Can we gloat yet?

As I write this it is midnight and the beginning of a new day for the country. Thank God people pulled their heads out of the sand...or maybe a darker smelly part of their body...and now see what has been happening. It's sad that it took so much for people to stop being scared of the terrorists and realize what is happening in this country.

I think Nancy will be a fantastic Speaker of the House. Nothing against the other guy but finally, it is time for a woman to have that power. It has been long past time for a change. How many more people have to die in Iraq? We have lost that war, that is clear. You can't fight a concept, you have to fight a country.

I guess it is needless to say that I am happy as a pig is slop to see my candidates win. However, sadly, Sara Jo Shettles lost in Clay County. Sam Graves, Bush's personal lap dog/attack mutt, defeated her with his money and connections. Otherwise the people of Clay County would have to be just as delusional as our president. Graves votes with the president on every issue and cares nothing for the environment and rewards big oil. Check out his record. This I know from dealing with his people. He is too big a wuss to talk directly to the press. Yet, the people of Clay County re-elected the bum.

Regardless, things are about to change in this country and it is not coming a minute too soon. I love it when my party wins!

Can I hate him any more???

Ward Connerly is a piece of work. I can not believe this man but I must realize these types have always existed. These are people who sell out their own race to get spoon fed personal priviledges. This is Ward Connerly. He is leading a nation wide effort to destroy Affirmative Action because he feels it is unfair and discriminatory to whites.

Apparently we have never had successful white businessmen, presidents, politicians, or religious leaders. The white people of this country are being held down by blacks benefitting from Affirmative Action.

To let you know how sick this Connerly guy is, his initiative to kill Affirmative Action in Michigan is backed by the Ku Klux Klan. Did he disavow them? NO! He welcomes the endorsement from a group that sanctioned violence and murder of people of Connerly's race. He has stooped so low it is beyond disgusting. It shows a level of self hate this man has that is truly amazing.

Many whites in California, where Connerly was successful and many young minorities AND women are now suffering from his campaign, admired Connerly. Many white women in denial that they also benefitted from AA voted to kill AA. Now, I hope they really see this man for who he really is...a self-hating black man who would have helped slave masters kill other slaves to ensure his life was safe.

Man as God, more stem-cell stuff

As I studied more and more about stem-cell research and why opponents oppose
this issue, it struck me that no one is asking a particularly critical
question. Opponents keep saying that the cell created by SNCT is a full
human being. They say that cell is a clone. There is the problem.

If that cell is a full human being made in the likeness of God, how did
human beings create it? When a scientist creates that blastocyst, is he/she
suddenly elevated to level of God. That scientist, according to the
religious opponents to stem-cell research, has created a new human being.
Only God can create life so how can this scientist do so also?

The critical issue that the evangelists don't want to talk about is that to
create a "full human being" one must either be God or be doing something
that God allows. I saw this in the creation process. Many would say God
allows us to do a lot of bad things. However, those bad things are typically
a destructive process, not creation.

Also, if the evangelists oppose stem-cell research, they should also oppose
in-vitro fertilization. That process also experiments on humans...the mother
and the child. The dad, pardon the crudeness, just gets to play with himself
a bit then worry about medical procedures his wife must endure.

I support Missouri's Amendment 2. As a person who has done IVF and who has a
disease that may be cured by stem-cell research, I'd be a hypocrite and a
fool to oppose this.

Stem-cell battle

This picture is curtosy of KU Med Center

You would have to be half dead to not be aware of the battle over stem cell research raging in Missouri right now. Is it cloning? Was Michael J. Fox acting? Is Rush Limbaugh right? What does Jim Talent think? What does Clair McCaskill think?

Lots of questions. Now, First Family Church has jumped into the fray with all their opinions on the issue. The good Christians at that church have the right to speak their peace but do they have the right to lie and scare people? Apparently, under the guise of opinion and claimed facts, they do.

A sermon by Pastor Jerry Johnston goes on and on about the horrors and dangers of approving Ammendment 2 in Missouri. If passed, according to the reverend, Missouri will become a fetus farm and babies will be experimented on to create stem cells and cure diseases for others. One group of people should not be experimented on "Nazi style" to help another group.

WHOA DUDE!!! What does Ammendment 2 really allow?

Well, embryos from IVF would be used to extract stem-cells. The thing is, these embryos are destined to die anyway. They are embryos that will be donated for research by people who will not try to have a baby with them. The other stem-cells will come from what some call cloning. Basically, as seen in the picture, a cell creates the stem-cells. That blastocyst is created by taking a human egg cell, removing the nucleus and replacing it with the nucleus of another cell. That blastocyst then produces stem-cells but will -NEVER- grow into an embryo or a human being. This is what some call cloning. Basically, if you put that blastocyst into a uterus...it MIGHT grow into a human. This is what they call cloning.

Millions with horrible diseases will die while a few who are afraid of medical progress scare others who don't inform themselves.

I just got diagnosed with diabetes two weeks ago. If this process could find a cure, I am all for it. A blastocyst is not a human being. An embryo destined to die anyway can do some good. I have a strong belief in God and had my son through fertility medical treatments. I am totally in favor of Ammendment 2. I think it will fail because of fear. What a shame!

What a twit!

Talk about throwing a huge bone to the Democrats! I always thought Bush
wasn't very smart but to do this is amazing. He just shot himself in the
foot in our sound bite world.

For those unaware of the latest news, Pres. Bush was on ABC News in a one on
one interview with George Stephanopoulos. Bush said the war in Iraq could be
compared to the Tet Offensive in Vietnam, seen as the turning point in that
war. Anyone with sense knows we lost that war on multiple levels.

Now, of course Bush qualified his answers with explanations but the damage
is done. Any politician with a minimum amount of intelligence and sense
would NEVER say a conflict they created is similar to a failed conflict in
American history.

This is am amazing implosion of the Republican Party. Democrats don't have
to do much of anything (except NOT screw up) and the Republicans are handing
power back to us. It will be our unfortunate job to clean up after the
elephants. Anyway you look at it, donkey shit weighs less than elephant
shit.

Campaigns firing up...

As the days go by I notice that election campaigns are getting more and more fired up. The fight between Jim Talent and Claire McCaskill is getting particularly ugly. He claims she didn't perform nursing audits, she says she did and Talent is hurting seniors, not her. Interesting, the whole thing. They seem to be focused on talking about seniors and not much else. It's a "he said, she said" sort of situation. That said, I'll still vote for Claire. Talent isn't a good enough Republican for me to jump ship.

What Republicans aren't saying is they -need- Talent to win. I hope and pray the House and the Senate return to Democratic control. The Republicans have had power for too long and the corruption is showing. With issues like the Foley scandel how can any so-called "morally superior" Republican talk about Clinton anymore. At least Bill went for an adult woman and not a male child.

I've been listening to talk radio lately also...talk about grabbing for straws. They tout the good economy and completely ignore the deaths in Iraq. How blind can these people be???

Too long coming...

I think this moment took WAY too long in coming. Pres. Bill Clinton on Fox network telling them off!!! WOO-HOO!!!

This was needed and despite efforts to make him sound like a kook, he made a lot of valid points regarding the "right" painting him as the cause of 9/11.

Frankly, I don't think any one person can be blamed for the incident. A lot of people can be made to seem at fault but that just distracts from the fact that the ones at fault are the ones who committed the crime.

Bill Clinton advises critics to read Richard Clark's book. I think if they are very confident about their accusations, read the book then think it over again. Clinton said a lot and it was not disputed. Fox does ask Democrats questions they wouldn't dare ask a Republican...like, when bin Laden was gearing up and planning this attack, why did you say Clint was "obsessed" with bin Laden. They accused him of "wagging the dog" and the very same people who criticized him then, blame him now for not doing enough.

The Republican party is pretty bad. I think it's too much power for way too long.

Dying palms

The signature (although imported) palm trees in the Los Angeles area are
dying. Some would say that is not a big loss...they were brought to southern
California from other countries and therefore probably should have never
been there in the first place.

For me, I agree that they should not have been brought there. However, when
I think of southern California, I think palm trees. It is sad to see them
dying.

Apparently, according to an NPR report, fungus and old age are killing them.
The people of LA don't seem too upset but Hollywood will never let them all
go. People decorate their yards with palms regularly but I doubt you will
see a 100 foot palm in someone's back yard.

She's BAAAACK!!!

I haven't posted in a while but that does not mean things are not on my mind.

Right now, racism and it's ugly nature is sitting at the forefront of my brain. I work in a predominately white company and county. By "White," I mean a very, very specific definition of the word. At the risk of sounding like many White racists, I have plently of friends who are white. :^) However, my friends are white, in that is the color of their skin, not "White," as in culturally I pretend to be open to diversity but I really want all you coloreds to keep your place beneath me.

I never met White people until I moved to this Red state. When I started blogging I knew one day I'd have to write something about my experiences with racism. This may be a series, in fact, I can't see how it won't be so it is best to start with one of my first experiences...and there are plenty.

I attended the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a double major in English and Mass Communications. The very naive me (in regards to race relations anyway) had no idea why a particular White girl was consistantly rude towards me. I don't mention her name not to save her embarassment but simply because I can't remember it. I could not figure it out for years. Being rude is one thing but to actively sabotage my efforts at education is another.

We had the misfortune to end up in the same communications class working on the same group project...a study of high school culture. Our group was large so we split it into three sub-groups. I was on a group with her and another white girl. Long story short, when I made an attempt to contribute to the group project, she regularly shut me down saying my contribution would not work. Even worse than her was the other girl who would sit silently while this happened. She is the worse offender because people like that sat quietly while Nazis killed Jews.

This experience was stranger still. This was a school assignment but the two girls "required" me to drive to their homes in order to work on the project. I had what is popularly called a "POS" car and really did not want to drive to BFE every other night and then pray my car would not stall going home late. They sure as hell were not going to offer me a sleep over, nor would they come retrieve me if I got stranded...BTW, no cell phones in the early 90s so I would have been stuck.

I refused to jump through their hoops but why should I have had to? Why do Whites tell people of color to work hard to get ahead and then stand in the way of that progress. It's because they really don't want people of color to get ahead. These girls would have been perfectly happy to see me drop out of school. They never respected my intelligence and probably never will. These White people are WORSE than the Klan. At least you know where you stand with Klansmen.

Hillary!

There has been a little talk of Hillary Clinton running for president in 2008. Honestly, when I first heard that I thought it was a joke. I honestly thought she'll never win, too many people hate her. Then I thought again...it was kind of like tasting something different, you let it sit in your mouth for a bit and get used to the flavor and texture. Kind of like sushi.

I like the idea of Hillary Clinton being this nation's first woman president, and not just because it would put Republicans in to a hissy-fit. That is reason enough to want Hillary to win but not really a valid or mature reason.

I want her to win because I like her spunk. I like her handling of issues and I admire her saying Bush has treated Congress like a Plantation, you know what I mean. That takes balls and the male Democrats seem to have thrown theirs away. However, that statement puts Hillary into a bad situation.

People in our country want a lady to be a lady...whatever that means. I happen to believe you can be a lady and a strong leader too. Look at Margaret Thatcher. I met her once. She must be about 4'11" tall, yet she had Russia by the short and curlies during the Cold War. We backed her up with Reagan but I think she could have handled herself.

Having a woman leader in America is long overdue. Of course, I also think having only white men run the country is a joke too but they do have the power. I don't just think it is time for a change, it's time for a woman to run this nation. She couldn't do any worse than Bush.

I heard a report on NPR that basically said Hillary is gearing up to be the front-runner. She is earning the most money and creating the most buzz. But can she win? That's the $100,000 question. I hope she will run and win.

Bush talk...

It seems our president suddenly realized that the NAACP exists...and people call the man slow. It only took him six years to finally answer an invitation. Then, as if no one was supposed to notice, he immediately begins sucking up. Here's a portion of the speech....

Thank you all very much. Thank you very much. Bruce, thanks for your introduction. Bruce is a polite guy, I thought what he was going to say, it's about time you showed up. And I'm glad I did. See, I see this as a moment of opportunity. I have come to celebrate the heroism of the civil rights movement, and the accomplishments of the NAACP.

Republicans are really sad when they come to us as a people only when they are in trouble. In a way, Democrats do this too but not to the extent. Democrats have a different cross to bear, that of complacency. They figure African Americans will always and naturally vote Democrat. That assumption can bite a Democrat in the butt if they aren't careful.

Even with the problems in the Democratic Party, I can't see much that would make me vote Republican. I look at Bush and ask myself, what has he done to help my life? Has he even considered that there are blacks in this country until this week? What has he done to show blacks that he cares about issue specific and special to us?

Many say Clinton did nothing while in office. I say those people weren't paying attention.

Political matters

Despite my blog name, I haven't spent much time griping about politics, mostly because my experience as a Liberal in a Conservative area goes beyond politics. Today, I experienced something that was quirky, awkward and funny all at the same time...sad too. While eating lunch with co-workers, one white, one Asian (mentioning their races will be apparent in a moment) a little girl at another table began pointing at us.

I paid no attention until I realized her mom was gripping her hand so tightly and talking sternly to the girl as to make her cry out in pain. Then I realized what she was saying, "Look mom, a black person..." Once I realized that, it wasn't a big deal. I concluded the kid has been very sheltered to be that impressed by seeing me. This kid appeared to be about 4 so she has had time to see blacks...but apparently has been shielded from them. That's a possibility...there are others but I'm going with that one.

My white co-worker was surprised, the Asian one said he got the "Chinese eyes" thing all the time where kids stretch their eyes to look Asian.

How sad in 2006 that people don't let their kids know about other cultures, etc. What was more troubling was the woman hurt her daughter for pointing. Being the mother of a son who will soon embarass me in many ways by pointing his crooked finger at people, I don't intend to crush his finger to make him stop.

People (this happened in Johnson County, of course) need to get their kids out more.

Tigger eating Thumper

I read the San Francisco Chronicle almost every day just to keep up on the happenings of my hometown. Today, I found a blog I just may have to read regularly.

Here it is, The Poop. The story I loved is about feeding time at the San Francisco Zoo. In a previous post, I slammed the KC Zoo. Trust me, the San Francisco Zoo had and has problems too but talk about a way to get them into the door.

They throw dead rabbits to the lions and tigers at a special feeding time that is super popular. KC Zoo has an attendance problem...this would get them in the doors!

Creek-Water crossing

This is a story I wrote about a CrossWalk America walker. He was a surprise to them and a surprise to me. A unique but really nice and what I would call a -real- person. Maybe it's the old hippie in me talking but I just wanted to write my impressions of the guy.

--------------------------------------------------------

Taking a hike for peace.

Activity filled the sitting room of Asbury United Methodist Church, 75th
Street and Nall Avenue, Prairie Village, as members of CrossWalk America
set up projection screens, video cameras, shot photos, and set out
literature to prepare for a presentation of their cause June 28.

CrossWalk America is a group of progressive Christians trekking 2,500 miles
from Phoenix, Ariz. to Washington to profess Jesus Christ¹s message of love
of God, self and neighbors.

Amidst all the activity sits "surprise walker" Mark Creek-Water, a
"houseless, not homeless man," enjoying a vegetarian pasta and salad
provided by church members.

A veteran of many peace walks, Creek-Water has walked across the country
many times and had to walk more than 600 miles to join CrossWalk America.
"I began walking on Ash Wednesday and got to Phoenix on Easter Sunday,"
Creek-Water said. "I walked to Phoenix for Lent."

The "perfesser," as Creek-Water is listed on an Oakland, Calif., article for
the Street Spirit newspaper, says he loves to walk.

Creek-Water kept CrossWalk walkers informed of his progress through email,
his prefered way of staying in touch with family and friends. He regularly
emails updates on the progress of CrossWalk America.

Golden brown skin covers Creek-Water's 120 to 125 pound frame. He says he
has always been thin but maybe he is a little too small now.

"I'm embarassed at how skinny I am," Creek-Water said. "I get out of the
shower and look at myself and it¹s embarassing."

His ears show signs of healed sunburn. His teeth are not pearly white but he
does not hesitate to smile broadly. He opens a two-inch think notebook
revealing handwritten notes, poetry, thoughts, and descriptions and
intricately drawn images of road signs and other objects.

"I hope I can make this into a book when the walk is done," Creek-Water
said.

Turning the pages, Creek-Water adds an entry for the day at Asbury church.
He wrinkles his forehead while writing the note before thumbing through
other sections of his book. Wearing cut-off jeans and a green T-shirt
that reads, "American Born and Bred," he stops briefly on a page describing
horse apples.

"It's a fully little green fruit but I don't think horses eat them," reads
the page.
Creek-Water's head is covered with a baseball cap and large, beat-up
athletic shoes swallow his feet.

"I have two other pairs (of shoes) but when you get them new, sometimes they
cause blisters," Creek-Water said. "I don't have blisters on the bottoms of
my feet but right here, on the top."

Creek-Water and CrossWalk walkers have made it through Missouri on their hike to Washington. God willing and with a bit of financial help from people like me, he and they will make it for the Sept. 3 celebration.

Animal cruelty

Every now and again I will get phone calls at my job. Sometimes they are nutbars, sometimes they are just concerned people. On rare occasions, you get the concerned person who just may or may not be a nutbar too. I got a call like that today.

A man called and commented about something I already knew, the inhumane treatment towards animals in the so-called "heartland." He said he was from Colorado and since moving here he had seen some terrible things happening to animals. Since this is the Bible Belt and people profess to love Jesus, he just couldn't understand why people would treat their animals so cruel. He said many times he sees animals tied to trees in thunderstorms - no water, shelter or food. Or he has seen animals tied up in blistering heat. Here is his question to me...how to Christians reconcile themselves to treating God's creatures in such a way?

Why he thought I had that answer, I have no idea. I was ready to write him off but the tone of his voice swayed me. He didn't sound crazy. He was passionate.

I have seen some of this cruelty also and mentioned it. The person I spoke with was more annoyed with this man's generalization about the Bible Belt than with what he said about the animal cruelty. The person said people all over the country treat animals as badly as they do here. WRONG!!!

I didn't go there because I knew it would be a moot point but animals are not treated the same everywhere. I have noticed animal cruelty is much more acceptable here than in other parts of the country. I have no idea why, but I know this to be a fact from my own witnessing.

CrossWalk America

Since moving to Missouri, I haven't gotten the chance to meet very many really interesting people. When it does happen, it's always a good thing. I like people with passionate causes that are aimed at something good and this week, I got to meet a few.

CrossWalk America is a movement to tell the country that hey, not every Christian is a right-wing nutbar. They are walking across America with the message of Christian love for God, self and neighbor. That last one can really stick in people's craw when your neighbors are homosexuals. Personally, I actually do have homosexual neighbors...it's not the first time, probably won't be the last. Like everyone else, they are people too...but I digress.

There are Christians who are NOT bigots....these are them and they deserve not only a voice but to be heard. They proudly say you can be a Christian and love the environment, support separation of church and state and *gasp* support gay rights. They say remember, Jesus said love one another.

A co-worker, when I mentioned the walkers, sarcastically said, "How many are walking...5?" Well, there are 6 core walkers but hundreds have joined in the walk and movement. She isn't very open-minded about these things, which is sad for a person so young.

I hope the Phoenix Affirmations, a doctrine written for the future of Christianity, is really the direction the faith is moving.

Recent polls show people leaving Christianity and with people openly showing their bigotry, it's no wonder. This movement, at the very least, deserves to be heard and if it touches your heart, embraced.

Chicago, Chicago

To quote Doris Day in the film Calamity Jane
"...I just got back from the Windy City, the Windy City is mighty pretty but..." no butt's Doris/Jane, the Windy City has Kansas City beat by a mile!

Chicago has it's problems...traffic is horrible, it's dirty, the subway system is older than I am and it is the definition of urban sprawl. We drove 40 miles and it took about 2 hours with traffic.

Still, Chicago has a lot to do and see. The Field Museum is worth the trip. If you go there, you can't miss "Sue," only the largest, most intact T-Rex ever found. Exhibits like that and the King Tut exhibit make the museum a must see. Although, don't get a brain fart and think you will see it all in one day as me and my family did. This place is HUGE and fascinating, like a maze of exhibits, displays and information.

If you are so inclined to liking man-eaters, there are three more in the Field Museum. The two Tsavo lions who ate railroad workers in the movie "The Ghost and the Darkness" are at the Field Musuem. So is another man-eater, not so lucky as to have a movie...all maneless male lions.

In all, the 8 hour drive was worth the trip.

The mighty has fallen, and is too high to know it!

What the hell happened to Whitney Houston???

Ok, I always thought she was a bit of a snob, a snooty b***h who needed to be taken down a few pegs. I was never really a fan, her music (with the exception of a few songs) was ok. My thoughts when she sang, "I want to dance with someone who loves me" were, she ought to only dance with herself because no one loves her more...but damn! I didn't want THIS to happen to her.

The speech she gave at East Southern University was abismal and indicative of a person with a real problem. She had to be stoned out of her mind...I HOPE.

Here's a short portion of what she said, "Thank y'all for coming to see me tonight. How are you doing? Let's get this party started, yeah! (Assistant whispers to Whitney.) Oh, oh right. What college is this? East Southern University. Well, hello, ESU. ESU, ESU, ESUUUUU (dances). Let me start by saying, I believe that children are our future ... (hums) ... lead the way ... show them all the beauty they possess inside ... shit it's hot. (Wipes brow and drops fur coat to the ground.) Why you having this shit outside, anyway? You never heard of air conditioning?"

If she's not still on the cocaine, I don't know what's going on in her head. She is a sad, sorry case. With all her flaws and whatever I didn't like about her, she was once a physically beautiful woman. Now, she's just a crackhead.

Down goes Fraiser

Gay marriage ban bit the big one today. It may be resurrected one day but for now, it's a dead issue. It should stay dead. If two men or two women want to marry, what business is it of mine. I'm glad small-minded people did not succeed in putting discrimination into the Constitution.

What is wrong with same-sex marriage? Is it the image of two men or two women bumping uglies that some straight people just can't stand?

As it appears for now, some states allow types of unions, others don't. I think it's sad that the area of the country, the heartland, seems to be the most devoid of love for their fellow men and women. People say it's a sin but those same people probably sin every day. NO one is perfect.

Republican agenda, why conservatives should be pissed

I was talking to someone today and the issue of abortion came up. Whether you are for it being legal or not, that person said a very curious thing...Republicans don't care about pro-life issues.

Knee-jerk reaction was to tell this person he is nuts. How can you say that...they scream pro-life. People vote Republican simply to have pro-life candidates. Here in Missouri, ads ran calling Kerry a baby killer because he didn't oppose late-term abortion. Partial-birth abortion is a name they made up to make it sound more horrible than it is so how could these good baby-loving Republicans not care about abortion.

Clarification, Republicans care about abortion, they care to keep it legal. I really thought this person was off then...but he swayed me with his logic and I would challenge anyone to dispute this.

He said Republicans want abortion legal as a voting tool. Catholics and conservatives will vote pro-life, that means Republican generally. Republicans have the power right now to outlaw abortion but haven't done it, it's not even on the agenda. Gay marriage (a whole different issue) is on the forefront.

How do they have the power? They have total control of the government now...the House, Senate, Presidency and the Supreme Court. They could outlaw it because they have the votes to do so...why is abortion still legal if Republicans are pro-choice? Because it is a wedge issue that brings conservatives to the polls.

Gay marriage is another wedge issue and I hope banning it fails. Who cares if two men or women want to marry. Ban divorce if you want to save marriage.