Dianes' Blog

"Quote for the Day"

War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children.
Jimmy Carter

Judi Bailey a freelance writer based in Ohio, provides us with quotes of the day

Letter to the Editor

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Heating Oil for US

Washington, D.C.-Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry today called on the Administration to release heating oil from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve.
 
Senator Kennedy said, “With the sharp rise in heating oil prices, countless families are increasingly worried they won’t be able to afford to heat their homes this winter.  It’s unconscionable that any family should have to choose between heating their home or putting food on the table or seeking medical care. We should act now to ensure that affordable heating oil is available, so that families aren’t left helpless in the cold.”

28th out of 30 for Canadians on Pollution 10-10-2007

It was with a certain degree of horror that I read your article, “International Borders the US and Canada,” primarily from learning that our dear Canada is lagging so far behind in the protection of our environment. Twenty-eighth out of 30 is not so good.

We cannot allow the destruction to continue on like this. This needs to be done on a governmental level but on an individual level as well. You mentioned David Suzuki so I looked up his web site. Suzuki is a well-known Canadian scientist. He specializes in the environmental health and has a foundation that supports environmental health and education about our environment. His is a site where you can find information, and current news of environmental associations. He explains ways that you can personally take part in helping the environment, like anything from installing low flow shower heads to engaging in video conferencing rather than add to the air pollution with overseas flights to distant meetings.

Then there’s the US. Oh, do we have to mention it? Case in point: The US is one of the last two out of 30. Now ain’t that refreshing? Our President," what-global-warming"? Bush, has turned a blind eye to the problem. Presence in other areas of the world is a higher priority – heck with the rest of the world. Having no real commitment to the environment, he sets aside little funding to take care of the problem on our home front.

Here’s an example of corporate responsibility. Philips Electronics in North America (Philips is a global corporation) has as a top priority, the sustainability of the earth. Philips is a large company that devotes money and people to the cause of a healthy environment. One action the company has taken is to pressure their food service company to stop the use Styrofoam and other environmentally toxic items. That company changed their disposable wear to a cardboard based product which is recyclable. Philips also has an awareness campaign for its employees as well as visible containers to trigger its people to recycle.

If a profit-driven corporation can prioritize working towards a clean environment, why can’t our governments?

In America it’s just not sexy to fight pollution.

Judi Bailey is a freelance writer based in Ohio.

New Poll:Dems Trust Hillary On Health Care

In Wake Of Bush Veto Of Children’s Health Care Bill, Clinton Launches New Ad In Iowa, New Hampshire Vowing To Fight For Universal Coverage

The Clinton Campaign today launched a new television ad in Iowa and New Hampshire, a day after President Bush vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have expanded health care benefits to nearly 4 million additional children across the country. The ad details Hillary’s health care record and demonstrates that she has the strength and experience to deliver quality, affordable health care for every American.

The new 30-second spot, entitled "Stand By Us," describes Hillary’s efforts to pass universal health care in the 1990s and her perseverance in championing the Children’s Health Insurance Program that now covers more than 6 million kids a year. It also talks about her successful efforts to secure health benefits for 9/11 first responders and our National Guard and Reserve.

A Washington Post/ABC News poll released yesterday shows that 66 percent of Democrats trust Hillary the most on health care policy, far outpacing her rivals for the nomination.
Hillary’s American Health Choices plan unveiled last month would improve quality and lower costs while preserving consumer choices. For those who like their health insurance, they could keep it. For the 47 million uninsured and those who don’t like their health care coverage, they could choose from a range of private plans or a public plan modeled on Medicare. To read more about Hillary’s health care plan, visit www.hillaryclinton.com/healthcare.

NOW says

"Women are the majority of family caregivers, and the heartbreak of having a loved one with a debilitating illness and the related burden of their care could both be lifted with this bill," said NOW President Kim Gandy. "Although George W. Bush seems stubbornly bent on pleasing his right-wing base, we urge him not to choose religious and political extremism over medical progress."

NOW thanks members of the House and Senate for their bipartisan support. "We must continue to change the face of politics so that our leaders will put our health, our families and our well-being at the top of the nation's priorities," said Gandy.

Last Update May 9, 2008

Dianes' Intuit My Opinion

Quotes by anyone else included in the following writings are not necessarily in line with my own opinions, but included to enhance accuracy in reporting.

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Polygamy 5-9-2008

Maybe polygamy is the answer to the high divorce rates. Yes, you are reading this here. Lets take some of the emotion out of it. Generally speaking, men like and sleep with lots of women before they get married. Which also means the women are also sleeping with the men. Marriage should not be all about sex. But when there is nothing left of the relationship, maybe good sex is a good thing. When the sex goes so goes the marriage in many relationships where there is nothing else to hold onto and the couple can't get along no matter what.

There are many reasons why marriage does not work. Number one, you just chose the wrong person for the wrong reasons, that is a real good answer. Number two you did not have enough in common and were not willing to work on developing a true relationship. Number three both of you had too much old baggage and bad habits to allow someone else to get near to your heart. We'll stop at three for space constraints.

I mean think about this, the lawyers are the ones who benefit when you get a divorce. Sometimes everyone benefits if one of the partners is abusive or controlling. If a couple decides to try polygamy, there are more people to share the baggage, the chores, errands,the cleaning, cooking and child rearing. It helps if the man makes enough money to support several wives and children. If he doesn't, then they go on welfare.

That is what was happening to some of the women in the FLDS case in Texas. Unfortunately there has been widespread rumors that someone was sexually abusing young children of this sect . That is different than having a bad marriage. That is abuse no matter how many excuses a person gives.

When a marriage goes through bad times and one partner cannot acclimate to what is going on, or try to make things right, it will end. Sometimes people will not go to a therapist to get the needed help, or cannot go according to their financial situation. A person being unwilling to get help is a person who will end up by themselves. But, not everyone is cut out for marriage in the first place. We need to remember that, and the fact that they may have been hurt so many times by their own bad choices they fear the real deal of a good marriage. If a person were in a polygamist relationship there would be more people to share the good and the bad times with, that is not always a bad thing. But we all love to have someone for our own needs, to have more than one seems selfish doesn't it? TIC

Hurricane Katrina and the Myanmar Cyclone Nargis

As we look across the earth today some of us are reminded of Hurricane Katrina August 29, 2005 when it hit Louisiana. We remember the fact that Louisiana has not been completely rebuilt even now three years later. As thousands of people lost their homes, and family members, pets, and jobs, the devastation was significant, and their suffering prolonged in the United States. One of our problems was inaction of the Federal government, and local officials as well.

A raging storm compounded the problems and exploded because of the gigantic area of a cyclones path in Myanmar in the past few days. The residents are also hampered by their military type government. However, many of those in their service ranks are certainly missing in action as were our police and national guard due to the extreme damage caused by the storm. Myanmars communications are not working very well, there is hunger all around, and bodies in the streets are being dumped into the area rivers as well. A shame for the bodies and surely to cause more health problems at a later date.

While whatever officials are left to keep control in the area, they are facing tremendous odds against them because of the sheer vastness of the destruction. Other countries have offered to help and to send aid, but officials there are slow to act, as supplies keep piling up and countries go to their aid. This is a massive relief effort that is only just beginning and will take many years to complete. Send your prayers, as everyone there will surely need them. Do your research on how you want to help. Use organizations you already know of like the Red Cross, and the U.N. to give money to so the process can be a little smoother.

Senator Hillary R.Clinton Wins Indiana 5-7-2008

According to the Senator Barack Obama -We just won a decisive victory in North Carolina.
Indiana remains too close to call. But what is clear is that we did much better than all the pundits predicted, despite Republicans changing parties to support Senator Clinton, believing she would be easier for Senator McCain to defeat.
Here's where we stand.
As of Tuesday morning, we needed just 273 delegates to clinch the nomination. When the votes are fully counted Wednesday morning, we will have gained more than a third of them in a single day.

The Most Historic Political Fight in U.S. History 5-6-2008

The United States is in the midst of the most historic political fight of its life to date. A race between three very adept people each of whom will turn the tide of politics of the entire world no matter who wns, and you are right in the middle of it. To date Hillary Clinton is in the drivers seat and she is no Little Miss Daisey. Fighting for what she thinks is right and getting to the bottom of things, this no nonsense lawyer in her own right has faced and won her own battles before her and triumphed.

There are many people who would like to see her with her face down in the dirt. But, I say to you I do not believe that will happen. She is too smart for that. Not that she isn't human, but she does look ahead. What I dearly want in this election is a fair one on all sides which will lead us further toward humaneness to each other and the world. A stepping stone toward the future, not back would be really great for a change. Hopefully Senator Clinton will be the person to do just that. Come on be happy with me and work toward that type of change for you, and me and the world.

Senator Clinton won in Pensylvania, and Guam.

Pennsylvania Superdelegate Bill George announced his support for Hillary Clinton.George said Clinton was the best equipped to beat Sen. John McCain in a general election and deliver real solutions to the challenges facing the working families of Pennsylvania and the nation. "Hillary Clinton has the strength and experience to jumpstart the economy and rebuild the middle class," George said. "Working families in Pennsylvania overwhelmingly favored her in last week’s primary, and I feel that she is our strongest candidate to carry Pennsylvania in November and win back the White House."

Indiana and North Carolina are the next Primaries to be held.

As A Womans Worst Enemy

Senator John McCain is no Moderate. Quite the opposite he is a hawk in sheeps clothing. He has voted against choice 125 times out of 130 opportunities since 1983. He has:Supported anti-choice Supreme Court nominees -- like Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and even Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork! and voted against insurance coverage for birth control. He has also supported "abstinence-only" programs, which we all know does not ever work.

Senator McCain wants to continue the war in Iraq no matter what. He has released less financial information than any other presidential candidate. In his 26 years of public office he has never released financial information. That is a big red flag if I have ever seen one.He does not believe that all of the rules of politics relate to him and his business dealings. John McCain is probably worse than George Bush as far as Presidential material goes.

I am not talking about a one time issue, I am talking about a pattern of behavior. Whoever gets to be the next president of the United States will have the opportunity to choose the next two Supreme Court Justices.If John McCain gets in as a believer of no choices for womens birth control, he will surely choose Justices who are against birth control as well. Even Fox Business news is worried about McCain.

In America Women are Paid Less Money to do the Same Jobs that Men Do 4-20-2008

Why does this happen you ask? Well, for one thing mostly men own the companies that hire the women. They have been getting away with this for years. Forty years ago there were laws passed to make this illegal. But, today sadly it is an everyday event. The U.N. has called on all countiers to make women equal to men, the United States politicians should also do that. Why can't they think about their own daughters and wives and why would they not want them to do better in life?

According to the NOW organization "women are still only paid 77 cents or less to men's dollar", and "
Last year the Supreme Court sharply limited the ability of women who have suffered pay discrimination to seek back pay and other compensation. Immediately after the Court denied Lilly Ledbetter's claim for pay discrimination last May, the House passed the the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and (better late than never) it's now the Senate's turn". We are just a valuable as any man.

Act out today e-mail you senator

April Flowers and Financial Advisors 4-17-2008

Early in March President Bush met with his financial advisors, he also met with them three times already in April and it is only the 17th of the month. According to him in January of 2007, "A future of hope and opportunity begins with a growing economy – and that is what we have. … This economy is on the move, and our job is to keep it that way, not with more government, but with more enterprise.."– President George W. Bush, State Of The Union Address, 1/23/07

A year later Mr. President I emphatically disagree with your statement that the economy is on the move , while it may be on the move, it is not on the way up, at least not in 2008. That is why Congress has approved the wage stimulation package to taxpayers. I would like to find a balance on things that I could agree with you on. I understand you want to be positive, however, your policies are always counter to what you say you want. While after tax income may have risen within the last year, so has the cost of food, services, gasoline, housing rents, and mortgages to unimaginable highs. Thousands of people have lost homes and continue to do so because of mismanagement in the mortgage industry and aggressive unscrupulous practices aimed at the entrapment of the poor.

People get frustrated, when will things in America get better? Every few days the gasoline rates go up. Why they could go up to $5.00 a gallon this year if something is not done about it. At that point many people will consider going on welfare and stop working, because what is the use anymore.
Women's pay is $ .77 to a mans $1.00 per hour for the same jobs and educational requirements. When are the Congressmen and Congresswomen going to stand up for true equal rights? You have had 8 years to stand up for equal rights. What about your daughters? Do you want equal pay for them (April is a time for flowers, a renewal of the spirit, and possibly financial gain.), or do you think all they have to do is get married to a man who will take care of them because you have been the president? Life doesn’t work like that, it really doesn’t.

This is just the beginning of the millennium and there are many changes that need to be made to make the U.S. a country to be proud of again. You only have 8 months to finish up your job and improve your job ratings. Do something constructive with that time, make some positive long term financial adjustments that will help more people in the long run. Keep government out of peoples bedrooms as well. Americans are not confident about their economic growth, they are worried about it and are looking to the leaders to do somethig about it. Leaders are supposed to lead.I for one don't know why you guys are so slow all the time, and never seem to "get it".

Tibets Screaming Monks 4-14-2008

If you were in a foreign country, Tibet to be exact, and you were on a public tour when all of a sudden everything became quiet and then monks in robes interrupted a meeting from inside a temple and began to scream Tibet is not free, Tiber is not free , wouldn’t you think something is terribly wrong there? Wouldn’t you want to find out why the Monks were screaming in the first place? Well, now so does the rest of the world want to know why. Not only that but the monks of Tibet have been kept in isolation so that no one can speak to them.The Chinese government has blamed the spiritual leader the Dali Lama for the outbursts and the subsequent violence that has rocked China. My question is why would a spiritual leader who is known the world over for peaceful works urge his believers to incite public outrage which he surely knows will spark violent unrest? That does not sound right nor does it make sense.

So the Chinese government is leading with a heavy hammer on a sore thumb once again. Many people have been killed in the sequential violence, so many that the government officials will not give an accurate count because they are embarrassed over the numbers. Maybe they should just get over the embarrassment and deal with the problems of human rights and release the people they have held hostage since Tiananmen square massacre in 1989. If they truly want to impress the world that is the first thing they should do. That would be a good beginning in my opinion.

It is said that the protests in Tiananman square were the direct result of the death of former Secretary General Hu Yaobang, who had called for “rapid reform” of the political party and had been forced to issue his resignation from the Central Committee of the Communist Party. It must be noted here that the date of his death was April 15, 1989. I would not be surprised if there isn’t more violence in China on the anniversary of his death.

Donate Some Food, Donate Some Money, Donate Some Time 4-9-2008

So you think our prices have risen for our daily bread needs. Well, you are right, gas, food, electricity, rent, mortgages, we are being hit over the head real hard at the moment and we don’t know when it will stop. However, there is another place on the planet besides the U.S. that is also experiencing massive food costs and shortages so severe that residents have begun rioting in the streets.

“What we see in Haiti is what we’re seeing in many of our operations around the world – rising prices that mean less food for the hungry. A new face of hunger is emerging: even where food is available on the shelves, there are now more and more people who simply cannot afford it,” said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran.

But, “Riots in Haiti underline the additional need for lifesaving food assistance,” Ms. Sheeran said. “At this critical time, we need to stand with the people of Haiti and other countries hardest hit by rising food prices.” The UN reports that 500 million dollars are needed to offset the worlds food needs now, today.

So you say to me that food prices have risen here as well. Yes, you are right. We need more people willing to get together, each helping one another. Our wealthier neighbors need to donate to our food banks today, not tomorrow. Get your teenagers to go door to door to help the needy. Get their old red wagons out of the basement, clean them off and heap them with food that they can take to the food banks. Give them some of those damn plastic bags to make use of them again to take food to the hungry.

The local food banks, church suppers, shelters that feed the hungry are taking care of U S Veterans as well as your neighbors. Get up off of the couch, out of the computer chair and help your family, and others to have a good meal this week. Organize your family to accept food donations and take them to a food bank, or shelter today, tonight. Then do it every week, I dare you.

Dr. Martin Luther King

The Dream of Dr. Martin Luther King has changed somewhat. From black and white people becoming more equal than they were, to job affirmations and equality to sitting in restaurants to eating together and working on problems together, now we worry about how our children solve their problems with each other and adults in a more violent society.

When children bring guns or knives to school, and still others plot to kill their teachers, something more fundamental is happening. It is not race related, rather how we teach our children about individual respect, and how to control our individual behavior as to what is acceptable and what is not. How we interact with each other goes across all races. There is no economic wall, or entrance, rich kids are the same as poor kids when push comes to shove and one hits or curses another. That is the beginning of societal problems how we interact with one another.

During the riots in Baltimore that happened right after Dr. Martin Luther King was shot, there were societal reasons why the stores were burned and broken into. I specifically remember because one of my uncles had a grocery store near the rioting and I was worried about him and my aunt at the time.Icalled them to make sure they were all right. He said to me, don’t worry, the black people won’t hurt me. At the time I did not understand why he said that.

A little later I learned that the stores that were broken into and set on fire were the ones who had been charging the black community more money for things like cashing checks for a 30% fee, cleaners who would keep your clothes if you could not pay their extra fees for holding onto them past the ready date. Then they would sell the clothes as a profit to them. The black people were reacting to injustices that had been foist upon them just for being poor, or black by other races. Of course this does not make it right, just a reason as to why they did the things that they did. Some of those buildings in Baltimore have never been fixed back because of the blight they created within the community in the first place. These actions were from aching hearts that were sorely hurt at the injustice they were subjected to. But, it has been forty years, isn’t it about time we got together to fix some of those things together?

What my uncle was trying to tell me was that he and my aunt treated their customers with respect. They did not overcharge them, but gave people chances to get something when they really neded it and paid often when social security checks came in. His business was not touched. It is time to work together to fix the broken places in all of our hearts.

Senator Hillary R. Clinton

Senator Hillary Clinton is not , I repeat is not quitting the political race for the presidency of the United States. As a pro -choice candidate she wants to keep Roe vs Wade. She voted no to have a constitutional ban on same sex marraiges, and yes to adding sexual orientation to the list of Federal hate crimes.

At the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Convention in Philadelphia,Senator Hillary Clinton announced a plan to create three million new jobs through increased investments in the nation’s infrastructure. She would create these jobs over 10 years by combining emergency initiatives like fixing the immediate safety risks of the I-95 bridge in Philadelphia along with long-term investments to create a greener, sleeker 21st century highway and transit system.

"It's time for a different approach. I'll fight for every single job in America – and create millions of new, high paying jobs that can’t be outsourced. We're trying to run today’s economy on yesterday’s infrastructure – and we’re jeopardizing tomorrow’s prosperity. So I will rebuild America – by rebuilding, repairing and modernizing our infrastructure."

In addition to her discussing her infrastructure jobs plan, Senator Clinton reinforced her positions on promoting strong unions and fair trade. She also noted that her Republican opponent in the general election does not have a plan to solve the challenges that face the American economy.

The only candidate with a detailed, 4-part plan to fix NAFTA

1. As President, Hillary Clinton will dramatically strengthen NAFTA’s labor and environmental provisions; change its investment provisions that grant special rights to foreign companies; strengthen its enforcement mechanisms; and review NAFTA regularly.

2. Demand strong labor and environmental provisions in all trade agreements.

3. Appoint a new trade "prosecutor" and double the enforcement staff at the USTR so we can truly enforce our trade laws again, and get tough with countries like China for allowing the piracy of intellectual property.

4. Crack down on China's currency manipulation. Senator Clinton is a co-sponsor of legislation that will require the administration to take definitive steps to stop China and other countries from harming American interests by undervaluing their currencies. Implement a trade "timeout" to formulate a genuinely pro-worker and pro-American trade policy.

Senator Barack Obamas web site says he wants to:

Fight for Pay Equity:
Despite decades of progress, women still make only 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. A recent study estimates it will take another 47 years for women to close the wage gap with men at Fortune 500 corporate offices. Barack Obama believes the government needs to take steps to better enforce the Equal Pay Act, fight job discrimination, and improve child care options and family medical leave to give women equal footing in the workplace.
He believes in Roe Vs Wade
He believes in Civil Unions for Same Sex Partners
Expanding Paid Medical Leave: Today, three-out-of-four low-wage workers have no paid sick leave. It is fundamentally unfair that a single mom playing by the rules can get fired or lose wages because her child gets sick. Barack Obama supports efforts to guarantee workers seven days of paid sick leave per year, a moderate proposal that should not impose too onerous a burden on employers.

He also wants to:
Reduce Domestic Violence and strengthen Domestic Violence laws, Invest in Women-Owned SmallBusinesses, Protect Social Security, Fight Poverty, Raise the Minimum Wage, Help Low -Income Workers, Support Low-Income Families, Improve Afterschool and Daycare Opportunities, Protect Title IX, Promote Women in Math and Science, Improve Schools, Make College More Affordable, End the War in Iraq, Care for Women Veterans.

Senator John MC Cain Wants to :
Reverse Roe vs Wade
Wants to Preserve Marriage Between a Man and a Woman
He has proposed the first-of-its-kind national online registry for persons who have been convicted of sex crimes against children
Cut The Corporate Tax Rate From 35 To 25 Percent.
Allow First-Year Deduction, Or “Expensing”, Of Equipment And Technology Investments.
Establish Permanent Tax Credit Equal To 10 Percent Of Wages Spent On R&D
These Are Essential First Steps On The Path To Fundamental Tax Reform, Which Could Increase U.S. GDP By As Much As 10 Percent Over The Long Term
Pro-Growth Tax Agenda
Cut Taxes For Middle Class Families
Keep Tax Rates Low
Make It Harder To Raise Taxes
Reward Saving, Investment and Risk-Taking
Pro-Innovation Tax Cuts
Establish Permanent Tax Credit Equal To 10 Percent Of Wages Spent On R&D
Retirement Tax Cut
Eliminating Wasteful Government and reduce Pork Barrel Spending and ccut the waste
National Strategy For Energy Security
Health Care Reform
Lower Barriers to trade

FDA Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D.Investigates Agencies Work 4-1-2008

According to the Commissioner “Our records at FDA indicated that we had inspected that facility in China, but that was incorrect. The inspection records we reviewed were on a facility with a very similar name. But having done the inspection in 2004 probably wouldn’t have prevented this problem, because this chemical contaminant cannot be detected using the standard testing methods for heparin.  We have now developed new test methods to screen heparin for this new contaminant and regulators around the world are using those tests to protect their citizens."

So what he is saying is that the record-keeping of his agency is suspect to mistakes. Wow, a Federal agency commissioner admitted they can be wrong, that is a revelation to begin with. It sounds like he is saying that there have been problems for eight years. Hmm makes me suspicious as to why the public wasn’t notified earlier that there was a problem with heparin in the first place.

He further goes on to say “Second, no test we use will ever be 100% reliable, and we cannot rely only on inspections. We need a systems approach to quality that not only enables us to react effectively to problems but enables us to prevent problems by engaging FDA across the entire life-cycle of the products we regulate.” Sounds like he is getting ready to ask for millions of dollars to upgrade their computing systems.Upgrades are always a good idea for computers and agencies. Only problem is the American people will be the ones to pay for that amidst already skyrocketing prices for daily living.

The fact that he says no test is 100% reliable is troubling to me. While it may be true in some instances, that alone could cause mass hysteria. Hmm another agency in the beginning of a major problem it would seem. As long as President Bush doesn’t come out and say the commissioner is a good guy doing his job maybe he will be safe, but who really knows.
Because there are many new tests and much research being conducted,some of the medical problems we have now could be erased in five years. What concerns me is that the facts here have been muddled and we again have not been told the truth until way too late.

Friday Choices and Momentary Happiness 3-27-2008

To spend some time in an open sun-filled field of flowers, is to know momentary happiness. We all have a choice whether to have a happy attitude, or to be unhappy about our life, job, partner, children, past mistakes, choices of friends, lovers or our relationships with relatives and in-laws. We have a choice in what our attitude is toward all of them.

Most of us have a choice in where we plant our flowers to make that sunny field. We can dig up the current planting area in order to improve it by moving it to a sunnier area of the property where it will thrive more. We could get someone else in the family to help us with the garden, thus spreading the happiness with them when it comes into full bloom. Or, if no one else in the family is interested, maybe we can get a neighbor, or a child from the neighborhood to help with the planting. Thus spreading the goodness of the soil and making a connection to someone else to try to spread a little fun and tenderness.

Gardens can provide tenderness because they require tending and taking care of on a regular basis. Some of us need to be shown how to be tender one on one because we do not know how to yet. Why not share some of the fun and enjoy the blossoms of friendship that can appear if you but let them unfold as the flowers spread their petals to be kissed by the sun beams.

Get outside into the sunshine, plant a few trees, and some perennial plants that will grow back next year. Wear your hat, use some sun-screen, the proper shoes and jeans while you are at it. You will smile again next year when they come back to bloom in the sunshine and remind you of the happiness that you shared this year. And the little rocks can be moved to the side, before they get a chance to become more troublesome.Yes we will probably run into some rocks, but we expect that in a garden. Why not expect it in life and look for ways to move those little rocks before they become boulders in the middle of your living room floor.

Some of us do not have access to gardens, but, there can be moments of happiness shard in music, art, scientists with bugs, astronomers sharing the skies, the brilliant stars, galaxies, the vastness and wonder of space its many univserses.

We cannot take anything with us either for happiness happens in an instant, it is up to us to spread it around to others in our lives. We do have a choice in what we share and how we do that. Enjoy the sunshine, the gardens of life and human connections because in the end that is all we have. We cannot take anythig with us when we leave this fertile earth. We leave behind our our good deeds, helpfullness, love and tenderness toward one another to cushion the hearts of our loves. Furthermore it does not make a difference if we are Republican or Democrat for us as individuals to be happy.

China and the Olympic Committees Choices 3-26-2008

Chinese authorities really do not have a clue as to what the world sees when their leaders crack down so hard on their people or they would not try so hard to silence them.
According to the Reporters Without Borders organization from Canada, "We cannot let the Chinese government seize the Olympic flame, a symbol of peace, without denouncing the dramatic situation of human rights in the country," RSF said in a statement.

Personally it is a good thing I am not over there myself, lest I be one of them in the middle of the street in what is going on. I mean how can any leader in their right mind try to keep people from talking to one another about their problems?

The world sat by and virtually did nothing when the students were run down in the streets of Beijing. But, now we (the public/visitors) have a chance to make our feelings known with the Olympians walking into town, onto the Beijing Square cobblestones. Lets get real about this, if you don’t treat your people right there will be consequences to pay, sometimes big ones by others whom you did not even expect to care about the situation.

The reporters organization also say that protests have been reported in nearby Nepal. As the Chinese government continues to ban reporters and expel the ones who are already there, the situation is degraded which means there is more going on that they do not want to be reporterd in the press. The closer it gets to the real Olympics the closer disaster looms in my opinion. I have warned that the area is too close to other countries who are involved in war, Kosovo. N. and S. Korea are just as far away as Nepal where protests are going on. Plus to the West there is Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran where major conflicts are taking thousands of lives. This is a tragedy waiting to happen in that part of the world.

Personally I think the Olympic judges who decided to hold the Olympics there ought to be tarred and feathered for their decision. All of them should be put into the middle of this human rights crackdown and see how they like it, because that is what they have done to the Olympians. I for one do not like it at all. I hereby denounce the government of China for not allowing free speech and basic human rights for their citizens such as health care and the right to a regular food allowance, fair work compensation, and freedom of choice.

Easter is a Christian Tradition 3-23-2008

It is a time of remembrance as to the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It is a Time To:

It is a time for christians to call upon our own spirituality to not judge one another lest you walk in their shoes.
Let your love show to the people you cherish most deeply without conditions, without harsh words or name calling.
Appreciate the people and things you do have on a daily basis.
Use words of wonder and love in all relationships.
Strive to do the right thing no matter how hard that may be.
Love yourself and keep on getting up.
Accept yourself for who you are, not what you are.
Accept others for who they are, not what they are.
Be positive in all you say and do.
It is a time to remember the ten commandments and obey them.
It is a time to give up your worries to God, so you can focus on the good person you are.

Lets Talk Control Again, by the Controllicans! 3-22-2008

Most of the media in the US is not being fair to the Barack Obama Pastors 911 Sermon. We are not being given the entire sermon so we can hear the real story comments for ourselves. I am sorely disappointed in the mainstream media for this major oversight. Especially the ever lopsided Fox news station.

Lets boil this down a little further. Every time, and I really mean every-time a country (or a few choice men usually) starts controlling their media bad things happen. Look at the China predicament right now. Journalists are not being let into the country because the government fears what they will report. God forbid we see the real truth on how the population is controlled in China. And lest we forget, Taiwan has just this week elected a person who wants to do more business with the Chinese government. Number one reason is because of their border proximity. Number two is because of them not wanting a war with the Chinese government. Do thoughts of fear run into your mind when you think about Chinese unregulated products coming into this country? Do thoughts of fear spatter your brain when you think of the mass pollution of Beijing (where the residents wear surgical masks on a daily basis to protect them from their own pollution) and the Olympics set to happen next year?

Our election is in danger of being hijacked again by the Republicans, who are mostly the controllicans anyway. Yes, I said it “Republicans are controllicans.” This election is about three major people. Senators John Mc Cain, Senator Barack Obama, and Senator Hillary Clinton. What is worrying the controllicans are that these people who are to be chosen to run our government are those who would not be controlled. These are people who like to be in control themselves, and they all mean to make major changes.

What makes our country great is the openness to the right to speak our minds and not be penalised, killed, or harmed for it. If you kill someone here in the US, just because you disagree with them, you can go to jail for the rest of your life for such an action. Innocent victims are just that innocent. It is called free speech. That is something that too many people forget on a regular basis. When that free speech is cut short, we lose some of our rights as a people, and as a free society.

When You Tube took the Reverend Jeremiah Wrights' 911 sermon off of their web site they took some of our freedom of speech away. To be totally fair, I must say, that it is possible that they may have been afraid that their web site would crash. After all the technology isn’t that perfect.They also are not taking any more comments on the speech. On to the contents of what was said. I am going to say here I have not seen or heard the full sermon, however, what Reverend Wright has said is mostly true. His criticisms I believe are for being a black preacher for using his enthusiasm as only a black preacher can.
If he were a white preacher saying the same things, his congregation would probably get up and walk out of the church because they would consider him off base and a radical. In some parts of his sermon, I really believe that he was wrong because he himself used racial hate against the white race. As a preacher, using one race against another is an action that is always wrong.

While we do have freedom of speech in America, there are also standards of conduct that is different for people of different races. However, that does not make it the right thing to do. We express ourselves in a different manner. Furthermore, you do not have to be a Christian to do or say the right thing, or to tell the truth as you see or experience it. White people use different language to describe things because our experiences are different. Just like womens experience is different than mens. Black peoples experiences are their own. At this point we need to take the slavery talk out of the discussion, why, because it is over. Slavery has been over for years now. Black people do not sit in the back of the bus anymore, and they have the right to sit at tables in any restaurant. They worked through college for good jobs and they have them.

Lets us deal with today, and what is happening now. Do not whip up peoples anger, deal with the problems today in a reasonable and sincere manner. All people need to take the viciousness out of their speech patterns. It is not right, nor is it just. We do not need to whip up peoples emotion about the KKK anymore.

We do need to make changes that are good for everyone in our society. Our needs are to protect the people who have the integrity to make those changes positive for everyone not just the barons of the press, or the lords of the manner so to speak. Let us have the "More Perfect Union," “a government of the people by the people and for the people today.” Our media needs to be more independent of controlling forces so that we can get to a better balanced news service for the entire country.

Is it True That One in Four US Teens Will Get an STD? 3-13-2008

According to the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, "yes it is true that one in four sexually active US teens will contract a sexually transmitted disease annually, and one in two sexually active people will contract one by age 25. Add to that the statistic that half of all new STD and HIV infections are people under the age of 25.”

We parents need to protect our teens even more than we ever thought we would have to. Much to their howls against more effective parenting to begin with, I suspect they will complain bitterly and loudly as well.

The American Social Health Association does a great job of providing simple, plain English, details about the STD problem in the US. They use up to date statistics from 2000 to 2005, and beyond. Their data conclude that few young American are tested for the common STDs- yet, 79 percent of new infections are coming from people under the age of 24.

Teens are not emotionally equipped to deal with the severity of these types of ailments or their long term disabling effects. They have trouble talking with the very boyfriends who transmit the diseases in the first place. When a woman/girl gets chlamydia and if it is left untreated she can develop pelvic inflammatory disease which can result in infertility. Also, women and teens do not realize that oral sex can be a significant problem in spreading STDs.

Sex is not safe unless you use a condom period. We must also remember that a condom will not stop every STD, or pregnancy but, it helps to reduce the risks of transmitting diseases. According the James R. Allen, MD, MPH, ASHA president and CEO “Condoms are currently the best available products to protect sexually active people from herpes and HPV.”

Even though we can all be preoccupied about our teens health, we must also remember that everyone who is sexually active should get tested because we are all at risk. Even senior citizens should be tested.

We need to be ever diligent with our health concerns and tell our families about what the dangers really are. Talk to your children about sex, everyone else is talking to them about it. Television bombards us all with sexual innuendos everyday and our senses are titillated with it in magazines, and music. We must be realistic about the real everyday dangers of sexual activity.
If you would like to get additional information see: http: //www. ashastd.org.

Politicians who Choose Bad Pillow Partners and Make Snide Remarks 3-12-2008

I almost can’t believe that the governor of New York has been caught taking money from the state to pay for prostitutes, to the tune of $15,000.00. Obviously he was not thinking with his brain. We all know New York is no stranger to sex and scandals in any manner. But, the governor! Governor Spitzer has in the past (8 years as Attorney General and 1 as Governor) been a good guy for New York state instituting good laws .

We all know about politics and the strange bedfellows that these positions attract. It is too bad that families have to be put through public humiliation. As I watched his wife Silda Wall Spitzer stand beside him while he was making his announcement about how shameless he was acting I couldn’t help feel lots of compassion for her. We do not know what happens in peoples homes and I don’t really want to know details that should be kept private. But, if a person wants a private life then they should not go into politics. If they know themselves they should respect their partners enough to not bring shame through a front or back door.

Does having a high political position change a mans behavior so much that it allows them to think they are purer than they really are? Does this type of position change womens tongues to twist and say the wrong things at the wrong time? Maybe we need a litmus test for all political nominees. We could develop a mandatory test /course and make those people who want to be politicians at the national level have to pass it. There should be a lie detector and a fideity test as well. Much like lawyers and doctors they must pass the course in order to get to the next level of the virtual game and on to reality levels. Then of course they would also have to be taking update coursework to keep their political licensees active.

Between Governor Spitzers actions, Geraldine Feraros comments, past politicians having to resign their positions (bathroom escapades/gay men coming out of the closet) and previous behaviors of past presidents it all gets a bit murky and unsettling. The real story is that we will always have these types of things happening in the political arena because we are all human, and sometimes too human for our own good.

International Women's Day 2008

Statement by WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan
This year's International Women's Day focuses on investing in women and girls. Abundant evidence shows that when women are given an opportunity to express their potential, health indicators rapidly improve for themselves, for households and for communities. Investment in women and girls not only contributes to socioeconomic progress, but is also an investment in health development.
Public health values women as agents of change. Understanding of the power of women to spearhead change has moved into the mainstream of development thinking. The Millennium Declaration – the most ambitious commitment ever made by the international community – recognizes gender equality and the empowerment of women as effective ways to combat poverty, hunger and disease and to stimulate development that is truly sustainable. An in-vestment in women and girls is an investment in sustainable results.

The only comment I want to add to the above is a loud AMEN.

Fire the Governors and Their Staffs for Not Following the Election Rules of Engagement 3-7-2008

Well I stand corrected, the states in question on early primaries are Florida and Michigan. And both states knew all about the fact that there would be penalties for them if they held their elections early. Think back with me to the last presidential election and the state of Florida. There were gross irregularities in that election. This makes me wonder if this was a planned event by the Republicans in Florida. Get this, the Florida Republicans were the ones who pushed for the different date in the first place, and it was signed by the Republican Governor Charlie Crist. Now he wants the political leaders to accept their votes, when he knew in the first place when they set their election date that he was in violation of the rules. This is grown up time Governor, actually for both governors.

Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm knew as well about the date changes, and the violations involved.

Lets go a few steps farther with this. I am wondering just how crooked the Bush family is. Yes that is what I said, believe it, I am wondering about that, because of the last election held in Florida ( when Governor Jeb Bush the current Presidents brother was in power) Vice President Al Gore had the election stolen from him by the now President George Bush. Irregularities were the purging of election roles where say John Johnson was purged , but, so was Johnson John at the same time.

The national leadership DNC or RNC doesn’t want to pay for two new elections or caucus’ and the states can’t afford it either. Do you just ignore the facts that so many people turned out to the elections and did vote? Or do you stage another election by written ballot and ask people to mail them in to one central spot. In that case there would be more variation on the already corrupt Florida politicians heads.

Step 2, what if the Republicans planned this all along, so that if Senator Clinton had more votes they could then say well, they don’t count. At that point Senator John Mc Cain wouldn’t have to face off to her, but maybe to Senator Obama who they are sure that Mc Cain could beat. If they took only one state away the other opponent could still win the needed number of super-delegates. Or even the other way around, as long as one of them couldn’t compete with Mc Cain in the national election.

Step 3, what if the national leaders say well, you two senators can’t win this election because neither one of you can get the delegates and you have violated the campaign rules. Senator John Mc Cain wins the election by default, he is now the president of the U. S. because you have not followed the rules.

Step 4, scenario, the election is made to go away as a washout because of the violations of primary dates. Then President Bush gets an extended term of office. Which headache would hurt less?

I am no constitutional expert, but these scenarios are possible maybe not plausible, but possible.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"TALLAHASSEE- Florida Governor Charlie Crist and Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm released a joint statement today calling on the Democratic and Republican National Committees with a very clear message: Seat our delegates."
 
Joint Statement from Florida Governor Charlie Crist and Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
 
“The right to vote is at the very foundation of our democracy. This primary season, voters have turned out in record numbers to exercise that right, and it is reprehensible that anyone would seek to silence the voices of 5,163,271 Americans. It is intolerable that the national political parties have denied the citizens of Michigan and Florida their votes and voices at their respective national conventions.
 
According to the DNC and RNC, Florida and Michigan have violated party rules by moving up their primaries. Today, we each will call upon our respective state and national party chairs to resolve this matter and to ensure that the voters of Michigan and Florida are full participants in the formal selection of their parties’ nominees. We must restore the rights of the more than 5 million voters whose voices have been silenced.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My question is why should the votes be counted when you the political leaders knew all along that you were in violation of the rules. Yes, it is a crying shame that these 5 million voters should have to go out and do this all over again. But the shame is on the governmental leadership, not the voters. Do not punish the voters, count their votes. Take the governors out of their positions, fire all of the politicians in the states that had anything to do with the election changes if you have to, but do not make the voters pay for something that was not their fault in the first place. You all have taken oaths of office to do right by the people for the people lets use a little common sense here. Maybe a big dose of it while we are at it.

This kind of shameless, egotistical, and controlling party partison political action is one of the same types of power trip that contributed to the massacres in Pakistan of thousands of people. All because President Musharrafs' ego would not let him step down started. By the way, don’t forget the US backed Musharraf to be in control in the first palce. Plus, Musharraf was the one who jailed judges who did not agree with him. Remind you of someone you know who had judges fired/removed from office in the last few years, maybe President George Bush?

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has won the primary election votes in Ohio, Texas, and Rhode Island.

I felt real good this morning contemplating her eventual possibility of a win for The White House. Felt good for all women in fact. Why, well because she is a fighter and we women have been fighting for equality for a very long time, and it gets tiring to turn another corner and see another red flag that comes up in your face to signal one more major problem to solve. Regardlesss of her past she is willing to stand up to the likes of Senator John McCain and say what is on her mind and say it wih force.

Well, the old boys network have found another red flag to add.Remember last year when a couple of states decided to hold their primary races earlier? Well, now that Senator Hillary R. Clinton has won so to speak, the olde boys have found another flag in their sack of dirty tricks. It's like this, Last year some of the states decided to make their primaries date change. Now the olde boys are saying that the winners can't have the votes that were allocated to them because the states changed their dates.

AHEM, why didn't they say that before the races. Because now they just want to pull strings and watch people do their dances to the olde boys tunes. There is the possibility that some of these states will have to have another vote. In one way that might be even better. Why you ask would that be better? Well, for one thing in Ohio the voters fought a winter storm and extremely cold temperatures to get out to vote. So much so that Senator Barack Obama asked and got an extended time for the polling boths to stay open in some sections of the state. I have to tell you that in Maryland we also had the same type problem because our streets were icy and slick. However, we did not have extended voting hours, but I wish we had.

New Hampshire, California, Florida were among the states with early dates. Even if we just stay the same as far as votes go as of today. Neither one of the democratic Senators have enough votes to meet the necessary votes needed. In effect they will have to depend on the superdelegates as to who will win in the nomination. Sad story isn't it? In my opinion, we definitely need to change the way we vote in America. Maybe we could even have Saturday and Sunday votes, plus online voting, that would get the votes out in record numbers.

My Choice for My Reasons 3-2-2008

I guess to some people Barack Obama relating to former President Ronald Reagan might be comforting. Ronald Reagan as a movie star was used to being in front of the cameras, and knew how to play them well. His first role as a president was for the Screen Actors guild. He held that position during the carnival events of the Communist scare in the film industry. After that he became a television host, then was elected governor of California and was reelected for a second term there, before running in the US Presidential Race.

Senator Barack Obama may have some of the camera savvy that President Reagan had, but the real world may be entirely different on January 20, 2009 than it is now. Both sides of the little white picket fence, Republicans, and Democrats are saying that there isn’t enough substance to make him the leader of the free world. Even though he has been the member of the Foreign Realtions comission, he has not sat in as leader. And, furthermore, just because he has won a lot of delegates up to this point, that does not make him fit to be a sitting president, even though he is a graduate of Harvard law school. This is not a popularity contest, it is a leadership contest.

Some people and newspapers are asking, if Senator Hillary Clinton has a bad day will she pack it in? Come on here guys! Did she pack it in when her husband had a happening event with a young girl in the White House? They are just trying to sell newspapers I tell you.

Of all people, Senator Hillary Clinton has had more camera flashes in her face than any other woman in the US. She is competent, smart, funny at times, and even when she is on Saturday Night Live. I am really happy that the young Kennedy’s Kathleen, Kerry, and Bobby Jr. are supporting her. They have certainly seen enough politicians in their own family put women through the ropes, and the kids are eager to support someone who has the gumption, and leadership qualities to vote for.

Yes, I know there are many detractors out there, but give the woman a shot here. This will be her show. You know we women have arguments with our husbands on substantive issues at many points in our lives. Sometimes we gave in to them and said I don’t want to argue it isn’t worth it. Then there were times when we were sorry we had given in. Well, she didn’t give in to pressures to divorce him, even though she had many a good reason to do so. She had her say and used her independence and time as they lived apart and she held her head high and went on to her Senatorial position. No doubt she has learned life lessons along the way. She has done well for herself, especially in a country where the black men got to vote before the white women.

This presidential race is about leadership. Women have endured many of the same ubiquitous dangers that black slaves did. Rape, isolation, families moving for work, powerlessness, discrimination because they could have babies, discrimination because they had to take care of the babies when the man left and did not support the children. I can go on and on about the hardships women have faced and will continue to face even after this election, but there is not enough time or space to do so. Yes, I know Senator Clinton has not faced some of these discriminations, but others she has. We need a national leader who is willing to take on the problems. In 2004, Senator Clinton was asked by the Department of Defense to serve as the only Senate member of the Transformation Advisory Group to the Joint Forces Command. She is also a graduate of Yale Law School.

In addition to my opinion I want to add the following quote that was taken from a ress release from the senatos official web site July 31, 2007Washington, DC – In response to questioning from Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) at today’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Admiral Michael Mullen – nominated by President Bush to succeed General Peter Pace as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – committed to keeping the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Congress informed, in classified sessions if necessary, about the process of contingency planning for any future redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq. SENATOR CARL LEVIN, CHAIRMAN, SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: "Thank you, Senator Clinton. And thank you, also, for your initiative, which is one many of you've taken -- just the latest to urge this committee to get that briefing that you referred to on preparations and planning for a phased reduction and redeployment of our forces. It will take place at some point; in the view of many of us, sooner rather than later. But in any event, it will take place. And we very much appreciate your suggestion that there be a briefing. And it will take place, as you indicated, this week."

There will still be problems after this election! This is not the end all election. Life and solutions take time, sometimes life-times to change social attitudes, and agendas. The political policies that have been put into place in the past 8 years of President George Bushs administration will be hell to change the ones that we can. The powerful right wing has taken many rights away from women and discriminated against us even more. I support Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for the office of the Presidency of the United States because she is a qualified leader and I think she should be given the chance. She has earned it, and it is her right as well as any other womans right to the position who has the background and leadership abilities to do the job in this day and age.

Your Choice/Her Choice/Pro Choice Michigan 2-27-2008

According to Pro-Choice Michigan, their legislature is working on interfering with their women's right to choose. They have introduced a bill to ban safe and often medically necessary method of abortion care used as early as 12-15 weeks.

This ban proposes no exceptions to protect a woman’s health and is opposed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Nurses Association and the American Public Health Association.
We women have fought long and hard battles for our right to a healthy body and to have a choice in our lives. This bill also does not let a doctor decide what is best medically for the woman, because, a prosecutor can come in and say so if this bill is passed.

This type of legislation is very similar to the U. S. Supreme Courts recent ruling on “The Federal Abortion Ban” The worst reality today is that the Michigan Senate has already passed this bill and it is now in the Michigan House Judiciary Committee. fro action.

Urge them to oppose Senate Bill 776 and instead join Pro Choice Michigan in promoting commonsense, proactive policies that work to both help prevent unintended pregnancies and reduce the need for abortion,
without jeopardizing women's health and privacy. Click here to write to your state representative and Governor Granholm today:
http://action.prochoiceamerica.org/site/R?i=Z2oTEN9uhbdG5twPHiZOnA.. .

In hindsight it may even be unconstitutional because it lacks a health exception. When this was brought up in California a few years ago, Senator Diane Feinstein said “Eighty percent of the people of this country believe that abortion must be safe and legal to preserve a woman's health. People strongly believe that this is a decision between a woman, her clergy, her doctor, and her family. I deeply believe politicians should not be in the business of making decisions about women's reproductive rights. “

What affects women who are raped, are the feelings of damned if I do and damned if I don’t when having to make a choice to keep the child or abort it. It is a gut wrenching decision. We are talking about such things in everyday life that women experience all the time, and too frequently from either an abusive acquaintance, lover, or husband. Life is not simple when you add sex to the mix. When you add rape to the mix it rather a power trip for the rapist an according to statistics in the National Crime Victimization Survey 72% of the perpetrators were a friend or acquaintance, intimate person of note or another relative of the victim.

In 2006 there were 272,350 reported victims of rape or sexual assault according to the 2006 National Crime Victimization Survey.

Because of the methodology of the National Crime Victimization Survey, these figures do not include victims 12 or younger. While there are no reliable annual surveys of sexual assaults on children,the Justice Department has estimated that one of six victims are under age 12. So what has rape got to do with abortions? I mean you can’t get pregnant unless you have sex, even in its crudest form rape is sex, so it has everything to do with abortion.

Acccording to the RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) Organization:
Key Facts
Every two minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted
One in six American women are victims of sexual assault, and one in 33 men.
In 2005-2006, there were an average annual 232,010 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.
About 44% of rape victims are under age 18, and 80% are under age 30.
Since 1993, rape/sexual assault has fallen by over 60%.
However having provided these statistics, you have to remember that more than half of sexual assaults go unreported. Also young women under the age of 30 are four more times more likely to be assaulted than any other group. Abortion has everything to do with that.

I urge you to be pro active in your city. These young women could be members of your own family, your mother, sister, daughter, and your wife could become a victim.
Call for a free confidential discussion the National Sexual Assault Hotline 1.800.656.HOPE,
Call your state Senators and House of Representatives to let them know your feelings on abortion today.

Backing by “The Old Man” (former President George Bush) 2-20-2008

Now that Senator McCain has won the Republican race and Senator Obama Democrat in Washington state, we may wish to look back and see if the former presidents backing had any power in our decisions. What do you say? We already know from history that McCain is a war hero of sorts. As a Naval Academy graduate in 1958, he went into the Navy and then became an aviator. He became a politician in 1986 when he was elected to Congress from the first congressional district of Arizona. He has been in the senate since and is currently the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. He also serves on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

For those of you who aren’t too sure about McCain, know this-he initially came out against President Bushs’ newest tax cuts, however, he has recently said he would make them permanent, and check this out, “The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should.” This really sounds like he does not have a plan at all. He is just making up sound bites to get attention.

According to his speech given at CPAC February 7, 2008:
I am proud, very proud, to have come to public office as a foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution. And if a few of my positions have raised your concern that I have forgotten my political heritage, I want to assure you that I have not, and I am as proud of that association today as I was then. My record in public office taken as a whole is the record of a mainstream conservative. I believe today, as I believed twenty-five years ago, in small government; fiscal discipline; low taxes; a strong defense, judges who enforce, and not make, our laws; the social values that are the true source of our strength; and, generally, the steadfast defense of our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which I have defended my entire career as God-given to the born and unborn.

So you have to know he respected President Ronald Reagan.

And further into the speech:
I know I have a responsibility, if I am, as I hope to be, the Republican nominee for President, to unite the party and prepare for the great contest in November. And I am acutely aware that I cannot succeed in that endeavor, nor can our party prevail over the challenge we will face from either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama, without the support of dedicated conservatives, whose convictions, creativity and energy have been indispensable to the success our party has had over the last quarter century. Many of you have disagreed strongly with some positions I have taken in recent years. I understand that. I might not agree with it, but I respect it for the principled position it is. And it is my sincere hope that even if you believe I have occasionally erred in my reasoning as a fellow conservative, you will still allow that I have, in many ways important to all of us, maintained the record of a conservative.

I am proud to be a conservative, and I make that claim because I share with you that most basic of conservative principles: that liberty is a right conferred by our Creator, not by governments, and that the proper object of justice and the rule of law in our country is not to aggregate power to the state but to protect the liberty and property of its citizens. And like you, I understand, as Edmund Burke observed, that "whenever a separation is made between liberty and justice, neither . . . is safe."

While I have long worked to help grow a public majority of support for Republican candidates and principles, I have also always believed, like you, in the wisdom of Ronald Reagan, who warned in an address to this conference in 1975, that "a political party cannot be all things to all people. It must represent certain fundamental beliefs which must not be compromised to political expediency or simply to swell its numbers."
I attended my first CPAC conference as the invited guest of Ronald Reagan, not long after I had returned from overseas, when I heard him deliver his "shining city upon a hill" speech. I was still a naval officer then, but his words inspired and helped form my own political views, just as Ronald Reagan's defense of America's cause in Vietnam and his evident concern for American prisoners of war in that conflict inspired and were a great comfort to those of us who, in my friend Jerry Denton's words, had the honor of serving "our country under difficult circumstances." I am proud, very proud, to have come to public office as a foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution. And if a few of my positions have raised your concern that I have forgotten my political heritage, I want to assure you that I have not, and I am as proud of that association today as I was then.

I campaigned in New Hampshire against big government mandated health care and for a free market solution to the problem of unavailable and unaffordable health care. I campaigned in Michigan for the tax incentives and trade policies that will create new and better jobs in that economically troubled state. I campaigned in Florida against the national catastrophic insurance fund bill that passed the House of Representatives and defended my opposition to the prescription drug benefit bill that saddled Americans with yet another hugely expensive entitlement program. I have argued to make the Bush tax cuts permanent, to reduce the corporate tax rate and abolish the AMT. I have defended my position on protecting our Second Amendment rights, including my votes against waiting periods, bans on the so-called "assault weapons," and illegitimate lawsuits targeting gun manufacturers.

That means he is okay having machine guns on the streets. Does this make him a conservative? I don't think so, rather a maverick. The real question is could he be an out of control maverick in the White House?

I have proudly defended my twenty-four year pro-life record. Translation he would go against the pro abortionlaws already on the law books. Throughout this campaign, I have defended the President's brave decision to increase troop levels in Iraq to execute a long overdue counterinsurgency that has spared us the terrible calamity of losing that war. I held these positions because I believed they were in the best interests of my party and country."

"Surely, I have held other positions that have not met with widespread agreement from conservatives. I won't pretend otherwise nor would you permit me to forget it. On the issue of illegal immigration, a position which provoked the outspoken opposition of many conservatives, I stood my ground aware that my position would imperil my campaign. I respect your opposition for I know that the vast majority of critics to the bill based their opposition in a principled defense of the rule of law. And while I and other Republican supporters of the bill were genuine in our intention to restore control of our borders, we failed, for various and understandable reasons, to convince Americans that we were. I accept that, and have pledged that it would be among my highest priorities to secure our borders first, and only after we achieved widespread consensus that our borders are secure, would we address other aspects of the problem in a Way that defends the rule of law and does not encourage another wave of illegal immigration."

"All I ask of any American, conservative, moderate, independent, or enlightened Democrat, is to judge my record as a whole, and accept that I am not in the habit of making promises to my country that I do not intend to keep. I hope I have proven that in my life even to my critics. Then vote for or against me based on that record, my qualifications for the office, and the direction where I plainly state I intend to lead our country. If I am so fortunate as to be the Republican nominee for President, I will offer Americans, in what will be a very challenging and spirited contest, a clearly conservative approach to governing. I will make my case to voters, no matter what state they reside in, in the same way. I will not obscure my positions from voters who I fear might not share them. I will stand on my convictions, my conservative convictions, and trust in the good sense of the voters, and in my confidence that conservative principles still appeal to a majority of Americans, Republicans, Independents and Reagan Democrats. This election is going to be about big things, not small things. And I intend to fight as hard as I can to ensure that our principles prevail over theirs."

"I intend to nominate judges who have proven themselves worthy of our trust that they take as their sole responsibility the enforcement of laws made by the people's elected representatives, judges of the character and quality of Justices Roberts and Alito, judges who can be relied upon to respect the values of the people whose rights, laws and property they are sworn to defend."

"I intend to win the war, and trust in the proven judgment of our commanders there and the courage and selflessness of the Americans they have the honor to command. I share the grief over the terrible losses we have suffered in its prosecution. There is no other candidate for this office who appreciates more than I do just how awful war is. But I know that the costs in lives and treasure we would incur should we fail in Iraq will be far greater than the heartbreaking losses we have suffered to date. And I will not allow that to happen. They won't recognize and seriously address the threat posed by an Iran with nuclear ambitions to our ally, Israel, and the region."

"I intend to make unmistakably clear to Iran we will not permit a government that espouses the destruction of the State of Israel as its fondest wish and pledges undying enmity to the United States to possess the weapons to advance their malevolent ambitions."

This is where he really says what he means about Iran . He will take major actions against the Iranians if he is elected.

"Not only that, but from reports I have read elsewhere on the internet, many Veterans think he is too closely aligned with the current President George Bush. He could not use an endorsement by the current sitting president because it would be too much like the same old guard, that is why former President George Bush is backing him now."

Make no mistake, McCain is considered by many people a maverick in a conservative black cloak. He has also voted against the extended Army interrogation standards to the FBI and the CIA. Senator McCain does a lot of talking about the family sacrifices of war. I know about those kind, my father was in the Korean war and away for long periods of time as well. As an American I am no stranger to sacrifice “for the good of the family.” Personally I don't think I want Senator McCain backing up to Iran and howling too loudly, we have already had too many sacrifices in the Iraq war. I have always believed that we should have more help internationally and I really think the time is near when we will need it more. When we go into the voting booth we must be very careful who we vote for.

Smart Women, Controlling Men, Grandmother 2-16-2008

When I was a mere 16 years old, no I will not tell you when that was. I remember if a black man talked to a white woman in the south he could have been threatened with bodily harm, as many were threatened and harmed for just that. In the past few days I have heard comments like, I will never vote for a woman president, I will never vote for a black man for president, will not vote for anyone over age 55 as president either. Well, welcome to reality and the 21st century. All of the above statements are the reality of the United States Presidential race this year.

Throughout my lifetime organizations like the National Organization for Women, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the Human Rights Campaign has achieved high profile status in recognition for the issues of equality that they work on daily. All of their issues are in the news today, in major newspapers, on Blackberrys’ on blogs, and the other parts of the Internet because these issues are on peoples minds. No one ever promised me that life will be fair, but I was brought up to always be fair, and to treat people with respect even other people in my family and in my life. So my expectation is that other people will treat me fairly, as I treat them. The laws of the U.S. are supposed to be fair, our politicians are supposed to treat us fairly as our Constitution states.

Black men got the vote in the U.S. before white women. Women of any color are always at the mercy of men who try to intimidate them. It does not matter if the women are in the home, or the work-place, or walking on the street. Even though the intimidation does not always work, the men still try to get over us by using it against us. Husbands belittle their wives in front of their children and in public, and their little girls as well. Men still don’t want their women to go to work, they will lose control. Maybe not as much as they used to but, it still happens far too often. Men in families rape the girls and boys, it is control.

It is no surprise to me that Hillary Clinton is getting so much backlash in the press. After all even though she lived in the White House before, ego-maniacs do not want her there again because then she will really be in control. This is about control folks, fear of being controlled by someone who you can’t talk back to. Remember how you would never talk back to your grandmother. Do you also remember that she was right 99% of the time? Then your mother would get really upset because she knew grandmother was right all along.

For too many years the boys have been going out behind the woodshed and grandma couldn’t see them, but when they would come in she knew exactly what they had been doing. Well, lets translate this scenario to politics. Yes, I know that is simplistic, but you must admit, very accurate at the same time. Sure they get mad when they get caught and the result when they don't grow up all the way, is called sexism. Politics is not so simple I know that, and I respect the fact that you know that. However, as women we must still fight against it with all the power we have as individuals.

Senator Hillary Clinton is a smart women, she has proven herself to be smarter than we expected her to be, and the good ole boys don’t like it. Like Rush Limbaugh talking about how no one wants to be called a racist, but he goes against Hillary because her own man disrespected her. Even though in reality it does not give other men the right to discredit her, they do it because that is their nature to try to be in control (some men, not all of them, thank goodness). You have to give former President Bill Clinton credit, lately he has stayed out of trouble. He has also been doing his best to support her, no matter what people think, and he is not running for office she is. It is not allright to try to attack Senator Hillary Clinton, or Senator Barack Obama for any reason. Stick with the facts mam, just the facts.

Nokia Joining WWF Climate Savers Program

Regular readers will know that I do not endorse companies of any kind. Having said that Nokia has impressed me a whole lot. This web site is a labor of love for equality and fairness for everyone who does no harm to one another, or the environment. We have not accepted any advertising to date. In late January Nokia phone company joined the WWF Climate Savers program with a pledge to build on its strong environmental record by improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon dioxide emissions across its business. The company is targeting a series of energy savings including halving the stand-by energy used by its mobile phone chargers, using green electricity to power 50 percent of its facilities by 2010 and reducing the overall energy needs of its sites by 6 percent by 2012.

Around two-thirds of the energy consumed by a mobile phone during its use is lost when it is fully charged and unplugged but the charger is left connected to the mains, so called "no-load" mode. Over the last nine years Nokia has reduced the average no-load energy used by its chargers by more than 50 percent and its best-in-class charger needs just one-tenth of the power used by the most common chargers.

Nokia aims to reduce the average no-load power consumption by another 50 per cent by the end of 2010. It will also roll out reminders for consumers to unplug the charger from the electricity outlet once the phone has been fully charged across its product range by the end of 2008.

While we are individually working on figuring out how to save some energy on a personal level that can make a difference when lots of peole do the same things, Nokia has come up witha hitech solution for a product that most of us use on a daily basis, and even severel times a day. What is this hitech solution, unplug the phone charger when you leave the house everyday. So simple, yes?

Nokia currently uses green electricity for 25 percent of the energy needed to run its facilities worldwide. The company plans to increase this to 50 percent in 2010. So tell me now, what is your company doing to reduce its carbon imprint, furthermore what are you doing to reduce your own families footprint?

Lazy American Comments 2-12-2008

Americans need to rethink their reasons for their votes. I mean I have heard “well, I am going to vote for Obama, because he is a breath of fresh air”. Okay that makes as much sense as saying “I’m going to vote for Hillary because she is a woman”. Neither one of those reasons make sense as a real vote for the person who is to be The Representative to the Entire World for the United States of America. The only thing these statements say is that the voters who make them are too lazy to do any homework, research, or what ever you want to call it.

Look what happened the last election, we got a man for a second time who couldn’t put a comprehensive sentence together, who in hindsight may have actually lied about the Iraq situation. So now we are “in -deep run amuck” and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars which we may never recoup in our lifetime. Not to mention the thousands of service men and women, killed and maimed, thousands of innocent people killed, structures damaged beyond repair as well as lives.

Yes, some of the people killed were Taliban, and terrorist cell leaders and their followers. Men who live violent lives and do not want anyone else to be happy because they have nothing good in their lives to be happy about so they spread violence and doom where ever they go. Here in America we put those kind of people in jails for their entire lifetime.

What I am saying is that we get to elect the President of the United States, and that person is going to be the leader of the free-world. Do you really get that? Our President is to be the leader of the free- world because of how rich our nation is, and how much good science, engineering, health research, (just to name a few things) we provide for ourselves and the rest of the world.

Americans get out of your Lazyboys, get off of the couch, go get a newspaper or magazine, and a book about fair election. Go on the internet do your research about how the politicians make their decisions, how do they help causes at home? Talk to people who give a dam about the election even if you do not agree with them. It will make your thinking clearer. Make a decision, but, make it an informed decision.

None of the candidates have an unblemished record, why because they are human. Take the race and the woman words out of your vocabulary. Put in the successes they have actually had, the places and committees they have worked on, the premium contacts they have from around the entire world.

Put in your mind, their life experiences they have had to overcome. Think of family members actions, sickness, people who have or have not supported them. Think about their college experience, who they hung out with, who they support. Most important what work has been accomplished, have they worked for their dreams or did they get other people to do most of the work and take the credit, were these dreams good for the community at large? What is their commitment to the world so far? Remember, you cannot hold them responsible for supporting someone who has lied to them, no matter whether that person is a relative, business partner or other political leader. We all know experience is the best teacher in life because of what you learn along the way, and how not to make the same mistakes twice, even though some of us do it ourselves. I am here to tell you now is the time to stop that.

So lets us now make this the fairest election we have ever had, the most effective and a result of real fact for fact without using lazy comment thinking. So get to work,