Quitting

So I'm thinking about not writing this anymore. I've basically lost the desire to do it. I dunno, we'll see. But don't be surprised if there aren't any new posts from me.

Not that anyone actually reads this to miss me.

Vatican admits homosexuality not a choice

Yesterday the Vatican announced that it intends to bar from the seminary men who "support the so-called gay culture" or have "deeply rooted gay tendencies."

Now, that they are doing this isn't really the issue here. They are a religion and are free to do as they please.

This is what gets me:
Many people argue that being homosexual is a choice. So, in that it is a choice, you can choose not to be gay, or have gay tendencies.
However, by saying that someone has "deeply rooted gay tendencies", and they cannot take a vow of celibacy (thereby swearing off any homosexual lifestyle by default) you are basically arguing that they are gay and can't do anything about it, not even by taking a vow of celibacy.

I dunno, it seems a little silly to me. Someone is willing to take the vow of celebacy and devote his life to God and the church is going to tell him no because of something that the church thinks is a choice anyway. I guess I just don't really get it.

Thought Control?

Reason number...I don't even know...why I would NEVER let my children go to school in Kansas.

http://www.classkc.org/

torn

So I'm torn. Of course I want A&M to win today (note that wanting, and thinking might happen are two different things), but I don't want A&M to ruin UTs national championship hopes. Hmmm...So I guess I want it to be a good showing by A&M (which so far it has been), and for UT to win by a squeaker.
Cause really, if we lose we don't get to go to a bowl, but if we win, we get to go to a crappy bowl that we don't want to be at anyway.
So yeah, texas win, but just barely.

Go Aggies! :)

casting stones from a glass house?

Doesn't anybody see the irony in the fact that we condem other countries for torturing and yet we have secret torture prisons all over the world?
Cause I do.

educated/liberal

So I've seen many studies that show that the more educated you are, the more liberal you tend to be. It's completely obvious from my experience that there is definately a correlation between the two.
Danny and I were talking a while ago, though. The question is, is it because you are more educated that you are more liberal, or the other way around. I just don't know because both make sense.

1. You are more liberal because you are more educated. This is what I was leaning towards because it fits me. As I got more educated I've gotten more and more liberal. Education opens your eyes to the world. It has taught me to question the status quo and that I don't need to be afraid of things that are different.

2. You are more educated because you are more liberal. This is the one Danny sortof leans towards. Which it makes sense too. Liberals tend to want to know more about the world. Conservatives tend to have the political attitude of this is how we do it, screw the other guys. So there is a lack of desire there to learn about the other guys.

So I don't know, I can see both sides. I wish there were more studies done on this. I think it's really interesting.

Firing Line

There were some really good firing line from the Daily Texan today.
My favorite statement from "Let them get married":

Maybe you should ask yourself the same question: Why do you care if gays want to get married? It would never even effect you, now would it? ~ Mike Harris

Also from "Here's the plan":

If your marriage is threatened by gay marriage, then your marriage is probably a mistake. If you think God is threatened by gay marriage and it makes him feel shameful and like lashing out, I suggest you find a stronger being to praise. Truly brave people stand up to a tyrant unless their need to be told what to do is stronger than their need for justice. ~ Ben Chorush

Talking Heads

So today in class we talked about talking heads, and the media giving equal time to opposite views. This is generally the practice on many of the 24 hour news channel shows: Crossfire, Anderson Cooper, etc.

Sure give both sides some time to share their point. I see the idea, but is that always what should be done? I say probably not. Let's take global warming as an example.

The scientific community is pretty much in agreement about global warming and what is going on. Sure, you have a few people who hold out, but they are way off base with the rest of the research and the scientists. So what happens? A news show wants to talk about global warming so they get one scientist that's agrees it's happening and one that doesn't. But here's the problem. That one scientist who thinks it's not happening represents an extremely small fraction of the scientific community, while the other scientist is representing the majority. But the viewer doesn't see this. The viewer comes away thinking it's 50/50, and is more easily confused about the subject. Not good. Because of the way the media has portrayed this it comes across as there being a debate about the subject when really there is no debate at all.

We see this same thing with health effects of smoking and evolution.

Here's to you Mr. Robertson

Oh Pat Robertson, you have infinite wisdom.

"I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city," Robertson said on his daily television show broadcast from Virginia, "The 700 Club."

"And don't wonder why He hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I'm not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that's the case, don't ask for His help because he might not be there," he said.

It's good to know we have such a vengeful God and not, say, one that would send his only son to save us from our sins. Nope, instead we have one that hopes we burn in the fiery pits of hell all because we think science should be taught in science classes and religion should be left to church.
Yep...these evangelicals just really don't believe in the new testement at all. (obvious from their lack of following of Christ's teachings: care for the poor, the elderly, forgiveness, etc.). So what I'm wondering, is if they don't actually believe in the God of the new testement, why do they call themselvs Christian, shouldn't they be called something else since Christian is derived from the word 'Christ'?
Oh, and lets not forget that for hundreds of years people have voted to keep church seperate from state, and I think it could be argued that God has still been there for many of these people. So what I'm wondering is where exactly does Mr. Robertson get his information?

Power?

WHY does UT have to have power plants right in the middle of campus. And WHY does my office have to be right next to one of them? Right now I can't even hear myself think because of something going on at the power plant. And it's not like I can be like 'hey! keep it quiet over there, I'm trying to work on my computer...that uses your power...oh...' :( I can't even tell you how much this sucks.

Sadness

The side of the issue that most people fail (or just don't care) to see.




From the Daily Texan.

Ashamed

I must say that I am ashamed to be a Texan right now. Proposition 2 passed with about 74% of the vote. I am ashamed that that many Texans are so wrapped up with themselves and their own religion and how gay marriage could possibly affect them and their God that they don't even care about their fellow human beings. Gay marriage was already outlawed, but no, that wasn't enough. We had to write discrimination and hatred into our constitution. I guess that's the Texas way, though.

I can't wait until 30 years from now. This will become a non-issue and we will look back on this much like we look back on the 60's. I have no doubt in my mind.

Note: At least Travis county voted against the amendment 60% to 40%.

Kansas, Intellegently Designed?

The reason why I will NEVER live in Kansas and especially never allow my children to attend school in Kansas.

In addition, the board rewrote the definition of science, so that it is no longer limited to the search for natural explanations of phenomena.

I'm not sure what they mean by "natural explanations of phenomena." But my guess it that they're trying to say that the definition of science can include using faith as an explanation for things. Science is testing things using the scientific method. You cannot test the truth of faith or the existence of a God. This makes it religion. NOT SCIENCE! Freaking A, believe whatever you want, but keep it out of the classroom for pete's sake.

Scary

It's been obvious that something like this has been going on for a long time. It's too bad the patriot act makes it so easy for our president to gain information on political enemies.

Spurred by paranoia and aided by the USA Patriot Act, the Bush Administration has compiled dossiers on more than 10,000 Americans it considers political enemies and uses those files to wage war on those who disagree with its policies.

The computerized files include intimate personal details on members of Congress; high-ranking local, state and federal officials; prominent media figures and ordinary citizens who may, at one time or another, spoken out against the President or Administration.

Rove started the list while Bush served as governor of Texas, compiling information on various political enemies in the state and leaking damaging information on opponents to friends in the press. The list grew during Bush’s first run for President in 2000 but the names multiplied rapidly after the terrorist attacks of 2001 and passage of the USA Patriot Act. Using the powers under the act, Rove expanded the list to more than 10,000 names, utilizing the FBI’s “national security letters” to gather private and intimate details on American citizens.

But worried White House insiders say the intelligence gathered by the Bush administration is far larger, more extensive and potentially more damaging than the excesses of previous occupants of the White House. Even worse, it dovetails into a pattern of spying on Americans that has become commonplace since Bush took office.

“We’re talking about Big Brother at its most extreme,” says one White House staffer. “We know things about people that their spouses don’t know and, if it becomes politically expedient, we will make sure the rest of the world knows.”

What makes this worse than them just gathering information on people is the way it's used. This administration has ALWAYS attacked the person insteady of the issues. It would be practically impossible for them to win on the issues, so instead of trying that, they try attacking their "enemies" personally. They did this with John McCain in 2000 as anybody who knows anything about the republican primary knows.

Ed Helms reports

Better watch out, gay marriage is definately causing a downturn in society in massachusettes:

"The statistics are clear cut. Now that gay marriage is legal Massachusettes ranks dead last in illiteracy; 48th in per capita poverty; and a pathetic 49th in total divorces.

We better stop this! (Note that Massachusettes, one of the most liberal states in the country, has one of the best quality of life. Related? Impossible! Liberals suck and just want to take your hard earned money away and then spend it on stupid wars and highways to no where...oh wait...)

Oil

Okay, so this is something we've been talking alot about in our class and I've learned alot of surprising things, and I figure most people have no idea about any of this stuff so I thought I'd write about it.

According to an estimate by the United States Geological Survey we have between about 1.5 and 3 trillion barrels of petroleum left in the world. This includes potential sources and known sources that haven't been drilled because of economic reasons.
Now, the average world citizen uses 4.5 barrels of petroleum a year. So at current consumption and current population (~6 billion) we can figure that the world's petroleum will last us another 111 years. However, at the current population growth rate (1.3%) we expect the population to double in the next 50 years or so. At this growth rate we expect the petroleum to only last us another 50 or so years.
Frankly this is big news. This means that in our lifetime we will have exhausted all the petroleum in the world.

Now lets look at the Alaskan wildlife refuge. They expect that it contains about 9 billion barrels of oil. Sounds like alot right? Well, we can assume that if drilled this oil will only be used for americans. So the average american uses 25 barrels of oil per year (note that this is more than 5 times the average world citizen), and there are about 300 million americans. So that means that if we swore off all other oil then we would have enough oil to last us 1.2 years.
Now I have heard the argument that the amount of oil produced per day is limited by the size of the pipeline, so factoring that in the oil will last us 200 years. But here's the rebuttel to that. Let's pump the oil through a line of drinking straws. Then it will last us thousands of years. Point is this argument is stupid. There is a finite amount of oil in there, and putting it into the number of years it would last us is simply a way for people to visualize how much oil is available.
So the real question is this, is it worth it? Is it worth drilling in a refuge for one years worth of oil? Especially when we could easily save this amount of oil if people would stop driving their SUV's and if we could get congress to improve higher CAFE standards. Even if people kept on with their SUV's we could save this simply by everyone filling up the air in their tires. It's not alot of oil and frankly I think we should be focusing on the larger problem of oil shortage than simply putting a bandaid on the problem by drilling.

This is a crisis we are headed towards in our lifetime. If we keep on like we are then there are big problems to come when we hit what's referred to as "peak oil". So here's the deal with peak oil. As our population increases we will increase the amount of oil we use. We are currently producing petroleum that keeps up with this rate. But, we will eventually reach a point when we are producing the maximum amount of petroleum we can and after that it's going to start tapering off. Well, the population is still going to be growing and therefore consumption increasing, but production will be decreasing. So we will reach an oil crisis where production can't keep up with consumption. Now if we haven't already invested in new energy sources we are basically screwed. The USGS expects us to reach peak oil anywhere from 10 to 30 years from now, but the thing is there is noway to really tell when we are going to reach this point.

Anyway, I've blubbered on about this enough for now. I just think this is a really important point that we need to start pushing our government to do something about. Letting the car lobbies get by with making congress vote down the higher CAFE standards just isn't acceptable. (BTW, the most recent vote that failed was to increase fuel effeciency from about 26mpg to about 33 mpg, not a huge increase).
Okay, that's all for now. More to come later, I'm sure.

My Favorites

My favorite t-shirts I've found. Now just to decide which ones to get.

"Of course it hurts. You're getting screwed by an elephant."

"If you voted for Bush, a yellow ribbon won't make up for it."

"Poverty, Healthcare, and Homelessness are moral issues."

"At least in Vietnam, Bush had an exit strategy."

"My dog is smarter than your president."

"Intelligent Design: Holy smokescreen!"

"Religious Fundamentalism: A threat abroad, a threat at home."

"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism - Thomas Jefferson"

"Evolution is just a theory. Just like, um, Gravity..."

"Land grabbers do it by eminent domain."

"I'd rather have a president who screwed his intern than one who screwed his country."

"Who Would Jesus Bomb?"

"If you support Bush's war, what are you still doing here? Suit up and ship out, soldier!"

"If Jeb runs, I'm moving to a country who's dictators come from a smarter family."

"You voted for W, so SHUT UP about the gas prices." - one of my favorites

"FACT: Bush Oil: 1999 - $19 barrell, 2005 $70 barrell"

"Jesus was a social activist liberal."

"If Bush is a Christian, then I'm the virign Mary."

"Keep your theocracy of my democracy."

"Pro-choice does not mean pro-abortion."

"To announce...no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is no only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American people. - Teddy Roosevelt"

"Unemployed but safe from gay marriage!"

"Don't allow yourself to become so moral that you forget what it is to be Christian. Embrace Christ, not hate."

"When Jesus said love your enemies, I'm pretty sure he meant don't kill them!"

""

The "Theory" of Gravity

Holy cow I came across this and it's GREAT!

Democrats Standing Up

I am proud, I really like that Harry Reid. He's got some balls.

While it is obvious the Republicans don't want to get to the bottom of what happened in the lead up to the war (because all arrows point to fraud on the R's part), the democrats do. One of the most important decisions a president can make is to send his country to war. And we now know that we were knowingly given false information and that the administration tried to silence any critics of the war (through any means necessary). We, as a democracy, have a trust in our elected officials. We were misled into supporting a war through made up intellegence.
Part of the reason we have 3 branches of government is because of checks and balances. Thus far the senate has done nothing to "check" on the administration.
Well, today Harry Reid led the senate into a closed session to investigate the run up to the war.

"They have repeatedly chosen to protect the Republican administration rather than get to the bottom of what happened and why," Democratic leader Harry Reid said.

"The Libby indictment provides a window into what this is really all about, how this administration manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq and attempted to destroy those who dared to challenge its actions," Reid said before invoking Senate rules that led to the closed session.

Unfortunately we have moved into a political climate that doesn't allow for questioning of your leaders. If you question this administration you are either labeled "unpatriotic", simply a "bush hater" or "clinton lover". You're not allowed to disagree without it being personal. We have completely lost the spirit of compromise (as obvious from the recent SCOTUS nominations). The media has turned into a machine of Republican talking points (no really, watch the news and you will get the exact same points on every station and they can all be traced back to the republican party) - as demonstrated by the attacks on democrats saying that they are against Alito because they are against Italian-Americans (which, of course, is absurd because it is the Republicans that are the party of discrimination). The American people have no independent sources of information any more and nobody is listening to eachother, and frankly, I blame Mr. Bush. After all, Rove invented the political climate we are currently living in - win at any cost.

Anonymous comments

Anonymous comments are gone. I find them extremely rude, and I don't really like them. You know who I am, I have a right to know who you are.
So, you can still comment, and I encourage it, but you'll have to register with Blogger first.
Sorry.

Withdrawn

Well, it looks like Harriet Miers withdrew herself. No big surprise there. I gotta say I'm pretty pissed off at the way democrats are handling themselves during all this, but I don't have time to write about it now. Hopefully later.

Proposition 2

Turns out that the proposition that is framed to "defend" marriage in Texas could actually end the union completely. (I can't help but be amused) Here's how it's worded:

a) Marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman.
b) This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage.

Part b is what gets me. It is not qualified to apply to only marriage between homosexuals. HAHAHA...

I'm not even going to go into the ridiculesness of this debate. There is NO reason why two people who love eachother shouldn't be alowed to commit themselves to eachother. And just because you think homosexuality is wrong, that's your religious belief, and it's not up to you to legeslate that belief onto me. Thank you.
Besides, what's really hurting marriage? Two people who love eachother wanting to commit themselves to eachother, or divorce? While we're at it why aren't we fighting to make divorce illegal? The Bible says that's wrong, too. Oh wait, but that's not "creepy". I forgot. I think that anyone who fights against gay marriage but not divorce is a hypocrite. Tell me why you're not.

Found it

Well, I've found Jeff Schultz education background.

You ready?

He has a B.S. in Atmospheric Sciences from Cornell. Yep, that's it a B.S.

The Secret Lives of Meteorologists

(According to the Texas Travesty)

Meteorologists...
- turn their nose up at fortune tellers
- have gesture-offs with game-show prize presenters
- select their favorite restaurants "for the atmosphere"
- burn upon entering the stratosphere
- make bad long-term boyfriends when compared to climatologists
- try to yell out "NOW!" right as the lightning flashed
- have to get coffee for the news interns
- don't do autographs, small fry
- like to use their hands
- don't know the color code system either
- advise against rocking anything "like a hurricane," preferring that you evacuate coastal areas or seek higher ground in case of flooding
- go into excessive explanations of approaching cold fronts when someone says it's nice outside
- BitTorrent the Weather Channel
- call out hurricane names when they bang their wives
- wish the anchor would wipe that fucking smile off his face
- don't front
- left college early because of all the pressure
- dot their i's with tiny clouds

Iraq

The death toll for American Soldiers in Iraq has reached 2000. As I've been saying that's 2000 too many. My God bless them.


How many funerals has Bush attended?
0

Jeff Schultz - "Climatologist"

Proof that this guy is a quack:

Bill O'Reilly is talking about global warming and hurricanes and he throws the tsunami in there more than once. Let's get this straight, the tsunami is caused by an earthquake which is caused by plate techtonics which has absolutely nothing to do with global warming. If this guy wasn't a quack he would have corrected Bill O'Reilly in this fact.

Either way some of what he says is true, but he's ignoring the fact that aside from these natural variations we are screwing with our planet. Global warming is helping to melt the polar ice caps which will in turn slow down the conveyor belt which will result in cooling in Europe. The question is how much and how fast.
Anwyay, that's a tangent, not on point. So I think this guy is a hack. I can't find any information on his education, though I'm still looking. I looked at the Journal of Climate back through 1995 and he doesn't have a single paper in there. (If he's doing anything of merit, he should have a paper in there). He works for a weather consulting firm that does 90% of it's press on Fox News. So anyway, so far this guy has nothing going for him and I think he's an idiot.

Volunteer

So I'm looking for some volunteer oppertunities in Austin. My ideal one would be tutoring kids in math and science.

I've been wanting to do something like this for a long time, but I'm a chicken, so I've never done anything about it. But I've decided that I"m going to get over it, and help some kids learn.

Anyway, if you know of any programs, please let me know.

John Edwards

I just got the opportunity to hear Senator John Edwards speak and all I can say is wow. I knew I liked that guy, but wow.
You just don't hear politicians talk like that anymore. He came in with ideas on how to fight poverty, and is touring college campuses across the nation hoping to start a grass roots movement. I like what he says he's started at Eastern North Carolina University (?) Basically what he says to the low-income high school kids is that if they are qualified to go to college, and they stay out of trouble, and commit to working at least 10 hours a week on campus or off, they can go to school the first year tuition free and books paid.

The republicans of late have been working hard to destroy our higher education system and it's availability to the middle and lower classes. Thanks to Bush's tax cuts they have recently decreased the amount of financial aid available, and like it or not, that isn't going to affect the lower class, that's going to directly affect the middle class.
Also in Texas we have tuition deregulation now which is causing tuition to sky-rocket. That is thanks to Texas Republicans as well.

I like that John Edwards acknowledges where he comes from. So many people think that if you work hard you will succeed and if you don't you won't. While partly true, that's not really the case. Let's take a look at myself shall we?
I went to public school growing up, my mom surely couldn't afford private school. Then I went to a public university, paid for by student loans, compliments of the government. Without those loans I would definately have not been able to go to college. Same for graduate school. So I lucked out in that I had good, supportive teachers growing up, and that the government was there to help me along the way.

So anyway, lots of kids in this country don't have even these most basic opportunities available to them. While they probably go to school, it's probably not a very good school. Their parents are working more than one job just to survive and can't afford to send them to a better school. They grow up with a sub-par education and don't even consider college to be an option. So this is what John Edwards is hoping to work against.

This has me thinking alot about what I'm doing here. I know I'm not completely happy doing what I'm doing, and this has me considering why. I have always been concerned about other people (hello, that's why I'm a democrat), but right now I'm not doing anything to help anybody. If I end up with my PhD I'll just be doing research on climate change, la di dah. I want to make a difference in someone's life.

So yeah, I've been rambling, so I should get back to work.

Welcome to the table

It looks like Colin Powell's "right-hand man" is coming out against the Administration.

What I saw was a cabal between the vice president of the United States, Richard Cheney, and the secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld," he said. By cutting out the bureaucracy that had to carry out those decisions, "we have courted disaster in Iraq, in North Korea, in Iran, and generally with regard to domestic crises like Katrina." If there is a nuclear terrorist attack or a major pandemic, Wilkerson continued, "you are going to see the ineptitude of this government in a way that'll take you back to the Declaration of Independence."

The colonel said his old boss is not pleased with his decision to go public with his criticism. Powell, he said, "is the world's most loyal soldier." Wilkerson said he admired that, but he took a different view of loyalty: not to the administration, but to the country.

Way to go Colonel Wilkerson, It's about time people start telling the truth about what the Bush administration has done to our country.

Speeches

Finally! We know who's the genius behind Bush's speeches.

http://gprime.net/video.php/presidentialspeechalist

Climate Mash

Check it out!

http://www.climatemash.org/

Scatology?

"No more public scatology."

A note from Govorner George W. Bush to Harriet Miers, Supreme Court Justice nominee.

Main Entry: sca·tol·o·gy
Pronunciation: ska-'tä-l&-jE, sk&-
Function: noun
Etymology: Greek skat-, skOr excrement; akin to Old English scearn dung, Latin muscerdae mouse droppings
1 : interest in or treatment of obscene matters especially in literature
2 : the biologically oriented study of excrement (as for taxonomic purposes or for the determination of diet)


Interesting...you think he knew what that big word meant before he wrote it?

Capitalists make bad Christians

Okay, so I don't write very well, so I really like it when I come across an article that says what I've been trying to say. So here's my deal. I think that Americans have a really screwed up idea of what makes a good Christian. Americans think that you are a good Christian if you hate gay people, hate people on welfare, hate abortions. It's all about hating things. Jesus' teachings were about loving, and caring for those in need. How many Christians do you know live those ideals?

This article was printed in the Daily Texan. I'm going to post the parts of it I especially liked, but I recommend reading it all.

Near the end of his life, Karl Marx famously lamented, "I am not a Marxist." His words reflected a frustration with individuals and societies he thought had distorted the true message of his writings.
If Jesus returned to Earth today and found himself in America, would he say, "I am not a Christian?"

I have to say, I think that he most definately would

Would he look upon mega-churches, television stations and millionaire preachers and see his essence reflected? Would he rather visit an anti-gay rally or a homeless shelter?

Americans seem to be neglecting the lessons of their savior. In the United States, 18 percent of children live in poverty. Only 8 percent of children in Sweden, whose population is largely nonreligious, are poverty stricken. Ideas such as privatizing Social Security, eliminating welfare and a disdain for public health care are hard to justify from a Christian perspective. If church leaders spent more time inspiring volunteer service and charity in their congregations, and less time blaming others for the ills of society, the United States would be a far better nation. How can individuals call themselves Christian but not make great strides to help those in need?

I especially like how he talks about church leaders spending more time inspiring volunteer service. So much religion, especially here in the Bible belt, is focused on hate. Is that what it's really supposed to be about?

As written in Leviticus, his message is clear: "Love thy neighbor as thyself." To be a Christian, compassion must remain a central tenet of one's belief. Even the most cursory examination of scripture will reveal this, while more thorough readings reaffirm the same underlying principal.

Thank you Ian Greenleigh.

Holy Rusted the other Republican Leader might be in shit too!!!!!!

This might just be the best day of my life. No, not because all these republicans are scumbags, but because it's finally coming out that they are scumbags. Exactly what I've been saying all along.

Turns out that conveniently Mr. Bill "cat-killer" Frist made somewhere between $2 and $6 million by selling his HCA holdings just before the stocks plummeted due to a bad earnings report.

Let's compare this to Martha, shall we. She made a mere $50,000 off her insider trading.

Holy Crap

I never thought it would happen, but Tom DeLay has been indicted!

A Travis County grand jury today indicted U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on one count of criminal conspiracy, jeopardizing the Sugar Land Republican's leadership role as the second most powerful Texan in Washington, D.C.

The charge, a state jail felony punishable by up to two years incarceration, stems from his role with his political committee, Texans for a Republican Majority, a now-defunct organization that already had been indicted on charges of illegally using corporate money during the 2002 legislative elections.

School

I'm thinking of not staying at UT. I'm not sure my heart's in it. I'm looking for other things I can do. Any suggestions?

WOW

Wow...that's all.

Evolution Schmevolution

Okay, so I've been in the Geology department for a couple weeks now. I have to say, I think I like it. I am surprised at the difference between this and atmospheric sciences.

In atmospheric sciences people could cling to whatever beliefs of the world they have, pretty much. Anything having to do with the past doesn't have an impact on the weather tomorrow unless you're studying climate or something.

But here, people actually laugh at people who think the world is younger than 4.5 billion years as well as people who think evolution is a load of crap. The world we live in today is so crazy. People who don't agree with science try to make it look like the scientists are debating it. But let me tell you, there is no debate. (Yes, there are debates on the specifics, but as far as evolution as a whole goes, it is widely accepted in the scientific community)

I love the class I'm teaching because one of the main points the professor is trying to get across is the difference between science, nonscience, and nonsense. So basically he's trying to show them what goes into coming up with a scientific theory, and how other ideas such as intellegent design aren't actually science.

And as one last disclaimer, I'm not attacking religion here. I, for one, don't believe that evolution and creationism are necessarily mutually exclusive. Something could have still been created in the beginning, and then evolved. Although I will say that evolution does make it so that genisis can't be taken literally, at all. But yeah, I'm gonna go with science over blind faith any day.

America's Battered Wife Syndrome

There are so many funny people in the world. I really wish I was one of them.
*sigh*
But seriously, this article is so true...

href="href="http://12thharmonic.com/wordpress/index.php/2005/09/07/americas-battered-wife-syndrome/">America's Battered Wife Syndrome

Kids say the darndest things...

"What I'm hearing which is sort of scary is that they all want to stay in Texas. Everybody is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway so this (chuckle) – this is working very well for them." –Former First Lady Barbara Bush, on the Hurricane flood evacuees in the Houston Astrodome, Sept. 5, 2005 (Source)

Update

Well, I've been really busy and haven't posted in a while. I'm still really busy and don't have too much time to post.
Danny and I got married. The wedding went well. A few glitches, but overall I think people enjoyed themselves. Our honeymoon was great. We're now back in Austin. We're working on setting up our house, and I've started school at UT. Overall things are pretty good right now. Just extremely busy.
Okay, back to work though, just wanted to post to say I'm alive. :)

Stressed out

FYI, I highly reccommend, not trying to move and get married all at the same time. Or at least move to a different city than where the wedding is. :-/

Going Home

Well, Danny has left New York and is on his way home. I'm very excited. I'm still in Austin. I've done lots of painting and trying to get the hosue ready to move in. Tuesday is when all of my furniature is getting moved here. *sigh* That's all I know for now.
Think of Danny on his drive home that he makes it safely.

15 more days!

Independent Thinker?

So the other day I was talking with people about Kinky for govornor. I mentioned that I wasn't going to vote for him because I've done research and I think he's a nutjob. He implied that because I wouldn't vote for him I wasn't an independent thinker and I was incapable of voting for anyone that wasn't a democrat. (Let me note that this guy knew nothing about Kinky or any of his ideas) Now this just made me laugh. Because let me say that I take each candidate for what they are. I don't give a shit about the letter next to their name. What I care about is that they are HONEST, sincere, generally care about their constituents, and have the same ideals as me. (Treat people as I would want to be treated). That's all. They can be republican, democrat, independent, it doesn't matter to me. (in fact, I'd pretty much prefer that they weren't associated with a party, I don't want them to be forced to pander to anybody besides their constituents) This is in contrast to many people I know who only vote for people with that R next to their name and won't even investigate the democratic candidate. They just take the word of the republicans about the democrats, or make assumptions about democrats. Most of them don't even understand what it means to be a liberal or progressive. (Yes, I know this happens on the other side, I just don't know anybody like that, and the majority of people I know are the other way).

Bullshit

Well, it turns out Bush went behind Congress's back and appointed Bolton. Can't say I'm really surprised. He is such an arrogant ass hole that is exactly his style. If he had just turned over the documents that Congress had been asking for, and if they didnt' say what we all suspect they say (that Bolton sucks and is a horrible person for this job) then he would get approved by the Senate without a problem. But no, this is the administration's way. Hide information from the public, and then make it look like they're the ones that are being victimized. I'm so tired of it. They did the same thing with the Valerie Plame/Wilson. They were saying that they released Plame's name because they were trying to discredit Wilson and his findings. Well, if Wilson's findings were so absurd, why didn't they just discredit them? Because they weren't absurd, and they went against the administration's longtime goal of invading Iraq. Bullshit.

Missing

Well, my cousin Chip has been missing since saturday night. He lives in a group home in Illinois and he had gone out to a bar next to the home. Some people had seen him on their way home and asked him if he needed a ride, but he said he'd walk home in a little while.
So yeah, no sign of him since. He was supposed to go to his Dad's for dinner last night, which he loves to do, but he never showed up. So we don't know what happened, but everyone is very worried. So please be thinking of him and especially his Dad, Ginger and his brother and sister.

UPDATE: They found him. Turns out he had decided to go off and have himself some fun and not tell anybody. Lets just say that he's in trouble is an understatement.

Readin

So I finally got my reading list how I wanted it. I started it over a week ago and never finished it. But now it is.

countdown

So in the AM, there's some sort of bug in my countdown, and it's always off by 10 days. That's really frustrating, but I don't feel like looking for the bug. So I decided to blog about it instead.

Me and Religion

Okay, so I've been harping on Evangelicals lately. Here's why. I have never met an evangelical that I like. I've never met an evangelical who's faith I respect. I've never met an evangelical who I think is a better person because of their beliefs. Now again, that's my personal experience. But being in the Bible belt, I've met my share of evangelicals. That being said, I know many Catholics, Jews, and Protestants whom I do respect, and think that religion is doing a good thing for them.

Also, someone in a comment mentioned me questioning my own beliefs. Let me say that I am more than willing to examine and question my beliefs. For example, if someone was able to offer real proof to me that their religion was correct (while not relying on the Bible), I would be more than willing to examine that religion and follow it's teachings, and try to spread it's teachings. The thing is, so far, I have no reason to believe on specific religion is more right than another. That's why I refuse to get caught up in the "my religion is right, you're going to hell" game. Contrary to popular beliefs, I am not an athiest. That would require me to adhere to something that I've already said I don't know about. If I was forced to call myself something, it would be agnostic. Which many people equate with athiesm, but it isn't at all. Agnostics admit that they don't know if there's a God or not. Religion is something that I'm not willing to judge someone else by, unless I think that it makes them a worse person.

All that being said, I do think religion can have alot to offer many people. I think it's something that everyone should consider and examine. For myself, I derive my morality from inside myself. I don't need a book or anything else to tell me what I think is right or wrong. Some people need that guidance. Finally, I think that religion does have more to offer than just that. I do plan on "shopping" churches once I move to Austin. First on my list is Unitarian, second is Methodist.

Okay, this was alot of ramblings.

I think Christians are ruining the country

Haha. I love learning new things about myself. This is the newest thing I've learned. I think Christians are ruining the country. I love it when people who have never had a real conversation with me about my beliefs assume they know what I think. My beliefs are extremely complex and are based on all of my life experiences. No one sentence will ever sum them up. Well, except maybe "Damn Liberal" :)
Let me just say, I love Christians. I think Christianity has a lot to offer and can teach people great things. Now that I've said that, I'll say that the majority of Evangelical Christians (southern babtists, Bible church goers) that I've met aren't nice. They don't follow what I believe to be real Christianity (the following of Christ's teachings). I think most evangelicals (that I've met) simply blindly follow what their preachers tell them. Which are generally crazy rantings about abortion, war, and subservient women.
There's nothing I respect more than a person who has really questioned their faith, and still believes. If they can answer the tough questions, then I respect them. Most people I've met, though, can't actually answer the tough questions and simply hide behind what their ministers/preachers tell them to believe.
Anyway, I need to go to bed. I might talk about this more tomorrow. We'll see if I'm in the mood.

30 Days

I love this show. It's done by the Super-Size Me guy, Morgan Spurlock. It's a great show where Morgan gets people to challenge their beliefs and prejiduces.

In one show Muslim and America. A white, christina guy from West Virginia goes to live with a Muslim family. During his 30 days he gets to know the Muslim faith and what the belive and stand for. He talks with Muslim religious leaders and befriends his host family.

The one that really sealed the deal for me, though, was the one I saw last night, Gay/Straight. In this one, a "God-fearing 24-year old conservative homophobe" from rural Michigan was sent to live in San Francisco's Castro district that is known as being one of the gayest areas of the country. While there he joined a gay sports team, worked a job which caters to gay clientele, attends gay-friendly church services, and has a gay roomate. Through all of this he sticks with his idea that being gay according to the Bible is wrong. That is until day 28. That's when he starts to realize that these people aren't just gay. They are daughters and sons, sisters and brothers, friends. They are the same as him.
It was great to see his change. It was frustrating to see him stick by these specific Bible passages even as he ignored specific other ones when it came to him. (killing is a sin, he's in the military and thinks it's okay to kill for your country, etc.)
Throughout the whole thing he was adament that he doesn't think gays should be allowed in the military. Then at the end he realizes that he wouldn't mind having his roomate in his unit. So that's his real turning point I think where he starts to realize that these people aren't evil, and they're not any different than you and me.

Oh, I just love it! I wish everyone had to really examine their views like this. It's alot harder to stick by your hurtful ideas when you're personally involved and you have to tell your friend or family that you don't think they deserve to be happy or have the same things in life as you. (Although I know a few people who don't have a problem with this, but hopefully they're the exception, crazy evangelical Christians, and not the rule)

Take that Biatches...

Finally people are coming out and telling the truth about DeLay and his fundraising tactics.

In court documents, Westar Energy of Kansas says that to meet with Mr. DeLay in 2002, company officials "were told they needed to write a check for $25,000" to Texans for a Republican Majority, known as TRMPAC.

If you don't think that activities like this are a shot in the arm to democracy, and if you aren't outraged. Then there's a problem. We the people need to start standing up to these activities. Republican and Democratic. It's the only way that we're ever going to be represented instead of the companies being represented.

Step up Texas

I found a really awesome website today. It's called Step up Texas. It's a website that encourages discussion about democratic candidates in texas. It shows all potential candidates and you can endorse them or comment on them. I think it's a great idea and it's going to be a great forum to make sure that only the best democratic candidates run for office.
See, this is why I love the democratic party. There's so much involvement.

Differences between the Republican and Democratic Parties

I've been wanting to discuss this for quite a while now. I'm finally getting around to it. I have to preface this by saying that I'm going to relate party politics to blogs, and you're going to have to hear me out. Danny about called me stupid the other night, but by the time I was done with my argument, he understood. So read on.

Okay, so if we look at the top liberal and conservative blogs we find major differences. The top liberal blogs (dailykos, etc) are community based sites. Readers can not only read posts but they can put comments and even post their own diaries. Discussion is encouraged and ideas are exchanged.
Now looking at the top conservative blogs (powerline, etc) we see that no discussion is allowed. Most of them don't even let you comment. You read, you agree, that's it. No differing opinion, no discussion.

So this brings me to the parties. The Democratic party is dependent on the people. It has been very reliant in the past few years on grass roots efforts. Democrats are more critical of their leaders. They hold them accountable for every decision they make. There is almost as much negativity about democrats on the daily kos as there is about republicans. We want people who will represent us and what we stand for. This is why democrats are more likely to go over to third parties such as the green party.
The republican party is the party of big business. But more than that, they tell you what to believe. It's a top down system. The top says what you should think, and then the talking heads are disbursed to convince you why you should think that. The republican party is part of a huge machine that tells you what to think. Republicans aren't held accountable for their decisions. Conservatives more often stick to that one important issue and ignore every other decision their representative makes.

So this brings me to how do the democrats win. How do you beat the machine without building a machine yourself? I don't ever want there to actually be a vast left wing conspiracy, but I want to win. In my opinion, though, if we win by building a machine, we've actually lost. So what to do. I just don't know.

Supreme Court Judge

Okay, so I'm finally posting. I just wanted to make a point here. I was at a restaurant the other day that had fox news on (I know, why I was somewhere that would actually put on fox news is beyond me). But anyway, on fox news they said that the "religious" right (I put religious in quotes because these people are actually evil...more on that later) will push Bush to appoint an extremely conservative justice and the left will push for exactly the opposite.
Okay, so this is where I start laughing my ass off. ARE THEY STUPID?!?! (Yes, we already know that answer) Yes, the left might WANT the opposite, but given the president, they are not stupid. They are going to push for a moderate. Someone who's not extreme, and woin't legislate from the bench. The right keeps talking about "activist judges", but what they really want is an activist judge. They just want them to be activist and push their relgious views on the rest of the country.
There has been alot of talk about Gonzales which Focus on the Family is adamently against. I dont' think he's that bad (aside from his love affair with torture). I actually think he's as moderate as we're going to get, and I would be perfectly satisfied with him on the bench.
It'll be interesting to see how much power Dobson really has over Bush and how this all plays out. It's like a soap opera, really.

work, lily, lake, and more work...

As usual I have a ton of political stuff I want to blog about. But as usual, I don't have the time or the energy. So a personal post it is.

I only have 9 more days of work. Yay! That's very exciting. Then for a whole month, I can do whatever. It's gonna be great.

Lily got spayed last week. They said she was going to have her stitches in and have to wear an e-collar (cone) for 7 to 10 days. I took her in to the vet today and some of her stitches were coming out, so she has to wear her collar for 3 more days, and I've got to keep her in her kennel as much as possible. Poor baby. :( This weekend we're going to Austin, though, so that should be fun for her. Hopefully everything will be okay and they don't have to go in to sew her back up. Also, she's on antibiotics for 7 days. *sigh*

I went to the lake this weekend. It was tons of fun. I had a good time. I thought I was ready to get back to CS, but now that I'm back, I'm ready to get back to the lake.

I'm sick. It sucks. I should probably go ahead and get some work done so I can leave early today and get some rest. Later.

T-shirt

This is my new t-shirt I got. I love it and i'm wearing it today. :)

Away Message

So here's Dan's favorite away message I've ever written. I decided to save it here so I could have it forever and ever.

"Gone to bed...hopefully to not wake up until; 12:30 tomoor w whne i have my hari apointment...pelaese re ind me of my hair pooingmtnt..."

*sigh*
I don't think I can ever run for public office.

Thesis, loans, lake, and lily

I haven't posted in a while. I have a lot going on, and a lot I want to post about, but I just haven't had the time or energy to do it. I've been doing wedding stuff pretty much non-stop since I finished my thesis stuff. Today I submitted my 4th draft to the thesis office. This should be my last one. Let's just say that the A&M thesis office has a HUGE stick up their butt about formatting and stuff. I guess that's kinda good, though. So yeah, I told Ping there was no way for me to finishe a paper before I leave, but that I would really like to work on one.
Oh! Today's the last day of June, and the last day to consolodate student loans before the interest rates get hiked. I don't know whether I should or not, so I'm just not. The majority of my loans are subsidized, and I think I lose that if I consolidate. So I just don't know if it's worth it. I hear rumors of the R word, too. So who knows. Oh well, I guess I'll just risk it.
This weekend I'm going to the lake. I'm excited, it should be fun. I guess I should go buy some alcohol for it.
Yesterday I started working out again. It's fantastic. I haven't worked out in about 2 months, and I had started gaining back all this weight I had lost. So it's back to working out to hopefully get toned up again.
Lily got spayed on tuesay. She has to wear a cone on her head for a week! It's so sad, she keeps running into things. Here's a picture of her with her cone on her head. So sad....

My Letter to my Senators

According to the New York Times, presidential advisor Karl Rove recently said that liberals in this country want our troops to die.

As a liberal, I find this deeply offensive. I don't feel this is the sort of rhetoric our country needs during wartime, and I resent the idea that I want any of our troops to come to harm. In making such statements Mr. Rove is not only impugning my politics, he is degrading my basic humanity.

Although I do not support this war in Iraq, I do support our troops and I hope for all of them to have a safe journey home when their time comes. I also support our efforts in Afghanistan that we made after September 11, and I support our efforts to capture the terrorists responsible for that tragedy.

As a constituent of yours, I would like to know, Senator Hutchison, if you agree with Mr. Rove's statements. Does he speak for you?

Sincerely,

I am a MASTER

Okay, well I haven't had a whole lot of time to post lately. Last week, I defended my thesis, and I passed. This means that I am now a Master of Science. You hear that? A MASTER. Right.
So now I'm working on trying to get something publishable into a paper and planning my wedding. I've been doing alot more of the later than the former. But oh well.
I've realized that I'm not going to be in College Station for a single weekend until a wedding I have on the 30th of July. INSANE. That's alot of traveling.
The wedding planning is coming along. I spent all morning looking up fun songs I want the DJ to play. I'm working on addressing a zillion invitations. I had a shower a couple of weekends ago, and I have a shower this weekend. Getting presents is fun. :) Writing thank-you notes...not fun.
Other than that I'm not doing anything exciting. It's off to Dallas this weekend for Christina's wedding. That'll be fun. Then next weekend it's off to the lake for the 4th of July. That'll be fun, too. :) Then the weekend after that I'll FINALLY get to see Danny for the first time since early May. *Sigh*

Okay, since I'm supposed to be working, I guess I'll get on that.

Oh! I am looking for songs for the wedding ceremony, and bible verses. If anybody has any suggestions, feel free to comment!

Living Wage

Well, A&M is showing some heart and showing that they do care about their lowest-paid workers. They are raising the minimum wage from $6.57/hour to $7.77/hour. Hopefully this will help many families be able to afford the necessaties to live. It's not alot, but it is something which is more than they wanted to do originally. Baby steps.
Congratulations, Dr. Gates, for making the right decision and choosing to do something.
Congratulations to the Aggie Democrats and the many students who worked to make sure that the administration didn't just blow off these workers.

It's a good day to be an Aggie.

Save Players

UT is trying to bully their way into the land that Player's currently sits on. Click here to sign a petition to be sent to the UT administration and alumni association. This already has 1200 signatures to save the deliciousness that is players.

Please please please sign the petition to save players.

Defense

My seminar and defense are tomorrow.
I'm still putting my presentation together.
I'm starting to get sick.
I must keep telling myself that if nothing else, tomorrow this will be over.
25 hours 20 minutes left... :-/

Top Ten

Top Ten Ways Bush Can Regain His Popularity

10. Dip into Social Security fund to give every American free HBO.

9. Use diplomacy to bring peace to Brad, Jen, and Angelina.

8. Try fixing Iraq, creating some jobs, reducing the deficit and maybe capturing Osama.

7. Figure out a way for the Yankees to win a game.

6. Replace his"Country Simpleton" persona with more lovable "Hillbilly Idiot" Image.

5. Use Weekly Radio Address to give Americans a Van Halen two-fer.

4. Get Saddam to switch to boxers.

3. Ditch the Librarian and make Eva Longoria First Lady.

2. Resign.

1. Jump on Oprah's couch while professing his love for Katie Holmes.

More Fillibuster

This is the BEST take I've ever read on the fillibuster. Compliments to the Rude Pundit.

5/22/2005
Filibustering and Fielding:
Let's try this perspective on the judicial filibuster: If you're playin' softball - amateur hour softball, but league play - you're gonna know that the opposing team has some strengths and weaknesses. Maybe your opponent has one helluva a right fielder - motherfucker can leap like a gazelle to catch fly balls that oughta be out of the park. And an arm that can get you tagged out at home in a single throw. If you're a decent team, when you're at bat, you know: don't hit to right field. If you hit to right field, chances are you're gettin' sent back to the bench. And you don't need to be told every time you're up to bat not to hit to right field. You just know it.

So, using this hangover Sunday analogy, the filibuster has been there in the Senate rules, so maybe the threat of the judicial filibuster has always existed, and because of that the President would nominate judges that at least had a chance of overcoming that implicit threat. The "civility" was not, in fact, because of Senatorial deference to the President's nominees, but it was, instead, presidential understanding that the executive and legislative branches are equally powerful in our system of government. In other words, the civility was a product of a President who wanted to maintain civility. The President broke the deal, not the minority party.

And now, ignoring previous Republican holds and filibusters of nominees to the federal bench, the executive branch is so devoted to disempowering the other branches of government that George W. Bush (no doubt in collaboration with right wing Senataors) decided on judicial nominees that would lead to the filibusters, and thus provide an opportunity to fuck up the balance of powers permanently.

In other words, if the Republicans were the at-bat softball team, they'd try to change the rules of the game to say that there couldn't even be right fielders.
// posted by Rude One @ 1:31 PM

MSM

Okay, so I'm pissed at the media. John Kerry released his records yesterday and all they have to say about it is that his GPA at Yale was similar to GW's. Now, I'm not pissed that they're talking about that, that's fine, it's news. But what else is news?!?! The fact that the FUCKING swift boat vets were LYING through their teeth, and these records prove it. But no, the media has to pander to the right, so they won't talk about that. No sir. Damnitt, I'm trying to figure out how to cancel my subscription to CNN without losing the rest of my cable. I don't want to pay for this garbage.

Unbelievable

Well, it turns out Kerry finally released his military records. I'm pretty outraged he didn't do this during the election. I understand his feelings that the swift boat people were lying and he shouldn't have to pander to them. But come on, his records not only prove that they were lying, but they show that some of the same people who appeared in the ad actually commended him on his performance in vietnam.

What I don't understand is how one party can claim such moral high ground, yet be so willing to outright lie to deface the character of an opponent. But what really gets me is how anyone who has any moral character can vote for this, because when you do, you are giving them a stamp of approval. And don't feed me the line that democrats do the same thing (trust me, Rove has the monopoly on defacing opponents), because if they did, they would win alot more elections. But trust me, it would definately be without my vote.

You know you're a Republican when....

...Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

...trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is Communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

...A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

...Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

...the best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.

...providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism.

...global warming is junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

...being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.

...you're pro-life but support the death penalty.

...you're for prayer in schools, as long as you don't pray to Allah or Buddha.

Weather

Okay, so I'm currently being a weather geek, but this storm just came through and woke me up. And let me tell you, holy cow.
Here's what the radar looks like:


And the lightning reports (these are all the lightning flashes in the last 132 minutes):


That's what we call a storm...

Why abortion will not be made illegal.

Because Republicans need it. It's how they get elected. That and gay marriage, of course. But if they lost these two very important issues, people would have to consider other reasons to vote for them, and frankly, they are dying on every other issue.
The democrats are killing them on Social Security. The Republicans killed themselves over the Terry Schiavo dibacle. They're having major ethics issues. (not that people notice because they're still whining over Clinton lying about getting a BJ) They're just losing ground. Unfortunately people will keep voting for them because they think they'll help get abortion made illegal.
Now, I've already stated my opinion on what good making abortions illegal will do. But, unfortunately most people are unable to think about this issue rationally.
I know there will be other social issues to come about to force people to vote republican. Right now I can't think of anything as big as these two. We can't go back to hating minorities so I'm not sure who we'll hate next. (And don't try to tell me the gay marriage thing isn't about hate, because that's exactly what it is. Can we say 4/5 of a person?)

He voted against it so he could vote for it.

That sounds awefully familiar. But am I talking about John Kerry? No! I'm talking about the Republican Majority Leader, Mr. Bill "Cat Killer" Frist.

Seems that Bill Frist voted agaisnt the cloture vote on Bolton. See the way this works is that the issue can only be brought up again by someone on the WINNING side. So that means someone who voted "nay". So anyway, the point is he voted against it so he could vote for it.

Now I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this. It's standard procedure in the senate. (Although I'm quite sure if it was a democrat, you would think the world was falling and the republicans would be screaming) But anyway, my point is. That sometimes there are perfectly valid reasons for people to switch their vote. But the general American public is incapable of looking into those reasons. If only the democrats would stand up and scream "FLIP-FLOPPER!!!!" Then the world would be truely fair. But unfortunately, the democrats don't do crap like that. Why? Because they don't play as dirty as the republicans. *sigh* I wish they did, though. It's the only way they're ever going to win. It's most unfortunate. But the American public listens to and believes the soundbytes they hear. I was amazed at how many people told me Kerry was a flip-flopper but when I asked them a very simple question... "Why?" They had no answer. They couldn't even make anything up. They had NO idea why they were calling him a flip-flopper. I wish that people would stop watching the conservative media and make up their minds on their own. I'm quite sure that if people started thinking for themselves, the outcomes would be quite different.

Reid Statement

Harry Reid laid out the Democratic agenda to the National Press Club. Read on, I think you'll be impressed. I know I was. It's rather long, but I've posted the whole thing, because I think it's good. For those of you skimmers, I've bolded my favorite parts. I don't even have anything to add to this.

This has been an important week for America. The defeat of the nuclear option was not a victory for any party, but a victory for our Constitution and our country.

As we said from the beginning of this struggle, our fight wasn’t over some obscure rule of the Senate. It was a fight for Americans’ fundamental rights and against the abuse of power.

And I'm here today to say that fight has not ended. It is only beginning.

This week threatened to be one that would undermine our democratic traditions. Instead, it marks a moment when we can finally turn away from government by polarization…and build a government for the people.

Time and again, the American people have seen George Bush and the Republican leadership choose between their partisan interests and the people’s interest. And every time, they have chosen an ideological agenda over an American agenda.

When George Bush and the Republican leadership make their decisions, the whispered wishes of a few right wing activists drown out the pleas of America’s families.

But if the Washington Republicans stopped to listen to the American people, this is what they’d hear:

Americans are sick and tired of getting caught in the crossfire of partisan sniping.

Americans want us to put the common sense center ahead of nonsense .

Americans want us to bring people together, to focus on what we owe to one another, and the responsibilities we share.

And Americans want their agenda – their jobs, their health care, their security – to get back on the front burners of the nation’s agenda.

Americans are coming to realize this Republican Congress is out of touch with the real problems of working families and that the agenda the Republicans are advancing is at odds with what people in this country really care about.

We Democrats have something better to offer. A reform agenda that will cleanse Washington…give power to the people – not special interests…and make sure that everyday Americans and their concerns get back on the Congressional calendar.

Strengthening our national defense. Rebuilding our economy. Providing families with affordable health care. Making America energy independent. Securing our retirement. That’s our agenda. That’s America’s agenda. But the Republican Congress has put all this and more on hold. I hope that now we can finally turn to the people's business.

Six moths have passed since this Republican Congress began and here’s their record:

They spent precious days trying to overturn constitutional principles.

They tried to overturn the decisions of courts and duly elected legislatures in order to insert themselves into one family’s tragedy in Florida.

They all-but disbanded the House Ethics Committee in order to protect the Republican leader from scrutiny – but then were forced to reverse themselves under public pressure.

But perhaps the greatest abuse of power is to have the ability to help but choose to do nothing.

While gas prices have shot past $2 a gallon, this Republican Congress did nothing to lower prices and give families some relief.

At a time that parents are having to tell their children that the family can’t afford to send them to college, this Republican Congress rejected a proposal to make college more affordable.

And even though we have gone eight years without an increase in the minimum wage – the second longest period ever – this Republican Congress rejected an increase that would give the hardest working Americans the chance to provide for their families.

Whether it is rejecting Democratic initiatives to provide medical care to veterans or to return to fiscal responsibility, this Republican Congress’s record is clear: when it comes to answering the call of the far right, it’s “I’ll do it ASAP.” When it comes to doing the people’s business, it’s “take a message.”

Americans deserve a Congress that will use its power to advance American values not a Congress that abuses its power to advance the agenda of a radical few.

We need a common sense reform agenda for the common good. And that starts with defending our nation and making it more secure. As of this month, more time has passed since 9-11 than the time between Pearl Harbor and the defeat of Japan. During those three years and eight months – sixty years ago – we invaded North Africa and Normandy. We freed people from the Philippines to France. Hitler lay dead and Tojo was in chains. We had defeated fascism around the world and had begun to build the new United Nations.

But today Osama bin Laden is still on the loose, our homeland is still not secure, we’re still not energy independent, and – in many ways – Americans are less safe than we were before 9-11.

Democrats are the party of national security. And we have an agenda to defend America from danger. We stand for increasing our military strength by 40,000 troops so we can wage the War on Terror on every front. We stand for securing our borders and bridges, our seaports and airports, our nuclear and chemical plants. We stand for tracking down and securing the loose nuclear weapons that threaten our people. And we will honor our troops and their families by making sure they get the benefits they have earned.

Our common sense reform agenda will take our economy from sluggishness to prosperity. A prosperity where a rising tide lifts the boat of every American who is willing to work hard.

When it comes to the economy, the Washington Republicans offer the same old answers and then try to change the subject. But the growing trade deficit and a runaway national debt that puts us into hock to China and Japan show that this Administration and this Congress have lost control over America’s economic destiny.

Democrats stand ready to win back America’s prosperity. We’ll end the tax breaks that encourage companies to take jobs overseas. Restore fiscal responsibility. Spur innovation. Open the doors to college. And make work pay more than welfare.

And if we want our companies to be ready to compete in the world economy, we have to hold down health care costs. Today, Starbucks spends more on health care than on coffee. Today, GM spends more on health care than on steel. Today, we can’t ask our companies to go head to head with foreign competitors with this burden on their backs.

Our families will never get ahead while they are getting battered down by health care costs that total $10,000 a year.

And our country will never be what it should be as long as the color of your skin or the size of your bank account determines whether your children can see a doctor. We can do better for them. And they are expecting nothing less from us.

Many of the jobs of the future will be jobs that come from new energy saving industries. Today, Japan’s and South Korea’s head start on innovation means they are running away with those jobs. We have to get back in that race.

Americans are getting fed-up every time they go for a fill-up. They know that our reliance on Mideast oil is making America less safe. They want us to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and make this nation energy independent. We can get there – but only if we start putting America’s security and prosperity first.

And Democrats will continue to stop George Bush from privatizing Social Security while we say “yes” to shoring up Americans’ pensions and making our retirement system more secure.

This is our agenda – an agenda for reform, an agenda to do the people’s business. And for them we will continue to fight.

The lines that divide Congress should be between right and wrong, not right and left.

Our enemies should not be those in the other party, but the common threats that face the American community.

Our goal should not be winning the news cycle, but breaking the vicious cycle of political battle and winning a future where all Americans can live out their dreams.

The defeat of the nuclear option shows what is possible when people of good faith – Republicans and Democrats – join hands and put principles ahead of partisanship.

This doesn’t have to be an isolated incident – a momentary ceasefire before Washington’s trench warfare starts up again. Rather it can be a new beginning. Because on issue after issue, there is a common sense center in America that knows what it believes and can’t understand why this Republican Congress won’t get the job done.

Just as there was a bipartisan majority that could not stomach the nuclear option, there is a bipartisan consensus for action on many fronts. And all we need for progress is for President Bush and the Republican leadership to let America’s agenda get its day.

The American people are demanding it. And Democrats are going to be standing in the common sense center to make sure that we get there.

In this Congress, there is a bipartisan consensus for raising the minimum wage – but the White House and the Republican leadership stand in the way.

There is a bipartisan consensus for allowing the prescription drugs to be safely reimported – but the White House and the Republican leadership stand in the way.

And there is a bipartisan consensus for stem cell research that has the potential to help cure diseases such as diabetes and help save American lives. From Nancy Reagan to Orrin Hatch, Republicans have broken ranks to join the common sense center on this important issue.

For four years, President Bush has not vetoed a single piece of legislation. Even when this Republican Congress sent him bill after bill weighed down with pork or special interest subsidies or runaway spending, he chose to keep his veto pen in the drawer.

But now, he is threatening to veto stem cell research. Not because most Americans oppose it. They support it across party lines. President Bush is threatening to veto it because the far right is demanding he do so.

I ask President Bush to step away from the far right and join us in this common sense center, to show he will be part of this new spirit of national consensus by letting stem cell research go forward.

This week’s events mark our chance to forge a common sense center that embraces an American agenda for reform. As Democratic Leader, I will be working aggressively to advance the work the American people sent us to do. And I hope that Republicans of good faith will join with us to get this job done: To strengthen our national security. To make America energy independent. To restore economic prosperity and opportunity. To help our families and business afford their health care. To boost Americans’ retirement security and protect their Social Security.

In the coming weeks and months, I’ll have more to say on all these fronts. But I pledge today, that in everything we do, the lesson of this week – that we can build on the common sense center – will remain front and center.

The nuclear option could have been another long, sad stride down an ever more slippery slope toward partisan crossfire and abuse of power.

Instead, its defeat marks the moment we turned around and began to climb the hill toward a common politics of national purpose and a rebuilding of America's promise.

This journey is our cause – and reaching the top of that hill will mark our real victory.

Thank you.

Refreshing

I must say. This is quite possibly the most refreshing thing I've read in a long time. I promise to support Kraft foods and any other company I hear about that stands up to the evil machine that is Focus on the Family and Co. (Of course Kraft's parent company still contributes most of their money to the Republican party. So are they really for equality, or is it a publicity stunt? Who knows...)

From: Marc Firestone, Executive Vice President, Corporate Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Kraft Foods Inc.

Subject: Kraft's Contribution to 2006 Gay Games

The true test of any commitment is how you respond when challenged. Kraft is experiencing this to a degree right now, as a result of our decision to be one of several contributors to the 2006 Gay Games in Chicago. The games will bring together thousands of athletes in a competition that will take place in our corporate hometown.

In recent days, the company has received many e-mails, the majority of them generated through the America Family Association, which objects to our sponsorship. We also have received calls and e-mails - - not as many, but equally passionate - - thanking us for supporting this event. A member of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's team said, "We applaud the businesses that are sponsors of the Gay Games, including Kraft Foods."
You may have questions or might have had questions from friends and family about our contribution to this event. While Kraft certainly doesn't go looking for controversy, we have long been dedicated to support the concept and the reality of diversity. It's the right thing to do and it's good for our business and our work environment.

Diversity makes us a stronger company and connects us with the diversity that exists among the consumers who buy our products.

Diversity is more than a word many people like to say. At Kraft we truly respect all kinds of differences. And diversity is not a selective concept. By definition, it's nothing if not inclusive. We respect diversity of ethnicity, gender, experience, background, personal style and yes, sexual orientation and gender identity. Recognizing, respecting and valuing these differences helps us be a more successful business and a workplace where all employees can realize their full potential.

For more than a decade, we have had employee councils that promote our awareness of diversity. The newest of our nine diversity councils is the Rainbow Council, which strives to provide a forum for support and networking among gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender employees; raise awareness within Kraft and promote involvement in the community. Each council has an executive sponsor and I have been the Rainbow Council's sponsor since last year.

Through all of our councils, we support various initiatives that demonstrate how strongly we believe in diversity, through involvement in the community. Our sponsorship of the 2006 Gay Games is one of almost 1,700 cash and in-kind grants we make annually.

It can be difficult when we are criticized. It's easy to say you support a concept or a principle when nobody objects. The real test of commitment is how one reacts when there are those who disagree. I hope you share my view that our company has taken the right stand on diversity, including its contribution to the 2006 Gay Games in Chicago.

Invitro - good, stem cell research - bad

Okay, so I REALLY need someone to explain to me how this isn't hypocritical. PLEASE.

Seems that this Houston couple, J.J. and Tracy Jones traveled to Washington to protest the embryonic stem cell bill. Seems that they are of the opinon that embryos are "human beings from conception." That is a fine argument. Thing is, they just had a child that was from an embryo they adopted. Here's what gets me:

The couple was matched with and adopted 10 unused embryos from a family in Michigan. Three survived the thawing process (the survival rate is about 50 percent), and were implanted in Tracy's womb. One took hold. The whole process cost them about $7,500.

So basically they just destroyed 9 lives to create 1. How is this any different than stem cell research?

So anyway, if someone could explain to me how invitro fertilization is okay but stem cell research isn't I would really appreciate it.

Part of what I do is try to understand why someone else thinks something different. Times like these I just can't even come up with a single reason.

Couple Questions

Okay, so I have some questions for people who are against stem cell research and gay marriage.

1. Embryonic Stem Cell Research
- H.R. 810 passed the house yesterday which amends the Public Health Service Act to provide for human embryonic stem cell research (thanks for the heads up, Dena). Now I think that's good. Unfortunately, Bush has already said that if it passes the Senate he will veto it. (I don't find anything in the world more frustrating than the blockage of science that has happened since Bush has been in office)
- Okay, so here's my question. In this bill, there are three limitations on the embryos used. (1) the stem cells were derived from human embryos donated from in vitro fertilization clinics for the purpose of fertility treatment and were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment; (2) the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded; and (3) such individuals donate the embryos with written informed consent and receive no financial or other inducements.
Why shouldn't we do research on them that could potentially help people with Alzheimers and Parkinsons, and potentially many other illnesses. Now if you've never known someone with one of these illnesses, I MIGHT understand. But let me tell you, it sucks. I think it ridiculous that researchers should be kept from finding potential cures simply because someone would prefer the embryo just be destroyed instead of letting some good come out of it.
Anyway, I want to know what people think. And please don't give me the "slippery slope" argument. I've taken logic, and I don't want any fallacies here, please.

2. Gay Marriage
- What is your opinion on a man, say, who's had gender reassignment and is now a woman marrying a man? Technically this is still a man marrying a man. But this man is now a woman, so it's a woman marrying a man. Does this "distroy the institution of marriage"?

Okay, so I know nobody reads this so I won't get any response, so I guess these questions are just for myself. *sigh*

Oh, I have a suggestion. How about if scientific advances are made with stem cell research and cures for some of these problems are found. Anyone on record as being against it isn't allowed to use the benefits.
I really think that we should start a system of accountability in this country. If you are for the war, you go fight the war. You are agaisnt science, you don't get to use science. I think it would really make people think twice before supporting/not supporting issues. (no, i'm not joking, yes, I'm being 100% serious)

Tax Cuts

I'm always amused by middle class folks who boast about their tax cuts. They have no idea what is really happening to them.
The Bush tax cuts were really a tax cut for the wealthy and a backdoor tax increase for the middle class, and here's why:

The average tax cut for the middle 20% of Americans was $289. (Source)

College tuition has increased %38 since Bush took office. (Source)

Bush has decreased the amount of student financial aid available. This doesn't affect the lower-class, but directly affects the middle class. (Source)

Aside from college costs, cuts in funding for education have left states desperate for money, thereby being forced to raise taxes.

Bush's tax cuts are bad for everyone except the upper class. I just wish people would realize this.

I get so frustrated about people living in their bubble that are unable to examine the big picture. All they hear is "tax cut" GREAT! That means I pay less taxes, right? WRONG!!!

Some interesting statistics: (CNN/Gallup/USAT poll)
A question asked in October:
"Do you think the country would be better off if the Republicans controlled Congress, or if the Democrats controlled Congress?"
Republicans 36% (41%)
Democrats 47% (45%)

A question asked in May
"Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?"

Approve 46% (50%)
Disapprove 50% (45%)

"... the economy?"
Approve 40% (43%)
Disapprove 58% (53%)

"... the situation in Iraq?"
Approve 40% (42%)
Disapprove 56% (55%)

"... Social Security?"
Approve 33% (35%)
Disapprove 59% (58%)

McCain

McCain is one of the few Republicans I respect. There's only a few real conservatives left in the Republican party. The rest have been hijacked by Dobson and his gang. Anyway, McCain is a realist and understands that the republican party won't be in the majority forever, especially with the direction they're heading. He also understands that this fillibuster business is bad for everyone. Even with baited questions from Fox News he refused to blame it on the Democrats and he actually gave real answers. Here's his interview.

WALLACE: I want to get to some of those issues in just a second, but let me just ask you sort of the next question, which is if you don't reach agreement, does the majority leader, Bill Frist, have the 50 Republican votes he needs, plus the tiebreaker from Vice President Cheney to, in fact, impose the nuclear option?

MCCAIN: I don't know the answer to that because there's several Senators who have not indicated exactly how they're going to vote.

So I don't know.

. . . WALLACE: But in other words, there would be a provision that would allow the defeat of at least several of these nominees?

MCCAIN: No, it would mean that there would be a commitment to let most of them go under any circumstances, and then there would only be a couple of others that would then be a decision made as to whether they would continue to filibuster those or not.

It's very possible that there would be a vote on all of them. It's also possible that one or more of them would not reach the Senate floor because of other difficulties that their nomination faces.

Look, we're talking about changing the rules of the Senate with 51 votes, which has never happened in the history of the United States Senate. The Democrats have tried to change the rules when they were in the majority. They tried to get a two-thirds vote.

If you have 51 votes, changing the rules of the Senate, nominations of the president is next, and then legislation follows that. And we will now become an institution exactly like the House of Representatives. That's not what our founding fathers envisioned when they created a bicameral legislature.

. . . WALLACE: But I guess what I'm asking is: What is the impact do you think it would be on the institution if while you're involved in this food fight up here on Capitol Hill, an awful lot of the people's business isn't getting done?

MCCAIN: I think it would be, again, very bad. I note that polling numbers and approval for Congress is down to where it was in 1994.

I think we have, unfortunately, a tendency to forget that we're in a war. Young Americans are dying every day. We have the threat of Al Qaeda and the war on terrorism. We have an unprotected border. We have Social Security, not to mention a burgeoning deficit.

Understandably, to me, the American people's priorities are not those being displayed by the Congress today, particularly in the United States Senate.

The level of rhetoric has reached a point that's really not helpful to the institution or to the individuals who are part of it.

(Emphasis mine)

Hopefully McCain won't cave and he'll vote his concience. He doesn't have the greatest voting history, so we'll see.

Walk Away

So I hate it when people post lyrics in their blogs. It's like "who cares" But I feel like this song speaks to me...in more ways than one.

Walk Away - Goldfinger

They say people have their ways
And people stay the same
Accept the way it is
Accept that things don't change
Some people make it worse
Some people don't want to listen
In the end it all works out
In the end, they learn their lesson

But I don't believe this shit
I know I can make things better
I know it will take some work
But I'm not afraid of the dirt

What if I do nothing?
What if I just turn my back on you?
If I say nothing
What if I just walk away from you?

Walk away
I could never walk away from you

I want to give you life
I want to give you shelter
I want to take away your pain
I want to give you freedom
I want to educate the world
I want to educate my parents
I want to turn all the wrongs right
And save the lives I can

They say people have their ways
And people stay the same
Accept the way it is
I know that I can change

Walk away
I could never walk away from you

Blog vs. thesis

I have spent WAY to much time on my blog today and not nearly enough time on my thesis. *sigh*

Downing Street Memo

Most people who aren't active political bloggers probably don't know anything about this because the "liberal" media is too conservative to report anything negative about the administration. This actually confirms everything I was saying back in 2003. That Bush was set on going to war way before he ever started talking about it to the public. It's still my opinion that Bush was set on going to war from the minute he entered the oval office. This memo certainly helps that belief.

The worst quote I've ever heard in my life was in 2003, someone I know said "I think Sadaam has weapons of mass destruction and I hope he uses them to prove all these anti-war people wrong." At the time I was shocked to hear this statement actually come out of this person mouth, and I'm still shocked to this day. But I guess that's the lengths people will go to. I'm still amazed at people's ability to believe that Bush was 100% honest in getting us to war with Iraq. I just don't understand how people can live in a world of such delusion.

Anyway, back to the memo. The memo is actually meeting minutes taken from the British Prime Ministers meeting on July 23, 2002. A full 8 months prior to the US invasion of Iraq. I'm not going to post the whole thing here because it's too long. But I definately encourage you to go read it all here.

Here's the most relevant paragraphs:

C reported on his recent talks in Washington. There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. The NSC had no patience with the UN route, and no enthusiasm for publishing material on the Iraqi regime's record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action.

The Defence Secretary said that the US had already begun "spikes of activity" to put pressure on the regime. No decisions had been taken, but he thought the most likely timing in US minds for military action to begin was January, with the timeline beginning 30 days before the US Congressional elections.

The Foreign Secretary said he would discuss this with Colin Powell this week. It seemed clear that Bush had made up his mind to take military action, even if the timing was not yet decided. But the case was thin. Saddam was not threatening his neighbours, and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran. We should work up a plan for an ultimatum to Saddam to allow back in the UN weapons inspectors. This would also help with the legal justification for the use of force.

The Attorney-General said that the desire for regime change was not a legal base for military action.

So yeah, basically what this is saying is that Bush wanted a regime change and he was fixing intellegence to fit this policy decision. This memo proves that Bush lied to the country in the weeks leading to war with Iraq.

Fillibuster

This is just too good to pass up. Aparently Mr. "Cat Killer" Frist thinks that the Fillibuster IS constitutional. But only when it's for his party's advantage.

This is what's going on in the Senate today (from Think Progress):

This morning on the floor of the Senate, Sen. Chuck Schumer asked Majority Leader Bill Frist a simple question:

SEN. SCHUMER: Isn’t it correct that on March 8, 2000, my colleague [Sen. Frist] voted to uphold the filibuster of Judge Richard Paez?

Here was Frist’s response:

The president, the um, in response, uh, the Paez nomination - we’ll come back and discuss this further. … Actually I’d like to, and it really brings to what I believe - a point - and it really brings to, oddly, a point, what is the issue. The issue is we have leadership-led partisan filibusters that have, um, obstructed, not one nominee, but two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, in a routine way.

So, Frist is arguing that one filibuster is OK. His problem is that several Bush nominees have been filibustered. This position completely undercuts Frist’s argument that judicial filibusters are unconstitutional. (Which is, in turn, the justification for the nuclear option.) If judicial filibusters are unconstitutional there is no freebee. But Frist digs his hole even deeper:

The issue is not cloture votes per se, it’s the partisan, leadership-led use of cloture votes to kill - to defeat - to assassinate these nominees. That’s the difference. Cloture has been used in the past on this floor to postpone, to get more info, to ask further questions.

When Frist voted to filibuster Paez’s nomination it had been pending for four years. It’s hard to believe he couldn’t get all the info he needed or ask all the questions he had during that time. Make no mistake about it: Bill Frist was trying to kill the Paez nomination.

The thing about this is that if he's saying the fillibuster is in fact constitutional, then that blows his nuclear option out of the water. To just change the senate rules it take 2/3 majority vote. Hopefully there will be some smart Republicans who will stand up to Mr. Dobson...ahem...I mean Mr. Frist.