Born on September 20th, 2008
around 9:30 PM EST
8 lbs 12 oz
20" long
NAME TO BE ANNOUNCED VERY SOON!!
Meet my nephew.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
He's here! He's here!!!
Born on September 20th, 2008
around 9:30 PM EST
8 lbs 12 oz
20" long
NAME TO BE ANNOUNCED VERY SOON!!
Meet my nephew.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Meet the REAL John McCain
Please feel free to pass this along to as many people as you can. We CANNOT be mislead and duped into another Republican term in the White House.
The media has labeled John McCain a “moderate maverick” and a reformer. That moniker could not be more misrepresentative of the core values of the current Republican candidate running for President. The real John McCain has a history of voting against women, veterans, education and the preservation of our civil liberties, in addition to abstaining completely from voting to safeguard our environment in 2007. McCain stated in January of 2008 at the March of Life in Washington DC, "If I am fortunate enough to be elected as the next President of the United States, I pledge to you to be a loyal and unswerving friend of the right to life movement." McCain also pledged to appoint judges in the mold of conservatives John Roberts and Samuel Alito, who he feels are “jurists of the highest caliber.” And the much revered war hero was 1 of only 13 Republicans to vote against benefits for veterans, preferring to give tax cuts to the rich, rather than provide veterans with adequate healthcare.
In 2000, George W. Bush campaigned as the “compassionate conservative” and pundits praised him as the anti-elite cowboy you’d want to share a beer with. As our country spirals into a recession, as gas prices climb past $4.00 a gallon, as banks foreclose on families’ homes, as the middle class disappears and more Americans become trapped in poverty, five major oil companies reported record breaking profits so far this year, with Exxon-Mobile making a $40.6 billion windfall alone. These last eight years under the ‘compassionate’ Bush Administration, the rich have become richer at the expense of hardworking Americans. In November, the public can’t allow themselves to be duped again. The real John McCain is anything but a “moderate maverick.” Rather, he is just another deeply conservative Republican looking to continue the work of the Bush Administration…and if you want proof, just look at his voting record.
John McCain on Veteran Affairs:
2006 Rating from Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America: D
Veterans Benefits
May 2008: McCain is currently opposed to the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act (S 22), proposed by Senators Jim Webb and Chuck Hagel, to raise GI benefits to a level similar to those received by WWII vets. The maximum benefit would cover tuition for veterans for up to 4 years at the in-state public university level.
Troop Withdrawal
September 2007: McCain voted against the Webb amendment calling for adequate troop rest between deployments.
July 2007: McCain voted against a plan to draw down troop levels in Iraq.
June 2006: McCain voted against a resolution that Bush start withdrawing troops that year, but did not state a deadline to do so.
Veteran Health Care
May 2006: McCain voted against an amendment that would provide $20 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs for health care facilities.
April 2006: McCain was one of only 13 Senators to vote against $430,000,000 for the Department of Veteran Affairs for Medical Services for outpatient care and treatment for veterans.
March 2006: McCain voted against increasing Veterans medical services funding by $1.5 billion in 2007 to be paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes.
March 2004: McCain voted against creating a reserve fund to allow for an increase in Veterans' medical care by $1.8 billion by eliminating abusive corporate tax loopholes.
Troop Armor
October 2003: McCain voted to table an amendment that called for an additional $322 million for safety equipment for United States forces in Iraq and to reduce the amount provided for reconstruction in Iraq by $322 million.
April 2003: McCain urged other Senate members to table a vote (which never passed) to provide more than $1 billion for National Guard and Reserve equipment in Iraq related to a shortage of helmets, tents, bullet-proof inserts and tactical vests.
(From the Veterans for Common Sense)
John McCain on Women’s Issues
In his own words: ““I do not support Roe v. Wade. It should be overturned.”
Reproductive Rights and Women’s Health Care
2007 Rating from NARAL: Pro Choice America and Planned Parenthood: 0
August 2007: McCain voted to codify a controversial legislation that allows states to make an embryo or fetus—but not a pregnant woman—eligible for healthcare coverage.
October 2003: McCain repeatedly voted for (and co-sponsored) the Federal Abortion ban, a law that criminalizes some abortion services, with no exception to protect a woman’s health, and carries up to a two-year prison sentence for doctors.
May 2003: McCain supported the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, a law that grants separate legal status to an embryo or fetus.
March 2003: Voted against a resolution in support of Roe v. Wade and a woman’s constitutional right to safe and legal abortion services.
(From Naral: Pro-Choice America)
Equal Pay
2006 Rating from NOW: 13%
April 2008: McCain opposed the recent Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the Senate bill that sought equal pay for women. It failed to pass in the Senate by a 56-42 vote, with McCain using the excuse that it would make it easier for women to sue their employers for pay discrimination.
John McCain on the Environment
2007 Rating from the League of Conservation Voters: 0
McCain was the only member of Congress to skip every single crucial environmental vote scored by the League of Conservation Voters. When it comes to the environment, good intentions are not enough. A candidate for President needs to have a voting record on one of the most important global issues right now to show that he took a stand.
Below is a list of all the important environmental bills that McCain was absent for in 2007:
Cloture on H.R. 6, the energy bill (6/21, Vote 225)
Passage of H.R. 6, the energy bill (6/21, Vote 226)
Maintaining Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) in H.R. 6 (12/7, Vote 416)
Taking away giveaways to Big Oil to subsidize clean energy (12/13, Vote 425) Loosening public health and environmental regulations on refineries (6/13, Vote 210) Undermining the RES with coal and nuclear energy (6/14, Vote 211)
Offshore drilling in Virginia (6/14, Vote 212)
Liquid coal (6/19, Vote 213)
Environmental safeguards for biofuels (6/20, 219)
Consider global warming for water projects (5/15, Vote 166)
Appropriately prioritizing water projects (5/15, Vote 165)
International family planning (9/6, Vote 320)
Farm Bill subsidy reform (12/11, Vote 417)
Farm Bill subsidy caps (12/13, Vote 424)
Eminent Domain for public parks (12/3, Vote 429)
(From League of Conservation Voters)
John McCain on Education
2007 Rating from the National Education Association: 0
July 2007: McCain voted against a bill that would appropriate $32.9 billion from 2008 through 2017 for Promise grants to low-income and high-need students that are eligible for federal Pell Grants. The bill also proposed an increase in authorized deferments for federally insured student loans, interest subsidies, direct loans and Perkins loans from three years to six years of economic hardship
John McCain on Civil Liberties
February 2008: McCain voted to pass a bill that shields from lawsuits telecommunications companies that helped the government eavesdrop on their customers without court permission after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks
March 2006: McCain voted to reauthorize the highly flawed Patriot Act, which strips Americans of some of their civil liberites.
December 2005: McCain voted to extend the Patriot Act's wiretap provision which extends the authority of the FBI to conduct "roving wiretaps" and access business records.
The media has labeled John McCain a “moderate maverick” and a reformer. That moniker could not be more misrepresentative of the core values of the current Republican candidate running for President. The real John McCain has a history of voting against women, veterans, education and the preservation of our civil liberties, in addition to abstaining completely from voting to safeguard our environment in 2007. McCain stated in January of 2008 at the March of Life in Washington DC, "If I am fortunate enough to be elected as the next President of the United States, I pledge to you to be a loyal and unswerving friend of the right to life movement." McCain also pledged to appoint judges in the mold of conservatives John Roberts and Samuel Alito, who he feels are “jurists of the highest caliber.” And the much revered war hero was 1 of only 13 Republicans to vote against benefits for veterans, preferring to give tax cuts to the rich, rather than provide veterans with adequate healthcare.
In 2000, George W. Bush campaigned as the “compassionate conservative” and pundits praised him as the anti-elite cowboy you’d want to share a beer with. As our country spirals into a recession, as gas prices climb past $4.00 a gallon, as banks foreclose on families’ homes, as the middle class disappears and more Americans become trapped in poverty, five major oil companies reported record breaking profits so far this year, with Exxon-Mobile making a $40.6 billion windfall alone. These last eight years under the ‘compassionate’ Bush Administration, the rich have become richer at the expense of hardworking Americans. In November, the public can’t allow themselves to be duped again. The real John McCain is anything but a “moderate maverick.” Rather, he is just another deeply conservative Republican looking to continue the work of the Bush Administration…and if you want proof, just look at his voting record.
John McCain on Veteran Affairs:
2006 Rating from Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America: D
Veterans Benefits
May 2008: McCain is currently opposed to the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act (S 22), proposed by Senators Jim Webb and Chuck Hagel, to raise GI benefits to a level similar to those received by WWII vets. The maximum benefit would cover tuition for veterans for up to 4 years at the in-state public university level.
Troop Withdrawal
September 2007: McCain voted against the Webb amendment calling for adequate troop rest between deployments.
July 2007: McCain voted against a plan to draw down troop levels in Iraq.
June 2006: McCain voted against a resolution that Bush start withdrawing troops that year, but did not state a deadline to do so.
Veteran Health Care
May 2006: McCain voted against an amendment that would provide $20 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs for health care facilities.
April 2006: McCain was one of only 13 Senators to vote against $430,000,000 for the Department of Veteran Affairs for Medical Services for outpatient care and treatment for veterans.
March 2006: McCain voted against increasing Veterans medical services funding by $1.5 billion in 2007 to be paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes.
March 2004: McCain voted against creating a reserve fund to allow for an increase in Veterans' medical care by $1.8 billion by eliminating abusive corporate tax loopholes.
Troop Armor
October 2003: McCain voted to table an amendment that called for an additional $322 million for safety equipment for United States forces in Iraq and to reduce the amount provided for reconstruction in Iraq by $322 million.
April 2003: McCain urged other Senate members to table a vote (which never passed) to provide more than $1 billion for National Guard and Reserve equipment in Iraq related to a shortage of helmets, tents, bullet-proof inserts and tactical vests.
(From the Veterans for Common Sense)
John McCain on Women’s Issues
In his own words: ““I do not support Roe v. Wade. It should be overturned.”
Reproductive Rights and Women’s Health Care
2007 Rating from NARAL: Pro Choice America and Planned Parenthood: 0
August 2007: McCain voted to codify a controversial legislation that allows states to make an embryo or fetus—but not a pregnant woman—eligible for healthcare coverage.
October 2003: McCain repeatedly voted for (and co-sponsored) the Federal Abortion ban, a law that criminalizes some abortion services, with no exception to protect a woman’s health, and carries up to a two-year prison sentence for doctors.
May 2003: McCain supported the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, a law that grants separate legal status to an embryo or fetus.
March 2003: Voted against a resolution in support of Roe v. Wade and a woman’s constitutional right to safe and legal abortion services.
(From Naral: Pro-Choice America)
Equal Pay
2006 Rating from NOW: 13%
April 2008: McCain opposed the recent Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the Senate bill that sought equal pay for women. It failed to pass in the Senate by a 56-42 vote, with McCain using the excuse that it would make it easier for women to sue their employers for pay discrimination.
John McCain on the Environment
2007 Rating from the League of Conservation Voters: 0
McCain was the only member of Congress to skip every single crucial environmental vote scored by the League of Conservation Voters. When it comes to the environment, good intentions are not enough. A candidate for President needs to have a voting record on one of the most important global issues right now to show that he took a stand.
Below is a list of all the important environmental bills that McCain was absent for in 2007:
Cloture on H.R. 6, the energy bill (6/21, Vote 225)
Passage of H.R. 6, the energy bill (6/21, Vote 226)
Maintaining Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) in H.R. 6 (12/7, Vote 416)
Taking away giveaways to Big Oil to subsidize clean energy (12/13, Vote 425) Loosening public health and environmental regulations on refineries (6/13, Vote 210) Undermining the RES with coal and nuclear energy (6/14, Vote 211)
Offshore drilling in Virginia (6/14, Vote 212)
Liquid coal (6/19, Vote 213)
Environmental safeguards for biofuels (6/20, 219)
Consider global warming for water projects (5/15, Vote 166)
Appropriately prioritizing water projects (5/15, Vote 165)
International family planning (9/6, Vote 320)
Farm Bill subsidy reform (12/11, Vote 417)
Farm Bill subsidy caps (12/13, Vote 424)
Eminent Domain for public parks (12/3, Vote 429)
(From League of Conservation Voters)
John McCain on Education
2007 Rating from the National Education Association: 0
July 2007: McCain voted against a bill that would appropriate $32.9 billion from 2008 through 2017 for Promise grants to low-income and high-need students that are eligible for federal Pell Grants. The bill also proposed an increase in authorized deferments for federally insured student loans, interest subsidies, direct loans and Perkins loans from three years to six years of economic hardship
John McCain on Civil Liberties
February 2008: McCain voted to pass a bill that shields from lawsuits telecommunications companies that helped the government eavesdrop on their customers without court permission after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks
March 2006: McCain voted to reauthorize the highly flawed Patriot Act, which strips Americans of some of their civil liberites.
December 2005: McCain voted to extend the Patriot Act's wiretap provision which extends the authority of the FBI to conduct "roving wiretaps" and access business records.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
McCain Ad Falsely Suggests Obama Wants Kids To Learn "About Sex Before Learning To Read"
As you can see, the McCain ad says that Obama was the one who pushed the "comprehensive sex education" measure. The Obama campaign has pointed out that the bill would simply add instruction on disease prevention to already existing Illinois sex-ed standards. But the McCain campaign cheerfully turned this into Obama's support for "learning about sex before learning to read.
And "civil" and "honorable" McCain approved that message.
This new ad from the McCain camp is despicable and yet Obama will give a nuanced response in the press, send a few press releases, and so on. Damage done. The narrative becomes the damage. The press talks about it and plays right into McCain's hands. It all adds up as just more bad news and negative spin for Obama.
Why not kick some dirt in McCain's eyes for a change? He lies every single time he opens his mouth. Just show him and his quotes and have some carnival song and kids jeering, "liar, liar pants on fire." Is that so hard?
How about this as a response ad? I found this video on YouTube - and, granted it's a bit extreme, but come on, this is the kind of stuff they are throwing at Obama - LIE AFTER LIE AFTER LIE:
...and #7
Sent last weekend:
Hi Everyone,
We've got 1 week to go before the baby arrives. We've been preparing and are ready for Karen and Donna to arrive in the coming week. We're looking forward to having Grandma and Auntie with us.
Donna is already making plans for crock pot meals for the freezer and we can't wait to have some Minnesota style hearty food to help sustain us.
We had two appointments this week to monitor the baby: one heart monitor test, and one ultrasound, and things checked out. Knock on wood. Kjersti saw his little hand open and close. They use Doppler radar to show his practice breathing. The 7 day outlook for the region is hot with high humidity.
We can't wait to meet the little guy.
Kjersti starts her leave from EDAW on 19 SEP. She's been working every day up until now, taking the train to work and feeling good. What a trooper!
We just bought a car and since gas prices are so high, we decided to buy an SUV: Toyota 4Runner. Not kidding. We got a good deal and since we don't commute to work it made sense for us.
We are also signed up for Bright Horizons day care which is right across the street from Kjersti's office.
The Duval family just got back from their trip to France. Bertrand, Rosemary, Caroline, Matt and Liam went to Paris and Houlgat.
Alex's uncle Gilles got married to Karine in Houlgat and it was a beautiful day and a lovely ceremony. We hope that they will share their pictures with everyone and tell us a little more about the experience.
We also celebrated our 1 year anniversary. We polished our silver wedding cup, drank from it, and remembered. Its hard to believe that just a year ago we were all together in that clearing in Minnesota sharing a joyous day.
We miss you all and hope to see you again soon.
Love,
Kjersti & Alex
PS - Please send us your news!
Hi Everyone,
We've got 1 week to go before the baby arrives. We've been preparing and are ready for Karen and Donna to arrive in the coming week. We're looking forward to having Grandma and Auntie with us.
Donna is already making plans for crock pot meals for the freezer and we can't wait to have some Minnesota style hearty food to help sustain us.
We had two appointments this week to monitor the baby: one heart monitor test, and one ultrasound, and things checked out. Knock on wood. Kjersti saw his little hand open and close. They use Doppler radar to show his practice breathing. The 7 day outlook for the region is hot with high humidity.
We can't wait to meet the little guy.
Kjersti starts her leave from EDAW on 19 SEP. She's been working every day up until now, taking the train to work and feeling good. What a trooper!
We just bought a car and since gas prices are so high, we decided to buy an SUV: Toyota 4Runner. Not kidding. We got a good deal and since we don't commute to work it made sense for us.
We are also signed up for Bright Horizons day care which is right across the street from Kjersti's office.
The Duval family just got back from their trip to France. Bertrand, Rosemary, Caroline, Matt and Liam went to Paris and Houlgat.
Alex's uncle Gilles got married to Karine in Houlgat and it was a beautiful day and a lovely ceremony. We hope that they will share their pictures with everyone and tell us a little more about the experience.
We also celebrated our 1 year anniversary. We polished our silver wedding cup, drank from it, and remembered. Its hard to believe that just a year ago we were all together in that clearing in Minnesota sharing a joyous day.
We miss you all and hope to see you again soon.
Love,
Kjersti & Alex
PS - Please send us your news!
We Interrupt this Election...for Family Bulletins #6
(Dated August 10th, 2008)
Dear family,
It's been a long time, but we've been very busy. Preparations for the baby are taking up a lot of our time. The last few weeks have been great. We've gotten to see many of you. We were in Connecticut for the Duval family reunion. It was a lot of fun. The weather was great. We went sailing, kayaking, ate lots of good food. But most of all, it was great to see everybody. We were very touched by all the gifts we received at the rubber ducky baby shower. The rubber ducky theme was really fun. The queen and artist ducky are looking forward to the arrival of prince ducky.
The baby shower in Minnesota was also fantastic. And it was great to be able to celebrate Karen's birthday at the same time. We're excited to fill the scrapbook with little orb's firsts. Kjersti had to borrow an extra suitcase to bring all of your generous gifts home. And the Combi pod bouncer has arrived. Thank you so much aunts and uncles. Our baby is going to be pimping with his iPod jams.
We did the child birthing class at the hospital last Saturday. We watched the video of a woman giving birth. Since then Kjersti has had what I call: the 1000 yards stare. Vietnam vet style. We did some work on the birthing ball. And Alex learned how to be supportive. Using phrases such as: you can do it, it's going to be OK, and we're going to get through this together.
We're getting ready to move. Just up five floors in the building. But it's a two bedroom apartment and we're going to get the babies room ready. Our new address will be the same only apartment 14 C.
We'll keep you posted. It won't be long now.
Love,
Kjersti and Alex
Dear family,
It's been a long time, but we've been very busy. Preparations for the baby are taking up a lot of our time. The last few weeks have been great. We've gotten to see many of you. We were in Connecticut for the Duval family reunion. It was a lot of fun. The weather was great. We went sailing, kayaking, ate lots of good food. But most of all, it was great to see everybody. We were very touched by all the gifts we received at the rubber ducky baby shower. The rubber ducky theme was really fun. The queen and artist ducky are looking forward to the arrival of prince ducky.
The baby shower in Minnesota was also fantastic. And it was great to be able to celebrate Karen's birthday at the same time. We're excited to fill the scrapbook with little orb's firsts. Kjersti had to borrow an extra suitcase to bring all of your generous gifts home. And the Combi pod bouncer has arrived. Thank you so much aunts and uncles. Our baby is going to be pimping with his iPod jams.
We did the child birthing class at the hospital last Saturday. We watched the video of a woman giving birth. Since then Kjersti has had what I call: the 1000 yards stare. Vietnam vet style. We did some work on the birthing ball. And Alex learned how to be supportive. Using phrases such as: you can do it, it's going to be OK, and we're going to get through this together.
We're getting ready to move. Just up five floors in the building. But it's a two bedroom apartment and we're going to get the babies room ready. Our new address will be the same only apartment 14 C.
We'll keep you posted. It won't be long now.
Love,
Kjersti and Alex
Sarah Palin's Churches
Sarah Palin's Churches and The Third Wave from Bruce Wilson on Vimeo.
From Talk to Action:
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/13/1538/09770
"Sarah Palin was baptized at Wasilla Assembly of God and attended the church for over two and a half decades, and she has been publicly blessed by a number of pastors and religious leaders employed by and associated with that church.
Last Sunday our research team released a video, a ten-minute mini-documentary, focusing on the Wasilla Assemblies of God and the video seemed on the verge of a massive "viral" breakthrough when YouTube pulled it down, citing "inappropriate content".
At the point the video was censored by YouTube it had been viewed by almost 160,000 people. The short of it is that YouTube has censored a video documentary that appeared to be close to having an effect on a hard fought and contentious American presidential election."
...and how much time was spent digging into Obama's church and "spiritual leaders"???
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Women of the World...UNITE
written by: eve ensler
09.13.08 at 1:29 pm in in the news
I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Whatever it is, I need the polar bears.
I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.??
But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story -- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.
I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity.
Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as a metaphor. In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God's plan. She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered species list. The earth, in Palin's view, is here to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, "It was a task from God."??
Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist's baby or not.??
She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control. I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies that makes.??
Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather she has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference. This is a woman who could and might very well be the next president of the United States. She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.??
Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air.??
Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God's name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be.??
I write to my sisters. I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U.S., but of the planet. It will determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction. It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing. It will determine whether America is a free open tolerant society or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression.
If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, "Drill Drill Drill." I think of teeth when I think of drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination. I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain.??
Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?
09.13.08 at 1:29 pm in in the news
I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Whatever it is, I need the polar bears.
I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.??
But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story -- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.
I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity.
Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as a metaphor. In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God's plan. She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered species list. The earth, in Palin's view, is here to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, "It was a task from God."??
Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist's baby or not.??
She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control. I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies that makes.??
Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather she has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference. This is a woman who could and might very well be the next president of the United States. She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.??
Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air.??
Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God's name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be.??
I write to my sisters. I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U.S., but of the planet. It will determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction. It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing. It will determine whether America is a free open tolerant society or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression.
If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, "Drill Drill Drill." I think of teeth when I think of drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination. I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain.??
Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?
Friday, September 12, 2008
William Rodriguez - GOOGLE him
9/11
I have heard this story so many times, and many others like it. WHERE IS THE REAL STORY? WE NEED TO KNOW THE TRUTH!!
I have heard this story so many times, and many others like it. WHERE IS THE REAL STORY? WE NEED TO KNOW THE TRUTH!!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Jon kicks off his week of broadcasting from the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
GOP "Talking Points"; what's wrong with this picture?
Please visit www.averagebro.com - a new blog I found recently. I'm sharing these points because they are so SPOT ON, I couldn't resist.
AVERAGEBRO says:
A few things really bug me about these GOP Talking Points, and I'm hoping you guys can help me out with them.
(1) The GOP keeps saying Palin, by virtue of being a small town mayor, and 18 months of Governor has more "executive experience" than Obama and Biden combined. If you define "executive experience" as having "run something", wouldn't that also make Palin more qualified than even John McCain, whose entire career has been spent in the Congress and Senate?
(2) The GOP is all about "less government". How then do they explain being "pro-life"? Isn't telling a woman what to do with her own body the epitome of "too much government"?
(3) The GOP is all about "fixing Washington". Are we supposed to forget that they've virtually controlled Washington since 2000? Uhhh, shouldn't something be "fixed" by now? Could they perhaps try "fixing" their own party before "fixing" the world?
(4) The GOP is all about "reining in government spending". Their main way of remedying the record deficit is by cutting earmarks and pork barrel projects? But isn't the $10B/month war that the GOP got us into the main reason for the deficit?
(5) How disingenuous is it to keep playing the "POW Card"? I admire John McCain's service to this country, but let's keep it 100. McCain's time in Hanoi is only notable because his father's name and position made him living, breathing propaganda. He was on TV and in the news practically every night during his 5 1/2 years is captivity, which is why there's so much footage of it. He used this exposure to catapult his political career. Yet he calls Obama a "celebrity"? Obama seems like the sort of person who became famous because he was already a politician. McCain became a politician because he was already famous. Not exactly the same. The Dems will never point of this idiocy of course. They don't roll like that.
AVERAGEBRO says:
A few things really bug me about these GOP Talking Points, and I'm hoping you guys can help me out with them.
(1) The GOP keeps saying Palin, by virtue of being a small town mayor, and 18 months of Governor has more "executive experience" than Obama and Biden combined. If you define "executive experience" as having "run something", wouldn't that also make Palin more qualified than even John McCain, whose entire career has been spent in the Congress and Senate?
(2) The GOP is all about "less government". How then do they explain being "pro-life"? Isn't telling a woman what to do with her own body the epitome of "too much government"?
(3) The GOP is all about "fixing Washington". Are we supposed to forget that they've virtually controlled Washington since 2000? Uhhh, shouldn't something be "fixed" by now? Could they perhaps try "fixing" their own party before "fixing" the world?
(4) The GOP is all about "reining in government spending". Their main way of remedying the record deficit is by cutting earmarks and pork barrel projects? But isn't the $10B/month war that the GOP got us into the main reason for the deficit?
(5) How disingenuous is it to keep playing the "POW Card"? I admire John McCain's service to this country, but let's keep it 100. McCain's time in Hanoi is only notable because his father's name and position made him living, breathing propaganda. He was on TV and in the news practically every night during his 5 1/2 years is captivity, which is why there's so much footage of it. He used this exposure to catapult his political career. Yet he calls Obama a "celebrity"? Obama seems like the sort of person who became famous because he was already a politician. McCain became a politician because he was already famous. Not exactly the same. The Dems will never point of this idiocy of course. They don't roll like that.
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