the business section
DJHJD
Monday, July 10, 2006
Monday, Monday ver. 824.01
Catching up after a lost week is a bit tough, especially when your motivation didn't come with the computer repair.
I'm about to re-do five tax returns, and then print them out for delivery. Very fun stuff.. then, it's time to work my booty off, in anticipation of delivery this course work TOMORROW. Yarg.
Tomorrow, I have to deliver all of my online content. I think I have it all designed, and know what I'm going to say.
And, I have about 1/3 of the materials already completed. So, up early to complete and send off the work, no IM and no email until it's all done.
Got a bunch done today; it's amazing what one can accomplish when the tax and mortgage software is working properly. Have tomorrow dedicated to the online course content, and then all the rest of the week reconstructing a client's books for the last two years. I like having work to do.
Ah, Bram's driving up. He's so excited that I could find the G35 like his to be the car for me. He keeps talking it up. Chuck and I are going tomorrow to look at one (and an FX35, also, which is Chuck's preference.) The G35 is stunning, though, and has a LOW stock number, which suggests that they've had it a while.
I'll stick up some pictures here in a second.
Secret Agent Man was suddenly back in touch today. Oof. That man, I swear.
I'm about to re-do five tax returns, and then print them out for delivery. Very fun stuff.. then, it's time to work my booty off, in anticipation of delivery this course work TOMORROW. Yarg.
Tomorrow, I have to deliver all of my online content. I think I have it all designed, and know what I'm going to say.
And, I have about 1/3 of the materials already completed. So, up early to complete and send off the work, no IM and no email until it's all done.
Got a bunch done today; it's amazing what one can accomplish when the tax and mortgage software is working properly. Have tomorrow dedicated to the online course content, and then all the rest of the week reconstructing a client's books for the last two years. I like having work to do.
Ah, Bram's driving up. He's so excited that I could find the G35 like his to be the car for me. He keeps talking it up. Chuck and I are going tomorrow to look at one (and an FX35, also, which is Chuck's preference.) The G35 is stunning, though, and has a LOW stock number, which suggests that they've had it a while.
I'll stick up some pictures here in a second.
Secret Agent Man was suddenly back in touch today. Oof. That man, I swear.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Sunday - more rain, or .. is it clearing up?
It looks like it could be clearing up. Laundry is underway. I'm watching a VERY strange movie called "Tarnation," about a guy from Houston, and his growing up in foster homes, having a mother who is schizophrenic. The movie is a montage of pictures, video, super 8MM and answering machine messages. It's .. um .. bizarre.
Bram is off somewhere - he was looking for a chair or something. Chuck loaned me his car for tomorrow - it's a lovely car, but it's so TINY. Holy schmoly.
Church today was good. I talked about "Doubt," and we kicked around the idea of what happens when you lose your goals or bigger picture. It was quite a conversation.
Mikey's flying to Newark tomorrow, and he's panicked. He hates to fly. Nothing I tell him makes a difference. I don't know whether he's trying to make me crazy, since he knows I'm an airline geek, or whether he's really this scared.
Talked today about the car thing. As I told Chuck yesterday, what I REALLY want is for the Universe to cough up the car or the resources for the car. And, I want .. I'm not sure. Maybe I need to get clear about that. Yarg.
I have so much to do. not having my computers working has really screwed me up.
Bram is off somewhere - he was looking for a chair or something. Chuck loaned me his car for tomorrow - it's a lovely car, but it's so TINY. Holy schmoly.
Church today was good. I talked about "Doubt," and we kicked around the idea of what happens when you lose your goals or bigger picture. It was quite a conversation.
Mikey's flying to Newark tomorrow, and he's panicked. He hates to fly. Nothing I tell him makes a difference. I don't know whether he's trying to make me crazy, since he knows I'm an airline geek, or whether he's really this scared.
Talked today about the car thing. As I told Chuck yesterday, what I REALLY want is for the Universe to cough up the car or the resources for the car. And, I want .. I'm not sure. Maybe I need to get clear about that. Yarg.
I have so much to do. not having my computers working has really screwed me up.
Friday, July 07, 2006
Friday attention
So, this is a PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT:
If anyone persists in calling me to blather on pointlessly about their job, boyfriend, daughter, manicurist, ex-boyfriend, would-be boyfriend, politics or other troubles, please expect the following:
First, telephone contact will be short and unrewarding.
Second, I will stop answering your phone calls.
Third, I will stop RETURNING your phone calls.
How do you know if you're a culprit, and that your telephonic contact is about to be or is being controlled? Here are a few clues:
a.) if you hear me say "I have to go now" and you suddenly rush in to ask me how I have been doing - this is a sign that you've not engaged me in the conversation at all.
b.) if you can feel me physically shove my way into your monologue to tell you that I have to get off the phone - like I have to cut you off and raise my voice to wedge my way in
c.) if I tell you something about a new gig, a new job, a new boyfriend, a new house, or that I've moved to Anchorage three weeks ago, and you say "I didn't know anything about that."
d.) if you hear my voice mail message A LOT
e.) if I start a telephone conversation by telling you that there's a time limit, which will be strictly observed.
Now, we return to our regularly scheduled program.
Ruby's back in the shop. This time, with a busted driver's seat frame - both sides failed. They are going to attempt to weld it back together, and then check to see if the seat mechanism continues to work. If not, then they're going to look for a replacement seat. This one's going to hurt.
Chuck's on his way over, and we're going to a.) pick up a check, b.) have dinner, c.) he swears he's going to fix this computer so it works. Finally.
Tomorrow, I've called off a meeting, and I think I'm going to see if I can get some work done OUTSIDE - Jackie's been digging up the planters next the patio, the garage door remains busted, and there are two light fixtures that need to be installed. The patio needs to be hosed/scrubbed down, as does the driveway. I need to find someplace to recycle paint. And, I have about a week's worth of computer work to catch up on. Since I haven't been able to do ANY.
If anyone persists in calling me to blather on pointlessly about their job, boyfriend, daughter, manicurist, ex-boyfriend, would-be boyfriend, politics or other troubles, please expect the following:
First, telephone contact will be short and unrewarding.
Second, I will stop answering your phone calls.
Third, I will stop RETURNING your phone calls.
How do you know if you're a culprit, and that your telephonic contact is about to be or is being controlled? Here are a few clues:
a.) if you hear me say "I have to go now" and you suddenly rush in to ask me how I have been doing - this is a sign that you've not engaged me in the conversation at all.
b.) if you can feel me physically shove my way into your monologue to tell you that I have to get off the phone - like I have to cut you off and raise my voice to wedge my way in
c.) if I tell you something about a new gig, a new job, a new boyfriend, a new house, or that I've moved to Anchorage three weeks ago, and you say "I didn't know anything about that."
d.) if you hear my voice mail message A LOT
e.) if I start a telephone conversation by telling you that there's a time limit, which will be strictly observed.
Now, we return to our regularly scheduled program.
Ruby's back in the shop. This time, with a busted driver's seat frame - both sides failed. They are going to attempt to weld it back together, and then check to see if the seat mechanism continues to work. If not, then they're going to look for a replacement seat. This one's going to hurt.
Chuck's on his way over, and we're going to a.) pick up a check, b.) have dinner, c.) he swears he's going to fix this computer so it works. Finally.
Tomorrow, I've called off a meeting, and I think I'm going to see if I can get some work done OUTSIDE - Jackie's been digging up the planters next the patio, the garage door remains busted, and there are two light fixtures that need to be installed. The patio needs to be hosed/scrubbed down, as does the driveway. I need to find someplace to recycle paint. And, I have about a week's worth of computer work to catch up on. Since I haven't been able to do ANY.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Rain-E Thursday
Another unproductive day, mostly thanks to my desktop computer, which is barely working at all. I can operate, at most, two software programs at a time, and nothing that sucks up a lot of memory.
Went to drop Ruby off to have her seat back fixed; I had made an appointment to have the work done more than a week and a half ago. Got there, and .. they won't take the car. They won't even discuss it until next week. I left. Came home, it had started raining, and the seatback had fallen into the back seat again.
Bitter, party of one.
Came home to the desktop freezing up. And freezing up. And San Jac being twits, as per the usual. They have extended the deadling for enrollment of the class that starts .. Monday .. until tomorrow. They tell the students fifteen different things, including that they don't know who the chosen instructor is .. and then, ask me if I'll cut my hourly rate to hold the class.
I spent hours trying to get the computer to work. Hours. Until nearly four o'clock. By that time, I was ready to scream.
I don't know how to catch up. Very frustrating.
Dinner with Chuck cancelled due to a blond moment, coupled with a younger, cuter Latin man being available.
Screaming is yet possible. I'm dizzy - I think my blood sugar is way out of whack.
Went to drop Ruby off to have her seat back fixed; I had made an appointment to have the work done more than a week and a half ago. Got there, and .. they won't take the car. They won't even discuss it until next week. I left. Came home, it had started raining, and the seatback had fallen into the back seat again.
Bitter, party of one.
Came home to the desktop freezing up. And freezing up. And San Jac being twits, as per the usual. They have extended the deadling for enrollment of the class that starts .. Monday .. until tomorrow. They tell the students fifteen different things, including that they don't know who the chosen instructor is .. and then, ask me if I'll cut my hourly rate to hold the class.
I spent hours trying to get the computer to work. Hours. Until nearly four o'clock. By that time, I was ready to scream.
I don't know how to catch up. Very frustrating.
Dinner with Chuck cancelled due to a blond moment, coupled with a younger, cuter Latin man being available.
Screaming is yet possible. I'm dizzy - I think my blood sugar is way out of whack.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
More hump day that feels like Monday
Teaching my class - they're working on their in-class exercises.
Got all excited about the new VW Rabbit, until Bri in Hotlanta shot it out of the trees. Using an Uzi. And a ballistic missile. Now, I'm back to the ...
Hell, I don't know.
I talked over the A. Hitler thing with Donna today, and got more insight. It's very cool. Another article to write.
Got all excited about the new VW Rabbit, until Bri in Hotlanta shot it out of the trees. Using an Uzi. And a ballistic missile. Now, I'm back to the ...
Hell, I don't know.
I talked over the A. Hitler thing with Donna today, and got more insight. It's very cool. Another article to write.
So, I figured it out - Hump Day that feels like Monday
Had ten people yesterday (well, more than ten actually, but we got to ten and leveled off there as people came and went) Some of us hung in the pool, the rest cowered under the patio cover, Bram broke the garage door, hired some poor little guy from Home Depot's parking lot to paint his bedroom, and we watched a bunch of the Star Trek marathon. Fernando made sandwiches, queso and rum cakes, and a good time was had by all. No massive intoxication, no embarassing amorousness, and I had the kitchen clean and was in bed by 10:30. Well, I could have been.
So, I was reflecting on the Hitler dream this morning, especially the part about going through the airport to my (truly gorgeous .. oh, my) FW 200 with all of the people getting it ready to travel. I started to see that in that scenario, I was only focused on BIG picture issues. I wasn't concerned about the NOTAMS, or the tire pressure, or the catering load-in, or the departure clearances, or whether the airport fees had been paid .. I was only absolutely certain that all of those things had been done - certain to the point that I didn't think about them.
From a SOM perspective, in that mindset, everything that I was focused on INCLUDED having the airplane's needs (and therefore, my needs) attended to. I was comparing my own past focus with this perspective, and .. I've been focusing on the blades of grass.
The adage we're pulling in here is - can't see the forest for the trees. (I keep finding that these old adages have so much value and validity, kind of amazing.)
This isn't to say that you should (or I should) abandon attention to the small stuff. It's just that FOCUSING on the small stuff prevents one from focusing on the BIG stuff.
This morning, after my contemplation, I picked (back) up "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich," having already read "The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler," and "Berlin Diaries." And, the very next sub-chapter I came to was the discussion of Adolf Hitler and his income before he became Chancellor. It seems that ol' AH gave very little thought to his support, and income stream. He just knew it would be there.
All of this provides me with fodder for further consideration.
Okay, it's time to get cracking on a few more things -
So, I was reflecting on the Hitler dream this morning, especially the part about going through the airport to my (truly gorgeous .. oh, my) FW 200 with all of the people getting it ready to travel. I started to see that in that scenario, I was only focused on BIG picture issues. I wasn't concerned about the NOTAMS, or the tire pressure, or the catering load-in, or the departure clearances, or whether the airport fees had been paid .. I was only absolutely certain that all of those things had been done - certain to the point that I didn't think about them.
From a SOM perspective, in that mindset, everything that I was focused on INCLUDED having the airplane's needs (and therefore, my needs) attended to. I was comparing my own past focus with this perspective, and .. I've been focusing on the blades of grass.
The adage we're pulling in here is - can't see the forest for the trees. (I keep finding that these old adages have so much value and validity, kind of amazing.)
This isn't to say that you should (or I should) abandon attention to the small stuff. It's just that FOCUSING on the small stuff prevents one from focusing on the BIG stuff.
This morning, after my contemplation, I picked (back) up "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich," having already read "The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler," and "Berlin Diaries." And, the very next sub-chapter I came to was the discussion of Adolf Hitler and his income before he became Chancellor. It seems that ol' AH gave very little thought to his support, and income stream. He just knew it would be there.
All of this provides me with fodder for further consideration.
Okay, it's time to get cracking on a few more things -
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
A Birthday Present for America
From Daily Kos
By DarkSyde on osama
Here's a birthday present for ya America, courtesy of the White House I'm sure:
Link--WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The Central Intelligence Agency has closed a unit that for a decade had the mission of hunting Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants, intelligence officials confirmed Monday. [...] The decision is a milestone for the agency, which formed the unit before Osama bin Laden became a household name and bolstered its ranks after the Sept. 11 attacks, when President Bush pledged to bring Mr. bin Laden to justice "dead or alive."
Yes, OBL, the guy President Bush said we were going to 'smoke out' 'dead or alive' is no longer deemed a threat--or at least not enough of a threat to actually you know, pursue vigorously from within the CIA. After all, the President is 'truly not that concerned about him,' even though bin Laden and his pal Aymen killed 3000 Americans and are threatening in every new Al Qaeda video production to kill some more.
What the fuck kind of President is George Bush anyway?
So, those of you who still support this administration - how does this action square with your certainty that they're protecting us from terrorism?
By DarkSyde on osama
Here's a birthday present for ya America, courtesy of the White House I'm sure:
Link--WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The Central Intelligence Agency has closed a unit that for a decade had the mission of hunting Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants, intelligence officials confirmed Monday. [...] The decision is a milestone for the agency, which formed the unit before Osama bin Laden became a household name and bolstered its ranks after the Sept. 11 attacks, when President Bush pledged to bring Mr. bin Laden to justice "dead or alive."
Yes, OBL, the guy President Bush said we were going to 'smoke out' 'dead or alive' is no longer deemed a threat--or at least not enough of a threat to actually you know, pursue vigorously from within the CIA. After all, the President is 'truly not that concerned about him,' even though bin Laden and his pal Aymen killed 3000 Americans and are threatening in every new Al Qaeda video production to kill some more.
What the fuck kind of President is George Bush anyway?
So, those of you who still support this administration - how does this action square with your certainty that they're protecting us from terrorism?
July 4th, bizarre dream edition
So, this morning, I was dreaming that I was Adolf Hitler, and it was the late 1930s. I was in New York for a meeting with some political figures. The room was lavish, and everyone was saying blah, blah, blah. I came to realize that they were telling me "this is the line you cannot cross," or "this is as much as we can give you," but that these were just words. I could do anything I conceived. I left, and went to the airport, to board my Focke-Wolfe 200 (the first four engine long distance airplane) It was there at the New York airport, polished to shine like a mirror, with fresh black and yellow trim paint. Crew people were buzzing around the aircraft, readying it for departure.
And then I had to climb the wooden stairs to the ship (these being dreams, they don't occur in a linear fashion.) The stairs were long and steep, and in the middle was a wooden structure that one had to slide undebrneath, part of a military training regimen.
There was a young military man coming down the stairs, and he limbo-ed under the structure, but I walked up and around on the outside. Then, I was talking to some guy who worked for me who hadn't completed some task he was to have done. I told him he had to cut his ear off in pennance. He did. That was gross.
Still thinking about the meanings of this dream.. it's interesting.
And then I had to climb the wooden stairs to the ship (these being dreams, they don't occur in a linear fashion.) The stairs were long and steep, and in the middle was a wooden structure that one had to slide undebrneath, part of a military training regimen.
There was a young military man coming down the stairs, and he limbo-ed under the structure, but I walked up and around on the outside. Then, I was talking to some guy who worked for me who hadn't completed some task he was to have done. I told him he had to cut his ear off in pennance. He did. That was gross.
Still thinking about the meanings of this dream.. it's interesting.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Monday, Monday ver. 822.01
Well, it's all stinky up in here today. Barbara is painting Bram's bedroom, and it turns out that she started by using OIL based wall paint (we scrounged through the garage for supplies.) So, the cucarachas are all dying swiftly, and my brain cells are failing by the thousands.
Have been opening a client's huge stack o'mail. Yurg. Have to get this all organized now. Have more things set up for this week.
So, I'm having a fag float tomorrow. This fag float was to have been brought to you by other members of my fag float team, who were so happy about the memorial day experience that they said they wanted to "chip in and do up the 4th of July." Now, they've decided that they are "just going to show up."
Thanks. Why again is it that they keep calling me bitter? Oh, yeah, because people don't follow through with what they say they'll do. Yurg.
Cleaned out the garage today. Hooo baby. Got the trash can FULL of stuff. Swept things down, moved things out, cleaned things up, it looks like a garage instead of a foreclosure in progress.
Later on
The house still smells. It smells as if I've soaked a bunch of charcoal in the living room; the lighter fluid smell is so heavy. Did I mention that the garage is nice and clean?
Have been opening a client's huge stack o'mail. Yurg. Have to get this all organized now. Have more things set up for this week.
So, I'm having a fag float tomorrow. This fag float was to have been brought to you by other members of my fag float team, who were so happy about the memorial day experience that they said they wanted to "chip in and do up the 4th of July." Now, they've decided that they are "just going to show up."
Thanks. Why again is it that they keep calling me bitter? Oh, yeah, because people don't follow through with what they say they'll do. Yurg.
Cleaned out the garage today. Hooo baby. Got the trash can FULL of stuff. Swept things down, moved things out, cleaned things up, it looks like a garage instead of a foreclosure in progress.
Later on
The house still smells. It smells as if I've soaked a bunch of charcoal in the living room; the lighter fluid smell is so heavy. Did I mention that the garage is nice and clean?
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Sunday - a pie bake-off
Rosita gave me some blueberries today, and I decided it was finally time to make up a pie with the cherry pie filling that came to live with me some nine years ago. Was it the kind of pie filling that can survive nine years?
It's good stuff!! The pie. With the nine year old cherry filling. Bram loved it. He's SUCH a great guy. This is turning out EXACTLY like I was wanting - with a room mate that's responsible, fun, great to be around, good company, and a participant in developing the house at a concept.
Barney's getting more feeble by the day. I put his collar on, and a few hours later, it's lying on the ground. He gets up unsteadily, and is deaf as a post.
It's good stuff!! The pie. With the nine year old cherry filling. Bram loved it. He's SUCH a great guy. This is turning out EXACTLY like I was wanting - with a room mate that's responsible, fun, great to be around, good company, and a participant in developing the house at a concept.
Barney's getting more feeble by the day. I put his collar on, and a few hours later, it's lying on the ground. He gets up unsteadily, and is deaf as a post.
Declare our Independance
Source Article
On the Fourth, Read the Declaration of Impeachment
By David Swanson
AfterDowningStreet.org
Sunday 02 July 2006
Veterans for Peace has drafted a Declaration of Impeachment using nothing but excerpts from the Declaration of Independence (plus a few words in parentheses). It reads as follows, and should be read at picnics and protests on the Fourth of July:
"... whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
... all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations ... design(s) to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
... The history of the present King (George)... is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny ... To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
* He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
* He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
* He has ... deprive(ed) us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury ... transport(ed) us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
* He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us ...
* He is at this time transporting large Armies ... to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
* He has constrained our fellow Citizens ... to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
A (President) whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
We, therefore ... do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People ... solemnly publish and declare, That these ... Free and Independent (People) ... are Absolved from all Allegiance to the (Bush Administration), and that all political connection between them and (this Administration), is and ought to be totally dissolved ... And for the support of this Declaration ... we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."
Note that the colonists didn't just write these words. They also fought and died for them.
Supporting our troops and working to ensure that they not have died in vain are notions that no longer apply to the soldiers who died in the fields around my house in Virginia. The statute of limitations has expired, and the 4,435 who died to rid America of a King George are now in fact required - as a matter of patriotic duty - to have died in vain.
In vain their deaths to free us of a unitary executive.
In vain their deaths to establish freedom of assembly.
In vain their deaths to separate church and state.
In vain their deaths to create freedom of speech.
In vain their deaths in the cause of freedom from unreasonable search and seizure.
In vain their blood spilled in rivers to establish the right to freedom from cruel and unusual punishment.
In vain their ultimate sacrifices to create a representative democracy based on checks and balances.
In vain the heartache of their families suffered in the name of an end to empire.
All in vain, all unsupported. Welcome to the world of free speech zones, detention without charge, no access to a court of law, no prohibition on torture. Welcome to the end of the veto and the birth of the signing statement. Welcome to an executive branch that neither obeys Congress nor so much as informs Congress of its actions. Welcome to wars of aggression for a theocratic plutocracy. Welcome back, King George.
King George is opposed by almost all Americans who identify themselves as democrats or Democrats. Only 9 percent of Democrats approve of his "handling the situation with Iraq," according to a CBS poll. The so-called Republican Party, on the other hand, is split. 71 percent of Republicans approve of the king's war, a number that is steadily declining. So, I have to say it annoys me a teeny little bit when the military industrial media complex calls the Democratic Party split and makes that alleged split the focus of reporting.
What they mean is that a little band of plutocratic leeches living in the swamps of the District of Columbia displays different tendencies from the citizenry. Within this inbred sect, Republicans are almost united and Democrats quite split on the question of whether to slaughter more Iraqis indefinitely. All the Republicans are for it, and half the Democrats are for it too. But half the Democrats have come over to the side of the American public to receive the scorn of the pundits and preachers of Objectivity.
What nobody is making note of, though, is that the anti-war Democrats in Congress can balance the scorn that the media bestows on them with the implicit gratitude of the soldiers of the War for Independence, the war in which we were opposing, not creating, a foreign occupation.
I fully expect, one day soon, to wake up to this headline: "Dems split on torturing grandmothers," followed by words to this effect: "Republicans forced a deeply divided and uncertain Democratic Party onto the defensive this week, bringing to a vote their long-planned GT bill. The Grandmother Torture Act of 2006 provides the President with the freedom he needs in handling the rising threat from seniors engaged in terrorist activities, said several Republican leaders. The defeat is expected to hurt the Democrats in November, Diebold executives reported.
Of course, on the question of building permanent military bases in Iraq, it is the Dems in Congress who are united and the Republicans in Congress who are very much split. But that story is not a story, so it doesn't really matter who's split or not split or anything else. Nor is historic justice being served the way it should. Every member of Congress working to create permanent bases in Iraq for unwanted and illegal foreign troops should have two dozen reenactors of the American Revolution occupy their office and live off their campaign funds while endlessly reciting the Declaration of Impeachment.
Happy Fourth!
David Swanson is creator of MeetWithCindy.org, co-founder of the AfterDowningStreet.org coalition, a writer and activist, and the Washington Director of Democrats.com. He is a board member of Progressive Democrats of America, and serves on the Executive Council of the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild, TNG-CWA. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and as a communications director, with jobs including Press Secretary for Dennis Kucinich's 2004 presidential campaign, Media Coordinator for the International Labor Communications Association, and three years as Communications Coordinator for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Swanson obtained a Master's degree in philosophy from the University of Virginia in 1997. His website is www.davidswanson.org.
On the Fourth, Read the Declaration of Impeachment
By David Swanson
AfterDowningStreet.org
Sunday 02 July 2006
Veterans for Peace has drafted a Declaration of Impeachment using nothing but excerpts from the Declaration of Independence (plus a few words in parentheses). It reads as follows, and should be read at picnics and protests on the Fourth of July:
"... whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
... all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations ... design(s) to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
... The history of the present King (George)... is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny ... To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
* He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
* He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
* He has ... deprive(ed) us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury ... transport(ed) us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
* He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us ...
* He is at this time transporting large Armies ... to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
* He has constrained our fellow Citizens ... to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
A (President) whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
We, therefore ... do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People ... solemnly publish and declare, That these ... Free and Independent (People) ... are Absolved from all Allegiance to the (Bush Administration), and that all political connection between them and (this Administration), is and ought to be totally dissolved ... And for the support of this Declaration ... we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."
Note that the colonists didn't just write these words. They also fought and died for them.
Supporting our troops and working to ensure that they not have died in vain are notions that no longer apply to the soldiers who died in the fields around my house in Virginia. The statute of limitations has expired, and the 4,435 who died to rid America of a King George are now in fact required - as a matter of patriotic duty - to have died in vain.
In vain their deaths to free us of a unitary executive.
In vain their deaths to establish freedom of assembly.
In vain their deaths to separate church and state.
In vain their deaths to create freedom of speech.
In vain their deaths in the cause of freedom from unreasonable search and seizure.
In vain their blood spilled in rivers to establish the right to freedom from cruel and unusual punishment.
In vain their ultimate sacrifices to create a representative democracy based on checks and balances.
In vain the heartache of their families suffered in the name of an end to empire.
All in vain, all unsupported. Welcome to the world of free speech zones, detention without charge, no access to a court of law, no prohibition on torture. Welcome to the end of the veto and the birth of the signing statement. Welcome to an executive branch that neither obeys Congress nor so much as informs Congress of its actions. Welcome to wars of aggression for a theocratic plutocracy. Welcome back, King George.
King George is opposed by almost all Americans who identify themselves as democrats or Democrats. Only 9 percent of Democrats approve of his "handling the situation with Iraq," according to a CBS poll. The so-called Republican Party, on the other hand, is split. 71 percent of Republicans approve of the king's war, a number that is steadily declining. So, I have to say it annoys me a teeny little bit when the military industrial media complex calls the Democratic Party split and makes that alleged split the focus of reporting.
What they mean is that a little band of plutocratic leeches living in the swamps of the District of Columbia displays different tendencies from the citizenry. Within this inbred sect, Republicans are almost united and Democrats quite split on the question of whether to slaughter more Iraqis indefinitely. All the Republicans are for it, and half the Democrats are for it too. But half the Democrats have come over to the side of the American public to receive the scorn of the pundits and preachers of Objectivity.
What nobody is making note of, though, is that the anti-war Democrats in Congress can balance the scorn that the media bestows on them with the implicit gratitude of the soldiers of the War for Independence, the war in which we were opposing, not creating, a foreign occupation.
I fully expect, one day soon, to wake up to this headline: "Dems split on torturing grandmothers," followed by words to this effect: "Republicans forced a deeply divided and uncertain Democratic Party onto the defensive this week, bringing to a vote their long-planned GT bill. The Grandmother Torture Act of 2006 provides the President with the freedom he needs in handling the rising threat from seniors engaged in terrorist activities, said several Republican leaders. The defeat is expected to hurt the Democrats in November, Diebold executives reported.
Of course, on the question of building permanent military bases in Iraq, it is the Dems in Congress who are united and the Republicans in Congress who are very much split. But that story is not a story, so it doesn't really matter who's split or not split or anything else. Nor is historic justice being served the way it should. Every member of Congress working to create permanent bases in Iraq for unwanted and illegal foreign troops should have two dozen reenactors of the American Revolution occupy their office and live off their campaign funds while endlessly reciting the Declaration of Impeachment.
Happy Fourth!
David Swanson is creator of MeetWithCindy.org, co-founder of the AfterDowningStreet.org coalition, a writer and activist, and the Washington Director of Democrats.com. He is a board member of Progressive Democrats of America, and serves on the Executive Council of the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild, TNG-CWA. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and as a communications director, with jobs including Press Secretary for Dennis Kucinich's 2004 presidential campaign, Media Coordinator for the International Labor Communications Association, and three years as Communications Coordinator for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Swanson obtained a Master's degree in philosophy from the University of Virginia in 1997. His website is www.davidswanson.org.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
How to Reduce the Size of Government
From Daily Kos
by kmiddle
Thu Jun 29, 2006 at 10:09:53 AM PDT
Government spending is out of control. On the Federal level, it's easy to just borrow more money (thanks China). But states have a tougher time; they can't just keeping the mint working overtime. And so the total tax burden continues to be near all-time highs for the average working family.
I have identified the reason behind this problem: Too many politicians.
All those governors, Speakers of the House, State Senators and Representatives, elbowing each other for position and voter attention. And they all feel the need to "do something" for their constituents, which almost always translates into "take money out of my wallet for something I don't need." Not to mention 50 state Attorney Generals, Secretary of States, Treasurers, etc. etc. etc. All full-time jobs, with their own staffs, security details, offices, lights, phones, computers...waste, waste, waste, I say.
* kmiddle's diary :: ::
*
So here's my modest proposal - one that will instantly reduce the size of government and reign in uncontrolled spending. Reduce the number of states from 50 to 10.
The current political borders for the states are historical artifacts that have no relevance to today's modern society. Can anyone living in Rhode Island honestly describe the major social and political issues that separate them from Connecticut? Hell, in Rhode Island, you have to go to another state to get to the Super Walmart.
Any state that has a geographic description in its name (eg, North, South) has obviously been begging for consolidation since its inception. Otherwise, they'd have had the good sense to pick a real name. And what's with this whole Arkansas/Kansas thing? Did Arkansas just want to get its Yellow Pages listing ahead of Kansas? Why not AAAArKansas instead?
Here are just a few benefits of cutting the number of states down to 10:
* An 80% reduction in the number of politicians who feed at the state government trough. Only 10 governors, etc. Think of the salaries saved! That alone should be enough to reduce taxes by 10%.
* An 80% reduction in the potential for mischief. Along with an 80% reduction in the number of people we Kossacks need to watch like hawks.
* An 80% reduction in the number of US Senators (only 20 instead of 100). Who can possibly argue that fewer US Senators is a bad thing?
* Better overall quality of politicians. Right now, for every John Murtha, there's a Bob Ney, a Jean (not so)Smart, and a Katherine Harris. If there are fewer jobs to chase, the most qualified people might actually have a shot at displacing the knuckleheads. (I know this is a bad example, because the US House is based on population; but having fewer state political offices will force politicians to look elsewhere for work. It's a "trickle up" theory.)
* School children would be freed from mindless memorization of state capitals and be able to concentrate on important stuff. Social studies teachers might actually be able to teach things like - horrors!!! - the Constitution.
Here are my recommendations for the new 10 United States of America;
* Rockysnowland: Combine Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Except for the upstate of Maine and Buffalo, they're all about an hour's drive from each other, and their regional issues are pretty much the same. Which is to say how shovel all that snow and how to farm around all those darned rocks.
* Delavanialand: Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Back in the 1700s, New Jersey was hard to get to from Pennsylvania because of the Delaware River. Now we have things called "bridges." And what in the heck is Delaware doing hogging all the coastline from Maryland? Ridiculous. Combine them all.
* Minneconsin: Minnesota and Wisconsin. Cheese for everyone!!! Ice sculptures, too.
* Michohnoisy: Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, along with Kentucky. Michigan has to give up the noncontiguous portion to Minneconsin. It's mostly the old Northwest Territory, with Kentucky thrown in for good measure. As it is, the only reason Indiana exists is to prevent Ohio and Illinois from bumping into each other. So why not combine them all?
* NASCARalia: Alabama, the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Yes, West Virginia, I realize you separated from Virginia during the Civil War. Get over it. War's over.
* Texarkanianohoma: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas,. Alternative name: Tornadoania.
* Cornsas: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.
* Idakota: Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota, Wyoming.
* Colozonah: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.
* Oceania: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington.
by kmiddle
Thu Jun 29, 2006 at 10:09:53 AM PDT
Government spending is out of control. On the Federal level, it's easy to just borrow more money (thanks China). But states have a tougher time; they can't just keeping the mint working overtime. And so the total tax burden continues to be near all-time highs for the average working family.
I have identified the reason behind this problem: Too many politicians.
All those governors, Speakers of the House, State Senators and Representatives, elbowing each other for position and voter attention. And they all feel the need to "do something" for their constituents, which almost always translates into "take money out of my wallet for something I don't need." Not to mention 50 state Attorney Generals, Secretary of States, Treasurers, etc. etc. etc. All full-time jobs, with their own staffs, security details, offices, lights, phones, computers...waste, waste, waste, I say.
* kmiddle's diary :: ::
*
So here's my modest proposal - one that will instantly reduce the size of government and reign in uncontrolled spending. Reduce the number of states from 50 to 10.
The current political borders for the states are historical artifacts that have no relevance to today's modern society. Can anyone living in Rhode Island honestly describe the major social and political issues that separate them from Connecticut? Hell, in Rhode Island, you have to go to another state to get to the Super Walmart.
Any state that has a geographic description in its name (eg, North, South) has obviously been begging for consolidation since its inception. Otherwise, they'd have had the good sense to pick a real name. And what's with this whole Arkansas/Kansas thing? Did Arkansas just want to get its Yellow Pages listing ahead of Kansas? Why not AAAArKansas instead?
Here are just a few benefits of cutting the number of states down to 10:
* An 80% reduction in the number of politicians who feed at the state government trough. Only 10 governors, etc. Think of the salaries saved! That alone should be enough to reduce taxes by 10%.
* An 80% reduction in the potential for mischief. Along with an 80% reduction in the number of people we Kossacks need to watch like hawks.
* An 80% reduction in the number of US Senators (only 20 instead of 100). Who can possibly argue that fewer US Senators is a bad thing?
* Better overall quality of politicians. Right now, for every John Murtha, there's a Bob Ney, a Jean (not so)Smart, and a Katherine Harris. If there are fewer jobs to chase, the most qualified people might actually have a shot at displacing the knuckleheads. (I know this is a bad example, because the US House is based on population; but having fewer state political offices will force politicians to look elsewhere for work. It's a "trickle up" theory.)
* School children would be freed from mindless memorization of state capitals and be able to concentrate on important stuff. Social studies teachers might actually be able to teach things like - horrors!!! - the Constitution.
Here are my recommendations for the new 10 United States of America;
* Rockysnowland: Combine Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Except for the upstate of Maine and Buffalo, they're all about an hour's drive from each other, and their regional issues are pretty much the same. Which is to say how shovel all that snow and how to farm around all those darned rocks.
* Delavanialand: Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Back in the 1700s, New Jersey was hard to get to from Pennsylvania because of the Delaware River. Now we have things called "bridges." And what in the heck is Delaware doing hogging all the coastline from Maryland? Ridiculous. Combine them all.
* Minneconsin: Minnesota and Wisconsin. Cheese for everyone!!! Ice sculptures, too.
* Michohnoisy: Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, along with Kentucky. Michigan has to give up the noncontiguous portion to Minneconsin. It's mostly the old Northwest Territory, with Kentucky thrown in for good measure. As it is, the only reason Indiana exists is to prevent Ohio and Illinois from bumping into each other. So why not combine them all?
* NASCARalia: Alabama, the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Yes, West Virginia, I realize you separated from Virginia during the Civil War. Get over it. War's over.
* Texarkanianohoma: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas,. Alternative name: Tornadoania.
* Cornsas: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.
* Idakota: Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota, Wyoming.
* Colozonah: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.
* Oceania: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington.
No one has caller ID?
I'm watching another anthology of gay short films; more tortured young homosexuals, and no one has caller ID. It's bizarre. And, why is everyone in these films 24 years old? Most of the 24 year olds that I know haven't the emotional or intellectual depth to fill a tea cup, let alone to engage in complex human interactions. Are we gay people so afraid of age and average that we can only depict ourselves through tight bodied children? The only old gay people that I've seen in a movie are either campy and ridiciulous (Nathan Lane in Birdcage) or they're intensely self-destructive (Fighting Tommy Riley) or psychotic killers.
Day two of zero motivation this week. What do to? I guess it's a weekend of working.
Ruby goes into the shop to have her interior trim pieces fixed next week. She really needs it.
I can't get Quicken to open up to save my life. Annoying.
Day two of zero motivation this week. What do to? I guess it's a weekend of working.
Ruby goes into the shop to have her interior trim pieces fixed next week. She really needs it.
I can't get Quicken to open up to save my life. Annoying.
Morlock or murlock
So, E squared just called me "King of the Murlocs."
A murloc, according to Wikipedia, is:
A morlock, on the other hand, is a:
A murloc, according to Wikipedia, is:
The murloc is a fictional race in the Warcraft Universe, created by Blizzard Entertainment. It is a bipedal amphibanoid race residing along coastlines, lakeshores and riverbeds, as well as in underwater ruins. Murlocs are distinguished by their bulbous bodies, large mouths lined with row upon row of sharp fangs, and slime-coated skin. Murlocs range in coloration from turquoise to darkish grey, and in height from 3-1/2 feet to 6 feet.
Murloc culture is tribal in nature, and religion is generally shamanistic, with most villages containing a number of oracles and tidehunters, with coastrunners and warriors for defense. Habitations are generally crude huts with peaked roofs, huddled around a body of water. Oddly enough for amphibianoids, they prefer their food cooked, and will happily build campfires or even large bonfires which easily accommodate their favourite dish, the "spit-roasted gnome warlock".
Murloc behavior toward other races is best characterized as "hostile," and even more so as "unbelievably hostile." Typically, approaching within 100 yards of even one, apparently isolated, murloc will result in the subject letting forth the usual gurgling warcry "Rawgrlrlrlrrlglrl!" and dragging forth his entire village of 20, emerging as if by magic, to battle the visitor. Such assaults generally result in a nasty, slimy overkill against the hapless tourist. Indeed, it is nearly impossible for even the most dedicated murloc hunter to get just one to himself -- three or four Murlocs are usually the bare minimum.
Murloc hunting, however, is a time-honored vocation, particularly since murloc fins are a prized delicacy when used for soup broth, and slimy murloc scales are sought after by advanced leatherworkers for use in crafting fine armor. In addition, hefty bounties are often placed on certain murlocs, due to their incredibly-pronounced disregard for the sanctity of life, generally-accepted notions of fair play, or lack of simple common decency. By the same token, pounding one of them into guava jelly with a large mace is surprisingly satisfying.
A morlock, on the other hand, is a:
fictional species, created by H. G. Wells for his 1895 novel, The Time Machine. The Morlocks, as well as another supposed offshoot of humans, the Eloi, exist in the future world in the year AD 802,701 in 'The Time Machine'. The Morlocks are said to have descended from humans, although they have evolved to become a completely different species by the 8028th century.
Morlocks are humanoid creatures. They don't seem to wear clothing, and are instead covered with fur. The Time Traveller describes them as 'almost spiderlike' in their demeanor, in that they silently slink around in the dead of night and snag their prey. They live in an underground civilization, where they maintain ancient machines that they may or may not remember how to build. Their only entrance to the surface world is through a series of well-like structures which dot the future English countryside. As a result of living underground, the Morlocks are extremely sensitive to light, and apparently have little or no melanin in their skin.
The Morlocks are cannibalistic, as their main source of food is the Eloi, another race descended from Humanity who lives aboveground. The Morlocks seem to treat the Eloi as cattle, and the Eloi make no resistance.
The above describes the Morlocks from the original novel. Since then, many other sources (such as movie adaptations, sequels to the original novel, etc.) have given variant descriptions of them.
The feeling of deju-vu
Most of the people I know don't remember diddly-squat about the Kent State "Massacre" (which only resulted in four deaths, but they were unarmed, non-violent students.) I was only twelve years old when it happened; my cousin Anne was attending Kent State at the time, and I adored her, so the events left a sharp note in my memory logs.
Here, you can read up (if you're so motivated) on what HAPPENED, both before, during and after. This will read very much like the Bush administrations' take on people who protest the Iraq war, people who speak out against it, and what could easily happen again.
So, if you think this is more liberal ranting on my part, so be it. You can ignore these tantalizing hyperlinks and just keep on keeping on - worrying about whether Brittany is going to have a boy or a girl, or whether that thing between Ashton and Demi is for real, or for show. Then, when some over-zealous troops or police shoot up a non-violent protest somewhere in this country, you can remember "I told you..." and maybe, just MAYBE come back and read them.
Or not. I expect not.
Prelude to Kent State: Nixon Invades Cambodia
Call Out the National Guard: May 1-3, 1970, at Kent State
"They Just Started Shooting Us Down" -- Kent State
"They Should Have Shot Them All" -- Kent State Aftermath
"Inexcusable": Investigating Kent State
Guardsmen Go on Trial: Kent State
"Blood on my Hands": Kent State Civil Trials
Here, you can read up (if you're so motivated) on what HAPPENED, both before, during and after. This will read very much like the Bush administrations' take on people who protest the Iraq war, people who speak out against it, and what could easily happen again.
So, if you think this is more liberal ranting on my part, so be it. You can ignore these tantalizing hyperlinks and just keep on keeping on - worrying about whether Brittany is going to have a boy or a girl, or whether that thing between Ashton and Demi is for real, or for show. Then, when some over-zealous troops or police shoot up a non-violent protest somewhere in this country, you can remember "I told you..." and maybe, just MAYBE come back and read them.
Or not. I expect not.
Prelude to Kent State: Nixon Invades Cambodia
Call Out the National Guard: May 1-3, 1970, at Kent State
"They Just Started Shooting Us Down" -- Kent State
"They Should Have Shot Them All" -- Kent State Aftermath
"Inexcusable": Investigating Kent State
Guardsmen Go on Trial: Kent State
"Blood on my Hands": Kent State Civil Trials
So, they offer to quit attacking and we say ..
"go hang."
From Daily Kos
Half a trillion
by kos
Thu Jun 29, 2006 at 08:44:03 AM PDT
Half a trillion.
The overall cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and other global anti-terror operations since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks will top $500 billion next year, according to congressional estimates and expectations of future funding.
The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service said in a report that through the current fiscal year ending Sept. 30, the government will have spent $437 billion on overseas military and foreign aid funding. That includes the latest supplemental spending bill signed into law this month, which provided $69 billion for the war effort.
Add in roughly $1.5 billion in FY07 Foreign Operations funds for Iraq and Afghanistan; $50 billion in Pentagon "bridge" funds for the first half of FY07, plus as-yet-undetermined supplemental funds for the remainder of the next fiscal year, and total war-related costs will easily soar over $500 billion one year from now.
Meanwhile, Sunni insurgents have offered to cease all attacks if the US offers a timetable to withdrawal.
Eleven Sunni insurgent groups have offered an immediate halt to all attacks - including those on American troops - if the United States agrees to withdraw foreign forces from Iraq in two years, insurgent and government officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Withdrawal is the centerpiece of a set of demands from the groups, which operate north of Baghdad in the heavily Sunni Arab provinces of Salahuddin and Diyala. Although much of the fighting has been to the west, those provinces are increasingly violent and attacks there have crippled oil and commerce routes.
The groups who've made contact have largely shunned attacks on Iraqi civilians, focusing instead on the U.S.-led coalition forces. Their offer coincides with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's decision to reach out to the Sunni insurgency with a reconciliation plan that includes an amnesty for fighters.
But of course Bush rejected the offer outright. No timetable. No withdrawal. Hundreds of billions more and countless lives set to be sucked down the Iraqi sinkhole for the rest of the Bush presidency.
From Daily Kos
Half a trillion
by kos
Thu Jun 29, 2006 at 08:44:03 AM PDT
Half a trillion.
The overall cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and other global anti-terror operations since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks will top $500 billion next year, according to congressional estimates and expectations of future funding.
The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service said in a report that through the current fiscal year ending Sept. 30, the government will have spent $437 billion on overseas military and foreign aid funding. That includes the latest supplemental spending bill signed into law this month, which provided $69 billion for the war effort.
Add in roughly $1.5 billion in FY07 Foreign Operations funds for Iraq and Afghanistan; $50 billion in Pentagon "bridge" funds for the first half of FY07, plus as-yet-undetermined supplemental funds for the remainder of the next fiscal year, and total war-related costs will easily soar over $500 billion one year from now.
Meanwhile, Sunni insurgents have offered to cease all attacks if the US offers a timetable to withdrawal.
Eleven Sunni insurgent groups have offered an immediate halt to all attacks - including those on American troops - if the United States agrees to withdraw foreign forces from Iraq in two years, insurgent and government officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Withdrawal is the centerpiece of a set of demands from the groups, which operate north of Baghdad in the heavily Sunni Arab provinces of Salahuddin and Diyala. Although much of the fighting has been to the west, those provinces are increasingly violent and attacks there have crippled oil and commerce routes.
The groups who've made contact have largely shunned attacks on Iraqi civilians, focusing instead on the U.S.-led coalition forces. Their offer coincides with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's decision to reach out to the Sunni insurgency with a reconciliation plan that includes an amnesty for fighters.
But of course Bush rejected the offer outright. No timetable. No withdrawal. Hundreds of billions more and countless lives set to be sucked down the Iraqi sinkhole for the rest of the Bush presidency.
$1,000,000,000,000 of Gay Money and the Ringing of the Bell
from Daily Kos
by Rippe
Wed Jun 28, 2006 at 05:06:50 AM PDT
Just 6 years from now, gay and lesbian buying power in the U.S. will reach $1 trillion -- a 50% increase over today's estimated $641 billion.
But just two days from now -- this Friday -- a national gay support organization will celebrate the GLBT's impact on the economy by ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) makes this historic and symbolic appearance at the NYSE Friday to drive home a point to Corporate America: gays are a vital part of the U.S. economy.
* Rippe's diary :: ::
*
To put this in perspective, consider that $641,000,000,000 is:
15 times the FY06 federal budget for the Department of Homeland Security...
$100,000,000,000 more than this year's Department of Defense budget...
8-10 times the federal budget for the Department of Education...
About $140,000,000,000 more than the U.S. will make in Social Security payments this year.
See the budget numbers for yourself here.
Today, my significant other and I will be driving from Madison to Chicago with another gay couple to watch the Milwaukee Brewers (hopefully) beat up on the Chicago Cubs. The tickets were $46 each. The gas will be about $40 each way. I've allocated $100 for souvenirs. The beer and hot dogs and peanuts at the game will exceed $200 between the 4 of us. Happy hour after the game will add $50. Dinner will approach $200.
Four gay guys will spend $1000 today -- on a major league baseball game, for crying out loud!
So..please join me in congratulating PFLAG on Friday's historic event, and in thanking the GLBT community for its contribution to the economy.
by Rippe
Wed Jun 28, 2006 at 05:06:50 AM PDT
Just 6 years from now, gay and lesbian buying power in the U.S. will reach $1 trillion -- a 50% increase over today's estimated $641 billion.
But just two days from now -- this Friday -- a national gay support organization will celebrate the GLBT's impact on the economy by ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) makes this historic and symbolic appearance at the NYSE Friday to drive home a point to Corporate America: gays are a vital part of the U.S. economy.
* Rippe's diary :: ::
*
To put this in perspective, consider that $641,000,000,000 is:
15 times the FY06 federal budget for the Department of Homeland Security...
$100,000,000,000 more than this year's Department of Defense budget...
8-10 times the federal budget for the Department of Education...
About $140,000,000,000 more than the U.S. will make in Social Security payments this year.
See the budget numbers for yourself here.
Today, my significant other and I will be driving from Madison to Chicago with another gay couple to watch the Milwaukee Brewers (hopefully) beat up on the Chicago Cubs. The tickets were $46 each. The gas will be about $40 each way. I've allocated $100 for souvenirs. The beer and hot dogs and peanuts at the game will exceed $200 between the 4 of us. Happy hour after the game will add $50. Dinner will approach $200.
Four gay guys will spend $1000 today -- on a major league baseball game, for crying out loud!
So..please join me in congratulating PFLAG on Friday's historic event, and in thanking the GLBT community for its contribution to the economy.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Tuesday progress
Source article
Thomas Jefferson has a strong opinion about the Kos affair
What does Thomas Jefferson have to say about the Kos & David Brooks & Newsweek & Jason Zengerle brouhaha? Let’s ask him:
Men by their constitutions are naturally divided into two parties: 1. Those who fear and distrust the people, and wish to draw all powers from them into the hands of the higher classes. 2. Those who identify themselves with the people, have confidence in them, cherish and consider them as the most honest and safe, tho’ not the most wise depository of the public interests.
In every country these two parties exist, and in every one where they are free to think, speak, and write, they will declare themselves. Call them, therefore, Liberals and Serviles, Jacobins and Ultras, Whigs and Tories, Republicans and Federalists, Aristocrats and Democrats, or by whatever name you please, they are the same parties still, and pursue the same object. The last appellation of Aristocrats and Democrats is the true one expressing the essence of all.
That’s all there is to say about this. The people who own the New Republic, Newsweek, the New York Times and the Democratic National Committee are Jefferson’s Aristocrats. They fear and distrust regular people. So they’ll attack anything that allows regular people to organize themselves and have some voice in how things are run.
That can be unions, or DailyKos, or the AARP, or in 2397 A.D. the Association of Alpha Centauri Moisture Farmers. It doesn’t matter. The important thing, from their perspective, is to destroy anything that allows regular people to talk to each other, discover their common interests, and act. In this particular case, the Aristocrats will not stop trying to destroy the blogosphere until (1) they succeed or (2) they or the blogosphere switch parties.
Thomas Jefferson has a strong opinion about the Kos affair
What does Thomas Jefferson have to say about the Kos & David Brooks & Newsweek & Jason Zengerle brouhaha? Let’s ask him:
Men by their constitutions are naturally divided into two parties: 1. Those who fear and distrust the people, and wish to draw all powers from them into the hands of the higher classes. 2. Those who identify themselves with the people, have confidence in them, cherish and consider them as the most honest and safe, tho’ not the most wise depository of the public interests.
In every country these two parties exist, and in every one where they are free to think, speak, and write, they will declare themselves. Call them, therefore, Liberals and Serviles, Jacobins and Ultras, Whigs and Tories, Republicans and Federalists, Aristocrats and Democrats, or by whatever name you please, they are the same parties still, and pursue the same object. The last appellation of Aristocrats and Democrats is the true one expressing the essence of all.
That’s all there is to say about this. The people who own the New Republic, Newsweek, the New York Times and the Democratic National Committee are Jefferson’s Aristocrats. They fear and distrust regular people. So they’ll attack anything that allows regular people to organize themselves and have some voice in how things are run.
That can be unions, or DailyKos, or the AARP, or in 2397 A.D. the Association of Alpha Centauri Moisture Farmers. It doesn’t matter. The important thing, from their perspective, is to destroy anything that allows regular people to talk to each other, discover their common interests, and act. In this particular case, the Aristocrats will not stop trying to destroy the blogosphere until (1) they succeed or (2) they or the blogosphere switch parties.
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