Hitting close to home

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

Wednesday May 06, 2015 · 8:29 PM PDT

2015/05/06 · 20:29

I live about a mile from the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. By now, we all know what happened there, but I'd like to offer some personal perspectives.

kjlopey

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

Tuesday February 04, 2014 · 1:31 PM PST

2014/02/04 · 13:31

As a rule, I don't listen to political talk radio while in the vehicle or at home. This is because (a) I already have high blood pressure, and (b) I live in Dallas, where the radio signals skew so far right that someone like Rush Limbaugh is considered a piker.

However, I listen to sports talk, and my usual station (KTCK - the Ticket) seems to be having trouble filling out ads for one of their daytime shows. Today I heard the semi-mellifluous tones of Fran Tarkenton advertising something. And when I heard the ad, I realized that what conservatives want and what fundamentalist religious people want are the same thing: a completely separate world.

kjlopey

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

Wednesday January 29, 2014 · 8:59 AM PST

2014/01/29 · 08:59

Update: I've changed the title in response to comments. My thoughts basED on personal friendships led to an overgeneralization. I've also edited the section below. I've also changed the last section to address both mental health and the discriminatory effect anti-abortion laws have on poor women.

First of all, a few baseline notes:
1. I have a Y chromosome. I understand that this doesn't give me any power to tell a woman what to do.
2. I am not necessarily pro-choice. I am "it's a woman's choice."
3. I call myself a Christian, albeit an imperfect and broken one.

The reason why I'm writing this diary is that a friend of our family had an abortion last week. This has really raised questions on my stances, my faith, and the entire issue.

I want to try to sort them out.

kjlopey

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

Saturday July 13, 2013 · 9:59 PM PDT

2013/07/13 · 21:59

Normally, this would be something I put on my personal website, but due to the fact that some of the people involved read my blog, I really don't feel terribly safe writing there. So, here we are.

I come from a very normal, boring family. My mom and dad celebrated 46 or so years of marriage in June. I have an older brother. We had squabbles, but in no way would I classify my family as anything but normal.

I married a wonderful woman, and we have two kids. She had a bit different family dynamic than me, and we've spent a good amount of time and money on therapists. It's money well spent; her bipolarity and my depression are both in check. However, when a "life event" occurs, the dysfunctionality rears its ugly head.

kjlopey

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

Wednesday June 26, 2013 · 6:53 AM PDT

2013/06/26 · 06:53

Understanding Texas politics is much like trying to herd cats. The state's constitution sets up the branches of government in a way that, while it may seem that being governor is a great thing, it's actually less important than Lieutenant Governor.

Unless, of course, you're a bootlicking toady.

kjlopey

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

Monday June 03, 2013 · 6:00 PM PDT

2013/06/03 · 18:00

One of the ways my dad sought peace from his stressful job fixing airplanes was fishing. When his father died, he was finally able to buy the boat he wanted - a "real" fishing boat. The fishing genes weren't passed down to me; my lifetime catches are several branches, a bunch of moss, and one unfortunate frog. However, I've finally learned something from my dad and his boat.

kjlopey

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

Thursday October 18, 2012 · 11:45 AM PDT

2012/10/18 · 11:45

It's interesting to see the fallout from the debate from the other side, especially the "act of terror" issue. A deeper analysis of this shows why Romney thought this was a worthwhile line of attack. Let's go below the whatever-the-heck-it-is.

kjlopey

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

Friday February 24, 2012 · 10:05 AM PST

2012/02/24 · 10:05

Being a Texan, I'm used to a certain amount of idiocy from the leaders of this state. It's Republican controlled from the Governor's mansion down to the school board, and as such, I should be used to "taking a stand for principles" that often have disastrous consequences. This time, however, even I'm shocked.

kjlopey

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

Friday July 15, 2011 · 1:31 PM PDT

2011/07/15 · 13:31

As I sit here reading about the issues people have with FDL and Jane Hamsher, a lot of discussion in comments is about the idea of true progressives and whether Obama is one. It seems to me that both parties are suffering from the laser-beam intensity of their constituents and corporate benefactors, and I'm wondering why it's that way.

kjlopey

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

Monday April 25, 2011 · 8:59 AM PDT

2011/04/25 · 08:59

After reading another plan by the administration to create yet another commission to study what to do about federal spending, I'm left wondering: why? Why do our elected officials want to forestall the issue of ramming through a solution by creating "study groups" and "commissions" and whatever other name for a group of people that will talk themselves into the chair's already predisposed conclusions?

kjlopey

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

Tuesday November 16, 2010 · 4:44 PM PST

2010/11/16 · 16:44

Dear White House,

I know that posting a diary entry on a blog that only progressives and the trolls that accompany them read might be considered a waste of your time. I understand that. There's only twenty-four hours in the day, and for you to read every bit of criticism, advice, and whatnot from the teeming masses would be at best a waste of resources and time and at worst a recipe for insanity, but please consider this:

Why Not Be Partisan?

kjlopey

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

Monday October 25, 2010 · 12:27 PM PDT

2010/10/25 · 12:27

I had a need over lunch to go to a local big box electronics store, and imagine my surprise when on the way, I saw an ad stating that "Your country's being hijacked!"

Really? And we're posting this on a billboard in the northern suburbs of Dallas?

Newer
Older

RSS

Hitting close to home

Fran Tarkenton paraphrased - "AARP is communist"

Abortion in Texas. One person's perspective

At Least They're Talking...

Texas Politics, or why Governor Davis isn't the best option

Fishing, Family, and Drama

Semantics, nitpicks, and the constant whine

Putting your mouth where your money isn't

Has the advance of media led to fracturing of parties?

We don't need no stinking commissions

Dear White House, Why Not Try Partisanship? (updated)

They're hijacking what now?