Saturday, August 23, 2008

War Hero...qualified?

Sometimes, my children amaze me with their intelligence, and their way of looking at life in particular, and things, in general. Here is a fine example: Adrienne read the blog I posted entitled, "Maybe I Care a Little Too Much." After she read it, we were chatting online. She came up with this nugget of wisdom:
"Osama Bin Laden is considered a war hero in some countries. Maybe we should nominate him."
I was floored when she wrote that, and I begged her to put it in a blog. Since she isn't comfortable doing that, I will do it for her! Thank you Adrienne for such an inspiring and intelligent comment! You made your mother very proud! Gee...just think of all of the Dictators we could nominate for President!

Maybe I Care a Little Too Much

My daughter-in-law, Abby, wrote a wonderful blog about why she is supporting Barack Obama. You could tell that she had taken a lot of time in making her decision, and she is well-versed in WHY she supports Barack's candidacy for President of the United States. At the end of her blog was a call to action: she asked her readers to comment on who they supported for President, and why...and she said for us to be nice, or she would delete our comment. Mine is still there, but I suspect that is because it's the weekend! We'll see come Monday.

So, I read her blog, and responded to the call to comment. I read the other comments first, and for some reason, it set me off on a tear. This is my comment:


I don't think fighting in a war qualifies a person to be President. We are a democracy, not a military state. If that statement was true, every Veteran would be elected to some sort of public office. If Satan wasn't a Republican already, I would vote for him if he was on the Democratic ticket. I know I'm supposed to be nice, but I have little patience for ignorance of the issues. People need to take an honest look at McCain's records as a Senator, and ask themselves if that is REALLY who they want running our country. Are you HONESTLY happy with the past eight years of George Bush and the Republicans? Cause if you are, you can look forward to more of the same, times ten!

Barack Obama is CHANGE and the breath of fresh air we need. Nearly everything about him is different. That in itself would be enough for me, but he is so much more than that. He wants to repeal Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy 1% of the nation; restore the middle class (because that is what has made America great); make college affordable, thereby putting an end to the dumbing down of America the last seven years; restore America's credibility with the rest of the world; end our dependence on foreign oil by investing in "green" technology, so we don't have to have more "wars" for oil; ending the illegal occupation of Iraq and the billions of dollars that are wasted there every day, that could be invested in America's infrastructure, feeding the hungry, ending the mortgage meltdown, and still have money left over; treat our Veterans with the respect and honor they deserve; make healthcare available and affordable to EVERYONE;
stop rewarding companies for shipping jobs overseas, and so on, and so on....

I agree, most politicians are liars, which is why I CANNOT understand why ANYONE would vote for a career politician, such as John McCain, who is so out of touch with ordinary Americans on every level.

Thanks for opening up that can of worms, Ab!

Seriously...our country is in BAD shape. And John McCain is FOUR MORE YEARS of the administration we have now, without even taking a breath! Who do you think put this country in this mess? He is for more wars and the draft; he thinks the recession is only "psychological"; he is for MORE tax breaks for the oil companies who are already making record profits; he wants more tax breaks for the wealthy and none for the middle class; he wants to overturn Roe vs. Wade; his financial advisor, Phil Gramm, was a lobbyists FOR UBS, who was at the center of the mortgage meltdown; Phil Gramm also said that Americans are a bunch of whiners (referring to the economic hardships many are facing)...those are the very tiny tips of the iceberg with this man. He is so wealthy, he doesn't even know how many houses he owns. War hero? Great! Appreciate his service. John Kerry was a war hero, too! How many of you voted for him?

What I am so passionate about is this: being a "war hero" is NO qualification for President. What the hell kind of reason is that when you're making one of the most important decisions of OUR lifetime? Because it doesn't just affect you...it affects all of us.

At least research the issues....at least know what you're getting US into when you cast your vote for this man, McCain. Want to know something crazy? A lot of people voted for George Bush because he was a guy "they would like to have a beer with." Grrreat...see what that got you?

This is serious stuff. It's not American Idol, and we aren't picking a candidate for Prom King. Do the research...take some time to read and learn...THEN when you are more educated, cast your vote, for whoever that might be! If you can't or won't do that, then do us all a favor and stay home on election day! But don't pick someone because they "are a war hero."

Yeah, well, John McCain reminds me of Grandpa Simpson...so there!

Friday, August 22, 2008

McCain and Veterans Groups

Some people would vote for John McCain simply because he is a "war hero." Whatever. Last I checked, we live in a democracy, not a military state, so why is that a qualification? So let's see how he supports Veteran's Groups:
2006
Senator McCain supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 20 percent in 2006.
In 2006 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Senator McCain a grade of D. Senator McCain sponsored or co-sponsored 18 percent of the legislation favored by the The Retired Enlisted Association in 2006.

2005
Senator McCain supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 25 percent in 2005.
2004
Senator McCain supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 50 percent in 2004.
Senator McCain supported the interests of the The Retired Enlisted Association 0 percent in 2004.
2003-2004
Senator McCain supported the interests of the Vietnam Veterans of America 100 percent in 2003-2004.
2003
Senator McCain supported the interests of the The American Legion 50 percent in 2003.
2001
Senator McCain supported the interests of the Vietnam Veterans of America 46 percent in 2001.

1999
Senator McCain supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 66 percent in 1999.
1997-1998
Senator McCain supported the interests of the Vietnam Veterans of America 0 percent in 1997-1998.
1989-1990
On the votes that the Vietnam Veterans of America considered to be the most important in 1989-1990 , Senator McCain voted their preferred position 50 percent of the time.
For a man who thinks his main qualification for President should be his military service and time spent in a POW camp, not a very a good record of support, wouldn't you say? Isn't that the group that you would think he would throw his support behind? This screams about his character.
Oh, and FYI: the GI Bill that recently passed to expand educational benefits for servicemen, that was sponosored by a Democrat, Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia...McCain was against that bill, AND skipped the vote so he could have a fundraiser. What a war hero!

McCain and the Draft

Do you see a pattern developing here? Do you really want your sons and daughters, or husband and wife, brother/sister to be drafted into endless war? I don't. It'll be more of the poor man fighting the rich man's war. This is what you get with McCain.

At McCain's Town Hall Meeting in Las Cruces, NM, 8/20/08

AUDIENCE MEMBER: "If we don't reenact the draft I don't think we will have anyone to chase Bin Laden to the gates of hell."

JOHN MCCAIN: Ma'am let me say that I don't disagree with anything you said...

During a town hall meeting in Derry, New Hampshire, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told a crowd of roughly two hundred people that it “would be fine with” him if the U.S. military stayed in Iraq for “a hundred years“:

Q: President Bush has talked about our staying in Iraq for 50 years — (cut off by McCain)

McCAIN: Make it a hundred.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Sen. John McCain told a crowd of supporters on Sunday, “It’s a tough war we’re in. It’s not going to be over right away. There’s going to be other wars.” Offering more of his increasingly bleak “straight talk,” he repeated the claim: “I’m sorry to tell you, there’s going to be other wars. We will never surrender but there will be other wars.”

McCain did not elaborate who the United States would be fighting. But he did warn the crowd to be ready for the ramifications of current and future battles.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Just a Regular Guy



Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said in an interview Wednesday that he was uncertain how many houses he and his wife, Cindy, own.

"I think — I'll have my staff get to you," McCain told Politico in Las Cruces, N.M. "It's condominiums where — I'll have them get to you."

Poor guy...can't remember how many houses they own (8 to 10, last I heard)! It's a wonder he can sleep at night. Like he always says: Obama is the elitist (he only has one house).

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Welcome to Denver



The countdown to the Democratic National Convention is on! It begins on Monday. Most of you say: big deal! I say: I can't wait! This is a once in a lifetime (mine, that is...Denver, too) event, and a historic one at that, with Barack Obama set to accept the Democratic nomination for President, and we're only a 20 minute drive away from it all!

Needless to say, Denver is overrun with activities for Convention week. The City is setting up a big screen in the park so people can watch the Convention. I check the events on a daily basis, and there's several Nicol and I will be a part of. We wanted to go to a taping of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, but the tickets were sold out already...same with Barack's acceptance speech at Invesco Field. We probably won't attend any protests, but I'll keep you up to date on our activities! Aren't you excited?????? ;o)

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

My Avian Friends

Time spent in Colorado is precious, and it seems there is never enough of it. One of my favorite morning routines would have to be feeding the birds. After I get the coffee going, I head to the pantry for two things: bird seed and peanuts. The bird seed is for...well, the birds...and the peanuts are for the blue jays, who seem to think they are above eating seed like the rest of birddom. Whole, in-the-shell, raw peanuts. As soon as I walk out the door, onto the deck, the sqwacks begin; the peanuts hit the ground, and the frenzy begins. Streaks of bright blue coming from every direction! Sometimes they will crack open the shell and eat the peanuts right there, other times, they fly off to another tree, eat, and come back for more. These jays are very entertaining to watch, and very fat!



My absolute favorite bird is the Nuthatch, affectionately known as "one-seed." I named them this for an obvious reason: they come to the feeder, take one seed, and fly off. They are such funny birds. They go down the branches head first, or walk on them upside down...not a typical bird, these little guys! The pine tree where the feeder is, is almost like a beehive with these Nuthatches...always a bevvy of activity!



Another frequent visitor to the birdfeeder is the Black Headed Grosbeak. The males are a bright, almost gold color...the females a little lighter.

There are many more birds, but these are my favorites. I thought I would give you guys a break from my world of politics!

Saturday, August 16, 2008

For your consideration...


The purpose of all the major religious traditions is not to construct big temples on the outside, but to create temples of goodness and compassion inside, in our hearts.


~H.H. The 14th Dalai Lama

More delusion

The Republicans are drowning in a sea of delusion. Please see previous post, and add W to the list.

"Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century," the president said. "Only Russia can decide whether it will now put itself back on the path of responsible nations or continue to pursue a policy that promises only confrontation and isolation.

Is there a bigger bully?

Friday, August 15, 2008

McCain's Delusion

Ummmm...what world does this man live in?

August 13, 2008 at 04:46 PM

Speaking to reporters about the situation in Georgia, Sen. John McCain denounced the aggressive posture of Russia by claiming that:"in the 21st century nations don't invade other nations."

I'm fairly sure that we currently have troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, an "invasion" that Senator McCain voted in favor of. Guess he forgot.