Archive for category religion
Why why why why why?
Posted by zoboxrox in corporate america, economy, health, human rights, international, malfunction, politics, religion, tragedy on August 17th, 2009
So, the major problem with American Democracy is that it is representative: we elect people who we feel will represent our views within the legislative body upon which they sit – we do not participate in our democracy directly — we are not always privy to the actual truth. Majority rules, and so depending on where you are and who won your local elections, this means you may not be represented at all. If your guy lost, then basically, you’re voice remains silent as your elected representative fulfills the needs of most of the people, which could be as little as one percentage point over half, in your district/county/state.
The reason this is a major problem, it seems pretty clear to me now, is that the majority of Americans are at worst stupid, and at best simply irresponsible, ignorant, gullible, stubborn, and set in their ways. What always amazes me is the fact that people actually vote against what’s in their own best interest: fiscally, the Republican Party only benefits around 5% of the population.
With Universal Health Care we meet a similar problem. Many of the people who’s lives would be improved by it, are being lied to and misinformed. Take this guy, for instance, who if you can believe it, is actually a Senator, Chuck Grassley of Iowa. He doesn’t even come close to answering the question he’s been asked, and then he lies, repeatedly, to those who he is supposed to be representing:
Come on Chuck. LETS BE TRUTHFUL!!
So here are the Top 5 lies about some of our health care options, and the one truth standing in its way:
LIES:
1. Single Payer Health Care is the same thing Socialized Medicine: NOT TRUE
Socialized Medicine doesn’t actually exist, but if it did, it would still be different than Single Payer System. Under “socialized medicine” the doctors work for the government directly. Single Payer simply means there is a single fund or insurance company which is making payments aka “centralized payment”:
Single-payer health insurance is a term used in the United States to describe the legislated insurance of individuals by way of centralized payment of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers and facilities…. The administrator of the fund could be the government but it could also be a publicly owned agency regulated by law
2. Socialized Medicine leads to Socialism: NOT TRUE
We currently have socialized the following industries, and I’m pretty sure most every American, red-blooded or blue, would like to keep it this way: The Police Department, The Fire Department, The United States Postal Service, The Public Education System, The Public Library, and Neighborhood Parks and Recreational Services.
Imagine the outrage if we decided to privatize fire services, and unless you had insurance, your local department, no matter how close or how able, would simply let your house burn down. And we don’t talk about a government run Fire Department - it has not communalized our way of life, nor taken control of our personal liberties. It is simply something no American could imagine living without, which is exactly how they feel about health care in the countries where it is free.
3. Universal Health Care would be more expensive than our current system: NOT TRUE
Turns out, we spend more right now, both individually and as a nation, than we would in a government funded option.
A 2003 study examined costs and outputs in the U.S and other industrialized countries and broadly concluded that the U.S spends so much because its health care system is more costly. It noted that “…the United States spent considerably more on health care than any other country…[yet] most measures of aggregate utilization such as physician visits per capita and hospital days per capita were below the OECD median. Since spending is a product of both the goods and services used and their prices, this implies that much higher prices are paid in the United States than in other countries.
Perhaps it has something to do with the $71 Billion that Pfizer raked in last year, or the $61 Billion Johnson & Johnson made on pharmaceutical products alone.
4. Health Care in countries with a Universal System suffers in quality as a result: NOT TRUE
Not only is health care in the United States more expensive than it is in any other “first world” country, it turns out, its also not as good. I have this argument all the time: “Oh but we have by far the best health care in the world…” or “I’d rather be in a hospital in America than anywhere else….” Funny. The World Health Organization disagrees with you. As do over half of the citizens of Western Europe.
See here. Or here. Or here. Or here.
5. The government wants to create “Death Panels” in order to kill your elderly grandmother or your disabled child: JUST SO NOT TRUE
While a “death panel” more or less already exists, its called an insurance company, this particular piece of nonsense actually stems from a bill, written by a Republican member of Congress mind you, which requested that, part of health care reform would include end of life counseling for those approaching death. The horrors!
A couple months ago I had the opportunity to see New York Times contributor Jane Brody speak on her newest book, Jane Brody’s Guide to the Great Beyond: A Practical Primer to Help You and Your Loved Ones Prepare Medically, Legally, and Emotionally for the End of Life. As someone who, throughout her entire career has focused on living well and prolonging a healthy life, I can truly say Jane Brody is not the kind of person who would kill your grandma. She is, however, knowledgeable enough on the subject of death, that I trust her when she says the following: receive End of Life counseling, have a living will and a health care proxy, if you are in a situation where death is a possibility, acknowledge that!
So if your little old grandma is sitting at home alone, listening to conservative talk radio, clutching her shotgun and trembling in fear for her life, please just bring her a newspaper. If she can’t see the tiny print, read it out loud to her! Because right now, the people she’s supposed to be able to trust, well they’re lying and it ain’t helping granny out one little bit.
Why I Love Jimmy Carter
Posted by zoboxrox in human rights, politics, religion on July 21st, 2009
There are actually a lot of reasons I’m a big fan of this ex-president, but here’s a new one:
Link to Politics Daily article titled “Jimmy Carter Leaves Church over Treatment of Women.”
After more than 60 years together, Jimmy Carter has announced himself at odds with the Southern Baptist Church — and he’s decided it’s time they go their separate ways… the former president called the decision “unavoidable” after church leaders prohibited women from being ordained and insisted women be “subservient to their husbands.”
In his own essay entitled: “Losing My Religion for Equality” (so hip, using an R.E.M. title), he writes:
It was… an unavoidable decision when the convention’s leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be “subservient” to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service.
At its most repugnant, the belief that women must be subjugated to the wishes of men excuses slavery, violence, forced prostitution, genital mutilation and national laws that omit rape as a crime. But it also costs many millions of girls and women control over their own bodies and lives, and continues to deny them fair access to education, health, employment and influence within their own communities.
It is simply self-defeating for any community to discriminate against half its population. We need to challenge these self-serving and outdated attitudes and practices - as we are seeing in Iran where women are at the forefront of the battle for democracy and freedom.
Don’t be sad Jimmy. Right now, you’re my hero.
While You Were Mourning…
Posted by zoboxrox in environment, health, international, malfunction, miracle, not news, politics, religion, science, tragedy on July 2nd, 2009
So my favorite eatery has captioned CNN on their television at all times (hence, my favorite) and while the 24/7 media channel has a tendency to be a little hokey, perhaps overblown, and often downright dramatic (but no news is good news right?), I respect them simply for the fact that they are huge enough to sink their perfectly manicured, yet often clumsy, claws into most every major news item au current. I can’t help myself, then, from feeling majorly disappointed that this generally satisfactory and overly accessible outlet for information is, at this very moment, reporting “BREAKING NEWS: VIDEO OF MICHAEL JACKSON’S FINAL REHEARSAL RELEASED.” (Here it is if you’re curious… entertaining, but not news)
I have to ask myself, is this really breaking news? And don’t get me wrong, I love MJ. I was a die hard Jackson fan even when it was embarrassing to admit. My list of favorite songs include some of the lesser known, deeper felt (”She’s Out of My Life” now has a whole new meaning), and I’m proud to say that while its not a consistent ability, I have successfully moonwalked on occasion. BUT — before I am a Michael Jackson fan, I am a citizen of the world, and my deeper concern lies in what has happened in the week since his untimely passing. So here is the list of Top 5 News Events that occurred while you were mourning:
1. Lets start with the ridiculously important act by the House last Friday, June 26, which, after years of ignoring the inconvenient truth, passed H.R. 2454, or The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. While the act itself is far (far far far far) from perfect, and in truth it dragged itself across the finish line at the last second, winning by only seven votes, it is hugely significant because it is the first time Congress has formally recognized what every other thinking American knows as Global Warming, Climate Change, the Greenhouse Effect (remember that one?), the End of the World, etc:
The vote was the first time either house of Congress had approved a bill meant to curb the heat-trapping gases scientists have linked to climate change. The legislation, which passed despite deep divisions among Democrats, could lead to profound changes in many sectors of the economy, including electric power generation, agriculture, manufacturing and construction.
President Obama hailed the House passage of the bill as “a bold and necessary step.” He said in a statement that he looked forward to Senate action that would send a bill to his desk “so that we can say, at long last, that this was the moment when we decided to confront America’s energy challenge and reclaim America’s future.”
But I bet a lot of people didn’t hear about this. After all, we’d only had a day since Michael’s passing. Who cares about… you know, the world…?
2. Two days later, on Sunday June 28th, a little place called Honduras, you may have heard of it, its part of our continent, went ahead and had themselves a coup. 
Back story is as follows: Left-leaning President Manuel Zelaya (think Chavez, with a mustache) was pushing for legislative reform which would allow him to lift the term restrictions for presidents, enabling him to run again (think Mayor Bloomberg, without the cash). Apparently the military found this completely unacceptable, and in the middle of the night, took over the government and exiled Zelaya to Costa Rica (actually, that sounds pretty nice).
In the first military coup in Central America since the end of the cold war, soldiers stormed the presidential palace in the capital, Tegucigalpa, early in the morning, disarming the presidential guard, waking Mr. Zelaya and putting him on a plane to Costa Rica.
Mr. Zelaya, a leftist aligned with President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, angrily denounced the coup as illegal. “I am the president of Honduras,” he insisted at the airport in San José, Costa Rica, still wearing his pajamas….
Church services were canceled and most people stayed home. Several thousand protesters supporting the president faced off against soldiers outside the presidential palace, burning tires.
The government television station and a television station that supports the president were taken off the air. Television and radio stations broadcast no news. Only wealthy Hondurans with access to the Internet and cable television were able to follow the day’s events.
Normally a coup would be pretty big news — HUGE. Remember in Pretty Woman when she goes back into the store to tell them what a mistake they’ve made by not letting her shop — HUGE MISTAKE — well this is huge the way that was.
3. Another two days later, in the early morning of Tuesday June 30, a passenger plane, an Airbus 310 to be exact, carrying 153 people, crashed on its way from Yemen to the Comoros Islands. 
While normally this would be an instant global tragedy for the world to rubberneck, the story becomes even more unbelievable, as a sole survivor, a 14 year old girl who can barely swim, is rescued, found floating in the Indian Ocean. The young woman, Bahia Bakari, was traveling with her mother and three siblings, all of whom are believed to be dead, and cannot explain how it is she managed to stay alive.
A severely bruised young girl believed to be the only survivor of an Indian Ocean p
lane crash flew back Thursday to Paris, where she was embraced gently by her father, who tried to lift her spirits with a joke.
Bahia Bakari, 12, returned to France from the Comoros Islands on a French government plane. The Falcon-900 jet with medical facilities left the archipelago nation, a former French colony, and arrived at Le Bourget airport just north of Paris…
Bahia, described by her father as a fragile girl who could barely swim, spent over 13 hours in the water clinging to wreckage before she was rescued. She was found suffering from hypothermia, a fractured collarbone and widespread bruises to her face, elbow and foot….
“In the midst of the mourning, there is Bahia. It is a miracle, it is an absolutely extraordinary battle for survival,” France’s cooperation minister, Alain Joyandet, who flew back with her, said at the airport. “It’s an enormous message that she sends to the world … almost nothing is impossible.”
And yet, there are people who don’t even know this story, haven’t even heard of Bahia, because Michael Jackson died last week, and there’s only so much room for misery in one’s life.
4. Later that very same day, Al Franken defeated Norm Coleman in the final battle of the war for the Minnesota Senate Seat.
Apparently Coleman had to dip into his dental fund to continue the lawsuit, and when pressed with the idea that he may be required to shell out even more cash, decided to call it quits, like a true conservative. Obama now has 60 friends in the Senate. He can basically do anything he wants. Even Bush never had it this good. And while I’m sure people know this happened, no one really seems to care. All of the passion Americans have put into politics over the past year, seems to have died with MJ.
5. Finally, the people of Iran continued to struggle for basic human rights, like freedom, and fairness, and safety. They continued to protest, continued to recieve beatings, continued to be kidnapped, murdered, or worst of all, disappeared. They continued to document their troubles as well, but couldn’t post the images online, their main resource at this time, because the inernet had basically crashed with Michael Jackson frenzy.
So here’s a little video someone put up on YouTube to remind us all, its not over, its only just begun.
(Amanda — don’t watch this)
Weekend Update
Posted by zoboxrox in corporate america, crime, human rights, international, justice, religion, tragedy on June 8th, 2009
A lot of people responded to the article I wrote a few months ago, Authority to Kill a Minority. Well I noticed this article recently and I wanted to update you all on the situation of the murder of Oscar Grant, by BART officer, Johannes Mehserle.
An Alameda County Superior Court judge has ruled there is enough evidence to have former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle stand trial on a murder charge for fatally shooting Oscar Grant III.
Cell phone video shows Mehserle, 27, shot 22-year-old Grant once in the back as he lay face down on the platform of the Fruitvale BART station early on New Year’s Day. Police had been called to the station to respond to reports of a fight on a train.
The judge said in his ruling, “Grant and the others may have been loud, uncooperative and argumentative, but these young men did nothing to warrant the use of deadly force.”
Another update comes to us from Laos, where Samantha Orobator was awaiting trial for smuggling drugs into the country. After pleading guilty, Samantha was spared the death penalty, and instead convicted to life in prison. The United Kingdom and Laos, aided by Sweden, are in talks for a prisoner exchange, so that Samantha may be permitted to carry out her sentence in her home.
Samantha Orobator, 20, from South London, admitted attempting to carry 680g (24oz) of heroin on to a flight from Laos to Thailand last August. Campaigners are pressing for her to be returned to serve her sentence in a British jail before the birth of her child, expected in September. But the one-day trial, in Vientiane, the Laotian capital, has not clarified the most puzzling question about the case: how did the Nigerian-born Orobator become pregnant in the notorious Phanthong prison?
The conception may have saved her life. Like other South-East Asian countries, Laos takes an unforgiving attitude to the drug trade and in most cases heroin smugglers face death by firing squad for amounts of more than 500g. Under Laotian law, however, a pregnant woman cannot be executed.
Bending Steele [Over]
Posted by zoboxrox in church and state, crime, malfunction, politics, religion on March 14th, 2009
RNC leader Michael Steele has been taking a lot of heat recently from his own party (what else is new) for some comments he made in an interview with GQ magazine, regarding women’s rights to choose and where he stood on the matter. [Interviewers questions in orange]
How much of your pro-life stance, for you, is informed not just by your Catholic faith but by the fact that you were adopted?
Oh, a lot. Absolutely. I see the power of life in that—I mean, and the power of choice! The thing to keep in mind about it… Uh, you know, I think as a country we get off on these misguided conversations that throw around terms that really misrepresent truth.Explain that.
The choice issue cuts two ways. You can choose life, or you can choose abortion. You know, my mother chose life. So, you know, I think the power of the argument of choice boils down to stating a case for one or the other.Are you saying you think women have the right to choose abortion?
Yeah. I mean, again, I think that’s an individual choice.You do?
Yeah. Absolutely.Are you saying you don’t want to overturn Roe v. Wade?
I think Roe v. Wade—as a legal matter, Roe v. Wade was a wrongly decided matter.Okay, but if you overturn Roe v. Wade, how do women have the choice you just said they should have?
The states should make that choice. That’s what the choice is. The individual choice rests in the states. Let them decide.Do pro-choicers have a place in the Republican Party?
Absolutely!
Upon hearing of Steele’s GQ disaster, a number of high ranking Pubes took it upon themselves to release statements. Here is Mike Huckabee’s attempt at leadership:
Comments attributed to Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele are very troubling, and despite his clarification today the party stands to lose many of its members and a great deal of its support in the trenches of grass-roots politics [I dont know what most of this means, but it sounds serial!]. For Chairman Steele to even infer that taking a life is totally left up to the individual is not only a reversal of Republican policy and principle, but it’s a violation of the most basic of human rights — the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Actually Huck, you is wrong. While Michael Steele obviously loves to listen to himself talk, and is most likely at least borderline retarded, in this particular instance, he’s actually right. As it turns out, State over Federal Government is a very Republican stance. In fact, a nationwide ban on abortion would be in complete opposition to the idea of individual liberty and state’s rights, which, once again I will remind you, is the idea the GOP was more or less founded upon. If you look back in history many very traditional Republicans have been very pro-choice for this reason.
Lets take Senator Barry Goldwater, or “Mr Conservative”, as an example.
Goldwater was credited with championing a conservative-libertarian theme of freedom. He is said to have ushered in a new wave of thinking in the Republican Party - replacing the Rockefeller pro-business Republicans with advocates of smaller government like Ronald Reagan and the current Republican congressional leadership. Yet his advocacy of rights and liberties left out one important cause which so many Republicans today hold dear: the right to life…. Perhaps the most striking blow to the right to life came in 1992 when Goldwater took an active stand in opposition to the pro-life platform of the Republican Party. Goldwater opined that the GOP “will go down in a shambles” if the expected “anti-abortion” plank is adopted in the GOP platform.
LISTEN TO BARRY! Steele is doing the Right (pun intended, thrice!) thing by opening this topic up for discussion. Republican Conservatives are simply not the same thing as Religious Conservatives freaks, and the partnership of the two is tearing the GOP apart. And Goldwater is neither the first nor the last Republican to take this stance. In fact, I remember another prominent Repulican Arizona Senator who ran for President having more or less the same views as Steele when it came to abortion…
The most ironic part about the entire “gaffe”, is that this is by far the most intelligent part of Steele’s entire interview. Here are some snipits just for you:
Who do you listen to?
I actually listen to a cross section, because I like to hear what the medium is saying, what the voice isBut do you have a favorite?
P. Diddy I enjoy quite a bit. [I mean really?]****
Who else?
I like Sinatra. I like old-school. You know, Bing Crosby, Sinatra, Dean Martin. Love Dean Martin. He was one of these guys who just didn’t give an F. He just didn’t. Life was a party, and you either want to party or you don’t. But yeah, I like those. I’m a big Pack Rat. I love the Pack Rats from the 1950s—Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, those guys.You mean the Rat Pack.
The Rat Pack, yeah.****
How do you deal with the criticism?
I just pray on it.You do?
Oh yeah. And I ask God, “Hey, let me show just a little bit of love, so I absolutely don’t go out and kick this person’s ass.”Spoken like a true seminarian…
****
Was it emotional for you when Barack was sworn in?
No.Why not?
I don’t get caught up that way.****
Did you watch the Oscars?
I did! I love the Oscars. Despite what Mr. Shales said in his review in The Washington Post, I liked it. I thought it was: [claps]. And the host! Who knew?Did you watch the red-carpet stuff, too?
I did. I’m looking for who’s got what dress on, you know? I’m looking at the dresses. I’m lookin’ at what they’re doing with the hair. I’m lookin at the fellas. Now, you know, guys are wearing black and white, and I get that, but there’s some style points I could share with some of these brothers out there who just ain’t gettin’ it together.
Barbie v. Barbara Bush; Best Week Ever: 3/3-3/10
Posted by zoboxrox in economy, health, human rights, international, malfunction, military, politics, powerful women, religion, tragedy on March 10th, 2009
1. Obama reverses Bush’s ridiculous Stem Cell funding restriction; I shudder to think of what they will say about us one hundred years from now.
“In recent years, when it comes to stem cell research, rather than furthering discovery, our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values. In this case, I believe the two are not inconsistent. As a person of faith, I believe we are called to care for each other and work to ease human suffering. I believe we have been given the capacity and will to pursue this research — and the humanity and conscience to do so responsibly.” Obama, 03.09.08
I like to think of myself a realist, and the sad fact that people get sick and die should never change; c’est la vie, as they say. But considering the amount of unnecessary and unnatural spinal cord and brain injuries that have been inflicted on our young soldiers in the past five years, I’d say at this point we owe them at the very least the effort. 
According to Current, the move is more than just a single incident; it is an entire policy change in the way our Government interacts with our Scientists. In fact, what is so ironic about the partisan divide over the issue is, by passing the second half of the resolution, Obama is actually limiting the scope of government: this is, by definition, a conservative idea, which should appeal to the Libertarian views of true Republicans, but is lost upon the ridiculous argument of life at conception.
“Medical miracles do not happen simply by accident,” said Obama. “They result from painstaking and costly research — from years of lonely trial and error, much of which never bears fruit — and from a government willing to support that work.”
The order is part of a broader declaration on science that will guide the administration’s policies on matters ranging from renewable energy to climate change.
“This order is an important step in advancing the cause of science in America. But let’s be clear: promoting science isn’t just about providing resources — it is also about protecting free and open inquiry,” said the president. “It is about letting scientists like those here today do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion, and listening to what they tell us, even when it’s inconvenient — especially when it’s inconvenient.”
2. Speaking of medical miracles, Obama also began his health care summit this past week, despite the fact he currently lacks an HHS Secretary, Surgeon General, and Health Care Czar. This fact was overshadowed, however, by Ted Kennedy’s return to Washington (since his collapse at Obama’s inauguration in January) and another history book speech by our President.
Each of us must accept that none of us will get everything that we want, and that no proposal for reform will be perfect. If that’s the measure, we will never get anything done.
But when it comes to addressing our health care challenge, we can no longer let the perfect be the enemy of the essential. And I don’t think anybody would argue that we are on a sustainable path when it comes to health care.
Finally, I want to be very clear, at the outset, that, while everybody has a right to take part in this discussion, nobody has the right to take it over and dominate.
The status quo is the one option that’s not on the table, and those who seek to block any reform at all, any reform at any costs, will not prevail this time around.
Meanwhile, Barbara Bush has a valve in her heart replaced with that of a pig… too easy…
3. Unemployment rate at 8.1%, 25 year high. The Dow continues to drop. People all over the world panic. I have no stocks, no job, and no equity, so my life has remained more or less the same, but apparently, this is bad news. 10% rate predicted by Spring 2010.
4. Obama begins his overhaul of the education System; No Child Left Behind finally behind us. 
We have let our grades slip, our schools crumble, our teacher quality fall short and other nations outpace us. The time for finger-pointing is over. The time for holding ourselves accountable is here. The relative decline of American education is untenable for our economy, unsustainable for our democracy and unacceptable for our children, and we cannot afford to let it continue… I know there are some who believe we can only handle one challenge at a time. We don’t have the luxury of choosing between getting our economy moving now and rebuilding it over the long term.
5. Barbie turns 50. Mirrors all over the world shatter.
Just My Imagination…?
Posted by zoboxrox in health, malfunction, religion on February 24th, 2009
So it seems the struggling GOP has more or less placed their all of their eggs in one basket: Piyush “Bobby” Jindal, the young (37) governor of Louisiana, and the first non-white person ever elected* into this seat. (* see P.B.S. Pinchback.)
Thrust into the spotlight as a Republican rising star, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has been depicted as an up-and-comer capable of helping reshape the party and jockeying for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.
And now, Jindal’s party is putting him on a national platform, awarding the once little-known congressman the political plum of delivering the Republican’s televised response to President Barack Obama’s address to Congress Tuesday night.
Now I remember last September, right around the time McCain had announced Sarah Palin as his running mate and the Republican National Convention was getting under way, Hurricane Gustav swept through the Gulf Coast, threatening to hit New Orleans on the anniversary of Katrina. It was a fairly dramatic moment (deemed important enough that it, conveniently, kept Bush and Cheney away from the RNC). Anyway, there was this handsome young governor on television, addressing questions about the 1.9 million person evacuation he had successfully enforced over the past two days, and he was so eloquent and informed and together, I couldn’t help but find myself thinking: McCain really should have chosen this guy even though I have no idea who he is; and I don’t think I was alone in that thought.
Fastforward five months and here is Bobby Jindal, back in the spotlight, eloquent as ever, taking a lead role in his pathetically old, out-of-touch, generally racist and ignorant dwindling party. And suddenly, I couldn’t help but notice something…z
I mean is it just me? Or are there some similarities here? Is the GOP trying to imitate the success the Dems have had in the recent election?
Here are the Top 5 similarities as I see it: (don’t worry, there are at least Top 5 differences).
1. Both men come from a family with at least one immigrant parent from a non-European country and in that way, are viewed as modern day representations of the American Dream. This fact effects their ideologies, though in very different manifestations.
2. Both were extremely successful in school, and obviously possess an above average intelligence. In fact, Jindal, upon graduating Brown University had the choice to go to Harvard Medical School, Yale Law School, or travel to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar to study Political Science (unfortunately for the Democrats and most likely the Medical and Legal worlds, he chose the latter of the three).
3. Both are young, modern, new, cutting-edge even… to be blunt, they are both completely different from anyone we’ve ever seen before, at least on the exterior, and considering what we’ve seen before, this is a good thing for them. They are hip to the demands of the new generations (X,Y,Z); they can use computers AND play sports. They are not held back by years of corruption and scandal. And their kids are cute; their wives hot.
4. Both are well spoken and commanding of trust. When leaders such as this speak, people tend to follow more naturally than when, say, someone like Bush tries to orate.
5. Both seem pragmatic, logical, and have some more moderate approaches than other legislatures in their respective parties. Instead of dividers, these men could potentially be healers in a vacuum.
Don’t be fooled, however. Bobby Jindal is a Conservative with a capital C.
1. He’s one of those few GOP Governors, [along with Sarah Palin of Alaska, Mark Stanford of South Carolina, Haley Barbour of Mississippi, and Rick Perry of Texas] who is actually stupidly, selfishly, and for entirely political reasons rejecting money from the Stimulus Bill ($100 million for unemployment compensation out of the $4 billion he will be accepting, despite the fact that the average unemployment rate in these states is 6.8%).
2. He is also pro-life and anti-embryonic stem cell research, though unlike someone like Palin, he makes exceptions for rape and health of the mother.
3. He opposed same-sex marriage and voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment. In 2008 he formed the Louisiana Commission on Marriage and Family.
4. He voted “yes” on making the Patriot Act permanent, and has an “A” rating from Gun Owners of America.
5. In his years in the congress in 2006, he voted with his party 97% of the time.
6. He has a 7% rating from the League of Conservation Voters, and has voted against the environmental 11 out of 12 times.
7. He supports the teaching of intelligent design in public schools, aka, he believes in CREATIONISM!!
8. And in 2008 he signed the “Sex Offender Chemical Castration Bill” authorizing the castration of certain sex offenders.
This is NO Barack Obama. Instead, it is a rather transparent effort by the GOP to be hip to the times, without actually changing a single principle over which they continue to lose ground.
Nadya Suleman v. Stimulus Package, Best Week Ever (2 Wk Special): 2/7-2/21
1. Nadya Suleman is thrust into the spotlight after some interesting details about her life are revealed; I become obsessed with her! The mother of the recently born octuplets finally came out of post-baby-weight-loss hiding to do a television interview with Anne Curry this week for the Today Show. What ensued was the best thing to happen to American media since Britney Spears shaved her head, and the worst for pro-life, fiscal conservatives since Roe… or Wade… whichever it was. In the past two weeks we have learned that this single mother of 14 relies on government handouts, including disability and food stamps, to raise her brood, yet loves plastic surgery, IVF, and manicures. The three bedroom condo she shares with her mother is currently facing foreclosure, though she’s been seen out shopping for $1.2 million houses, and apparently, she has a little Angelina thing going one. She is truly the gift that keeps giving.
2. Obama gets back out there, traveling to Indiana, Florida, Colorado, and Arizona, to extend the conversation about the stimulus package and have it directly with the American people, who are actually in need of it. Along with the signatures of 11 governors, including four GOP gubes from Connecticut, Florida, Vermont, and, you guessed it, California, BO set out to gain popularity for his Economic Recovery Package. While bi-partisanship may not be the best word to describe his result, he did get his bill passed, both in the House and the Senate, with the help of three Northern Republican senators. After a number of late-night sessions of intensive discussion from within the comfort of the capitol, an agreement was reached (well, more like a mandate), and the bill went into law on Tuesday February 17. Meanwhile, 4 million Americans lost their jobs, more people than ever before relied on government assistance, institutions such as Education and Health Care became officially known as Pork, and an entire town put itself up for sale.
3. Judd Gregg withdrawals nomination for Commerce Secretary, despite having openly vied for the position. Despite all the concessions made for the Northern Republican, including promises from the governor not to fill his vacated seat with a democrat, Gregg sited “irresolvable conflicts” in his explanation for his decision. And by irresolvable conflicts, Gregg meant “I WANNA DO THE CENSUS!!” While this was regarded as somewhat of a blow to the Obama team, who has already lost a number of nominees to scandals, it was much more of an embarrassment for Gregg and the rest of the Republican Party, who proved with vigor over the past two weeks, they have zero interest in working together. I’m ok with this, I didn’t want a drain cleaner running commerce anyway.
4. Fifty people die in the first American aviation fatality in over 2 years; I will never fly again. I have never liked flying much, but have been doing a whole lot of it lately, and while a little benzodiazepine always helps, I’ve been getting a lot better. Then a month ago, the exact flight I was planning on taking to Charlotte crashed into the Hudson a day before I was supposed to leave. As everyone survived that, I decided to travel anyway. I happened to be in the air this past week when the second plane crashed from Newark through to Buffalo. What a horrific way to die. What a terrible last few moments. I’ve made two decisions based on these events: 1. Anytime I plan on flying in the future I will first inform the FAA. 2. No matter what anyone says, driving is safer. WE NEED BETTER FUEL OPTIONS!!
5. Michael Steele officially makes of fool of himself (his party needs no help in that area). If this is the direction the RNC is planning on taking, they are in worse shape then I though! I’m gonna just direct quote here, because, like Nadya Suleman, its too good to be true:
“We need messengers to really capture that region — young, Hispanic, black, a cross section…” he said in an interview published Thursday. “We want to convey that the modern-day GOP looks like the conservative party that stands on principles. But we want to apply them to urban-suburban hip-hop settings.”
He added, jokingly, that “we need to uptick our image with everyone, including one-armed midgets.”
Steele described the new multi-platform PR offensive as “avant-garde, technically. It will come to [the] table with things that will surprise everyone — off the hook.” Asked whether that meant cutting-edge tactics, Steele demurred. “I don’t do ‘cutting-edge,’” he said. “That’s what Democrats are doing. We’re going beyond cutting-edge
This, my friends, is truly as good as it gets!
Sad But True
Posted by zoboxrox in human rights, malfunction, religion on January 28th, 2009
This is one of those stories you hear and have a hard time believing. Is this really still happening? After everything we think we’ve done, as far as we’ve gotten…
“School can expel lesbian students, court rules”
After a Lutheran school expelled two 16-year-old girls for having “a bond of intimacy” that was “characteristic of a lesbian relationship,” the girls sued, contending the school had violated a state anti-discrimination law.
In response to that suit, an appeals court decided this week that the private religious school was not a business and therefore did not have to comply with a state law that prohibits businesses from discriminating. A lawyer for the girls said Tuesday that he would ask the California Supreme Court to overturn the unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal.
Kirk D. Hanson, who represented the girls, said the “very troubling” ruling would permit private schools to discriminate against anyone, as long as the schools used their religious beliefs as justification.
The girls were expelled in their junior year for “conducting themselves in a manner consistent with being lesbians…”The dispute started when a student at the school told a teacher in 2005 that one of the girls had said she loved the other. The student advised the teacher to look at the girls’ MySpace pages. One of the girls was identified as bisexual on her MySpace page, the other’s page said she was “not sure” of her sexual orientation.
McKay said the website also contained a photograph of the girls hugging.
****
“The school’s religious message is inextricably intertwined with its secular functions,” wrote Justice Betty A. Richli for the appeals court. “The whole purpose of sending one’s child to a religious school is to ensure that he or she learns even secular subjects within a religious framework.”
In addition to their discrimination claim, the girls complained that the school invaded their privacy and detained them unlawfully. The girls complained the principal sat “very close” to them and asked them if they were bisexual, if they had kissed each other, and whether they had done anything “inappropriate,” the court said.
The school also did not break the law when it disclosed the girls’ “suspected sexual orientation” to their parents, the court said. The parents, “in light of their right to control their children’s upbringing and education, had a right to know why” they were being expelled, the court said.“Labeling a young person or telling her she is ’sinful’ can be psychologically devastating,” Minter said. “Regardless of one’s religious beliefs, all adults have a responsibility to treat young people with compassion and respect.”
School officials could not be reached for comment.
The church should really ease up when it comes to homosexuals. I mean, in all honesty, what would happen to religious establishments without them? They practically run the entire Catholic Church. 
Why Warren Works
Posted by zoboxrox in church and state, human rights, malfunction, politics, religion on December 18th, 2008
So, apparently it suddenly matters who gives the Benediction at the Inauguration of the incoming President. Bush’s Benediction was delivered by Texas mega-church pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell, twice, and I never heard anything about him until he endorsed Barack Obama for President last year. Anyway, liberal and conservative groups alike are getting their panties all in a bunch over B-rock’s choice, Evangelical Prop-8 loving pastor Rick Warren. So I looked Rick Warren up and found out a whole bunch of stuff, but what I want to share with you are some pictures and the following question: Does this really look like a man who hates the gays?
His church is called “SADDLEBACK” for Christ’s sake.
Rehearsing for the musical
He’s ready for his close-up!
Talking about his new curtains, which, coincidentally, match his shirt!!
In all seriousness, the selection was disturbing but at the same time politically brilliant. By choosing a socially conservative but economically liberal figurehead for the religious center of his inauguration, he is inviting an entire group of formerly disenfranchised voters to join his new majority. The left may not like it, and it may not be right or fair, but this Warren guy represents the views of the majority of the country, and whether we like it or not, they are here to stay.
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