Senator Ted Kennedy

From the moment I actively became a part of the grassroots campaign to elect President Obama I have gotten emails. They come from different sources depending what they needed me to do. I recognize that these are sent out to all of us and I'm not all that special. I feel special though. I worked hard for this. So when I get an email to: Monica, from: President Barack Obama it's kind of exciting to me. I had wished to post a special blog about Edward Kennedy, instead I will post my email from our President:

Monica -- Michelle and I were heartbroken to learn this morning of the death of our dear friend, Senator Ted Kennedy. For nearly five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well-being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts. His ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives -- in seniors who know new dignity; in families that know new opportunity; in children who know education's promise; and in all who can pursue their dream in an America that is more equal and more just, including me. In the United States Senate, I can think of no one who engendered greater respect or affection from members of both sides of the aisle. His seriousness of purpose was perpetually matched by humility, warmth and good cheer. He battled passionately on the Senate floor for the causes that he held dear, and yet still maintained warm friendships across party lines. And that's one reason he became not only one of the greatest senators of our time, but one of the most accomplished Americans ever to serve our democracy. I personally valued his wise counsel in the Senate, where, regardless of the swirl of events, he always had time for a new colleague. I cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race for the Presidency. And even as he waged a valiant struggle with a mortal illness, I've benefited as President from his encouragement and wisdom. His fight gave us the opportunity we were denied when his brothers John and Robert were taken from us: the blessing of time to say thank you and goodbye. The outpouring of love, gratitude and fond memories to which we've all borne witness is a testament to the way this singular figure in American history touched so many lives. For America, he was a defender of a dream. For his family, he was a guardian. Our hearts and prayers go out to them today -- to his wonderful wife, Vicki, his children Ted Jr., Patrick and Kara, his grandchildren and his extended family. Today, our country mourns. We say goodbye to a friend and a true leader who challenged us all to live out our noblest values. And we give thanks for his memory, which inspires us still. Sincerely, President Barack Obama

NOOODON'TLEAVEUSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You know when you're a kid and you're about to be left with a babysitter who enjoys torturing you?? (That was rhetorical) That is how I felt when President Obama left for a vacation and Jon Stewart went on hiatus at the same time.. WHO'S DRIVING THE COUNTRY??
I realize I've become a bit of a sellout because I don't write every blog I post but sometimes it's so much easier to let the other great minds do the talking for me.
(At least I try to set up for the articles, I'm not a TOTAL brain cramp trying to become a power blogger. Like that even means something.)

Is It Time To Watch For A "Daily Show Document Dump?"

Jason Linkins (yes, I almost always agree with him)

It's not for nothing that many Americans cite Comedy Central's The Daily Show as the "most trusted name in news." Jon Stewart and his crackerjack staff of writers and researchers have evolved into regular and reliable wielders of analytical skewers, deftly eviscerating the tidy talking points of politicians and the tiresome conventional wisdom of the media.

Now, The Daily Show is on hiatus, for three long weeks.

Around the office, I often joke that the most dangerous time in America is when the show is taking a break. Again, this is meant as a joke! And so, despite the fact that after a summer of delays, the much anticipated torture documents were finally released on the first Monday of the show's hiatus, I think it would be unwise to suggest anything nefarious behind the timing. Right? I mean, to suggest that the torture documents were released to avoid the commentary of one of the media's few, reliable, anti-torture voices...this would be pure paranoia!

Why, to believe that, there would have to be some sort of extant example of a government spokesperson or agency citing The Daily Show as a reason to keep from disclosing information:

The Associated Press, June 18, 2009:

A federal judge said Thursday that he wants to look at notes from the FBI's interview with former Vice President Dick Cheney during the investigation into who leaked the identity of a CIA operative.

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan's decision to review the documents followed arguments by Obama administration lawyers that sounded much like the reasons the Bush administration provided for keeping Cheney's interview from the public.

Justice Department lawyers told the judge that future presidents and vice presidents may not cooperate with criminal investigations if they know what they say could become available to their political opponents and late-night comics who would ridicule them.

"If we become a fact-finder for political enemies, they aren't going to cooperate," Justice Department attorney Jeffrey Smith said during a 90-minute hearing. "I don't want a future vice president to say, 'I'm not going to cooperate with you because I don't want to be fodder for 'The Daily Show.'"

Hmmmm. People speak of the "Colbert bump." Should we start monitoring for a "Daily Show document dump?"

UPDATE: Huffington Post Comedy editor Alex Leo reminds me: "Sarah Palin resigned the first day of his last hiatus." COINCIDENCE?

PREVIOUSLY, on THE HUFFINGTON POST:
DOJ: We Can't Release Cheney Records Because Of Late Night Comedy

Huffpo Link

*Incidentally, I forgot to mention that when I talk about Jon Stewart being the "Most Trusted..." since Walter Cronkite died, that wasn't a poll in Mad Magazine. It was TIME magazine.

Yeehaw!

Glenn Beck loses more support:

James Rucker:
Founder of ColorOfChange.org
Posted: August 24, 2009 02:21 PM
Verizon, Lowe's, Johnson & Johnson, 13 more drop Glenn Beck

Our campaign calling on Glenn Beck's advertisers to stop supporting his show continues to pick up steam. Today we're announcing that sixteen more companies have pledged not to run their ads on Beck's show:

The new companies distancing themselves from Beck include Airware Inc. (makers of Brez anti-snoring aids), Ancestry.com, AT&T, Blaine Labs Inc., Campbell Soup Company, Clorox, Ditech, The Elations Company, Experian (creator of FreeCreditReport.com), Farmers Insurance Group, Johnson & Johnson (makers of Tylenol), Lowe's, NutriSystem, Sprint, The UPS Store and Verizon Wireless.

That brings the total to 36 companies that have pulled their support from Beck or given explicit instructions that their ads are not to run on the show. It's all because more than 160,000 ColorOfChange members connected the dots for Glenn Beck's advertisers and called on them to stop supporting his show. We want to say thank you to everyone who's participated in this campaign.

We could also use your help. We brought on additional staff for the campaign in order to drive as many advertisers away as possible. We need to keep them in order to maximize the number of advertisers that drop Beck and to make sure none come back. Anything you can provide will help us get there -- whether $10, $20, $50, or more. You can make a contribution to help move the campaign forward, here.

More on how the campaign has been going, and statements from the new companies distancing themselves from Beck, after the jump.

Demanding accountability

After we first launched this campaign, our staff began contacting advertisers to convey the concerns of our members and ask advertisers to stop supporting Beck. Most advertisers decided to do the right thing after hearing about what Beck is doing, and that so many people are concerned about it. Some needed evidence of the level of outrage, so we flooded with comments from people that signed the petition to advertisers. Others needed a picture of what it would look like for their company's name and brand to be publicly associated with Beck's rhetoric, so we showed them that, too.

Then there were those that refused to answer our calls or respond to our emails. Red Lobster, Vonage, Clorox, Lowe's, and Experian fell into that category, and we asked some of our members to give them a call.

By the end of last week, ColorOfChange members made more than 2,800 calls to those five companies, and in just two days, three out of the five -- Experian, Clorox, and Lowe's -- pulled their ads. We're still waiting to hear if Red Lobster or Vonage have changed their minds, and we'll follow up with them this week.

Here are statements from the advertisers recently distancing themselves from Beck:

"...Sprint ads appeared as part of a broader rotational package of advertising purchased on the Fox Network," said Kathleen Dunleavy, a Sprint spokesperson, in an email to ColorOfChange.org. "They were not specifically targeted to the Glenn Beck Show nor should they air during this program going forward."

"...I wanted to let you know that we have taken steps to make sure that [Sprint] will not be advertising on the Glenn Beck show," Dunleavy later reiterated in a phone message to ColorOfChange.org.

"While we will continue to advertise on news programming, including FOX News, there are certain programs on the FOX Network that do not meet Lowe's advertising guidelines, including The O'Reilly Factor and Glenn Beck Program," said Meliski Cox, a spokesperson for Lowe's, in an email to ColorOfChange.org.

"Per our advertising standards, we don't advertise in programs that display exploitive sex or violence, treat ethnic, religious, or political groups in a disparaging manner, present facts inaccurately or distort them to blatantly partisan advantage, and treat individuals or groups in a demeaning manner", said Adam Oberweiser, a spokesperson for Clorox, in a phone message to a ColorOfChange.org member. "We have had limited advertisements on the Glenn Beck Program in the past, however the statements he made during that show would not adhere to our programming standards. Furthermore, we will not be advertising on his program in the future since he did violate our own advertising standards."

"We have addressed the issue," said Rich Hallibran, a spokesperson for The UPS Store, in a phone message to ColorOfChange.org. "You will not see our ads on The Glenn Beck TV program."

"We are no longer advertising on Beck's program," said Susan McGowan, Senior Director of Public Relations at NutriSystem, Inc., in an email to ColorOfChange.org. "You can now include us with the other companies that have stopped advertising."

In a phone conversation with ColorOfChange.org, a spokesperson for AT&T, Daryl Evans, said that their company already had Beck's program on a 'Do Not Air' list for their ads, and if an advertisement was seen during 'Glenn Beck' it was placed in error. Evans pledged to call Fox News and correct that error.

In a phone conversation with ColorOfChange.org, Marcy Smith, Director of Advertising for Experian Consumer Direct, confirmed that due to the number and frequency of complaints they have received, they have specifically asked Fox News to pull any of their ads from Glenn Beck's program and distribute their ads to other shows in the rotation.

"We obviously neither condone nor endorse Mr. Beck's comments," said Anthony Sanzio, a Campbell Soup Company spokesman, in a phone conversation with ColorOfChange.org. "We were not pleased when we heard them [the comments] and they certainly don't reflect the views of this company. We have no advertising currently slated for Mr. Beck's program and don't have any plans for the future."

"In light of the consistency of comments that are made, we don't plan to advertise there in the future," Sanzio continued. "We have communicated to our media buying agency that we will not be advertising on that show."

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention," said Marc Monseau, Director of Corporate Communications for Johnson & Johnson, in an email to ColorOfChange.org. "These advertisements ran on Glenn Beck as part of a rotational advertising package on Fox News, and I have shared your thoughts with those in our organization responsible for making those rotational buys. We have now informed the network to not include it in our rotation moving forward."

In a phone conversation with ColorOfChange.org, Jim Gerace, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Verizon Wireless, confirmed that they added Beck's show to its "Do Not Air" list based on Beck's controversial track record. "We, on our own, looked at where we're spending our advertising," Gerace said. "We made a decision that we don't want to be advertising on that program for a lot of reasons."

"We hear your concerns and are no longer advertising on the Glenn Beck show," said Cindy Thomas, Chief Marketing Officer for Ditech, in a phone message to ColorOfChange.org.

"Ancestry.com buys television advertising on many networks, including Fox News, but does not sponsor any specific content or program," said Mike Ward, Public Relations Director for Ancestry.com, in an email to ColorOfChange.org. "However, once this issue surfaced, we instructed Fox News to exclude our advertisements from the Glenn Beck program."

"I wanted to let you know that AirWare Inc., the manufacturer of Brez anti-snoring aids, has instructed its advertising agency to insure that none of our advertisements run on the Glenn Beck show," said David Green, Director of Public Relations for AirWare, Inc., in an email to ColorOfChange.org. "Because of the way TV advertising is purchased, company executives were not aware in advance that our ads would be running on the show."

"We have requested that the ads not appear on the Glen [sic] Beck show," said Dr. Robert Blaine, President and CEO of Blaine Labs, Inc., in an email to ColorOfChange.org. "Our contract is essentially a, 'fill in where there is empty space', [sic] and lately, I guess there has been a lot of empty space on the Beck show due to your organization. Our new contract comes up sometime in September and that show will be stricken from the rotation. We do not support [G]lenn [B]eck and do not support his show."

"What we did last Thursday was our advertising department requested of Fox News Channel that they no longer place a portion of our ads on the Glenn Beck Program [sic]," said a spokesperson for Farmers Insurance Group in a phone message to ColorOfChange.org.

"Just want to let you know that we will no longer be advertising on that [Glenn Beck's] program," said David Silver, a spokesperson for The Elations Company.

Moving forward

We are dedicated to moving this effort forward, and we'll be calling on you to help--whether it's making focused calls to other advertisers, signing another petition, or doing some other action that will get us closer to exposing what Beck represents and marginalizing his voice.

Today, though, financial support is what we need most. A contribution from you -- whether $5, $10, $20, or more -- will help us maintain the staff we've brought on to help with this effort. We know that for some folks it's a hard time to give, but if there's any possibility you can make a donation, please do so. This is a time we can really use your support, and it will help us keep the pressure on.

Link

Don't. Drink. The. Water!

Be afraid. Be VERY afraid!!


It never ceases to amaze me how many people dozed off through elementary school.

Here we go again.. Pro-life vs. Pro-choice.

Sooo, the healthcare plan, killing off granny, blah blah blah. I admit I have not read ALL 1018 pages of the plan, I'm lazy. I listen to President Obama talk about it and I watch the looney tunes at town hall meetings and wait for Jon Stewart to straighten things out. Which he did last night. The entire show was great, and he ran out of time there with Mother Goose honking out her twisted version of things, but I will post the entire clips. I warn you as always: these aren't edited or censored. Possibly not safe for work or children.
Here's the bill if you want to read it or follow what Sister Grimm is trying to sell:
Health Care Bill

It brings to mind one of the Articles of Faith that even our children know in the LDS faith. This one is number 8 and I'm sure it will spark all KINDS of questions. Here ya go: We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
It's all about translation.
Onto the Jon Stewart/Betsy McCaughey interview:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Betsy McCaughey Extended Interview Pt. 1
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Betsy McCaughey Extended Interview Pt. 2
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

And if you still think the Kenyan, Nazi, posing as our President is out to kill grandmama, this may help too:
Healthcare Myths

Again, I am pro-life unless I am on life-support then I am pro-choice. Why would I want to cost my family and this country any money that would be wasted. Check back and I will say the same thing, no drastic measures to resuscitate and no life support.

Time to stop the madness.

The Democrats hold the majority in congress and this was well illustrated by the fact that our new President is Democrat. This means the people we see on teevee that are packing guns and talking about death panels and think elitist means educated aren't really in charge. So how about we pass the healthcare bill? Stop trying to reason with door knobs. Pass the bill and move on.

In the meantime, how about we give the podunkers a refresher in history. The Boston Tea Party was an act of rebellion by early Americans that were tired of being taxed by the British parliament without having representation. It's something we teach our children about with pride because we took charge. We ultimately gained the right to enjoy freedoms that most countries are still denied. Why are these loons having a tea party over every little thing they dislike? To water down the importance of the historically valid one? In this country that allows freedoms that are unimaginable to other countries, people are calling our President Hitler, and defacing his picture. They are comparing the change that is intended to help us to Nazi Germany. That is, to me, trivializing one of the single most atrocious acts of a sadistic man and his followers on innocent people. These uneducated, backwoods, idiots are whipping up fear and the media is advertising it. With each event more people are toting guns, smugly bragging about their right to do so. The potential for tragedy increases everyday. Yes we have freedoms. Many people died so we could enjoy them. But it wasn't any of these people. These people will force our government to make amendments that stop people from carrying a semi automatic strapped to their back to heated public events.
I live in Utah, we are pretty proud of our right to bear arms as stated in the constitution. Today at my daughter's freshmen orientation, the police officer assigned to serve at her school reminded up that when deer season rolls around parents need to remember that they CANNOT have a rifle in the holder in the window of the truck (or any firearms anywhere) on school property. Is this a Nazi, communistic law? No. It's a precaution because of two boys who made themselves famous by opening fire on schoolmates in Columbine, Colorado. Not the first or the worst, but the beginning of a trend.
The gun control laws that are a result of negligence or stupidity of Americans who abuse their constitutional rights are not the fault of liberals or government officials. It's the fault of stupid people who act like unruly children testing their boundaries. Start taking some responsibility for your own actions.
We are a great nation, but right now, we're kind of embarrassing ourselves.

ColorOfChange.org

Not a surprise to anyone, I'm sure that I am a faithful member of the Color Of Change organization. It's gratifying to see that we're making a difference.

Walmart, CVS, Best Buy, GMAC Among 8 Major Companies To Pull Ads From Glenn Beck Show

Walmart, Best Buy, CVS, and GMAC are among eight major advertisers that have confirmed pulling their advertising from Fox News' "Glenn Beck" program in light of his comments that President Obama is a racist.

The advertisers did not pull their spots from Fox News, but rather requested that their ads do not air during Beck's 5PM program.

The advertisers in the latest round of pull-out from Beck's show and their statements to ColorOfChange.org:

Allergan (maker of Restasis): "We reviewed our commercial schedule, and based on your feedback, we've put any programming featuring Glenn Beck on our "do not air" list. This means that you will no longer see any Restasis ads during programming featuring Glenn Beck. Thanks again for bringing this to our attention."
Ally Bank (a unit of GMAC Financial Services): "Ally advertises on a broad spectrum of programs to reach our potential customers. Our advertising is not an endorsement of editorial content on any program. We have ceased to advertise on the Glenn Beck program."
Best Buy
Broadview Security: "Given the considerations, we have requested of Fox News not to include us in the rotation that would have our commercials running on Glenn Beck's show."
CVS: "While advertising on Fox is part of our communication plan, we had not requested time on Glenn Beck's show specifically. We have instructed our advertising agency to inform Fox to ensure Glenn Beck's program is not part of our advertising plan."
Re-Bath: "...We are no longer airing our commercials on the Glenn Beck Show..."
Travelocity: "We did not specifically place our ad on the show. We buy ads in bulk and then they are placed somewhat randomly. However, we have now specifically asked that our ads do not appear during this show."
Wal-Mart: "Walmart today confirmed the retailer pulled ads from the Glenn Beck show on August 3rd,"
These companies join a growing list of advertisers to pull their ads from Beck's show, including ConAgra, GEICO, Lawyers.com, Men's Wearhouse, Procter & Gamble, Progressive Insurance, RadioShack, Roche, SC Johnson, Sanofi-Aventis, Sargento, and State Farm Insurance.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/17/gmac-financial-services-c_n_261148.html

Okay this helped too!

This is among the worst days I've ever had.

But this made me smile:

TOO NASTY FOR THE GECKO



Geico Pulls Ads From Glenn Beck Show Over Obama "Racist" Remarks... Several Other Companies Jumped Ship Last Week

Gun control.

I am liberal. I'm SO liberal that I've almost made the full circle to conservative again. I have real issues with gun control. I believe that Americans have the right to bear arms. It was written into the constitution and though times have changed, that shouldn't. That being said, I believe that full or semi-automatic guns have their place and it's not in the average American household. To take away guns completely is to disarm law abiding citizens and making them easier victims to people who have and use guns illegally.
The town hall meetings being held are full of anger and ignorance. People are so completely mislead that they are saying crazy stupid things. There's no rational conversation with them and often their anger has nothing to do with our President's health care plan and more to do with our President himself and quite honestly, the color of his skin. My husband has a gun permit and abides all the laws that come with it, but should he be allowed to take it into a room full of angry, irrational people and the President. Forget the danger to the President, what about the danger the man himself is in. One wrong move and the Secret Service could take him out. He could shoot someone he disagrees with or the loonball next to him could grab the gun. I agree with the guy in the following clip, no one should have been able to throw a shoe at our President. What are we, savages??

This is so wrong..

So quite a while back I asked to be removed from my moderating duties and my membership at BethShort.com. There was a lot of problems by the member with the screen name JAWS. Because of his childish behavior, he was banned by site owner Pamela. Pamela hasn't been much of a 'hands on' administrator and chose to leave posts that are pretty unpleasant nor has she chosen to ban the member that goes by the screen name 'Pamzakunt'. That is her business, I suppose, but this poster signs his posts with the name 'Motley' who actually got banned too in the whole mess. Motley is not making those posts, JAWS is. Anyone who has kept in touch with me and continues to study the case will know that Motley isn't the one being disrespectful there. I can't announce that there because I'm not going back, but I can say it here.

JAWS has always has multiple screen names and sadly the board has suffered from his abuse. No one is left to babysit. It's sad.

The party of NO...

Another one bites the dust:

Florida Senator Mel Martinez (Republican, duh) resigns..

Sleep with one eye open Senator Steele.

SHHHHHHHHHH, did you hear that???

History is being written, people. This will be considered remarkable someday. What will you tell your grandkids?? "I helped break the race barrier." "I helped shatter the glass ceiling?" OR "I was a teabagger." "I was a birther." "I was a 9/12er." or "I stood up and caused ignorant chaos at town hall meetings because the President believed that I deserved the health care that he has, that the congress that protests against it enjoys." Why are these town meetings turning into riots of old people complaining that their health care will be taken away, that the government will euthanize them? People saying that they don't want the government controlling their health care without a choice?

No one is going to take away our elderly's Medicare benefits but we would like to be able to be covered if our tiny child has cancer at the unimaginable age of 3. Our older generation has earned their benefits and they helped all of us pay for welfare benefits. If we're paying, why should we NOT be given the option to have coverage, as well? No one is going to make us change providers or doctors. It's just another option. Have you ever noticed the loons that disrupt these meetings aren't the brightest bulbs in the chandelier? In fact it's an odd mix of people who have their agendas that often have nothing to do with the issue at hand. Even people who normally hate each other. Anti-Semites, racists, Skinheads, and frightened people who, for whatever reason, can't think on their own. There are some people intelligent enough to stop and think that we already pay taxes, why does middle class Americans have to sit up at night wondering where the money is going to come from if we need coverage? We are paying for it already and those state representatives that are supposed to be finding out how we, the denizens of their states feel, they have the luxury to say NO with no other plan. They are covered. We pay for them.

I have to say I'm with Bill Maher on this one.

In any case, congratulations Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor. A little beacon of hope.

*Update* WSJ Headline:Taxpayer-Funded Travel For Congress Is Booming
I rest my case.. for awhile.

To my confused readers that don't know all of the beliefs of my faith...

Glenn Beck Jokes About Putting Poison In Nancy Pelosi's Wine
I'm Mormon.
We don't drink tea, coffee, or alcoholic beverages. Also, like most other religions, murder is frowned upon. It's one of the easier commandments in my opinion.

This jacka$$ is by NO means an example. Oh and Warren Jeffs isn't a Mormon at all.

Okay, this is total BS!!!!!

Army seeks to move more than 1,100 desert tortoises
4:59 PM, August 5, 2009

As it prepares to expand training operations at Ft. Irwin in the Mojave Desert, the U.S. Army is again proposing to move more than 1,100 threatened California desert tortoises -- an unprecedented number of an endangered species that has not fared well during previous relocations.

The Army is seeking the approval of the federal Bureau of Land Management to move the tortoises from nearly 100,000 acres in portions of the National Training Center to lands managed by the BLM. The environmental assessment is under BLM review and the proposed action is open for a 15-day public comment period.

Moving desert tortoises is not always successful. The Army relocated more than 600 of the animals last year but suspended the $8.7-million program after the first phase when officials noted high mortality rates among the tortoises, chiefly because of coyotes.

About 90 animals were found dead from suspected coyote predation. But Clarence Everly, natural and cultural resources program manager at Ft. Irwin, said only one animal died during the relocation.

The sheer numbers of tortoises proposed to be moved in this latest operation, beginning next spring through 2012, alarms conservationists.

"Nothing's ever been done on this scale before," said Ileene Anderson, a biologist with the Center for Biological Diversity, who says a total of 252 tortoises have died in the translocation area. "Every time the animals recognize that they don’t know where they are, they have some built-in mechanism that tells them to head for home and they make a break for home."

In the last move, some tortoises traveled up to five or six miles to get back to their home range, Anderson said.

The relocation of desert tortoises from Ft. Irwin, northeast of Barstow, to the drought-ravaged western Mojave puts more pressure on the species, whose population is already crashing, in part because of an upper respiratory disease that afflicts some animals. Everly said the Army is blood testing every tortoise and will quarantine any found to have the disease.

-- Julie Cart

If you take a block of the four yards around where I live there are 3 houses and one vacant lot. Like this:
OX
XX
The O being the empty lot. In our three houses combined there are 13 kids. The rest of the subdivision is more than 50% vacant. The north end is a charter school K-8. The number of prairie dogs are unimagineable. You can't put your shovel into the ground without government say so. The kids run through the lots and the prairie dogs are so used to it they are nearly tame.
The Utah prairie dog is federally protected. The female is sexually mature at one year of age and she had multiple partners. The females give birth to a litter of 3-4 pups. So while it seems that we procreate rather effectively, we can't keep up with that and we take care of the possibility of life threatening diseases by immunizing our young. These animals carry the plague (of the European black death fame), tularemia, monkey pox and Rocky Mountain Spotted fever. They are silent carriers and an outbreak is possible at any time. Oh and have I mentioned that my mother's oldest brother died at the age of 12 from a disease that he contracted from a prairie dog??
The important thing is that they are safe. After all, people aren't nearly extinct. But I have a really great idea. Leave the tortoises alone. They were there first. The Army can do whatever it is they need to do behind my house. Move the prairie dogs. Our kids? Well they aren't all that important, are they? The Army is actually less dangerous to them.

Things that make you go hmmmm...

I have a friend on facebook that read a book and has been recommending it. It's called The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder by Vincent Bugliosi.

I've posted the link to his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee. Watch 'til the end when he's almost thrown out for the crowds approval. Like I said, there are various conspiracy theories and he's not allowed to speak certain words that would directly accuse George W. Bush of murder. It would be interesting if President Obama was afforded the same respect. It's all about freedom of speech, isn't it?
Bugliosi has an impressive resume. I would certainly trust him over Orly Taitz (which isn't saying much, I'd trust Bozo the clown over Orly Taitz.) Unfortunately there are congressmen right now that give far more credence to far less evidence.
Just sayin'...

Oh yeah!! I voted for him too!!!!!!

There was a bit of tension between former President Bill Clinton and then future President Barack Obama during the grueling race for Dem candidate and Bill lost his cool more than once. He managed to pull off a gracious supportive tone during the race between Obama and McCain, though he was still smarting from some of the criticism thrown his way.
Not only is Hilary a valuable asset to President Obama and our country, but former President Clinton did what he does best. Talked to one of the world's biggest problems, Kim Jong Il, leader of North Korea. Yup, TALKED!! No war, no needless death and destruction. He talked.

Huffpo

Happy Birthday!!!

I got a wrong number call on my cell phone today. The person on the other end said "Happy Birthday Lisa"

Today is my niece's birthday and our President. So
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Terrayna, President Obama, and Lisa (whoever you are)!!!!!

All aboard the crazy train..

Apparently, someone's going to need to keep Ann Coulter in a separate car. The GOP has a new character to their ever growing list of freaky freaks. Orly Taitz has zoomed past Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, Joe the Plumber, and a whole LIST of odd characters. It's so insane that it amazes me that anyone admits that they are Republican anymore.
Watch:
I have to admit, the article I read this morning talked about the GOP just going for the white vote. Stop pretending to be open to any kind of civil rights issues or minority headaches. Just get a white man back in office and send Obama back to Kenya where he was born. It's frightening but true. It's the best they've got right now.. Pretty much all they've got.
On the bright side, today is a holiday in Birthersland. It's the day that Obama was born... Or WAS he????

Life.. And death.

My oldest daughter is gorgeous. Model gorgeous. She looks nothing like me and she's far more intelligent and obedient. In our faith, our kids can't date until they are 16. Even then it's recommended they date in groups. It's a huge load off of the parents of kids who are gorgeous and get asked out every single day. She's never had problems telling them no but she misunderstood my rules. We finally got it straight that the young teen "going out" where they call themselves a couple and then pass messages through friends isn't really dating and it's okay with me. She shot a lot of boys down and her explanation is usually that they have a fun friendship and to become boyfriend/girlfriend would ruin it. Make it awkward. If they persist, she usually avoids them altogether. Some take it better than others. I noticed months ago that she did seem interested in one particular kid. She had quite a crush and apparently he'd asked her to be his girlfriend and she'd said no. Now with my permission she reluctantly agreed to be his girlfriend. It was exactly like she expected, it made things awkward and uncomfortable. It didn't last long and she tried to salvage the friendship, but I told her it would take time. It would be forgotten in time.
Sometime before July 28th she started getting messages that something bad had happened to him. After calling some friends she found out he'd tried to hang himself. He was discovered before he was dead, but he was brain dead. He was life flighted but there was nothing that could be done his family was able to say goodbye before they took him off of life support. Today I took her to the funeral and I realized that I hadn't even seen him, just heard her talk about him. He was a very good looking kid and popular. He would have started high school this month (as she will) and played on the junior varsity football team. His team mates came in their football uniforms and lined each side of the sidewalk as we left the memorial. It was a beautiful service that didn't do a lot to make us understand why he felt he only had one option. The church was full of people who cared about him. People he could have talked to. We did come away knowing that he wasn't very good at admitting when he was scared or needed help and very, very, likely didn't grasp that life is a fragile thing. That he probably didn't mean to end his life but to send a message. Most importantly we came away knowing that it's not really our life to take. God gave it to us, and we shouldn't underestimate or fail to appreciate this gift. God loves us and he will be the one to judge these things that we don't always understand. He loves us and He is merciful. Mostly we came away looking at our children a little closer. That we remember how overwhelming teenage problems were to us and to never make light of them. That we make certain that we understand them and that they understand there are other options and this one isn't the best one.
It's just the most permanent.

Somethings are sacred...

And the music of George Michael is one of them. Some covers make me cringe, but I gotta say I'm love, love, LOVING Seether's cover of Careless Whisper~

The Birthers

There are various conspiracy theories, some more whacked out than others. Some nag at me a bit, others are embarrassing and silly. But I am astounded by this tenacious group of people who are insisting that President Obama isn't an American Citizen, "The Birthers". It's amazing the people who are willing to lend their names to something as lame as this group of extremists. Sean Hannity, Liz "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" Cheney and Lou Dobbs have defended this group of people and Alan Keyes is happy to lead the Tin Foil Hat Brigade, with his attorney, Orly Taitz is a professional at spotting a foreigner a mile away, at least I think that's what she said. Her accent is so thick I can barely understand her. Obviously a case of sour grapes on Keyes part and some of the other right wing extremists. It appears that most of Congress is as embarrassed by the total nonsense as the rest of us. But they have gotten their foot in the door.
A recent poll showed that 28% of Republicans don't think that Obama is an American citizen. A big portion of that 28% were southern voters (which, in my opinion, implies racism) and many are older people who tend to believe rumor rather than investigate it for themselves. The Independent party has it's fair share, but Alan Keyes DOES need the face time since Ron Paul made such a splash in the recent movie Bruno. Incidentally the shooter in the Holocaust Museum is a Birther as well as anti-Semitic.
In any case, these people will never be satisfied by evidence that disproves their wild accusations and while it seems amusing, it's also dangerous. It fosters divisiveness and it wastes our time and resources. Even more frightening? Which one of these people will be our next Republican President?

Oh, and this is the evidence:




I am no fan of Stephen Colbert, but this gives you a sample of Orly Taitz:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Womb Raiders - Orly Taitz
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Tasers

On the bright side, the GOP has a new plan. Making the elderly believe that President Obama is going to appoint Dr. Kevorkian to a very special place in the new health care plan.
I think we could eradicate the financial crisis if these people started trying to sell bridges... In Alaska.