be careful what you wish for...

this puts crazy eyes across the line & into the sanity column...

tea parties...

when i first heard about these winger/Republican/christianist/nut tea parties i immediately thought about the ones that the Mad Hatter had in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonder Land and Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There.

i mean think about it. they are protesting tax increases... FOR THE RICH!

well, here's some news for them. Obama has not had any tax plan passed as yet. what they are protesting is the tax plan that Mr. Bush put into effect, where he lowered the tax rate for the wealthiest people in the world and stuck it to the middle class! i don't think that these people are smart enough to understand this.

the tea parties were touted by the Republican leadership that doesn't know what its left hand is doing with its ass.

what are these people thinking? are they just so out of their minds that they will just let the Fox mumble-mouths and Tsar Rush* talk them into anything because of their hate and bigotry. that's exactly what's happening. they are lemmings. they don't think; they follow the party line - no matter what it is that is shoved down their throats.

and i'm serious about bigotry being one of the elements behind what's happening. i strongly believe at the core and heart of it all is white racism because of Obama's background and this is the way they can avoid the word racism!

they want to work on everyone's fear but it's their own unfounded fears that fuel their low-stoked fires and the leadership of the minority party and its spook-miesters know that full well.

they repeatedly talk about Obama putting socialism into place when, if you look at the majority of the protesters you might notice they are probably over 65. they are part of the largest socialistic program not only in the U.S. but in the world - Medicare

i would love to see a Republican lawmaker in the House or Senate bring a bill to the floor to do away with Medicare because it is a socialist program. something tells me that there would no longer be a Republican Party in existence.

talk about obfuscation...



Maxx thought i said pee party!
might as well have...


*i first wrote King Rush for Limbaugh but it dawned on me when i typed it that what he is after is replacing Tsar George. if there hadn't been a term limit on the presidency, ole Rush could have been in the planning stage of a Kremlinesque coup. think about it...

the holidays always bring out the best...

the northern half of the U.S., as if there weren't enough problems for the economy and the state of the country, has been having a good old-fashioned winter. lots of snow. lots of ice. AND lots of cold. the last lots is making the electric and gas utility companies happy i'm sure. and it's all happening at the beginning of the joyous holiday season.

joyous! right.

i had my own retail store for a period in the 80's and it showed me the true joyousness the holidays could bring. everyone in retail will know of what i'm speaking. it really brings out the worst in people.

transportation and travel this season is, to understate, a disaster. people who were planning on traveling home for the holidays are rethinking their plans. some people who have already begun their voyages are stranded. this is the part i love.

interviewing a man in Seattle who was stranded because his bus couldn't go anywhere, a reporter was blasted by the man because the bus company stranded him in a place with no alternate plans. he has to be in a station he doesn't know. he might not make it to his destination AND he said that he doesn't even know where he is! [quelle vache!]

it's the bus company's fault.

yes, it must be. they have direct control over the prevailing weather patterns; they have the ability to stop the snow and ice from falling; and they have sole proprietorship of the National Weather Service.

wait, what about the airlines? Amtrack? the auto makers? they must be part of the conspiracy against this man and the others who are so inconvenienced by their utter lack of feeling for him and others who believe just as he does.

if he's from California, maybe he can get some sort of proposition passed to stop the transportation industry from doing these bad things?

just asking...

the use of fear in the United States...

I would also add hatred, but it would be an oxymoron because hatred is being used to promote the fear.

It's taken me awhile to digest a report at Media Matters from November 13, 2008 -

Women, minorities, autistic children: Conservative radio's vitriol not reserved for Obama

by Eric Boehlert and Jamison Foser on their blog County Fair that is part of the broader Media Matters site.

Today, there was a follow-up to the report - Homophobic Hate Speech "More Than Offensive" - on County Fair that addresses the specific reaction to the LGBTQ venom that the conservative right-wing media spreads.

LGBTQ is only a part of the initial report. It includes smears against immigrants, sex & gender, race and ethnicity, the poor, "those with HIV/AIDS, people with autism, teachers, other radio hosts, comedians perceived as progressive, Democrats in the House and Senate, and the organizations that document their attacks."

Just one example cited in the article by ultra-conservative radio blatherer Michael Savage on his show The Savage Nation:

... Democratic Party's "membership is made up largely of minority blocs ... that are all against the white person..."

Racist, sexist, homophopic, anti-Latino, and all blatant and non-apologetic. All men, and women, are not created equal to these people. No matter what the Declaration of Independence nor the Constitution of the United States say, even though these men quote and spout it at every turn as justification for what they say.

Every member of the right-wing media has one thing in common. They all profess to be christian.

Yet when you read the article, listen to these people talk and hear the quotes from not only Savage but others like G. Gordon Liddy, Mark Levin, or Bill Cunningham, you see the blatant blindness they have to the law set down by their Jesus in the gospel of Luke,10: 25–37. There is no love in their words; there is no acceptance in their thinking; nor is there any "Go and do likewise."

These people spread fear and hatred in order to maintain their false sense of power. They are losing hold on what they know, deep down in their psyches, is no longer applicable. We no longer live in a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant world. The christian nation they so highly tout has created a world that wants what they have, and they are fighting to keep it away from them. These radio personalities speak out of both sides of their mouths - at the same time.

I recommend that you click on the links to the Media Matters report and today's follow-up. It is long and at times difficult to read without getting angry, but it puts into one place the hypocrisy and an accurate description of these people as the pharisees of today's world.

These men, and they are all men, are not ignorant; they are not stupid; they are idiots. An idiot, according to a group of fourth graders I taught one year, is someone who is too stupid to know they are ignorant.

fourth graders! that would be nine & ten-year olds...

unbelievable ignorance...

the American Family Association is selling these online for a suggested donation of $81.85, to people who are Looking for an effective way to express your Christian faith this Christmas season...





a burning cross?

this is not a joke. you can click on the link before the photo to see it for yourself, but be careful not to hurt yourself...

these people have lost their minds.

i can't wait to hear the African-American reaction to this...

i'm also wondering if this is not a reaction to the election results of November 4, 2008. subliminal or otherwise...

and, of course, the christianists will scream that people are trying to stop their right of free speech and freedom of religion as an excuse when this makes the news and shows up on more and more websites. when did they become the victims?

one friend's reaction when i emailed him was: I won't have to work all day stringing lights in the front of my house. One cross will do.

i think we may have just officially entered the Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits and Scare Tactics all at the same time.

unf****** believable ignorance!


thanks to The Box Turtle Bulletin for the heads-up on this.

it IS about race...

I am disappointed by some things I recently heard about people I have known and cared for many years. I must admit that I never expected it and I am wondering if there is an undercurrent that is more prevalent than anyone expects going on in this election cycle.

What I was told is that they are not going to vote for Obama because he is black!

I suppose that I shouldn't be as surprised as I am. I worked in a predominantly African-American public school for many years and also have very close African-American friends who have taken me into their families. I know first hand from them what they sometimes go through and have witnessed myself. I have never had a problem with race or color and that is thanks to the teaching from my parents.

I also thought that most people I know are beyond this. I'm personally hurt by it, but there is nothing I can do about it.

though i am often saying "they'll get over it, and when they do, they'll realize there was nothing to get over in the first place." i don't think that i will be able to get over this. it is truly something that is beyond my comprehension...

pure genius?

or just plain silly?

Every once in a while....
In life........
You run into a genius with a true talent!!

THINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN DRUNK:

1. Innovative
2. Preliminary
3. Proliferation
4. Cinnamon

THINGS THAT ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN DRUNK:

1. Specificity
2. Anti-constitutionalistically
3. Passive-aggressive disorder
4. Transubstantiate

THINGS THAT ARE DOWNRIGHT IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY WHEN DRUNK:

1. No thanks, I'm married.
2. Nope, no more booze for me!
3. Sorry, but you're not really my type.
4. Taco Bell? No thanks, I'm not hungry.
5. Good evening, officer. Isn't it lovely out tonight?
6. Oh, I couldn't! No one wants to hear me sing karaoke.
7. I'm not interested in fighting you.
8. Thank you, but I won't make any attempt to dance, I have no coordination. I'd hate to look like a fool!
9. Where is the nearest bathroom? I refuse to pee in this parking lot or on the side of the road.
10. I must be going home now , as I have to work in the morning.


hope you're having a smart but safe 4th... i'm on my way up to the swollen Fox River for the day.

the ABSOLUTE height of hypocrisy...

Perhaps you will remember Senator David Vitter (R-LA). He's the one that admitted using the DC Madam for, ummm, his pleasure impulses. Well, he's back on the radar.

and you thought you were safe...

Last week he, and Sen. Larry (tap my foot, no I didn't) Craig signed on as co-sponsors of another constitutional amendment that states that marriage can only be between a man and a woman. The Carpetbagger Report has it here - The Federal Marriage Amendment is back — with Vitter’s and Craig’s support.

But the funny part is looking over the list of the 10 original sponsors. Most of the names are predictable — Brownback and Inhofe, for example — but there are two others whose names stand out: Sens. David Vitter (R-La.) and Larry Craig (R-Idaho).

Yes, two of the principal sponsors of a constitutional amendment to “protect” marriage include one far-right Republican who hired prostitutes and another far-right Republican who was arrested for soliciting gay sex (sic) an airport men’s room.

Hello! As if that were not enough hypocrisy in and of itself, get this...
Vitter - The Only Senator Opposing Removal Of HIV Travel Ban»

got that?

from Wonk Room at Think Progress

In fact, the Senator, who himself engaged in behavior that could have placed him and his wife in danger of contracting HIV, has promoted policies that increase the likelihood that people will become infected with HIV:

- Voted in support of the “prostitution pledge” in PEPFAR which creates obstacles to reaching and serving sex workers.

- Attempted to amend PEPFAR “to reinsert the 33 percent abstinence-only earmark.”

Vitter has a long history of promoting failed abstinence-only policies and supporting legislation that undermines people’s sexual health and equal rights.

let's see if we can make sense of this. Vitter visits prostitutes defending his marriage; Vitter strongly supports abstinence only programs to prevent HIV & STD's; Vitter wants only men and women to be able to get married in order to to save the sanctity of marriage; Vitter supports family values by discriminating against other people; and, finally, Vitter's wife has forgiven him when she made the statement when if she had been Hillary, she would have cut off his penis if she caught him.

nope. sorry. i can't make sense of it. can you?

just asking...

kinda tough to argue with this one...

Indian Chief 'Two Eagles' was asked by a white government official, 'You have observed the white man for 90 years. You've seen his wars and his technological advances. You've seen his progress, and the damage he's done.'

The Chief nodded in agreement.

The official continued, 'Considering all these events, in your opinion, where did the white man go wrong?'

The Chief stared at the government official for over a minute and then calmly replied.

'When white man find land, Indians running it, no taxes, no debt, plenty buffalo, plenty beaver, clean water. Women did all the work. Medicine man free. Indian man spend all day hunting and fishing; all night having sex.'

Then the chief leaned back and smiled. Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that.’


like i said, can't argue with this one...

"bless me father for i have sinned...

it has been 39 years since my last confession. in that time i threw paper and cigarettes out the window of my car. i smoked hash. i would not put any money in the Salvation Army kettle.... but, oh, wait a minute, i don't have to worry because i have "Get outta Hell" free card that the Vatican gave me in 1976. so what am i doing this?

Reuters is reporting that the Vatican lists "new sins," including pollution.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Thou shall not pollute the Earth. Thou shall beware genetic manipulation. Modern times bring with them modern sins. So the Vatican has told the faithful that they should be aware of "new" sins such as causing environmental blight.

as if we didn't have enough to worry about?

When asked what the most important of the "new" sins are, Archbishop Gianfranco Girotti, number two in the Vatican "Apostolic Penitentiary," stated to L'Osservatore Romano

"(Within bioethics) there are areas where we absolutely must denounce some violations of the fundamental rights of human nature through experiments and genetic manipulation whose outcome is difficult to predict and control," he said.

whew, at least on that one, i'm okay. i haven't manipulated any genes in..., i don't know how long.... wait, i may never have done it.

But what about the moneylenders who are taking people's homes away from them? what about Tsar George who said torture was acceptable by his veto of the intelligence gathering bill? (wait again..., the church more or less invented moast "enhanced interrogation techniques during the Inquisition.) what about the terrors in Darfur?

i'm sorry. i forgot. the Catholic Church is God's presence on Earth and the pope is infallible.

you know... the Egyptian mythology, the Greek mythology, the Roman mythology were all much more fun than this current acceptable mythology of christianism. at least back then you could sacrifice a pig and eat it afterward, fighting hunger in the community. today they give you a piece of bread or a cracker and say it's the body of Christ.

ewww.... isn't that cannibalism? just asking...

so, just how much is a BILLION?

The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money.

A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases.

A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.

B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.

C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.

D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans. It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division .

Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans. Interesting number, what does it mean?

A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516,528.

B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787.

C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012.

Washington, D.C .. HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken?

a friend sent this to me. i don't know what the source is, but it sure seem accurate to me...

White House spying...

There are all these fights going on about rights to privacy with the Bush/Cheney adminsitration's penchant for knowing everything about everyone in the country to prevent suicide bombers from attacking U.S. citizens and soil. In addition to the telephone companies handing over lists of calls to/from American citizens, one of the major aspects is the federal government screening personal emails. The fight looms large.

I received my regular email from Amazon.com. It's a list that their computer program puts together based on things that I've purchased in the past called Amazon.com recommends.... I wondered what profile an agent would create on me from, not just the email but the extended list on the website, the things suggested. Here are some, there are a couple of hundred for me, recommendations:

























So, I drink coffee; I'm pessimistic of the future of America; I don't believe in god; I hate the Bush/Cheney administration; I'm a liberal; I work in the area of gifted education part-time; I'm overweight; I'm an opera queen; I speak French, or at the least listen to French music; I'm a Keith Olbermann junkie; and I'm queer.

It's the last one that really will blow my cover - Dora's Buildable House. This one makes me really dangerous, probably a pervert or someone who needs to know the set-up of a typical American house in order to design suicide bomb placement!

The truth is that I know the cutest three-year old girl who absolutely adores Dora the Explora and bought her the globe/software for Christmas.

yep, I'm dangerous all right.

more than they know...



[how's that for a set-up to get the Gestapo agent thinking twice about my profile?]



better go to Amazon.com and check you own profile out. you never know what they might find.

i'm just saying...

public schools and prayer...

There is a lot of talk about religion in government lately. Well, more than usual with Romney and Giuliani. In Illinois the state legislature passed a law entitled The Illinois Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act. I will state up front that I am totally opposed to this kind of law as set out in the US Constitution

First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The courts have repeatedly struck down any law passed as being construed to foster religion. It's called playing it safe.

I want to take a different tack. I have been a teacher, administrator and educator my entire adult life. From the standpoint of a teacher, we would, in any circumstance, love to have moments of silence in our classrooms. When you have up to 30 kids in a single room there are points in the day when sanity comes into question. When you work with the youngest, sanity is in question most all day.

I can see a built-in excuse for teachers to enforce some silence from time to time during the day by telling the kids, "Hey! It's the LAW. [Sometimes, though rarely, they believe anything.]

So, from that viewpoint, I could go along with the law - just asking for silence. What the child does with the silence is totally up to him/her. Most kids, from my experience, would read.

Here's where the idiots in the Illinois Legislature made their mistake, and most other legislatures do the same thing. Read the title carefully - The Illinois Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act

duh!!!!!!!! Put the courts on notice by using the word in the title of the act - Prayer!

If the legislators had backed it up with an explanation of time to refocus on instruction or let's catch our breaths or GIVE me a break you're driving me NUTS! there wouldn't be a problem.

If the parents, who are so inclined, want to tell their children, "You know when you have to be silent during the day? Would you do me a favor? Say a little prayer for...." Who'll be the wiser? Of course, the parent better tell their children not to tell anyone they are doing it. Kids are notorious for being cruel to each other. [Um, that's an understatement.] I saw kids every day bow their heads, mumble some words, or cross themselves silently, to themselves with no attention. No one bothered to notice. You can pray anyplace you want. It's your business.

Just don't tell me that I HAVE to sanction and set aside a time for it to happen as prayer. And the silent reflection thing? Honey, that's just another word for prayer.

My personal rule is - you can do anything you want as long as it doesn't hurt me physically or emotionally. BUT... you have to do the same for me. It is my choice not to believe or not to pray or to dance on the desk or be silent, as long as I don't do anything that can hurt you physically or emotionally - and don't tell me that my not praying hurts you emotionally. If you're that fragile, you need help.

Deal?