Here is a photo of yours truly taken by Bill Buell of "The Space" in New Richmond where I worked this past friday night. My thanks to both Bill and Melissa for their kind hospitality and for affording me the chance to do my thing for the good folk of New Richmond and the surrounding area.We had a really good time together and I ended up going over my time. The fact that I worked to a sold out house didn't hurt my chances of returning some time in the future.
My manager got a call from the Heyde Center in Chippewa in regards to the show that my brother Fr. John Heagle and I are doing there this coming May ("He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"). The Heyde is pretty pumped becasue there has already been some ticket sales and calls of interest -- something that doesn't happen this early in the game! So if you are thinking of getting a ticket or two for the saturday, May 16th show, you might want to make the call now!
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Ken Starr -- Yes, THAT Ken Starr. The prosecutor who led the campaign to impeach President Bill Clinton has filed a legal brief -- on behalf of the "Yes on 8" campaign -- that would forcibly divorce the 18,000 same-sex couples married in California last year before the passage of Prop 8.
News broke Tuesday that the state Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on March 5, and will then make a decision within 90 days on the validity of Prop 8 and these 18,000 marriages.
Ken, America's self appointed moral compass who spent god know how much of the tax payers money impeaching Bill Clinton is at it again, this time trying to forcibly divorce the 18,000 same-sex married couples in California.
When someone takes so much of an interest in other people's private sex lives it convinces me that somewhere in that person's own history there is a repressed sexuality that has secretly been practiced. Who knows what might be and probably should be dug up on Mr. Starr if pursued.
Listen, Kenneth. Tend to your own morality. Who the hell made you God! You are truly pathetic! You are as pathetic as Ann Coulter, the bitch from hell who is in the news today:
The New York Daily News reports that Ann Coulter is under investigation by the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission for allegedly voting in that state while registered to vote in New York City.
Officials are responding to a formal complaint filed by Coulterwatch.com blogger Dan Borchers. "For over 10 years, Ann Coulter has gotten away with illegal, immoral and unethical behavior, ranging from plagiarism to defamation, perjury to voter fraud," claims the conservative Borchers. Coulter declined to comment, but in the past has branded Borchers a stalker. He says the FBI has determined he poses no threat.
Coulter was investigated and cleared of wrongdoing in 2006 for allegedly violating Florida's voter registration laws by voting in the wrong precinct.
But Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com reports that Coulter was never actually cleared; the Florida Election Commission dropped the case after deciding that the two-year statute of limitations had run out.
An official previously told the Daily News that they would investigate "if we received a complaint under oath."
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"The Proposal"
When a company falls on difficult times, one of the things that seems to happen is they reduce their staff and workers. The remaining workers need to find ways to continue to do a good job or risk that their job would be eliminated as well. Wall street, and the media normally congratulate the CEO for making this type of "tough decision", and his board of directors gives him a big bonus.
Our government should not be immune from similar risks.
Therefore: Reduce the House of Representatives from the current 435 members to 218 members and Senate members from 100 to 50 (one per State). Also reduce remaining staff by 25%.
Accomplish this over the next 8 years. (two steps / two elections) and of course this would require some redistricting.
Some Yearly Monetary Gains Include:
$44,108,400 for elimination of base pay for congress. (267 members X $165,200 pay / member / yr.)
$97,175,000 for elimination of the above people's staff. (estimate $1.3 Million in staff per each member of the House, and $3 Million in staff per each member of the Senate every year)
$240,294 for the reduction in remaining staff by 25%.
$7,500,000,000 reduction in pork barrel ear-marks each year. (those members whose jobs are gone. Current estimates for total government pork earmarks are at $15 Billion / yr)
The remaining representatives would need to work smarter and would need to improve efficiencies. It might even be in their best interests to work together for the good of our country?
We may also expect that smaller committees might lead to a more efficient resolution of issues as well. It might even be easier to keep track of what your representative is doing.
Congress has more tools available to do their jobs than it had back in 1911 when the current number of representatives was established. (telephone, computers, cell phones to name a few)
Note:
Congress did not hesitate to head home when it was a holiday, when the nation needed a real fix to the economic problems. Also, we have 3 senators that have not been doing their jobs for the past 18+ months (on the campaign trail) and still they all have been accepting full pay. These facts alone support a reduction in senators & congress.
Summary of < U>opportunity:
$ 44,108,400 reduction of congress members.
$282,100, 000 for elimination of the reduced house member staff.
$150,000,000 for elimination of reduced senate member staff.
$59,675,000 for 25% reduction of staff for remaining house members.
$37,500,000 for 25% reduction of staff for remaining senate members.
$7,500,000,000 reduction in pork added to bills by the reduction of congress members.
$8,073,383,400 per year, estimated total savings. (that's 8-BILLION just to start!)
Big business does these types of cuts all the time.
If Congresspersons were required to serve 20, 25 or 30 years (like everyone else) in order to collect retirement benefits there is no telling how much we would save. Now they get full retirement after serving only ONE term.
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A mouse looked through the crack
in the wall to see the farmer
and his wife open a package.
What food might this contain?'
the mouse wondered - - -
he was devastated to discover
it was a mousetrap.
Retreating to the farmyard,
the mouse proclaimed the warning :
There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!'
The chicken clucked and scratched,
raised her head and said,
'Mr.Mouse, I can tell this is a grave
concern to you, but it is of no consequence
to me. I cannot be bothered by it.'
The mouse turned to the pig and told him,
'There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!'
The pig sympathized, but said,
'I am so very sorry, Mr.Mouse,
but there is nothing I can do about it
but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.'
The mouse turned to the cow and said,
'There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!'
The cow said, 'Wow, Mr. Mouse.
I'm sorry for you,
but it's no skin off my nose.'
So, the mouse returned to the house,
head down and dejected,
to face the farmer's mousetrap . . . alone.
That very night a sound was heard
throughout the house -- like the sound
of a mousetrap catching its prey.
The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught.
In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail
the trap had caught.
The snake bit the farmer's wife.
The farmer rushed her to the hospital,
and she returned home with a fever.
Everyone knows you treat a fever
with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer
took his hatchet to the farmyard
for the soup's main ingredient.
But his wife's sickness continued,
so friends and neighbors came to sit
with her around the clock.
To feed them,
the farmer butchered the pig.
The farmer's wife did not get well;
she died.
So many people came for her funeral,
the farmer had the cow slaughtered to
provide enough meat for all of them.
The mouse looked upon it all from his
crack in the wall with great sadness.
So, the next time you hear someone is
facing a problem and think it doesn't
concern you, remember ----
when one of us is threatened,
we are all at risk.
We are all involved in this
journey called life.
We must keep an eye out for
one another and make an extra effort
to encourage one another.
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Ben & Jerry created a new flavor: the "Yes Pecan!" ice cream flavor for President Barack Obama
For George W. they they asked for suggestions from the public. Here
are some of their favorite responses:
· Grape Depression
· The Housing Crunch
· Abu Grape
· Cluster Fudge
· Nut'n Accomplished
· Iraqi Road
· Chock 'n Awe
· WireTapioca
· Impeach Cobbler
· Guantanmallow
· imPeachmint
· Heck of a Job, Brownie!
· Neocon Politan
· RockyRoad to Fascism
· The Reese's-cession
· Cookie D'oh!
· Nougalar Proliferation
· Death by Chocolate... and Torture
· Freedom Vanilla Ice Cream
· Chocolate Chip On My Shoulder
· Credit Crunch
· Mission Pecanplished
· Country Pumpkin
· Chunky Monkey in Chief
· WMDelicious
· Chocolate Chimp
· Bloody Sundae
· Caramel Preemptive Stripe
· I broke the law and am responsible for the deaths of thousands — with nuts
Good Riddance You Lousy Motherfucker... Swirl
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