Thursday, March 30, 2006

Just in case you forgot...

I'm a liberal, and a damn proud one. Why?

Liberals Ended Slavery, Won women’s right to vote, Ended Segregation, Passed Civil Rights Act, Passed Voting Rights Act, Passed Social Security, Passed Medicare, Passed the Clean Air Act, Passed the Clean Water Act.

'nuff said.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Don't faint, Dad, but I think I'm going to church on Sunday.

It always takes people by surprise when they find out I studied religion in college, since I'm not a church goer, though I was raised Episcopalian and identify as such. I've never been one to equate going to church with being a religious person, but with the far-right hijacking God, I think I'm going to give this church a try. Advertising does work!

On Immigration and the Media

I just read this on another blog, and had to share. It's brilliant. (Just so you know, my in-laws are immigrants - my mother-in-law came here from Ireland and my father-in-law from Canada)

1. The vast majority of Hispanics/Latinos in the U.S. (75 percent of us) were born and raised here, including many of us who have roots here that predate the arrival of the pilgrims.
2. "Immigrant" is not synonymous with "Latino" and the media should stop pretending they mean the same thing.
3. The CNN analyst who said today "Keep in mind, Latino voters are LEGAL immigrants, not illegal immigrants" should be FIRED for sloppy thinking. MOST LATINOS ARE NOT IMMIGRANTS AT ALL, PINCHE CABRON.
4. Immigrants to contemporary USA come from EVERYWHERE. There are, for instance, 100,000 Nigerians in Houston, and tens of thousands of ILLEGAL Irish in Boston. If this debate is truly about immigration, as opposed to racist portrayals of Latinos, please curb your coverage to be more responsible.
5. Just because someone waves a Mexican or Colombian flag at a peaceful demonstration does not mean the demonstration is a "riot" or the people unAmerican. Lou Dobbs should get his panties out of a knot and realize it is no different than someone waving an Irish flag in Southie or an Italian flag in Queens. These flags are not waved as proof of national allegiance; they are waved in solidarity with a person's cultural heritage.
6. You can be a Mexican American and never have had an ancestor come over the US border; vast portions of the United States of today USED TO BE MEXICO or SPAIN. If you failed to learn this in high school, your teachers should be fired.
7. The vast majority of Hispanics/Latinos in the US speak English as a first language. The Pew Center for Hispanic research shows that by the third generation, all Latin American immigrant descendents - 100 percent of them - are English-first, English dominant. Zero percent speak Spanish as a first or primary language by the third generation.
8. The US has TWO international borders, not ONE. To date, not a single terrorist has gotten to the US through Mexico; to date, at least two suspected terrorists have arrived here through Canada. In fact, I would not be surprised if, while the media and xenophobes are focused on the Mexican border, terrorists figure out that it might be a good idea to walk over from Vancouver to Seattle for a latte.
9. Not all Hispanics/Latinos are Mexican or of Mexican origin in the U.S., and most people of Mexican extraction in the US were born in the UNITED STATES.
10. Please check for plans to give Haliburton the contract to build a wall along the Mexican border before caving in to the right-wing propaganda about a "crisis" in immigration from Mexico.
11. Please be careful when you discuss these issues not to stereotype or overgeneralize. The anti-Latino frenzy you're creating is leading to a racist backlash against tens of millions of native-born Americans who happen to have Spanish names.
12. The following are also Spanish names: California, Arizona, Florida, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego. Why does CNN allow states, cities and rivers with Spanish names to be American, while disallowing American people with Spanish names the same right...?
13. Please tell us what the problems are that are caused by illegal immigrants. Don't just say there is a "debate". Tell us in concrete terms what the risks and dangers are being brought to the US by "illegal" immigrants. Can't find any? Thought so.
14. Please remember that the least legal and least assimilable of American immigrants were...the English. And the only people who can claim to be true "Americans" are Native Americans.
15. Most Mexicans are Native Americans.
16. Shut up about this non-issue and get back to BEING JOURNALISTS, covering the REAL issues, like the illegal war in Iraq and the lies that got us there; the record-setting trade deficit; Bush's bankrupting of America; NSA's illegal wiretapping of American citizens; the fact that our public schools are MORE segregated than they were before Brown vs. the Board of Education; the fact that we as a nation have now slipped to having only the 27th freest press in the world; the Plame leak and the consequences of it being that Americans are much less safe than we were before Cheney and his friends played "revenge"; the disappearance of the American middle class and unions; the sorry state of the FAA; the rapid devaluation of the American dollar on the world market thanks to idiot leaders; the dismantling of the endangered species act by our administration; the rapid and unprecedented rise of a white underclass (the fastest rise in poor whites in American history has occurred under Bush); the enormous and growing gap between rich and poor in America.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

How Many Have To Die?

This was written by my little brother, Ken10.

How Many Have to Die?
I was talking to a friend of mine,
and he sighed with a tear in his eye,
he said, "sometimes when I,
sit back and stare at that
tell-lie-vision, i'm mesmerized by
his evil eyes, and the lies they tell our children,
and i'm hypnotized by his sneaky smile,
but all the while,
I wonder, how many have to die?"

he said, "i try to justify and find pride
in a woman with skin like mine rising so high,
on that, so called, ladder of success,"
he said, "i must confess, i guess,
that in a humanitarian effort contest,
Oprah would take first prize,
because, see, Condaleeza Rice is yet to stand tall and hold her head high,
and tell the world that her best seller- her boss
is full of lies.
and well, I'm sorry,” he spoke,
“We can but only learn more from James Frey,
When reading between the lines,
‘Just hold on’ when you feel the fury rise
Waiting at gas pumps for high priced lies
This administration so,so full of pride,
corporate media pleading and programming your mind
from both sides.
While each day more and more children die.
And a mother cries
On His front lawn,
Osama supposedly still hides
While football stars serve as pawns,"
my friend continued, "you gotta' wonder what the hell is going on?"
He said he cries some nights wondering...
"how many have to die?"

I sighed,
Felt a tear come to my eye
And replied,
“you’re quite right,
this president of whom you speak
is so full of evil. of Hate. Of Deceit. And so very full of lies.”

I became quite sad,
listening to my friend,
I reflected for a moment,
let it all soak in,
I guess
The pendulum will someday swing,
With the will of the masses,
but until we the people, the powerful, the peaceful,
decide to say no-
get up,
stand up-
unite as one,
stand firm against all facists,
then and only then
is when- mothers, brothers, sisters and fathers,
on each side of this irrational struggle for control,
will ever know peace.

So people please,
i beg of you,
I plead to you,
to look deep within your soul
listen to what you know,
we’ve got to take control!
we've got to say no!
No, we cant have this no more!
Go home and look yourself in the eye,
ask yourself why?
then maybe you can answer,

how many have to die?

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Just about done


So, we're all moved now, but are drowning in boxes. It looks like it'll take about 29 years to unpack!!

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Take a deep breath and smile


As I posted earlier - we're moving this weekend and I'm very stressed out. I don't know why moving has this effect on me, but it does and I have to deal with it. I'm also crazy-busy at work, so I'm not the most fun person to be around right now. That being said, this song always makes me feel good - it's from a CD I bought a million years ago in college. The song is "You Make Me Smile" by Dave Koz. Take a listen, you'll be happy you did.

Sunday, March 19, 2006

I Hate Moving

This weekend is the big move. I told you all awhile ago that the FW and I bought a place, about a 1/2 mile from our current home. We close this Friday and move in on Saturday. Everything's great, except that I hate moving more than anything else in the world. Check that, I hate "packing" more than anything else in the world. Boxes everywhere, the dog is confused as hell. Yep, happy times.

The Last 3 Years

Man, we're kickin' ass, eh? Read all about it.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

You never know who you'll see

I was just walking to pick up something from my copier at work, and who do I see standing outside my office door? Jesse Jackson and John Kerry. Gotta find out what they're doing here.

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Things NOT to do with your dog

It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon in DC, if a bit chilly. I decided to take my dog with me to get some gas for the car - he loves going on car rides, especially with the back window down. I get to the gas station and decided to buy a car wash as well - the car's a bit dirty. While in the car wash, Kaleb (my dog) gets a little freaked out by the noise and the big brushes, so he jumps from the back seat to the front. No big deal, right? After all, I'm not driving, just sitting there while the car is getting washed. Right, except for one thing - I drive a Saab. As Saab drivers everywhere will tell you, Saabs are great, great cars, with some rather eccentric qualities, one of which is having the ignition and window controls placed in the center console. You can see where this is going, can't you? Yep, when Kaleb jumped into the front seat, his paw hit the button for the driver's side window. Soap and water shot through the window before I realized what was happening. Probably a million gallons (that's how it felt, anyway). It was like something out of a comedy - I would have laughed my ass off if it had happened to anyone else. Actually, I'm laughing about it now - 30 minutes and a change of clothes later.