It has become a pastime in the U.S. to bash unions. I don't understand this. Without unions we would probably all be working 7 days a week. 12 hours a day, with no breaks and really unfair compensation. Some people say. Oh but we don't need unions anymore because we have labor laws. Well Unions are the reason for those labor laws. And I believe that if they break the unions there really isn't anything then to stop them from rescinding laws and making new laws to restrict and totally take away any rights that workers have. Because, folks, Unions are the only organizations who fight for those things.Some People are bitching about the auto loans ( it's not a bailout by the way, which implies just giving them the money, like they did with the banking industry.) because the auto workers " make too much money" excuse me! they make about $25 and hour. What is that like $45 to $50 thousand a year. well that's pretty good, but I would not say by any means that is too much money. Especially if you have kids these days. We all know what it cost's to live. Plus the cost of labor is only something like 8% - 10% of the cost of making a car. I say we look at the other 90%. What is that? And how come there wasn't this outcry of the employees making too much money when they GAVE away $700 billion to the banking industry. The money they want to give to the car companies is going to come out of money they have already been given, by the way, to finance the making of Eco friendly cars.
This blaming of unions and the working class has to stop now. Don't put unions and the people who work for them down cause maybe your jealous. Join your own union.
Anyway here is an article in truth out that probably says things better than I can
Marie Cocco Unions Aren't the Problem truthout.org Marie Cocco, Truthdig: "As Congress and the White House lurch toward possible approval of a loan package for the crippled auto industry, we are undoubtedly in store for more union-bashing. Note well that we did not hear any such tirades when vastly larger sums of taxpayer money - with fewer strings attached - were lavished upon the banks and financial industry wizards who created the credit crisis."
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The Bible as a weapon?
I was recently watching a Sunday morning news show, and there was a story about a man who had taken pictures of all the people in this town, I can't remember where. But he went back some twenty years later and took pictures of most of the same people again. One man stuck out to me for what he had to say about his then and now pictures. He is a preacher now, he didn't say what denomination. In his old picture he is standing dressed in civil war reenactment garb and holding a gun. In his today picture. He is in a suit and tie and he is holding a Bible. But what struck me is what he said about the the pictures. He said something like. The same person except now I just have a new weapon, referring to the Bible he caries in his new picture.
I thought about that and thought, WOW that's exactly how some people use the Bible. Some people use it to exclude certain people. Some people use it to justify war. Some people use it as a reason to take land away from others. All of these things are using the Bible as a weapon. Just like a gun or club. They beat people into submission. They force them into their way of thinking. They rape people of their free will, and right to choose. They steal their true religions and ways of thinking from them and call it aid.
I do not believe that this is what Jesus wanted. I believe Jesus wanted us to share our land, to share our beliefs to share our abundance of wealth and knowledge. To give of ourselves and not take what is not ours unless it is given. We have the capacity as a people to be so much more. We have the capacity to give and live together and reason and talk about our differences. I have to believe we have and will evolve into that.
And won't continue to use the Bible as a weapon.
I thought about that and thought, WOW that's exactly how some people use the Bible. Some people use it to exclude certain people. Some people use it to justify war. Some people use it as a reason to take land away from others. All of these things are using the Bible as a weapon. Just like a gun or club. They beat people into submission. They force them into their way of thinking. They rape people of their free will, and right to choose. They steal their true religions and ways of thinking from them and call it aid.
I do not believe that this is what Jesus wanted. I believe Jesus wanted us to share our land, to share our beliefs to share our abundance of wealth and knowledge. To give of ourselves and not take what is not ours unless it is given. We have the capacity as a people to be so much more. We have the capacity to give and live together and reason and talk about our differences. I have to believe we have and will evolve into that.
And won't continue to use the Bible as a weapon.
Consumer Christmas
We maim each other for just the right Barbie. We fight each other for Elmo. We race for $300 televisions. And we trample and kill each other for Myley Cyrus. Ah, it's another consumer Christmas the season of joy and giving. We see all this and we just keep on going, keep on buying so that WalMart can stay in the black. So that OUR economy can stay afloat.
While it is a tragedy if our children don't get a Wii or a Barbie or the newest best thing for Christmas ON CHRISTMAS DAY. It is just a bother for us to think about the children who made those toys, and the real tragedy they live everyday. We fought for child labor laws in this country, and we fight for good wages here. 5 day work weeks, and eight hour days. WE know this is not the case in most of the countries that make the things that we buy to keep our economy floating. WE know that in Mexico their economy is so bad that people have to risk their lives and their freedom to come here. But we do nothing to get our government to make OUR business's pay fair wages to workers in places like Mexico so they won't have to come here. We barely pay our workers something they can live on so that they can buy the cheap crap that comes from WalMart.
Do American children really need a Barbie or Guitar Hero to make them happy. Or are they just told they do. We as a nation are bombarded with advertising. We are told what we need to make our lives better and worth living. We are not whole without a brand new car even though the one we have works just fine. So we trample security guards and kill them. A man who probably had his own family. And who won't be bring anything home this year. Merry Christmas everybody.
While it is a tragedy if our children don't get a Wii or a Barbie or the newest best thing for Christmas ON CHRISTMAS DAY. It is just a bother for us to think about the children who made those toys, and the real tragedy they live everyday. We fought for child labor laws in this country, and we fight for good wages here. 5 day work weeks, and eight hour days. WE know this is not the case in most of the countries that make the things that we buy to keep our economy floating. WE know that in Mexico their economy is so bad that people have to risk their lives and their freedom to come here. But we do nothing to get our government to make OUR business's pay fair wages to workers in places like Mexico so they won't have to come here. We barely pay our workers something they can live on so that they can buy the cheap crap that comes from WalMart.
Do American children really need a Barbie or Guitar Hero to make them happy. Or are they just told they do. We as a nation are bombarded with advertising. We are told what we need to make our lives better and worth living. We are not whole without a brand new car even though the one we have works just fine. So we trample security guards and kill them. A man who probably had his own family. And who won't be bring anything home this year. Merry Christmas everybody.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Open letter to President Obama
Witnessing the election of the first African American president and a man I hope can bring REAL change to America and to it's politics was exciting and brought tears to my eyes. Watching this with my partner was heartwarming as I felt a huge weight lifted off of us as a couple. It has been very scary this last eight years with the Bush rhetoric of gay bashing and such. It has been scary not just because of that, but because of our overall loss of freedom in this country since 9/11.
I want to be safe just like everybody else. But I also want to be free to move about my country and travel abroad without worrying that I may be taken away at any moment for something I have done or said or for who I am. I want people to be free to immigrate to this country and for them not to worry that their religion or how they got here will cause them grief, physical pain and possibly detention.
I want to see jobs return to THIS country. Good jobs that anyone can get without going to college. I want EVERYBODY to have the opportunity to go to college if they choose, regardless of their ability to pay. I want to be able to not have to worry about my parents (who are retired) loosing their life savings in their IRA because of someone else's greed.
The ability to have clean air and clean water would be nice also. I would love it if someone would actually bring up the fact that hemp CAN save the world (not like that will happen) but it can be included in MY dream for renewable energy.
And so, I would like to remind President Obama of the things he said during his run for the presidency and that many of us do not take these things lightly. We want and expect him to live up to them. We want our government to work for us, for ALL the people not just rich white straight Americans.
If you feel the same, I urge you to write President Obama a letter, an email, or give him a phone call and let him know this the minute he gets into office, because he will have unbelievable pressure to do the opposite from lobbyists, special interests and even some of his advisors. He needs to hear from the people who elected him, even if you didn't vote for him (As I suspect some of you didn't. Maybe voting Nader or writing in Kucinich. I wish he could be our president. Which is fine. It's great in fact. I voted for Nader in 2000). He is your president, and the best chance we have right now to do something.
We need to hold him to his words and bring up some other things like Palestinian rights, and restructuring or getting rid of altogether the World Bank and the World Trade Organization, focusing on things like fair trade and actual relief with no strings attached.
I know these are lofty goals. And I know that it will most likely be business as usual. But I cannot sit back and not try when I have someone in office who might actually listen. At least I hope so. We shall see. I am sorry this is so long. If you have made it to the end, yes, this is the end. Thanks for listening. I hope you will take action and I truly hope that we can make a difference this time, and get the America and the world that we truly want and deserve. A world of true peace, understanding, hope and prosperity for EVERYONE NOT JUST AMERICANS.
You can go here to find out how to contact President Obama. When he is president that is:
White House, you can send the transition team a message right now at change.gov this is a place where you can send them a message directly right now.
I want to be safe just like everybody else. But I also want to be free to move about my country and travel abroad without worrying that I may be taken away at any moment for something I have done or said or for who I am. I want people to be free to immigrate to this country and for them not to worry that their religion or how they got here will cause them grief, physical pain and possibly detention.
I want to see jobs return to THIS country. Good jobs that anyone can get without going to college. I want EVERYBODY to have the opportunity to go to college if they choose, regardless of their ability to pay. I want to be able to not have to worry about my parents (who are retired) loosing their life savings in their IRA because of someone else's greed.
The ability to have clean air and clean water would be nice also. I would love it if someone would actually bring up the fact that hemp CAN save the world (not like that will happen) but it can be included in MY dream for renewable energy.
And so, I would like to remind President Obama of the things he said during his run for the presidency and that many of us do not take these things lightly. We want and expect him to live up to them. We want our government to work for us, for ALL the people not just rich white straight Americans.
If you feel the same, I urge you to write President Obama a letter, an email, or give him a phone call and let him know this the minute he gets into office, because he will have unbelievable pressure to do the opposite from lobbyists, special interests and even some of his advisors. He needs to hear from the people who elected him, even if you didn't vote for him (As I suspect some of you didn't. Maybe voting Nader or writing in Kucinich. I wish he could be our president. Which is fine. It's great in fact. I voted for Nader in 2000). He is your president, and the best chance we have right now to do something.
We need to hold him to his words and bring up some other things like Palestinian rights, and restructuring or getting rid of altogether the World Bank and the World Trade Organization, focusing on things like fair trade and actual relief with no strings attached.
I know these are lofty goals. And I know that it will most likely be business as usual. But I cannot sit back and not try when I have someone in office who might actually listen. At least I hope so. We shall see. I am sorry this is so long. If you have made it to the end, yes, this is the end. Thanks for listening. I hope you will take action and I truly hope that we can make a difference this time, and get the America and the world that we truly want and deserve. A world of true peace, understanding, hope and prosperity for EVERYONE NOT JUST AMERICANS.
You can go here to find out how to contact President Obama. When he is president that is:
White House, you can send the transition team a message right now at change.gov this is a place where you can send them a message directly right now.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
If This Doesn't Scare You...
Okay so I read that the President has the power now to detain civilians living in the United States indefinitely. THIS MEANS you and me, anybody that the president deems an enemy combatant (whatever that means). So basically they can say you are a terrorist, and not really even have any proof, partially because of the so called Patriot Act, and lock you up indefinitely without charges, without a lawyer, and probably not let you see anybody, not your family not anyone. You will in effect be "disappeared". This is what dictatorships do. This is what despots do. Crazy people who want total control over their people. This does not happen in America.
What has happened to our constitution? This scares the crap out of me. And if it doesn't scare you I suggest you read 1984 or at least watch the movie, that movie scared me more then any horror movie I've seen. I swear it seems like the right wing is using that book as a blueprint for controlling us. And it is not outlandish to think that we will eventually have camera's watching us in our own homes, and people dumbing down and changing our language to make it mean things it really doesn't and to tell us that we cannot be in love with who we want, and that our government will be torturing it's own citizens. Please write letters, send emails, and telephone your Congress people and Representatives on this.
Fourth Circuit Backs Bush on Detentions
President Bush has the legal power to order the indefinite military detentions of civilians captured in the United States, the federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., ruled on Tuesday in a fractured 5-to-4 decision. ...
07/16/2008 - 13:37
What has happened to our constitution? This scares the crap out of me. And if it doesn't scare you I suggest you read 1984 or at least watch the movie, that movie scared me more then any horror movie I've seen. I swear it seems like the right wing is using that book as a blueprint for controlling us. And it is not outlandish to think that we will eventually have camera's watching us in our own homes, and people dumbing down and changing our language to make it mean things it really doesn't and to tell us that we cannot be in love with who we want, and that our government will be torturing it's own citizens. Please write letters, send emails, and telephone your Congress people and Representatives on this.
Fourth Circuit Backs Bush on Detentions
President Bush has the legal power to order the indefinite military detentions of civilians captured in the United States, the federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., ruled on Tuesday in a fractured 5-to-4 decision. ...
07/16/2008 - 13:37
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Busy!
Okay so I haven't been here much. I'm sorry to the two people who maybe read this. I probably won't be here much this summer I am going back to school and I will be super busy doing other things as well. ugh. anyway. I will post but I might just do alot of re posting things like news articles and such. I apologize in advance for my laziness on this. Have a great summer and still check out the blog there might be something I go off on. Peace
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Yet another mixed message from the dominate media
Okay so about a week ago the dominate media kinda sorta said that drilling in ANWAR would save us from high gas prices , by boosting production and then yesterday it said that the boost in production that Saudi Arabia has agreed to will not really do anything. Hmm which is it boost production and have lower prices or not. This is just another example of how they miss lead us DAILY about everything. So what they are saying is that if we drill in ANWAR THAT boost will save us, but the Saudi's boost will not. Even though drilling in ANWAR will probably take years to accomplish, millions or billions even to set up, and could possibly hurt or kill the wildlife in the area, NO big deal. It will save us. Well, here's an Idea... how about we take that time, effort ingenuity AND money and invest in say renewable energy sources like wind power, solar energy, battery powered and electric cars, things like that. Just a thought
They have finally said it
They actually wish for a new terror attack on this country to help get McCain elected. If you want four more years of fear and war this is your guy...
Aide: Terror Attacks "Big Advantage" to McCain http://www.truthout.org/article/aide-terror-attacks-big-advantage-mccainEdward Luce and Andrew Ward report for The Financial Times: "John McCain's right-hand man hit a raw nerve on Monday when he said another terrorist attack on US soil would prove a 'big advantage' to the Republican nominee's general election chances. The comments by Charlie Black, who is arguably Mr McCain's most experienced adviser, put into words what many Republicans and Democrats have privately been stating for months."
Aide: Terror Attacks "Big Advantage" to McCain http://www.truthout.org/article/aide-terror-attacks-big-advantage-mccainEdward Luce and Andrew Ward report for The Financial Times: "John McCain's right-hand man hit a raw nerve on Monday when he said another terrorist attack on US soil would prove a 'big advantage' to the Republican nominee's general election chances. The comments by Charlie Black, who is arguably Mr McCain's most experienced adviser, put into words what many Republicans and Democrats have privately been stating for months."
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