(Click to enlarge)
~~~
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Good for her, too
Check this out:
"I've got three kids. My sole biological reason for being on this planet is to ensure that they can flourish, and they can't do that in a filthy, degraded environment."
-- Lucy Lawless, actress, speaking from aboard an oil-drilling ship to prevent it from leaving a New Zealand dock; she and five Greenpeace activists were arrested
~~~
"I've got three kids. My sole biological reason for being on this planet is to ensure that they can flourish, and they can't do that in a filthy, degraded environment."
-- Lucy Lawless, actress, speaking from aboard an oil-drilling ship to prevent it from leaving a New Zealand dock; she and five Greenpeace activists were arrested
~~~
Monday, February 27, 2012
Headline of the day
Here you go:
"Rick Santorum On Religious Freedom: What He Has Forgotten Since Law School"
And here's the subtitle:
"A law school peer of Santorum's offers a lesson on what the Constitution says about religious freedom for a wayward classmate and his followers."
It's worth a quick read.
~~~
"Rick Santorum On Religious Freedom: What He Has Forgotten Since Law School"
And here's the subtitle:
"A law school peer of Santorum's offers a lesson on what the Constitution says about religious freedom for a wayward classmate and his followers."
It's worth a quick read.
~~~
Saturday, February 25, 2012
So why isn't this simply obvious?
It's one of the "quotes of the day" over at the Time Magazine website:
"Resorting to religious language that sets people of faith against each other harms political discourse and sows religious discord."
-- J. Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, in a joint statement with the Anti-Defamation League and the Interfaith Alliance, warning Republican presidential candidates to leave religion out of politics
~~~
"Resorting to religious language that sets people of faith against each other harms political discourse and sows religious discord."
-- J. Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, in a joint statement with the Anti-Defamation League and the Interfaith Alliance, warning Republican presidential candidates to leave religion out of politics
~~~
Friday, February 24, 2012
A rather distressing bumper sticker
See what I mean?
“No problem. I wasn’t using my civil liberties anyway.”
~~~
“No problem. I wasn’t using my civil liberties anyway.”
~~~
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Good grief. (Deep, deep sigh....)
Um.... there's one F-bomb in here so, if that offends you, don't watch.
~~~
~~~
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Quite unnerving, if you ask me
It's one of the quotes of the day from Time Magazine:
"Forty years ago, you'd watch the same evening-news ad as your Democratic neighbor."
-- Kenneth Goldstein, president of the Campaign and Media Analysis Group at Kantar Media, on how political ads now target potential supporters on the basis of their location, the websites they visit and their voting record
~~~
"Forty years ago, you'd watch the same evening-news ad as your Democratic neighbor."
-- Kenneth Goldstein, president of the Campaign and Media Analysis Group at Kantar Media, on how political ads now target potential supporters on the basis of their location, the websites they visit and their voting record
~~~
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
So did his father ever do this sort of thing?
If so, I don't remember it at all.
Take a look at what I'm talking about:
Franklin Graham Calls Obama's Religious Beliefs Into Question
You know, when I was a child in Sunday School, I was taught that questioning someone else's salvation was tantamount to presuming to judge in the way that only God can judge and that it is very wrong.
And I still believe that.
~~~
Take a look at what I'm talking about:
Franklin Graham Calls Obama's Religious Beliefs Into Question
You know, when I was a child in Sunday School, I was taught that questioning someone else's salvation was tantamount to presuming to judge in the way that only God can judge and that it is very wrong.
And I still believe that.
~~~
Monday, February 20, 2012
May Day strike?
Please do take a look at this:
OWS Calls for May Day Strike
Personally, I don't think there's enough support for something like this yet but I wish there were.
Here's one comment that caught my attention:
"Once upon a time Gandhi started this way in India. It was called a day of prayer and meditation. The entire country came to a ‘non-violent’ standstill that day. Do it!"
Yes, I could wish for that approach!!!
~~~
OWS Calls for May Day Strike
Personally, I don't think there's enough support for something like this yet but I wish there were.
Here's one comment that caught my attention:
"Once upon a time Gandhi started this way in India. It was called a day of prayer and meditation. The entire country came to a ‘non-violent’ standstill that day. Do it!"
Yes, I could wish for that approach!!!
~~~
Friday, February 17, 2012
Wow. What a statement!
This was on my Facebook newsfeed. Just take a look:
"I have born two children. With my second son, I was in labor for six and a half weeks, causing me to be on bed rest and in pain for a month and a half. My arches fell out of my feet, and never returned. In the 18 months I was pregnant, I vomited for every one of them, giving birth weighing less than I had when I got pregnant, loosing my tooth enamel, damaging my esophagus. I have suffered a post birth infection that nearly killed me. I nursed each child for a year, with breasts so large that they literally warp my spine, causing weakness and injury resulting in invasive spinal surgery. I get migraines that hospitalize me once a month, twice or more if I don't get affordable birth control. I cannot have anymore children because I have a medical condition that makes me unable to regulate my spinal fluid pressure and the medications I take would jeopardize my unborn child. I have stayed up nights with vomiting, feverish children. I have done more diapers than you can shake a stick at. I have put off a career in favor of raising decent people. I am a mother of two beautiful souls for whom I would do it all again... But I can tell you one thing GOP: my sons WILL NEVER SILENCE THE VOICES OF WOMEN, OR TAKE THE RIGHT TO CARE FOR THEIR OWN BODIES AWAY. So go ahead, have your little meetings, exclude half the population because we have vaginas, see how far that gets you. But don't forget your mother, your wife, your sisters and daughters.... we are watching you, we are being told what we are worth to you, and we won't forget come voting time. Any woman who is paying attention ought to be angry, and any man worth his salt ought to be too."
-- Sarah Zacharias
Well, spoken, Sarah.
To the men out there: are you listening? Please listen!
~~~
"I have born two children. With my second son, I was in labor for six and a half weeks, causing me to be on bed rest and in pain for a month and a half. My arches fell out of my feet, and never returned. In the 18 months I was pregnant, I vomited for every one of them, giving birth weighing less than I had when I got pregnant, loosing my tooth enamel, damaging my esophagus. I have suffered a post birth infection that nearly killed me. I nursed each child for a year, with breasts so large that they literally warp my spine, causing weakness and injury resulting in invasive spinal surgery. I get migraines that hospitalize me once a month, twice or more if I don't get affordable birth control. I cannot have anymore children because I have a medical condition that makes me unable to regulate my spinal fluid pressure and the medications I take would jeopardize my unborn child. I have stayed up nights with vomiting, feverish children. I have done more diapers than you can shake a stick at. I have put off a career in favor of raising decent people. I am a mother of two beautiful souls for whom I would do it all again... But I can tell you one thing GOP: my sons WILL NEVER SILENCE THE VOICES OF WOMEN, OR TAKE THE RIGHT TO CARE FOR THEIR OWN BODIES AWAY. So go ahead, have your little meetings, exclude half the population because we have vaginas, see how far that gets you. But don't forget your mother, your wife, your sisters and daughters.... we are watching you, we are being told what we are worth to you, and we won't forget come voting time. Any woman who is paying attention ought to be angry, and any man worth his salt ought to be too."
-- Sarah Zacharias
Well, spoken, Sarah.
To the men out there: are you listening? Please listen!
~~~
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Simply yes
Here is the Sojourner's quote of the week:
"The Holocaust shows not only how low humanity can go, but also how high it can go. Someone in a camp who shares his last bread with a friend sheds new light on the word friendship."
- Dorit Novak, director of the Yad Vashem Memorial and Museum’s International School for Holocaust Studies in Jerusalem
~~~
"The Holocaust shows not only how low humanity can go, but also how high it can go. Someone in a camp who shares his last bread with a friend sheds new light on the word friendship."
- Dorit Novak, director of the Yad Vashem Memorial and Museum’s International School for Holocaust Studies in Jerusalem
~~~
Really sad; tragic, even...
This is one of the Time Magazine quotes of the day:
"Folks being able to successfully work together and get things done is becoming rarer and rarer."
-- Max Baucus, Montana senator, on the tentative agreement reached early Thursday to extend the payroll tax break
~~~
"Folks being able to successfully work together and get things done is becoming rarer and rarer."
-- Max Baucus, Montana senator, on the tentative agreement reached early Thursday to extend the payroll tax break
~~~
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
An oldie but a goodie
This sort of message has been circulating for quite a few years now. A reminder is always worthwhile, however:
A real lack of consistency, shall we say?
Here's a truly informative (and quite brief) article:
10 Catholic Teachings Conservatives Reject While Obsessing About Birth Control
The following is just a little bit of what it says:
You know, I have a number of quarrels with the Roman church but the church's teaching on social justice is not one of them.
~~~
10 Catholic Teachings Conservatives Reject While Obsessing About Birth Control
The following is just a little bit of what it says:
Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich are both Catholics, and wear their faith on their sleeves, but they are hypocritical in picking and choosing when they wish to listen to the bishops.
1. So for instance, Pope John Paul II was against anyone going to war against Iraq I think you’ll find that Rick Santorum managed to ignore that Catholic teaching.
2.The Conference of Catholic Bishops requires that health care be provided to all Americans. I.e., Rick Santorum’s opposition to universal health care is a betrayal of the Catholic faith he is always trumpeting.
...
5. The bishops want welfare for all needy families, saying “We reiterate our call for a minimum national welfare benefit that will permit children and their parents to live in dignity. A decent society will not balance its budget on the backs of poor children.” Santorum is a critic of welfare.
You know, I have a number of quarrels with the Roman church but the church's teaching on social justice is not one of them.
~~~
Monday, February 13, 2012
A Time Magazine quote of the day
And it's a good one:
"I think there is pretty broad agreement that the time for austerity is not today."
-- Jack Lew, President Obama's chief of staff; Obama's 2013 budget proposal, announced Feb. 13, requests increases in transportation, education and other areas in order to help the weak economy
~~~
"I think there is pretty broad agreement that the time for austerity is not today."
-- Jack Lew, President Obama's chief of staff; Obama's 2013 budget proposal, announced Feb. 13, requests increases in transportation, education and other areas in order to help the weak economy
~~~
Headline of the day
Right here:
It's the Wealth Gap, Stupid
Here's just one paragraph:
"What's the primary cause of our current and growing wealth gap? Home values, the largest item on most families' balance sheet, remain depressed, while stock prices, the largest item on the balance sheet for those at the top, have rebounded. In short, Wall Street has recovered, Main Street has not. Consequently, in the last three years, the concentration of wealth has occurred at the expense of those in the middle. Economist Sylvia Allegretto estimates that the top 1 percent of households by wealth had net worth 225 times greater than the median household in 2009. This is the highest ratio of wealth inequality on record and an increase of 24 percent since 2007. Without drastic changes in the market or in policy, the divergence between housing values and securities prices will be the main driver of wealth inequality for the foreseeable future."
I strongly recommend that you click through and read this one. It's an eye-opener, that's for sure.
~~~
It's the Wealth Gap, Stupid
Here's just one paragraph:
"What's the primary cause of our current and growing wealth gap? Home values, the largest item on most families' balance sheet, remain depressed, while stock prices, the largest item on the balance sheet for those at the top, have rebounded. In short, Wall Street has recovered, Main Street has not. Consequently, in the last three years, the concentration of wealth has occurred at the expense of those in the middle. Economist Sylvia Allegretto estimates that the top 1 percent of households by wealth had net worth 225 times greater than the median household in 2009. This is the highest ratio of wealth inequality on record and an increase of 24 percent since 2007. Without drastic changes in the market or in policy, the divergence between housing values and securities prices will be the main driver of wealth inequality for the foreseeable future."
I strongly recommend that you click through and read this one. It's an eye-opener, that's for sure.
~~~
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Quote of the week :-)
Yes, indeed.
"Now that we all agree contraception is a bad idea, let's take a harder look at electricity and soap."
-- Andy Borowitz
~~~
"Now that we all agree contraception is a bad idea, let's take a harder look at electricity and soap."
-- Andy Borowitz
~~~
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Headline of the day
Check this one out:
Most of Obama's "Controversial" Birth Control Rule Was Law During Bush Years
Here's an excerpt:
"In December 2000, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled that companies that provided prescription drugs to their employees but didn't provide birth control were in violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prevents discrimination on the basis of sex. That opinion, which the George W. Bush administration did nothing to alter or withdraw when it took office the next month, is still in effect today—and because it relies on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, it applies to all employers with 15 or more employees. Employers that don't offer prescription coverage or don't offer insurance at all are exempt, because they treat men and women equally—but under the EEOC's interpretation of the law, you can't offer other preventative care coverage without offering birth control coverage, too."
And here's where I say: Good grief!!
~~~
Most of Obama's "Controversial" Birth Control Rule Was Law During Bush Years
Here's an excerpt:
"In December 2000, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled that companies that provided prescription drugs to their employees but didn't provide birth control were in violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prevents discrimination on the basis of sex. That opinion, which the George W. Bush administration did nothing to alter or withdraw when it took office the next month, is still in effect today—and because it relies on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, it applies to all employers with 15 or more employees. Employers that don't offer prescription coverage or don't offer insurance at all are exempt, because they treat men and women equally—but under the EEOC's interpretation of the law, you can't offer other preventative care coverage without offering birth control coverage, too."
And here's where I say: Good grief!!
~~~
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
Monday, February 06, 2012
Sunday, February 05, 2012
Ordinary fairness
My dear friend, Prior Aelred, offered this on Facebook today:
~~~
“Our nation, so richly endowed with natural resources and with a capable and industrious population, should be able to devise ways and means of insuring to all our able-bodied men and women, a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.”
I've long wondered how anyone could possibly dispute this, actually.
~~~
~~~
“Our nation, so richly endowed with natural resources and with a capable and industrious population, should be able to devise ways and means of insuring to all our able-bodied men and women, a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.”
-- Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1937
I've long wondered how anyone could possibly dispute this, actually.
~~~
Saturday, February 04, 2012
Friday, February 03, 2012
Something to think about
My friend, Charlotte, just sent me a bunch of bumper sticker images. This one is my favorite, really:
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Abso-freakin'-lutely:
Take a look:
"Politics have no place in health care. We should be helping women access that care, not placing barriers in their way."
-- MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, Mayor of New York, after the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation pulled grants supporting breast cancer screenings from Planned Parenthood; Bloomberg offered to match new contributions to Planned Parenthood up to $250,000
~~~
"Politics have no place in health care. We should be helping women access that care, not placing barriers in their way."
-- MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, Mayor of New York, after the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation pulled grants supporting breast cancer screenings from Planned Parenthood; Bloomberg offered to match new contributions to Planned Parenthood up to $250,000
~~~
