"Secretary of State Hillary Clinton"
"Attorney General Janet Napolitano"It's almost like I'm playing "Fantasy Presidential Administration 2008"!
PS: LOL@ Wolf Blitzer and his wrong sound bite just now!
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Friday, November 14, 2008
Dream Team
I am waaaaay deep in my law school apps right now, but a couple of things I'm hearing right now are making me so frickin' giddy, and drawing so near to my personal Dream Team, that I just have to remark:
"Secretary of State Hillary Clinton"
"Attorney General Janet Napolitano"
It's almost like I'm playing "Fantasy Presidential Administration 2008"!
PS: LOL@ Wolf Blitzer and his wrong sound bite just now!
"Secretary of State Hillary Clinton""Attorney General Janet Napolitano"It's almost like I'm playing "Fantasy Presidential Administration 2008"!
PS: LOL@ Wolf Blitzer and his wrong sound bite just now!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The sorry state of the Republican Party
Heh heh....
Today all the chatter includes nuggets like these....
"Is Sarah Palin the party's last, best hope?"
"Who will lead the party now? Who can be its intellectual leader?"
----"Maybe John Boehner?"
"I think Mitt Romney would have a great chance of getting the nomination in 2012."
Oh, God. They just kill me. Here's hoping it's all true and that this sad-clown cast of characters really constitutes the best and brightest of the Repulican Party.
Today all the chatter includes nuggets like these....
"Is Sarah Palin the party's last, best hope?"
"Who will lead the party now? Who can be its intellectual leader?"
----"Maybe John Boehner?"
"I think Mitt Romney would have a great chance of getting the nomination in 2012."
Oh, God. They just kill me. Here's hoping it's all true and that this sad-clown cast of characters really constitutes the best and brightest of the Repulican Party.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
What's the Best Way to Interrogate a Kid? Juliet Lapidos | Slate.com
Whew.... been following this case with something of a heavy heart and thinking about this article will just rock you. At least it has done so to me. WTF!
An 8-year-old Arizona boy charged with murdering his father and another man appeared in court on Monday. Police say the boy confessed to shooting the two men with a .22-caliber gun, but his defense attorneys told reporters that "there could have been improper interview techniques done." What's the "proper" way to interrogate a kid?
Read the full article here.
An 8-year-old Arizona boy charged with murdering his father and another man appeared in court on Monday. Police say the boy confessed to shooting the two men with a .22-caliber gun, but his defense attorneys told reporters that "there could have been improper interview techniques done." What's the "proper" way to interrogate a kid?
Read the full article here.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
I am one giant goosebump
I'm sitting in a bar in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, and history has just come f'in crashing down all around me, around all of us. I'm in the street and there are strangers running by hugging me and crying. Today's the first day of the rest of it. Yes we did!
Sent wirelessly via BlackBerry from T-Mobile.
Sent wirelessly via BlackBerry from T-Mobile.
Prop 8 is "most expensive social issue campaign in U.S. history" | Bay Area CBS5.com
Proposition 8 Spending Surpasses $73 Million
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Spending for and against a ballot initiative that would outlaw same-sex marriage in California has surpassed $73 million, almost twice the total that was spent in the 24 states where similar measures were put to voters since 2004, campaign finance records show.
Opponents of Proposition 8 had a slight lead in contributions as of Monday, having raised $37.6 million. Supporters of the gay marriage ban had raised $35.8 million.
A little less than $33 million was spent on campaigns to pass or defeat gay marriage bans in the 24 states where they appeared on ballots in 2004, 2005 and 2006, according to the National Organization on Money in State Politics.
Full Article Here
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Spending for and against a ballot initiative that would outlaw same-sex marriage in California has surpassed $73 million, almost twice the total that was spent in the 24 states where similar measures were put to voters since 2004, campaign finance records show.
Opponents of Proposition 8 had a slight lead in contributions as of Monday, having raised $37.6 million. Supporters of the gay marriage ban had raised $35.8 million.
A little less than $33 million was spent on campaigns to pass or defeat gay marriage bans in the 24 states where they appeared on ballots in 2004, 2005 and 2006, according to the National Organization on Money in State Politics.
Full Article Here
LA Times Editorial on Prop 8 - Couldn't have said it better myself.
November 2, 2008
Clever magicians practice the art of misdirection -- distracting the eyes of the audience to something attention-grabbing but irrelevant so that no one notices what the magician is really doing. Look over at that fuchsia scarf, up this sleeve, at anything besides the actual trick.
The campaign promoting Proposition 8, which proposes to amend the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriages, has masterfully misdirected its audience, California voters. Look at the first-graders in San Francisco, attending their lesbian teacher's wedding! Look at Catholic Charities, halting its adoption services in Massachusetts, where same-sex marriage is legal! Look at the church that lost its tax exemption over gay marriage! Look at anything except what Proposition 8 is actually about: a group of people who are trying to impose on the state their belief that homosexuality is immoral and that gays and lesbians are not entitled to be treated equally under the law.
Clever magicians practice the art of misdirection -- distracting the eyes of the audience to something attention-grabbing but irrelevant so that no one notices what the magician is really doing. Look over at that fuchsia scarf, up this sleeve, at anything besides the actual trick.
The campaign promoting Proposition 8, which proposes to amend the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriages, has masterfully misdirected its audience, California voters. Look at the first-graders in San Francisco, attending their lesbian teacher's wedding! Look at Catholic Charities, halting its adoption services in Massachusetts, where same-sex marriage is legal! Look at the church that lost its tax exemption over gay marriage! Look at anything except what Proposition 8 is actually about: a group of people who are trying to impose on the state their belief that homosexuality is immoral and that gays and lesbians are not entitled to be treated equally under the law.
That truth would never sell in tolerant, live-and-let-live California, and so it has been hidden behind a series of misleading half-truths. Once the sleight of hand is revealed, though, the campaign's illusions fall away.
Take the story of Catholic Charities. The service arm of the Roman Catholic Church closed its adoption program in Massachusetts not because of the state's gay marriage law but because of a gay anti-discrimination law passed many years earlier. In fact, the charity had voluntarily placed older foster children in gay and lesbian households -- among those most willing to take hard-to-place children -- until the church hierarchy was alerted and demanded that adoptions conform to the church's religious teaching, which was in conflict with state law. The Proposition 8 campaign, funded in large part by Mormons who were urged to do so by their church, does not mention that the Mormon church's adoption arm in Massachusetts is still operating, even though it does not place children in gay and lesbian households.
How can this be? It's a matter of public accountability, not infringement on religion. Catholic Charities acted as a state contractor, receiving state and federal money to find homes for special-needs children who were wards of the state, and it faced the loss of public funding if it did not comply with the anti-discrimination law. In contrast, LDS (for Latter-day Saints) Family Services runs a private adoption service without public funding. Its work, and its ability to follow its religious teachings, have not been altered.
That San Francisco field trip? The children who attended the wedding had their parents' signed permission, as law requires. A year ago, with the same permission, they could have traveled to their teacher's domestic-partnership ceremony. Proposition 8 does not change the rules about what children are exposed to in school. The state Education Code does not allow schools to teach comprehensive sex education -- which includes instruction about marriage -- to children whose parents object.
Another "Yes on 8" canard is that the continuation of same-sex marriage will force churches and other religious groups to perform such marriages or face losing their tax-exempt status. Proponents point to a case in New Jersey, where a Methodist-based nonprofit owned seaside land that included a boardwalk pavilion. It obtained an exemption from state property tax for the land on the grounds that it was open for public use and access. Events such as weddings -- of any religion -- could be held in the pavilion by reservation. But when a lesbian couple sought to book the pavilion for a commitment ceremony, the nonprofit balked, saying this went against its religious beliefs.
The court ruled against the nonprofit, not because gay rights trump religious rights but because public land has to be open to everyone or it's not public. The ruling does not affect churches' religious tax exemptions or their freedom to marry whom they please on their private property, just as Catholic priests do not have to perform marriages for divorced people and Orthodox synagogues can refuse to provide space for the weddings of interfaith couples. And Proposition 8 has no bearing on the issue; note that the New Jersey case wasn't about a wedding ceremony.
Much has been made about same-sex marriage changing the traditional definition of marriage. But marriage has evolved for thousands of years, from polygamous structures in which brides were so much chattel to today's idealized love matches. In seeking to add a sentence to California's Constitution that says, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized," Proposition 8 supporters seek to enforce adherence to their own religious or personal definition. The traditional makeup of families has changed too, in ways that many religious people find immoral. Single parents raise their children; couples divorce and blend families. Yet same-sex marriage is the only departure from tradition that has been targeted for constitutional eradication.
Religions and their believers are free to define marriage as they please; they are free to consider homosexuality a sin. But they are not free to impose their definitions of morality on the state. Proposition 8 proponents know this, which is why they have misdirected the debate with highly colored illusions about homosexuals trying to take away the rights of religious Californians. Since May, when the state Supreme Court overturned a proposed ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional, more than 16,000 devoted gay and lesbian couples have celebrated the creation of stable, loving households, of equal legal stature with other households. Their happiness in no way diminishes the rights or happiness of others.
Californians must cast a clear eye on Proposition 8's real intentions. It seeks to change the state Constitution in a rare and terrible way, to impose a single moral belief on everyone and to deprive a targeted group of people of civil rights that are now guaranteed. This is something that no Californian, of any religious belief, should accept. Vote no to the bigotry of Proposition 8.
Original Article Here
Take the story of Catholic Charities. The service arm of the Roman Catholic Church closed its adoption program in Massachusetts not because of the state's gay marriage law but because of a gay anti-discrimination law passed many years earlier. In fact, the charity had voluntarily placed older foster children in gay and lesbian households -- among those most willing to take hard-to-place children -- until the church hierarchy was alerted and demanded that adoptions conform to the church's religious teaching, which was in conflict with state law. The Proposition 8 campaign, funded in large part by Mormons who were urged to do so by their church, does not mention that the Mormon church's adoption arm in Massachusetts is still operating, even though it does not place children in gay and lesbian households.
How can this be? It's a matter of public accountability, not infringement on religion. Catholic Charities acted as a state contractor, receiving state and federal money to find homes for special-needs children who were wards of the state, and it faced the loss of public funding if it did not comply with the anti-discrimination law. In contrast, LDS (for Latter-day Saints) Family Services runs a private adoption service without public funding. Its work, and its ability to follow its religious teachings, have not been altered.
That San Francisco field trip? The children who attended the wedding had their parents' signed permission, as law requires. A year ago, with the same permission, they could have traveled to their teacher's domestic-partnership ceremony. Proposition 8 does not change the rules about what children are exposed to in school. The state Education Code does not allow schools to teach comprehensive sex education -- which includes instruction about marriage -- to children whose parents object.
Another "Yes on 8" canard is that the continuation of same-sex marriage will force churches and other religious groups to perform such marriages or face losing their tax-exempt status. Proponents point to a case in New Jersey, where a Methodist-based nonprofit owned seaside land that included a boardwalk pavilion. It obtained an exemption from state property tax for the land on the grounds that it was open for public use and access. Events such as weddings -- of any religion -- could be held in the pavilion by reservation. But when a lesbian couple sought to book the pavilion for a commitment ceremony, the nonprofit balked, saying this went against its religious beliefs.
The court ruled against the nonprofit, not because gay rights trump religious rights but because public land has to be open to everyone or it's not public. The ruling does not affect churches' religious tax exemptions or their freedom to marry whom they please on their private property, just as Catholic priests do not have to perform marriages for divorced people and Orthodox synagogues can refuse to provide space for the weddings of interfaith couples. And Proposition 8 has no bearing on the issue; note that the New Jersey case wasn't about a wedding ceremony.
Much has been made about same-sex marriage changing the traditional definition of marriage. But marriage has evolved for thousands of years, from polygamous structures in which brides were so much chattel to today's idealized love matches. In seeking to add a sentence to California's Constitution that says, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized," Proposition 8 supporters seek to enforce adherence to their own religious or personal definition. The traditional makeup of families has changed too, in ways that many religious people find immoral. Single parents raise their children; couples divorce and blend families. Yet same-sex marriage is the only departure from tradition that has been targeted for constitutional eradication.
Religions and their believers are free to define marriage as they please; they are free to consider homosexuality a sin. But they are not free to impose their definitions of morality on the state. Proposition 8 proponents know this, which is why they have misdirected the debate with highly colored illusions about homosexuals trying to take away the rights of religious Californians. Since May, when the state Supreme Court overturned a proposed ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional, more than 16,000 devoted gay and lesbian couples have celebrated the creation of stable, loving households, of equal legal stature with other households. Their happiness in no way diminishes the rights or happiness of others.
Californians must cast a clear eye on Proposition 8's real intentions. It seeks to change the state Constitution in a rare and terrible way, to impose a single moral belief on everyone and to deprive a targeted group of people of civil rights that are now guaranteed. This is something that no Californian, of any religious belief, should accept. Vote no to the bigotry of Proposition 8.
Original Article Here
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Happy-Making and Angry-Making, all at once.
Rep. Bachmann's Seat in Jeopardy Following McCarthy-ite Allegations The Nation
I, personally, HATE this woman.
I hate her as no good humanist should ever hate another human being.
It's not just that she stands in direct opposition to EVERY thing that I stand for. That, I'm okay with.
It is that she is a foul, putrescent, spewing, hateful, soulless example of a human being, who proudly calls herself a Christian. If the God I once believed in really does exist, she will rot in the lowest of hells.
I mean, ugh, just try watching her on the cable news shows. Give her a chance to make you hate her too. Flippin' Larry King has her on all the time. Seeing them side by side is horrifying: one side of the screen is the most horrifying vision to every part of me which is shallow, and the other side of the screen is the most horrifying vision to every single part of me that isn't.
And now...
She done gone 'n done it.
She was flapping her jaw like usual, probably thought nobody was paying attention, and basically accused all Congressional liberals of being involved in "anti-American" activities and had the gall to suggest that there should be an investigation.
Dumbass. What a throwback to the 50s!
Now she's also started lying about it and claiming she never said such s thing. Hi, there's tape. And some of us losers were watching live as it happened on MSNBC. Sputter, sputter, all you like. The upshot is... her Congressional opponent in MN, a relatively unknown Dem by the name of Elwyn Tinklenberg (you'll remember him now) has received close to a million dollars in new campaign donations since she went on her tirade! Go ahead, Bachmann, get kee-razy. Then you can leave the "secular" public service, and continue giving sermons about being HOT FOR JESUS, fo real do. Can I get an amen?
What I want to know is this.... which part of our national history leads these mental giants to believe that it is conformity that is American and democratic? Or that it is dissent and plurality which are dangerous and anti-American?
Morons. These are our LEADERS!!!!!!!!! Argh!
UPDATE: Even if you want to take my advice and give the estimable Rep. Bachmann an opportunity to make you despise her crazy behind by watching her night after night on cable news, you'll have a bit of difficulty these days. She has quite suddenly lost her prodigious love of appearing before the cameras every dang day and is now in hiding, issuing fevered statements about how she did not say those horrible things that they have video record of her saying live to Americans on the national news... Grand!
I, personally, HATE this woman.I hate her as no good humanist should ever hate another human being.
It's not just that she stands in direct opposition to EVERY thing that I stand for. That, I'm okay with.
It is that she is a foul, putrescent, spewing, hateful, soulless example of a human being, who proudly calls herself a Christian. If the God I once believed in really does exist, she will rot in the lowest of hells.
I mean, ugh, just try watching her on the cable news shows. Give her a chance to make you hate her too. Flippin' Larry King has her on all the time. Seeing them side by side is horrifying: one side of the screen is the most horrifying vision to every part of me which is shallow, and the other side of the screen is the most horrifying vision to every single part of me that isn't.
And now...
She done gone 'n done it.
She was flapping her jaw like usual, probably thought nobody was paying attention, and basically accused all Congressional liberals of being involved in "anti-American" activities and had the gall to suggest that there should be an investigation.
Dumbass. What a throwback to the 50s!
Now she's also started lying about it and claiming she never said such s thing. Hi, there's tape. And some of us losers were watching live as it happened on MSNBC. Sputter, sputter, all you like. The upshot is... her Congressional opponent in MN, a relatively unknown Dem by the name of Elwyn Tinklenberg (you'll remember him now) has received close to a million dollars in new campaign donations since she went on her tirade! Go ahead, Bachmann, get kee-razy. Then you can leave the "secular" public service, and continue giving sermons about being HOT FOR JESUS, fo real do. Can I get an amen?
What I want to know is this.... which part of our national history leads these mental giants to believe that it is conformity that is American and democratic? Or that it is dissent and plurality which are dangerous and anti-American?
Morons. These are our LEADERS!!!!!!!!! Argh!
UPDATE: Even if you want to take my advice and give the estimable Rep. Bachmann an opportunity to make you despise her crazy behind by watching her night after night on cable news, you'll have a bit of difficulty these days. She has quite suddenly lost her prodigious love of appearing before the cameras every dang day and is now in hiding, issuing fevered statements about how she did not say those horrible things that they have video record of her saying live to Americans on the national news... Grand!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Thanks, General Powell. You still rule.
Ah... 7 minutes so well spent. This nicely frames my thoughts about the importance of the choice we will make on November 4th.
Powell said: "I think we need a transformational figure. I think we need a president who is a generational change and that's why I'm supporting Barack Obama, not out of any lack of respect or admiration for Sen. John McCain."
Ah..... transformation.
There's this wishful part of me clinging to the notion of the McCain I used to know and love, and that part of me secretly wonders if Good McCain realized that Evil McCain has been tearing this country apart the last couple of weeks (Mickey Mouse's name on voter reg cards threatens the fabric of democracy? Puh-leez), and sent General Powell to fix everything. It's a silly notion, I know, but it has its roots in the nice "family-man, citizen" remarks made by McCain. I think that if the guy I used to know is still in there somewhere, he knows two things:
-He AIN'T gonna win this here thang
-A House divided against itself cannot stand.
Based on that, who knows? Maybe he is trying to fix things, I do believe he loves this country, and if he can kiss Bush's behind after SC in 2000, he'll work with President Obama (ee!). Not to take anything away from General Powell, who in all probability made this decision on his own. I know it's just my brain trying to level the wild waves of cognitive dissonance created by Evil McCain. Something in me still hearts the old guy.
Been a busy weekend, sorry no posts. Not that anyone's reading lol! Sorry, myself, I didn't post anything for you to read. :) Working hard to win NH for Obama, though I personally feel the matter's closed up there. You wouldn't know it from calling around though. It's amazing how people who can't commit to the choice of a President can commit to being uncommitted, like bulldogs commit to raw steak. LOL
Powell said: "I think we need a transformational figure. I think we need a president who is a generational change and that's why I'm supporting Barack Obama, not out of any lack of respect or admiration for Sen. John McCain."
Ah..... transformation.
There's this wishful part of me clinging to the notion of the McCain I used to know and love, and that part of me secretly wonders if Good McCain realized that Evil McCain has been tearing this country apart the last couple of weeks (Mickey Mouse's name on voter reg cards threatens the fabric of democracy? Puh-leez), and sent General Powell to fix everything. It's a silly notion, I know, but it has its roots in the nice "family-man, citizen" remarks made by McCain. I think that if the guy I used to know is still in there somewhere, he knows two things:
-He AIN'T gonna win this here thang
-A House divided against itself cannot stand.
Based on that, who knows? Maybe he is trying to fix things, I do believe he loves this country, and if he can kiss Bush's behind after SC in 2000, he'll work with President Obama (ee!). Not to take anything away from General Powell, who in all probability made this decision on his own. I know it's just my brain trying to level the wild waves of cognitive dissonance created by Evil McCain. Something in me still hearts the old guy.
Been a busy weekend, sorry no posts. Not that anyone's reading lol! Sorry, myself, I didn't post anything for you to read. :) Working hard to win NH for Obama, though I personally feel the matter's closed up there. You wouldn't know it from calling around though. It's amazing how people who can't commit to the choice of a President can commit to being uncommitted, like bulldogs commit to raw steak. LOL
Friday, October 10, 2008
Thank you, Senator McCain
Sen. McCain gets booed for defending the citizenship and basic decency of his opponent!
I guess he heard the many calls last night for him to stop these mobs of simpletons from getting too rowdy (and sometimes murderous!)....
The video of this is actually quite powerful, particularly the longer scenes with the remarks and responses from the crowd. I'm looking for it and will post it here when I find it. Gotta say, I'm proud of McCain for putting himself out there this way. Whether it's political or not, it is the decent thing to do when the rabble keeps literally calling for Obama's head! Ew, people freak me out.
UPDATE: Still can't find the video I want. Having considered it further, I think it's probable McCain realizes that it's not gonna go his way, and has decided he wants to go out like a man of honor instead of a desperate old creeper. BTW, as I write they're releasing the report that Palin abused her power in firing Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, but DID NOT break any laws in doing so. Whatevs. Not terribly surprising at this point, right?
UPDATE:
Here we go! Clip from CNN on YouTube.
Creepus maximus.
I guess he heard the many calls last night for him to stop these mobs of simpletons from getting too rowdy (and sometimes murderous!)....
The video of this is actually quite powerful, particularly the longer scenes with the remarks and responses from the crowd. I'm looking for it and will post it here when I find it. Gotta say, I'm proud of McCain for putting himself out there this way. Whether it's political or not, it is the decent thing to do when the rabble keeps literally calling for Obama's head! Ew, people freak me out.
UPDATE: Still can't find the video I want. Having considered it further, I think it's probable McCain realizes that it's not gonna go his way, and has decided he wants to go out like a man of honor instead of a desperate old creeper. BTW, as I write they're releasing the report that Palin abused her power in firing Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, but DID NOT break any laws in doing so. Whatevs. Not terribly surprising at this point, right?
UPDATE:
Here we go! Clip from CNN on YouTube.
Creepus maximus.
This is just gross, dude...
Michigan GOP Using Foreclosures To Block Black Voters | HuffPost
Because, you know, they were foreclosed on, so their addresses of record aren't good anymore.
Because, you know, they were foreclosed on, so their addresses of record aren't good anymore.
Update: ACORN, what's the dealio?
A discussion of the ACORN problem, thanks to RBC & Prof. Mark Kleiman
Acorn Defends Itself | RBC
Thanks, man. I feel better.
Acorn Defends Itself | RBC
Thanks, man. I feel better.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
News of the Day: W....T....F Edition
These are all stories I read today.
Los Angeles man kills family, then self, despondent over financial difficulties
Ohio woman, 90, attempts suicide after foreclosure
Eastern Mass. woman shoots self as mortgage company forecloses on house
And, just for good measure...
Lehman sought millions for execs while seeking aid
Los Angeles man kills family, then self, despondent over financial difficulties
Ohio woman, 90, attempts suicide after foreclosure
Eastern Mass. woman shoots self as mortgage company forecloses on house
And, just for good measure...
Lehman sought millions for execs while seeking aid
Sunday, October 5, 2008
News of the day
Haiti Pleads for Help
Really, they are in a very bad way down there....
Europe Scrambles to Rescue Banks
Will even socialist economies refuse to bite the bullet that America just swallowed?
Palin's words may backfire on McCain
She's being careless again. Surprise, surprise.
And last, but not least...
Developed countries push back vs. pirates
Yes, pirates.
Really, they are in a very bad way down there....
Europe Scrambles to Rescue Banks
Will even socialist economies refuse to bite the bullet that America just swallowed?
Palin's words may backfire on McCain
She's being careless again. Surprise, surprise.
And last, but not least...
Developed countries push back vs. pirates
Yes, pirates.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
The island life
...is the life for me. I'm obsessed right now! Maybe it's the advent of fall and cold weather here in Boston, but I just want to go to the Caribbean or Hawaii and sink my toes in the sand or do some snuba.
I hate the weekend news cycle. Even when stuff is happening nobody reports on it!
I hate the weekend news cycle. Even when stuff is happening nobody reports on it!
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