If you know me, you know I'm patriotic. Yes, I think the United States is the greatest country in the world and I'm not afraid to say it. I believe people should love their home country - they should always strive to make it a better place and to honor those who have come before. I felt that resurgence of pride in my country when my roommate showed me a beautiful (poetic, even) website with a beautifully produced music video. Professional musicians from all over the country - representing all creeds, races, and ideologies - coming together as Americans to reignite the belief that we can all make a difference. On this site, you are made to believe that all of this is above the nasty business of politics. All it takes is one voice to make a difference. And the love for freedom and our constitution will defeat the greed and corruptness that plagues all levels of government.
Sounds great, doesn't it?
Well, the site is a lie. It's a deception. It's a smokescreen to bring in the disenfranchised, the out-of-work, the patriots who want to put this country back together again. For beyond the smokescreen lies a heavily-partisan website and organization run by the likes of Norman Lear and Alec Baldwin - two people who have no idea what patriotism means. Deceptively entitled "People for the American Way", the site is a front for an extreme left-wing "progressive" organization that would love nothing more than to take away your freedoms, your property, your constitution. In short - they lie to you.
Let me say that again. They lie to you. Some way to gain members, huh? Why not just say it - why not put your left-wing site front and center and boldly state, "We're progressives! We believe in the good of the collective, not your individual freedoms. We believe in total government control over your daily lives. We believe that if you are not contributing to the collective (ie., you're old or sick) that you should be allowed to die."
Do you know why they don't say that? Because you wouldn't join their cause then, would you? Instead, they have an interactive constitution for you to sign; they have a Marine among the lineup of their musicians. The whole thing just oozes read, white, and blue. And they don't believe a word of it. Not a word.
I admit, I was sucked in. If an organization or even one person could design a site like this and truly mean it, there would be millions of people ready to help. Instead, I feel disheartened and more disenfranchised than before. It's heartbreaking that people take advantage of people in order to push their own power-agenda. I would like to believe that, no matter what religion you carry, that there is a special place in hell for people like this - the ones who feed on the despair of others.
There's something to be said for standing for "Truth, justice, and the American Way." It's despicable that some people are on a mission to destroy all three.
Breakfast briefing... because I think better while I'm eating breakfast. Sigh - I am definitely a morning person after all.
The debate over whether to pass the motion for cloture on HR1388/S277 was highlighted with Senator Jim DeMint's rousing speech that made me wish so hard that he'd travel to California and represent us. Alas, I can only admire him from afar. Watch this speech as delivered on the Senate Floor on Tuesday, March 24:
I was asked by a friend, "why is no one covering this?" My answer came in three letters: A-I-G. Americans are so overwhelmed with losing their money, they're ignoring the potential loss of freedom.
In these times, people are frustrated. They're looking for a leader and some will honestly follow anyone who has a voice. I've been involved in many projects in the past and have joined many causes, but I've never seen such a movement like the "We Surround Them" parties and the Tax Revolt or Tea Party activities. It's exciting and also a bit scary.
You know, it's difficult to keep up with everything being thrown at us right now. The AIG bonus dilemma is the current focus of the media. But while we're all worrying about which AIG executives will receiving bonuses and marveling at which constitutional amendment Obama & crew will break to try to get the money back - a bill is quietly making its way through Congress. It appeared in my Twitter, posted by a fellow TCOT friend. It said "read this!"
I did. And I'm a bit uncomfortable with the wording of this bill.
It's H.R. 1388: the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act. Now, call me simple, but I remember "volunteerism" as being - well - voluntary. So imagine my surprise when I come across Title VI--Congressional Commission On Civic Service (Section 6104: Duties)(b)(5): "The effect on the Nation, on those who serve, and on the families of those who serve, if all individuals in the United States were expected to perform national service or were required to perform a certain amount of national service.
Or...
(b)(6): "Whether a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people could be developed, and how such a requirement could be implemented in a manner that would strengthen the social fabric of the Nation and overcome civic challenges by bringing together people from diverse economic, ethnic, and educational backgrounds."
I don't know about you, but I don't like words like "mandatory" and "requirement" when it comes to "volunteerism".
You need to read this bill - mainly because it just made it out of committee and is headed to the House floor.
The full text of the bill is here.
If you happen to live in California, it's no surprise for you to see celebrity "news" as being "important". Important as in, before-the-news-of-the-nation important. When I lived in L.A., there was nothing more entertaining than seeing the local news. First up, 3 people dead in gang shootings. Then we have the couple who accidentally burned down their house - or intentionally (I forgot) - while the rest of the family were still sleeping. Then, some hopped-up celebrity spouts off environmental, political, moral (?!?), or some other "important" information we're supposed to take to heart.
Sigh.
I'm 41 and cynical now, but I was once a teenager and then a 20-something, and I adored certain celebrities. I grew up in the turbulent 1980s - when nuclear war was inevitable and every aspect of art reflected the fear we felt as the US and USSR stood toe-to-toe. My taste in music was eclectic, sometimes fast, sometimes violent. Hey, I was 15. One band in particular reflected my preoccupation with our own mortality. This was a local band that reached somewhat international status. Its lead singer went on to compose many motion pictures and is one of the youngest composers in Hollywood today. In case you haven't noticed - I'm not naming names because I won't bother with being harassed by fellow fans who might think this celebrity is infallible in his decision to throw his stardom into the political machine. I'm simply reminiscing about the past all those years ago - and how I used to really, REALLY respect this guy. Or actually his art, which may not have been a true reflection of the person behind the pen.
Today I was referred to an article in the Huffington Post, of all things. The article was written before the 2008 election by my favorite celebrity - the one who compsed songs about captialism and standing up for yourself and not letting the government run you over and take your life away. This very celebrity wrote an article about how he "feared" Sarah Palin. So much so, he put a ton of money into a PAC, created his own commercial, and aired it in as many markets as he could afford. Now, any schmo can do this, but not every schmo has the money this celebrity does. The hypocrisy of producing a rather crude commercial in order to broadcast his personal fears - and thereby cause his devoted fans to re-adjust their views along his lines - is deplorable. Remember - he has every right to do this - but because of the beauty of capitalism - the very thing that gives him his millions - he now has the influential power (along with every other socialist celebrity) to destroy the very foundation of his wealth. And potentially ours as well.
Why would a celebrity do this? Why do they not just donate their money to community causes, work a soup kitchen, or voluntarily give more income in the form of taxes? Why do they feel the need to drag us down with them by supporting a government that robs us blind and takes our freedoms away?
Maybe celebrities are making a statement about themselves. They want to make a mark on the world - and many not even graduating high school, I can see why. They use an uninformed, emotional bully pulpit to "express themselves". And we wonder why Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York are the government-laden, socialist cess-pools they are. All we need are a few celebrities and their self-produced commercials to invoke fear (and make sure to place that celebrity's name prominently to alert the fans) and voila! Instant votes.
I moved away from Los Angeles in 2005 and swore never to return. Good thing too - the city is overrun with illegal aliens and pro-Mexico marchers who vow to "take California back". The city council is moving to revoking the 2nd Amendment so citizens can't protect themselves when the next gang war takes place. The inner city is crumbling and neighborhoods are falling - just steps from celebrity mansions. And the celebrities continue to build their walls and gripe about Republicans and capitalism. Hmmmmm.
The 1st Amendment is a good thing - it's a sacred right that we embrace as Americans. However, just because you can do something doesn't necessarily mean you should do something. In this celebrity's case, he projected his fears - it worked, he did his part to elect a man who is already leading this country to socialism. In his music, he's written many cases of "you reap what you sow". Well, hopefully he experiences first hand the effects of the new "stimulus" bill. Get ready to pay out the nose - and congrats, you just ruined any hope your children and grandchildren had of getting ahead, starting their own businesses, or making it out on their own. Didn't you hear? We're all building bridges and digging ditches now. Grab a shovel comrade - write some song about this and lament that this is not the "change" you wanted.
Or better yet, just shut up. Celebrities are the court jesters of the world - they should be regarded as such.
It's been a while since I've sounded off. I think I've found a new reason to do so - thanks to my state representatives and the state of California itself. So, as every blogger likes to have his or her platform, I want to use mine as a way to take back my state. California, at the hands of its government, is destroying itself. I want to put info out there and hear from others that are entirely fed up.
I want this blog to be a constructive place for Californians who love their state and don't want it to descend into socialism to rally - not only due to the budget chaos that is going on, but because of important stories you may not have seen on the news. Seriously, if you don't live here and just want to b*tch about the state, please start your own blog.
California was a red state until 1992. With organization and action, we can bring it back to where it used to be.
Story One:
Democrats Send Budget Package To Schwarzenegger
The Governor immediately vetoed this package - that's the part I heard on the news. Here's the part my local news didn't cover:
In a letter to the Democratic leaders released by the governor's office Tuesday night, Schwarzenegger said the budget punishes people with increased taxes without the necessary spending cuts or plans to help reduce foreclosures.
"It is unfair and unacceptable to place an even greater burden on hardworking taxpayers without doing all we can to cut spending, create jobs and keep people in their homes," Schwarzenegger said.
The drama between Democrats and Schwarzenegger was playing out as Republican lawmakers and anti-tax groups filed suit to block the Democratic package. They said it included tax increases that were not passed by the a two-thirds majority in the Legislature, as required by the state Constitution.
The lawsuit was filed in the state's 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento and seeks an immediate injunction. Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, said the groups want to ensure that lawmakers don't try the same maneuver again.
The lawsuit alleged that the Democrats' budget plan violated the state and federal constitutions because it swapped taxes for what Democratic lawmakers referred to as fees and was passed with simple majority votes.
The Legislature's action amounted to taking private property without due process and diluting the minority party's vote in violation of the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment, said John Eastman, dean of the law school at Chapman University and the attorney who filed the lawsuit.
Coupal said it also violated the will of the people. In 1978, California voters passed Proposition 13, which requires tax increases to be passed on a two-thirds vote of the Legislature.
"What the legislative majority have attempted is clearly a change in state law for the purpose of raising revenue, and we are confident that the courts will agree with us," Coupal said Tuesday.
(Source: http://cbs5.com/politics/california.budget.talks.2.901369.html )
The red flag on the 14th amendment violation came when the budget proposal renamed gasoline taxes "gas fees". The Dems then advertised their budget package as "eliminating gas taxes" - when in fact they repackaged said taxes as fees, which could be increased at the whim of the Legislature, rather than by popular vote.
Story Two:
California panel rejects new offshore oil drilling
The proposal, which would have been worth billions of dollars, was announced last year with a landmark alliance between longtime anti-oil environmentalists and the oil company. The environmental groups signed a confidential agreement to lobby for the deal in exchange for promises from the Houston-based company, including billions in revenue for the state, thousands of acres of land and a commitment to end its local drilling by 2022.
"It's done. It's over," said Linda Krop, who negotiated the deal on behalf of the Environmental Defense Center, Get Oil Out! and the Citizens Planning Association of Santa Barbara County. "I'm going to be standing on our coast in nine years looking at these platforms, and they're still going to be operating."
Commission chairman Lt. Gov. John Garamendi said he was not convinced that the application was in the best interests of the state or that "the main benefit of this bargain is achievable and enforceable."
Some lawmakers have recently challenged the proposal. Garamendi had said U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and other members of the California congressional delegation were concerned that approving a drilling proposal could undercut their efforts to reintroduce a federal drilling moratorium that was lifted by the Bush administration.
(Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/01/30/business/NA-US-Offshore-Drilling.php )
Not surprising that the whole reason this proposal was defeated was due to Pelosi's stranglehold on our state government. For the first time (probably) ever, a deal was made between the oil companies and the environmentalists. I had no problem with this proposal. But Pelosi did.
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So what do we do?
The state is bankrupt as of February 1st, regardless of whether or not a budget passes. IOUs will be issued in lieu of state tax refunds and state services will be cut back. Counties will run out of money in approx. April (your mileage may vary). Over the past week, I have met up with a LOT of conservative bloggers, activists, and RNC members about this. It took a while, but Friday night I sent a fax to every state senator and assemblyman. (I *heart* unlimited calling plans.). I wrote to each of them that this was a mess they created and they must fix. No federal bailout money, no punishing the taxpayer. Stop paying into welfare funds for illegals, stop funneling money to unions.
I know this is a pain - I know we're all tired and upset - but we've got to do something, cause this is out of control. We're about to be taxed for everything under the sun if the Dems can get away with it. This is, until the California division of the RNC forms again under Micheal Steele, the best way to speak up.
Some good contacts:
If you want to contact the Legislature (includes committee members' names, etc.):
http://www.legislature.ca.gov/legislators_and_districts/legislators/your_legislator.html
and
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html
Some groups:
California Tea Party: http://www.calteaparty.com/
California Republican Party: http://www.cagop.org/
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers' Association: http://www.hjta.org/
California Alliance to Protect Private Property Rights: http://www.calpropertyrights.com/
It's time to speak up, people.
I just got an email from United Airlines, saying that beginning August 18, 2008 it will charge $15 for the first checked bag. Seriously - isn't it bad enough that we are paying extraordinary rates for flights that sometimes don't show up, inept counter personnel, and broken-into luggage? Northwest Airlines is now going to charge for that cheap snack they throw at you during your 4-hour flight. It's called a "snack pack" and will be $5, thank you. If you want a soda with that (or God forbid, water) that will be $2.
Makes one not want to fly anymore, huh?
I wrote to United, proudly telling them that after August 18, 2008 I will no longer fly United. Just as I don't fly American for their leading the way on charging for that first bag. Right now I fly Delta and Northwest - but that may change as service gets worse and worse. I'm sure as more luxury travelers ('cause business travelers are stuck with this crap) pull out and find alternative means of transportation, these companies will suffer. I can't possibly feel bad for them - here's an example:
As is true with almost every American company, Delta Airlines exported their customer service department to India. As wonderfully nice as the Indian people are, we do have a language barrier that most Americans can't get past. Add to this really (I mean REALLY) bad phone lines, and you have a recipe for disaster. I made a reservation online, only to have an obscure error message pop up. "Please call our customer service line or we will cancel your reservation." Okay - so I called the service center. The line dropped so badly, the agent on the other end actually asked me to... yell the reservation code to him. After that, he asked for phonetics (Alpha, Oscar, Zebra...). After this experience, I found that my card was charged twice - so I wrote to Delta and complained. Now, they say they are doing this to be competitive. Really?? They pay a customer service agent approximately 1500 rupees a week. 1500 rupees equals about $34. Yes, these fine American companies are paying $34 a week for an agent. You'd think the least they can do is invest in the infrastructure - like the phone lines. Instead, what they are doing is promoting slave labor - taking advantage of a third world economy and its people - and still charging incredibly high prices.
An Indian friend of mine protested "1500 rupees in India is a good salary - you guys are just demanding too much in wages." I reminded him that as cost of living increases in India (which it will), its people will demand higher wages. Then those "generous" American companies will pick up and go to Singapore, Indonesia, or Bolivia. There seems to be no end - and man, is it frustrating to watch.
I've only got one word... Fred.
Okay, so I haven't posted in a while...
28 March 2007 - Seoul : "Genetic engineering is far from precise", warns Dr Ricarda Steinbrecher, consultant genetic scientist of Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific and also director of EcoNexus, a public-interest research organization based in the UK. "There are a number of steps in the genetic engineering process and most of them are subject to various uncertainties. A single gene mutation can have serious effects ..yet genetic engineering is all about creating mutations. the outcome can be tremendous, and totally unpredictable and unexpected."
Speaking on "Genetically Engineered Food and Crops: Issues and Concerns from a Scientific Perspective" at the WORA Seminar entitled "How to Secure the Safety of Rice" in Seoul today, Dr Steinbrecher expressed her disbelief that agri-business corporations could guarantee that genetically engineered (GE) food or crops are stable and safe when there are so many indications to show they are not.
"Besides negative ecological, social and economic effects of the genetic engineering of crops, from a scientific perspective, there are health impacts, contamination effects and many scientific uncertainties associated with genetic engineering," continued Dr Steinbrecher.
She cited a disturbing development about honey bees in the US. "Millions of these insects have disappeared over the last half year, their hives are empty. Bees are used as pollinators for various crops and the value that they generate in the US is estimated at over USD14 billion per year". The problem is so severe that it has been called the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). "Nobody knows why the bees are dying. There is evidence though that GE crops contribute to this, in particular insect resistant crops producing the Bt-toxin. Though healthy bees do not seem to be affected by Bt pollen, a scientist called Hans-Hinrich Kaatz in Germany has found that bees infested with parasites and fed with Bt pollen were affected and died at a high rate. Beekeepers have for years reported that honeybees suffer from high rates of parasites and diseases. As reported last week in a German journal [Der Spiegel], this resembles new evidence that Bt pollen is a contributing factor in the death of the bees. The areas where the bees have disappeared have a lot of Bt crops being grown there. We don' t think this is a coincidence. No one would ever have thought that this could have been an outcome of Bt and yet here we are. Not only do we not know exactly how this interaction happened, we don't know how to deal with it or stop it or even if we can."
"Allergic reactions can be anything from rashes, sneezing and asthma to fatal shocks in some cases," warns Dr Steinbrecher.
Other possible impacts are gene silencing ie the plant that is being genetically engineered may 'silence' (turn off) that particular gene permanently. Dr Steinbrecher explains, "In 1992, a study was published about GE petunias in Germany. One summer, these GE petunias started to produce white and pink flowers instead of the characteristic red ones. Investigations revealed that the plant had somehow shut off the gene producing red flowers. Again, this was a totally unexpected effect. Gene silencing in GE plants has been repeatedly observed. We now know that environmental factors as well as homologies of the GE gene and the plant's own genes can trigger gene silencing."
She goes on to cite another disturbing case in the US. "In the US, a case reported in 1999, GE soya (resistant to the Roundup Ready herbicide) was found to have inexplicably produced 20% more lignin. This caused the stems to become harder than normal. During one exceptionally hot summer, the stems cracked because they were too brittle and tough to expand in the heat. Fungus penetrated the cracks and this greatly affected the yield that summer."
The final word from Dr Steinbrecher is one of extreme caution: "The moral of all these cases is that from the scientific angle, genetic engineering of crops is still a technology full of risks. Any number of totally unexpected things can happen. Worse, once grown, GE crops can contaminate the food supplies as just seen for two varieties of herbicide resistant rice (LL601 & LL). Worse still, GE plants can and will contaminate natural varieties and this contamination is irrevocable. The only fact we can be sure of is that we simply don't know enough to risk the consequences."
The delegates at the seminar were relieved to finally get such evidence of the risks of GE food. Their feelings were well articulated by Jung Woo Sick from the Buddhist Environment Association, "Before this, we were aware of a debate over the safety and stability of GE but we were never really sure. Now that we know the facts, we can have one clear message for our consumers here: that GE rice and GE food is a real risk, one that we should not take."
The Week of Rice Action (WORA) 2007 brings together farmers, rural communities, and other sectors of society to celebrate and protect rice culture. To be officially launched on March 13 in Bangladesh, the main WORA events will take place in 13 countries across Asia from March 29 to April 4. Culminating in India and the Philippines, WORA will be an unprecedented mobilization of Asians "Celebrating and Protecting Rice Culture"! A key feature of WORA will be its one-million signature campaign calling on policy-makers to take immediate steps to save the rice of Asia.
WORA is organised by Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP) and its partner organisations in thirteen countries in the region. Anyone interested in being a part of WORA 2007 can log on to the WORA page at www.panap.net (http://www.panap.net)
