Friday Grandbaby Blogging

This is me on my second birthday, in my party dress. It is also the dress I will wear to testify before the Senate if they need me to talk about what a naughty man Alberto Gonzales is. He's a liar, and my Baba says that lying is a bad thing. Baba also gives me butterfly kisses when she visits, and I miss her.

But Alberto is so bad that even his ex-Chief of Staff is telling on him. D. Kyle Sampson told the Senate "Mr. Gonzales’s statements about the prosecutors’ dismissals were inaccurate and that the attorney general had been repeatedly advised of the planning for them." That's a long way of saying "Liar Liar, pants on fire."

Sometimes I'm naughty. Like if I want to do something I'm not supposed to do, I will walk backwards out of my room, and stare at my Mommy in the eyes, so she doesn't see me walking backwards. But I think my Mommy has super powers because she always catches me, unless she's laughing too hard. My Baba doesn't have super powers, because when I try this with her, she just laughs and grabs her camera. The Senate seems to have grabbed their cameras too, and I think that Alberto Gonzales is a lot more naughty than I ever am.

I bet he even told the President, who is a really big fat liar, and he can't even hold a book in the right direction. I can hold a book the right way. I saw a picture of him reading a book about a goat, and it was upside down. My uncle asked me to show him my favorite book so I got "Good Night Moon" and opened it to the page about the yellow balloon, and got one of my birthday balloons, and turned the book in the right direction so he could see, and gave him my book and the balloon. The President can't do that. Those bad men are going to get in lots of trouble now.

Bye bye.

Hacking McCain

Hat tip to Donnie McDaniel. Apparently, John McCain's MySpace was hacked. At any rate, I took a look, and found this cartoon that sort of sums it all up. If you click on the image, it will get large enough to view:

Changing minds

One day, about a year ago, a friend said to me "Will you teach me how to be a Democrat?" My friend, mostly a-political, was a Republican because her parents (long dead) had been Republicans. She never thought much one way or another about voting, she just went where her parents (long dead) had pointed her.

When our nation was attacked on September 11, 2001, the first thing she said to me in reference to George W. Bush was "We have the right man for the job in office, don't you think?" I was horrified, in shock, and mourning the murder of a good friend who'd sat in the first class section of American flight 11, the first plane to hit the WTC. And I said to her "Absolutely NOT. Bush is the absolute WRONG man for the job."

So, when we were at dinner about a year ago, and she said "Teach me to be a Democrat," I said, "Of course, but I want to know why you have changed your thinking." Her reasons were simple, clean and clear. She said that this administration lies when the truth would be easier. She said their lies have caused the needless deaths of US soldiers, and have made us reviled internationally. We are not safer, we are in more danger because this administration has used lying as a weapon against us. And she said "I don't think that the Democrats lie quite so easily." Well, maybe they just don't lie so criminally.

Last night, watching Keith Olbermann, I noticed that his common theme was the death of integrity. Leading off with Gonzo Gate, Chief Counsel to Alberto Gonzales, Monica Goodling, refused to testify in the Senate about her involvement in the firings of eight U.S. attorneys, invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Already on an indefinate leave of absence, Ms. Goodling has now cast a definate light of criminality on the firing of 8 US Attorneys when previously people were just muttering about incompetence and cronyism.

The cover-up of Pat Tillman's death by friendly fire has his family asking for an investigation. The army has determined there was no criminal wrongdoing in this cover-up (can you say cronyism?) But lying about how Tillman died diminishes his courage and his real dedication to America. Tillman went to Afghanistan to find Osama Bin Laden. He opposed the invasion of Iraq, and he loved America. Once again, an example of how this Republican administration would rather lie when the truth would serve it better, and the truth would be easier.

Tom Delay compares Democrats to that "scoundral" Hitler.

Rudi Giuliani paves potholes in New York with rubble (including human remains) from 9/11.

Rush Limbaugh says John and Elizabeth Edwards are using her cancer to make political hay.

And so my friend, the ex-Republican, cites a lack of integrity among the Republicans causing her change of heart.

What has been your experience? Will this lead us to peace?

Friday Grandbaby Blogging

Hi Everybody. Gramma hasn't had a lot of new pictures but she is taking lots now while she visits me for my birthday. I'm two. I'm not a baby at all. I like butterfly kisses and eskimo kisses and blueberry pancakes and Doggie. I love Elmo and mommy and daddy and gramma. I miss you, but now there are lots of new pictures. It is going to rain today. We have to go for a walk now. Bye-bye.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pekka, I have to promise you that I am a pro at using the word no. Also, I can pitch a really loud tantrum, the kind where my back arches and I look like I am posessed. Also, I hear what I want to hear and ignore the rest. And sometimes, when I am doing these things, my mommy and daddy just have to bite their tongues because they know that laughing is probably not such a good idea.

Georgia Republican says Gore not allowed on House floor

Georgia Republican Lynn Westmoreland says that former Vice President Al Gore was violating recently enacted ethics rules rescinding floor privileges for former congressmen working as agents of a foreign government.

Mr. Gore is an advisor to Great Britain on Global Warming.

You may remember Mr. Westmoreland from his June 14, 2006 visit to The Colbert Report on the segment known as "Better Know a District." I think he speaks for himself.

David and Goliath?

So one of today's headlines in the LA Times is News Corp., NBC pull together to challenge YouTube. All I can do is sit back and wonder why? What's the point of this? Over the last few years, Barney the Purple Dinosaur attempted to sue Dr. Stuart Frankel, and lost. What is the point of coming down on any independent use of media?

Well, it's simple. Greed. And in this current climate, any independent thought is deemed dangerous.

I've had dinner with my brother, and with some politically inclined friends the last few nights while in Chicago, and we've come to some conclusions. Bush will not withdraw from Iraq; he will probably invade Iran; he will stay the course because each day leads us closer to the Rapture, in his twisted thinking. We've acknowledged that rather than making the US safer, Bush has created what will become a 500 year holy war against us from Islamic fanatics. We have acknowledged that films like An Inconvenient Truth don't solve the problem, they simply soothe our conscience and make us feel like we're doing something. Yet somehow we remain powerless in this twisted world, and through our lack of power we can actually do something positive.

Once we recognize we are powerless over people, places and things, we can become quite powerful in affecting what we really can change: ourselves, our thinking, our actions. And it starts with actions. Media giants are taking on YouTube, a haven for independent creative minds to post some amazing stuff. Blogs are "monitored" - some of us have gotten tired, and silent, for a brief while, but not completely silent - we just need to refresh.

Our strength will come not from anger, but from being the path to peace and freedom of speech. Our strength comes from not giving in to fear, or unfounded threats. We can make change. We can make peace.

Four Year Anniversary

Today, via Peace Chick Mary, I joined One Million Blogs for Peace.


I joined today on the four year anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq by US Troops. It was advertised as a day of "Shock and Awe", and that alone made me ill: that this administration had the gall, the chutzpah to advertise this invasion, to put a media spin on it at all.

But Mary's post was about forgiveness, and letting go of anger. I've been somewhat silent of late for a number of reasons: work, health, health, work. But there has been an underlying thought which is this. Anger exhausts me. Anger drains me of all resources. How can I change my approach from anger at this administration's lies to being at peace, and FOR peace? Because I cannot change facts, I have to accept facts, this means that the only thing I can change is my attitude and methods of achieving my goals. My goals are to attain peace, to withdraw our troops and bring them home, and to restore our Constitution and personal freedoms.

Is it semantics? I think not. We get back what we put out into the world.

The topics suggested today by One Million Blogs for Peace are these:

Think back four years ago, to when you first heard that the Iraq War had started.
Were you for or against the war at the time?
If you were for it, what has changed your mind over the last four years?
If you were against it, why were you against it?

The room is open. Discuss!

Okay, it's back up, with apologies

First, I posted an endorsement too early, before it was officially announced, so I took it down same day.

Next, I got slammed with work, which is a good thing, really, because it pays my bills.

Then I got Zoloft withdrawal, which really made me insanely dizzy, and that kept me from posting.

Then I got my perscription refilled, and I was still really busy at work.

Now I am visiting my grand toddler, who turned two yesterday, and working remotely because I can, and, working remotely, can actually find the time to blog a bit.

Apologies to one and all.

But the endorsement: Kelley Wenzlaff is running for the State House in Ohio's 2nd District as a Democrat. In a district that has been virtually written off by the party, Ms. Wenzlaff is stepping forward with an eye toward being the change she wants to see in her state.

A Democrat has not been elected in this district in about 60 years. Ms. Wenzlaff is currently building a grass roots organization, which takes support. It takes a lot of support and help, even from people outside her district like myself. She and I don't agree on all issues; while she is not a conservative, she is not as liberal as I am, yet I believe that she is focused on real, positive change. So I support her. You can, too, by by making a contribution to her campaign to help wrest control from the Republicans. Visit her site, and give it some real thought.

Roll back the rock

I don't know what all the furor is about. I mean, James Cameron produces a movie about Mr. & Mrs. Christ and their son, Judah that asserts Jesus and Mary Magdalene were hitched, with a kid, and buried in a conventional tomb, and the religious right gets bent out of shape.

They would really have had a fit over what my old friend, Joe O' use to do when he was in seminary. Joe, who was a Jesuit Priest, would get drunk with his fellow seminarians and they would have a "roll back the rock" party at Easter. Wish I'd have been there to see THAT!

Breaking News

Bush: I'll Bring Troops Home on JetBlue

No Exact Timetable, President Says

Under increased pressure to announce an exit strategy from Iraq, President George W. Bush revealed plans today to bring U.S. troops home on the budget airlines JetBlue.

Mr. Bush received praise for his decision to withdraw American troops, but his choice of JetBlue to transport them raised more than a few eyebrows.

According to most official estimates, with its recent spate of scheduling problems and flight delays, JetBlue could take up to seven years to bring U.S. troops home, and possibly ten years in the event of inclement weather.

But at a press conference at the White House today, the president argued that the selection of Jet Blue was "crucial" to the success of his latest exit strategy.

"Setting an exact timetable for a withdrawal from Iraq would be playing right into the enemy's hands," Mr. Bush said. "By going with JetBlue, our enemy will have no idea when we're leaving."

To emphasizes his point, Mr. Bush added, "And neither will we."

Across Iraq, U.S. GIs were hopeful that the news about JetBlue meant that they would be home by Christmas, or at least by Easter 2012.

At JetBlue headquarters in Forest Hills, New York, CEO David Neeleman said that it was "flattering" to be chosen to play such a critical role in President Bush's new exit strategy, but wondered if his embattled airlines has what it takes to bring troops home from Iraq.

"We're still having a hard time getting people home to Fort Myers," Mr. Neeleman said.

Elsewhere, Britain and Denmark announced that they were joining "The Coalition of the Leaving."

snark news service

Update

Work invades life.

Health issues still waiting for biopsy.

Beanie pictures have to wait til I go visit her for her birthday.

Work: a high class problem, in that I have been exceptionally busy. All good. New clients, returning clients, and interesting vacation plans for all. Young honeymooners on a budget, and I am happy to be able to help them. Africa trips. Intersting Australia & New Zealand trips. Great cruises.

And then my work computer crashed. Yes. Died, but was brought back to life yesterday and turned on its side. Don't send flowers, send backup discs.

Health: Grrrrrr.

Beanie: She is so chatty - she can say all kinds of two syllable words, like bubble, doggie, cookie, Ah-m, Nemo, but she can't (or won't) say things like fish. No, she says ball, and NO, and hi, and bye. She has about 80 words, the rest is her special language, but she is quite the personality. Three weeks til I see her next. I will take hundreds of photos.

And that is why I haven't been posting much, or visiting at all. Actually, the health is getting me down. I need the biopsy before meds can be perscribed, and the biopsy is still not scheduled. I begin nagging on Monday. I have definately got PBC, which can be treated after this biopsy; and Fibromyalgia, which just gets managed by diet and exercise; and the arthritis in my back has progressed from mild to moderate.

ME ME ME ME ME.

I will be better about visiting, I swear.

Friday Grandbaby Blogging

I'm not a baby, I'm a toddler. I'm almost two. My gramma Ah-m still calls me baby but I am a big girl now. She doesn't have new pictures because my mommy forgets to email them. She will take lots of pictures when she comes to visit me. We talked on the phone this week. We sang the Ah-m song, I helped. And I told her gsehomreare doggie doggie doggie ah-m, which means "I love you Gramma, and I can't wait to see you." Then when I was done, I said "Go Away" which means I was done talking on the phone, and I climbed off the couch and went away.

Tech Support

TECH. SUPPORT: Yes, how can I help you?

CUSTOMER: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install
Love. Can you guide me through the process?

TECH. SUPPORT: Yes, I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

CUSTOMER: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What
do I do first?

TECH. SUPPORT: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located
your Heart?

CUSTOMER: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is
it okay to install Love while they are running?

TECH. SUPPORT: What programs are running?

CUSTOMER: Let's see... I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge, and
Resentment running right now.

TECH. SUPPORT: No problem. Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from
your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent
memory, but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will
eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called
High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and
Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly
installed. Can you turn those off?

CUSTOMER: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

TECH. SUPPORT: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke
Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and
Resentment have been completely erased.

CUSTOMER: Okay... done! Love has started installing itself. Is that
normal?

TECH. SUPPORT: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program.
You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the
upgrades.

CUSTOMER: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "Error.
Program not run on external components." What should I do?

TECH. SUPPORT: Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up
to run on Internal Hearts but has not yet been run on your Heart. In
non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before
you can Love others.

CUSTOMER: So, what should I do?

TECH. SUPPORT: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following
files: Forgive Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge Your
Limitations.

CUSTOMER: Okay... done!

TECH. SUPPORT: Now, copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system
will override any conflicting files and begin patching faulty
programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all
directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely
gone and never comes back.

CUSTOMER: Got it. Hey! My Heart is filling up with new files. Smile
is playing on my monitor, and Peace and Contentment are copying
themselves all over my Heart. Is this normal?

TECH. SUPPORT: Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventually
everything gets it at the proper time so that Love is installed and
running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure
to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in
turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.

What am I willing to give up?

David Morris has a powerful article at Alternet which talks about George Monbiot's new book, Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning, due out in July of 2007. Referring to Al Gore as our generation's Paul Revere, he says that Monbiot picks up where Al Gore leaves off - offering real, hard core solutions to change. Monbiot's solutions require real sacrifice - and at a level most Americans probably are unwilling to make.

Monbiot writes: "We wish our governments to pretend to act. We get the moral satisfaction of saying what we know to be right, without the discomfort of doing it." I read this and got an uneasy feeling - does this indeed describe me? My generation? Otherwise, wouldn't I be putting myself on the front line, running for office and trying to actually implement change?

Mr. Morris writes: "By claiming we can solve the problem of climate change painlessly, environmentalists confuse us. They offer stark and rigorous presentations terrifying us about the near-term, dire consequences of global warming. And then they offer generalized, almost blithe assurances about how we can avoid these dire consequences without great sacrifice. We are horrified and soothed at the same time. It's a dangerous strategy. Many who focus on the catastrophic present-day images of An Inconvenient Truth believe we have gone beyond the point of no return, which leads to cynicism and passivity. Those who are spurred to action believe that buying a hybrid car or taking an eco-vacation will address the problem." (emphasis mine.)

I am a Hybrid car driver; I focus on eco-vacations; I use responsible light bulbs; I recycle. I do all kinds of little things, and feel really uncomfortable about my "moral superiority." Because I fly. I take several long distance flights each year. I drive to and from work, when I know that I can work from home - this is an issue with my employer, who seems to want me in the office rather than working remotely. I shop. I use my car a lot. I am more than troubled by this, I am actually terrified about my contribution to global warming.

Morris writes again: "Monbiot launches his investigation by asking a crucial question rarely discussed by Al Gore and other U.S. environmentalists: How does the responsibility of the world's largest polluters differ from that of the rest of the world? The average American generates more than 10 times the greenhouse gas emissions as does the average Chinese, and perhaps 30 times more than the average citizen of Bangladesh. (The gluttony of the average citizen of the UK is not far below that of the average American)."

On Gore's website, I've taken the test about my footprint. I am average for America. This puts me at 10 times the emissions of the average Chinese person.

Morbiot's book is written for people who already believe that Global Warming is a crisis; it is not written for those people who have their head in the sand and think this is a bunch of hooey. I haven't yet read it, as it is not out until July, but just from Morris's article, I am aware of the sacrifices I have to make - and again, I ask: am I willing to make them?

I am not willing to not have access to my grand daughter. Does this mean I have to move back to Chicago? I am willing to drive less. What else am I willing to do? On another post, another blogger pointed out that the meat and poultry industry are major polluters - am I willing to become a vegetarian? What am I willing to do? What are you willing to do?

Friday Grandbaby Blogging

I'm almost two, and I can say "NO". Sometimes I say it when I mean yes. Sometimes I say it when I mean doggie. Sometimes I say it when I mean no. Like now. NO, I don't want to leave doggie's bed.

I also say bubble, because I like to play with my bubbles. They always pop when I touch them. Gramma Ah-m is coming to my house for my 2nd birthday.

Waiting

I'm impatient. I lack patience. I hate to wait. And, as my kids like to point out, I have a knack for being repetative. However. I am impatient.

Right now, I am waiting to get a biopsy scheduled, and you'd think it would take an act of Congress for this hospital to get off the dime and schedule it. I've been waiting for almost two weeks now. Until biopsy is done, the doctor can't perscribe anything for PBC as we don't know appropriate dosage. In the meantime, I've been responding badly to the weather, nausea and, new symptom, severe dizziness. It makes it difficult to be consistent blogging - I find it difficult to visit other blogs because my concentration sucks. I find it difficult to even keep up with my own blog. And, worse, it is difficult to concentrate at work and the result is I missed a deadline for some clients for a shore excursion that is now sold out - and there is potential hell to pay.

So I am stressed out because of this, and that makes all the above even worse. So I become even more impatient. So I feel like this:

Bears Mania - Superbowl Sunday

My friend Paul, in Chicago, sent me these photos of Bears mania which he took last night in sub-zero temperatures (and minus 25 degrees wind chill) at a
sacrifice of one nose, a pinkie, two toes and one-and-a-half cojones. He is a trooper. Sorry, but he did not get shots of: bridge-tenders' windows lighted
in alternating blue and orange along the Chicago River, the giant
dinosaur wearing a humongous Urlacher jersey, the Picasso in a Bears
hat and Bears colors ringing the Merchandise Mart.

GO BEARS!

Our man-made catastrophe

According to the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, global warming is "very likely" caused by human activities and has become a runaway train that cannot be stopped.

In a report that was leaked to the press a full 8 hours before it was to be published, the IPCC said that temperatures will rise 3.2 to 7.8 degrees by 2100. It also projects that sea levels will rise between 7 and 23 inches over the century, probably more given the rate of the ice melt from Greenland, and the Larson B ice shelf in Antarctica.

This particular report is a scientific document that doesn't offer solutions. Those are to come in another document to be released later this year. But if you have seen An Inconvenient Truth, you know there are solutions.

There is a virtual march to end global warming that can connect you with others who are working at home to become carbon neutral. Reduce your impact: turn off lights at home; recycle; use renewable energy sources. There are things we can do as individuals. We can also demand our local governments to take action.

The obvious solution would be to cut emissions of carbon dioxide, the most important greenhouse gas, by reducing the use of fossil fuels in automobiles, factories and power plants. In California, the "How Many Legislators Does it Take to Change a Lightbulb Act" would ban incandescent lightbulbs by 2012 in favor of energy-saving compact fluorescent lightbulbs. The bill, introduced on January 31st by California Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, would make California the first to ban incandescent lightbulbs as part of California's groundbreaking initiatives to reduce energy use and greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

The 1997 Kyoto Protocol was designed to reduce such emissions, but some major countries, including the United States, China and India, have no defined targets. President Bush withdrew the U.S. from the protocol in 2001, arguing that it was an "economic straitjacket" and that it failed to set standards for developing nations. The U.S. can, and must, do better. If we cannot get our Federal Government to step up and make change, then other states must follow California's lead. And we, as individuals, must be the change we want to see in the world.

Never, never give up hope; never, never, fail to act.

The Day Before Super Bowl Sunday

Even the lions in front of The Art Institute of Chicago are Chicago Bears Fans. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is where I got my BFA. We didn't have a football team, other than The Bears, so this makes perfect sense to me.

Friday Grandbaby Blogging

My mommy took me to a place where they have lots of fun things to do for kids. This is the snowball tent where I got to play with snowballs that don't melt and aren't cold and I don't have to get all stuffed into a snow suit. It was fun.



I love my doggie so much and I love to play in her bed and pretend it is my bed instead of her bed. I like to take out her toys and put in my toys. I like to make a big mess and then I straighten it all out and make it organized and then I do it again. I like to climb on my doggie too. She's really old but she lets me do it anyway. She's almost 12. I love my doggie.