Guantanamo closing delayed until 2011.

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Wednesday December 23, 2009 · 9:54 AM PST

2009/12/23 · 09:54

It seems that the closing of Guantanamo Bay has hit yet another snag. According to the New York Times, funding for retrofitting the Thompson, Illinois prison intended to house the detainees was not approved, leaving the Federal Bureau of Prisons without enough cash to purchase and upgrade the facility. More over the fold.

Poll

29 votes Show Results

Will Guantanamo ever close?

29 votes Vote Now!

Will Guantanamo ever close?

2010 surprise!

5 votes

2011

1 vote

2012

1 vote

There's nothing after 2012, silly...

22 votes

Not a diary, but a question.

Zikar

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Thursday December 17, 2009 · 6:07 PM PST

2009/12/17 · 18:07

I've heard it repeated enough times around here, and I want an answer from the community.

Whenever we talk about having our values and ideals frittered away, about having closely held beliefs trashed, violated, and how we won't vote for someone who works against our interests, we get "Well you want President Palin/the Republicans are worse/you must like the teabaggers etc..."

Zikar

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday November 20, 2009 · 4:11 PM PST

2009/11/20 · 16:11

I often receive e-mail forwards from my extended family. Most, of course, are the wretched "God and kitties and puppies all love you, here's a horribly syrupy story, please forward to x people or you suck." or pictures of the mentioned items. Par for the course.

However, everyone but my parents and siblings are also Faux News watching evangelicals, and often forward the latest right-wing talking points. Normally, I ignore them. There is no benefit in arguing, and I like reunions to be as painless as possible. Today, though, I received a forward related to the Ft. Hood tragedy that I could not ignore, could not remain silent, could not allow to pass unmarked. Please follow over the fold for a reproduction of the e-mail, and my response.

Poll

99 votes Show Results

Think this will help?

99 votes Vote Now!

Think this will help?

They won't even read it.

36 votes

They will read enough to take something out of context to attack with.

52 votes

Read, delete, and try to forget the dissonance.

6 votes

Consider it a little.

1 vote

Concede one or two points.

1 vote

Critically think about the issues raised.

3 votes

A letter to the White House and a hope for action.

Zikar

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday August 14, 2009 · 4:14 PM PDT

2009/08/14 · 16:14

Sometimes, I wonder why I write to the White House. It's not like the President will actually read it. Sometimes I doubt, given the volume of e-mails that must go there, that a live person will even read it. Still, I know that if I do and say nothing, I won't be able to look my son in the eye as he comes to inherit the world we're building for him now. If we, the people so wonderfully referenced in our Constitution, don't continue to push for reform in all policy areas, but instead give up and in, America will continue its decline.
We're nowhere near first in education. We've been surpassed in health and life expectancy years ago. Other countries have taken up the industrial and technological mantles. We rank first in precious few areas, and most aren't things to be proud of, like our defense spending, health care spending, and debt. I just hope I'm not the only one pleading with our President to throw bipartisanship under the bus, as the Republicans have so disrespectfully done, and deliver the policies our country NEEDS to remain strong in this new century.
Sorry, going a bit off topic here. In any case, over the fold is my letter to the White House, and more thoughts of mine at the end. Thanks for reading!

Poll

8 votes Show Results

This diary makes me say:

8 votes Vote Now!

This diary makes me say:

Lemme guess, you want a pony, too.

2 votes

I'd end up having the One Man March in my town.

1 vote

Stupid radical kids, nothing happens all at once.

0 votes

I don't think we can do it all, but I'll go down trying!

2 votes

Maybe we can do it all, if we work together towards common goals.

0 votes

I think one thing at a time is the best way to achieve enduring growth.

3 votes

Pie.

0 votes

My thoughts on the NH Townhall and DKos commenters

Zikar

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday August 11, 2009 · 1:33 PM PDT

2009/08/11 · 13:33

Hello, all, I hope all of you were able to watch our President's town hall today in New Hampshire today, hopefully unadulterated. There's nothing more frustrating than having someone talking over what you're trying to listen to!
I was watching the broadcast live on CNN, and also following FleetAdmiralJ's liveblog, in addition to reading all 700+ (and counting!) comments, and I just wanted to spend some time sharing my reactions to both our President's speech, and addressing some disappointing things I read in the comments.
I apologize if this is a little stream of consciousness and disjointed. I just want to record my impressions, reactions, and feelings, and mention a few themes I've seen here that have been sticking in my craw.

Zikar

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Friday May 22, 2009 · 3:58 PM PDT

2009/05/22 · 15:58

I would just like to share a letter I just wrote to the White House, regarding Obama's statement on prolonged, indefinite detention. As our President stated in his acceptance speech, this is not the change we seek, only the ability to make that change. I would ask all who read this to keep this in mind, and help own our government, as we were asked to do all through his election. The letter is over the fold...

Poll

43 votes Show Results

How do you feel regarding this issue?

43 votes Vote Now!

How do you feel regarding this issue?

He is doing what he must to protect American interests and keep us safe.

3 votes

This is an interim step to a legal and ethical judicial process.

16 votes

The rule of law is the rule of law, and we must uphold it no matter what the circumstances.

9 votes

Doh! I'm pissed that we have a new president, and he STILL won't uphold the law.

14 votes

Pie.

1 vote

Drowning in a sea of red...

Zikar

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday March 24, 2009 · 4:56 PM PDT

2009/03/24 · 16:56

I was very excited to see Barack using the "MyBarackObama.com" site to organize people to express support for his programs. I was worried that he would let this most powerful tool sit by the wayside after he was elected. I saw the Pledge Project Canvass event, and got even more excited. Even here in Alaska, there were many people volunteering to make phone calls to voters here and in swing states, exhorting people to the polls, etc, etc. I was glad that, even here, in one of the most die hard red states in the country, we helped elect a Democratic senator (even though he almost lost against a convicted felon!?) and helped make this election less of a landslide here than it would have been normally.

So, flush with said excitement, optimism, and knowledge that there were like minded people here, I decided to see what events were available here in Juneau. None. I perused the groups I had joined...no, no activity since the election. Right now, I hold the claim to fame of having the only Pledge Project Canvass event in Alaska, as well as the honor of being the only attendee.

Zikar

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday March 12, 2009 · 4:33 PM PDT

2009/03/12 · 16:33

Ok, before I start with the substantive portion of my diary, let me just give a little back slap to myself for making the "High Impact Diaries" list. Woohoo for number 99!!! Ok, sorry, I was just a little excited. Ok, let's get on with it, shall we?

A lot of talk has been dedicated over the past few days over Chuck Norris' bid for the president of Texistan, as well as the "We Surround Them" farce due to take place tomorrow. Now, my personal opinion is that these little gatherings will be an enormous flop, not to mention that you can't just rip a page from Obama's campaign playbook without having good ideas to back it up, but I digress. Let's pretend that the gun totin' secession, fueled by S'More Schnapps, gets off the ground and we have ourselves full out riots, gun battles, and the like. Could they succeed? More over the fold...

Poll

231 votes Show Results

What do you think the outcome of the "We Surround Them" event will be?

231 votes Vote Now!

What do you think the outcome of the "We Surround Them" event will be?

Almost no one will show up, and the spin machine will finally break from overload.

55 votes

Anne, get your guns, because a long second Civil War is about to start!

6 votes

A peaceful gathering, and dispersion, after being treated to a rousing Glen Beck speech.

13 votes

Hate-filled gatherings that will still disperse because no one wants to die for Rush.

141 votes

All Hail President Norris!

16 votes

Sin taxes

Zikar

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday March 10, 2009 · 11:22 AM PDT

2009/03/10 · 11:22

The Altria group, having found that re-branding themselves was not enough to recover their profits, have decided to raise their prices 71 cents a pack to recover profit losses. The federal tax on cigarettes will rise 61 cents. Now, as I hope most are aware, the government is incredibly hypocritical in regards to smokers, funding many smoking cessation programs while also handing out subsidies to tobacco farmers, and, more importantly, plugging budget holes with these tobacco tax increases. These budgets are PREDICATED on the continued smoking of these people.

Before I get too much further, yes, I smoke. I am biased. But, I'll tell you some things I am not: Morbidly obese, diabetic, an alcoholic, a drug addict, or some other terribly expensive, and (Type I diabetes excepted) completely preventable disease. I'm sick to death of hearing how much I will cost the system (I am currently in great health. I don't smoke much.) down the line, and that's why my purchases need to have the crap taxed out of them. Meanwhile, someone else can get a McMeal, and wash it down with a gallon sized drink, for less than it costs me for a pack of cigarettes.

Zikar

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday August 07, 2007 · 10:49 AM PDT

2007/08/07 · 10:49

It amazes me the level of apathy this country is capable of. There have been riots in the streets for less than the strings of usurpations and abuses that our Constitution has endured these past years. It seems that as long as a majority of people in this country can scrape by with their increasingly meager paychecks and watch their cable TV, the fact that our Consitution is becoming an irrelevant document doesn't seem to register.

My question to the world at large is: What is it going to take? Are the Gestapo going to have to be at your door before you listen? Before you open your eyes to see the truth of the matter? It isn't a difficult thing to see what's been going on. In fact, that makes it even worse. We hear these things every single day, and are complicit by our inaction.

RSS

Guantanamo closing delayed until 2011.

Not a diary, but a question.

My response to a letter from my Republican family. (Updatedx2)

A letter to the White House and a hope for action.

My thoughts on the NH Townhall and DKos commenters

My letter to the White House.

Drowning in a sea of red...

Reasons not to fear a Chuck Norris fueled uprising.

Sin taxes

The State of the Union...