August 18, 2009 archive

Fireman at Home

I am the fireman, fixer of electrical and mechanical stuff and default trail guide.  Steve is the cook and holder of “the gun” and Dave is the muscle guy of our group.  We just returned from the Enchanted Forest upon finding the Lost Lake of Narnia.  I was hoping the real family fun going on here might counter events in play on the west coast.

Thom Hartmann on getting REAL Health Care Reform

As promised, I’m posting Thom Hartmann’s excellent suggestions for REAL Health Care Reform.  I’m posting this now to save time.  I’ve got to go away for a bit, but I’ll be back to edit with more information.

The Hartmann letter, like many good things, is beyond the flip….. It begins with the letter I added to e-mail to my lists….

 

Naked Soul Plea

8-29-05 Remember

katrina art tree

We are not ok

katrina art

Photobucket

NOLA BLOGGERS ANNUAL RISING TIDE 4 CONFERENCE ART FOR 2009 (t-shirts available):

Rising Tide 4

NAKED SOUL PLEA

Show us you got some soul and come to New Orleans for the Katrina Anniversary, show us you understand and know how to gain strength from us so that everyone else will know they can also gain strength from us we are a part of America.

Not just to remember but to remember in the way New Orleans should be remembered, deserves to be remembered, deserves to be remembered, deserves to be remembered, as you would remember someone you loved being wronged and because you loved them you’d need to help them heal, help them heal, and it would heal you too

America’s soul is locked up by some big ogre, like fairy tale princess chained to rocks with big orcs and one eyed monsters and she cries out so the hero must break those chains, America’s soul cries out and we are the heroes who will break those chains if you only remember us, remember us as we deserve to be remembered, as a loved one, as part of your family.

Remember the dead, remember the living, remember the kindness and the cruelty, the joy and pain, remember the great city of New Orleans and care as she rises up again with every fiber of her being, not just a geography of land and water but a people and a culture and not let her be invisible from the rest of her neighbors, remember the family crying around the world for the great city of New Orleans, remember her as she deserves to be remembered.

That’s what an anniversary is for.  Come to New Orleans, please.  It would be good for all our souls.

Guns, Afghanistan, the VFW and Obama

Crossposted at Dailykos

Today President Obama spoke at the VFW convention in Phoenix, Arizona.   He highlighted the need to continue the fight in Afghanistan against those would like to bring back the Taliban as rulers of that war-torn country.

Afghanistan, as we all know, is the cradle of the Taliban whom gave shelter to Osama bin Laden during the 1990s and up through the attacks on September 11th, 2001.  

Many of us felt a personal connection to those attacks for a variety of reasons.  We may have lost someone in one of those flights, in the World Trade Center towers, or one of the many rescue and police personnel who died as a result of those towers collapsing.  

More importantly, President Obama was speaking before an organization that is held in high esteem by US servicemen and women across the globe.

More below the fold…

General Strike. There. I said it. It’s on the table.

It been so long since a general strike has happened in the US, I better post some background from the wikipedia entry

A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants. It is also characterized by participation of workers in a multitude of workplaces, and tends to involve entire communities. The general strike has waxed and waned in popularity since the mid-19th century, and has characterized many historically important strikes.

Progressive caucus kicks ass.

August 17, 2009

The Honorable Kathleen Sebe1ius

Secretary, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201

Dear Secretary Sebelius,

We write to you concerning your recent comments about the public option in health insurance refonn.

We stand in strong opposition to your statement that the public option is “not the essential element” of comprehensive reform. The opportunity to improve access to healthcare is a onetime opportunity. Americans deserve reform that is real-not smoke and mirrors. We cannot rely solely on the insurance companies’ good faith efforts to provide for our constituents. A robust public option is essential, if we are to ensure that all Americans can receive healthcare that is accessible, guaranteed and of high-quality.

To take the public option off the table would be a grave error; passage in the House of  Representatives depends upon inclusion of it.

We have attached, for your review, a letter from 60 Members of Congress who are firm in their Position that any legislation that moves forward through both chambers, and into a final proposal for the President’s signature, MUST contain a public option.

Sincerely,

Raul Grijalva

Co-Chair

Congressional Progressive Caucus Lynn Woolsey

Co-Chair

Congressional Progressive Caucus Barbara Lee

Co-Chair

Congressional Black Caucus

http://campaignsilo.firedoglak…

Pass it on to Obama.  

“In This I See God”

(“TRUE BLOOD” SPOILER ALERT)

When True Blood started, I quickly tuned in to the way they were using discrimination against vampires as a metaphor for our society’s attitudes towards gays- (even “God hates fangs”, during the opening credits)- most obviously in the evangelical Christian movement’s overt and hypocritical hate-mongering. But the show is about more than that, now. It’s really exploring our entire societal approach to sexuality and love. As a friend just pointed out, we even find Eric intriguing and exciting, even after we saw him mercilessly torture the wonderful Lafayette. So, what does that say about us, and our own, perhaps latent, sado/masochistic tendencies? Even Bill, with his tortured conscience, can be nakedly vicious. He hates that part of himself, but it’s still there, and when it serves his purposes, he uses it. But it’s much more than any of this.

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