Death By Foreclosure

An unfolding story on the local news last night about a man who has shot an animal control officer when he and another cop came to enforce eviction.  Made me wonder how many foreclosures have turned violent.  Answer: plenty.

St. Ann

Los Angeles, Tennessee, Ohio, Florida.

Modesto, CA.


More suicide hotlines are being flooded with calls by people who are desperate about losing their homes.  No wonder.  These people need help: loan forgiveness or a more sane payment plan.  How about good old human compassion?  Not in the land of unrestrained capitalism.

Instead, billionares are fighting to keep their tax breaks.  And we've just had the most expensive Presidential campaign ever.

Way to go, America.

United Against the War on Women

  Saturday April 28, in 50 cities across the United States, women (and men) gathered to draw attention to the Republican Party's War on Women.

In Sacramento, my sister and I joined about 300 others in putting our selves into the fray.  It was a small crowd,  and I had hope for bigger, but you get what you get.

It made my heart glad to see lots of dads with their daughters.  And then there was this young man with his excellent sign, "A Man of Quality is not threatened by a woman of Equality."

The Facebook group for the nationwide effort is reporting in from various cities, but I haven't seen anything yet on Tacoma.  Only what I've heard from a friend, that most of the speakers were men and one of them used very offensive language and then when women told him how offensive he was he told them to "get over it."  Swell.  Also reported was that Occupy People were taking over the rally and upstaging the message of the day.


I didn't organize any of this, and somebody's got to, so I'm loathed to criticize, but how in the hell does a women's rally end up have a majority of the speakers be men?

Sounds like a repeat of the congressional hearings on contraception.  Darrel Fookin Issa.

Another common theme across the 50 states was the lack of news coverage.  In Sacramento, the March of Dimes March, happening the same day at the Capitol, was covered in the newspaper, but nothing on the women's rally.

Should I be surprised?  No.  Mad?  Hell yes.

There is an organized effort on the part of GOP lawmakers to roll back women's reproductive rights.  It's a strange time in American politics.

It seems to me that women's freedom and reproductive choice should be just as important to men as it is to women -- we all benefit from family planning and sexual freedom.

And it looks as if there is a lot more work to be done to educate people about the threats to women's freedom right now.  So while I wonder what our individual actions accomplish, I need to keep the big picture in mind.  It's going to be a long haul -- there is so much inattention and downright ignorance around the issues.

Beauty and the Beast

I have always been a fan of Catherine Denueve.  Thanks to Roger Ebert's recent recommendation I watched the movie Potiche on Netflix instant streaming.  She is gorgeous (as always) and it's wonderful to see her as she ages.  The movie is set in the late 1970s and I found it to be a welcome balm against all the current women bashing by GOP idiots.  She begins the film as a sort of Stepford Wife, really, and just wait until you see her transformation!

Without giving away the movie, let me just say that if more women ran for public office, not only in the United States, but the world over, we might see a profound change in world politics.

Speaking of politics, a friend on Facebook linked to this amazing video of Bryan Stevenson.  The statistics he sites on incarceration rates in the country are beastly and shameful.  It takes about 20 minutes to watch, and is well worth it.  It is striking how little discussion there is in this country about our incarceration rates, which, if you look closer, sure look like race and class warfare to me.  I don't what is to be done about it, but knowing the problem exists is the first step.  After watching this video, it is even more laughable when I hear people scorn the Occupy movement as 'class warfare!'  Oh kids, you ain't seen nothing yet.  Class warfare has existed for a long time in this country, and it is not the bulk of our populace who has been coming out the victor.

The Topp Twins

Do yourself a great big ol' favor and watch this video.  Then watch the documentary "Untouchable Girls" about the Topp Twins of New Zealand.  I had never heard of this dynamic duo, who really rocked and rolled through through the last several decades, and are still at it.  They are the most original, hysterically funny and downright HUMAN people you'd ever want to meet.  Roger and Robin suggested the movie to me.



I just grinned ear to ear through the whole thing.  They are quite the sensation in other parts of the world...I feel as if I missed out on their heyday (boo, hiss) but at least I can watch them on film.  They also have many very very funny characters they play, such as Ken and Ken.  They do coffee commercials in NZ.

I love them. Notice how their outfit colors go with my blog background colors. Coincidence?

Bravo, Dear Lady

Hope lives.  Even my very right-wing GOP father thinks it's ridiculous that same-sex partners have no marriage rights in this country.  Now that's saying something.



Her speech is especially gratifying because it is a lone Republican voice in a sea of Republican hatred.  How refreshing.

And the Court Says

Waiting anxiously for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals today on the constitutionality of Prop. 8, Calfornia proposition approved by voters to ban same-sex marriage.  You can keep up to date here.

[This just in.  Federal Court ruled Prop. 8 unconstitutional.]

I wonder, if that prop were voted on today, would it still pass?  Surveys say no, it would not.

I want this issue in front of the US Supreme Court, and that is where it could go next. I'm tired of this state-by-state piecemeal bullshit.  In fact, it surely is destined for the US Supreme Court after this Federal Court's ruling today.  Out of 3 sources, only the SF Chronicle stated the ban would remain in effect while the case goes to the Supreme Court.  I just don't understand how that could be, and I hope the article is incorrect.

The IRS is ahead of the game of this -- perhaps in anticipation of federal law changing -- and now requires domestic partners and same-sex marrieds (where legal) to file as married.  How weird is that?  For most couples, filing as married will get you a larger tax refund (it did for us).  Again, so why is the fed doing this?  I'm very curious.....

October 6, 2011

What do you think? Do we stand a chance?  Can this occupation begin a real revolution in America?  Our country has been dragged down by corporate greed for generations....  The deck is stacked - rigged.  Where to begin?  Perhaps October 6th is a good starting point.

Good Old Fashioned Sense

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."   FDR


And, in remembrance of our foremothers who fought for the right for women to vote in this country.  Where would we be today without their tenacity, courage, and willingness to put their very lives on the line?  They, and the words on FDR's memorial, give me hope that change is still possible in this land.

Pure Evil: Koch Brothers

This was posted over at Adgita Diaries, and I thought it so important that I wanted to bring it to you on this blog.



The upside is that the people of this county won the fight -- this time.  The chilling realization, though, is that powerful and wealthy bigots work behind the scenes to dismantle successful school systems (and much more) because they can.  Can it be that they and their ilk can only survive in a country where we have the wood pulled over our eyes?

Information is a powerful thing, and so is the will of the majority, and their refusal to allow sinister forces to prevail.  It's a never-ending struggle, and one that demands an educated and informed citizenry.  Do you suppose this is why the Koch brothers support organizations that try to dismantle public education?  Gee...like they say in the clip, "Follow the money."

I'm continually grateful that there are people in the know who keep people like the Koch brothers exposed to the light of day.  I only wish that, like Vampires, these brothers would burn to ash in the blazing sun's rays.

Screwed.

I am beside myself with national and world events.  The world has gone completely mad.  There is a planned occupation in DC in October to demand change.  I can't help but fear that this occupation will turn violent, and that scares me deeply.  Look at London right now: rioting is rampant.  And yet...how do "we" get "them" to pay attention?  How have people ever overthrown power hungry thugs?  


I just want to crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head.  

Remember this song the Kingston Trio sang way back in the early 1960s?  Pretty much what's going on today.

They're rioting in AfricaLondon.

They're starving in Spain.

There's hurricanes in FloridaNew Orleans, and Texas needs rain.

The whole world is festering with unhappy souls.

The French hate the Germans, the Germans hate the Poles.

Italians hate Yugoslavs, South Africans hate the Dutch.

And I don't like anybody very much!

But we can be tranquil and thankful and proud,

for man's been endowed with a mushroom-shaped cloud.

And we know for certain that some lovely day,

someone will set the spark off... and we will all be blown away.

They're rioting in Africa.

There's strife in Iran (and Iraq, Egypt, Afghanistan-name your region).

What nature doesn't do to us... will be done by our fellow man.

#####

What a world my grandson has been born into....

The Men Behind the Curtain

My friend Bob rants on The Breeze From San Juan, and as a result, I've started watching the BBC series The Power of Nightmares.  My GAWD but these U.S. political characters keep showing up: talk about your shadow government!  Rumsfeld, Cheney, Wolfowitz.

See it when you can.  I've just finished the first episode.

Dr. King Inspires Egyptians

Get a load of this...what a story! The more I learn about the Egyptian people, the more impressed I am. If they can pull together a government and start putting their highly educated populace to work, they are going to be a mighty force for progress and democracy in the world. The eyes of the world are upon them now.

Just Another Day

Mubarak has resigned...now I can get back to sweeping floors and kneading bread. It's amazing, really, what Egyptians have done. Now their real work begins -- can you imagine sorting it all out? Eh, not me. Filling the green waste can with lemon tree clippings, and sweeping the dead leaves out of the gutter is about all I can handle. I'm keeping it small.

All power to these people: they've earned it, let's hope they get the kind of government they want. When stuff like this happens, it makes me wonder if I would have what it takes to participate in a righteous revolution?

Today, around the neighborhood, though, it's just another day. Thank goodness. Happy Friday, y'all.

Revolution

"Saudi Arabia's top Muslim authority, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh, has warned that anti-regime uprisings are ``chaotic acts'' aimed at tearing apart the Islamic world, a Saudi newspaper reports."

courtesy of CBS news

Of course he would say that. I'll bet King Abdullah encouraged him to say that. I have been thinking for several days here, "Saudi Arabia's day is coming....."

It's plain and simple to me, Egypt's people (and other protesting in the middle east) have nothing to lose anymore. Poverty and corruption is are their face, every day. Disparity between the haves and have-nots is obscenely obvious. People are tired of paying bribes to their local police whose motto could very well be "rob the people, everybody else does."

Power to the people. And - by the way - the revolution IS being televised!

The Repeal is Signed!

Decorated Vietnam veteran Margarethe Cammermeyer, shown here in 2005, says a repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" means gay service members will "no longer have to lie."

"Today, the Senate has taken an historic step toward ending a policy that undermines our national security while violating the very ideals that our brave men and women in uniform risk their lives to defend."  President Obama.  Read more


Gays in the military are nothing new, gays in the world are as old as humans are.  This goes without saying.  Many people are tearing their hair out right now, and the rapture must certainly be upon us.  Are you Rapture Ready?  Seriously.  Those Rapture/End Times people are scary.  Mark Morford goes on a tear about apocalyptic movies, and OMG, it's so funny!


So, I'm grateful that there is some good news coming out of the Congress and the Whitehouse.  I've been sorely disappointed these days, and I needed a little hit of justice to get me through the holidays.  And I'm sure I'll need buoying come 2011 when the Republicans really fuck it up.  Stay tuned....

The Angry Mob

Good things to remember about our country's history; worth watching the entire clip. Which group of people is the angry mob going to pounce on next? I have been greatly encouraged by the support of the Gay Rights movement by people who don't identify as gay. Unity, humanity and love have gotten us this far. Perhaps, someday, as a nation, we can learn not to buy into crazy notions of "them vs. us." As the President said, "We are Us."

Chris Wallace gets Schooled

The Sigh of the Weary

I have no idea how the Wall Street reform bill is going to play out. It isn't ideal, but it's something. It's all tied to the economy, unemployment, and our nasty on-going recession. I keep hearing that the GOP is going to whip the Dems' assess in November and I just don't get it. Can the American people be so stupid? Yes we can.

Locally, the jobs situation is not good. Nationally, it's a disgrace. The rich keep getting richer and the rest of us...well, good luck. What a crazy financial mess we are in, and it was created by a relative handful of people in this country.



Sigh.

The One Percent.

Maybe I like this film because it validates everything I know to be real and true.

But - what do we do now?

GOP Crazies

Are you disturbed by all the vitriol in the country right now? The race bating, the talk of 'reloading,' and hate-filled voice mails left on the answer machines (at home, if you can believe it) of our elected representatives? Wow, some folks have really gone over the edge, around the bend, let the bats loose in their belfry. Over at Adgita Diaries there is a great video spoof on the GOP featuring the fall of the Third Reich.

We dems have much better manners...we lived through Nixon, Reagan, Bush I, Bush II. We accepted the twisted Supreme Court decision that robbed Al Gore of his presidency. We threatened to leave the country but did not. We marched in the streets. We wrote to our elected officials. We got out and organized and finally elected a President we can be proud of.

Now, I know that the regressive right-wing wing nuts are not wholly representative of the Republican Party. But geez, their leaders are not distancing themselves in any meaningful way from this behavior. My dad, being a staunch GOP die-hard, and I have not talked about all of this. Mainly because I'm afraid he'll say something in defense of these idiots which would leave me no choice but to severe his propane line.