Monday, October 31, 2005
Bush continues to take this country backwards!
There is so much to say, but it has been said over and over; once again, Bush shows how weak he is by catering to the right wing politicians and religious fundamentalists. I guess he just could not find a woman or a minority that would please fundamentalists - we are surely not surprised by that, since they do not like either one in positions of power and control.
Saturday, October 22, 2005
A New Position for Bush?
With the investigation of Vice-President Cheney's staff, there is a rumor going around Washington that Cheney may resign. Constitutional scholars are suggesting that if that happens, George Bush will probably be promoted to the job!
Friday, October 21, 2005
We can make a difference!
Two days ago, the House of Representatives was poised to dramatically increase proposed cuts to crucial health care, nutritional and educational services. But individuals in this country fought back with over 30,000 phone calls and 130,000 personal letters to Congress as part of a "virtual march" on Washington. Hours before the vote was scheduled to occur, top Republicans were forced to call it off—citing a sudden drop in support even among their own party.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Vote tomorrow on massive budget cuts!
As soon as tomorrow morning, the House of Representatives will consider a Republican amendment to permanently slash funding for basic health care, nutrition and education services for the poor. The budget proposal already calls for $35 billion in cuts, but top Republicans want to push it up to $50 billion. Meanwhile, the same budget proposal calls for $70 billion in new tax breaks, largely for the wealthy.
The hypocrisy of the Republican plan to slash programs like Medicaid, food stamps, and student loans while offering new budget-busting tax breaks to the wealthy is being recognized across the country. And yet evangelical Christian leaders continue to support this inept behavior!
The hypocrisy of the Republican plan to slash programs like Medicaid, food stamps, and student loans while offering new budget-busting tax breaks to the wealthy is being recognized across the country. And yet evangelical Christian leaders continue to support this inept behavior!
Monday, October 17, 2005
Bush's job rating continues to drop
CNN.com - Bush's job rating continues to drop - Oct 17, 2005
I hope you right wingers and religious fundamentalists out there are taking note; you do not represent America - you are just louder than everyone else!
After the embarrassing "soldiers interview" last week, I am shocked that his approval rating is not a minus number. This president and his administration are an insult to the intelligence of all thinking people of the world! It is curious to me that none of you right wingers have said anything about the interview farce; silence means consent. The blind see only what the blind want to see!
I hope you right wingers and religious fundamentalists out there are taking note; you do not represent America - you are just louder than everyone else!
After the embarrassing "soldiers interview" last week, I am shocked that his approval rating is not a minus number. This president and his administration are an insult to the intelligence of all thinking people of the world! It is curious to me that none of you right wingers have said anything about the interview farce; silence means consent. The blind see only what the blind want to see!
Friday, October 14, 2005
How to win friends and influence people!
US Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton , in his first speech in Europe since taking his post in August:
... Bolton reiterated that Washington is prepared to work outside the United Nations if the world body's flaws cannot be repaired. 'We look at it in a kind of cost-benefit way,' he said. 'If it's not solving problems, what do we do to fix it? And if we can't fix it, where else can we look to have those problems solved?'
Bolton's temper flared briefly when some in the audience laughed at his assertion that America's contribution to maintaining world security is a form of overseas aid.
'If you would prefer us to withdraw to Fortress America, get up and say so,' he snapped. 'Yes,' replied one man in the audience, but Bolton later said the United States would not retreat into isolationism.
... Bolton reiterated that Washington is prepared to work outside the United Nations if the world body's flaws cannot be repaired. 'We look at it in a kind of cost-benefit way,' he said. 'If it's not solving problems, what do we do to fix it? And if we can't fix it, where else can we look to have those problems solved?'
Bolton's temper flared briefly when some in the audience laughed at his assertion that America's contribution to maintaining world security is a form of overseas aid.
'If you would prefer us to withdraw to Fortress America, get up and say so,' he snapped. 'Yes,' replied one man in the audience, but Bolton later said the United States would not retreat into isolationism.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
CNN.com - New York subway system on alert
Over the last few years, every time someone, especially Bush, Cheney or Rumsfeld, start talking about the "war on terrorism" and how important the Iraq war is to that "war on terrorism", we see a headline like the one above. Check the record; challenge me if I am wrong!
I am sure it is just a coincidence; lets see what develops. Maybe this time there is really something to be concerned about; if so it will be the first time since the Bush bullshit started!
I am sure it is just a coincidence; lets see what develops. Maybe this time there is really something to be concerned about; if so it will be the first time since the Bush bullshit started!
Bush and his lies!
It is reported that tonight Bush will state the following in his speech on the war and terrorism: "Osama bin Laden and his terrorist organization regard Iraq as their "central front" in the war on humanity -- and that the U.S. must recognize the country's central role in the war on terror. The president said worldwide terrorism thrives "like a parasite."
You know, this may be true, ... NOW! But it was not true before Bush and his cronies lied their way into a war!
The worst part of this is he expects us to believe him! No, what is worse than that is many people do!!!
You know, this may be true, ... NOW! But it was not true before Bush and his cronies lied their way into a war!
The worst part of this is he expects us to believe him! No, what is worse than that is many people do!!!
Monday, October 03, 2005
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Firms with White House ties get Katrina contracts
CNN.com - Firms with White House ties get Katrina contracts - Sep 10, 2005
Well, now I know where Cheney was for so long; you can bet he will never miss an opportunity to make money on a diaster for himself and his buddies (or a disaster he helps create)!
Well, now I know where Cheney was for so long; you can bet he will never miss an opportunity to make money on a diaster for himself and his buddies (or a disaster he helps create)!
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Poverty is a national crisis
As Hurricane Katrina has dramatically exposed the urban poverty in southern cities, it is important to remember that poverty is a national problem, and a growing one.
37 million - total number of people living in poverty in the U.S.
13 million - number of children living in poverty
1.1 million - number of people who fell below the poverty threshold between 2003 and 2004
4 - number of consecutive years in which the poverty rate has risen in America
Source: The U.S. Census Bureau
37 million - total number of people living in poverty in the U.S.
13 million - number of children living in poverty
1.1 million - number of people who fell below the poverty threshold between 2003 and 2004
4 - number of consecutive years in which the poverty rate has risen in America
Source: The U.S. Census Bureau
Acts of God or sins of humanity?
by Wes Granberg-Michaelson
From a vacation cottage Karin and I watched on TV as the desolation unfolded in New Orleans and the Gulf coast. Through that agonizing week we sat helpless with millions, while the world's most technologically powerful nation could not provide food, water, and rescue to fellow citizens whose desperate faces filled our screen and haunted our consciences.
Commentators described Hurricane Katrina as a "natural disaster," or at times as an "act of God," like language used in some insurance policies describing events beyond human control. It means no one is liable. Except, of course, God. And that's what troubles me. How can a God of love, Creator of all that is, be responsible for such terrible, destructive disasters?
But as I listened, reflected, and prayed during that week, another question emerged. Just how "natural" was this disaster? Consider this, for instance. When Katrina left the Florida coast, it was classified as a "tropical storm" - not even a hurricane. It picked up tremendous power as it passed through the Gulf of Mexico, in part, experts think, because the waters of the Gulf were two degrees warmer than normal. So by the time it reached New Orleans, it was a category four hurricane.
Years before becoming general secretary of the Reformed Church in America, I led a group studying global warming and the responsibility of the churches for preserving the environment when I served as director of Church and Society for the World Council of Churches. Even then (1990), a clear global scientific consensus warned that global warming due to human causes - especially the accelerated use of fossil fuels - was causing disruptive climate changes. And I clearly remember listening to scientists say that one effect could be that storms such as hurricanes would increase in their intensity and destructive effects because of warmer waters and changing sea levels. So a part of Katrina's fury was not completely "natural."
And there's more. New Orleans was built between the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico, with much of the city below sea level. Its vulnerability to flooding from hurricanes was partly protected by the wetlands between the city and the Gulf. These act like a "speed bump," absorbing and lowering some of a hurricane's force. But they've been disappearing, making way for shopping malls, condos, and roads, so 25 square miles are lost each year - an area the size of Manhattan. And the city has kept moving closer to the Gulf. Moreover, the levees and dams constructed to protect the city and "control" the Mississippi deprive the wetlands from the sediments and nutrients that naturally would replenish its life. There's a lot "unnatural" about this "act of God."
And then, consider the victims. Those who have suffered the most are the poorest, and most of them are black. Twenty-seven percent of New Orleans residents lived below the poverty line, and many of those simply had no cars, or no money, and no way to leave. That also isn't "natural." The poverty rate, and the gap between rich and poor, continues to increase in this nation, and that is a national disgrace. More to our point, that's a sin, condemned by literally hundreds of verses of scripture. Those most vulnerable to Katrina have been kept on society's margins by persistent economic injustice and racism.
I celebrate the tides of compassion flowing in the wake of Katrina. Organizations such as Church World Service and the Salvation Army bear the compassion of Christ to the desolate, homeless, and hopeless. And I still don't fully understand why, in the providence of a loving and all-powerful God of creation, things like hurricanes and earthquakes happen.
But I do know this. When I see the devastating effects of Katrina, I don't simply regard these as an inexplicable "act of God." I also focus on the sins of humanity. We've disobeyed God's clear biblical instructions to preserve the integrity of God's good creation, and to overcome the scourge of poverty. In the aftermath of Katrina, we desperately need not only compassion, but also repentance.
Wes Granberg-Michaelson is general secretary of the Reformed Church in America.
From a vacation cottage Karin and I watched on TV as the desolation unfolded in New Orleans and the Gulf coast. Through that agonizing week we sat helpless with millions, while the world's most technologically powerful nation could not provide food, water, and rescue to fellow citizens whose desperate faces filled our screen and haunted our consciences.
Commentators described Hurricane Katrina as a "natural disaster," or at times as an "act of God," like language used in some insurance policies describing events beyond human control. It means no one is liable. Except, of course, God. And that's what troubles me. How can a God of love, Creator of all that is, be responsible for such terrible, destructive disasters?
But as I listened, reflected, and prayed during that week, another question emerged. Just how "natural" was this disaster? Consider this, for instance. When Katrina left the Florida coast, it was classified as a "tropical storm" - not even a hurricane. It picked up tremendous power as it passed through the Gulf of Mexico, in part, experts think, because the waters of the Gulf were two degrees warmer than normal. So by the time it reached New Orleans, it was a category four hurricane.
Years before becoming general secretary of the Reformed Church in America, I led a group studying global warming and the responsibility of the churches for preserving the environment when I served as director of Church and Society for the World Council of Churches. Even then (1990), a clear global scientific consensus warned that global warming due to human causes - especially the accelerated use of fossil fuels - was causing disruptive climate changes. And I clearly remember listening to scientists say that one effect could be that storms such as hurricanes would increase in their intensity and destructive effects because of warmer waters and changing sea levels. So a part of Katrina's fury was not completely "natural."
And there's more. New Orleans was built between the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico, with much of the city below sea level. Its vulnerability to flooding from hurricanes was partly protected by the wetlands between the city and the Gulf. These act like a "speed bump," absorbing and lowering some of a hurricane's force. But they've been disappearing, making way for shopping malls, condos, and roads, so 25 square miles are lost each year - an area the size of Manhattan. And the city has kept moving closer to the Gulf. Moreover, the levees and dams constructed to protect the city and "control" the Mississippi deprive the wetlands from the sediments and nutrients that naturally would replenish its life. There's a lot "unnatural" about this "act of God."
And then, consider the victims. Those who have suffered the most are the poorest, and most of them are black. Twenty-seven percent of New Orleans residents lived below the poverty line, and many of those simply had no cars, or no money, and no way to leave. That also isn't "natural." The poverty rate, and the gap between rich and poor, continues to increase in this nation, and that is a national disgrace. More to our point, that's a sin, condemned by literally hundreds of verses of scripture. Those most vulnerable to Katrina have been kept on society's margins by persistent economic injustice and racism.
I celebrate the tides of compassion flowing in the wake of Katrina. Organizations such as Church World Service and the Salvation Army bear the compassion of Christ to the desolate, homeless, and hopeless. And I still don't fully understand why, in the providence of a loving and all-powerful God of creation, things like hurricanes and earthquakes happen.
But I do know this. When I see the devastating effects of Katrina, I don't simply regard these as an inexplicable "act of God." I also focus on the sins of humanity. We've disobeyed God's clear biblical instructions to preserve the integrity of God's good creation, and to overcome the scourge of poverty. In the aftermath of Katrina, we desperately need not only compassion, but also repentance.
Wes Granberg-Michaelson is general secretary of the Reformed Church in America.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Monday, September 05, 2005
Right Wingers can move quickly when it benefits their fundamentalist ideology!
Bush moved within 33 hours to announce his replacement for Chief Justice Rehnquist (and 24 of those were on a Sunday - you know, church and all that stuff); it is pretty amazing how everything was in place to move quickly. It reminds me of how quickly he moved this country into an illegal and unnecessary war with no idea or concern about what would happen in the long run.
But Bush waited until two days after Katrina hit -- and a day after levee breaks in New Orleans, to get off his ass in Crawford and return to Washington to oversee the government's response. I guess Cheney called and said he was just to busy with everything else and needed some help! Or is it true, that he figured those poor black people were warned to get out - they should have taken care of themselves! Nevermind that they could not take care of themselves, largely because of Republican policies! Maybe he and all you other right wing fundamentalists need to be reminded that the phrase "God helps those who help themselves" is not biblical!
And right wingers are saying, "...we can't be blaming people, we just need to get in there and get the job done..." That also reminds me of Iraq - oh, we can't be talking about how we lied to everyone to go to war; we just need to be taking care of what needs to be done!
One more thing: the flags were ordered to half mast yesterday - for Judge Rehnquist! Once again, nevermind those thousands dead and dying in New Orleans - they are just not important enough!
It will take generations for this country to recover from the damage done by this administration; and its religious fundamentalist friends!
But Bush waited until two days after Katrina hit -- and a day after levee breaks in New Orleans, to get off his ass in Crawford and return to Washington to oversee the government's response. I guess Cheney called and said he was just to busy with everything else and needed some help! Or is it true, that he figured those poor black people were warned to get out - they should have taken care of themselves! Nevermind that they could not take care of themselves, largely because of Republican policies! Maybe he and all you other right wing fundamentalists need to be reminded that the phrase "God helps those who help themselves" is not biblical!
And right wingers are saying, "...we can't be blaming people, we just need to get in there and get the job done..." That also reminds me of Iraq - oh, we can't be talking about how we lied to everyone to go to war; we just need to be taking care of what needs to be done!
One more thing: the flags were ordered to half mast yesterday - for Judge Rehnquist! Once again, nevermind those thousands dead and dying in New Orleans - they are just not important enough!
It will take generations for this country to recover from the damage done by this administration; and its religious fundamentalist friends!
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