Sunday

Sunday
Originally uploaded by CelticWander.

My Mom did the Hair for this Production of Sunday in the Park With George in Springfield, IL. She makes me proud. I will be going down this weekend to see the show.

What Kerry Will Do
A short list
(Forgive the formatting problems, I wrote this in Word and the transfer went a little wonky)

A response to Cliff’s recent blog:
1.Cut middle class taxes:

- $4000 College tuition tax credit

- Tax credit for small businesses

- Allow vuenrable workers to buy into the congressional health plan

- tax credit on $5000 of child care expences

2. Raise the minumim wage
3. Reverse Bush’s overtime rules
4. Extend and Improve unemployment insurance
5. Rollback Bush’s tax cuts on those making over $200,000
6. Cut corporate welfare
7. Create a medicare plane that does not have a doughnut hole
8. Lower prestcription costs by:
   
- Allowing HHS to negotiate prices

- Allow reimportation of drugs

9. Safeguard us by dealing with known WMDs in the former Soviet Union
10. Global ban on production of nuclear weapons
11. Create a true Directory of National Intelligence
12. Work at creating foreign policy that works to deter creation of radical terror groups

That is just a short list. More information can be found at johnkerry.com

While we are at it…here is a site that has Bush’s latest flip-flops.
Here are a couple of my favorites:
1. Social Security Surplus

BUSH PLEDGES NOT TO TOUCH SOCIAL SECURITY SURPLUS... "We're going to keep the promise of Social Security and keep the government from raiding the Social Security surplus." [President Bush, 3/3/01]

...BUSH SPENDS SOCIAL SECURITY SURPLUS The New York Times reported that "the president's new budget uses Social Security surpluses to pay for other programs every year through 2013, ultimately diverting more than $1.4 trillion in Social Security funds to other purposes." [The New York Times, 2/6/02]

2. North Korea

BUSH WILL NOT OFFER NUCLEAR NORTH KOREA INCENTIVES TO DISARM... "We developed a bold approach under which, if the North addressed our long-standing concerns, the United States was prepared to take important steps that would have significantly improved the lives of the North Korean people. Now that North Korea's covert nuclear weapons program has come to light, we are unable to pursue this approach." [President's Statement, 11/15/02]

...BUSH ADMINISTRATION OFFERS NORTH KOREA INCENTIVES TO DISARM"Well, we will work to take steps to ease their political and economic isolation. So there would be -- what you would see would be some provisional or temporary proposals that would only lead to lasting benefit after North Korea dismantles its nuclear programs. So there would be some provisional or temporary efforts of that nature." [White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, 6/23/04]

3. OPEC

BUSH PROMISES TO FORCE OPEC TO LOWER PRICES... "What I think the president ought to do [when gas prices spike] is he ought to get on the phone with the OPEC cartel and say we expect you to open your spigots...And the president of the United States must jawbone OPEC members to lower the price." [President Bush, 1/26/00]

...BUSH REFUSES TO LOBBY OPEC LEADERS With gas prices soaring in the United States at the beginning of 2004, the Miami Herald reported the president refused to "personally lobby oil cartel leaders to change their minds." [Miami Herald, 4/1/04]

4. Iraq Funding

BUSH SPOKESMAN DENIES NEED FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR THE REST OF 2004... "We do not anticipate requesting supplemental funding for '04" [White House Budget Director Joshua Bolton, 2/2/04]

...BUSH REQUESTS ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR IRAQ FOR 2004 "I am requesting that Congress establish a $25 billion contingency reserve fund for the coming fiscal year to meet all commitments to our troops." [President Bush, Statement by President, 5/5/04]

5. Condoleeza Rice Testimony

BUSH SPOKESMAN SAYS RICE WON'T TESTIFY AS 'A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE'... "Again, this is not her personal preference; this goes back to a matter of principle. There is a separation of powers issue involved here. Historically, White House staffers do not testify before legislative bodies. So it's a matter of principle, not a matter of preference." [White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, 3/9/04]

...BUSH ORDERS RICE TO TESTIFY: "Today I have informed the Commission on Terrorist Attacks Against the United States that my National Security Advisor, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, will provide public testimony." [President Bush, 3/30/04]

61. Department of Homeland Security

BUSH OPPOSES THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY..."So, creating a Cabinet office doesn't solve the problem. You still will have agencies within the federal government that have to be coordinated. So the answer is that creating a Cabinet post doesn't solve anything." [White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, 3/19/02]

...BUSH SUPPORTS THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY "So tonight, I ask the Congress to join me in creating a single, permanent department with an overriding and urgent mission: securing the homeland of America and protecting the American people." [President Bush, Address to the Nation, 6/6/02]

1001

The U.S. Body count has surpassed the 1000 mark.

The last count I saw was 350+ people murdered in Russia.

The Iraqi body count is 11,000+ .

My Peace Prayer

In the name of The Father, and The Son, and The Holy Spirit.

Father, Creator
See you children crying
How many times have there been
Mothers weeping over their lost children
How many times have there been
Fathers cursing your name
How many times have there been
Brothers and Sisters burying their kin

Father, Creator
Let your grace be felt
Let your peace be felt
Let your hand be felt

Christ the Redeemer
You came and saw our flawed world
You came and felt our flawed world
You came and were murdered by our flawed world
You came and conquered death and defeated our flawed world

Christ the Redeemer
Through your power may we conquer the grief
Through your power may we conquer the sorrow
Through your power may we conquer earthly death
And know heaven's grace

Holy Spirit the Guide
You who touched the tongues of the Apostles
You who built the Church on earth
You who touch our lives each day
You who lead us through the wilderness

Holy Spirit the Guide
Guide us now
Lead us now
Touch our tongues that we
May speak your word
Fill us with the words of peace
Fill us with the words of comfort
Fill us with compassion
Fill us with grace

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Be with us, sinners, now and forever

Amen

Share the love

I will just say this...click here and scroll to the 3rd picture...look in the back yard.

'nuff said

Florida

Hey Gang,

Lets send good thoughts and prayers to Florida. 2.5 million people have been ordered to evacuate. Frances is looking to be the biggest storm in ages.

jt

Pot meet Kettle

From Factcheck.org:

And Richard Cheney himself, who is now Vice President but who then was Secretary of Defense, also proposed canceling the Apache helicopter program five years after Kerry did. As Cheney told the House Armed Services Committee on Aug. 13, 1989:

Cheney: The Army, as I indicated in my earlier testimony, recommended to me that we keep a robust Apache helicopter program going forward, AH-64; . . . I forced the Army to make choices. I said, "You can't have all three. We don't have the money for all three." So I recommended that we cancel the AH-64 program two years out. That would save $1.6 billion in procurement and $200 million in spares over the next five years.

Two years later Cheney's Pentagon budget also proposed elimination of further production of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle as well. It was among 81 Pentagon programs targeted for termination, including the F-14 and F-16 aircraft. "Cheney decided the military already has enough of these weapons," the Boston Globe reported at the time.

Does that make Cheney an opponent of "weapons vital to winning the war on terror?" Of course not. But by the Bush campaign's logic, Cheney himself would be vulnerable to just such a charge, and so would Bush's father, who was president at the time.

So, Cheney voted against the same things he accuses Kerry of voting agains...during the same time period.

Sheesh

Watching the Lithuania/USA Basketball game...Good Game. But what strikes me is the fact that the Lithuanians TOWER over the USA. These guys are HUGE. Oh My Gosh...

Is Nothing Sacred?

I am post happy today.

G.W. is now taking credit for the Iraqi soccer team's success at the olympics, and they are pissed.

I say, good for them. Why does he feel the need to politicize everything? Especially this. The Olympics are supposed to be a place of neutrality.

This guy just pisses me off more and more.

UMMMM

This is just plain WRONG

I chuckled at first, but holee crap.

Banned in St. Paul

poster
Originally uploaded by CelticWander.

This is a poster advertising an exhibit at a museum in St. Paul. The Star-Tribune refused to put it in their paper.

Here it is. Read it. Realize the true cost of war.

Remember when?

Mr. Bush said, " I am an optimistic person. I guess if you want to try to find something to be pessimistic about, you can find it, no matter how hard you look, you know? I'm optimistic. I have seen what we have come through[.]" Sounds all find and dandy...great even. Preach it Brother!.....*screeching brakes*

What the heck is going on? Mr. Optimism has been nothing but Mr. Negativity. Check out this from The Daily Kos.

What about the Swift Boat guys who "served" with Kerry? They claim he wasn't under fire, but they won the same awards for the same battles...peculiar (free registration). In fact one of the guy who condemns Kerry in that ad gave him glowing recommendations for his medals. FLIP FLOP.

Sen. McCain has called for Mr. Shrub to denounce the ad, but he just can't do it....vacation? Desperation! He needs to destroy Kerry's credibility. What a farce.

What happened when an attack ad came on about Bush's record...oh yeah, Kerry said it was bad...bad. (free registration needed).

If Bush had anything other than fear to stand on, shouldn't he be doing it? Cut the negativity and be a man.

Rambling done.

Clueless

The RNC is playing an ad that shows John Kerry saying he is the "anti-war" candidate. Well, that is such a gross misrepresentation that it makes me cringe. Not only did the edit the interview with Chris Matthews, but they totally take his response out of context. Here is a link to hardblogger.com that gets more in-depth. Man, it is ridiculous.

New Stuff

My college housemate, Aaron, has a new website. Please check it out. He is an amazing artist/senic designer.

Get Yer Butts Out!!

My buddy Tony Piscotti is playing tomorrow night at Martyr's.

I think every one will enjoy it. He has a great sound folksy rock and roll. He brings the music to its roots. AWESOME!

For only 6 bucks! Get out there. Irving Park and Lincoln. 6 dollars. 9pm. 6 Greenbacks. August 12. 6 smakers. $6 got it....good...GO

Better Butter Buddy

Over at Hardblogger.com there is a discussion going on between Joe Trippi and David Shuster about the fact that Schuster did a story infront of the butter cow at the Ohio State Fair. I am sorry but it is pointless...the Illinois State Fair butter cow (scroll down for the history) kicks all butter bovine butt. Shoot it has its own webcam! At the bottom of the page there is a one minute video of the creation of last year's butter bovine.

Beat that Bubba

Gettin' Personal

Well, it has happened. The war has gotten personal. My cousin Phil, navy, has gotten his deployment papers. He will be leaving anytime in the next month. He will be heading to the Gulf. He will be putting his life on the line. His new wife will be left at home, alone. He will serve with pride and honor. He is honor. He will do what he is asked. He is loyal. God be with Phil. Please keep him safe. Please let peace come. Please let him be a beacon of your peace.

Be with our friend George who is descending into Hell, Baghdad. Let the love of Christ shine through him.

I will continue the fight I have. I will continue to fight to bring our people home. I will not allow a president to play his games with their lives. I will not allow a coward send people to die while he goes and plays golf. I will not tolerate a leader who appears to have no vested interest to get our troops out of harms way. I will work my hardest to elect a new administration. I will fight to make sure this administration is voted out of office in November.

I cry when I think of all of the lives uselessly lost because of lies.
I cry when I think of men and women coming home limbless, eyeless, and mindless.
I cry when I think of the civilians all over the world are victims of the selfishness of their leaders. Be it Hussein or Bush, Blair or Sharon, Arafat or Fox. It doesn't matter. Leaders need to see the light. Know that their people want peace. Violence begets violence. Hate begets hate.

Love begets love.

New Link

I added Amanda the Hot Ambercrombie Chick to my links list. She always has interesting stuff.

You speak eloquently and have seemingly read every
book ever published. You are a fountain of
endless (sometimes useless) knowledge, and
never fail to impress at a party.
What people love: You can answer almost any
question people ask, and have thus been
nicknamed Jeeves.
What people hate: You constantly correct their
grammar and insult their paperbacks.


What Kind of Elitist Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

A Whole New Link

I have just discoverd Hardblogger. It is a cool blog by the talking heads on Hardball with Chris Matthews. It is pretty cool. I have added it to the side bar!

Peace