May 2004 Archives
We finished (mostly) the pond yesterday in our flurry of yard work. Yes, vacation is over and I'm heading off to work in about 30 minutes. We added the topsoil and mulch for the plants, added some water plants and bought 3 new fish. Of course we named them: Jai, Kyan and Carson. Ted (aka George) is still in his winter home awaiting a transfer to Veronica Lake East. Here are some pictures of our progress.
Upon returning home I found a stack of mail that I had received over the past week. Offers to warranty my car, surveys, advertisements to buy a new car even though I just did, bills (yuck), and one letter from the U.S. House of Representatives. A letter informing me that under the Patriot Act I am in violation of ... ? No, but it the thought crossed my mind. Actually, it was from my Representative Sherrod Brown.
I've sent him a bunch of canned letter from HRC and such, I've written him letters myself, and he's always supported the positions I've asked him to. Doubtful it's just due to my wonderful writing, charm and persistence, but mostly because he's a decent person.
I opened the envelope and inside was a hand written letter with a short but sweet message. "Very good letter to the ABJ. [Akron Beacon Journal] Keep speaking out." Well, this is cool for two reasons. a) Sherrod Brown read my Letter to the Editor and thought it was good, and b) my letter actually got published. I had no idea it had been in an issue of the ABJ. Then I had to stop for a moment to figure out which letter it was that got published.
Sure enough it was one about gay marriage. Bill Seitz (a bigoted rep. in Ohio) wrote to the ABJ making points about Ohio's (notoriously discriminatory) DOMA that he sponsored. I fired back with my own viewpoint of DOMA. Sure enough on April 28, 2004, it appeared in the Beacon.
If you'd like to read my letter it's in the extended entry...
We're on our way home from Kansas. We've been in five states today and driven about 700 miles. Not too much crazy stuff on the road today. Except we hit a bird within an hour of setting off this morning. It hit the lower, driver's side of the windshield. We felt really bad for the poor bird, but we were also glad the windshield didn't break. Big 5 mile backup on I70 just east of Indianapolis on the westbound side. Looked like a Chevy Blazer and a trailer were in an accident. People were actually out of their cars talking and trying to see ahead. Listened to the best of The O'Franken Factor on XM's America Left - heard Al Gore's speech from Wednesday. It was quite good and insightful. Just got in and got some Pizza Hut - mmmm, BBQ chicken pizza!
Just about 4 more hours of driving tomorrow and we'll be home.
Jim tells this story the other day and I thought I'd share it with you...
A conniving man buys a box of Cuban cigars. Of course they are very expensive and so he insures them - you know, earthquake, theft, fire. So he smokes them all, and then files a claim with his insurance company. This is not quite what the insurance was for so they take him to court. Once in court the judge says in his ruling, "Well of course this is not right, but there was no stipulation in the insurance about how the cigars were to be burned." So he rules for the smoking man, and the insurance company cuts him a check for $48,000.
The man is elated that his little scheme worked. He takes his check to the bank with a gleam in his eyes. The moment he cashes it, the police appear and arrest him for arson.
Just goes to show you can't always beat the system...
Yahoo! News - U.S. to Announce New Terror-Related Threat
Is it homosexuals?
We saw this image on Yahoo! Photos (courtesy of Reuters) and Dan gave it the caption. Even the insects aren't happy with his environmental policy.
(source: U.S. President George W. Bush is chased by a cicada ...)
Last night 3 seperate and nasty thunderstorms came through SE Kansas. The first we got to watch as it was mostly off to the north. (That's where the picture above came from, although Jon got much better ones with his Canon G2) The lightning was non-stop. Storms rarely do that in Ohio.
The next storm came at 2:30am CDT, but that's not what woke me up. It was a 60lb dog panting and standing on my chest. Poor Maggie, she gets so freaked out by storms. I laid on the floor with her for a bit to try to calm her down. We all ended up watching the radar until the satellite internet connection pooped out. We got about .3 in. of rain from that one. The next storm came through at about 4am, no dog this time, but the wind and rain were very loud. Another .2 in. there. It's been awhile since a storm woke me up.
I love watching storms, and out here where the sky is so big they're increedible. Jon and I must have taken about 50 pictures of lightning. It was just very cool to sit on the lanai and watch the light show. At least until I was sleeping...
Right now on CourtTV they are discussing Mayor Gavin Newsom's actions regarding the gay marriages performed in San Francisco. Of course the questions are not limited soley to his actions, but to the validity of the specific marriages performed and the issue itself. I can't watch anymore. I just can't seem to stomach the issue being debated so inhumanly. Which statute, what law, what authority... What about the people? It's just the nature of these things, I know, but I guess I'm just not in the mood for it.
No doubt I will go back and watch it occasionally. It's like an addiction - I want to know what's going on and why. I just wish it weren't so intolerable to watch.
[update 5/25 3:20EDT] Lambda Legal sent this statement about the proceeding in the CA Supreme Court:
"The California Supreme Court today didn't hear from the most important voices on all of this -- the couples who are married or want to get married. The days of debating marriage for same-sex couples in the abstract are over, but you wouldn't know that from listening to today's argument. Earlier this year, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom put a face on this debate when he ordered officials to issue marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. There are thousands of real, living and breathing couples who know first-hand how important the protections of marriage are, but the court has not yet heard from them. Before ruling on the validity of those couples' marriages, the court must hear from the families who are affected and whose lives they are discussing. Those families will be irreparably harmed if their marriages are invalidated, and will suffer an even greater harm to their dignity if that happens without them even being heard from."-- Jon Davidson, Senior Counsel for Lambda Legal in its Western Regional Office in Los Angeles
Today I share my birthday with Drew Carey (46) and singer Jewel (30). Apparently, this day in 1934 Bonnie and Clyde were shot to death in Bienville Parish, LA - Yahoo! sent that little factoid to me in a birthday wish. :)
Tonight for the "Homo Film Fest" we watched The Fluffer. The movie is basically about the gay porn industry - well that's part of what it's supposed to be about. Part of the storyline is about a young gay man who falls for a straight guy who happens to be a gay porn actor. There's also the sub-plot about the porn actor who is having relationship issues with his girlfriend (go figure).
Well, having watched this movie twice I'm still not quite sure what the movie is really about. Granted it's an honest look at the gay porn industry - it messes everyone up who's in it apparently - but it doesn't really go into depth on that issue. Then there's the gay guy who's falling for the straight porn actor. Well, to me that's about wanting what you can't have. I'll go into that in a minute. And then the relationship issues with the porn actor and his girlfriend - that's kinda a given I suppose. Especially along with the fact that he's an ass and he's a drug addict. snooze.... This sub-plot could have been in any movie really, and doesn't add a whole lot to this one.
this movie seems to indicate as a "moral of the story" that you shouldn't want things you can't have especially when it's stupid to want it... Sean is awfully frustrating when he continues to go after this guy when it serves no purpose. A straight porn actor for a gay boyfriend probably isn't too good of an idea. Perhaps the movie is really about looking in the wrong places for things that you want. Sean looks for a relationship in a straight man, Mikey (the straight, gay porn actor) looks for success from the porn industry, his girlfriend looks for a relationship in a man who is a drug addict.
Granted it's an honest look at life, but it was a bit dry and repetitive. Other movies have people who fall for the wrong lovers, other movies have bad relationships, other movies have drug addiction issues. The one thing that made this movie different was the backdrop of the gay porn industry, and that wasn't all that revealing. The acting was decent, and the filmography was good. I just think the content didn't quite live up to its potential as it could have. But that's just my opinion.
933 miles and 15 hours later we arrived at our destination - my friend Dan's house in Kansas. Today is our first full day here, and it's wonderful. We're in a small town far away from civilization. Minus the internet of course! It's so quiet and peaceful. There's basically nothing on our schedule which is such a far cry from everyday life that it's almost unsettling at first.
The first few days we are here takes some adjustment. At home there's always something that needs to be done. Then there's always continuous thinking about work. Here it's the opposite. There's always something that can be done, but no immediate need to do it. Work is so far away that thinking about it is pretty much pointless. So strange to have time to just be. Jon and I have time to concentrate on each other without interruption. We have time to think about things we wouldn't normally be thinking about. And then there's our friends Dan and Jim whose company we love. We get to talk about different things, share experiences, catch up on the last few months since we've seen each other last, and just enjoy being around one another. (I especially enjoy Dan's wit). It's something that's lacking in everyday life for many people including myself.
Nothing quite like being in the company of good friends, peace and quiet, and time to think and relax. Good, simple, fun.
Gov. Romney needs to get his head out of 1913, and quit using trying to enforce laws that were meant for racial discrimination. It's really a pathetic attempt to continue archaic laws that we grew out of years and years ago. Now he places himself in the company of racists, as that was the pure and simple intent of that old law. I'm not sure he sees that. When one can use a law in whatever fashion suits the moment, it's a bad law. And Gov. Romney is a bad man. Unfortunately two wrongs don't make a right, they just get your head up your ass.
(source: Gov. Romney requests marriage records)
Will be on the road until Friday evening. The next blog will be posted from somewhere halfway across the country.
This Spring we discovered a few ants in the house. Not a major swarm or anything, but we don't want it to become a B-rated horror flick either. So tonight we went down to Ace Hardware to get some ant traps. There were many to choose from, all promising imminent death and destruction. Of course they are also printed in Spanish which makes it more interesting. It sounds much worse to have a bunch of hormigas in your house than a few ants. The box read "mata las hormigas." (kills the ants) For some reason that struck me as funny. I've always seen "matar" (to kill) used in the sense of a person killing someone or something. I just picture someone with a big knife killing the ants. OK, sometimes my sense of humor is a little off...
Bush made some statements yesterday about gay marriage that I thought were fairly contrary to the spirit of the day (being the 50th anniversary of Brown vs. BOE). But now I think his rhetoric was truely weak and cowardly. I'm saying this because yesterday Bush didn't "speak" his comments - the White House released a written statement about the gay marriages that were taking place.
I knew yesterday that the president had made a few comments, but I thought he had made them verbally. Now I find that he only released a statement. Apparently he can't even speak about this. I think that is cowardly. Maybe he wouldn't speak about it because what an ass he would be if on all these newlyweds' happy day he was off making a speech about what an abomination they were. Yeah, that might lose votes. Maybe he had to release something to appease the right-wing so he wouldn't lose other votes. Maybe he wouldn't speak about it because he wouldn't feel comfortable answering questions about the issue. Well, I suppose I can see that, especially when all your arguments are regurgitated statements that we've all heard before. Maybe he didn't speak about gay marriage because he can't defend his position. Maybe he didn't make a statement because he secretly supports equal rights for gays and lesbians. Oh wait, I thought he was a "compassionate conservative" for a moment there. Whoops!
Seriously, Bush's rhetoric has always been difficult for me to listen to, but it has become so repetitive and indefensible. There are many people who can debate the quality of their rhetoric, even those I disagree with, but Bush is not one of them. Personally, I'm sick of hearing it and hope it ends this year.
(the extended entry is the text of the statement released by the White House)
New photos posted. Flowers of Stan Hywet.
On the day 50 years since a landmark decision to desegregate in America it's ironic that that today gays and lesbians make a stride towards equality. Today Massachusetts began issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.
Bush attended events in Kansas to commemorate the Brown vs. Board of education decision which put an official end to discrimination in America's schools based on race. Here are some of his statements:
"Fifty years ago today, nine judges announced that they had looked at the Constitution and saw no justification for the segregation and humiliation of an entire race..."
"The habits of respect must be taught to every generation."
Well, Bush certainly isn't teaching respect to today's generation by showing disregard for equal rights for some Americans. And weren't those judges 50 years ago called "activist judges" by those who disagree? And weren't those who disagreed with that decision now considered to be racists? Bush had no place speaking in Topeka today.
Of course on this same day, Lambda Legal reports that Bush said that "the institution of marriage should not be redefined by a few activist judges." Is he aware of the strange, ironic dichotomy of making all of the preceding statements in one day?
(sources: Bush Marks School Integration in Kansas , Bush Statement as Marriages Begin in Massachusetts ...)
Today I went to Stan Hywet for Mayfair with my mom, sister and her husband. While browsing some of the merchandise they had, a woman tried to sell my mom a magnetic bracelet. She made all kinds of claims about how it would reduce/eliminate pain, increase energy, decrease fatigue, etc, etc. She asked my mom, "Do you have pain?" I thought that was a bit prying for a sales pitch. Basically she said this thing would cure anything you wanted it to. My sister, her husband and I were all trying to get my mom to get away from this incredulous woman. Later my mom said she was mostly staring at the lady's bad makeup job. She also quipped that if she had a hemorrhoid could she stick the magnetic thing up her ass for some relief?
We then stopped in to see the crafty stuff - mostly needlework, quilting and fabric crafts. They were all very nice, but there were a few rules and they were kinda strangely worded. Like when they didn't want you to touch the items the sign read, "DANGER! Embroidery - Do not touch." I wondered was this embroidery really dangerous? Was it like a Venus fly trap, it would just eat your hand? Ahh! Help! I'm being attacked by embroidery! I'd be found later on the floor with little strings hanging about my body... A gruesome needlework nabbing.
My sister and I also realized that we are probably bad restaurant patrons. When we go out to eat sometimes, we are gluttons and can't refuse dessert. You know, they show you the pictures and it just looks so good. When we leave and get into the car, we always joke about how full we are and make ghastly groaning noises. AAAAHH! AAARRG! We thought about it today, and people going into the restaurant must think we're sick from the food. I can just see it - "Ooh.. did you hear those people leaving and throwing up? Maybe we shouldn't eat here!"
The word of the day is "irreverent."
Today ended up being a long day. Jon and carpooled to work this morning so I ended up leaving 1/2 hour earlier than I usually do. However, I got to work 15 minutes late as it took us an hour to travel up 77, through the interchange, and up Route 8 which usually takes about 15 minutes tops. Truck lost a wheel...
I had a customer today who I swear had never seen a computer (or even a typewriter) in her life. She was trying to use one of the computers in the store and she kept asking me questions. Well, it was all fine until I told her to press "enter" and she asked where it was. wow...
Worked on the pond some more this evening. We're actually close to completing it and getting the fish in there. Just have to move a little more dirt around, level a few things, then get the pump running. I'll post some pictures when we're done. (or alomst done as nothing is ever really, truly done). I wish I had $1000 to just go buy flowers and other plants and things for the yard. There's just so much I'd love to do. All in good time though. The next project, the patio, is already looming ahead of us.
I see the US Supreme court turned down a last minute attempt to block the gay marriages from happening in Massachusetts next week. Good for us! So that's 3 courts that have rejected these attempts to keep us in our place in society... Not bad... Good news, good weather, lovely.
Having a little dinner party here at the house tomorrow. Just family coming over really. Going to cook out and watch a Michael Moore movie. Should be fun!
[end of stream of consciousness blog entry.]
The Complete Bushisms - Updated frequently. By Jacob Weisberg
Perhaps you've seen this elsewhere - I know I've seen a few of these "Bushisms" floating around. Here they are though all in one place. It's like listening to a stand-up comic except it's not funny at all. Here's a few of my favorites:
"I'm also not very analytical. You know I don't spend a lot of time thinking about myself, about why I do things."—Aboard Air Force One, June 4, 2003
"You're free. And freedom is beautiful. And, you know, it'll take time to restore chaos and order—order out of chaos. But we will."—Washington, D.C., April 13, 2003
"I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family."—Greater Nashua, N.H., Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 27, 2000
There's also a rather interesting article about Mr. Bush on MSN/Slate called The Misunderestimated Man
Spent a lot of time in the sun today (which my dermatologist forbids me to do) working in the yard again. I raised a flower bed about 2 inches so that it looks, drains, and will grow better. It took a few hours, partly because I had to haul the dirt around the yard and then decided to add some edging. And as I get older I realize I sweat like my dad.
ER's season finale was this evening. I can't believe Sam is leaving! I hope she's not gone from the show for good. And I wonder who got shot in the car. And will Dr. Weaver get to see her son again? The suspense.. the anticipation. Not that it will be on again until sometime in October! Since when did the TV seasons get so short and far apart?
Gas is topping $2.05 here - Jon tanked up just before prices went up at $1.95. I read that crude oil hit $41/barrel today. The last time it was this high was when the last Bush was in office and took us to war in the Middle East. Anyway, we're car pooling to work tomorrow.
I just can't express how happy I am that Spring is here! The trees are green, our plants and grass are going nuts, and we can walk outside in our sandals again. There's also something I noticed when driving around more rural areas like the one we live in... you can smell flowers as you drive. I don't think that happens much in the city. I know, it's silly, but it's the little things in life that sometimes make me so happy.
Let's see how far I get this time. Just a wee bit light headed right now. Not crabby. Had dreams that I broke down and smoked. Strangely I woke up this morning feeling pretty good. Got the fruit juice going and drinking lots of water.
22 hours, 15 minutes and 55 seconds. 13 cigarettes not smoked, saving $2.09. Life saved: 1 hour, 5 minutes.
Just finished mowing the lawn again. I just mowed the back lawn Thursday. Last year at this time the yard was a big muddy mess. No grass, just some nasty looking weeds here and there. Now many parts of the yard are a lush green. It's so nice... We're still working on getting the pond finished, but the other day we got the algae remover stuff and the plants that remove fish waste and oxygenate the water. (I can't remember what they're called at the moment - all I can think of is asparagus and I know that's not it.)
[update 5-13-04: With Jon's expertise, I now remember the name of that plant. It's anacharis. Yesterday I all I could think of besides asparagus was aspertame. Short term memory problems or something...]
Many parents shop at my store with their kids. Some are very well behaved while others are not. Tonight, two of the latter variety were away from their mother, who had her back turned to them about 15 feet away, and decided to play around with some of our telephones. They picked them up over and over, each time causing a phone to ring that we use to pick up customer calls. Of course they said nothing or some sort of gibberish. After a few of these calls, I was asked to make sure these kids stopped playing with the phones.
I quickly went over to where the kids were playing. I looked around and seeing no one watching the children, kindly asked them to stop playing with the phones. Done deal right? Shortly thereafter I went to take my lunch. I was peacefully sitting on the bench outside, enjoying the warm weather and talking with my boyfriend on my cell phone since I didn't get to see him today. Suddenly this woman walks up and says "excuse me!" I'm thinking it should be obvious to anyone that I'm on a break, but I put the phone down and ask how I can help her. She tells me how she didn't appreciate that I went and told her kids to stop playing with the phones, and how I should have approached her first. I told her I didn't see her anywhere, that they were causing a disruption to our business, and that's why I asked them to quit playing. She insisted that she was mere feet from them, and that I was very rude and should have spoken to her. Umm.. ok. May I take the rest of my break now?
There are several problems with this woman. a) should I have stood amongst all the people that were near the children and announced "whose children are these?" I'm sure that would have impressed her. b) they were causing a disruption to our business and playing with our property, and let me just mention these aren't just goofy little phones. They are hooked up to a computer and are not inexpensive c) if she had been watching her children instead of letting them entertain themselves however they pleased, I would not have had to say anything. The gall of this woman. Had her kids been swiped from the store I'm sure we would have been to blame then too, right? Because we weren't watching her children...
Again, I must say that people who lack responsibility often have a lot of nerve blaming their inadequacies on other people.
Just when I thought I had seen the worst of the restroom messes, today's nasty came along. It was so horrible, the image is forever stuck in my head. In case you're not already aware, a "code brown" is the unofficial term we use at my store to indicate someone has made a poopy mess somewhere. Normally a mess of this magnitude would have caused us to simply close the restroom, but it was so early in the day and we were told to clean it by a supervisor. (who did nothing to help us out by the way)
This one was in the women's restroom, and it happened within the first hour we were open this morning. I don't know how it was done, nor can I think of anything that could rationalize this "accident" except that someone was extremely drunk and/or high when it happened. I'll try not to be too graphic here, but it was on the seat, all over the toilet, the floor, 2 walls and a chiar that was in the handicap stall. The smell was horrific. A friend and I got to attempt to clean the disaster which was basically taking a wet mop and cleaning while staying as far back as possible. We were unable to clean the carrots. Yes, it was that bad.
I'm sorry if you read this before, during or after a meal. But people, what in hell would make a person do this? If you left your home knowing you couldn't control your bodily functions, then what would you be on? I'm just baffled, disgusted, and amazed that someone had the gall and ability to do what even monkeys in the zoo do not do. Really, I shouldn't be surprised.
My sister's husband graduated from Kent State University today. Congratulations to him! He is a great guy and a wonderful husband for my sister, and he deserves the best. I hope he reaps many rewards from his hard work!
For those who may remember my post about a previous graduation ceremony that I attended, I'm not real fond of them. Although they are traditional and all, the ones I've been to are like high school pep rallies. It's depressing to see how juvenile people can be. For one, everyone is there to see their graduate walk across the stage and to hear their name called. When the people sitting behind you are yelling so loud it rings in your ears, how could you possibly hear anything? Common courtesy - it's missing from graduation ceremonies entirely. Then there's the antics as people get antsy from sitting so long. I feel for the poor graduates who have last names that end with a Z. While they were graduating, a man was flinging a child out from the bleachers as the child screamed with glee. What was it, a circus?
Don't get me wrong, it's not that it should be a solemn thing like a funeral, but at least be respectful. The graduates deserve their moment in the spotlight, unlike the people with the air horns.
The American Assembler - States With Higher IQ Vote Democrat
Saw this link over at Bill & Kent's - too funny!
I figured I probably wouldn't watch it, but I did. I didn't watch Friends regularly, but every once in awhile I watched one, and they were usually good shows. Always had a laugh, weren't too cheesy... Tonight's final episode, although predictable, was funny and touching.
I also happened to catch Jay Leno tonight and to commemorate the end of the show the entire cast of Friends were there. The guys seemed like they were into being there, and answered a few questions about the show etc etc. The women from the show, however, seemed like they were so bothered. Lisa even mentioned about how she tried to cancel last week, Courtney seemed like she was either sick (from being pregnant) or just too bothered to be there, and Jennifer, well, she was pretty friendly. Just strange I thought...
Anyway, who cares. I made a lovely dinner this evening (a Chicken Florentine croissant ring, seasoned potatoes and a delightful pasta salad), helped move about a ton of topsoil into flower beds, and thoroughly washed my car. (even RainXed the windows and put that stuff on the tires that makes them look all shiny) Of course the rain is on its way - looks like a couple of thunderstorms tonight whilst I sleep. Overall, a lovely day. Tomorrow I work at the service desk, so I'm bound to have a story for you then.
I'm digressing from the political blogging to do some yard work today. I just finished mowing the back yard. Jon mowed the front yesterday evening, and it was my job to do the back. When I used to mow the yard at my parents' house, it was always a chore of mine. I didn't necessarily dislike it, but it wasn't enjoyable really. So I was looking forward to mowing the yard today with the same general sense of neutrality.
I started up what I will call the SuperMower and began. Part of the yard is still very wet from where the septic system is not working properly (soon to be taken care of) and I turfed it a bit there. Once that was done, I can actually say I enjoyed mowing the yard. Why? It's my grass, my yard. It's kinda silly, but it's different when you're taking care of your own yard. It's more rewarding.
Although our flower beds are far from finished, there are some beautiful flowers that have come up this Spring. The lilacs were also smelling particularly fragrant this wonderful, warm Spring day. Next I think I will wash my car. Can't stay inside blogging on a day like today!
PS. In case you're wondering, the "super mower" is a Club Cadet mower. It's one of those self propelled jobbies that on high setting makes you jog behind it and will plow through just about anything. It starts by pulling a lever, and plows through swampy grass like butter. :)
CNN was broadcasting President Bush's interviews with Al Hurra and Al Arabiya this morning. I watched them with some anxiety, wanting to be sure that Bush was behaving himself and presenting a reassurance that the abuses in the prisons would be dealt with appropriately.
I was pleasantly surprised to observe that he wasn’t smirking as much as he normally does. That was a concern to me – that he would say what needed to be said all the while smirking and making people angry. He inappropriately chuckled a few times though. One such instance was when he was asked about the situation in Falluja – about how it was resolved and if it was a defeat to the coalition. He chuckled, then said something about how we have a strategy of empowering Iraqis to step up to take control of security issues. Was that funny or did I miss an inside joke?
He also used the wording “the Iraqi people need to understand…” I found this somewhat condescending. As if they didn’t understand what was going on and he was going to explain it to him. Later in the analysis on CNN, a reporter said that in translation those words would be very upsetting to Arabs. She seemed to think that in English it wasn’t that condescending. I thought it was to begin with. It’s such a tenuous situation – we should have a person with a better command of language to represent Americans to the world.
He also wanted to bring out the message that the abuses and the people who committed them do not represent the majority of Americans or the coalition. “The America that I know is a compassionate country that believes in freedom.” (President Bush on Al Hurra) While I agree with that statement in its most basic meaning, I take issue with it when it concerns President Bush. Under his administration we have been less compassionate than ever, and lost more freedoms than in many years. The point was also made about how the investigation will be transparent to the world (just like the WMD evidence?) and that “[the Iraqis] will know the truth just as the American citizens will know the truth.” While that may be true, I question what truth that will be. I don’t exactly have the utmost faith in the Bush Administration to give the American public the complete and unedited truth.
President Bush avoided saying that we went after Saddam for the WMDs, but he did try to further the terrorist connection. When asked if America would be doing the same thing to other countries to promote freedom as we did in Iraq he said, “Saddam had terrorist ties.” (President Bush on Al Arabiya) He was rationalizing using military force in Iraq as a special situation. In other countries we would simply be encouraging reform and being an example of how wonderful a free society can be.
While I can support him for his effort, I would rather be an example to the rest of the world without him as President.
I was just reading Postcards from Nowhere and there was a post about Abu Ghraib. Buck says something about the events at the prison being a reflection of our own society's values. That really brought this event home to me. I was thinking before about how terrible this was even though thousands of miles away. I thought about the people who had become victims of America's will. I was angered by what Americans had done to other human beings.
Now I'm thinking about what this means for us here at home who are watching these events with distant eyes. This isn't just about an event that happened far away, it's about how we treat each other here and now. People here are taught to be untrusting of their neighbors, and to dislike those are different for perceived threats. We are taught to fend for ourselves and maintain distance from others. We are taught to scapegoat others for our own shortcomings and to forget to try and improve ourselves for humanity's sake.
Just think about it. The hot-button gay marriage issue: There's hate, lies and violence all around us. It's all political bullshit and we're forgetting about the human side of things. These are real people's lives we're talking about, and all the hate and lies we've been taught is for someone else's benefit. Religious leaders scapegoating gays and lesbians while priests molest people in their own churches. Politicians telling people to hate and fear gays all the while raking in political contributions promising to "stop them gays." Let's get real, what this is really about.. caring about other people. Perhaps if we'd see the human side of issues, we'd care less about who gets married and more about injustices everywhere in the world.
What you do has an effect on everything and everyone around you. No scapegoating, no blaming, no irrational hate. They say hate starts at home, and that's where Abu Ghraib is too. It's not over there somewhere far away - it's here. And it's your job as much as anyone else's to make sure it never happens again. < /rant >
My primary concern at this point regarding the war in Iraq is the safety and future of the people there. I’m still aggravated about the manner in which our president got us involved, but that is the past and it will reflect in November. Now my attention is focused on the news of how we are handling the situation in Iraq, and what we are or are not doing to better it for the people.
Abu Ghraib existed before we “liberated’ Iraq. Many were send there by Saddam’s forces; many wondered if it was a fate worse than death. Former prisoners have described the gulag as a place that was “overcrowded, putrescent, disease-infested cells where the threat of violence, including beatings, torture and summary execution, was ever-present.” (Washington Post) People were tied and hoisted into the air so that they suffered permanent damage. That was under the tyranny of Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Now the prison is under Coalition control, and the abuse stories are getting more attention. American GIs are now the ones inflicting the inhuman treatment. And our government has done nothing about it until they could no longer ignore it. (Seems that’s how the Bush Administration handles everything) It was reported that the “Defense Department officials have known at least since January about the problems at Abu Ghraib, and he said they were slow to respond.” (AP News) How can this have happened under our care of the nation?
Anti-war demonstrators were dismissed with the phrase “focus group” when the war started. Legislators bowed to the White House to make the war happen. It often seems that there is nothing that we can do to make this situation better. But there is November, and if you do nothing else at all, think about who you want to be in charge of the Iraqi situation. I know for me it won’t be the current regime.
Sources:
Shedding Light On a Symbol Of Iraqi Terror – Washington Post
Bush: GIs Who Abused Prisoners Should Pay - AP News
I'm not quite sure what to make of this. A few nights ago Grandma was watching the news (FOX 8) and there was a story about a restaurant that was initiating a "thong policy" for the waitresses. The policy was basically that they were not allowed to wear a thing while working. The reason was (and this was kinda unclear) was that it didn't provide enough coverage or protection for liquids.
Now this raises some disturbing questions, none of which you would want to think about while eating at a restaurant. First is, how is this policy enforced? I mean, I don't think thong checks are a legal activity for an employer. Second, why does coverage matter? I mean, aren't the waitresses wearing pants or some other socially acceptable covering? And third, protection from liquids? I'm sorry but if customers need protection from possible leakage from waitresses' underwear you've got bigger problems than thongs.
My apologies if you think about this the next time you dine out.
ExxonMobil profit hits 13-year high on gas prices - 04/30/04
Funny, I thought higher prices were due to the high price of crude oil.
I think I dream every night, but most mornings I remember my dreams for only a few minutes after I wake up. Only unless I tell someone about them in that time do I remember them for longer. I spoke with my mom shortly after I woke up this morning so I remember them, and so I'll post them here for your enjoyment. (or whatever)
The first dream was pretty simplistic. I was at the dinner table and a dog came up and was trying to get to my food. It was a little dog though, and the menacing nature of the dog didn't bother me because it was so small. Shortly after, a larger dog walked up. This was a huge dog - it's head was bigger than mine. I just remember that it was big, black and had this strange look in its eyes.
The second dream was that I had gone camping with Jon's family, but we were staying in this cabin. It was apparently so modern that it had a laundry facility in it. So we did some laundry and when we opened the dryer we discovered that a small skunk had climbed into the machine and was there with the laundry. I told Jon to get rid of it and he threw it into the trash. We thought it was dead, but then it started to move. I went to go find my cat, Lucy, because I was afraid the skunk might attack her. Next thing you know the skunk is chasing us around the house, but instead of just one cat we had tons of kittens that we were trying to save from the skunk.
Last one was at work. We hired a bunch of cashiers and I was meeting them all. One of them had a strange name - Taco. My mom asked if her last name was Bell... :)
