Bush's new book?

This made me giggle:

Amnesty for Govt Wiretapping?

Humans for Equality

I have not been online lately because I have been rallying friends and family to stand up for equal rights. I am therefor very excited to see others doing the same.

Recently in this country there were two amazing events. The first, in a historical moment, Obama became the first black President Elect. May those who protect him and his family be of sound mind, be well rested, sharp eyed, fleet of foot, and steady of hand. May Obama live a long and fruitful life.

The second, is a complete and utter disappointment, yet at the same time a wonderful opportunity to come together and fight for what is right. It is amazing, because I honestly thought this could never happen. In Arizona, California, and Florida Propositions 102, 8 and 2 passed by a narrow margin, adding to those state's constitutions that same sex couples can not get married. What are they going to do, check people's chromosomes?

So check out this video and then the following two blog entries and send in your photo to humans4equality@blogspot.com. I did.



http://genderdivercity.blogspot.com/2008/11/all-humans-are-created-equal.html
http://genderdivercity.blogspot.com/2008/11/humans-for-equality.html

Joy and Sadness

I have had mixed emotions this week. I had a good hour and 1/2 of pure joy and hope as Obama became the first African American President Elect. And then I heard that Proposition 102 was passed in Arizona, and 8 was looking likely to be passed in CA...and now I hear that Florida passed a similar proposition, and the sadness hit.

Just as we celebrate how equal rights are taking a leap forward, they slide back. It made no sense to me until I saw who funded the proposition. I'll do another post about that later. But for now, I would like to share the following link, and ask who is going to stand up with us?

http://www.jointheimpact.com/?p=3#comments

Imagine - Passing it on...

I thank she who sent this to me, and I pass it on:

The year is 2016. You glance at the television one morning and see President Obama having another of his many press conferences. He has now been in office for almost 8 years. It has not been perfect, but things are much better than when he took office in January of 2009.
You notice that his hair has whitened and he still has that winning smile and that take charge/positive energy that he had when he was campaigning back in 2008.

You remember how concerned you were about whether or not he would win in 2008 and you feel deeply contented that he has been safely in office for such a long time. He and Congress have done much to address global warming, healthcare, development of alternative energy sources and a variety of other important matters to the country and the planet.
You feel deep gratitude for the past eight years and how things have unfolded.

See it...Feel it...breathe it...Pass it on. Let us...remember... all of the wonderful reasons we appreciate this reality.

THE CHALLENGE:
Take 30 seconds right now. Close your eyes and imagine exactly what our country will feel like.

Imagine how good it will feel.
Imagine whatever it is about that future that you desire.
Imagine successful diplomacy.
Imagine peace and restored prosperity.
Imagine the citizen groups, progressive populism, social justice, and the grassroots finding their voice.
Imagine windmills and clean cars.
Imagine the earth being healed and revitalized.
Imagine being very proud of your country and its leader. Imagine whatever it is that draws you to support change. Imagine what your life will look like.

Just 30 seconds. Do it several times a day. We can shift and change the vibration of this country with positive visions just like this.

Today's the day - VOTE

TOP 5 REASONS OBAMA SUPPORTERS SHOULDN'T REST EASY

1. The polls may be wrong. This is an unprecedented election. No one knows how racism may affect what voters tell pollsters—or what they do in the voting booth. And the polls are narrowing anyway. In the last few days, John McCain has gained ground in most national polls, as his campaign has gone even more negative.

2. Dirty tricks. Republicans are already illegally purging voters from the rolls in some states. They're whipping up hysteria over ACORN to justify more challenges to new voters. Misleading flyers about the voting process have started appearing in black neighborhoods. And of course, many counties still use unsecure voting machines.

3. October surprise. In politics, 15 days is a long time. The next McCain smear could dominate the news for a week. There could be a crisis with Iran, or Bin Laden could release another tape, or worse.

4. Those who forget history... In 2000, Al Gore won the popular vote after trailing by seven points in the final days of the race. In 1980, Reagan was eight points down in the polls in late October and came back to win. Races can shift—fast!

5. Landslide. Even with Barack Obama in the White House, passing universal health care and a new clean-energy policy is going to be hard. Insurance, drug and oil companies will fight us every step of the way. We need the kind of landslide that will give Barack a huge mandate.

Is Palin Ready to be VP?

Go vote on this poll now: http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html

Also, please check out http://www.californiansagainsthate.com/dishonorRoll.html to see who is working actively to promote unequal rights and stand against equality for all humans. The dishonor Roll is a bit surprising. It's also a reminder that there are people in the world who are actively striving towards discord and a place of hate rather than working together towards a more peaceful and loving world. No wonder the Vulcans haven't landed yet *wink*

Mc Cain vs the Truth

This is Scary

Did you watch Sarah Palin's speech last night? If you didn't, you probably saw parts of it online.

As I said in my previous post, she twisted the truth, distorted facts, and to me, it's just plain lying. She was condescending and dismissive about the work Barack Obama did helping real people on the South Side of Chicago. And of course, she lied about Democratic tax cuts—even though Obama's plan would give Americans a bigger break than McCain's.

But the speech—written by one of President Bush's speechwriters—didn't tell us the truth about Sarah Palin's extremist positions. And THAT is something everyone should know.

I've been saying for some time that the Mc Cain who is running for president isn't the same McCain who came home from the war. At least, he's certainly changed his views in a radical way. He came home as someone who opposed torture, and now he approves of it? Anyway... knowing who he chose for VP makes it even more clear to me that Mc Cain is just as if not more scary than our current president. I mean, he's in his 70's and if Mc Cain dies, his choice for VP is our new President. Here's what Mc Cain's choice for Vice President believes, and some of my own comments in parenthesis:

- Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task." She's even admitted she hasn't thought about the war much—just last year she was quoted saying, "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq." 1, 2

(This is even more terrifying considering her son is enlisted and going off to war. You'd think that would make her reconsider or at least give it some thought.)

- Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party. Six months ago, Palin told members of the group—who advocate for a vote on secession from the union—to "keep up the good work" and "wished the party luck on what she called its 'inspiring convention.'" 3

- Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools. She hasn't made clear whether she thinks evolution is a fact.4

- Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking about climate change, she said, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being manmade." 5

- Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP. 6

(Come now haven't we had enough people in office who are OIL supporters?)

- Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the case of rape or incest. 7

- Palin supports the death penalty

(A friend asked me how could someone claim she was anti-choice because it would be wrong to kill and then say she has the right to decide who lives or dies? My response, "Because either way she is taking away others right to choose.")

- Palin opposes comprehensive sex-ed in public schools. She's said she will only support abstinence-only approaches. 8

(Even tho time and research has proven abstinence-only sex ed DOES NOT WORK!)

- As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library. Palin asked the library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, "news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor." 9

(So much for the land of the free and the brave)

- Despite her claims otherwise, She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). Palin claimed that she said "thanks, but no thanks" to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. But in 2006, Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that Alaska should take advantage of earmarks "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist." 10

1. "Palin: Iraq war 'a task that is from God'," Associated Press, September 3, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24701&id=13709-5769906-4SPHKOx&t=6
2. "Palin wasn't 'really focused much' on the Iraq war," ThinkProgress, August 30, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24702&id=13709-5769906-4SPHKOx&t=7
3. "The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008 http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/
4. "McCain and Palin differ on issues," Associated Press, September 3, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24703&id=13709-5769906-4SPHKOx&t=8
5. Ibid
6. The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008 http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/
7. Ibid
8. Ibid.
9. "Mayor Palin: A Rough Record," Time, September 2, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24704&id=13709-5769906-4SPHKOx&t=9
10. The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008 http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/

Just the Facts Ma'am.... er, can we get back to TRUTH Sarah?!?!

Well we know both sides do it, but this is a great article making it absolutely clear why I will never vote for Palin. This doesn't even mention all the reasons actually, but it clarifies things for me. Yes, she's gorgeous and I want her outfits, but the buck stops there.

Get your facts, research the truth, because if you just listen to the candidates you are NOT getting the whole story. Do your research and then VOTE VOTE VOTE!


By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press Writer – Wed Sep 3, 11:48 pm ET



ST. PAUL, Minn. – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her Republican supporters held back little Wednesday as they issued dismissive attacks on Barack Obama and flattering praise on her credentials to be vice president. In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.

Some examples:

PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."

THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."

PALIN: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate."

THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.

PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars."

THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.

Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.

He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.

MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.

THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.

MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC.

THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.

FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States."

THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.

FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY: "We need change, all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin."

THE FACTS: A Back-to-the-Future moment. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats have been in charge of the House and Senate.

Police Raid Peaceful Group and Point Gun at Child

Thanks to Starhawk for sharing this story.

I am saddened that this happened. I am disapointed it happened in the USA. Peaceful protesters harassed, arrested, guns pointed at children, all on the basis that "bomb making" was supposedly going on with no evidence whatsoever, so the police got warrants and raided all the protesting camps, even Food Not Bombs. I am stunned. I can understand the police coming in and checking for bombs, but not in the way it was done. I also must admit, that this reminds me of the 60's when false reports of bombs were made against peaceful protesters so that such raids could occur. I'm just sayin. Read on:


RNC2—Raid on the Convergence Center
By Starhawk

It’s Friday night. Our Pagan Cluster is sitting on the bluff of the Mississippi having our first real meeting, when Lisa gets a call. The cops are raiding the Convergence Center, where we’re organizing meetings and trainings for the protests against the Republican National Convention. It’s not a role play, the caller says. It’s real.

Instantly, we jump up and hurry back the six or eight blocks to the old theater we are using for meetings, trainings and social gatherings. I ‘ve spent the last two days doing magical activism trainings, teaching people how to stay calm and grounded in emergency situations and when things get chaotic. Now it’s time to put the training into practice. Aaron, a tall, red-headed young man who could be one of my nephews strides along beside me. “Are you grounded?” I ask him. He nods, and runs ahead.

Nobody can keep up with Lisa, who speeds ahead like an arrow, walking, not running, but still covering the ground quickly. Andy and I trail behind. We’re often street buddies, because we’re both big, slow, and supremely calm and stubborn, willing to wade into almost any situation and become the immovable object.

We’re stopped by a line of cops just before we reach the building. They refuse to let us through, or to move their van which is blocking Scarecrow’s car. There’s an investigation underway, they say, and won’t say more.

Brush, our dear friend, is inside, having gone to a jail solidarity meeting, ironically enough. So are two very young people who had just joined our cluster that night. I try calling Brush’s cell phone, but get no reply.

We wait. That’s what you do when the cops have guns trained on kids inside a building. You wait, and witness, and make phone calls, and try to think of useful things to do.

We call lawyers. We call politicians. We try to call media. We call friends who might know politicians and media.

Through the kitchen door, we cansee young kids sitting on the floor, handcuffed. We walk across the street, back, made more phone calls. An ambulance is parked in front, and the paramedics head into the building, leaving a gurney ready. Susu, from her car around the corner, reports that the cops have been grabbing pedestrians from the street, forcing them down to the ground, handcuffing them.

Song, one of the local organizers, calls her City Council member. She wants to call the Mayor, Chris Coleman, who has promised that St. Paul will be as welcoming to protestors as to delegates, but no one has his home number.

What I have forgotten to tell people at the training is how much of an action is just this: tense, boring waiting, with a knot of anxiety in your stomach and your feet starting to hurt. Song talks to a helpful neighbor, who’s come over to find out what’s happening. He knows where the mayor lives, says it’s just a few blocks away, and draws us a map.

We decide to go and call on the Mayor, who could call off the cops. About five of us troop down there, through the soft night and a neighborhood of comfortable homes and wide lawns on the bluffs above the Mississippi. The Mayor’s house is a comfortable Dutch Colonial, and lights were on inside. We decide that just a few of us will go to the door, so as not to look intimidating. Song is a round, soft-bodied middle-aged woman with a sweet face. Ellen is a tiny brunette with a gap-toothed smile, and Lisa, formidable organizer though she is, looks slight and unthreatening. The rest of us hang back. Someone opens the door. Our friends have a conversation with the mayors’ wife, who is not pleased to be visited by constituents late at night, and who tells us we should call the office. The Mayor, she says, is asleep, and she will not wake him up.

We think a mayor who was doing his job would get up and go see what’s going on. Nonetheless, we head back to the convergence space.

A protestor has been released from the building. A small crowd has gathered across the street, and Fox News has arrived. They interview Song, who does her first ever Fox media spot. She tells them the truth—that people were in there watching movies—a documentary about Meridel Le Seuer. Meridel would be proud, and I’m glad she is with us in some form.

One by one, protestor’s trickle out. Now we get more pieces of the story. The cops burst in, with no warning. They pulled drew their guns on everyone—including a five year old child who was there with his mother, forced everyone down on the floor. It was terrifying.

They had a warrant, apparently, from the county, not the city, to search for ‘bomb making materials.’ They were searching everyone in the building, then one by one releasing them as they found nothing.

They continue to find nothing, as we wait through long hours. Meanwhile, more and more media arrives. These cops are not as creative as the DC cops during our first mobilization there against the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Those cops confiscated the lunchtime soup—which included onions and chili powder, claiming they were materials for home made pepper spray.

We wait until the last person gets out. He’s a twenty year old who the cops have accused of stealing his own backpack—but apparently they relented.

And now it’s morning. I wake up to the news that cops have been raiding houses where activists are staying, bursting in with the same bogus warrant and arresting people, including a four year old child. They’ve arrested people at the Food Not Bombs house—a group dedicated to feeding protestors and the homeless. They’ve arrested others, presumably just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Poor Peoples’ Campaign, which had set up camp at Harriet Island, a park in the middle of the Mississippi, has also been harassed, its participants ordered to disperse and its organizers arrested.

Let me be perfectly clear here—all of us here are planning nonviolent protests against an administration which is responsible for immense violence, bombs that have destroyed whole countries, and hundreds of thousands of deaths.

This is the America that eight years of the Bush administration have brought us, a place where dissent is no longer tolerated, where pre-emptive strikes have become the strategy of choice for those who hold power, where any group can be accused of ‘bombmaking’ or ‘terrorism’ on no evidence whatsoever in order to deter dissent.

Please stand with us. Because it could be your home they are raiding, next.

Call the Mayors of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Tell them you are outraged by these attacks on dissent. Urge them to let Poor People encamp and to let dissent be heard.

FLOOD THE MAYORS' OFFICES ASAP

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman
(651) 266-8510

Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak
(612) 673-2100
(612) 673-3000 outside Minneapolis

Clean Energy

$427 million. That's what the oil and coal industries spent during the first half of 2008 on lobbying and advertising. They're protecting their interests -- and hurting ours. Check out this ad I was sent by we can solve it dot com:

What's with these gas prices and what's the solution?

Senator Mc Cain wants us to believe that offshore drilling is the solution. But I learned in my last examination of this issue, that offshore drilling a- won't produce oil for 10 years more years, and b- won't give us enough oil to stay out of Iraq. So we need to find other solutions. This video says it well.



I'm sad about the tactic of spreading lies that Mc Cain and his party are using to bash Senator Obama for a goal to find renewable energy resources. What a sell out move. Those ads against Obama are just a ploy like the above video says. I wonder how much oil companies pay people to make these sort of tactics happen.

Get a Job

Nah nah nah nah nah.... we've all heard the song, and it goes right along with the phrase fathers used to routinely yell at their sons "Cut your damn hair!" which it seems is still affecting people's ability to get a job. You'd think in this day and age people would realize that the haircut doesn't make the man, woman, etc. But apparently that's only true in certain circles as I was reminded today by reading an article called Cut Your Hair on Below the Belt.

I find it interesting to note which businesses have policies which say you can not be discriminated against for a haircut. It would seem something we shouldn't have to protect, and yet we do. Just recently I saw this in the life of a loved one when she was finally able to get her hair cut short the way she'd always wanted because she started working for a company with an anti discrimination policy.

She's allowed to have her hair any way she wants now, tho she worries it could prevent her from getting raises as she notices all the people in long term positions have gender conforming, hetero-normative hair cuts. And she's probably right. No matter how much I love that she styles her hair after one of the UFC fighters, and no matter how supportive her manager is, in the long run even in a corporation with an open and affirming policy she may very well be stopped from advancement due to her hair. It may just be one of those unspoken laws in that particular company. We say how you dress doesn't matter, but if you don't wear a blue suit on Tuesday, no management positions for you.

Enough ranting, read the article that inspired this rant, it's not about employment per se, but it made me think about it.

Hearing back from Rep Mitchell

I wrote to my representative, Congressman Harry Mitchell about my concerns about President Bush's oil drilling policies. Following, is the email he responded with:

Thank you for contacting me about our nation's energy needs. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

As you know, gas prices have risen to record-breaking levels, and now exceed $4.00 a gallon in Arizona.

This not only puts a serious strain on the family budget, it puts a serious strain on the economy, and puts us all at risk for inflation.

Our current situation with gas prices is the result of a failed energy policy which has made our nation more and more dependent on foreign oil. Instead of strengthening our economic and national security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil, President Bush and the previous Republican-led Congresses repeatedly blocked efforts to increase vehicle fuel efficiency standards, and supported tax breaks for big oil companies instead of emerging alternative fuels.

I am working to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. In December, I voted for H.R. 6, the Energy Independence and Security Act, which passed the House by a vote of 314 to 100, the Senate by a vote of 86 to 8 and was signed into law on December 19, 2007.

The law increases the vehicle fuel efficiency standard to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. An increase of this magnitude has the equivalent effect of taking 28 million vehicles off the road. The increase will also provide American families with an estimated $700 to $1,000 per year in savings at the pump - $22 billion in net annual savings in 2020. Decreased gas purchases are estimated to slash U.S. oil consumption by more than 4 million barrels per day by 2030 - more than twice our daily imports from the Persian Gulf.

The law additionally requires the annual production of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022, decreasing our dependence on oil and creating hundreds of thousands of new American jobs.

I also strongly believe that we must invest in alternative energy sources, and I am working to make Arizona the "Solar State" so that we can grow energy sources literally right in our own backyard. Expansion of solar production could not only help meet our energy needs, it could be an economic boon to our economy. Recently, I voted for and the House passed legislation that will extend critical solar tax credits for both businesses and homeowners, H.R. 6049, the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act.

If we want to make gas more affordable, I believe it is imperative that we focus on improving the U.S. economy. The weakening U.S. dollar has made rising oil prices even more difficult for Americans to endure.

In the short run, however, our options are more limited. The most immediate step we can take is to temporarily suspend oil purchases for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). This suspension could reduce gas prices from 5 cents to 24 cents a gallon. Currently, the SPR is 97 percent full and is sufficiently large to meet our national security needs as well as protect against any significant supply disruption. Filling the SPR diverts a supply of 70,000 barrels of oil from the market each day.

On May 13, 2008, I voted for and the House passed the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Fill Suspension and Consumer Protection Act, H.R. 6022, with wide bipartisan support by a vote of 385 to 25. The President signed this measure into law on May 19, 2008.

I agree with you that we cannot drill our way to energy independence. However, I believe we must examine supply as well as demand.

The extent to which increased domestic energy production would reduce gas prices depends on how much oil can be recovered, and how fast it can be refined and brought to the market. For me the question is not so much whether we increase domestic drilling, but when, where and how.

Opening up the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, as some have suggested, would not reduce gas prices any time soon. According to the Department of Energy's U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), if oil companies began drilling in the wildlife refuge today, the site would not produce any oil for at least eight to ten years, and would not reach peak production for at least 20 years.

Moreover, drilling in the wildlife refuge does not offer a long-term solution to our energy prices. Even at peak production 20 years from now, drilling in the wildlife refuge would not significantly increase total world oil production or notably affect global oil prices. According to EIA, the maximum impact for consumers would be one to three cents per gallon of gas.

I believe we need to be equally rigorous in our review of proposals to open coastal waters of the United States for drilling. According to the U.S. Department of Interior's Minerals Management Service, of the areas oil and gas is believed to be in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), 82 percent of federal natural gas and 79 percent of federal oil is located in areas that are already open for drilling. The portion of our shores that has remained off limits to drilling includes areas where drilling would interfere with military training and operations.

Also, according to the EIA, oil production would not begin until at least 2017, and significant production would not begin until at least 2030, at which point, according to EIA, the new production would not significantly reduce the price of gas in the United States, since oil prices are based on an international market.

In short, we have our work cut out for us on both the supply and demand side of things. The policies put in place by President Bush and previous Congresses came at a time when emerging economies in countries like China and India were increasing global demand for oil, making it more costly for everyone around the world to purchase oil, including oil produced in the United States. This increased worldwide demand is not going to abate any time soon. The era of inexpensive crude oil, even domestically produced, is over. If we want to make energy more affordable, in the long run, we are ultimately going to have to end our dependence on oil and develop clean, renewable sources of energy.

Do we need to drill offshore for oil?

The Oil companies already have millions of acres available to them, and yet President Bush has just repealed the ban on offshore drilling. Why have they chosen to not drill in the areas they have discovered on shore oil right here in the US, and continued to seek oil in our oceans, and Iraq?

A recent US Geological Survey reports a 25-fold increase in the amount of oil that can be recovered... compared to the agency's estimate back in 1995. Discovered over 50 years ago, the Bakken deposit--once impossible to extract--is now being hailed as the single largest oil find in US history.

That's because, today, thanks to breakthrough drilling techniques like horizontal drilling, the Bakken's oil shales can be extracted relatively cheaply. When that happens, this light, sweet oil will cost Americans just $16 per barrel!

Opening up offshore drilling won't lower current gas prices, it actually will have no affect for 8 years! The President's action is nothing more than a sham attempting to create a placebo effect and placate American citizens. I think it's a bad move.

What we must be doing is investing in truly renewable energy, waking up to our responsibility to the environment and the PEOPLE which they are supposed to serve. Instead this action serves the corporations (oil companies and the like) I wonder where Mc Cain and Obama stand on this policy.

You can write your officials right now and ask them to vote NO to offshore drilling, no opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling, no lifting restrictions on oil shale leasing in the Green River Basin of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. Just go to congress.org and put in your zip code, then go to the website of your representative and click contact. Then let them know how you want them to vote.

Senator Obama, I'm disapointed

We voted for you over Senator Clinton because you promised CHANGE not of your ideals, as someone recently suggested, but of the corruption in our government. Now you do this? See a list of his recent back peddling which I've copy and pasted below:

*intervened in a Democratic Congressional primary to support one of the worst Bush-enabling Blue Dogs over a credible, progressive challenger;

* announced his support for Bush's FISA bill, reversing himself completely on this issue;

* sided with the Scalia/Thomas faction in two highly charged Supreme Court decisions;

* repudiated Wesley Clark and embraced the patently false media narrative that Clark had "dishonored McCain's service" (and for the best commentary I've seen, by far, on the Clark matter, see this appropriately indignant piece by Iraq veteran Brandon Friedman);

* condemned MoveOn.org for its newspaper advertisement criticizing Gen. Petraeus;

* defended his own patriotism by impugning the patriotism of others, specifically those in what he described as the "the so-called counter-culture of the Sixties" for "attacking the symbols, and in extreme cases, the very idea, of America itself" and -- echoing Jeanne Kirkpatrick's 1984 RNC speech -- "blaming America for all that was wrong with the world";

* unveiled plans "to expand President Bush's program steering federal social service dollars to religious groups and -- in a move sure to cause controversy . . . letting religious charities that receive federal funding consider religion in employment decisions," a move that could "invite a storm of protest from those who view such faith requirements as discrimination" -- something not even the Bush faith programs allowed.

Pulling the Wool over our eyes?

This post is to alert you to a HUGE time waster being brought before our Senate right now. Hopefully they will realize that there are already laws protecting religious freedom, and that protecting children from being beaten and tormented in school is not a bad thing. BUT in case you aren't aware of the facts, I thought I'd pass this along. Write to your Senator and share your views...whatever they may be.

The following was sent by Equality Arizona:

On the surface, HB 2713 seems harmless. However, in its current form, it is very dangerous.

Despite the fact that 80% of Arizona voters support anti-bullying and harassment protections for students, Senators voted down an amendment in COW that would have made sure schools could still protect students from such targeted acts.

HB 2713, as it is currently written, leaves open the possibility that a school's anti-harassment, anti-bullying and non-discrimination policies will be invalidated.

Additionally, the bill will likely create a wave of litigation that school districts will have to defend themselves against.
With school district already being financially-strapped, we shouldn't be opening up for the door for more costly lawsuits at taxpayer expense.

The rights that are intended to be protected in this bill already exist under the law. This bill actually creates special protections and possibly gives legal sanction to discrimination and harassment.

Now back to some words from our blogger:
I wasn't too shocked on the one hand, because I'm seeing more and more of this bullshit political tactic by religious groups trying to create more discrimination under the guise of creating less... but here's the truth of a current bill being brought before our Senators.

Indifference

"In our time all it takes for evil to flourish is for a few good men to be a little wrong and have a great deal of power, and for the vast majority of their fellow citizens to remain indifferent." -William Sloane Coffin Jr.

I used to not care about politics. I still hate the way they seem to breed deceit and manipulation, but I hope for better in the world. I hope we can find a way towards peace not war, and equal rights and protections under the law for all humans.

A closer look at Mc Cain

Someone sent me this recently, and it's a bit scary how much the man conflicts himself on important issues like the war in Iran, Economics, and even Katrina.

Impeaching Bush

Representative Dennis Kucinich read a resolution on the floor of the House last night. He read 35 different articles of impeachment, each item being backed up with factual evidence.



However, this morning the news seems to indicate that people don't think the resolution will go anywhere. I hope they are wrong.

Please contact your representatives to support this resolution for impeachment. If Clinton can be brought up for impeachment for a blow-job, certainly this President, who has committed 35 impeachable acts, should at least be judged on the evidence that exists.

Thank you Hilary R. Clinton!

Clinton has suspended her bid for President and is now fully behind Barack Obama, so the democrats can works in a united force towards attaining a Democratic Presidency:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080607/ap_on_el_pr/clinton

Thank you Senator Clinton! Well done.

Barack clinches nomination, Concede Clinton, Concede!

I just read the following article, and the thing that really hit me is that Hilary Clinton has still not conceded. She's going to tear the Democrats apart. This is obviously over Clinton, you've lost. Holding on now is NOT listening to the American people. She's trying to get the "Superdelegates" Which I discussed in a previous entry to back her DESPITE the American people's obvious support of Barack Obama. He's asking her to work together with him to unite the party. You go Barack! Well put.

Senator Clinton, please concede...and work WITH Barack for a democratic win in the upcoming presidential election, PLEASE! Your people need you to support Barack now, and not ruin our future. Here's the article I found waiting for me on yahoo.com this morning:

Obama speaks with Clinton, says party can be united

By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer 3 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama spoke directly with his vanquished rival Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday and expressed optimism they could achieve party unity after their bruising battle for the Democratic presidential nomination. He also accused Republican rival John McCain of supporting a "plan for staying, not a plan for victory" in Iraq.



As he traded jabs with McCain over national security policy, Obama visited the Senate where Democrats and Republicans shook his hand and congratulated him. The Illinois senator disclosed he had spoken with Clinton, who was not in the Senate, earlier in the day after he claimed the nomination and she stopped short of conceding.

"I just spoke to her today, and we're going to be having a conversation in coming weeks. And I'm very confident how unified the Democratic party's going to be to win in November," Obama told reporters as he left the Senate.

Asked if Clinton indicated she planned to concede, Obama replied: "It wasn't a detailed conversation. As I said, I'm very confident of how we're going to be able to bring the party together." He dismissed a question about her refusal to concede after the final two primaries Tuesday night by saying she was "understandably focused on her supporters."

Obama and Clinton ran into each other backstage at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee meeting, which they addressed separately Wednesday morning.

Clinton later visited her campaign headquarters in suburban Virginia where she thanked staff for their work. Aides said she was also phoning superdelegates and supporters, and planned to host an 89th birthday celebration at her Washington home for her mother, Dorothy Rodham.

A day after welcoming Obama to the general election campaign, McCain said in a morning television interview, "I think he has exercised very bad judgment on national security issues and others."

Obama used his speech at the AIPAC meeting to reassure Jewish voters of his support for Israel and criticize McCain's promise to keep U.S. troops fighting in Iraq.

"Keeping all of our troops tied down indefinitely in Iraq is not the way to weaken Iran, it is precisely what strengthened it," Obama said in a speech in which he said the security of the Jewish state was sacrosanct.

Elsewhere, Obama's accomplishment in becoming the first black ever to win a major party presidential nomination drew Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's attention.

"The United States of America is an extraordinary country. It is a country that has overcome many, many, now years, decades, actually a couple of centuries of trying to make good on its principles," said Rice, the first female black secretary of state in history, serving in a Republican administration.

"And I think what we are seeing is an extraordinary expression of the fact that 'We the people' is beginning to mean to all of us."

On Wednesday, two more fellow senators swung behind Obama after remaining neutral throughout his long nominating battle with Clinton.

"We have a nominee of our party," said Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa. "The nominee of our party is obviously Barack Obama." Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado also announced his endorsement.

Former Vice President Walter Mondale, who had been a Clinton supporter, announced he was backing Obama.

It hardly mattered in terms of delegate math — after months of struggle, Obama had more than enough to prevail at the party convention in Denver in August.

But Mondale, Harkin, Salazar and others poised to endorse Obama later in the day were also sending a message to Clinton that her race is over, whether she will admit it or not.

The former first lady has yet to concede defeat in the primary campaign, although she is courting an invitation from Obama to become his vice presidential running mate.

McCain made several appearances on morning television programs, and he said he would be seeking support outside his party's traditional base.

"The key to winning the election is independent voters and Democrats as well," McCain said in an interview shown Wednesday on ABC's "Good Morning America." Even so, asked on CBS whether he'd pick a Democrat as his running mate, he replied, "I don't think so."

He also announced he has sent Obama a letter inviting him to a series of 10 joint town-hall meetings over the summer. "I even suggested we travel them together on the same plane. Probably help on energy savings," McCain said in Baton Rouge, La.

Clinton followed Obama to the podium at AIPAC, delivering a strong defense of Israel — and also of her rival in the nominating race.

"Let me be very clear. I know that Senator Obama will be a good friend to Israel," she said to applause.

Clinton herself made no mention of the question on the minds of Democrats everywhere — her future plans.

But others were not as reticent.

"I think a lot of her supporters would like to see her on the ticket," said her campaign chairman, Terry McAuliffe said.

"There is no deal in the works," said Obama's spokesman, Robert Gibbs.

"When the dust settles and it makes sense for her, he'll meet whenever she wants to," Gibbs said. "She's accumulated a lot of votes throughout this country. We want to make sure that we're appealing to her voters."

In his speech at AIPAC, Obama urged his audience to reject what he said were false e-mails circulating about him, stressed his support for Israel and depicted the war in Iraq as a threat to Israel's security.

"Israel's security is sacrosanct. It is nonnegotiable," he said. He backed a Palestinian state that is "contiguous and cohesive," but also said any agreement must "preserve Israel's identity as a Jewish state, with secure, recognized and defensible borders. Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided," he said.

Obama said Bush's decision to invade Iraq had enabled the hard-liners in Iran to tighten their grip on power. "And the United States and Israel are less secure," he added.

He said McCain "offers a false choice: stay the course in Iraq or cede the region to Iran. ... It is a policy for staying, not a policy for victory," adding he favors a phased withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

On the final night of the primary season, Clinton won South Dakota on Tuesday while Obama took Montana — and a slew of party superdelegates who declared their support to help him clinch the nomination. He did it, according to The Associated Press tally, based on primary elections, state Democratic caucuses and support from superdelegates. It took 2,118 delegates to clinch the nomination at the convention, and Obama had 2,154 by the AP count.

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a dogged Clinton supporter, recognized the brutality of the arithmetic.

"I am the last of the Mohicans, but it is over," he said.

Mc Cain and Leiberman... what does this mean?

Recently Senator McCain renounced any connection with John Hagee, a pastor who says Hitler got it right and apparently runs a group called Christians United for Israel, a misleading name as they are about anything BUT peace.

This July, Pastor Hagee will lead thousands of followers to Washington for an "Israel Summit" sponsored by "Christians United for Israel". And guess who is scheduled to deliver the keynote address? That's right, it's Lieberman.

It isn't possible that Joe doesn't know what Hagee is all about. Pastor Hagee's greatest hits include gems like these:

* On Muslims: "All Muslims have a mandate to kill Christians and Jews."¹
* On Hurricane Katrina: "I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God and they were recipients of the judgment of God for that."²
* On women: "Do you know the difference between a terrorist and a woman with PMS? You can negotiate with a terrorist."³

And yet McCain has not renounced his connection to Joe Leiberman, who is a keynote speaker at the upcoming conference for Christians United for Israel, and still associates with John Hagee. This concerns me. I'm still researching it, but here's a few things you may want to read and watch.

Check it out:

Pastor John Hagee on Christian Zionism. Fresh Air NPR Interview, September 18, 2006: npr-org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6097362

Pastor John Hagee on Christian Zionism. Fresh Air NPR Interview, September 18, 2006: npr-org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6097362

Fox News interview with Sen. Joe Lieberman about Pastor Hagee: foxnews-com/story/0,2933,355696,00.html

---

Take the Bush-McCain Challenge

Hi,

I took The Bush-McCain Challenge—a fun online quiz to see if you can tell the difference between George W. Bush and John McCain. Check it out, and see if you can do any better than I did!

Start the Bush-McCain Challenge by clicking here:

http://Bush-McCainChallenge.com/?rc=taf3&r_id=12619-5769906-rnFuWE&t=1

Enjoy!

P.S. After you finish 10 questions, there's a hilarious "Carrot Round" that you definitely don't want to miss.

Medical Marijuana in the US

Recently I contacted my congress person about Medical Marijuana to see where they stand. I received an interesting response, including the following:

"The prohibition of marijuana began with the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 and was further enforced by the Controlled Substances Act passed in 1970. In the more than three decades since its enactment, drugs have become stronger and potentially more dangerous.

On April 17, 2008, Rep. Barney Frank introduced H.R. 5843, the Act to Remove Federal Penalties for the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults. If enacted, H.R. 5843 would remove federal penalties for the possession of marijuana for personal use. H.R. 5843 is currently pending consideration by the House Committees on Judiciary and Energy and Commerce.

You may also be interested to know that Rep. Frank introduced another bill, H.R. 5842, the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act, that would allow states to decide whether individuals may use marijuana for medicinal purposes. This bill is pending consideration before the House Energy and Commerce Committee."

I was left unsure by the email if this person is for or against Medical Marijuana, tho they lead me to believe they are in support of it. I did however find them to be aware, and thought I would pass along the historical and current events related portion of the email here.

Personally I have researched this in my usual way, by reading anything I can get my hands on. I posted about some of that research previously. I believe that marijuana is no more or less dangerous than alcohol, and in fact less dangerous than cigarettes, especially if eaten rather than smoked. We once had a prohibition against alcohol in this country, and it was found to be useless, and to criminalize behavior that would be better left to the decisions of aware and consenting adults rather than governed by officials who have better things to do. I would rather the actual criminals be put in jail rather than the grandmothers, cancer patients, and responsible adults ingesting THC. I hope that Representative Frank is successful in moving those Bills through.

Blessed be,
Sistah Shanti

Stop Bush from Getting Away with Wiretapping

Dear Readers,

Our hard fought victories on the Bush administration's illegal wiretapping program are in danger once again.

CREDO Action alerted me to the fact that the ACLU is now reporting that some high-ranking members in the House -- including Majority Leader Steny Hoyer -- are working behind closed doors with the Bush administration and conservatives in Congress to negotiate a compromise bill.

Join me in taking action now -- we need to encourage the House of
Representatives to stand strong. Tell Speaker Pelosi to stop Hoyer and others from caving to Bush and his allies on the illegal wiretapping issue.

You can check out what is at stake and send your own message directly to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi using the link below.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/no_illegal_wiretapping/?r_by=202-1590405-SlR850&rc=mailto

Thanks!

Fwd: Upcoming Vote on Funding the War

Dear MoveOn member,

Tomorrow could be Congress' last chance to exercise real oversight on the war. The media is paying less attention to Iraq, but we need to remind our representatives that voters aren't—Americans are more frustrated with the war than ever before.

Can you call your representative right now and tell him that voters are tired of dumping billions into the unwinnable war in Iraq? Tell him that voters are looking for accountability from President Bush on the war and we want our troops home quickly. (We've included more details below.)

Then, please report your call to MoveOn.org

According to news reports, Congress will have a series of separate votes. There'll be one vote on whether to give the president $162 billion to fund the war through next year—with no strings attached. That's a huge amount to spend on keeping troops in Iraq, especially at a time when peoples' houses are being foreclosed and unemployment is going up at home.

Then, there will be separate votes on measures to redeploy our troops and hold the Bush administration accountable for their actions during the war—measures that could ban torture, hold contractors accountable, and prevent President Bush from committing our troops to a permanent presence in Iraq.¹

It's important that all members of Congress hear that voters do not want the president to get another $162 billion blank check for the war. Can you call Rep. Mitchell and ask him to reject a blank check for the president and to support proposals to bring our troops home and hold Bush accountable instead?

Thanks for all you do.

–-Nita, Michael, Daniel, Joan, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

P.S. Here's an excerpt from a Washington Post article explaining Thursday's votes:

"Setting up their last major battle over war policy with President Bush, House Democrats yesterday unveiled a plan to link their favored domestic spending projects and a troop-withdrawal timeline to additional funds for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan requested by the White House.

The $195 billion spending measure would pay for the wars well into next year while tacking on $11 billion to extend unemployment benefits and nearly $1 billion to offer expanded higher education benefits for war veterans. Democrats said they hope that the spending provisions, particularly the education measure, will prove politically difficult for Bush to veto in an election year.

"If he wants to make a federal case out of the fact that we feel the need to do something major to reward the troops, that's his prerogative. But I don't think the country will agree with him. And I certainly don't think the country would agree with any effort to deny the extension of unemployment benefits," said House Appropriations Chairman David R. Obey (D-Wis.).

The White House remained opposed to the additional spending, demanding a "clean" bill to fund the wars by the symbolically important date of Memorial Day.

"We feel strongly that the Iraq war supplemental should remain for national security needs. We understand that there could be debates on other issues, such as unemployment benefits and food stamps, other issues that are important to a lot of people. But those issues can be taken up separate from our national security needs," said Dana Perino, White House press secretary.

House Republicans also denounced the Democrats' plan.

"It is unacceptable and, indeed, unimaginable for Congress to continue to hold our troops hostage for political leverage. If House Democrats want to ramp up spending on other government programs, those items should be considered separately," said House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio).

The House's emergency supplemental funding measure is broken into three pieces, including $162.6 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, of which $66 billion is designed to cover war costs for several months after the next administration takes over. The second portion includes language mandating immediate troop withdrawals with a goal of having most all troops out by the end of 2009. The third part includes the domestic spending."

Click here to read the whole thing:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3633&id=12592-5769906-gwLctp&t=4

Source:

1. "Leader Reid gets pushback on Iraq war bill," The Hill, May 6, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3634&id=12592-5769906-gwLctp&t=5

Fwd: Ending "Don't ask don't tell"

Ending 'Don't ask, don't tell' Discrimination doesn't deserve federal support By Erika Stutzman
Sunday, May 4, 2008

'It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin."

-- Executive Order 9981, signed by President Harry S. Truman, 1948
Celebrating its 15th birthday this year is a confusing little policy with the catchy little name, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Widely viewed as a compromise between then President Bill Clinton and the U.S. military, which had a longstanding ban on gays, the policy is designed to let gays serve as long as no one finds out they're gay.

Since 1993, more than 12,000 servicemen and women have been dismissed under the policy. According to UCLA's Williams Institute, there are nearly 15,000 gay veterans in Colorado.
The Service-members Legal Defense Network is dedicated to ending the law that bans gays and lesbians from open service.

"Open" is where things get tricky, says Aubrey Sarvis, director of the network and a gay veteran. "It's arbitrary," he said. Sometimes, "open" might mean you go out to the press and declare you're a homosexual. Or it may mean that you've secretly sent an e-mail to a boyfriend at home, only to be outed by a fellow soldier who accessed your computer.
"The irony is that this 'compromise' is the only federal law that gives the government the right to discriminate, " Sarvis said.

A bill before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee -- with 142 co-sponsors including Mark Udall (D-Eldorado Springs) -- is expected to have a hearing this summer. But even its supporters admit that it will die without broad bi-partisan support, which it doesn't have now.
Most of our allies allow gays in the military, many -- like Britain, Israel, Canada and Switzerland -- with clear provisions stating that gays are legally protected from harassment.

Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have stated they want the law repealed; Sen. John McCain has said it would be a "terrific mistake" to "even reopen the issue."

It's hard to imagine that Truman desegregating the armed forces 60 years ago was such a bold move, given that minorities had been fighting for the United States since before its founding -- but it was.

And it's hard to imagine that ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" would be so controversial today -- but it is. Although national polls have shown the majority of Americans think gays and lesbians should be able to serve openly in the military, there is strong resistance within the military itself.
But the U.S. military faced -- and eventually conquered -- the same resistance in its ranks over racial desegregation. The government should end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

-- Erika Stutzman, for the Camera editorial board

Government cutbacks lead to deaths?

A friend forwarded me this article as they knew that I used to live in California and have relatives there. http://www.bilerico.com/2008/05/california_set_to_kill_medical_recipient.php

I am one of those fortunate people to know that my elderly relatives have enough funds to pay for a healthy, positive environment to live in. But many elderly around the US do not quite have the funds to support themselves. And if one is disabled and living on SSDI/SSI, the likely hood is, that you are dependent upon Medicare and Medi-Cal. Those whose lives depend on the care they get in the live-in hospital situation are in danger of being put on the streets if these changes to California law go through. Read more here.

As the article says, this is not just a California problem, it is happening all over the US: "If these deaths start happening, they will not be the first that can be directly traceable to government cutbacks in healthcare. Far from it. As the recession slowly kicked in, budget cuts have been happening at state and federal levels for some years now. The rising death toll has been almost anonymous, out there on the fringes. Among the victims: poor people with AIDS, who started dying when access to ADAP was narrowed. In August 2003, the Charleston Gazette noted that three West Virginians had died since February while waiting for treatment. The state program covered treatment for tuberculosis and pneumonia as well as AIDS. 'People are now starting to die while they're on the waiting list,' the state ADAP director said. 'It's a crisis that will continue.'"

I believe this recession is in part the results of billions of dollars of our country's money being directed to war. As I said in a previous post, I voted for Bush the first time around. When I did that, one reason I voted for him was that talks with my father had convinced me that Republicans were going to get our country's financial situation repaired. No longer millions of dollars in debt, but a country working in the green. Instead we are deeper in the hole than ever, and recession is something our next President is going to have to fight actively so that we do not head into a depression. Something which hasn't happened in most of our lifetimes!

But whether any of my worries surface, the truth is we are dealing with a current medical crisis in this country. Hospitals are closing, patients are being turned away, and it will only negatively impact us all.

Senator Mc Cain said WHAT?!?

Subject: Tell McCain: Stop insulting women

Dear Readers,

Last Wednesday, Senate Republicans filibustered the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a law that would have overturned an appalling Supreme Court decision that practically abolished remedies for gender-based compensation discrimination in the workplace. In opposing this legislation, Senator John McCain said that if women want better-paying jobs, they just need more "education and training." Then, he didn't even show up for the vote.

Let's tell Senator McCain that should stop blocking an up or down vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act if he wants to ensure equal rights for women under the law.

Please have a look and take action.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/mccain_vs_ledbetter/?r_by=-1590405-cgnBBY&rc=paste

Thanks!

Shanti

Feel free to forward the above letter to others, it's simply the plea provided when you sign the petition. Now onto my own thoughts about Mc Cain:

John McCain lost my vote when he said he reversed his views on torture. As someone who lived as a prisoner of war, he used to oppose torture. Now he's fine with it as long as it's not Americans being tortured? That is a rather large thing to change your mind on, and to me morally and ethically inept. A disagreement worthy of moving one's vote. Then he said he would be happy if we stayed in IRAQ for 100 years, and proved himself supportive of continuing the trend towards Martial Law that Bush has taken this country on. I decided McCain was dangerous and worth opposing.

As Benjamin Franklin said, "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

Now he's openly making sexist remarks? Is he TRYING to lose the election? I believe all humans should have equal rights and protection under the law. So please go to

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/mccain_vs_ledbetter/?r_by=-1590405-cgnBBY&rc=paste

take a look, and take action. Let McCain know how you feel.

It Can Happen Here

Recently I received a new book to read titled "It Can Happen Here" by Joe Conason. So far it is highly informative. It is giving me a more intricate look into the politics of the last 7 years that I had previously glimpsed. I will share more as I get more deeply into the book.

In the mean time, passing on this latest tidbit shared with me by a dear friend:
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in passports, credit cards, etc. to track where you go, and what you buy. It sounds like something out of an old sci fi thriller, but it is actually happening today. I wanted to know more so tried to do a search online, and came across this Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RFID

Passports

RFID tags are being used in passports issued by many countries. The first RFID passports ("E-passport") were issued by Malaysia in 1998. In addition to information also contained on the visual data page of the passport, Malaysian e-passports record the travel history (time, date, and place) of entries and exits from the country.

Standards for RFID passports are determined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and are contained in ICAO Document 9303, Part 1, Volumes 1 and 2 (6th edition, 2006). ICAO refers to the ISO 14443 RFID chips in e-passports as "contactless integrated circuits". ICAO standards provide for e-passports to be identifiable by a standard e-passport logo on the front cover.

In 2006, RFID tags were included in new US passports. The US produced 10 million passports in 2005, and it has been estimated that 13 million will be produced in 2006. The chips will store the same information that is printed within the passport and will also include a digital picture of the owner. The US State Department initially stated the chips could only be read from a distance of 10 cm (4 in), but after widespread criticism and a clear demonstration that special equipment can read the test passports from 10 meters (33 feet) away, the passports were designed to incorporate a thin metal lining to make it more difficult for unauthorized readers to "skim" information when the passport is closed. The department will also implement Basic Access Control (BAC), which functions as a Personal Identification Number (PIN) in the form of characters printed on the passport data page. Before a passport's tag can be read, this PIN must be entered into an RFID reader. The BAC also enables the encryption of any communication between the chip and interrogator ^[14]. Despite this precaution, the Center for Democracy and Technology has issued warnings that significant security weaknesses that could be used to track U.S. travelers are apparent in the specifications of the card design as outlined by the U.S. Department of State.^[15]

If you don't trust the government to successfully include the thin metal sheathe, you can protect your passport with these envelopes: http://tech.propeller.com/story/2006/08/01/rfid-blocking-passport-covers-for-your-passport/