think, think, think...

Mr. Grassley, who is facing the possibility of a Republican primary challenge next year, has gotten an earful in traveling around his home state. At one gathering last week, in a city park in the central Iowa town of Adel, a man rose from the crowd and urged him to “stand up and fight” the Democratic plans. If he does not, the man yelled, “we will vote you out!” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/health/policy/19repubs.html?_r=1&hp Is healthcare reform going to be what finally completely divides this country? It seems 9-11 and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were just the start of the real in-fighting between progressives and conservatives in this country. The wars are still ongoing and have fallen out of the news a bit, but domestic issues are truly turning the country against itself. Now we have republican constituents so disillusioned about healthcare reform that they are actually threatening to “not vote” for their leaders if reform passes. You also have progressives saying the...

The right wing media and just right wingers in general should be concidered a danger to society. These people have such radical views on things, obama, abortion, gays, war; almost ridiculous ideas to a degree, but they are steadfast in them none the less. CNN and Fox News are getting letters from civil rights groups, veterans groups, members of congress, all asking to have these people taken off air. CNN actually paying a guy to go on air and legitimately question whether or not obama is actually a US citizen?? Come on! these guys do need to be taken off the air. Even 100 people watching The Glenn Beck show scares me. That guy is a certified jerk off, sells fear and while using fear. The sad thing is that he actually has enough fans to launch a “comedy tour”. WTF would pay to see that dickface try to be funny?? I can be honest and say that I do not watch any of those shows. i just read about them, ah ah. Anyway, this is off topic, but republicans are idiots. They are so out of touch ...

so this is a letter i sent off to my state senators today... Dear Senators Udall and Bennet, I am writing this letter to express my frustration with the lack of discussion being brought about for a “single payer” public health option in Congress. According to recent polls, about 76% of the country feels as if we are being ripped off by insurance and drug companies, but still no serious talk of a single payer option? Why is that? Senator Bennet, as Superintendent of DPS for a time, it seems you should understand that a single payer system can and does work when properly funded. On behalf of the state I am so proud of, I encourage both of you to have a stronger voice on these issues. DO NOT let real health reform fall apart because of deep pockets and Republican antics. www.bobcesca.com/ Who's Been Bought Off by the Mafia The top recipients of health insurance contributions in the House and Senate: TOP 10 SENATE RECIPIENTS: McCain, John (R-AZ) $251,834 McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) $...

So I have been doing a lot of reading lately, and generally when I find new words I like to save them in my phones memos. The following is a list of words I have so far and their definitions (or my generalized description). Abhorrence - hate coupled with disgust. Odious - detestable, terrible, abominable Usurper - one who wrongfully or illegally seizes and hold the place of another. Hagiography - biogrophy of saints or idolizing biogrophy. Example: looking back on someone like elvis as a god or chosen one. Recalcitrant - obstinately defiant of authority or restraint Vacuity - anbsence of thought or character. No personality. Voluble - 1. easily rolling or turning 2. Characterized by ready or rapid speech. Incongruous - lacking in harmony or appropriatness. Pugnacious - always ready for a fight Innocuous - harmless Effete - no longer fertile or soft from living the good life. Misanthropic - a person that hates or distrusts humankind. Ostensible - open for display or viewing Alacrity -...

so im a little tired of the gay marriage argument. i think the whole thing is being presented wrong. instead of constantly banging the drum on a gay peoples right to marriage, why dont we start talking about what its really about: equal rights. to be completely honest, i could care less if gay people want to get married or not. it doesnt really affect me in a way where i feel like i need to stand up and defend the right to something i dont even view as that important. i dont have a super favorable view of marriage, and im sure im not alone. so this sanctity of marriage argument is stale and old. but, if we can start talking about the real problem, the lack of equal rights to every citizen, then maybe the conversation can make a shift towards actually achieving a result in more than a handful of small states. the problem is that the term "gay marriage" frames the issue as something only gay people want. you get religious people, and people just wound too tight with this image ...

I wrote this awhile back in my phone memos. Cleaning them out and decided I still liked what it had to say... People need to come together. Republicans want to play politics in a time when the nation needs unity. People in fargo need help and the community is coming together to fight a common enemy, the rising water. This should be what the country is about, people helping people regardless of status or circumstance. We are all americans, not just dems and republicans. Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

this was an interesting interview... A Seat at the Table for Single-Payer posted by Katrina vanden Heuvel on 06/04/2009 @ 10:55am This week, Senator Bernie Sanders has been firing on all cylinders as he continues his advocacy for real healthcare reform that controls costs while extending quality care to every American. Monday he held a town meeting in Burlington to discuss what we can learn from other countries that have developed cost effective universal health care systems. On Tuesday he met with President Obama along with other members of the Finance and Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committees responsible for drafting the Senate's healthcare legislation. Yesterday he arranged a meeting between single-payer advocates and Finance Chair Max Baucus--Baucus had previously not only denied them a seat at the table for his hearings but even had some arrested. I had the opportunity to speak with Senator Sanders this evening as he took a brief break from ongoing discussi...

i just read an article about israel's plans to continue developing in the West Bank. building a large hotel while demolishing a Palestinian kindergarten. Do you suppose palestinians will be offered jobs in this hotel, or at least compensated for the land? Im not sure myself, but I sort of doubt it. I used to feel a sympathy and understanding for the struggles of jewish people. but now I see them led by ideology. an idea that since they were persecuted for so long, they are entitled to dish some oppression out themselves. two wrongs do not make a right. I think if they refuse to find any middle ground with palestinians or the united states, then we should stop supporting them.

so catholics want to stand on their soap box and preach "morals". clearly they are morally superior than you and i, because they know what god means when he talks about an unborn fetus or an attraction to the same sex. we just dont get it. they know the bible is clear when it states homosexuality is wrong. appearantly its only a homosexual act if its "man on man" or "woman on woman", but the "man on boy" rule is sort open to interpretation if you hold to power to say so. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090520/ap_on_re_eu/eu_ireland_catholic_abuse/print Thousands beaten, raped in Irish reform schools By SHAWN POGATCHNIK, Associated Press Writer Shawn Pogatchnik, Associated Press Writer DUBLIN – A fiercely debated, long-delayed investigation into Ireland's Roman Catholic-run institutions says priests and nuns terrorized thousands of boys and girls in workhouse-style schools for decades — and government inspectors failed to stop the chronic beati...

I read the news and opinions out there, and it seems to me this need of instant gratification we all seem to have has carried over into everything. The president is dealing with a shit storm of problems already, but now he has an outraged (mostly left) crowd calling for justice and condemning everything obama is not doing in regards to "torture". It seems to me like obama is about "laying a foundation" first before he jumps right into whatever he has going on. If crimes were committed, its not like the past is going to erase itself. I think obama is saying "no" to investigations...for now. Right now it would probably rip the country apart to start going out and putting members of the past administration on trial when there are so many other problems. This would be stuff going all the way to the supreme court, and we all know the 5 right wing SCOTUS are gonna shoot it down somehow. Then what? We just went after some of the most powerful people in the world...

So apparently it doesn't take much for republicans to make you a GOP celebrity. All anyone has to do is go on record and state that you don't like gays and feel that god says they shall not get married. Adam and eve, not steve, bro! You must hate taxes and distrust obama. And last, but definitely not least, you gotta be a little paranoid, love your right to bear arms, and feel that torture has its place in this world, as long as its good red blooded americans doin' the torturin'! Boom! You're solid. Follow these steps and fox news might give you a tv show to spread the words of true ignorance. Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

So as I read the news and follow the little tidbits of thing, I am noticing small stories that pop out at me. Not good small stories either. Stories like that of the military being heavily influenced by religion (asking soldiers to hunt for Jesus). Stories of murder suicides due to the economy, stories of hate crimes. These stories are becoming more and more the norm. The country is being divided. It’s not a 50/50 divide, but more like an 80/20 sort of divide. What’s left of the republican party just happen to be the extreme far-right brand of it, and as crazy as they are, the almost ridiculous things they say and do actually have a following. I work with a guy that talks about how he doesn’t like the direction of this country and feels we need to get back to some core values of the past. Which core values might he be referring to; slavery, cleansing of native Americans, segregation, stripping the rights of women? Hmmm. Anyway, beyond that I am noticing that the small minority is stil...

People are picking apart the little things about Obama. They are criticizing the spending (gotta spend money to make money) and picking on the very few bush rules that he is hanging onto (for now). But they are missing the bigger picture of just how much he “is” doing. From what I can tell, he has hit the ground running with a plan in his head about where he wants the country to be, and he is doing what he can to make it happen. Of course he isn’t always making all the correct choices with everything, but who really gets anything perfect on the first try? The point is that he is “doing” positive things. He is trying to break the country out of acting with fear on the mind and trying to instill a little bit of optimism. There is no such thing as success without perseverance, optimism, and the ability to DO the things you say. Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always...

so im cleaning up my computer and figuring out what all this junk is. in the process i have come across quite a few unfinished blogs. after re-reading this one and editing it a little i have decided to post it up. i wrote this a few months back, during the elections. im not sure the date though. its seems the staunch republicans like to act this part of "tough americans". these guys are the sort of people that own guns and hunt! they drive big cars with "support the troops" stickers and play real sports, like muddin'! they discipline their kids with a belt, just like their daddy did! they have strong faith in god and can pull themselves up by their bootstraps when times are tough. so how is it they are the ones that are so easily manipulated? they have faith in god thats unwavering, but cant really make a solid point as to why. they feel god gives them an excuse to hate and judge anyone that’s different. they can accept civilian deaths in iraq if it me...

so i am reading up on the news and trying to figure out this stimulus plan and how it can help the country. in doing so i have come across a ton of negative views online. people talking nonsense like “i don’t get food stamps or work in construction, so it’s not going to help me”. republicans want to blame obama just a week into his administration for the country tanking, but fail to recognize that it was their parties bad policies that put us into this downward spiral in the first place. they do not seem to understand that even if you are not in any given industry that will see money, as a whole, we all benefit when the majority of the country is gainfully employed. industry is a collection of services, and most companies out their offer a specific service that compliments another. funding projects like road repair and infrastructure work is good news for a lot of people. construction jobs and new roads mean crews can get to work, engineers work, architects work, concrete crews work, o...