It's been pouring like mad all night. We're slated to get 4 inches in southwestern CT before it's done.

By Larisa Alexandrovna Rawstory

The UN source also says that a military analysis suggests that no military action should be undertaken in Iran until spring of 2007, but that things remain volatile given this administration’s penchant for having "their own way."

By Sunsara Taylor Battle Cry For Theocracy

If you’ve been waiting to get alarmed until the Christian fascist movement started filling stadiums with young people and hyping them up to do battle in “God’s army,” wait no longer.

In recent weeks, BattleCry, a Christian fundamentalist youth movement, has attracted more than 25,000 people to mega-rally rock concerts in San Francisco and Detroit, and this weekend it plans to fill Wachovia Stadium in Philadelphia.

The leaders of BattleCry claim that their religion and values are under attack, but amid spectacular light shows, Hummers, Navy SEALs and military imagery on stage, it is BattleCry that has declared war on everyone else. Its leader, Ron Luce, insists: “This is war. And Jesus invites us to get into the action, telling us that the violent—the ‘forceful’ ones—will lay hold of the kingdom.”

I'm glad I don't live in Philly.

I missed Jack Cafferty on CNN yesterday. Well, I miss him every day because he's on when most folks are still working. The transcript of his question yesterday is at AMERICAblog:

"Does it concern you that your phone company may be voluntarily providing your phone records to the government without your knowledge or permission?"

Yes, it does. But what concerns me more is that this government thinks what it's doing is legal, Constitutional. This is the part that really matters:

Then why did the Justice Department suddenly drop its investigation of the warrantless spying on citizens? Because the NSA said Justice Department lawyers didn't have the necessary security clearance to do the investigation.

Read that sentence again.

A secret government agency has told our Justice Department that it's not allowed to investigate it. And the Justice Department just says okay and drops the whole thing.

In other news, Der Führer approval ratings are at 29%.

And as if Mussolini didn't have enough problems: What MI5 knew.

War Clouds

Los Angeles Times:

Russian leaders continue to mouth the usual diplomatic platitudes about democracy and global cooperation, but Russia is actually playing a complex double game. On Tuesday, Russia launched a spy satellite for Israel, which the Israelis can use to monitor Iran's nuclear facilities. On the same day, Russian leaders confirmed their opposition to any U.N. Security Council effort to impose sanctions against Iran, and their intention to go through with the lucrative sale of 29 Tor M1 air defense missile systems to Iran.

Interesting take. I still think the Iran War starts in March of 2007.

Life Without A Net

In one of the poorest countries in the world, Haiti, Marijo lives in perhaps the worst of its slums. Cite Soleil is a teeming shantytown of a quarter-million people living in poverty so abject it is difficult for anyone outside of here to imagine.

Robert Scheer: Top Spy’s Story on Prewar Intel Is Finally Told

Perhaps most damning is an interview, added for the broadcast version, with Tyler Drumheller, a CIA veteran of 26 years’ service who was the agency’s top spy in Europe until his retirement a year ago. According to him, before the war Hussein’s foreign minister had been “turned” and was talking secretly to U.S. intelligence. At first excited by this rare inside look at Hussein’s regime, the top dogs at the White House dropped the issue like a hot rock as soon as his information contradicted their overheated rationale for “preemptive” war. “The policy was set,” Drumheller told CBS correspondent Ed Bradley. “The war in Iraq was coming. And they were looking for intelligence to fit into the policy, to justify the policy.”

See also:

"Nothing Prepared Me for Bush"

The press doesn't care. The media, because it's been driven much more by market competition and competition with electronic media. They're doing this "gotcha" journalism. What passes for investigative journalism is finding somebody with their pants down - literally or otherwise.

Sometimes they have a good one - like torture and the rendering of prisoners. Those are good stories. But in the main, there's no felt obligation to cover the economy, poverty, or foreign policy in any systematic way. When the print organizations had a more dominant power in their own markets and publishers that cared to excel or readers that demanded they excel, they felt the need to cover even the boring issues. Now there isn't any of that felt obligation at all.

Also at Alternet.org

Because he said it better than I can:

In another reminder that George W. Bush has still not caught the man responsible for September 11, while he has mired tends of thousands of US troops in an unrelated Iraq quagmire, the murderous lunatic Usamah Bin Laden spoke again on Sunday. I don't know how Bush lives with himself. He has squandered 5 years of unparalleled power and opportunities, and has nothing to show for it but national bankruptcy and national humiliation.

Professor Cole, Informed Comment.

I've been busy of late. Two new programs designed, plus gearing up for someone's pregnancy leave (no, not mine), has me putting in a lot of hours.

Because he said it better than I can:

In another reminder that George W. Bush has still not caught the man responsible for September 11, while he has mired tends of thousands of US troops in an unrelated Iraq quagmire, the murderous lunatic Usamah Bin Laden spoke again on Sunday. I don't know how Bush lives with himself. He has squandered 5 years of unparalleled power and opportunities, and has nothing to show for it but national bankruptcy and national humiliation.

Professor Cole, Informed Comment.

I've been busy of late. Two new programs designed, plus gearing up for someone's pregnancy leave (no, not mine), has me putting in a lot of hours.

Offend the audience and then act the victim.

Surprise?

Q: What's your assessment of the war in Iraq?

A: Utter debacle. But it had to be from the very first. The reasons were wrong. The reasons of this administration for taking this nation to war were not what they stated. (Army Gen.) Tommy Franks was brow-beaten and ... pursued warfare that he knew strategically was wrong in the long term. That's why he retired immediately afterward. His own staff could tell him what was going to happen afterward.

We have fomented civil war in Iraq. We have probably fomented internecine war in the Muslim world between the Shias and the Sunnis, and I think Bush may well have started the third world war, all for their own personal policies.

From an interview with Eric Haney, retired Command Sergeant Major, US Army, Delta Force.


After Iraq, Arabs Wary of "Western" Democracy

Highlighting the difficulty of implementing a Western tailor-made process without heeding local and regional circumstances, Omro Hamzawi, senior fellow at the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said: "The availability of a democratic model that can be exported everywhere is nonsense and has no moral credibility because of the US tragedies and disasters in Iraq."

Surprising?

An "Alliance" of Violence

A disturbing trend noticeable in Iraq for quite some time now is that each aggressive Israeli military operation in the occupied territories results in a corresponding increase in the number of attacks on US forces in Iraq. One of the first instances of this was the assassination of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in March 2004 and the reaction it set off across Shia and Sunni, ultimately spiraling into the siege and devastation of Fallujah. Fallujah is but one example one may use to demonstrate how the ongoing use of heavy handed tactics by the US-Israel alliance is proving to be as suicidal as it is homicidal. US troops in Iraq and Israeli civilians in their homes can bear testimony to this, as they are the ones who bear the brunt. Not to mention the collateral damage in Iraq.

As if the situation in Iraq isn't bad enough on it's own.

I hope he's wrong.

The White House That Cried Wolf

The Pentagon has once again investigated itself! And—have a seat, get the smelling salts, hold all hats—the Pentagon has once again concluded the Pentagon did absolutely nothing wrong and will continue to do so.

In this particularly fascinating case, the Pentagon investigated its own habit of paying people to make up lies about how well the war in Iraq is going, and then paying other people to put those lies in the Iraqi media, thus fooling the Iraqis into thinking everything in their country is tickety-boo. Well, if we can’t fool them, whom can we fool?

Surprised?

Whistleblowers allege influence peddling by members of Congress, VP in Mexico wastewater project

It will be interesting to see what, if anything, comes from this.

Mr. Abramoff has been given five years and 10 months, to be served whenever he stops saving his own ass.

I'm not surprised.

Just an FYI

In case you missed it:

Forecasts: Northeast Due for Big Hurricane

He predicts the East Coast north of the Mid-Atlantic states could see a Category 3 hurricane, a storm that could resemble the devastating systems that hit New England between the 1930s and 1950s.

You trust FEMA to get it's act together this year?

I don't.

But, what are you gonna do? Me, if a hurricane comes up the coast, I'm not going to count on Long Island to act as a barrier. I'll head north. Fast.

From Informed Comment, Juan Cole, about the release of Abdul Rahman:

The episode underlines the falsehood of the Bush administration's empty boast that it is spreading democracy in the Middle East and that "50 million" persons have been liberated. In fact, Bush has been spreading Muslim fundamentalism. In Afghanistan, he just replaced the Taliban with the Jami`at al-Islam, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was the major element in what the American called the "Northern Alliance." Karzaid did not even bother to change the Taliban chief justice when he came in; no doubt the chief justice was strict enough for the Northern Alliance, which contained this strong fundamentalist tendency. Everywhere Bush has intervened - Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, etc., it has helped the fundamentalists.

He contends that someone else will be tried, eventually, for converting to Christianity, which is what I've been thinking since the Afghanistan government first announced last week that Mr. Rahman was mentally ill and therefore could not stand trial.

The doctrine that apostacy deserves the death penalty comes out of medieval Islamic canon law rather than from the Quran itself. If Islam is to survive into the next century, its adherents need to rethink all those medieval legal doctrines to which modern fundamentalists are so attached. It is monstrous, and is the height of hypocrisy for Saudis and others to fund the conversion of Americans to Islam while threatening Saudi converts to Christianity with death.

Sadly, the hypocrisy never ends. It just changes it's stripes.

Sunny Monday

Immigration Rally is Lagest in LA History

Immigration Reform in Living Color

Immigrants Rising

~ ~ ~

Good Versus Evil Isn't a Strategy

The administration is now divided between those who understand this complexity and those who do not. On one side, there are ideologues, such as the vice president, who apparently see Iraq as a useful precedent for Iran. Meanwhile, officials on the front lines in Iraq know they cannot succeed in assembling a workable government in that country without the tacit blessing of Iran; hence, last week's long-overdue announcement of plans for a US-Iranian dialogue on Iraq - a dialogue that if properly executed might also lead to progress on other issues.

Apocalyptic President

In American Theocracy, Phillips describes Bush as the founder of "the first American religious party"; September 11 gave him the pretext for "seizing the fundamentalist moment"; he has manipulated a "critical religious geography" to hype issues such as gay marriage. "New forces were being interwoven. These included the institutional rise of the religious right, the intensifying biblical focus on the Middle East, and the deepening of insistence on church-government collaboration within the GOP electorate." It portended a potential "American Disenlightenment," apparent in Bush's hostility to science.

Bush Was Set on Path to War, Memo by British Adviser Says

But behind closed doors, the president was certain that war was inevitable. During a private two-hour meeting in the Oval Office on Jan. 31, 2003, he made clear to Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain that he was determined to invade Iraq without the second resolution, or even if international arms inspectors failed to find unconventional weapons, said a confidential memo about the meeting written by Mr. Blair's top foreign policy adviser and reviewed by The New York Times.

Is This a Strategy for Success?

What it is, though, like so many places in Iraq now, is a city increasingly divided along sectarian lines. The neighborhoods we patrolled were largely Shia; those our reporter found barricaded and dangerous were mostly Sunni. "I'd say that zero percent of Bush's talk about Tall Afar is true," said Ahmed Sami, 45, a Sunni laborer. "They turned Shiite neighborhoods into havens, and Sunni neighborhoods into hells." Even in the Shia neighborhoods, people were far from satisfied. "This is all just an outdoor prison for us," said school teacher Abu Muhammed. "We can't even go as far as the market street up there." He gestured to the top of his road, where the Ottoman fortress that dominates the town is located (and which we couldn't visit due to a security scare, even though it holds the mayor's office). "We know the American Army and the Iraqi Army are working and doing their best," said Bakr Muhammed Bakr, a dressmaker whose shop, like most others on the streets, was open for business. "But what are they going to do, put a soldier in front of each Sunni house?"

All the "Good News" From Iraq

On the Ground in Iraq

~ ~ ~

Doctors Fight New Orleans Hospital Closure - see the article below it Tight Squeeze: Life Inside a FEMA Trailer.

Neglect in New Orleans

More than six months after one of the worst natural disasters to hit the United States, a perfect storm of malign neglect on the federal, state and local levels continues to batter the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The overwhelming scale of destruction wrought by the hurricane required a comprehensive, federally directed plan of reconstruction, including the rebuilding of levees and the restoration of coastal wetlands, yet the record of the past six months is one of promises unkept, funding delayed and denied, and machinations of politicians and their corporate cronies to profit from the catastrophe. The net effect has been the disenfranchisement and continued displacement of the poor and minority population of New Orleans, which suffered disproportionately from the hurricane.

Red Cross Fires Administrators in New Orleans

"They found that not only did a great portion of the route have full utilities, they also had a major grocery store up and running and public transportation," said a volunteer who had seen their report but requested anonymity because she said she had been physically threatened by a supervisor. "Much of the area was back to pre-Katrina, and the rest of it was so bad that no one was living in it."

~ ~ ~

Panic in the Newspaper Biz

The Project for Excellence in Journalism, run by Columbia University, has a new report out that finds that the number of media outlets continues to grow, but both the number of stories covered and the depth of reporting are sliding backward. Television, radio and newspapers are all cutting staff, while the bloggers of the Internet either do not have the size or the interest to go out and gather news. Bloggers are not news-gatherers, but opinion-mongers. I have long argued that no one should be allowed to write opinion without spending years as a reporter-nothing like interviewing all four eyewitnesses to an automobile accident and then trying to write an accurate account of what happened. Or, as author-journalist Curtis Wilkie puts it, "Unless you can cover a five-car pile-up on Route 128, you shouldn't be allowed to cover a presidential campaign."

Update on Mr. Blair's troubles: Labour to overhaul funding system and How bad is loans row for Blair?.

My guess is it will hurt Mr. Blair, but to me, he's the teflon PM. I don't think he'll step down, no matter how low his polling numbers are.

I wonder... could this summer see duel impeachment session?

Yeah, only in my dreams.

Oh, and see Blair to 'take on' Iraq critics.

Senator Lieberman and Sempra

Lamont Blog is running an expose on Lieberman's ties to Sempra. It's an excellent piece and should be read by all Connecticut residents.


***Edited to add:

Email from the Ned Lamont for Senate Volunteer Coordinator

Please come hear Ned Lamont speak in person to learn more about him and his plans for Connecticut.

Ned will be near you Tuesday, March 21st at Shelton's Democratic Town Committee meeting, at 7:30 PM at the Shelton Community Center, 41 Church Street.

Ned will discuss the next steps of the campaign for US Senate and answer your questions.

Thank you again for your support, and we hope to see you tomorrow evening.

Sincerely,

Rose Ryan
Volunteer Coordinator
Ned Lamont for Senate

A conversation with Machiavelli's ghost: Controversial neoconservative Ledeen talks to Raw Story - part one of three.

RS: I understand your sentiment, but with all due respect, I disagree with the notion that a nation of people wanted this or asked for it. Some may want such a thing, but not a nation of people. You are excluding the systematic fear tactics, propaganda of hate, and other control mechanisms that over a period of time convinced an entire people that they were under constant threat by a whole other group of people.

The Holocaust did not occur overnight and in a vacuum. It started as a fire that was blamed on the terrorists, at that time "the Communists." Anyone who spoke out was branded as an enemy and jailed. Those who did not speak out were fed large doses of psychological manipulation. The horror of the Final Solution did not start with the installment of Hitler to power. The Jews did not become the object of Hitler's insanity until later, much later.

But how was this propaganda machine possible and to such an extent? How was the war machine possible or the facilities for what would later be used as extermination centers, or any number of things required to achieve such a horrible end? The Germans were still paying reparations from WWI and were largely bankrupt. If it were not for the funding made possible by US and British companies, like DuPont or Ford Motors, would the Nazis have been able to rise to power and achieve what they had achieved?

Part II

Part III


~ ~ ~

For my own reference: Connecticut Blogs

Barking Dingo
Laughing Wild
Peace Garden
Solo dialogue
Two Glasses

~ ~ ~

Shakespeare's Sister

Spring

Aussies Endure Strongest Storm Since '74

If you haven't heard, a Category 5 cyclone hit northeastern Austalia. So far, no deaths are reported, but the area is devastated. Please consider making a donation to:

The Salvation Army

International Committee of the Red Cross

Also, see ReliefWeb: "... is the global hub for time-critical humanitarian information on Complex Emergencies and Natural Disasters..."

~ ~ ~


Yesterday, on Meet the Press, Rep. Murtha says Rumsfeld, Cheney should resign.

The Congressman has started too low down on the food chain. The rot starts at the top. If the President of the United States had any honor, any decency, he'd resign. Right after he fired the Vice President, the Secretaries of State and Defense.

My fellow Americans, I am resigning the Office of the President of the United States of America, effective at Noon today. I have fired Mr. Cheney, Doctor Rice and Mr. Rumsfeld and have contacted the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Hastert, and notified him that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court will be swearing him into office as our next President of the United States according to the Presidential Succession Act of 1947.

He doesn't have to say why he's resigning - it's not like we don't know - just make the annoucement and go. Then the United States can being the process of reclaiming our Nation and salvaging democracy in this country.

See also: Libby's new filing: Hadley and Armitage named, press ignores Hadley

and

What Does "High Crimes and Misdemeanors" Mean?, from 1998. It's long, but worth reading. I also suggest reading The Logic of the "Peace Process".


~ ~ ~


I've been waiting for this to happen. No one ever, ever, learns from history, do they? Mr. Blair's been handing out seats in the Lords like mad for eight years now. It was bound to catch up with him.

'Toxic' cash for peerages row threatens to engulf Blair

The blocking of a fourth Labour donor prompted one member of Labour's ruling body to condemn as "toxic" the growing sleaze threatening to engulf the Prime Minister. Mr Blair admitted last week to keeping the party's treasurer and other senior figures and ministerial colleagues in the dark about almost £14m in loans raised before the general election.

It emerged last night that Mr Blair's head of government relations played a key role in arranging a certificate putting forward a nominee for a peerage which allegedly stated misleadingly they did not have a financial relationship with the party. Ruth Turner helped draw it up inside No 10, according to The Sunday Telegraph.

See also Blair unrepentant, but still tormented by legacy of war:

Three years ago, Mr Blair would have dismissed as a bad dream former Iraqi prime minister Iyad Allawi statement yesterday that his country is in a state of "civil war". This completes the Blair Iraqi nightmare. Ministers have spent the past few weeks trying to tell us it was good news that the country did not descend into civil war after the bombing of the Askariya shrine in Samarra.

Mr Blair has paid a heavy political price for his strategic decision, probably taken a year before the war, to go "shoulder to shoulder" with George Bush come what may.

The Prime Minister judged that "being there" would buy Britain precious influence with the United States. Three years on, the balance sheet looks pretty one-sided. The British-inspired effort to get a new United Nations mandate for military action fizzled out. Foreign Office warnings about the lack of a plan for the aftermath of the invasion fell on deaf ears in Washington and the painful, gruesome consequences are all too apparent today.

To me there is a tone of pity by the author this article. Perhaps I'm wrong. I have no pity for Mr. Blair or Mr. Bush. Whenever Mr. Blair steps down I hope he's arrested and tried for crimes against humanity - right along side Mr. Bush.


~ ~ ~


'This Place Is Broken', an interview with Gore Vidal (this is part two - a link to part on is in the first paragraph of the article):

Gore Vidal: I wish the word terrorist would be erased from our language. All meaning has been pumped out of it by our rulers and their media, who wish to demonize everyone or -thing they dislike starting with Us The People. Certainly under the name of fighting terrorism we are conducting wars with everyone on Earth, shifting feverishly from old loyal employees like Noriega and Saddam Hussein to new servants to be abandoned in due course. We are treacherous friends. Meanwhile, thanks to all this maneuvering, more and more of our freedoms are being erased.

I don't agree with all of Mr. Vidal's opinions, but he makes some excellent points. He's also quite funny from time to time. Both parts of the interview are worth reading, but if you only have time for one, make it the second.

~ ~ ~

Harris tells Christian group she believes God wants her in public service:

Finding inspiration from God, The Last of the Mohicans and The Lord of Rings, Katherine Harris told hundreds of conservative Christians Saturday that she is "a work in progress."

Separation of church and state

~ ~ ~

War-Loving Pundits

The third anniversary of the Iraq invasion is bound to attract a lot of media coverage, but scant recognition will go to the pundits who helped to make it all possible.

Same issues, different decade

We have to divorce ourselves from the George W. Bush method of making decisions without recognizing their consequences. In the past six years, we have seen war, deceit, and torture become a part of our national vernacular, all because our president believes that split-second decisions, that favor big business and the Republican Party, will not cause irrevocable long-term damage. But what we have lost is not only our integrity--America in the World is now an international joke--but also an entire way of life. Climate change is on our doorstep, and the best we can do is recognize that it's coming, since our government will do nothing to curtail pollution or to work actively to solve the problem. Turmoil in Iraq seems destined to continue until the end of the decade. And civil rights that Americans have spent an entire century trying to procure are being stripped to a bare bones minimum before our eyes.

US evangelicals warn Republicans

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said that apart from confirming two conservative judges to the Supreme Court, "core values voters" did not feel that Congress was advancing their interests.

Poll: Americans slightly favor plan to censure

Bush battered by US pessimism, leadership doubts


The Great Immigration Debate: Getting Beyond Denial

Without much public notice, for the first time in 20 years the U.S. Senate this month is finally debating legislation that could radically change the ways our country deals with immigrants and enforces the laws on the border for decades to come. It’s a moment that reform advocates—from big business to big labor, from church groups to civil liberties organizations—have long been been fighting for. The Senate leadership has given the Judiciary Committee until March 27 to present a bill to be voted on by the whole body. Once approved, that measure would be reconciled with the House measure passed last December and move to the president’s desk for his signature.

The War on Drugs has become the War on Immigrants.

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:

I lift my lamp beside the golden door.


Norman Lear: 'Bring Them to Their Knees'


FYI

Not Just A Last Resort?

Calculating the Risk of War in Iran

Enjoy your weekend.

It's been a long, long week

'Operation Swarmer' Expected to Last Days


Bush's Fantasy of 'Progress' in Iraq

Of course, Bush would have us believe this expanding civil war is the work of insidious foreigners rather than of competing agendas arising from within an Iraq society long stunted by colonialism and dictatorship. It does not occur to him that he is the foreigner whom the majority of Iraqis hold responsible for the country’s despair, and whose occupation immeasurably strengthens the hand of extremists on all sides. Bush’s neoconservative Svengalis apparently failed to alert him to the possibility that religious, ethnic and nationalist sentiments might trump his plans for a Western-imposed “democracy,” subservient to U.S. interests. Or that U.S.-engineered elections would be won by allies and disciples of the radical Shiite government in the “evil axis” capital of Tehran.

Fishing for a Pretext to Squeeze Iran

Bush’s vendetta against Iran is all the more invidious in light of the sweetheart deal he recently offered India, which never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. A recent United Nations report says that India has been less than forthright about its enrichment programs, and that its procedures are inadequate to deter further proliferation. India dismisses the report. The Bush administration nevertheless has proposed changing U.S. law to permit the sale of nuclear technology to India.

Digging In for the 'Long War'

On top of everything else, Rumsfeld is now circulating a grand strategy for the Long War written by Newt Gingrich. Am I the only person covering politics who ever noticed that Newt Gingrich is actually a nincompoop? When Newt bestrode the political world like a colossus (Time magazine’s Man of the Year in 1995), many people took him seriously—but he was a fool then, too. The Republicans were so thrilled to have someone on their side who had ideas, they never seemed to notice that Newt’s were drivel.

FYI: The debt ceiling is now US$9 trillion. Congrats Americans, your Anniversary present is to cough up US$30,000 - each.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

One of my favorite places on the internet is

The Internet Archive

they're looking for some help, if you've got the skills and they can always use some cash.

If you can't help out, just pick up your library card, free of charge, and enjoy.

Told you Massachusetts was Hell :)

That was the opening line to an email sent from a friend who lives just outside of Boston. She sent me the following link:

The Manifestation of the Demonic in Massachusetts

We too are beginning to encounter clear signs of the demonic. Here in Somerville, how many Catholic schools are closed. One parish and three schools at last count. Yet, we just opened up here a Planned Parenthood Office. If you have read the Somerville newspapers then you saw the picture of the politicians including graduates of Catholic schools attending a ribbon cutting ceremony for a place that roots itself in destroying human life.

That which imparts God’s wisdom is closing and that which imparts the Devil’s destruction is opening. Good is Bad and Bad is Good. True is false and false is true. Man is woman and woman is man. The Devil is alive and living in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

sigh

I like the Father's suggestion that we give to the poor - not just money but time as well. "Study, know and live the corporal and spiritual works of mercy". It wouldn't hurt to ponder that one.

I am left wondering what part of Peter we're supposed to be reading:

3:1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; 3:2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.

:)

For what it's worth, she's a rather devout Catholic Mom of four with a great sense of humor.

~ ~ ~

They Came for the Chicken Farmer

A case of mistaken identity's turning an innocent person into a prisoner-for-life was supposed to be impossible. President Bush told Americans to trust in his judgment after he arrogated the right to arrest anyone, anywhere in the world, and toss people into indefinite detention. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld infamously proclaimed that the men at Guantánamo Bay were "the worst of the worst."

At Conservative Forum on Bush, Everybody's a Critic

Instead, Sullivan was on hand to second the critique. "This is a big-government agenda," he said. "It is fueled by a new ideology, the ideology of Christian fundamentalism." The bearded pundit offered his own indictment of Bush: "complete contempt" for democratic processes, torture of detainees, ignoring habeas corpus and a "vast expansion of the federal government." The notion, he said, that the "Thatcher-Reagan legacy that many of us grew up to love and support would end this way is an astonishing paradox and a great tragedy."

Ouch.

Iran threatens reprisals, if punished

Iran is not helping itself - or anyone else. Mohamed ElBaradei is urging calm, from all sides. I hope they listen.

"What we need now, at this stage, is a cool-headed approach. The Middle East is a very volatile area," he said as a three-day meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency drew to a close in Vienna.

Mr ElBaradei insisted that the decision to refer his classified report on Iran's nuclear programme to the powerful Security Council - which is expected to meet next week to discuss possible punitive measures - marked a "new phase in diplomacy" and not a fast-track to sanctions.

The call for calm was directed at both Iran and the United States, who have traded threats from the sidelines throughout the course of the week's negotiations. It came shortly after a senior official from Tehran told Reuters: "The United States may have the power to cause harm and pain but it is also susceptible to harm and pain. So if the United States wishes to choose that path, let the ball roll."

The official was apparently responding to comments from Dick Cheney, the Vice President, who said Iran would face "meaningful consequences" if it failed to fall into line.

It's obvious to many the Bush Administration is most likely planning for war in Iran. If this keeps up, Iran might give Bush and company a legitimate reason.

DeLay Wins Four-Way Battle for Nomination

Annan Says Coalition May Be Violating Law

May be

Diplomatic speak, and useless.

The UN and Arab countries need to come together and take over from the United States and the United Kingdom.

Oh, and speaking of the UK:

God: I've lost faith in Blair

A high-level leak has revealed that God is "furious" at Tony Blair's attempts to implicate him in the bombing of Iraq. Sources close to the archangel Gabriel report him as describing the Almighty as "hopping mad ... with sanctimonious yet unscrupulous politicians claiming He would condone their bestial activities when He has no way of going public Himself, owing to the MMW agreement" (a reference to the long-established Moving in Mysterious Ways concordat).

...

"If Tony Blair thinks his friendship with George W Bush is worth rubbing out a couple of hundred thousand Iraqi men, women and children, then that's something he can talk over with me later," said God. "But when he starts publicly claiming that's the way I do the arithmetic too, it's time I put my foot down!" It is well known that God has a very big foot.

March 7, 2006 Executive Order

Someone at AMERICAblog posted the following link in the comments section:

Executive Order: Responsibilities of the Department of Homeland Security with Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

I really enjoy AMERICAblog, though I don't always agree with all of the opinions of the authors or commentators. There's some really warped senses of humor there as well, which I enjoy too. So when I saw the link, and the brief quote, I thought it was a joke. I followed the link and sure enough, it's real.

And I went what the fuck?!

The Department of Homeland Security will now be responsible for creating faith-based communities centers and initiatives.

Sec. 3. Responsibilities of the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. In carrying out the purpose set forth in section 2 of this order, the Center shall:

(a) conduct, in coordination with the WHOFBCI Director, a department-wide audit to identify all existing barriers to the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in the delivery of social and community services by the Department, including but not limited to regulations, rules, orders, procure-ment, and other internal policies and practices, and outreach activities that unlawfully discriminate against, or otherwise discourage or disadvantage the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in Federal programs;

(b) coordinate a comprehensive departmental effort to incorporate faith-based and other community organizations in Department programs and initiatives to the greatest extent possible;

(c) propose initiatives to remove barriers identified pursuant to section 3(a) of this order, including but not limited to reform of regulations, procurement, and other internal policies and practices, and outreach activities;

(d) propose the development of innovative pilot and demonstration programs to increase the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in Federal as well as State and local initiatives; and

(e) develop and coordinate Departmental outreach efforts to disseminate information more effectively to faith-based and other community organizations with respect to programming changes, contracting opportunities, and other agency initiatives, including but not limited to Web and Internet resources.

Is there anything the Department of Homeland Security isn't responsible for?

Off to email questions to Senators and Representatives.

Not that they'll answer.

This and That

From Common Dreams is an editorial by Bill Moyers entitled Saving Democracy, which I think is a must read.

Our witness for this is the Christian pastor who served as the titular president of the U.S. Family Network, the Reverend Christopher Geeslin. He told The Washington Post that the founder of the organization, the former DeLay aide, told him that a million dollars was passed through from sources in Russia who wanted DeLay’s support for legislation enabling the International Monetary fund to bail out the faltering Russian economy without demanding the country raise taxes on its energy industry. As Molly Ivins pointed out in a recent column, right on cue DeLay found his way onto Fox News Sunday to argue the Russian position. That same titular head of the U.S. Family Network, the Christian pastor, said DeLay’s former chief of staff also told him, “This is the way things work in Washington.”

The essay is quite long, but it's worth reading.

~ ~ ~


WorldNetDaily:

Democrat for Senate: Kill practicing 'gays'; Candidate says incumbent Republican not advocating biblical values enough.

"Just like we have laws against murder, we have laws against stealing, we have laws against taking drugs – we should have laws against immoral conduct," Keiser told WTOL-TV in Toledo.

Keiser, 61, says he's running as a Democrat because that's how he was registered the last time he voted.

The trucker, who hails from Fremont, Ohio, says there needs to be more adherence to biblical values in government, business and education – something he claims DeWine is not promoting.

"I believe that the United States has been moved in a Godless direction by the courts," he told the Sandusky Register. "To get good men on the court, we need good senators."

Some of Keiser's other positions include defense of the Second Amendment, securing U.S. borders, lower taxes to stimulate the economy, support of Israel and prayer in public schools.

Keiser told the Register the United States should make conversion to Christianity part of the war on terror to teach Muslims the error of their choice in religion.

The candidate also decries evolution, saying it is contrary to the Declaration of Independence.

"The teaching of evolution works against the liberties we have in the United States," he told the paper. If a person believe in evolution, he or she "has no rights," he's quoted saying.

He also opposes the United Nations, abortion on demand and thinks so-called global warming is a false concern.

~ ~ ~

An Imam in America: A Muslim Leader in Brooklyn, Reconciling 2 Worlds

"America transformed me from a person of rigidity to flexibility," said Mr. Shata, speaking through an Arabic translator. "I went from a country where a sheik would speak and the people listened to one where the sheik talks and the people talk back."

~ ~ ~

Open Source Theology

Wiki's take on the Emergent Church

Religion and Ethics - Part I

~ ~ ~

Faith isn't about hatred, or separating oneself from others. Faith is acceptance and tolerance; it's joy, not fear; it's the heart, not the mind; it's belief not dogma.

That's my opinion. Everyone has their own. I don't ask anyone to believe what I believe, but I ask that they live by the rules of the community we all share - all the rules, not just the one's they prefer. Those rules are crafted, created, by the majority, not a small group of individuals who shout louder or longer or have more money than the rest do, to force their beliefs on others.

It just takes some people longer than others I guess.

Retired and "anonymous" military sources are finally admitting Iraq is in a Civil War. I'm no genius, but I figured that one out a some time ago. I think it started with Fallujah, in 2004.

There are some who are now say a variation on: now that it's a civil war we should leave.

I'm all for the United States, the United Kingdom, and other allies, to leave Iraq. We should have never gone there in the first place. However, we've created this nightmare. Is it right for us to leave now?

I don't think so. And yet, our presence in Iraq only makes the situation worse.

I think Iraq, and the entire Middle East, might be better served if the United Nations took over, in cooperation with a "Pan-Arab" group, to try and end the civil war and help the Iraqi people build a lasting government.

Update on Ave Maria

Mr. Monahan has clarifed the story:


Pizza Magnate Modifies Plans for Fla. Town

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: March 3, 2006

Filed at 9:22 a.m. ET

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- The founder of Domino's Pizza backtracked Friday from earlier comments that he'd like to establish a new town in Florida governed by strict Roman Catholic principles, denying access to birth control and pornography.

Thomas S. Monaghan has pledged $250 million to establish Ave Maria, a town 25 miles east of Naples built around a the first new Catholic university in the United States in four decades. Both the town and the university, founded by Monaghan, are set to open next year.

''There's a lot of misconceptions about this. I don't really have a vision for the town. I have a vision for the university,'' Monaghan said Friday on ABC's ''Good Morning America.''

Last year he told a a Catholic men's group in Boston that pornographic magazines won't be sold in town, pharmacies won't carry condoms or birth control pills, and cable television will carry no X-rated channels. Monaghan said Friday those comments were ''out of place.''

''The town is open to anybody,'' Monaghan said. ''The university -- it's a different story. It will be primarily Catholic.''

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida promised lawsuits if the proposals were to become law. Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist said he saw nothing that violated state law in Monaghan's proposals.

''We do not discriminate against anyone,'' said Paul Marinelli, CEO of Barron Collier, an agricultural and real estate firm that is developing the town in partnership with Monaghan.

Marinelli said it will be requested that stores not sell contraceptives, but the sale of birth control won't be restricted. He said the town would not bar access to any cable television program, but the town will not have adult bookstores or topless clubs.

''We're not trying to create a city with walls around it that isolates from the world,'' Marinelli said.

The community will be set on 5,000 acres with a massive church and a 65-foot tall crucifix at the center of town.

Comments later when I have more time.

Hail Mary, Full of Grace

I own Domino's stock.

Owned.

I'm selling it today.

From the Boston Channel: Domino's Pizza Boss Plans Catholic-Only Town

NAPLES, Fla. -- The founder of the Domino's Pizza chain is pouring millions of dollars into a new town in Southwest Florida that will be governed by Roman Catholic principles.

Thomas Monaghan's project is called "Ave Maria." It's a place where contraceptives won't be sold in stores, and where the cable system won't carry X-rated programming. It's being built around the new Ave Maria University, the first Catholic university in decades.

Civil liberties groups are planning legal challenges if the restrictions go forward.

Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist said communities have a right to provide a wholesome environment, adding that it will be up to the courts to decide what restrictions are permissible.

From 7online ABC News: Domino's pizza founder wants to create porn-free town

"I believe all of history is just one big battle between good and evil. I don't want to be on the sidelines," Monaghan said in a recent Newsweek interview.

However, Simon points to a 1946 Supreme Court opinion that "ownership does not always mean absolute dominion."

Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist said it will be up to the courts to decide the legalities of the plan.

"The community has the right to provide a wholesome environment," Crist said Tuesday. "If someone disagrees, they have the right to go to court and present facts before a judge."

A telephone message left for Collier County officials was not immediately returned.

Gov. Jeb Bush, at the university's recent groundbreaking, lauded the development as a new kind of town, where faith and freedom will merge to create a community of like-minded citizens. Bush, a convert to Catholicism, did not speak specifically to the proposed restrictions.

"While the governor does not personally believe in abortion or pornography, the town, and any restrictions they may place on businesses choosing to locate there, must comply with the laws and constitution of the state and federal governments," Russell Schweiss, a spokesman for the governor, said Tuesday.

"This is country club Christianity," said Frances Kissling, president of the liberal Washington, D.C.-based Catholics for a Free Choice, which opposes the church's bans on abortion and birth control.

She likened the town's concept to Islamic fundamentalism and teaching intolerance.

"This is un-American," Kissling said. "I don't think in a democratic society you can have a legally organized township that will seek to have any kind of public service whatsoever and try to restrict the constitutional rights of citizens."

Same story, originally published by the Associated Press, just expanded.

Insane and illegal. Wanna bet it happens anyway?

~ ~ ~

Edited to add:

Anyone with enough bucks can do just about anything they please in this country. Set up a religious community? Sure, go for it. Ban alcohol? Go for it. Drugs? Cigarettes? Sex? in your new community? Yup, you can ban those too. It still isn't right, but if you can gather together enough like-minded people, you can make it work. To state you will not allow abortions to be had in their community is in contravention of Florida's laws as I undertand it, making their proposal illegal if they go through with it.

What's next, banning the treatment of people with AIDS? What about other sexually transmitted diseases? Act of God for your sins, sorry, we will not assist? Will people be allowed to pull the plug on brain-dead family members, or will that be illegal too? What about homosexual people - Not In Our Backyard? Protestants? Jews? Don't show up, we're Catholics here. Who's gonna support all the kids born because contraception is illegal, Mr. Monaghan?

We've grown up from the days of religious intoleration that started this country, right? Didn't we? Puritan thought still shapes the mindset of New England, I know, but we've grown beyond it for the most part, right? This crazy scheme of Mr. Monaghan's is setting back the calendar to darker times. He's got enough money to make his dream a reality. There are enough right-wing whack-job ultra-traditional Catholics out there to follow him and make this dream of his a reality.

But what will it cost the rest of us?

I wonder why Mr. Monaghan's company sells pizza's with meat toppings during Lent. Let the heathens sin as long as he can make a profit? I wonder.

For the record: I'm a lapsed Catholic.

They knew

If you haven't already seen it:

Tape: Bush, Chertoff Warned Before Katrina.

They knew.

They lied.

How many lies has it been, since November 2000?

I've lost track.

They lied.

Can we impeach him now?

This list is mostly for me

But feel free to browse.

How Joe Lieberman Tried to Kill Rock'n'Roll by Howie Klein. Review his Down With Tyranny blog as well.

Lamont Blog

My Left Nutmeg

Rell moves to eliminate estate tax
by: Matthew Gertz
February 26, 2006 at 09:58:49 EST

You know what would make Connecticut more competitive with Florida and Arizona? Moving the damn state 3,000 miles south. Elderly, wealthy retirees aren't leaving the state because they're afraid of the estate tax. They're leaving because it's fricking cold here! If Rell really wants to make a difference on this, instead of wasting time trying to push through an election year giveaway to her wealthy supporters, she should build a damn weather machine.

Connecticut Blog

Connecticut Local Politics

Shays Watch

Dump Joe

For the record, I can't stand Dodd either.

Over There

Please read an entry on DailyKos from djtyg Why we need to leave Iraq ASAP-from someone who is over there.

In other news, Shays endorses Lieberman.

Nearly fell over when I read that one. CT Republicans are finally admitting Lieberman is one of their own. That's been obvious to, well, me, for years now, but I never expected this. I wonder if Lieberman will formally switch teams now.

Not that it matters to anyone, including the candidate, I'm endorsing Ned Lamont. Unless the libertarians get their act together and field a real candidate for a change, Mr. Lamont has my vote right now.

But it's a long time 'til November.

Edited to add:

Norwalk Grand Opening
March 2, 2006

Dear Laura,

The campaign is taking shape and I would like to invite you to join me and some of my volunteers as we open our campaign office for the Fourth Congressional District. The grand opening will be Thursday evening at 7:00 PM.

The new office will be at 91 North Main Street at the corner of West Avenue, just off I-95 at Exit 15. There is free parking behind the building and two municipal parking lots a short walk away.

The office is on the second floor and we will be work on getting out a mailing on Thursday evening.

I hope all of you can make it and can help spread the word about our exciting campaign.

Sincerely,
Ned
Where & When

91 North Main Street
Norwalk, Connecticut

March 2, 2006
7:00PM-9:00PM



Ned Lamont for Senate
P.O. Box 536
Riverside, CT 06878-0536
(203) 622-7091
info@nedlamont.com
http://nedlamont.com

Events

Check back frequently for updates!

Ned Lamont addresses SE CT DFA
3/01/06
Groton Public Library, Large Mtg. Room,
Route 117
52 Newtown Rd.
Groton
6:45 PM

Fairfield Univeristy Young Dems
3/06/06
Fairfield University
8:00 PM

Guilford Democratic Town Committee
03/23/06
Guilford Community Center
On Route 77, near the green
7:30 PM

Wesleyan University
3/29/06
6:00 PM

Middlefield Democratic Town Committee
4/11/06
Middlefield Community Center 7:30 PM

Enfield Democratic Town Committee
4/12/06
Enfield Town Hall
8:00 PM

Let's see now...

The Government is willing to have a foreign nation take over control of US ports (yeah, yeah, I know, it's not that cut & dried), but wants to spend 2.2 billion to put up a wall between the US and Mexico, for security reasons?

Every single day brings on a whole new WTF from Washington.

Border Security or Boondoggle?

Reality

37 Million Poor Hidden in the Land of Plenty

By Paul Harris
The Observer UK

Sunday 19 February 2006

Americans have always believed that hard work will bring rewards, but vast numbers now can not meet their bills even with two or three jobs. More than one in ten citizens live below the poverty line, and the gap between the haves and have-nots is widening.

The flickering television in Candy Lumpkins's trailer blared out The Bold and the Beautiful. It was a fantasy daytime soap vision of American life with little relevance to the reality of this impoverished corner of Kentucky.

The Lumpkins live at the definition of the back of beyond, in a hollow at the top of a valley at the end of a long and muddy dirt road. It is strewn with litter. Packs of stray dogs prowl around, barking at strangers. There is no telephone and since their pump broke two weeks ago Candy has collected water from nearby springs. Oblivious to it all, her five-year-old daughter Amy runs barefoot on a wooden porch frozen by a midwinter chill.

It is a vision of deep and abiding poverty. Yet the Lumpkins are not alone in their plight. They are just the negative side of the American equation. America does have vast, wealthy suburbs, huge shopping malls and a busy middle class, but it also has vast numbers of poor, struggling to make it in a low-wage economy with minimal government help.

A shocking 37 million Americans live in poverty. That is 12.7 per cent of the population - the highest percentage in the developed world. They are found from the hills of Kentucky to Detroit's streets, from the Deep South of Louisiana to the heartland of Oklahoma. Each year since 2001 their number has grown.

Under President George W Bush an extra 5.4 million have slipped below the poverty line. Yet they are not a story of the unemployed or the destitute. Most have jobs. Many have two. Amos Lumpkins has work and his children go to school. But the economy, stripped of worker benefits like healthcare, is having trouble providing good wages.

Even families with two working parents are often one slice of bad luck - a medical bill or factory closure - away from disaster. The minimum wage of $5.15 (£2.95) an hour has not risen since 1997 and, adjusted for inflation, is at its lowest since 1956. The gap between the haves and the have-nots looms wider than ever. Faced with rising poverty rates, Bush's trillion-dollar federal budget recently raised massive amounts of defence spending for the war in Iraq and slashed billions from welfare programmes.

For a brief moment last year in New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina brought America's poor into the spotlight. Poverty seemed on the government's agenda. That spotlight has now been turned off. 'I had hoped Katrina would have changed things more. It hasn't,' says Cynthia Duncan, a sociology professor at the University of New Hampshire.

Oklahoma is in America's heartland. Tulsa looks like picture-book Middle America. Yet there is hunger here. When it comes to the most malnourished poor in America, Oklahoma is ahead of any other state. It should be impossible to go hungry here. But it is not. Just ask those gathered at a food handout last week. They are a cross section of society: black, white, young couples, pensioners and the middle-aged. A few are out of work or retired, everyone else has jobs.

They are people like Freda Lee, 33, who has two jobs, as a marketer and a cashier. She has come to the nondescript Loaves and Fishes building - flanked ironically by a Burger King and a McDonald's - to collect food for herself and three sons. 'America is meant to be free. What's free?' she laughs. 'All we can do is pay off the basics.'

Or they are people like Tammy Reinbold, 37. She works part-time and her husband works full-time. They have two children yet rely on the food handouts. 'The church is all we have to fall back on,' she says. She is right. When government help is being cut and wages are insufficient, churches often fill the gap. The needy gather to receive food boxes. They listen to a preacher for half an hour on the literal truth of the Bible. Then he asks them if they want to be born again. Three women put up their hands.

But Why Are Some Tulsans Hungry?

Many believe it is the changing face of the US economy. Tulsa has been devastated by job losses. Big-name firms like WorldCom, Williams Energy and CitGo have closed or moved, costing the city about 24,000 jobs. Now Wal-Mart embodies the new American job market: low wages, few benefits.

Well-paid work only goes to the university-educated. Many others who just complete high school face a bleak future. In Texas more than a third of students entering public high schools now drop out. These people are entering the fragile world of the working poor, where each day is a mere step away from tragedy. Some of those tragedies in Tulsa end up in the care of Steve Whitaker, a pastor who runs a homeless mission in the shadow of a freeway overpass.

Each day the homeless and the drug addicted gather here, looking for a bed for the night. Some also want a fresh chance. They are men like Mark Schloss whose disaster was being left by his first wife. The former Wal-Mart manager entered a world of drug addiction and alcoholism until he wound up with Whitaker. Now he is back on track, sporting a silver ring that says Faith, Hope, Love. 'Without this place I would be in prison or dead,' he says. But Whitaker equates saving lives with saving souls. Those entering the mission's rehabilitation programme are drilled in Bible studies and Christianity. At 6ft 5in and with a black belt in karate, Whitaker's Christianity is muscular both literally and figuratively. 'People need God in their lives,' he says.

These are mean streets. Tulsa is a city divided like the country. Inside a building run by Whitaker's staff in northern Tulsa a group of 'latch-key kids' are taking Bible classes after school while they wait for parents to pick them up. One of them is Taylor Finley, aged nine. Wearing a T-shirt with an American flag on the front, she dreams of travel. 'I want to have fun in a new place, a new country,' she says. Taylor wants to see the world outside Oklahoma. But at the moment she cannot even see her own neighbourhood. The centre in which she waits for mom was built without windows on its ground floor. It was the only way to keep out bullets from the gangs outside.

During the 2004 election the only politician to address poverty directly was John Edwards, whose campaign theme was 'Two Americas'. He was derided by Republicans for doing down the country and - after John Kerry picked him as his Democratic running mate - the rhetoric softened in the heat of the campaign.

But, in fact, Edwards was right. While 45.8 million Americans lack any health insurance, the top 20 per cent of earners take over half the national income. At the same time the bottom 20 per cent took home just 3.4 per cent. Whitaker put the figures into simple English. 'The poor have got poorer and the rich have got richer,' he said.

Dealing with poverty is not a viable political issue in America. It jars with a cultural sense that the poor bring things upon themselves and that every American is born with the same chances in life. It also runs counter to the strong anti-government current in modern American politics. Yet the problem will not disappear. 'There is a real sense of impending crisis, but political leaders have little motivation to address this growing divide,' Cynthia Duncan says.

There is little doubt which side of America's divide the hills of east Kentucky fall on. Driving through the wooded Appalachian valleys is a lesson in poverty. The mountains have never been rich. Times now are as tough as they have ever been. Trailer homes are the norm. Every so often a lofty mansion looms into view, a sign of prosperity linked to the coal mines or the logging firms that are the only industries in the region. Everyone else lives on the margins, grabbing work where they can. The biggest cash crop is illicitly grown marijuana.

Save The Children works here. Though the charity is usually associated with earthquakes in Pakistan or famine in Africa, it runs an extensive programme in east Kentucky. It includes a novel scheme enlisting teams of 'foster grandparents' to tackle the shocking child illiteracy rates and thus eventually hit poverty itself.

The problem is acute. At Jone's Fork school, a team of indomitable grannies arrive each day to read with the children. The scheme has two benefits: it helps the children struggle out of poverty and pays the pensioners a small wage. 'This has been a lifesaver for me and I feel as if the children would just fall through the cracks without us,' says Erma Owens. It has offered dramatic help to some. One group of children are doing so well in the scheme that their teacher, Loretta Shepherd, has postponed retirement in order to stand by them. 'It renewed me to have these kids,' she said.

Certainly Renae Sturgill sees the changes in her children. She too lives in deep poverty. Though she attends college and her husband has a job, the Sturgill trailer sits amid a clutter of abandoned cars. Money is scarce. But now her kids are in the reading scheme and she has seen how they have changed. Especially eight-year-old Zach. He's hard to control at times, but he has come to love school. 'Zach likes reading now. I know it's going to be real important for him,' Renae says. Zach is shy and won't speak much about his achievements. But Genny Waddell, who co-ordinates family welfare at Jone's Fork, is immensely proud. 'Now Zach reads because he wants to. He really fought to get where he is,' she says.

In America, to be poor is a stigma. In a country which celebrates individuality and the goal of giving everyone an equal opportunity to make it big, those in poverty are often blamed for their own situation. Experience on the ground does little to bear that out. When people are working two jobs at a time and still failing to earn enough to feed their families, it seems impossible to call them lazy or selfish. There seems to be a failure in the system, not the poor themselves.

It is an impression backed up by many of those mired in poverty in Oklahoma and Kentucky. Few asked for handouts. Many asked for decent wages. 'It is unfair. I am working all the time and so what have I done wrong?' says Freda Lee. But the economy does not seem to be allowing people to make a decent living. It condemns the poor to stay put, fighting against seemingly impossible odds or to pull up sticks and try somewhere else.

In Tulsa, Tammy Reinbold and her family are moving to Texas as soon as they save the money for enough petrol. It could take several months. 'I've been in Tulsa 12 years and I just gotta try somewhere else,' she says.

Savethechildren.org

From Tom Joad to Roseanne

In a country that prides itself on a culture of rugged individualism, hard work and self-sufficiency, it is no surprise that poverty and the poor do not have a central place in America's cultural psyche.

But in art, films and books American poverty has sometimes been portrayed with searing honesty. John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath, which was made into a John Ford movie, is the most famous example. It was an unflinching account of the travails of a poor Oklahoma family forced to flee the Dust Bowl during the 1930s Depression. Its portrait of Tom Joad and his family's life on the road as they sought work was a nod to wider issues of social justice in America.

Another ground-breaking work of that time was John Agee's Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, a non-fiction book about time spent among poor white farmers in the Deep South. It practically disappeared upon its first publication in 1940 but in the Sixties was hailed as a masterpiece. In mainstream American culture, poverty often lurks in the background. Or it is portrayed - as in Sergio Leone's crime epic Once Upon A Time In America - as the basis for a tale of rags to riches.

One notable, yet often overlooked, exception was the great success of the sitcom Roseanne. The show depicted the realities of working-class Middle American life with a grit and humour that is a world away from the usual sitcom settings in a sunlit suburbia, most often in New York or California. The biggest sitcoms of the past decade - Friends, Frasier or Will and Grace - all deal with aspirational middle-class foibles that have little relevance to America's millions of working poor.

An America Divided

* There are 37 million Americans living below the poverty line. That figure has increased by five million since President George W. Bush came to power.

* The United States has 269 billionaires, the highest number in the world.

* Almost a quarter of all black Americans live below the poverty line; 22 per cent of Hispanics fall below it. But for whites the figure is just 8.6 per cent.

* There are 46 million Americans without health insurance.

* There are 82,000 homeless people in Los Angeles alone.

* In 2004 the poorest community in America was Pine Ridge Indian reservation. Unemployment is over 80 per cent, 69 per cent of people live in poverty and male life expectancy is 57 years. In the Western hemisphere only Haiti has a lower number.

* The richest town in America is Rancho Santa Fe in California. Average incomes are more than $100,000 a year; the average house price is $1.7m.

~ ~ ~

See Charity Navigator to check out resources available in your own area.


America's Second Harvest
Catholic Charities
City Harvest
Connecticut Food Bank
Foodshare
Hunger Site
Mazon
Philabundance
Share Our Strength
World Hunger

Truth or Dare

From Gawker

“It was a meant to be a quick stunt to show the frailties of our celebrity-obsessed culture,” said Cauty, adding, “there are too many people who are famous despite their lack of talent, usefulness and basic intelligence. We wanted to do something that held a mirror up to that.”

“We feel that our culture has become an enormous soap opera. We don’t care what a person thinks, or creates, or contributes. We just care about what they do in their normal lives. Especially when it’s something they shouldn’t be doing.”

Whether it's real or not, I don't care. It's funny and points out the two ton elephant in our collective living room: we are a celebrity-obsessed culture with the attention span of gnats and less ability than most five year olds to tell the difference between fact and fiction - or good from bad.

Edited to add:

Circles within cirlces: Pete Doherty by bol at E2.

:)

Should have read HateQuest 2006 more closely.

It's Friday, it's raining and I have a rant-on

But first ~ spotted this on djinnj's LJ earlier this morning:

lemcclatchie's Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 9
Average number of words per sentence:	16.67
Average number of syllables per word:	1.56
Total words in sample:	4701
Analyze your journal! Username:
Another fun meme brought to you by rfreebern

hm is right.

Onward to rantsville...

Yesterday Miss Manners left the following comment:

No businessmen had to be at work.

Not quite, I started delivering at noon and finished at half past midnight...39 deliveries in that snow, including a lot in the worst of it.

Oh, and the wonderful denzins of Willimantic Connecticut tipped me a grand total of $63 dollars (for those playing the home game that's an average of $1.16 each for risking life and limb to bring them pizza).

This brings up one of my personal pet peeves. I want to say up front I have never been a waitress or delivery person, so I'm not whining about my own personal experience.

People who don't tip are selfish assholes.

Wait, wait...

judge not lest ye be judged...

Ok

People who don't tip are morons.

Better?

Guess not.

A couple of years ago my sister created a Ya Ya group and invited me to join. I'm not big on joining things, so I held off for a while. Her group was to meet once a month at a restaurant for dinner, and maybe everyone would go out to a club or movie afterwards. Each month one of the sistas picks a restaurant and everyone meets up there for (hopefully) good food and conversation. It's a mixed group of woman, both ethnically and economically, and not everyone makes it each month. Everyone tries to keep in mind the budget constraints some people have. Gret would talk about her little group from time to time and ask if I’d go to the next “Ya-Ya”. I eventually started going and, though I complain about having to go from time to time, I usually enjoy it.

But from the get-go I had to get one thing across to the ladies: 20% tip for the waiter/waitress, unless the service was incredibly bad, then 10%, with a complaint to the management. I didn't care if I had to pay the entire tip myself, someone serves me, they get tipped. It isn't the waitstaff's fault if the food is bad - complain to the manager or chef, but don't stiff your waiter. The ladies were surprised, but they agreed to the new rule I imposed upon the group. During the two years I’ve been a “Ya-Ya”, 24 meals in restaurants or diners, we’ve only had to tip the waiter 10% once. I complained to the manager and gave her the tip for the waiter. She looked at me like I had grown a new head: “You’re still going to give him a tip?” she asked. I explained my philosophy on tipping to her. The service, poor as it was, was still provided so, yes, he got a tip. I asked her to explain it to him. We were all so annoyed with this clown that none of us wanted to talk to him directly. I hope his manager gave him his tip and taught him a lesson on customer service.

Or, fired his useless ass. Either works for me.

Another way to look at this:

You are invited to someone's home for dinner for the first time. What did your Mama or Grandma teach you to do? Bring something - flowers, candy, wine - it doesn't have to be elaborate, just a little something to say thank you before you've even been served. You don't know if this will be the best meal of your life or if you'll be heading to the emergency room to have your stomach pumped. But, before you've crossed the threshold of the person's home, you've arrived with a tip.

Let’s say you go to a really nice restaurant for dinner. The maitre d' is friendly, gets you a table, and gives you a menu. The bus-boy gets you your water. The waiter arrives, sees if you're ready, and takes the drink order. Comes back with the drinks, and takes your order. Delivers bread, salad, checks on how you're doing, eventually arriving with dinner. Which sucks. It’s not fit for feeding rats. Over-salty or under-cooked... whatever, it's horrible. You complain to the waiter, who does what he can to fix the problem, and can't. You still have to pay for what you've ordered - why stiff the waiter? It’s the chef who should get stiffed. It is not the waiter’s fault. The waiter in this scenario probably has to share his tip with the maitre d’ and bus-boy. He did what he could to help you, lived up to his end of the unspoken, unwritten, contract, so why should any of the people not in direct control of what you received, suffer?

Let’s say it's Friday night, around 7pm. You get home from work and you're bushed. Hellish week and you've never been so glad it's a Friday. Your roommate (spouse, lover, whatever) is in the same shape you're in. You wearily look at each other and someone says: "wanna order a pizza?" "yeah, sure." So you call the pizza place and get put on hold several times. It's Friday night; you're told a 45 minute delivery time. You heave a heavy, beleaguered sigh and say ok. You've agreed - 45 minutes. You crash in front of the couch or computer for a while and your roomie says: “hey, where's the pizza?” You realize it's been more than an hour since you placed the order so you call to find out what's up. After being put on hold four times, you're finally told “it's on it's way.” You and your roomie are pissed. Delivery guy arrives with your $15 pizza order. You:

A) Say thank you and give him $20 with a smile and say “keep the change”?
B) Snarl “Where the fuck have you been?!”, grab the box and thrust $15 at him?
C) Silently take the pizza box, saying nothing, and give him the $15?
D) Complain, without heat, about the delay, and give him $16 for the pizza?

Me? Option A. This guy, usually a college kid, has zero control over everything involved in getting him to the point where he can do his job. He doesn't take the orders, he doesn't make the pizza. His job is to get the pizza from the pizza place to your front door. Period. Did he do so? Yup. Is it his fault it's a half an hour later than you anticipated? More than likely not. The delivery people, I think, get minimum wages, and maybe a gas allowance; ask Miss Manners, he does this for a living. Why should they be punished for something they can’t control, especially when they’ve done their job?

Don’t be an ass, um, moron… um… rude. It’s simple: someone does something for you, you say thank you and give something in return.

How to tip a Waiter
How to tip a Bartender
How to tip properly
How to tip in North America
How to tip in a foreign country

Double-check the tipping protocol at South Pacific and Asian hotels. Many prohibit tipping to prevent staff from hustling guests for money.

You can get around this problem by giving the tips directly to the concierge or manager and telling them how good (or bad) the service was.

Lastly... what kinda of freakin' edjit orders delivery in a blizzard? I can understand this, sorta, in a major city. It's easier to get around a major city by foot or bike, even in a storm. But northern CT? Doesn't anyone have an ounce of common sense? Good lord. Why the hell were the grocery stores packed to the gills on Friday night and all day Saturday?

Play time

Choosy CSI You scored 70% recognition!

My guess is that you watch one or two of the CSI shows and while you know your characters, you don't know the faces for all three shows that well. But at least you are a fan, so that counts for something. If you had fun, please don't forget to rate my test. Thanks!

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 26% on recognition

Link: The CSI character recognition Test written by thinkandcome on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

I only watch the Vegas show, so I'm surprised I could identify anyone in the other two shows.

What matters

Hyping The Storm

It seemed, after all, so American to get worked up over a snow storm. We are the culture of crisis, the culture of the overdone. We overeat, overcoif, overspend, and overindulge. Why wouldn't we overdramatize, too? This was a Sunday. No businessmen had to be at work. No kids missed their morning classes. Grocery stores remained open and Thai delivery—at least here in Astoria—remained operable. Really, it was the perfect day to curl up with a mug of hot chocolate and do nothing.

I've gotten used to laughing at the Weather Channel when it goes into STORM ALERT mode. EyeWitness News out of Hartford or New Haven or where ever it is, announces the names of the winter storms. With a straight face, no less. The storm we had on Sunday started with a C; guys name... See how much it matters? When I came across the quote above I thought it was a perfect summation for Modern American Society. We get all worked up over shit that doesn't matter.

We need to prioritize our lives.

Britney whatsherface drives her SUV with her spawn in her lap. Not important.

Oscar, Emmy, and all the other assorted "awards" shows - not important.

Olympics? Oy vey. Well, to the people who have spent their entire lives getting there, it matters. Otherwise, who cares?

The President of a country lies to begin an invasion of another country - it matters.

The President of a country flouts it's rule of law, after aserting, promising, twice to uphold and defend said law - it matters.

The President of a country wrecks the economy of a country, yet benefits companies of friends and companions - it matters.

The President of a country hires friends and money-raisers to staff important positions in his government, when they have zero qualifications to hold those positions - it matters.

Honor. Integrity. Truth.

They matter at all times, in all places.

Pay attention to what matters. Everything else will fall into place.

It's been a busy month

Swiss Diplomacy

For some reason the idea of the VEEP and the Ambassador "keepin' company" just cracks me up.

But then I have a sick, twisted, sense of humor.

The reason for my question yesterday was to 1) make people think 2) try to find the truth.

This started with a rather hysterical conversation amoungst several friends a couple of weeks ago. One side was: "The US has destroyed the country! There's no food, power, medicine...." the other was "The US has done more for Iraq than Saddam ever did! Without us they wouldn't have food, water, medicine, schools..."

I realized, listening to this "debate" that 1) I didn't know what was really going on in Iraq and 2) neither did the people having this debate.

I'm pretty sure anyone reading this knows I loathe this administration. I might joke about them bbq'ing babies and ripping the fur off kittens, but, I'm fairly certain we haven't destroyed Iraq and I was fairly certain we haven't done much to help it either.

So I started looking for personal blogs a few days ago. My point yesterday was to get others to think about these questions and go looking too.

Here's some of what I found:

The Woman I was

My Green Zone

Raed In The Middle

So if there was a question whether this war and occupation was worth the cost paid by Iraqis and U.S. people, I would say: “definitely not”. The right change should have come from the inside, and the right type of democracy should have emerged from a long-term grassroots movement growing within Iraq.

The foreign occupation turned the dream of having an Iraq without Saddam to a darker nightmare, a nightmare where Iraqis lost even the smallest benefits they used to have before the occupation while the political oppression stayed the same if not worse. The biggest irony in this nightmare is when the “liberators” compare themselves to the former dictator to market their “new” Iraq. “Saddam killed 300,000 but we just killed a 100,000 to make you vote”, this is the how the logic of the mainstream pro-war activists and media sounds like. The same people who used Saddam’s crimes to justify the war on Iraq are committing the very same crimes against Iraqis.

A Star From Mosul

Iraqi Letters

Iraqi In America

There aren't many entertainment places in Baghdad, except for the clubs (Al-Alwiya and Al-Sayd), restaurants or the wedding parties. But there was social life and family visits. These have decreased so much now as the safest place is to stay home...

# It's bad. All that we got is 8 hours per day. You know? Sometimes all I wish for is to switch on the light early morning so I can wear my makeup in sufficient light or have hot bread in the oven for breakfast. But these are rare days when I wake up and there is electricity.

People here don't believe that the American who brought all these tanks by airplanes can't bring the necessary machines to fix the electricity back. It's not terrorists or insurgents who slow down the rehabilitation but the will. They just don't care or don't want us to have a normal life. This is what I started to believe lately.

It's not an impossible mission .We have oil and money, and America have the technology so why can't we have what the poorest country in the world have?

I do believe if someone decides to do his job properly, nobody can stop him.

What is Truth

Iraqi Bloggers Central

24 Steps to Liberty

A Citizen of Mosul

I have questions

If you know, and have a source for your information, please post it.

Do the Iraqi people have electricity, 24x7?
Are all hospitals open? Do they have all the medicine and physicians and nurses they need?
Is there rationing? Food, gas, water?
Is there decent drinking water?
Are the schools open for the same amount of time each day as they were before the War?
Is it safe for people to be on the streets during the day? At night?
Is the cost of food greater or less today than it was on January 27, 2003?

Isn't within the realm of possibility that the United States of America is responsible for Hammas winning the election?

Think about it.

Love Her!

Bush, Cheney and Co. will continue to play the patriotic bully card just as long as you let them. I've said it before: War brings out the patriotic bullies. In World War I, they went around kicking dachshunds on the grounds that dachshunds were "German dogs." They did not, however, go around kicking German shepherds. The MINUTE someone impugns your patriotism for opposing this war, turn on them like a snarling dog and explain what loving your country really means. That, or you could just piss on them elegantly, as Rep. John Murtha did. Or eviscerate them with wit (look up Mark Twain on the war in the Philippines). Or point out the latest in the endless "string of bad news."

Molly Ivins