Yet another mass shooting today

Breaking:

CBS: Shooter killed 27, 14 of them children, at Connecticut elementary

Link below.

But gun control?

Oh, heck no. Guns are far more important than our kids.

We refuse to learn.

Or change.

Link: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/12/14/1169827/-CBS-shooter-killed-27-14-of-them-children-at-Connecticut-elementary

On yesterday's shootings

Because it's important and he's right (written after the last big gun shooting in Colorado):

"...this is not the time for reasonable people, on both sides of this issue, to be silent. We owe it to the people whose lives were ended and ruined yesterday to insist on a real discussion and hopefully on some real action.

...whoever you are and wherever you stand on this issue, I hope you have the joy of family with you today. Hold on to them and love them as best you can. Tell them what they mean to you. Yesterday, a whole bunch of them went to the movies and tonight their families are without them. Every day is precious. Every life is precious. Take care. Be well. Be safe. God bless."

--Jason Alexander, actor, "Seinfeld." (George Costanza)

Link: http://www.salon.com/2012/12/14/jason_alexanders_amazing_gun_rant_2/

Quote of the day

"Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand.

It's knowing you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do."

--spoken by character Atticus Finch from the book "To Kill a Mockingbird", written by Harper Lee

Kansas City Southern "Union Express" Train tonight at Union Station

The Holiday Express train is free and open to the public. At each stop, The KCS Charitable Fund will make a contribution of gift cards to the local Salvation Army to provide warm clothing and other necessities for children in need.

Beautiful train, great cause. Go, enjoy.

Want to cut govenrment spending?

Want to shrink government?

Cut the biggest spender of money in the nation.

Cut the defense budget.

Folks, the military gets so much money in and from this nation, they can't even keep track of it all, literally.

To follow all this, you maybe need to go to this new article, out this week, over at Salon:

7 absurd ways the military wastes taxpayer dollars (link at bottom).

And then there's this from none other than The Wall Street Journal:

Wasteful Defense Spending Is a Clear and Present Danger
We could afford a stronger military if we implemented some contracting reforms

"When John McCain was shot down over Hanoi in 1967, he was flying an A4 Skyhawk. That jet cost $860,000.

Inflation has risen by 700% since then. So Mr. McCain's A4 cost $6.1 million in 2008 dollars. Applying a generous factor of three for technological improvements, the price for a 2008 Navy F18 fighter should be about $18 million. Instead, we are paying about $90 million for each new fighter. As a result, the Navy cannot buy sufficient numbers. This is disarmament without a treaty."

We see and hear and read of the obscene defense spending by us, by our country and it makes you want to ask, why do we still have American soldiers in Germany? Italy? It seems we are still, clearly fighting World War II. The US spends far, far more than any other nation on defense, inexplicably:

And then there's this:

The 'Red Dawn' Case for Cutting U.S. Defense Spending

The unsung remake of the Patrick Swayze movie, "Red Dawn," makes a case for cutting the defense budget

A Hollywood action movie, of all things, makes a case for cutting our defense budget. The article makes good points.

Links: http://www.salon.com/2012/12/12/7_absurd_ways_the_military_wastes_taxpayer_dollars/

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124787043032160493.html

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-12-02/red-dawn-proves-the-u-dot-s-dot-should-cut-defense-spending

Quote of the day

"Fear is the mind killer."

--Frank Herbert, "Dune"

Entertainment overnight

Ravi Shankar, rest in peace.



And what he inspired:



"Within you, without you" --George Harrison

We were talking - about the space between us all
And the people - who hide themselves behind a wall of illusion
Never glimpse the truth - then it's far too late when they pass away

We were talking - about the love we all could share
When we find it - to try our best to hold it there - with our love
With our love we could save the world - if they only knew
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/beatles/within+you+without+you_10026440.html ]
Try to realise it's all within yourself - no-one else can make you change
And to see you're really only very small
And life flows on within you and without you.

We were talking - about the love that's gone so cold
And the people who gain the world and lose their soul
They don't know, they can't see - are you one of them ?

When you've seen beyond yourself
Then you may find peace of mind is waiting there
And the time will come when you see we're all one
And life flows on within you and without you.

Quote of the day

"At any street corner the feeling of absurdity can strike any man in the face."

--Albert Camus

Fires, widespread drought, epic hurricanes and this is our response

Our government used to work. Remember that?

The wealthy and corporations have taken it--our government--and so, us, over.

Work to end campaign contributions.

Let's get the big, ugly, corrupting money out of our politics, our political system and so, our government.

Bumper sticker I see each day

Each day I go to work, I see a white van parked outside in the parking lot with this bumper sticker prominently displayed on its rear window:

Rather than be upset or angry or even depressed, I'm always amused and laugh a bit inside.

I love that "pro-gun" and "pro-life" are side by side.

It amuses me greatly they don't get that.

And that last election must have really upset them, huh?

Quote of the day

"...laughing is vital, it’s like oxygen as far as I’m concerned.”

--Stephen Colbert, "The Colbert Report"

Links: http://www.colbertnation.com/

Entertainment overnight

One of the peaks in humankind's development, JS Bach.

Diversity to white, corporate America (and too many Americans)

From The New Yorker Magazine.

Links: https://www.facebook.com/NewYorkerCartoons?fref=ts

http://www.newyorker.com/

https://www.facebook.com/newyorker?fref=ts

The Republican Party that was

The Republican Party that was for the people.

Of, by and for the people.

Some of us, at least.

It is all but a memory.

The antithesis of the Kansas City Royals with this owner

From Yahoo! Sports last evening:

Dodgers continue unprecedented spending spree

The most expensive team in sports history spent another $147 million on Saturday night. This came 3½ months after the Los Angeles Dodgers spent $250 million, which came two months after they spent $42 million, which came two weeks after they spent $85 million, which came eight months after they spent $160 million, which came less than 18 months after they filed for bankruptcy.

This is something unlike what the sports world ever has seen: a franchise with seemingly no limits.

What did I say?

The antithesis of the Kansas City Royals.

While the Dodgers and the Yankees--famously--will spend untold money on a great bullpen, our own Kansas City Royals, infamously owned by Walmart's spendthrift, David Glass and Company, will only suck money and profits OUT of the team--and our wallets, and not give a fig for wins or a winning season.

Want to make it even worse?

Look who the Dodgers gave their biggest salary to.

None other than former Royals player Zach Greineke.

Ow.

Does Johnny Damon sound familiar to anyone else here?

Link to original story: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/breaking-down-zack-greinke-signing-050340056.html

SNL humor on a rather local topic

Quote of the day

"The nuclear arms race is like two sworn enemies standing waist deep in gasoline, one with three matches, the other with five." --Carl Sagan

Entertainment overnight

This is the welfare we need to end

So many rant and rave and complain about welfare and how it needs to be cut, sure, as we well know but the real welfare that needs to end and that is costing us far, far more is the corporate welfare they buy through our legislators.

Want proof?

Here you go:

The graph above (click on it for better, easier viewing) shows that corporate profits (red line) have soared even as they've cut employees and jobs (blue).

Here's your "welfare recipients" and we need to get rid of them:

And the way to get it started is by killing campaign contributions.

Let's get this party started.

Conversation overheard yesterday at work

"Hey, what does empathy mean, anyway?"


Swear to God.

Overheard it myself.



Yikes.

Entertainment overnight

A thought for the season

Since you're going to buy those gifts anyway...

Quote of the day

A different gift option for the holidays

Food for thought.

Happy holidays, y'all.

Go see this movie

Links here:

http://focusfeatures.com/promised_land

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2091473/

Kansas City's own Ed Asner, on tax cuts for the rich

Entertainment overnight

Quote of the day

True then, true now:

“For there is nothing mysterious about the foundations of a healthy and strong democracy. The basic things expected by our people of their political and economic systems are simple. They are: Equality of opportunity for youth and for others. Jobs for those who can work. Security for those who need it. The ending of special privilege for the few. The preservation of civil liberties for all. The enjoyment of the fruits of scientific progress in a wider and constantly rising standard of living."

--President Franklin Roosevelt

Entertainment overnight

Dave Brubeck, rest in peace.

Schools and schooling in America

From a Business Insider article on Finland (first link below):

"Since it implemented huge education reforms 40 years ago, Finland's school system has consistently come at the top for the international rankings for education systems.

So how do they do it?

It's simple — by going against the evaluation-driven, centralized model that much of the Western world uses."

Then check this out--it's not due to money because, as the article below will tell you, Finland spends around 30 percent less per student than the United States.

We need to learn, folks, clearly. It's not only not about money, it's not about testing incessantly, either, if these people and their results are any indication, as they should be.

Links: http://www.businessinsider.com/finland-education-school-2011-12?op=1

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/education/from-finland-an-intriguing-school-reform-model.html?src=me&ref=general&_r=0