Blog Catalog

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The Donald wants to be taken seriously?

No solutions for how to best steer the country, just questions about this president:
Donald Trump's New Obama Conspiracy Theory
New York--President Obama may have released his birth certificate on Wednesday, but Donald Trump and other wingnuts have already moved on to a new conspiracy: how the president got into the Ivy League. Michelle Goldberg traces the far-right history of the claim.

The birther bit must have been getting old. Now Donald Trump has opened up a new line of attack on President Obama, accusing him of being a “terrible student” who shouldn’t have gotten into Columbia University or Harvard Law School. “How does a bad student go to Columbia and then to Harvard?” he asked the Associated Press. “I’m thinking about it, I’m certainly looking into it. Let him show his records.” He continued darkly, “There are a lot of questions that are unanswered about our president.”
That is just sad.  Desperate.  Pathetic.
Not content there, apparently he's also possibly looking into the ultra-right-wing website WorldNetDaily, which ran a 2009 piece asking, “Did radical Muslims help send Obama to Harvard?
I love the way Ms. Goldberg so correctly puts this:  Not only does it position the president as a Muslim Manchurian candidate with longtime ties to agents of the caliphate, but it also assures resentful whites that this seemingly brilliant black man isn’t so smart after all. In that sense, it’s of a piece with the right-wing obsession with Obama’s use of a teleprompter, and with the widespread suspicion that he didn’t really write the eloquent Dreams From My Father, a claim Trump recently made at a Tea Party rally. Obama, in this view, is both sinister and stupid, canny enough to perpetrate one of the biggest frauds in American history but still the ultimate affirmative-action baby.
So, anyone call the people who raise this racist?
First, they'd get a "Who, me?!"
And then they'll be chided, harshly, for playing the "race card."
This is no way to screen people for the highest office in the land.

After Friday, blocking tweets will be commonplace

Mark the date:

The British Royal Wedding


Thoughts on TV last evening

---Why are so many (all?) of the shows for the Fox Channel "Viewer Discretion Advised"?  House?  Really?

---Why would ANYONE want a "Windows phone"?  Aren't there enough problems with the software in the form of viruses and bugs that you'd be thrilled to NOT have an electronic gadget that was based on Microsoft's Windows program?

Really.  I don't get it.  Either one.

Did the Missouri Senate just legalize employer discrimination?

It surely looks that way.  Check it out--

From the Jefferson City, Missouri Chapter of the NAACP (in italics):

The Missouri Legislature recently passed a bill to legalize discrimination. SB 188:

Look at lines 47-50 where "employer" now EXCLUDES employees:

In changing discrimination law in Missour, the current Missouri Senate made the following change:

"Employer" shall not include the United States, a corporation wholly owned by the government of the United States, an individual employed by an employer, an Indian tribe, or any department or agency of the District of Columbia subject by statute to procedures of the competitive service, as defined in 5 U.S.C. Section 2101, or a bona fide private membership club (other than a labor organization) which is exempt from taxation under 26 U.S.C. Section 501(c), and shall not include corporations and associations owned and operated by religious or sectarian groups;



The bill perfected the same week as the 150th ciil war anniversary. Missouri is the only state in America to legalize discrimination & now stands in stark contrast to the values we as Americans espouse.

I'm not an attorney by any stretch of the imagination but it looks as though this Missouri Senate just made any "Employer" not subject to discrimination law in the state of Missouri.

Additional links:  http://www.senate.mo.gov/11info/pdf-bill/perf/SB188.pdf
http://www.senate.mo.gov/11info/pdf-bill/perf/SB188.pdf
http://www.senate.mo.gov/

Quote of the day

"Republicans are geniuses at making people believe stuff that you wouldn't think you could make people believe – like schoolteachers are responsible for our budget deficit. But at the moment, the Republicans are all afraid of Obama. Only the fringe people are in the race right now. Donald Trump? Why are we even listening to this forgotten clown?"  --Bill Maher

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/bill-maher-the-rolling-stone-interview-20110420

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

(Great) Quote of the Day

"Prisons are full of former abused, molested, and neglected children."  --Mark Smith, aka "Midtown Miscreant"

But we always want to be angry at people.  We don't want to know how they got to where they got.  We don't want information, we want judgement.

And too frequently, condemnation.

Links:  http://www.pitch.com/2008-12-25/news/midtown-miscreant-blogger-mark-smith-finds-cheer-in-kansas-city-s-most-depressing-places/
http://midtownmiscreant.blogspot.com/

Important article out right now with many and varied implications

From Yahoo! News today:

IMF Bombshell: Age of America Nears End

by Brett Arends, Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The International Monetary Fund has just dropped a bombshell, and nobody noticed.



For the first time, the international organization has set a date for the moment when the "Age of America" will end and the U.S. economy will be overtaken by that of China.


And it's a lot closer than you may think.


According to the latest IMF official forecasts, China's economy will surpass that of America in real terms in 2016 — just five years from now.



Under PPP, the Chinese economy will expand from $11.2 trillion this year to $19 trillion in 2016. Meanwhile the size of the U.S. economy will rise from $15.2 trillion to $18.8 trillion. That would take America's share of the world output down to 17.7%, the lowest in modern times. China's would reach 18%, and rising.



Just 10 years ago, the U.S. economy was three times the size of China's.

This has so many ramifications, it's difficult to take them all into account.  Here's a bit of it, from the article:

The rise of China, and the relative decline of America, is the biggest story of our time. You can see its implications everywhere, from shuttered factories in the Midwest to soaring costs of oil and other commodities. Last fall, when I attended a conference in London about agricultural investment, I was struck by the number of people there who told stories about Chinese interests snapping up farmland and foodstuff supplies — from South America to China and elsewhere.

Here's an ominous little note from the article:

The last time the world's dominant hegemon lost its ability to run things singlehandedly was early in the past century. That's when the U.S. and Germany surpassed Great Britain. It didn't turn out well.

Finally, there's this note:

According to the IMF forecast, which was quietly posted on the Fund's website just two weeks ago, whoever is elected U.S. president next year — Obama? Mitt Romney? Donald Trump? — will be the last to preside over the world's largest economy.

So get ready for our fall, ladies and gentleman.  It looks as though the party is nearly over.

I'm just glad we had George W. Bush in the White House for 8 years so he could do all he possibly could--and more--to hasten this decline as much and completely and totally as he could and did.

I just hope we can hadle being a second-rate power well.

That "cowboy swagger" will need to go bye-bye.

Link:  http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/112616/imf-bombshell-age-america-end-marketwatch

Americans for gay rights

From The New York Times Sunday:

Last month, the Public Religion Research Institute, a nonprofit group, reported that 74 percent of American Catholics surveyed supported the rights of same-sex couples to marry or form civil unions (43 percent and 31 percent, respectively). The telephone survey asked more than 3,000 adults to choose among three options: whether gay couples should be allowed to marry, should be allowed to form civil unions or should receive no legal recognition. By comparison, 16 percent of white evangelical Christians approved of same-sex marriages; 24 percent approved of civil unions. Among the general public, those rates climb to 37 and 27 percent, respectively — still lower than among Catholics.

And okay, that's the good news.

But my question is, who really, ultimately cares what Catholics think about gays, gay rights and equality for same-sex couples when they aren't even for equality for women?

I mean, come on.

Does this make sense?

Do we really need to care what these people think?

Link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/fashion/24Noticed.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=For+Catholics%2C+Open+attitudes+on+Gay+Issues&st=nyt

Bill Maher on Letterman last night--thank goodness for YouTube


I was sorry I missed this but there it is, thanks to the ever-present, unblinking YouTube.  What a great mix, too, Bill and Dave.  Thanks and a hat tip to The Immoral Minority Blog for bringing it to my attention.

The Tea Party:  "Corporate America's useful idiots."  So true.  If it only lead to laughter and not frustration and ultimately being maddening.

One of many emails circulating

I got this email from a brother today.  I'm sure the person who wrote it was and the people who forward it are sincere and it would be nice if it would have an effect but the sad truth is, unlike what the email says, this is not the way Washington changes.  It could, possibly, though not likely, start the change but by itself, the following things just won't happen.  Herewith:

“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government - lest it come to dominate our lives and interests”.  -Patrick Henry-


I have totally cleaned this e-mail from all other names, sending it to you in hopes you will keep it going and keep it clean. This is something I will fight for and I hope you all read it all the way through. You will be glad you did.


The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.


Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.


I'm asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.


In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.


Congressional Reform Act of 2011


1. Term Limits.


12 years only, one of the possible options below..


A. Two Six-year Senate terms


B. Six Two-year House terms


C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms


2. No Tenure / No Pension.


A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.


3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.


All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12.


The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.
If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!! If you agree with the above, pass it on. If not, just delete
You are one of my 20+. Please keep it going
 
I think that most of us "average Americans" would like to see the gravy train that is Congress ended, sure.  And we'll still need campaign finance reform so we can get corporate and wealthy people's money out of our government but all that said, I have to say, I think most of us, too, would also like to see at least a lot of the above done, if not all.
 
I wonder how many people who receive the above email then forward it on to their member in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
 
Very few, if any, I'd wager.

Chas. Feruzza's restaurant review last week

I love food.

I love cooking, too, though I don't do it that well and certainly don't do it with any frequency.

That said, I know good food.

I also know good writing and I know good restaurant reviews.

I've gone on here, before, about Charles Feruzza's local restaurant reviews in The Pitch Magazine.

This week, when he reviewed Tavern in the Village in Prairie Village (OMG, this is turning into a review of a review), I thought he had a great statement about "the occasional claque of middle-aged predators trolling the bar..."

What a great line.  I laughed out loud when I read it.

He also pointed out that the turkey croissant--which I was rather looking forward to when I first saw they offered it--was not good.  I'm hoping they fix that.

But one of the main reasons for this entry, after recommending Charles' column again is that if you can get away with selling a serving of saut'eed spinach--however good--for $5.00 a serving, I decided right then and there, I've got to get in the restaurant business.

That's highway robbery on a plate.

Link:   http://www.pitch.com/2011-04-21/restaurants/tavern-in-the-village/

Quote of the day

"There are no moderates in the other party. 'Moderate Republican' is like 'friendly shark' or 'straight priest.' It just doesn't exist."  --Bill Maher


(I personally take exception here.  I think there are, in fact, moderate Republicans--David Brook being a moderate Conservative.  It's just that the moderates aren't involved and engaged.  The leadership of the Republican Party is held hostage by the extremists who are outspoken and engaged in the process.  They are, at times, too, handing out money as in the cases of the Koch brothers and the Heritage Foundation).

Link:   http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/bill-maher-the-rolling-stone-interview-20110420

Chernobyl's sobering anniversary

At this time of the Japanese people suffering through first a tsunami, then earthquakes and still, the ongoing Fukushima nuclear reactor debacle, it's a sobering reminder of nuclear energy's downsides to keep in mind that today, April 26, is the 25 year anniversary of the horrific nightmare that was the Chernobyl, Russia nuclear reactor explosions and disaster.

The question becomes, are we going to learn?

Link:  http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/04/25-4

Monday, April 25, 2011

And you thought there was no good, positive use for rap music...

Yet another Palin book?



As though the world needs that, right?

Great quote

Okay, a couple more people have put some quotes together and made a book out of it and I have to say, the title of the book, the quote they used for the title totally got me:

"Dance first.  Think later.  It's the natural order."  --Samuel Beckett  (The book title is "Dance First.  Think later")


So dance, people.

Links:   http://www.betterworldbooks.com/dance-first-think-later-id-0761161708.aspx
http://www.amazon.com/Dance-First-Think-Later-Rules/dp/0761161708

For the ultimate in Royal Incest


Okay, sure, as "commoners", we've all joked about how the Royal Family is so inbred and that that's why Charles has those automobile-size ears of his (open, on his car, er, head) and we know they're all over Europe, what with having screwed up--I mean--been in charge of and run Germany and who knows were all but a little note in Parade Magazine this week, of all places, pointed out the absolute ultimate in Royal Incest (I love the capital letters here, don't you?).

Check this out:  Everyone knows Her Highness Queen Elizabeth has had Corgis forever, right?  Turns out she's had 30 of the little buggers.  (I can say "buggers", can't I?  It's America, after all and we don't know it's not a good word over here, across the pond). 

Anyway, she's had a bunch of these dogs.

So, it turns out she let one of her precious little corgis (I shouldn't be capitalizing THAT, too, should I?) while Maggie's--I mean, Princess Margaret's--dachsund was around.

Uh-oh.

It turns out you can't keep nature from taking over and next thing you know there's a puppy litter on its way.

But get this.

Apparently no one had ever done this--mated (mixed?) a dachsund with a corgi (I mean, really, who'd want to, right?) so what'd they get?

A new breed.

Seriously.

They have been called "dorgis" ever since.

I'm sure there are people all over England, the British Isles and Europe, for that matter, who have had to follow suit and get one of these critters.

So now, what I'd like to know is, does the Royal Family get any residuals from this?

You know what money-grubbers they are.

Link:  http://www.parade.com/celebrity/personality-parade/2011/04/24/queen-elizabeth-dogs.html

I need to practice this daily


In fact, I should play it each morning.

I'd like that.

On our sorry, partisan, for-the-rich political system right now

From Paul Krugman in The Kansas City Star yesterday:

"Sorry to be cynical, but right now 'bipartisan' is usually code for assembling conservative Democrats and ultra-conservative Republicans--all of them with ties to the wealthy, and many who are wealthy themselves--and having them proclaiming that low taxes on high incomes and drastic cuts in social insurance are the only possible solution."

Sadly, Tea Party members, most of whom are likely truly middle-class or lower, support this absurd, selfish, destructive nonsense.

Link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/18/opinion/18krugman.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Quote of the day

“If these Teabaggers and Paul Ryan were serious about cutting the deficit, their first order of business would be to say, ‘This country was never meant to be an empire.’ Jefferson would turn over in his slave if he knew we had tens of thousands of troops on bases in Germany, Japan and Korea – wars that we won 50, 60 years ago. It's a concept we would never tolerate in reverse, by the way. If there were 20,000 armed Guatemalans on a military base in San Bernardino, Lou Dobbs would become a suicide bomber.”  –Bill Maher

Link:  http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/bill-maher-the-rolling-stone-interview-20110420

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Skippy the Bush Kangaroo's Very Important--Environmental--Post

If you're not familiar with Skippy the Bush Kangaroo and his blog, well, you should be:

environmental news stories sunday

for those little stories you won't hear talked about on the almost all white guys talking head shows today.
s.f. chronicle adds beehives to rooftop garden. - although some apiarists say new research into fungus and viruses is starting to give the bee the upper hand against colony collapse disorder, no one is ready to declare a comeback for the pollinator, responsible for about $15 billion worth of nuts, fruits and vegetables consumed in the united states each year - sfgate

increasing levels of mercury found in rare pacific albatross. - levels of mercury in an endangered pacific seabird species have increased substantially in recent decades largely due to industrial emissions from asia, harvard university researchers have found. - honolulu star advertiser
more evidence linking pesticides and malformations. - concern about toxic chemicals in the environment has erupted into the mainstream media again, with new reports tying pesticides to disruption of male hormones, birth defects and cancer. - miller mcune

the long-term effects of in utero exposures — the des story. - the lessons learned from the des story are powerful. endocrine disruptors may cause alterations in the reproductive tract that have severe consequences and form the basis of disease in adults decades later. - new england journal of medicine
study spots high level of fire retardant chemicals in california kids. - a california safety standard intended to prevent furniture from catching fire may be having the unintended consequence of exposing children to large amounts of harmful flame retardant chemicals. - fair warning

common weed killer atrazine is showing up in public water supply. - apopular weed killer that's been suspected of causing frog deformities is turning up in drinking water systems throughout the country including some in missouri and illinois, according to a report by the natural resources defense council. - st. louis post ledger

chemical in soft drink cans comes under fire at coca-cola. - it's about as inconspicuous as a chemical can be: it coats the insides of soft drink cans, a barrier against spoilage and contamination. but to some critics, bpa is itself the health risk. now, a group of coca-cola shareholders want to strike a blow against the substance - atlanta journal constitution

atlantic turtles threatened by man-made chemicals. - a team from the college of charleston, south carolina, found travelling turtles picked up potentially deadly pesticides, pcbs and other organic chemicals linked to cancer and brain problems. - bermuda sun

our 'toxic' love-hate relationship with plastics. - we all know that plastics are common in modern life, but science journalist susan freinkel says they are really literally everywhere — in our toothbrushes, hair dryers, cell phones, computers, door knobs, car parts — and of course in those ubiquitous plastic bags we get it seems every time we buy anything. - npr

critics: state department's latest oil pipeline review 'superficial'. - advocacy organizations are as disappointed with the u.s. state department’s revamped version of its environmental evaluation of a much-disputed canada-to-texas oil sands pipeline as they were with its first iteration - solve climate news

farmers should be conservationists. - the central valley regional water quality control board will take up the questions of fertilizer use and groundwater contamination June 8. here's a suggestion for farmers: instead of belly-aching about another regulatory burden, support monitoring and new rules so that the people who pick your crops get clean water from their taps. - contra costa times opinion

gov. rick scott to u.s. epa: we'll take care of our own water. - the day after the florida house passed a bill to ban implementation of water quality standards set by the u.s. environmental protection administration, gov. rick scott on friday asked the agency to rescind a january 2009 determination that the federal rules are necessary for florida - st. petersburg times

muddy waters: silt and the slow demise of glen canyon dam. - lake powell is the second-largest artificial reservoir in the united states - and is the seeming endpoint for four rivers. but these rivers aren't dead, and their persistent dynamics are slowly, steadily driving lake powell toward its demise. - high country news
time is running out for the grand canyon. - on july 21, a moratorium on staking new uranium and other hardrock mining claims on over one million acres of public land near the grand canyon national park will end. unless the department of the interior makes a decision on the land withdrawal prior to that, it will once again be open season. - high country news

common weed killer atrazine is showing up in public water supply. - a popular weed killer that's been suspected of causing frog deformities is turning up in drinking water systems throughout the country including some in missouri and illinois, according to a report by the natural resources defense council - st. louis post dispatch

workers become ill and die at ogden superfund site. - ling seager is dead. so is jim sproul and chris jensen, who sat next to her in an office in the utah national guard’s joint language training center. across from seager sat mike chen; he survived a brain tumor. a few feet away was mark hepper; he’s dying. others are sick. none of them knows why. - salt lake tribune

tobacco firms used diet-aid chemicals. - british and american tobacco companies deliberately added powerful appetite-suppressing chemicals to cigarettes to attract people worried about their weight, according to internal industry documents dating from 1949 to 1999. - london independent

spring may lose song of cuckoos, nightingales and turtle doves. - some of britain's most cherished spring visitors are disappearing in their thousands. ornithologists say species such as the cuckoo, nightingale and turtle dove are undergoing catastrophic drops in numbers, although experts are puzzled about the exact reasons for these declines - london observer

Link:  http://xnerg.blogspot.com/

Yahoo! E. Thomas McClanahan and I agree one more time!

Since Mr. McClanahan wasn't writing about economic or social or social welfare (as in well-being) issues in the Star today, I agree with him:

E. Thomas McClanahan

The timing is right for our own arts festival

Why wait for the Chamber of Commerce to have more meetings? Kansas City could start working on an arts festival immediately.
So as I sad, Mr. McClanahan, I couldn't agree more.


Let's get this party started.

Link: 
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/04/23/2821055/the-timing-is-right-for-our-own.html

Steve Kraske hits it out of the ballpark yet again

I tell you, for wanting to know and follow what goes on in this state on a power and political level, Steve Kraske's column on Sunday in The Kansas City Star has become, I think, a statewide necessity.

This week, he tells of the intelligence of our neighbors to the North, Iowa, and how they have chosen to take redistricting--very, very wisely--out of the hands of politicians who have great things to win and/or lose from it and to put it, instead, in the hands of bureaucrats so the power falls to the people--the voters of the states, regardless of the winners or losers:

Redistricting can be heavenly — just ask Iowa

Published on Sat Apr 23 22:15:00 CDT 2011
These days, Iowa is looking positively heavenly in contrast to all the political shenanigans in Jefferson City over the drawing of new congressional lines.
Besides Iowans' doing the right, smart thing about redistricting, Mr. Kraske also points out how allowing politicians to redistrict leads to gerrymandering and ugly, vicious partisanship:
There’s a danger here that Gov. Terry Branstad of Iowa fully understands: “We can have some pride in the fact that Iowa has a system for reapportionment that is fair, that really gives the people an opportunity to choose their congressmen … in a competitive system that isn’t really designed to skew it in favor of one party or the other.”
He added: “You look around the rest of the country. There are very few competitive congressional districts … and there are a lot of people who think the extreme partisanship we see on the national level is somewhat caused by the partisan reapportionment that goes on.”
Translated, he means this: Safe incumbents feel little pressure to move to the middle — on anything. All they have to do is play to their liberal or conservative bases.
Do that in state after state after state and you wind up with a polarized Congress split between lefties and righties. There is no middle.
Additionally, it needs, importantly, to be pointed out that when you combine statewide political partisanship with people relying on Fox "News" (or Faux News, as it's also called), you end up with people of two extreme ends of the political spectrum and not enough people aware of what we need to do for the good of the country, overall, instead of their own narrow interests.

It merely foments ugliness, arguments and shouting each other down.

The other day I posted a complimentary note about Iowa and Iowans.


I couldn't quite place the reason, at the time, for my respect for them.


Then this reminded me.


More Missourians need to learn and be aware of this kind of intelligence.


Then we need to follow their lead--and as soon as possible.


As I so frequently say here, here's hoping.

Link:  http://www.kansascity.com/2011/04/23/2821217/redistricting-can-be-heavenly.html#storylink=misearch

KC and Royals in NY Times by way of pitcher Tim Collins

Pretty cool.  We're in there by way of Mr. Collins statures, one physical, the other personal:

Rookie Aiming High
By PAT BORZI

At only 5 feet 7 inches, Tim Collins is attempting to join an exclusive club: short pitchers who have succeeded in the major leagues.

You might want to go check it out.

Enjoy what's left of your weekend, y'all.

Quote for the day

"After the Depression, we got the New Deal. After this financial meltdown, we got more tax cuts for rich people. We have lost the ability to be corrective, to do big things — or to even ask ourselves to."  --Bill Maher

Link:  http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/bill-maher-the-rolling-stone-interview-20110420?page=1

Saturday, April 23, 2011

How about that sunshine yesterday afternoon?


I may be all wet on this but I don't think so.  It just seems as though there's been a great deal of cloudy weather and days and not that much sun.  So yesterday, when the sun did break out, all of a sudden about what? 5 o'clock, it seems like the whole world opened up.  It seemed like it gave a rush of energy to everything and everyone. 
As it happened, as the sun broke out, I was meeting friends for dinner.  I looked across the place and saw this great sun and shade and started snapping pictures.  I liked how a few, at least, turned out, including this one, of course.
So with that, here's your sunshine for today.  It looks like we aren't to get any more now for a few days, too.  If you need it, come back here (or go to my other blog KC Photog Blog.  I'll have more there, too).

Enjoy your Sunday, ya'll.

There is Adele and then there is everyone else


Have a great weekend, y'all.

Funny but seems we are one weird culture, too


At the vortex of our culture and technology. 

These crack me up but at the same time, make me think we are one crazy culture. 

We pay billions of dollars to attack another country and instead of having our men and women--our soldiers, our brothers and sisters--over here with us, they're in the middle of a foreign desert where they're not wanted, fighting, sure, but also "killing time", making music videos.

We have really odd priorities, at least.

Enjoy the weekend, y'all.

Quote of the day

"Republicans prey on something deep in the American psyche. Steinbeck wrote – it must have been the Twenties or the Thirties – about how socialism never caught on in this country because the poor people don’t see themselves poor, they see themselves as 'temporarily embarrassed millionaires.' He’s got Joe the Plumber pegged. Remember Joe was apoplectic that Obama was going to raise the tax rate on people making over $250,000 a year — even though Joe had never seen anything close to $250,000, didn’t even have a job or a plumber’s license. But he’s got that Ralph Kramden mentality: I’m gonna, Alice. I’m gonna be a millionaire, Alice! And if I do, that Obama’s not gonna tax me! Joe was getting killed on the imaginary business in his head, and that just could not stand."  --Bill Maher


Link:  http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/bill-maher-the-rolling-stone-interview-20110420

Friday, April 22, 2011

Face it, our government doesn't want us to vote

After the whole voter ID thing, you need further proof?

Okay, here you go:

Mo. Senate votes to eliminate 2 election dates

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The state Senate has voted to trim the number of potential election days in Missouri.
Legislation passed by the Senate would abolish the option for holding elections in February and June. It would still leave regular election dates in April, August and November, with the possibility for some elections to occur in March.

Think about it.  It's as I've said here before, if they really wanted us to vote, wouldn't it be on Saturdays, when more of us can easily get away to do it?

They want the moneyed people to vote and they want the old people to vote and that's about it.

It's disgusting.

More proof and reason we need to take and get our government back, away from the wealthy and corporations, folks.

As the saying goes, if you're not angry, you're not paying attention.

Link:  http://www.nbcactionnews.com/dpp/news/state/missouri/mo.-senate-votes-to-eliminate-2-election-dates