Lexus, Toyota Motor Corp.'s luxury line, was the top brand in J.D. Power's initial quality study, an annual survey of vehicle owners that measures mechanical and design problems in the first 90 days of ownership.
Porsche was the No. 2 brand, followed by GM's Cadillac, then Hyundai and Honda.
Only the Cadillac was in the top 5??
And I love this:
Though Chrysler's scores improved year over year, it had no brands above the industry average. It tied for one segment award, with its PT Cruiser Wagon sharing the top award in the compact activity vehicle segment with Honda's CR-V. Chrysler, however, is discontinuing the car.
So let me get this right: Chrysler only got one award and they are discontinuing that vehicle? Makes perfect sense.
Obviously, the reason that American cars don't sell as well as their foreign counterparts is not an over-abundance of dealers. People don't buy more cars because there are less dealers, they buy cars because they are good quality. So for all the rocket scientists in Washington running the car companies now here's a tip: Build a better car.
After hearing over and over again how Republicans are racist and anyone who doesn't agree with Obama is racist it's a good eye opener. It's worth the read and next time you get accused of being racist because you aren't a Democrat or don't agree with Obama, or went to a tea party you can use some of this information to set them straight. The rest of the site has a lot of good information also.
I don't know how it is where Ms. Boxer comes from but here in the south Ma'am is said in respect. I think what makes it worse is that she cuts him off and has such a nasty, mean tone. And for the record, he worked harder to earn his title than she did to win hers so she really should have refered to him as General. At least he said Ma'am.
A few days ago David Letterman made some derogatory "joke" about Gov. Sarah Palin and her daughter:
Since when is it OK to make "jokes" in such poor taste about someones daughter? The kids are supposed to be off limits right? And lets think back to those awkward teenage years. Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be to have someone as famous as David Letterman say something like that about you? How mortifying.
Well here is the response:
And where is the outrage? Geared toward Gov. Palin's response:
Gov. Palin and Matt Lauer:
I can't believe that Lauer is actually standing up for Letterman. What he said was disrespectful, it doesn't matter if it was about a 14 year old or an 18 year old. Either way it is still degrading and uncalled for. And to turn the tables around and say that Gov. Palin is in bad taste for her comments in response is as bad as the original "jokes". Lauer should be ashamed of himself. I wonder if he would have the same feeling about it if it was said about one of his kids. Matt Lauer and Shepard Smith, because Smith was also defending Letterman tonight (if I find a video for it I'll post it later, are no better than Letterman. They may not have said it but by defending him and attacking the Palins' response they are part of the problem. I can't believe we live in a world where dirty old men are allowed to say such disgusting things about a young girl (of any age) and they can get away with it. I also can't believe that there are other "men" out there that actually defend this disgusting behavior.
I'm getting really sick and tired of politicians and organizations playing politics with the safety of our troops.
It has already been said that releasing the so called "torture" photos would put our troops serving in combat in more danger. So why would anyone want to put these brave men and women in more danger than they are already in? Even President Obama has said he would not release the memos because it would put them in danger.
Now Senators Graham and Lieberman want to make sure they don't get released and have added an amendment to the war spending bill to make sure they don't get released but some Senate Democrats say they will try to strip the amendment from the bill or vote against the bill. What would be their motivation to do that? Do they not care about the safety of our troops, the same ones that they send into battle?
The only point of releasing these photos is to cast the US and our military in a bad light. The people that broke the law have already been dealt with, there is no reason to release these photos now. Please call your senators and tell them that keeping our service men and women safe is more important than partisan politics or the ACLU (funny if it wasn't for these brave men and women there would be no ACLU): (202)224-3121
Someone needs to remind this guy that he works for us not the other way around. Would you get away with that at your place of employment with your employer?
So I ask myself, what country is he talking about exactly? I can understand that we have a separation of church and state. However, I don't get the whole we are not a Christian nation but we could be the largest Muslim nation. ??? We could be a Muslim nation? Does he live in the same America I do?
And speaking of Muslim, and bringing in the right wing extremism, why is our Commander in Chief just saddened at the senseless violence that was the murder of an Army Private for no other reason than he was in the Army but he's outraged about the heinous act of violence that was the murder of Dr. Tiller?
“I am deeply saddened by this senseless act of violence against two brave young soldiers who were doing their part to strengthen our armed forces and keep our country safe. I would like to wish Quinton Ezeagwula a speedy recovery, and to offer my condolences and prayers to William Long’s family as they mourn the loss of their son.”
I am shocked and outraged by the murder of Dr. George Tiller as he attended church services this morning. However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence.
I just got back from visiting my family in Florida this week and there was a common theme in many of our conversations: How much the current situation in our country remind them of what happened in Cuba 50 years ago.
In my last post I said how what was happening with the car dealerships reminded me of hearing about what happened with my grandmother and her beauty salon and in conversation one day she told me that listening to what has been happening reminded her about that also, same with my dad.
When I visited my grandfather, my mother’s father, he kept coming back to the similarities between what happened then and what is happening now. He kept saying that he has seen this before and that people just don’t understand what the consequences are.
While I was visiting with him we went through some old pictures including my grandparent’s wedding pictures and as we were looking over the very few pictures he had from Cuba he pointed to a man in one picture and told me that he was the man that smuggled their pictures out of Cuba, when he left through Mexico. He mailed them to my grandparents from Mexico. The pictures made it to their destination but he never did. He, very mysteriously, was murdered just before he made it to the US. He pointed to several other people in one of the wedding pictures, taken just five short years before the revolution, and told me that they were killed by the Castro government, shortly after the revolution.
I was talking to my dad about the similarities between what is going on now and what happened in Cuba and we got to talking about when they left and I said something about the scene in “The Lost City” when Andy Garcia’s character leaves Cuba and he has to leave everything behind. My dad said that was exactly what it was like; you couldn’t take anything with you at all. Not even family mementos like pictures, things that have no real value other than sentimental value. I had never realized that there were hardly any pictures of either side of my family from their days in Cuba and now I know why that is. I brought home all of my grandfather’s pictures for my mom to arrange for him and as I looked through them the other day I noticed that there were a few black and white pictures in one old album, that I know are old enough to be from Cuba, but other than that, there is nothing. Almost all the pictures pre-1967 are gone. I can’t explain why but it makes me sad to think about that. There are just a few pictures of my mom as a baby and a girl, up until she was 10, there are only a few pictures of my grandmother growing up, there are no pictures of my grandfather until the wedding pictures, he was 27.
So with all the reminiscing last week, I came home and put the lost city on my instant play list on Netflix and some suggestions popped up. One of the suggestions was Fidel. It is a documentary about Fidel and according to it he is a wonderful man and possibly the best thing that has ever happened to Cuba. I beg to differ. There was one old man, a journalist, talking about how great Fidel is from the comfort of Miami. I kept thinking: if he’s so great then why are you in Miami instead of in Cuba?
Of course there were also the American celebrities that think he’s wonderful too. Belafonte and Alice Walker think he has great qualities. But of course they live here in the United States and not in Cuba. I wonder if they would still think so highly of him if they had to live in Cuba, as everyday Cubans, in poverty. I wonder if they would feel the same way if they had to live like these people:
All these videos are from O-jec.com. They have a lot of great videos, some are subtitled and some you don't even need to know what they are saying to realize how bad the situation is. Check them out.
Getting water in Cuba:
How about food?
There is no translation on this one but this guy interrupts an interview and he's pretty much saying that there is no food and that the people of Cuba are going hungry:
How hungry are they? Well how hungry would you have to be to eat garbage off the street?
And how about living conditions:
This lady pretty much says that tourists have this image of Cuba being so pretty and that the people don't have any need but that in fact they dont have clothes or shoes, that it's hard to get food, that kids are dying because they can't get the medicines they need:
This lady is showing how she works her old stove and then her family buys her a new stove:
Can you imagine if these celebrities that thing Castro is so great had to live like this?
And after seeing that look at these pre-revolution pictures of Havana and tell me which one you would rather live in:
So far the administration has stuck it's tentacles into different areas of our private sector. Starting with regulating CEO pay and bonuses to firing CEO's, and firing military generals with 30+ years of distinguished service for no good reason, it's become quite alarming to say the least.
Yesterday afternoon I was listening to Rush and he was reading a letter sent to American Thinker from an owner of a Dodge dealer.
When I heard Rush read:
On Thursday, May 14, 2009 I was notified that my Dodge franchise, that we purchased, will be taken away from my family on June 9, 2009 without compensation and given to another dealer at no cost to them...
THIS IS A PRIVATE BUSINESS NOT A GOVERNMENT ENTITY
This is beyond imagination! My business is being stolen from me through NO FAULT OF OUR OWN. We did NOTHING wrong...
The first thing that came to my mind was my dad telling me about the day, in Cuba, that my grandmother went to open her beauty salon and there were government officials waiting for her to tell her that it was no longer her business. Just like private property and private businesses were seized from law abiding, hard working, Cubans 50 years ago, now it is being seized from Americans.
I don't understand how, in America, a person can lose their business the way a couple of thousand dealership owners have in the last week. I used to think this was not the type of thing that happened in our great country but I guess I was wrong. It didn't stop with capping pay and bonuses and it is not going to stop with owners losing their businesses at no fault of their own. But when will it stop? When are people going to say enough is enough and at that point is it going to be to late?
What I'm really scared of right now is that there are more people in this country that just want to get "theirs" from the government and they are not concerned with what they are losing in the process. I'm also scared that too many of these people don't even realize what they are losing and/or just don't care as long as they are going to be taken care of. I also think that too many people think they are owed something instead of taking care of themselves. Come one people, put your big kid pants on and take care of yourself and your own and quit expecting someone else to. When you depend on them they have control over you, they shouldn't have the control over us, they work for us remember?
I have been beyond negligent about posting. Trust me, it's not for a lack of things to say. Every day, there are things on the news that get my blood boiling and I have a million things going through my head. There has been way too much going on though.
First, my Internet connection has been iffy for the past month. Today the cable company had several trucks out here all day working at just about every house on the street. So, hopefully, whatever was going on will be fixed now.
Second, The Army Dude finally left for Korea. It's been a pretty smooth transition, probably because I've become used to him being gone all the time because of work, but it still has taken some getting used to being the only parent again.
Third, I found out my at the end of March that, as of the end of April, I would be out of a job. I told the Army Dude on election night that I'd probably be without a job by summer and sure enough. But it was a blessing in disguise because Army Dude's reaction was to get command sponsorship for us to move to Korea too. YAY! Which brings me to:
Fourth, now that I'm not working anymore I am full steam ahead, getting ready to move this summer. Right now I'm still getting the house ready for the real estate agent to come take pictures and start advertising it. We decided to just rent it because we'd love to move back here, either after Korea or when Army Dude retires in less than 5 years (YAY!).
And Fifth, school, I decided to take 3 classes again this term, because I didn't learn my lesson last summer. It's been hard to keep up at times and having bad Internet connection has not helped at all. But I have learned one very important point this term. I HATE public administration and I'll be changing my major, once again, after this term. I'm also not taking classes over the summer because that would be insane to do when I'm trying to move overseas. But come fall I'll be back and this time I'll be majoring in international relations.
So that's a quick run down of what's been taking up most of my time lately. There are some things that I really want to comment on, hopefully by the end of the week, including the release of the interrogation memos and Nancy Pelosi's apparent onset of Alzheimer's, the release of one Presidential plane picture that reminds us of just how insensitive the Obama administration is but the release of hundreds of pictures that make the military look bad, and of course, keeping with the theme, the firing of a general officer with decades of honorable service for no apparent reason other than they want change.
Have you seen any of these Congressional Black Caucus Members that went to Cuba this week talk about their meeting with Fidel? It's sick really. I've already said that the embargo hasn't worked and we should just lift it all together so I have on problem with that part of it. What they said about the Freedom in Cuba and the praise they heaped on Fidel was just makes my blood boil.
It was quite a moment to behold," Lee said, recalling her moments with Castro.
Yes I'm sure it was, a defining moment right?
“It was almost like listening to an old friend,” said Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Il.), adding that he found Castro’s home to be modest and Castro’s wife to be particularly hospitable.
“In my household I told Castro he is known as the ultimate survivor,” Rush said.
Like listening to an old friend? How many friends does Rush have that imprisons or murders people that dare speak out against them, that steals people's private property, that lives in luxury while the people he represents live in poverty. Oh wait, never mind you don't have to answer that. By the way, in my house Castor is not exactly known as "the ultimate survivor" but it's not lady like to say what he's known as here.
Love it when she says that she saw freedom in Cuba and that she didn't see dissent. Well that may have to do with the fact that dissent is met with imprisonment at best. And by the way you are seeing what Cuba wants you to see, next time go off the beaten path and see the real Cuba, see where regular people live, what they have to eat, and what hospitals they go to. Oh and for shits and giggles ask them how much money they make in a month (Here's a hint, I couldn't get a tank full of gas). Think of this too, if things are so great in Cuba, why do Cubans risk their lives, and die, in inner tubes for the chance of getting to the US? When was the last time thousands of Americans risked their lives in inner tubes to get to Cuba?
Once again, Bobby, I'm glad that murderous dictator could endear himself to you with his sense of humor. It's killer!
The quest to take back the Senate and House in 2010 starts now.
In the next couple of weeks there will be a couple of special elections to fill seats in the House that were left vacant because of the new Obama Administration.
The first one will be March 31. This race is for the seat (NY 20th) left vacant by Kirsten Gillibrand, who was appointed to fill Hillary Clinton's Senate seat by Gov. Paterson. Jim Tedisco is the Republican running for this seat and so far it seems promising. Show your support, give if you can, pass along his information, if you live in the 20th District make sure you go out and vote on 3/31. I know how hard it is to remember to vote in special elections (as I almost forgot to during the run off here in December) but what better way to get the buzz going for 2010 than to vote in a Republican to a seat formerly held by a Democrat.
And speaking of voting a Republican in seat formerly held by a Democrat: My friend Sarah did this great run down on Rosanna Pulido who is running for the seat vacated by Rahm Emanuel when he became Obama's Chief of Staff. This election will take place 4/7, again another important race and another opportunity to send an early message for 2010. Check it out, she has some great information and websites to check out.
We already know that Michelle Obama wants to take military families under her wing and every few weeks she goes down to a military base and feels their pain for an hour or two but what good will really come out of that?
Well we already know that her husband didn't think it was important to serve his country in the early 80's, and we've heard the rumors that he wants to make vets' private insurance pay for their service related injuries.
Well the rumor is not so much a rumor anymore. And today Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion met with the Commander in Chief and Gen Shinseki (Anyone else think he's more trouble than he's worth?) among others about it.
"He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it."
The Commander, clearly angered as he emerged from the session said, "This reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate ' to care for him who shall have borne the battle' given that the United States government sent members of the armed forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies. I say again that The American Legion does not and will not support any plan that seeks to bill a veteran for treatment of a service connected disability at the very agency that was created to treat the unique need of America's veterans!"
Thank you Commander Rehbein, General Shinseki should take notes on what you say and actually take a stand for the veterans for a change. But of course I don't expect much from the man behind the black beret debacle. And it is absolutely outrageous that they are doing this to save several hundred million. There are earmarks in the porkulus bill that cost more than they are trying to save! How about we cut those out before we cut benefits to the vets.
"It hurts. It hurts," Mrs. Obama said of hearing about military families on food stamps. "These are people who are willing to send their loved ones off to, perhaps, give their lives _ the ultimate sacrifice. But yet, they're living back at home on food stamps. It's not right, and it's not where we should be as a nation."
Well, how about we take a good long look at how much we pay our military and do something about that. Go ahead, take a look. Make sure to pay particular attention to what enlisted members make.
This is what we are paying the men and women that defend our country. This is what we pay people to put their lives on the line for our country and our freedoms. This is what we pay the people that give up years of their lives and their families' lives for our country. This is what we pay people who wont be there when their children are born, wont see their first steps, wont be there for birthdays, Christmases, school recitals, graduations because they are defending our country. This is what we pay people who may never come home, who may lay down their lives so we don't have to, for our country. Is this what they deserve?
So what are congress critters getting paid this year? $174,040
I think our military deserve that kind of pay more than congress, but that's just me.
Oh and my favorite part of that article about Mrs. Obama visiting Ft. Bragg:
Sgt. 1st Class Ashlyn Lewis, 31, of Indianapolis, said it was a remarkable experience to see the first lady in the cafeteria at Fort Bragg. She said the Obamas have a lot of work ahead of them to shore up deficiencies in the military's medical system.
"Right now the biggest concern would be taking care of the vets, making sure that the people that are coming home are getting the proper medical care _ not just for the Iraqi or Afghanistan vets, but also, there are a lot of Vietnam vets who haven't been receiving the proper care," Lewis said. "I believe (the Obamas) are headed in the right direction, but it's going to be a lot of work."
I think someone should give SFC Lewis a copy of the article posted above.
And finally all I have to say to Michelle is: Put your money where your mouth is, talk is cheap. Don't just use us as a backdrop to make you look like you care when your husband is taking even more benefits away from our vets.
Obama has made clear he favors relaxing limits on family travel and cash remittances by Cuban Americans to Cuba, although he has said the U.S. trade embargo should stay in place to press for democratic reforms.
The Cuba proposals do not lift the overall U.S. embargo on the communist-run country, but would prohibit the Treasury Department from enforcing Bush administration rules requiring payment of cash in advance for agricultural sales to Cuba.
The legislation proposes to allow Americas with immediate family in Cuba to travel there once a year instead of once every three years and broadens the definition of immediate family.
"It's being done in a haphazard way without real clarity about the implications that it all will have," said Republican opponent of the provisions, Senator Mel Martinez from Florida, which is home to thousands of Cuban exiles like himself.
So this is where I feel I may need to apologize to my parents but why stop there? Why not just completely do away with the embargo?
As the daughter and granddaughter of Cuban immigrants, I know what I am about to say goes against everything I should probably stand for (at least as far as my parents and grandparents are concerned)but here it goes: First of all what exactly is the embargo accomplishing? When it started 40-odd years ago the intent was to isolate the Castro Regime, who at the time was allying with the USSR. They posed a national security threat and the intention was to isolate and undermine the regime and lead to its downfall. Since 1991 and the fall of the Soviet Union Cuba really poses no threat and we are the only country with an embargo against Cuba and the Castro Regime is still in power. So I ask is it really working? What exactly is it achieving?
As a foreign policy tool, the embargo actually enhances Castro's standing by giving him a handy excuse for the failures of his homegrown Caribbean socialism. He can rail for hours about the suffering the embargo inflicts on Cubans, even though the damage done by his domestic policies is far worse. If the embargo were lifted, the Cuban people would be a bit less deprived and Castro would have no one else to blame for the shortages and stagnation that will persist without real market reforms.
Think about it, if Castro is using the embargo as propaganda to show the Cuban people how evil the Americans are and how all their suffering is because of the American embargo then who will he have to blame when the embargo is lifted? Who will they blame when there is no one left to blame for their failed policies. And it's not just the Cuban government, but other countries blame the US for the economic hardships in Cuba. They don't bother to mention that not only do other countries, Canada, the EU and Latin American countries, trade with Cuba but that Cuba does have limited trade with the US:
In 2000, Congress approved a modest opening of the embargo. The Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 allows cash-only sales to Cuba of U.S. farm products and medical supplies. The results of this opening have been quite amazing. Since 2000, total sales of farm products to Cuba have increased from virtually zero to $380 million last year. From dead last in U.S. farm export markets, Cuba ranked 25th last year out of 228 countries in total purchases of U.S. farm products. Cuba is now the fifth largest export market in Latin America for U.S. farm exports. American farmers sold more to Cuba last year than to Brazil. Our leading exports to Cuba are meat and poultry, rice, wheat, corn, and soybeans.
So I say, in the spirit of transparency, go ahead and lift the embargo and lets see what happens. If the embargo hasn't fulfilled it's purpose yet then lets see what we can do when we are allowed to go to Cuba and spread our ideas and money on that island. Lets see what we can do when the government cant blame us for their problems anymore.
When I saw this picture I thought it summed it up perfectly for me.
So let me get this straight: Last week Obama signed the porkulus bill, now he says he wants to cut the deficit in half? OK I know I'm not as enlightened as our fearless leader but if you want to cut the deficit in half why did you just sign that monstrosity of a bill? So he wants to cut the deficit to get us back at square one?
So my next thought was, well what exactly is going to be cut, because surely it will not be any of the pork or entitlements he just signed for. So what is he going to cut. Surely the defense budget is going to take a major hit.
I do love what he said about it yesterday:
"We cannot and will not sustain deficits like these without end," the president said in opening remarks to the summit. "We are paying the price for these deficits right now."
If we confront this crisis without also confronting the deficits that helped cause it we risk sinking into another crisis down the road," the president warned. "We cannot simply spend as we please and defer the consequences to the next budget, the next administration or the next generation."
"We will reinstate the pay as you go rule," he said. "You don't spend what you don't have."
Wow! We are paying the price now and throwing some more deficit on top for good measure. And we can't spend what we don't have? So, what, is he going to wave his magic wand and his porkulus is going to be paid for?? It gets more ridiculous by the minute.
I wasn't planning on watching the speech tonight but then Army Dude sent me a link to print out an Obingo card. I think this might make it more interesting, the only thing that would make it any more tolerable is to turn it into a drinking game. To be honest, I'm tired of being preached to. Here's hoping that he actually tells us what he's planing on doing, how he's planning to cut the deficit at the same time that he doubles it, and how he's going to spend money we don't have.
I had little doubt about the amount of respect that Obama had for the military.
And then last week I heard about the charges being dropped against the man that planned the bombing of the USS Cole.
I was outraged when I heard about this. I guess it's because it hits so close to home. I remember see the news on AFN. At the time, the Army Dude was on his first deployment since we had gotten married. So I was a little sensitive to these things and I not only was I heartbroken for those families but I was nervous because I thought, surely, we would retaliate in some way, and what would that mean for my little family. Yeah not so much. So here we are on the verge of finally trying this terrorist and he stops it. Never mind that 17 sailors died that day and many more were injured, we need to worry about what others think about us because of the interrogations and trials. It really makes me wonder about his priorities, and how exactly he views the brave men and women that serve our country.
Here's a video of the mother of one of the sailors killed that day. She voted for Obama and now is having second thoughts:
And then last night I came across a story about Obama considering lifting the ban on media coverage of flag draped coffins arriving back in the US.
At least two Democratic senators have called on President Barack Obama to let news photographers attend ceremonies at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware and other military facilities when military remains are returned to the United States. Obama told reporters Monday he was reviewing the ban.
Shortly after Obama took office, Democratic Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey also asked the White House to roll back the ban that was put in place in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush.
In a Feb. 9 letter to Obama, Lautenberg said the Pentagon should develop a new policy to allow "respectful" media coverage while protecting the privacy of the victims and their families. Generally, the remains in the caskets are not publicly identified.
"I respectfully urge you to work to bring an end to the misguided policies of the past that seek to hide the sacrifice of our soldiers and the public recognition and pride that should accompany it," Lautenberg wrote.
He said the George W. Bush administration "effectively censored images of flag-draped caskets from appearing in media coverage."
So what exactly is the point in lifting the ban? What purpose would that serve, other than invading the privacy of the families that don't want their loved ones' coffins paraded around? Well a tid bit in an old AP article is very telling:
But Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War, said photos of caskets coming home from Vietnam had a tremendous impact on the way Americans came to view that war.
“As people began to see the reality of it and see the 55,000 people who were killed coming back in body bags, they became more and more upset by the war,” he said. “This is not about privacy. This is about trying to keep the country from facing the reality of war.”
I'm sorry but the death of anyone in our military should not be politicized or used as a way to turn people on the war. That is a total disgrace and shows a major lack or respect. And that is just one of the reasons that the ban should not be lifted. Now if families want to honor their fallen loved ones then they can have media coverage and all the pictures and video they want after they are in possession of the remains, there is no ban on that. But please leave the media out of the ports of entry when they come back, for the privacy and dignity of the family members that do not want anything to do with that.
I thought about it a lot last night and thought maybe I feel a little strong about it because (God forbid) it could be my family one day. The last thing I would want is my husband's coffin being flashed on TV and in print. And I definitely would not want anything to do with the media at a time like that.
I asked the Army Dude if he felt the same way or if I was just being overly sensitive and he said he agreed with me 100%. He wouldn't want his coffin photographed or filmed and he wouldn't want me or Little Dude to have to deal with that at a time like that. He also said it shows a total lack of respect.
Here's another part of the first article that really pissed me off:
The fallen troops "died for all of us — they died for the nation, they died for the cause," Begleiter said in a January interview. "It's a right for all Americans to pay their respects for those who made the sacrifice. It is not a right held exclusively for the families themselves."
Is this guy serious? No it is not his or anyone else's right to invade the privacy of a grieving family! If they want to pay their respects then send flowers, donate to fund or show up at a local funeral, but it is not in any way his or anyone else's right to invade their privacy.
Have you seen this commercial with Ashley Judd where she tells us we need to stop Sarah Palin from supporting the areal killing of wolves in Alaska?
The first thing that came to mind when I saw this was her hypocrisy. Someone should put up a video: Stop Ashley Judd. Start with someone saying how Ashley Judd supports the killing of innocent babies. At the same time show images of an abortion, maybe some pictures of discarded babies as the narrator explains the gruesome process. Then at the end: We have to stop Ashley Judd from killing innocent babies.
The second thing that ran through my mind was this:
Love the chicken voting for Col. Sanders comment. Because everyone knows that McCain/Palin eat women.
Attorney General Jerry Brown noted at a news conference last week, a "gold-plated wish list" for California's prison health care system.
His Receivership wants to spend $8 billion to build seven new hospitals, each the size of 10 Wal-Marts, which would create "a holistic environment," with "music therapy, art therapy and other recreation therapy functions," a music room, stress-reduction room, game room and "therapy kitchen," with lots of natural light and high ceilings. A gymnasium would feature a "full-size high school playing court with basketball hoops and built-in edge seating up to four rows deep. Various floor striping allows for other games, such as volleyball, etc. Other sport activities include handball courts, exercise, and (a) workout room."
"The overarching value" of Plan Kelso is to create "a health care facility that cares for prisoners as patients and not a prison that cares for health care needs as inmates." No surprise: The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation estimates the annual cost of operating these facilities to be between $170,000 and $230,000 per inmate.
Remember this is one of the first states crying for a bailout. But never mind that, why would we want to spend that kind of money on criminals? Why the heck would you build hospitals like that for inmates? Why would we treat criminals better than say military and military dependents?
According to the article:
health care spending per inmate rose from $7,601 per inmate in 2005-06 to $13,778 per inmate in 2007-08 -- an 81 percent increase and far above the average of $4,600 spent on health care per Californian.
When I read that I wondered how that compared to what Tricare spends for health care for military and military dependents. I came across the FY 2006 report to congress which gives totals for FY 2005. I crunched some numbers and came up with $2500 per beneficiary for FY 2005. No surprise here, the government spends less on our health care than California spends on the health care of its inmates. But then again California spends more in its inmates than the average cost of the rest of its population. It's really a sad that more is spent on criminals than on law abiding citizens and that more money is spent on their health care than that of the military. It's beginning to seem like the ultimate in welfare entitlements to me: free room and board, free health care...
For the military at least and for our country's safety.
On Friday Jennifer Griffen reported that Obama's administration asked for the defense budget to be cut by more than 10%. I'm actually not surprised and look for that number to go up. I'm interested to see what exactly is going to get cut, something should come out Monday. In the article it says that they are looking at weapons programs.
Then, today, I saw this article about "war on terror" being dropped.
a few quotes from the article:
The "War on Terror" is losing the war of words. The catchphrase burned into the American lexicon hours after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is fading away, slowly if not deliberately being replaced by a new administration bent on repairing the U.S. image among Muslim nations.
Since taking office less than two weeks ago, President Barack Obama has talked broadly of the "enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism." Another time it was an "ongoing struggle."
He has pledged to "go after" extremists and "win this fight." There even was an oblique reference to a "twilight struggle" as the U.S. relentlessly pursues those who threaten the country.
OK so let's not call it what it is so we can repair our image among the people that cheered on the streets when thousands of our civilians were brutaly killed. And I love the "struggle against terrorism and extremism." It sounds so lame and weak. What exactly does he mean by "twilight struggle" - here's the definition of twilight:
twi⋅light /ˈtwaɪˌlaɪt/ [twahy-lahyt]
–noun 1. the soft, diffused light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon, either from daybreak to sunrise or, more commonly, from sunset to nightfall. 2. the period in the morning or, more commonly, in the evening during which this light prevails. 3. a terminal period, esp. after full development, success, etc.: the twilight of his life. 4. a state of uncertainty, vagueness, or gloom. –adjective 5. of, pertaining to, or resembling twilight; dim; obscure: in the twilight hours. 6. appearing or flying at twilight; crepuscular.
So what exactly does he mean by it? I think considering the meaning, that is an odd choice of words, gives the impression that it's something we can't win, or will be the death of us.
The thinking has evolved, he said, to focus on avoiding the kind of rhetoric "which could imply that this was a struggle against a religion or a culture."
Obama has made it clear in his first days in office that he is courting the Muslim community and making what is at least a symbolic shift away from the previous administration's often more combative tone.
So what culture and religion is terror? If a specific culture and religion is implied by the word terror then whose fault is it? The people who enact the terror or the ones that that prevent and defend against it?
But like he said in his first interview as President:
And my job is to communicate to the American people that the Muslim world is filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live their lives and see their children live better lives.
Even though I was in a less than great mood this afternoon I couldn't help but smile when I found out that Michael Steele was named the new Chairman of the RNC. YAY! I had been hoping he would win for a while now. I think he'll be good for the party. loved his speech too:
I just want to crawl into a cave. There have been so many things going through my head this week that have made me think: What the heck is wrong with people???
First of all, we all know that the economy is doing bad, we have seen how many people have lost their jobs, its on the news all day everyday. At work we have had to do a lot of things to cut costs and are looking at everything non-value-added thing we do. There are a few things that they have decided to keep in for the employees, such as incentive programs for hourly attendance (which I brought up for review again, this time with numbers that got my VP's attention), service awards, and so on. Well all I have heard this week is why didn't I get the attendance bonus, when are you giving me my packet for my service award...STFU!!!! Seriously people? In times like these don't you think you should be happy to still have a job? I seriously think that some people need to get their priorities straight and worry about still having a job instead of stuff that the company voluntarily gives them.
Then yesterday I was emailing my friend Sarah when, for a reason totally unknown to me, my mind went off on three different tangents at once and I started thinking of someone I know and for some reason I thought for the first time the very sad fact that she makes more than I make, at my respectable 8 to 5 job, in tips as a stripper that she does not report and receives wellfare. She doesn't just make more than me she makes more in a couple of days than I make in the whole week. So not only is she making all that money where she doesn't need wellfare but she's not even paying taxes on any of that money and she's getting benefits. WHAT?? OK wait a minute, why are we busting our butts to provide for our family when we can just cheat the system and get money from the taxpayers? I feel like I'm being had! Well actually I could never do something like that because I take pride in my job and I'm proud to tell people where I work just like I'm happy that my child loves to tell people where I work. I'd hate it if my child told strangers that when his mom goes to work she dances on a stage with a pole. Little surprise here but this person is from the same family as the friend who told me that she was mad her kids didn't vote for Obama because they needed to vote for the one that would keep them on wellfare. How do people say things like that with a good conscience? I would never dream of saying something like that. It seems like some people expect the government to pick up where their parents left off.
Just yesterday, Obama was making fun of a snow day in the DC area:
After his daughters got a snow day Wednesday, President Barack Obama wants to see a little bit of "flinty, Chicago toughness" applied locally. "When it comes to the weather, folks in Washington don't seem to be able to handle things," a joking Obama told reporters Wednesday morning.
"My children's school was canceled today because of what? Some ice."
The capital flew into a bit of a tizzy when, on his first full day in the White House, President Obama was photographed in the Oval Office without his suit jacket. There was, however, a logical explanation: Mr. Obama, who hates the cold, had cranked up the thermostat.
“He’s from Hawaii, O.K.?” said Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod, who occupies the small but strategically located office next door to his boss. “He likes it warm. You could grow orchids in there.”
How nice. This is also the same guy that said we needed to turn down our thermostats?
Remember a couple of weeks ago when that United Airways plane sucked birds in it's engine and the Captain was able to land it in the Hudson. How amazing that everyone survived right? While listening to the news coverage that night and in the days following I kept thinking wow! You don't expect many, if any, survivors when a plane goes down and it was just amazing that everyone walked away. I kept wondering how I would feel if I was in that situation. How happy I would be to have survived and to be able to walk off that plane and be able to see my family again, it would be like having another chance and boy, grateful would not even begin to cover it.
Then, I forget what show I was watching, I saw someone on TV wonder out loud how long it would take for someone to file suit.
So US Airway is reimbursing the price of the ticket to everyone on board and sending $5000 to cover immediate costs but some people aren't happy with that:
Joe Hart, a salesman from Charlotte who suffered a bloody nose and bruises, says he "would like to be made whole for the incident."
It's too soon after the accident to determine what emotional distress he has suffered, he says...In addition to recovering losses, Hart says he's concerned about having trouble flying. He's flown on six planes since the accident, and each flight has gotten "progressively more difficult."
He says he was tense, sweated and "felt every bit of turbulence" on a Los Angeles-to-Philadelphia flight last week, though it wasn't that turbulent a flight.
Hart says he has talked to a lawyer in North Carolina but hasn't decided whether to take any legal action.
"I want to see how things play out with US Airways," he says. "I'm hopeful US Airways understands the significance of the incident."
I really hope this lawyer he's talking to tells him he should be happy he's alive. I'm not a bible thumper but I do believe in God and I do believe it is a miracle that everyone survived that crash and maybe he should just take that gift and be glad he's not dead. Hey guy you just survived a plane crash! Not many people can say they walked away when the plane they were in went down! Maybe instead of wanting to get what you can out of it you should be thankful that you had a very good very competent pilot at the helm and that you walked away! But it's not just him, apparently some other passengers have contacted a law firm in New York.
Some of the passengers did understand what was really important in all of this, the fact that they came out of it with their lives:
Sanderson, a father of four, says he's thankful he could celebrate his 48th birthday on Friday and has no reason to talk to an attorney.
"US Air has been doing the right thing," he says. "Everyone is acting in a responsible way."
Fred Berretta, who suffered a small cut on his head during the crash landing, says US Airways representatives have called frequently and treated him very well. He says that a few personal mementos from his father were left behind but that the money sent by US Airways covers the value of his belongings.
Berretta, who works for a financial services company, was flown home to Charlotte after the crash on his company's jet.
"I'm a private pilot, and I'm sure I'll be flying again," he says. "But it might be a little while before I fly for pleasure again."
Amber Wells of Charlotte says she's so thankful to have survived and to be with her 9-month-old daughter, Rayley, that she hasn't had time to think about her belongings.
She says she lost $2,000 of nursing equipment and a laptop computer, as well as a checked bag and a carry-on bag.
"Everything that's gone can be replaced," says Wells, 34, a senior manager for NASCAR. "My life cannot be replaced."
So who did you think the first formal sit down interview of the Obama presidency would go to? I would have thought maybe ABC, NBC, or CBS but definitely not al Arabiya. I don't really know what to think about this, on the one hand I want to think well he's reaching out. Then I think the first interview?? Why would you give your first interview to a foreign network for a foreign audience? Why wouldn't you give your first interview to one of our own networks for a home audience, seeing as how you are our new president. So mostly I'm just miffed.
In case you want to read a transcript of the president's first interview as president, which was meant for the Arab world, instead of his fellow Americans,you can find it here
Now what I took away from reading it is that there may be some magic wand that he will be able to wave and fix everything that troubles the Middle East.
I found this exchange humorous:
Q How concerned are you and -- because people sense that you have a different political discourse. And I think, judging by (inaudible) and Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden and all these, you know -- a chorus --
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I noticed this. They seem nervous.
Q They seem very nervous, exactly. Now, tell me why they should be more nervous?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think that when you look at the rhetoric that they've been using against me before I even took office --
Yes they do sound so nervous since Obama took office. Especially after he said that capturing Bin Laden isn't that big a deal anymore. And he hasn't done anything that will make them nervous. Everything that has been done to cripple the Al Qaeda network was done before him. Maybe he should step back and quit patting his own back before he has even done anything.
And my job is to communicate to the American people that the Muslim world is filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live their lives and see their children live better lives. My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy. We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect. But if you look at the track record, as you say, America was not born as a colonial power, and that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that. And that I think is going to be an important task.
No your job is to be our president. By the way remember what we were doing 20-30 years ago? Supplying Afghanistan (esp. the taliban) with weapons and training to combat the Russians which they then used to take control and provide a safe haven for Osama Bin Laden's Al Qaeda.
Because I love it when know-it-all celebrities show their true ignorance:
Clearly Jessica Alba needs to just stand there and look pretty.
And following on yesterday's unity theme, racism courtesy of Jay Z and Jeezy:
But it's the Republicans that didn't vote for Obama that are racist right? What I don't understand is why no one has come out to publicly condemn this.
I'm not getting what some people are seeing as Michelle Obama's supposed fashion sense.
From election night we got this black widow inspired piece. Halloween was the week before.
This is like the only thing she's ever worn that I like so I have to aknowledge it.
Where do I start, the jacket and dress combo is so old fashioned and the patern looks like something you'd find in an old lady's bedroom curtains and that's the color of the snot I was blowing all weekend and it totally didn't go with the green shoes and gloves. eww!
This looks like a cross between a college frat party toga and a tent.
And with that I'll leave you with the wise words of Rev. Joseph Lowery from the inauguration today:
We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around. When yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen.
This week's inauguration story came ready with two interesting news angles: the huge cost (in contrast with the dire situation in Iraq) and the unprecedented security...And it might have been helpful in the limited media debate that did take place about the inauguration's costs to point out that if the $40 million to $50 million raised for the GOP's parties had been donated to the war effort, as some have suggested, the money would have covered only about six hours of the U.S. military's operations in Iraq. (Costs are running roughly $110,000 per minute there.)
Barack Obama's inauguration is set to cost more than £100m making it the most expensive swearing-in ceremony in US history...Barack Obama's inauguration is set to cost more than £100m making it the most expensive swearing-in ceremony in US history.
So never mind that we are in this horrible recession and people are losing their homes and so on and so on because what is about $150 million when we are talking in trillions these days?
Here are just a few things that I found interesting today.
Yesterday I posted about the race baiters on GMA staging a fake racist encounter. Well I came across this other segment on that same race baiting series:
OK so please explain something to me: What exactly is the point of planting two - bad - actors in a Parisian cafe to act like a chricature (on steroids)of the "typical stupid American tourist"? What exactly are they trying to prove? I sure don't know because none of that is real, all it is doing is puting this grossly exagerated perseption out there for people to react on and to stir the hate again. And don't you love it when the reporter comments that OMG they ordered steak tartar well done! OMG what an elitist snob! If someone doesn't know what steak tartar is and they order it well done anyone with some sense would explain to them what it is not ridicule because of it. It's another American hating fake news report.
By the way, I've been to Paris and neither I nor any of the Americans that I went with acted like that and none of the Americans I encountered there acted like that and the French people that I came into contact with at restaurants and the metro were all polite and friendly. Same goes for when we went to Normandy where there were even more Americans (none of which acted like this fake couple).
On another note: Let me play the proud parent for a second. I was going through the Little Dude's notebook today and looking at the papers he brought home from school when I came across this sealed envelope from the counselor. I thought oh no what is it (no faith!). When I opened it up it was a permission for to test him for the gifted program! YAY! I'm so proud of him. He doesn't really understand what it is and he was a little hesitant to take the test because he thought he would get in trouble if he failed or that he would have to leave his class (and he's in love with his teacher) if he passed. But after I explained what it was to him and that both his father and I took and passed the test when we were in school he got excited about it. Actually he got excited when I told him I'd let him play wii every day for a week if he passed LOL. Nothing like some motivation!
You have to watch this clip from Good Morning America's What would you do segment Up Close with Racism.
In short they staged the scene at a Deli in New Jersey. The guy behind the counter and the "migrant workers" are all hired by Good Morning America and in on the scene. So they pretty much set the people in the deli up, under false pretenses, to then show how nasty and racist Americans are. It is absolutely ridiculous. They have stooped to the level of staging not-news and trying to pass it off as news. Talk about a lack of integrity. These race baiters tried to instigate hateful and racist reactions and comments from unsuspecting patrons to try to prove their liberal view point. And I think it pretty much backfired on them because notice that they only showed one person that reacted the way they had hoped, the other two examples were Americans sticking up for their fake Mexicans.
Is it just me or are you sick and tired of hearing how racist we are as Americans?
Senator Al Franken? Please tell me this is a bad joke. Who in their right mind would vote for that clown to be their senator? Then again they voted to keep Elmer Fudd in the House over in MA so I guess anything is possible. I get the feeling that there is something fishy going on behind the scenes there. If not then they get the garbage they voted for.
When President George W. Bush leaves office, the revolution will have outlasted 10 American presidents who maintained strict U.S. sanctions aimed at overthrowing the Cuban leadership.
Yes, the communist regime has outlasted 10 presidents but the difference is that those are freely elected presidents with term limits. But it's not fair to say that they have outlasted 10 presidents. A more appropriate analogy would be that the US became a democratic country 233 years ago and we are still the same democratic country.
President Raúl Castro and the Cuban government celebrated the 50th anniversary of their revolution Thursday night in a nostalgic but low-key event that was far removed from the triumphant displays and mass rallies of their socialist glory days, as ordinary Cubans continue to struggle daily through hard times brought on by a sputtering state-run economy and a decades-long trade and travel embargo by the United States.
Lets keep in mind that the US is the ONLY country with an embargo against Cuba. To blame the US for what is wrong with the Cuban economy is beyond disingenuous, it's a down right lie, and the Castro brothers' propaganda, and excuse, of choice as to why their people have to suffer so much.
The revolution's landmark anniversary comes at a time when the era of Fidel Castro, now 82 and in poor health, is winding down and uncertainty hangs over the future of the Cuba he built into an improbable world player admired for its social gains but criticized for its human rights record.
The only social gains to be admired is in the area of Education. Cuba does have a remarkable 99.8% literacy rate. But health care in Cuba is nothing like what Michael Moore makes it out to be (unless of course you are an elite government official or a medical tourist). And their housing and infrastructure is crumbling and the people are starving.
Last term I did a term paper on the effects of Communism on Cuba and I came across these sites and articles. Some of them were truly disturbing, and they all paint a picture of Cuba that Castro doesn't want the rest of the world to see.
This article by Isabel Vincent caught my attention because she's reporting from the town my dad is from.
And for a very graphic and disturbing view of what health care in Cuba is like for the Average Cuban look no further than The Real Cuba. I have to warn you some of the pictures on this site are sad, disturbing, disgusting, somewhat explicit and downright heartbreaking but definitely worth a look to get the sense of what universal health care is really like in Cuba for the great majority of the population.
My point with all this is that as that I don't get the point in celebrating a regime that has put Cuba on a backward path. I don't see what these reporters are seeing, or maybe they aren't seeing what I'm seeing and what my parents saw.
I would rather see articles that give a glimpse at the real Cuba, no celebrate the charade the Castro brothers put out for the world.
In my research I came across a couple of articles by Larry Solomon that I think are more fitting.
But Cuba and its U.S.-style constitution was also an economic powerhouse with potent social institutions and impressive accomplishments. A 1958 United Nations report ranked Cuba's vibrant free press eighth in the world, and first in Latin America. Despite its much smaller population, Cuba had 160 radio stations compared to the U. K.'s 62 and France's 50. It had 23 television stations compared to Mexico's 12 and Venezuela's 10. The tiny country supported 58 newspapers, fourth in Latin America behind populous Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.
Cuba once installed telephones at a rapid rate. No more. It once ranked first in Latin America, fifth in the world, in television sets per capita, and also ranked high in radios, automobiles, and many other consumer goods. No more. With the population increased and the housing stock degraded, more people suffer inadequate housing today than ever before, and sanitary conditions have become a scandal through much of the country.
Welcome to Cuba, 44 years into the Revolution that was to industrialize the economy, eradicate hunger and eliminate the gap between rich and poor in this island nation, previously the most prosperous in the Caribbean. Today, the once-muscular Cuban economy is in tatters and its much lauded social safety net a cruel joke. The poor, in reality, are bled to support the lifestyles of the government elite, which lives in luxury - the driveways of the Havana honchos sport Mercedes - while its populace goes hungry.
Some Cubans outside government - increasingly those who obtain patronage positions in the tourist industry, where they receive tips and other payments in U.S. dollars - manage comfortable, if meagre, existences. With dollars, they can shop in the many "dollar" shops, where they can obtain some of the consumer goods, medicines and dairy products that most Cubans, prior to the Revolution, could readily obtain.
The great majority of Cubans, however, are left to fend for themselves in a pitiless system. Most must "do business" to survive, as Cubans put it, because most cannot subsist on the typical wages - the equivalent of about 50 cents a day - that the government sets for them. The old woman at the lunch counter begged for food; other Cubans beg for old clothes or for medicine, or sell peanuts on street corners. Young men sell cigars and other goods in the burgeoning black market; young women sell their bodies in the burgeoning sex trade.
Without dollars, life is grim. People line up at dimly lit government distribution centres, ration books in hand - libretas, the government calls them - for their monthly allocation. The books, which were established in 1962 to "guarantee the equitable distribution of food without privileges for a few," entitle Cubans to 2.5 kilograms of rice, 1 kilogram of fish, 1/2 kilogram of beans, 14 eggs and sundry other basics at subsidized prices. Through the libreta, each Cuban also gets one bread roll a day. Every two months, a Cuban is entitled to one bar of hand soap and one bar of laundry soap. Fresh fruits and vegetables come infrequently; meat might come once or twice a year. Until the mid-1990s, children under seven were entitled to fresh milk, but fresh milk, like butter, cheese and other dairy products, is now off the shelves. Before the revolution, two litres of fresh milk cost 15 U.S. cents, well within the means of the poor.
Cuba's poor are also squeezed in the other necessities of life. Even in central Havana, people commonly carry water by bucket from standpipes in the street to their homes, and then lift the buckets by rope to the higher floors, because their buildings' broken water pipes go unrepaired. Those lucky enough to have working water pipes can get water at the tap - but only at certain times. In one dense urban neighbourhood that I visited, the water flowed from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., during which time families scrambled to fill pots and pans inside their homes for drinking water, and former oil drums outside their homes for washing. About the time that the water came on, the electricity went off - it, too, is rationed by daily blackouts.
In buildings where one or two families might have once lived, today live many. The inner courtyards of Cuba's residences have become miniature shanty towns, cinder block housing units or other improvisations piled on top of one another. The units - often two small rooms totalling 200 square feet - can house an extended family of seven, 10 or even 12. The rooms are often windowless or near-windowless, the ceilings low and oppressive. Among these buildings packed with people lie many identical buildings, but appropriated for government use. In the space that might house 50 or 100 people will sit one government functionary, bored and idle at a desk, the premises otherwise near-empty.
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