There was a break in the afternoon gully washers yesterday. I took that opportunity to play a bit of catchup on the yard work. I managed to mow about 2/3 of the yard...if I'm lucky I may get the rest mowed this afternoon. At 6am this morning we are already…
The Ethicurean Blog always has some intriguing posts about the food we eat and how it is raised or shows up at our table. Maybe I've been reading them too much, 'cause this whole dependence on corn is beginning to remind me of something else. Are we planning to trade…
American Agriculture - Do you trust a CEO to decide what you eat? It may just be my inherent distrust of corporations or the complete lack of values most corporations have shown in the course of this country's history, but, I really do not trust my food quality and safety…
Ok, after a long hiatus on this site my liberal rantiness has returned. All it took was a return to the 1980's and the Republican definition of "Law and Order". I found this statement from Robert Novak intriguing. Just when it seemed George W. Bush's sinking prestige with his Republican…
What a difference a day makes...Yesterday morning I was in Medical Mode and not hurrying out the door, so I drew my first cup and glanced up at the "Weather Station". The outside temperature was 68 and the humidity was lower than normal, just in the 80% vicinity, so I…
Looks like the same old game for the Bush administration. Give a big speech taking the oppositions side away from them, do some back office finagling to ensure what you just promised doesn't happen, and then just assume no one will notice. WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is drastically scaling…
March 27, 2006I have decided that trying to keep up with multiple blogs requires more time than I want to devote. So I am now keeping my political musing on my main blog. If you wish to wander over you can follow this link...Political MusesYou will have to read through…
On Easter Sunday the Iraq prognosis could be better. A political breakthrough in Washington already happened, Hamre (John J. Hamre, a former deputy defense secretary) said, when November's elections turned into a referendum on the war. "The American people have been waiting to hear how we were going to win in…
1992 was the year I became a Democrat. That was the year I got the opportunity to attend every session of the Republican National Convention. I was in the building before the delegates and I left each evening after they went off to their parties. The thing that turned me…
You know, either politicians are getting really stupid or they think we are. It really doesn't matter a whole lot if they are being paid off any more, the appearance that they are being paid off is something they should have avoided. The smell of this mandate by the Gov…
This was in the newsfeed from the Houston Chronicle today. In the new spirit of media disclosure, I should tell you that I own several Dixie Chicks CDs. But I'm not writing this as an adoring bluegrass fan. I'm writing this as a shame and empathy researcher. That was how Brene'…
Even in a holiday season, politics requires that politicians put in an appearance. Presidential funerals don't happen often, when they do, you go. Nothing shows the depth of a man like the way he shows respect to those who went before him. And a show of respect that requires nothing…
From the parallel universe of Robert Novak. "Environmentalists' well-financed propaganda operation"...Does the man live in this universe? Industry has been spending many times the amounts the environmentalists have but the truth is still coming thru their lies and distortions. Industry has controlled the conversation for 12 years in congress and…
This morning's OP-ED from David Broder makes some interesting points. He has divided the Bush Presidency into four phases. I think he should have added a fifth. In trying to gauge where things stand in our government after the political upheaval that has taken place, it helps to think back through the…
It is nice to read something on the Op-Ed pages at the WSJ that I can agree with for a change. Looks like the new Senator from Virginia has a way with telling it like it is... The most important--and unfortunately the least debated--issue in politics today is our society's steady drift toward a…
It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.After arguing during the campaign that Democrats would undermine national security, President Bush changed course today and said America's enemies should not read this week's ground-shaking election results as a sign of U.S. weakness.Bush radio: Elections do not reflect a loss of…
I guess the reason I have been quiet in regards to the resounding change in the political climate is I have been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Congratulation to all of the winners across the country. In particular, congratulation to us, the American people. We have begun the…
All I am going to say is, I agree.The Great Divider - New York Times: "As President Bush throws himself into the final days of a particularly nasty campaign season, he’s settled into a familiar pattern of ugly behavior. Since he can’t defend the real world created by his policies…
You know, I'm getting really tired of this Administration trying to tell me what morality is. As they lie and cheat and push crony politics to new limits, they seem to have a disconnect with reality (like I'm the first person to say that). I can only hope that the…
Former Texas Governor, Activist Ann Richards, 73 - washingtonpost.com: "Former Texas governor Ann Richards, the witty and flamboyant Democrat who went from homemaker to national political celebrity, died Sept. 13 after cancer was diagnosed this year, a family spokeswoman said. She was 73."She was a breath of fresh air in…
Harold Meyerson - With No Ideas, The GOP Seeks to Scare - washingtonpost.com: "What's a party to do when its high road leads nowhere but down? The Republicans tried privatizing Social Security, but their numbers never added up. They tried spreading democracy with unilateral, preventive war but instead unleashed a…
I guess this pretty much explains the shenanigans in Florida in 2000...ORLANDO, Aug. 25 -- Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.) said this week that God did not intend for the United States to be a 'nation of secular laws' and that the separation of church and state is a 'lie we…
USNews.com: Washington Whispers: "To the list of those penning books about the prez add the most authoritative source of all: President Bush. Insiders say that he's been working on the project for a year. 'He's doing a memoir,' one insider says. 'He's keenly interested in it.' But here's the odd…
CNN.com - Democrats vow to block pay raises until minimum wage increased - June 27, 2006: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Democrats ratcheted up their election-year push for an increase in the federal minimum wage Tuesday by promising to block a congressional pay hike unless some of the lowest-paid hourly workers get…
Lawmakers' Profits Are Scrutinized: House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) made a $2 million profit last year on the sale of land 5 1/2 miles from a highway project that he helped to finance with targeted federal funds.A Republican House member from California, meanwhile, received nearly double what he paid…
You know, Tom Delay had been my Congressman for most of my adult life. I have been voting against him for that entire length of time. Today I am happy to say “don’t let the door hit you, Tom.” I look forward to enjoying your retirement from politics. The Washinton…
Jim Hightower | REMEMBER AFGHANISTAN: "Gosh, George W has kept us all so busy trying to deal with his disastrous Iraq war and with his build-up for a whole new war in Iran – that I'd forgotten about his war in Afghanistan! How's that going? It's an important question, since…
Creators.com - Creators Syndicate: "It would be easier to contemplate a two-year holding period if Bush hadn't already wasted so much time. Of particular note in this department is 'the inconvenient truth' -- global warming. Wasting eight years in the face of what we already knew when Bush came in…
Elections Are Crux Of GOP's Strategy: "'The president's run into a perfect political storm where the confluence of natural disasters from last fall, gasoline prices, staff changes, the continuing war in Iraq, all are giving conservatives a defensive fatigue,' said Kenneth Khachigian, a California GOP strategist who served in Ronald…
