Reflections on President Bush's State of the Union Address 2007

The obvious hub of the Presidential State of the Union address was his desperate plea to support his plan to send a surge of troops to Iraq. Madame Speaker Pelosi remained firmly in her seat while V.P. Cheney rose to give his predictable support to Bush's plan.

Freshman Senator Webb gave an excellent response, one worth reading if you did not hear it...or reading again if you did get to see it live. Senator Webb very smoothly pointed out that Americans' have no reason to trust President Bush's new plan to "win" in Iraq as he said:

"this country has patiently endured a mismanaged war for nearly four years. Many, including myself, warned even before the war began that it was unnecessary, that it would take our energy and attention away from the larger war against terrorism, and that invading and occupying Iraq would leave us strategically vulnerable in the most violent and turbulent corner of the world."

When I heard the President address the nation from the library on January 10th, I felt that that there would be little resistance to his change in strategy, which can be summed up by his simple statement that:

"This will require increasing American force levels. So I've committed more than 20,000 additional American troops to Iraq."

His description of the dire consequences of leaving Iraq without first sending this surge were indeed frightening, and his recent change of commanders the week prior gave this address an air of confidence that it was all a done deal. That was how I felt even though the American public had seemed to vote overwhelmingly Democratic in the November election, a statement that also seemed to say that Americans wanted to see a big change in how Iraq was handled.

In his State of the Union Address, President Bush again emphasized that American would not want to leave Iraq without finishing the job. He said that the course of the war may not be the war that we planned, but it is the war that we have....and WHY is the war as it is?? From his poor planning, from his failure to take advice. Why did we not send in adequate troops and supplies earlier? Why did the war seem to be run on the cheap when it is so important?

Pres. Bush seems intent on increasing the military presence in Iraq. His concept of winning is military. I think that what it means to WIN and what it means to leave successfully should emphasize political and economic outcomes for Iraq and not military outcome.

After listening to Webb, I am more eager to hear plans of how we can begin to phase troops out of Iraq, while also stabilizing the safety of its citizens and its political economy.

I agree with Bush's assertion that America is a nation of great heroism and great people. We need to take seriously that we have been given much and so from us much is expected.

That members of Congress could come together to address educational issues in the first term of Bush's presidency was, hopefully, the beginning of a heroic effort to finally address educational inequalities. I hope that there will be serious revisions to No Child Left Behind. With the new Democratic leadership in the Senate and the House, I am certain there will continue to be bipartisan efforts to make each child's educational experience quality.

I am also hopeful that the United States will continue to make international aid a priority. President Bush has made many promises to meet the millennium goals by putting funds into the millennium challenge account, which he formed in 2002.


I was somewhat surprised that in his reference to PEPFAR and AIDS relief he did not also mention abstinence-only. Abstinence-only-until-marriage had been mentioned in every previous speech of his Presidency. Abstinence-only was also being included as a stipulation on how funds in African nations were being spent with the Global AIDS Funds. Abstinence-only was also a powerful rallying cry to his conservative supporters. I think people should all take note that it was missing from this Presidential address. Although the conservative war against sexual freedom and reproductive rights is far from over, it is very interesting that this key policy issues, which had been gaining momentum was absent.


There are many other topics from the address that are worth exploring. The issue of spending reform seemed to get solid, positive responses from the Republican side of the aisle. He has a very interesting tax proposal. I am intrigued the connection between lowering taxing to help more Americans' afford private health insurance. It is a powerful scheme that does everything Republicans like--privatize and cut taxes--and is destined to make them look good, if it works.

Everyone agrees we need to act wisely, spend wisely...develop alternative fuels and alternative plans to fight the war on terror. It is too bad that Bush promotes this ideas now, on his way out. This is probably why he has the worst approval rating for any president in the last 50 years, or so said Wolf Blitzer.

I am eager to see how well Congress responds to the President's call for troops. Let us all pray everyone begins to think wisely, and consider how the well being of America is connected to the well being of all the residents of this planet.

Blog for Choice

I am pro-choice because I believe that each woman has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The choice to have a child MUST be a personal, private, individual decision. Each woman, when pregnant, is alone with her body and the awareness of a growing and dependent life. For each woman to be free, she MUST be given the RIGHT to choose.

We should not legislate to strip women of the right to her freedom to choose. Instead, we should legislate to ensure that each pregnancy is wanted, if not planned.

Young girls and boys as well as adults should have access to medically accurate information on human reproduction, birth control, and disease prevention. Each person should be made aware of the right of each individual to choose what happens to their body and be taught to respect one another as unique individuals.

Family medical clinics should be available in every community to provide regular clinical services, educational sessions, and medicine. If people are assisted with the means to prevent unwanted pregnancies, there would be fewer abortions.

Plan B has only recently become available in the United States. Advertising and public outreach campaigns are still needed to help more women know Plan B is available. It should be available to any woman at any time and of any age. No one has the right to judge a woman for choosing to control her reproductive capacity.

I find it hard to believe that there is anyone who wants to have an abortion. That there are people who rely on abortion as a means to birth control. Abortion is the last option, it should be the last option any woman should have to make if she finds herself with an unwanted pregnancy.

We can help reduce unwanted pregnancies by making pregnancy prevention an easily accessible and affordable option. We can make more pregnancies wanted by providing affordable health care, child services, and educational opportunities for young mothers and their families.

Organizations like NARAL Pro-choice America , who planned and organized today as the national BLOG for CHOICE day, and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America promote women's reproductive rights, which are dwindling here in the United States.

Although elections in November 2006 proved that Americans' support a woman's right to choose, the attacks against Roe vs Wade will not stop. Abstinence-Only education supporters will continue to lobby for their belief-based curriculum to dominate over medically accurate curricula. While Plan B has been approved for use in the United States finally) We can not take reproductive rights for granted. Be attentive to your politicians and funding streams. See what resources are available in your community to help girls and young women secure their rights and access to clinical and educational services.

Women deserve their freedom, their dignity, their right to control their bodies. This is why I am pro-choice.

Taking Risks and Starting Over

Sometimes in life we need to take risks, put forward extra strength to get the job done once and for all (like we apparently need to do in Iraq!).

I wish the best for all our men and women who are committed to danger to make the world safer. I pray that all our belief in freedom and stability becomes reality.

It seems we are ready as a nation to Go Back
Go Back
Go Back

To another time
Another place
Where the signs were in the right place
Back to the time where we were before people began to read the signs all wrong!

Rituals and Tradition

Christmas can be a confusing time for many children who are recently discovering that their parents have been leaving presents for them and not Santa as they had been told.

I, personally, believe we need a new way to celebrate Christmas. I am very torn between the love of bright lights and seeing children open presents and a hatred of commercialism and lies.

This year, my nephew learned the terrible truth that there is--according to some--no Santa Claus. That is just how he said it, too. "I can't believe they lied to me all this time."

I can remember hearing of a tradition of the Kachina in Pueblo cultures where children are woken from sleep and taken to a mysterious place where men and women in masks are dancing. These men and women hit the children, yell, and berate them. After being abused, the children are taken outside where the adults remove their masks and reveal their identities as well-known aunts, uncles, cousins, mothers, fathers...

I am sure those Pueblo children feel the same way: "I can't believe they lied to me!"

I am very interested in knowing the cultural purpose of lying to children about Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, and the Sandman....

Compounding the outrage--although I have yet to hear my nephew's full reaction--he was also told that little elves would come throughout the year to take back his toys if he was bad.

Is there a way to share the beauty of faith and hope and giving without lying? Is there something in the experience of learning all the adults who cared about you lied to you that helps us survive as a culture? I am just not sure.

I would much rather that we tone down the commercialism, appreciate getting gifts, be content with knowing that much of what we get comes from out parents and family, but also being told that sometimes amazing things happen through the spirit of giving--embodied in the image of a fat man in a red suit.

I am sure that there is much comfort in knowing that if no one else in the world cares, there is Santa who knows as well as you do that you have been nice and who will repay you and shower you with what you deserve. I might have felt that way once.

I would like to believe we can evolve as a culture and find a way to celebrate in a sustainable way. I hope we can find a way to instill hope and joy and give without the sadness of being lied to.

World AIDS Day

AIDS is an epidemic. AIDS is preventable.




To day is World AIDS Day, today is a day to increase awareness and speak on what we can do as a nation, as an international community to stop the epidemic, to stop the unnecessary suffering.


Of the 6,560,527,282 people who live on this planet, there are 39,500, 000 people living with HIV/AIDS.In 2005, there were 41,993 new AIDS cases among the 300,321,531 people who live in the United States.

These are the reported numbers. It is important to keep in mind that more people need to KNOW that they have AIDS, but few get tested. To stop the spread of HIV infection and AIDS there needs to be more testing! Click here to find an HIV testing clinic near you.

Maxine Waters (D) of California has sponsored a bill, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS treatment Modernization Act of 2006, that will force health insurance companies to pay for HIV testing. Testing for HIV needs to become as routine as testing for heart disease, cancer, and diabetes--actually more so because ANYONE can get HIV/AIDS, it is not predicted by genetics or diet. But, the likeliness of acquiring HIV/AIDS is increased by lifestyle choices, such as intravenous drug use, multiple sexual partners, anonymous sex, and anal sex.

Don't be shy, just ask your partner about his or her sexual history. It may be hard to pop that special question: "Have you been tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases?" but it is not as hard as living with HIV/AIDS.

If you are an intravenous drug user, use clean needles. Many cities have needle exchange programs. If you know an IV drug user, help that person stop or support needle exchange programs.

What makes the spread of AIDS so tragic is that it is preventable and it disproportionately affects African-Americans, Sub-Saharan Africans, women, children, and people living in poverty.

According to the Center for Disease Prevention and the Kaiser Family Foundation's Capitol Hill Briefing, HIV/AIDS is disproportionally impacts Latinos and African-Americans. As of 2005, 73% of infants born with HIV were African American.

In the United States, incidents of HIV/AIDS are increasing most noteably in the District of Columbia, New York, California, and Florida.

On this Earth, Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Botswana (24.1), Zimbabwe (20.1), and South Africa (18.8), experiences the most cases of HIV/AIDS. What is most alarming is the number of children living with HIV/ AIDS, 240,000 just in South Africa. Many of these cases could have been prevented through antiretroviral therapy, formula feeding instead of breastfeeding, and safe-delivery methods (not Cesarean).

Until a vaccine is create, the best defense is prevention. People need access to testing facilities as well as access to vaccines, condoms, clean needles, and quality health care to help prevent disease and relieve the suffering of people with AIDS.

The suffering and death created by HIV/AIDS are preventable.

There are many organizations that research for a cure and provide outreach and advocacy services. Please make yourself more aware of this growing pandemic and do what you can to stop unnecarry suffering.


UNAIDS
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS

USAID and PEPFAR
the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Research

amFAR
AIDS Medical Foundation AIDS Research


AEGIS
AIDS edication Global Information System

AIDS ACTION

AIDS Organization
raising awareness and building communities

International AIDS Vaccine Initiative

HIV Vaccine Trials Network

Join Red
product campaign to raise money for HIV/AIDS research and treatment



For more in-depth informaiton on the history of HIV/AIDS go to the Global HIV/AIDS timeline made available by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

Hugs and Love

Acts of kindness, support, sympathy are ways to cultivate joy in not only our own lives, but also in the lives of others.

A smile, a kind word, a tender pat on the shoulder, or a hug are some of the acts that can change some one's day by offering hope.

If a person believes that people are negative, sad, or unfeeling, and that belief is often reinforced by the people they meet...then that person needs to meet new people. Wouldn't it feel wonderful to be the person who helps dispel the belief and encourages someone to believe that people are, or at least can be, positive, happy, and thoughtfully warm.

I was very inspired to see this video on YouTube about a free hugs campaign started by Juan Mann in Australia. Please watch the video and see this incredible man standing in an open mall and holding up a sign, which reads, in big black letters, FREE HUGS.

What makes the videography so inspiring, to me, is the support Juan Mann garners. As you watch, you see how he invites people to take him up on his offer. First, you see people hug him and then later you see people take his sign and begin to offer free hugs to others. Eventually, you see people running up and falling into another person's arms.

Midway through the video you see a policeman come up to Juan; although there are no words and only a soundtrack, you get the idea that he is being asked to stop. Soon after you see him with a petition and then others with petitions and postings of how many signatures they get until they reach the goal.

I am not sure why public officials would have wanted to ban a free hugs campaign. The website www.freehugscampaign.org is currently not available, which I thought was surprising, considering the video on YouTube was posted on September 6, 2006.

An update from Juan Mann on YouTube encourages people to also check out the Free Help Campaign where people can post a message about their desire to offer help and also post their desire to receive help. This initiative was inspired by Oprah's Greatest Giveaway Ever.

I read through some of the the postings from those who would like to be help. The variety is amazing--a woman who needs help moving her entire house to a young girl who wants a friend to a man who wants help on getting a loan.
Many people offering help are offering a caring ear to listen. Some people are offering financial advice or help finding a job or applying to college. Another person was giving away free furniture and yet another was offering to help people in his community to clean gutters.
Local to global--these are people who want to nurture others or people who acknowledge that they need nurtured.

The Free Hugs campaign has expanded into a global movement. I have seen YouTube videos of people offering free hugs in Japan, Italy, and Korea.

I have found other sites dedicated to similar Free Hugs campaigns. One, Free-Hugs is a company whose mission is to spread kindness and uplift the human spirit. The founder, Jason Hunter of Atlanta, was apparently the inspiration for Juan Mann's Australian movement. I finally uncovered this relationship in a press clip on the Free-Hug website as originally posted byHartsvilleToday.com on Oct. 24, 2006.

The history of Free-Hugs is dedicated to the memory of Hunter's mother, who he described as a woman whose purpose was to be the person who always had a kind word, a smile, a hug.

Free-Hugs sells t-shirts and jerseys. A school curriculum in on the way for Spring 2007.

We can join in to the FreeHugs campaign by just offering smiles, warm words, and HUGS to friends, family, and coworkers....and so many more people who we believe need it and who can accept it. You can also check out these sites, watch the videos, and buy the shirts. It is a beautiful message to express-empathy! Acknowledge and recognize people as you pass them by...it can be exhausting in a city, but it is worth it when you have the energy to share it for it will enliven you and inspire you to share positive energy and warmth. Spread the message, people can be good and caring and helpful and you are one of those people.

America is Awake!

I was almost surprised to see this. My neighbor's feed business posted this sign on November 8.







I guess he was not too happy with the outcome--Democrats are in control of both houses of congress.

A few friends emailed me, knowing how I tend to be involved in grassroots campaigns, and congratulated me on the recent gain.

As I have commented in past postings, I have noticed Democrats in meetups to have been suffering from the frustration of loss and a sense of helplessness.

As Democrats may be feeling waves of relief, hope, and determination Republicans may also be feeling--as the sign my neighbor posted indicates--waves of frustration, fear, and loathing. Good. I would like them to feel it for a least a short while. After they process a full range of grief, I hope they will begin to reach out to bi-partisan efforts with a bit more humility than our President.

I have not been able to find the quote yet, but I believe the President's first word on the subject of a change of power in the house was that he was a little disappointed. In his radio address on 11 November Bush said,

"The message of this week's elections is clear: the American people want their leaders in Washington to set aside partisan differences, conduct ourselves in an ethical manner, and work together to address the challenges facing our Nation. This is important work that will demand the hard effort and good faith of leaders from both sides of the aisle, and I pledge to do my part."

I hope my neighbor heard that!

In closing, I just want to say that I was pleased with the comments that came out of Pelosi and Bush's first meeting (click to read the transcript).
I am hoping this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, it seems they are both going to be able to forget all the dirty talk during the election.

Americas are awake, and I hope this means none of us will be so stubborn to let differences get in the way of making progress in areas of health insurance, education, health care, an Iraq exit strategy, and the 9-11 commission recommendations.

Voting in PA? Vote for Freedom and Economic Growth!

How am I voting in my PA district? Far too often, I think I am voting for people because I believe they must be better than the incumbents.

Mainly, I am voting for democrats, people who are fiscally responsible, interested in creating peace and who are pro-choice, or at least not firmly anti-choice.

I believe I am voting for freedom-- women's freedom and economic freedom.


For U.S. Senate I am voting for Bob Casey. Mainly, I am voting for him because he is not Rick Santorum, the incumbent republican.

Casey, I believe, is pro-life, I am trying not to hold this against him. I believe his promises to make our government accountable, reducing debt, supporting veterans, expanding insurance for low-income families.

Better health care, quality education, a clean environment, rural development, and the issues facing the many elderly are key issues not only for PA but for many states.

Santorum has supported Bush and many of the decisions I did not support, like war in Iraq.
Santorum is an anti-choice candidate, as confirmed by NARAL pro-choice voting guide for PA. Our current governor, Ed Rendell is a certified pro-choice candidate. Casey is not really saying a lot, or I have not heard enough, about what he would do to curtail a woman's choice to get an abortion or access birth control. Pennsylvania is very rural, and a woman's right to choose is already marginalized by issues of access. I am going to bet that Casey will not support legislation to reduce reproductive rights; unfortunately, I do not think he will be a champion either.

As I have already indicated, I will be voting for Ed Rendell (D), the incumbent.
Rendell was a vet and a mayor of Philadelphia. Under his leadership job growth has increased from 41st to the 15th in national ranking. There is also a very interesting gaming bill underway. Rendell has also been supporting ethanol production, which as potential for a fuel-additive and could help bring jobs to many people in Pennsylvania. The first plant will be coming to Clearfield County.

Swan, unfortunately, looks to be a bit of a Bush-man who will support party politics more so than what is actually needed.

I live in PA's 5th district and I will be voting for Donald Hiller (D). I am voting for him because he is pro-choice. He also wants to increase funding for education alternatives. This seems like a smart political trade. There is a lot of anti-choice support in Pennsylvania.

I think that anti-choice supporters can be appeased by offering a space for them to promote their perspective. They want people to choose not to have an abortion. I think many pro-choice supporters would also hope that people would not need to have an abortion. Working together, maybe we can help stop unplanned pregnancy. His support for pro-choice policies as well as increases in funding for abortion alternatives is a sign he would move in that direction: one that would actually work to find solutions rather than just legislate opinion.

Hiller is also for increased construction and development in rural areas, which is much needed and is probably an issue of reducing harm and higher costs later.
He also is for increasing minimum wage, but is sensible enough to also make the point that there will be a need to minimize the impact any raise will have on small business.

Unlike John Peterson (R), who is decidedly anti-choice. Hiller, like Rendell, is also actively supporting Ethanol fuel-additive reform. He opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants, which is probably smart politics but does not really offer a solution. Most interestingly is his wish to prevent abuse of government wiretapping.

In my state's General Assembly House of Representatives District 66, I will be voting for Samy Elmasry (D), mainly because he is not Sam Smith (R). Sam Smith is anti-choice, and he is against gay marriage. He also seemed very reluctant to help a local non profit called Save our Schools in its attempt to stop the closing of the Big Run Elementary school and other schools that will surely follow. There is no check on local school boards, who can people turn to if not their state representatives?

Elmasry has not made a lot of statements. I have has a hard time figuring out exactly where he stands, but in this case I am going with the devil I don't know rather than the devil I know.
Elmasry supports home-based medical care, he supports legislation that will supplement slot machines proceeds with income tax changes. Regressive taxes on home/landowners just does not work in a state like PA, especially for small farmers in rural and economically disadvantaged areas! He also supports a slight increase in sales taxes. Sam Smith says this type of legislation is a good first step It is obviously a complicated issue. We need people who are willing to try new things.

Rendell has not supported the slot machine legislation. He also vetoed the proposal to have the Lottery support the increases to services to the elderly population. I have not seen enough of the proposals at this point to make a firm statement about what would be best, and so I am going to be swayed by party lines and pro-choice freedoms.

Do your best to educate yourself: I know it is difficult and we all have busy lives.
Vote Today!!

GoodSearch: a Tool for Internet Advocacy

Here is something relatively new in internet advocacy, the search engine fundraiser. I have come across a few similar cases where simply using a site's search engine would help generate money for a chairty or non-profit. I find this simply amazing and a fantastically simple way for people to help a cause. I think using a search engine site to generate funds is particularly great because it gives people an opportunity to help raise $$ even when they are strapped for cash.

Any registered non-profit can contact GOODSEARCH, this includes schools, charities, hospitals and clinics, political groups, professional associations, volunteer services and so many more...maybe yours!

If your organization is not already listed on the homepage as their Charity of the Day, you can type the cause or charity of your interest in and see if it is has set up an account. Once you discover the cause or charity you are interested in does have an account with GOODSEARCH, you can see how much money they have raised.

Right now, the charity of the day is the Children Affected by Aids Foundation. I discovered GOODSEARCH in a RESULTS Global Weekly Update.

RESULTS is an nonprofit advocacy group dedicated to ending poverty and hunger. An account has been set up on GOODSEARCH that will raise funds for the RESULTS Education Fund.

The following message was included in my Weekly Update, if you would like more information on how you can help get RESULTS in the war on poverty, sign up for the newsletter. I like this group because they give great tips on how to write effective letters to the editor or to political representatives. The new GOODSEARCH fundraiser is another good example of the simple, do-able ideas they have.

Use GoodSearch to Fund RESULTS!
"Now RESULTS can earn a penny every time you search the Internet! GoodSearch.com is a new search engine that donates half its revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. You use it just as you would any search engine, and it’s powered by Yahoo!, so you get great results.

Just go to http://www.goodsearch.com/ and enter RESULTS Educational Fund as the charity you want to support. You can also download the GoodSearch toolbar for your browser to make it even easier to use. Just 250 of us searching four times a day will raise about $3600 in a year without anyone spending a dime.

Please broadcast this message to your personal networks, asking them to use GoodSearch and raise money for our work. Just cut and paste this entire message and send it to your contacts — and we will all be taking one more step to make poverty history!"
--RESULTS Global Weekly Update — October 30, 2006

PA House District 66: Sam Smith and Samy Elmasry

The election of Pennsylvania House District 66 is a very simple race. The general assembly

Over the past few month I have seen very little evidence that anyone was paying attention to this race. There were a few signs for Sam Smith and Elmasry sprinkled along heavy traffic areas in Punxsutawney.

If driving along 119, you wil mainly see signs for the gubenatorial race between Rendel and Swan.

Evidence of support for one side or the other in the big races has been scare, although slowly growing. I guess that was why it was so surprising to see the swelling of support for Sam Smith in the PA House of Representatives.

There was a row of houses, each with a sign.

About three years ago Sam Smith opened an office in Punxsy. I am really not sure how long it has been there, but it became very noticable about three years ago. The office is located in an old 1930s storefront. The balcony on the second floor is covered with a sign declaring his name, it is detailed in red and blue.

I think that my wish to have this representative replaced is grounded in my disappointment. My sister started a non-profit to advocate for the Big Run Elementary school which was allowed to fall into disrepair until it was slated for closure--the reason being that it was in disrepair. Many of the small schools in the more rural areas on the outskirts of the school district have been closing. But this one was historic.

Voting Myths and Encouragements

We need to vote for democracy to work. We also probably need to be better informed and in meaningful ways. I would probably be helpful that citizens actually care and feel empowered/informed. It would be important that people leave the polls feeling like they made a good and informed decision.

It is a well propogated fact that citizens of the United States don't turn out to vote as often as citizens in other nations. If that is true, it is not very surprising to me. Based on the causal conversations I have has with people, even the people who go to political meetings/events, we are very poorly informed. Much searching is needed to find the voting histories of Congressmen and women...for state and local levels: I just don't have a clue! I care, and it is hard for me to keep track. But really, are there less people voting? Is the reason we are in this 8 year republican dominated trend because the religious and New right get out the vote better than other groups? Maybe only conservative people vote? Nah....

Another widely held belief is that voter turnout is declining, that the kids just don't get out to vote the same way their parents and grandparents did and still do.

According to research published by Dr. Michael McDonald at the Department of Public and International Public Policy at George Mason University, American voter turn out has not declined since 1972.

There is a very interesting entry on Wikipedia that explores the many factors that may explain variation in voter turnout between nations--cultural, socioeconomic, institutional.

Wikipedia cited that about 54% of Americans turn out to vote; which seems pretty sad for a developing nation and one of the earliest, modern democratic nations.
The Wiki article also cited a decrease in turnout for presidential elections, which may be very telling, if it is true.

According to McDonald's research the myth of a decline in voter turnout is a result of poor calculations. I am not sure the extent that his findings invalidate the claim that only 54 % of registered Americans have turned out to vote in the last nine presidential elections.

Whereas other nations, like Austrailia, manage to get 95%, we Americans look pretty disinterested and apparently have been consistenly disinterested in voting since 1972.


When was the last time you voted? Voted in something other than a presidential election. This may surprise you, but there are other elections. This year, in particular, it is very important that we get out to vote and put more new faces (hopefully democratic, independent, and green faces) into Congress!

Take inventory of your friends, family, and neighbors and encourage them to vote.

For more on Voter Turnout Check out International IDEA

Herding Cats

Trent Lott was on the Daily Show
promoting his book Herding Cats.

It was a simple discussion, one that is getting more and more common...
and it got me thinking.

He and Jon Stewart discussed the sense that there is just no one in charge of Congress...and Lott pointed out that really, no one is: there is a series of committees.

I am almost sad about how much the Foley content took over their dialogue, but I guess something like that is the issue: how do immoral people end up in charge? Do Republicans really deserve to have the majority?

What makes it alarming is that some news organizations knew about it before it happened and a member of Congress who were allegedly told about similar incidents, Hastert, denies all knowledge! Sure, some things raised a red flag...but no follow up, no questioning.

I expect my representatives to question each other, no matter what side of the political fence they are on.

Lott has it right, we need to have more of a vision of where we want to go in the future and how we can avoid the same mistakes!

It is certainly creepy that a man interested in sexual relations with minors was drafting legislation to address issues of missing and exploited children...but in the scheme of things might not be that strange...and may be no more alarming than men with interests in oil and industry spearheading a war that would secure both oil and large scale contracts for rebuilding and providing meals to military men.

I imagine that a man who wrestles with his own inner pervert really knows how much of an issue missing and exploited children can be...and I do believe there is reform for people like Foley, who when well and considerate of appropriate boundaries can work on the efforts to promote safety and well-being of children.

Scandalous behavior like Foley's will likely lengthen the shadow that has been falling across republicans. Hopefully, they will lose their dominance in Congress. Unfortunately, I would feel even better about the issue of who has dominance if I felt like democrats were more active across the board.

It may be that no matter what group holds dominance in Congress, the issue of herding cats will still be present.

As citizens and voters we can only hope that the people we vote into office will not turn a blind eye to any sort of inappropriate behavior or wrong doing! And, it is not just on the national level: we need all our representatives at any level to be up to the challenge of calling people to the floor when they are misbehaving or inappropriate.

I wonder what it is that makes any kind of social movement a lot like herding cats...a bunsh of people who are demanding to be heard are promoting their pet causes and who expect to be able to do what they want when they want it and to hell with all the people who are not willing to lick their fur.

I hope people vote, more people than usual...politics may be a lot like herding cats...committees can be slow machines, but this does not mean that nothing will happen.

There are ways to move past the feeling of a lack of leadership...part of it will come from the grassroots up.

Show your enthusiasm: vote, write representatives; go to community mettings; run for office; write letters to the editor; draft policy agendas; donate to politicans and causes; watch the news; read the paper; talk politics with your friends, family, and neighbors--and not just national politics"

And when you do talk politics and issues: actually try to come up with a solution.


Please try to do all of this and pick candidates that have a vision and who are willing to listen and question as well as lead.

Musharraf on the Daily Show

I was settling down to take in some playful jokes about what is too tragic to be anything less than funny: the U.S. role in world politics.

Imagine my surprise that President Musharraf is the guest on the Daily Show!

And how sweet, Jon begins with the serving of tea....and twinkies...then it is straight to the hard questions, like where is bin Laden.

Is this the first interview of a foreign head of state on a comedy news show?

See how easy it is to stay in touch with world affairs?

The hard choices, being "in the line of fire" and deciding if they, he, Pakistan, should have cooperating with the U.S.
After all, we needed to go through there to get to bin Laden.....

Musharraf has an important point, we..and in this case, he and the government of Pakistan have to win people away from the Taliban.

I like how readily Musharraf agreed that he is much more calm about terrorists and terrorism than we, in the United States are, even though he is at the forefront.

Apparently Bush is endorsing Musharraf's books, will it reinforce Bush's version of the war on terror? Are we safer now? Are the Taliban contained??

Stewart mentioned that Musharraf does not discuss Iraq directly. Musharraf does not want to get into a debate on why we went, but he does state that Iraq has increased extremism and terrorism....so we are not safer--at least Musharraf does not think so. And I think this is a point that American's need to hear. Is this the only safe forum for him to say it.

Of course the funniest part of the interview was his assessment of who would win an election between Bush and bin Laden in Pakistan: both would lose miserably--good form.

Of course, the moment of Zen really put me in that twisted mood that only the Daily Show can: a clip of a FOX newscaster telling us that we have the next best thing to a national referendum for torture, America loves Jack Bauer of 24--they love seeing the tough torture type tactics against enemies of the state. It would not be too far fetched to think that television shows like 24 push up the torture element just to see how audiences react so Fox news can report on it, if it fits with the larger agenda of a tough no-holds-barred America.

As one person emailed Fox Dayside, and I paraphrase: how can people argue taking the moral high ground when those terrorists are cutting off people's hands and heads!

Sad isn't it? Foreign heads of state need to be on a comedy show to get opportunity to state dissent about how things are going in Iraq, and how scary it is that people liking violence on TV means we are okay with torture....are there really Americans who would support that? None of them are or were ever vets, I feel quite sure.

I hope that a diversity of ideas and perspectives continue to seep into mainstream media, although I am not too sure how mainstream the Daily Show really is...it may more be an instance of preaching to the choir....but the mainstream RIGHT does police it and loves to be outraged by it and therefore it is a portal and one that I hope continues to be exploited for the good of us all!


I just caught the late edition...
I am impressed with how quickly reviews of the show hit the news media.
I guess because this may be a first, and because we are getting the dirt straight from the man himself!

The Washington Post
International Herald Tribune
New York Times
NDTV.com

Good Fences? Good Neighbors?!

I quote Robert Frost: "Something there is that does not love a wall?"

A wall with holes and low places...
A wall where people come and go as if there is no wall at all.
And so...
How high must a wall be to keep out the fear of poverty?
How high must a wall be to dissuade a hope that prevailed past oppressive heat and the aches of slow starvation.

How much are the fat, rich, and paranoid willing to spend to hide prosperity from poor neighbors?


I just got a MEGAVOTE update from Congress.org letting me know how my representatives have been voting. The update also let me know what they will be voting on next. Among the bills on the floor is the Secure Fence Act.

Soon, the House of Representatives will be voting on the Secure Fence Act - H.R.6061.

This week the Senate will continue to work on a bill to authorize the construction of 700 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Illegal or undocumented immigration is not a new issue. It has been growing as an issue as wholes in the system of accounting for illegals or undocumented immigrants has increased along with demands for increased national security.

Pat Buchanan was just on the Daily Show to promote his new book State of Emergency: The Third World Invasion and Conquest of America.

Stewart made many jokes to highlight the pertinent points, like how America already received wave upon wave of immigrants...how is this different.

Buchanan's point is that this wave is different because of their resistance to assimilation.

And really, is it not surprising--why should they assimilate to what rejects them. From reading the synopsis on his book and from hearing him speak on the Daily Show, it seems that Buchanan understands why people from Mexico and other developing nations are resisting the Apple-pie Americanization so many other immigrants swallowed whole two or three generations ago (or more).

Even those immigrants who do wait their turn in line, they may also be resistant to efforts of assimilation to "American" values--as if this was a constant, homogenous thing.

The second wave of immigrants to the U.S. were coming to a very different place. A country that was still idealistic and a place to remake identity and move past the oppression of kings and dictators...I guess people are still doing that...but America was not an EMPIRE. America was powerful, but not quite in the busy business of nation building and supporting regimes and manipulating economies.

America, to members of developing nations, is now the Empire, the exploiter...it is difficult to reconcile yourself with a curriculum of media messages and unspoken gestures in everyday life that tell you that you are not welcome, you are less, and you are different and will never be one with us....and so what is there to do? Reject it!

I just might actually have to read Buchanan's book to better make my points.

On the Daily Show, he said that there are more illegal immigrants here now than all the Italians, Irish, etc. who came before them. He would like us to slow the wave and take the time to assimilate the people who are here before we allow any more in.

We can not keep people out. And we can not continue to promote the Anglophone values that create the resistance.

Stewart suggests we stake a claim on Mexico with the spring break crews. But also makes the even more credible point that people are here and 'homesteading' to send $$ back....and of course suggests that we enforce laws that already exist (drug related, etc.) or to consider that breaking the line to illegally enter the U.S. is not a federal crime.

If only Buchanan did not make the comment that we need to think of the Indian's open immigration policy--oh dreaded thing to say. Such a twisted and warped thing to say...

Reactionaries like Buchanan may have to consider that the America they want to protect it is a nostalgic dream that will vanish like fog in the sun. America is evolving, has been evolving.

The question is how we can negotiate the waves of cultural change to retain what was good about the past with what is being offered by waves of recent immigrants.

I am not sure how...but it will begin by being open to change and embracing a hard truth: we live in an imagined community. America is not real: it is a dream, it is held together by beliefs and customs which are easily subject to change...and that is not a bad thing.


There is something that does not love a wall: change.

Do NOT Pardon President Bush

I have been alerted to yet another political action where you can do something to make a difference. Within minutes, you can do something to help promote the values that are the basis of our current sense of freedom.

Apparently, according to an email from MoveOn.org, Republicans in Senate are planning to have a vote on a bill that would PARDON President Bush for his choice to pursue illegal wire-tapping.

We have laws in place that allow cops/FBI/CIA to wire tap phones without a warrent, with the condition that these same groups get a warrent within three days, otherwise the information gained would be inadmissable.

We can not let the President get away with his choice to overlook existing laws. He is not above the law.

The President must not be pardoned. No one is above the law. The President must be held accountable. The President should be a role model for lawfulness, he should be an advocate for indivual rights and due proces--the bedrock of our constitution!

If you agree that we must make a statement and stop such a vote, please sign the petition started by MoveOn.org.

Presidential Address

So, I missed the rest of Path to 9/11
(at least most of it)...but I caught
G.W. Bush's Presidential Address.

In case you missed it, I have listed most of his main points and made a few comments to a few of them in this posting.

Here are his main points:

• America is still in mourning
• On 9/11 ordinary citizens made extraodinary acts of courage
  
• We have learned alot about the enemy, that they are evil but do not kill without purpose
• The enemy (extremist Islamic fundamentalists) hate freedom and have no room for negotiation
  
• We are being tested by a war we did not choose
• This war will define our generation
• We have made progress and have some known terrorists in custody
• Sadam Hussein's Iraq was a known threat and the world is safer with him gone
• America's safety depends on the outcome in Iraq and we will stay until they have a stable democracy
• American's continue to join the military and fight in Iraq and we will NEVER back down from the work they begun
• We are going to do for the Middle East what our grandparents and parents did in Europe
• Even people whose parents where killed in WTC are still joining the army and becoming firefighters
• America needs brave young people and Good American's help their neighbors in need because:

  The spirit of our people is the source of America's strength. And we go forward with trust in that spirit, confidence in our purpose, and faith in a loving God who made us to be free.

And here is my commentary:
The President claims that we are being tested: that Ordinary Americans have made Extraordinary Acts.
I am not surprised that the president has used the 9/11 memorial fervor to try to inspire people to join the army and other first responder type professions....and this is something I am torn about. On the one hand, we need these people and on the other hand I am not confident that those who join the military will only be sent to those areas where they will be fighting a just cause.

There is no doubt that there are many unsung heroes who have finally begun to receive the recognition they deserve. I only wish that singing their praise was not accompanied by a call to arms.

I also agree with the President that one of the defining issues of our age is the conflict between fundamentalists and the tolerant...

I hope people can see that we are experiencing this conflict on many fronts: not just internationally between Secular nations and Extreme Islam, but also within the United States between fundamentalist Christians who would like to dissolve the separate of church and state, which is the defining principle of the U.S.

We need to be able to practice what we preach...we need to have a working democracy here at home before we can export it to other nations.

The President still claims that Iraq was a clear threat.
I agree that the terrorists are people who do not have room for negotiation, but I do not agree that there was a the necessary evidence to warrent an attack on Iraq. Sadam Hussein was without a doubt someone worthy of being tried for his crimes against humanity, but he is not alone. There are other very, very bad world leaders out there with whom America still has diplomatic relations--no sanctions! Nothing! And so why is it that we have not addressed these other nations? Because they are not a threat to the United States? Perhaps. However, there are more issues that need to be addressed than the number of soldiers and first responders or the resources and laws needed to keep people secure, to stop terrorists from killing!

Is our safety tied to positive outcome in Iraq? I agree with the President that our future is tied to the near future of Iraq. The President is suggesting that if we leave Iraq we are walking out on our obligations and letting Iraq to be a safe hazen for terrorists.
I want troops out of harms way, and I have seen several documentaries that seem to suggest that the Iraqi citizens would like to see troops leave. However, from these same sources I have gathered that there is much work to be done to rebuild the infrastructure....troops from the Coalition of the Willing, as well as American and international nonprofits, nongovernmental organizations, and corporations will be needed in Iraq for several years to come...
Hopefully, troops will be phased out and Iraqi's will feel more and more like they control their own destiny.


We need to help our neighbors in time of crises, of this there can be no doubt.
But am I expected continue to help my neighbors if I think they are bad people? Do I have the right to ask my neighbors to at least try to be better people? What if my neighbor has asked me to stop helping him/her? Even if I think she/he need my support, should I not respect his/her wishes?
When he suggests that we stand by our neighbor, I wonder which nation he was thinking about: Iraq or Israel?

Americans are still in mourning!
Yes, many Americans are still mourning...and many Americans are not paying attention. They are hiding from what is depressing. Mini-series like The Path to 9/11 still have the potential to do good, even if part of their content is false) because they might lure more Americans into paying attention. Path to 9/11 can help viewers understand that 9/11 should NOT have been a huge surprise: people did see it coming!!! Not just people in the Clinton administration, but also people in the Bush administration. Without something like The Path to 9/11 people would have not have connected the various terorist attacks and attempted terrorist attacks that have occured over the last 20-plus years!! The terrorist related attacks that have occured might seem to the ordinary NEWS viewer to be a series of unrelated events, events like the 1983 bombing of a marines military base in Lebanon, the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, and the arrest of a man smuggling explosives across the Canadian border into Washington State, and the suicide bombing of the USS Cole, and 9/11!!!

While the President continues to make his point that the terrorists hate us and want to kill us because we love freedom is a tad too simplistic...but I will conceed that this issue is one that will continue to demand our resolve and dedication if we are to let freedom ring.

Path to 9/11

The Path to 9/11 began airing on ABC on Sunday, September 10 @ 8/7c. The story is continued on Monday, September 11 @ 8/7c. There has been some controversy about the portrayal of fictional events.
Why is this an issue?

On September 7th, ABC issued a statement that the attacks against their film were premature, that no one has seen the final cut and changes were still being made. Yet, it seems to me that the scenes that were being attacked as misrepresenting the actions of real people were still a part of the film. ABC did not seem to change the film to make it more honest, but instead may have just added more reminders to be sure we knew that it was a docuDRAMA and not a documentary. I am very concerned that the purpose of this film is to convince American's that we need to suspend some of the chain of command and privacy issues that are inplace to maintain good relations between nations as well as protect our personal freedoms.

Knowing that some of the story is false is important. A message flashed on the screen during the middle and at the end of Sunday nights' airing that reminded the audience that the film was based on the 9/11 commission report, personal interviews and other sources. The message reminded us that what we were watching was not a documentary and some characters were composites, some events were fictional, and in some instances time was compressed.
I wonder if the message was added in because of the controversy.

If The Path is a docu-drama, what are the fictional events?

So far, these are all the instanes that I know to be either "composites" or not at all true:
1) There was no moment when CIA agents teamed up with the North Alliance in Afghanistan to capture and possible kill bin Laden.
2) Madeline Albright did not warn Pakistan that tomahawk missiles would be flying through Pakistani airspace on the way to destroy bin Laden.

After the movie, ABC Nightline came on and let us know that there is more information being uncovered that indicate that there were attempts to take down bin Laden that fell through.

Even with the parts that were not contested for being fictionalized, there was an overwhelming theme: bureaucracy, the red tape, makes it difficult for the FBI and CIA to fight terrorists.

John O'Neil, the character played by Harvey Keitel, has many great lines that help build the main message: how can we fight a war with terrorists through the channels of law and order!
It seems to me, thus far, that the purpose of the fictionalized scenes is to emphasize the main point. It is possible that liberals and conservatives alike are both at odds with the film because it means that politics are the main problem in the war on terror.....tonight, everything happened on Clinton's watch, tomorrow it will be the G.W. Bush's administration who may be cast as the enforcers of red tape....

I am looking forward to finding out how the Bush administration is portrayed.

The issue of some scenes is that they are fictional and these are an important historic events. The issue with some of the scenes being fictional is that they may be misrepresentations of the acts of real people, like Madeline Albright.

Composite scenes, like those where CIA agents are working to locate and plan are one thing...maybe it happened that way and maybe it did not...there are few references to public figures (other than Massoud, the leader of the Northern Alliance). If this film were to be viewed by kids at school that would be the kind of scene that could be discussed in terms of the various reports about its accuracies...however the depiction of Madeline Albright doing something she claims she did not do seems to be more of an issue for the courts.

The film is a docudrama, which is why it is important to seek out multiple sources if a person is interested in knowing what really happened on the Path to 9/11.....this is also why it is important that people come out and discuss what really happened.

If some of the scenes are FALSE, I really hope the issue continued to be argued and that the truth is known.

We need to know if the actions of politicians held up law enforcement. We need to know how we can make protocol more fluid so that justice can be served and loss of life prevented. BUT we can not be convinced to forgo our civil rights in the name of national security!

Getting Perspective Through the Places We Go

It is hard to imagine other people and other ways of living. I really think that everyone should travel, near or far, to get a different perspective on living.

Going places was a relatively new thing for me, having had few trips that left my home state until after I was 17, and then I got on a plane and went to Brazil.

I did not really understand it or know that it would happen, but my perspective on the world has changed with each trip.

Not just the trips to places where people have an amazingly different life and I am struck dumb staring at something that is, to them, of course, amazingly common...oh no.
Even the trips I have made to the next town so I can visit the flea market or those I made across the country, camping at each stop...even these.

Is it just watching the pavement curve and the landscape fall and rise?

I would like to think I have seen a bit more of the U.S. than I have the rest of the world. I am not sure yet why this is important to me.

Maybe the significance of being familiar with my own nation comes from talking to far too many people who I label pretentious because they are more pleased to have traveled to other countries than to have visited their own nation. I am not sure if it is an issue of nationalistic patriotism, I think I would like people to have actaully seen a bit of the U.S. before they talk about it in huge sweeping gestures that seem to describe all those Americans who do not live in major cities as idiots...

Thankfully I have learned to limit my conversations with people who like to think most Americans are idiots and who also may have threatened to move to another country after Bush came into his second term...why go? I mean...we were needed more so than before! Of course, this talk died down and people went on with their lives and other were jolted into becoming much more politically active!

I am willing to consider that I am jealous that I have not traveled more....maybe with more cash and time, etc. etc.....I am basically suggesting that it is important to be open to learning from each travel experience, any travel experience....any experience actually.... and to not belittle places that are close simply because they are close and not foreign.


So I have been around the U.S. a bit, and here is a cool site I found that helps me show it.




create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.


I have also made it a point to try to visit the America's before I moved into the the Eastern Hemisphere. Again, I am not sure why exactly...but now you can judge me for the nations as well as the states I have visited...



create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands


It is, no doubt, important that Americans travel. Americans of all ages and classes need to see how other people live, not just in their own country but in others. Seeing how life happens for other people helps us develop. It hits us in a strange place that takes weeks, months, maybe years for the full processing and integration to occur and the effects to be felt in our waking life where we can then have compassion and imagination for others.

Just a few miles down the road or a 24 hour flight around the globe, its worth it.

My Opinion Matters?? Tips on how to fill a Bucket

I would very much like to think my opinion matters. However, I do not think it wise to take this too much to heart, to think that it is me, myself, and I whose voice matters.....I am a drop in the bucket, literally.

Now that I am in Pennsylvania, I signed up to get email alerts on Bob Casey's campaign for Senate. Yesterday, I received an email from Casey's campaign manager to let me know that in "just 18 seconds" I "can make a huge difference in beating Rick Santorum."
Pretty exciting, right. It is.

Apparently, Senator Barbara Boxer has a Political Action Committee for a Change. All I had to do was click on a link and I was sent to an online poll where I could vote for the Democrat I think Boxer's PAC should do some fundraising for next.

Luckily, Casey was tied for first place....all those little droplets that hit the bucket before me were making a differnce. This is where just a few droplets more could really help. I voted and promptly emailed the message I received to a few family members (I do not have many friends in PA, mainly family...I guess I could have sent the message to people who do not live in PA, but that would feel like cheating to me).

I did not use the system in place on Boxer's PAC for a Change to send the emails that would alert my family (and any potential friends) because I did not want them to be unwillingly added to any potential list. I was also careful to uncheck the box that was of course checked by default, this checked box would have made sure I was put on Boxer's PAC for a Change email list and who knows what else.

While I may be interested (and I am), I have been made aware of it and can now return to the website to examine it at my pleasure. I imagine that if I realize there is a lot going on that I am missing because I am not getting the notices or alerts, then I can sign up and write all my family (and friends) and tell them about all the interesting, do good for the world things we are missing.

I neglected to mention in my email to my family that there was a deadline for the vote, that is something that I should remember for next time. What I am most pleased with is that I let told them about a simple way to make their opinion, as well as my own opinion, matter without putting their emails into a database. I would hate for people to ignore or opportunities to get involved simply because they find the alerts too bothersome.

And there is such a thing as too bothersome in a campaign, like the door flyers that reappear everyday like a restaurant menu...or the recorded phone messages, which are indeed worse than the people doing the opinion calls.

So, if the people I contacted voted, along with a few hundred others (likely) we may have filled that bucket and helped Casey raise more money, which is indeed very important considering Santorum has apparently already raised $20 million!

As of 6pm July 20th, Bob Casey has 20% of the votes. The polling continues until 11:59 July 21st.T You can make a difference, give the online poll a try!

Patriotic?

It's the fourth of July, but I am not feeling very patriotic.

It's raining in Pennsylvania, for one thing. There will be fireworks somewhere nearby, but I do not feel like going.

I am sure that wherever people have gathered today they are waving flags and have ribbons with patriotic slogans on their cars...they may have a waterproof patriotic wristband like the girl in the photo.

I have heard the booms and blasts of neighbors setting off what are very likely illegal fireworks, the characteristic fall of pretty colors-a person can't buy that in a store, can they? I don't even feel like standing outside to watch this illegal display, despite my adoration for piracy.
Maybe it's the rain...

and maybe I am wondering where the money has gone....there are trillions missing from the treasury, many departments are alledgedly adjusting their budgets not balancing them, which you can learn more about at whereisthemoney.org.

or maybe somewhere in the back of my mind I am still wondering about those many unanswered questions about what our government knew about WMD, or a variety of other scandals. You can learn more about this by going to the hotseat.

It does seem to be encouraging to see people are going to jail for Enron, but there are so many more people who were involved who will never be brought to justice. But we still have articles like this one written about our president,Bush to abuse power more than any president in history, which is a tad depressing.

And yet, what is there to be done?

There are some people who hold on and keep reminding us of the score...of what needs to be answered and who needs to be brought to justice....these resources help people like me to write my letters to my representatives to remind them of what I think needs to happen. The trouble of course is that these resources are so hidden. The last two I listed were found while stumbling through the internet via StumbleUpon, which is a terrific compendium of websites with reviews and tags to help make for more theme-focused stumbling.

But the news should not be so buried.
So I will post some of these sites here....and hopefully more people will find them and be inspired to talk to people about what they know, how they feel, and maybe they (YOU) will also act by writing your representives or writing a letter to the editor.

We have to speak... we have to remember...we have to keep score!
This is our patriotism, and someday we may be able to make a bang louder than the illegal fireworks my neighbors set off.