New Beginnings

As the protests in Tibet turn violent, we should do our best as citizens of the world to understand what this all means. I’ve compiled some current links for you to review and come to your own conclusions. Later this weekend, I will also put together some information to provide you with the background for the unrest in Tibet.

• His Holiness the 14thd Dalai Lama’s Official Statement
• AFP
• CNN Article #1 - CNN Article #2 - CNN Video
• New York Times -Photos
• YouTube: Tibet Protest on Mt. Everest
• LA Times
• Newsvine/AP
• Bjork is not crazy
• Buddhist Monks in Burma:
  Burma, Buddhism and Power (Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippet

What if we the leader of the free world was also a mother? How would our position in the world change? How would the direction of our country change? Just think about it. What if we all decided that enough was enough and actually did something to change it?

In my heart of hearts, I believe that we can make a difference and change the world we’re living in. To contribute to Hillary’s campaign, to view her campaign videos, or join the fight.

“The president has rediscovered his long lost inner fiscally conservative self,” said Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, in a mocking tone. “After an orgy of borrowing, spending and misspending on many dubious things, his target? Ten million low-income kids.” - CNN

I’m torn here.  I’m pissed, because, well, duh. The president is still wearing his ass hat. Big surprise. On the other hand, it’s a politically positive move for the democrats. No? We have got to do something about our healthcare system, people. Whether or not you support a federal plan is irrelevant. As I sit, on both sides of the insurance fence (employer/employee) no one is winning here except health insurance companies run by attorneys. Period. It’s fucking killing us.

Bush commutes Libby prison sentence

I guess it was to be expected. I mean, if he hadn’t thought he was going to be taken care of then he probably would have ratted out the real guilty parties, right?  Now, if Al was president we wouldn’t be in this effing mess.

I’m a crazy kind of girl, I know,  but I’ve been in love with Al Gore since I first read “Earth in the Balance” in 1992 (also the year I stopped smoking and quit eating meat). I believe in his authenticity and integrity. I just do. I can’t help it. Anyway, if you get the chance read his latest editorial, please do:

StopGlobalWarming.org: Moving Beyond Kyoto

“This is not a political issue. This is a moral issue, one that affects the survival of human civilization. It is not a question of left versus right; it is a question of right versus wrong. Put simply, it is wrong to destroy the habitability of our planet and ruin the prospects of every generation that follows ours. “

He’s brilliant, as always.

Food for thought:

After watching Planet of the Apes with my son the other night, my Dad made some interesting comparisons  between the movie (and the ape-run system) and the Bush administration, especially concerning how the apes don’t believe in evolution or what scientists present.

I know that a lot of people have strong feelings for and against Cindy Sheehan. Regardless, this article makes my heart hurt for her and all the other loved ones left behind. I’m terrified to think about the long term implications this horrible war is going to have on our country and our place in the world.

• CNN: Anti-war mom Cindy Sheehan gives up her protest

The Raw Story:  Former Powell aide says Bush, Cheney guilty of ‘high crimes’

Well no fucking duh.

Jessica Lynch and Pat Tillman’s younger brother testified in Congress today about the hype surrounding Lynch’s capture and rescue in Iraq and the death of Pat Tillman in Afghanistan. Why isn’t the truth enough anymore? Don’t we deserve the truth? More importantly, don’t they deserve to be supported, honored, and respected for what they’re doing every day? I think that young woman proved today that she really is a hero.

• Pentagon Challenged on Lynch and Tillman
• “Little Girl Rambo” decries US propaganda
• Lynch, Tillman’s brother: US military lies

Technorati Tags: american, patriot, bush, texas, liberal, politics

Court Rebukes Administration in Global Warming Case - New York Times

This is also good news. Although, please notice in the article it explains that converative justices John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia,  and Clarence Thomas all dissented. Hmmm, so much for checks and balances.

Technorati Tags: court, global warming, al gore, supreme cout, epa, clean air act

Put your foot down and vote for someone who will steer this great country of ours back in the right direction! Contribute to Hillary Clinton’s campaign!

Even if you’re not a flaming liberal like me, you might find the blog post at No Quarter titled Fox News, Crazy Right Wing Propaganda (originally posted on Pottersville) fairly interesting (or even entertaining, if you’re weird…like me).

Oh, hey, while I’m showing my bleeding heart to ya why don’t you mosey (ack, mosey?) on over here and sign the petition demanding that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales take off his ass hat and resign. Come on…you know you want to!

“GOOGLE-BOMBING” - Readers of progressive political blog MyDD.com found one news article for each of 50 top Republican congressional candidates that made clear why voters should not vote for them this November. MyDD.com then made coding that bloggers can put on their sites to help these 50 articles rise in Google’s rankings. Learn how: http://www.mydd.com/story/2006/10/25/15446/481

VOTEVETS.ORG - A group of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan made some hard-hitting ads revealing the truth about the Republican record of not properly supporting our troops. Bloggers can promote the viewing (and funding) of these ads. Get the YouTube encoding for these ads here: http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=votevets

YOUTUBE CORPS - Republicans show time and again why they should not be the ones leading our country, and YouTube shares these moments with the world. Sign up here to get emails notifying you when these key moments occur. (Check out Stephen Colbert’s interview with Georgia Republican Congressman Lynn Westmoreland http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHedaxBawBs and Senator George Allen’s infamous macaca remarks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL3Q9gUEvtA

Tags:democracy, liberals, Oregon, patriotism, politics, progressive, us, vote

I have had enough of this fucking war and the death and hate. I love this country and am as patriotic as they come, but it’s not okay anymore to send our children, wives, mothers, lovers, husband, and fathers off to die. It’s not okay, dammit. How do we fix this mess? How?

“Dear Mr. President”
Pink (featuring the Indigo Girls)

Dear Mr. President
Come take a walk with me
Let’s pretend we’re just two people and
You’re not better than me
I’d like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly

What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street
Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep
What do you feel when you look in the mirror
Are you proud

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye
How do you walk with your head held high
Can you even look me in the eye
And tell me why

Dear Mr. President
Were you a lonely boy
Are you a lonely boy
Are you a lonely boy
How can you say
No child is left behind
We’re not dumb and we’re not blind
They’re all sitting in your cells
While you pave the road to hell

What kind of father would take his own daughter’s rights away
And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay
I can only imagine what the first lady has to say
You’ve come a long way from whiskey and cocaine

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye
How do you walk with your head held high
Can you even look me in the eye

Let me tell you bout hard work
Minimum wage with a baby on the way
Let me tell you bout hard work
Rebuilding your house after the bombs took them away
Let me tell you bout hard work
Building a bed out of a cardboard box
Let me tell you bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
You don’t know nothing bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
Oh

How do you sleep at night
How do you walk with your head held high
Dear Mr. President
You’d never take a walk with me
Would you

Eloquently weaves the science of global warming with Al Gore’s personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change. A longtime advocate for the environment, Gore presents a wide array of facts and information in a thoughtful and compelling way. The film is not a story of despair but rather a rallying cry.

Ok, yes, everyone that knows me is aware that I’ve been madly in love with Al Gore (yes, my husband knows, too) since I read “Earth in the Balance” in college. And, yes, I become more of a bleeding heart liberal every year, BUT (that’s a big but) isn’t it time we started really doing something about global warming? Even little, every day things make a big difference. The kiddos and I are spending tomorrow, Earth Day, putting together a permanent family plan for treading more lightly on our planet.

Learn more about Al’s movie by watching the trailer, or reading a review or visiting the website.

And have a fantastic Earth Day!

[Treehugger]

From Democracy Now’s website and podcast:

South Dakota Abortion Ban Draws Fiery Opposition from Native Americans — Cecilia Fire Thunder, President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, recently made waves when she said a clinic on the Pine Ridge reservation could provide abortions if South Dakota’s new abortion ban goes into effect. The ban is set to go into effect July 1st. It would prohibit all abortions except to save the life of the mother – with no exceptions for rape or incest.

See also:
This, this,
and this and this.

[tags]women’s rights, south dakota, cecilia fire thunder, oglala sioux, abortion ban, pro-chose, pine ridge, democracy now, sovereignty[/tags]

Minimum Security: Cartoons, art, and more by Stephanie McMillan
Or check out her LiveJournal blog.

[tags]Stephanie McMillan, South Dakota, cartoon, boingboing, pro-choice, wtf, women’s rights, Bill Napoli, abortion, privacy[/tags]

We are Americans, We have the right to participate and debate any administration.
-Hillary Rodham Clinton

Yep, that’s right. I opened my big fat mouth and out came a bunch of [tag]liberal[/tag], emotional [tag]woman-speak[/tag] aimed at my annoyingly conservative facto-mondo co-workers. Fuckers. Instead of having a rational discussion about why [tag]Dubya sucks[/tag], I started shrilly soapboxing about this administration’s disconnection from citizens of my “type.” I know the president is not directly responsible for me losing my home and not being able to afford a new one and for the dismal condition of our economy and for my son’s sorry excuse for a school and for this state’s pathetic options for medical insurance. Ok. I know it. But, dammit, if I don’t see the [tag]American Way[/tag] of life slowly slipping away into some kind of freaky Star Trek space time continuum and damned if I don’t need someone to be accountable. “It’s a state and local problem,” just doesn’t cut it for me anymore. It’s not enough.

Back to my [tag]knitting[/tag]…knit, knit, knit. Knit, don’t think. Knit, don’t drink.

I received this letter from One.org:

What if you or I wanted the opportunity to earn a good living, or could grow something for less money, and we weren’t allowed? Right now, poor farmers and poor countries in Africa and other parts of the world can’t do that because of unfair trade rules.

Together, we can change this. Please sign on to the ONE Big Noise letter today and ask our leaders to make trade fair.

We need to help small farmers, here at home and abroad, but with the current trade rules, it’s a game no one could win. Their cotton could compete with anyone’s, except that governments around the world give so much money to some big farmers that they can actually then sell their cotton all over the world below cost. Those payments make other cotton farmers poorer everywhere else, and keep people from being able to use hard work and the opportunities given to them to make better lives for themselves and their children.

We called on world leaders to do more at the G8 Summit to fight extreme poverty and global AIDS. They heard us, and now this is the next step in helping the world’s poorest people. In December, the world will sit down at trade talks in Hong Kong to consider rewriting these unfair trade rules. We’ll need a global deal to address a global problem, because no one will change these unfair policies unless all rich countries agree, at once. Our leaders need to know that we’re still watching and want real progress.

Add your name to the ONE Big Noise letter today and ask President Bush to take this opportunity to fight extreme poverty by making trade fair.

This isn’t about handouts, it’s about giving people who work hard and play by the rules a hand up so they can take care of themselves. Together, we can make ONE Big Noise that will be heard around the world

Thank you,
The ONE Team
one.org