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Where’s Waldo?

  • Posted on September 7, 2010 at 7:38 pm

Where's Obama is much like Where's Waldo?

Obama reminding me of Waldo once again!

Yesterday I heard President Obama speak.  He was in Wisconsin at a labor rally for Labor Day.  The speech reminded me of the “Where’s Waldo” books, that my son used to read as a kid, because I was thinking where has this guy been?  The guy that showed up to speak yesterday wasn’t the person we have seen this past year.  President Obama seems to be back in “campaign mode”.  He hit a lot of “right” notes especially with his 50 billion dollar plan for infrastructure and his “no privatization” of Social Security.

The problem is the “believability factor”.  He waits until just before the election to bring out a plan that he knows won’t be able to get through Congress before the election in November.  Is this the ploy?  You have to vote for “his” guys, so they can get the plan through?  Why didn’t he give this speech months ago when it could have been passed before the election?  This is why politics and political parties are looked at with such disgust and mistrust.  Waiting until the last possible moment before an election to introduce a new “plan” makes some of us wonder if this is just a “Hail Mary” pass to save the Democrats in November, or is he really planning on going through with the plan?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYPuQBSYSUE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBLAg1CU03c

From CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/09/06/obama.economy/?hpt=T1

“Today, I am announcing a new plan for rebuilding and modernizing America’s roads, and rails and runways for the long term,” said Obama, who spoke on Labor Day in Milwaukee, Wisconsin — a state that has extremely competitive gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races. “I want America to have the best infrastructure in the world.”

The 50 billion is the up front money but this plan is to work over a period of the next six years.  It has been my understanding that a lot of the stimulus money hasn’t been apportioned out yet which makes this additional money just look like “more pie in the sky.”

Of course Rep. John Boehner and Representative Eric Cantor have already come out against it.  Eric basically labeled it with the word “stimulus” as though that’s a dirty word and said we couldn’t afford any more of that, which should tell everyone that the Republicans will not really invest in the bulk of this country.  They will invest in tax cuts for the wealthy and the business class but everyone else can continue to wait for it to “trickle down”, you know like in a “cold day from hell” time!  Both of these guys will send a never ending supply of money for the wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq which include money for infrastructure over there, but they won’t do anything about our infrastructure over here.  President Obama has labeled the Republicans as the party of “No” and they have lived up to everything he has said about them.

We, as American voters, must decide what to do and it is not an easy decision as neither party seems to have the where with all to get us out of the economic mess that we are in.  The Democrats are willing to try something.  The Republicans only want to take away.  They will extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and then they will take away benefits like Social Security.  They will develop any program or tax cut that helps the wealthy or the upper echelon of businesses but if you think they will help the rest of us.  Think again!

President Obama has played his “Where’s Waldo” act too many times to be really credible.  He’s been all over the place so it’s hard to figure out where he really is on any given issue.  He say’s he wont “privatize” Social Security but he surrounds himself with people like Alan Simpson.  He said a lot of things during the election and we have had to look all over the place for “Waldo” since he’s been president.  This act does nothing to reassure the American people.  The American people don’t have the energy to search for “Waldo” and carry the water for him any more.  If the Democrats want to win in November they had better get “Waldo” back on track and “visible” and I don’t mean in another “vacation” moment.  We’re tired of seeing “Waldo” and his family on vacation as he appears to be a carbon copy of our last “vacationing” president.  Waldo has to give us more than a speech, more than just words.  We must have real action so we don’t have to keep searching for Waldo as actions speak louder than words.  A picture is worth a thousand words.  Unfortunately, President Obama’s current picture is too close to “Waldo” hiding in a crowd of nothingness.

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Dating Politics 101

  • Posted on September 4, 2010 at 11:20 am

The Republican and Democratic Parties remind me of dating.  You’ve been dating a couple guys for awhile now but it’s time to get serious.  One guy seems nice enough.  He takes you to all the right places.  He wines and dines you and you feel special but alas, when the credit card bill comes, you realize you’ve been footing the bill.  The other guy takes you to fun places too, but you’re a little worried that he’s spending over his limit.  It seems almost too good to be true.  There’s something a little off about both of these guys but you can’t quite put your finger on it.

Meanwhile, you’re busy trying to keep these two guys separated because if one finds out about the other, the jig is up.  Any way you look at it, this is a dishonest relationship.  If you sneak around and go dancing with the Republican Party, you are going to pay in the morning.  He isn’t apt to forgive you for fooling around with a “Democrat”, so you better get used to the dirty looks and “God fearing” lecture you’re going to get.  And trust me; you will get a lecture, just like your dad gave you when you backed that car up into the mailbox.  You are going to hear every tirade in the book about “responsibility”.   We all know what “superficial responsibility” is.  It’s that responsibility “word” Republicans always use when they talk about “personal responsibility”.  It seems like a Republican always has that mantra of “When in Rome do as the Romans do, just don’t get caught.”  Personal responsibility means you talk about living with a moral compass and God being your guide but secretly you could be dating your next wife while your current poor wife is in the hospital with cancer. JUST DON’T GET CAUGHT!  Now, if he does get caught, he will need to have his “come to Jesus” moment and beg for forgiveness.  After all the American people are pretty stupid but they do like to forgive those that come crawling back for their vote.  If you date the Republican long enough you might start thinking like he does.  When you catch yourself berating the poor bloke that can’t find a job by telling him to “pick himself up by the bootstraps”, you will know that some of those Republican ways are rubbing off on you.

In the end, after all of the dating, you will get the bill.  It will be in your tax statement filed under “personal responsibility” after the November election.  While you’re busy figuring out what went wrong with the relationship, he’ll be off making sure to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.  He’ll soon forget you as in reality he was really into Bush in the first place.  That’s his first love.  Then he’ll go to work on social security and of course try to privatize it as he never saw a government program that couldn’t use a little privatization.

Dating the Democrat hasn’t been any easier on you.  You thought you knew what you were getting.  You thought you could count on that guy.  He seemed so clean cut and all American.  What’s not to love?  However, you’ve been living a nightmare trying to figure out who this guy is.  On one hand he seems to be really into you, but sometimes you catch him giving a glancing eye at that Republican girl friend of yours.  It could be your imagination but you’re kind of wondering if something is up between the two of them.  You aren’t used to guys that don’t give you their undivided attention on a date.  He acts like he’s really into you until that Republican friend of yours walks in and sits down.  Boy does he show her a lot of attention.  You can’t quite figure out if he secretly is a Republican or he just admires them”?  What could it be?

You are so confused by all of this but a decision has to be made by November.  Do you dance with the guy that brought you to the party or do you take off with the new guy.  You really wish you had another choice but alas you know that third guy just couldn’t swing the vote.  So you sit down and go through your priorities.  If you vote for the Republican, you know you’re going to get screwed because he has to pay for extending the Bush tax cuts some way and if you vote for the Democrat well, at least, hopefully, he won’t extend those tax cuts.  Now, he still could extend the tax cuts because he still keeps eyeing your Republican girlfriend.  However, you are hopeful that he’ll leave your social security alone.  This decision is so bad.  With the Republican, you know what you are going to get and with the Democrat, you’re not exactly sure what you’re going to get.  However, you know that he won’t be quite as bad as the Republican.  So vote for and dance with the Democrat and hope he stops eyeing your Republican girl friend!

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The Holy War of Oil

  • Posted on August 28, 2010 at 1:05 pm

My brother told me we are in a “Holy War”.  He was quite serious and took great offense to my position about the Muslim Mosque/cultural center controversy in New York City.  Personally I never thought any war could really be considered “holy”.  You know, “My God is better than your God!” stuff.  For me it’s always come down to the God of “OIL”, who has it and who wants it.  It really could be any mineral or something of value that everyone wants for that matter but in the Middle East is a vast amount of oil.

During the first gulf war Saddam Hussein went into Kuwait and it was also about oil.  Saddam claimed Kuwait was drilling at an angle into Iraq for oil.  Saddam decided to put a stop to that and we decided to stop Saddam.

I was surprised to discover this piece online:

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/us-military-weapons-inscribed-secret-jesus-bible-codes/story?id=9575794

A supplier for military rifle sights puts biblical coding on the guns sights.  Here is one of the citations:

One of the citations on the gun sights, 2COR4:6, is an apparent reference to Second Corinthians 4:6 of the New Testament, which reads: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

This is also from the article:

U.S. military rules specifically prohibit the proselytizing of any religion in Iraq or Afghanistan and were drawn up in order to prevent criticism that the U.S. was embarked on a religious “Crusade” in its war against al Qaeda and Iraqi insurgents.

To me it is such an oxymoron to consider war to be part of any religious beliefs as most religions teach us to “love one another”.  However, we know that through out history religion has started many wars!  So I ask myself, “Is my brother right?”  Are we secretly involved in a “Holy War” for the religious right?  As a people we believe in the freedom of religion.  You can even be an “Atheist” if you choose.  You don’t have to be Christian; and you don’t have to be Christian to fight for the military as well.  So why must so many people think we are fighting a “Holy War” and how did this get started?

This weekend there is a Glenn Beck rally in Washington D.C. on the Mall.  It’s called the “Restoring Honor Rally” and I am watching it on C-Span as I finish this piece on “Holy War”.  The rally is huge, filled with a number of people that appear to be pretty white and by the make up of the speakers, “Christians”. Sarah Palin was asked to speak as a mother of a soldier, not a politician.  She introduced three war heroes, two from the recent wars and one from Vietnam.

Glenn Beck spoke and kept referring back to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  I found this rather appalling.  Glenn’s rally seemed to me to be more about a “Holy War” and pushing “Christianity” on the world than anything Dr. King ever spoke about.  However, he appeared to have the backing of all the usage of the “King” words and philosophy as Kings’ Niece, Alveda King, was a part of the rally.  She is an anti- abortion activist that had two abortions in her youth that she now regrets.  She acts as a voice for the “Silent No More Awareness Campaign.” Glenn Beck stealing the words of Martin Luther King Jr. is frightening to me.  Just this last week Glenn made a very anti-Catholic statement about social justice.  I talk on here about being raised Catholic with the ideals of social justice often.  Glenn Beck wants people to leave any church that speaks about social or economic justice, saying they were code words for Communism and Nazism.

For me Glenn Beck follows a narrow form of Christianity that probably does indeed believe we are in a “Holy War”.

Glenn talked about the origination of the “Purple Heart” and decided to take a cue from it and give out three special medals based on faith, hope and charity.  “Faith” went to a black minister who talked about sitting next to Martin Luther King Jr.  Unfortunately, I don’t remember his name.  “Hope” went to Albert Pujos who came from the Dominican Republic, scored a 100% on his citizenship test and has a foundation organized for “Down’s syndrome” and finally “Charity” went to John Huntman, Sr. from Salt Lake City, Utah.  He is a rich philanthropist that wrote “Winners Never Cheat: Everyday Values We Learned as Children (But May Have Forgotten)” in 2005.  He is worth about 2 billion and is dedicated to giving away the majority of it.  He was not there to receive the award as he was at the marriage of his granddaughter.

They began this  rally talking about the Mayflower and Native Americans, Indians and it was all about basically saying that America was founded on religion, Christianity.  I feel the underlying implication of this entire rally is that President Obama and maybe the Democrats have some how taken away our “Honor”.  They don’t mention his name but you know it’s there.  .  The rally is about heroes and God, fighting wars and religion.  I dare say it might be about a “Holy War” after all.

After watching this rally I know my brother isn’t alone with his thinking.  For me it’s such a waste of human life and resources in these never ending wars that we seem to be involved in.  Who would have thought that students that I taught in middle school classes many years ago are now preparing to go off to fight these same stupid wars?  We seem to be embattled in endless war.

While our cities, economy, and way of life are being destroyed at home, we continue to battle on in these two wars overseas.  Bush said, “We fight them overseas so we don’t have to fight them here.”  Yes, I know we have had a draw down of sorts recently in Iraq but many more soldiers have just been shifted over to Afghanistan.  At this time it appears that many oil companies are hopeful for their profits in the years to come in Iraq.  Imagine that!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704125604575449001388136336.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Isn’t it comforting to know that this is the end result of our efforts in Iraq?

I cannot think of a good reason for constant war let alone a “Holy War”.  My favorite song in my youth was the Universal Soldier by Buffy Ste. Marie.  It may have been written in my youth but it is as important of a statement today as it was then.  I used to sing this song all the time.  Here Buffy tells how she wrote the song and then sings it.  Listen to it and you will know that we are the product of war and we continue to be the pawn of war.  It doesn’t matter what religion you are as you know you aren’t supposed to kill, but you will kill.  You will kill for whatever your government tells you is worth killing for!  And if you think this will put an end to war, think again!

Finally here is “Holy War” by Thin Lizzy.

Below are the words to Holy War:

If you will adore me
Bow before me and praise my name
If you place no God before me
Then all I have is yours to claim

And if God is in the heavens
Why did God let children die
If you don’t ask these questions
There is no reasons why

We are chosen
We are one
We are frightened of no one
And no one will win this war
This is the way
This is the law

All the visions shown before you
All the kingdoms and the thrones
All are yours if you bow before me and adore me
All this you can own

There are those that will go to heaven
There are those that will never win
No one knows what will happen
There are those that turn to sin

We are chosen
We are one
We are frightened of no one
And no one will win this war
This is the way
This is the law

(solo)

We are chosen
We are one
We are frightened of no one
And no one will win this war
This is the way
This is the law

We are chosen

The devil is in hell with the demons
This is the holy war

They lead us to our temptation
Lead us, take our souls
There is no evil in salvation
There is evil in us all

Just as Satan tempted Jesus
And Jesus slips and falls
He is a station on the cross now
He is dying to save us all

We are chosen
We are one
We are frightened of no one
And no one will win this war
This is the way
This is the law

We are chosen
We are one
We are frightened of no one
And no one will win this war
This is the way
This is the law

We are chosen
We are one
We are frightened of no one
And no one will win this war
This is the way
This is the law

We are chosen
We are one
We are frightened of no one
And no one will win this war
This is the way
This is the law

If God is in heaven, won’t you save me now
Oh lord forgive them for what they’ve done
Lost children of Babylon
Oh Allah oh no oh no (? )

This is the holy war

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Worker’s Hell

  • Posted on August 26, 2010 at 11:46 am

A handout picture provided by Chilean President Sebastian Pinera showing a handwritten note with the message "All 33 of us are fine in the shelter", written by the miners trapped deep underground for 17 days, in Copiapo, Chile, 22 August 2010. EPA/JOSÉ MANUEL DE LA MAZA/CHILEAN PRESIDENCY/HO

A Mining Family

Okay, if you have been here before you now understand the title of my blog, “What’s on Katie’s Mind?”  My brain is always going.  I’m always thinking about things that relate to politics, art and education and of course I have my own unique perspective.  If I’m out shopping I might see some obscure thing that may give me an idea for an art project for my students.  My brain tends to hop around a lot in thought from one thing to the other.  Maybe this is the way everyone processes information.  I don’t really know.  I just know that since my son, Josh, gave me this blog, I have found it really rewarding to write about some of the many ideas and thoughts that come to me on a daily basis.  Much thanks to my wonderful son, Josh.  Today I’m thinking about several things again, as always.  It’s hard to pick just one topic to write about.  These are the thoughts I’m having:

Worker’s Hell:

The risk is always at the bottom and the payoff is always at the top.

Education:

Is there a correlation with the drop in worker pay with the falling education scores?

19th Amendment:

Even though we celebrate ninety years, there are still inequities in pay and that ever illusive ERA has never been ratified.

Just heard on TV:

British spy murdered…Mystery…found in sports bag…..may have taken important work home.   Computer stolen…sex games…porn…quiet person….cyclist….  This might be interesting to find out more about the spying, that is!

I’d like to focus a little bit on that “Worker’s Hell”.

We have all heard about the Chilean miners.  I know everyone is praying for their safe return to their families.  We are being told that this reunion could take months so obviously these poor guys are in serious “Worker’s Hell”.  It is disturbing how many major catastrophes there have been for workers in mines and oil rigs this past year or so.  Maybe there are more or maybe we are hearing more about it.  One thing stands out for me and that is all of the mortal risk for these corporations that run these businesses is at the bottom of the pay grade.  It is the worker bees that suffer the personal losses of life, limbs and economic hardship.  The CEO at the top collects the pay off.  It would be extremely rare to hear about a CEO dying on the job unless he/she had a heart attack or die in a plane or automobile crash.  They just don’t die doing hard labor.

What seems to be over looked in this whole mine disaster is the safety of the mine to begin with.  We are so busy just worrying about the miners that not much noteworthy effort from news sources has been placed on this issue.  There was an accident in 2007 at this mine that killed two peoples.  There should have been much effort at that time to make this mine safer.   http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2010/0824/Chile-mine-collapse-sounds-alarm-on-safety-standards

This is the most important excerpt from this article:

“Chile has a free-market economy where the first principle is to maximize profit without any other consideration. We need to take other things into consideration, including worker security,” Augustin Latorre, spokesman for the Mining Federation, an association of 22 unions at private mines, said in a telephone interview. “The state should offer, in particular in mines, the necessary security measures and inspections. We aren’t demanding that mines be closed, but that they be secure.”

This sounds so familiar.  We could talk about the BP oil spill or the recent coal mine disasters but the truth is corners have always been cut to maximize profits.

I don’t want to speculate about these miners and the real hardships they are facing over the next several months with their confinement.  Mika, on Morning Joe, actually laughed this morning in reference to the fact that these guys are being told to “stay slim”.  If you don’t know Mika Brezinski, she is the spoiled, entitled brat of Zbigniew Brezinski who has been on a “fat kick” for years.  She likes to tell people to go on diets.  I couldn’t believe anyone could be so cold to find humor in any of this.  However, she will never be a “worker bee” that faces eminent peril.  She is too far up the food chain!  It is a nightmare beyond imagination to wonder how the scientists are going to pull these guys up through some endless tunnel to safety.  I cannot even imagine the terror of going up a short length of a dark hole let alone one that is 2300 feet underground.  I cannot and do not want to think about being entombed in a dark hole underground anxiously wondering about my rescue.  My heart goes out to all these people and their families.

My heart always goes out to the “worker bees”.  These are the people that move a country.  They put food on the table.  They mine the minerals that we use in everything from energy production to computers and jewelry.  These are the workers that use manufacturing equipment that can literally crush them.  These are the workers that can have limbs removed because someone cut a corner and either bought old, unsafe equipment or didn’t teach them safety standards.

No one should laugh at any worker bee as they take all the risk and receive the least amount of benefit.  The CEO, the president, the person at the top gets the pay off.  They expend the least amount of risk and receive the greatest benefits.

It’s time that we reward those worker bees.  The people that are at the bottom of this proverbial food chain that have jobs that are not safe should be protected and rewarded with greater pay for the obvious risks they take to put food on the table for their families.  Often times these people know no other way.  Dad worked in the mine.  Grandpa worked in the mine and there is no other choice for them.  So, they work in a mine.  Many probably would prefer other work.  I know you’re thinking someone has to do this work.  That may be true but the jobs can be made safer and more lucrative for the workers.  It shouldn’t be just about maximizing profits.  There has to be some financial reward for workers that work in very unsafe jobs.

We may have to pay a bit more for the products or the CEO and the administrators and owners of the company may have to receive a little less “bonus” money but it needs to be done.  This isn’t a radical thought even though I know someone will say and think I’m a socialist.  I may be.  I don’t know.  That’s just a label.  I believe in social justice as I was taught with my Catholic upbringing.  It’s time that the worker bees banded together and demanded social justice for all.

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The Real John Boehner

  • Posted on August 25, 2010 at 3:47 pm

So my brother was offended by a piece I wrote a few days ago and he said I should look up the word “diatribe”.  To humor him I did and decided I would write a real “diatribe”.  (As a noun:  A forceful bitter verbal attack against someone or something.)  Well, hello Representative John Boehner!  Welcome to my version of a diatribe about you!  If you don’t know who John Boehner is he is a representative from the 8th district in Ohio and he is the current House Minority Leader.  If the Republicans have their way in November he is expected to become Speaker of the House.

Now to the juicy stuff!  This is something “snarky” (Oh there’s that word again.) that Lynn Samuels said about him on Sirius left radio the other day.  I thought it was hilarious.  She was talking about Area 51 and Roswell.  Someone phoned into her show and they were saying how some people think there are aliens living among us.  She referred to Rep. John Boehner and his eerily non human form and skin color.  For all of you that haven’t noticed he has the strangest tan around, sometimes he appears quite orange on the talk show circuit.  He’s the current threat to the Democrats.  You know he’s a threat when the next talk show I’m listening to is “Big Eddy” and he’s talking about John as well.  “Big Eddy” is my loving term for Ed Schultz.  Big Eddy played a commercial on his program against Boehner that was pretty funny.  Big Eddy said he was thinking of playing it every day.  This was on the radio so I thought I’d find that commercial on You Tube to see what it was like.

The commercial is put up on You Tube by the Blue America Pac.  It is “priceless”!  When I was listening to Big Eddy he went on to talk about golfing and Boehner’s huge amount of time devoted to it.  Big Eddy loves golf himself so I know much of what he was saying is probably true.  He said for a guy to play golf a hundred or so times a year means he must be thinking about it all the time.  He’s talking about it with his friends and frankly he isn’t doing the work of the American people.  I frankly can’t see how Boehner’s constituents continue to vote for him.  Here is another commercial by the National Sierra Club.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QStk3fahKdU

If you look at his votes for 2010 you can see why many people have labeled the Republican Party the party of “No” as most his votes are “NO”.  However, I did notice that he voted “Yes” for a “Congressional Cost of Living Pay Increase” in April of this year.  I wish I could vote myself a cost of living pay increase.  Don’t you?  By the way, the Ohio unemployed might like to know that he voted against extending unemployment benefits in the same year he voted to increase his own pay.  In the same month he voted for his pay raise he had a “NV” which means not voting for extending unemployment benefits.  He made sure he was there to vote for his own pay but either skipped voting or wasn’t even present to vote for his unemployed constituents!  Some of us would call that a “Dick Move”!  Wow, if you look closer, you will notice he used to vote “Yes” a lot until the Democrats came into power.  So, it is obvious that he is an obstructionist although he does vote for defense spending under the Democrats and Republicans.  There doesn’t seem to be a defense bill he doesn’t like.  Even though we all know there is a lot of waste in defense spending.   Here is Rumsfeld once again looking for that defense money!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rRqeJcuK-A&feature=player_embedded

John also has gone all out in his attempts to raise the Social Security retirement age to 70.  He’s wealthy what does he care?  He can golf a hundred times a year as though he is already “retired”!  While he’s off golfing the work of the American people isn’t getting done!  Raising the retirement age to 70 basically means that you will get less for Social Security because most people aren’t going to be teaching school, policing our towns, or doing any of their jobs until they’re 70.  They will be forced out of their jobs before that and eventually apply for Social Security early and take a big cut.  It’s not hard to see what this is really all about.  John Boehner, like many politicians, doesn’t have to worry about money.  He is a millionaire.  Strangely enough if you look at this chart he is pretty much “average” among house members in income.  That should be telling us something about all of these politicians not just this man.  http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/CIDsummary.php?CID=N00003675&year=2008

I share John’s Catholicism but we are worlds apart in our politics.  John, as a Catholic, could never speak for me but it does explain his abortion issue voting.  It doesn’t necessarily explain his defense record as Catholics are taught social justice and solving things in a manner like Jesus which involves making peace.

Most of his voting record is tied to business, corporations and special interests.  He is continually pushing to extend the tax cuts while calling for cutting the deficit.  His thinking isn’t truly logical as it is a proven fact that the tax cuts for the wealthy haven’t helped our country.  If they had helped, we probably wouldn’t be in the shape we are in right now.  Those tax cuts came in with Bush and are earmarked to go out at the end of this year.  Many might want to ask themselves that age old question.  Are you better off today than you were in 2000?  Some people may be better off.  Many are obviously not as they fight foreclosures on their homes and battle to keep their jobs.  The extension of these tax cuts will probably only lead to a higher deficit unless we cut something else.

Boehner never saw a defense bill he didn’t like, so I expect he would cut any entitlement program he can get his hands on.  This can include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and even things like unemployment benefits.  It can also include things like school lunches, aid to public schools, financial aid to college students but trust me it won’t include tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy.  If John gets to be Speaker of the House while most of us will be balancing our budgets deciding what to do in the coming year, John will be busy dismantling health care reform, extending the Bush tax cuts and cutting programs for the least among us.

Ohio voters from Boehner’s district need to think long and hard about voting for this man that takes care of himself by voting for increased pay to himself as well as golfing more than any man I know.  In Sturgis there are plenty of golfers.  I don’t know anyone that has the time to get out and golf like John unless they are super wealthy or are retired and live on a golf course!

If you consider yourself to be middle class and you want someone to vote for your best interests check out this website.   http://www.themiddleclass.org/legislator/john-boehner-31?gclid=COub1_ud1aMCFUcz5wodQQHXuQ

He has an 8% rating based on his votes from 2009.  Now all of us know that 8% is failing.  If he is failing the middle class, he’s probably failing you and me or at least his constituents in Ohio!  It’s time for people to stop listening to the rhetoric this man puts out on the TV news talk show circuit and really look at the man.  He hasn’t lived up to the hype.  It’s time to give a Democrat a chance to do something for Ohio.

Boehner recently called for the resignation of Obama’s economic team.  I have my own problems with Obama’s team as well.  However, it is disingenuous of Boehner to conclude that the current problem is generated by Obama’s team alone.  It was the Republicans that brought us to the brink of disaster but this disease has infected both parties.  No one has said it better than George Carlin (May he rest in peace.) in this clip from one of his stand up routines.  George has colorful language so if that is offensive to you take more offense to the politicians that are “sticking” it to you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GseyaEibb_4

So, when you are thinking about voting, try voting out the money and start with Representative John Boehner.  If you aren’t convinced how to vote, just check out this post on politico.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29881.html

The politician/golfer is busy spending his PAC money on none other than GOLFING!

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Living Off the Grid

  • Posted on August 23, 2010 at 4:28 pm

I cannot imagine being the last of your kind.  I came across this article today about a Brazilian man that is the last of his native tribe. His tribe has remained “un-contacted” by civilization.  People were first made aware of him about fifteen years ago.  Indians are “protected” so the government has set up a 31 square mile protective zone around this man.  There have been attempts to make peaceful contact with him that have lead to an arrow in the chest, so he is left alone.  His village was probably destroyed by land hungry settlers in 1996.

Today it’s hard to imagine this man’s life.  While the rest of us are tied to our jobs, homes and lifestyles this man is only tied to survival.  He doesn’t have anyone or any real possessions.  His contact with other humans has been negative for a variety of potential reasons.  We don’t really know what happened to his people.  Were they destroyed by the loggers that came in to clear the forest?  There is an issue of trust.

Today we all know kids that have no idea how to entertain themselves if they don’t have an Ipod, video game or TV.  Can you imagine just having nature in your life?  The only man made device you have might be your bow and arrows or other weapons or tools.  It’s hard for most of us to even imagine this is possible but some places in this world must still be fairly remote to access.

In the United States of America we have what has always been called a “melting pot” of cultures.  We have people that have chosen to move here from all over the world.  With them they bring their cultures but alas many of these cultures are lost when people try to become “Americanized”.  I know in my own family much of our Czechoslovakian culture has been lost except for some food recipes.  When my mother was young it was frowned upon to teach the old native language as people wanted and were expected to learn English.  When people spoke in a ‘foreign” language it was to their detriment.  We all know that certain groups of people were highly abused when they came to this country.  It wasn’t just Africans put into slavery that have been abused but also Catholics, Polish, Irish, so many ethnic groups, too many to really mention.  The point of what I am trying to get to is that as we assimilate into this “American” culture much of our past is lost.  Obviously, the most abused in our culture were the natives.  These people and much of their culture was destroyed by the continual movement to the west and the land grab that came with it.

With this man in Brazil who defies all attempts to be contacted and as far as we know “studied”, it is amazing that he endures just as people endured probably for centuries.  As cell towers and electric grids are built around him he defies all logic and remains in his ancestral past clinging to only what he has always known, nature and his own way of life.

I have commented here on my living alone and not feeling lonely but I have the ability to seek out people when I want to be around people.  I wonder how someone goes through days and nights without another living person around them.  Does this man have a pet?  My life revolves around my pets.  I wonder how he entertains himself.  Has he made up games?  Years ago I used to watch “Survivor” and always thought it was interesting but it was so much like playing house in terms of real survival.  As the years went on with that show the promoters realized they had to provide more food.  The early survivors came back pretty skinny.  This guy is a real survivor but not just physically but in spirit.  They say there are signs that he may believe in some kind of spiritual life.  Maybe that keeps him going.  Maybe he expects to meet his family again.

We all remember the saying “No man is an island.”  We have always been taught that we need each other and that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves.

This is a quotation from John Donne (1572-1631). It appears in Devotions upon emergent occasions and seuerall steps in my sicknes – Meditation XVII, 1624:

“All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated…As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come: so this bell calls us all: but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness….No man is an island, entire of itself…any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”

I feel that this man in Brazil is living like an island but in many ways he is a part of each of our own lost ancestor’s lives.  This man who lives only for his own survival is not unlike the rest of us.  He is “us” in our most primal form.  His goal is survival.  Ours in many ways are the same.  He is a part of our past as much as we have lost our own lost cultures.  If he were ever captured he would just be an anthropological case study.  His life probably scares all of us that can’t imagine what we are going to do if we lose our jobs, our homes or some other thing that we need let alone our lifestyle.  How would we survive those losses?  It is obvious that the strong will survive.  They always have.  That bell will toll for him some day but it will be for all of us as no man is really an island.

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Have You Taken Your Hate Pill Today?

  • Posted on August 21, 2010 at 9:08 pm

You have a choice to make: Hate and fear or more of the same. This is not an easy choice.

I’ll be the first one to tell you I have no love for the Democrats because they stole my primary vote on May 31st, 2008.  However, as much as I dislike the Democrats the Republicans are infinitely worse!  If you are thinking of voting those Republicans back in power really give some thought to what it would mean to the health of this country.  They are political obstructionist that won’t pass any legislation that might get this country moving again.  They deserve to be booted out of office, period!  If you are thinking about voting for a Republican just watch this video from the 2008 election.  It’s pretty snarky but pretty true.  Think about poor BP when you watch this as some Republicans felt so sorry for them.

When Ronald Reagan was President my mother used to say, “Have you taken your hate pill today?”  The Republicans were always good at breeding hatred.  They like stirring that proverbial pot of hatred and fear.  With the up coming November election I find it very interesting that we are discussing everything except what needs to be discussed, the economy.  This past week is a fine example of the smoke and mirror politics that continues to prevail in our country.  While most people are more concerned about the health of the economy, we are busy hearing talk about September 11th and whether a Muslim cultural center should be built a couple blocks from the World Trade Center site, whether President Obama is a Muslim and whether we should repeal the 14th amendment.  I, for one, am tired of the same old scare tactics that Republicans have always used to get people in line to vote for them in the next election.

The truth is both parties have problems but Republicans brought us to the brink of disaster and it is not time to reward them for that behavior.  It was Republican policies that lead us to this disastrous economy.  We have been told for years by Republicans that old tired theory of the “trickle down” economy.  We, as a country, have been rewarding the wealthy with tax breaks and special deals in the hope that one day all of it would trickle down to the little guy.  That hasn’t happened and it never will.  Republicans are good at changing the subject during an election cycle.  Currently, we should be talking about ways to move the economy and what are we doing?  Once again we are spreading hate and fear with the help of Republicans.  It’s popular now to hate Muslims.  After all they have that crazy religion and the women all look like nuns so it’s easy to pick on them.  We also hate those cute little brown babies the illegal Mexicans give birth to just so they can stay in this country.  You know the “anchor babies”.  I wonder how long those Repubs set around thinking that one up. President Obama must be a Muslim after all his skin is dark, his father was a Muslim and his name is so different.  What if the President really were a Muslim?  What happened to freedom of religion?  Many people could care less about religion but when it comes to politics it becomes an issue.

The Republicans breed hatred and fear.  They have hated gays for years and have done everything they could to obstruct gay rights issues during the political campaign seasons.  There are many gays that are practicing Republicans such as the “Log Cabin Republicans” but in my book they are all hypocrites that help to breed hatred and fear.  The abortion issue has been settled law since 1973.  It’s about a woman’s “choice” and yet this issue has been continually used by the Republicans to get votes.  They aren’t interested in really repealing the issue as it is settled law but they are interested in getting people riled up so they go out and vote Republican.

FDR famously said, “The only thing you have to fear is fear itself.”  Republicans want you to fear everything so you will vote for them to take care of you.  We are to fear our neighbors because they might be Muslims, illegal aliens, or heaven forbid “terrorists”!  We are supposed to watch each other like psychos on the “Big Brother” show but this big brother is the government of Republicans.  We are also to fear the government as it is bad.  The government doesn’t know how to do anything.  They fail at everything they do including education so naturally you don’t want the government to do anything.  This is the plan of the Republicans.  Fear the government but make sure you keep those tax cuts for the wealthy because if you don’t you will lose your job when they fire you.  Fear that dumb voters!  Hate brown colored people and crazy pro-choice women but most of all hate Democrats because they want to tax you and take your money away.  Republicans breed hatred and fear.  I’m a positive person.  I don’t hate and I refuse to fill my life up with fear.  I know the Democrats aren’t much better than the Republicans but at least they don’t breed hatred and fear.  I can live with that.

I just had to add this today to this post!  I guess I’m not the only one that thinks the Republicans are the party of hate!

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Omar Khadr

  • Posted on August 11, 2010 at 3:30 pm

This is Omar when he was young. He may be 15 here but I am not sure.

This is an artist's skectch from the court case.

I must admit I have a difficult time comprehending the case of Omar Khadr, who is charged with killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.  I doubt there will be much written about the case as it is troubling because of the defendant’s age at the time of the alleged crime.  I am not a fan of Guantanomo Bay.  I think it is wrong to cart people half way around the world, lock them up in pens for years and then try them as enemy combatants.  After President Obama was sworn in he had promised to close Guantanomo Bay.  It hasn’t happened and it probably won’t happen any time soon.  No one seems to know what to do with these people.  They are living in endless hell, far from home without a trial.  Our system of government is based on a right to a speedy trial.  These people do not have these rights nor do they really have any rights.

My problem with the Khadr case is the age of the “enemy combatant” at the time of the crime and the fact that he is actually being charged as an enemy combatant.  He was fifteen and the killing happened in the war in Afghanistan back in July of 2002.  I have a problem with the age of this child at the time of this crime as well as the charges against him based on when he was 10.  I find it rather alarming that a 15 year old was transported across the world to a little island and detained.  I don’t know how we as a country get by with some of this stuff.  I am not saying that the child did not do the crime.  Frankly, I don’t know what he did.

Omar was born in Canada.  His father is Egyptian and his mother is Palestinian.  They moved to Pakistan when Omar was four.  His father was thought to be an associate of Bin Laden by the U.S. government.  His father, Ahmed, moved the family back and forth between Canada and Pakistan.  During the 1995 Egyptian embassy bombing Ahmed was arrested.  The prime minister of Canada at the time was Jean Chrétien who negotiated Ahmed’s release.  After his release he moved his family to Afghanistan.  Omar was picked up after it was suspected that he threw a grenade at soldiers when they were sweeping an area that they thought was an Al Qaeda compound. One soldier died and three other soldiers were injured.  Omar was shot three times.  His father was killed in a battle a year later.

The thing that I and others find most concerning is Omar’s age.  Omar has allegedly been recruited by Al Qaeda at a very young age.  Some people feel he should be classified as a soldier rather than an enemy combatant.  This article is interesting and explains more as this was first brought up in 2007.  http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/04/terrorist_or_ch.html

What I find most troubling is that Omar never had a chance to grow up any other way if indeed he was recruited at such an early age.  This is a good article on the current status of this case.  http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2010/0809/First-Guantanamo-military-tribunal-under-Obama-gears-up

I’m not going to pretend to have any answers here but this seems to me to be wrong to have dragged this kid away from his family and placed half way around the world to spend his young years in a pen at Guantanomo Bay.  I’m not sure I understand either of these “wars” to begin with as neither one is a declared war.  They are both considered military engagements.  It seems to me we want special rules as though we are at war without actually declaring war.

Most people think we are at war because we call it war but we are not in a legally declared war as Congress has not declared war.  They did pass an authorization that allowed President Bush to invade Iraq.  However, they have fallen short to declare either war which I think puts all of these Guantanomo Bay detainees in a strange place.  I’m not a lawyer.  I don’t have a clue about all of the legal mumbo jumbo.  However, I am an educator and I can’t believe that a country based on freedom could think that a child who was obviously influenced and possibly trained from little on to perhaps be a soldier could possibly have had an opportunity to choose any other life for himself!  What choice did Omar have growing up?  Could he have run away when he was four before his father moved from Canada?  When he was ten was he expected to do anything other than what he was told by the adults that took care of him?  If a child grows up knowing only this hate is he responsible for what he may become?  This is a question that should be debated.

Our society here in the United States of America gives all kinds of breaks for the powerful.  Should Laura Bush have gone to jail for the death of her friend when she was a teenager because he died in a car crash she was involved in?  Mel Gibson and Charlie Sheen both seem to have terrible tempers where they allegedly assaulted their mates.  Charlie bought his freedom and Mel may or may not even be charged. The children of the rich and famous continually break the laws and get routine little pats on the hand for their misbehavior.  Yet, when this child, who grew up knowing nothing of what most of us consider to be a “normal” life commits a crime, he is charged as an adult, enemy combatant, and then transported away from his family and friends half way around the world.  I think what we did by that act alone was horrible and could be considered child abuse.  If we do this enough we will probably create even more monsters that hate America.  As I said before I don’t have the answers but I know we must educate people and talk about all of the choices we make as a country.  A normal life may never be an option for Omar but how many other children like Omar are still out there?  We must make a decision about Guantanomo Bay and we must live up to our own ideals as a country!

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A Puppy Called “Congress”

  • Posted on August 8, 2010 at 2:18 pm

Brodie and Snow Bella, A Peaceful Moment

This morning I decided to give my ten month old Australian Shepherd, Brodie, a shower.  Giving Brodie a shower is not an easy task as he just hates it.  I tricked him and picked him up and put him in the bathroom and quickly shut the door.  I felt victorious at this accomplishment.  I know he felt tricked but I had won!  After I was done and dried him off with a couple of towels I let Brodie loose and he went hog wild running around the house.  I took a shower myself and went back out to see Brodie only to find him contently licking his paws and happy as can be.  Now you’re probably wondering what the point of all of this is but I am getting to it.  When I thought about Brodie another thought came to my mind.  I thought Congress is just like Brodie, my puppy!

Now you’re probably wondering what on earth I could be referring to so I’ll get right to it.  When you have a new puppy, it is all cute and wonderful.  There’s nothing that puppy could do that is going to really irritate you because you know it’s a puppy and it’s oh so cute.  A new congress is pretty much like a new puppy.  I remember when we were all very hopeful about the new congress that came in with President Obama.  Many of us decided to give them some leeway as we knew they had to figure things out and get used to the job.

There are other ways that congress is like a new puppy as well.  Puppies are pretty destructive.  They go on search and destroy missions where they might eat your shoes, bras, remote controls, you know, anything plastic.  Congress goes on these same missions trying to decide how they can tinker with some of our favorite government programs like public education, Social Security, and Medicare.  You name it, they’ll find a way to chew it up and make it worse.

Puppies are pretty unmanageable just like congress.  When Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid try to assert themselves and take control, they usually find out how hard it is to tame that little beast especially when he might have just peed on your leg.  Sometimes you love the congressman’s unruly moments like Representative Alan Grayson when he pissed on the Republican’s collective leg.

It’s okay as long as it’s their leg and not mine.  He was such a stubborn little puppy when some Republicans asked him to apologize for his outburst the previous day.  Here is his response to that, ever the cute little frisky puppy! 

Senator Reid couldn’t even get the senate to work on an energy bill.  He can’t get those unruly puppies to pass even a weak energy bill.  http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2010/08/07/even_facing_an_emergency_the_gop_fizzles_on_energy/

They just won’t listen to him much, like your puppy when he is distracted by something outside and you’re calling him back!

Congress also seems to have to be nurtured just like a puppy.  They need lots of perks from lobbyist to keep them contented.  They need lots of money and pats on the back from their constituents to keep them in office.  They also seem to like to run in packs and play with the “big dogs”.  You know those people that hold so much power and wealth.  Those puppies love to be entertained so they hang out with Hollywood hounds as well.  They really need a special amount of care much more than you and I do as they are quite temperamental just like a puppy.  While middle class household pay has stayed stagnant, congressional pay just gets better and better.  http://www.thecapitol.net/FAQ/payandperqs.htm

If you read through the link closely you will discover the untold perks available though staffing and pension as well.  This puppy is getting the royal treatment.

Sometimes when you are expecting your puppy to be up to something because it’s too quiet in the house, you only discover that your puppy is dog tired and sleeping.  Congress has those days too when you think they are up to something and they end up doing much of nothing.  I felt like this during the whole health care debate.  It seemed like a lot of fuss and much ado over nothing.  They’re bark was much bigger than their bite on that one.  Many of us out here that are more progressive were expecting so much more from this puppy than what we got!

This puppy called “Congress” never met a defense bill they didn’t like.  Just like my puppy dog they are always willing to go to battle for some stupid idea they sink their teeth into.  My puppy dog battles with the cat, which is hilarious, because she is smarter and quicker than him in many ways.  Snow Bella, my cat, actually loves Brodie.  They’re crazy about each other just like the special relationship the Department of Defense has with Congress.  Much like Snow Bella, the D.O.D. always gets their way and Congress ever the stupid puppy pays for it!  The one left out of this puppy and cat game is the American people.  Congress gives us those puppy dog eyes and we fall for it every time.

I know it’s tough to say, “No!” to a puppy as I have had to do it many times and it’s not an easy task with my puppy dog, Brodie.  He looks so cute and innocent most of the time!  Congress can look that way too.  However, it’s time we tamed this puppy called “Congress” before they get so out of control that they destroy some of our favorite things.   This puppy called “Congress” is going to be a two year old pretty soon, so it’s time for them to grow up.  They may have a rude awakening come November when some of us decide to turn this puppy back into the pound and try out a new puppy.  I’m ever hopeful that all of us working together can teach this puppy dog some new tricks.  I continue to email and call my representative and senators eagerly waiting for them to jump at my command.  It hasn’t worked too well so far but I am determined to get some results so I will keep on training this puppy and hoping for the best!  I encourage all of you to join me to put the pressure on Congress.  The only way I think we are ever going to get a different result is to keep in “training” mode.  I don’t feel I can let up for a minute with Brodie because as soon as I do there goes another pair of new shoes.  With Congress it is the same way.  We must be diligent with our training.  We must let Congress know who the boss is and who is paying their bills!  Our collective forces have to be much greater than his pack animal mentality.  They may be running with the pack of power and money but we are running with a pack of potential voters.  Without us there is no other pack for Congress to run to, so let’s take control of this beast and show him who is boss!

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Young Men and Murder

  • Posted on August 6, 2010 at 3:38 pm

Murder in New York

I was talking with my son who lives near Chicago about Detroit and I told him I couldn’t see why Detroit is still called “Murder City” when Chicago seems to be riddled with murders.  Chicago has somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 million people, Detroit has less than a million and New York has about 8 million.  I know there is a new show coming out on TV called “Detroit 187”.   Some aren’t happy with the show about crime but I say if they film it in Michigan, I’m all for it, anything to give someone a job.  I tried to check into the murder capital thing and I discovered something very disturbing.

I don’t know if Detroit is the murder capital but I do know that a murder map I found for New York was very upsetting to me.  According to the map it looks like young “Black” and “Latino” men are being killed left and right.  http://projects.nytimes.com/crime/homicides/map

These are the stats:  61% of the victims are Black, 27% Latino, 8% White and 3% Asian.  The majority of both the perpetrators and the victims are male and young, you know, like under 34.

I find all of this very troubling for our country.  Our children are supposed to be our best and brightest.  Children aren’t born criminals.  Like an animal in a cage, treated with abuse, sometimes they will turn to violence.  I’m appalled that more isn’t being done to curb this violence and start these young children out on the right track.  No parent wants to raise a killer.  I cannot believe that this is something born in these people.  I do think there is a deep sense of hopelessness in our youth that are stuck in these huge cities with very few alternatives to make money except for selling drugs or joining the military.   I’m sure they can make more money selling the drugs or doing some other illicit deed than getting a real job.  Real jobs are hard to find any way, harder if you have little education and no familial structure to help support you.

There is a vast divide between the rich and the poor in this country.  History books try to cover this up with platitudes about how this is the “Land of the free.”   Much chatter is devoted to the “rags to riches” stories that are really just a bunch of bullshit like a carrot on a stick.  It’s something to appease the masses to make them feel that they too can become rich some day.  Some maybe make it, but for the most part, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”  We can see this in all aspects of politics and entertainment.  We see legacies from different families for both those areas.  If you come from the right family, you will excel and be given special opportunities.  However, this isn’t just true with these two areas.  It is also true with most small towns and suburban communities.  We hire our own in these places and teacher’s kids and cop’s kids get breaks that aren’t necessarily available to the very poor.

I mention all of this because I wonder who is there for these young men in these cities to mentor them and give them special treatment.  Probably the only people left are the lowest elements of our society.  I am troubled that these young men seem to be “throw away people”.  Nobody seems to care about them.  If politicians cared, they would devote more money to education, cleaning up the blight in these big cities, and doing everything possible to promote a strong economy rather than just building more prisons and hiring more cops!  Where is the outrage of this blight in America?  Who cares enough about our troubled young Black and Hispanic men to actually do something about it?

So many people have touted the Bush tax cuts and so many loved Ronald Reagan but I find it interesting that the income gap between the rich and the poor is at an eighty year high.

http://washingtonindependent.com/91038/with-income-gap-at-80-year-high-solutions-remain-elusive

If you look at it, the incarceration rate really went up since the time of Reagan.  I really don’t know what to make of this except that I also know that the rich got richer and the poor got poorer during this time.

There has to be connections between all of these factors.  I don’t have all the answers.  I just feel that our country has some pretty screwed up priorities.  It seems like we’d rather be perpetually at war, feeding the war profiteers and the oil industry or extolling the virtues of the wealthy through shows like Donald Trump’s “Apprentice” and “Extra” that follows around the rich and famous to give us a birds eye view of their celebrity life; than educating our youth and creating a safe, productive environment where we can all have a piece of the pie.  Our number one priority in our country should be our youth and it simply is not!

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