A Tale of a Have and a Have-Not

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Thursday February 16, 2012 · 6:51 AM PST

2012/02/16 · 06:51

Last week a friend of mine, Eric, passed away at the ripe old age of 45, two weeks shy of his 46th birthday. I say ripe because he was in what should have been some of the best years of his life. While we were not close friends, and he certainly had his own burdens to bear, nevertheless, I considered him a friend. But what has continued to gnaw at me since I heard of his passing is a common thread that he and I shared.

becca00

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Wednesday June 16, 2010 · 12:33 PM PDT

2010/06/16 · 12:33

In 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff. Following the disaster, a lengthy investigation ensued. It was known almost immediately that the cause of the disaster was due to failure of the "O" ring in the solid rocket booster. However, it wasn't until the completion of the investigation that the full scope and cause of the disaster was actually understood.

We can apply many of the same lessons of causation to understanding the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

becca00

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Thursday May 06, 2010 · 4:49 AM PDT

2010/05/06 · 04:49

With regard to the Arizona Immigration law, there has been a lot of discussion. themoderateman has an excellent diary which raises some of the underlying issues that seem a bit unwarranted in many cases.

Some people who are opposed to illegal immigration, people such as myself, are opposed to it because it fundamentally eats away at the integrity of our democracy.

More below the fold ...

becca00

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Thursday January 21, 2010 · 2:26 AM PST

2010/01/21 · 02:26

Why do they keep doing this!? WHY!? WHY!? WHY!?

I'm sick and tired of this crap. Democrats are bringing slaps and tickles to a gun fight, while the GOP has assembled an army of barbarians and miscreants. And they wonder why Dems get pummeled at the polls when the majority of the public supports their agenda.

I generally detest the idea of party politics. But since membership in the GOP has become an ideological litmus test/suicide pact, the only rational response is an aggressive and unified opposition.

More ...

Poll

105 votes Show Results

How do you feel about the leadership provided thus far by Democrats in Congress and the White House?

105 votes Vote Now!

How do you feel about the leadership provided thus far by Democrats in Congress and the White House?

Too much

1 vote

More than enough

1 vote

About right

0 votes

Not enough

18 votes

The Democrats have "leaders"? Where?

85 votes

Did Nader just call Obama an "Uncle Tom"?

becca00

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Tuesday November 04, 2008 · 9:54 PM PST

2008/11/04 · 21:54

Just flipping around and landed on Fox News. Shepard Smith was interviewing Ralph Nader. Nader was talking about holding Obama's feet to the fire regarding his "change" slogan. I only caught the end of it, but it finished with this exchange:

Smith: "Do you wish, in hindsight, that you'd used a different phrase than 'Uncle Tom'?"

Nader: (very pointedly) "Not. At. All."

Smith cut off the interview at that point, even though Nader was trying to offer an explanation.

Update: Video clip posted on YouTube.

Epic Fail of an Angry God

becca00

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Sunday August 31, 2008 · 8:40 AM PDT

2008/08/31 · 08:40

Fundamentalist Christians incessantly seek to explain catastrophic weather as the wrath of God. The Rev. Hagee posited Hurricane Katrina as God’s wrath on New Orleans for supporting such a decadent lifestyle, such as Mardi Gras and Gay Pride. Pat Robertson has been fond of declaring that the paths of other hurricanes are God’s finger of wrath tracing through the immoral and sinful among us.

Hand in hand with the lunacy that God uses weather to smite the sinful is the lunacy that by thinking hard enough, the invisible man in the clouds will read your thoughts and do your bidding. So we get what we had here a couple weeks ago, which is Focus on the Family praying for torrential rain of "biblical proportions" during Obama’s acceptance speech on Thursday.

becca00

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Saturday August 09, 2008 · 4:28 AM PDT

2008/08/09 · 04:28

In Aug. 1974, then-President Nixon resigned as President of the U.S. He resigned because Congress had approved articles of impeachment against him—with the support of Republicans—over the Watergate cover-up.

In the case of Nixon, whose transgressions are trivial in comparison to the allegations of wrongdoing in the Bush administration, Congress acted to clear the air and get to the business of governing the country. Nixon’s claim that "when the President does it, that means it is not illegal," turned out to be the death knell of his term in office and was thoroughly repudiated by Congress voting to approve Articles of Impeachment against him.

[Full article below the fold.] Read More

Poll
107 votes Show Results
Should Congress draw up and vote on Articles of Impeachment against President Bush?

Yes.

Hell Yes!

No.

107 votes Vote Now!
Should Congress draw up and vote on Articles of Impeachment against President Bush?

Yes.

20 votes

Hell Yes!

77 votes

No.

9%

10 votes

Theocracy Now! Colorado's "Handmaid's Tale"

becca00

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Tuesday November 13, 2007 · 8:46 PM PST

2007/11/13 · 20:46

I'm posting this, in part, to add on to Irishwitch's post on the impact of overturning Roe v. Wade. Coloradans will awake tomorrow to an interesting state of affairs facing us down in the 2008 election. The Dobson fundamentalists from Colorado Springs are giddy with the prospect that their legal maneuvering will create a template to outlaw abortion in Colorado, in spite of Roe v. Wade.

Today, the Colorado Supreme Court allowed their ballot initiative to go forward on the 2008 ballot.

becca00

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Friday September 28, 2007 · 7:10 AM PDT

2007/09/28 · 07:10

After the premier gay rights organizations in the country lined up two years ago to tell Congressional sponsors that they would not support any version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that did not include both "sexual orientation" and "gender identity," Congressional sponsors are are shedding their spines at the first sign of resistance from the conservative Republicans.

There is a comprehensive breakdown of what happened over at Pam's House Blend, but here is what needs to be made public:

We just got confirmation this afternoon that the leaders in the House of Representatives have indeed stripped gender identity from ENDA. There is still time though for you to join me and contact all the democrats in the House, especially the leadership:

It is imperative that we demonstrate unity and urge the Speaker to put gender identity back in the bill.

Personally—since none of these fools have the spine to stand up to the religious conservatives—I hope that some religionist conservative hypocrite fillibusters the living daylights of this bill and sends it off to some dark corner for the foreseeable future.

Poll

63 votes Show Results

Should "gender identity" be removed from the employment non-discrimination act (ENDA) in order to facilitate passage for the current legislative session?

63 votes Vote Now!

Should "gender identity" be removed from the employment non-discrimination act (ENDA) in order to facilitate passage for the current legislative session?

Yes

13 votes

39 votes

Not Sure

4 votes

Wait until there is a better Democratic majority (and maybe president) and try again in '09

7 votes

No

becca00

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Thursday September 13, 2007 · 10:30 AM PDT

2007/09/13 · 10:30

Earlier this year, I had to take a break from all things "current events" to focus on some overwhelming work and home-life issues. And for quite some time, I felt disconnected, as though I was falling back into a complacent state where current events are monitored through the headlines with little examination into the details behind them. This isn't to say that my opinion about what's going on in Washington or Iraq is any different today than it was several months ago--just that after stepping away for a minute and coming back, I am struck by the insanity that's going on.

I am not necessarily struck by the insanity of the Bush administration--which was judged as "off the chart" loony years ago--but the insanity of the American people who continue to acquiesce to whatever spin or "logic" their elected officials wish to throw out as justification for their acquiescence to the status quo. After the utter fiasco and abomination that has been our involvement in Iraq, we must now listen to these officials pine on about further unaccountable funding to continue our Iraqi folly and contemplate expanding that folly to Iran. To which there is but one response:

No.

becca00

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Friday January 26, 2007 · 10:40 AM PST

2007/01/26 · 10:40

Having come across the topic in various contexts lately, the subject of "family" has left me with more questions than answers.

In part, what drives this is the constant use (or mis-use) of the term "family" by groups like Focus on the Family, American Family Association, and the Family Research Council (among others). Their efforts are focused on promoting "family" values and "family friendly" policies—all within the context of biblical definitions of "family" and "marriage." It's gotten to the point that I instinctively loathe or gravitate away from anything labeled as "family friendly" or directed at the family in any way.

I've tried to rationalize the arguments of these groups, to put them into the same light as reality. Moreover, I've tried to put them into the full context of the ideals upon which the U.S. Constitution was written and upon which this country was founded. But the other day, as I was thinking about this for the umpteenth time, I finally reached the limit.

becca00

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Friday December 22, 2006 · 10:08 AM PST

2006/12/22 · 10:08

The front page of Yahoo! News which has a sidebar for ABC News video has a video frame of a grimacing Rep. Ellison with the caption: "Congressman Not Apologetic About Muslim Comments."

Now if I wasn't aware of what was going on, I'd see that and think that the "Muslim comments" were of the Islamojihadifascist kind. Moreover, I'd also think that Rep. Goode's comments were a response and, therefore, justified.

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A Tale of a Have and a Have-Not

What BP and NASA Have In Common

The Immigration Debate We Should Be Having

God Damnit! Take the Gloves OFF!

Did Nader just call Obama an "Uncle Tom"?

Epic Fail of an Angry God

Enough Already: Just F*'ing Do It.

Theocracy Now! Colorado's "Handmaid's Tale"

Hypocrites: Barney Frank & Nancy Pelosi

No

Which Family? Who Do We Choose?

Distortions: ABC News at it again