Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category

Public Swimming Pool, White Only


14 Dec

Okay, how stupid do you have to be? Honestly, who thinks that in the US today, they can get away with a “White Only” sign restricting access to a supposedly public place? And the whole purpose was to discriminate against one girl, because the landlord for the pool claimed she used hair chemicals that would make the pool cloudy.

How do you know she uses any chemicals in her hair, let alone what chemicals? Find another way to deal, like requesting the people wear swimming caps. But don’t expect to be able to blatantly discriminate and be given a pass.

Extinct: Western Black Rhino of Africa


12 Nov

This makes me sad. I know that animals went extinct before humans even existed, and more went extinct in the years that we were hunter/gatherers, but now, when we have the ways and means to saving them, it seems like a greater tragedy.

And when I find out that the last of a species was killed solely for its horn- not for meat, not for survival, but for a luxury product –that makes me mad.

Whether you believe we were granted dominion over the earth or not, I believe we have a responsibility toward the creatures we share it with.

Thank You


11 Nov

Today is Veterans’ Day. It is a day to honor those who have served our country. I honor my brother, my father, two uncles, and both grandfathers along with a father-in-law and a grandfather-in-law that I never had the chance to meet. I also honor numerous friends who have served in every branch of the military, and some who are still serving.

Yes, I am a “Liberal”, and I do not always agree with our government’s reasoning for sending the troops places, but that does not change the respect I have for those who have chosen to serve our country.

Occupy Wall Street


31 Oct

I support the Occupy movement. I do not believe that corporations should have the same rights as actual citizens, especially since I do not have all the same rights as a corporation, one being a business entity and the other being, well, a person. I don’t think General Electric should pay less in taxes than I do. And I am not talking percentage wise, I’m talking real dollars. General Electric paid $0 in taxes last year, in fact, they got money from the government. How is it that my tax dollars are subsidizing GE? They do not need the money.

Nobel Peace Prize


09 Oct

“We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society”  Thorbjoern Jagland, Nobel Peace Prize Committee Chairman

 This year, the prize was split between three amazing women- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the President of Liberia and the first female head of state in Africa, fellow Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee, and the very first Arab woman to win the prize, Takakkul Karman fromYemen.

 Thanks to the enduring work and commitment of these women, the world is a better place than it used to be.

Respect for Marriage Act


21 Jul

Respect for Marriage. I like that. Because really, did marriage ever actually need defending? When people are willing to fight for the right to marry, I’m pretty certain marriage is in good shape.

Diane Feinstein has cred on this issue. She was one of only 14 Senators  who voted against DOMA to begin with. And, now, unsurprisingly, she’s the one to sponsor the bill to repeal DOMA.

Thank you, Senator, for the respect you’ve shown on this issue.

The fact that Obama is endorsing the Respect for Marriage Act is the icing, but you’re the baker.

Equal means equal, always.

Healthcare = Happiness


10 Jul

Recently the results of the first year of an ongoing study about the effects of providing people with state run healthcare were released. This is run through a lottery that allowed some people who normally wouldn’t be eligible to apply for Medicaid.

Short term findings: Providing health coverage cost the state more. People given coverage accessed preventative care but still used ERs just as often. However, those people took fewer sick days from work and reported greater overall happiness.

It’s a promising start, and I look forward to long term results, when I suspect costs will start to go down.

Goodbye to the Space Shuttles


09 Jul

Friday marked the end of an era- the last launch of a space shuttle. I grew up watching shuttle launches on the Today Show while my family ate breakfast. I grew up in the era of Space Camp (the movie) and the Challenger explosion. These are important memories in my childhood, and it saddens me that similar new memories are not being made.

NASA still has plans. There is still the international space station, and we are getting closer every year to civilian space flights. But there will be no more space shuttles, at least not for the foreseeable future.

No purpose other than discrimination


07 Jul

The Obama administration has not been perfect. I’ve had problems with some of their decisions. However, there are others that keep hope alive for me, and this is one of them.

The Administration has sent a brief to a California court, urging it to find the federal Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, and to rule in favor of a federal employee who is suing over health insurance benefits for her same sex spouse.

So now, not only is the Administration refusing to defend DOMA, its actively working to bring it down. This makes me very happy. This I can support.

Could we focus please?


06 Jul

There are court cases that I think the public should be following; court decisions that people should be up in arms about, like the current Supreme Court’s tendency to side with corporations over individuals every single time.

What I don’t like and don’t agree with is the “celebrity” criminal trial. It makes no difference in my life or yours (unless you’re a member of the family) if Casey Anthony is guilty or not. Why is this taking up time and energy of people living on the other side of the country? Get over it and get back to work, please.

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