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Insanity Point #4: North Korea

I was going to write about the new Tax Deal, but to be honest it truly just upsets me and there is SO MUCH there to discuss I wasn't ready to tackle it. If somebody else wants to, though, please give it a go, as like I said- there is a lot to discuss there!

Instead, however, today I will discuss North Korea.

Yahoo! posted THIS article today.

It quotes a North Korean website that says:

"Because of the South Koreans' reckless war policies, it is not about war or peace on the Korean peninsula but when the war will break out."

There is more in the article about how if they go to war it will be a nucleur war and not limited just to the Korean Peninsula.

Personally, I think North Korea is just looking for an excuse to go to war! Their actions the past year seem to show they are anxious to fight.

Very good friends of ours just returned from living in South Korea for two years, and they said North Korea is always making vain threats and they think all of this is show. In fact, they said they would move back- they aren't scared at all.

But I think the North is looking for a fight, and it could erupt at any moment. Then we would get involved, Russia and China would get involved, the EU would have to get involved, etc. etc.

Any thoughts?

Insanity Point #3

I took the girls swimming today at the local pool, and as I was headed out I overheard this conversation:

Man #1: Soon we are going to be a second rate county.

Man #2: That's what Obama wants.

I almost walked over there and asked him if that was seriously what he believed.

Really??? The man who fought to give all citizens the right to health care wants to destroy America? The man who talks constantly of an America full of opportunity for all wants us all to suffer? The man who puts billions into improving our education and into fighting the correct war wants America dismantled?

I could not believe my ears.

This is exactly what John Stewart was talking about.

You may not agree with Obama. You may not like his policis. You may not think his decisions will solve all of the problems we currently face. But to go around saying Obama- the President of the United States- wants us to become a second rate country is ignorant at best and detrimental to our society at worst.

We are ALL Americans. We are ALL on the same team. Including Obama.

Let's stop name calling and accusing each other and instead find common ground to work together to fix the things that are wrong with this country, instead of destroying it from within.

And Man #2- find something more useful to do with your time than spread hate and lies.

THE Article

I posted this article on Facebook:
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http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16569466?utm_medium=facebook
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The main purpose I posted the article is due to the overall premise that blaming health insurance premium hikes on the new Health Care Bill is untrue. Please feel free to read the article- it is not too long.
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I believe there are a million lies/untruths/misinformation out there about the health care bill.
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First and foremost, people should STOP calling it "Obamacare." It is not Obamacare. A much more accurate term is "Health Care For All." Not Health Care for Obama. So please stop using the term. It is absolutely, completely, 100% FALSE.
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Second, we need to stop calling it socialized medicine. It is NOT socialized medicine. The government does not own the hospitals. The government does not own the doctors. The government does not make any decisions about your health care. Compare these reforms to Europe, and there are little to no comparisons to be made. That is yet another falsehood. (In fact, if you are a Republican, compare this bill to your beloved voucher program that uses government money to pay for private schools and you should immediately fall in love with this bill- the two concepts are quite similar)
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Another falsehood is what this article stipulates, hence the reason I posted the article. The idea that the Health Care bill is causing premiums to skyrocket.
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The fact of the matter is that premiums were skyrocketing every year well before health care reform was passed.
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My dad owns a small company. He spends about $1500.00/month per employee on health care for his employess. For years he has been saying he would either go under or have to stop offering health care to his employees.
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Now that health care reform has passed, he continues to say the same thing. However, from what I understand, now if he opts to not offer insurance, they will be able to still get insurance and still be covered, for the small fee of 900.00/year. That is WAY cheaper than what he is currently paying, so he will be able to stay in business.
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I am not saying the Health Care Reform bill is perfect. It is a work in progress. But I am saying let's stop using scare tactics and lies to convince people it is a bad bill. This is a bill that affects everyone, and virtually every American agrees something has to be done to fix the health care crisis in America. Let's take this bill and tweak it, fix it, and give it a chance to succeed. For ALL Americans.
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Can't both sides at least agree on that?

Insanity Point #2

Before children, falling back was fun.

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The falling back I mean is the falling back where you got an extra hour of sleep once a year when you change your clocks.

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With children, unfortunately, the glory of the extra hour of sleep is non-existent. Instead of snuggling with my comforter an extra hour, my kids woke me up 5:45 am. Oh, joy.

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Which leads me to my insanity point.

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Why do we change clocks?

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Apparently it is to save energy. But I am not sure, because now it is dark at 5:30 instead of 6:30 and so that leaves us turning on our lights an extra hour earlier.

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So I am not sure.

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But I think we should forgo this wild tradition of ours so that I can get some sleep.

Insanity Point #1

You gotta be proud as a Republican when your newly elected leader says:

OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE OBAMA A ONE TERM PRESIDENT. -Senator Mitch McConnell

It's gotta feel good to elect a group of people who don't care about helping out the economy. Who don't care about creating jobs. Who don't care about getting money to small businesses.

There are a lot of noble goals I could think of for a politician at this time. If I were a politician, my goals would include strenghtening the health care bill to give insurance companies less power, not more. My goals would include a teacher recruitment program. My goals would include bringing jobs back to America instead of outsourcing them to foreign countries.

But that's just me. Why would I expect elected officials to have goals that would actually HELP the people? Why should they have productive goals, when their ONE goal could be to stop the president from doing anything productive?

Let the insanity continue.

Restoring Sanity/Keeping Fear Alive

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-After reading in the newspaper there was a satellite rally in downtown Denver where the Restoring Sanity/Keeping Fear Alive rallies would be broadcast live, my husband and I decided to head downtown and check it out. I am so glad we did!
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Truly, this was not a political rally. But it was definitely something we need to hear.

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There was comedy, musical numbers, and a good time for all I am sure.

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But there was also a serious message.

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And the message I got was simple:

We need to work together to get things done.

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In promoting his rally, John Stewart used rallying cries such as:

I may disagree with you, but I am pretty sure you are not Hitler.

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With that, I knew the rally would be good. And it was.

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He slammed cable news networks that use name-calling and fear to demonize anyone who disagrees with them. He called out all the networks and asked us as consumers to change the channel when the anchors started using name-calling and hate as a way to convey their message.

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He had several great quotes:

"This was not a rally to ridicule people of faith. Or people of activism or to look down our noses at the heartland, or passionate argument or to suggest that times are not difficult and that we have nothing to fear. They are and we do. But we live now in hard times, not end times. And we can have animus and not be enemies."

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And one of my personal favorites,

"If we amplify everything, we hear nothing."

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He talked about the need for us to work together- not resort to name calling. He wants us to end toxic political rhetoric and instead remember that we are all Americans- we are ALL on the same team.

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He talked about how the news wants us to believe that all we do is fight and hate each other and that we should fear anybody who is different than us, but that in reality every day people of different political backgrounds, different religions, different races are working together to solve problems.

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I liked what he had to say. I am glad he has asked us to stop fighting and instead to come together and all be AMERICANS.

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I wish that was in a political ad.

Self Destruction At It's Best

For the 2010 election cycle, us Dems expected to be pounded. I wasn't surprised- whenever one party has all the power, the other party will certainly gain ground in the next election. It has happened many times before, and so I, at least, accepted that Dems would lose some of it's power. And, I was actually OK with that.
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But then strange things started happening...
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In Colorado, it seemed the Reps were poised to take back the Governor's seat. Until crazy lunatic Tom Tancredo (a one issue candidate who has people carrying confederate flags showing up at his rallies- yes, Curt, there are pictures of this when he was running for President in SC) decided to become a spoiler candidate and run as the American Constitution Party candidate. All of a sudden, the Rep. votes are split, and the Dem. candidate has the easiest ride to victory ever seen.
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Now complete unknowns have been elected by the Tea Party. The problem? Many of them are so extreme the GOP refuses to help their efforts, and they will certainly not attract independent mainstream voters- a voting bloc absolutely necessary to win general elections. Like it or not, tea partyers (or tea baggers- hehe!) come across as crazy people. You can blame this on the media. I blame it on the words that come out of their mouths.
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What is happening? The Republican party seems to be imploding. They are being destroyed from within.
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As a member of the Democratic Party, I could not be happier. We were poised to lose A LOT in this next election. Now, while we certainly will lose some spots, it appears it will not be nearly as much.
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So, THANK YOU TEA PARTY!!!!! By causing factions within the Republican Party, you have greatly helped us out!!!!!! This November doesn't look nearly as bad as it once did!

Why I'm a Morman and a Democrat- and that's a good thing

Found this article and had to share. EVERY Mormon who has ever said the statement, "how can you be a Mormon and a Democrat?" MUST read this. I am including it in it's entirety, because the whole thing should be read:

By Boyd Peterson

When I was growing up in Utah, Calvin Rampton and Scott Matheson were our Governors, Frank Moss was one of our Senators, and Gunn McKay was our Congressman. All were Mormon Democrats. My father was a steelworker who believed that the Democrats were the party that ended the Depression, won the War, and fought for the rights of working people.

Evidently many Utah Mormons agreed with him. It was not until the mid- to late-1970s that the Democratic party fell out of favor among Utah Mormon voters. That shift resulted, I believe, because the public debate about morality became more narrowly focused on sexual issues like abortion. But the Mormon retreat from the Democratic party has been detrimental to both the party and the LDS Church. Furthermore, there are moral issues that, I believe, are better represented by the Democrats than by Republicans.

At election time each year, a Church statement of political neutrality is read in LDS congregations throughout the nation, which "affirms [the Church's] neutrality regarding political parties, platforms, and candidates." Importantly, it also stresses that, "principles compatible with the gospel may be found in various political parties." Implicit in this statement is the notion that gospel truth may be found in the Democratic party's platform.

In an interview in 1998, Elder Marlin Jensen, a Mormon Democrat, spoke of the need for political diversity in the Church. Jensen outlined three main concerns Church leaders have with the misconception that the Republican party is the Church party: First, the Church's reputation suffers with the waxing and waning tides of national political fortunes. "There is a feeling that even nationally as a church, it's not in our best interest to be known as a one-party church," stated Jensen.

The late Elder James E. Faust, also a Mormon Democrat and a counselor in the First Presidency, reiterated this point: "It is in the interest of the Church to have a two-party system . . . . Both locally and nationally, the interest of the Church and its members are served when we have two good men or women running on each ticket, and then no matter who is elected, we win."[1]
Second, Elder Jensen suggested that the overwhelming Republican affiliation of Mormons in Utah and throughout the intermountain West weakens the checks and balances of good democratic government. As Elder Jensen put it, "any time you don't have the dialogue and the give-and-take that the democratic process provides you're going to be poorer for it in the long run."

Third, Elder Jensen stressed that it would be "very healthy for the church -- particularly the Utah church" if the common misconception that one cannot be a good Mormon and a Democrat "could be obliterated." Elder Jensen continued, "everyone who is a good Latter-day Saint is going to have to pick and choose a little bit regardless of the party that they're in and that may be required a lot more in the future than it has in the past."[2]

Jensen's call for political diversity recognizes an important truth about political parties and public morality -- there are many moral issues and none of the political parties has a monopoly on them. "I am a Democrat," stated Senator Harry Reid, "because I am a Mormon, not in spite of it."

Like Reid, I believe that the Democratic party takes the strongest position on many moral issues. For example, King Benjamin's address in the Book of Mormon admonishes us to prioritize, "feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants" (Mosiah 4:26). I believe the Democratic party works harder to protect and defend these moral priorities.

Elder Faust stated that his reading of the Book of Mormon also influenced his political views: "I believe what is said in the Book of Mormon, that the Lord values all of his children equally -- black and white, bond and free, male and female, Jew and gentile." As a result, Elder Faust said, "I like to see all people enjoy every advantage, every blessing, every opportunity that comes to them by reason of citizenship."[3]

Furthermore, the LDS scriptures' call to educate ourselves, "to seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom, seek learning even by study and also by faith" (D&C 109:7), is, I believe, more constantly supported by the Democratic agenda. I also believe LDS scriptures' insistence that the world and all living things were created spiritually prior to their physical creation calls us to environmental stewardship, another moral issue defended more robustly by Democrats.
Finally, I am a Democrat because I believe LDS scripture and prophets have urged us to live within our means, to be fiscally responsible. Democrats believe we need to pay for any programs we create, and Democratic administrations have, since the Great Depression, consistently lowered deficit spending, while the Reagan and two Bush administrations have greatly increased it. Democrats have a strong record of fiscal responsibility.

Many Mormon Democrats like me are pro-life, and find no pressure to change that view. Senator Harry Reid once told how, when an abortion issue came up for a vote during his first year in the Senate, some senators were expressing to him the importance of his vote. Reid recalled how Senator Barbara Mikulski, "at that time the only woman in the Senate and one of the nation's feminist leaders, told everyone to leave me alone, my vote was a matter of character." Reid's pro-life stance in the Senate has not hurt his career -- in 2006 he became the Senate Majority Leader, the highest-ranking Mormon in Washington.

I believe Mormon Democrats can make a difference, not only like Reid in Washington, but in their own local party. I have witnessed first-hand how Mormon Democrats in Utah county have worked to make the county platform more in-line with LDS values.

Boyd Petersen is the Program Coordinator for Mormon Studies at Utah Valley University, the biographer of Mormon scholar Hugh Nibley, and a former candidate for the Utah State legislature.

Thanks For Nothing- Again

Once again, it's politics as usual in Washington.

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A popular small business bill, basically written by Republicans and loved by small business owners, was shot down by....

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The Republicans!
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Even though they wrote the dang bill, not ONE Republican voted for it- NOT ONE!
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It had bi-partisan support, with Democrats sitting down and listening to the Republicans, and what do they get for it???

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NOTHING!

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Give me a break, Republicans! You can't blame "not having a say" on this one! Obama has repeatedly tried to extend the olive branch out to you guys, has consistently tried to reach across party lines, and what do you do????? -

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WRITE YOUR OWN LEGISLATION AND THEN VOTE AGAINST IT!

How does this make any sense?

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"As a result, Republicans robbed Democrats of an election-year legislative victory until at least September, even though it meant unanimously opposing a bill they helped write and which had wide support in the business community. "

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Wow. Thanks for hurting small businesses, hurting the economy, and hurting Americans just so you can play your political mindgames.

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It makes me sick.

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**For the full article, click here.

***For the record, I believe that until these rediculous games are done being played, this country will NEVER solve the problems we are currently faced with. Politicians need to get off their high horse of only looking after their parties' best interest, and instead look at America's best interest!

Another deep thought from Idaho..

Some Republicans (not all I know) in Northern Idaho strike again. Bonner County Republicans refuse to put the word "fiesta" on their committee booth - even though that's the theme for the BC fair this year. They're sticking with the word "celebrate" since "we speak English in this country." REALLY?? What's to go next I wonder? Tamales = corn wrapped shredded pig. Tortilla = flat flourly toasted thingy, burrito = beans and meat with cheese in flat floury thingy. But what about those other pesky words that are so unAmerican. "French" fries = fried potatoes that cause heart attacks. Gyros = dead lamb on a flour stick. I was always under the impression that our language is mainly just an amalgam of other, older languages. But hey, maybe speaking only "English" words will limit their vocabulary and we won't have to hear them talk. Dare to dream.

It's people like this that push me even farther left. They are crazy!

I'm a little confused..

Dear Republican Party:

I guess I'm a little confused. Some of you are apologizing to BP for our government making it set aside 20 billion for claims against it for lost income due to their negligence - hence ruining the gulf coast economy (Texas Rep. Joe Barton), and at the same time others are complaining that the moratorium on offshore drilling is more damaging than the spill itself on the gulf coast economy (Mississippi Gov. Haley).

So which is it then? Because it seems to me the chess pieces fall something like this:
Who is to blame for ruining these people's lives and their livelihoods?
Democrats - British Petroleum
Republicans - the Federal Government

I'm scratching my head here. Would the Republican party prefer the taxpayer pay for this destruction and its many rippling effects instead of poor BP?

Sigh...I guess it's come down to picking sides. Again.
I'm tired of it.

Game Change: Obama and the Clinton's, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime by John Heilemann

After reading this, I've learned something about myself...I love reading about other people's problems, especially famous, super rich people. I lap it up like a dog attached to a soup bone. I don't want to know what that says about me..

Some suspicions that were confirmed by this book:

- Bill Clinton is just as gross as I assumed he was. Smart, but ew. Ew. Eeewwww!

- Hillary swears like a f%$#^&king sailor. You rock,#^^$&#@*&, Hillary! And surprise, surprise, she may actually love her husband! Go figure!

- McCain had an affair in the 90's with someone my age.. oh.my. gosh. Can you imagine? Probably you shouldn't. That gag reflex is a hard one to control.

- Biden didn't get along too well during the campaign. Really?? By the way, where is Joe Biden? Sounds like a book name doesn't it. Has anyone seen Joe Biden on the news lately? What, he fall of the face of the Earth?

- My biggest surprise of the book?? I actually came off feeling slightly bad for Sarah Palin.. Yes, I know, I'm currently clutching my chest and breathing heavily at the thought of it.

Ah, you poor, poor multi-millionaires. Life would be rough without you for entertainment. As for me, I'd rather have my feet scraped than run for office...(And I'll mail you a pretend dollar if you know from what movie that last line is from...except you Suzette..)

A must read for any political junkie..

4 stars.

Here's Another One

Sorry for the cussing, but this is pretty funny!

The Devil's in the details BP...

Found this on thinking or sitting. Thinking about this makes me sick to my stomach, but I almost laughed at this.

Thank you George Bush!!

It seems we forgot to be thanking our past president for all the glorious things he's done for us.

Thank you George Bush!!!

-You gave a huge tax credit to the wealthy. Woo-hoo! Yeah team! You're awesome! Middle class me damned..

- Health care, smelth care. Your emergency room advice was spot on, poor poor multi- millionaire.

- You were the lead in Dick Cheney's puppet show of torture and death.

- You started a terrible, massively expensive war that will set our country back for decade upon decade, just to get even with the guy who tried to kill your dad. What a good son!

- Thanks to your Dick Cheney we soon will no longer have a Gulf of Mexico. Who needed it anyway right? Hey, maybe we can change the name to the Sea of Black Death!

- You're lack of regulating probably led to the Wall Street disaster. Woo-hoo!! Because remember, everything bad that happens is the president's fault, right?

So, again. Thanks so much for all your help. Much appreciated.

Bumper Sticker Faux pas

I am coming across some obnoxious bumper stickers that I think people should remove. I would love to hear some that you have found that you think should be outlawed as well!!!!

Here are my favorites for being banned from society:

If you want $5 gas, vote democratic.

I was at the gas station the other day with somebody who had that sticker. I looked at the price of gas, and it was $2.49- far lower than what it was when Bush was in office. Because this supposed bumper sticker prophecy did not come true, he should remove it- otherwise, he just looks like a goon.

Another one:

How is that hope and change working out for you?

Let's see...since Obama has been president, my stocks have gone up about 40%, we are more respected as a country, and we passed universal health care. I would say that "hope" and "change" are working out pretty dang GREAT for me!!!! So, while this sticker is supposed to be a stab at people like me, it reminds me instead of how grateful I am that Obama is the president, thus defeating the purpose of the bumper sticker, and therefore should be removed.

Here's another:

I'll keep my money and my guns, you can keep the change

When I saw this one, I was tempted to follow the guy until he got to wherever he was going and ask him what guns of his were taken away and what his tax return was this year. As far as I can tell, Obama has done nothing to take away guns, AND I got a MASSIVE tax return this year- so it seems to me, we are keeping our guns, we are keeping our money, and we are getting a change for a better America- SWEET! But, again, this person just looks like a goon because the message on his sticker is completely false.

Now, this last bumper sticker is actually one that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE! It is my favorite bumper sticker of all time- and I am being completely honest. Here it is:

Colorado: We don't waste money on education

What more needs to be said than that?

Any favorites of yours?

I Love This Man

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Oh, but what about Drill Baby Drill!!

I recently found out something astounding about myself: I have the gift of prophesy. I was so generally miffed at President Obama a few weeks ago when after his big Health Care Reform win, he painfully grafted an olive branch in the conservative fruit tree called the Republicans in Congress with his - we will drill for more oil along our coast lines, so we can save some primary elections - speech. Who gets elected is so much more important than the quality of our oceans, marine life, and our beach ecosystems anyway, don't you think. Just as long as we can be total and complete gas and energy hogs. Heaven forbid we sacrifice a little!

At the time I wondered, wouldn't it be ironic if one of these went down in such horrific glory as to show the t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e effects that one of these metal contraptions imploding does to our environment. Our economy. Our life.

Well, hell now it's happened.

Good bye Gulf of Mexico.
But hey, we have enough gas to drive our fat, overweight behinds around though.
Hope it was worth it.

Drill baby drill...

True Colors

Republicans should be proud- their true colors are coming out.

"My answer is violence, by getting their attention," (Republican political blogger M. B. Vanderbutt) "If we can get across to the other side that they are within inches of provoking a civil war in this country, then that's a good thing."

Wow. Encouraging violence and wanting to start a civil war. Sounds like the type of people I want to hang out with. (Oh, wait- I try to avoid hanging out with traitors and terrorists- my bad!)

Happiness is....

Happiness is...

- Being able to go to the doctor when you're sick with the flu and not worrying you'll break the bank in the process...

- Being able to afford regular check-ups because believe it or not people with pre-existing conditions are not just their illness. They get sick, occasionally break a bone or two, get in minor accidents, and have high blood pressure just like the rest of us. (Really they do!) They don't just have diabetes or cancer or ms or arthritis...

- Knowing even some care is better than nothing...

- Caring about someone else's health needs besides your own, and be willing to look ahead to the future a little in the process...

- Knowing Governor Otter of Idaho (and other governors suing the Feds) is a total jack-ass for wasting money when he's massively cutting education, but still be willing to live in this beautiful state - besides the fact we have a lush for a governor....

- Knowing that although this bill isn't perfect, it's a good start in the right direction for equal health care for all Americans, sick or otherwise. Finally a president who kept his lips to the icy pole until the thing was passed. Finally.

- Being a Democrat in this time, in this age, in this lifetime...

- Saving a waa-hoo for just the right moment...

- Waa-hoo..

If You Want To Cut The Abortion Rate, Vote YES For Health Care Reform!

As the health care debate continues, there is one group of people who should be jumping on-board FOR health care: Pro-Lifers.

Industrialized countries WITH universal health care have remarkably LOWER abortion rates.

The reasons are not so shocking. When a woman is able to provide health care coverage for she and her baby, she is more likely to keep the baby. Also, with free health care coverage, women are more likely to go to the doctor to get a diaphram or another form of birth control so she won't have an unwanted pregnancy.

In interviewing a Cardinal and others in Britain in an attempt to explain the lower abortion phenomenon that so many other countries have already figured out, T.R. Reid said in his article:

"The cardinal said that there were several reasons (for reduced abortion rates) but that one important explanation was Britain's universal health-care system. "If that frightened, unemployed 19-year-old knows that she and her child will have access to medical care whenever it's needed," Hume explained, "she's more likely to carry the baby to term. Isn't it obvious?"

A young woman I knew in Britain added another explanation. "If you're [sexually] active," she said, "the way to avoid abortion is to avoid pregnancy. Most of us do that with an IUD or a diaphragm. It means going to the doctor. But that's easy here, because anybody can go to the doctor free."

For various reasons, then, expanding health-care coverage reduces the rate of abortion. All the other industrialized democracies figured that out years ago. The failure to recognize this plain statistical truth may explain why American churches have played such a small role in our national debate on health care. Searching for ways to limit abortions, our faith leaders have managed to overlook a proven approach that's on offer now: expanding health-care coverage."

For the entire article, go here.

One solution to ending abortion in America is clear: Vote YES for a universal health care system!

Who knew Reagan was soooo hot!

Funny or Die's Presidential Reunion from Will Ferrell

Thanks Suzette! I needed a little humor is this current political crap shoot!

Response

I got an e-mail and saw this on a blog, so I thought I would post this response about it.

Have you seen this letter? It's some retired VP (who apparently is the smartest man in the whole world) who wrote why Obama"scares" him. I am sure he has NO agenda- like protecting his fortunes- and he is writing this out of true concern for the welfare of our country. Because, of course, nothing Bush did was scary.

Anyway, I don't really care and so I probably won't say anything further. This letter is so rediculous, I can not believe anybody would take it seriously, but apparently people are. Here is a response I saw by a guy named Kevin, and I liked it, so I thought I would post. It is LONG, however, but pretty much sums up what I think about this letter and was too lazy to write myself:


Lou,

You scare me.

I am more scared of you than of Obama.
Why?
Because I don’t know what you eat for breakfast. Thus, the proper response is fear, I guess.
Huh? Of course that’s not worthy of fear, is it? And neither are your reasons to be afraid of your own democratically elected President.

When will Republicans stop using fear as their only policy tool?

Your letter to Obama is filled with paranoia and probably an underlying whif of racism.

I am a white kid from California, and I am an American. I have no reason to respond to you except for that your e-mail was forwarded to me and it was so full of ignorance and misinformation that I couldn’t just sit by and let you spread such fear mongering.

For the record, I think Obama’s ok. A better choice than most. He's not perfect, and I don’t expect him to be. Some of his policies I approve of, and some I don’t. But when I don’t agree, my first logical step is not to dream up lies and fear about it as a policy alternative like you do.

I’m just an average guy and not that into politics. But I can’t keep quiet on this, as I can’t stand ignorance. Just can’t put up with it, especially when its so unsupported by facts or logic.

I’m an American, and I want my country to succeed and prosper. And you are truly the one being Unamerican here.

Why bother to be so lilly livered scared, Lou?

You don’t realize it, but you are part of the minority here… apparently one of those who is afraid of democracy.

See, a majority of the American people voted for Obama, and a majority support him.
We are not afraid, like you, of democracy.
Your fear list is made up of lies and unsupported parinoia.

If there is anyone to be afraid of, its Republicans. I have some facts on my side rather than fear mongering.

Under Repubicans, and their leader GW Bush, the nation TORTURED. Bush and Cheney approved of it and demanded it. Now that’s not only wrong, its ILLEGAL.
Under Repubicans, and their leader GW Bush, the nation SPIED ON ITS OWN CITIZENS WITHOUT WARRANT. Bush and Cheney approved of it and demanded it. Now that’s not only wrong, its ILLEGAL.

Under Repubicans, and their leader GW Bush, the nation SUSPENDED HABEAUS CORPUS. Bush and Cheney approved of it and demanded it. Now that’s not only wrong, its ILLEGAL.

Under Repubicans, and their leader GW Bush, the nation LIED TO ITS OWN CITIZENS TO GET THEM TO GO TO WAR WITH A NATION THAT HAD NOT ATTACKED US. Bush and Cheney approved of it and demanded it. Now that’s not only wrong, its ILLEGAL, per the United Nations President at that time.

Now, that scares me. Remember the Soviet Union, and how they were such a menace because of their fascist undemocratic ways?
Bush really did resemble the USSR in the worst ways imaginable, because what he did was ILLEGAL.

But apparently massive violation of the ideals and laws of the US are ok, what really scares you is a guy who has been hired to pick up the pieces? Because he is “omniscient”? What? That’s what scares you? A totally unsubstantiated projection of your knee jerk fear onto a regular guy just trying to clean up a terrible mess. Yes, blame the janitor, his happy juice was spilled in the hallway? Right.

Again, I have to remind you that your views are actually in the minority here. And with good reason - they are unsubstantiated and in fact a bit paranoid.

Do you not remember it was Bush and his Paulson team that started us on the road to “socialism” by approving TARP? No, you’d rather blame the guy who inherited the worst failure of American capitalism since the great depression.

Or did you forget so quickly that it was under Bush that the nation’s financial world fell apart, ushering in a CRISIS.

Oh, but you’d rather monger some fear without fact instead, huh?

Let’s go down you fearful laundry list one by one and correct your misperceptions before we close out this little rebuttal.

1. You are the thirteenth President under whom I have lived and unlike any of the others, you truly scare me.

Really? Not Nixon, who broke laws and was forced to resign? Not Bush, who bankrupt the country by spending us into a ditch on a war which was unjustified for reasons which Bush and cabal knew were false? You have wierd standards for what gets you fearful, and a very very short memory.

2. You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you.

And who’s fault is that. I doubt you tried very hard to get to know him. Have you ever read a book, or are you just completely xenophobic?

3. You scare me because I do not know how you paid for your expensive IvyLeague education and your upscale lifestyle and housing with no visible signs of support.

Oh, that’s a real biggie. Almost on par with getting caught releasing photos of US troops torturing detainees and ruining the country’s reputation? No. Yes, our Ivy League schools, the best education in the country and world… is pernicious and must be stamped out! If you were semi-literate you’d read O’s two published books and get your answer. But let’s just answer your question: SCHOLARSHIPS and CASH and some STUDENT LOANS. Because O was in fact at the top of his class at Harvard Law. See- he’s better than the C student dry drunk Bush whom you somehow think is less scary than the best and the brightest in our country? Education should not be feared! And being upscale is not a crime, as all the Republicans on bailed out Wall Street could tell you, and those in the top percent for wealth in the country who got more tax breaks than the common american under Bush can also tell you that Republicans usually think wealth is ok. Ok, that is, unless you want to use class issues as wedges to defeat the country’s efforts to get back on the right track after a decade of crisis creating policy by republicans. Only then, apparently, is wealth a bad thing. Only for those who would put their narrow little political party tactics above the betterment of the country is education and a upper middle class lifestyle somehow scary.

4. You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.

Oh- the worst accusation that can ever be made!! Lou– have you ever travelled outside the US in your life? There’s a whole world out there Lou, really. Travel broadens the mind, so its clear you’ve never set foot outside your insulated little republican stronghold. This is myopic and racist. Don’t you see that you’ll never win another election in America again when you are seen to be the party of redneck reactionaries? Where did your ancestors originally come from, Lou? Under such standards, you are Unamerican! And what “proof” do you have that “culturally” Obama is “not an American.” What’s your criteria? If he eats Kelloggs cereal does he get a passport, but if not he’s not American? If he played with silly putty as a kid, would that do it? Howabout he runs GM into bankruptcy, would that do it? Howabout he tortures innocent civilians held without habeus corpus (which used to be a core American ideal)? Would that do it?
Again, so far we have a lot of fear and accusation but no real logic or fact to support it. NOW THAT’S REALLY SCARY!

5. You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll.

Yes, because your hero Bush really did a great job running Harken energy, right? So that’s alaways the best criteria for a leader. But again, facts are getting in the way of your fear. He did meet payrolls when he was the director of community organizations in Chicago which he ran. He ran the HARVARD LAW REVIEW as well, and so has some experience in leadership and management. But you’d only know that if you picked up a book instead of throwing your energy into closing your mind so often.

6.You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don’t understand it at its core.

Ahh, yes. the Right wing must have its macho postures on war to be a real meat eating American. Except that there were more “chickenhawks” in the Bush adminsitration who sent others to war when they had the chance (and so then actually bungled it beyond belief) than there is space to list here. But let’s put it this way: Cheney, who fought all his life to avoid military service to their country, and Bush who actually went AWOl from the National Guard, said we would be greeted as liberators in Iraq. Yes, their experience and understanding of the military was impressive indeed! If you want to use that criteria against O, use it on your own party’s failures first and be afraid of them first, because the facts on them are even more clear than on O’s lack of experience which so far hasn’t cratered the world’s opinion of the US. (Yes- the world’s opinion counts, because they are TRADE PARTNERS with us… duh).
You scare me because you lack humility and ‘class’, always blaming others.Oh- the dreaded lack of humility. The word “always” here is what makes this sentence bogus.

7. You scare me because for over half your life you have aligned yourself with radical extremists who hate America and you refuse to publicly denounce these radicals who wish to see America fail.

Who, exactly, are you referring to other than the boogieman Acorn or Rev Wright? This is a lot more unsubstantiated raving parinoid here. Show me the list of names, and show me quotes that state “I wish to see America fail, signed…” I bet a million dollars you can’t find it except in transcripts of Rush Limbaugh’s radio shows. The truth is, there are a lot of people who want to see America succeed at being the best America it can be. Lou, no one, no one, wants to see America fail, and no one around Obama today and far into the past hates America. They only hate the problems in America that keep it from being the America it should be, with equality and justice for all. To say I hate that my country’s past government which broke its own laws and ruined our international reputation by torturing innocents does not mean I hate America, I only hate Lawbreakers.

8. You scare me because you are a cheerleader for the ‘blame America’ crowd and deliver this message abroad.

But he looks so cute holding pom poms when he acknowledges that America in the last administration broke its own laws and international standards of decency. And acknowledging errors in order to set the stage for fixing them… weakness!

9. You scare me because you want to change America to a European stylecountry where the government sector dominates instead of the private sector.

I don’t think he said that’s what he wants to do. Anyway, have you ever visited Europe? Lovely place. Being American does not mean always putting your head in the sand in xenophobia, Lou. If the French are paying a third of the cost for healthcare than I pay, tell me how they do it and if it works we’ll use it. But for some parinoid, foreign always means bad. (Even as you continue to use arabic numbers on your own money! If you give up using american currency because it came from foreigners, I’ll accept that you are truly beyond influence from foreigners.)

10. You scare me because you want to replace our health care system with a government controlled one.

What a big lie. The government option will simply be there as a backstop in case there are those (and there are many) who can’t get healthcare any other way. You are free to go about your own purchasing of private healthcare if you want. So why do you want to spread disinformation? Perhaps because being partisan and wanting to see the president fail is more important to you than truth and success for Americans? So who is unAmerican and wants to see America fail, then? Calling it a “health care system” implies that we have one already instead of a costly ineffcient hodgepodge of private corporations who are raising their bill to you at a 6% clip.

11. You scare me because you prefer ‘wind mills’ to responsibly capitalizing on our own vast oil, coal and shale reserves.

You scare me because you know nothing about energy policy. First, did he state he “prefers” windmills? When? Cite please. In any event, what is bad about clean energy that creates jobs in a future looking sector of theeconomy? Apparently, you love pollution more than sensible energy policy. No one thinks O is going to ban oil, shale and coal, and tomorrow you’ll be able to fill up your gastank just like yesterday, and you’ll also continue, I guess, to espouse dependence on commodities that benefit foreign entities like the Saudis at the same time. But I guess your xenephobia doesn’t extend to terror sponsor states when they are equated with muscle cars and unchecked long term raping of the environment to feed them.

12. You scare me because you want to kill the American capitalist goose that lays the golden egg which provides the highest standard of livingin the world.

Are you blind to what just happened to America’s economy? The goose suffocated in its own excrement after years of overfeeding and no cage cleaning. O didn’t cause the crisis that led Bush and Paulson to bail out the banks; Bush is the leader who’s policies killed the capitalist goose by getting the government into the bailout business. If a doctor has to apply chemotherapy because a patient let themselves get cancer from smoking, it is not the fault of the doctor that the chemo feels bad. In this case, due to unprecedented crisis, O is offering the cure at the behest of smart people like warren buffet and his other esteemed financial advisors. Some would say O is not going far enough in favoring the average american over the wall street fat cats who almost sent us into another great depression overtheir greed and lack of risk management.

13. You scare me because you have begun to use ‘extortion’ tactics against certain banks and corporations.

You scare me because you use scare tactics yourself. Note, of course, that all of this was not O’s idea. The companies themselves invited it by asking for bailouts (GM) and by bringing themselves to the brink ofbankruptcy and national collapse. Or would you like to see your tax dollars wasted on bonuses for those who created the mess?

14. You scare me because your own political party shrinks from challenging you on your wild and irresponsible spending proposals.

O’s proposals are responsible, and directed towards getting the country on its feet, create more jobs, and re-regulate areas of the economy that failed under the last president. But since when does O control the mind of every last blud dog dem in the senate? What stupid expectations you have about political power. You scare me because you will not openly listen to or even consider opposing points of view from intelligent people.
Yes- he won’t even consider favoring the minority interests of the super-rich, what an affront! Except I don’t think you have any solid facts to back that up, considering the fact that at almost every juncture O has invited opponents to the White House again and again to discuss just such differences in an attempt to get a consensus. Do you want me to make a list of the meetings, or can you do your own research before spouting off unsubstantiated claims?

15. You scare me because you falsely believe that you are both omnipotent and omniscient.
You are truly in outer space on that. I think you are confusing O with Jesus Christ.

16. You scare me because the media gives you a free pass on everything you do.

Except for Fox News and Bill Kristol, and Rush Drugsbaugh and Glenn Beck, your brave heroes. And your mighty fear mongering email chain letter, of course.

17. You scare me because you demonize and want to silence the Limbaughs, Hannitys, O’Relllys and Becks who offer opposing, conservative points ofview.

Did O call them demons and I didn’t catch it? Did he really shut down their companies in a federal raid and I missed it? Did he really ask them to be silent and I missed it. You’re really going to have to give me some facts and quotes before I believe this little lie. Plus, there’s a difference between “conservative points of view” and nutjobs who cry for ratings on tv about how they don’t like black people being racist for trying to stop the white perogative to be racist.

18. You scare me because you prefer controlling over governing.

Except for all of the times when he couldn’t control things. So where is his quote from any source where he states this? Or even demonstrates it? Facts, that’s what you lack. Fear, that’s why you’re a hack. Meanwhile, your hero Bush actually said about the Presidency, quote, “it would be easier if this was a dictatorship”. And that didn’t scare you but trying to solve the healthcare problem in American does? You are really down the rabbit hole, Lou.

19. Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years.

Yes -its true- because our last government and its disrespect to the rule of law was to be feared, so I completely understand. After all, they were guilty of TORTURE, SUSPENSION OF HABEUS CORPUS, ILLEGAL SPYING ON THEIR OWN CITIZENS, and other anti-American acts that would have been unthinkable ten years ago. (Even Regan came out stating torture was unacceptable in all circumstances, Lou. But that doesn’t bother you as much as a black man trying to reform healthcare in America?) Sure, in this case I agree with you… I’m a little scared of neo cons and Republicans too, since they are closet facists, so i understand where you’re coming from and I agree that Obama should work harder to roll back such abuses in the future. Isn’t that what you mean? Oh– its not? You really think Obama will jail you or supress you worse than Bush already did? You are high, because its not going to happen. Instead, note that liberals and democrats actually seek to uphold this country’s values, not take the fear mongering tack in an attempt to get back into power and send America back into the ditch at the same time.

Love,
Kevin

You GO Girl!

So yesterday I saw this headline:

John Edwards to finally admit baby is his

And I had two immediate thoughts:

1. You are a scumbag, John Edwards

and

2. Was ANYBODY surprised by this announcement? Anybody? Anybody?

We won't get into how stupid politicians (and Tiger Woods) are by thinking that they won't get caught. News flash: YOU WILL GET CAUGHT. But, we talked about that earlier.

Instead, I want to focus on this headline:

Elizabeth Edwards finally leaves cheating husband, John

Way to go, Elizabeth! You deserve better than a husband who cheats on you while you are going through cancer treatments! Good for you for standing up and refusing to take this crap any longer!* The same kudos go out to Jenny Sanford for leaving her husband!

Maybe if more women stand up to these rediculous politicians who think their wives won't leave them because of their status, more men will THINK before they start sleeping around!

I think we can safely say John Edward's political career is over.**

*Some couples can work through an affair and come out stronger. When that is the case, that is obivously the best case scenario for a horrible situation- especially for the kids, who are the real losers in all of this. But, in these political situations it seems to be too public to really be worked out, and the wife seems to stay just for political reasons, which to me is sad. Unless they can work it out. But often they can't.

**Hillary stayed with Bill and maybe that allowed for them both to continue with their political lives. I think that while they have mutual respect for each other, the only reason they are still together is for political reasons and somehow that works for them. By these women leaving, they probably are ruining their husbands political ambitions, and some may aruge they should therefore stay with their husbands. To which I would respond: if he was so worried about his political career, he SHOULD NOT HAVE CHEATED IN THE FIRST PLACE! It is his fault she left, not hers!

Why you should never date a diehard conservative man.

1. They can't take a joke.

2. They can't take a joke. Ever.

3. They have no sense of humor. It's like every day somebody killed their dog.

4. They use words like, "Hey sweetheart, let me tell you how you're wrong..." and then they talk and talk about how sensitive they are.

5. They love to brag about all the poor people they've helped, and yet...

6. They believe it's okay for everyone to pay for children in this country to get an education but not for them to have adequate health care. (That's just a privilege for the rich kids don't you know!)

7. Did I mention they can't take a joke?

8. They believe global warming is just a myth started by evil scientists, that pollution is just a big bad fog caused by peculiar weather patterns that will go away with magic fairy dust, and the end of the world began when Obama took office ( I must add here - because every time a Democrat takes office, the world ends..)

9. They renewed their subscription to Gun Lovers Anonymous, er, I mean Runners World after Sarah Palin was on the cover in her red shorty shorts. (Ooooo, how sexist of them! I'm sure those big bad editors doctored the cover. Oh wait, she posed for that picture! Huh..)

10. I'm betting they aren't so good in the sack either.

Sad so sad.