Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Jack's Stance on Iraq
"The Honorable John P. Murtha's Speech on the War in Iraq - The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion. The American public is way ahead of us. The United States and coalition troops have done all they can in Iraq, but it is time for a change in direction. Our military is suffering. The future of our country is at risk. We can not continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interest of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf Region."
Popular Vote Movement Makes Headway
"Source: Associated Press Newswires 01/16/2007
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A movement to essentially junk the Electoral College and award the presidency to the winner of the nationwide popular vote is making some headway in states large and small -- including, somewhat improbably, North Dakota.
The National Popular Vote movement is aimed at preventing a repeat of 2000, when Democrat Al Gore lost despite getting more votes than George W. Bush.
Backers are asking states to change their laws to award their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote nationally.
A bill to do that was introduced last week in the North Dakota Legislature, even though it could reduce the political influence of small states like North Dakota.
"Its strength is, it is what the people want," said one of the sponsors, Rep. Duane DeKrey, Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. "It kind of takes out that system where the person who gets the most votes doesn't necessarily win."
John Koza, a Stanford University professor who is one of the idea's principal advocates, said lawmakers in 47 states have agreed to sponsor the plan this year. It was introduced last year in Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, New York and California, where the Legislature approved the measure only to have Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger veto it.
Backers say it would help bring a national focus to presidential campaigns.
Koza said the current system encourages parties to focus on a few contested "battleground" states -- Ohio and Florida, in recent years -- and exaggerates the significance of issues important to those states.
"Why is the rest of the country interested in Cuba? It's a couple of million people, we don't trade with them, and it's certainly been no military threat for 40 years," Koza said. The reason, he said, is that Florida is a battleground state.
In presidential elections, the American people are not voting directly for a candidate. Instead, under a system created by the founding fathers out of a fear of mob rule, voters choose slates of "electors," who in most cases are expected to cast their ballots for the candidate who wins the popular vote in their state.
Each state has one elector for every member it has in the House and Senate, a formula that gives small states a somewhat larger vote than population alone would dictate.
There have been other attempts to change the Electoral College system, but all of them foundered. They were aimed at amending the Constitution, an often drawn-out process that requires approval by Congress and ratification by at least 38 states.
This plan would be accomplished instead through an agreement among the states. It would not take effect unless adopted by state legislatures representing a majority of electoral votes.
Robert Hardaway, a University of Denver law professor and Electoral College expert, warned that the proposed interstate compact may need approval from Congress to be legal. In any case, it is "a terrible idea," Hardaway said.
In a close presidential election, recounts would be demanded "in every precinct, every hamlet in the United States," he said. "The practical problems are absolutely enormous."
Lloyd Omdahl, a former University of North Dakota political science professor, state tax commissioner and Democratic lieutenant governor, called the measure ingenious. But he was skeptical the GOP-controlled Legislature would embrace it.
"Republicans in North Dakota would see no benefit from this, because they almost always get the electoral votes," Omdahl said.
Had the compact been in force in 2000, North Dakota's three electors would have had to support Gore, even though Bush carried the state with 63 percent. Since 1900, only three Democratic presidential candidates have carried North Dakota -- Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson, in 1964.
Lawrence Jacobs, a University of Minnesota political science professor and director of the school's Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, warned the proposal would reduce the influence of small states and lead candidates to spend more time campaigning in voter-rich California, New York and Texas.
However, Jacobs said dissatisfaction with the Electoral College system is growing, even in states that may benefit from the current setup.
A lot of Americans "don't like the Electoral College system. They find it to be out of step with expectations about democracy, expectations that our founding fathers did not necessarily share," he said.
"I think time has seen an evolution of a different way of seeing things, a different norm, in which we expect the president to be popularly elected."
------
On the Net:
National Popular Vote:
http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/npv/
Electoral College:
http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/index.html
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A movement to essentially junk the Electoral College and award the presidency to the winner of the nationwide popular vote is making some headway in states large and small -- including, somewhat improbably, North Dakota.
The National Popular Vote movement is aimed at preventing a repeat of 2000, when Democrat Al Gore lost despite getting more votes than George W. Bush.
Backers are asking states to change their laws to award their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote nationally.
A bill to do that was introduced last week in the North Dakota Legislature, even though it could reduce the political influence of small states like North Dakota.
"Its strength is, it is what the people want," said one of the sponsors, Rep. Duane DeKrey, Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. "It kind of takes out that system where the person who gets the most votes doesn't necessarily win."
John Koza, a Stanford University professor who is one of the idea's principal advocates, said lawmakers in 47 states have agreed to sponsor the plan this year. It was introduced last year in Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, New York and California, where the Legislature approved the measure only to have Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger veto it.
Backers say it would help bring a national focus to presidential campaigns.
Koza said the current system encourages parties to focus on a few contested "battleground" states -- Ohio and Florida, in recent years -- and exaggerates the significance of issues important to those states.
"Why is the rest of the country interested in Cuba? It's a couple of million people, we don't trade with them, and it's certainly been no military threat for 40 years," Koza said. The reason, he said, is that Florida is a battleground state.
In presidential elections, the American people are not voting directly for a candidate. Instead, under a system created by the founding fathers out of a fear of mob rule, voters choose slates of "electors," who in most cases are expected to cast their ballots for the candidate who wins the popular vote in their state.
Each state has one elector for every member it has in the House and Senate, a formula that gives small states a somewhat larger vote than population alone would dictate.
There have been other attempts to change the Electoral College system, but all of them foundered. They were aimed at amending the Constitution, an often drawn-out process that requires approval by Congress and ratification by at least 38 states.
This plan would be accomplished instead through an agreement among the states. It would not take effect unless adopted by state legislatures representing a majority of electoral votes.
Robert Hardaway, a University of Denver law professor and Electoral College expert, warned that the proposed interstate compact may need approval from Congress to be legal. In any case, it is "a terrible idea," Hardaway said.
In a close presidential election, recounts would be demanded "in every precinct, every hamlet in the United States," he said. "The practical problems are absolutely enormous."
Lloyd Omdahl, a former University of North Dakota political science professor, state tax commissioner and Democratic lieutenant governor, called the measure ingenious. But he was skeptical the GOP-controlled Legislature would embrace it.
"Republicans in North Dakota would see no benefit from this, because they almost always get the electoral votes," Omdahl said.
Had the compact been in force in 2000, North Dakota's three electors would have had to support Gore, even though Bush carried the state with 63 percent. Since 1900, only three Democratic presidential candidates have carried North Dakota -- Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson, in 1964.
Lawrence Jacobs, a University of Minnesota political science professor and director of the school's Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, warned the proposal would reduce the influence of small states and lead candidates to spend more time campaigning in voter-rich California, New York and Texas.
However, Jacobs said dissatisfaction with the Electoral College system is growing, even in states that may benefit from the current setup.
A lot of Americans "don't like the Electoral College system. They find it to be out of step with expectations about democracy, expectations that our founding fathers did not necessarily share," he said.
"I think time has seen an evolution of a different way of seeing things, a different norm, in which we expect the president to be popularly elected."
------
On the Net:
National Popular Vote:
http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/npv/
Electoral College:
http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/index.html
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Should the Government Negotiate Drug Prices?
Comment: The White House & President said they would veto such a measure because they claim it would raise prices for everyone. Excuse me while I cough “Bull Shit”. The Government already has programs that pay for prescription drugs for some Americans. Negotiated for lower prices will increase competition and in no way increase prices anywhere. Competition lowers prices, basic economics.
I’ll tell you what this is, Big Pharmaceutical Money influencing the White House under the leadership of G.W. Bush once again.
I pray Congress would overturn the President’s veto.
NPR Report:
January 12, 2007 · The House passes a bill that would require the secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate with drug makers for lower prices for Medicare patients. The vote was 255-170 in favor of the bill, including some two dozen Republicans. Those supporting the measure ignored a veto threat from President Bush.
The administration contends that government price negotiations — which are currently barred by law — would ultimately threaten the availability of drugs for seniors, and could raise, rather than lower, prices. But polls have shown the public is strongly behind the idea of government negotiation.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6837624
And this week, a key Democratic backer of the existing Medicare drug program, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, said he now supports eliminating the ban on government negotiation.
I’ll tell you what this is, Big Pharmaceutical Money influencing the White House under the leadership of G.W. Bush once again.
I pray Congress would overturn the President’s veto.
NPR Report:
January 12, 2007 · The House passes a bill that would require the secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate with drug makers for lower prices for Medicare patients. The vote was 255-170 in favor of the bill, including some two dozen Republicans. Those supporting the measure ignored a veto threat from President Bush.
The administration contends that government price negotiations — which are currently barred by law — would ultimately threaten the availability of drugs for seniors, and could raise, rather than lower, prices. But polls have shown the public is strongly behind the idea of government negotiation.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6837624
And this week, a key Democratic backer of the existing Medicare drug program, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, said he now supports eliminating the ban on government negotiation.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Bush Wants More Money for Iraq
Mr. President,
"Read my lips" No more money and no more troops for Iraq!
Please notice the word "for". Many people are discussing the fact that BILLIONS of Taxpayer dollars are being used "for" Iraqi citizens when it should be being used "for" the needs of U.S. citizens.
While the Republicans are whining and leaking their wounds after suffering a crushing political defeat the “do something” Democratic Congress are busy writing legislation that will hopefully end this War in Iraq this year.
-Yoda
(Comments welcome)
NPR Report of Bush's Plan:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6781375
"Read my lips" No more money and no more troops for Iraq!
Please notice the word "for". Many people are discussing the fact that BILLIONS of Taxpayer dollars are being used "for" Iraqi citizens when it should be being used "for" the needs of U.S. citizens.
While the Republicans are whining and leaking their wounds after suffering a crushing political defeat the “do something” Democratic Congress are busy writing legislation that will hopefully end this War in Iraq this year.
-Yoda
(Comments welcome)
NPR Report of Bush's Plan:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6781375
CIA chief's lawyer quits case
Political
CIA chief's lawyer quits case, had hoped for political solution
Source: Associated Press Newswires 01/09/2007
MILAN, Italy (AP) - A lawyer for a former CIA station chief accused of involvement in the alleged kidnapping of an Egyptian terror suspect withdrew from the case Tuesday, saying statements by Italian spymasters implicating U.S. agents had undermined her attempts to head off a criminal trial.
Daria Pesce, representing former Milan station chief Robert Seldon Lady, walked out of court as a judge began hearing arguments on whether to indict 26 Americans and five Italian intelligence officials on criminal charges.
A trial would be the first criminal prosecution involving the CIA's extraordinary rendition program, in which terror suspects are secretly transferred to third countries where critics say they may face torture.
No decision on indictments was made Tuesday and further hearings were set for Jan. 29 into mid-February.
"Robert Seldon Lady says that this case should have had a political solution and not a judicial solution," Pesce said. "The Italian government could have decided it was a state secret -- remember, this was a terror suspect. It would have been possible if the Italian government had had the courage to reach an agreement with the U.S. government."
Instead, she said, statements that amounted to confessions from two Italians were so damaging they made it politically impossible for her to seek diplomatic immunity for her client.
"No one expected the secret services to talk," she told The Associated Press in an interview.
She was referring to statements by several Italians cooperating with Milan prosecutors that described Lady's alleged involvement with the Feb. 17, 2003, abduction of Egyptian Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, from a Milan street.
Prosecutors say the operation was a breach of Italian sovereignty that compromised their own anti-terrorism efforts. None of the defendants attended the hearing.
Asked whether he thought Pesce's withdrawal signaled the CIA's attempt to dissociate itself from the case, prosecutor Armando Spataro, who requested the indictments, said her statements were reminiscent of an era when terrorist groups tried to discredit Italian justice.
"I heard the same thing from the Red Brigades during the terror trials in the 1970s," Spataro said.
Pesce, who met with Seldon Lady four or five times in the United States, most recently in September, said the court had already appointed a new lawyer for him.
All but one of the Americans have been identified by the prosecution as CIA agents, including former station chiefs in Rome and Milan; the other is a U.S. Air Force officer who was stationed at the time at Aviano air base near Venice. The Italians include the former head of the Italian military intelligence, Nicolo Pollari.
In Italy, defendants are not required to attend preliminary hearings, or even trials. Spataro has asked Premier Romano Prodi's center-left government to seek the extradition of the American suspects, but there has been no response.
The previous prime minister, conservative Silvio Berlusconi, who was a close ally of President Bush, refused.
Pollari's defense lawyers said Tuesday they intend in the next session to try to have both Prodi and Berlusconi take the witness stand, as well as their respective defense ministers.
Even if a request is made for the Americans' extradition -- a move bound to irritate U.S.-Italian relations -- it was unlikely that the CIA agents would be turned over for trial abroad.
The CIA has refused to comment on the case.
------
Associated Press Writer Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.
CIA chief's lawyer quits case, had hoped for political solution
Source: Associated Press Newswires 01/09/2007
MILAN, Italy (AP) - A lawyer for a former CIA station chief accused of involvement in the alleged kidnapping of an Egyptian terror suspect withdrew from the case Tuesday, saying statements by Italian spymasters implicating U.S. agents had undermined her attempts to head off a criminal trial.
Daria Pesce, representing former Milan station chief Robert Seldon Lady, walked out of court as a judge began hearing arguments on whether to indict 26 Americans and five Italian intelligence officials on criminal charges.
A trial would be the first criminal prosecution involving the CIA's extraordinary rendition program, in which terror suspects are secretly transferred to third countries where critics say they may face torture.
No decision on indictments was made Tuesday and further hearings were set for Jan. 29 into mid-February.
"Robert Seldon Lady says that this case should have had a political solution and not a judicial solution," Pesce said. "The Italian government could have decided it was a state secret -- remember, this was a terror suspect. It would have been possible if the Italian government had had the courage to reach an agreement with the U.S. government."
Instead, she said, statements that amounted to confessions from two Italians were so damaging they made it politically impossible for her to seek diplomatic immunity for her client.
"No one expected the secret services to talk," she told The Associated Press in an interview.
She was referring to statements by several Italians cooperating with Milan prosecutors that described Lady's alleged involvement with the Feb. 17, 2003, abduction of Egyptian Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, from a Milan street.
Prosecutors say the operation was a breach of Italian sovereignty that compromised their own anti-terrorism efforts. None of the defendants attended the hearing.
Asked whether he thought Pesce's withdrawal signaled the CIA's attempt to dissociate itself from the case, prosecutor Armando Spataro, who requested the indictments, said her statements were reminiscent of an era when terrorist groups tried to discredit Italian justice.
"I heard the same thing from the Red Brigades during the terror trials in the 1970s," Spataro said.
Pesce, who met with Seldon Lady four or five times in the United States, most recently in September, said the court had already appointed a new lawyer for him.
All but one of the Americans have been identified by the prosecution as CIA agents, including former station chiefs in Rome and Milan; the other is a U.S. Air Force officer who was stationed at the time at Aviano air base near Venice. The Italians include the former head of the Italian military intelligence, Nicolo Pollari.
In Italy, defendants are not required to attend preliminary hearings, or even trials. Spataro has asked Premier Romano Prodi's center-left government to seek the extradition of the American suspects, but there has been no response.
The previous prime minister, conservative Silvio Berlusconi, who was a close ally of President Bush, refused.
Pollari's defense lawyers said Tuesday they intend in the next session to try to have both Prodi and Berlusconi take the witness stand, as well as their respective defense ministers.
Even if a request is made for the Americans' extradition -- a move bound to irritate U.S.-Italian relations -- it was unlikely that the CIA agents would be turned over for trial abroad.
The CIA has refused to comment on the case.
------
Associated Press Writer Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Someone Said "The Children Are Our Future"
"Source: USA Today 01/02/2007
I f you're anything like me, 2006 has left you in an exhausted heap, distressed and depressed that America has been swallowed up in its own star-spangled stew of bitterness and scandal -- from the relentless political infighting and ceaseless clamor on talk radio to the pantyless Britney Spears.
And don't even get me started on Kramer.
But as the curtain rises on 2007, we do have a lot to smile about. I discovered this by conducting my own little experiment in optimism: Combing through a backlog of e-mails and clipped articles, I noticed that I'd been focusing my energy primarily on hot-button issues -- from stem cells to the Iraq War. I suppose this is natural. After all, nothing gets the blood pumping like a good fight, and there are plenty of those to go around lately.
Still, what about those stories that carry a whiff of (dare I say it) hope? Cultural watchdogs like to say that the media focus only on the bad stuff, but in truth, the good news is always out there -- you just have to look for it.
Here are a few items that, to me at least, make the New Year not only palatable, but maybe even something to celebrate:
Keeping hope alive. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis has achieved a 90% survival rate in its treatment of kids with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common form of childhood cancer. This is not a small thing. When entertainer Danny Thomas opened the doors to St. Jude in 1962, that survival rate was less than 4% -- all but guaranteeing the death of the child. Now, lives are being saved. Meanwhile, St. Jude stands by its founding promise - - that no child will be turned away for a family's inability to pay. In a nation in which 9 million kids are uninsured, that's not just good news. It's a blessing.
The kids are all right. Not every teen is loitering in the electronic hallways of MySpace or zombied out in front of MTV's Pimp My Ride. Last year, I received a letter from USA TODAY reader Tom Marshall of Laytonsville, Md., responding to a column I had written about teen activism. Tom proudly noted that his 17-year-old daughter, Kathleen (and her friend Charlene Thomas), had devoted the previous summer ("590 hours in all") to organizing a walk-a-thon that generated more than $10,000 for the AIDS Research Alliance. It was the largest fundraising effort by a high school in ARA's history. This single act of charity, says dad, so inspired Kathleen that she subsequently traveled to Africa to lend a hand to AIDS victims in hospitals, clinics and orphanages in Botswana.
Kathleen is in good company: According to a report by the Corporation for National & Community Service, teen volunteerism (ages 16 to 19) has more than doubled since 1989, thanks in large part to such organizations as the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts and 4- H. (Oh, yeah -- some more good news: Girl Scout cookies now have zero trans fats. But that's another story.)
The Pied Piper of pennies. Speaking of active youth, would you believe that children have raised more money for victims of Hurricane Katrina than most of the country's cash-fat corporations? Credit Anne Ginther of Dallas, whose non-profit organization Random Kid has raked in more than $10 million for Americans left homeless by the hurricane's devastation. In 2005, Ginther became captivated by the news-making efforts of a 10-year-old neighbor, Talia Leman, who had convinced a grocery chain to support her trick-or-trick campaign for Katrina relief dollars. Having already built her own kids' coin crusade on the Internet, Ginther joined forces with Talia, and they soon began marshalling a nationwide army of pint- sized fundraisers into the fold -- kids who collect coins in buckets, sell lemonade on street corners and hector business bigwigs with all the self-assurance of a D.C. lobbyist. The money then flows to relief organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, the Bush- Clinton Katrina Fund and Oprah's Angel Network.
But to Ginther, it always comes back to the kids. "The amazing thing about children," she told me, "is that they don't see politics as an obstacle, they don't take no for an answer, and they do take sheer joy in everything they do. It's such a kick to see just how powerful a child can be."
Are there any disadvantages to working with kids seven days a week? Says Ginther, "Well, they tend to get up early ... ."
Special deliveries. While the rest of the country was fighting over the war in Iraq, Californian Carolyn Blashek was busy packing boxes. So began the 2006 holiday drive for her beloved brainchild, Operation Gratitude, which since 2003 has provided our servicemen and women overseas with regular care packages from home, brimming with donated items -- from DVDs and sunflower seeds to baseball caps and Beanie Babies. This past year, more than 60,000 holiday packages found their way to American troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, bringing Op Gratitude's grand total to more than 200,000. "The idea is to let every servicemember who's been deployed know that someone cares about them," Blashek told me during a rare break from the assembly line. "After more than three years, I feel like a mom to these people. Every one of them is in my blood now."
Although Blashek doesn't like to play favorites, she admits that the most unusual item donated to Op Gratitude was a car. Postage must've been brutal.
So that's what jazzes me these days. If none of the above gives you reason to head into 2007 with even an ounce of cheer, you can always fall back on another little thought -- one that's guaranteed to perk up even the terminally dour: It ain't 2006.
Bruce Kluger, a member of USA TODAY's board of contributors, also writes for National Public Radio and Parenting magazine. "
I f you're anything like me, 2006 has left you in an exhausted heap, distressed and depressed that America has been swallowed up in its own star-spangled stew of bitterness and scandal -- from the relentless political infighting and ceaseless clamor on talk radio to the pantyless Britney Spears.
And don't even get me started on Kramer.
But as the curtain rises on 2007, we do have a lot to smile about. I discovered this by conducting my own little experiment in optimism: Combing through a backlog of e-mails and clipped articles, I noticed that I'd been focusing my energy primarily on hot-button issues -- from stem cells to the Iraq War. I suppose this is natural. After all, nothing gets the blood pumping like a good fight, and there are plenty of those to go around lately.
Still, what about those stories that carry a whiff of (dare I say it) hope? Cultural watchdogs like to say that the media focus only on the bad stuff, but in truth, the good news is always out there -- you just have to look for it.
Here are a few items that, to me at least, make the New Year not only palatable, but maybe even something to celebrate:
Keeping hope alive. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis has achieved a 90% survival rate in its treatment of kids with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common form of childhood cancer. This is not a small thing. When entertainer Danny Thomas opened the doors to St. Jude in 1962, that survival rate was less than 4% -- all but guaranteeing the death of the child. Now, lives are being saved. Meanwhile, St. Jude stands by its founding promise - - that no child will be turned away for a family's inability to pay. In a nation in which 9 million kids are uninsured, that's not just good news. It's a blessing.
The kids are all right. Not every teen is loitering in the electronic hallways of MySpace or zombied out in front of MTV's Pimp My Ride. Last year, I received a letter from USA TODAY reader Tom Marshall of Laytonsville, Md., responding to a column I had written about teen activism. Tom proudly noted that his 17-year-old daughter, Kathleen (and her friend Charlene Thomas), had devoted the previous summer ("590 hours in all") to organizing a walk-a-thon that generated more than $10,000 for the AIDS Research Alliance. It was the largest fundraising effort by a high school in ARA's history. This single act of charity, says dad, so inspired Kathleen that she subsequently traveled to Africa to lend a hand to AIDS victims in hospitals, clinics and orphanages in Botswana.
Kathleen is in good company: According to a report by the Corporation for National & Community Service, teen volunteerism (ages 16 to 19) has more than doubled since 1989, thanks in large part to such organizations as the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts and 4- H. (Oh, yeah -- some more good news: Girl Scout cookies now have zero trans fats. But that's another story.)
The Pied Piper of pennies. Speaking of active youth, would you believe that children have raised more money for victims of Hurricane Katrina than most of the country's cash-fat corporations? Credit Anne Ginther of Dallas, whose non-profit organization Random Kid has raked in more than $10 million for Americans left homeless by the hurricane's devastation. In 2005, Ginther became captivated by the news-making efforts of a 10-year-old neighbor, Talia Leman, who had convinced a grocery chain to support her trick-or-trick campaign for Katrina relief dollars. Having already built her own kids' coin crusade on the Internet, Ginther joined forces with Talia, and they soon began marshalling a nationwide army of pint- sized fundraisers into the fold -- kids who collect coins in buckets, sell lemonade on street corners and hector business bigwigs with all the self-assurance of a D.C. lobbyist. The money then flows to relief organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, the Bush- Clinton Katrina Fund and Oprah's Angel Network.
But to Ginther, it always comes back to the kids. "The amazing thing about children," she told me, "is that they don't see politics as an obstacle, they don't take no for an answer, and they do take sheer joy in everything they do. It's such a kick to see just how powerful a child can be."
Are there any disadvantages to working with kids seven days a week? Says Ginther, "Well, they tend to get up early ... ."
Special deliveries. While the rest of the country was fighting over the war in Iraq, Californian Carolyn Blashek was busy packing boxes. So began the 2006 holiday drive for her beloved brainchild, Operation Gratitude, which since 2003 has provided our servicemen and women overseas with regular care packages from home, brimming with donated items -- from DVDs and sunflower seeds to baseball caps and Beanie Babies. This past year, more than 60,000 holiday packages found their way to American troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, bringing Op Gratitude's grand total to more than 200,000. "The idea is to let every servicemember who's been deployed know that someone cares about them," Blashek told me during a rare break from the assembly line. "After more than three years, I feel like a mom to these people. Every one of them is in my blood now."
Although Blashek doesn't like to play favorites, she admits that the most unusual item donated to Op Gratitude was a car. Postage must've been brutal.
So that's what jazzes me these days. If none of the above gives you reason to head into 2007 with even an ounce of cheer, you can always fall back on another little thought -- one that's guaranteed to perk up even the terminally dour: It ain't 2006.
Bruce Kluger, a member of USA TODAY's board of contributors, also writes for National Public Radio and Parenting magazine. "
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Jesus or Buddha?
The eyes of humanity will truly be opened when it remembers the dying words of Jesus Christ “forgive them father, for they know not what they do”.
Rather you believe in God, a higher power, Buddha, science or your inner self the truth of the matter is that men are a far ways from being socially or intellectually evolved.
We murder each other over our man made values. Such as religion, statues, faith, land, power, wealth, and money. All values which in the end will have no worth.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
The Price of Gas
The Price of Gas
I find it ironic that now after the Congressional elections the price of gas is going right back up. Damn “blue-eyed devils” in charge of the oil companies in cahoots with George W. Bush. [God bless freedon of speech].
Corporations today seem to have no regard for the common good. Why do the CEO’s find it necessary to drive these exorbitant profits draining the pockets of people needing that money for other things. (That’s a statement, not a question).
All you rich folk will say there aren’t many people in that boat, well I sure as hell am.
If I met the President of Exxon I would slap him across the face!
I find it ironic that now after the Congressional elections the price of gas is going right back up. Damn “blue-eyed devils” in charge of the oil companies in cahoots with George W. Bush. [God bless freedon of speech].
Corporations today seem to have no regard for the common good. Why do the CEO’s find it necessary to drive these exorbitant profits draining the pockets of people needing that money for other things. (That’s a statement, not a question).
All you rich folk will say there aren’t many people in that boat, well I sure as hell am.
If I met the President of Exxon I would slap him across the face!
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