Now I lay me down to sleep...

Anyone who even halfway knows me, knows my feelings regarding Iraq. .
Tonight, I want to put that aside. Because despite how I feel about the war , I deeply hope and pray that tomorrow will be a glorious and most wonderful success for the Iraq people. On January 30th Iraqi's all over Iraq and throughout the world will go to the polls and vote. For some it will be the first time in 60 years. For other's it will be the first time in their lives. Yes, they have voted in the past, but this time, they will have a choice. And not just between man A and man A.
No matter how I feel about how they got there, I'm so proud for the people who have the courage to come out and vote.
So, tonight when you lay down to sleep, remember to include the people of this sad, war torn country in your prayers. They are going to need them.
posted by wanda at 6:58 PM

Religiously Speaking

I've seen these displayed on other blogs and thought I'd like to have them hang on my wall for a few days.


The Shrub is My Shepard

He leadeth trucks into the still wilderness.
He restoreth my fears.
He leadeth me in the paths of international disgrace for his ego's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of pollution and war, I will find no exit, for thou art in office.
Thy tax cuts for the rich and thy media control, they discomfort me.
Thou preparest an agenda of deception in the presence of thy religion.
Thou anointest my head with foreign oil.
My health insurance runneth out.
Surely megalomania and false patriotism shall follow me all the days of thy term,
And my jobless child shall dwell in my basement forever.
*********

The Shrub Commandments

1. Thou shalt not look on the Sun God directly, on pain of death (depending on the sniper's aim)
2. Thou shalt only take a picture of the Son God while he peers regally to his right at a 90 degree angle to his viewers, with his head tilted upward at a 10 degree angle.
3. Thou shalt not speak the word "Iraq" in the Sun God's presence.
4. Thou shalt put your social security money in the stock market to appease the Sun God's quarter-million-dollar supporters.
5. Thou shalt utter the word "freedom" at least twice in each sentence so that the Sun God can know you are a believer.
posted by wanda at 2:38 AM

Would the Real Slim Shady Please Stand Up

I noticed a small piece on the CNN website yesterday about the President commenting that no one in his administration would be paying anyone else to promote his legislative agenda. In fact he went so far as to actually say that payments made by the Education Department were improper! Yep, good ole Dubya came awfully close to admiting that someone in his administration, had made a booboo. Now that alone is newsworthy. I have to admit , this, coupled with his announcement that he would not be pursuing an ammendment barring same sex marriage, has given pause to the possibility, outragous as it seems, that I might actually be able to warm up to this fella. Don't get me wrong. I still think he's pompous and arrogant. But, I'm also beginning to think he may well be wriggling his way out from under the thumb of his oppressors ( Rove & Cheney/religious right). Or maybe he and they (Rove & Cheney) are finally allowing their true agenda take center stage.
Could it be, all that so called religious fanaticism, on Dubya's part, has been trumped up ( or at least over emphasized) in order to garner the support of the religious right/Christian fundamentalist? Just long enough to guarantee him/them a second term in the White House? Realistically, repugnicans republicans have been in control of not just the Oval Office, but the House, the Senate, and pretty much the courts as well, for some time now. While there's been a whole lot of talk about family values, and such, there's been very little actual change. Abortion is still legal, and available on demand. Even late term abortions. I don't see a return of prayer to the schools, at ball games or in the boardrooms. I haven't noticed an increase in the number of my neighbors who attend church on a regular basis. In fact I've noticed that several more states have now ruled that not allowing gays to marry, or form civil unions, is discrimination and unconstitutional. Am I the only one who's getting an inkling of a feeling here that those good Christian folks may have been suckered?
Before the election, Social Security was barely a blip on the screen. It was all about family values and good old fashioned morals, with a smidgen of terrorism tossed in for good measure. Small town America was going to show the big city hedonist, they were taking back their country! Now, a mere 3 months later, it's all about Social Security and wanting mo money for the war. In other words, let us at your hard earned dollars. If we can't get it through big (huge) tax cuts for the wealthy, we'll plead the need for more of it for the war effort. Now that we've lulled you into a false sense of security, we'll go after the one thing every poor/working class sap has come to trust and rely on, your Social Security dollars! Just let us at it. We'll help you invest it wisely. We have friends on Wall Street and in the big corperations that will use your dollars wisely. We'll help you get all set up for your retirement. That is if you live long enough to retire. Because we're going to raise the retirement age as well.
Yes there is that slim possibility that some of those big corperations might go backrupt and you might lose your money (think Enron) but hey, you gotta take some risks now and then. YOU being the operative word, because we rich folks don't need Social Security, we have our accounts in the Cayman's ( or maybe even Saudia Arabia)to insure our retirement funds.
I digress...
I could be wrong. I just don't think so. I think we're going to see a different Bush in office this second time around. A bolder, brassier, in your face kind of guy. Not so much the religious fanatic as the greedy gus. Which is exactly what I said he was all along. Corperate America's very own personal front man. In the White House. No wonder they were partying at unprecidented levels this past inaguration week. Spending money like it was going out of style. Or maybe coming back in style. The leader of the have's and the have more's.
I don't know whether to be amused that so many got suckered so badly. Or worried that so many got suckered, so badly.
posted by wanda at 1:21 PM

Wednesday's Woes

If Joe Lieberman, of Connecticut should have the audacity to run again for president in 08 on the democratic ticket, the democrats should tar and feather that party-backstabbing bastard. His resounding endorsement of Condi Rice is sickening. If there is anyone in the Bush administration that should be held accountable for the mess we are in with Iraq (besides Rumsfield of course) it's Condolezza Rice.

Speaking of Rumsfield (well I was kind of) I almost choked on my soda when I read this...
Chambliss says military needs its own intelligence general

Well duh!
The mess in Iraq is a prime example of what you get when you send under-qualified, token political appointee's in to do the job of generals.
Rice & Rumsfield...talk about your dumb and dumber.
posted by wanda at 2:40 PM

Say That Again?

The Drudge Report
CHAIRMAN: EXAMINE RACE, GENDER FOR SOCIAL SECURITY CHANGES
Mon Jan 24 2005 10:20:45 ET

House Ways and Means chairman Rep. Bill Thomas [R-CA] on Sunday claimed Congress should consider looking at Social Security reforms that would payout future benefits -- on such factors as race and gender!

....

“We also need to examine, frankly, ... the question of race, in terms of how many years of retirement do you get based upon your race. And you ought not to just leave gender off the table, because that would be a factor.”

Thanks to Lab Kat for the heads up on this one.
******

Tell me again how their the party that represents small town values and morals. Actually living in a small town I have to say, that may be closer to the truth than big city folks realize. Racial prejudice is alive an thriving in this small southern town and I'd bet money it is elsewere as well.
AS Lab Kat suggests, those of us who are women or of any race other than white, better go ahead and start putting our pennies in a jar.


posted by wanda at 5:59 PM

Deficit Update

As of Wed. Jan. 19, the figure was $4,423,975,930,565.56 (or $4.4 trillion.). Regardless of whether you attribute this increase to tax cuts or war spending (or both), the U.S. government is $500 billion further in debt after Bush's first term.
That's not counting the White House plan to overhaul Social Security. Until the details of the proposal are formally unveiled, it's impossible to say what it will cost. But if some payroll taxes are diverted to individual accounts (the main idea behind the plan), Congress would have to kick in more money to pay for people who are already retired or expect to do so soon. That could easily add another $1 trillion or more to the deficits.
To be completely fair, even without the war and tax cuts, it's very possible there would have been a mild deficit anyway. Of course it's also possible that we will see a surplus in the national coffers by the time Bush leaves office in 08.
On the bright side, one way or another Bush & Co. will be leaving office in 08. Now that's a going away party I can really get into.

ps: If your intersted in knowing to whom we owe the majority of that money too (in other words who's banks financed the largest percentage of this deficit, and therefore own a big chunck of US) check out Bohemian Mama's post for today.
I can't help but wonder just exactly did we offer as collateral?

posted by wanda at 5:11 PM

Sunday's Sermon

"In the USA, children are taught from a very young age to offer unquestioning allegiance to the state: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

I don't remember where I read this. I only know that it has embedded it's self in my mind and I cannot escape the questions it nags at me to answer. Are we teaching our children to pledge their loyalty and allegiance, without question or concern? Are we truly one nation under God ? Or are we a nation of many religions and many different Gods? What about those who worship no God? Is this not their nation? Are they any less citizens of this great country because they choose not to pledge allegiance to my God? Was this country founded on the belief of freedom of religion or the freedom of or from religion ?
I have never questioned the pledge of allegiance. I've accepted it as long as I can remember as a basic simple part of my life. In fact I've never given it much thought at all. The pledge is just something I learned as a child and now stand and chant along with everyone else at ball games and such. It certainly hasn't stopped me from questioning my government or it's leaders. No matter how I feel about our President, his administration, or the other side, my loyalty and awe for our flag remains constant. When I look at that flag I see the wars fought,the blood shed by those who fought, and those who gave their lives to insure that we might all remain free. Free to choose if we wished to speak that pledge. I suppose it is they to whom I pledge my allegiance.
The next time you are tempted to tell someone who's opinion you don't share, to " shut the f--- up...". Remember those who have fought and died that we might all stand up and speak our piece. Remember our flag and all for which it stands. I know I will.
posted by wanda at 1:32 AM