Things are much clearer now

Wouldn't you say?
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I'll take the high road, You take the low road

So yeah, McCain is finally getting smart and attempting to climb up the hill with Obama, leaving the muck down below.

It's about fucking time.

When I asked my One Republican Friend his thoughts on the defense of Obama by McCain, he stated the latter was attempting to take the high road. When I stated it was about damned time, 1RF said, "Well Obama's been doing it, too."

I stopped then asked how old we were and aren't we all adults?

Then I added, "McCain and mostly Palin have been getting the crowds riled up for weeks now so it was no surprise their people had gotten a lot of strange ideas in their heads, such as Obama being an Arab. Seriously, he was born in HI! His mom moved them to Illinois where he grew up! So how is he an Arab exactly?"

Some considerable amount of stumbling later, and an interruption from the landlord, the conversation was over.

I think I've officially become obsessed with this years election, maybe even politics in general. But not so much so I wish we'd hurry up and vote Obama into the White House already in order to start getting our shit (as a nation) together.
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Say it ain't so, I will not go, turn the lights off, carry me home

Back to never never land where people don't reject decent bills out of spite. Seriously.

This is the only piece of her speech that implicated the Republican Party. The rest was a call to arms if you will.

It is a number that is staggering, but tells us only the costs of the Bush administration's failed economic policies: policies built on budgetary recklessness, on an anything-goes mentality, with no regulation, no supervision, and no discipline in the system.

And yet this is the reaction: a bill rejected by the house republicans simply because their feelings were hurt. We only get mad at the truth people!

Now is not the time for political posturing. We need to work both sides of the aisle and get a move on before it's too late. But instead, here we are, waiting to exhale. Again.

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Gotta read this

Aaron Sorkin Conjures a Meeting of Obama and Bartlet by Maureen Dowd

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BWAH!!!

My staunch republican of a co-worker thinks Stephen Colbert is a "comedian who's republican so he has a republican slant on things."

I LOVE IT!

Just thinking about her saying it sends me into fits of hysteria due to the intense irony of her declaration.

"...Colbert (playing the blowhard pundit)"

How can I not relish in this very simple display of my co-workers intense lack of intelligence?

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The Assassination of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto

Horrible news.

She was shot in the neck and back by an assassin who then blew himself up. Coward.

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And on to Senator Larry Craig, R-Idaho

I honestly don't care whether he wanted to engage in same-sex intercourse (or oral for that matter) but what I do mind is the Republican Hypocrisy that has repeatedly shown itself these last few years.

I say let him withdraw his guilty plea and run for re-election next year so the Dem's have an even better reason to desolate him and ruin his career forever.

Which of course he has already done to himself because the Repub's are going to leave him stranded on the beach without a cell phone.

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"Celebration"

The 400th Anniversary of Jamestown is coming up and here in Virginia, they've been on a 2 year campaign to promote what the PR team has dubbed a "celebration" and

showcase [of] Virginia's unique role as the birthplace of modern America and the cradle of American democratic traditions, cultures, ideologies and principles - 400 years strong.

Never mind how we almost completely decimated an entire culture that was doing just fine before we got here. And that was just at the beginning. We took land illegally, bought land that wasn't anybodies for the taking and introduced a slew of diseases and bad habits into a self-sustaining culture; diabetes is now the #1 disease among the Native American population.

On the Q & A section of the official Jamestown 2007 website, it tells us why Jamestown is so important, among other things. Whomever answered the question said

Traditions established at Jamestown - including representative government, the rule of law, free enterprise and cultural diversity - form the basis of American culture today.

Including representative government? Look at paintings from Colonial Williamsburg; every man is white and middle to upper class.

The rule of law? They freaked out over the spirituality indigenous peoples freely showed, made laws forbidding Colonials to have anything to do with them and eventually (but not always) slaughtered entire tribes. Those laws also included converting Indians to the Christian way hence the term 'colonials.'

Free enterprise? Huh? I thought only acceptable jobs could be practiced and again, only if you were a white man. Not everyone could do the same thing and if I recall correctly, they struggled for at least the first 5 years to make a village much less allow free enterprise. The people were supposedly fleeing persecution on all sorts of issues but exacted the same punishment once here.

Cultural diversity? Did I miss something in history class because I don't recall this ever being the norm or our past wouldn't be what it is what with mass killings, slavery, Jim Crow laws and all that.Yeah, that's definitely something to celebrate alright.

P.S. A conservative Christian group (scroll to An Alternative Jamestown Celebration) feels the "commemoration" is too mired in political correctness and is holding an alternative celebration "of the 400th anniversary of Jamestown because the official proceedings are mired in political correctness and ignore the hand of God in bringing Christianity into the New World." Seriously. Who'd have thought it would be politically correct to acknowledge our assholish behavior and basic assumption the "pagan Indians" needed to be saved 400 years ago, eh?

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The Double Standard Strikes Again

Sure this was decided late last month and there have been numerous lawsuits regarding the mandatory coverage of contraceptive devices by health insurance companies, it's still baffling how the powers that be come up with asinine excuses as to how and why it's not discriminatory to cover Viagra and Rogaine for men, but deny coverage of birth control for women stating

According to the two judges, the employees’ contraceptive use was not a condition "related to" pregnancy because the use of contraceptives "is only indicated prior to pregnancy" and "prevents pregnancy from even occurring."

Yet the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) of Title IX states

The PDA provides that women may not be treated differently than men simply because of pregnancy or medical conditions "related to" pregnancy.

So how is the ability to get pregnant not directly related to the issue of pregnancy?

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Our Prejudices, Ourselves

Harvey Fierstein wrote a scathing op-ed today with the same title for the NYTs and he calls each and every one of us out on our tolerance/acceptance for some hate speech but not others. Why is it okay for someone to use "f*****" as a put down yet "nappy-headed" is considered racist? The former is used on elementary school playgrounds while the latter is used within the African American/Black community to belittle each other. Aren't both derogatory terms that should not be repeated? How about the word "retarded" and how it denigrates those with a real developmental disability? Listen to a group of high school girls and you'll hear the word used 10 times in as many minutes. Again, refusing to use words such as these and not allowing those around to employ sting while in your presence is one way to help eradicate such language from society.

Here's the very last paragraph:

The real point is that you cannot harbor malice toward others and then cry foul when someone displays intolerance against you. Prejudice tolerated is intolerance encouraged. Rise up in righteousness when you witness the words and deeds of hate, but only if you are willing to rise up against them all, including your own. Otherwise suffer the slings and arrows of disrespect silently.

Something I still don't understand (and I'm not sure I want to), is why someone who is oppressed would want to inflict said oppression on someone else, an example being African Americans/Blacks being intolerant of homosexuals. You would think, through their ordeal of slavery, a Civil War and Jim Crow laws, they would be empathetic of an individuals rights to personal freedom because they had to fight so hard for their own. With the 400th Anniversary of Jamestown coming up, the Native Americans are another example.

But that doesn’t always seem to be the case.

And you know what they say: if you and your friends use the word(s) to describes yourselves, then you are unintentionally giving others the right to use them against you, too.

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Libby found guilty!

Yes! This may very well mean one tier of the Bush Administration has cracked, causing a weakness that will make it easier to hold them accountable for all the bullshit they have brought upon us the last 7 years.

This is very good news indeed.

Now if someone could just tackle Wal-Mart once and for all....

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Flip Flop

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Something I agree with

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Shrub and the Shrubites speak again

Is it me or is this the same 'ol shit rewashed? so I got through most of it but stopped taking notes after the No Child Left Behind lies.

"...the courage to fight it together"? He was talking about the hardships we will be facing in 2007.

"Our citizens don't care what side of the aisle we sit on, just as long as we are willing to cross that aisle when there is work to be done."

Yeah, remember that next time you appoint men like Scooter Libby or Eric Keroack to your throne.

My biggest peeves were the discussion on our current economy and the ever favorite No Child Left Behind Act. After that, I just chatted it up with Charlie, bouncing the highlights off him. He doesn't watch because it gets his blood pressure up and causes the tv's life to be in grave danger.

"This economy is on the move and the only way to keep it that way is not with more government, but with more enterprise."

So says the King who let Haliburton "win" the bid to rebuild Iraq, then turned the other cheek when they were caught stealing from the mouth that fed them.

"We need to balance the federal budget and can do so without raising taxes, though we need a spending discpline in Washington."

Then he said something about no higher taxes, blah blah blah.

I would like to know how we will accomplish not only balancing our federal budget, but paying back the trillions of dollars owed if we never raise taxes? I would also like to know how giving tax cuts to the 1% who don't need it will help the economy, not to mention the nation's poorest individuals/families who struggle everyday to make ends meet?

Oh but he didn't stop there. Of course not, his writers and PR's won't let him.

He mentioned something about "taking on entitlements" such as Social Security, Disability, Medicare/Medicaid, saying "we're not doing a good job"; a) I wasn't aware such things were in the "entitlement" category, b) damn straight we aren't doing a good enough job if millions are still on welfare with millions more waiting their turn and c) what about them there tax cuts for the supremely rich even though they are such a small minority in these United States? Don't those count as "entitlements"?

On to the No Child Left Behind Act where if the school is failing, parents will have the opportunity to send their kids to schools that aren't.

Has he ever thought about trying to fix the schools that are failing by giving them more money, helping to better their staff and, here's a thought, addressing why the schools are failing? It's not because they aren't trying, it's more a matter of not enough people at the top caring and, most importantly, federal funding that gets snatched away when they can't make the grade. (pun intended)

Oh, here's something that made me laugh. It's paraphrased but it's mostly the right point and he said it when discussing the war in Iraq, why we need to stay the path and so on: "Free people do not create violent and harmful ideologies."

Has he forgotten the US has the highest incarceration rate in the entire world despite a drop in crime? And we carry the most guns (enough to arm every citizen 2 or 3 times over)?

And yes America, Bush did ask for a troup increase of 92,000 strong over the next 5 years.

Then he switched to asking for 1.5 billion over 5 years to help fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. Remember though, no mentioning condoms could help prevent the disease spread, mmkay?

He did propose a federal payroll tax that would help give every legal citizen access to private health insurance. Ya think he's been talking to Ahnold?

Psst: Isn't it funny that Nancy Pelosi and Dick Cheney have to sit next to each other? You think they were whispering snide remarks back and forth when the camera wasn't on them?)

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Animal Testing

I would like to know why repub's and the religious right think it is distasteful and murderous to use stem cells to complete research and testing that might help save future lives yet they allow induced aneurysm's in dogs for the sole purpose of testing new medical/surgical procedures.

What the fuck is up with double standards anyway?

Last time I checked, when you step on a dog's paw, tail or body, they yelp in pain. This means they, too, have feelings and suffer.

So really, what exactly is the difference again?

Do note the article states it is uncommon for them to use the procedure for sales pitches, but they do it regularly as a means of research.

I despise animal testing and do my best to buy/use things that have not been tested on the creatures I choose to keep company with. This includes Iams (believe it or not), most any makeup, most any shampoo (Aussie, TreSemme and Paul Mitchell are a few that do not participate) and I still haven't found an organic/non name brand toothpaste I like since most every other choice is from Proctor & Gamble and they seem to love animals only to test on them.

(If you don't believe how evil it can get, then check out these other links.)

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Oh lookey hea Ms. Scahlett,

the irreverent Delegate Marshall is lookin' to set Virginia on the path to illegalize abortion once again.

Abortion illegal upon overturning of Roe v. Wade. Provides that if and when the United States Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) is overturned, allowing the states to by their laws once again regulate abortion, the law in the Commonwealth of Virginia rendering abortion a crime, as it was in effect on June 30, 1970, and prior to the decision in Roe v. Wade, shall be reinstated. The Attorney General shall publish legal notice statewide that, in his opinion, the decision is overturned and that Virginia's law is as it was prior to the decision in Roe v. Wade. The Attorney General shall publish statewide notice of the change in law, along with the reinstated law governing the criminal offense of abortion.

Notice it says "if and when" Roe v. Wade is overturned.

But he hasn't gotten one of his asinine anti-choice bills passed yet. Let's hope this year will be like all the rest.

(Okay, okay, so I did a little searching and I kinda have to agree with this one. I guess this falls under the category of "political irony" since, in this bill, he's asking that a woman be free from duress while trying to make the decision yet, hmmm, didn't he just propose to make it illegal all the way around once Roe v. Wade is overturned? Which would then make this bill null and void since he took away the very sin a boyfriend/husband could push the woman into doing. *sigh* You gotta love the inconsistencies.)

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Heaven's Pearly Gates

This one pretty much speaks for itself.

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The daughter of our fundamentalist Vice President is pregnant

Except she's a lesbian in a long term relationship the current adminstration doesn't want to acknowledge exists. She's not allowed to get married because not even her own dad believes she should be afforded the same rights as him.

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It matters who you're married to I guess

So there has been an American Reserve Soldier taken hostage recently and hey, what better way to get it some attention than to make a headline that reads: "U.S. confirms soldier married an Iraqi."

When you read further, one quickly learns the soldier is an Iraqi-American reservist who works as a translator and secretly married an Iraqi woman 1 year ago.

Why who the kidnapped man is married to makes a difference is beyond me, but I hope the "negotiators" don't let it hinder their job of bargaining for his release since, after all, Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie is still an American citizen. And we the Republic are big on supporting our troops.

What should matter is if his new wife is at least over the age of 18, but the military tends to ignore those kind of issues.

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And the irony continues

See? Doesn't this make you want to run right out and support your neighborhood republican?

"A fence will slow people down by a minute or two, but if you don't have the agents to stop them it does no good. We're not talking about some impenetrable barrier," T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, a union representing Border Patrol agents, said Wednesday.

As the cliche' goes, where there is a will, there is a way. And I seriously doubt the repub's will be winning this, or the next, election.
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