Government & Politics

Walter Mosley on Newt Gingrich

2012-01-26T09:33:00.000-08:00

Walter Mosley wrote "We are not enemies. If someone has a better plan he or she should ascend to our presidency. If they have lied we should know it. If they are corrupt it must come out. But we cannot allow our emotions to be ignited by hidden messages of fear and hatred. This election is about us working together to implement our brightest potentials, not our basest natures"

Comment lifted without site's permission:

Cdog3

Wow, another black guy using the race card. Is there alot more people on foodstmps than before he got into office. If so, than he is

The comment tells me Cdog3 is a bigot. All he got from the article is that Walter Mosley is black. Why not Walter Mosley is speaking from a white/Hebrew perspective? More white people (non-Hispanic) are using the SNAP program than African/Americans, but who do people visualize when hearing the words "welfare" or "food stamps"? How then, is "a shout-out to racism" playing a race card?

I would ask Cdog3 those questions by posting my own comment on the article, except I have no idea what my log in info is. CNN clearly has my full name posted in upper right hand corner, with the words "Log out" next to it. Yet comments tells me to log in or sign up to comment. Not worth the bother ~ Cdog3's intelligence is clouded by his (or her) basest nature.

If anything, it is Gingrich playing a race card; Mosley is just talking truth ~ appeal to people's emotions, control their actions. It is a well-known sales tactic ~ want to sell locks, first create fear of robbery, offer safety. It works. Nothing to do with skin color or ethnic backgrounds ~ a black person can be just as fearful as a German person of being robbed or having their home broken into. An Australian can be just as greedy as an Italian.

Men and women all over the world are concerned about appealing to the opposite sex and are quick to buy overpriced products advertised specifically to reach that base nature within them.

President Obama had nothing to do with the rising cost of gasoline; that started during the Bush years, as did record numbers of home foreclosures. The cost of fuel to run vehicles increased the cost of everything delivered, which means more people had less ability to buy food. Would Gingrich or anyone have called former President GW Bush a "food stamp president" because more and more people started getting government help to eat? Not likely because it would have less impact of appealing to bigots basest instincts.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/26/opinion/mosley-gingrich-food-stamp-president/index.html

State of the Union

2012-01-25T13:20:00.000-08:00

Prior to President Obama's State of the Union address last night, I glanced at news headlines, proclaiming the president was going to use the traditional presidential speech as a re-election campaign tool. I did not read those articles. I am sure every president up for re-election would use the speech in the same manner.

The live stream White House video stopped working about mid-way through the speech. Obama would say a few words, the buffering circle appeared; Obama turns his head slightly; the buffering starts anew. Quite annoying. So annoying, I logged off the Internet and rebooted my computer. Made me wish I still had a television set to watch the speech, start to finish, uninterrupted.

I find State of the Union speeches boring. Due to the Internet, I generally do not watch them at all ~ just read the transcript later, and view highlights on posted videos. Always, not just with the SOTU address, news reporters, misquote whomever spoke, take things out of context, put their own spin on stuff ~ which is why I do take time to read a boring transcript.

Sure enough, minutes after the speech was finished, I saw a big news headline proclaiming President Obama did not tell the nation what state our union is in, but rather was campaigning. Sigh.

What is the state of our union?

2012-01-25T12:21:00.000-08:00

Disharmony, is it not always in that state; united? I think not.

Early in his State of the Union address, President Obama told citizens (and anyone else who cared to listen) that all our troops are out of Iraq. He mentioned how military co-operates to complete missions. I questioned if they actually do. I think any group has dissenting points of views, stubborn demands to do it "my way", and competitions over who is "best" between different divisions ~ such as Army vs. Navy vs. Air Force vs. Marines. Highly unlikely it could be all smooth sailing and co-operation within the military organization.

Yet a nice analogy and suggestion that the U.S. federal government might serve citizens better if Congress and executive branch had that same spirit of co-operation to complete tasks that need doing.

Obama also told us about the state of employment, unemployment, debt, be it national or personal. I need to re-read transcript to see if he mentioned state of health care.

He told us Bin Laden is gone, Al Qaeda top lieutenants have been disabled. He spoke about Afghanistan, American manufacturing, oil, energy dependence, imports, outsourcing and so on.

President Obama did his job; he told citizens about the state of our union (as if most of us are not aware). He never mentioned "If you elect me, I will..." blah, blah, blah. It was not a campaign speech. A percentage of citizens will believe media who proclaim otherwise.

Food Stamps

2012-01-18T19:30:00.000-08:00

On the one hand a loud vocal group of citizens insist "we are a Christian country" saying our Constitution was based on Christian principles. On the other hand that same loud vocal group thinks the food stamp program is an entitlement program for the lazy who want everything handed to them on a silver platter.

According to John the Baptist: "Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”

In explaining the 2nd coming it is recorded that Jesus said: The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

To wit:
'For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Or it seems to me if we are a country based on Christian principles we are obligated to feed the hungry, not complain about the food stamp program costing us tax dollars.

SNAP

2012-01-18T18:50:00.000-08:00

Actually food stamps are a thing of the past. People who receive food assistance money are issued an EBT card. Money is deposited to the card, the card is used to pay for food purchases in the same manner a debit card works. The program is named: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP.

Sure the system gets abused. A person with an EBT card will approach a shopper in a store, ask shopper to let them pay for the groceries with the EBT card; shopper than gives person the cash equivalent. As an incentive, EBT holder may offer to accept less cash then the total spent on groceries. Or a cashier, usually at a small mom and pop type store, will ring up alcoholic beverages using a food register key. Or hand over cash, less a fee, to then use the EBT card to run up fake charges.

It is not that the people who do that are too lazy to get a job or that they are not hungry. It usually means they are hooked on drugs or alcohol.

The Christian Bible also warns about judging people. Currently the income for a family of four needs to be under about $29,000. a year and they can not have more than $2,000. in savings. Not for me to judge who among those that participate in SNAP are truly hungry or who are abusing the system.

Those tax dollars used to feed people are put back into the economy via the grocery store or fast food chain that accepts them. The people who administer the program also benefit ~ they have jobs that likely pay enough for them to buy their own food. Even with the cheats I would prefer my tax dollars go towards feeding people than towards killing innocent citizens in other countries.

SOPA

2012-01-18T15:43:00.000-08:00

Embarrassing moment: after seeing Stop SOPA a number of times I had to get educated. These old eyes of mine (song to old Isley Brother tune) read Stop Online Privacy Act. I further misread the explanation that SOPA was a group of people dedicated to stopping the Online Privacy Act. Get educated did I say? Bad enough that I thought it was about privacy, and the bill name is Stop Online Piracy Act, I had to comment on it ~ why would anyone want to stop a group dedicated to stopping online privacy, was my reasoning. Oy, vey.

If I had went straight to Thomas online, read the bill, rather than reading about SOPA on a trusted site, I would have been better informed. When my Facebook friends started posting opposition to SOPA, I did go to Thomas and read the bill. I do not get the opposition. Disabling crooks seems like a good thing to me.

I found article Q & A On Contested Internet anti-Piracy Bill. Hope the link remains active.

I am still not clear why people think the bill, if passed, would restrict freedom of speech. The Associated Press article published Jan. 18, 2012 states: "Leahy responded that there is nothing in the legislation that would require websites, Internet service providers, search engines, ad networks, payment processors or others to monitor their networks. He said his bill protects third parties from liability that may arise from actions to comply with a court order."
And: "Michael O'Leary, a senior vice president at the Motion Picture Association of America, a key supporter of the legislation, said his industry is built upon a vibrant First Amendment. "We would never support any legislation that would limit this fundamental American right," he said. Neither PIPA nor SOPA "implicate free expression but focus solely on illegal conduct, which is not free speech." ..."

Yesterday I posted a link to the act, pondering how many people read it. Today more of my Facebook friends are posting links to a petition protesting SOPA. I am not opposed to the bill. I did not find anything in the bill that restricts freedom of speech, nor put undue pressure on search engines and other websites.

Of course my link goes nowhere, seeing it was the result of a query (I guess). Anyone who wants to read it, go to Thomas and search for bill H.R.3261.

Match-o-Matic

2012-01-11T20:54:00.000-08:00

My ABC News, Politics, 'Otus, Match-o-Matic results.

Use image without site's consent ~ the "share" gave two choices: Facebook or Twitter. I do try to avoid political discussions on Facebook. Some of my friends despise President Obama, others worship Ron Paul. No reasoning with either, as one might reason with someone who is less extreme. Also, things like this go away in time and I wanted to keep a record of my results.

Highly unlikely ABC will stumble upon this post, but if you do, and usage of image is in violation of a copyright, please let me know and I will promptly remove it. Thank you.

I already ruled out Jon Huntsman and Rick Perry, my number two and three matches.

Problem with quizzes like this, two of the questions, my truthful answer was: none of the above, which was not a choice. A third question, I had no opinion; lack knowledge to form one. The multiple choice questions provides quotes from candidates. I found one question which did not truly reflect President Obama's stance on an issue. Judging from statements attributed to candidates, it is likely the issue that had me quickly dismiss both Huntsman and Perry as my potential candidate of choice.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/fullpage?id=15177995

Malaysia Tribunal found Bush and Blair Guilty of war crimes

2012-01-03T23:56:00.000-08:00

Someone shared this video on Facebook. Congress voted 296-133 to give President Bush unilateral power to invade Iraq. Are the 296, including now Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, also guilty of war crimes? The Secretary of State is the President's chief foreign affairs adviser. Due to my dislike of then Senator Clinton due to her support of the war in Iraq, it was a major disappointment that President Obama included her in his cabinet.

I have vague recollection from debates that it was shown that Hillary never read the resolution that she agreed upon. I provided quotes in my article On Lies and Politicians: Thoughts to Ponder, that show she claimed to have given "careful consideration" to the war; said her vote for the war was her most important in the Senate; said "we acted on faulty intelligence"; then: "This is George Bush's war...". Please read article for full quotes.

This is relevant today due to another U.S.A. blunder ~ invasion of Iran. Both Clinton and Senator John McCain favored war with Iran during those Democrat party debates in 2008. Now President Obama said he was not against all wars, just dumb wars ~ specifically the one in Iraq. Yet their are rumblings that he will indeed invade Iran on the same pretext: weapons of mass destruction. How sad is that.

Wonderful World?

2011-12-31T11:50:00.000-08:00

People are so creative. Love this, except if we, the people, can prevent the GOP from forming a theocracy, that would leave us with one party, or monarchy. It would be nice to see both ruling parties get kicked out of office in favor of other third party candidates ~ who would likely, do just as poor a job as both Dems and Reps have been doing.

Americans Elect

2011-12-20T12:48:00.000-08:00

Take the quiz to determine what your true colors are.

I did this a while ago and will have to retake it, as I no longer recall what my true color was.

https://secure.americanselect.org/my-colors

Obama's Osawatomie Offensive

2011-12-06T12:21:00.000-08:00

I did not like History back in high school, and doubt we were actually studied about Theodore Roosevelt's New Nationalism speech in 1910. If we did, I was likely daydreaming as I often did ~ yet I still managed to get decent grades in history related courses.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/post/obamas-osawatomie-offensive/2011/12/06/gIQAFZlOZO_blog.html

Koch Brothers

2011-11-30T12:16:00.000-08:00

Interesting article from Veterans Today.

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/10/03/koch-brothers-top-tea-party-funders-in-bed-with-iran/

USDA

2011-10-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

I learned about the United States Department of Agriculture's food surplus program back in high school days. That was a long time ago and details are fuzzy in my mind. I vaguely recall seeing big blocks of wrapped cheese, or powdered milk labeled "USDA not for resale" somewhere. Possibly at my exes Great Aunt Vernie's house. Or maybe my oldest sister, Ruth Anne had them. The words Food Bank were not in my vocabulary all those years ago.

I saw more of those USDA freebies when I volunteered at the Samoan church's food bank program. I read the required posted sign. People who were given these government freebies needed to show ID and proof of income.That rule was violated. People signed a sheet of paper, with name, address, size of family, then stood in line to pick up their bags of groceries. Much of it came from local services that picked up day old baked goods, excess (often rotting) produce, and stuff restaurants used to throw in dumpsters at business day's end.

Since my memory is fuzzy, I did a Google search and found downsizing the Federal Government Food Subsidies. It states: Food subsidies will cost taxpayers $79 billion in fiscal 2009 and account for about two-thirds of USDA’s budget. Or the info given is not up-to-date. But it refreshed my memory a tad; that the U.S. government would buy surplus from farmers, package it and then give the goods away for free to low income citizens.

I think it was a good program; helped farmers and helped feed hungry citizens. When I still paid income taxes, I know I would prefer those tax dollars be used to feed people rather than to kill strangers in foreign lands. Yet seventy-nine billion sounds like a lot more money than would be needed to ensure all citizens are able to eat everyday. I am quite sure some of those billions are used for administrative costs. Surely some of those tax dollars are paying people to work the program, that is, packaging and transporting the farmer's produce.

When people hear budget amounts, such as this, I think they tend to overlook those amounts include paychecks and jobs created. It is not only the poor who benefit from food subsidies, but those who have jobs on account of them. Ditch that type program, more people are unemployed.

Just some food for thought for Blog Action Day 2011, whose theme this year is food.

Do Kock brothers have Herman Cain in their pockets?

2011-10-16T10:54:00.000-07:00

"To some liberals, Cain's rise with the help of AFP shows the incredible influence that outside groups controlled by super-wealthy individuals with specific agendas can have on the political process."

Reading comments on various Occupy Wall Street articles, I noticed the usual divide. Interesting that President Obama's remarks concerning the Occupy protesters mentioned the level of frustration shown by citizens. Herman Cain's tact was much different; he views the protesters as whiny babies who want our Cadillac given to them without working to earn their own vehicles. Actually President Obama has it right and Cain is among those the protesters label "the 1%".

I take exception to the percentages. Cain, for instance, may not be among the top wealth holders in the United States, but his voting would reflect the desires of those wealth holders. If the divide were truly 99% to 1%, it seems the ninety-nine could oust representatives elected to serve the people who actually represent the wealthy. It does not work, because those like Cain are among that ninety-nine percent.
It also will not work, judging from articles' comments regarding the Occupy protests, because among those 99% are citizens still fighting over sides: left, right, Republican, Democrat. My belief is that Republicans are more guilty of favoring the wealthy then Democrats, yet I think it would be grand if that so-called 99% all choose to vote for neither Republicans, nor Democrats. Now that would be something to see.
Read more: http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/World/20111016/herman-cain-tied-to-koch-brothers-111016/#ixzz1ay36QhCf

People are frustrated

2011-10-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

After reading remarks attributed to Herman Cain and President Obama regarding Occupy Wall Street reported by media, I tried in vain to recall something then Senator Obama said during his campaign speeches. We are more alike than we are different; some take on "Too many people are busy fixing the blame, rather than fixing the problem." The hope that there would be positive change in D.C. did not materialize; instead we have the same old, and the fighter in this corner is wearing red trunks, the fighter in that corner wears blue. Not a purple to be seen among elected reps, nor, it seems, among citizens.

Yes people are frustrated. Social Security earned benefits has now become an entitlement program, according to what is popularly called the right. The wealthy or upper middle class view those who are not of their stature as being less than. We have as much as a chaste system in place in the United States of America as exists in India. The very system our Constitution was to guard against.

I will explain it this way: an elderly homeless guy told me I should have gotten married, thus I would not have become homeless. It seemed a common conception: females need husbands to support them and all is well. Um, I was married. For thirteen years before I finally left with the clothes on my back. Who was paying the rent, the exorbitant phone bills, filled with hubby's toll calls, the electric, the gas, and so on? The husband? Yeah right. His first stop on payday ~ when he was employed ~ was to the beer distributor, then the State Store to buy Vodka.

Okay, so that old geezer would still place the blame on me for marrying the man. Somewhat correct, yet does not take into account what came before that ill-fated marriage. How did the homeless man become homeless is men are such great providers of family welfare? How did Mr. Cain get where he is? Some wealthy were born into wealthy families. That gave them an immediate advantage over persons born of average or low-income families.

That does not mean the less privileged person does not work, does not pay taxes, does not go to college and so on. If anything, it is the more privileged who have been spoiled, expecting everything to be handed to them upon a silver platter. That is why citizens are so frustrated. We can not fight City Hall; there is not a thing we can do to create a more equitable distribution of wealth. We are stuck with a system we did not create, but were born into.

We know that it is them, the accusers like Cain, who are the creators of our frustrations. We work, we pay our way in life; they raise taxes, they raise prices, we have less spendable income, we struggle. Warren Buffet as example gives huge sums of money to Bill Gates' charitable organization. Both Bill and his wife are paid employees of that organization. Does Gates or his wife need more income? I think not.

I read criteria to receive help from Gates' organization; it was basically set up so that those in dire need of help would not be eligible to get it from that charity, only those who are already advantaged need apply.

Am I making any sense here? Work three jobs to put one roof over one's head, so that they can afford to buy a flight to Mars. Something like that. When people get frustrated they often explode in violence. Those with the most wealth throw crumbs to their employees, when those employees need the whole loaf of bread, all the while watching the bosses consume triple-layer chocolate cake. Boss does not pay enough for employee to buy the loaf of bread, forget about splurging on a yummy cake.

Are citizens saying gimmie the cake? Or give me a decent wage so I too can afford to buy my bread and have some left over for cake?

With Clemency Denied...

2011-09-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

With Clemency Denied, Let's Hope Troy Davis Is Guilty was written by Isa-Lee Wolf, published by then named Yahoo Contributor. Author expressed my feelings on the subject. As she stated, beyond a reasonable doubt is not the same as hoping he was guilty. For all I know Davis was guilty ~ but I was not convinced he was ~ better to have been allowed to live ~ then for the nation to execute yet another innocent man.

http://voices.yahoo.com/with-clemency-denied-lets-hope-troy-davis-guilty-9154731.html?cat=17

Troy Davis & Boston Legal

2011-09-26T23:23:00.000-07:00

This morning, I checked out news' headline about a storm moving north along the east coast. Heavy rains and flooding due to recent hurricanes make the possibly of more downpours on rain swollen lands a threat. This news concerns me because it might affect my family. A person left a negative comment about rednecks in Texas and GOD, yes typed with all caps. Someone commented on the rudeness of that comment. Said the person who posted must have voted for President Obama and must believe Troy Davis was innocent, because no sane person would think that. Um....

Logic?

Another person commented to that comment pointing out that ~ what was it ~ 7 out of 9 witnesses recanted their testimony. I added to that comment; I do not know if Troy Davis was guilty or innocent, but he was found guilty based on the witness testimony; there was no DNA evidence that proved that he pulled the trigger of the gun whose bullet killed the policeman. I suggested the person who judged people's sanity read "The Innocent Man" by John Grisham, if s/he was not knowledgeable of police tactics.

Witnesses who recanted their testimony in the Davis case said they had been coheirced into telling the police what they wanted to hear, even if what they wanted to hear was not the truth. The innocent man in Grisham's book admitted guilt for a crime he did not do because he was tired, hungry and disoriented. He figured it would all get straightened out in the morning, gave up protesting his innocence thinking he would be allowed to finally eat and go to sleep.

The same thing happened to the so-called Central Park Rapists ~ a young man confessed to crime implicating his friends. After spending six years in jail, they were released when the lone rapist of the woman who was brutally beaten confessed to his crime. DNA evidence proved his guilt and the innocence of the boys. Based on that reasoning, I was one of those who believe Davis should not have been executed ~ it was not proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Davis was guilty.

Tonight I was watching some episodes of Boston Legal at TV Land dot com. Alan is representing his law partner, Denny in front of the Supreme Court. The site says the episode, #101, was aired on December 8, 2008. I just love James Spader's character. I tend to forget he is reciting lines that someone else wrote; whoever those writers are they think like me. Alan (Spader) gives the Supreme Court Justices hell for decisions they made (in real life) that favor multi-million (or is that billion) dollar corporations over the "little guy", us citizens.

Alan does not say "Troy Davis" but I am sure that is whom he was speaking about when he mentioned the Supreme Court's refusal to stay the execution in a case where 7 out of 9 (or was it out of 7) witnesses recanted their testimony, causing reasonable doubt as to his guilt. Might say a television series use the show's episodes to redress government for grievances.

If Troy Davis had not been executed this week, it was highly unlikely I would know what case Spader's character referred to. When I saw the news that the Supreme Court refused to grant a stay on the execution, I had to refresh my memory on who Davis was. I read extensively about the case before I signed the petitions that came my way.

In my mind, all criminals claim innocence, yet I have been accused of doing things that I never thought about doing, so am willing to presume innocence until guilt is proven. Even so, it is exactly cases like the ones Grisham wrote about in his book, that makes me an avid non-supporter of the death penalty. The country may have just executed another innocent man.

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

Seems some of my Facebook friends are confusing Memorial Day for Veterans Day. On Memorial Day we honor soldiers who died in wars; Veterans Day honors all military veterans.

Anthony Coffaro, from my hometown, New Brunswick, New Jersey, was a few years older than myself. Perhaps he graduated with an older brother. I did know who he was. Other than that, I do not know of any U.S. A. military that were killed on battlefields.

Several of my uncles served in the armed forces, as did classmates or brother's friends I knew well. They survived whatever wars they fought. The uncles did not sit around telling war stories. Nor did my brother's friends. A sister's ex-husband also served in Vietnam, but think he was quickly sent home due to mental health issue. My niece just arrived home from Afghanistan.

Brother Robert was lifetime Army Reserves, never sent to war. His son, Anthony, is also lifetime military, in the Navy, fought in no battles. And so it goes; know many military people; none to go put flowers on a grave for Memorial Day, though could, if I visited old hometown, place on Veterans Day. Yes, I could remember soldiers who died for our country, but the day has no meaning for me.

Best I can do is offer this list of war dead from New Jersey. You can search for names of people you might know from all states and conflicts.

http://www.vetfriends.com/memorial/mem_alphab.cfm?war_id=4&page_id=1&states_id=32

Impossible?

2011-05-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

Don't say the things impossible,

for chances are you'll rue it;

Someone who did not know it,

will come along and do it.

Could not locate author of that ditty. Came to mind while reading comments on a CNN Mississippi river flooding article. Someone suggested a canal be built to divert water from the big muddy to Texas and other places that chronically experience droughts. The naysayers shot him down: impossible to build tunnels; electricity to run pumps, too expensive; simple geography lesson will show why it can not be done; see Florida Everglades to know why it is impossible; and so on.

“Flight by machines heavier than air is unpractical and insignificant, if not utterly impossible.” Simon Newcomb

"Heavier than air flying machines are impossible." Lord Kelvin

Kelvin and Newcomb, whoever they are, might be amazed, assuming they are long gone, to know that heavier than air machines have been to the moon and back, to name one thing people thought impossible that became way possible reality.

I am hardly a history buff or even close to knowledgeable, but quite positive it was an innovative president and Congress that implemented the New Deal, creating jobs around Great Depression time. It seems now is exactly the time when an innovative president and Congress could be creating jobs to build something that will divert water from floodplains to drought stricken areas. The goal being to prevent future flooding.

President Obama impressed me by ideas presented in The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. Citizens, media, talk show hosts, and lawmakers are so busy bickering over false claims that he was not born in the U.S.A. or that he is a Muslim, they can not get down to serious business, nor consider that his ideas are viable. They would rather say turning those abandoned Maytag factories into alternative energy production using biochemical processes is impossible; won't work; too expensive, and la-di-da.

President Obama, himself, seemed better able to sell his ideas to Congress when he was a senator. He definitely has leadership ability, yet does not appear he is leading Congress in the way our country needs to go; despite his knowing how we can reclaim the dream.

There was time when electricity, telephones, computers and even indoor plumbing were not standard to most United States' households. If people like Kelvin, Newcomb, those who called it Fulton's Folly had run things, today's U.S.A. would look much different. Shame those wealthy corporations are not using their tax breaks to create jobs. Surely they could hire engineers, come up with a plan for the Mississippi river, implement changes while creating jobs. An entrepreneur with vision could create a better tomorrow by work done today.

Its a Man's World

2011-05-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

Arab News dot com reported that a "Jewish paper" removed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from this much published White House Situation Room photo. In some places it is still very much a man's world.

http://www.arabnews.com/world/article392692.ece

Walter Mosley Interview

2011-05-16T15:54:00.001-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/42956157#42956157

I Knew bin Laden

2011-05-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

From Al Jazeera English, a compelling look at Osama bin Laden.

http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/general/2011/05/201151014338715787.html

Smear Campaigns

2011-05-13T11:35:00.000-07:00

Nuclear Power is Safe...

2011-05-11T11:39:00.000-07:00

...unless a magnitude 8 point earthquake causes explosions, fires, radiation leaks and so on?

Facebook friends?

2011-05-11T10:23:00.000-07:00

Did you ever notice that your Facebook friends have themes reflected on their status updates? Some it is all about baby, others all about my favorite recording artist, I hate my job, my life sucks, my life is wonderful, I do not have anything to say therefore copy and paste any inane thing comes my way, and so on. Some of my Facebook friends are fond of politics.

I often comment on all of the above, noticing that my Facebook friends seldom, if ever, comment on my Status Updates. I notice that my political minded friends will generate a lot of discussions via their status updates and wonder why those friends never post a comment when I share political news articles or videos. Sometimes I post stuff on my Facebook status updates simply to save them to post here when I get around to opening my Gmail account so that I can access Blogger.

Truly annoying. I used to keep e-mail accounts closed when doing other work on the web. I do not like all these linked accounts at all. I keep my Facebook friends' list to a minimum. Most are relatives or game friends. The more friends I acquire the more scams land on my wall. Scams and inane copy/paste this message because if you do not I will know you are not a True Christian/American/Do not love your son/daughter/mother/father/sister/brother, are going straight to hell when you die.

Ooh, so you know the words to the United States of America Pledge of Allegiance! Wow!!! And who cares if anyone gets offended when you publish it IN ALL CAPS least they do not know you are YELLING For ATTENTION!!!

To each their own. It would be nice if some of my political minded Facebook friends would take time to read, view, comment on the political stuff I share.

Lies?

2011-05-11T10:06:00.000-07:00

In this video Senator McCain says "you don't announce" intentions, yet I distinctly remember him talking about nuking Middle East countries. I will have to do some searching to find a video to support my memory. Was McCain deliberately lying about what then Senator Obama said? Or did he misunderstand, putting words in now President Obama's mouth?

Misunderstandings happen among people all the time. A person's reading comprehension level may be low. As we age, our brains often get fuzzy, especially in the matter of recall. Most everyone gets tongue-tied or have slips of the tongue. Yet my overall impression during those primary election debates was that both Hillary Clinton and John McCain were lying to influence voters by discrediting President Obama.

Today people constantly call President Obama a liar. They also say he is not true to his word. This video shows that he does do what he says he intends to do. Many of those who consider Obama a liar, were led to believe it due to being lied to from other political figures, news reporters, and other political commentators. I have wasted a lot of time trying to track down supporting evidence of supposed Obama lies, only to find that those claiming he lied about thus and such were guilty of libel.

Osama bin Laden

2011-05-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

After reading a Yahoo Contributor article recalling how the writer learned that Osama bin Laden had been killed, I decided to write one of my own. How boring, eh. I do enjoy reading people's personal accounts. Someone who commented on the article which I can not locate, said she too had written her personal account. That article was a tad bit too long, and did not seem to answer the question: Where were you when you heard the news? Did not read it beyond the first few paragraphs.

Decided not to bother submitting my article for publication, thus added a page here, to publish it. Much too long for a blog post.

Note to self: Associated Content profile links to Yahoo Contributor.

An Arab immigrant in Europe: 'All this for Europe ... was it worth it?

2011-05-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

From http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Seeing is believing...

2011-05-06T07:26:00.000-07:00

Below link is part of someone's post about locating the "official Al-Qaeda website". Pretty much echoes my feelings.

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=385793

I have been told frequently by the news media in my country (the
United Kingdom), including the BBC, that the decapitation or execution
otherwise of this or that "hostage" has been videoed and uploaded onto
"an Al-Qaeda" website".  I would sincerely like to be able to access
at least one of these mythical "Al-Qaeda websites".

It doesn't strike me as too much to ask, in what purports to be a free
society, to expect a search engine as powerful as Google to be able to
produce at least ONE "Al-Qaeda" site, early on in the search results,
when (all said and done) I search on "Al-Qaeda".

Does "Al-Qaeda" even exist, let alone have websites, some of them
allegedly depicting the execution of "hostages", as is often claimed
nowadays by news media such as the BBC?  I think I have a right to
satisfy myself that I'm not being told the truth my the media where I
live.

What if?

2011-05-05T15:21:00.000-07:00

What if Bid Laden was not responsible for the events of September 11, 2001? It was my understanding that he took credit for masterminding the terrorist attacks. I vaguely remember reading several later when I had Internet at home (or where I lived) that Bin Laden's video taped confession was a fake.

I spent a lot of time watching videos that offered "proof" that it and other things were part of a government conspiracy. Due to Bin Laden's death replays of the NYC World Trade Center twin towers collapsing are showing up as part of news stories. I still find it hard to believe that a jet flying into the upper stories could collapse a building, floor by floor in eleven seconds. Sounds impossible for a structure to collapse upon itself in that manner that fast.

It makes more sense to me that a plane hitting a lower floor would cause the floors above to collapse, but not one upon the other, more like scattering through the air. In looking for the video where Bin Laden took credit for the attack, I came across this:

http://www.911hardfacts.com/report_19.htm

Of course, language needed translating into English, and who knows if the quoted passages attributed to Bid Laden were ever spoken to him.

Have to credit this man?

2011-05-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

The video does not specify from whence it came. It does not appear to be doctored.

News headlines are screaming that President Obama has a lot to thank former President Bush for death of Bin Laden. How so? It was under Bush's terms of office that the United States had its worst terrorist attack ever. Yes, natives to the land we now call the U S of A may claim otherwise, but I am speaking in terms of today, that is, an established United States of America.

All I read back in 2001 regarding planes flying into tall buildings was that our government had fore knowledge of a threatened attack and sat idle letting it happen. I also understand that Bin Laden claimed responsibility for master minding the attack that destroyed the twin towers and WTC Bldg. #7.

Former president, Bush, showed his priority was to avenge his family honor by going after Saddam Hussein, using searching for weapons of mass destruction as an excuse to invade Iraq. That war inflamed passions against the U.S. from people worldwide. It is still costing us budget dollars (which citizens than blame President Obama for authorizing spending to finish up what Bush started).

The credit for locating and capturing Bin Laden (dead) does go to U.S. intelligence, the Navy Seals, specifically the men who accomplished the mission, advisers and President Obama for ultimately deciding to raid the compound without 100% certainty that Bin Laden was actually inside. That took guts.

Bid Laden

2011-05-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

Wow, Bin Laden dead. Wonder if this will become the next "Where were you when you heard about..." things, 5, 10, 20 years from now. Will I forget as I have forgotten where I was when I learned JFK was shot? Or MLK? Or the first moon landing? I do know exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard Lee Harvey Oswald was killed ~ watched live on TV. And when Lynyrd Skynyrd died. Well I thought the band name was a person at the time and would have to research what the singer's name is, blah, blah, blah.

I went to Facebook to check my games, intending to go to sleep early. As mentioned on my Homeless in Long Beach blog, have been having Internet connection issues. Sleepy was going to try to go to sleep super early despite neighbor noise. A friend posted a Status Update: Wonder what the big "O" is going to say at 10:30? Checked time, my time, meant east coast time it was 10:27PM, so off to Google to find a live stream of President Obama's statement. Blank video at a new site; tried White House, though I know White House videos produce an endless circling buffering.

"Discussion going on at Facebook" link, took me to the same blank video screen. As I waited, I watched the posts, coming fast and furious. Jokes about BP or CP time. All Caps, triples of Ron Paul or variations of that 2012Ron Paul2012 ~ maybe even a few Donald Trump 2012 passed by the comments. Dollar collapsed. Soon the word Bin Laden appeared. Followed by Bin Laden is dead. And "its on (insert news site) right now" ~ so off to Google again to check news sites. Switching tabs back and forth.

Illuminati, in triples, triple words, triple lines, a dozen lines,interspersed with the Ron Paul spam. Lies, Trump, ratings, election and so on. Finally an hour later President Obama arrived to make the announcement already announced ahead of his statement by news sites. No respect. I was glad, in a way, that they usurped the pres, because I was on edge wondering what major catastrophe awaited us. Nerve wracking.

Those Facebook posts came so fast and furious, it was hard to even read them. Wished Paul's spammers would go away. I think one had his three by three post copied and just kept pasting over and over again, least anyone missed it. Sigh.

Thoughts

2011-05-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

I was up late into the night reading articles about Bin Laden's death. Reading comments. When I could stay connected to Internet spend much time again reading Bin Laden articles and reader comments. One major website is keeping a list of one word reactions to announcement of Bin Laden's murder. I could not come up with one word, thus posted a comment to say as much.

A Facebook friend had posted just after news was making the rounds that people can breathe a sigh of relief. Not me, I said, I am concerned about my niece in Afghanistan. I thought she was too old (over 40) to be sent there. She was to be on her way home, but delayed, likely due to the prison break and other violence. Last I saw her at Facebook was a comment to her sister saying she may be home sooner than she thought.

I guess you can say my first thought is: all hell is going to break out, and poor Sandra is in the thick of things. She has had such a hard time there, physically, at a breaking point of no longer being able to tolerate it. Relieved? Not me. I seldom think about Bin Laden. I thought Al-Qaeda was another person. Color me embarrassed. Yet outcome likely the same. Reprisals for the leader's killing.

Not too far in the back of my mind was a post by a positive thinker Facebook friend a few days ago. Thanks for sharing such positivity about the world's demise on May 12, 2011. I thought it was 5/12/12, but guess I was confused with the Mayan calender version which puts the date at December (or is that October) twenty-something this year? Could it be real? Bin Laden's death the forerunner of earth shattering events on the 12th?

Nope, no relief for me, if anything low-grade anxiety that will not be going away until the 12th has been and gone. And even after. I guess Al-Qaeda does not have nuclear bomb capabilities. Did U.S. precautions make it impossible for them to hi-jack and fly planes into tall buildings. Did I ever believe Bin Laden was responsible fo same? I think he took responsibility as being the master mind behind it, and yet, too many things bothered me.

Like how could a slightly charred passport survive a fire that was so hot it burned steel? I watched over and over again the collapses, the "pull it" order for WTC bldg. #7, read all the explanations, including the proof conclusive, um what is it Popular Mechanics, blah, blah, blah. I believe there were bombs exploded that day. I do not rule out that the building housing the Pentagon and saves could not be pre-wired for demolition in the event of, well, in the event of someone flying planes into the WTC towers.

Bid Laden Conspiracy

2011-05-04T00:42:00.000-07:00

Facebook comments on the White House video site were repetitive, many expressing disbelief, saying it was an Obama re-election ploy, releasing of birth certificate leading up to this, not being a co-incidence and la-de-da. Due to Bin Laden being brought to the forefront of my consciousness, my mind wandered back in time. I learned that if it had been President Bush making this announcement, I would have been right there with the "government hoax" or lie as they posted it. Or I do trust President Obama whereas I mistrusted the Bush administration. People often say Obama lies, but I have yet to verify any suggested lie.

I could say he lied when he said in a debate that he was opposed to mandatory with penalty health insurance. I do not think it a lie, I think he changed his mind, likely due to Hillary Clinton's influence. He did not lie about his Afghanistan stance, nor about ending the Iraq war. Some lady berated me as if I am daft, on a FB friend's status update comment riff. Because he said "be nice now" and I recalled his threat to remove friends (and WTF let him remove me, but let the biatch who started the name-calling, read my reply first) "we are still at war with Iraq". Actually, no the war former President Bush waged against Iraq is over. Yes our troops are still there in limited numbers, but we are no longer fighting the country.

Okay, so first thoughts were of concern for retaliation and niece's safety. Could say second thoughts were of fear, although I did not feel fear, about possibility of end of world as we know it. Not much I can do if the Christian/Hebrew concept of God is real, I am earmarked for eternal hellfire, oh well, do not much like the prospect, but, not much I can do if that god is an evil punitive man desiring to see humans tormented eternally.

Often I re-do my life as I try to fall to sleep at night. Recently I went back to September 11, 2001: do not tell B.J. where you live; okay to call the arsejet, so busy celebrating his next day birthday he has little concern about WTC tragedy. His mother stranded in Chicago. "What if it had been her plane?", I asked. Well then he would be right out there finding and killing "them". Get new cell phone, do not return his calls to old cell number, if he calls, which in reality he did. Do not go out to lunch (or was it dinner) with EB.

Yes, the events of September 11, 2001 did affect the course of my life. If only I had not let them do so. I do like the person I was that morning and for a while afterwards. But made some dumb choices that lead me straight to the streets and the sorry state of my life today.

How many times?

2011-05-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

As things change...

2011-05-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

...they remain the same.

2011-05-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

2011-04-30T14:27:00.000-07:00

Stevie Wonder singing Blowin' in the Wind at Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Tribute Concert
- Watch more Music Videos at Vodpod.

Playing The Blame Game

2011-04-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

"If I were to give the Republicans credit for one thing it would be their ability to get middle class America to vote against their own best interests. The Republicans have somehow convinced them that they care about them and that they will somehow be better off voting with them." Les Robbins, Playing The Blame Game

I have no idea who the people who comment on news articles and blogs. It hardly matters what a news article is about, someone turns it into a political debate. The debate is usually started by someone mentioning liberal scumbags or attacking President Obama. Then there are the holier than thou God posts, mainly from Christians.

Its all you liberal scumbags fault that the child was kidnapped, those sheeple elected Barry Hussein Sotero Osama, sent to us by the devil. Impeach him!!!

Oy vey. Yes, I am making that up, but not exaggerating by much. I never think: gee, these middle class Americans are nasty when they are hiding behind a user name on the Internet. I think they are posted by people with a very low degree of education, manners, sophistication and maturity. They are, I think, the sheeple, following leaders who pander to their fears, feeding them with lies.

I am neither a liberal,, nor a conservative, yet I have been slammed with names such as: Commie, hippie, leftie, bleeding-heart liberal, Un-American, using with at least one cuss word included, not counting the F-word. Due to word "liberal" being thrown into the mix, I assume the comments were posted by conservatives, leading me to believe that conservatives are ugly Americans.

Attacking people rather than listening to opposing viewpoints, and then, discussing the ideas, refuting lies or stereotypes with facts seems to be the norm.

Mr. Robbins begins, Playing the Blame Game: "I have cannot remember a period in which politics were as volatile and government as dysfunctional as they are today." I do not know if that is true, the "today" part, for all I know it has always been thus, but it sure seems like it to me. I also know that the tit for tat bickering is not going to solve any issues. How does the quote go? Fix the problem, not the blame.

Mitt Romney ~ Gaffe or Strategy?

2011-04-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

We're going to hang him with that -- uh, so to speak, metaphorically, with, uh, you have to be careful these days, I learned that -- with an Obama Misery Index." ~ Mitt Romney

Now-a-days we have to be careful because we have a black man for president, and Omigod, we have to tread lightly, or someone will call me a racist?

When Romney planned to use Reagan's "misery index" and hang it around President Obama's neck, he was not likely to be thinking of the president's skin color. Citizens are miserable and it is all President Obama's fault, just like when Jimmy Carter was president. "We're going to have to hang him with that...", that being his newly created buzz word "Obama Misery Index". No big deal, he just said "hang it around his neck", any intelligent person would know what "that" was.

But he hesitates, and explains the obvious as if an admission of guilt. Then, reminds listeners how difficult it is to talk normal, because our President is black and ooh so sensitive, he may take the comment the wrong way and think it was a white man wanting to lynch a black man. He thought it funny as did those in the audience. I doubt anyone would have noticed "hang him" if Romney had just continued his speech as planned. Unless, what he said was exactly what he planned to say.

A non-issue, just the press trying to make something out of nothing. I can picture President Obama chuckling about it and First Lady Michelle, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. Sad, though, because some ejects will be writing in comments...

Ejects

2011-04-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

The only thing worse than Donald Trump is the people who think he would be a grand president of the United States of America. This would also include the media who give press to the eject totally ignoring President Obama's call for dealing with important issues facing the country.

Trump wants the spotlight upon him, not on issues dealing with unemployment, home foreclosures, the Afghanistan war, the budget, teachers losing jobs and all the rest of the issues Congress and President Obama are working to solve. Or not working to solve. How would I know, MSM is more interested in giving me news about Trump, Beck, Palin, Bachman, Charlie Sheen and the rest of them.

Oh, media does like to talk about President Obama's approval ratings. Well, gee, of course people are disapproving ~ they are not aware of anything he does, because they are too busy parroting the lies their heroes are telling them. The citizens themselves, people I call ejects out of frustration for their idiocy, have shifted the blame to President Obama, when the blame belongs upon them and everyone else ~ those named (except Charlie Sheen) and Huckabee, Philip Berg, Andy Martin ~ the list is long ~ that continues to demand proof from President Obama .

Never mind that they are the laughing stock of all the sane, sensible people who know President Obama was in fact born in Hawaii, son of a U.S. citizen mother, and Kenyan father. Shameful that even elected officials and wannabe presidents do not know what the constitution says about who will be considered "Natural Born Citizens" ~ ONE parent who is a U.S. citizen. Too bad President Obama did not simply read that part of the Constitution and then say "Shut the fuck up". Well, he would not be that crude, too much of a gentleman to stoop to their level.

There is no silencing the people who were preconceived to believe anything bad they hear about President Obama. Why are they so hellbent on believing lie upon lie, despite proof that they are lies? I formed my opinion. One being that if the likes of Trump can keep the public focused on him, he is distracting them from ever learning the truth ~ smear campaigns are probably as old as politics ~ those who utilize them, show a decided lack of maturity, law of morals, lack of anything credible that would make them an excellent candidate for any public office.

Worse than Trump are the ejects who would vote for people who show lack of maturity, lack of morals, lack of any goodness ~ all for their own popularity, not at all concerned about leading citizens, like a Pied Piper to destruction. Ejects!

God Help Us All

2011-04-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

Why does someone not tell Donald Trump, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, Glen Beck, Tea Party members, that Title 8 Section 1401 defines Natural Born Citizens of the United States:

g) a person born outside the geographical limits of the United States and its outlying possessions of parents one of whom is an alien, and the other a citizen of the United States who, prior to the birth of such person, was physically present in the United States or its outlying possessions for a period or periods totaling not less than five years, at least two of which were after attaining the age of fourteen years...."

This continues about parents in military or other U.S. government service abroad.

There are more. But the ejects who suspect President Obama was born in Kenya, do not seem to realize, even if he had been, which he was not, he is still considered a Natural Born Citizen, thus eligible to be president under constitutional law.

Long-form birth certificate? What is that? My city issued birth certificate is a small green sheet of paper. That is the only form of birth record that I am allowed to use to prove my birth. How did the city know I was born on thus and such a date? I guess my mother went to city hall to register the birth, perhaps providing a copy of the hospital birth certificate.

I should know; I have a son and two daughters. I do not remember how they got birth certificates. I do remember when I had to get them social security numbers. Son and oldest daughter's arrived in the mail. I had to reapply for the middle daughter's which did not. Clerical sloppiness?

So very sad that these people who want to be president of the United States of America, lead the gullible citizens astray with this nonsense. People like to say God Bless America, well truly, god help us if any of those asinine people are elected by the likes of Tea Party members. This makes me so mad I want to spit nails. It is not even logical to suspect our president was not born in Hawaii. I could go on...

USA Military Are Getting Paid

2011-04-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

PAY STATUS:

All military and reservists will receive full pay on April 15 for duty served. There will be more than one deposit into your account, but again, all payments will be deposited on April 15. Check with your bank to confirm the amount deposited into your account on the 15th.

Civilian Pay is not impacted in any way.

from Defense Funding and Account ingServices website

http://www.dfas.mil/

Big boohoo-la at Facebook on the subject. My niece stationed in Afghanistan said "That is so not true. On the 15th of April, we will only be getting one weeks pay", after I posted a prior notice from DFAS ~ All active duty military and reservists will receive full pay on April 15 for duty served. Civilians will also get paid as usual. She should know about her paycheck, right?

According to News Max article. this was posted: “Due to the government shutdown, the Department of Defense has no legal authority to pay any personnel -- military or civilian -- for the days during which the government is shut down.” Military Sends Out Half-Pay Notice to War Zone Troops

I do believe my niece has not gotten a notice correcting the previously sent notice, in the event of a government shutdown which did not happen.

Misconceptions

2011-04-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

I must say the copy/paste message that I have been seeing on my Facebook wall caused me to spend some time getting facts. My comment to the post is something like: The president has to earn more than Supreme Court Justices and Congress people. When Bill Clinton was president, he had to increase president pay, to comply with our Constitution, after Congress handed out enough raises to themselves and Supreme Court Justices to exceed presidential pay.

The Facebook meme begins Dear Mr. President ~ not Dear Members of Congress (who were responsible for threatening to shut down the government because they are unwilling to compromise on the budget). Snopes explains how this erroneous meme got its start making the rounds on Facebook: Military Pay Freeze

http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/payfreeze.asp

A man who posted this Dear Mr. President copy/paste replied to my comment ~ most do not ~ that it is just to show how they feel, because I suggested it would be better to write to members of Congress and President Obama. He said, the gist, "well maybe he would read it". Misunderstanding, thus I elaborated ~ if a few million postcards a day flooded the White House and Congress, with the Facebook meme message, it would most definitely reach the eyes of President Obama and members of Congress. Not that they care or would do anything differently.

Since it was I who suggested copying and pasting a message on Facebook will not do a thing to change a thing, I went in search of info to learn when and how President Obama planned to freeze military pay. Glad I did not just fire off an angry letter. Among the things I learned: President Obama gave our troops an increase in pay ~ not a big one, mind you, but he is not trying to deprive military of pay ~ "all other government workers", yes he would freeze their pay.

Maybe Glen Beck started the erroneous meme on its rounds at Facebook to negatively impact President Obama's reputation. I took the time to research the topic. Most do not and simply believe and are influenced by what they read. Another niece posted an image with a message on the same subject. I scanned through comments, there were many, all up in arms that President Obama does not want to pay the troops.

Hear me singing? ...look at all these rumors surrounding me everyday, I need some time, some time to get away....how do rumors get started, started by the jealous people....name that tune

Entitlement?

2011-04-05T13:35:00.000-07:00

"WHILE Washington wrangles over how much can be cut from a sliver of the federal budget — the 12 percent that makes up non defense discretionary spending — responsible politicians from both sides of the aisle know that the real issue is entitlement programs like Social Security." Alicia H Munnell, April 4, 2011

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/opinion/05munnell.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Entitlement? The government implemented a retirement program, then started deducting money out of workers paychecks, with the understanding that when a person reached retirement age, they would be given a small pension. Yes, indeed, people who paid into the system are entitled to get what was promised to them. Any non-citizen benefiting from Social Security, yes indeed, cut them off and save some cash.

Social Security is a separate item funded by a separate tax. It does not pay for the military unless of course, a soldier was injured on tour of duty ~ mentally or physically disabled. When a parent died leaving minor children Social Security provides, as it does when a spouse dies. It does not provide a lot, depending upon, of course, the deceased's income level.

Giving Social Security disability payments to young alcoholics that never or hardly ever worked does irk me. By young, I mean men in their 20s or 30s. I suppose being an alcoholic is a disability, yet it reminds me of being married to one, doing without to take care of responsibilities, like paying the rent or for his toll calls so the telephone would not be shut off. I imagine taxpayers who earned a lot more money than I ever did, would likewise not want to support a drunk who did not contribute to the system.

In addition Social Security had a surplus of money. The gov loaned it to another branch of the gov and were not repaid. So, hey, man,lets fix the budget mess by cutting this entitlement program. I would start balancing our fed budget by taking back all those Congress people raises they gave themselves that outpaced inflation and the average citizens' paycheck. Talk about entitlement. Harrumph.

Old News

2011-03-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

"When I am President, we will wage the war that has to be won, with a comprehensive strategy with five elements: getting out of Iraq and on to the right battlefield in Afghanistan and Pakistan; developing the capabilities and partnerships we need to take out the terrorists and the world's most deadly weapons; engaging the world to dry up support for terror and extremism; restoring our values; and securing a more resilient homeland.

The first step must be getting off the wrong battlefield in Iraq, and taking the fight to the terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan."

August 01, 2007, Senator Barack Obama

I am spitting bullets. I commented on a Facebook friends status update regarding a Gallup poll that shows President Obama has improved the view of U.S.A. among other nations. A hater jumped in the conversation. She said that our President lied about Afghanistan and conveniently changed his mind a few days before the election so he could win.

When I said that he stated his stance many months before the election and I did not see him deviate from it, she said "that's not true", so I found the earliest mention, I could, copied and pasted the quote. The hater came back with even more venom, rather than perhaps admitting she may be wrong about her ugly beliefs about our president. She said "you admire liars". Oy vey.

There's no one as Irish as...

2011-03-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

...Barack O'bama.

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

Video embedding has been disabled on this cute animation and song.

Happy Meals

2011-02-24T22:01:00.000-08:00

A friend gave me a subscription to Redbook magazine. The mag reported that San Francisco banned Happy Meals and 84% of Redbook readers were happy about it and the other 16% said they already banned them. For sure I am not in with that in-crowd.

I believe our Constitution guarantees "liberty", liberty meaning freedom to choose. I am 100% against banning Happy Meals. Los Angeles, in the meantime, was trying to ban fast food restaurants because they cause obesity. Oh? Bad enough new laws cost places that serve food mega bucks to confirm to new laws regarding acceptable oils to be used when frying foods, such as donuts.

L-I-B-E-R-T-Y

Citizens are quick to blame the government for everything under the sun. Anti-big government is not limited to Tea Party members. Yet it is the citizens themselves who are demanding more and more government interference in our lives. I do not have children, yet have considered purchasing a Happy Meal for me. Small portions and sometimes I would like the toy. Why? Just because.

Am I defending fast food places, specifically Happy Meals? Not at all. I just think people should have the liberty to buy them if they choose to do so. I also think business owners should be given liberty to serve what they want. As long as they are not killing cats or otherwise using ingredients that are not approved by the FDA. Of course that contradicts my dismay about oils.

Give 'em an inch they will take a mile. The more things citizens allow the government to control, the sooner something they want will become off limits to them. Do elected government officials know what our Constitution says? Does not seem like they do.

A Wake on the Pier

2011-02-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

This documentary is from 2007. The mock cemetery started in 2003. I wonder if it is still created every Sunday. Someone commented on the video at You Tube: The "liberal" peaceniks, whose brainchild this no doubt was, have always been more concerned with impact than with fact.

Gee, the man who started this is a veteran and was joined by Veterans for Peace. Why label them "liberal" simply because they are honoring their fellow soldiers? Veterans with an s ~ I think those who have served would likely know better facts than the person who wrote the comment. Peaceniks? As soon as that word was typed, it told a whole lot about the typist ~ a bigoted human being who causes wars, not someone who would like to solve issues without them.

In The News or Politics?

2011-01-31T10:35:00.000-08:00

I have a conflict when I come upon a news article that I want to comment on. Is it In The News or Politics? LOL, quite often what is in the news is of a political nature. Yet I automatically posted on In The News blog about the protest at a Koch brothers secret meeting with a non-disclosed guest list, except one article listed Glenn "shoot them in the head" Beck and a U.S. Senator as being in attendance.

Today Al Jazeera English is in the news. Seems U.S. cable companies will not allow consumers access to the middle east news agency. During the Bush years I often read news articles from Al Jazeera. Article in the Huffington Post says:

"The objections from the cable companies have come for both political and commercial reasons, said Burman, the former editor-in-chief of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. "In 2006, pre-Obama, the experience was a challenging one. Essentially this was a period when a lot of negative stereotypes were associated with Al Jazeera. The effort was a difficult one," he said, citing the Bush administration's public hostility to the network."

Why were they hostile? Likely they did not want U.S. citizens to see the war from another prescriptive. Might cause dissent if we all saw photos of children's bloody parts spewed across streets in Iraq. Or be informed of the number of citizens deaths. No such thing as war zones, everyone a target, there. Or so it seems to me.

The article continues:

There was reluctance from these companies to embark in a direction that would perhaps be opposed by the Bush administration. I think that's changed. I think if anything the Obama administration has indicated to Al Jazeera that it sees us as part of the solution, not part of the problem," Burman said.

I can envision a bunch of Obama haters jumping all over that as some kind of proof that President Obama is a secret American-hating terrorist Muslim. Gee, why else would our president care about freedom of the press? LOL, reading my sentence I can also envision how I could be quoted, the quote taken out of context, people putting words in my mouth that I did not type. Or typed, but as part of a sentence. Happens all the time. Some deliberate miss-quotes as well; not that I am in the league with people who get quoted.

Do not see an author of the quoted article.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/30/al-jazeera-english-us_n_816030.html

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT IFTAAR DINNER

2011-01-29T21:15:00.000-08:00

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening, everybody. Welcome. Please, have a seat. Well, welcome to the White House. To you, to Muslim Americans across our country, and to more than one billion Muslims around the world, I extend my best wishes on this holy month. Ramadan Kareem.

I want to welcome members of the diplomatic corps; members of my administration; and members of Congress, including Rush Holt, John Conyers, and Andre Carson, who is one of two Muslim American members of Congress, along with Keith Ellison. So welcome, all of you.

Here at the White House, we have a tradition of hosting iftars that goes back several years, just as we host Christmas parties and seders and Diwali celebrations. And these events celebrate the role of faith in the lives of the American people. They remind us of the basic truth that we are all children of God, and we all draw strength and a sense of purpose from our beliefs.

These events are also an affirmation of who we are as Americans. Our Founders understood that the best way to honor the place of faith in the lives of our people was to protect their freedom to practice religion. In the Virginia Act of Establishing Religion Freedom, Thomas Jefferson wrote that “all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion.” The First Amendment of our Constitution established the freedom of religion as the law of the land. And that right has been upheld ever since.

Indeed, over the course of our history, religion has flourished within our borders precisely because Americans have had the right to worship as they choose -– including the right to believe in no religion at all. And it is a testament to the wisdom of our Founders that America remains deeply religious -– a nation where the ability of peoples of different faiths to coexist peacefully and with mutual respect for one another stands in stark contrast to the religious conflict that persists elsewhere around the globe.

Now, that's not to say that religion is without controversy. Recently, attention has been focused on the construction of mosques in certain communities -– particularly New York. Now, we must all recognize and respect the sensitivities surrounding the development of Lower Manhattan. The 9/11 attacks were a deeply traumatic event for our country. And the pain and the experience of suffering by those who lost loved ones is just unimaginable. So I understand the emotions that this issue engenders. And Ground Zero is, indeed, hallowed ground.

But let me be clear. As a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. (Applause.) And that includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America. And our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country and that they will not be treated differently by their government is essential to who we are. The writ of the Founders must endure.

We must never forget those who we lost so tragically on 9/11, and we must always honor those who led the response to that attack -– from the firefighters who charged up smoke-filled staircases, to our troops who are serving in Afghanistan today. And let us also remember who we’re fighting against, and what we’re fighting for. Our enemies respect no religious freedom. Al Qaeda’s cause is not Islam -– it’s a gross distortion of Islam. These are not religious leaders -– they’re terrorists who murder innocent men and women and children. In fact, al Qaeda has killed more Muslims than people of any other religion -– and that list of victims includes innocent Muslims who were killed on 9/11.

So that's who we’re fighting against. And the reason that we will win this fight is not simply the strength of our arms -– it is the strength of our values. The democracy that we uphold. The freedoms that we cherish. The laws that we apply without regard to race, or religion, or wealth, or status. Our capacity to show not merely tolerance, but respect towards those who are different from us –- and that way of life, that quintessentially American creed, stands in stark contrast to the nihilism of those who attacked us on that September morning, and who continue to plot against us today.

In my inaugural address I said that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus —- and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and every culture, drawn from every end of this Earth. And that diversity can bring difficult debates. This is not unique to our time. Past eras have seen controversies about the construction of synagogues or Catholic churches. But time and again, the American people have demonstrated that we can work through these issues, and stay true to our core values, and emerge stronger for it. So it must be -– and will be -– today.

And tonight, we are reminded that Ramadan is a celebration of a faith known for great diversity. And Ramadan is a reminder that Islam has always been a part of America. The first Muslim ambassador to the United States, from Tunisia, was hosted by President Jefferson, who arranged a sunset dinner for his guest because it was Ramadan —- making it the first known iftar at the White House, more than 200 years ago. (Applause.)

Like so many other immigrants, generations of Muslims came to forge their future here. They became farmers and merchants, worked in mills and factories. They helped lay the railroads. They helped to build America. They founded the first Islamic center in New York City in the 1890s. They built America’s first mosque on the prairie of North Dakota. And perhaps the oldest surviving mosque in America —- still in use today —- is in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Today, our nation is strengthened by millions of Muslim Americans. They excel in every walk of life. Muslim American communities —- including mosques in all 50 states —- also serve their neighbors. Muslim Americans protect our communities as police officers and firefighters and first responders. Muslim American clerics have spoken out against terror and extremism, reaffirming that Islam teaches that one must save human life, not take it. And Muslim Americans serve with honor in our military. At next week’s iftar at the Pentagon, tribute will be paid to three soldiers who gave their lives in Iraq and now rest among the heroes of Arlington National Cemetery.

These Muslim Americans died for the security that we depend on, and the freedoms that we cherish. They are part of an unbroken line of Americans that stretches back to our founding; Americans of all faiths who have served and sacrificed to extend the promise of America to new generations, and to ensure that what is exceptional about America is protected -– our commitment to stay true to our core values, and our ability slowly but surely to perfect our union.

For in the end, we remain “one nation, under God, indivisible.” And we can only achieve “liberty and justice for all” if we live by that one rule at the heart of every great religion, including Islam —- that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

So thank you all for being here. I wish you a blessed Ramadan. And with that, let us eat.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/08/13/remarks-president-iftar-dinner
October 17, 2005, President George W. Bush

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT IFTAAR DINNER

2011-01-28T21:18:00.000-08:00

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT IFTAAR DINNER
The East Room7:01 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Please be seated. Thank you. Welcome to the White House. This is the fifth year in a row that it's been my honor to host an Iftaar in the State Dining Room.

Our distinguished guests represent the millions of Muslims that we're proud to call Americans, and many Islamic nations are represented here that America is proud to call friend. We welcome the representatives from many countries with large Muslim populations. I want to thank you all for coming to celebrate an honored tradition of the Muslim faith, and wish you a, "Ramadan Mubarak."

I want to thank those in my administration who have joined us. I want to thank the Imam for joining us today, and thank you for leading us in prayer after these short remarks. I want to thank all the ambassadors from the Organization of the Islamic Conference. I welcome other members of the Diplomatic Corps. And I want to thank the Muslim -- American Muslim leaders who are with us today. Thanks for taking time out to celebrate this important dinner.

Ramadan is the holiest time of the Muslim year. According to Islamic teaching, this month commemorates the revelation of God's word to the Prophet Muhammad in the form of the Koran. For more than a billion Muslims, Ramadan is a time of heartfelt prayer and togetherness. It is a time of fasting and personal sacrifice. It's a time to give thanks for God's blessings through works of charity.

One Muslim leader said: "It's a national and Islamic obligation to assist one's neighbors when they are in need." The American people saw that spirit as we recovered from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The world sees that spirit, that compassion of Islam, through the countless acts of kindness following the recent earthquake in southeast -- in South Asia.

America is fortunate to count such good-hearted men and women among our fellow citizens. We have great respect for the commitment that all Muslims make to faith, family, and education. And Americans of many backgrounds seek to learn more about the rich tradition of Islam. To promote greater understanding between our cultures, I have encouraged American families to travel abroad, to visit with Muslim families. And I have encouraged American families to host exchange students from the Muslim world. I have asked young Americans to study the language and customs of the broader Middle East. And for the first time in our nation's history, we have added a Koran to the White House Library. (Applause.)

All of us gathered tonight share a conviction that America must remain a welcoming and tolerant land, in which our people are free to practice any faith they choose. We reject every form of ethnic and religious discrimination. As I said in my second Inaugural Address, we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time.

We also share a common hope for the future -- that our children and grandchildren will grow up in a safer and more peaceful world. Delivering on that promise to future generations requires action from our generation. We must stand confidently in the cause of freedom -- including the freedom of people everywhere to practice their faith in peace. We must also firmly oppose all who commit evil in God's name. I am grateful to the Muslim nations that have joined our coalition in the war on terror -- including many nations that have been victims of terror themselves.

As we work together to defeat the terrorists, we must be very clear about the enemies we face. The killers who take the lives of innocent men, women, and children are followers of a violent ideology very different from the religion of Islam. These extremists distort the idea of jihad into a call for terrorist murder against anyone who does not share their radical vision, including Muslims from other traditions, who they regard as heretics.

Their strategy will fail. Many Muslim scholars have already publicly condemned terrorism, often citing chapter 5, verse 32 of the Koran, which states that killing an innocent human being is like killing all of humanity, and saving the life of one person is like saving all of humanity. I appreciate those of you here who have joined these scholars in rejecting violent extremists. And I believe the time has come for all responsible Islamic leaders to denounce an ideology that exploits Islam for political ends, and defiles your noble faith.

I have great confidence in the future of this nation, and in the future of the Muslim world. I have been inspired by the courage of people in Afghanistan and Iraq, where Muslims are celebrating Ramadan in two of the world's newest democracies. I believe that people of every religious and ethnic background have the right and the desire to be free. And I believe that the spread of freedom and justice and tolerance in the broader Middle East will lead to the peace that we all seek.

As we celebrate this special Iftaar, we renew the ties of friendship that bind all those who trace their faith back to God's call on Abraham. We recognize the many hopeful works we have achieved together. We look forward to learning more from each other in the years ahead.

I'm so grateful that you joined us today. I wish you a blessed Ramadan, and may God bless you all. (Applause.)

President Barack Obama

http://newsblaze.com/story/20051018080359nnnn.nb/topstory.html

First Lady Staff

2011-01-27T20:02:00.001-08:00

Per P-T online, a Speakout caller to the Press-Telegram asked why First Lady Michelle Obama needs a staff of 22. I would call and answer the query; should write a letter to the editor. The anonymous call-in feature was so popular, the paper restricted calls to a minute. Most of the calls they choose for publication are reduced to one line. And it seems the editor who chooses what to publish picks the most inane, repetitive calls.

To wit: Liberals are dumb as...

Okay, never mind. I always find it interesting when readers accuse the paper of being a liberal rag and not giving equal time to conservatives. LOL it seems the exact opposite is true when it comes to whose letters or Speakouts get published most often. Maybe they do it on purpose to create controversy and a flurry of protests. I am not the only reader who simply declines to read the Letters or Speakout anymore. Oh, I stop by once in a while to find out what citizens have to say about certain headline news topics.

Maybe questioning the size of Michelle's staff was in the news? Or did the question come from one of those false and misleading forwarded emails? Do not know why Mamie Eisenhower popped in my mind, but she is where I started my search for First Lady staff sizes. Did not spend much time on it; Mamie had no trouble managing a "large staff".

Hillary Clinton, staff of 20, plus 15 interns and volunteers
Jacqueline Kennedy, 40
Lady Bird Johnson, 30
Betty Ford about the same as Lady Bird
Laura Bush had between 24 and 26 staff at the end of her husband's presidency

I am guessing the First Ladies have staffs of those sizes because they need help in carrying out duties that come along with the title. Somebody has to clean the White House ~ all of it, even President and family's personal space. Someone has to hire the cleaners and supervise them. Maybe the President's staff does that. I dunno and truly do not care about the size of Michelle's staff.

war

2011-01-26T22:30:00.000-08:00

Looking for information about Afghanistan weather I saw sidebar link that said "Troops in Afghanistan". I clicked it thinking it was another map that would show our base locations, to see if I could determine where my niece is stationed. Instead I got "Send a message to our troops" ~ with boxes to type message, name, email address. No thanks. Every time I provide an e'dress to one of these things new spam arrives.

Good spammer tool, I am sure, patriotic Americans would hardly be so callous as to ignore a request to send a message to "our troops". The simple web page said:

Our troops in Afghanistan make remarkable sacrifices every day, protecting us from harm and ensuring freedom and democracy for all.

I am not sure how my niece and everyone else protects us from harm. Could say Afghan troops are protecting their citizens from harm by us. Our troops do make sacrifices. My niece sleeps in a plywood hut. She does have electricity but the electric blanket only runs for six hours. She sleeps with multiple blankets, hand warmers, a hat and other clothing not normally worn in bed.

Temps in the country were zero Celsius "feels like 1 Celsius". Not helpful to me who only knows Fahrenheit. Found a converter, that would be 32 degrees or the temp at which water freezes.

I was surprised she was sent there due to her age, slightly over forty. Her body is not handling the cold very well. She is not in combat, but finances. Not sure exactly what she does, or why she had to go there to do it. Such as payroll. Maybe our troops get paid cash or she cash the checks she writes them? Is there a bank nearby?

Yes sacrifices, and suffering. Can not imagine how those in combat can deal with freezing cold weather. I do not know if they are ensuring freedom and democracy for all. I believe our troops took away freedom and democracy in Iraq. We left that country in a big mess, worse than it was before Bush ordered the invasion.

What I say is: thank you for willing to kill or be killed on my behalf. I guess that is risk being killed. They definitely are not ensuring freedom and democracy, keeping me and people like Gabby Giffords safe. Oh, I am safe, she was not kept safe due to our troops sacrifices. What I mean is when people like Glenn Beck tells his fans they have to "shoot them in their heads", Sarah Palin talking trash, telling lies to serve her purpose which seems to be to create hatred of anyone with opposing views.

Democracy and freedom to disagree is not allowed by the Glenn Becks, Sarah Palins of the U.S.A. No considering differing viewpoints and finding ways to compromise. Or former President George W. Bush who declared "if you are not with us, you are against us." I am sorry that I am not for killing innocent women, children, and yes, men. That does not mean I am against the United States.

The troops can not keep me safe from some lunatic that is lead to hate and distrust by what Whoopie called "the talking heads". I have been called a lot of names after expressing my opinion (leftie, bleeding heart liberal, cuss words, hippie, and so on) even though I would not bill myself as a liberal. Labels are fables.

I am also not a Democrat. But Glenn Beck would have his followers believe I think Karl Marx is George Washington and they have to shoot me in the head or I might shoot them. Simply because I share some beliefs those who label themselves left, liberal, Democrat have. I also share some beliefs Republicans have. And that Sarah Palin professes to have.

Whoopie

2011-01-25T22:17:00.000-08:00

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

Up in Arms

2011-01-23T15:46:00.000-08:00

Glenn Beck, up in arms, says:

"You're going to have to shoot them in the head, but warning they may shoot you. They're dangerous because they believe Karl Marx is their George Washington. You'll never change their mind. And if they feel you've lied to them...they're revolutionaries."

He continues saying you have to take "them" seriously and they "will follow up with what they say".

Or Glen Beck needs to be taken seriously as a leader whose followers will shoot people in their heads based on Beck's inane platter. Is it not Sarah Palin who calls upon Mama Grizzlies to revolt and take this country back? What was the Boston Tea Party if not a revolution? Okay, I would call it a protest against taxation without representation, but by tossing the tea in the harbor, the citizens revolted.

They said, "no, no, no, we are not gonna take this any longer." So it is with people Beck labels as dangerous revolutionaries. Could say Beck is guilty of blood libel. I do not know any U.S. citizen that confuses Karl Marx and George Washington. How dumb do people have to be to listen to Beck?

When I say "know", I mean people I have personally spoken to and also comments, articles posted all over the Internet. Never once have I come across anyone declaring: Karl Marx is my George Washington. Beck comes across as either insane, blathering idiot or full of paranoid fear. Sad, so sad, that he is given a job to spew his childish, unfounded hatred over the airwaves, for those gullible, paranoid citizens to listen to.

Coincidence that "Gabby" Giffords got shot in the head?

No one will change Beck's mind. He is a danger to society and the well-being of U.S. citizens.

Op-Ed by Eugene Robinson

2011-01-19T14:32:00.000-08:00

From Eugene Robinson, Op-Ed Columnist (Washington Post):

"...at the time, nothing was known about the assailant or his motives. I am confident that at least one of Palin's professors must have taught her that in reporting about a shooting, the fact that the principal target felt threatened is highly relevant information, as is the specific nature of that threat."

"In her statement, Palin gave the impression of being appalled that journalists mentioned the cross-hairs graphic in the hours after the rampage in Tucson. She singled out reporters and pundits..."

"... she claimed that the cross hairs were actually those of a surveyor's scope. Perhaps the ruse would have been more effective if viewers of Palin's "reality" television show hadn't recently watched her use a high-powered rifle, not a theodolite, to fell a caribou. "

"...before last November's election, Giffords gave a television interview expressing her concern about the bitterness and rancor of our political debate. In the interview, Giffords cited a graphic that Palin had posted on Facebook - a map identifying congressional districts being targeted for Republican gains."

Bold/italics are mine. If a movie star dies, reporters scurry to pull up information about the persons life. Why would they not to do the same in the event of a shooting involving an elected government representative? That Giffords specifically felt threatened by Palin's map, makes it news and note-worthy.

If Sarah Palin were a responsible adult, rather than accusing the press of libel, she could have been a lady, expressed remorse and promise to reconsider how she presents her ideas in the future. I imagine in Palin's eyes that would be like an admission of guilt.

President Obama said: "....we should do everything we can do to make sure that this country lives up to our children's expectations" Persons who have mass influence would do well to consider the example they set, not just for children, but for adults also. The example Palin gave her followers was quickly taken to comments on articles relating to the Tuscon shooting.

IE: I am not to blame in anyway, I am gonna say whatever I want to say, the hell with anyone who does not like it. Even if those she targets feel threatened, get threatened, have offices vandalized or get shot. Palin and her followers are not going to do anything to live up to our children's expectations, unless our children's expectations are hopelessness about adults that act like grade-school bullies.

Following the Leader ~ 555

2011-01-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

At laundromat fiddling with cell phone to pass time, decided to try the Alarm Clock feature. Set it to my usual 5:55AM. Blog posts about that number were taken off my Homeless in Long Beach blog. When I moved those 700+ posts to disc, did a dumb thing. My doc list is so long, I deleted them from computer. Hey, if computer dies, who cares, have the story safely saved to thin discs easy to carry with me, should I have to flee home in a hurry...

...that is until the F-drive that put them on the disc decides the discs are not readable, aargh.

Later, at Facebook, a game friend posts this Status Update:

I'm not superstitious, but this year July has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. This happens once every 823 years. This is called money bags. So Copy this to your status and money will arrive within 4 days. Based on Chinese Feng Shui. The one who does not copy.... will be without money. I can't let that person be ME! What the heck-it cant hurt......

Feng Shui ~ 555

2011-01-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

Google searches for verification that 555 is a Feng Shui money bags number, were futile. What I found was Numerology.

555 — Buckle your seatbelts. A major life change is upon you. This change should not be viewed as being “positive” or “negative” since all change is but a natural part of life’s flow. Perhaps this change is an answer to your prayers, so continuing seeing and feeling yourself to be at peace.

ROFL ~ 555 has come up a lot in my life. I wondered as I slept on cold concrete staring at Ocean Blvd. 555 address if all those triple 5's were foretelling my homeless future. Rather I wondered as I tried to fall to sleep or woke to see the buildings bold fives or is that large numbers.

Memory not so good; too bad I can not look up my 555 blog posts to refresh it. I do know I was the 555th person to join Pennsylvania Association of Realtors. Quitting waitressing to (attempt) sell real estate was a major life change. So was becoming homeless.

Meaning of Numbers ~ 555

2011-01-08T12:42:00.000-08:00

The most common meaning numbers are as follows:
One: Independence
Two: Promotes relationship
Three: Creation, father and mother yield a child
Four: Stability of foundation, yet for some since it sounds like “death” in certain Chinese dialects, it can mean misfortune to some
Five: Change
Six: Esthetics and Beauty
Seven: Mystical, the number used in “Yin Feng Shui” or the preparation of the burial site. In Chinese culture, it is believed that proper practices of “Yin Feng Shui” will influence 7 generations later.
Eight: Wealth and Abundance
Nine: Completion and Manifestation

Once Every 823 Years

2011-01-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

You may wonder why I started this series of 555 posts "following the leader" and posting on political blog rather than the games one; I will get to that.

Feng Shui, I learned via the web, deals with single digit numbers. If a number has two or more digits they are added together until they become a single digit. Or 5 + 5 + 5 = 15 and 1 + 5 = 6. Thus the Facebook meme was incorrect. And eight is the number assigned to wealth and abundance. And, once every 823 years?

October 2010 had five each of Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays. Okay, that was October, not July, you stickler for details you. Except July 2022 will have five each and that is nowhere near 823 years hence. And the same meme went around the web in October 2010 (or sometime during 2010). And October's 1982, 1993, 1999, had 5 each and will have them again in 2021.

July 1948 had 5 Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Um, I was born at 5:02AM in September 1948.

People are quick to post copy and paste stuff on their Status Updates. I have not seen the 555 meme a second time. Yet. Superstitious or not, it does not hurt to have a bit of fun. Methinks the person who is having the fun is the one who creates the misinformation status updates. S/he must get a chuckle everytime they see their creation being published. Not that there is a way for them to check up on all Facebook postings, but you know what I mean.

Following the Leader ~ Lets Go Kill Our Opposition

2011-01-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

Just about every day, one of my Facebook friends' Status Update asks me to copy and paste something. Having some mutual friends, I often get to see the same meme or warning several times in one day. Then it appears among non-game friends, oh, brother might post it, because his son did and the nephew's sister will post it, and so will a cousin and non-family friend who knows none of the above.

Moral of the tale: People are quick to follow the leader without question. The 555/823 meme is an example. I do not like copy/paste messages. The Status Update box asks: What's on your mind?, not What's on their minds. Meme's are fine blog games ~ why ever Facebook called them status updates is beyond me ~ but have nothing to do with informing my friends about changes in my status.

Son's week, daughter's week, turn Facebook pink (red, white or purple) week ~ none of those are based on facts, and they recur every few weeks. Does no one verify before blindly copying and pasting? Koobface is very real virus, but the virus spreading "like wildfire" warnings are not. There are a whole bunch of these things that make the rounds.

People are good at following the leader, even if the leader suggest targeting, reloading, putting opposition in cross hairs on a U.S.A. map. People may say at a football game "go kill 'em Tiger", not meaning kill literally. Not likely, then, that Sarah Palin was saying "let's go kill our opposition" in the literal sense. Yet Palin and talking heads, as Whoopie Goldberg calls TV, radio personalities, do spew hatred and venom when speaking of anyone with opposing political views.

Since people are quick to follow their leaders, when Palin feeds her followers lies, they blindly jump on her kill 'em bandwagon. Words are powerful motivators. Mass media, politicans and others who have access to large audiences need to be careful what words they choose to use.

The Argument Begins

2011-01-04T13:26:00.000-08:00

Reading comments on news articles relating to the Arizona shooting of House Representative Gabrielle Giffords, and six deaths, I see the typical. "Liberal scum" or "redneck illiterate" ~ mild forms of the name calling that is all too common. The right this, the left that; radical, either side; ignorant and so on. Sad. The person who called people inbred rednecks may have elicited the liberal scum comment, and so the argument begins.

Most everyone has an opinion and mine is: yes, Sarah Palin, Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Fox news and the like are all responsible for leading people to the kind of hate and anger that can cause a mentally unstable individual to literally try to kill the opposition. The men who bomb abortion clinics and take the law into their hands by killing medical care providers who assist woman with pregnancy terminations ~ are they mentally unstable? Like the Gifford shooter?

I do not know. Memory not good and have stuff to do today, so not researching details.

"Don't blame Palin, people are fed up with government...". Yes, I have been frustrated and fed up with U.S. government, but would not throw bricks throw windows, vandalize offices (Gifford's and now President Obama's campaign headquarters, to name two), send death threats or anything like that. Just picking on Sarah, here, I do not like liars. And I did hear her lie during the VP debates. I have read alleged incidents of her lying. I say alleged, because I do not trust what I read, despite a certainy that much of the stuff she reportedly said, is accurate.

See, lie about one thing, trust is eroded.

Last Thoughts on Comments

2011-01-03T14:08:00.000-08:00

Several people complained, mostly about those scum leftie commie socialist liberals, turning the Gifford shooting political. Excuse me, it is political. The shooter is being charged with:

one count of attempted assassination of a member of Congress, two counts of killing an employee of the federal government and two counts of attempting to kill a federal employee

Article did not say, murder of the child.

Sarah Palin did have Gifford in her cross hairs map as a target. Coincidence? Did the shooter just happen to open fire on a group of strangers or did he seek out Gifford to kill? I think, feel, believe his killing spree was politically motivated and that Sarah Palin needs to clean up her verbal act.

And of course the comments included the usual Obama hater stuff. One said he is more divisive than Palin or anyone else. I beg to differ, but I gotta run. Might offer up some facts as to why I disagree at some other time.

The Words We Say

2011-01-03T13:47:00.000-08:00

Something I read long ago. The words we say are clues to our personality. An example if I say "I have to run to grocery store" rather than "I have to go to grocery store" it might mean I am an action oriented person.

"I think Sarah Palin and her ilk hold some responsibility in the Gifford shooting". She did have Gifford's name on her cross hair as a target to be taken down.

"I feel Sarah Palin and her ilk...." or "I believe Sarah Palin and her ilk...". The first shows a person who thinks, the second one who uses gut feelings and the third simply trusts. Not implying that I think, feel or trust.

Already knew I was an action oriented person when I came upon the article or book about using verbal clues to access personalities. Excuse me for a moment, I have to go jump in the shower. Truly have never jumped into a bathtub/shower combo or plain old shower stall. Tho' I knew it, I did start analyzing my speech and written words. The point of the whatever it was I read, self-help book junky, likely a book on relationships. Once we realize our significant other is a thinker and we are a feeler, we might learn to communicate better. Something like that.

After someone I thought a friend insisted I was a violent person, I started monitoring my words, getting tongue tied when trying to find a word to replace "beat, punch" or anything that could be construed as violence. I jumped the gun on that one. He was punch-drunk. I beat my daughter in Scrabble. See what I mean?

I was hasty, he was pie-eyed, my daughter lost to me in Scrabble? Maybe the words I use are learned, from parents, siblings, school, friends, developed at a young age. Do know mother and father would never say "I have to jump in the shower". She never took showers and he seldom bathed. Thought people washed too much; complained that I was going to "wash away my skin".

As an adult, I learned, we actually are washing away our skin. Dead skin cells ~ and my father was very intelligent. LOL

Where was I? Oh, so Ms. Palin, or is that Mrs., uses hunting language. And maybe she should not do so, eh. A follower might be lead to literally take-down those whom Sarah opposes.

Who Holds Wealth in the U.S.A.?

2010-10-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

Interesting chart compares percentage of wealth holders with citizens idea of who holds the wealth, but I wonder how accurate it is. It appears to be outdated listing "Bush Voters" and "Kerry Voters". I am guessing the results were tabulated from a poll.

I did not vote for Bush or Kerry and would guess that the top 3% of wealth holders hold 90% of wealth in the U.S.A. I may have said 85% if I had not looked at the chart, because the wealthiest individuals do hold 85% of the wealth, if the info is accurate. I have seen pyramid charts many more moons prior to Bush and Kerry ran for president.

If my nephews had not thrown out my "quote books" I would still have the clipping that was taped in one of them. Um, I think it was a photocopy from one of those self-help books I used to read all the time. Back in those days when I was young enough, idealist enough to believe that I could move myself from the bottom of that pyramid to somewhere in the middle. I lie. "The sky is the limit" and I truly believed I could become a wealthy old lady, using that wealth to help other people climb out of the cellar of poverty. An entrepreneurial philanthropist, that was my goal.

There I go again, decide to blog about one thing and wander off into another topic. My next sentence would be something about remarkable failure and being an old lady dredge on society.

http://www.good.is/post/americans-are-horribly-misinformed-about-who-has-money/?utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=outbrain

La Raza

2010-10-28T11:06:00.001-07:00

Translated La Raza means "the race".

From National Council of La Raza:

Vote for Respect

Latinos have a long and proud history in America, but anti-Latino sentient has escalated in our country in recent years. So, We are tired of being the punching bag.

If there is any anti-Latino sentient it might come from all those other races, also known as ethnic groups, with a long and proud history in the United States, that are sick and tired of being spit upon by Mexican/Americans or Mexicans who have violated U.S. immigration law. Do not hear many Chinese/Americans decrying deportation of Chinese citizens who likewise thumbed their noses at our laws.

In my lifetime I have known many bigots. They do not pick on Latins or Hispanics, they hate, above all any one of African descent. They call people from India dot-heads. I do not know all the nasty terms used to describe people from other countries. They have always hated and I believe they always will.

If sentient increased towards Latin Americans, it might be due to the Day Without Immigrants which was a La Raza event. They seem to forget that the U.S. is comprised of immigrants' children and grandchildren, that arrived on our shores from countries around the world. Tearing down U.S. flags, replacing them with Mexican flags would not endear any U.S. citizen to Mexican/Americans. Even those who never had a bigoted bone in their body.

To get respect, give respect.

When citizens who were born and raised in an English speaking country suddenly can not get a job because they do not speak a foreign language, it is only natural that resentment would arise towards those who were too lazy to learn English and demanded that our Government accommodate them. Each generation of immigrants learned to speak English, but La Raza's find it hateful to expect Latino/Latina's to do likewise.

What escalated after September 11, 2001 was concern about terrorists using the U.S./Mexico border to sneak into our country. Concern about the tide of illegal immigration was around long before I was aware of it. 1991 was when I first visited California and saw those signs on the Freeway warning motorists to be on the lookout for a woman and child dashing across the busy interstate. That was when awareness of illegal immigration began for me.

Prior to that I had met many immigrants. Never entered my mind to question their status. My father was an immigrant, who became a Naturalized U.S. citizen, so in my mind, any person from another country, new to the U.S.A. would likewise have come into the country legally for the same reason my ancestors did: to better their lives.

Any group of citizens that claims superiority over others is going to get a bit of backlash. The race, indeed. At least white supremacists are honest in claiming their self-proclaimed ownership over the whole of the human race. It is not enough for La Raza's that there are a whole lot of countries south of the U.S. border speaking a Spanish based language, they want to deprive citizens of the United States from speaking the language they learned since birth...

...or as in the case of many legal immigrants, learned as children, young or older adults.

What I am anti is: I did not move to a foreign country and do not want to see my country turned into one. I am not anti-Mexicans or anti-any ethnic group. I am anti-bigots no matter what race they consider themselves to be.

Pumpkins

2010-10-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

A Facebook status update likens being a Christian to being a pumpkin. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate and greed. He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see.

I imagine a lot of Tea Party members consider themselves Christians. Judging from videos and photos I have seen of Tea Party members at rallies, it seems their God forgot to carve the smiling face. And if his light is shining for all the world to see, his light is not worth seeing.

The Ku Klux Klan is a Christian organization. They do like to illuminate skies with burning crosses. Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor sided with the grand poopah on the burning cross issue because burning crosses shows support for Klan ideology or as a “symbol of group solidarity.”

The Klan is used here as an example of this Christian God's ugly light shining for the world to see.

The light of love, kindness, generosity, and gentleness does shine. But those acts of love, kindness, generosity and gentleness are performed by people of all faiths. Perhaps there is one loving god with many names.

The pumpkin analogy states: God picks you from the patch and washes all the dirt off of you and he scoops out the yucky stuff. Since Christians such as Klan members still have dirt upon them and yuckiness inside, the status update might better start, "...being a decent, moral person is like being a pumpkin." And yet, that does not explain altruistic agnostic and atheist people.

Just the fact of posting the pumpkin analogy shows a snobbiness over all non-Christians. Heh, heh, hey, God did not pick you from the pumpkin patch and wash off all your dirt, so I am so much better than you, dear reader.

Reality is not like the Fairy Godmother waving a magic wand turning a pumpkin into a carriage. Professing to be a Christian does not magically transform people. Actions do speak louder than words.

Did You Consent To Be Governed?

2010-10-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

The U.S. government was not instituted with my consent; was not anywhere near being born at the time. I am guessing I have given the U.S. government my consent to be governed by obeying the laws, paying my taxes, and voting in elections. What choice do I have? What choice do citizens of other countries have?

Oh, some citizens of the world refuse to consent to be governed. They disobey other countries immigration laws and set up residence, obtain jobs or do not obtain jobs, but find other means to obtain money. People who do not give consent to be governed do set up a tents, live off the land, and are automatic criminals. AKA: homeless.

I doubt that citizens of lands consented to be ruled by Kings, Queens, Pharaohs, dictators, or even presidents. Early humans may have consented to alpha dog leading of the pack. Groups of cave people may have banded together to better fight predators and to take care of the group. People still band together, be it through family, religion or communes. Those may indeed consent to be governed by the founder or top dog of the groups.

Basically, people are just born into whatever form of government there is in the place where their parents reside. Adults of any age that leave the land of their birth could be said to removing their consent to be governed by the system in place where they were born. That does not imply that those who stay are expressly giving their consent; they may not have the means to leave.

Especially true in today's world with strictly controlled borders, identification requirements and enforcement of immigration laws. If you are a Christian it is highly unlikely you will be welcomed with open arms in a Muslim ruled country. I know that China and Mexico have very strict immigration laws; do not know their requirements for citizenship.

That clause in the U.S. Declaration of Independence was giving the King notice that the colonies or self-appointed representatives of them were setting up a new government to secure rights denied by their governing body.

President Obama

2010-10-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

Have noticed a new trend. People write "Mr. Obama" rather than "President Obama". I have yet to hear Mr. Eisenhower, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Nixon, Mr. Ford, Mr. Clinton, Mr. Bush and so on. Even former presidents are spoken of as President Washington, President Roosevelt and it does not matter if they were disgraced presidents.

Critics say they are unfairly labeled racists or bigots if they say anything unfavorable about President Obama. Well, I am sorry, I am going to call any citizen that says Mr. Obama instead of President Obama is indeed a racist or bigot. Nothing else explains the disrespect.

A news reporter should know better. Yes I have been disrespectful saying Bush, rather than President Bush, as an example, especially now when G.W.Bush is a former president. I have tried to correct that by not referring to our current president as simply Obama. He signs letters Barack, but I would be as uncomfortable using his first name as I would be using former President Bush's first name in conversation.

The latest gaffe is from the New York Times writer, Sheryl Gay Stolberg, who wrote: "...subsequent snub overshadowed Mr. Obama’s message". Odd that she was able to write next:
Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and First Lady Michelle Obama. Why not Mr. Biden and Mrs. Obama?

Article titled: Obama Gets a Caustic Welcome in Rhode Island

On To The Juicy Part

2010-10-25T15:32:00.000-07:00

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

That has been amended to include women and former slaves. Tough luck homosexuals, lesbians, smokers of tobacco products and raped females. I guess I have to add: crack cocaine users, child molesters, murderers, rapists and such. Those who bypass U.S. Immigration law to live as citizens claim the equal status, unless of course they happen to be Muslim.

The evident truth is not all people are created equal. Some are born of wealthy parents, others born with addiction to crack or heroin, others born without limbs or with other birth defects. The laws of nature, would have human babies born defective, meaning not the norm, such as missing limbs, left to die. Despite bad stuff said about humans, many have compassion, especially the parents who love and care for babies not born perfectly healthy.

An embryo or fetus supersedes the right to liberty of the female in whose body it resides. Liberty means freedom to choose, but many U.S. citizens who would call themselves partiotic, want to take the rights away from pregnant females.

If a man's pursuit of happiness includes marrying another man, his Creator endowed him with the right to do so. Humans take away his right, and again, it seems the people who consider themselves to be more American than others are the most vocal in their opposition of GLBT having liberty.

Which goes back to why I would never be a Tea Party member.

The Slicker the Ad

2010-10-25T15:00:00.000-07:00

The slicker the ad, the less likely I am to vote for a candidate.

Opened a 27 page 8x11" booklet titled: CONFUSED ABOUT THE CANDIDATES? Get the Facts...Inside.

Front page shows Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman. Following pages do not offer up facts as much as offering up why no one in their right mind would vote for that failure Jerry Brown. Of course. Takes a bit of page turning to learn the booklet was paid for by Meg Whitman; who'd a thunk it.

Next up, a sealed and folded glossy slick advert. Jerry Brown: Soft on Crime. OPPOSES THE DEATH PENALTY Against the death penalty - even for cop-killers. Good, I guess my vote is going to Brown. I oppose the death penalty even for serial killers, child molesters, rapists and kidnap, torture, murderers of children. Of anyone, actually.

I am not against allowing parents of a child who was sexually molested, tortured and murdered to do as they want with the murderer. I think rapists should be castrated, number one and...

...never mind. What I would propose be down with sex offenders would be much worse fate than death. Death is freedom, so hardly retribution for crimes. The death penalty has not stopped murder. If even one innocent person gets put to death for a crime, it is one person too many. Sad that there are many more than one person in jail or put to death for crimes they did not commit.

As long as our penal system is flawed in that innocent people can and do get arrested, I will never support the death penalty, despite a desire to see some vile criminals tortured to death.

So, thanks, Meg, I will vote for Jerry, not you.

What I want in a campaign flier is all about YOU, the candidate with zero mention about opponent. I want to know how you voted on legislation; I want to know where to verify your claims; I want to know your platform. Yes, Death Penalty is one thing I consider when choosing candidates. I have a whole list of things that cause me to choose X over Y. Do not bad mouth your opposition, tell me about you ~ what you have done in the past and maybe what you would like to do if elected.

Lower taxes? Yeah right, that is what they all say.

I need to know that a candidate supports what I believe to be right or fair; be of high moral character (um, Meg, why did you knowingly hire an illegal alien when so many legal citizens are out of work?); believes in liberty for all citizens and so on.

Concern about our environment and waste, even if money wasted is not my own, is the main reason: the slicker the ad, the more apt a candidate is to lose my consideration for a vote.

1908 Election

2010-10-25T13:23:00.000-07:00

Image is in Public Domain.

Could say that it was the Republican Party who are responsible for Federal Income Tax becoming law.

Nature's God

2010-10-24T15:21:00.000-07:00

Nature's god is an unknown or all-purpose generic god. Those cats were saying: we have no idea who or what rules over nature, so we shall call the entity Nature's God. Or maybe the author was being flowery in choice of words. Oy, for a plain, simple sentence with clear meaning!

So this god that rules over nature grants humans certain entitlements. Meaning of such in the Declaration of Independence was an entitlement to separate themselves from oppressive government rule.

Who Is Nature's God?

2010-10-23T14:57:00.000-07:00

What does that mean: Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them?

Who is Nature's God? It does look like the signers of the U.S. Declaration of Independence did mean that science and god were separate and equal stations. Another implication that our forefathers intended that church and state be kept separate.

What do the laws of Nature entitle people to? Tis' said it is a dog eat dog world, survival of the fittest, alpha male shall rule over submissive or subordinate dogs. I do not think nature allows us any entitlement. If nature wants to rain on us, it will. Nature does not say we are entitled to find shelter from the typhoon or give us time to get out of the way of a tidal wave or erupting volcano.

A law of nature could be seen in mothers abandoning newborn kittens, for example, born with birth defects. How are we to assume among the powers of the earth? Assume, I guess, or, ahem, assume, means to take for granted. Or was it meant to mean acquire; makes more sense: to acquire among the powers of the earth.

What ~ Ever. Now there is a word I need to look up in the dictionary. Those guys decided it was only polite to serve notice to their oppressors that: we ain't gonna stand for that, no more, no way, no how.

Dissolve Political Bands

2010-10-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

A decent respect to the opinions of mankind; has a nice ring to it. I am fuming. Never learn to just ignore status updates on Facebook. One friend updates status quite often sharing doomsday, all is lost, type articles several times a day. He commented on one of his posts: The only good news in this is that we very clearly know the bad news. Oh, PS... There's an awful lot of bad news.

I read the article. If he had not said "we clearly know the bad news", I may have kept my big mouth shut or sat on my typing fingers. To my comment one of his friends wrote: Mary - most of what you say is inaccurate and a myth.

Most of what I said? Free enterprise system, what do you think: If no person offered another money for sexual favors, would prostitution go away? Is it inaccurate and a myth to suggest that could be an answer to ending prostitution? Is it a myth and inaccurate to say that some women choose to become a mistress?

Or that illegal immigrants are sometimes forced into prostitution, often having paid to be smuggled into the U.S. with promise of a job? Or that publishing lists of Johns' names and laws outlawing it has not stopped prostitution? That was most of what I typed and I see nothing inaccurate about it, nor that any of it is myths.

I base the things I wrote on news articles and personal acquaintance of people who have prostituted themselves, men and women. Oh and I guess it is a myth that people prostitute themselves to support drug habits, that women with pimps who beat them, stay with the pimp. Yeah, the lady who blamed the pimp for not protecting her when a John beat her up, could have been lying to me. But I am willing to beat that their is fact, not myth behind that concept.

I Iinterrupt this message...

2010-10-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

...to bring important update: Facebook is experiencing downtime yet again today, October 22, 2010 at 11:53AM PDT.

Yeah, I know this blog is about politics. It is frustrating not being able to find information about Facebook downtime, via Google searches. Thus I am hoping if I blog about it, the message will show up when others are searching for "is Facebook down right now", "Facebook down right now", "Facebook down today", and so on.

Last time I found a blog post linking to Down Right Now, did not save the link. I will add a sidebar link to Ma's Games blog, so I will be able to locate it faster in the future.

Okay, back to regularly scheduled blog posts about the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

Declaration

2010-10-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

How many men signed the Declaration of Independence? Fifty-seven? One of the reasons the representatives of England's thirteen colonies on these shores choose to declare their independence from rule by the King of Great Britain was:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent.

I have had taxes imposed upon me without my consent by federal, state, local governments. Especially targeted are tobacco products. Cigarette taxes in comparison to taxes on alcohol and gasoline are proportionally higher. Yet as those taxes skyrocket, freedoms are being denied or tobacco users are being unfairly discriminated against and have taxation without representation.

When I lived in New Jersey the governor said citizens needed to bite the bullet due to protests about increasing the state sales tax and taxing items that were not previously taxed. Or he and his admin were imposing taxes without our consent.

I have zero recall of being asked to vote on increases in taxes of any kind.

Am I one of those Tea Party members screaming about taking back America? Not unless hell freezes over, as the expression goes. As a group they are illogical and irrational, although some members of that party may be exceptions that prove the rule.

I do not know who stole the United States, except perhaps wealthy corporations and their lobbyists who buy our elected representatives. Sarah Palin, leading spokesperson for the Tea Party, is all in favor of corporations. She may talk a good schtick, but I do not read of her and other Tea Party leaders offering any solutions to problems in the U.S. today.

Ron Paul would re-instate the gold standard, yet never offered up a plan as to how that could be implemented. We do not have enough gold to cover all those numbers on pieces of paper, so who did Paul propose would get the real cash based on our available gold? No one, except I am sure he and his family would be first in line to keep all their money while others dollar bills and coins became worthless, including all those numbers in our bank accounts.

General Welfare

2010-10-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do orain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

A handful of men got together and decided this document would be law of the United States of America. Without searching the topic of "general Welfare", I take it to mean, that all the people's welfare would be promoted.

If there were no jobs, the country would create jobs. If people were hungry, they would be fed. If they were without shelter, it would be given unto them. If they were ill, they would have adequate health care provided. When we, the people, could not work due to infirmities, be it mental or physical or old age, our needs would be promoted.

People are real big at spitting out the words liberal and lefties as if citizens could be defined by labels. Self-professed Christian conservatives are the biggest spitters. They, who should, if following the words of the man they profess to worship, would be filled with compassion for those who have less than. There would be no need for tax funded programs if that type of Christian got off their high horses, stopped with the name-calling and fed the hungry, sheltered the poor, adopted out-of-wedlock babies, rallied against organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan.

Quote of the Day

2010-10-19T13:33:00.000-07:00

Did not verify quote from debate. As reported:

Christine O’Donnell said: “I’m sorry I didn’t bring my Constitution with me. Fortunately senators don’t have to memorize the Constitution.”

If O'Donnell was going to call into question the First Amendment, perhaps she could have memorized it prior to the debate or at least read it over to see exactly what it says. I do not have that Amendment memorized, nor do I expect senators or other reps to memorize the entire Constitution. They should be knowlegable about it and read it from time to time to ensure legislation they are proposing is within the guidelines and laws stated in our ruling document.

That goes for District councilmen and women, mayors, governors and all other people citizens elect to represnt us in government.

O'Donnell is correct in asserting that the First Amendment does not cover "separation of church and state". I would not know that, except for recently researching the Constitution for separation of church and state clause. It is not there.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Truly the intent of that bit of citizens' Bill of Rights is to keep government separate from religion.

Separation of Church and State

2010-10-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

Thomas Jefferson wrote: "I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."

Or it was Jefferson's understanding that intent of the First Amendment was indeed to keep a separtion of church and state.

I am not as educated as I assume Christine O’Donnell to be, yet it seems very clear and not worthy of debate in 2010.

If I had a dime for every time I see someone comment on a news article, blog or elsewhere "We are a Christian country," I would not exactly be rich, but I bet I could replace my laptop with a better model.

55 ~ 93

2010-10-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

According to Vote Easy 55% of Californians are registered to vote and 93% of registered voters voted in last election. I wonder if that means the primary or last general election. When I voted in primary the poll workers were quite bored with a very low turnout. Perhaps that is due to my district polling place. I am willing to bet that none of my neighbors in this apartment complex vote. Only spoke to one man about it and he did not.

I could be wrong about manager and guy who lives upstairs, they seem like the civic responsible type of people. I could be wrong about the rest of them.

Vote Easy is a simple interactive tool to compare how your views on issues match up with candidates running in your state and district. Answer yes or no to 12 issues, choose how important those issues are to you, and as you do so, candidate images shrink or remain static; when done the best match is noted.

Does not surprise me that my best matches were neither Democrats, nor Republicans. Republicans shrank quite quickly on my chart. I do not like my best match for Senate, although I no longer remember why I dismissed her as a choice. Will have to do some more study.

Check out the Vote Easy tool. It is easy to use and very helpful.

Disclaimer: Did you know that bloggers have to declare this? I am in no way associated with Vote Easy. I best study that new law as well and put a disclaimer on my blogs.

Biased News Reporting

2010-10-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

Four sunless gloomy days might be what motivated me to start cleaning up paper clutter. Not in a good way, mind you, in a I do not think I can survive another minute of this incessant neighbor talking, loud music at 1AM and another long, dark, dreary cold winter in this apartment kind of a way.

Already know the folly of trying to hang on to papers living on the streets. Question my sanity on why I start amassing paper, knowing how easy it is to lose everything. If I have not made the effort to take a bus to Orange County to take photos for homeless blog or just to revisit places I loved to go when homed, employed and owned a vehicle. I was happy once.

So why not just ditch this torn part of a news article without blogging about it. Nothing else to do? Want to remember it? Who cares? Not I.

"Also inside the courtroom was at least one relative of Dinkins, who has a history of criminal charges dating back to his youth, many of them tied to drug use." Excuse me, the brother is not on trial, How did reporters know the brother was in the courtroom and why did they dig up the brother's past. Most important why did the writer, Tracy Manzer, feel the brother's past record should be reported at all? Talk about biased news reporting...

The article begins "Tension was thick in Long Beach Superior Court...", yes I imagine so. So why create more reasons to incite a public already upset about the case? Neely Dinkins was being arraigned on the hit-and-run death of a one-year-old girl. I think of the parents of that child every time I cross Redondo Avenue at 10th Street where the accident happened. It is just around the corner from where I live.

Mr. and Mrs. Alvarez were crossing the road pulling the baby and two-year-old brother in a wagon when Dinkins ran a red traffic light, plowing into the wagon. He kept right on going, stopping at the next block, where the boy fell off of the car, then sped to Willow Street where he pulled into a friend's driveway. The girl, Kaylee, was trapped in the car's wheel well and hopefully died quickly.

Yeah, I would say tension was high in that courtroom, in other times Dinkins might have been grabbed by an angry mob. Still his brother being at the arraignment and his arrest record had nothing to do with the case and is not only biased reporting it is shoddy.

It's Not To Late

2010-10-15T01:33:00.000-07:00

Why am I still up at 1:34AM? Not sure, the neighbors were rather quiet this evening, except for some short conversations after 10PM; wrote about that on other blog, post-dated so will be a few days before my trial and tribulations (whine, whine) story gets told. Not that I have never mentioned the noise prior to those posts.

Anyway, because I am still up, did a last stop to delete spam from email and read the one from Blog Action team about Blog Action Day. Not too late to register your blog, so I did, only one of them, although I did pre-write for the Games blog in addition to Homeless in Long Beach and notice I mentioned it on this blog. I did my part.

The registration wants to know how many readers I have so I wrote "one that I know of" that would be me; do know a long-time offline friend reads it sometimes.

Topic this year is water. Okay, speaking of neighbor's noise, when John takes his bath the running water drives me bonkers. I have lived in apartments with walls so thin, used to hearing shower water running. Never a bother. Was not a bother to hear previous tenant's bathtub water running, tho' sometimes when he was washing dishes I got annoyed.

A symptom of Alzheimer's disease is a short temper.

Every since they installed cut open my bathroom wall to access a clog or something originated with John, the tub water sounds twice as loud. I know he runs it full blast. In between our walls, I got a lesson on air pipes that I never knew were part of plumbing. For some reason that air flow pipe amplifies the sound.

Since John moved in I have to keep bathroom door closed at all times. He blasts his radio and starts singing whenever he takes his baths. I may have mentioned the problem with his tub backing up into mine when he first moved into the building. Water. I am sure he uses a lot of it.

Especially when his faucet broke on Friday night and he did not report it to the manager until Monday afternoon. I saw manager in courtyard and I told him about running water. He was unconcerned. I can imagine the water bill that month. It was awful I could not sleep listening to the water running. I could tell it was not normal, like, maybe guy upstairs was showering and besides no one uses water that long. Um, bath time was about 9PM and the water, not as loud, more like when a toilet is running, all night long and on to the next day.

John had the nerve to tell me how he could not sleep on account of the sound. Duh, why not notify manager faucet broke. Sunday he was able to locate the shut off valve or was it Monday morning, I forget, happened a while ago.

I had the same problem with my bathroom sink, the water would not turn off, knob just went round and round. I panicked; manager was not at home, I can not turn shut off valve, no pliers and none of them are turnable by hand. I kept fiddling with the faucet and was able to get it turned off and as soon as manager arrived home, I called him. Was not fixed until the next day.

Cleaning sink other day noticed rust around the back edge of same faucet that was replaced.

Water. I hate my toilet. It is one of those "meets specifications" water saving jobies. It does not save water because sometimes I need to flush it three times. It no longer sounds like a sick cow moaning when I flush. The tank also fills a lot slower than it used to do. That had something to do with John also, when his toilet backed up into mine. How gross. I forget all about those things after the fact.

Vaguely remember the guys needing to come into my apt. to fix John's toilet. Took a while, the men yelling back and forth through apt. walls. "Flush it again...". After that the loud sick cow moaning stopped. But I notice when John is home, when I hear his full blast tub faucet running, my toilet is very slow ~ needing those 3 flushes to flush it all down.

An old 1960s jingle just came to mind: Save Water, While There's Water, To Save.

The brook down the block from where I grew up was polluted. Did not know that word then, just that it stank. A nearby chemical factory was dumping waste into it which caused the odor, but it was also filled with all kinds of trash and car tires.

Summer 2010

2010-10-12T19:04:00.000-07:00

Temperatures as recorded at Los Angeles International Airport

AUGUST 2010 ~ AUGUST NORMAL ~ SUMMER 2010 ~ SUMMER NORMAL
...................(1971-2000)...............................(1971-2000).....

AVG MAX TEMP 71.4 ~ 76.8 ~ 70.3 ~ 74.9
AVG MIN TEMP 60.3 ~ 64.5 ~ 60.5 ~ 62.6
AVG TEMP.... 65.8 ~ 70.7 ~ 65.4 ~ 68.8

Maximum August Temp 2010: 71.4
Maximum August Temp Normal: 76.8
Minimum August Temp 2010: 60.3
Minimum August Temp Normal: 64.5
Average August Temp 2010: 65.8
Average August Temp Normal: 70.7

Normal average summer temperature at Los Angeles International Airport is 68.8 degrees, with average maximum high at 74.9 and average maximum low at 62.6 The normal tempature range average is from the years 1971 to 2000. Summer 2010 the average temp was 65.4, with average high 70.3 and average low at 60.5.

Los Angeles temperatures are usually hotter than temps in Long Beach. I could not locate this summer's average temperature range. August normal high: 76.8; normal low: 64.5 with normal average 70.7 degrees. August 2010: high, 71.4, low 60.3, daily average 65.8.

Nuclear Rods, Reactors, Bombs

2010-10-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

Reading the Press-Telegram is educational. Not due to news reported but by reading Letters to the Editor which prompts me to do research on subjects, such as nuclear reactors.

What I learned is that the U.S.A. has 104 nuclear reactors. Control rods are used by these energy plants to control the fission of uranium and plutonium. I did not locate any information about nuclear rods mentioned by a fearful P-T Letter writer. She said if Iran gets one nuclear reactor and nuclear rod they can control a major source of oil which would harm industries. Same letter-writer complained that President Obama would not "retaliate in kind".

I am wondering, if she meant that President Obama would not order building of another U.S. nuclear reactor or is she confused. The U.S. has 5,113 active nuclear warheads with 4,500 waiting to be dismantled. Would President Obama retaliating in kind, that is, ordering another warhead built, actually reduce a threat caused by Iran building one?

Using diplomacy to create friendly relationships with all nations could do more to ensure no nation would use existing nuclear weapons to attack another.

5 Water Facts from Blog Action Team

2010-10-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

1. Unsafe drinking water and lack of sanitation kills more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Unclean drinking water can incubate some pretty scary diseases, like E. coli, salmonella, cholera and hepatitis A. Given that bouquet of bacteria, it's no surprise that water, or rather lack thereof, causes 42,000 deaths each week

2. More people have access to a cell phone than to a toilet. Today, 2.5 billion people lack access to toilets. This means that sewage spills into rivers and streams, contaminating drinking water and causing disease.

3. Every day, women and children in Africa walk a combined total of 109 million hours to get water. They do this while carrying cisterns weighing around 40 pounds when filled in order to gather water that, in many cases, is still polluted. Aside from putting a great deal of strain on their bodies, walking such long distances keeps children out of school and women away from other endeavors that can help improve the quality of life in their communities

4. It takes 6.3 gallons of water to produce just one hamburger. That 6.3 gallons covers everything from watering the wheat for the bun and providing water for the cow to cooking the patty and baking the bun. And that's just one meal! It would take over 184 billion gallons of water to make just one hamburger for every person in the United States.

5. The average American uses 159 gallons of water every day – more than 15 times the average person in the developing world. From showering and washing our hands to watering our lawns and washing our cars, Americans use a lot of water. To put things into perspective, the average five-minute shower will use about 10 gallons of water. Now imagine using that same amount to bathe, wash your clothes, cook your meals and quench your thirst.

Blog Action Day

2010-10-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

Blog Action Day is coming up, which means I have been getting a number of emails about it. I posted 5 Water Facts without consent from Maria & the Blog Action Day team.

I believe I took time to vote on the topic of this year's Blog Action Day theme that I wanted it to be. If I did or what it was, I do not know.

I am tired. I am tired of seeing ads and email posts that start: STOP or DEMAND. I am tired of all the misery in the world. I am especially tired of email requests for donations. I am barely keeping a roof over my head and not in the mood to help those less fortunate then myself.

I made my first political campaign contributions due to President Obama, then Senator, asking us to "buy" our "seat at the table". We called ourselves Obama's Citizen's Lobbyists. Fat lot of good that did.

I do not know how I got myself on a Republican mailing list. I am especially not interested in those emails. I voted on a poll. Before taking the poll had to give e'dress. I used that account where the GOP mailings arrive. It is my account used for exactly that purpose. The poll said, by agreeing we would get a Newsletter and could opt out at any time. No problem.

It is a problem. They are spamming that e'dress with all kinds of BUY BUY BUY emails. The News Letter email has no link to unsubscribe. I am going to delete the account. One of the GOP mailings was used to spread lies about President Obama. They also had no "unsubscribe" link, forcing me to send a request via regular offline mail.

I am tired of all of this.

I am sick and tired of the A-holes that think they are going to entice me to buy Viagra if they bypass my email account filters, by changing the wording,/spelling of their SPAM. I forward them to the government agency that deals with violators of spam laws. Fat lot of good that does.

The Blog Action Day concept is a good one; yet I think people who participate are likely to be people who already, for example, conserve water. If the general public is ignorant of Water Facts, highly unlikely they will learn them by this united effort. It has been publicized over and over again.

In my little neck of the world, people should be aware of our water shortage and laws, yet they complain, "Omigod, I can not sweep the sidewalk with a hose anymore, what a pain in the butt." My old manager actually said something to that effect. Old manager at this building was more conscientious following the laws, but found them bothersome. People I see while walking totally ignore the laws.

Because I am tired, I did not bother checking to see if I was violating any copyright laws by publishing the email contents. I am sure I could locate the same facts with a little research. But I am tired. Tired. Tired.

For info on Blog Action Day: http://blogactionday.change.org/

Play a Game, Save a Rainforest

2010-10-06T13:03:00.000-07:00

In additon to helping save a rainforest, you can turn you sky pink for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Read the article to learn how playing a Facebook game can help save a rainforest. Thank you, I need all the pageviews I can get.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5848502/play_a_game_save_a_rainforest.html?cat=32

Not

2010-10-05T12:04:00.000-07:00

Park51

2010-10-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

I shared this link on my Facebook wall. One person "Liked" it.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/03/park51-building-ground-zero-mosque

I was hoping some of my FB friends who joined the Lets Burn The Koran Frenzy would read it.

Contrary to the mass of bad publicity that has been heaped on it in recent weeks, the building is designed to be multifaith and also secular.

*nearly a quarter of its space would be devoted to a sports and fitness centre
*another floor would be given over to a playground and childcare are
*there would be a restaurant and exhibition space
*on the 12th floor a memorial and sanctuary remembering the events of 11 September 2001 that would again be multidenominational

In addition: its Muslim prayer space, which would occupy two floors in the basement – will not be a mosque at all as the construction of the building does not satisfy the stringent requirements for a sanctified mosque.

Spc. Alyssa Peterson

2010-10-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

Spc. Alyssa Peterson allegedly killed herself due to not wanting to torture POW's.

As ususal, comments to Huffington Post about Spc. Alyssa Peterson got under my skin.

A comment starts: "Wake up buddy"and "if they want to do a man's job ~ then stop whining" about females in military. "Women going to war and leaving their kids behind" is "unspeakable" to him. But it is okay for men to go to war leaving their wives and kids behind?

"Many American lives wee saved from the 'so called 'torturing'..."

So called? Whose lives were saved? Torturing innocent people to get the truth will only cause them to tell you any lie you want to hear, not facts. Where are the stats on info gained via torture that lead to saving lives of Americans?

"Grow up" is insulting to most people who have the ability to read and disgest an article. Just because someone posts a comment a person does not agree with does not make them less mature. The person who types "grow up" is the one that lacks maturity. Perhaps this guy is the one who needs to wake up.

"So all these 'do gooder' articles aren't worth a pitcher of spit when this country is being pulled down the tubes."

I did not get this comment. Was it a "do gooder" article?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-mitchell/the-us-soldier-who-killed_b_717575.html

domestic violence awareness month

2010-10-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month as per presidential proclamation.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/10/01/presidential-proclamation-national-domestic-violence-awareness-month

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

2010-10-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/10/01/presidential-proclamation-national-domestic-violence-awareness-month

Denis Leary

2010-09-29T22:44:00.001-07:00

Facebook friend posted she is reading a book by Denis Leary. I forgot he existed. Went to You Tube, watched one funny video then clicked on "Denis Leary on Glen Beck". Well, I was expecting a scathing routine; Beck makes an easy target for ridicule.

Instead it was a video of Denis Leary appearing on Glen Beck's show, all serious. The mini-clip had Leary talking about World Trade Center Building 7. Leary said he has many firemen friends who were there when WTC #7 collapsed and there were no explosions, it imploded.

The basement foundation deteriorated; the sound people heard was the foundation falling apart which caused the building to collapse into itself.

Okay, so what made the basement fall apart?

The IRS, CIA, Secret Service, Immigration/Natuarlization board were among tenants of WTC #7. I read that safes in the basement held gold belonging to other countries. Too tired to research that at this moment.

Well, maybe it was like an earthquake when the twin towers fell, rattled the ground nearby so violently it caused WTC 7's foundation to crumble or fall apart? NYC is not California where buildings need to meet earthquake standard requirements...

Danger Ahead

2010-09-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

I would love to copy the entire Letter to Editor of Press-Telegram published September 7, 2010 submitted by Thelma Simpson of Downey. I am quite convinced the P-T editors choose the most unintelligent letters to publish. I am not the only P-T reader who thinks that.

I have seen letters and published Speakout comments stating the same thing.

Simpson put in her slam against President Obama (Omigod, how dare a President take a vacation, as if no other president took one and many!). While the pres was busy doing non-essential things, "the leader of Iran planned for his dream of world dominance", Simpson whines.

Does she know how tiny Iran is? I am going to say "about the size of Rhode Island" but I would be wrong. It is a bit larger than our very tiny state. If "the leader of Iran" is dreaming of world dominance, it would be just that: a dream. Simpson' s problem is with "just one nuclear reactor and rods from Russia". Well, gee, Russia is a whole lot larger than Iran, so why is she not fearful of Russia, China and Mexico hooking up, now that is a scary thought.

China and Mexico have a cozy trade agreement, which is why I threw them in there with Russia.

I looked it up: Iran is a little larger than Alaska. Simpson continues:

"Knowing that America is sick of wars, and Obama would never retaliate in kind, once Iran has a few nuclear weapons they could control the world's major source of oil, the lifeblood of industries".

I assume she meant: President Obama knows U.S. citizens are sick of war, so he would not fight Iran, should Iran launch a nuclear missile aimed our way,

Retaliate in kind? The United States has more nuclear weapons stockpiled than all other nations combined. Is Simpson suggesting our President would need to order some more built? Ah, they got one, we need to add one more?

Perhaps it is the leader of Iran wants to start building their arsenal before the United States attacks them to take control over the dwindling supply of oil? Sort of what we did to Iraq?

Would not it have been better if several administrations ago, presidents and Congress had been working to enforce industries to come up with alternative sources of fuel. And also instituting programs designed to lessen our citizen's dependency upon oil? Our country is the largest importer of oil. That is why so many people from other nations find us a spoiled, selfish and greedy people.

God forbid if a nation were to control the oil that is within their borders; we could not have that, now could we. Of course, that trait may be what best defines the red, white and blue. Look at what happened to the natives living upon this land we now call ours.

Samantha Power

2010-09-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

This is just an FYI to me. Last I heard about Power was that then Senator Obama ditched her when Hillary Clinton was offended by what Power said about her. (a monster) Interesting that President Obama now has both ladies as part of his administration.

Samantha Power, the senior director of multi-lateral affairs and an adviser to the president told reporters Friday's conference on Sudan will show that country it's time to move forward, with a push from the American president.

Read more: http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/09/22/obama-un-how-year-will-be-different#ixzz10kgofLXh

False and Misleading Headlines

2010-09-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

The headline reads: Obama Wants to Wiretap the Internet

"The Obama administration is drafting legislation to expand wiretap authority to intercept all Facebook, BlackBerry, and Skype communications."

That is a false and misleading headline. Yes it is President Obama's administration that is drafting legislation because the FBI and CIA are worried about security. The legislation is not singling out Facebook, BlackBerry and Skype; it is designed so that the government can issue a court order to wiretap accounts of suspected drug dealers, terrorists and I am adding my own take: anyone plotting to overthrow the U.S. government.

I am sure I am not alone in reading the headline and thinking: Omigod, Obama wants to invade my privacy!

I did not read the article with the misleading headline for details; read a New York Times article instead. Bloggers are already jumping on the lets crucify President Obama before he reads all your emails bandwagon. As if he has time to do something like that. Most likely the furious citizens whose little fingers are busy typing out their outrage, did not bother to go to White House or Congressional websites for more information about the legislation. before they got busy condemning our President for another crime he did not commit.

Facebook, BlackBerry, Skype, Omigod and Bloggers are all mispelled according to Blogger spellcheck. Come on Blogger techies get caught up with the times.

A Facebook Conversation

2010-09-13T22:53:00.000-07:00

August 20 at 5:57pm Mary Alice Mariano
The reason I share this which includes text of the speech, is I have zero recall of citizens saying "President Bush is a Muslim" on account of carrying on a White House tradition that goes back to Thomas Jefferson's time.

Read President Bush's words, then read President Obama's words. President Obama's speech was more educational than President Bush's. Other than that they both speak of our Constitution, freedom to worship, praising Muslims, condemning terrorists.

Transcript of President Obama's remarks: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2010/08/13/remarks-president-iftar-dinner
Transcript of President Bush's remarks: http://newsblaze.com/story/20051018080359nnnn.nb/topstory.html

August 20 at 5:58pm Jane Doe A:
With all the stuff I heard about Bush, never heard it said he was a Muslim.

On the other hand -- a friend of mine (who's birthday is tomorrow - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MS. X!) went through the links on Reverend Wright's website and they do tie back ...to the Muslim church -- so call Christian as much as he likes - Obama went to an American Hating Church with Muslim ties for most of his life.

August 21 at 7:26am Jane Doe B:
Jane Doe A where did you find that statement about Obama "Hating" American Church?

August 21 at 9:05am Mary Alice Mariano:
Jane Doe A please ask Ms. X for the links; I would like to read them. Google search did not find them.

Jane Doe A:
Ms. X read the links way back when Obama was running for office and still a part of the church ... they have probably changed the links by now . She just went to Reverenc Wright's netsite and kept hitting the links and reading what she saw....

I noticed quite a few articles taken off the net in the early days of the Obama administration ... I'd read the article one day and go back to find it the next and it would be gone. Cap and Trade was a big one where articles kept disappearing. This president is very media savy .. and knows how to control what is put out there for the public to read.

August 21 at 11:38am Mary Alice Mariano:
Elected officals who want to keep secrets from citizens would not introduce and help pass the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006.

At one time I had 4 websites and at least 6 blogs. I stopped adding links to news art...icles because many online newspapers archive them; many will charge to read the archived articles. It was tiresome checking the links, so I would just put newspaper info, in case any reader wanted to search the article and pay to read it in full.

I doubt that President Obama has enough power to control the press, as compared to, say Bill Clinton who could silence them with a phone a call. An example of that would be during the primary election when there seemed to be a blackout on reporting about the pending court case in Los Angeles.

Another would be Bill trying to get out of his business partnership with UAE Shieks, feeling it would hurt Hillary's chances in the election. Or the Dubai lobbyists contributing to Hillary's election funds. There was a controversy about that in New York when she was Senator. Did you or Becky read about any of it? Are those few articles still online?

The Bush family likewise has business dealings with majority Muslim countries. President Obama does not. It was President Bush who wanted to give control over our east coast ports (some of them) to Dubai and it was President Clinton who helped turn Dubai into the jet sets' latest luxury resort. Yet no one accuses them of being Muslim due to these things.

I do know that early Hebrew and Muslim are basically the same. That is why the Old Testament and Koran say basically the same thing. Hebrews do not believe Jesus was the Messiah; Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet, not the Messiah.

August 23 at 10:42am Mary Alice Mariano:
I have not finished reading these. The first is likely no new infor for me.
"Propaganda is a particularly effective weapon during or leading up to war."
http://www.knowthelies.com/?q=node%2F1243

The second has verifiable info as to ownership... of media outlets.
"The mass media form for us our image of the world and then tell us what to think about that image."
http://www.sweetliberty.org/issues/shadow/jewishmedia.htm

Walk Back

2010-09-13T16:16:00.000-07:00

From NBC's Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg

The apparent walk-back...

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/08/16/4902132-first-thoughts-team-obama-and-dc-drama

President Obama said was: "As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country." And they if they met local Manhatten building ordiances they have the right to build their mosque two blocks from Ground Zero. He had to repeat himself due to people putting words into his mouth, saying he gave Muslims the "green-light".