Anti-Adoption Bill That Finally Gets It

Via Mother Jones Blog, This law introduced by Ohio Democrat Robert Hagan is an answer to a Republican bill to ban Homosexual Adoption. Ban Republican Adoption. this is hilarious... ESPECIALLY THE LAST PARAGRAPH: State Sen. Robert Hagan sent out e-mails to fellow lawmakers late Wednesday night, stating that he intends to "introduce legislation in the near future that would ban households with one or more Republican voters from adopting children or acting as foster parents." The e-mail ended with a request for co-sponsorship. Hagan said his legislation was written in response to a bill introduced in the Ohio House this month by state Rep. Ron Hood, R-Ashville, that… seeks to ban children from being placed for adoption or foster care in homes where the prospective parent or a roommate is homosexual, bisexual or transgender. To further lampoon Hood's bill, Hagan wrote in his mock proposal that "credible research" shows that adopted children raised in Republican households are more at risk for developing "emotional problems, social stigmas, inflated egos, and alarming lack of tolerance for others they deem different than themselves and an air of overconfidence to mask their insecurities."

Bush's Fall

I hate to say I told you so. Bush in '04 Revolution by '08. I always had faith Bush would drive the country into the ground so much people would get fed up and want a drastic change. Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine he be this much of a disaster. And the country is noticing, regardless of the lazy entrenched corporate media, and the complete lack of coherence of the Democratic Party. Bush has suken to a level much below NIXON DURING WATERGATE... he he... PS... I LOVE THE PICTURE THEY HAD ON THE WEBSITE FOR THIS ARTICLE CBS Poll The latest CBS News poll finds President Bush's approval rating has fallen to an all-time low of 34 percent, while pessimism about the Iraq war has risen to a new high. Americans are also overwhelmingly opposed to the Bush-backed deal giving a Dubai-owned company operational control over six major U.S. ports. Seven in 10 Americans, including 58 percent of Republicans, say they're opposed to the agreement. Mr. Bush's overall job rating has fallen to 34 percent, down from 42 percent last month. Fifty-nine percent disapprove of the job the president is doing. For the first time in this poll, most Americans say the president does not care much about people like themselves. Fifty-one percent now think he doesn't care, compared to 47 percent last fall. Just 30 percent approve of how Mr. Bush is handling the Iraq war, another all-time low. By two to one, the poll finds Americans think U.S. efforts to bring stability to Iraq are going badly – the worst assessment yet of progress in Iraq. Even on fighting terrorism, which has long been a strong suit for Mr. Bush, his ratings dropped lower than ever. Half of Americans say they disapprove of how he's handling the war on terror, while 43 percent approve. Finally the country is awakening to this long national nightmare.

Winter Olympics

I love the Olympics. I love the Olympics because it is 14 days of sports. 14 days of Athletes at their best, pushing themselves for the pinnacle of their sports. 14 days of non-stop athletic competition and curling. I love the Olympics also because I think it is one of the most beautiful things we do as a species. People from all over the world, coming together, to compete, to meet, to party, to eat. People from all over the world, not getting together without all the social norms or political turmoil in the world. Women's sports still struggling for equality, Sweden and Finland rivals, bigger countries dominnance, etc. But through it all, the heart of the Olympics seemingly is never damaged, in fact even thriving on it. In the end its fun competition, that overcomes the limitations of the world we have set up, and shows the true beauty of people. In the end we are all human and to see all the beautiful colors that we come in, its just wonderful.

Bush's Priorities II

We learn More about Bush's disaserous budget This is again curtousy of American Progress's Budget Blog. Because how important could our DRINKING WATER be? BUSH: 'DRINKING CLEAN WATER IS A PRIVILEGE': President Bush's budget would dramatically reduce community environment funding by 13 percent, with cuts proposed for the Environmental Protection Agency eight times larger than other agencies on average. A very short list of cuts: Clean Water State Revolving Fund (provides states with low-interest loans for infrastructure so they don't have to drink polluted water), Superfund Toxic Cleanup (funds clean-up of toxic waste sites), State and Tribal Air Grants (funds local community efforts to improve healthy air quality), Clean School Bus Initiative (completely eliminated). (More details here.) This is just sad, at this point, how greedy can these people be. I mean I know it sounds like a cliche, but honestly, does the Bush Administration have to give more of OUR resources to the oil elite? Its just a sad thought. BUSH: 'OIL COMPANIES AREN'T MAKING ENOUGH MONEY': "The federal government is on the verge of one of the biggest giveaways of oil and gas in American history, worth an estimated $7 billion over five years," the New York Times reports today. "New projections, buried in the Interior Department's just-published budget plan, anticipate that the government will let companies pump about $65 billion worth of oil and natural gas from federal territory over the next five years without paying any royalties to the government." As if we need more proof this Administration is just about Fear mongering and not about protecting us... The budget tells us all we need to know. BUSH: 'NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE ARE ENTERING OUR COUNTRY UNDETECTED': While some want to make border security the only answer to illegal immigration, it must be a significant part of the solution to the estimated 700,000 people who slip through our borders undetected each year. Despite congressional approval to hire 10,000 new border agents over five years, the administration only requested funding for 210 new hires for 2006. For 2007, the administration wants to hire 1,500 new border agents, a move in the right direction but still less than what was authorized by the December 2004 intelligence reform legislation. BUSH: 'TRUST ME -- TERRORISTS WILL NEVER TRY TO HIDE EXPLOSIVES IN AIRLINE CARGO': The Department of Homeland Security once again fails to address air cargo security, the Achilles heel of aviation security. The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) continues to devote a disproportionate share of its resources to passenger aviation security, in essence, fighting the last war. However, while adding significant amounts in new technology for air passenger checkpoints and in-line luggage screening, only 1 percent of TSA's 2007 $4.7 billion budget, or $45 million, is devoted to the air cargo that is carried in passenger aircraft. While passengers and their baggage are thoroughly scanned, the vast majority of air cargo is not, a vulnerability well known since September 11.

Bush's Priorities

Bush Contempt for people is not reserved for the poor black people in New Orleans. He seems to not care about any of the priorities except for lining the pockets of the military industrial complex. (I say that because the money spent on defense is not going to pay soldiers well, give them body armour that actually stops bullets, armour on the humvees, or the support veterans deserve) visit American Progress Budget Blog. BUSH: 'TOO MANY POOR KIDS GO TO COLLEGE': Federal programs to help students pay for higher education "take significant hits" in President Bush's budget: "The Perkins Loan program would be eliminated, and Pell grant funding for college students would drop by $4.6 billion." I HAD THIS CUT IN HALF, along with millions of other college students with Bush's First Budget in office. With Bush's New Budget my Loan that I got with CLINTON, is now gone. BUSH: 'LEAVING NO CHILD BEHIND ISN'T WORTH THE COST': Department of Education spending on vital programs -- Upward Bound, GEAR UP, dropout prevention, etc. -- would fall by $2.1 billion, or 3.8 percent, under the president's budget. In all, Bush proposes to cut "42 Education Department programs to save $3.5 billion" while flat-funding two of education's most important programs, Title I and IDEA. BUSH: 'VETERANS SHOULD PAY MORE FOR HEALTH CARE': Veterans younger than 65 would pay up to two or three times more for the military's health care program "under a controversial set of fee increases" proposed in the latest budget. "About 3.1 million retirees and their families nationwide would be affected," the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. SERIOUSLY, what a piece of shit. Our Armed Services are fighting a war of Bush's choosing, and he is cutting our Veterans' Benefits. Veterans should be entitled to a lifetime of the FREE HEALTHCARE and the best that America can provide. Their immediate family should be entitled to the same benefits. PERIOD BUSH: 'I STILL WANT TO PRIVATIZE SOCIAL SECURITY': When President Bush first launched his campaign to privatize Social Security last year, just 39 percent of Americans approved of how he was handling the issue. A year later, that number has dropped to 35 percent. Apparently, Bush didn't get the message. "[T]his year, with no fanfare whatsoever, Bush stuck a big Social Security privatization plan in the federal budget proposal," Newsweek reports. Beginning in 2010, people could set up private accounts at a cost of $700 billion dollars over seven years, all funds diverted from Social Security tax revenues. I give him one thing, he has serious Cohones. The pitch to rob us of our Social Security was so bad, they didn't even bother proposing an actual bill. What to do... Hide it in the budget. BUSH: 'MY HIGHEST PRIORITY: TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHIEST': American Progress fellow Gene Sperling has spelled out Bush's budget narrative: "in the face of unpredictable, external, deficit-exploding forces beyond their control [like Katrina and Iraq], these brave budget warriors are successfully battling to return Washington to fiscal sanity." Actually, we could fund our legitimate priorities and reduce the deficit if not for Bush's tax cuts and his costly Medicare prescription drug benefit. If the tax cuts are made permanent, those two programs combined will cost more than $550 billion in 2011 and each year after. Bush's Budget is very simple. Starve the government of revenue then say the only way to balance the budget is to cut all social spending. Its what Regean always wanted to do, "Starve the Beast." Make it so there is no government left to fun. And if a Democrat has the nerve, (like Clinton) to raise taxes to balance that budget, call names and make it impossible to reinstate these programs. Of course what is missed by these evil politics is that it is more than just politics. As can see from above, they effect people in real ways. Bush's budget causes mor suffering and makes it harder on the Americn people.

Africa's Plight

There are people starving, and I must admit, I was unaware it was going on. Which is incredibly sad, not because I am so important. I am studying African Politics at the London School of Oriental and African Studies. Supposedly one of the elite African studies schools, What does it say about me? About the Media? Well in Zambia there is a crisis. And the UN was dealing with it. But because they cannot get enough funding, people are beinng forced to starve. NY TIMES ARTICLE NANGWESHI REFUGEE CAMP, Zambia — Hundreds of refugees from Angola's civil war have walked away from this remote United Nations outpost where most have lived for years, many roaming on foot as far as the Namibia border, 85 miles away. The journey was not by choice. The refugees were looking for food. n January, to stretch its thinning supplies, the United Nations cut its already basic food rations to war refugees in Zambia by almost 40 percent — not just for the Nangweshi camp's 15,100 residents, but also for 57,000 refugees from Congo in four other camps. The cuts were made after the developed world did not respond to United Nations' pleas for help to feed the refugees. Like similar appeals, they went unheeded in a year of many disasters and what aid specialists call a growing malaise among donors about such emergencies. That thousands of war refugees cared for by the United Nations should go hungry for want of about $8.5 million, what amounts to a rounding error in the budgets of wealthy countries, may seem surprising. But the international system that is supposed to protect refugees from hunger and privation is prone to breakdowns like this one, which has rendered 72,000 war victims in Zambia hungry for weeks on end. Something must be done, someone besides the NY times should be reporting on it. If you have a blog, please raise awareness, bring it up. I am going to write a letter to my congressman. We can all do something.

The Simplist Reflections are often the most Profound

Jen's post Here, is really amazing. Hatred follows hatred, anger breeds anger; peace follows peace, love follows love. I'm trying to be more peace and less anger. More forgiveness, more love. Rarely does anything external facilitate this ability. It is rare when there is a role model. It seems that whenever we have rold models, the powers at be, scared by their message kill them. But their message is always clear. Whether it be Jesus, the Buddah, Muhammed, Ghandi, King, Mother Theresa, Mandela or Yoda. The message is always clear. And just so you know Jen... You are my role model.

Israel Withholding Money From Palestinian State

Israel is with holding Palestinian State money collected for it because of Hamas' transfer to power after the elections. Israel claims that because Hamas is a terrorist organization that does not recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli State it has to act. New York Times Article JERUSALEM, Feb. 19 — Israel's cabinet decided today to immediately freeze the transfer of about $50 million a month in tax and customs receipts due to the Palestinian Authority, arguing that Saturday's swearing in of a Hamas-dominated legislature means that the Palestinians are now led by the militant group. Hamas is certainly a militant group that does not recognize the legitimacy of Israel. But the same could be said about Likud. Sharon is a war criminal responsible for ruthlessly killing civilians, exploiting violence and death for political gain, creator of illegal settlements that have underminded safety and legitimacy of the Israeli state and worse corrupted the soul of Judaism. His first act was to immediately halt possible successful peace treaty almost completed by Former Prime Minister Barak. And yet Sharon has proving surprising. Defying his hard line party and withdrawing from territory. Admittedly territory Israel never wanted, but still, a HUGE step in the process. There was further talk he was going to do the same in many places in the West Bank. Even halting construction on future Settlements. Apprehension about Hamas could easily be placed on Likud. Maybe we need these two hard line groups to with the only credibility as rightest to achieve real peace. Because if Hamas and Likud (or the new Likud-lite Kadima Party) can agree to peace, then we know it can last. At the end of the day. Hamas is a legitimately elected government that has the right to govern. Israel, Fatah, even the US have the right to be critical of the new government's positions. They have the right to critize, and if their soveriegnty threatened, react. But While Hamas is a domestic rightful authority decided by democratic means they should be granted that inherent respect. For Israel to act otherwise is wrong. It is Israeli money. As a country who I have the right to citizenship, and as a Jew I am ashamed of the action.

Tehran and Nuclear Missles

At SOAS we spend a lot of time thinking about the implications of Iran having a nuclear bomb. Why is it bad that Iran has it and not China or the UK? Why are we threatened by Tehran's overtures and not Israel's is the common question amongst leftist thinkers. I have always been troubled by this line of thinking, because it seemed to miss the point. Thank you to Paul, you can find his livejournal here: Paul sent me an article about Bus driver's strike in Tehran. The article is below, but basically, the President promised to back the little man in the class struggles. Once in power, he has cracked down on their desire to organize a union. What this article made crystal clear to me, is that the real question of Tehran and the bomb have less to do with actual danger to western countries and the use of this conflict for Political gain back home. See these politicians are about power and exploitation of the populace. In the west, its fear Muslims, "who act irrationally" and the means to nuke people. Of course Iran is a democracy, deeply flawed as any, but still they hold elections. And their actions are no more irrational then the US. They are years from the technology to deploy nuclear weapons, none of which could threaten mainland US and we could take them out in seconds. They want something and will use what leverage they have. In truth, Iran is just another scare tactic. Be afraid, be very afraid, the boogey man is still out. there. Similarly for the government in Tehran, provoking confrontation has has unified the country distracting from the lack of systematic political reforms and increasing income gap. (could be the US in that sense). Reformers have been forced to unify behind the government to what has been portrayed as western interfence in a sovereign country's decisions. It is of course just the elite exploiting fears and systemic confrontations in the International System for mostly domestic benefit. Paul's Article: Date: Sunday February 12 2006, @01:06PM Why striking bus drivers in Tehran are the real defenders of Muslim rights by Nick Cohen from The Guardian For three weeks, there have been demonstrations across the planet about a great injustice done to Muslims. After baton-wielding cops inflicted dozens of injuries, the fear of death is in the air. George W Bush's State Department has warned of 'systematic oppression', while secularists and fundamentalists have revealed their mutually incompatible values. Since you ask, I am not talking about the global menace of Scandinavian cartoonists that has so terrified our fearless free press, but mass arrests in Iran. The media have barely mentioned the story, even though it cuts through the nonsense about a clash of civilisations between the 'West' and the 'Muslims'. The Muslims of Tehran are proving themselves to be anything but a monolithic bloc happy to follow the orders of the ayatollahs and their demented President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. There are huge class divisions to begin with, and close to the bottom of the heap are the city's bus drivers. The authorities refused to allow them an independent trade union and ruled that an 'Islamic council' in the offices of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company would represent their interests. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the pious have not proved the doughtiest fighters for better pay and conditions. The bus drivers claimed that managers were stealing money from their pay packets. They formed their own union and threatened to strike at the end of January. Ahmadinejad won the rigged Iranian elections last year with a promise to stand up for the little man against the Islamic Republic's corrupt elite. Faced with a choice between sticking to his word and carrying on with despotism, he showed his true colours by allowing the most ferocious crackdown Tehran has seen since the religious authorities crushed dissident journalists and students in 1999. Some More Links Washington Post http://www.itfglobal.org/urban-transport/tehranbuses.cfm http://www.solidaritycenter.org/content.asp?contentid=565 http://blog.aflcio.org/?p=92 http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991223404&Language=EN http://www.itfglobal.org/news-online/index.cfm/newsdetail/721

Happy Valentines Day Corretta, Rosa, and Grandpa

Happy Valentine’s Day Corretta, Rosa, and Grandpa This year has been hard on the aging civil rights generation. We lost two amazing women who set an example for the world and especially me on what it means to be Black, Feminist and peace activist. Good Review of Her Life Here “King was an international figure with a lifelong commitment to nonviolence. Her anti-war views were rooted in her religious beliefs. King spoke at an anti-war rally in Madison Square Garden in 1965, before her husband took his public stand against the Vietnam War. In 1964, when Rev. King won the Nobel Peace Prize, King told her husband many times, "I think there is a role you must play in achieving world peace, and I will be so glad when the time comes when you can assume that role." Even after Rev. King's assassination, King continued to speak out for peace, voicing opposition in 2003 to the U.S. invasion of Iraq: "A war with Iraq will increase anti-American sentiment, create more terrorists, and drain as much as 200 billion taxpayer dollars, which should be invested in human development here in America." She urged President Bush to emulate her late husband's dedication to peace and nonviolence, instructing him that "war is a poor chisel for carving out peaceful tomorrows." King's funeral yesterday was characterized by an activist spirit, which she had until the end of her life. "There are a lot of people who would love to relegate me to a symbolic figure," she said. "I have never been just a symbol of anything. I am a thinker. I have strong beliefs." Rosa needs no reminding, I eulogized Rosa Parks HERE and HERE. The lesson of her life, to symbolically stand up by ironically refusing to stand up when there was no reason for her to believe this would be the time things would change. The strength of conviction will inform us for generations to come. My Grandfather, Dr. Ted Childs, died also this year, or at least since last Feb. I am still coming to grip with it. We were not close in the traditional sense. Something I discussed HERE. We never played Basketball together, went fishing together. But he continues to set the course of my life. I will never forget the charge he gave me. He told me that no matter what I do, no matter how successful I am. I have an obligation to work toward the upliftment of our people. That even if I was hated by Black people, I have to do all I can to give back to the community. Because unless we help ourselves, we will never realize our dream. I have listened, and learned that it was not just King’s Dream it was our dream. So Happy Valentine’s Day. You are home with the saints. I thank you for your guidance, your strength and on this day most of all YOUR LOVE.

Learned Feminism

I have been making a mistake for years. I have always thought held that I blame heterosexual women (HWs) for the trouble heterosexual men (HMs) get into. Sort of a joke and sort of serious, I have felt that if HWs demanded better treatment from HMs, then HMs would sort themselves our and act better. We would have to, for fear of not getting HWs. But what I am wrong about is not just that this sells HMs short, putting us into a box of low expectations, but it demands that HWs be responsible for the morals and upbringing of our society. By writing men off as Pigs and Women as the tradition keepers, we are putting ourselves into set roles; roles that have historically been used to oppress women. This is what I learned. That by saying women are responsible for this moral foundations, it is an extension of the argument that the problem with society is that women are working and thus not spending enough time parenting. Men are not responsible for this, women are to blame for the changed roles. By demanding more of ourselves, we should be responsible for childrearing just as women.

Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and injured a man

Sorry I have been really sick and unfortunately my staff did not pick up the slack. ButI am back, and no Dick Cheney Buck Shot gonna stop me now. The Story: Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and injured a man during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, his spokeswoman said Sunday. Harry Whittington, 78, was "alert and doing fine" after Cheney sprayed him with shotgun pellets on Saturday while the two were hunting at the Armstrong Ranch in south Texas, said property owner Katharine Armstrong.

State of the Union