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jam-packed show last night
Here's another video from Rachels show last night, this one shows Congressman Eric Massa of NY telling Cheney to shut up! Good stuff!
Rachel says it best!!
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God I hope the conservative trolls watch this video!! PlEEEEEEse watch it!
shut up Dick
Here is Cheney’s full statement:
"As I’ve watched the events of the last few days it is clear once again that President Obama is trying to pretend we are not at war. He seems to think if he has a low key response to an attempt to blow up an airliner and kill hundreds of people, we won’t be at war. He seems to think if he gives terrorists the rights of Americans, lets them lawyer up and reads them their Miranda rights, we won’t be at war. He seems to think if we bring the mastermind of 9/11 to New York, give him a lawyer and trial in civilian court, we won’t be at war.
“He seems to think if he closes Guantanamo and releases the hard-core al Qaeda trained terrorists still there, we won’t be at war. He seems to think if he gets rid of the words, ‘war on terror,’ we won’t be at war. But we are at war and when President Obama pretends we aren’t, it makes us less safe. Why doesn’t he want to admit we’re at war? It doesn’t fit with the view of the world he brought with him to the Oval Office. It doesn’t fit with what seems to be the goal of his presidency – social transformation—the restructuring of American society. President Obama’s first object and his highest responsibility must be to defend us against an enemy that knows we are at war.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/31054.html#ixzz0bBMLR4c6
Cheney and rethugs always seem to forget 9/11 happened on their watch, so when they are quick to condemn Obama and accuse him of being soft on terror, it's laughable. Once again Dick, just shut the hell up!
relatives...
We all have those relatives, the ones from the "right" who will argue til they're blue in the face. They don't see one single good thing about this president or the current Congress. They say things will NEVER improve in our country, jobs will NEVER come back, we will NEVER get out of debt. Its nothing but negativity and gloom and doom......
I'm talking about my younger brother. He was on the Obama bandwagon then fell off, I think head first cuz now he's reciting Glenn Beck. He talks about the 52 trillion dollar debt our country has, yes he said 52 trillion. He talks about the world ending in 2012. He says we are doomed and nothing will ever be the same...We talked about the HC bill and the first words out of his mouth were "the government will pay for abortions"! OMG, he is listening to all the Fox Faux Noise idiots!!! I'll never be able to talk to him without the insane talking points from Beck butting into every sentence!
I asked him to read the 90 accomplishments of the Obama first year, he just rolls his eyes and won't even read the list! How can you reason with people like him??
He says Congress will go back to rethug majority, but then he says there is no difference between democrats and republicans so it doesn't matter.
Me, I don't like the doom and gloom talk, it gives me anxiety. Are things gonna get better?? Or are we doomed?....please tell me he is wrong....
I'm talking about my younger brother. He was on the Obama bandwagon then fell off, I think head first cuz now he's reciting Glenn Beck. He talks about the 52 trillion dollar debt our country has, yes he said 52 trillion. He talks about the world ending in 2012. He says we are doomed and nothing will ever be the same...We talked about the HC bill and the first words out of his mouth were "the government will pay for abortions"! OMG, he is listening to all the Fox Faux Noise idiots!!! I'll never be able to talk to him without the insane talking points from Beck butting into every sentence!
I asked him to read the 90 accomplishments of the Obama first year, he just rolls his eyes and won't even read the list! How can you reason with people like him??
He says Congress will go back to rethug majority, but then he says there is no difference between democrats and republicans so it doesn't matter.
Me, I don't like the doom and gloom talk, it gives me anxiety. Are things gonna get better?? Or are we doomed?....please tell me he is wrong....
The Nativity - God's protest song...
Well who would have thought that Rage Against the Machine would have the Christmas number one, especially as for the last few years at least, the winner of the X-Factor has been pretty much guaranteed the number one slot.‘Killing in the Name’ could not be a more unlikey choice for the top slot this or any other Christmas... not a saccharine syrupy lyric in sight, a great guitar riff, and very very political (and fairly colourful) lyrics. It is a heartfelt cry for justice. The song is about the then campaign against corruption in the US police forces, trying to expose and remove officers who were also members of the Ku Klux Klan, and American society’s unwillingness to act against this clear abuse of power.
‘’Killing in the Name’ is a cry for justice that is echoed down the corridors of history: in the recent Climate Change protests, the ‘Stand Up’ anti-poverty campaign, the Make Poverty History and Jubilee 2000 campaigns, Band Aid, CND, the Suffragettes the anti-slavery movement, and so on... Things just should not be like this. We know they shouldn’t. God knows they shouldn’t... and yet they continue to be so, we continue to be so...
In a year of the failed Copenhagen summit, global recession, mass unemployment, flooding nationally and internationally, banking crises, and more fighting and dying in Afghanistan it is no wonder that we might think that God had gone on an extended holiday and left us to our own devices and our self-made mess... In that context ‘Killing in the Name’ seems a most appropriate anthem this Christmas.
We so easily approach the events that we recall tonight as though they were a scene from many of the Christmas cards that we have received or sent. The Holy Family surrounded by animals, shepherds, maybe an angel or wise man or two all enveloped in the divine light of God. A soft focus Nativity, and yet our first reading tonight could not be a more sharper contrast.
The prophet Isaiah speaks to Jerusalem has been ransacked and laid waste. It has been waiting for it’s day of liberation. Those who guard the city’s shattered buildings and nearly empty streets are scanning the horizon. They have to be especially wary as the Babylonians have undermined the city’s walls leaving the it defenseless. Suddenly, off to the east, they spot someone on the crest of the Mount of Olives. They can barely make out the person’s faint cries. As he makes his way down the mount they hear, “Your God is King!” The messenger is from Babylon and has made the 500 mile trip across the desert to bring this hopeful news to Jerusalem. God is returning to making the city holy by His divine presence.
We gather again tonight, looking out for hope and life too, for many of us feel hopeless. Yet over the brow of the year comes the Christmas story... and our hearts sink. The soft focus, saccharine stories of the God who fails to make a difference... And yet, have we really heard the Christmas story at all? Strain with me to hear again what St John says. The Word, who pre-existed with God, has brought all that is into existence. The life that he lives is like a beacon of light to people - a blinding light that cannot be extinguished. He lived that Divine light and life amongst us, but we did not see him or recognise him, but those who do are offered the life of God, life with God. Who or what is this Word? He is the one who speaks of, acts out and lives the very life of God Himself... Not a mention of global recession or unemployment, Afghanistan or climate change, but there is talk about light, life and an over-riding sense of hope...
If you came tonight to coo over a baby, born in conditions that the Social Services would have a fit about, but to go ‘ahhh’ at the Christmas story nonetheless, then you will find that child on the front of many a card at home. Through the child born in the manger in Bethlehem, tonight God speaks to us His Word, He blinds us with the light of justice and He deafens us with His protest song of hope.
Friends I am not naive enough to realise that this sounds all too utopian, a Christmas sticking plaster over the gaping wound of my life or our lives together - yet tonight I am reminded in the midst of political, financial and environmental turmoil this baby is born. The Word made flesh. God himself amongst us, returning to make the city, this village, our workplaces, our families, our lives, holy by His divine presence.
A colleague of mine was once describing the beauty of the world to some children, when one child popped up with, ‘He could not have done it without the council,’ meaning the workers of which his Dad was one. The child knew that without us, God will not, without God we cannot. Or to put it another way, ‘Though Christ a thousand times in Bethlehem be born, if he is not born in you, you a still forlorn. Want a better life? A better year? Some good old fashioned hope? It begins at the manger. But we have got to accept what He offers. This baby comes to make us holy, to forge a friendship between us and God, to offer us light, hope and life, to transform our lives and together, our world. Amen
Truthspeaker
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While the repubs and the dems are arguing back and forth on my blog as well as in Washington, stop and listen to the voice of reason, Bernie Sanders. He speaks the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It's the good, the bad, and the ugly. Is this country so sick and tired of fighting that they will put an Independant in the White House next time around?? Maybe......
Unto us a Child is Politically Incorrect
I hadn't expected to do another blog on Christmas, but as often happens I got inspiration. This time it came from a wonderful blog called Say Hello to My Little Friend. This audio is timely and funny. Really funny. So enjoy it. It is a story of all the Birth of Christ and the various nonsensical reactions to it from the secular world.
There is one thing I would like to comment on. At one point in the various people who come to Mary with grievances, one lady has this to say:
This quote so wonderfully sums up how much of our culture views the holiday. I am sure that many of Christian peers reading this that are already annoyed with it. I am too. Yet I thought I'd post a few things why. I don't doubt that we call list of plenty of things that we think motivate this seemingly pious approach to a holiday. I'll offer two, and I invite everyone to add their thoughts in the comments.
First, I think there is an idea of "neutrality" towards religion as kind of a virtue in and of itself. It is this: we like the idea of our government being "neutral" towards religion. I am sure most Christians like that too. The problem is when people think that because the government is "neutral" towards religion, the rest of society should be too. If people start asserting their own religious communities to much in public, that might mean people are divided and it won't be long before we start killing each other or something.
Secondly, I think there is a kind of capital "P" religious Pluralism that motivates "Season's Greetings." All religious make people nice and happy. They all make people good. So lets all give eachother presents and have a nice "good will towards men" and cut out the messy religious dogma that we don't all agree on. Let's all agree the "God" is vague anyway.
Did I mentioned that I get annoyed at this kind of thing?
When someone is worried about division, I wonder what kind of division they talk about. When I say "Gloria in Exclesis Deo" I am not saying it with anyone except those who are already in my religious community. I am not expecting those outside to understand it. Is this divisive? I don't care. The holy day of Christmas is for Christians and by Christians. I'd rather not have anyone outside of the community offer me ways to improve my own religious devotion. I don't scorn people outside of it, but please mind your own businesses.
Additionally, I don't care much for capital "P" religious Pluralism. This is largely because I am not offended or threatened that there are people who are out there practicing religions other than my own. I am not bothered by Hannukkah or a pagan winter solstice celebration. In fact, by all means, celebrate away. I fully support little "p" pluralism: that there are several religions each with own distinctive practices and mutually exclusive claims. Why should I, a committed Christian, feel offended by other religions? Does the devotion of a winter solstice affect my ability to celebrate Christ's birth?
In truth, I think that the politically correct "let's not divide on the holiday" approach is really plain insecurity on part of those who endorse it. People either have such little devotion to their own traditions, that they are threatened by those who are deeply dedicated to different faiths. This in turn creates the need for "neutrality" in the public space because they can't handle it. It seems to want to take the life out of the faith of others because of the lack of faith on their part.
But Merry Christmas.
Anyone else annoyed with "season's greetings"?
There is one thing I would like to comment on. At one point in the various people who come to Mary with grievances, one lady has this to say:
Religious holidays are important, but can't we learn to celebrate them in ways that unite, not divide? For instance, instead of all this business about 'Gloria in excelsis Deo,' why not just 'Season's Greetings'?"
This quote so wonderfully sums up how much of our culture views the holiday. I am sure that many of Christian peers reading this that are already annoyed with it. I am too. Yet I thought I'd post a few things why. I don't doubt that we call list of plenty of things that we think motivate this seemingly pious approach to a holiday. I'll offer two, and I invite everyone to add their thoughts in the comments.
First, I think there is an idea of "neutrality" towards religion as kind of a virtue in and of itself. It is this: we like the idea of our government being "neutral" towards religion. I am sure most Christians like that too. The problem is when people think that because the government is "neutral" towards religion, the rest of society should be too. If people start asserting their own religious communities to much in public, that might mean people are divided and it won't be long before we start killing each other or something.
Secondly, I think there is a kind of capital "P" religious Pluralism that motivates "Season's Greetings." All religious make people nice and happy. They all make people good. So lets all give eachother presents and have a nice "good will towards men" and cut out the messy religious dogma that we don't all agree on. Let's all agree the "God" is vague anyway.
Did I mentioned that I get annoyed at this kind of thing?
When someone is worried about division, I wonder what kind of division they talk about. When I say "Gloria in Exclesis Deo" I am not saying it with anyone except those who are already in my religious community. I am not expecting those outside to understand it. Is this divisive? I don't care. The holy day of Christmas is for Christians and by Christians. I'd rather not have anyone outside of the community offer me ways to improve my own religious devotion. I don't scorn people outside of it, but please mind your own businesses.
Additionally, I don't care much for capital "P" religious Pluralism. This is largely because I am not offended or threatened that there are people who are out there practicing religions other than my own. I am not bothered by Hannukkah or a pagan winter solstice celebration. In fact, by all means, celebrate away. I fully support little "p" pluralism: that there are several religions each with own distinctive practices and mutually exclusive claims. Why should I, a committed Christian, feel offended by other religions? Does the devotion of a winter solstice affect my ability to celebrate Christ's birth?
In truth, I think that the politically correct "let's not divide on the holiday" approach is really plain insecurity on part of those who endorse it. People either have such little devotion to their own traditions, that they are threatened by those who are deeply dedicated to different faiths. This in turn creates the need for "neutrality" in the public space because they can't handle it. It seems to want to take the life out of the faith of others because of the lack of faith on their part.
But Merry Christmas.
Anyone else annoyed with "season's greetings"?
Wanna talk about Dick??
Dick Cheney: HUMAN EVENTS' Conservative of the Year !!!!!?
Cheney’s quiet, inner-directed motivation is simply impervious to the attacks orchestrated against him by the Chicago machine-style politicians at the White House, a fact also plainly visible to his fellow citizens. And it is yet another important reason to have confidence that Cheney’s solid policy analysis will yet prevail in the national political arena. Of course he is the conservative of the year!
Are ya upset with me for not leaving a linky to the whole article by John Bolten?? Sorry I just couldn't bring myself to read all about this prestigious award bestowed upon the Dickster,
DNC Press Secretary Hari Sevugan scoffs, "What does it say about the current crop of Republican leaders that the 'Conservative of the Year' is the face of a previous administration who regularly scored approval ratings in the 20s? No new ideas, no new direction, no new leaders -- your GOP giving new meaning to 'The Party of No' every day."
The Dickster is "Conservative of the Year". One of the most hated men in the country (possibly the world). Congrats Dick.....
Cheney’s quiet, inner-directed motivation is simply impervious to the attacks orchestrated against him by the Chicago machine-style politicians at the White House, a fact also plainly visible to his fellow citizens. And it is yet another important reason to have confidence that Cheney’s solid policy analysis will yet prevail in the national political arena. Of course he is the conservative of the year!
Are ya upset with me for not leaving a linky to the whole article by John Bolten?? Sorry I just couldn't bring myself to read all about this prestigious award bestowed upon the Dickster,
DNC Press Secretary Hari Sevugan scoffs, "What does it say about the current crop of Republican leaders that the 'Conservative of the Year' is the face of a previous administration who regularly scored approval ratings in the 20s? No new ideas, no new direction, no new leaders -- your GOP giving new meaning to 'The Party of No' every day."
The Dickster is "Conservative of the Year". One of the most hated men in the country (possibly the world). Congrats Dick.....
shut up Joe....
My usual morning routine.....I got up at 5:55, turned on Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough says "Does anybody here have stock in the insurance industry? They are the real winners in this whole HC fight, yea baby, Change you Can Believe in!!!" He's of course speaking about the 60-40 vote last night. All 60 dems and I's voted YES, ALL rethugs voted NO even tho they got what they wanted from this Senate bill. You forget Joe, if rethugs(and some bluedawgs too!) wanted change so bad then they would not have fought to remove CHANGE, such as the public option! Joe forgets those little details when he slams democrats for passing a bill such as this......
I'll talk to ya later......
I'll talk to ya later......
Book Review: Jesus Made in America
Just Give me Jesus…Which Jesus?
One of the most difficult endeavors anyone can undertake is describing what “water” is to fish. Or in this case, how American culture influences Christianity to members of American cultural Christianity.
Yet this is exactly what Stephen J. Nichols accomplishes in his book Jesus Made in America
.This book is a historic survey of American Christianity. It begins with the puritans and ends with the present day. Some chapters on the past help us understand the present. Who is Jesus according to founding fathers or Jesus according to cowboys? Later, several chapters of the book are dedicated to issues relevant to the present day Christians. Who is Jesus according to the political right (and left) and who is according to Bible book stores? The book is a flowing, and fascinating read that is neither boring nor heavy on jargon. All of it is quite illuminating and challenging.
But this book is not for faint-hearted or the non-introspective. Nichols criticizes much of contemporary evangelicalism as having missed the mark on the understanding of Jesus of all matters. Not only does he tell fish what water is, he tells fish that the water is polluted. There are more than a few sacred cows (golden calves?) that Nichols wants scratch at. He even calls out a few heroes by name, including Max Lucado, Beth Moore, and James Dobson. Not even Veggie tales remains untouched!
Space does not allow me to cover every section of this book, but I there were two that hit close to home for me. The first was Christian music. Nichols points out how often Evangelicals get their theology from their songs, and their songs are sometimes –shall we say thin. Much of evangelical CCM creates and then perpetuates the cultural image of Christ that Nichols decries. There is too much emphasis on “how Jesus makes me feel,” little regard for “what Jesus has done in history,” and barely any “who Jesus is.” He even points out how close Christian lyrics are to pop love songs*, as has been satirized on South Park. At one point the Christian Contemporary music was a grass-roots, spontaneous and genuine before in turned into a money making industry that watered down its message as it tried to evangelize. This leads to the second section of the book I enjoyed: Jesus according to consumer culture.
Many Christians are often shocked when Jesus overturned money tables and chased out the lenders with a whip. Strange think is, Nichols probably believes that Jesus would do the same thing at most Bible bookstores. Jesus and consumer culture form an unhappy marriage in Nichol’s view. One of the saddest points in the book is a story of women who was not able to buy a Jesus fish for her car. She wondered who she was supposed to witness. Nichols is fair in his belief that the Holy Spirit can use anything, but the culture of T-shirts, endless mass-market books, childhood media, etc makes him wonder if this is because of or in spite of a mass-market Jesus. Yet this is the water that many people swim in. What kind of Jesus are we really looking at? Is the culture conforming to Christ or is Christ revised to fit the culture?
Even thought the book is critical, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Nichols, in the epilogue, explains that he believes evangelicalism can hit the mark. To do so, Christians must learn to look outside their own generation and pull on resources from the past. He suggests the great Creeds (while recognizing the bias they had) as a guide for evangelical Christology. He also admits that the Christology has never been an easy task, but we should never be afraid of complexity. It is our job, as Christians in the dominant west to ensure we both learn and pass on these teaching of Christ. No matter how difficult the task.
Thanks for reading. Now go read this book or see a few other interesting ones.
======================================
*May I gently add a point to all the Christian girls/women who ask “where are all the good, single, Christian men?” this comment: please consider that men worship God differently than women do. For instance, Christian heterosexual men are generally not interested in relating to Jesus as if he is our boyfriend. We’re not interested competing with him either.
As with all rethugs,(and LIEbermann), the face only a Mother could love...
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Damn Mitch, stop with the whining and lying, I can't take any more of it! He sure looks pained and saddened.. OH MY....a train wreck....
60 is the big number!!!
Schumer: We've Reached Agreement With Nelson
Brian Beutler | December 19, 2009, 9:01AM TPM read more:
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) Abortion, Ben Nelson, Chuck Schumer, Health Care Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) just told reporters that he and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid shook hands last night at 10:30 p.m. with Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) on an agreement that he would vote for cloture on health care reform, on the basis of the abortion language in the manager's amendment.
For those of you who understand legislative language, the text of the abortion amendment is below the fold.
Sounds like they've got 60.
my guy Weiner...
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This is why I admire Anthony Weiner so much.
the more things change.....
Darren has posted about the White House and its stance on HC reform, as much as it pains me to admit it Darren, YOU ARE RIGHT! It pains me because I believed real change would come with a dem president. I believed the whole schmeel.
Now what do we do? We are being taken for a ride, we are being deceived and I HATE the fact rethugs are gonna throw it in our faces! I wanted a STRONG, opinionated dem president, one who would listen to his base, one who would bring change that we could actually see, so different from rethuggery we could throw it in their faces! Ah Ha look at our president, he's for the people, of the people! Not at all like your dictators Bush/Cheney!
Do you know why those 90 something accomplishments get over looked? Because the things we were counting on from our new dem president, wars ending and REAL healthcare REFORM, are not in our sight. We don't trust and we don't believe. [ I should stop here and say I, not we, these are my feelings and my opinion and this is my blog where I want to express them, thank you for letting me do that without condemnation.]
But we find ourselves so angry, so disillusioned these past few months. We have some who say hold on it's still early, but the signs are there. The lobbyists are still there, the insurance companies are spending millions and millions to buy senate support for their greedy fingers to keep a grasp on our pocketbooks. Obama said he was going to change Washington but I don't believe him, so far there are no signs of it. Darren is right, the more things change the more they look the same.....
Now what do we do? We are being taken for a ride, we are being deceived and I HATE the fact rethugs are gonna throw it in our faces! I wanted a STRONG, opinionated dem president, one who would listen to his base, one who would bring change that we could actually see, so different from rethuggery we could throw it in their faces! Ah Ha look at our president, he's for the people, of the people! Not at all like your dictators Bush/Cheney!
Do you know why those 90 something accomplishments get over looked? Because the things we were counting on from our new dem president, wars ending and REAL healthcare REFORM, are not in our sight. We don't trust and we don't believe. [ I should stop here and say I, not we, these are my feelings and my opinion and this is my blog where I want to express them, thank you for letting me do that without condemnation.]
But we find ourselves so angry, so disillusioned these past few months. We have some who say hold on it's still early, but the signs are there. The lobbyists are still there, the insurance companies are spending millions and millions to buy senate support for their greedy fingers to keep a grasp on our pocketbooks. Obama said he was going to change Washington but I don't believe him, so far there are no signs of it. Darren is right, the more things change the more they look the same.....
Advent Antiphons
Click the picture to access the history of these traditional jewels of the Advent Litugy, and also some reflections on each of them...
Howard Fineman
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I like Howard Dean but I cannot believe he wants the bill killed. Listen to what Howard Fineman says about this....
And The House...I forgot all about the House with all this LIEbermann shit going on! Stay tuned...
Are we Happy tonight???
I'm not jumping up and down, are you? Ed Schultz is making me laugh tho and that's a good thing!
So, what did ya think about the Obama speech? I thought it was just more of the same. Very disappointing, very typical, OH SO boring. What did he say, oh yea, he said he feels cautiously optimistic we'll get this done, WTF??!!
Yes, alot are saying it's still a good bill, there are lots of good changes. NO public option, NO medicare buy-in, NO competition because the 3o million more will get their insurance from the big ins. companies who by the way are popping the corks tonight with the Christmas present they just received from LIEbermann!!! FUCK THAT!!!!
United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard, says don't blame President Obama, he's a good and decent guy who has had the rug pulled out from under him. Gerard says its not over, he has no intentions on giving up and neither do the progressive Senators who have fought so hard for us. But what about the president, can we continue to say oh he's just too nice?? He talks to these progressives, he sees the back-stabbing obstructionists, so why doesn't he do more??
Something else I don't understand, with NO public option, NO medicare buy-in, the legislation would be financed by about $460 billion in cuts in projected Medicare payments to health care providers over a decade, there will be higher payroll taxes on individuals making more than $250,000 annually and higher taxes on high-cost insurancepolicies
, drug makers, makers of medical device makers and others. It's deficit neutral. Soooooooo, why are republicans still voting NO????
I like Joan Walsh, she reminds me of Annette and always makes me see the glass half full. She says the bill is good, get it in conference committee and WORK ON IT, it can be improved upon.
Also Alan Grayson says the bill is signable but he will continue fighting to make it better, and one Senator[LIEbermann] should not be allowed to dictate what the whole country gets, so he[Grayson] will be working on the filibuster legislation.
So, tonight I got a little mad, I vented some and I'm sure I'll vent some more before the nights over, but Joan has calmed me down just a little.
What do you think, was it a good day or not?!
So, what did ya think about the Obama speech? I thought it was just more of the same. Very disappointing, very typical, OH SO boring. What did he say, oh yea, he said he feels cautiously optimistic we'll get this done, WTF??!!
Yes, alot are saying it's still a good bill, there are lots of good changes. NO public option, NO medicare buy-in, NO competition because the 3o million more will get their insurance from the big ins. companies who by the way are popping the corks tonight with the Christmas present they just received from LIEbermann!!! FUCK THAT!!!!
United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard, says don't blame President Obama, he's a good and decent guy who has had the rug pulled out from under him. Gerard says its not over, he has no intentions on giving up and neither do the progressive Senators who have fought so hard for us. But what about the president, can we continue to say oh he's just too nice?? He talks to these progressives, he sees the back-stabbing obstructionists, so why doesn't he do more??
Something else I don't understand, with NO public option, NO medicare buy-in, the legislation would be financed by about $460 billion in cuts in projected Medicare payments to health care providers over a decade, there will be higher payroll taxes on individuals making more than $250,000 annually and higher taxes on high-cost insurance
I like Joan Walsh, she reminds me of Annette and always makes me see the glass half full. She says the bill is good, get it in conference committee and WORK ON IT, it can be improved upon.
Also Alan Grayson says the bill is signable but he will continue fighting to make it better, and one Senator[LIEbermann] should not be allowed to dictate what the whole country gets, so he[Grayson] will be working on the filibuster legislation.
So, tonight I got a little mad, I vented some and I'm sure I'll vent some more before the nights over, but Joan has calmed me down just a little.
What do you think, was it a good day or not?!
Can Tom Harkin save the day?
We all know whats going on, we all know LIEbermann is trying to be a one-man wrecking crew. Why? Not sure we know why, but with reconciliation looking unlikely and LIEbermann looking like the fuckin obstructionist creep he is, then could Harkin be the one to save the bill??
Infidel talks about this today also, Here are some of Harkins words on the subject.....
Tom Harkin May Reintroduce Legislation To Kill Filibuster
With the news that Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) plans to filibuster the current health care bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) options are looking increasingly limited. But one Democratic senator may introduce legislation that would make health care reform a lot easier.
Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa told reporters this weekend that he might reintroduce legislation to end the filibuster, something he first proposed in 1994. The Hawk Eye reports:
"I think, if anything, this health care debate is showing the dangers of unlimited filibuster," Harkin said Thursday during a conference call with reporters. "I think there's a reason for slowing things down ... and getting the public aware of what's happening and maybe even to change public sentiment, but not to just absolutely stop something."
Under Harkin's proposal, debate could be prolonged by the minority -- just not forever.
"You could hold something up for maybe a month, but then, finally you'd come down to 51 votes and a majority would be able to pass," Harkin said. "I may revive that. I pushed it very hard at one time and then things kind of got a little better."
When Harkin fought the filibuster 15 years ago, one of his top allies was none other than Joe Lieberman.
"[People] are fed up -- frustrated and fed up and angry about the way in which our government does not work, about the way in which we come down here and get into a lot of political games and seem to -- partisan tugs of war and forget why we're here, which is to serve the American people," Lieberman said at the time. "And I think the filibuster has become not only in reality an obstacle to accomplishment here, but it also a symbol of a lot that ails Washington today."
You're right, we are fed up, we are beyond angry! The Senators who have the guts to show up on TV and STILL SAY the bill will likely pass but it won't be a bill we wanted, they look like they've had a whoopin' behind the woodshed, they look defeated and embarrassed to admit their inability to take down LIEbermann. What the hell is going on in Congress??
Within the hour President Obama will be meeting with Democrats, will he just rally the troops, or will he stand up and demand results?Have Yourself a very Civic Christmas
Isn't there anyone who can tell me what Christmas is all about?! -Charlie Brown
Yesterday was the the third Sunday of Advent and I am yet to comment on Christmas.
I am such a bad Christian.
I had hoped to do a series of worked out, fully fledged, articles for this Advent season, but my school schedule, my quest for summer employment and to some extent even Christmas shopping got the better of me.
In other words, I was sucked into the civic side of Christmas.
It seems, when Christmas comes around, Christians really wind up celebrating two different holidays at the same time. One, is the secular holiday; henceforth "x-mas." X-mas is marked by the traveling stress of coming home from school during winter break, (or waiting for your kids to come home if you are the parent). It is about the big day of shopping of black Friday. It is about getting presents under the tree. Hanging stockings above the mantle. Getting gifts and receiving them, and shopping while hearing "Jingle bells" or "I'll be Home for Christmas" or something else vaguely "Good will" orientated. X-mas, is the secular, cultural, holiday that all people of any religious or non-religious persuasion can enjoy.
Do I think any of these things are bad? Not at all (except the shopping). I enjoy giving and receiving gifts. X-mas remains the one time of year when I really look forward to going home. Decorations are still fun. As long as there is not a great deal of stress, I will have a good X-mas this year.
The thing is though, I really want to celebrate Advent and Christmas during December. I want to prepare myself as if Christ was coming on December 24th. I want some time to take emotional, spiritual, and even mental inventory and redirect everything towards God. I want to show Christian charity through acts of Christian charity. I want to sing Christmas songs that reflect the importance of Christ's birth. I want to be amazed by the incarnation.
I found this Advent, and many others like it to be an unstable balance of X-mas and Christmas. It seems every year, that the aspects of X-mas, because I am so stuck in the culture, eclipse Christmas. Never fully so, obviously, but a little to much in my mind.
This year, though, I did get all my shopping done by November. Next year, I will pay special attention Advent and will hopefully be able to decorate my apartment accordingly.
Thanks for reading.
Cookies and Tequila!
THIS IS TRULY MY ALL TIME FAVORITE CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPE. PLEASE READ.
|
1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup or brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Jose Cuervo Tequila
Sample the Cuervo to check quality. Take a large bowl,
Check the Cuervo again, to be sure it is of the highest quality,
Pour one level cup and drink.
Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter
In a large fluffy bowl.
Add one peastoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point
it's best to make sure the Cuervo is still ok, try another
Cup just in case.
Turn off the mixerer thingy.
Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup
Of dried fruit.
Pick the frigging fruit off the floor.
Mix on the turner.
If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaters just pry
It loose with a drewscriver.
Sample the Cuervo to check for tonsisticity.
Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Who geeves
A sheet. Check the Jose Cuervo. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
Add one table.
Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can
Find.
Greash the oven.
Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall
Over.
Don't forget to beat off the turner.
Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the
Cose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in the wishdasher.
Cherry Mistmas !
A WIN for ACORN.....
I got this article from Salon, you can read the whole post here,
Major victory for ACORN and the Constitution
(updated below)
In September, I interviewed Rep. Alan Grayson about the unconstitutionality of Congress' attempt to de-fund ACORN, and a couple of weeks later, examined Supreme Court precedent -- principally the 1946 case of U.S. v. Lovett -- that left little doubt that the Congressional war on ACORN violated the Constitutional ban on "bills of attainder." Yesterday, in a lawsuit brought by the Center for Constitutional Rights, Federal District Judge Nina Gershon of the Eastern District of New York found Congress' de-funding of ACORN unconstitutional and enjoined its enforcement. This is a major victory not only for ACORN, but also for the Constitution.
Judge Gershon's opinion is a model of careful and dispassionate judicial reasoning. Rejecting the DOJ's claim that Congress had merely exercised its funding discretion rather than "punished" ACORN, the court wrote: "Wholly apart from the vociferous comments by various members of Congress as to ACORN's criminality and fraud . . . no reasonable observer could suppose that such severe action would have been taken in the absence of a conclusion that misconduct occurred." The court pointed to numerous statements made by Senators, including the bill's primary sponsor (Sen. Johanns), in which they anointed themselves judge and jury to declare ACORN guilty of crimes with which they had not even been charged, let alone convicted.Why post this ACORN piece you ask? Well see my constant commenters Lisa and Linda love to talk about the evils of ACORN so I thought they would enjoy this. Below is an update...
UPDATE: As always happens whenever there is a judicial decision that undermines the Right's political interests, there are going to be hordes of right-wing polemicists marching forth to denounce this ruling as "judicial activism." They're already starting. These are people won't bother to read a single word or case about "bills of attainder," but overnight, they're self-proclaimed legal scholars on this Constitutional prohibition and are in a position to criticize the Judge's ruling as legally erroneous. Of course, the only thing they really know is that they hate ACORN and therefore dislike the outcome of this case. In other words, they're denouncing the decision for reasons having nothing to do with law and everything to do with their own political beliefs and outcome preferences -- i.e., they're advocating, as usual, for the consummate act of outcome-based "judicial activism" which they endlessly claim to oppose.
As the cowards in Congress rushed without a trial to unconstitutionally punish ACORN on a very bipartisan basis, Judge Gershon was able to ignore the lynch mob and dispassionately apply well-settled legal principles to safeguard core liberties
Do you still have HOPE??
Glenn W. Smith has written an interesting piece at firedoglake, please read it.
He says this.....
" Progressives have to remember that the president is not the symbolic hero in a movie we just sit and watch. We’re in the movie. It’s about us, not him.
America has never had a progressive president or a progressive government. We have achieved progressive reforms, of course, all of them due to the work of champions of freedom and equality who worked outside of government. Abolition, universal suffrage, labor reforms, civil rights – all of these were the achievements of a people, not a person."
I know, you've heard it before, alot of us progressives keep harping on the same subject... keep the faith, stay positive...but we have to keep saying it, we can never let our guard down and give up by being lazy and uncommited. Too many people worked long and hard to get where we are today. Glenn is correct, it is about us, we are the ones who can change this country, if we stay focused and positive. Don't fall for the rethugs scare tactics, they say 2010 is their year, yeah when pigs fly!!
So come on guys, we have alot of work to do, don't be all down in the dumps and most of all don't give up HOPE!!
"When we fail to inspire hope, we fail the future"
He says this.....
" Progressives have to remember that the president is not the symbolic hero in a movie we just sit and watch. We’re in the movie. It’s about us, not him.
America has never had a progressive president or a progressive government. We have achieved progressive reforms, of course, all of them due to the work of champions of freedom and equality who worked outside of government. Abolition, universal suffrage, labor reforms, civil rights – all of these were the achievements of a people, not a person."
I know, you've heard it before, alot of us progressives keep harping on the same subject... keep the faith, stay positive...but we have to keep saying it, we can never let our guard down and give up by being lazy and uncommited. Too many people worked long and hard to get where we are today. Glenn is correct, it is about us, we are the ones who can change this country, if we stay focused and positive. Don't fall for the rethugs scare tactics, they say 2010 is their year, yeah when pigs fly!!
So come on guys, we have alot of work to do, don't be all down in the dumps and most of all don't give up HOPE!!
"When we fail to inspire hope, we fail the future"
GOP [full of lies] address
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Every week Annette posts President Obamas weekly address, well for comic relief I want to post for you the GOP address, ENJOY IT!!
The Party is Over
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
The president praised the House action Friday, and called on Congress to act swiftly to get the bill to the White House for his signature."The crisis from which we are still recovering was born not only of failure on Wall Street, but also in Washington," Obama said. "We have a responsibility to learn from it and to put in place reforms that will promote sound investment, encourage real competition and innovation and prevent such a crisis from ever happening again. "
Not a single repub voted yes for the bill. I guess they don't like oversight and regulations imposed on big banks and Wall St. firms. Hmmmmm, I guess they don't care about protecting Main St. from the reckless behavior of Wall St. Typical.... Rethugs think they have a plan, vote NO on everything important to dems and Obama and if all fails they will be off the hook. They think this spells victory for them in 2010 but look out rethugs, it's all gonna backfire on you! The people know what you are doing, it's all political for you, you care NOTHING about this country and the good people. We ARE NOT STUPID. We are aware of the games you play!
Nancy Pelosi says the House is sending a clear message to Wall St., "THE PARTY IS OVER"
Obama doctrine??
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I loved the speech, I loved the look on his face, he was humbled and moved. Today I am very proud of you Mr. President. If you so choose, you can read the speech on any of the news websites. Here are a few passages that I felt stood out explaining his views on war...
" I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war. What I do know is that meeting these challenges will require the same vision, hard work, and persistence of those men and women who acted so boldly decades ago. And it will require us to think in new ways about the notions of just war and the imperatives of a just peace.
We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth that we will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations - acting individually or in concert - will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.
I make this statement mindful of what Martin Luther King said in this same ceremony years ago - "Violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones." As someone who stands here as a direct consequence of Dr. King's life's work, I am living testimony to the moral force of non-violence. I know there is nothing weak -nothing passive - nothing naïve - in the creed and lives of Gandhi and King.But as a head of state sworn to protect and defend my nation, I cannot be guided by their examples alone. I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people. For make no mistake: evil does exist in the world. A non-violent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations cannot convince al Qaeda's leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism - it is a recognition of history; the imperfections of man and the limits of reason."
He also spoke about the mistakes from the Bush/Cheney administration, torture and what it did to our reputation around the globe...
"Let me make one final point about the use of force. Even as we make difficult decisions about going to war, we must also think clearly about how we fight it. The Nobel Committee recognized this truth in awarding its first prize for peace to Henry Dunant - the founder of the Red Cross, and a driving force behind the Geneva Conventions.
Where force is necessary, we have a moral and strategic interest in binding ourselves to certain rules of conduct. And even as we confront a vicious adversary that abides by no rules, I believe that the United States of America must remain a standard bearer in the conduct of war. That is what makes us different from those whom we fight. That is a source of our strength. That is why I prohibited torture. That is why I ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed. And that is why I have reaffirmed America's commitment to abide by the Geneva Conventions. We lose ourselves when we compromise the very ideals that we fight to defend. And we honor those ideals by upholding them not just when it is easy, but when it is hard."
One of my favorites...
"The non-violence practiced by men like Gandhi and King may not have been practical or possible in every circumstance, but the love that they preached - their faith in human progress - must always be the North Star that guides us on our journey.
For if we lose that faith - if we dismiss it as silly or naïve; if we divorce it from the decisions that we make on issues of war and peace - then we lose what is best about humanity. We lose our sense of possibility. We lose our moral compass."This speech is the Barack Obama I admire so much. Yes, today I am so proud of our President!
Just a test
This is me writing a post using Flock. We'll see if it works.
Oh, then bed...
S
Oh, then bed...
S
Blogged with the Flock Browser
looks like we're fucked...
For your viewing pleasure I bring you Hannity slobbering all over Dick, what a fuckin Dickhead, how dare he keep talking like he IS somebody important!
I'm pissed, I can't bring myself to talk about the latest news with HC reform, or what's left of the so-called reform. I'm not going to talk about it til the bill is complete because it changes day by day. So no use getting upset about dems pussy footing and caving to BigPharma and insurance companies. It's mindboggling what dems are doing to their base, it's fuckin shocking and I'm not gonna talk about it! We keep hearing the few progressives say they aren't giving up, they will fight til the end, well fight for what??? It's obvious Obama and the few obstructionist dems don't want a public option, It's obvious lobbyists are writing the bill with the approval of President Obama, so what can I say anyway?? I have signed all the petitions from my inbox, I have called my senators, I have emailed the White House, so fuck it, I'm not gonna talk about it!!
BTW, this is from Obama to ME!!
Susanne --
As we head into the final stretch on health reform, big insurance company lobbyists and their partisan allies hope that their relentless attacks and millions of dollars can intimidate us into accepting the status quo.
So I have a message for them, from all of us: Not this time. We have come too far. We will not turn back. We will not back down.
But do not doubt -- the opponents of reform will not rest. So I need you, the members of Organizing for America, to fight alongside me.
We must continue to build out our campaign -- to spread the facts on the air and on the ground, and to bring in more volunteers and train them to join the fight. I urgently need your help to keep Organizing for America's 50-state movement for reform going strong.
Please donate $5 or whatever you can afford today:
https://donate.barackobama.com/FinalStretch
Let's win this together,
President Barack Obama
DONATE??? TO WHAT??? no thank you
Is more spending the answer?
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
I recall republicans crying and whining, saying tax cuts for small business is the way to go, and now that President Obama is proposing just that(a new tax cut for small businesses that hire in 2010) plus an elimination for one year of the capital gains tax on profits from small business investments, they are STILL CRYING!! What the hell do these guys want?? Bonehead Boehner is a friggin blowhard and needs to get his head straight before he comes out in public criticizing the president. Stimulating the economy for job growth means spending, sorry rethugs but we have no intentions of going backwards and doing it your way again, so cry all the tears you want!Thoughts on a Post-modern Testimony
The power of the personal testimony is valued in all ways and in all places by Evangelicalism and fundamentalism. How we answer the question “What has God done for you?” is a shillobeth for membership in either of these circles. Dramatic stories told in high school youth groups, recovery ministries, and missionary pulpits are ever flowing and ever dramatic. Good Christians, like family, are always ready to open their ears to them and give people a place to speak, share, and be understood.
At least as long as the speakers tow the party line.
It is no defective fault that Evangelicalism desires to listen to Evangelicalism. That is to say: there is nothing wrong with the fact that evangelicals are eager to hear about how other people have come to experience God through evangelicalism. Yet, I think Christian charity calls us to more than that. Can evangelicals truly listen and understand those who depart from evangelicalism for some “other” Christianity?
One such testimony comes from the Emergent Podcast. Here, the speaker A.J. stitch confesses that Emergent is the only way that he can remain a Christian after leaving a conservative, charismatic, Christian college at Asbury. This phenomen is far more common than many people realize (or admit).
For the record, I do not consider myself a member of or an advocate of the Emergent Village, but neither do I count myself as one of their detractors. What I hope though, is that everyone reading this blog will listen to this blog and give the speaker as fair of shake as they give anyone else giving an evangelical testimony. After that, here are some questions that I would love to hear you all answer on this blog.*
*For my Facebook friends, I’m glad you’re reading this here. There will be a lot of room for a great discussion if everyone consolidates their comments in the blog itself. If you like what’s said here, please go ahead and repost it or email it.
At least as long as the speakers tow the party line.
It is no defective fault that Evangelicalism desires to listen to Evangelicalism. That is to say: there is nothing wrong with the fact that evangelicals are eager to hear about how other people have come to experience God through evangelicalism. Yet, I think Christian charity calls us to more than that. Can evangelicals truly listen and understand those who depart from evangelicalism for some “other” Christianity?
One such testimony comes from the Emergent Podcast. Here, the speaker A.J. stitch confesses that Emergent is the only way that he can remain a Christian after leaving a conservative, charismatic, Christian college at Asbury. This phenomen is far more common than many people realize (or admit).
For the record, I do not consider myself a member of or an advocate of the Emergent Village, but neither do I count myself as one of their detractors. What I hope though, is that everyone reading this blog will listen to this blog and give the speaker as fair of shake as they give anyone else giving an evangelical testimony. After that, here are some questions that I would love to hear you all answer on this blog.*
- Cultural and Philosophical Challenges
- The story begins with a reading of “Life of Pi” and “Under the Banner of Heaven.” Both of these books provided a cultural and philosophical challenge to Christianity he was raised in. Does evangelicalism adequately understand how weird the crucifixion look to outsiders? How does one answer the apparent contradiction of God condemning Murder and then later calling for it?
- Josh Harris and “Christian Courtship.”
- The author described himself as “all out evangelist” for Josh Harris/Christian courtship, but later he said that this failed to address the issues of depression. How might “Christian Courtship” overcome this problem? If it is unable to, what must be done with it?
- Experience versus Scripture
- The speaker, at one point, mention that reading in the Bible “God will not tempt you with more than you can bear” did not quite fit with his experience and observations during a depressive period of his life. He also criticizes his own literalistic, modernist, interpretation of scripture. What was wrong in this situation? The Bible? His interpretation of it? Or his understanding of experience?
*For my Facebook friends, I’m glad you’re reading this here. There will be a lot of room for a great discussion if everyone consolidates their comments in the blog itself. If you like what’s said here, please go ahead and repost it or email it.
It's the ladies turn!
Leslie asked for some nekked men pics, so here ya go girlfriend, enjoy! Lenny Kravitz looking mighty FINE!! What?? What sunglasses, I didn't see any sunglasses...
Sorry guys, my internet connection was down all day and I didn't get any news to report, so enjoy the view...
Wanna hug a tree in Key West?
Fifteen mature environmental activists -- age 44 to 78 -- took off their clothes for a fund-raising 2010 calendar called Women Sustaining the Earth.
"It took a while to get used to the idea,'' said 74-year-old Shirley Freeman, a former mayor and commissioner of Monroe County. ``I've always tried to present myself as professional and with good judgment. But this is a different side of me I really never have explored. And, it's for a good cause.''
The original 500 calendars have been sold -- raising $8,000 for the "community garden'' fund of the nonprofit organization Green Living & Energy Education. But organizers are willing to print more if there's a demand.
This is from Common Dreams.org. Would you call it porn? Alot of commentors are calling it that, Hmmmmm, must be alot of conservatives, hypocritical conservatives...
Call it what you will, it's for a great cause, a leftist cause. Yes we do love our trees and our earth. Earth Day's upcoming 40th birthday is in April, HUG A TREE!
Thoughts on the First Season of BattleStar Gate-ica
It has finished. The first season of the dark sci-fi series: Stargate Universe has finished. I just watched the last episode and I feel compelled to blog while the show is fresh in my mind.
For the uninitiated, Stargate Universe is the latest in the the Star Gate canon (which is now the new Star Trek) and is bit of a divergence from the two previous military/exploration shows. In this series, a group of military and civilian scientists escape a battle through a gate and find themselves on spacecraft flying through space on the other side of the universe.
It seems to be a hybrid of Battlestar Galactica, Lost, and Stargate.
SGU (Stargate Universe) is a bit like Lost. The characters, those ambiguous heroes, have a troubled past that occasionally shows up one way or another. One character was raised by a drunken Catholic priest. His dark past was getting a girl pregnant at 16. Dr. Rush does not have a clean moral slate. A particular marine was released from the brig in the first episode and his dark past is yet to be revealed.
SGU is like Stargate in the fact that there is a stargate.
But SGU is really like Battlestar. It is dark and immersive. A lot of work is done with hand-held cameras. Often the camera is tilted or blurred. Much of the shots look like indie films. The general lack of soundtrack, pacing, and such give the episodes a sense of frustration and aimlessness that you imagine all the characters are likely feeling. The grit of the spaceship is much like Galactica as well and is a far cry from the technologically pristine Atlantis.
Like BSG, the show is full of dark characters and dark times. Dr. Rush's motivations are never known from the beginning of the series. More than once, he clashes with ship's military officer who does not trust him. While on the ship, we see the characters, civilians and military, struggle to create a political society in which economic, social, and survival needs are all met. This climaxes in the last episode with the court scene, but I won't ruin that for you.
Of course, it is easy to see how this show make take a few to many pages from the Battlestar book. Dr. Rush, if even for superficial reasons, is a little to much like Dr. Baltar. Likewise, I keep seeing Lee Adama in one of the lieutenants. This is certainly not enough reason to write off the series, but viewers should be aware of this if they are put off of it easily.
Of course, it is not as dark as Battle star, but it did just finish its first season.
As a Stargate fan, I think this is worth seeing. If you like Lost, Stargate, and Battlestar you will probably enjoy this nice hybrid.
For the uninitiated, Stargate Universe is the latest in the the Star Gate canon (which is now the new Star Trek) and is bit of a divergence from the two previous military/exploration shows. In this series, a group of military and civilian scientists escape a battle through a gate and find themselves on spacecraft flying through space on the other side of the universe.
It seems to be a hybrid of Battlestar Galactica, Lost, and Stargate.
SGU (Stargate Universe) is a bit like Lost. The characters, those ambiguous heroes, have a troubled past that occasionally shows up one way or another. One character was raised by a drunken Catholic priest. His dark past was getting a girl pregnant at 16. Dr. Rush does not have a clean moral slate. A particular marine was released from the brig in the first episode and his dark past is yet to be revealed.
SGU is like Stargate in the fact that there is a stargate.
But SGU is really like Battlestar. It is dark and immersive. A lot of work is done with hand-held cameras. Often the camera is tilted or blurred. Much of the shots look like indie films. The general lack of soundtrack, pacing, and such give the episodes a sense of frustration and aimlessness that you imagine all the characters are likely feeling. The grit of the spaceship is much like Galactica as well and is a far cry from the technologically pristine Atlantis.
Like BSG, the show is full of dark characters and dark times. Dr. Rush's motivations are never known from the beginning of the series. More than once, he clashes with ship's military officer who does not trust him. While on the ship, we see the characters, civilians and military, struggle to create a political society in which economic, social, and survival needs are all met. This climaxes in the last episode with the court scene, but I won't ruin that for you.
Of course, it is easy to see how this show make take a few to many pages from the Battlestar book. Dr. Rush, if even for superficial reasons, is a little to much like Dr. Baltar. Likewise, I keep seeing Lee Adama in one of the lieutenants. This is certainly not enough reason to write off the series, but viewers should be aware of this if they are put off of it easily.
Of course, it is not as dark as Battle star, but it did just finish its first season.
As a Stargate fan, I think this is worth seeing. If you like Lost, Stargate, and Battlestar you will probably enjoy this nice hybrid.
We won't know what we've got until it's gone...
I just came from Leslies, she has posted this link from Nathan Newman-TPMcafe, about Obama and his achievements thus far. It surely was an eye-opener for me since I was feeling kinda glum this week. Yes I'm upset about the war, I'm upset about the new troop surge, but damn people whats wrong with us?? We fought so hard in the last election to put a Dem in the White House. Why are we letting the lies and manipulating fuckers from the right tear us apart?? I don't want to be swayed from my progressive stance. I will never turn my back on my president and surely NEVER be swayed by the right!
Here is the list of accomplishments from our current administration. They are working hard for us damn it! Sure there are things we won't be happy with, things that won't get done exactly like we want, but read this list and then tell yourself the "glass IS half full" afterall. We have a long way to go people but hold on and don't turn your backs on the progress at hand, it would be suicide for our party!!
These are just summeries, if you want to read descriptions about each entry go here
Here is the list of accomplishments from our current administration. They are working hard for us damn it! Sure there are things we won't be happy with, things that won't get done exactly like we want, but read this list and then tell yourself the "glass IS half full" afterall. We have a long way to go people but hold on and don't turn your backs on the progress at hand, it would be suicide for our party!!
Quick Summary of 2009 Progressive Victories
- Three major health bills (SCHIP, tobacco regulation, and stimulus funds for Medicaid, COBRA subsidies, health information technology and the National Institutes of Health) enacted even before comprehensive reform
- Stimulus contained myriad other individual policy victories, not only preventing a far worse depression but also:
- Delivered key new funds for education
- Expanded state energy conservation programs and new transit programs
- Added new smart grid investments
- Funded high-speed Internet broadband programs
- Extended unemployment insurance for up to 99 weeks for the unemployed and modernizing state UI programs to cover more of the unemployed
- Made large new investments in the safety net, from food stamps (SNAP) to affordable housing to child care
-
- Clean cars victory to take gas mileage requirements to 35mpg
- Protection of 2 million acres of land against oil and gas drilling and other development
- Executive orders protecting labor rights, from project labor agreements to protecting rights of contractor employees on federal jobs
- Stopping pay discrimination through Lilly Ledbetter and Equal Pay laws
- Making it easier for airline and railway workers to unionize, while appointing NLRB and other labor officials who will strengthen freedom to form unions
- Reversing Bush ban on funding overseas family planning clinics
- Passing hate crimes protections for gays and lesbians
- Protecting stem cell research research
- Strengthening state authority and restricting federal preemption to protect state consumer, environmental and labor laws
- Financial reforms to protect homeowners and credit card holders
- Bailing out the auto industry and protecting unionized retirees and workers
These are just summeries, if you want to read descriptions about each entry go here
Word as a Wordle - Advent II
A wordle of this Sunday's Old Tegstament reading from Malachi 3:1-4. Tim is preaching about peace... the peace of God that strips away all the superfluous stuff we carry as baggage and renews a relationship with us...
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The Huffington Post | Rachel Weiner
First Posted: 12-14-09 11:54 AM | Updated: 12-14-09 02:17 PM