A progressive liberal Grandma cooks and tries to find a job, after losing her job of 18 years. Can an older RN find full time work or enough part time work to satisfy her budget needs and help raise her grandkids? What can grannie cook for a family of 6 on a miserly budget? Can a knitter afford her yarn on unemployment?. This blog is morphing from its original content to reflect the realities of 2011.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Bush plans to rig Mexican elections
It begins with an FBI document marked, “Counterterrorism” and “Foreign Intelligence Collection” and “Secret.” Date: “9/17/2001,” six days after the attack on the World Trade towers. It’s nice to know the feds got right on the ball, if a little late.
In 1988, the candidate for Obrador’s Party of the Democratic Revolution (PDR), who opinion polls showed as a certain winner, somehow came up short against the incumbent party of the ruling elite. Some of the electoral tricks were far from subtle. In the state of Guerrero, the PDR was leading on official tally sheets by 359,369. Oddly, the official final count was 309,202 for the ruling party, only 182,874 for the PDR. Challenging the vote would have been dangerous. Two top officials of Obrador’s party were assassinated during the campaign.
Crucial to the surprise victory of the ruling party was the introduction of computer voting machines and the centralization of voter databases."
Read on to see how Bush evidently has found a way to influence elections in Mexico and beyond. He must think he is more than dictator, he's more like a master-mind criminal in an old James Bond movie. You remember, the guys out to dominate the world.
Save the Internet � Blog Archive � Stopping the Big Giveaway - by John Kerry
Free and open access to the internet is something all Americans should enjoy, regardless of what financial means they're born into or where they live. It is profoundly disappointing that the Senate is going let a handful of companies hold internet access hostage by legalizing the cherry-picking of cable service providers and new entrants."
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Remember when the laptop with the veterans data was stolen?
This is a copy of the letter that they send to you. I got one. I am pissed. Then today the Feds say they found the laptop and nobody accessed it. Hello, do I look totally stupid? I sincerely doubt they are telling the truth. After all, what happened, did the fed employee just lose the laptop on the way to the bathroom, or what?
Total B.S. period.
Oh there was a second page listing FAQ's, such as
How can I tell if my information was compromised?
what is the earliest date at which suspicious activity might have occurred due to this breach...and the answer is May 2006...gosh thanks for the timely notice guys
Where should I report suspicious or unusual activity? The letter says to contact the 3 major credit bureaus....duh. Like all the information they have is totally correct.
Ok, I am truly pissed off. The feds should have done more to help veterans out such as free credit watch, guaranteeing that veterans are fully covered for their breach of security, and more.
Here is a very scary fact: As noted in the news, data on 26.5 million veterans was stolen.Here is an interesting fact that I just learned. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2005, there were 24.5 million military veterans in the United States. So I guess that means the information on almost all US veterans was potentially compromised. Great job Brownie...er VA. Kiss my big, zoftig derriere Mr. Bush. I do not believe a friggin word you or your paid cronies have to say.
District Court Issues Schedule for Texas Re-map
The Schedule is below
July 14, 2006 - All parties (plaintiffs and defendants) required to file remedial proposals including briefs and proposed maps.
July 21, 2006 - responses to remedial proposals must be filed.
August 3, 2006 - 9:00 a.m. - Oral arguments on proposals before the three-judge panel in Austin, Texas
link
Flooding in the east
The Morning Call in ALLENTOWN, Pa. noted that heavy rains brought flooding to eastern and central Pennsylvania, forcing thousands to evacuate and damaging businesses and homes as officials braced for the possibility that major rivers would jump their banks. At least four people died.
Global warming?
Helen Thomas
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
We need Texas Voting Rights Act extension
State House Legislators Send Stinging Letter to Bush asking
him to reign in Texas Congressional Republicans
In a direct and often stinging letter from the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, African American leaders in the Texas State House challenge President Bush to directly intervene with Texas Congressional Republicans currently blocking extension of the Voting Rights Act. The letter is signed by nine Legislators, including three officers: Rep. Senfronia Thompson, Chair; Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon, 2nd Vice Chair; and Rep. Marc Veasey, Treasurer. Copies of the letter to Bush were sent to all Members of the Texas Congressional Delegation and to Congressional Black Caucus Chair Mel Watt.
Following are selected excerpts from the Legislative Black Caucus Letter
(Read the Whole Letter Here)
We were deeply disappointed to learn that Republican Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, led by the Republicans in the Texas Delegation, are attempting to block the extension of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). This hostile action against the VRA is deeply troubling…
We need your help in immediately demanding that members of your own party, in particular Republican Members from our shared home state of Texas, do the right thing and extend the VRA…
During the 78th Legislative Session we saw the rights of our constituents trampled by then Majority Leader Tom DeLay in his brutal pursuit of mid-decade redistricting. Your Administration abetted, rather than prevented, Mr. DeLay's overt attack on minority voters. ..
The Department of Justice (DOJ) had the opportunity to stop this attack on minority voting strength in Texas. Professional voting rights experts in the DOJ recommended that an official objection be filed. Instead your political appointees overruled the professionals and supported the onerous plan. You failed us then. We ask that you not fail us again...
You are the leader of your party and have direct influence over the most partisan and ideological Members in the U.S. House of Representatives...We humbly ask that you use your powers of persuasion and the influence of your high office to convince
Republican Members of Congress, particular those in Texas, to drop their opposition to the extension of the Voting Rights Act.
Support the VRA, call your representative today!
Texas 23rd Congressional District
RICK BOLANOS STATEMENT ON SCOTUS DECISION TO REDRAW LINES OF 23RD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
A tremendously large number of Texans were disenfranchised by the Republican redistricting of the Congressional map. Today’s Supreme Court decision will allow many of those Texans, and particularly a large number of Hispanics who were cut out of the 23rd Congressional District, to again exercise their inalienable right to vote as guaranteed by the constitution of the United States. Furthermore, those disenfranchised voters will have a strong voice in deciding who they want to represent them in Washington.
This is a tremendous victory for those Hispanic voters whose Voting Rights were trampled by the partisan agenda of Tom DeLay, Henry Bonilla, Governor Rick Perry, Republican legislative leaders and the political appointees of the Bush Administration Justice Department, all of whom argued in support of an egregious plan that violated Hispanic voting rights in a deliberate and blatant manner. It was morally reprehensible to violate the Voting Rights of those Hispanics in an obvious attempt to ensure Henry Bonilla’s re-election. The actions of those persons was a repugnant and shameful act that is indicative of the crisis of corruption that has left our great nation with leaders more interested in accumulating power and economic gain, rather than enacting responsible public policy that responds to the needs of our American populace.
In a recent interview Mr. Bonilla, whose voting record has been very anti-hispanic, and who has been feeling very "safe" in his gerrymandered district, was asked if he was forgetting that more than fifty per cent of his constituents were Hispanic. Mr. Bonilla responded by saying "it doesn't matter they don't vote." It is my personal belief that this statement is going to come back to haunt the incumbent.
A three judge panel will now decide how to proceed to re-enfranchise those voters by redrawing the lines of the gerrymandered 23rd congressional district. In spite of the furtive attempts by Mr. Bonilla and his cohorts to violate the constitutional rights of our nation, I will continue my campaign to give all the voters of the 23rd congressional district the type of ethical, fervent and passionate representation that they have so long been denied and that they so dearly deserve. I want to personally thank LULAC for their relentless pursuit of justice for those Hispanics who were oppressed by the misguided, avaricious actions of the present administration.
SCOTUS rules on Texas redistricting
by Adam B posted on dailykos
A majority of the Court determined that nothing in the Constitution prevented Texas (and, thus, every other state) from disrupting the stability of decennial redistricting and redrawing the map whenever it felt like, and rejected plaintiffs' contention that a mid-decade redistricting was sufficiently suspect on its own to determine that a redistricting was unconstitutional. The Court further declined to determine whether there was a general test to apply in the future.
However, partisanship was not the sole issue. The Court determined that new District 23, designed to protect weak Republican incumbent Henry Bonilla by making his district more Anglo-friendly, violated the Voting Rights Act by unlawfully diluting the voting rights of Latinos who remain in the district. Basically (and this is a complicated area of law), Latinos in the old District 23 were large and compact enough to constitute a majority of a district, but weren't any longer. Said the Court:
District 23's Latino voters were poised to elect their candidate of choice. They were becoming more politically active, with a marked and continuous rise in Spanish-surnamed voter registration. . . . In successive elections Latinos were voting against Bonilla in greater numbers, and in 2002 they almost ousted him. Webb County in particular, with a 94% Latino population, spurred the incumbent's near defeat with dramatically increased turnout in 2002. [] In response to the growing participation that threatened Bonilla's incumbency, the State divided the cohesive Latino community in Webb County, moving about 100,000 Latinos to District 28, which was already a Latino opportunity district, and leaving the rest in a district where they now have little hope of electing their candidate of choice. . . .
Against this background, the Latinos' diminishing electoral support for Bonilla indicates their belief he was "unresponsive to the particularized needs of the members of the minority group." Ibid. (same). In essence the State took away the Latinos' opportunity because Latinos were about to exercise it. This bears the mark of intentional discrimination that could give rise to an equal protection violation. . . . The State not only made fruitless the Latinos' mobilization efforts but also acted against those Latinos who were becoming most politically active, dividing them with a district line through the middle of Laredo.
These are the basics, so far as I can tell. Bonilla's district will have to be redrawn, and who knows how many other districts will be affected. (I'm also not sure when this will take place; presumably, not in time for November.) The Court's opinion is a mess, and this is going to take a good amount of sifting. Thank goodness I'm not the only lawyer here.
::
When The FBI Raids The Times, from Tom Paine.com
June 28, 2006
[Dennis Persica is a staff writer and editor at The Times-Picayune newspaper in New Orleans. He has worked at the daily newspaper for the last 20 years.]
To paraphrase Alice’s walrus, the time has come to talk of scary things.
The New York Times has spurred the anger of the Bush administration by reporting on a program to monitor international banking transactions as part of the government’s counterterrorism program. Critics argue this is the equivalent of reporting on troop movements or disclosing the existence of secret weaponry. You don’t have to look too hard online to find posters of the World War II “loose lips sink ships” variety that pretty much blame the Times for the deaths of American soldiers.
The National Review urged the administration to revoke the Times’ White House credentials. U.S. Rep Peter King, R-N.Y., said the Times should be brought up on charges of treason.
The current climate leads me to ponder a what-if scenario. One that I hope is as far-fetched as I believe it to be. But imagine the possibility suggested by the recent rhetorical attacks and threats of prosecution.
What if the U.S. Attorney’s office in New York—bolstered by a cadre of federal marshals or FBI agents—entered the offices of The New York Times, looking to rummage through the paper’s files and computers either to find the source of the leaks for the banking story or to make sure the Times isn’t about to publish another story allegedly damaging to national security?
In raising this possibility, I am not suggesting the administration would do this to shut down all news media and establish an authoritarian regime. Let’s just assume the government has good intentions—guarding the nation’s security—when it orders the raid. But historians and polemicists of all political stripes know that since the dawn of humanity the road to catastrophe has often been paved with good intentions.
Far-fetched? Remember, we are talking about an administration that has angered even some members of its own party in Congress with its my-way-or-the-highway approach. Republicans screamed the loudest when the FBI raided the office of Democratic Rep. William Jefferson (who, coincidentally, is my congressman). Critics say this administration has seized the powers of the imperial presidency and expanded them farther than ever before. There are echoes of the Cold War here, when we were engaged in a similar debate: To defeat the totalitarians of the Eastern Bloc, do we have to become more like them or can we win without sacrificing our democratic soul?
Conservatives have long warned citizens to be careful about what powers we allow the central government to arrogate because we’ll likely never recover what we’ve given up. Yet conservatives—and some not-so-conservative people—are up in arms over the fact that The New York Times and other newspapers have revealed major federal spying programs.
Consider the implications of this hypothetical scenario: Agents search the files inside The New York Times building. Perhaps some of those files are carted out; maybe even computer drives are taken. Such a scenario would make the Pentagon Papers dispute look like a minor disagreement among gentlemen. In that case, the government tried to stop the Times and other newspapers from printing a particular story. A raid, on the other hand, would shut down the entire paper. If it wanted to get really tough, the government could treat the Times as an enemy collaborator, seal off its headquarters and move toward seizing its assets.
Meanwhile, the administration could count on a portion of the blogosphere—as well as talk radio and cable TV personalities—to cheer on the raid.
Sure, other journalists would be outraged. But what could they do besides write a few editorials and columns? Perhaps a small majority of the American public would think the government had overstepped its bounds as well. But what can they do outside of expressing their opinions? Remember, we are talking about the power of the federal government arrayed against that of the press and the people. While the latter may win in the end, their victory will be a long time coming—if it comes at all. And there’s reason to be skeptical about the likelihood of ultimate victory. After all, the federal government has an arsenal of weapons—both figuratively and literally. And to be honest, I’ve never quite bought into the notion that the pen is mightier than the sword. Or the M16.
Since the days of Spiro Agnew’s “effete corps,” the press has been portrayed—with some success—as a liberal elite with a political axe to grind. Many of us in the media view these barbs as an occupational hazard. We are accustomed to being criticized for doing our jobs, so we tend to ignore the criticism if it strikes us as baseless.
But in recent years, the criticism has taken on an ominous tone. There are the famous statements by Ann Coulter about how Timothy McVeigh or the 9/11 plotters should have targeted The New York Times building. There was the ad I saw recently linking to a conservative website for t-shirts that featured a noose and some comment about journalists that I’ve since forgotten. I haven’t forgotten the implication, however.
This is more than just an attack on perceived bias; this is demonization. Journalists have now been caricatured as a group of people who are siding with a fanatical, barbaric enemy. Once Americans believe that, it then becomes easy to support our arrest.
Those who would grant the Bush administration extraordinary powers today must ask themselves whether they would be comfortable with the same authority in the hands of a President Clinton (Bill or Hillary), a President Kerry or a President Gore. That is one test of whether the grant of a certain power is a good idea: Are you comfortable with the government having that power no matter who is at the helm?
Let’s hope this scenario of raids on news outlets is nothing more than conjecture; one that can exist only in some made-up Bizarro World—a dark, hellish Wonderland of a society lacking the freedoms its leaders proclaim to uphold—and nothing that could ever happen in this America, our America.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Truthdig - Ear to the Ground - Supreme Court to Fact-Check Bush's Global Warming Distortions
Bush�s claims are only slightly more ludicrous in light of the fact that he made them while Washington, D.C., stands submerged in 18 inches of global-warming-propelled storm water. "
I have only one word to say...MORON!
Rush loooooves his drugs
by kos
Mon Jun 26, 2006 at 05:54:32 PM PDT
CBS 4 Miami:
Sources have confirmed to CBS4 News that conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh has been detained at Palm Beach International Airport for the possible possession of illegal prescription drugs Monday evening.
Limbaugh was returning on a flight from the Dominican Republic when officials found the drugs, among them Viagra.
Limbaugh entered a plea deal back in April in a previous case where his charge of fraud to conceal information to obtain prescriptions was dropped under the condition he continue undergoing treatment for addiction.
Limbaugh had admitted to being addicted to pain killers on his radio program and had entered a rehabilitation program prior to that arrest."
All I can say is....ewwwww, yucky! and Viagra...triple ewwwww, yucky, yuck, ewwwww! Disgusting.....horrible, nasty, and gross ! ! !
Top 5 Myths About the Fourth of July!
By HNN Staff
#1 Independence Was Declared on the Fourth of July.
America's independence was actually declared by the Continental Congress on July 2, 1776. The night of the second the Pennsylvania Evening Post published the statement: 'This day the Continental Congress declared the United Colonies Free and Independent States.'"
There's more and it's very informative. Thanks to the History News Network of George Mason University, Virginia. Read on!
Whose Freedom...Lakoff's newest book
The traditional idea of freedom is progressive. One can see traditional values most clearly in the direction of change that has been demanded and applauded over two centuries. America has been a nation of activists, consistently expanding its most treasured freedoms:
-The expansion of citizen participation and voting rights from white male property owners to non-property owners, to former slaves, to women, to those excluded by prejudice, to younger voters
-The expansion of opportunity, good jobs, better working conditions, and benefits to more and more Americans, from men to women, from white to nonwhite, from native born to foreign born, from English speaking to non-English speaking
-The expansion of workers rights - freedom from inhumane working conditions through unionization: from slave labor to the eight-hour day, the five-day week, worker compensation, sick leave, overtime pay, paid vacations, pregnancy leave, and so on...
Progress has not always been linear, and the stages have been far from perfect, but the trends have been there until recently. The rise of radical conservatism in America threatens to stop and reverse these and other progressive trends together with the progressive ideal of freedom that has propelled them all."
Simply put, we need to rise up and work to restore the things that have made our country great. Taking back our country emcompasses many things: getting out to help your precinct chair, help a candidate running for office, and the nitty gritty block walking. Talk to your neighbors, co-workers, family, friends and even the person standing in line in front of you at the grocery store. Taking back our country means conversation, visiblity and effort. There are lot of people out there that are ignorant of history and can be gently reminded. Freedom is a progressive and liberal value. It's about the place our nation is headed. It should be for everyone, not just the rich and powerful. If we add our voices together, we are strong. Be one of those voices!
To learn more here are some resources:
UC Berkleley interview with Lakoff
The Framing of Immigration
Framing Versus Spin: Rockridge as opposed to Luntz
how to respond to conservatives
National Nurse
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Terrorists in Miami, Oh My!
By Robert Parry
Consortium News
Saturday 24 June 2006
The Bush administration finally took action against alleged terrorists living in plain sight in Miami, but they weren't the right-wing Cuban terrorists implicated in actual acts of terror, such as blowing a civilian Cuban airliner out of the sky. They were seven young black men whose crime was more 'aspirational than operational,' the FBI said. "
If Americans can be charged with a crime of intent, then what's next? I don't like lack of healthcare, is that a crime of some sort of intent? Where does this B.S. end? Well, we know where it ends, when the eliminate the freedom of speech on the internet. After all, they have already eliminated it in the papers, the TV, and on the street near anything Bush-related. We must not speak out where we are seen or heard.
For instance, the Bush administration took no action in early April 2006, when a Spanish-language Miami television station interviewed Cuban terrorist Orlando Bosch, who offered a detailed justification for the 1976 mid-air bombing of a Cubana Airlines flight that killed 73 people, including the young members of the Cuban national fencing team.
Rev. Neimoller's poem, first they came for the socialists and I did not speak out.... then they came for me, rings more true every day.
For longtime observers of political terrorism in South Florida, the aggressive reaction to what may have been the Miami group's loose talk about violence, possibly spurred by an FBI informant posing as an al-Qaeda operative, stands in marked contrast to the US government's see-no-evil approach to notorious Cuban terrorists who have lived openly in Miami for decades.
But there's really nothing new about these two terrorists - and other violent right-wing extremists - getting protection from the Bush family.
For three decades, both Bosch and Posada have been under the Bush family's protective wing, starting with former President George H.W. Bush (who was CIA director when the airline bombing occurred in 1976) and extending to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and President George W. Bush.
The evidence points to one obvious conclusion: the Bushes regard terrorism - defined as killing civilians to make a political point - as justified in cases when their interests match those of the terrorists. In other words, their moral outrage is selective, depending on the identity of the victims.
And...ladies and gentleman...they are working up the fear frenzy before the Nov. elections. Total B.S. What will they do next? Hmmmmm....more missle launch attempts from North Korea that will hit Chicago? Why don't they just tell us an asteroid is bearing down and will kill us unless we elect Republicans? It's about as plausible.
For instance, the Bush administration took no action in early April 2006, when a Spanish-language Miami television station interviewed Cuban terrorist Orlando Bosch, who offered a detailed justification for the 1976 mid-air bombing of a Cubana Airlines flight that killed 73 people, including the young members of the Cuban national fencing team.
Thank You Lt. Ehren Watada - Home
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Where's the oil?
Well, there's a very simple answer.
Nobody bothered to check the oil.
We just didn't know we were getting low.
The reason for that is purely geographical.
Our OIL is located in
Alaska
California
Coastal Florida
Coastal Louisiana
Kansas
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
and
Texas
-------
Our
DIPSTICKS
are located in
Washington DC
Jim Crow GOP
Most people on the political left will answer electronic machines. But on Wednesday, House Republicans showed America exactly why old-school election thuggery is a far more pressing problem. In fact, it was Jim Crow tactics, not computer hacking, which gave George W. Bush his Ohio victory in 2004. And such tactics are exactly what a handful of southern GOP congressmen defended on Wednesday when they derailed renewing the National Voting Rights Act, complaining it does not end federal oversight of elections in their states and requires multilingual ballots.
These Republicans want elections in their states to return to the good old days, when mostly white people voted�just substitute registered Republicans in 2006�and ballots were only in English�no Espa�ol, por favor. Their grassroots rebellion reveals a dirty secret about elections that liberals and Democrats still haven�t learned from the 2004 presidential race: The GOP wins elections by targeting likely Democrats, especially minorities and new voters, by creating barriers in voter registration and obstacles to voting itself and ballot counting."
And, 3.5 million voters were disenfranchised in the last presidential election by "caging" and those voters included US military personnel serving overseas! Stand up for voter's rights. Call your Congressman and let him/her know that they need to renew the National Voting Rights Act.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Look! I got my first hate mail!
absolutely disgusting of you. Where are your comments about the Al Qaeda as they attacked, tortured, and beheaded 2 of our soldiers?
Libs are incredible - your disdain for the military and for the US in general is jaw-dropping...even in our greatest victories, you find a way to spit and moan.
Ah, to imagine a world w/o libs - aaahhhhhhh...utopia.
Wasn't that interesting? I read this after I got home from work. I go to work too early in the morning to blog the latest news. Evidently this person thinks he(she?) is reading CNN? If he/she had ever read this blog they would know that I do not disdain the military. Those of us that support the military have done one or more of the following: served in the military (which I have), donated to the USO, Fisher House, Operation Helmet or donated their time by volunteering at a local military or VA Hospital.
As far as the death of the 2 soldiers who were beheaded....it's a tragedy, and I am certain that their deaths will be extremely difficult for their families to take, to understand and to cope with. I pray they have the strength to cope with their loss. However, 2.500 other military personnel have died, and scores more have been wounded. Where is the outrage over their deaths and injuries? Huh, Mr. or Ms. Repugnant? THere is none, because so many in the country like to pretend there is no war, they sacrifice nothing at all, and don't bother to even lend a hand to their military brothers and sisters families.
My friends and family have served admirably in this conflict, saving lives and helping our military personnel survive another day. The military deserve to be recognized for their sacrifices on a daily basis, not just when a soldier's death suits the administrations political purposes. These two poor boys are now just political fodder. They should be left to rest in peace. May God be with their families.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Free grassroots training...consider attending
You won't want to miss out on this—June 24 and 25 we will be visited by nationally recognized expert on communications and activist training, Jon-Christopher Bua. Jon has worked with and trained many individuals and organizations, including Clinton/Gore, Kerry/Edwards, Vietnam Veterans of America, American Federation of Government Employees, American Civil Liberties Union, The Episcopal Church USA, and the United States Department of Energy. He'll be focusing on delivering your candidate's message effectively through hands-on voter contact practice. It promises to be fun!
This training will be provided to you at no cost. The sessions will be as follows, so mark your calendars! If you would like to attend (information provided will be useful for any volunteer), RSVP as soon as possible to Teri Sperry at tsperry@courageforcongress.org.
This is a great opportunity to learn and improve on speaking, messaging, and much more from an easy-to-understand perspective. We hope you’ll join us!
Austin--6/24 10am - 3pm (with a lunch break), location to be announced
San Antonio--6/25 12pm - 4pm, at the NE Service Center, 10303 Toolyard, off Wurzbach Pkwy, between Perrin Beitel and Thousand Oaks
KCDAW Coffee chat news
Note: the dates and times will also be posted on the Kendallian calendar for ready reference.
Parade July 4th in Comfort. Please join us! All are welcome. To march in the parade just wear a royal blue shirt and white pants. We will be meeting at the park and ride across from Chili's at 0930 hrs. The parade starts at 1030 hrs.
The regular meeting of the KCDAW will be on July 13th at 30260 Saratoga Lane at 1130 hrs. Directions: Ralph Fair road to Keneland to Saratoga Lane. John Courage will be the speaker.
Guess who is coming for dinner?
Robert Loretta and his wife Roslyn had just sat down to dinner of a nice barbecued teryaki chicken when the knock came at the front door.
'Guess who's coming to dinner?' Mrs Loretta joked as she got up to answer the door.
The hammering grew louder, so luckily she looked out of the peep-hole, as she often does, before opening up - and saw a 6ft alligator scrambling up the wall as though it was trying to ring the bell. link
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Frontline: The battle between Vice President Cheney and CIA to control the 'dark side'
The Raw Story | Frontline: The battle between Vice President Cheney and CIA to control the 'dark side': "Tuesday's episode of the PBS public affairs series Frontline will probe the battle between Vice President Dick Cheney and the CIA to control the 'dark side,' according to a press release for the show."
Obama has it going on!
I want a video of this one!
Here is a video of an older one from the campaign for America's future in D.C. on June 24, 2006. One quote attributed to Obama: The time for our identity crisis as progressives is over!"
Can we believe? Inshallah, God willing.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Gene Gerard: Religion Running Roughshod Over Cancer Science
Funny, it's usually right wing type men that deride anything that has to do with the female reproductive system. Well guess what? Men get HPV too. Men get what is called genital warts. The National Institutes of Health (where I worked for many years in the National Cancer Institute) says this about HPV:
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common causes of sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the world. More than 100 different types of HPV exist, most of which are harmless. About 30 types are spread through sexual contact. Some types of HPV cause genital warts—single or multiple bumps that appear in the genital areas of men and women including the vagina, cervix, vulva (area outside of the vagina), penis, and rectum. Many people infected with HPV have no symptoms.
There are high-risk and low-risk types of HPV. High-risk HPV may cause abnormal Pap smear results, and could lead to cancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina, anus, or penis. Low-risk HPV also may cause abnormal Pap results or genital warts. Genital warts (sometimes called condylomata acuminata or venereal warts) are the most easily recognized sign of genital HPV infection. Many people, however, have a genital HPV infection without genital warts. The only way you can prevent getting an HPV infection is to avoid direct contact with the virus, which is transmitted by skin-to-skin contact. If you or your sexual partner has warts that are visible in the genital area, you should avoid any sexual contact until the warts are treated.
Research studies have not confirmed that male latex condoms prevent transmission of HPV, but studies do suggest that using condoms may reduce your risk of developing diseases linked to HPV, such as genital warts and cervical cancer. Unfortunately, many people who don’t have symptoms don’t know that they can spread the virus to an uninfected partner.
So, it's not just women that get this disease and men spread this disease as well as women. The right-wingers only want to tell half of the story, as usual. Best practice is safe sex, use a condom, and if you are a teen, consider waiting for that first sexual experience....and that includes oral and anal sex. Talk to your parents or an older sibling, an grandparent, Aunt, Uncle or other adult that you are comfortable that you feel you can ask about sex. We older folks won't be shocked, usually, and we will be glad to give you some direct information or help you find the information you need. For more information on sexually transmitted diseases go here
Did you wonder why...
Here is some information from the Rick Bolanos campaign.
Rick Bolanos the democratic candidate for the 23rd congressional district in Texas speaking at a breakfast in San Elizario, Texas blasted Boyd Ritchie and the Texas Democratic party for their lack of vision and common sense. Bolanos stated that it was "incomprehensible" the Mr. Ritchie and the democratic party would refuse to let the "congressional" candidates address the convention during the common gatherings.
Bolanos stated that " state races are absolutely and without a doubt important races and every candidate running for a state position should be permitted to expound their platform to our patriot democrats who give of their time to defend the conceptual precepts upon which our nation is founded."
He went on to say that it was just as important for the congressional candidates to be offered that same opportunity. Bolanos went on to say that "We have some tremendous congressional candidates like John Courage, Ted Ankrum, John Morris, and David Harris jus to name a few. They are tremendous speakers that can instill the desire of our party to work hard to create the impetus for change.These candidates have an opportunity to change the course of human events in this nation and they absolutely need to be able to speak to our democrats so that they can enflame the passions of those great patriots and encourage them to work hard to get all democrats elected.
Bolanos stated that "Boyd Ritchie and the democratic party refuses to give us the time to address our democrats at a time when we are facing a crisis of corruption. It is extremely imperative that our democrats know that my opponent (Mr. Bonilla) has prostituted his vote and his record shows it. He votes his donors and not his constituents, and for my district it is essential that they hear these facts directly from the candidate that is attempting to unseat an incumbent who's only loyalty is to the almighty dollar. Unfortunately they won't be able to hear this because the actions of Boyd Ritchie and the party won't permit it."
House Accepts $3,300 Raise
The 2 percent cost-of-living raise would be the seventh straight for members of the House and Senate.
Lawmakers easily squelched a bid by Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, to get a direct vote to block the COLA, which is automatically awarded unless lawmakers vote to block it."
My only comment...what pigs!
Sarah Olson | Is the US Army Trying to Silence Lt. Watada?
On Wednesday, June 7th, Lieutenant Watada became the first commissioned officer to publicly announce his refusal to deploy to Iraq. He said, 'The war in Iraq violates our democratic system of checks and balances. The wholesale slaughter and mistreatment of the Iraqi people with only limited accountability is not only a terrible moral injustice, but a contradiction to the Army's own Law of Land Warfare.'
The very next day, Watada's commanding officers read him his rights. They opened an investigation into Lieutenant Watada's alleged violations of Articles 133 and 88 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ): conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman, and making 'contemptuous' statements against the president, respectively. "
Let us all applaud the courage of this military officer. As the daughter of a military officer (an a Veteran myself) who resigned in protest to the Vietnam War in 1967, with mistletoe on his coat-tail, and who braved WWII without a weapon larger than his communion chalice, I give LT Watada a salute.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Bonilla votes against internet freedom
As millions of us raised our voices to defend the free and open Internet2, Internet operators like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast spent millions lobbying the House of Representatives to kill Net Neutrality. A majority of the House members caved—voting for a telecommunications law that would give these companies more control over what you see and do online.
All eyes are now on the Senate, which considers this issue next. We face a more friendly environment there, but we've got to act fast—the telecom lobbyists are working on every vote.
Can you call Rep. Bonilla to express your outrage, and then call Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn to demand support for Net Neutrality?
Here are the numbers:
Congressman Henry Bonilla
Phone: 202-225-4511
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Phone: 202-224-5922
Senator John Cornyn
Phone: 202-224-2934
Please click here to let us know you called and to share how it went:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1866&id=8021-3757815-PqRGI_X7kFk_UIUZWJcDwA&t=1
Tell your Senators to protect Net Neutrality by supporting the bipartisan Snowe-Dorgan Internet Freedom Preservation Act (S. 2917).
Bonilla votes against internet freedom
As millions of us raised our voices to defend the free and open Internet2, Internet operators like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast spent millions lobbying the House of Representatives to kill Net Neutrality. A majority of the House members caved—voting for a telecommunications law that would give these companies more control over what you see and do online.
All eyes are now on the Senate, which considers this issue next. We face a more friendly environment there, but we've got to act fast—the telecom lobbyists are working on every vote.
Can you call Rep. Bonilla to express your outrage, and then call Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn to demand support for Net Neutrality?
Here are the numbers:
Congressman Henry Bonilla
Phone: 202-225-4511
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Phone: 202-224-5922
Senator John Cornyn
Phone: 202-224-2934
Please click here to let us know you called and to share how it went:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1866&id=8021-3757815-PqRGI_X7kFk_UIUZWJcDwA&t=1
Tell your Senators to protect Net Neutrality by supporting the bipartisan Snowe-Dorgan Internet Freedom Preservation Act (S. 2917).
Monday, June 12, 2006
Zarqawi's death
A medic arriving at the site treated al-Zarqawi as he lapsed in and out of consciousness, his breathing labored and shallow, his airway expelling blood, Caldwell said.
His pulse was "barely palpable and quickly deteriorated," he said. By 7:04 p.m., al-Zarqawi was dead, Caldwell said.
Now I have ethics questions. Is it reasonable for a medical person to avoid rendering aid or comfort to a dying person? They watched him suffer for 52 mins? It appears that way. So how ethical is that?
According to the Geneva convention (which of course, we no longer believe in)...
Art. 3. In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each Party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following
provisions:
2) The wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for.
Ok by saying these things I will be seen as being "too liberal." I am not sorry for saying it. As a nurse, I believe wholeheartedly, that my mission is to care for everyone on the planet as I can. My Episcopal priest father survived WWII as a pacifist, and he was right, IMHO, that we owe an obligation to our fellow man, as Jesus said. So, I am NOT SORRY that I think that the way in which this incident was handled was UNETHICAL. Period, the end. After all, there was secondary gain to be hand, and that fact or facts will only come out in the future.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Want fresh local produce?
Progressivegrannie's convention travelogue part two
Here are some of the sights:
An old haunt from our TCU college days.
Dinosaur tracks in Glen Rose. They are of a small relative of T. Rex that roamed even here in south Texas. Similar foot prints can be seen at the Cibolo Wilderness trail in Boerne, Tx. There were also larger lizard prints in Glen Rose. It is a great place to visit, but wear proper footwear (I did not so hiking was difficult in my slippery shoes). And you can also take a dip in the creek:
Almost home
And don't forget to stop in Kendalia for fresh produce at Kendalia Farms Produce, Richard Rathburn Proprietor. Surprisingly, all in the family are democrats! Buy Blue Ya'll.
Progressivegrannie's convention travelogue part one
The living room at Etta's Place
Spiral staircase at Etta's Place from the living room. All we could think of was the old computer game "Maniac Mansion" where one of the rooms was the library, and there was a spiral staircase that we swore must go somewhere, but there was always a sign on it that said "out of order." This looked like the real version of that staircase!
Where Tom DeLay belongs!
Argentine lizard named Ginobili!
For more on the convention
More from the convention from Vtexan
General Clark just left the stage after a rousing speech which left us here in the auditorium with sore hands from clapping, and sore leg muscles from standing up and sitting down with ovation after ovation.
He was critical of the Bush administration on a very deep level. His distrust--his anger--at how they've misled this country was clear, and was felt by everyone here.
His charge to Texas Democrats was that we've got to take back control of this country, and the time is now. In his speech the recurring theme was Enough is Enough! and the crowd chanted right along with him. It sure made a lot of us wonder if the 2004 election might have gone differently if he had been our nominee.
posted by VTexan
Texas Democratic Convention June 8-10
Thursday, June 08, 2006
The Dems have hit Fort Worth!
Six of us Dems spent our first evening at Joe T. Garcia's, a famous Mexican restaurant. We had margaritas and tons of food. I'd like to say we had a strategy session, but I'd only be lying! We DID discuss Greg Palast's new book, as well as the Patriot Act, so we definitely took care of a smidge of business. We'll head to the convention center tomorrow morning to sign in and start participating in the Democratic process. What fun!
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
That ugly Ann Coulter...
“Godless” is Gutless
Greg Palast
June 7th, 2006
Anne Coulter says we’re “Godless” — we “liberals.” And by “liberals,” she means anyone who wants to keep the government out of our underpants, out of Iraq, and out of the business of helping Big Business shoplift America.
It’s time someone took on the blonde bully.
Anne, I realize yesterday was special day for you, releasing your book on June 6 — 06-06-06.
Going through it, I must, admit, is heavy going: ‘Godless’ is a 300-page brick of solid meanness and pin-head hatreds packaged like a fashion magazine: Big Brother wears Prada.
You accuse those who don’t sign on to your list of prejudices as the Lord’s enemies. That’s not original, Anne: the Taliban thought of it before you and they too were partial to dressing in black.
You want to talk about Godless? OK, let’s go:
Would the Lord lie us into a war?
Would the Lord let thousands drown in New Orleans while chilling at a golf resort?
Would the Lord have removed tens of thousands of Black soldiers from the voter rolls as the Republican Party did in 2004?
You talk about being “Christian” — but with all your zeal to fire up electric chairs and Abrams tanks, you sound more like a Roman.
I suggest this, Anne: let’s debate. Set the time, set the place, and I’ll be there. Nose to nose, my facts versus your fanaticism.
But I know you don’t have the guts to do anything but lob idiocies from your electronic Fox-hole.
Your new book is called, “Godless.” Your autobiography should be called, “Gutless.”
6/6/06 Ann cultures evil book is released, and shows her evil side
Crooks and Liars: "Kathy: I'd like to go after Ann Coulter, I saw that nut-bag on the show earlier. What's she doing wearing a cocktail dress at seven in the morning. She got home from the party last night. Doesn't she just make stuff up Al? Who fact checks? You can't just let Ann Coulter..."
Kathy is sooo right! Matt questioned Ann Coulter to the point that Ann said..."don't get testy with me!" However, who couldn't get testy with that bitch? I was astounded at the names she called the widows of 9/11, and as for calling liberals atheists...I am sure that the inside of my church sees me more often in prayer than Ann Coulter's does. You see, IMHO, Ann is one of the hypocrites that goes to services and bad mouths every one there...you know the type, they are present in EVERY church. Trust me. Just look around and pay attention to the lip service, gossip and back stabbing the next time you darken the door of a church. It's easy to spot, all the Ann Coulter bitch types. And she thinks liberals are Godless...think again Ann..you are evil, nasty and cold. Isn't that what the attributes of a succubus are?
Meow! Grannie here is feeling pretty ugly about this woman.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Statement Of Sen. Patrick Leahy on S. J. Res. 1, The Marriage Protection Amendment
Yeppers Sen. Leahy you have got it right. These desperate right wingers will do anything to get out what they perceive as their base. However, and I am hoping here, most Americans are waking up to the fact that they have been led down the garden path by politicians who do not have their best interests at heart. They are beginning, albeit slowly, to realize that they have been had. What gay partnership, marriage, whatever impacts my 33 year old marriage? Or to quote my 11 year old grandson...."they [gay people] are only listening to their bodies, like we listen to ours." And grandma here, thinks the kid is pretty astute. Of course, he had a gay great-uncle, much beloved by the family, as is his partner, and my grandson realizes that we are all made in the creator's image. Hugs to my daughter, who is doing an excellent job parenting.
icWales - Mounties 'sold chemicals to terror suspects'
THE Mounties delivered three tons of potential bomb-making material to a group said to have been planning a string of al Qaida-inspired attacks, in an undercover operation, according to a report.
The Toronto Star said Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigators delivered the ammonium nitrate to a group of Muslim Canadians, then moved in quickly on what officials call a suspected home-grown terror ring.
The newspaper said investigators learned of the group's alleged plan to bomb targets around Ontario, then controlled the sale and transport of the fertiliser. "
So, to quote a Canadian friend, "at least we get them BEFORE they blow anything up." The saying goes that the Mounties always get their man, and obviously they do. Perhaps we can send our guys up there to learn a thing or two.
Monday, June 05, 2006
American Bar Association to Review Bush's Ignoring of 750 Laws
Bush has appended statements to new laws when he signs them, noting which provisions he believes interfere with his powers.
Among the laws Bush has challenged are the ban on torturing detainees, oversight provisions in the USA Patriot Act, and "whistle-blower" protections for federal employees.
The challenges also have included safeguards against political interference in taxpayer-funded research. Bush has challenged more laws than all previous presidents combined.
I hope they nail him to the wall, as if that would really happen. My cynical side believes this will come to nothing. But...hope springs eternal.
An Interview with Glen Maxey
Burnt Orange Report: :: 40/40: An Interview with Glen Maxey: "What kind of new technologies do you believe the TDP should be utilizing?
I'd be willing to sit down and try and get the TDP to at least what they were doing, technology wise, in the 1980's. If we could just get there, it'd be a revolution. The fact that there is not an accessible web page for every county in this party - something we could build for nothing - is inexcusable. I had a hosting company, somebody I know, call me and tell me that if I become state party chair, they'd give free hosting to every Democrat in the state and the TDP. They'd work that out as an in-kind contribution to the candidates.
More than anything else, in organizing, I find people saying, 'I don't know who to talk to, I don't know where to go.' If I go to the TDP website, there is not a link to tell people how to register a voter or become a deputy registrar. There are all sort of those nitty-gritty things -- what I like to call a 'Campaign in a box' -- best tools that you can use to organize your county and your precinct. A precinct chair here in Travis County has created a tool where every precinct chair in the county can go list their volunteers and sign-up online. Once you build a tool like that, it's real easy to make that go statewide. The vote by mail project that we just used for Senator Radnofsky allows folks from outside the state -- people who may be at school or otherwise gone during the election season -- to easily vote by mail. That tool, for example, can revolutionize what a grassroots organizer can tell anyone when they go door-to-door.
Then there's the online phone banking, where you can build a list at one level and use it for any other race. It used to be, that when you did phone banking, you had to go to a vendor and purchase boxes of hard-copy lists. Now, tho"
Army Manual to Skip Geneva Detainee Rule
What kind of nonsense is this? This is totally, utterly disgusting. The Bush crime family will turn our nation into the most hated nation in the world, while they stomp on the values inherent in our constitution! I guess they do not believe that the oath they took to protect and defend the constitution of the United States was very important. There is no excuse for torture, none. Period.
From my friends at the Kendallian Voice
If Democrats put the effort into getting out the vote as they do making finger foods for our meetings, we'd be declaring MISSION ACCOMPLISHED ourselves...(cymbal crash). But seriously folks, yesterday's soiree at the Boerne Middle School South was enjoyed by about a hundred of us. Party Chair John Weir introduced Virgil Yanta, who got the proceedings going by reminding us of how it used to be. His rememberances were spot-on and nostalgic, in a bitter-sweet way.
Party representative Anthony Gutierrez then appeared to remind us how we're re-building the state party from the grass roots up. It was Gutierrez's job to introduce the day's main speaker, Rick Bolanos.
He and two of his three brothers took the stage, and in near-preacheresque tones, Bolanos told his story, and of how his family's love of country was pretty near genetic. His charismatic speech also dealt with the brass tax of the current situation: that Henry Bonilla can't seem to find a large donor whose cause he can't support with a vote. As to representing his constituency, well...that's just not on his radar.
All in all, it was a very nice turnout with lots-n-lots of Kendall County, Bandera County, Kerr County checks finding their way into the jar that then went to Bolanos for his campaign.
Also there was 29-year Army vet Ann Wright, who resigned her commission to join Cindy Sheehan in her fight to end the war in Iraq.
Thank you to the Kendall County Area Democratic Women for organizing this thing. It was a great event that went off without a hitch, and raised a lot of money for a strong candidate. And thanks to lefties from all over the hill country for doing the most important thing: showing up. We'll get nowhere without that first step! Now...on to the Fort Worth Democratic Convention!
"
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Global warming
Legislating Hate
Today, tomorrow and Monday please consider calling our Senators and asking them to vote NO on the gay marriage amendment, and to stop the hate. No walls on our southern border and for heavens sake, when was the last time you heard of anyone burning a flag? The 60's?
My friend's husband is coming home from Iraq
Here's the most amazing thing. He had to be able to PROVE that he could afford a return trip to Iraq on his own before he could leave! As my friend put it, what does a private do in that case? After all her husband is a Col, and has a lot more cash in the bank than a private does.
She had to mail credit cards to him as proof. However, they never arrived. So, what is he using as proof? His paycheck and his checkbook.
One question we both had...is there some flunky in Kuwait who sits at a computer and checks your bank account and credit cards before they let you go home to the US?
Is this any way to treat out troops? NO !