The Mouse Who Found It's Balls

 

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"Censorship it the child of fear, and the father of ignorance."

~Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak

On May 23rd, 2007, Rosie O'Donnell, and Elizabeth Hasselbeck, engaged in an argument so profound, that it ended up being Rosie's last day as moderator of ABC'S, The View. It was tough, and embarrassing to watch as the viewer, but it was hard to look away from. It was about more than politics, it was about respect in the workplace, friendship, and yes, changing political behaviors, beginning, in my opinion, with the Bush administration, when right-wing media reveled in the brutalities of opinion, and the ignorance of the voter/viewer. Back when politics encouraged division at all cost, and that is what has gotten us to this point. I have often said that you can lay the blame on Sarah Palin, and her ridiculous Tea Party Patriots, for the state of our nation, but in looking back at this old clip, I see a lot more was involved. And thank goodness we had that show that day, and thank god we have it now to refer back to, because at the time, we had no idea how lucky we were in that moment. We got to watch the argument happen, and decide for ourselves what was at the core.

Fast forward, and it's suddenly, June 16th, 2015, and Donald Trump, seizing on the dangerous political rise of fuck you politics, rides down a fake golden escalator, and into American political history, as the first gameshow host in history to become president, in his first term, and the first convicted felon, to be elected to a second term. America, it seems, has quite the sense of humor! All joking aside, Donald Trump has been sticking his big nose into just about every area of our lives, including popular culture. He's sued the networks, accepted bribes in order to insure the successful merging of Paramount with Warner Bros/Discovery. David Ellison's wet dream is to  have eventual control of, Paramount, CNN, HBO, Warner Brother's, Discovery, and CBS. To that end, CBS has been kissing Donald Trump's ample butt! He waves a wand and David Ellison, and his minions, such as Bari Weiss, give him whatever he wants within the network, including the firings of Steven Colbert and Scott Pelley. It's embarrassing for them, and depressing for us. Gone are two important and powerful voices who spoke truth to power! CBS is dying, they just haven't pulled the plug yet.

ABC, who is also under constant threat from Donald Trump, hasn't been so easy to be kicked around. Jimmy Kimmel was yanked off the air last year, for one night, as the weak willed network caved to Trump's demands, not only with Kimmel, but with settling a multi-million dollar lawsuit, which most legal experts said the network could have won easily due to a lack of merit. They capitulated to him as they would a school yard bully, and in true bully fashion he keeps coming back for more. But wait... not so fast! ABC, which is owned by Disney, is now saying, ENOUGH! And what did it take? It took the insistence that, The View, change it's content to suit his liking, or face investigations by Trump's FCC, putting licensing of company owned stations on the line. Well, the network, and The View, is having none of it! They are fighting back, and it will more than likely play out over the summer. 

I suppose that saying the mouse has found his balls is a bit harsh. After all, the mouse found himself in uncharted waters, just like the rest of us, and they seem to be taking a stand now... finally... I just hope when all is said and done, they will never cave to the bully again. I don't know, maybe they see that everything has been failing for Trump, hard. In the last few weeks, his vanity projects. His hillbilly smackdown on the east lawn of the White House, and to a devastating effect, the war by choice in Iran. 13 lives... gone. A girls school in Iran bombed, and yes, he is trying to not take responsibility for, and last year the illegal tariffs, that threatened to bring down the world economy. Did I mention the reflecting pond? If the Democrats manage to take both the senate and the congress, impeachment and possibly removal, will be in his future. Please, God, Please. Of course that's assuming he won't try another coup on November 3rd.

Be brave Micky, be brave!

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #23/When We Fight, We Win!

 

“If you're going to die, then die. If you are going to live, then fight.”

 
~Emilie Autumn 

 

We must enjoy autumn for all it's beauty, but this year, we must also find out strength to fight! Donald Trump is a breath away from winning the election, and frankly I am terrified. We all must do everything we can to defeat him on election day. Volunteer. Organize. Talk to your friends and neighbors. Donate up and down the ballot. We can do this, but we have to find our fight. It's not a fucking reality show... it's our life right now... and in the future.

HELP!

Existence

 

“A seagull flying beautifully is heaven; a seagull hunting an innocent fish is hell!

 Existence is heaven and hell, joy and horror!” 

~Mehmet Murat ildan 

 

Right? A little later today, I will be attending a meeting of the Democratic club of Lodi. Sigh. I want to go, but I am unsure of how diplomatic I can be anymore, and to make it all worse, I have a big opinionated mouth. Can I hold my tongue and how some folks want to dump Joe Biden over the Israel/Hamas war? The economy? His age? Will we have another protest vote over these things? Maybe! And wouldn't that suck? Yes, yes it would. I guess my real concern is the fact that if you put any number of people in the same room, there will be someone who thinks radically different than you do. Which is okay, but I am passionate about my politics, and all I really want is to help defeat Donald Trump. I am not in it to shoot myself in the foot by picking apart our best hope for survival. Joe Biden isn't too old for me. Joe Biden is smart enough for me. Joe Biden is handling the middle east well enough... for now... but I may revisit that subject at a later date. Joe Biden is our best hope for saving democracy, and he has Kamala Harris at his side. If he should pass away in office, I am completely at ease with her becoming president. That's how our government works, and I was proud to vote for a Biden/Harris ticket in 2020 and will happily do so again. So, I have high hopes for my first meeting, I really do, but I am also prepared to run from the crazy!

Go Joe!

Baby Steps

 

Woodbridge road

Lodi, California

January 1st 2024

 

“Ten Things To Do In January:

• Read a good book
• Get a Library Card
• Walk 30 minutes a day
• Send a Birthday card to a friend
• Invest in a Fitness Tracker
• Buy a Coin jar and save those quarters and nickels
• Donate to a Charity
• Volunteer 45 minutes of your time to an Organization
• Take a Yoga Class
• Volunteer at Bingo night a Nursing Home” 

 
~Charmaine J. Forde 

 

That's a pretty good list, but it's not the list for me. Do I have a list? Not really, but I have decided to try some new things, so I guess trying them during the month of January is as good as any time. Case in point, I have decided to check out a local  Democratic club. I have always wanted to see what it would be like, so when I found myself in a fit of depression a couple weeks ago, I decided to look into it. The Central Valley is predominately republican, so it can be a challenge at times. I have felt like a fish out of water since we moved here in 2015. If it all works out, and they don't hate me too much, I will be able to help out and share my political hopes and fears with like minds as we move through 2024 and the lead up to the national election. I am hoping for the best. The first meeting is January 27th, and  I am really looking forward to it. I would also like to join a book club later this year, but baby steps. I feel like 2023 drop kicked me into this year, so baby steps is my current state, but I can't wait to see what happen next!

One Chance... Thought's On A Vice Presidential Deabte From A Political Junkie

"The first duty of a man is to think for himself."

~Jose Marti

The one and only Vice Presidential Debate takes place tonight. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia will face Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana. As a democrat, and a self described politics and news junkie, I was well aware of him and his record in Virginia. He has served as a City Councilman, Mayor, Lieutenant Governor, Governor, and Senator. While Mike Pence has been a Congressman and Governor. Both men have served their respective parties, apparently to the satisfaction of their constituents. Although Governor Pence ruffled some feathers a while back in his home state. You can learn about it for yourself here. I don't need to throw in my two cents, you can probably guess by now how I feel about things. 

What I am thinking about today, is really about how it's a fine line that a vice president walks, when it comes to their own personal stands on issues that sometimes contradicts or at least perhaps doesn't quite match the stands of the people they agree to support. In this case, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. As a democrat, I have learned a lot more about Tim Kaine, then I have about Mike Pence, it's just the nature of things. As much as I love politics, and I do, I simply can't learn every detail, about every politician in America! So, I have spent a little time getting to know who Mike Pence is. And what I found suprised me!

As much as he supports Donald Trump, he has veered away from some of Trump's most controversial decisions, such as choosing to release his personal tax returns, while Donald Trump will have none of it. I can admire that. He is a better spoken individual, choosing his words more carefully, and he shows no real sign of the off putting bombastic behavior of Trump! What he does do is follow behind Trump with a broom, sweeping away the stupid lies Trump tells himself, and his supporters. He seems to be quite the spin artist, and I find myself feeling sorry for him, more than I do most of the other spin artists that serve at the pleasure of Trump. What choice does he have? Someone has to try to make Trump make sense!

Tim Kaine is... well... rational. He is well spoken and he manages to support Clinton with a easy, non-forced assurance of a man comfortable with his choices. I don't always get that from Pence. But I don't feel like I can really blame that on Pence, because Trump has been a hand full even for his most ardent supporters and surrogates. I don't think Trump/Pence are on the same level as Clinton/Kaine when it comes to political theory. There are differences, but their support is unwavering, and Kaine has had to do little in the way of sweeping up after Clinton's gaffs. 

I think tonight will be the meeting of two career politicians, both talented in their own ways, and both more than capable to behaving like the adult men they are. Here is the difference... if Mike Pence comes out, and sticks to the issues without lunging into a Trump-like tantrum, like the one Trump threw at the first debate, will it move voters to the Trump side? And what will Kaine do to set himself apart from Pence to strengthen the poll numbers for Hillary Clinton? 

I don't know.

We won't know until later tonight I guess. Right now I think Tim Kaine has the clear edge. Nationwide Hillary is enjoying a 5 point lead over Trump, mostly because of Trump's personal emploding. Fat shaming beauty queens at 3 in the morning. Taking pot shots at Rosie O' Donnell. Hinting that she has been unfaithful to Bill Clinton, you know the laundry list. But Pence hasn't really engaged in this behavior, he is simply the clean-up man. It's not a great way to think of a potential future vice president, but what can I do? That is what's happening, and Trump only has himself to blame for that perception.

We'll see.

 Leaf Of The Day

October 4th, 2016

Fun Fact: Tonight's debate is being held in Farmville,Virginia. My mother's hometown!

Mood: Hopeful

~Me 

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 94~ What The Duck?

"With a rubber duck, one's never alone."

~Unknown

"She's a few feathers short of a full duck."

~Unknown 

The presumptive GOP nominee, Williard "Mitt" Romney has chosen Paul Ryan for his V.P. pick. So? So, I thought I would care more than I do. Paul Ryan, who is plenty polarizing mind you, just doesn't bring out the same kind of ire Sarah Palin did in me. I know. I know. Give it time. It's not like Ryan hasn't pissed me off from time to time. YES HE DID, and while it's there, there is also a strange kind of ... of... competence that he exudes that makes me at least a little less frightened that if Mitt Romney is elected, and God forbid should pass away in office, that we would be thrust into an apocalyptic mood swing of a crazy person. Ummm... woman. Ummm... person.

Is it possible for women to be sexist against her own gender?

Hmmm.

I wish I knew what to think. In August, 4 years ago, I was still smarting from Hillary Clinton's primary loss to Barack Obama, when along came Simple Sarah. I believe I described John McCain's choosing her as...any old vagina in a wind storm... or something to that effect. I didn't come to that conclusion on the first day of her introduction to the national political stage, it wasn't even after the interview she did with Charlie Gibson of ABC News. No, it came somewhere around her disastrous interview with Katie Couric. Who knew Katie Couric would be the one to ask the toughest question of the presidential campaign...

Katie Couric..."And when it comes to establishing your world view, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this — to stay informed and to understand the world?"

Sarah Palin... "I’ve read most of them again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media, coming f—"

Katie Couric... "But like which ones specifically? I’m curious that you—"

Sarah Palin... "Um, all of 'em, any of 'em that, um, have, have been in front of me over all these years. Um, I have a va—"

Katie Couric... "Can you name a few?"

Sarah Palin... "I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news too. Alaska isn't a foreign country, where, it's kind of suggested and it seems like, 'Wow, how could you keep in touch with what the rest of Washington, D.C. may be thinking and doing when you live up there in Alaska?' Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America."

That was it. Right there. Sigh.

"Not the cry, but the flight of the wild duck leads the flock to fly and follow."

~Chinese Proverb 

Barack Obama was spreading HOPE. Who couldn't use a little hope after enduring 8 years of the Bush presidency?

Barack Obama was spreading CHANGE. Who didn't want that, after the incompetence of 8 years of the Bush presidency?

Barack Obama was spreading the possibility of the country being whole again, and who didn't want that after 8 years of the Bush presidency?

Obama had a lot to spread. And while it felt like a huge stone was being lifted off my shoulders, I wasn't ever particularly impressed with him. Our house had solidly supported Hillary Clinton, but when Hillary lost the nomination to Obama, she asked her supporters to get behind Obama... and we did. Hope sounded good. Change sounded especially good. And competency would have been especially good... if only it would have actually happened.

Don't get me wrong. No one in the Obama administration is Bush level incompetent, but I have some serious questions about how Obama arrives at the decisions he does. Shrug. Honestly, I don't know why anyone on the republican side of politics would want anyone else in the White House. Obama has caved so often, I don't know how he can still say he is a democrat. Not much of what he promised as candidate Obama has materialized. And he still seems obsessed with pursuing the fantasy of bi-partisan politics.

"Always behave like a duck... keep calm and unruffled on the surface but paddle like the devil underneath."

~Jacob Braude

It's pretty telling that the current Obama/Biden campaign slogan is... "Barack Obama... Are you in?" "Stand With Barack And Joe." "Forward."

In 2008 it was all about YES WE CAN.

4 years later it seems... NO WE COULDN'T.

What the DUCK?

~ME :(

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers

From For Ellipsis

"We'd all like to vote for the best man, but he's never a candidate."

-Frank McKinney Hubbard



Have you noticed it too? The surreal feel in the air as events take place which by all accounts shouldn't? We in America went through a big of a political shake-up last Tuesday when the unthinkable happened... Ted Kennedy's political seat was turned over to... a republican. Senator Kennedy served the people of Massachusetts for 46 years. I grew up learning about what he accomplished not just for his state, but for this country as well. I learned a lot about the man while he was alive, but I learned even more about him after his passing this last summer. He was a good man. He worked hard for what he believed in and he didn't deserved what happened last Tuesday. It's infuriating to me that he was let down so profoundly. Who let him down? Well, that's been debated a good bit since Tuesday, and as always in these situations, it depends on who you ask.

Was it the White House? Yes, you could say that. Let's face it, the Obama administration did very little to see to it that we held onto that all important seat. Sure, Obama showed up a couple week's ago and stumped for the democratic candidate Martha Coakley, but not until it was already too late to do much good. Thanks a lot prez.

Was it the candidate herself? Yes, you could say that. Martha Coakley was, at best, phoning in her candidacy. I mean, who takes a vacation during a crucial time in one's campaign? Who doesn't know key players on their state's major league ball teams? Ok, that point does seem a bit trivial... and yet... it would have made her seem much more relatable to the voters if she would have demonstrated that she cared about the lighthearted things as well.

Could it have been the best person won? Gulp... well... yes. Let's face it, Scott Brown got out and spoke to the voters. He showed up, and as Woody Allen once said, "80% of success is showing up." Jeepers Woody, you couldn't be more right!

So have we democrats learned anything?

I hope so.

But only time will tell.

Here is what I have learned. I am sick of the talking points that overrule folks thinking for themselves, and that includes politicians. Ask a republican what happened, and you will hear these darling old gems... "Folks are just tired of business as usual." "Well, it's the economy stupid!" LOL. I have been hearing that since I was 3! What do they actually mean? Expand on those thoughts please! But you never get an explanation, because the talking point sounds so good and besides, then those who repeat them don't have to come up with an original thought all on their own. I have learned to think for myself. And as we move toward the midterms I will be paying very close attention to what goes on. When I think about what drives others it comes down to the basic...

"It's the economy stupid!" Yeah... I don't buy that. Yes, the nation's economy is in the toilet. Our personal finances are D.O.A... and? Look, the economy fell as a direct result of the failed policies of the Bush administration. Period. Bush and company held things together just long enough to finish his term in office, so everything could be blamed on Obama. We are in deep financial pain, we are crying out for help and it just doesn't seem to be coming. WHO CAN I BLAME? It's the human way, and who is in the forefront? OBAMA. Let's BLAME HIM! Then we will feel better... WAAAAA WAAAAA WAAA... but at least we got to blame someone!

By all accounts, Obama did the right thing by us when it came to the economy, however, I said it at the time that if we were going to be handing the big banks money, some oversight had to come with it. Neither Bush, nor Obama did enough in regards to oversight, and now the banks are thumbing their nose at us. The economic pain inflicted on us by the Bush administration's bad policies cannot be reversed overnight, or even next week, and if you think putting the same, or even new republicans back into office wills somehow fix it all in a heartbeat you are naive and unrealistic and just plain delusional. Don't want hear that we are going to be in this mess for a long time, do you? Neither do I, but in it we are, and we just need to stop bitching and figure out how we manage our lives better while we wait it out. There... that's my fix. Deal with it!

I don't know. Sometimes I find the most surreal part about everything that's happening in America's political climate, is the blatant back-assward approach to everything the democrats do. Phoning in one's campaign... as if deep down the candidate doesn't want to win. Our president attempting time and again to reach out the republicans in an effort of bi-partisanship, which never works and only ends up delaying things if we are lucky or flat out losing our side like we just did in Massachusetts. What's the definition of insanity again? Oh yeah, it's doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome!

So, is Obama and the rest of the democrats crazy, or has something more sinister happened? Is he actually a ringer for the republican party? Does he secretly want to be a republican? Is that why he caves to them every single time? Is that why he does very little to see other democrats make it to office? No, probably not. I mean that would be too much to believe... even I am not that paranoid, but it does make one think, doesn't it?

I suppose it could be a case, such as in the movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Perhaps all the democrats, at least the ones with a backbone, have been stolen away by evil republicans, only to be replaced a few at a time until we are all replaced with a likeness of ourselves, but who are, in fact, made up of narrow mindedness, lack of compassion, and the inability to grasp reality. Oh, and rudeness, let's not forget that! Imagine that! One day we will all be replaced until nothing but pod people remain to carry out the agenda of the right. When you think about it, it sure does explain Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck... doesn't it? I mean, who else would give these two the time of day, if they hadn't been turned into a mindless pod person, incapable of thinking for themselves?

And by the way, Scott Brown pretty much pimped out his daughters during his acceptance speech Tuesday night. Where's the outrage from the right about that? What was the difference between that and the joke David Letterman told last summer about Sarah Palin's daughter? But then again what else can you expect from a man who claims to be about "Family Values" and then explains his posing nearly nude in his youth, by saying he, "needed money."

Hmmm... Levi Johnston has a bright political future ahead! :)

Maybe INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS really does explain it all!

"Slowly, while you are asleep, they absorb your mind and your memories."

-Invasion of the Body Snatchers

You won't take me! I WILL NEVER GIVE UP!

-Carly

One last thought... With today's Supreme Court decision to roll back campaign finance restrictions, we better all pay very, very close attention to who backs who. America is for sale to the highest bidder... or contributor.

Welcome To The Light!

"Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved so far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans.

-Senator Arlen Spector

WOW! I don't know about you, but I was shocked to hear Senator Arlen Specter's announcement this morning regarding his switch to the Democratic Party. It makes me wonder, will we be seeing more and more defections as time goes by? Has the GOP become an entity that is unrecognizable to it's own members? Is it really a clash of ideals that caused Sen. Specter to change sides, or is it due to the lack of clear and consistent leadership? Whatever the reason, Senator Specter, welcome to the light! Come on in, it's good to have you with us!

Opinions, opinions! What do you think? Will more republican senators follow Senator Specter's lead? Do you think he will be reelected in the 2010 election? And while we are on the subject of elections, do you believe that Al Frankin will ever be sworn in as the junior senator from Minnesota?

Arlen Specter



-Carly

The Week In Review...

Which is Cheesier?


A display case with 500 different cheeses side by side?

OR...

A Republican tea party?

You decide!

:)

Tell me what you think! Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment thread for this entry. What's on your mind? Did you go to the tea party? Was it a good idea? Bad idea? Opinions, opinions.


-Carly

An Apple A Day

"He who has health, has hope. And he who has hope, has everything."

-Proverb

I can only imagine what it must have been like, for millions of American families who depended on the children's health care bill, to see President Bush veto it. The bill would have expanded coverage to allow over 4 million children into the program, which would have been paid for by increasing the federal cigarette tax. Which to me, increasing that tax, makes all the sense in the world. It is an indisputable fact, that smoking causes harm, both to the smoker and to those in their immediate environment, through second hand smoke, and yet, Americans continue to light up. For smokers to subject themselves, and their loved ones to the toxins emitted by their smoke, is inconceivable to me. I can't understand it. I probably never will understand it. In fact, I have never quite figured out why smoking around children has never been deemed a form of child abuse, considering the rise of asthma among the nations youth. So, to me, to pay for the program by taxing one of the most environmentally destructive habits we Americans engage in, makes perfect sense. But President Bush quietly vetoed the plan yesterday, and in doing so, may have sealed it for big changes to come in 08.

Bush cited concerns about the bill leading to socialized medicine, and he felt the bill was too costly, but I have my doubts about that being behind his true reasoning. Bush has always catered to big business, and lets face it, the Tobacco companies probably would not appreciate one more tax levied against their product. On the other hand, would Bush want one more thing taking possible funding away from his Iraq war project? Right now, America is spending 10 Billion in Iraq each month, the Children's Health Insurance Plan requested just 7 billion per year, and offered incentives for states to cover the children in the lowest income households first, while allowing children of some middle class households, which earned under a certain amount per year, coverage. So, what would cause the president to turn his back on the health and well being on our children, especially when it was a bi-partisan bill? Could it be... politics? His lame duckness? His love of big business? Does he simply not care about these children? Is it that he felt the bill gave the democrats too much glory?

Sometimes I think he does things like this, because he has never had to live through any catastrophic medical emergencies. He has never had to worry about where his next meal is coming from. He has never had to work two jobs, just so his children had health coverage, he has never had to struggle, and face having to decided between paying the bills and putting a decent meal on the table for his family. He has never had to face the sometimes overwhelming financial and emotional burden of caring for an aged parent. He has never had to face the kinds of hardships most folks go through. The loss of a loved one, who couldn't afford health coverage is devastating enough, now imagine the pain of losing a child this way.

Type 2 diabetes can strike at any age. Yesterday, I was waiting in line at my HMO's pharmacy, while I was watching coverage of the presidential veto. I was waiting for the first refill of my diabetic testing supplies, since I was diagnosed with Type 2 last July. At that time, I was given a OneTouch Ultra2 blood Glucose kit, which included the meter, the pencil lancing device, a 200 count box of lancets, and a 200 count box of test strips. The kit was free, I didn't even have to pay my usual co-payment, so I had no idea how much the refills were going to be. I was very pleasantly surprised to find out yesterday, that my refills are covered 100 percent under my plan. I didn't have to pay anything. But just out of curiosity, I asked for an itemized receipt just the same. I found out that my health care plan had saved me over $120. What would I do if Alan suddenly lost his job? I would have to face not being able to manage my diabetes, and the very real possibility of my eventual death from complications of diabetes.

OneTouch Ultra Test Strips - $99.00
OneTouch Ultra Ultra Soft Lancets - $22.00

I check my blood about 6 times per day. When I get up each morning, before and after each meal, and before I go to bed, but that's just me. It's different for each person, depending on their own individual diabetic needs, so can you imagine what it must be like for a family with a child with no health care coverage, to have to face paying full price for their diabetic supplies each month? I wonder how many children in America right now, are going to be with cancer, or diabetes or some other potentially devastating illness, because their parents can't afford to take them to the doctor for a routine physical. There are 43 million Americans living without health coverage, and of that number, 6 million are children. How long will we continue to let down the most vulnerable among us? Some republicans expressed concern that Bush's veto would make it more difficult for them in the 08 national election, you know what, they should be concerned! Does the path to doing the right thing, get any more clearer then this?

-OndineMonet
"An Apple A Day"
Berkeley, California
October 3, 2007
Late Afternoon

As Of February 28th, 2007

"I've decided to cut out the part of the speech where I say anything nice about Democrats."

-Ann Coulter

I wasn't going to address the latest mean spirited pearls of wisdom that came pouring out of conservative political commentator Ann Coulter's mouth this past week, but I can't help it, the woman offends me on all levels, and sometimes, I just have to say exactly what's on my mind. Ann Coulter doesn't belong in the public eye, she is the worst possible influence on our young people, especially the young women of this country, and her kind of hate will only further widen the painful tear this country has suffered. Does she have a right to freedom of speech, of course she does, but it should be stifled at hatred. What constitutes a hate crime anyway. Are mere words enough to be charged, or do you actually have to inflict bodily injury? Her most recent attack, this past week on former North Carolina Senator, John Edwards, is not by far the most heinous words every spoken by Coulter, does anyone remember this bit of nonsence?

"These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by griefparrazies. I have never seen people enjoying their husband's deaths so much."

-Ann Coulter, referring to the widows of the victims of 9/11.

In her attack this past week, in front of an audience at the annual, Conservative Political Action Committee, Ann had this to say about Edwards...

"I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go to rehab if you use the word, "faggot."

Shameful. Republican Presidential candidates, John McCain and Mitt Rommey, where quick to distance themselves from the remarks by Coulter, so I have to wonder, who was sitting in the audience, and who found it so funny? It bothered me that laughter could clearly be heard after her remarks. What kind of person would laugh at such idiocy? I have many conservative friends who I have a great deal of respect for. We have been able to share our opposing views, without bending to this type of hatred. I have learned from them, and I would like to think they have learned a little from me. In a perfect world.

It seems to me that as long as someone, somewhere, welcomes the likes of Ann Coulter to speak at universities, and rallies, and talk shows, the longer we will have an air of misinformation too available. We live in times like never before. Times when it seems like every country in the world has their finger on the trigger. God I hope I am wrong about that. Things in Iraq are NOT improving, they are getting worse. Walter Reed Hospital, in Washington, was supposed to be the flagship of care for our wounded men and women who have returned home from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. What kind of a conscience allowed them to live in such deplorable conditions? Who dropped that ball? We have problems way too devastating on American soil, to be taking up our time giving our attention to a person or persons consumed with hatred. Ann Coulter is a person, consumed with hatred. I wonder sometimes, if my conservative friends cringe when she speaks. Shrug. To be truthful, that is none of my business, that is between them and their conscience.

There is interest in the next presidential election, like never before. I have to say, I admire Edwards for not lowering himself to Coulter's level, by slinging a slur back in her face. That is what I am looking for in a candidate. Someone who can see ignorance for what it is, and remain calm under the circumstances. Someone who recognizes the true needs of America, which is to feel safe and prosperous on our own soil, and to be able to provide for our families. Someone who will bring an end to the national nightmare, that is the Iraq war. It would be nice to have someone in office who will actively pursue Osama Bin Laden... remember him? It would be nice to know that the young men and women we are trying to woo into the armed services, will have the proper care as veterans. America needs to be fixing the existing problems we suffer with right here in America. Bigotry, health care, literacy, living wages, the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast. You know the list. How long do we want to be updating our memorials? Do we have time for the influence of Ann Coulter? Do we have time to continue to hold her up as any kind of positive example?

Your turn, you tell me, is Ann Coulter hurting, or helping America? What should our focus, as a nation, be on? Who in politics is really listening to and addressing our needs? Who, at this point, seems like they are most in touch with America? Will we every be free from the current air of division in America? When does freedom of speech go too far?

As of December 2nd, 2006

As of January 24th, 2007

In Memory Of 3154 Soldiers Killed in Iraq As Of February 28th, 2007

NOTE: The Lafayette Memorial is updated each weekend.


-OndineMonet