Friends,
I'm sitting at my computer this morning wondering if I really want to send this out to all of you, but I REALLY feel compelled to do something, so please bear with me a moment.....
We have all been bombarded with ads, emails, phone calls, etc. during the past month(s) regarding the upcoming election. Well, I've been able to handle all this until this week...now I'm just plain angry! Fifty years ago, many of you (myself included) were working for equal rights for women in the work place and in our personal lives. We've fought that battle, and now politicians are coming out of the woodwork making statements like "if a woman is raped and becomes pregnant, God must have intended that and that child is "A GIFT FROM GOD!" (Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock) Makes me wonder if I stepped into an episode of the Twilight Zone!
Now, I'm a Christian and I've wavered at times in my life on the issue of abortion, but these politicians are putting me over the edge! I don't believe any rapist is an ambassador of the Almighty! This has gone beyond the issue of whether we feel we are Republican or Democrat. In my opinion, this is just plain extreme. Rape is rape! I believe
that a woman's decisions regarding her health and reproductive issues should only have to be discussed and decided between her and her doctor and her family. I believe many of you feel the same way.
The comments that we are hearing from MANY far-right political candidates are not fantasy. This is truly how they feel...ALL ABORTIONS SHOULD BE ILLEGAL, even in the case of possible death of the mother. You can fact check this one: Gov. Romney stated he would be "delighted" to sign a bill making all abortions illegal in this country. (This is what he said earlier in the campaign...recent statements he has made are less clear.) Now, I'm past the age where I have to personally worry about this issue, but what about our daughters, our granddaughters. I don't have any but if I did, I'd want them to have the freedom to make intelligent choices about their own bodies. We need to think in terms of the future and the generations of women to come.
My dear women friends, we have a very serious choice to make in nine days. I know I will be voting for candidates who understand that women can make intelligent choices, and who appreciate that women deserve equal pay for equal work. President Obama signed the Lily Ledbetter Act which addresses that very issue. I'm afraid we have a lot to lose if we don't make our voices heard. Please share this with other female friends (and males, too) if you like.
Thanks for taking the time to read this....I appreciate all of you! Please vote on Nov. 6!
Most sincerely,
Judy
Monday, October 29, 2012
Saturday, October 27, 2012
REPUBLICANS FILIBUSTER, ROMNEY BLAMES OBAMA
Dear Red States:
We're ticked off at your Neanderthal attitudes and politics and we've decided we're leaving.
We in New York intend to form our own country and we're taking the other Blue States with us.
In case you aren't aware that includes California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and the rest of the Northeast.
We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation and especially to the people of the new country of The Enlightened States of America (E.S.A).
To sum up briefly:
You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the former slave states.
We get stem cell research and the best beaches.
We get Andrew Cuomo and Elizabeth Warren. You get Bobby Jindal and Todd Akin.
We get the Statue of Liberty. You get OpryLand.
We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.
We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss.
We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs.
You get Alabama.
We get two-thirds of the tax revenue. You get to make the red states pay their fair share.
Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.
With the Blue States in hand we will have firm control of 80% of the country's fresh water, more than 90% of the pineapple and lettuce, 92% of the nation's fresh fruit, 95% of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90% of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the US low sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.
With the Red States you will have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans and their projected health care costs, 92% of all US mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.
We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.
38% of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53% that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61% of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.
We're taking the good weed too. You can have that crap they grow in Mexico.
Sincerely,
A blue-stater.
____________________________________________________
BOB CESCA: Republicans Filibuster Everything, Romney Blames Obama for Not Working With Congress
I don't know whether to be brutally outraged about the latest Romney ad or to congratulate the Republicans on an outstanding execution of political obstruction and subsequent projection. For now, let's go with brutally outraged.
Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell famously told the National Journal, "The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president." Not economic growth, jobs, healthcare or military strength. A failed Obama presidency was the primary -- and I would argue the only goal of the last two Republican congresses.
And so the Republicans proceeded to rack up the highest number of filibusters in American history. During the president's first two years in office, the 111th Congress, there were 137 cloture motions filed to end Republican filibusters. During the president's second two years, the 112th Congress, there were 109 motions filed to end Republican filibusters and we still have a few more months to go. 246 total cloture motions. Compare this to George W. Bush's first term when there were a total of 133 cloture motions filed. Not even a handful of "sensible" Republicans had the guts to break ranks and vote with the Democrats. Meanwhile, on the House side, the Republican majority has voted in near-lockstep against almost everything.
What bills have the Republicans filibustered?
Here's an astonishing one. The Republicans filibustered the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act -- basically, healthcare for 9/11 heroes. Every Republican senator voted to filibuster this bill. I suppose the Republicans are only interested in 9/11 heroes when they're used as political props.
On the House side, every single Republican, including Paul Ryan, voted against the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act, which forces Congress to pay for new legislation through either budget cuts or revenue increases.
You'd think that by helping to pass these bills, Republicans could boast a solid record on fiscal responsibility, job creation, veterans affairs, anti-terrorism, senior citizens and, hell, 9/11 workers. Instead, they blocked all of it. Jobs for military veterans, tax cuts for small businesses -- you name it. Why? So President Obama and the Democrats could be accused of failure.
And it's working.
To name a few more:
H.R. 12 - Paycheck Fairness Act
H.R. 448 -- Elder Abuse Victims Act
H.R. 466 - Wounded Veteran Job Security Act
H.R. 515 - Radioactive Import Deterrence Act
H.R. 549 -- National Bombing Prevention Act
H.R. 577 - Vision Care for Kids Act
H.R. 626 - Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act
H.R. 1029 - Alien Smuggling and Terrorism Prevention Act
H.R. 1168 -- Veterans Retraining Act
H.R. 1171 - Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program Reauthorization
H.R. 1293 -- Disabled Veterans Home Improvement and Structural Alteration Grant Increase Act
H.R. 1429 -- Stop AIDS in Prison Act
H.R.5281 -- DREAM Act
S.3985 -- Emergency Senior Citizens Relief Act
S.3816 -- Creating American Jobs and Ending Offshoring Act
S.3369 -- A bill to provide for additional disclosure requirements for corporations, labor organizations, Super PACs and other entities
S.2237 -- Small Business Jobs and Tax Relief Act
S.2343 -- Stop the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act
S.1660 -- American Jobs Act of 2011
S.3457 -- Veterans Jobs Corps Act
We're ticked off at your Neanderthal attitudes and politics and we've decided we're leaving.
We in New York intend to form our own country and we're taking the other Blue States with us.
In case you aren't aware that includes California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and the rest of the Northeast.
We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation and especially to the people of the new country of The Enlightened States of America (E.S.A).
To sum up briefly:
You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the former slave states.
We get stem cell research and the best beaches.
We get Andrew Cuomo and Elizabeth Warren. You get Bobby Jindal and Todd Akin.
We get the Statue of Liberty. You get OpryLand.
We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.
We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss.
We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs.
You get Alabama.
We get two-thirds of the tax revenue. You get to make the red states pay their fair share.
Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.
With the Blue States in hand we will have firm control of 80% of the country's fresh water, more than 90% of the pineapple and lettuce, 92% of the nation's fresh fruit, 95% of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90% of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the US low sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.
With the Red States you will have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans and their projected health care costs, 92% of all US mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.
We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.
38% of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53% that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61% of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.
We're taking the good weed too. You can have that crap they grow in Mexico.
Sincerely,
A blue-stater.
____________________________________________________
BOB CESCA: Republicans Filibuster Everything, Romney Blames Obama for Not Working With Congress
I don't know whether to be brutally outraged about the latest Romney ad or to congratulate the Republicans on an outstanding execution of political obstruction and subsequent projection. For now, let's go with brutally outraged.
Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell famously told the National Journal, "The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president." Not economic growth, jobs, healthcare or military strength. A failed Obama presidency was the primary -- and I would argue the only goal of the last two Republican congresses.
And so the Republicans proceeded to rack up the highest number of filibusters in American history. During the president's first two years in office, the 111th Congress, there were 137 cloture motions filed to end Republican filibusters. During the president's second two years, the 112th Congress, there were 109 motions filed to end Republican filibusters and we still have a few more months to go. 246 total cloture motions. Compare this to George W. Bush's first term when there were a total of 133 cloture motions filed. Not even a handful of "sensible" Republicans had the guts to break ranks and vote with the Democrats. Meanwhile, on the House side, the Republican majority has voted in near-lockstep against almost everything.
What bills have the Republicans filibustered?
Here's an astonishing one. The Republicans filibustered the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act -- basically, healthcare for 9/11 heroes. Every Republican senator voted to filibuster this bill. I suppose the Republicans are only interested in 9/11 heroes when they're used as political props.
On the House side, every single Republican, including Paul Ryan, voted against the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act, which forces Congress to pay for new legislation through either budget cuts or revenue increases.
You'd think that by helping to pass these bills, Republicans could boast a solid record on fiscal responsibility, job creation, veterans affairs, anti-terrorism, senior citizens and, hell, 9/11 workers. Instead, they blocked all of it. Jobs for military veterans, tax cuts for small businesses -- you name it. Why? So President Obama and the Democrats could be accused of failure.
And it's working.
To name a few more:
H.R. 12 - Paycheck Fairness Act
H.R. 448 -- Elder Abuse Victims Act
H.R. 466 - Wounded Veteran Job Security Act
H.R. 515 - Radioactive Import Deterrence Act
H.R. 549 -- National Bombing Prevention Act
H.R. 577 - Vision Care for Kids Act
H.R. 626 - Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act
H.R. 1029 - Alien Smuggling and Terrorism Prevention Act
H.R. 1168 -- Veterans Retraining Act
H.R. 1171 - Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program Reauthorization
H.R. 1293 -- Disabled Veterans Home Improvement and Structural Alteration Grant Increase Act
H.R. 1429 -- Stop AIDS in Prison Act
H.R.5281 -- DREAM Act
S.3985 -- Emergency Senior Citizens Relief Act
S.3816 -- Creating American Jobs and Ending Offshoring Act
S.3369 -- A bill to provide for additional disclosure requirements for corporations, labor organizations, Super PACs and other entities
S.2237 -- Small Business Jobs and Tax Relief Act
S.2343 -- Stop the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act
S.1660 -- American Jobs Act of 2011
S.3457 -- Veterans Jobs Corps Act
Monday, October 15, 2012
CRITTERS ATTEMPT MOVE TO WINTER QUARTERS
mouse, carrier of such things as the Hanta-virus, which it turns out, is carried in their urine and feces.
It is believed that humans can get sick with this virus if they come in contact with contaminated dust from mice nests or droppings.
Fortunately it cannot be spread between humans.
Rodents carrying the hantivirus have been found in many U.S. National Parks, but most people who are exposed to the virus have come in contact with rodent droppings in their own homes.
Early symptoms are similar to the flu and include chills, fever, and muscle aches.
Without going further into the very gory details, suffice to say that if severe enough, it can lead to your demise.
It's enough to make you go out and invest in a very large cat!
Instead, every Fall, here at my office, out come the good old reliable "Victor" mouse traps which I bait with either a very fragrant cheese or some thick peanut butter.
I then make the chart you see at the top of this post and the extermination, the war of attrition begins.
Here it is, the middle of October, and already I have 40 kills! Yesterday I scored the daily double, arriving to find two traps with victims attached.
Okay. I seem to have this under control. But this early morning as I made my way up the back steps to the office a familiar sickening smell filled my nostrils: SKUNK!
For several years I had wood chucks that had burrowed under the foundation near the back of the place, nested and raised their young.
Although I know they can be destructive, I decided to try to live in peaceful coexistence and hope that they would move on, which they did.
But now I have at least one skunk that has decided that the former wood chuck apartment is just dandy for a long winter's nap.
This is intolerable. The older I get the more difficult it is for me to destroy the life of any living entity, but come next Spring my problems will only multiply as the skunks do what comes naturally.
So today when my friend Steve (Roy) Rogers stopped in for a brief visit, we discussed a strategy.
Steve has dealt with skunks before so he has a handle on what to do. We will live trap next week, cover the caged quarry with a black garbage bag to keep from being sprayed, take it out to the woods behind the house and there will be a 16 gauge execution.
It is not something I savor, but it is a must do
Sunday, October 14, 2012
THE TRUTH FROM "VIKKI WORLD"
Today I want to share an e mail I received from my "Cousin-in-law" who lives down in Jeb Bush country. I share it because I feel there is no way I could have said it any better!
My Darling Cousins:
I could point to emerging articles that cite a failure to communicate between the State Dept. and the White House on embassy security in Libya, so maybe Joe Biden was correct to say that they weren't told, if "they" are the White House. (You know what, I HATE parsing, but I just did it. Sheesh!)
I ask myself what is worse; the failure of Solyndra or the Keystone Pipeline? Yep, since 96% of the green energy initiative has been successful, I guess I'll go green.
Fact checkers are quick to weigh in on every moment of this presidential campaign, but it is only the Romney ticket that has said that they will not let fact checkers dictate what they say. I'd rather be caught in an error than state out right that I plan to ignore facts. In the end we have to make up our own minds.
It is clear that the Obama administration badly mishandled communications regarding the Benghazi attack; a terrible oversight. Still it was the Republican controlled House that blocked additional spending for embassy security throughout the Middle East. So what's a mother to do? You can't win for losing.
It's all one big adventure in Post Truth Politics in the U.S. big leagues. The Obama administration makes mistakes, and the Romney ticket dissembles and refuses to disclose.
Note from the Vikki World: The emerging mistake by the Obama administration in Benghazi doesn't even approach Bush's invasion of Iraq (and our personal privacy.) Bill Clinton could fuck Shirley Temple with a cigar on national television and his lies to the the American People don't come close to Richard Nixon's; in impact or in substance. I have come to loathe the GOP and have outright disliked every presidential candidate it's fielded throughout my life as a voter.
For me the deciding factor in this election are the upcoming Supreme Court nominations and the effect they will have on the systematic gutting of the right to a safe, legal abortion and access to low cost women's healthcare in the wake of the the primarily Republican "Pro-Life" movement. (You may well ask, exactly whose Life is it it that they are Pro?) I would not consider voting for a ticket that wants to see Roe vs. Wade overturned, nor one that treats women health as the GOP does. Can you say trans-vaginal ultrasound?
My other issue is that I have experienced adequate proof that trickle down economics does not work, and I am not signing up for more of that.
Finally it is only government intervention that can rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. There is no other source that has the money.
Something else I revile myself for saying but I have to, since it is the truth. I would NEVER vote for a Mormon. Period. Make no mistake. Their church calls the shots, period, and Mitt is devout. Consider the L.D.S. Church's overthrow of Prop. 8 in California which was so brilliantly (and Pulitzer-prize winningly) unmasked. Any church that requires financial statements from its members (apparently for purposes of tithing which is the key to getting "Temple Recommends") and then uses that information to send out letters saying "You can afford to pay $5,921.45 to overturn marriage equality," is not an organization I would care to see represented in the halls of power; let alone one of their members who may have turned around and mailed in a check.
I value my principles and I know which party reflects them. I refuse to be dissuaded from supporting what I think is just simply because politicians twist facts
I know where I stand. Everyone else may feel free to stand wherever they like. ;)
My love to you all.
Vikki
My Darling Cousins:
I could point to emerging articles that cite a failure to communicate between the State Dept. and the White House on embassy security in Libya, so maybe Joe Biden was correct to say that they weren't told, if "they" are the White House. (You know what, I HATE parsing, but I just did it. Sheesh!)
I ask myself what is worse; the failure of Solyndra or the Keystone Pipeline? Yep, since 96% of the green energy initiative has been successful, I guess I'll go green.
Fact checkers are quick to weigh in on every moment of this presidential campaign, but it is only the Romney ticket that has said that they will not let fact checkers dictate what they say. I'd rather be caught in an error than state out right that I plan to ignore facts. In the end we have to make up our own minds.
It is clear that the Obama administration badly mishandled communications regarding the Benghazi attack; a terrible oversight. Still it was the Republican controlled House that blocked additional spending for embassy security throughout the Middle East. So what's a mother to do? You can't win for losing.
It's all one big adventure in Post Truth Politics in the U.S. big leagues. The Obama administration makes mistakes, and the Romney ticket dissembles and refuses to disclose.
Note from the Vikki World: The emerging mistake by the Obama administration in Benghazi doesn't even approach Bush's invasion of Iraq (and our personal privacy.) Bill Clinton could fuck Shirley Temple with a cigar on national television and his lies to the the American People don't come close to Richard Nixon's; in impact or in substance. I have come to loathe the GOP and have outright disliked every presidential candidate it's fielded throughout my life as a voter.
For me the deciding factor in this election are the upcoming Supreme Court nominations and the effect they will have on the systematic gutting of the right to a safe, legal abortion and access to low cost women's healthcare in the wake of the the primarily Republican "Pro-Life" movement. (You may well ask, exactly whose Life is it it that they are Pro?) I would not consider voting for a ticket that wants to see Roe vs. Wade overturned, nor one that treats women health as the GOP does. Can you say trans-vaginal ultrasound?
My other issue is that I have experienced adequate proof that trickle down economics does not work, and I am not signing up for more of that.
Finally it is only government intervention that can rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. There is no other source that has the money.
Something else I revile myself for saying but I have to, since it is the truth. I would NEVER vote for a Mormon. Period. Make no mistake. Their church calls the shots, period, and Mitt is devout. Consider the L.D.S. Church's overthrow of Prop. 8 in California which was so brilliantly (and Pulitzer-prize winningly) unmasked. Any church that requires financial statements from its members (apparently for purposes of tithing which is the key to getting "Temple Recommends") and then uses that information to send out letters saying "You can afford to pay $5,921.45 to overturn marriage equality," is not an organization I would care to see represented in the halls of power; let alone one of their members who may have turned around and mailed in a check.
I value my principles and I know which party reflects them. I refuse to be dissuaded from supporting what I think is just simply because politicians twist facts
I know where I stand. Everyone else may feel free to stand wherever they like. ;)
My love to you all.
Vikki
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