Avatar: A Triumph in movie making

This film... there is simply no words that can describe the beauty of this film.

Its not often a person gets to see an evolution in entertainment. This movie, no this film, is just such a moment.

No, its not the greatest story ever, but it is a story that tries to teach a lesson. That of the fact that we are having a seriously hard time learning from the past, and those that don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. The story is a classic one, and one often told, though not set in the same time and with such emotion.

The acting is heartfelt and gut wrenching. That's part of what makes any movie mean the most.

But its more than just that. It is simply completely beautiful. A rich and fantastic world is populated with creatures that have only existed in dreams and nightmares. Some are dark and vicious, and others... well... they glow with bio-luminescence usually only seen in the deepest of Earth's seas and are simply breathtaking.

The society created by James Cameron feels so incredibly real and vibrant and amazing. One that you want to learn more of, and I'm sure will spawn dozens if not hundreds of novels and several sequels.

But even that doesn't begin to cover it. This movie made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me cheer. But most of all it made me shiver from the intense feeling that I was watching history in the making and from the utter beauty of what was before me.

This movie is going to change film making forever. Its a triumph for James Cameron, and for the film industry at large. I have no more words, and what I've said doesn't even remotely begin to describe the truth. And so I say simply... see it. You know you want to.

Christians oppressed? Seriously?

You are NOT being oppressed.

Who is stopping you from exercising your right to believe as you wish?

When so-called Christians launched the Crusades and put people in iron maidens if they didn't think right, THAT was oppression. When women were given the choice between drowning (to prove they weren't witches) or being burned at the stake (or hanged, depending on which country you were in) if they were deemed to be witches, THAT was oppression. When people of one religious bent slaughter those of another even today, THAT is oppression.

Retailers wishing you a happy holidays instead of Merry Christmas, and an enforcement of the CONSTITUTION which states that the government will not endorse any one religion, does NOT constitute oppression.

The '00s: Goodbye (at Last) to the Decade From Hell

The '00s: Goodbye (at Last) to the Decade From Hell

Ways to stay motivated when the perks disappear courtesy of CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/11/23/cb.perks.disappear.motivation/index.html

Here's an idea to stay motivated... realize that you are damned lucky to even have a job because there are hundreds or even thousands of people lining up on the street to take your job from you so you should suck it up and deal with it.

People freak out over Adam Lambert kissing a man

Usually I talk about politics, but I really feel the need to speak out when I see this kind of thing.

When Adam Lambert first burst on the scene, we all knew immediately that this was a flamboyant man, and his sexuality was immediately questioned. No one was surprised when we found out that he was gay.

Each and every time he was on stage, you could feel that he would be a controversial star. We all knew it. And no one even remembers the other guys name, while we're all still talking about Adam. He's constantly in the news for doing something controversial, before this it was his album cover (its very androgynous).

He's quite fascinating and everyone wants to watch him.

Yet for some reason, alot of people expected him to be the "clean good rock n roll type" when we all knew better.


And whats worse we're hearing "oh my god, my kid was watching".

So everyone is acting all shocked that he did some sexual moves and kissed a man on stage.

Oh come on now... this is the worst thing you people have ever seen? Alice Cooper bit the heads off live chickens, groups like The Who not only went on stage high but advocated drug use and even smoked joints on stage, Madonna practically had sex on stage, and Michael Jackson rubbed himself on stage. And yet kissing a man is so horrible? What is wrong with your brains that you'd be so utterly stupid?

This? Its a small thing. We've all seen alot worse. And none of us flipped out over it either.

People its time to grow up and stop being childish jerks.

And people, if your kid is such a big baby that they can't watch someone kissing, there is something wrong with your kid, not with whats on screen. You KNEW what to expect when you turned it on. We all did. We all KNEW he'd do something controversial. Obviously its how he's managed to keep his name on everyones lips for months. And frankly, its just plain good promotions.

Stop treating your kids like babies. You're supposed to be raising functional members of society, not childish whiners.

Patience is something Americans desperately need to learn.

I'm not even quite sure how to begin this post.

I always thought I had very little patience.I simply cannot stand to be forced to wait for anything and I get bored rather easily. But even I understand that there are some things that just take time. Things that you simply cannot rush, no matter how much you try.

One of the things that is frustrating to me about living in the United States is that the culture has perpetuated this intense belief that EVERYTHING HAS TO HAPPEN RIGHT THIS SECOND. Its like most of the population has lost their capacity for patience.

Now I won't say that doesn't happen back in Canada, of course it does, but its just so much more pronounced in the United States.

One of those things is the government. Unless its a life-or-death-be-bombed instance, there's little to no chance of the government moving quickly on anything, no matter how you try. Thats why some people (like President Obama) push so hard to get things done but seldom succeed in it.

Time. We humans have very little of it, but we have more than most. There are animals out there that live only hours or days to breed and die out there. And there are animals that can live hundreds of years. We humans fall somewhere in the middle, so where did this "it must happen NOW or not happen at all" mentality come from.

This is the mindset of a child, not of an adult. Adults are supposed to have the capacity to understand that some things take time. A child should not be in control of anything because they are children. Americans, its time to grow up and learn that things take time. That includes the economic recovery, and the creation of a health care bill thats going to change the way of life for every American in the country.

The Government cannot say "The health care bill will be finished for good, with no need for change, on December 13, 2009". Thats not life. Thats not the way the world works. Things happen. For all we know, we'll suffer terrorist attacks, for all we know, the H1N1 will mutate and begin killing thousands of Americans in weeks decimating the population, for all we know, we'll all just suddenly drop dead of no known cause. They simply cannot give a definite answer. So "we hope to have it done sometime this year" IS a valid answer. To give a definite date would totally screw them if they were proven wrong for any reason at all even if the reason was that a nuclear bomb destroyed the White House.

Star Wars gave us a great quote... "Only Sith deal in absolutes". In this case, it would be "Only fools and children deal in absolutes". This is life, it is not a fantasy and so the second saying would apply.

Patience, young Padawan.

More hotel booking advice.

Ladies and gentlemen, I understand that money matters right now. However, if you are booking for a special event in your destination city (such as Mardi Gras), or during a special event (since you will be paying the same price regardless), and you want... No NEED... a specific room type (like two double beds because you are going to have four people in the room), then book the specific room type even though it means more money.

Requesting two double beds when you have two people and booking only a standard room type (which usually means you get what a hotel has on checkin depending on the hotel availability) means that you will get a single queen bed. Especially during a special event.

And let me remind you of something. We are not stupid. We know that if you book as one person for a room with two double beds it probably means that you are lying to us and are actually planning on having extra people there. You WILL be discovered, and you WILL be charged for the additional people.

You are NOT guaranteed a room type just because you requested it no matter how far in advance you booked it. If you want a specific room type, then bloody well pay for it or be happy with what you get.

If you smoke in a non-smoking room, you WILL be charged the cleaning fee (which means hundreds of extra dollars on your bill). No if's, and's or but's. Any room that you have smoked in will smell of smoke and require intense cleaning to get rid of it. There are people that are allergic to cigarette smoke out there. Have a little compassion for others. You are renting that room, it does NOT belong to you. If you want a room where you can do whatever you please, then rent an RV and park in an RV park.

Quotes courtesy of JFK AND an answer to them.

"Communism has never come to power in a country that was not disrupted by war or corruption, or both. " So we disrupt several countries by war (Iraq & Afghanistan) and allow many be disrupted by their corruption as well as ours (Blackwater & Haliburton).

"Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth." Yet Republicans believe that if you don't conform to their ideology, you're a traitor (even when the USA PATRIOT ACT attempted to undermine the Bill of Rights)

"I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered at the White House - with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone. " Yet they think Bush was a great president (and the best speaker ever - according to FOX)

"If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. " Compared to the new Republican motto "If we can't make the rich richer, why should we give a damn about the poor?"

"Israel was not created in order to disappear - Israel will endure and flourish. It is the child of hope and the home of the brave. It can neither be broken by adversity nor demoralized by success. It carries the shield of democracy and it honors the sword of freedom." When he said that Israel was just a teenager; everyone changes as they grow up. He might see things differently now.

"It is an unfortunate fact that we can secure peace only by preparing for war. " Preparing for war is different from going to war at the drop of a hat. Besides, do we have to spend 41.5% of the entire planet's military budget. We spend more than the next 14 countries put together.

"It is a paradoxical truth that tax rates are too high and tax revenues are too low and the soundest way to raise the revenues in the long run is to cut the rates now ... Cutting taxes now is not to incur a budget deficit, but to achieve the more prosperous, expanding economy which can bring a budget surplus." Regan raise taxes, Bush 1 raised taxes, taxes were a lot more in decades past. Taxes go up and down depending on growth, stagnation, and inflation. Bush 2 thought spending trillion$ while cutting everyones taxes would make us rich. How's that working for you?

"Lower rates of taxation will stimulate economic activity and so raise the levels of personal and corporate income as to yield within a few years an increased – not a reduced – flow of revenues to the federal government." See Above.

"A tax cut means higher family income and higher business profits and a balanced federal budget. Every taxpayer and his family will have more money left over after taxes for a new car, a new home, new conveniences, education and investment. Every businessman can keep a higher percentage of his profits in his cash register or put it to work expanding or improving his business, and as the national income grows, the federal government will ultimately end up with more revenues." Giving a $1000 tax cut, but raising my medical, gas & food expenses by $3000 doesn't end up on the positive. Besides, Bush did it & we went from a plus under Clinton to a huge negative after W.

Source(s):

http://www.globalissues.org/article/75/w…

 

- from singletrack65 on Yahoo Answers

PolitiFact | GOP health care reform: A simple explanation

PolitiFact | GOP health care reform: A simple explanation

Posted using ShareThis

Ok, so the short version is... screw over the little people, favor the corporations. Gee thanks for nothing Republicans.

Presidential Approval Ratings -- Barack Obama

Presidential Approval Ratings -- Barack Obama

PolitiFact | California Republican lumps Obama in with Hoover in his approach to fighting recession

PolitiFact | California Republican lumps Obama in with Hoover in his approach to fighting recession

Posted using ShareThis

Public option: Options

Currently there are three options for the public option for health care in the United States.

1. Public Option

2. Trigger Option

3. Opt Out plan

Lets examine these shall we?

1. Everyone gets covered equally, no one gets refused and individuals don't go bankrupt and homeless because of medical debt.

2. A satisfactory option, but only if the company's are given ONE YEAR ONLY to change their practices, and if they are NOT allowed to increase rates in any possible way so they can't sleaze as much money as possible from the public before the government trigger takes effect.

3. No way no how. This means that all the Republican states would go without while unemployment and bankruptcies get higher and higher forcing all the Democrat states to cover their butts.

No more Republican stupid ideas.

If you are asked to remove your veil.... THEN REMOVE YOUR BLOODY VEIL.

This isn't the Middle East, its North America, and HERE women do NOT walk around in public places wearing a veil that hides their faces. Its not about modesty. In fact, it has NOTHING to do with modesty or lack of it.

This is about protection. Both for you and for the businesses you frequent. There has been a great deal of trouble on this continent from Muslims, the biggest being that they (and yes, it was Muslims, no matter how much Muslims deny it, they were just extremists) attacked the United States on September 11, and killed thousands of people by ramming planes into buildings.

Women are NOT exempt from this fear, just because the ones that actually did it are men.

Those veils hide your face, and they hide your body. That means no one can identify you if you do something wrong, or if you are injured somehow. This is very very bad, and it doesn't matter which religion you belong to. For all we know, you have a great big bomb strapped to your chest, or around your neck, thats going to explode and kill us all.

REMOVE YOUR VEIL IF YOU ARE ASKED.

EVERYONE ELSES RIGHT TO LIVE SUPERCEDES YOUR RIGHT TO YOUR RELIGION.

Deal with it and stop whining.

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa091025_wz_coverup.252101bf6.html

The Traditional Family Role

Normally I give my opinion on things rather than share something of my past, but this post will be a bit different, though it is, as per usual, based on something from CNN/Time. This might be long so bare with me.

As you can see, the article I sited as the link in the title is an article about how we all hold on to the 'Traditional Family". So let me tell you what my "Traditional Family" life was like when I was growing up.

I had a father and a mother, of course. My dad worked, my mother stayed home and took care of the home and children. They are both members of the Baby Boom Generation where such things were idealized into things like the television show "Leave it to Beaver". They, as many members of their generation, grew up to want that more than anything in the world.

The only problem is, it never existed.

As I was growing up, my mother worked in the yard building beautiful flower beds for us to play in. We had a garden the size of a small house, and a back yard that was so large, you could fit a total of three of the house that I grew up in, inside it. We always had fresh vegetables and fruit to eat, and my mother canned them in the fall so we never bought out. We used to go into the garden to pick fresh peas and carrots in the summer when we wanted a snack and I rarely ever saw sweets, except on the holidays when my mother gathered my sister and I, and baked so many cookies, cakes, pies, and other sweets that we couldn't eat at the kitchen table for weeks for all the food.

At Christmas, she'd  get us, and (sometimes) some of our friends together, and we'd make homemade ornaments for the Christmas tree (baked and shellacked bread shaped like dough bears for example). On Easter, we'd dye eggs (Ukrainian Easter Eggs one year, that I turned out to be allergic to the dye) and on Easter morning, we'd wake to chocolate and candy eggs hidden all over the house and have candy for weeks. On Halloween, my mother made hand sewn costumes for us, and my dad took us trick or treating.

My mother used to come to our figure skating lessons with us, and at one point got roped into running the music for practice.

It sounds ideal, doesn't it? Only it leaves a great deal out.

For one thing, where exactly was my father in all this? He was working. And he was out with his friends. Most of the time, except when he wanted to eat and sleep (and maybe a few other things from my mother), we never saw him. He wasn't interested in anything we did. He could have been, he had the time, but his friends were more important to him

And then there's the fact that he was an alcoholic. He was also an abuser. Barely a night went by (he came home at 4 and 5 am most nights) when he wasn't drunk, and angry at nothing. The last ten years that they were together, we barely had a night go by when they weren't screaming at each other, throwing things at each other, or my father wasn't doing something like shoving my mother into the wall screaming at her. The neighbors knew this was going on. Family knew this was going on. Heck, even the police knew it. No one ever did anything to help, even when my sister and I called them begging them to come and stop my parents before they killed them. The police were notorious for driving him around the block a few times, and then dropping him back off, because he was their friend (small town).

When they finally split when I was 14, it was a blessing. To this day, my sister and I wish that they had done so years before that. The fighting stopped. There was peace in the house again.

But that only lasted for so long because you see, my mother hadn't worked in 17 years. She had no idea how to even go about starting to do that, never mind actually how to balance a check book and pay bills. My father had done all those things.

She went to work but could only find a part time job. We couldn't pay the mortgage much less have food in the house. And trying to get money from my father was like getting blood from a stone, and she had to find a way to pay a lawyer so the law could force my father to pay for child support. And even then, most months, he missed. Eventually they garnished his wages, but by that time, he owed us $18,000 in back payments and we had been on welfare for two years.

We were forced to move from my childhood home.

When I was 15, I went to work part time in the public library. My mother couldn't afford to pay my way through high school, so I paid it myself (including my prom dress). The rest of my money went to the household, things like buying food and paying for a phone in my house. We never had a car so I never learned how to drive because my father took his with him and we couldn't afford the $480 cost the schools were charging and my mother had never learned.

When I finally graduated school, I was able to start working full time to help pay the bills. By this time, my mother had had a breakdown. I'm the only thing that kept the family together and I was too scared to tell anyone what happened, when she was rocking back and forth on our front step crying her eyes out. She once tried to walk "home" in bare feet, despite the fact that when she said "home", she meant my grandmothers house, over a half hour highways drive away. If I hadn't been there, there's no telling what would have happened. Throughout all this, I was forced to be the adult in the house, and took care of paying the bills (I actually started taking her paycheck at one point, and depositing it after getting her to sign it), took care of the house (I even know how to fix a leaky tap because we couldn't pay for someone to fix it for us), and took care of my little sister (though she probably doesn't remember much of that).

It wasn't until I was fairly into my adulthood that things started to change. She found a full time job, and eventually met my stepdad (whom my sister and I simply adore. A very good former military man, and current policy officer). She died of lung cancer in 2003.

My sister married, and then divorced (lets just say her ex is the worst possible man imaginable and leave it at that). She has a wonderful little boy who is much loved fathered by the douche bag ex husband of hers.

As for me? I'm on my second marriage. The first was with an abusive man. It took alot for me to learn that I didn't have to put up with it just because "Traditional Values" told me that I should. With this second marriage, I don't think I've ever been this happy in my whole life. Its anything but Traditional. I'm a computer geek, and work full time. My husband loves role playing games and also works full time. We are both Liberals and I don't see us having kids.

So this "Traditional Family Life" that everyone reveres? It doesn't exist, and it never did. Its all imaginary.

I'm so tired of the promotion of "traditional family life". You saw what this idiotic idea did to my immediate family, never mind my aunts, uncles, and cousins who had their own oddyssey to go through.

Its time to chart new paths, not wallow in the old.

The economy is not nearly as bad as people are pretending it is.

I work in the hotel industry and we have been getting our butts kicked for at least a month every day. And I work in a tourist area.

I'm a little confused.

The United States claims to love its freedoms more than anything. And yet, there is no referendum function so the people can be asked what they want inside their constitution. And yet its something that other first world Democratic countries use all the time.

Seems more like fascism than Democracy to me. The words "of the people by the people" seem to be nothing more than words.

Disappointing. Odd that I had more say in my government in Canada, which is a much more socialist nation than the United States, than the American people have in theirs despite their claims.

A simple reply to a commentary on CNN.

John Avlon (click his name to read the link) made a commentary today. As per usual with CNN, whenever something deserves a reply, they don't open it up to comments from the public, and whenever it doesn't (or will stir controversy and hence ratings), they open it up but choose the most odd answers to post.

This commentary is about the extremist "wingnuts" that seem to have become common.

I'd like to say something in reply to what he said in the commentary.

As an immigrant, what I'm seeing in this country is extremely frightening. For years, a policy of fear and anger has been fed by the extremist factions so that its almost become the normal way of life.

Why? Because its being fed not only by politicians, but also by the media who feel it gives them good ratings and hence gives them money. And thats the whole problem with the country. Money is god here, even among those that claim to believe in a god themselves (call them hypocrites like they deserve).

On the internet there is a word for the people you see behaving like this... that word is "troll".

Now most people who have been on the internet for any length of time understand what the term means but for those that don't, I'll explain.

A troll is someone who "trolls for trouble, the way you troll through water in a boat". They are those people that you get the feeling are waiting underneath the bridge to pounce on you and make you miserable. A troll feeds on controversy and anger. They find it maliciously funny when you get upset by what they're saying.

There is only one way to deal with trolls.

Stop feeding them.

While Mr. Avlon says that exposing them to the light will destroy them, he's dead wrong. What needs to be done is for them to disappear back to the fringes they came from. Stop feeding them. The media needs to let them disappear, and stop covering every nasty thing they do. Even more, it needs to denounce this behavior loudly and thoroughly. Instead of devoting so much time to them, they need to start encouraging that we all work together to solve problems.

The media has intense power. They have more power than any person, any group of people, and any country in the world. They have the power to stir feelings and emotions. Now the question is, what emotions and feelings are they stirring. What they're doing right now is stirring all the negative ones just so they can make a buck.

It needs to stop. The media needs to start taking responsibility for their actions. It doesn't matter is you CAN do something as much as if you SHOULD. Is it right to stir hatred? No, of course not. We all know this, but for some reason the media thinks they're exempt, and the politicians encourage it by their own behavior.

Remember the old adage, absolute power corrupts absolutely. The media is becoming as corrupt as the government. There was a time when a good story meant only telling the truth, not spinning it to mean something it doesn't. No longer. Now a good story means pissing people off and stirring the pot.

The wingnuts have become more common because, like trolls that live under bridges, they are being fed and will only get bigger.

If it doesn't stop, we may see a civil war sometime in the future. It wouldn't be the first time. And the anger is slowly reaching the boiling point.

So... the GOP want to hurry on war, but not on taking care of their own people

What the hell?

This is completely insane.

CNN

Are you people crazy?

"Special Needs", My Ass

Brace yourself, I'm going to reveal a bit of prejudice of my own, but not for the reasons I imagine you're thinking. I imagine alot of people are pretty angry reading this right now but let me explain before you reply.

When I was a kid, it was school policy that most classes had one child that was "special needs". That one child would usually be quiet and non-disruptive. But then there were those children that needed to be in their own classes and away from the rest of us because they would disrupt our ability to learn, but for some reason, parents and teachers thought it would be more advantageous to this ONE student to disrupt every other students ability to learn by screaming and banging their heads or hands, by throwing things (like their desks), and more.

One boy in particular comes to mind. Frankly, he made me scared of the "special needs" kids for the rest of my life. And not just kids. These are people that don't know their own strength.

So let me explain...

We all have recess in school. Its part of the normal day of a child.

That day it was cold and rainy out and I didn't want to go outside so I snuck back in when the teachers weren't looking. Just to hang out just inside the doors out of the rain (I've never been an outdoor type person). And HE was standing there.

I didn't say anything to him. I barely glanced at him. But he came up to me, grabbed my head by the hair, pushed me to the ground, and started beating my head into the floor. Good thing one of the teachers heard me screaming. It took three grown teachers to pull him off me.

And who got blamed for it? Me. Even though I didn't do anything, they wanted to calm him down and kiss his butt, despite the fact that he nearly hospitalized me. They felt that I should be understanding and tolerant just because he was mentally undeveloped. They said they thought that I must have done something to provoke him. If standing in the corner, looking out the window and ignoring him is provocation, then he shouldn't have been there.

Here's the thing, I never have nor will I ever be, understanding of it. Their genes are a danger to society, and its become more prevalent as time goes on.

Many of these times, these children aren't "developmentally disabled". No, their parents simply let them behave in ways that are not acceptable because they are more concerned with being their kids friends than with making them grow up as useful people. Instead, they drug them, or make excuses for them because "their child doesn't understand".

Here's a hint, if you stopped kissing their butt, they'd learn to understand. If they simply can't understand, then they should be in a special school (or even a special class) created for your child's type instead of forcibly subjecting other kids to your child's behavior.

This has got to stop. There isn't nearly as "developmentally disabled" children as many people would like us to believe. If thats the case, then everyone is "developmentally disabled". The difference is that everyone else's parents MADE their children behave themselves, and stop being lazy spoiled brats. We ALL have to learn to deal with life, kissing your kids butts or drugging them just because they aren't behaving the way you'd prefer isn't the answer.

Incidentally, that boy should never have been in my school with me. He had a history of violence towards others, including him own family. I'm lucky he didn't kill me. I'd have probably been dead if not for those teachers, or at the very least permanently brain damaged.

YOU are to blame for your child's behavior in school, so stop making excuses just so you can be a bad or lazy parent.

I am not supporting destroying all people that are like that, I'm saying that parents need to start taking more responsibility for their own kids behavior and start showing these kids consequences for their behavior.

http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/21211677/detail.html

Who are the Republicans to think they have anything to say

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/10/05/new-gop-ad-hits-deeds-on-remark-to-female-reporter/

Better to be called "young lady", "ma'am" or "miss" than to be called "dear", "honey", or "sweetheart". At least "young lady" is respectful.

The Republicans have no right to say anything considering they think women should be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.

There's something wrong when an immigrant is more patriotic to their new country than the people who were born there

Growing up in Canada, you're given the idea by the media that Americans are fanatically loyal to their country, and its people. Movies, books, television, even the internet promote this idea.

Imagine my surprise when I moved to this country only to find out that its anything but what they claim. Or rather, the people are anything but what all the media has claimed it is.

Americans are loyal to this idiotic idea that they've built up in their heads, through many years of brainwashing by one particular party, that the only thing that should matter is money, and power, and that they should do anything they can to get both.

Now thats not say that all Americans are that way, because frankly that would be incredibly stupid. Of course not all Americans are that way.

The problem is that the ones that are just happen to be the vocal minority with pretty much all the power, and they have managed to convince the redneck population (of which there are many, unfortunately) that caring about anyone other than themselves is a bad thing. Here, money appears to be god, and the insane radical Christian right has been suckered into believing that one single party actually believes in what they support.

And myself, as an immigrant to the United States? Well I find this attitude simply despicable and shameful. Frankly, that disturbs me. Not that I find it despicable and shameful, but that I am more loyal to the people of this country than the people born in this country are.

I actually care about what happens to them. I actually care when I see them suffering. Far too many Americans don't seem to care about other members of their country, but only about insane ideals that mean nothing in the end.

Equality and freedom don't come by anarchy. Anarchy simply promotes injustice because there is no one to stop it. No, equality and freedom come by working together. They seem to have forgotten the first paragraph of words in the Constitution they hold so dear.

"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

The words "we" and "union" are in there somewhere. Nowhere does it talk about how the people of the country should be fighting amongst each other. No, it talks about a union. Unions are about people working together for the common good, not about promoting screwing other people over to get as much as you can for yourself.

Lets remember "domestic tranquility" is in there. Does it seem to you that this country is full of domestic tranquility? Or is a certain party promoting fighting with each other every chance they get. I believe they've recently begun to be called "teabaggers", though thats only one term. Versus another party thats promoting actually taking care of other people, for everyones benefit.

Do you remember what this is about? Do you remember that government isn't the enemy? The Founding Fathers did not create government just so that you'd have something to fight. They created it to try to make sure everyone couldn't screw each other over.

The United States people have become exactly what the country was created to avoid. Corrupt, greedy, and feeding on itself. You must stop. If you don't, it will destroy you. You will destroy yourselves.

Don't you remember why people left Europe to settle in the United States? To escape exactly the behaviors you are currently promoting. To escape religious persecution for ALL religions, not just one. To escape the top (usually royalty) ruling over the bottom with an iron fist that often meant death. Yes, the circumstances are slightly different now, but not by that much. Only the method is different, not the result.

This country must unify if it is to survive. Not to the point of insanity, but to the point that it stops eating itself alive.

Illegal Immigration

This particular post was prompted by this article on CNN,

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/09/22/illegal.immigrants.healthcare/index.html

Though it is by no means the only reason to post it, just the latest.

Now, as you can see from what I have said, I'm a legal immigrant to the United States. I'm also a Democrat/Liberal that fully supports humanitarian efforts, peace initiatives, and the betterment of all people.

However, I have to say this...

If you are an illegal immigrant, this country cannot afford to pay for you. This country, and its people, have suffered the greatest blow to its economy that it has seen since the devastation of the Dirty 30's and the Great Depression. IT CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY FOR YOU.

If you are here illegally, you are a burden to its people, you are a burden to its economy, and you are a burden period. Your presence is taking away things its citizens need, like jobs, and money for THEIR health care.

Either get legal and pay taxes like everyone else, or GET THE HELL OUT. Even if it means death. Better you than the people in this country.

And that goes for all country's. If you aren't there legally, get the hell out of any country you are in, and stop being a goddamned burden on the citizens. Whether you are Canadian, American, British, Nigerian, Lithuanian, Russian, Chinese, or from any other country in the world, get the hell out and stop being a burden on the country you are in. If you cannot help to better the country that you are living in because you just want to leech off them like a bloodsucker, then you have no business being there. Go fix your own damned country by actually gathering those around you who agree with you, and making it happen.

Fox News - Slimeball liars in action

Its time to change the animal cruelty laws.

From the pitt bull that was lit on fire, to the cat that was duct taped up like a mummy, to the cats that were tortured in various ways including being cut up into little pieces and thrown on their owners lawns, right down to the horse murders (and lets face it, they WERE murders, as the vandals were chopping bits of their body's off them while the animals were still alive), animal cruelty seems to have taken on new meaning this year.

Never have I heard of so much of it in such a short space of time.

Its not a joke. Its not funny. Its a sign of more sadistic behavior to come.

Its not that far a jump from animals to human beings, and anyone that can do this to pets can easily do it to us.

The punishments need to be harsher.

I've seen "community service" as punishment. I've seen fine's. I've seen a few months to a couple years in the lowest level of prison (though thats extremely rare) as punishment.

This is not enough by a long shot. Serial murderers usually start out torturing animals. Its time that torturing animals, ANY animal, is no longer a slap on the wrist.

What has happened to the press and responsibility?

When I was in my early 20's, I had two cousins die in a car accident. My sister nearly joined them but we got lucky with fantastic doctors who saved her life.

This was one of the most tragic and horrifying car crashes that had ever happened in the over 150 years that my city had been settled, so naturally the press was interested. We ended up with over 1100 people in attendance at the funeral, and people donating to try to help my sister's recovery (contrary to popular belief, Canada Health does NOT pay for absolutely everything and there ARE limits).

Of course... I was interviewed.

Now, I am NOT a religious person. And that's putting it politely. To say that I think its a crock would be understating my opinion.

So during the interview I said "Thank goodness my sister is alive". In fact, after that sentence, I attributed my sisters survival to the wonderful doctors in my area. Which the press promptly changed to "The family thanks god for the one family member that survived and hopes those lost are blessed in heaven" from that one quote. Now... exactly where did I say that? I didn't. And I was pretty disgusted that they changed my words. I purposely chose not to let any "god" enter into what I said.

Thus was my introduction to the lies, and twists of truth, that the press is capable of.

Canada is one of the most free presses in the world. As you can see from the above map which I got from wikipedia, and they got from Reporters without Borders 2008.

It is even more free than the United States. But I would also like to stipulate that they seem to lie alot less, they are less sensationalistic, and they twist the truth fewer times than the American press.

Lets examine the history of Freedom of the Press just a bit in the United States. Supposedly, the government is not allowed to interfere in the press whatsoever. At least that's what the Constitution states. And actually, the government keeps its word as well as any government. In fact, if the government (or anyone else for that matter) so much as remotely suggests that the press should not be able to say what its saying, even if what its saying is a lie, people run and hide because that Amendment to the Constitution as though its a shield and refuse to take responsibility for their actions.

There was a time when being part of the press meant something. It was considered a great coup to get a juicy real life story and many reporters would do anything to get it. They wouldn't have to stretch the truth because the truth was already so good.

The press in this country has lost its way. Lies, manipulation, leaving out parts of the truth, and twisting the rest of it until it barely resembles the truth. And all because no one can ever take the press to task over its behavior. They behave like the Paparazzi in England.

They have a golden opportunity to educate people on things like health care, but they do not do it. Instead, they seem to think that balance is the same thing as accuracy. It isn't.

Just to give a small example...

The reporting during the health care debates. They could make a big deal about the truth of health care and what the reforms really offer. Instead, they are focusing on the sensationalism of Sarah Palin's "Death Panels" remark, even after she has proven herself to be one of the most unreliable and fundamentalist religious members of the government. They could spread the truth about how National Health Care works instead of taking the minority of circumstances and over blowing them to resemble something horrific.

They report the less than 1% of Canadians that cross the border for care as though its common. Except that 95% of Canadians wouldn't get rid of their National Health Care plan (no matter how much the government complains about cost) for any reason.

The press could tell the truth, for a change. They could do their jobs, for a change. Instead they devote far too much time to Mark Sanfords cheating on his wife.

While Internationalization of media has been a truly amazing thing, deresponsibility of those who are part of it is truly disgusting.

It is not ok to tell lies, not even if you're a reporter looking for a sensationalistic story.

hmmm

Most of the time I talk about politics, and the occasional interesting news tidbit. But this time I'm going to talk about something that will surprise, and maybe even shock, some people who read this.

As anyone who reads this has realized, though I'm passionate about many things, I prize logic and honesty above all other things. So it will probably come as a surprise to you that I believe in ghosts. I've had many people say "how can you believe in ghosts, but not believe in any god?". Well, I can assure you spirituality is not the same as religion or theism.

All ghosts are, are things we have yet to explain, nothing more.

I've found that, sometimes when people die they don't leave immediately. Some of them have the strength to remain longer than others, of course. But eventually their energy dissipates. Thats why you don't see 2000 year old ghosts.

Yes, Halloween is partly whats bringing this up, but its more than that.

For most of my life, I've had ghostly experiences of some sort. Its been happening since I was a child, and used to scare the daylights out of my mother, especially when she had an experience of her own that changed her opinion on the existence of them for the rest of her life.

No, I'm not going to bother you with telling you all the details unless I'm specifically asked. This post isn't about that.

But then what is it about? I can see you asking as you read this.

Simply this.

In 2004, I was in a bad car accident right before Halloween. And the sightings, the sounds, the smells, it all stopped. I had taken some brain damage, you see. My memory is still a bit effected sometimes, and my sense of taste and smell isn't very good. The doctors told me to give it time, and that my brain will likely heal itself.

I didn't believe them. Oh, I occasionally had sudden flashes where things would get better (Last Christmas, my sense of taste came back to me full blown for over a week. I can tell you I was stuffing myself with every bit of food I could get just because I could finally taste it. And then it went away again), but the ghostly experiences... I never thought I'd experience them again.

I have to say, I was rather glad of it. I never liked it when it happened, though I did get used to it over time. I don't know what causes it. Throughout my life, I've always noticed that ghostly happenings increased as we neared Halloween.

But it seems my brain is finally beginning to heal, because I'm having them again but only for the last few months.

The first time I saw something, it was in the hallway outside of one of the bedrooms. It wasn't big, not even up to my knees. It looked like a hazy orange ball surrounded by white and it sped past in only a second or two into the bedroom. I dismissed it as imagination or maybe one of the cats (we have an orange cat but he's so fat that he can't run fast or silently, though he can still run quite well).

A month or so later, I saw it again in the same spot. Only this time, it was at least as tall as I am (I'm five feet tall), but it looked the same, it was just huge. It also did the same thing.

And then there's last night.

I was in the kitchen, having just come out of the hallway that least to our bedroom and the bathroom and I heard it. The sound of an elderly persons walker moving on the ground. It was only a couple of feet from me and moving toward the back bedroom.

If you have ever been around a person who's using one, you cannot mistake the sound. No other thing sounds like it. I used one after I was in my accident since my balance was too badly effected to use crutches. I know that sound because I heard it in my head for 8 months since it was the only way I could move.

I went through the kitchen, the living room, and even the back bedroom and the second bathroom and couldn't find what was making the sound.

Then I heard it again. It was farther away, like it was in the hallway, but it was unmistakable.

I went to talk to my husband about it and he told me that he had heard it too, ever since his grandmother had died. Something he doesn't like admitting to because he says he's never had a ghostly experience before. Though it didn't frighten him because he thinks its his grandmother. The thing she wanted most before she died was to go home. She lived in the front bedroom almost until the day she died until we had to send her to a hospital to be properly taken care of for her last days.

So it would appear that the ability is back. I hoped I had lost it. Damn.

I can't believe that I'm more patriotic toward the United States than many Americans are.

President Obama gave one of his best and most inspirational speeches last night. It had very strong wording, and very bold statements. I think it will go down as one of his best.

But then he got heckled by a childish Republican.

See... the problem is that it was done at all. All society's live by rules of conduct agreed upon by their people. They do this to prevent constant fighting among each other and its a natural progression that can sometimes cause problems with one society's rules don't agree with another's.

In THIS society, this behavior is bad. Just because Wilson could do it, doesn't mean he should. It was a Presidential Address to Congress, not a personal interview, and not on the street. If he didn't agree with Obama, the right thing to do was protest silently in a dignified way like the other Republicans were doing. Even booing isn't as bad as actually insulting the President through words publicly during his speech. Actual words have alot more power. This behavior was extremely disrespectful.

But, as childish as that behavior was, nothing compares to those that would actually dare to defend it. The sheer fact that anyone would defend it, while totally dismissing anything resembling logic, is frightening.

But its more than that.

I keep watching Republicans make excuses on why this country shouldn't have any form of nationalized health care.

The health care in the US scares the daylights out of me (I currently live in New Orleans). I have a preexisting condition in that I have a metal rod in my left leg that will need to come out in 1-3 years and I'm terrified that the bloody insurance company will refuse us coverage just because I was in a car accident 6 years ago where I was hit by a car when I was crossing the street.

We cannot afford to go hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt. Not even with both of us working. We'd be paying for the rest of our lives. And if either of us ends up unemployed for some reason (like... oh... the economy crashing caused by REPUBLICAN OVERSPENDING like last year), we'd be homeless.

We HAVE insurance. For way too much money. But they have the right to refuse me treatment.

But no, Republicans would rather I suffer? They would rather the insurance company be allowed to screw us over, than forced to live by laws forcing them to cover me.

You Republicans claim to be Christian but you sure don't act like one, with your complete heartlessness and uncaring toward anyone else.

Despicable. Well guess what... I'm an Atheist, I'm a Democrat, and I support a form of nationalized health care in the form of premium payments like Obama has planned, as well as the rest of it including making the insurance company's cover preexisting conditions without increasing the monthly costs by astronomical amounts.

Why? Because I have a heart. Because I actually care about people. Unlike you Republicans who are more concerned with your ideals than with your people.

Guess what... without your people, you have no country. Stop taking things to extremism. If you don't, your mindset is going to ensure that the US falls from power. The only reason it hasn't happened yet is because you have one of the biggest army's in the world and because all your money that should go towards taking care of your fellow people goes toward illegal foreign religious wars because your ideals make you think its a good idea.

Stop destroying your country.

You know whats really scary? I'm a Canadian immigrant into the US and I care more about the people of your country than you do. Its frightening when a Canadian is more patriotic toward the US than its own people.

Its about time

The Democrats are considering Reconciliation to prevent Republican Filibuster.

Good. The Democrats must get health care reform done by the 2010 elections or it won't get done. The Republicans have been doing everything they can to delay it.

I must add... kudos to Barney Frank for yelling the idiot disrupter's down at his town hall meeting.

Swastikas. Seriously.

I have seen alot of things in my fairly short life. Some things have been shocking, some horrifying.

Never did I think I would see American people painting swastikas on the side of government buildings.

This kind of thing is childish and immature. It has got to stop. It is not acceptable in any way shape or form.

Just say NO!

Recently we have been watching some very disturbing things in the media.

Town Hall Meetings that are supposed to be places where people can ask and answer questions are being drowned out by people who want nothing more than to scream at the top of their lungs over top of everyone elses voice.

The behavior, regardless of party, is deplorable and childish.

However, there are things that are even worse.

In 1920, there was a European party introduced that supports everything the Republicans have been supporting in recent times. Anti-parliamentarism, racism, collectivism, antisemitism (though in this country its taking the forum of anti-Christianism), anti-communism, totalitarianism (in this country, its taking the form that "Republicans only should rule"), and opposition to economic and political liberalism, the superiority of the American people, and an intense, almost fanatical, loyalty to ones country (to the point that they were willing to kill anyone who spoke out against them). Among other things. Reminds me of the Republicans who love to claim that anything different than them is the enemy and should be destroyed.

The name of this party was the National Socialist German Worker's Party. Under Adolf Hitler, the party would become the Nazi Party and one of the great scourges of the world the likes of Genghis Khan.

The National Socialists suggested that a lack of patriotism was the whole problem, and they actively fought against the Democrats of their country.

Ladies and gentlemen, lets learn from this. Lets not repeat their mistakes. The behavior of these people is not acceptable and it makes them not only anti-American, but also anti-Human.

Lets not have another Nazi party renamed the Republicans.

Just say NO!.

Lets see if I have this right.

Housing sales are up.

Housing prices are up.

The Cash For Clunkers programs has been a rousing success in stimulating the economy. So much so that the gvt is contributing more money to it.

Unemployment fell by .10% since June. A small improvement but still vastly better than increasing again.

A new Supreme Court Justice has been confirmed.

Two American citizens were freed from North Korea by one of the most influential Democrats in history after less than 20 hours of talking (not even negotiating. North Korea came away with nothing from this but a few hours in the spotlight).

And a senior Taliban member is dead.

All since Obama took office. And yet somehow the Republicans still find fault with it.

What the hell? More fear and hate mongering by the Republicans. Yippeeee!!!!

It took Republicans 8 years to get us into this mess, and it took the Democrats 6 months to get us out. The Republicans actually want us to fail.

Take that Republicans!

Housing prices increasing, housing sales up, number of claims for unemployment increasing, the stock market at a 9 month high.

Not even a 10th of Obama's stimulus is out, yet your former President threw $780 billion at these corrupt companies on his way out and it crashed. Obama doesn't even release 10% of his, and already we are starting to recover.

Seems like what Obama is doing is working.

Enough of your lies already.

The problem with the burqa.

Some people are trying to see this as a violation of the rights of a religion, but the religious part isn't the problem.

The burqa is a problem because it covers the face and covers the body, thereby obscuring any physical identification marks at all.

This is a serious problem. Not only does being able to see a persons face and body reveal body language useful to communication, it also allows identification of people that have done something against the law.

If this is allowed, what prevents someone from wearing a burqa while robbing a bank then throwing the burqa away later? It means they got away scott free with an illegal act because no one can identify the person that did it.

Its not just that the burqa is discriminatory, and it is, its that it presents REAL problems for law enforcement and regular people.

The bikini, on the other hand, does exactly the opposite. You can’t hide a persons face or body when the person is wearing a bikini.

Your argument has no merit because you aren’t looking at it from a logistical point of view.

This is a matter of legal safety of the local population. Would you rather a terrorist get away with what they are doing because they can't be identified due to the burqa they wore during an attack? Or would you rather be able to identify the perpetrators so they can be brought to justice?

This is the problem. It is not a religious one, its a logistical one.

War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.

What is the American obsession with war and fighting? If it isn't a "War on Drugs", its a "War on Terror" or, a "War on Poverty" or, as of yesterday in New Orleans, a "War on Rats" (referring to the disease carrying critters).

Not everything needs to be a fight. Not everything needs to be war. This country needs to curb its aggression because they aren't helping themselves with anything.

Why is everything always doomsaying in this country? It has got to stop.

For them its war and fighting all the time, and then they wonder why the amount of gun violence in Chicago has escalated to epic levels, why horses are being mutilated for their meat in Miami (DO NOT EAT THE MEAT FROM THESE ANIMALS, IT IS TOXIC AND YOU CAN POTENTIALLY DIE), and why teenagers would trap a cat in a box and then throw in an explosive firework to kill the animal for fun.

http://www.kcra.com/cnn-news/20211769/detail.html

http://www.justnews.com/news/20196651/detail.html

Why are they surprised that this kind of stuff is happening when they encourage the attitude that causes it at every possible chance?

I knew there was a reason that something about Obama jogged my memory.

Though I'm Canadian born and now live in the United States, we study United States history. And, when I found out I would be moving to the U.S., I took courses in college about American History since I thought I'd need to know it in order to take my citizenship eventually.

Part of this was a study of John F. Kennedy. Admittedly the study was actually very short since there are a great many American Presidents and a very long and involved amount of American history.

Something about President Obama kept bringing up this image of John F Kennedy. No, not in the way he looks of course. But there's just so much more to a person than the way they look.

Lets take a deeper look, shall we?

Though their childhoods were greatly different both attended Harvard Law School graduating cum laude.

Both were involved heavily in school activities, Kennedy writing for the "Freshman Smoker" and Obama for the Harvard Law Review.

Both have written best selling books, Kennedy about the British involvement in the Munich agreement titled "Why England Slept" and Obama two books, one called "Dreams of My Father" about race relations, and the other "The Audacity of Hope" about the American Dream.

No, Obama does not have a military background, though Kennedy does.

Kennedy graduated from Stanford School of Business and Obama from Oxford in political science.

Kennedy was a Congressman for 6 years, but has a mixed voting record, often diverging from the Democratic party. Obama became an Illinois Senator in 1996, and a United States Senator in 2004 which he served until 2008.

Both were happily married during College to their sweethearts, and had two children.

Kennedy was only 46 when he was elected, Obama only 48.

Kennedy was known for his intense use of television and radio during his entire time as President. Obama has become known for his intense use of television and the Internet during his time as President.

Both were and are ardent supporters of education, medical care, and government intervention during an deep recession.

Kennedy promised an end to racial discrimination, and went so far as to order federal protection for students that wanted to enter into formerly all white Colleges and instituting executive orders to assist in it and even supporting laws in the legislature that would accomplish that task. Obama has promised the same for the homosexual population but, with only 7 months in office and a full plate), has yet to accomplish much, though he has made it legal that same sex partners in the military can now gain things like their partners medical plan.

Kennedy gave an influx of cash into the economy when the recession hit just like Obama. At first, it didn't work for Kennedy and things hit an all time low about a year after he was elected. The economy turned around and prospered during the Kennedy administration. GDP expanded by an average of 5.5% from early 1961 to late 1963, while inflation remained steady at around 1% and unemployment began to ease; industrial production rose by 15% and motor vehicle sales leaped by 40%. This rate of growth in GDP and industry continued until around 1966, and has yet to be repeated for such a sustained period of time. Obama seems to be headed in that direction, though the results remain to be seen.

Both Kennedy and Obama are supporters of women's rights and attempted to institute fair pay laws. Obama has been more successful at that than Kennedy was.

Both have been advocates of changing the immigration system. Kennedy instituted the system we now have, and Obama is trying to change things yet again. Its been passed to congress.

Both are supporters of the space program with Kennedy presiding over mans first walk on the moon. Obama's administration is talking about going back to the moon but this time building a space station.

During Kennedy's time, there was war in Iraq, and in Ireland, just as there is war in Iraq and Afghanistan during Obama's administration.

Both were and are regarded as "rock stars" during their time due to their intense popularity and tendency to be in the public eye constantly, with the public being nearly obsessed with just about everything to do with them and their family's.

The Republicans loathed Kennedy just as they loath Obama.

Scary the parallels. And this is only the beginning.

Hate. Its an ugly word that has caused wars.

And yet, I'm forced to admit something. I hate the Republicans.

Yesterday, while Obama was giving his speech on tv, the Republicans were sitting all by their lonesome in parliament talking about health care. They didn't care that they were doing this while all the Democrats were elsewhere with Obama, and in fact even pointed this fact out at one point as though it won them some sort of prize. So in effect, they were simply there patting themselves on the back with how wonderful they were.

And the entire time, they were talking about how bad the Canadian health care system is. The problem is that nearly every single thing they brought up was...

1. A blatant lie

2. The very small exception to the rule.

3. Twisting the way the Canadian system works so that they can feel superior

or

4. A total misunderstanding of how the Canadian system actually works.

The whole thing left me with the feeling that I wanted to reach through the television and strangle each and every one of them.

The one thing in this world that I cannot stand, more than anything else, is what they just did.

And so I am forced to admit that I well and truly HATE the Republican party. They are a curse, a blight, on the well being of this planet. They are like those nasty children in high school that were dumb as a brick but a big bloody bully.

And yet, there are morons in this country that actually support them.

I'm a little confused as to what in hell is wrong with so many Americans. Voting for them is voting for voluntary ignorance and its no wonder the country is slowly going down the tubes.

A bag of dog poop wrapped up in pretty wrapping paper with a bow

is STILL a bag of dog poop.

Get it Republicans? Adding twitter, using a web site, and making baseless childish commercials meant to tug on the emotions doesn't change your message. Its still the same bag of dog poop, you just changed the wrapping paper and the bow.

I have an idea for a reality tv show.

How about we take a bunch of the nasty rich people in this country and make them work in Burger King and live in an apartment without a dishwasher and where they have to carry their laundry down to the basement to use the public washer and drier by paying for it with change for 6 months to a year to give them a taste of what its like to be a regular person?

What brought this idea about? Well, the number of times that I keep hearing that the rich don't think anyone else works in this world and that we all just want a free ride.

Children, we aren't interested in a free ride, we're interested in an equal ride. Lawyers and accountants don't get the regular person cutbacks. Regular people don't own yaughts or jaguars. Regular people struggle from paycheck to paycheck just to put food on the table and pay for their ten year old "I had to buy it used because it was cheaper" car. Regular middle class people don't take yearly paid vacations to the Riviera or even to Hawaii.

But no, the poor rich people think that because they may be actually forced to pay their fair share of taxes, instead of getting it discounts by legal rats, their lives are over and that they are just paying for lazy people who don't want to work.

Its time the rich people started giving back to the people that made them rich in the first place in ways other than giving them jobs with wages that can barely allow them to live from paycheck to paycheck.

I hope Obama takes taxes from the rich. They can finally pay for their due.

Warren Buffet revealed that he paid 17.7 % in taxes while his receptionist was taxed at 30% in 2007. How is that fair to anyone else? Oh woe is them, the rich aren't going to be allowed to pay nearly half the amount of tax that the rest of us do. How terrible. NOT.

"With great power comes great responsibility". Its time for the greedy rich to finally realize that because the American Dream has become ONLY a dream, and they are currently making it worse.

Was Michael Jackson murdered? I'm starting to think its a distinct possibility.

From the beginning, I thought his death was suspicious. After learning more from LaToya Jackson, I'm starting to come to the conclusion that I was right.

The doctor that treated him was supposed to be a cardiologist. Which honestly actually makes sense to have, especially if your frail and weak like Michael apparently was during that time. And if you're going on a major tour. And yet this doctor gave him CPR on the bed before moving him to the floor. Even people who don't know how to do CPR know to move a person to the floor before doing anything.

And then there's the fact that all the money and jewelry in the house disappeared immediately after, before a family member even arrived.

And why were there needle marks on his neck? I was in a car accident in 2004 where I received life saving surgery and I don't have any needle marks in my neck. I have them on my arms (they tell me I kept pulling my IV's out, and they gave me alot of shots. I have five marks on my right wrist alone) but not my neck. I can't think of anything that would require a needle in the neck. Thats a dangerous spot for a needle because of the major arteries. Even junkies would have better brains than to stick a needle in their neck.

LaToya has raised so many more questions, its not even funny. I think we're looking at a murder investigation. If the cops are bright and willing to do the right thing.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1199092/La-Toya-Jackson-Michael-murdered--I-felt-start.html

The Bush Administration reminds me more of Hitler every day

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/11/cheney.surveillance/index.html

Wake up Republicans. This is unacceptable. You are destroying the world.

I'm starting to get annoyed at having to say it over and over like a broken record so I'll post it here

Republicans.

The problem with Sanford is NOT that he had an affair. Its YOU people that freak out about that, not the Democrats, unless its one of your own, of course. And then anything a Republican does is just fine by your book so long as they claim it was done with your gods blessing.

No, the problem with Sanford is that he went AWOL on his destitute states funds while claiming moral Christian superiority to everyone else.

I'm am so so tired of Republican corruption.

Its time you people realized that every time a Republican is in office, things get worse. Every time a Democrat is in office, things get better.

Its time to stop voting based on ideals, and start voting based on need. And Republicans, we don't need you anymore. You are a curse upon this country. Your mindset is a curse upon this world.

Unbelievable

How can Obama address any of real concerns when Congress will effectively hamstring anything the President tries to pass because they are more concerned with money than anything else?

I have never seen a more harshly treated President. Ever. And I have been alive to see Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr, Clinton, The Shrub, and now Obama.

Yes, Bush got called traitor and slimeball and all the rest. In his SECOND TERM. And he's proven he was exactly that. Obama has been in five months and all we've seen is whining from everyone on all sides who aren't happy with anything.

Its a no-win situtation and Obama is in the middle of a war zone. I’m sure he’d love to be harsher on climate change, but this country is so resistant to anything resembling real useful change that he has NO CHOICE but to bend further than he’d like.

The way the people in this country behave is completely and utterly incomprehensible. They want change, but they don’t want to pay for any of it. They know that the country is failing as it is, but they’re so scared of the possible future that they aren’t willing to consider anything else. And that is AFTER hiring a President that stands on change.

He’s trying. But if he goes very far left at all, he can’t get anything done and Congress will put a stop to it because the people of the country won’t actually fight for anything Obama stands for.

And THEN they blame him for it when its THEM thats stopping HIM from accomplishing whats needed. Unbelievable.

Michael may you rest in the peace you never found in life.

I remember the first time I saw him. It was shortly before the release of his Thriller album in 1982, I was only 5 years old, and our local newspaper had an article about him that included a color picture of him in a yellow and white outfit (I later would have that picture as a glossy poster on the wall of my childhood room for nearly 10 years). I asked my mom who he was because he had my immediate trust and fascination.

That fascination never went away and I guess you could say it evolved to nearly a full blown obsession. Until I was an adult, at least.

Throughout my childhood, every video, every news conference, every song he ever did was recorded, or bought, and watched over and over again. I remember being so incredibly mad at my mother because she wouldn't let me stay up after 8 pm so I could watch his Motown 25 performance. To this day, I know every word and every movement of every song he ever recorded. Except for the last album which I never bought because it didn't really seem to offer anything new.

I owned everything from magnets for the fridge to a Barbie Doll of him that served as our Ken Doll, my walls were covered in posters of him and I wore his perfume (which is still a beautiful scent, even if the jar long ago dried up).

I even belonged to his fan club.

I grew out of it, of course, when real boys started to catch my eye. And I eventually began to take down his posters, put away his CD's, and stopped taping everything he did.

In recent years, I even threw most of it out, though I'm kind of regretting that action since he's now gone. I wish I had kept the newspaper clippings I had and a few of the other items I had collected over the years. All I have left now are the CD's, his Thriller vinyl (which my husband bought for me as a gift last month), and the Doll.

Unfortunately, even I had to admit that he seemed to have lost his mind in recent years. He just went really weird, even for a Hollywood star and we all know most of them are nuts.

But no matter how messed up his life was, you had to admit, he was a truly brilliant and magnetic performer, even if he was at his best between Off The Wall and Bad.

Then came the announcement that he was gone, and I suddenly found myself crying. Something that I honestly didn't expect since I felt I had grown out of it. Michael was such a large part of my childhood that was suddenly ripped away at a still young age. I think its not so much Michael himself, but the fact that he had such a large presence in my childhood, and that now that part of my life is truly gone with only the vague memories he left behind.

You had a truly great impact on this world for very many people, Michael. I will miss you.

Senator Dipstick (also called McCain) and his fellow stooges want us to go to war.

The Republicans freak out about how they're morally superior to everyone all the time, and how they have Christian values, and then about how much money is being spent on actually HELPING the American people to survive, while the country is nearly bankrupt from their spending, and now they want us to go to war against another country - AGAIN?

What the hell is wrong with you people?

NO NO NO NO more war. Stop the warmongering.

Sanford is a PIG!

His state is destitute with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, he refuses stimulus money and then goes on a state funded trip to Argentina so he can sleep with his mistress.

Disgusting, despicable. The Republicans need to stop throwing stones at glass houses and they need to get off their bloody high horses. Their crooked thievery never stops.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/24/south.carolina.sanford.argentina/index.html

Riots in Iran heading toward Civil War?

In April 1989, something completely unexpected happened. The Tiananmen Square protests were sparked by the death of a pro-freedom man by the name of Hu Yaobang. The people simply wanted a chance to mourn his passing. For seven weeks, the Chinese government tried to put down the protests.

I never thought I'd see it again.

But now, for the last four days, the danger of communism has reared its ugly face yet again. But this time it was caused by what is likely an illegal win by the Iranian leader Ahmadinejad in the Iran election.

The difference is that the violence from the government of Iran started within hours of the declaration of the win whereas, in China, it took several days before people were being shot in the street. And then there was the fact that the Chinese government didn't try to block all communication from the country, as the Iranians are doing.

Ladies and gentlemen, I think we are watching a Civil War in the making.

Frightening.

There are those in the United States who seem to think that we should join the protesters fight.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, Obama is doing the right thing whether you want to think so or not.

The United States has been at war for nearly a decade, spending over $10 billion a month in recent years. This has resulted in exhausted troops, many of whom are committing suicide rather than be forced to endure another day of it, and a nearly bankrupted nation accompanied by the worst depression since the Dirty 30's.

The United States cannot fight this war for the Iranians. Let the Iranians fight for their own country. All we can do is watch from the sidelines, just as has been done so often throughout history in other countries. This is Irans problem, not ours.

History in the making. Never forget.

Unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness

For those that don't know, the United States Declaration of Independence states "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. "

Truer, more profound, and emotional words have never been spoken. They are a great source of pride for American citizens. The problem is that they have forgotten their meaning and seem to completely ignore the "life" part while glorifying the "liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" part.

I wish I could say what happened to the mindset that the founders had supported because the American people have forgotten it.

Nowhere is it more evident than it is in their attitude about health care. In order to live, one must have their health cared for. Yet the American people, in their greed and glorification of "liberty and happiness" have totally ignored it.

Health, and life, are not optional. It isn't like buying a new car, a television, or a house. It isn't "just an article" to have fun with. Its inherent to humanity, much the same as gender, and skin color.

While a person should be paid for their work, they should not be able to determine whether a person lives or dies just because they have a pre-existing condition like heart problems. They should not be able to deny them the right to life which is what they are doing when they refuse coverage for insurance when health care could be in the many thousands of dollars.

Since Americans seem to be litteralists, its time to add the right to health into the Constitution. For the good of the American people. Its time to live up to the promise that was made, instead of ignore one part to glorify the rest.

Obama urges pay as you go spending and the Republicans still don't get it.

Republicans seem to be of the opinion that if you ignore something, or you give the rich breaks, it will get you out of any jam so long as you keep everything else exactly the same as you did before. They don't learn.

Apparently they are of the opinion that, if you ignore the water break in the sewer or give the richest people in the penthouse a break in the rent while everyone elses still stays the same and you don't actually fix the problem, it will just go away. Sorry it doesn't work that way. In order to fix the problem, you have to fix the leak in the water main first, and THEN give everyone a break in their rent for whatever damage the water main did to their homes.

Thats life.

Obama was trying to fix the leak, you children. NOW is the time for being more careful with the spending because the leak is slowly pittering down to a trickle.

But the Republicans don't want to learn that, because then they couldn't bash Obama.

So tired of Republicans.

Obama and Cairo

This man truly has a way with words that somehow just makes you feel more hopeful and optimistic. Which is exactly what we need right now.

It was a very good speech acknowledging both sides of the issue, and pledging to work together to solve problem, rather than vowing to fight.

It was a good first step and its about time someone was willing to try diplomacy instead of war.

Obama's way is the future but I think he is ahead of his time. Humanity must embrace it if we wish to survive. Its a global world and we can't continue to think of everything as "regional".

Oddly enough, it almost feels like Star Trek. Remember, in that tv show, the world has come together to solve its problems and poverty, war, and disease have almost been eliminated.

Thats Obama's promise. If people are only willing to listen. Yes we can do it. But we have to stop fighting among ourselves, and work together to solve our differences. To do anything less is childish.

Unfortunately, there will always be a few charismatic individuals who would rather fight with each other to give themselves power, and there will always be sheep who are willing to follow.

This is better but not great.

CNN is reporting that only roughly 300,000 jobs were lost in May even though the unemployment rate is the highest in 26 years at 94%.

While not great, this is much better than the over 500,000 jobs that were lost in April.

More signs that the economy is finally bottoming out.

Like it or not, what Obama has done is working.

http://money.cnn.com/2009/06/05/news/economy/jobs_may/index.htm?cnn=yes

Truly amazing. Things are getting better and the childish Republican leaders are STILL bitching because things didn't turn around overnight and because job losses haven't stopped completely.

What is wrong with you that you just have to be horrifically negative all the time?

Maybe Republicans are capable of learning after all.

But only after they've been thoroughly spanked by their bosses (aka the American public) for behaving badly.

Gingrich is now sorry that he called Sotomayer racist. Sotomayer is Obama's pick for the Supreme Court.

Maybe the children are learning that they need to watch their mouths when they open them.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/06/03/gingrich-i-shouldnt-have-called-sotomayor-racist/#comment-2743110

On the topic of abortion.

I have tried to stay away from the topic of abortion until now. Few things have divided people the way the topic of abortion has in recent years. Admittedly, the conflict generally comes as a fight between religious views and non-religious views.

What happened today has managed to push to the forefront the argument between the two mindsets once again. An abortion doctor was murdered in church. He performed late term abortions and had received many death threats through the years.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/01/kansas.doctor.killed.charges/index.html

As you can imagine, being that I have made it very obvious that I'm a Liberal, I support abortion.

Before anyone flips out, let me explain please.

I support abortion only during the first trimester or in cases of severe deformity or if the mothers life is dependant upon it. I fully believe that a fetus is not a child until it can survive without being attached to the woman's body.

For those bible thumpers out there, Leviticus 17:11 states that Life is in the Blood. According to biology, a fetus does not have a functioning circulatory system until the second trimester.

For the rest of us, the already living must take precedence over the potential life. We willingly kill parasites like tape worms because we consider ourselves of more importance than the parasite. It is no different except that the fetus has human DNA.

Most people who have abortions don't do so "just because they don't want it". And its never an easy thing, no matter who the person is. For most women, it scars them for life for ever having had to make the choice in the first place.

Killing him was just as wrong as killing anyone else. And oddly enough, most pro-lifers only seem to be pro-life when it comes to a fetus but are gung-ho about sending grown men and women to die in foreign wars trying to push their lifestyle on others.

But I can hear the cries now. The screams of how unfair I'm being to the fetus and that the fetus would choose life. How can you be sure of that, exactly? You can't and thats the problem.

But listen, I implore you.

I know that, for me, I'd rather die than live mentally or physically retarded for the rest of my life.

On CNN today there was another article posted in the blog section of Anderson Cooper 360 that you should really read about a woman who had a late term abortion 13 years ago and why she did it. I decided to look up the word "Anencephaly" that she talked about and I think I've come away scarred. This is going to give me nightmares for days. Its like some horrifying movie and something more terrifying has the feeling of being dreamed up by Hollywood in an effort to sell their product.

http://iowaindependent.com/2565/open-letter-to-obama-a-personal-perspective-on-late-term-abortion

And yet its real. Horrifyingly real. The stuff of terrifying dreams the likes of which you cannot even imagine.

This is the link...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anencephaly

And you people would rather that a person give birth to this than to abort it? Whats wrong with you that you would ever ever do such a thing?

This is why I support abortion. I don't think it should be used as birth control, but I also don't think that anyone should ever be forced to give birth to this.

Read it. I guarantee it will change your life forever.

I think I'm going to be sick.

Ok, now I'm forced to say it... the Republican leadership just seems to get dumber by the day.

Do you think they're taking "stupid juice"?

Now they're trying to say that Obama's supreme court pick is racist. One idiot saying it is just an anomaly, two idiots saying makes them both morons, three idiots saying it is an epidemic of utter stupidity.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/27/gingrich-sotomayor-racist-should-withdraw-nomination/

Someone smack them upside the back of the head, please.

So prejudice won in California. I'm disgusted.

I see, so you're happy that prejudice, discminination, hatred, fear, and religious zealotry won out? I'm sorry, I disagree. In fact, I'm ashamed of the California court.

It seems that the American populace is incapable of learning from the past.

If popular consensus had won out during the Civl War, do you think blacks would be slaves now? Or not? The people aren't always right even if they think they are.

This is wrong. Just plain and flat out wrong. Its biggotry and it wasn't ok to do to the black population decades to hundreds of years ago, and its not ok to do to the homosexual population.

Its time Americans started learning right from wrong. And this kind of behavior is wrong. This country used to stand for something called "freedom". People died for that right. It doesn't stand for it anymore when "freedom" only applies to the religious fundamentalist right.

Denying people the human right to choose is NOT justice. Its despicable.

*knock knock knock* Hello?! Are you there??? Can you hear me?

I've never seen anything like I have recently.

All the Republican party can seem to do is spew lies, hatred, division and say "no no no no" like a whiny baby.

We have been telling you Republicans over and over again what the problem is. Yet you still completely ignore all of it to just say "no" all over again.

Are you deaf? Do you hear us knocking? Apparently not. Maybe you need to be knocked up the side of the head with a baseball bat.

How exactly is Obama doing damage by telling the people that received bailout money they can't use it on pleasure trips?

The Nevada governor is claiming that he is. And childishly said that he won't meet with the President because of it.

Shortly put... what a load of selfish crap on the Governor's part.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/26/nevada-governor-turns-down-obama-airport-meeting-2/

Who do you support? The decorated Army General or the fat drug addict with the big mouth?

Well, apparently Rove and Cheney support the fat drug addict with the big mouth. Sorry I don't have a link for Cheney but we all saw it on tv when he opened his mouth a few weeks back.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/24/rove-sides-with-limbaugh/

Honestly, I don't like Republicanism as you have probably already noticed, but Colin Powell has my respect. He's a good man who has fought in many wars, with a good head on his shoulders.

I'd support him for President if he ran. Thats how much I truly like the man. He reminds me of my stepfather who has to be one of the most educated and intelligent men I have ever met and is a former Major in the Canadian army (he served in Cypress and the Gulf war, among others).

It really disturbs and disgusts me that the Republican right seems to be so driven by Limbaugh. Steele is not their leader even though he holds that title. No, Limbaugh is their leader because all the leading Republicans capitulate to him like mice to a cat. Every time the cat opens his mouth, the mice go running to their hidey holes only to peek out and squeek that they support him hoping that it means he won't eat them.

Why? Even I know that this is not what the Republican party is supposed to be about. The party is supposed to be about fiscal responsibility but they wouldn't know it if it bit them on the ass. They are instead trying to be the moral party. Its time to wake up and tell them to knock it off.

Did Obama create the Gitmo problem himself?

No, of course not. And to suggest otherwise, as one CNN reporter did yesterday, is uneducated and foolish.

Obama never opened the Gitmo facility. He never allowed torture on its premesis. THAT was the Bush administration.

Yes, Obama promised to close it, and he's right.

The only problem here is that there is a minority number of the US public that doesn't want the prisoners on US soil. Which is really very childish as they would present no more threat than the mass murderers, mass rapists, and sadists already in US prisons.

And then there's a problem with the fact that McVeigh and Nichols were both housed on American soil (McVeigh until his execution, and Nichols for life imprisonment) for the Oaklahoma terrorist bombing.

Whats the difference? Yes, those two are American citizens but thats honestly beyond the point. They were also terrorists. There is no difference other than nationality.

The prison needs to be closed. Rather than spending American money on a, for all intents and purposes, foreign prison, on foreign land, it should be spent on US soil.

The rock and hard place does not exist for Obama. Its the people that are creating the rock and a hard place because they aren't thinking things through.

Obama needs to close it because of what it symbolizes and because of the money that is being wasted on foreign soil supporting the prison.

Americans, you need to wake up. We cannot be children anymore. Humanity must grow up. Grown ups don't torture things.

Tired of the lies about Canadian health care.

No, its not perfect but no system is.

There is NOT a waiting line.

Its extremely rare to ever spend 4 hours in emergency. In 33 years, it did happen to me but only once. That was because there was a three car pileup on one of the highways and the doctors were needed to perform emergency life saving care right that second. I just had a sprained ankle. I was fine with waiting for them to save three peoples lives even if I did have to hurt alot longer than they did. I wasn't the one dying.

Yes, some people go to the US for treatment. If the problem is rare, or elective. Because you bloody Americans pay so much, we're losing doctor's to you for these circumstances because they'll make more money. Its something called "greed". Canadians feel it too, you know.

The most I've ever had to wait for a general checkup by an actual doctor (not a nurse practitioner) is one week. And that was because I just wanted to so it fit my schedule.

I'm so tired of the lies about Canadian health care that Americans tell themselves so they feel better about their own terrible health program. None of it is true.

Recently there was a video of a woman in a hospital. She was wearing a hospital gown. She fell down in the ER, face down. Security walked in, looked at her and walked out. Nurses walked in, looked at her, and walked out. Six hours she lay like that and not a one of them helped her despite the fact that they all saw her. Not even any of the patients helped her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lKUwBCIBzA

This happened in New York. And its not the first time I've seen that come from the US.

I've never ever seen that in Canada. Not once.

Stop being so selfish and self centered.

Enough is enough. Health care in the US needs to change. Period. There is no "ifs" "ands" or "buts". There is no "people are just selfish to want to not have to pay thousands of dollars so they don't die".

It has to stop.

Health is not a privelege. Health is not a business. Health is a human right whether some selfish people in the United States want to think it is or not.

Since when have the GOP apologized for anything?

Despite what Michael Steele says, not a single Republican has apologized for anything. We've heard excuses, we've heard name calling, we've seen childish stamping of the feet, but never once have we heard the words "I'm sorry, we screwed up" from anyone in the GOP while Bush was in office or after he left office.

What is Michael Steele smoking that he's hallucinating so badly?

I wait with baited breath to see how badly he can make the GOP look tomorrow. Its like a train wreck. You know its horrible and you don't want to see it but you can't tear your eyes away because its gruesomely entertaining.

I WANT IT NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW!

When we are children, we stamp our feet and pout every time things don't go fast enough for our young minds, and we get bored easily. Everything has to be had right this second.

When we are adults, we are supposed to have grown out of that behavior to understand that patience is a virtue. "Supposed to" being the operative term here.

Never have I seen such little patience as I have the Republicans since Obama won the election.

Within one week, they were declaring Obama a failure. Within one month after taking office, they were declaring his administration a failure. Within three months, they are screaming bloody murder, stamping their feet, and throwing a fit as though their behavior is evidence that everything about him is bad.

It took them 8 years to cause the worst economic decline in the entire world since the great depression. Yet they expect an overnight turn around.

People, Bush put forth TARP with little to no qualifications on who could or should receive the money, and how it should be spent which is why the rich fat CEO's were going on expensive vacations with private jets while their companies were crashing.

Obama comes on the scene and tries to change the terms, then gets a new stimulus pkg created and sent out with harsh terms and conditions - and its working because we are now bobbing like a cork in water - and somehow you expect overnight returns.

Aren't we above this kind of thing as adults? We should be. Its time to grow up and stop acting like spoiled children.

Patience needs to be learned by the Republicans again. Apparently the Democrats already learned it. After all, the Democrats didn't run around in costumes having tea party's when Bush was busy destroying the world.