Friday, August 31, 2007

All weddings should be gay... I mean Happy

Just saw it and felt a tip of the hat is needed for Judge Robert Hanson; who has decided that Iowa's law banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and ordered Polk County to issue SIX marriage licenses to six gay couples.

Not sure if his ruling will survive the Iowa STATE SUPREME Court but if it does- It will make Iowa the SECOND state to allow gay marriage... and both will achieved this status not through the voters but because a bunch of judges have decided, as the Supreme Court did decades ago, that seperate but equal- isn't.

Labels:

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Words Fail Me...

I'm not really sure what to say about this image:

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

I know I had to share it. I know I should comment on it, but really- what can I say?

I guess I'll start by pointing out that Ok has plates for the Victims and Survivors of the Murrah Building, which was a TERRORIST attack in OK.
I emphisize victims and survivors because, well that's who it's for.
So already we start having a double standard, because OK came out with a plate for THEIR attack, but only allowed people who were victims or survivors get them... so already a 'double' standard- as ANYONE can get their '9/11' plate- with the TWIN TOWERS.
Oh- that's another double standard- notice how the place for the OKC terrorist attack doesn't HAVE the Murrah Building on it.

The OKC plate also doesn't have AN EAGLE or other symbol of AMERICA... I guess that's because the terrorist was... well... an American.

Then there's the price difference. For a nominal fee( besides being a victim/survivor of OKC) you can get THEIR plate- but for the GWOT- or as I like to call it- TWAT( The War Against Terrorism)- costs $37. No word on if any of that $20 or so goes to "the Jersey Girls" or to otherwise help fund TWAT.

I guess what really pisses me off- is I see this as a jingoistic and warmongering AND I feel that most of the people who died on that fateful day wouldn't be given the time of day in OK on Sept. 9th.
Would they call these people, many of whom were immigrants, AMERICANS if they had not died on that day of dates? Or would the people of OK, tell them to LEARN ENGLISH and to STOP TAKING JOBS AWAY FROM REAL AMERICANS?

I'm just made angry and sick about this. Oh and it prolly doesn't help that the people who buy this plate most likely drive SUVs to NASCAR and wouldn't think for a second to slow their oil consumption and think that bombing Mecca would show Osama/Saddam what for.

Labels:

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Freedom

This July Fourth I mourn the rights of people who are NOT rich white REPUBLICANS. Yes, it has come down to the fact that not only do you have to be rich and white in the country but you have to REPUBLICAN. I say this to compare Bill Clinton and Scooter Libby; both were ‘charged’ with lying under oath. Bill Clinton lied about having an extra martial affair, which I personally think is nobody’s business but Bill’s, Hillary’s and their lawyers. For lying to congress about his affair, Republicans tried their danmedest to impeach Clinton. It boggles my mind how many millions of tax dollars were spent by the special prosecutor Kenneth Star to convict Clinton. In the end Clinton ‘won’ because the American people were more concerned with how good a president Bill was then how good a person he was.
L. ‘Scooter’ Libby was charged with the same crime- lying under oath. Scooter however didn’t lie about his personal life; he lied to a criminal prosecutor to obscure who outed a CIA agent. Now, in the first place- The Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982 made it a felony to knowingly disclose the identity of a covert government agent. In the second place, as the Republicans constantly tell us- we’re at war; and thus outing an undercover agent (who’s bailiwick was uncovering WMDs) should be a treasonous act- punishable by a firing squad.
So on one hand you have Bill who is trying to protect his marriage (and POSSIBLY the reputation of a young intern); on the other hand you have L. Scooter Libby who lied to protect say Karl Rove (or another high level Republican) from facing criminal prosecution for breaking a MAJOR law protecting our men and women in covert agencies- people who risk their lives on a regular basis to help protect this country.
According to Republicans- who are now the law of the land by 5 to 4, Clinton should be ashamed of himself and have been impeached for cheating on his wife- NEVERMIND the fact that several of the people trying to impeach him have also cheated on their wives (Gingrich and Delay to name the two biggest guns.) Meanwhile according to the SAME Republicans Libby lying to protect his boss/ his boss’s best friend (Rove or Cheney) for lying to the American People and getting us into war (which currently has a death count of 3,500+ American Soldiers and 66,000+ Iraqis) should get a pass. While W. did NOT pardon Libby (though he still could) he commuted the sentence and several commentators feel that W. will get a bounce in the polls. Yes, his numbers will go UP. See Republicans realize that Scooter lied to protect Rove and/or Cheney and felt that Scooter was thus a ‘good soldier’ and should be ‘rewarded’ with a pardon. Enough Republicans feel this way that many of their presidential candidates in a debate said they would pardon Libby/ W. should pardon Libby.

What I thought was the MOST interesting of W. commuting of the sentence- Bush said “"I respect the jury's verdict. But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive," Now what I’ve latched onto is- W. admitting that Libby did INDEED break the law just as the Jury found Libby guilty; he just disagrees with the JUDGE’S verdict. Because of course the Judge is an ‘activist’ liberal… never mind that he was a Republican appointee (as was 2 of the 3 judges who felt Libby should start SERVING it.).
In fact for Libby to accept Bush’s commutation, he has to stop his appeal process and basically accept the guilty verdict- which should help the Wilsons sue him in civil court.

Meanwhile a google news search for supreme court 5-4 got me 4,159 and is only gonna get me more during the next couple of decades. THIS really is the legacy that W. is going to leave us. During their confirmation hearings, ‘future’ Supreme Court judges Roberts and Alito promised their support of De Jure- which means they promised that their FUTURE rulings would be based on passed laws. They lied. Roberts and Alito said this because they KNEW this is what the Democrats in congress wanted to here- that Roberts and Alito would NOT overturn rulings such as Roe V Wade and Brown V Board of Education- oh wait they did.
The first link that I clicked on had several RECENT 5-4 decisions show the way the court is going… The first is of course using Brown V Board of Education to ATTACK the Brown ruling. The majority said that BUSING kids to PROMOTE racial mixing was racist because it acknowledged racial differents.
The other ruling- which goes to MY point of Justice for Republicans is Hein v. Freedom from Religion Foundation. The group Freedom from Religion Foundation was suing because they are peeved with the White Houses’ Faith Based Initiatives; the Foundation argued that THEIR money should not be used to promote religions. The court ruled that a 1968 law ONLY applied to congressional spending on religious promotion- as Freedom from Religion Foundation was suing due to the WHITE HOUSE’S Faith Based Initiatives, and the law didn’t apply to the EXCUTIVE Branch.
I could go on- but a) you can click on above to read more and b) I find it ‘interesting’ that it’s a JEWISH website complaining about the SCOTUS ruling FOR the White House giving money to religion.

The second link in this post on the Republicans and the difference between enforcement of laws comes from Brad Blog where they have a clip of Michelle Malkin attacking Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff for not properly enforcing the laws AGAINST immigrants, saying “"it is not a bumper sticker to say that we should enforce the laws that are on the books." Meanwhile on the same program she has two strategists saying that Bush commuting Libby’s sentence was “the right thing to do.

I now want to switch gears because I got a little pissed yesterday at something that happened to me. I went to the MA RMA to get a Learner’s Permit. I have a co-worker who has been begging me for months to get a Learner’s Permit so she can teach me how to drive. Her last day at the store is Thursday so I went yesterday- my day off and waited close to two hours (didn’t bring a watch as I didn’t want to know how long I was waiting). I was denied the permit as I couldn’t jump the FIRST hurdle- I didn’t have proper id. The id I brought with me was my MA ID- it has a) my picture, b) my date of birth, c) my signature and d) my address. It shows that I am in the MA system… and to have GOTTEN this ID- I had previously proved to Massachusetts that a) I was born here in the United States B) My date of birth( so that they could know that I can buy liqueur) C) where I lived- so they knew I lived in Massachusetts. This apparently was NOT enough. Even though when I leaned over to look at the computer- I could see that the clerk pulled up my MA ID, I was told I needed to bring my Passport or SOCIAL card. I ended up get a booklet about driver licenses from someone else (a bit smelly so I want to get another one the next time I go). In the booklet it says I need FOUR forms of ID to get a MA learner’s permit OR MA ID You need a passport and documents proving a) date of birth, b) residence and c) signature. The fine print states that you can’t use ANY document to prove more then one. So even though my Massachusetts ID has ALL three- my dob, my residence and my signature- and this is ALL in the computer… I need to bring three other documents. So yesterday before I went to dinner I found my Birth Certificate= DOB, an electrical bill= residence, my passport as this seems one of the MUST haves and I can indeed use my MA ID to show my signature.
I find it interesting that they don’t ask for PICTURE as a need. I mean odds are they’re going to get it if I bring 4 documents… but part of me wonders if I should double check the documents and see if THEORETICALLY I could get away with no photos… though again they have a picture of me in the system( a picture with me fat and a beard).

So how will I be ‘celebrating’ the forth? I’m just glad that I got a 3 day weekend- as I don’t have to work today (even though the store is OPEN).
That’s it. I might go to the movies- but I don’t plan to see 1776 (as I usually do on the 4th) as a) I was freer last year in Amsterdam on the forth and b) I’m more in the mood for Assassins( which will never be a movie) then I am in 1776.

Labels: ,

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

She who should not be named

I knew that Coultergist was appearing on Hardball yesterday- and it was pretty much softball I read as she was given an hour to fill with her hate speech... I've also read that Matthews pretty much let her get away with ALL of her lies.( I still remember her arguing with a Canadian Newsperson about Canada's "roll" in 'Nam).

However I'm shining a light on Coultergist's appearance because Mrs. Edwards called in and complained about the personal attacks her and her husband have had to deal with.



Not sure what amazes me more- the fact that Coultergist( like many repubs) seem to feel that the past is the past and not to be brought up( unless it's 9/11 or Bill's sex life)... as Coultergist mentions at several points that what S/HE said was AGES ago...

OR HIS/HER admission that S/HE can't write a book without insulting SOMEONE.

Labels:

Friday, June 15, 2007

Good Local News

Ok... The 'Bluest of blue states' just batted in a grand slam as far as I'm concerned. The state congress voted to NIX the idea (suggested by Mitt) of having the Commonwealth vote on GAYS right to marriage. During the last meeting of congress he strong armed them to vote on putting it to the voters to change the Ma. constitution to ban gay marriage. He needed (and got) 50 votes out of like 190, a pretty small hurtle when you consider how even though Ma. is pretty liberal, by definition most politicians are conservative. Politicians want to please the most people as possible, which often means taking a middle of the road position, even if most of their voters would prefer them to stick their necks out… So in the first meeting the opponents of Gay marriage were able to get their 50 votes with a few votes to spare.
Then Ma., after 16 years, votes in a Democrat for governor- Patrick. Patrick goes on the offensive and asks Congress to nix the vote for a Gay Marriage amendment- as he does NOT want people voting on other people’s rights. Just in case it needs to be noted, Patrick is black- and it was the U.S. Supreme Court, not the American voters who decided that separate but equal- wasn’t.
The head of congress however, wanted to bring things to a vote this year- I guess to show that they were listening to the people n’ stuff (see above- politicians want voters to see them as moderates)…. So the vote for Gay Marriage was called on Thursday and to my surprise that the Right failed to get their 50 votes.

So Gay Marriage remains legal in Ma. until a) the evil forces get the Ma. congress to vote twice in a row to change the constitution, which according the article could happen as ‘early’ as 2012. Would that we could threaten to put some sort of amendments in the State constitution to threaten the other side. Like say an amendment that codifies anti abortionists as terrorists- because a) they are and b) I’d to find if you could find 50 state congressmen in the bluest of blue states to call them out.

Labels:

Saturday, June 02, 2007

It's Good to Be King

Today's disturbing news.

Friday, May 11, 2007

You Give Love a Bad Name


According to Drudge, Massachusetts Governor and dark horse Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said the following to 60 Minutes: I must admit, I can't image anything more awful than polygamy.

I get that the guy wants to call potential voter attention away from his Moronism, but really, you can't think of anything more awful than polygamy? Granted, the thought of multiple nagging partners is definitely less pleasant than just the one, but not anything? You know, just off the top of my head, I can think of a few things more awful than polygamy:

Cost of the War in Iraq
(JavaScript Error)

More than 13 million global AIDS deaths (with more than 30 million living afflicted).

Quite personally, I think cancer sucks just a wee bit more than polygamy. But that might just be my singular bias. And then, of course, there are all of the other painful and/or incurable diseases out there that naming them all would take me well on into Alzheimer's, so I'll let you, gentle reader, insert your favorite affliction here.

Poverty in the United States and abroad. Of course, I bet the parents of all these starving kids are just thankful--at least their kids don't have multiple spouses!

School shootings.

Child abuse.

Broken families.

Donald Trump's hair.

Fanaticism, oppression, hatred and ignorance.

I'm sure all of you can easily add to this, the point being, Mitt Romney saying there's nothing more awful than polygamy is bullshit, and if his brain really can't imagine any of these other things then he just might not be the most fit for holding an office.