Amusing and Informative, Your Lil' Sister Loves to Get the 'Scoop' on the Mainstream Media and To Present a Variety of Obscure, Under-Reported and Decidedly-More Newsworthy Items From Around The Globe; You'll Also Be Privy To Pieces of My Own Personal Paranormal Phenomena; and Frequently Hear of Things Your Parents, Clergy, Society and Uncle Sam didn't bother to tell you. But, I will...
In Other Words:
The Way This Grrrl Sees It!
Late yesterday (Saturday), a magnitude 5.6 earthquake - Oklahoma's strongest on record - hit near Sparks, 44 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. It was felt throughout the state and in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, northern Texas and parts of Illinois, Wisconsin.
This quake came in the wake of Saturday's magnitude 4.7 quake that was felt from Texas to Missouri.
"Oklahoma typically has about 50 earthquakes a year, but a burst of quakes east of Oklahoma City has contributed to a sharp increase."
"Researchers said 1,047 quakes shook Oklahoma last year, prompting them to install seismographs in the area. The reason for the increase isn't known, and Turner said there was no immediate explanation for the weekend spurt in seismic activity."
"Turner said an active spate of earthquakes started in the region in February 2010 and the latest activity appears to be part of that trend."
"But experts are still puzzled why the latest quakes have been concentrated in such a small geographic area around Sparks, she said."
If you think such icons/heroines are "harmless"... Think Again.
With it's ever-growing parade of "Princesses", Walt Disney Corp. continues to bait its world-wide and very influential sea of hooks with what amount to utterly Impossible Dreams for girls of all ages, everywhere. For Generation after Generation. And, who knows? Perhaps Disney's Princess-production people even "whistle while they work" whilst - simultaneously - Walt Disney Corp. reaps enormous financial benefits from their toiling: Generating mind-boggling $$Millions in movie ticket sales; books; dvds; costumes; dolls; toys; etc. for Disney.
Disney?... Nope. Destroy.
(*Thanks to George Takei and Aisha Khadr Hauser at Facebook.com for this image.)
This is an Absolutely Brilliant Idea which only involves making use of the Postage Paid Business Reply Envelopes which can be found inside the 1000's of unsolicited credit card offers that the Big Economy-Ruining Banks inundate our mailboxes with...
*Now, you can freely and non-violently confront those Criminal Banking Corporations without having to confront the threats posed by violent police officers.
Dateline: Phoenix, Arizona...
*Now hold on, just give me a moment, here. Don't start rolling those eyes just yet...
This is Truly Awesome:
"The whole point of the militia movement was to defend the People against gross violations by the Government of the Peoples’ Constitutional Rights. For instance: suppressing Peoples’ 1st Amendment Right to Peacefully Protest with pepper spray, beatings, tear gas and flash-bang grenades."
And (Believe It Or Not) in the great city of Phoenix, Arizona, armed militias are doing just that!
The militia members are exercising their Constitutional 2nd Amendment Right To Bear Arms...
Solely In Order To Protect The First Amendment Rights Of Occupy Phoenix Protesters!
(*Regardless of whether they agree with the protesters or not.)
Still ~ Some Good News Also Arrived With This Announcement...
Iraq Veteran Scott Olsen, who was critically-injured by Oakland Police On Tuesday night, is now awake and lucid, yet he is currently unable to speak. He is able to communicate by writing notes, although his ability to spell has been damaged. Scott's doctors did determine that he has suffered brain damage from the force of the blow of the police projectile that was fired at him using a shotgun from a few feet away, still they are very confident that Scott will eventually make a full recovery.
(Nationwide, Collective: "Whew!" of relief... Followed by a raucous roar of Cheering.).
Dear Scott: We're Absolutely Thrilled To Hear You're Out Of The Woods and Well On Your Way To Healing!
The Rachel Maddow Show continues to cover the recent violent police actions which targeted Occupy Oakland.
Maddow reported that the condition of the hospitalized 22 year old Iraq War Veteran, Scott Olsen, has been upgraded from 'critical' to 'fair'. Also included was video taken at a press conference, held Thursday, of the Oakland Police Department's Interim Chief as he announced that a full investigation of the actions of the police that led to Scott being shot in the head with a projectile was underway. The interim chief said that this investigation is considered a top priority and that it would be handled in the same manner as an officer-involved shooting (which it basically was).
Also speaking at the press conference was Oakland's Mayor Jean Quan, whose attitude towards the Occupy Oakland protesters has softened, noticeably. Mayor Quan is scheduled to speak before the assembly at Occupy Oakland tonight (Friday).
I Stand With Scott Olsen. I Stand With Occupy Oakland. Stop Police Brutality.
After two weeks of Peaceful demonstration, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and the Oakland Police Department had, apparently, had enough of Occupy Oakland.
Between them, the two parties decided that Occupy Oakland's camp in Oscar Grant Plaza had become "a Public Safety Threat".
And so, on Tuesday, armed with the allegation of some looming threat to public safety (which, apparently, was hidden somewhere within the peaceful camp) the Oakland Police Department moved in and did this...
*I'm rather thrilled to see that the Oakland Police Department's unnecessarily-brutal assault on Occupy Oakland is finally receiving coverage - and criticism - on both national and international news reports.
The Rachel Maddow Show Segment On The Oakland Police Department's Violent Attacks On The Occupy Oakland Protesters On Tuesday.
Hurray!! The OPD's Criminal Response (and others like it) To Peaceful American Protesters Is Garnering Not Only National, But International Press Coverage.
The World IS Watching... the Oakland Police Department, the San Francisco Police Department, etc.
The Oakland Police Department has now surpassed the LAPD in the Annals Of Police Brutality:
On Tuesday, Riot Gear-Clad OPD officers attacked Occupy Oakland Protesters with Rubber Bullets, Tear Gas and Flash-Bang Grenades. The assault resulted in the arrest over 100 people and in serious injuries to many of those present as well. Scott Olsen, a Two-Tour Iraq War Marine Veteran, was hospitalized in Critical Condition after he was shot in the head with a projectile by an Oakland police officer. (A growing number of photos and video of this heinous act as well as other brutal offenses by Oakland Police are being posted online.)
Police "Policy" specifically prohibits the firing of such weapons at people's heads. But, since when have people who have been bestowed with the means to wield excessive power over others refrained from excessively-abusing that power?
"According to Keith Shannon, a friend who served with Olsen during his time in Iraq, Olsen was hit in the head with a tear gas or smoke canister, and he has the scar on his head to prove it."
It would have been an exceptional idea if someone in a position of authority in the City Of Oakland had actually explained to their police officers - in the simplest of terms - what is expected of the Oakland Police Department... As well as how their officers are expected to carry out those sacred duties/responsibilities... And especially - in emotionally-charged situations such as the events which unfolded on Tuesday at Occupy Oakland: How To Do So without Critically-Injuring Unarmed Constitutionally-Protected (though, alas, not rubber bullet- nor flash-bang grenade-proof) American Protesters... And, How-To Do So without turning public opinion even more against them at every conceivable instance/opportunity...
Oakland Police Department continues to deny that they used flash-bang grenades on protesters, but as more and more eyewitness videos are posted online, it's becoming plainly obvious who is telling the Truth and who is Lying...
Here's A Breaking And Significantly Newsworthy Event - And It Still Hasn't Appeared In Any Of The Usual News Outlets...
Early Morning Police Attack On Occupy Oakland:
Hundreds of riot gear-clad Oakland Police Department officers amassed at Frank Ogawa Plaza/Oscar Grant Plaza at around 4:40 am Tuesday and began firing rubber bullets and tear gas to break up the Occupy Oakland protests. After labeling the area a "crime scene", police demolished the camp, clearing tents, a "kitchen" and designated first-aid area.
At a press conference, Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan admitted to the use of tear gas and rubber bullets by the officers involved. Jordan also referred to the use of open-flame cooking by protesters at the site.
Oh... O.K. That explains Everything! So, it was Occupy Oakland's heinous act of cooking-food-while-protesting (Gasp!)...
That's why the Oakland Police Department went all SWAT on their fellow Americans...
That justifies their use of tear gas, rubber bullets and flash grenades...
Bill O'Reilly supports America's troops by sending them what they need most on the battlefield: his book "Pinheads & Patriots".
Upon learning of "Papa Bear" Bill O'Reilly's generous gift to our brave military, Stephen Colbert said, "It is a Perfect Gift for these warriors. I know reading his books always makes me want to kill somebody.".
An American soldier serving in Afghanistan posted a photo on Tumblr of a barrel full of Bill's burning books and added: "Some jerk sent us two boxes of this awful book instead of anything soldiers at a remote outpost in Afghanistan might need, like, say, food or soap...".
Here's the awesome video clip from The Colbert Report... Enjoy!
A major mobilization has begun whose sole purpose is to facilitate the participation of U.S. Marines (and the various other branches of our beloved military) in the Occupy America Movement.
"Their website OccupyMarines.org, is calling for “Non-Active ‘Occupy’ Military Supporters Only” and they are organizing a dress code which will help identify their branch affiliation. So, we should be seeing Marines, Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel dressed to impress at Occupy events across the country. Their goal will be to talk sense into police officers and recruit them into supporting the cause."
Initially, Occupy Wall Street was a lone, marginalized and ignored protest. It has since not only gone nation-wide, but also world-wide.
This inspiring development was - for me, at least - an unexpected one.
That said, it's also amazing and no less than awesome.
I hope you enjoy reading the story. Here's the link:
Today, Thursday October 20, 2011, at 10:20 am California held its statewide "Great California Shake-Out" to remind Californians that: A.) We live in earthquake country. and B.) What they should do before, during and after an earthquake.
Then, at 2:41 pm today, Thursday October 20, 2011: Mother Nature hosted an earthquake in the vicinity of Berkeley (3.9 to 4.1 magnitude) to remind us that we live in earthquake country, etc., etc.
Needless to say, we were shaking here in San Francisco...
General Electric is America’s largest corporation and it (yes, that's "it" and not "he" or "she") had a very good year in 2010: G.E. reported $14.2 billion in international profits and declared that $5.1 billion of those profits came from its U.S.-based boffo biz.
So, a great question to ask is this...
"What Did General Electric Pay In Taxes for its $5.1 Billion In American-Made Profits?"
Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Absolutely Nothing.
Sadly, I kid you not.
In fact, General Electric actually claimed it was owed a tax benefit of $3.2 billion.
The corporate motto of General Electric is "Imagination At Work".
In "light" of this information, how 'bout we change that motto to: "General Electric: Tax Evasion At Work".
Here's the link to the New York Times article entitled "G.E.'s Strategies Let It Avoid Taxes Altogether", that describes how they do it (Hint: It involves lots of $$$, lots of lobbyists and large corporate (ahem) "contributions".):
It's only been a mere 3 years since they received a $45 Billion taxpayer paid bail-out after contributing to our nation's massive economic disaster... and "too-big-to-fail" (still) Citigroup's earnings are up 74%, to 3.4 Billion. This was their seventh straight quarter of growth. (Er, "yippee"?)
And, this past Saturday, about 20 or so Occupy Wall Street protestors were summarily arrested at Citibank in Times Square... including some Citibank customers who had come in to close their Citi accounts.
Hurray for them! (... for closing their accounts, not for the 'getting arrested' part)
(Sh*tty) Citi actually locked the doors w/protestors still inside.
Citigroup: You CitiSuck!
*Enjoy this clip from The Rachel Maddow Show. Rachel talks with Congressman Barney Frank about the importance of regulations which protect consumers from corporate swindles and how these interests are represented in the Occupy Wall Street Protests.
Fox & Co. (I won't call Fox "news" - it isn't) conservative bobble-heads, GOP presidential wanna-Be's, right-wing talk-show hosts (rodeo clown glenn beck still breathes piss & vinegar on radio), etc. have entered "Full Panic Mode" and are getting hysterical over the Occupy Wall Street protests and its Occupy spin-off protests across America.
(That said, there's no better proof than this that the Occupy Wall Street Protests are effective/working.)
Their Methods?
Same as Always: Derision, Demonizing, Infiltrating, Instigating, embedding Provocateurs of Pepper Spray...
And yet, just listen to what the eloquent former Senator Alan Grayson said to PJ O'Rourke on Bill Maher...
Mr. Grayson received a Standing Ovation (deservedly so).
*Urgent Plea: America, Please Don't Take Your Right To Vote For Granted!
There's an organized, law-changing (GOP) attack on American voting rights (minorities, early voters, troops overseas, etc.) across the country.
Also, the various recent attacks on union-rights are no less than attacks on both the middle-class and the Democratic Party.
How do you combat these utterly Anti-U.S. Constitution/Anti-American attacks?
Be Aware: Pay attention to/Know what is going on in your State Legislature. Look for changes/new laws that affect your County Clerk's Office, especially.
Be Informed: Find out if and/or how the new laws might alter; impede; or take away your right or your neighbors' Right to Vote.
Fight Back: Thousands of Americans have rallied together to fight back against various state-wide GOP attacks on Voting Rights. They've gathered thousands of signatures and successfully made legal challenges, which have resulted in judicial-holds being placed on state measures intended to keep people from being able to vote.
Thousands of Americans have succeeded in getting Citizens' Repeal/Citizens' Recall Initiatives added to their upcoming ballots in order to remove blatantly un-American politicians from office as well as to repeal laws that had been put into effect without their input/consideration/vote in order to take away various Americans' rights.
Fighting Back is Important Because Fighting Back Works.
Because Every American Has the Right To Vote.
Even if you feel that any recent changes to voting laws/union-rights won't affect you, personally - Please understand this: If the changes affect other Americans in your state, eventually, they will affect you, too.
(*Unless, you simply don't care that other people are abusing the power of their political office to take away your rights...)
Making it Harder To Vote and/or Taking Away Any Americans' Right-To-Vote is blatant Abuse Of Power and 'utter disdain for the U.S. Constitution', two actions which - if left unchecked - will tilt the playing field in order to create an unfair advantage for those who have implemented the changes.
And to do that, my dear friends, is to attack our Democracy.
Enjoy this brief clip from The Rachel Maddow Show.
Rachel's guest is Mr. Gilbert Ortiz, County Clerk of Pueblo County, CO.
He is also, now, one of my Heroes who will, I hope, become one of yours, too.
Greetings!
(Ooh... Trust me: This is a Really Good One.)
I now present you with a brief clip from TRMS whose subject is a most rare beauty: It's actually Newsworthy!
And yet, despite possessing one of the most uncommon of qualities, this little diamond-in-the-rough remains - presently at least - a huge story of great and growing importance which - for unknown reasons - goes on widely-unreported (TRMS excluded, thankfully).
The crux of the item (and this will be on the test, later) is this:
The existence of certain direct links between our long-time anti-terrorist/anti-terrorism ally Pakistan and certain well-informed and well-armed groups which have carried out a number of coordinated and deadly military attacks on U.S. troops/Americans are no longer just being suggested nor merely hinted at...
No more guessing: The-aforementioned certain direct links have also been uncovered, confirmed and acknowledged publicly by top U.S. military leaders, like Admiral Mike Mullen speaking before the Senate.
I don't know about any of you, but... I'm hearing a clock ticking... Somewhere... Off in the distance...
9/29/11 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart:
Great News: Municipal elections in Saudi Arabia.
My first thought: "Yeah, and it sucks that the Saudi women can't vote.".
And... Abracadabra! King Abdullah declares that Saudi women will be able to "participate in voting"... in 2015.
That said... The Genuine "Bottom Line" goes like this: "The Big A" did not actually come forward and say - specifically - that Saudi women would be able to "vote".
This was still very surprising news and, upon hearing it, I almost began to feel an increased amount of hope for the women of Saudi Arabia. Almost.
The feeling was fleeting though, because the announcement was followed by the horrifying news that yet another Saudi woman has recently been unfairly sentenced to receive ten lashes as a punishment.
What did she do?
Well, she's going to be whipped for the heinous act of: driving a car(!).
Just watched "The Crow: Wicked Prayer" on Netflix... (Ugh!)
That said... my viewing experience compelled me to immediately pen a review about it and I wanted to share said review with you:
"I was definitely torn as to whether to give "The Crow: Wicked Prayer" 2 or 3 Stars.
On the 2-Star hand: I didn't like "Wicked Prayer" even remotely as much as its predecessors. And, sure, perhaps TC:WP does delve more deeply into the native mythology of The Crow than those earlier films, but (and it's a Big "but"): The editing sucked. The flashbacks would have helped to make more sense of this mishmash if they'd appeared earlier in the film. As it is, the viewer is left with little idea of what - if any - relationship exists between the main characters until halfway into the film. Also, I'm a girl who LOVES a well-choreographed and expertly shot fight scene featuring skilled actors. That said, the fight scenes in TC:WP... sucked. And the acting? Well... you get the picture.
On the 3-Star hand: I Love The Crow (Brandon, may he Rest In Peace, Rocked). From what I could tell, Boreanaz did the best he could with what he had to work with - which wasn't much - but he definitely had all of the best lines of the film (he plays a charming villain). Tara Reid was gorgeous, but her acting was... er, flat (Apologies). Edward Furlong is interesting to look at, but should've taken acting lessons ("Acting Is Believing" is a great book for acting students, IMHO).
Check TC:WP out IF you're Really Bored and in desperate need of a distraction AND you can't - for the Life of you - find anything better of interest. (9/28/11 - SFSK8r)"
"Press On!"
President Obama was back in form as he gave an energetic & rousing speech to thundering applause at the Congressional Black Caucus in recent days.
Despite the actual Truth, the AP's report said that Obama had chided the CBC and told them to "Stop complaining."
Despite the actual Facts, the beltway media, fox news & CNN's Blitzer & even Yahoo! News all headlined with and trumpeted the same incorrect and utterly out-of-context few words they hand-picked out of his speech.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee knows better (We Love you, Barbara!).
Rachel Maddow knows better (Ditto).
In fact, we all know better!
What those in the smarmy beltway media, fox news, CNN's Mr. Blitzer and Yahoo(?) News don't seem to comprehend is that...
A.) We're a lot smarter than that.
And... B.) The speech was recorded and can be viewed at anytime (via the link below, for example).
(i.e.- It's not like we have to take their (utterly worthless) word for it).
It was an inspirational speech, friends. Just take a listen...
(From: The Rachel Maddow Show)
1st GOP Debate: Crowd Applauds Legalizing Heroin. CNN TP Debate: Crowd Applauds Letting Sick/Injured Uninsured Americans Die (Silence from Candidates). Fox GOP debate: Soldier In Iraq Asked About Protecting Advances In Gay/Lesbian Rights ~ Crowd Boo'd Soldier. Santorum: Didn't Hear Boo-ing (Liar). Not One Of The Candidates Spoke Up For The Soldier/Pointed Out The Crowd's Unconscionable Disrespect. TV Networks/News/Etc: Please Stop Paying Attention To/Giving Air-Time To That Petty, Puny, Intolerant and Mean-Spirited GOP Offshoot. Thanks.
I simply Love that shiny, strong Backbone you're exercising.
I sincerely hope the Dems in Congress follow that strong lead - if they haven't been before now.
And, please, don't feel bad about showing off that spine of yours - in both word and deed - because (without exception) you have gone above and beyond the call... You've shown great dedication to your goal of being Bi-Partisan. You made an exhaustive effort to work with with those "on the other side" of the aisle. You were unwavering in your commitment to listening to the positions held by- and to considering bills proposed by GOP members of Congress... Despite their maddening practice of suddenly flip-flopping those positions: After initially declaring support for a position or writing/sponsoring a bill, the GOP member would instantaneously and without reason flip his/her position and/or withdraw their support of a bill - solely because they'd learned that you were in agreement with them on it.
(BTW: Utterly infantile and asinine behavior, GOP.)
The Problem?
Simply put: "Actions speak louder than words." And, keeping that nugget of wisdom in mind, it's excruciatingly-obvious that current GOP members of Congress have made a voluntary decision to act (or decline to act) in ways that consistently show them to be militantly irrational, uncooperative and untrustworthy. And, they continue to act in this way with no regard as to how damaging their actions (or lack thereof) are and/or will be to the American people.
The Solution:
Simple: Remind yourself of the definition of "Insanity". Namely, doing the same thing over and over whilst expecting different results.
Translation... Bi-Partisan Shmi-Partisan, Mr. President! Ignore those Benedict Arnold windbags and simply do what you know to be The Right Thing for the Majority of America and We, the Majority of America, will Support You.
NC’s Anti-Gay House Majority Leader: Gay People Are ‘Things’ Whose Relationships Can Be ‘Treated Differently’:
North Carolina House Majority Leader Paul Stam (R) and Minority Whip Rick Glazier (D) debated the proposed constitutional amendment prohibiting gay marriage in North Carolina at the UNC law school this afternoon. Towards the end of the event, Stam — who supports the measure — suggested that allowing gay and lesbian people to marry would open the door to polygamy and challenged Glazier to respond to his “slippery slope” argument.
“Different things can be treated differently if the things or people are in a very different relationship,” Stam said.[...]
"Things"?... Mr. Stam - you infinitely small, little man with the microscopic, little mind - think that gay people are "...things"?
Ugh! People like Mr. Stam are no more than present-day incarnations of the same, old, tired & dead bigots of previous generations (whom we look back at in disgust and horror) who even now do nothing more than sputter the same, old, tired, dead (and patently false) arguments against True Equality for All Men and Women/Enlightened Change.
Silly me... I believed my teachers when they said that all those reptilian dinosaurs with the teeny-tiny brains had died off millions of years ago. Apparently... a few have survived... hopefully for only a very brief period.
Fact: Never Before in the history of America, has there been as much aggressive, intentional and utterly-unpatriotic disrespect shown to a sitting United States President/the Office of The President of the United States as has been shown, repeatedly, by GOP members of Congress.
Their ongoing monkey-wrenching at every real and imagined opportunity is offensive, infinitely-petty and only paints them as unqualified and incompetent (and did I mention "UnPatriotic"?).
From: The Rachel Maddow Show: "Boehner Sets New Standard For Disrespect":
Even in this World that is - far too often - fraught with Headlines of Horror...
(Every once in a while) Something Utterly Transcendent & Truly Inspirational Happens...
Recently,, a random group of about a dozen men and women - mere bystanders - in Logan, Utah came running to the aid of a motorcyclist whom had been struck by a car and was pinned underneath the burning wreckage.
Thank and Bless every one of you. Best wishes the young man they saved - for healing and recovery.
Texas Governor & GOP Candidate-Wannabe Rick Perry Wants You!
Well, to be more specific, Rick wants to relieve all Americans of their ("unConstitutional", as he calls it) Social Security Safety Net when you get older.
Social Security is nothing more than "Big Government's Shackles", Rick says.
And yet... If you're a woman of childbearing age, "Tricky" Rick Perry wants to impose his ridiculous idea of "little government"... All Up in Your Uterus - I kid you not...
"Cop Rapes Woman at Gunpoint, 11-Year-Old Rape Victim Smeared, Accuser Sued for $2 Million: Is US Society Failing Victims?"
I'm guessing that the last bit is a rhetorical question.
Instead of letting anyone (GOP) get away with trying to change the definition of "rape" (they did, and failed) ~
Perhaps something like "re-branding" is called for and may improve this sickening societal situation:
I've heard (repeatedly) that if you find yourself in a public place, facing a dangerous situation and are in immediate danger of being assaulted that you should yell/scream "Fire!" and not "Rape" because people are more likely to respond/react to the former than the latter.
With the above-mentioned advice in mind, I'm thinking that, perhaps, we should replace the word "rape" - a term which, sadly, often saturates print and television media... causing people to become desensitized to the word and what it is referring to - with a Brand New term.
The sort of term/phrase which anyone reading a newspaper/watching television can't help but respond to by experiencing an immediate visual/visceral response:
I say, instead of continuing to use the word "Rape", let's start calling it what it is: "A Vicious Violent Violation of a Fellow Human Being".
And, Shame On Anyone who tries to bring up (the victim's) clothing, alcohol consumption (if any), etc. or in any way place blame on the Victim... like that matters (it shouldn't).
Rape is Rape.
Or, since it is painfully obvious that this concept needs to be communicated much more clearly:
"A Vicious Violent Violation of a Fellow Human Being" is a "A Vicious Violent Violation of a Fellow Human Being".
A heinous (and - contrary to Fox News/Murdoch's WSJ/Wash Post's J Rubin's claims - unconnected to Al Quaida/Jihadists) terror attack in Oslo, Norway at the hands of a native Norwegian Anti-Muslim Fundamentalist Christian (!) who bombed government offices, shot 68 people & left 98+ dead, has led to calls for Norway's police to be armed.
*A Simple Truth (recent events prove): Neither a lack of being armed (as in Oslo) nor a lack of restrictive gun laws (AZ/Gifford event - 6 were killed) guarantees anyone's safety.
Yet, despite this well-documented fact, the American gun lobby is now actively co-opting the horrific acts in Oslo as evidence to support their call for more guns and fewer (if any) restrictions on carrying them - even to the point of collecting signatures for current House (extremist) legislation ("national right to carry reciprocity act") that - if passed - would allow civilians to concealed-carry across state lines... Regardless of the second State's own laws.
Hello? Congress? GOP members of Congress? Uh, what the heck happened to all your adamant promises of "Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!" - should you be elected? Well, enough of you were (regretfully) elected and you've done what...?
Nope. Not one (nor any) of you has proposed - let alone passed - a single, itty-bitty Jobs Bill.
You haven't even bothered to propose a pitifully-lacking, token-gesture, just-going-through-the-motions 'Jobs Bill'... not even one that includes riders for more tax cuts for your stunningly-wealthy friends, corporate campaign contributors and your trusty fellow wall-street weasels.
Huh? Go figure... Maybe what they meant to say when they were campaigning was: "Jokes! Jokes! Jokes!", instead?
Psst... And, to all of the right-wing bobble-headed broadcast and print media wing-nuts who charged, blindly, whilst carrying their eternally-burning Torches of Bigotry onto the "The Jihadists did it!" Bandwagon with oodles of uniformed and passionately-ignorant gusto...
F.Y.I.: Neither convicted American terrorist Tim McVeigh nor "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski were Jihadists, either.
I have a question for those Not-Really "The News" people:If all of your 'friends' were to jump off the Empire State Building...
I hope you enjoy this brief clip from last night's (7/25/11) The Rachel Maddow Show (with guest host Melissa Harris-Perry).
From the Oslo, Norway (Fundamentalist Christian) Terror Attack to The US Gun Lobby's & Reactionary Congressional Right-Wingers' Self-Serving and Public-Endangering Response:
Congressional House Republicans have been ignoring/downplaying/denying what not only would be but, in fact, already are some significantly damaging effects of their party's unwavering refusal to raise the debt ceiling...
What they don't seem to understand is that, by their uncompromising action (or inaction) and the single motivation/intention behind it (if they actually follow through with the threat) they will, ultimately, go down in history as being the sole cause of America going into default...
Unless, that is, they're just Huffing & Puffing & Bluffing (A likely scenario - one which is already causing unnecessary damage to our economy and our nation.).
Regardless, they're being silly.
Well, no... they've been silly. Now they're being ridiculous...
*No, Representative Mo Brooks (R.) of Alabama ~ The United States Of America's global credit rating will most definitely NOT improve if House Republicans cause our country to go into default (And, may I add: "...You Moron.").
Recently, when thousands of Americans defaulted on their home loans, I didn't hear of a single bank or mortgage company that raised their credit ratings as a reward for doing so... did you?
The Simple Reality is simply this: These (irrational? incompetent?) GOP assholes will (obviously) stop at nothing - including potentially throwing our economy into yet another tailspin - if they think it will reflect badly on our sitting Democratic President.
That's been their unabashed, self-proclaimed goal from day one - not "Jobs. Jobs. Jobs."
Simply Put: Actions speak louder than words.
Stop listening to all the rehearsed rhetoric.
Do one simple thing: Look at/Watch their actions (or inaction).
I don't know about you (though I'm certain that I'm not alone) but I have One Word for their abhorrent behavior: Treason.
Here's a brief clip from the July 20, 2011 The Rachel Maddow Show. It includes a quick diary entry penned by the one and only late President Ronald Reagan - on the day he'd met with an up-till-then uncooperative Congress about raising the debt ceiling during his Administration (they did so 18 times in that period).
And, contrary to what News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch, his son James and the recently arrested former editor of News Corp's News International, Rebekah Brooks, are undoubtedly going to claim when they testify (*perjure) themselves before Parliament, today...
The raging and utterly-disgusting Phone Hacking Scandal going on right now in Great Britain involving News Corp's now defunct 'News Of The World' was absolutely NOT an "isolated incident".
And, not only was it Not isolated exclusively to the birdcage liner that was 'News Of The World'... It was not and is not an isolated incident 'across the Pond' in Great Britain.
The Unencumbered-By-Ethics & Morally-Bankrupt Mega Media-Monopoly Monstrosity commonly known as "News Corp" has worked non-stop for its hard-earned record "longer than anyone's arm" of unethical & illegal business behavior, computer espionage (with enormou$ out-of-court $ettlements being paid) and Hacking that includes our Beloved United States Of America and Small Businesses in America, too.
Just ask New Jersey...
Bad News Corp!... Bad Rupert Murdoch!... Very, Very Bad!
I just watched The Men Who Stare At Goats on Netflix. And, I wanted to share the review I submitted:
Netflix's "Most Helpful" Review(er) said: "Son of Dr Strangelove, headed for cult movie status." ~ I agree. Absolutely! Although I came to this movie with more information on the subject than the average viewer probably has and, therefore, found it didn't quite live up to what I'd hoped it would be (I'd hoped for a "serious" take on the subject)... once I accepted that the filmmakers had simply taken it in another, campy, "Quixotic" direction, I really enjoyed TMWSAG.
Netflix's 3rd Review(er) said: "Psychic branch of the Military Specials Forces is a bit of a stretch for openers." Actually...no, it isn't "a stretch". Several years ago, I'd heard about and read up on the U.S. military's forays into researching and evaluating the value of utilizing the remarkable skills of those with highly-developed/naturally-advanced "psychic" abilities and discern whether or not such skills would be of worthwhile benefit to and/or create a significant advantage for the US military/intelligence communities. If you're interested, Google it. SRI (Stanford Research Institute) was one of the highly-respected facilities used in the research of remote-viewing. American physicists Harold Puthoff and Russell Targ were lead researchers. Also, MK-Ultra - mentioned briefly in the film - was real. It was a covert and highly-illegal CIA operation in which the spooks actually dosed unwitting civilians with LSD (in San Francisco) and then followed them around to see how they reacted. At the time, the CIA was hoping to develop an effective mind-control method. Seriously. Please take the time to look into the fascinating (and harrowing) history behind the premise of the movie... that is, if you believe the government when they say that all those programs ended in the 1970's. Kurt (Cobain) was right. Just because I'm paranoid...
Everyone's familiar with that ol' quote that declares: "Nothing in Life is certain but Death & Taxes." - right?
Well, I'm hereby making a well-deserved (and proven) addition to that itty-bitty little list.
There's another thing in Life that's certain and this is it: If you ride a skateboard, it is absolutely certain that you're gonna wipe-out, eventually. (And yet again (eventually) after that. And again (at some point) after that; etc., etc.).
Many skateboarders may - in fact - enjoy being wipe-out free for weeks; months (I was); perhaps even years...
But, eventually, as with the aforementioned D. & T. - It's just gonna happen.
It's an unwritten law (like the "Law of Gravity"). It's understood by those of us who love skateboarding. And to us, obviously, it's worth it ("Give Blood: Ride A Skateboard.").
Case-in-point: Yours Truly this Monday afternoon. And, I must admit... it was a good one.
*Only one witness, Thankfully (He was great).
What happened?
Well, here's a Clue: As of Monday afternoon, I'm considering ditching my beloved lace-up Vans for some with SK8 shoes with Velcro closures.
Fort Calhoun had been using 8ft., inflatable "aqua-dams" in an attempt to prevent the rising floodwater from the Missouri River from repeating a series of events similar to those which recently led to Japan's significant and ongoing nuclear disaster at Fukushima (the tsunami knocked out the power; stopping the flow of massive amounts of water necessary to keep everything cool; leading to cores/rods overheating; leading to nuclear melt-downs/throughs.).
At Fort Calhoun on Sunday, crews working near the aqua-dams "brushed against one" and punctured it, which caused the one dam to collapse. The collapse of the dam allowed floodwater to reach Fort Calhoun's turbines & transformers (keeps water flowing/cools everything).
Official Statement: "Everything's fine. The aqua-dams weren't key to safety, they were an extra."
Oh, really?
If that's True...
Then how is that - with the collapse of that one aqua-dam - 2ft of the Missouri River managed to get through the cement barrier placed around the transformers? The very cement barrier that's not "extra" and is in place specifically to keep floodwater away from the plant's transformers? This breach then forced Fort Calhoun to disconnect from the power grid... which meant they had to switch to diesel-powered generators (Is this sounding familiar, yet?)?
Fukushima lost power. Then lost their generators. During the disaster, plant officials behaved very much like British Petroleum officials after the oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, leading to one of the worst (if not the worst) oil spills on record: The officials played down how serious the events were and what had resulted; they intentionally provided false figures/information about what was happening to those who were trying to help; they lied, repeatedly; they denied, repeatedly; they turned down/away help.
The end result in Fukushima: 3 Nuclear Melt-downs (and, possibly, Melt-throughs).
The Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant is now Two Feet below the current level of the Missouri River.
And, the consistent statement made by Fort Calhoun officials: "Don't worry everything's fine."
Yeah, right. (Initially, Fukushima officials had said pretty much the same thing.)
Today the Republican-controlled New ("If You Can Make It There, You Can Make It Anywhere!") York State legislature cleared the way for the legalization of same-sex marriage.
The bill is now on its way to the governor's desk to be signed into law. (Whew!)
Visualize me doing "The Snoopy Dance".
Intolerance is so Dark Ages.
* In the interest of full-disclosure... Personally, I agree w/Mae West on the subject of marriage (*Google it).
But, I also agree that every adult human being has the right to live Happily with the ones they Love - regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
Here's the link to the article and video at cnn.com
Enjoy!
Peace,
L.
I received this priceless gem in an email today from Peter Koechley of MoveOn.org and was inspired to share it with as many of you as possible... Enjoy!
First there was the disastrous "citizen's united" ruling and, now, here's yet another example of how urgently we need to overhaul/change the Supreme Court.
1.) Change the nomination/appointment process. 2.) Throw out the "for life" clause in the appointments/Add the option of issuing "pink slips" for incompetence. and 3.) Add some serious independent oversight.
The Dark Ages have crept far enough into the 21st Century and I, for one, am over it.
This is a huge blow - not only to the women involved in the sex discrimination case against Mal-Wart - but to working women everywhere and to working Americans everywhere.
The message from the SCOTUS: "Screw you, workers of America. Why should we care about your little lives? We're set "for life" in our cushy positions of influence and we and our really wealthy friends and neighbors couldn't care less. Because, seriously, what are you gonna do about it? What can you do about it? Absolutely nothing. Hey, we're The Supreme Court. We're untouchable." (insert chorus of evil, cackling laughter, here.)
My response to those justices and those self-serving, self-important, bought-and-sold people like them everywhere: No one's untouchable.
"We The People...", like all whom have faced tyranny throughout history, have our limits.
Have YOU heard about the 2 nuclear plants in Nebraska threatened by floodwater?
If not, you're not alone.
Even before it was acknowledged that the second nuclear plant was being threatened, the threat to the first plant seems to have been rather - I dunno - methinks hush-hush is quite apropos.
As you probably recall, the Fukushima nuclear disaster involving three nuclear reactors and at least 2 - if not - 3 nuclear melt-downs (no, I'm not kidding.) resulted not from the earthquake, but from the floodwater and its effects.
But... fear not, good people! At least that's what the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is saying (though not in those exact words).
"Officials say a key difference between the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan..." and the threats to Nebraska plants is that the NE plants "... have had weeks to prepare flood defenses." *
* They've "... had weeks to prepare", huh?
Well, that's all well and good... but, honestly, just because someone has had weeks to do anything - that doesn't mean they actually did it/did enough, now does it?
That any political group - let alone one of our two major parties - would sink so low as to open their "Leadership" Conference with such a disrespectful (of our sitting President) and utterly racist manner is shameful, embarrassing to our nation and nauseating.
Btw: Anyone know the name of the Uncle Tom?
(From: Thinkprogress.org) "The nation’s GOP elite gathered in New Orleans this weekend for the Republican Leadership Conference.
In attendance were presidential candidates Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, and potential candidate Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
Prior to a speech by RNC Chair Reince Preibus, an Obama impersonator took the stage and told a series of racist jokes."
The nationwide (and still ongoing) legislative attacks on women's health and healthcare providers are a timely (and serious) example of Why it is So Important that Every American Be Registered To Vote; Also, That Every One Understands The Facts Re: The Politicians and Measures/Propositions To Be on Their Particular Ballot; And, Especially, Everyone (Please) Vote, dammit.
Here's an article, posted just today, on yet another aggressive assault on women, women's health and women's healthcare providers via legislative budgetary strangulation, courtesy of (Recall-Worthy) Wisconsin Governor, Scott "Otherwise Worthless" Walker:
D'ya know that look a guy gives you - even one you know - where it's painfully obvious that said fellow is just seeing/looking at "a girl" - in fact, could be any girl - and he's not seeing/looking at You, whatsoever?...
(He could be looking at the proverbial "piece of meat"?)
As for me... I really, really abhor that look...'specially when it's followed by a come-on/pick-up line/"so what'cha doin' later?" - sort of waste of his breath & my presence.
