Existential Punk

This is shitty!

An area of my city, Richmond, Virginia, called Battery Park, whose residents suffered severe flooding damages from Tropical Storm Ernesto, have been denied federal funding from FEMA and the Bush Administration. Read the article at Richmond Times Dispatch. Haven't they learned anything from Hurricane Katrina and the perceived prejudice against lower class people? No, this is not nearly as catastrophic as New Orleans and other areas affected by Katrina, but these people are in real need. What is wrong with our government? We are chomping at the bit to go and "help" people in Iraq, but drag our feet over helping our own people. i m so sick of our government and don't see the republicans or democrats solving any of our problems. It's just about politics and what the politicians want to accomplish for their own interests. Let's send all the politicians to fight in Iraq and let's elect some fresh blood into our government!

I am weeping on this very sad day.

I weep today on this very sad day. The backbone of why our country came into being was to give people rights, even criminals, so that they are treated fairly and without prejudice. Now the Republican majority in the US Senate has decided to back Bush's terror trial bill. All in the name of "protecting" Americans. Phooey! i want terrorists brought to justice but they must have a fair trial like any other criminal. They must have access to information about their case in order to understand and make informed decisions. i am so sick of the republicans and the democrats aren't any better. i am so discouraged with the state of politics in our nation. i am disgusted and disgruntled.

' However, during a heated debate, Democratic senators accused the administration of tearing up 200 years of legal standards by removing detainees rights such as habeus corpus - the right to challenge their own detention. "This longstanding tradition of our country about to be abandoned here is one of the great, great mistakes that I think history will record," Democrat Chris Dodd told the Senate.

Others backed claims by human rights groups that fear that the complex set of rules will allow harsh techniques that border on torture - such as sleep deprivation.

"This bill gives an administration that lobbied for torture exactly what it wanted," said Senator John Kerry.'

So, what about those being detained that are NOT terrorists? They will not be allowed to challenge their detention. TOO MUCH power is being given to our government in the name of "freedom" and "safety"! Fear is being used to manipulate our nation and I am sick of it.

Long Lost Friend!

i lost touch with a friend from my time of living in LA. He sent an email recently apologizing for some site entering his address book and sending us spam. It's so great to get reconnected with a long lost friend! Chris is his name and he blogs at The Hollywood Liberal. Check it out. He's a FANTASTIC writer and quite witty too.

Countdown to 6th November 2006!!!

Go - the very best of Moby!!!!!!! New single: New York, New York, featuring Debbie Harry out on 23rd October 2006.

Help Fight Poverty!

“They’re made in Africa, with African cotton and $10 from every shirt goes to a fund to fight AIDS,”said Ali Hewson, Bono's wife.

A new campaign of Bono's ONE Campaign where he is partnering with the department store, Nordstrom, to inspire social consciousness. Read the article here. i AM DEFINITELY going to buy one! What about you?

Gandhi, still profound today!

Thanks to my good friend in Scotland at Headphonaught's Nanolog for this still very profound quote:

"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?"
    - Mahatma Gandhi

GRATUITOUS!!!

Ok, like i have heard that CNN and MSNBC are going to rebroadcast their live coverage of the events of 9/11 this Monday morning, Sept. 11, 2006. Five years ago i was living in LA and awakened by my neighbor pounding on the front door of my apartment to inform me about the terrorist attacks in NYC. i stumbled in the early morning to find my remote and turned the tv on. i sat entranced on my sofa viewing the horrors of airplanes flying into buildings, people running in and out of the buildings, people jumping from the buildings, smoke billowing from the Pentagon, and news that a plane crashed in Pennsylvania. Outside in LA it was gloomy and overcast all day. People were sent home from work and armed guards marched and surveyed downtown LA. A nation as strong as ours, a world leader in power, might, and finances, brought to its knees. i sat in shock glued to the tv for a week, unable to do much else. i was out of work at the time and felt paralyzed by fear, insecurity, insomnia, and depression. Then i found i had somewhat of a personal connection - my doctor at the clinic who treated me whenever i was sick - who is Muslim, was on the news telling about how his wife was on American Flight 11 that crashed into one of the Twin Towers. i was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). So, why in HELL'S name would i want to sit through all this again? i have refused to see any film about 9/11 for the same reasons. Are ratings that important to the News outlets that they have to provide a way for us to relive the horrors all over again? i know i don't have to watch and i refuse to do so. To me it's just a matter of indecency this close in time - 5 years is not that long ago. It's still too raw for me. Just my 2 cents worth!

What i will do is take 9/11 as a day for a blog fast and pray for our nation, the families devastated by their losses, and those brave souls who are living today with diseases and ailments as a result of helping people on that fateful day. May we NEVER EVER forget this milestone in our nation's history, but let's not do it gratuitously.

Breaking up is not hard to do!

According to a CNN.com report, "Southern women are breaking up with Bush." They have been supporters of Bush in the past, but have tired of his handling of the War in Iraq and being overly focused on conservative, right-wing Christian issues, such as abortion and gay rights instead of the economy and immigration. I used to be one of these "southern" women who supported Bush. i, too, have majorly waned in my support and liking of Dubya. Then i want to throw up when i read this:

"There are some people, and I'm one of them, that believe George Bush was placed where he is by the Lord," Tomanio said. "I don't care how he governs, I will support him. I'm a Republican through and through."

How can someone BLINDLY support someone and not be concerned with how they lead? This is major ignorance and stupidity. We must take responsibility for our decisions, actions, words, and how we live life. So, if Bush wanted to usher in fascism, i guess that'd be ok with this woman, huh?! How asinine!

Northern Ireland

"A man accused of the murders of 29 people in the 1998 Omagh bombing is due to gon on trial in Northern Ireland. The Omagh car bombing was the worst single terrorist atrocity in Northern Ireland. Among the dead were unborn twins..." The rest of the BBC article can be read here. i lived in N. Ireland for two years and saw a little bit of how this affected people. i heard a pastor from Omagh speak about it a little bit. i hope justice is served. With the conflict still going on today in N. Ireland, the people who commit these crimes are called terrorists and what they do is horrible. Yet, there are no US and British troops there fighting "the war on terror". It is left to the government and police of N. Ireland to handle these atrocities. Maybe, just maybe, Dubya will ponder this.

Manipulation!

Dubya is using fear to try and manipulate people on his decision to not back down on his anti-terrorism policy and not pulling our troops out of Iraq. His rhetoric is redundant and i am so tired of hearing it that i just tune him out. He is NOT listening to the people and is acting like a god going off and doing what he and his cronies want to do. Bush MUST be stopped, but i don't know how to do this. i guess prayer may be the only way that is moral and legal. i hope and pray for better people who will listen to be voted in the midterm elections. There is a balanced and informative political post by Moby. i agree with his assessment of the "current crop of Republicans". Not that the Dems are doing any better. We need FRESH BLOOD!