" colored family, I take great exception to his comment.

This was rude and not called for at all.

This Week on the Daily Show

2008-10-06T16:06:00.000-07:00

Monday, October 6 -- Tim Robbins -- Actor, "City of Ember"

Tuesday, October 7 -- Sarah Vowell -- Author, "The Wordy Shipmates"

Wednesday, October 8 -- Michelle Obama -- Potential First Lady

Thursday, October 9 -- Robert De Niro -- Actor, "What Just Happened?"

Lordy don't we miss Molly????

2008-10-04T18:50:00.000-07:00

I miss Molly's humor and her wit. Today, I found this article in Salon, and just had to share it. It was written by Anne Lamont, and is a must read article for those of use how adored Molly.

Here is an excerpt:
It breaks a girl's heart to know that Molly Ivins does not get to have a go at the Republican slate this year. I can see that big, rosy, sunflower face watching this all with astonishment and roaring with laughter. Ivins -- the legendary buckaroo populist, journalist, freelance hell-raiser and freedom fighter -- would be pounding her fists on the arms of her easy chair, stomping her feet as if listening to live bluegrass.

She would have had such a ball with Sarah Palin -- the trooper scandal, her love of moose (between buns), the flamboyantly botched television interviews, the bravery of people who hunt wolves for sport, from the air. Even though Molly was a Texan -- who would have been on guard for the sneering tone of liberal criticism toward anyone with a gun or a double-wide -- she still would have obliterated Palin as a faux populist wingnut with a tanning bed instead of a heart.

go here to read the rest, which is NOT to be missed!

Who is Sarah Palin?

2008-10-03T18:32:00.000-07:00

I know who she is, and most women do as well. She is "that girl" you know, "that girl" in high school, the one who was popular and pretty,, and would stab you in the back at the first opportunity. I have said this for the past 5 weeks, and the debate just sealed it for me. When speaking with my adult daughters, and I mentioned that fact, they both said....yeah, now that you mention it, that's her."
I have one grand daughter who is on the way to being "that girl" Evidently they are born with the proclivity for it, because even by age 6 you can see it. How this attitude is nurtured, I am not sure, but I think it has to do with the fact that even at a young age you know you are pretty and you learn how to manipulate people.
So, think of Sarah Palin as the manipulator. "That girl" from high school."
Women you know exactly what I am talking about. Right?

From the Obama blog today, I had to share this one, because it is so special

2008-10-03T15:50:00.000-07:00

I had to post this because Katheryn's feelings mirror my own so closely. I too have a rainbow family and when I think of the importance and significance of my vote this year, well, it's astounding. I cried when I read what Katheryn had to say. See what you think:
______________________
Residents of Oberlin, Ohio are flooding the local Board of Elections to vote early this week. Two buses from Oberlin College shuttled over 100 students to vote yesterday, and over 400 Lorain County residents registered to vote. Students are excited to make their first vote in a presidential election early - especially in such an important and historic election. Buses will continue to shuttle students to register and vote this weekend.

Katheryn voted yesterday in Oberlin and told us a little bit about what that experience was like.

I was excited to vote early. When I arrived there were many cars in the parking lot with Barack Obama bumper stickers. When I went inside to vote there was already a line and a 15 minute wait. There was a muted buzz of excitement.

When it was my turn to vote, I cried.

My family, like Barack's is a lovely rainbow. I cried for my two sons, who will vote for Barack, and for the first time in their lifetime be able to see themselves and their children in him.

I voted for my late mother, a teacher, and father, a truck driver, who instilled in all of us a sense of community, responsibility, the importance of education, and struggled to send us to college.

I voted for all the men and women and children in my family who have worked for generations to contribute to this country, and after many years, have finally found a principled leader who represents us all.

I voted for my precious grandchildren for whom I've dedicated all my work for Barack to these past 19 months.

Finally, I voted for all the lost, the lonely, the disenfranchised, the poor, handicapped, ALL Americans who never had the opportunity to vote.

Today I have joined with millions of Americans of all backgrounds who have come together to help change the United States into the honorable and extraordinary country we've all known it can be -- with the help of Barack Obama.

YOU'RE INVITED!

2008-10-02T13:39:00.000-07:00

To the Tenth Annual Eleanor Roosevelt Dinner

Saturday, October 18, 2008
at 6pm

at the Boerne Community Center
210 Adler Street
Boerne, TX

Suggested donation:
$30 ($25 for members)

Featured Speaker: Justice Catherine M. Stone

For reservations call or email:
Gwen King, 830-755-4434
Cindy Offutt, 210-698-5009

Brain to Nowhere!

2008-10-01T16:04:00.001-07:00

This Week on The Daily Show

2008-09-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

Monday, September 29 -- Hooman Majd -- Author, "The Ayatollah Begs to Differ"

Tuesday, September 30 -- Bill Maher -- Comedian, "Religulous"

Wednesday, October 1 -- Robert De Niro -- Actor, "What Just Happened?"

Thursday, October 2 -- Clint Eastwood -- Director, "Changeling"

This Week on The Colbert Report

2008-09-29T14:22:00.000-07:00

Monday, September 29 -- Paul Begala

Tuesday, September 30 -- James Taylor

Wednesday, October 1 -- Dave Levin

Thursday, October 2 -- Naomi Klein

I am not a happy camper -- re: the bailout

2008-09-28T20:31:00.000-07:00

Brent Budowsky's article most closely resembles my feelings. I cannot explain how much I feel duped, used and otherwise thwarted. I feel as if my entire life is a lie. I served my country as a civil servant and in the US Army...for this?????

From Brent Budowsky:
For whom the bell tolls
By Brent Budowsky
Posted: 09/22/08 06:38 PM [ET]
I think of my former boss Lloyd Bentsen, who, as a senator and Treasury secretary, drew on his experience as CEO and financier with one iron and inviolable rule.

Bentsen probably knew more about finance than any person who ever served in the Senate. He never made rash decisions. He always insisted that he, and his staff, have total grasp of issues and carefully consider all options.

Today the president, the Fed, the Treasury, the markets and the Congress are violating Bentsen’s cardinal rule and acting at a dangerous moment in the most half-assed manner, in haste and panic, not fully understanding the problem, the solution, or the implications.

1. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson should present Congress with their anticipated calendar for spending the $700 billion they request. Congress should immediately pass one-third of the money with unanimous bipartisan support.

2. Over the next month the administration and Congress should collaborate on executing the program, assessing mid-course corrections, devising reforms of bankruptcy laws, enacting economic stimulus for Main Street and bringing the Group of Seven into the solution.

This would restore common sense and reassure markets, investors and taxpayers while sharing the burden with European and Asian players, lowering the cost to Americans and increasing the chance of success.

The bell tolls today for all of us, but especially, in a historic generational crime, the bell tolls for young people who will pay for the gluttony, misdeeds and incompetence of the adults.

The girl in the baby carriage, the boy on the playground, the high school kids, the college students, the men and women in uniform will pay for the sins and shames of their elders:

A disastrous healthcare system. Pollution and global warming. A trillion-dollar budget deficit . National debt well over $10 trillion. Social Security in crisis. Long-term veterans’ needs that are underfunded by $500 billion or more. An energy disaster that oil drilling will not materially improve while oil markets are corrupted by rampant and extreme speculation. Education that lags in a brutally competitive world.

This is a moral crime by the old against the young. Now, without serious debate, without checks and balances, without understanding the implications of actions, we rush in haste and panic to risk stratospheric sums of taxpayer money and to destroy the capability of the next President and Congress to address grave and unmet needs. Anyone who claims a $700 billion bailout will not mandate an enormous tax increase later is delusional or lying.

We faced a run on the bank by the rich. Then a run on the bank by the banks. Now a raid on the Treasury in which taxpayers are forced to bail out today and finance tomorrow the greed, gluttony and incompetence in the scandal of our times.

Young people are told they are not old enough to drink, but they are young enough to die in wars while our reckless behavior takes precedence over their body armor, Humvees and medical care. Government creates unimaginable debt while giving moral lectures to workers who run up credit card bills to make ends meet.

Those who have the most are not asked what they can do for our country. Those who suffer are forced to pay the cost, for those who made millions while making this mess.

Let’s step back and think about this. For whom does the bell toll? For us.

Verrry interesting!

2008-09-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

Fox Cuts Off Guest for Mentioning the Keating Five

By hrebendorf - September 26, 2008, 2:19PM
This is a fun clip. Appearing on Fox & Friends this morning, conservative jackass Michael Reagan, in an attack on Obama and the Democratic leadership, launched into a rant about Enron and Worldcom. Guest Mike Papantonio, rightly figuring they were talking about history, brought up the Keating Five scandal, at which point, host Steve "Douchebag" Doocy immediately tried to shut him down. The producer can even be heard off camera calling for someone to cut Papantonio's mic:

Here is the Fox Video...

_____________________
From Ray Story the transcript:

'Cut his mike,' producer suggests

The Keating Five scandal, and John McCain's role in it, has received relatively little mention in presidential campaign coverage, and at least one Fox News host seems dedicated to keeping it that way.

Appearing Thursday morning on Fox & Friends, radio host Mike Papantonio tried to remind viewers about McCain's intervention with federal regulators on behalf of real estate mogul Charles Keating, who was trying to avoid regulations of a savings and loan he owned during the S&L crisis of the 1980s.

F&F's Steve Doocy told Papantonio to "pipe down," called him "rude" and demanded he "cut it out." A show producer could be overheard saying "cut his mike."

As Papantonio tries one last time to explain the details of the Keating Five scandal, Doocy again cuts him off.

"This is not the History Channel," he says.

Papantonio's apparent crime was interrupting fellow guest Michael Reagan, the conservative radio host, who was arguing that it would be unfair to judge McCain based on his actions 20 years ago.

"It has everything to do with what's happening today," Papantonio said before being told to pipe down.

Regardless of whether Papantonio was being rude, preserving an orderly debate certainly could not have been Doocy's goal in silencing the guest. Not two minutes before his admonition that Papantonio was "being rude," Doocy repeatedly interrupted his guest to deliver talking points that might as well have been written by the McCain campaign.

At least three times Doocy interrupted Papantonio as he argued that McCain's political gambit to "suspend" his campaign and delay Friday's debate was more a response to his flagging poll numbers than an attempt to fix the economic crisis. Doocy wasn't buying it.

"If Barack Obama wants to do so much for the economy, why doesn't he go to his day job and work in the US senate?" he asked Reagan, cutting off Papantonio's argument.

Post debate thoughts

2008-09-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

From TPM Election central:

"McCain's unwillingness to make eye contact with Obama through the debate seems to be getting picked up by a lot of observers. Here's an interesting exchange on the subject between Chris Matthews and the Post's Eugene Robinson ."

The fact that McCain would not look at Obama was something my 20 something daughter and her husband remarked on, they both thought it was disrespectful of McCain. I agree, why wouldn't he look at Obama?

There were moments when I wanted Obama to answer McCain assertions in a more forceful manner, throwing facts back at him, but then Republicans and righties don't respond to facts anyway, so I could have been wrong.

All in all, I hate the debate format.

Stealing America vote by vote

2008-09-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

There is no showing of this movie here. Perhaps we can get a copy of the DVD and find a place to show it?

Coming to HBO on Sept. 29, Taxi to the Dark Side

2008-09-25T18:57:00.000-07:00

Is the financial crisis a surprise? Think again

2008-09-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

When the IMF comes, you have reached 3rd world country status. The time has come for "them" the PTB's to dismantle our government, our safety nets and dismantle the middle class.
____________________________________
IMF finally knocks on Uncle Sam's door
David HIrst
June 30, 2008

Der Spiegel wrote that the IMF had "informed" Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke of plans that would have been unheard of in the past: a general examination of the US financial system. The IMF's board of directors has ruled that a so-called Financial Sector Assessment Program is to be carried out in the US.

This, Der Spiegel wrote, "is nothing less than an X-ray of the entire US financial system", adding that "no Fed chief in US history has been forced to submit to the kind of humiliation that Ben Bernanke is facing".
____________________________

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,562291,00.html
WEST WING
The Shrinking Influence of the US Federal Reserve
June 26, 2008

By Gabor Steingart in Washington
Humiliation for Mr. Dollar: Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the United States Federal Reserve Bank, faces a general investigation by the International Monetary Fund. Just one more example of the Fed losing its power.

____________________________
IMF To Investigate Factors Behind Oil Price Surge
IMF Survey online

June 14, 2008
The International Monetary Fund will prepare an analysis of the real and financial factors behind the recent surge in oil and commodity prices, their volatility, and the effects on the global economy, Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said.
Responding to a call by the Group of Eight (G8) major industrial nations, Strauss-Kahn said that as part of the analysis, the IMF would look into the possible role of financial market speculation in the recent price hikes.

Financial crisis some reading....

2008-09-24T16:45:00.000-07:00

articles to read on Alternet:

Let's stop the greatest theft in the history of Humankind, by Otto Spengler, Asia Times.

Five Dangerous, Disastrous Things About the Proposed Bailout and What You Can do to Help Stop It.

Has Sarah Palin Been Picked as the Titular Head of the Coming Police State?

Also read the Army Times, about the activation of a Batallion whose job it will be to civil unrest, etc in the USA. Isn't that against posse comitatus?

This Week on The Colbert Report

2008-09-23T05:16:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, September 23 -- Jackson Browne

Wednesday, September 24 -- Dr Cornel West

Thursday, September 25 -- Nick Carr

ta da! This is our 2000th post!

2008-09-22T17:53:00.000-07:00

We have had long discussions at our house regarding the current financial crisis. We both feel that anything the government rushes into can't be a good thing. We were happy to hear Rep. DeFazio of Oregon on Cspan this morning and called his office to give him our thanks, for saying that more time and more review needed to be done before anything was passed. Then we called Rep. Lamar Smith's office to state our case.
Who did you call today??

Then low and behold, later in the day, THE Goddess of Radio, Randi Rhodes posted her thoughts.....just what we had been saying here at home all morning. Thanks Randi, for putting it so well.

From Randi Rhodes:
This is THE PATRIOT ACT ALL OVER AGAIN. Anything Congress RUSHES through will be THE WRONG RESPONSE and take from you all that you have. Freedom, privacy, money, credit, all of it must go!

The massive "bailout package" has to be paid for.

How? Perhaps a massive tax increase, definitely very tight credit markets for you and for small businesses. There will be bank merger after bank merger which will limit competition for loans and bank services. The Treasury will hire "contractors" through "no bid contracts" to place a "value" on valueless paper and set the price YOU have to pay to settle all the debt. NO one will really know how to price these things. NO one will know what they're doing, but everyone will get INTO THE BUSINESS of buying and selling these worthless assets.

There will be a bail out of both foreign and domestic banks with your tax dollars, and all of this will happened without REGULATIONS or OVERSIGHT .

THE REAL SOLUTION IS THE ONE YOU KNOW. If the markets were regulated NOW and Mortgage holders would be permitted to renegotiate the principal on their home loans this would STOP dead in it's tracks. Every individual with a bad loan could offer to pay 60 cents on the dollar, more or less and keep their home.

If we could make deals with credit card companies to settle our debts this would stop now because we'd have more money in our pockets to prop up the Economy.

If we raised taxes on Billionaires who created this mess and forced them to pay for this, This would stop NOW.

If we lowered taxes on Small Businesses and gave them low cost inventory loans THIS WOULD STOP NOW.

If we lowered taxes on everyone making less than 2M a year, and raised taxes through the roof on those who had profits of over $10 Million this would stop NOW. Small businesses would pop up all over America and people could go back to work, small business would flourish and the taxes we pay at the lower rates would pay down the DEBT.

If we left Iraq NOW we would add 10 Billion a MONTH to the Treasury.

This Government Bailout of banks BEFORE they fail, including FOREIGN BANKS with Taxpayer dollars is PRE EMPTIVE FINANCIAL WAR on the American People. It is the last part of Shock and Awe.

DO NOT SIT IDLY BY. Demand that this stop. DEAD COLD.

What we need and want is REREGULATION of FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS .

Give Homeowners the ability to negotiate home loans, car loans, credit card debt .
Set up a Resolution Trust Corporation to buy back homes we can't afford to keep with a Board of Directors to monitor all purchases and sales.
Immediately force Financial Institutions to stop paying dividends to shareholders.
Sell the hard assets of failed financial institutions, offices, buildings, computers, desks, any real property they owned.
Oversight on the entire Bailout process through a Board of Directors to oversee any acution of company assets.
Charge CEOs with fraud and levy huge fines on those who profited from Fraud and Misery.
Enact a law that states that a CEO can not make more than 144 times the amount the lowest paid worker makes.
Ban NO BID contracts with shadowy people who for a profit will price and sell assets, loans, banks.

This Week on The Daily Show

2008-09-22T14:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, September 23 -- Bill Clinton -- Former U.S. President

Wednesday, September 24 -- Aaron Eckhart -- Actor, "Towelhead"

Thursday, September 25 -- Bob Schieffer -- Journalist

Your Kendall County Democratic Headquarters!

2008-09-20T17:48:00.001-07:00

Have you been to Kendall County's Democratic Headquarters? Pictured above are volunteers and curious, who have stopped in for information, yard signs, bumper stickers, and buttons. The headquarter's open from 10-6 every day but Sunday--correct me if I'm wrong!

To find the headquarters, it's directly across from Veterans Park on South Main, right next to St. Peter's Catholic Church. Please be careful that you park to the left as you pull in. Go by and say hi!

Another Reason to Support Obama

2008-09-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

"It's the economy, stupid", the slogan that elected Bill Clinton to the presidency in 1992 is even more potent today. Michael Kinsley, in on-line Slate magazine proves, with charts that Democrats actually are better for the economy than Republicans. In every category, in every year since 1959, the Dems win: higher GDP, lower inflation, lower federal spending......well, you see where I'm going with this. These numbers are all based on the President's Economic Report.
In 2005 Kinsley wrote an article citing examples of Democratic administrations "serving Republican economic values". I wonder why McCain voters can't see that.

From One of our Fine Boerne Dems

2008-09-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

Why I Support Obama (and you should too!)
By Claire Oxley Gluck

Those of us who have been inspired by Obama find it is hard to understand why others are not. So when we are asked why we support him we sometimes stammer and then talk about our emotional response to his message: how he summons our better angels as JFK did for a generation previous to mine, and makes us feel hopeful again. Obama lights up our primitive, unconscious, emotional brain and makes us feel excited. For Hillary supporters, who may be immune to Obama’s charisma, let me appeal to your cerebral cortex – the more recently-evolved rational brain. Here’s why you should be fired up about Obama-Biden.

• The Supreme Court: The next President will most likely appoint two or even three Supreme Court justices, and they will replace the most liberal justices on that bench: Ruth Bader Ginsberg is 75 and not in excellent health; John Paul Stevens in 88; Steven Bryer is 69. Imagine a court without any liberals at all: No more Roe v. Wade; little protection from warrantless wiretaps; weak Habeas Corpus; no equal protection of women and minorities; no federally-mandated environmental regulations, no consumer protection, lots more executions of under-aged, poorly-defended, or retarded defendants. Very Scary!

• The Environment: If McCain/Palin wins, bid a tearful farewell to the polar bears whose habitat is melting beneath their paws. Don’t plan any trips to the Netherlands; Mauritius and other island nations because they will be submerged as the Ocean levels rise. Prepare for stronger hurricanes, tornadoes, and tsunamis, hotter summers and longer droughts. We could have oil rigs up and down our Atlantic and Pacific sea boards, throughout the Rockies and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

• Health Care: Many of us believe that our nation should have a universal, single-payer system. I want that for our citizens, but even Clinton was not proposing that. Obama’s plan isn’t ideal, but health care economists estimate that it would provide coverage to 50 million Americans who have none or inadequate coverage. McCain’s plan would help only 5 million.

• Commander-in-Chief: I believe that Obama would be much more responsible than McCain, who has a legendary temper. Obama would not send our armed forces into harm’s way except under the following conditions: our nation’s vital interests are at stake; real intelligence backs up that claim; diplomatic means have been exhausted; there is a clear military mission and a sufficient numbers of properly equipped troops to carry it out – as judged by military commanders, not the political leadership.

• Foreign Relations: Public opinion abroad of the USA has never been worse. In Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America we have lost the trust and respect our nation enjoyed before we embarked on unilateral Rambo-style diplomacy. Obama believes it is again time to win friends and influence nations. His foreign policy team includes many of the best and brightest, including Madeline Albright and Dennis Ross. The world is too complex for us to swagger around like John Wayne, telling others that it’s our way or the highway.

• Women’s Rights: Obama was raised primarily by his free-spirit of a mother and his hard-working grandmother. He clearly loves and respects his wife, a strong, smart Harvard Law School graduate and wants his daughters to have every opportunity he can offer them to excel. He is a strong supporter of a women’s right to make decisions about her body.

• The Economy: Obama is calling for transforming our economy from a petroleum-based (19th Century) one to one that is at the leading edge of alternate energy technology (21st Century). This would create millions of jobs in new technologies and reduce our nation’s carbon emissions. We would also be able to stem the growth of our debt to China (U.S. Treasury bonds), that finances our purchases of oil from exporters such as Venezuela, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

• Veterans Affairs: Obama has served on the Veterans Affairs committee and sponsored many bills to help veterans, including the 21st Century GI Bill. The Disabled American Veterans gave Obama a passing grade of 80%; John McCain flunked with a 20% rating. Similarly, the Iraq-Afghanistan Veterans Association gave Obama a B+ and McCain a D.

I urge you to work to elect Obama-Biden, even if in your heart you still wish Hillary had won. McCain/Palin will do too much damage to our Constitution, our Federal Judiciary and our environment for us to wait for 2012 to try again!

Progressivegrannie's husband speaks...

2008-09-17T19:25:00.001-07:00

I am sick and tired of our so-called “leaders”, and what they have done to our country. Our hard-earned money is being spent left and right to fund a war we should never have started, and to bail-out financial and insurance companies that wound-up in debt that they could not repay. So, what does our government do? It gives them loans totaling billions and billions of dollars to help them get out of their greed-driven messes.
To me, we have been robbed. Our country has taken our money, along with our hopes and dreams, and flushed them down the toilet of big business. We have staggering debts: 5.7 trillion national debt, and 9.7 trillion foreign debt. What the hell are we working with? The $85 billion loaned to AIG did not come from a “rainy-day” fund. No, it comes from the budget (if we have one), which already has all the funds allocated to programs and departments. Now, of course, those budgeted funds are in short supply.
Our politicians, and our current administration have taken us for all we are worth. We are all suffering as a result. Many of us are on the brink of financial ruin, if not already there. For most of my adult life, I have watched as our legislators have fiddle-farted time away in the halls of congress and accomplished very little or nothing to protect the interests of this country and its population. It is apparent that this lack of elected duty should be considered criminal, and all those elected to “run” our nation should be arrested, and held for trial. The charge should be negligence. I, as a health professional, can be fired for negligence if I fail to deliver the proper care to my patients, and so it follows that our politicians should be held accountable as well. Merely voting them out of office does not suffice. They must take responsibility for their inaction and ineptitude.
Our nation is on its knees right now, and the revolver is pointed at its head. And what do we do to help restore order and calm, and work at fixing the problems? We point fingers, lash-out with multiple prevarications, and generally sit back and do nothing. If this is how our “leaders” handle crises, God save us if we do have some sort of cataclysmic event happen.
All these brave men and women would probably go running for the nearest cave.
I am so disgusted and ashamed of my country. It has become a bastion for inept politicians, and corrupt businesses that supplant patriotism with the bottom line. Profit has become the one and only thing idolized by these businesses, and our politicians have facilitated the attainment of that profit by enacting legislation that fomented their greedy ways. The people be damned! Pray and genuflect to the all-mighty profit god, (the dollar) because, after all, the attaining of more and more wealth is the maxim by which they live.
My father, a Russian immigrant, with some college education behind him said to me several times that the “only thing that would get this country into trouble was the all-mighty dollar”. How keen of him! How perceptive of a man with just a few years of college behind him! In my youth, I did not pay much heed to his words. Now, however, I revel in their genius, although it does not make me feel better.
My love of this country is waning. It has left me hollow and hopeless. My bootstraps are all broken or missing. The greatest challenge I face now is how to regain the spirit and ambition I have lost . I am all but defeated. I am being attacked from all sides: financially, emotionally, mentally and even physically (the latter due mostly to age). I am at a point in my life where starting over is not an option. I have neither the will nor the gumption to redo my life. I am sure I will survive, but I will never be the same. I will never look at my government for help, as they will not be there. They have abandoned us, and left us to muddle-through on our own. It has become a one-way street: Our government asks everything of us, but offers nothing in return. I do not quite yet fear our government, but that fear is lurking ominously in my mind.
It may be that the fear is one of a total lack of confidence in the people elected to carry us through times of crisis, and not so much a fear of bodily harm. Which is worse?
Washington D.C. is totally out-of touch with the rest of the United States. It cannot be expected that men and women, who are so far removed from the life experiences of average men and women be in charge of their welfare. The thugs in D.C. have achieved that at which the old Soviet Union, and indeed Osama Bin Laden have failed. I am not quite sure, but I will bet anyone that Osama Bin Laden is dancing a jig right about now, and he had no hand in it. We did this all to ourselves. This country was once thought to have streets “paved of gold”. Now, we are lucky that we have streets paved or unpaved. Our infrastructure is crumbling at a geometric pace. Soon we shall be wanting for most of the basics: food, water and electricity. Either they will become unaffordable, or they will be lacking.
Two quotes seem very apropos: “The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction is the first and only object of good government”----Thomas Jefferson.
And, “A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves”----Edward R. Murrow. I do not know which of the above quotes will eventually become my standard, but I am more hopeful that it will be the one by Thomas Jefferson.
In its inception, this nation was conceived by men, who were willing to sacrifice their fortunes and even their lives in order to found a nation which would be the envy of the world. Now, we find ourselves governed by men, who will sacrifice nothing of their own, only the wealth and well-being of others. These types used to be referred to as leeches. I believe them more to be a scourge. At this point in time, I would have to consider carefully whether or not to piss on one of them should they be on fire. Our founding fathers did not prevaricate. They were gentlemen of honor and dignity. Our present-day officials are not deserving of honor, and they have no semblance of dignity.
They have sold us out to the highest bidder (corporate lobbyists and special interests). In my estimation, this voids their elected trust. They do not serve anyone but themselves.
The mall in Washington D.C. should be adorned with a myriad of stocks, into which the thugs in D.C. should be placed.. I would gladly supply all the rotten vegetables one would want to hurl at them. Take note: My income is limited, so contributions of any wilting veggies would be welcome. After a week’s worth of pelting, these ingrates should then be tarred and feathered and driven out of town on a rail. This would give me great pleasure, although it would not remedy any of my current predicaments.
Ted Kennedy said. “When will the greed stop?” I am not sure, but given the current tide, I would say “never”. How sad it is to see this nation down-for-the count. And how sad it is that the ones delivering the knock-out punches are our elected officials. How can people entrusted with our future be so recalcitrant to our needs? It is repulsive and repugnant. It causes one to retch! What will be our cathartic?

This Week on The Daily Show

2008-09-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, September 16 -- Ricky Gervais -- Actor, "Ghost Town"

Wednesday, September 17 -- Charlize Theron -- Academy Award winning actress

Thursday, September 18 -- Tony Blair -- Former Prime Minister

Some Dem Dogs in Boerne!

2008-09-16T14:21:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning musings

2008-09-14T08:22:00.001-07:00

I am sick, sick, sick of lies spewed forth on TV and in print as the McCain spin machine runs amok. I can't believe that they are putting lipstick on the pig -- yes I said it --who is the VP candidate. The more I read about her, the more I learn about her cronyism, vindictiveness and secretive management of her state cabinet. McCain-Palin would be Bush-Cheney on steriods, IMHO, and our nation will be worse off than it is now.

Here is what I found of interest this morning....just snippets of each article ---
_____________________________________
Blizzard of Lies
Paul Krugman
NY Times article excerpt:

Why do the McCain people think they can get away with this stuff? Well, they’re probably counting on the common practice in the news media of being “balanced” at all costs. You know how it goes: If a politician says that black is white, the news report doesn’t say that he’s wrong, it reports that “some Democrats say” that he’s wrong. Or a grotesque lie from one side is paired with a trivial misstatement from the other, conveying the impression that both sides are equally dirty.

They’re probably also counting on the prevalence of horse-race reporting, so that instead of the story being “McCain campaign lies,” it becomes “Obama on defensive in face of attacks.”

Still, how upset should we be about the McCain campaign’s lies? I mean, politics ain’t beanbag, and all that.

One answer is that the muck being hurled by the McCain campaign is preventing a debate on real issues — on whether the country really wants, for example, to continue the economic policies of the last eight years.

But there’s another answer, which may be even more important: how a politician campaigns tells you a lot about how he or she would govern.

I’m not talking about the theory, often advanced as a defense of horse-race political reporting, that the skills needed to run a winning campaign are the same as those needed to run the country. The contrast between the Bush political team’s ruthless effectiveness and the heckuva job done by the Bush administration is living, breathing, bumbling, and, in the case of the emerging Interior Department scandal, coke-snorting and bed-hopping proof to the contrary.

I’m talking, instead, about the relationship between the character of a campaign and that of the administration that follows. Thus, the deceptive and dishonest 2000 Bush-Cheney campaign provided an all-too-revealing preview of things to come. In fact, my early suspicion that we were being misled about the threat from Iraq came from the way the political tactics being used to sell the war resembled the tactics that had earlier been used to sell the Bush tax cuts.

And now the team that hopes to form the next administration is running a campaign that makes Bush-Cheney 2000 look like something out of a civics class. What does that say about how that team would run the country?

What it says, I’d argue, is that the Obama campaign is wrong to suggest that a McCain-Palin administration would just be a continuation of Bush-Cheney. If the way John McCain and Sarah Palin are campaigning is any indication, it would be much, much worse.

_______________________________________

She’s Not Ready
By BOB HERBERT
NY Times

While watching the Sarah Palin interview with Charlie Gibson Thursday night, and the coverage of the Palin phenomenon in general, I’ve gotten the scary feeling, for the first time in my life, that dimwittedness is not just on the march in the U.S., but that it might actually prevail.

How is it that this woman could have been selected to be the vice presidential candidate on a major party ticket? How is it that so much of the mainstream media has dropped all pretense of seriousness to hop aboard the bandwagon and go along for the giddy ride?

For those who haven’t noticed, we’re electing a president and vice president, not selecting a winner on “American Idol.”

Gloria Steinem vs. Palin, worth reading

2008-09-13T15:13:00.000-07:00

Palin: wrong woman, wrong message
Sarah Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Hillary Clinton. She is Phyllis Schlafly, only younger.
By Gloria Steinem
September 4, 2008
Here's the good news: Women have become so politically powerful that even the anti-feminist right wing -- the folks with a headlock on the Republican Party -- are trying to appease the gender gap with a first-ever female vice president. We owe this to women -- and to many men too -- who have picketed, gone on hunger strikes or confronted violence at the polls so women can vote. We owe it to Shirley Chisholm, who first took the "white-male-only" sign off the White House, and to Hillary Rodham Clinton, who hung in there through ridicule and misogyny to win 18 million votes.

But here is even better news: It won't work. This isn't the first time a boss has picked an unqualified woman just because she agrees with him and opposes everything most other women want and need. Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. It's about making life more fair for women everywhere. It's not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that. It's about baking a new pie.link

You're Registered to Vote...but how do you REALLY know?

2008-09-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

Here's how: go to the URL below to verify. You can do so by your name and/or your driver's license number.

https://voterinfo.sos.state.tx.us/voterws/viw/faces/SearchSelectionVoter.jsp

Why's it important? A few years back, for unknown reasons 400 Kendall County Democrats just weren't on the rolls when voting day rolled around. This election's too important; we need every vote.