Have A Coke And A Smile

 

"You know, we might've fucked up the planet, sucking out all the oil, melting the ice caps, allowing ska music to flourish, but we made Coca-Cola, so goddamn it, people weren't all bad."

~Joe Hill

The Fireman

These fucking Republican sourpusses!

For fuck's sake people, shut up and enjoy an ice cold Coca-Cola!

You'll have to pry my Coke, out of my cold dead hands.

The Mouse Who Found It's Balls

 

Visit the ABC website to learn more, and scan the QR code.

"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 Rainbows And Leprechauns

 

“Great artists come and go; they are born and they die; but there is one exception who has been living for thousands of years and still continues creating new works, new beauties every year: The Autumn!”

 
~Mehmet Murat ildan 

 

What a beautiful surprise! A gorgeous rainbow over the neighborhood, just in time for Halloween week! There are a lot of legends about rainbows, the one I mostly believe in is that they're God's covenant with the earth to not destroy it with a flood ever again. But there are darker legends too, probably most common holds that there, at the end of the rainbow, exists a giant pot of gold and a with it, a leprechaun waiting to immediately steal it! That's a heck of a note, as my dad would say. Have you ever had your pot of gold stolen? Well, I guess I know the answer to that, haven't we all had that happen from time to time? I put those lean times down to Murphy's law of whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. But are there real life Leprechauns? 

  

You bet! They are called Republicans. And they serve at the pleasure to the president of the leprechauns, Donald John Trumprechaun. Health benefits are being held up, and as his form of stealing the pot of gold of the American people who depend on their jobs, their healthcare, their paychecks, and yes, the National parks we all need. Trump DOES NOT CARE because nothing we all depend on affects him. Karoline Levitt has said that his number one concern is the gaudy gilded 90,000 square foot ballroom he is building. He doesn't go without food. He doesn't visit National parks. He doesn't need healthcare. He doesn't need the SNAP program. He is the commander-in-chief and he gets paid, the military may or may not get their checks, we will see. 

 0

Please, if you can, donate to local food banks, and charities. So many folks are going to have a hard winter without your help. Just go through your pantry and find food that is not outdated, and give back to your neighbors, and possibly your friends who need help, but won't ask for it. Let them know you care. Please. I am so lucky, hubby and I have so much. We don't have to worry about eating... yet. But we have had difficult times in the past. In 2008, when Governor Schwarzenegger put state workers on furlough, hubby was docked three days pay every month. It doesn't sound like much, but trust me, it did! And to make it all horrific, my cat Elvis was dying, and we couldn't pay for his chemo care. We were lucky to have an understanding vet. Elvis got his care, and we only had to pay 50% of the cost. We had one last summer with our boy. How many have had to give up their pets? Please donate pet food as well!

 

 

This dog came to my doorstep last week. It's clear that he had a bad abscess on one side of his mouth. He was cold and wet and so sad, that I will never forget his face. I couldn't take him in, I have a house full of cats, but I talked to him a little bit, and then he ran off. I was hoping he was heading home. It's clear that he had a home, but for some reason, I expect it could be due to finances, they dumped him in the park I live next to. My heart is completely shattered. He was a really good dog. I drove through the neighborhood, but didn't see him again. Maybe he got out, and finally found home, but in any case, isn't he the face of the state of things right now?

 

Yesterday, hubby and I picked our Thanksgiving turkey, and an extra one for the food bank. My heart hurts. I am also giving a box of brand new clothes, so someone can get a new start. I am ready for the toy drives. Christmas isn't that far off, I can't deal with knowing their might be a child without a gift this year, so I bought two Barbie dolls, and I plan to get two gifts for a little boy. I might also throw in some stuffed animals, as that was my favorite present as a child. It's one of my favorite things. Goodness, you should see my stuffed animal collection! I have been blessed, and I need to share it! I hope you will too!

Please help me fight these Leprechauns!

These Monsters! Republicans!

 

And Donald Trumprechaun. 

 

Bonus Halloween Movie!

 

Leprechaun

Starring, Jennifer Aniston

 

 

 

 

November 5th 2024

 

During a 2021 interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News, Vance — now former President Donald Trump’s running mate — said Harris was one of the “childless cat ladies” who “want to make the rest of the country miserable too.” Vance added, “If you look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez], the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children.”

 

 

See you on November 5th, J.D.! 

 

 

Meet Speaker Of The House Johnson, MAGA Toady

 

“A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.”
~Edward R. Murrow 

 

The Republican party gleefully chose one of the most MAGA hardliners of the MAGA hardliners. Nice guy... too bad he's a treasonous son of a bitch, and kisser of Trump's ass and ring! Read About it here. We'll see how long this guy lasts.

 

Breaking News... Republicans Are Fucking Nuts!

 

“Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong.When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new
evidence cannot be accepted. It would create a feeling that is
extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance. And because it
is so important to protect the core belief, they will rationalize,
ignore and even deny anything that doesn't fit in with the core belief.”

 
~Frantz Fanon,

  Black Skin, White Masks

 

Presented with no further comment from me.

 

 

And Then This Happened...

 

“Reader, suppose you were an idiot.

 And suppose you were a member of Congress.

 But I repeat myself.”

 
~Mark Twain 

 

Okay, this was not unexpected, and yet when it happens I wonder why and how one party, the republicans, can be filled with such overwhelming stupidity and viciousness? Don't get me wrong, I can't stand Kevin McCarthy, he is a spineless simpleton, that has his head so far up Trump's ass he is now that thing on Trump's head. But damn, all McCarthy did was not kowtow to them. Oh wait... it all makes sense now! He stood up to them! But he didn't stop there. He also pissed off the Democrats. If he wouldn't have blamed the Democratic party for how close we got to the shut down, last Saturday, a few from across the aisle might have supported him. Especially considering it took our support to put a temporary stop gap in place on the dept ceiling last Saturday. Oh my... it's tough being an adult. It's tough being in politics. But one day, everybody has to choose who and what one wants to be and support.

:)

 

This is the first time America has kicked a Speaker Of The House out of their position.This is how they choose to make history? Clowns!

 

READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE!

 

 

Discover The Delta And Where Is My Book?

 

 

"Photography is what emotions look like."

~Jon Luvelli

 

I can't find my book. Last month, I bought a new book, Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer. Yes, I know, it's about teen angst/romance but it in all fairness, I wanted something different, and besides, I had recently watched just about all of them during a week of unwavering, relentless insomnia, and I thought I would see if the book was better written than the movie was. Shrug. I got through the first chapter, and half way through the second, when it went missing, but up to that point, no, it was fairly spot on. 

 

What does this picture have to do with my misplacing my book? Nothing really, except that the day I photographed this water tower, January 3rd, I was thinking about the story of Twilight. How Bella had just arrived to a new place, Forks, Washington, and felt out of place. I have been in the San Joaquin Delta region now, going on six years, and I still feel out of place. I am only just now finding my way, by discovering the beauty of migrating birds. It's easier for teens to seek the adventure I suppose. To welcome the angst. At my age, not so much. I would be happier with life being normal again. Something like 2013, when we found Joey, and Robin Williams wasn't dead. 

 

One more bit of angst with Trump to get through... the second Impeachment trial, which begins next week. I have no idea how long that will last, or if there will be another day similar to January 6th, but there is some comfort in knowing how it will end because I have very little faith in anyone in the Republican party doing the right thing. They are scared of Donald Trump, He's their vampire. So the horror story will play out as most horror stories in the real world do. History won't be kind to those who seek to harm, we all know it, and they know it too, that's what makes it all so perverse, and yet, when all is said and done, at least there are still things we can all count on. 

 

Republican's are vampires and cowards

and new books will go missing. 

 

~Carly

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 

Brains... BRAINS Err RRR... Or How The Republican Party Ate Itself!

 "Okay, it's pretty obvious what we're doing here, people. If it's dead... fucking KILL IT!"

~Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead, Vol. 14: No Way Out

 

Brains, brains, brains, BRAINS, BRAINS... BRAINS

The United States Congress... You gotta love 'um!

We have very little time left, the Republican Zombies are at the door, and it seems we are out of brains. What to do, what to do? I guess some brave soul... (cough Boehner) could act selflessly and do the right thing, by offering up his substantial brain in order to save the world economy, but somehow I doubt that's going to happen. What to do? What to do?

"... they come to us, these restless dead,
shrouds woven from the words of men,
With trumpets sounding over head
The walls of hope have grown so thin.
And all our vaunted innocence
Has withered in this endless frost
That promise little recompense
For all we risk, for all we've lost..."

~Mira Grant, Feed

And Now A Joke...

Q. What's the difference between a starving zombie on his own, and the Tea Party?

A. No matter how hungry for brains the zombie becomes, he won't eat his own!

"There is nothing so patient, in this world or any other, as a virus searching for a host."

~Mira Grant, Countdown

Senator John McCain (R- Arizona) unleashed a virus upon the earth back in 2008, and her name is Sarah Palin. She is the genuine article, a zombie of the truest form, but she is also a carrier of the zombie ideology of selfishness, ruthless ambition, and inability to learn. She looks all crazy and stupid, but make no mistake she is the Zombie Queen that created the Tea Party. Zombie Tea Party zombies are no ordinary breed, they have special powers to simultaneously rule the world, and at the same time bring about complete Armageddon. But don't fear the reaper boys and girls, these zombies feed on their own, and without enough brains between them to sustain even one single of their brethren, they will become extinct.

The End.

"Little old ladies speed away in their wheel chairs, frightened meals on wheels."

~Ryan Mecum, Zombie Haiku: Good Poetry For Your... Brains

Mood: Irritated, But Hardly Surprised!

~Me :)

Landlording The Ghost

"If a man harbors any sort of fear, it percolates through all his thinking, damages his personality, makes him landlord to a ghost."

~Lloyd C. Douglas



Isn't it funny how many times the scariest appearing things, are in actuality, NOT scary when you take the time to see where shadows, and scary sounds are actually coming from? When I think about what the nation is facing right now, the possibility of defaulting on it's debt, I realize that it's a situation mostly built on fear, shadows and hateful chain rattling, it scares me! But not because of shadows, but rather because of proven economical fact! If the worst happens after October 17th, we will be in world wide dark, uncharted waters. Truly the unknown, minute by minute, with no guarantees for recovery in what's left of my lifetime. It bugs the SHIT out of me, that all that's needed to exercise the ghost is to finally find a way to stop the chain of lies perpetrated by the republican party! Unfortunately, the only thing that is going to wake up the average republican/FoxNews watcher, is to give them exactly what they want, the default of America! They will never understand until all the ghosts visit their door... and never leave. Ever.

And boy are those specters coming!

Until then, they are content to live in shadows, listen to the chains rattling, and landlord the ghost!

Mood: Quiet

~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 :(

Happy New Year 2012!

"A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one Year and out the other."

Anonymous

Here is my favorite thing about 2011. You can't make stuff like this up! Hope it tickles your funny bone as much as it did mine!

Republicans Say The Darnedest Things! :)



What? She Never Watched The Andy Griffith Show?



Thankfully, Stephen Colbert Clears It Up For Us!

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Paul Revere's Famous Ride
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL! Tee Hee!

Happy New Year Everyone!

-Carly :)

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.

D'OH! Another Wayward Republican Caught With His Pants Down!

From For Ellipsis

"So I am getting into spanking her, yeah, I like it, I like spanking her. She goes, "I know you like spanking me,' I said "Yeah because you are such a bad girl.""

-Mike Duvall (Former California Assemblyman)

Great-Day-In-The-Morning... here we go again! Yet another Republican caught with his pants down. Yesterday, California lawmaker, Mike Duvall, resigned his office amid yet another republican sex scandal. I will say the same thing about this sex scandal that I will say every time something like this comes to light. Cheating on your spouse should not be grounds in itself for either dismissal or for resigning from public office, however, in this case I believe his resignation was appropriate because to woman... or women in question (it turns out he had two mistresses) were lobbyists, who just happened to have business before Mr. Duvall's committees.

Sheesh.

Don't you think it's about time the republican party stop pretending that they are anymore righteous then anyone else? Mike Duvall, who is married with two children, has been known for his "family values" so tell me, what could have possibly gone wrong? I don't know... maybe no one does, or maybe it is the oldest reason in the book, perhaps he couldn't live up to the perfect life he preached. Shrug. All I know is that perhaps it's about time that political parties rethink their own perfection. I think Mr. Duvall made things much worse for himself today, as he issued a statement denying the affair, describing his conversation as "inappropriate storytelling."

Oh.. ok... just a case of boys being boys?

So instead of being an adulterer... instead of having an affair with a married lobbyist... you merely lied?

Yeah... that's much better.

:(

Thanks for clearing that up. How about you just stand up... admit what you did... and then go away!


Opinions, opinions. Tell me what you think about this latest incidence of Republicans Gone Wild!

-Carly

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

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Sarah?

"Politics is the art of postponing a decisions until they are no longer relevant."

-Henri Queuille

The election is over, but Sarah Palin isn't going away. I am betting that we will be hearing more and more from her as the next four years progresses. I don't know that it would be a bad thing, especially if what we see is the real SarahPalin . See, I don't think we ever really got to know the real Sarah. How could we have, when all we saw was the odd... and I mean... odd... interview? From the very beginning of her introduction to national politics, she has been, if not the butt of the joke, the secret. As long as I live, I will wonder, what was John McCain thinking? It has been well substantiated that he meet with her only once or twice, before choosing her as his running mate, and then rarely spoke with her as the campaign progressed. And now, I can't help but wonder about the bitterness from within the McCain/Palin camps.

For a long time I have held the theory that Republicans eat their own, but now with all the mudslinging back and forth, it appears I have been right. That doesn't necessarily bring me any happiness, after all, while the Republicans implode, their constituents sit back and wonder which side to believe in. Or even whether or not to take sides. I think it would be difficult to be an average American Republican right now. With the election having just gone to Democrats by a landslide, and the Republican party in tatters, who do you look to as the clear leader of the party that represents your ideals? I really want to step into the shoes of the Republicans for a moment. If I were a Republican, would I be sitting back right now, wondering what just happened?

It's clear that in the beginning of the campaign, Sarah Palin excited things. Conservative women probably felt like for the first time they had a voice for them. And what a voice she was, when she was allowed to talk. I don't think the republican party did her any favors by keeping her hidden most of the time. As for the media, well, they simply did their job. Charles Gibson, Katie Couric , even Fox News! Honestly, you can't really blame the media in this case, they asked the questions they would have no matter who had been chosen, although it McCain had chosen someone with more foreign policy experience, some of the nonsense could have been avoided. So, if the picture seemed less then perfect, well, it's because it was. But how many of their own problems did the Republicans bring on themselves?

"Joe The Plumber" might have been one of the biggest mistakes of all time! I still don't understand that one. The only thing that keeps me from thinking that he was some kind of plant by John McCain to give him something to talk about, is the fact that he won't go away! Weird. Very Weird. Another seemingly large misstep was John McCain running back to Washington to work on the bailout... I mean rescue... I mean bailout of the American financial system. The Republicans clearly didn't want him there, and had no problem telling the media that. Weird. Very weird. And then there is the little problem with the "coast to coast looting of Neiman Marcus." You know, the spending spree that apparently took place on behalf of Sarah Palin. Wow... what a mess!

You know, I kind of felt sorry for the governor the last night. Yesterday, as she returned to her day job as the governor of Alaska, the press were asking the questions they should have been asking, and she seemed a little sad as she answered them. It has to have been hurtful. Fractions of her own party have thrown her under the bus. But yesterday, she seemed a little more believable as she tried to find the right words, or the correct words, or whatever words it took to make it all stop. Sigh. I felt sorry for her. It made me want to sit down with her, one on one, with a hot cup of Green Tea and some fat-free cookies, and talk to her woman to woman, about boys, hair and make-up. You would be surprised how many problems I have solved while discussing those three subjects. Call me a bad Democrat, but I can't kick someone when they are down. You know?

So tell me, if you could sit down with Sarah Palin, one on one, what would you ask her? Would you discuss politics, or do you have something else you would like to know about? Do you think she will make another run for the White House in four years? Do you think she will succeed Sen. Ted Stevens, if his felony convictions stand? Sing out. Tell me what you think. You know you want to!

-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

At Every Turn

"I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust."

-George W. Bush

Earn our trust?

"The most important thing is for us to find Osama Bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him."

-George W. Bush, 9/13/2001

"So, I don't know where he is. You know, I just don't spend that much time on him... to be honest with you."

-George W. Bush, 3/13/2002

"Uhh gosh, I don't think I ever said I am not worried about Osama Bin Laden. It's kind of one of those... uhhh, exaggerations."

-George W. Bush 10/ 13/ 2004


It doesn't surprise me that the Bush administration is fighting tooth and nail to avoid giving sworn testimony before the senate, regarding the ousting of 8 federal prosecutors. Bush and company are liars. We all know that... right? I think we will be seeing even more examples of their corruption of office come to light, before he finally does us all a favor and slithers back to Texas. In the mean time, the administration is lying, and they are using the office they were elected to, to hide their long list of misdeeds. Ok, what I said was strongly put, but if there is no smoking gun, if they really did nothing wrong, why run and hide from testifying? And doesn't it make a lot more sense now, as to why George W. Bush tried so very hard to get Harriet Miers confirmed to the Supreme Court? A nominee, so lacking in experience in constitutional law, that it left even some members of the republican party shaking their heads. Ok, now it all makes sense. Executive privilege does have it's privileges... doesn't it?

So you want to earn my trust George? Turn Miers and Rove over to the senate for sworn testimony. Find Osama Bin Laden, not just his flunkies. Keep your promise to rebuild New Orleans. Bring our military home... NOW. Stop messing around with the constitution, and oh yeah... STOP LYING!

Ok, your turn. Opinions please. Do you think the White House has something to hide in regards to the firing of the federal prosecutors?

-OndineMonet