Eisenhower

“Unless we squarely face our challenges as Americans — together – we risk losing the priceless heritage bestowed on us by the sweat and the sacrifice of our forbearers. If we do not pull together, we could lose the America that has been an inspiration to the world.”

- Susan Eisenhower on why she endorsed Barack Obama in 2008 and why she is endorsing President Obama in 2012.

Click to read her endorsement in its entirety.

Pulling No Punches

Writing in Esquire Magazine’s “The Political Blog”, Charlie Pierce is pulling no punches as he explains “Why I Am Voting To Re-Elect President Obama”.

Three quotes from the article:

“I am also going to vote for Barack Obama. Without enthusiasm. And without a sliver of a doubt in my mind.”

“It is vitally important that the Republican party be kept away from as much power as possible until the party regains its senses again.”

And writing about everyone Romney owes: “It is a fearsome bill to come due for any man, let alone one as mendaciously malleable as the Republican nominee. Obama owes the disgruntled. Romney owes the crazy. And that makes all the difference.”

The entire article, while not a quick read, is worth every moment of your time.

Binders!

Oy! Listening to Romney I was once again left slackjawed. At last night's debate he described the need to search for qualified women when he became Governor of Massachusetts. Here’s the quote:

Now here is the absolute best response:

Via Christine Kaercher and Rachel Maddow’s Blog

Refuse To Go Back To The 1950s!

So Much Malarkey

...and so little time to call it all out:

Ryan uses a soup kitchen as a photo opportunity and the soup kitchen is ticked off:
”It was the phoniest piece of baloney I’ve ever been associated with”
and/or
"I certainly wouldn’t have let him wash clean pans, & then take a picture"

Romney reverses direction so often he may well inspire an amusement park ride that comes with handy paper bags. Here is a summary, with links, of how he has changed/adjusted/obfuscated/lied on the issues of abortion and contraception:
Romney: Abortion is not 'part of my agenda.' Romney campaign: Oh yes it is.

Both Romney and Ryan are still having trouble with arithmetic:
Dear Folks Who Believe Mitt Romney Is Telling The Truth About His Tax Plan, Please Explain Why Bill Clinton Is Wrong

To be fair, maybe Romney’s problem isn’t with arithmetic but with the “new math”. For example, his 12 million jobs plan:
Mitt Romney’s ‘new math’ for jobs plan doesn’t add up. Oops.

And, on a well deserved lighter note, the DNC has a perfect illustration of all the pesky details of the Romney-Ryan tax plan. You must click as it only takes a second:
Romney-Ryan Tax Plan

Update: Sadly, no journalists have asked the submarine follow-up question of Romney:
Fly Me To The Moon - But Not With Mitt

psssst... Do Something!

Mr. Rogers Knew What To Do With The Mad

On May 1, 1969, Fred McFeely Rogers spoke to the Senate Subcommittee on Communications. President Richard Nixon wanted to slash funding for PBS and CPB by 50%. Senator John O. Pastore was chairing the subcommittee. Mr. Rogers spoke from the heart. Rhode Island’s own, Senator Pastore, was clearly moved by what he heard. In the end, thanks to adults talking and listening to each other in a respectful manner, funding for PBS and CPB was not only restored but increased.



Many thanks to Upworthy for the reminder.

Obama

This is a great video with very cool graphics.

Rapacious Romney

In just 2 minutes and 51 seconds Robert Reich explains the ins and outs of private equity and, in doing so, how Romney and the Bain Gang got so rich.

WAKE THE F@CK UP!

Samuel L. Jackson is back and reminding us that we need to wake up and work just as hard for our country in 2012 as we did in 2008!

This version of the video is NSFW!

Follow this link to a “bleeped” safer for work version.
(But the NSFW one is more effective!)

Many thanks to JCER, the Jewish Council for Education and Research.

Sex Sells

Now that I have your attention...

Today is National Voter Registration Day!

Are you registered to vote?

Yes?
Excellent!
Well done!

Will you be voting in the upcoming presidential election on Tuesday, November 6, 2012?
Yes?
Excellent!
I’m really proud of you!

Wait - you’re NOT registered yet?

Take a deep breath. There’s still time.

Here are the deadlines for a few states where friends and family live:

Here in Massachusetts you have until Wednesday, October 17, 2012!.

In Georgia you only have until Tuesday, October 9, 2012!.

In Rhode Island you have just until Sunday, October 7, 2012!.

In Maine you have until Tuesday, October 16, 2012!.

In Arizona you have until Tuesday, October 9, 2012!.

In Washington you only have until Saturday, October 6, 2012!.

In California you have until Monday, October 22, 2012!.

Do you live in another state and need information on how to register?
Here you go:

National Voter Registration Day
RockTheVote’s voter registration
The United States Election Assistance Commission
HeadCount
TurboVote

And last, but not least, Huffington Post has Registration And Voting Instructions For All 50 States

psssst... Do Something!
Register To VOTE!

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Fly Me To The Moon - But Not With Mitt

In sixth grade, my science teacher - Mrs. C. - taught us the basics of how airplanes work. I remember this because every single time I get on an airplane I think about it. This is especially true if I am seated near the wing. That’s when I look out the window and make note of the ailerons. Yup. Sixth grade. Airplanes. Covering the basics.

Which is why this report in the Los Angeles Times by Seema Mehta left me gobsmacked. Scroll down to paragraphs six and seven.

“When you have a fire in an aircraft, there’s no place to go, exactly, there’s no — and you can’t find any oxygen from outside the aircraft to get in the aircraft, because the windows don’t open. I don’t know why they don’t do that. It’s a real problem.”
~ Mitt Romney, Republican candidate for President of the United States of America

It’s official. Mitt Romney is an idiot.

Two more points:
1. Ms. Mehta buried the lede.
2. Would a reporter please ask Mitt Romney a followup question about submarines? Please?

“Professor Warren”

Did anybody count how many times Scott Brown said “Professor Warren” during their debate last week? Can anyone count that high?

In his inimitable style, Charlie Pierce hits the nail on the head in his scathing and brilliant assessment of current Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown’s overall campaign strategy against his Democratic opponent Elizabeth Warren.

Voter Suppression

This video from Sarah Silverman is definitely NSFW. But she covers the absurdity and evil insidiousness of voter suppression quite effectively.



To understand more about voter suppression check out this article from the Brennan Center for Justice.

This Time He Was Crystal Clear

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said:

“There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president [Obama] no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…
...These are people who pay no income tax.
...my job is is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

David Corn at Mother Jones has all the details.

Ezra Klein at the Washington Post explains precisely why Romney’s statement is so illuminating and vitally important.

psssst... Do Something!

Are You Registered to VOTE?

Chocolate for Breakfast

This Saturday and Sunday ONLY you can download “Chocolate for Breakfast” by Martha Reynolds for FREE from Amazon! The Kindle App is available for your computer, iPad, and iPhone so you don’t need a separate Kindle device to read a Kindle book.

Here’s the link to “Chocolate for Breakfast” on the USA Amazon store.

Here’s the link to “Chocolate for Breakfast” on the UK Amazon store.

I knew Martha a million years ago and was delighted she had published her first novel. Now I am looking forward to her next book!

Read the reviews and download your copy right now while it is still FREE!

Look But Don’t Touch

I saw this cute little caterpillar in our dooryard this afternoon. I snapped a couple of photographs and decided to look it up to see if I could identify it. I’m so glad I didn’t touch it. It’s a Hickory Tussock Caterpillar (Lophocampa caryae). It is not poisonous. But some people who come in contact with the caterpillar - or even its hairs left behind in fallen leaves - can develop a mild to severe rash, similar to poison ivy. Proving once again, you can’t judge a book - er - bug by its cover or something like that!

Here’s some additional information.

FUN or fun.

I am addicted.
And I am very happy about it.

As I posted back on August 7th Chuck and I celebrated to Fun’s “We Are Young” after a particularly stressful adventure to the ER. Shortly after that we bought both of Fun’s albums: “Aim and Ignite” and “Some Nights”. Recently I discovered these two acoustic versions of “Carry On” and “We Are Young”. I LOVE them both! I covet them! Yet I must be content with these videos because I cannot find them as EPs or as legal downloads.

Enjoy!

Belated Blog Thank You

First Sue and then Roo were both kind and generous when they chose to honor me with a “Thanks For Writing!” Award. They were especially generous because ever since my medical adventure in the summer of 2010, my posts here fell from nearly daily blogging to irregular bursts of activity. It’s true that I have passed the 12,000 Tweet mark over on Twitter. But the real culprit around here has been life and, sadly, death.

There are a few rules that go with the award:
Add the award Logo
Link the nominators Blog
Nominate 5 - 10 blogs you usually follow
Let the nominees know that they have been nominated and add their links
Say 7 random things about yourself

First, the bloggers:

Sue writes straight from the heart and sometimes makes mine ache with her vulnerability.
Roo inspires me with his photography and damn near always makes me laugh - even when he is writing about serious and important social and political matters.
Cathy Zielske teaches me a lot about digital scrapbooking and a whole bunch more about commitment and life.
Nicole has become the voice of Worcester - the smart, savvy, not-suffering-fools-gladly, frugal and feisty voice of Worcester.
Melanie has triumphed over adversity in the last year or so and never, ever lost her sense of humor.
Jeannette of Everybody Likes Sandwiches brings me recipes which are earthy, creative, healthy and usually have a twist which makes me ask: “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Dancing Morgan Mouse and Wendy have both been quiet on their blogs of late, but not so on Twitter. So I have every confidence that they will be back to blogging soon. Wendy will bring us more slice of life moments of a South African living life to the fullest in London while pining for Cape Town. And Ms. Mouse will share Sydney’s flora, fauna and food with such wit as to make me want to fly nearly 24 hours just to experience it all firsthand.

Seven random things? After 1,500 posts on this blog I’m wondering what I haven’t shared already! But here goes:

1. As a kid, one of my favorite toys were “Liddle Kiddles”. They were the opposite of Barbie, who I also liked, and they had the cutest little house which doubled as a carrying case.

2. I add fruit such as sliced nectarines and strawberries to my homemade Sangria. When the Sangria is gone, I find the remaining wine-soaked fruit to be quite yummy over vanilla ice cream.

3. Back in my pre-teen and teenage days I learned that even though I was a shy kid who had trouble with extemporaneous speaking, I could get up in front of an audience or a congregation and speak from prepared texts with surprising ease.

4. I miss browsing in library card catalogues and encyclopedias. These days dang near everything we could want to know in this world can probably be found somewhere on the internet. But the serendipity of flipping through those tangible resources always brought some additional gift of knowledge.

5. I quit a job once because they insisted on promoting me to a position I didn’t want; on a schedule I didn’t want. The amazing thing was that they did it because they were so happy with my work. But they just wouldn’t let me stay where I was happy.

6. As an adult I have grown to love many vegetables which I never liked or even tasted as a kid. So it pleases me no end that Isabella, at the age of two, already has quite a broad veggie palate.

7. While I am happy to purchase and download an individual song from the internet, I have yet to feel comfortable downloading an entire album. For that I need to buy the physical CD.

Thanks again to Sue and Roo for their kindness!

September 11th

There were blue skies on a beautiful late summer day.

Then it all began to happen.

It changed us.
It changed us all.

Today, on this solemn eleventh anniversary, I want to remember the kindness. Citizens and leaders of countries all around the world reached out to us here in the United States. They expressed love, compassion, sympathy, friendship, solidarity and support. Ordinary folks of all ages took to the streets of their hometowns with signs and flowers and candles. They made their way to US embassies and signed condolence books. They ordered the flags of their own nations flown at half staff to honor the dead. They wept. They prayed. They rallied to our side. We were no longer one nation, but one world, indivisible, seeking liberty and justice for all.

Today, I will remember the kindness...

Twenty-One!

Chuck and I have known each other for twenty-seven years and, as of today, we have been married for twenty-one!

When we first got together we didn’t imagine the life we have now. Life does what it always does: throws curveballs. Most of what has come at us has all worked to good. This past year or so however, well, there’s no denying, it has been rough. But even when things aren’t ideal, we remain grateful to be going through all of it together.

Happy Anniversary Chuck - and thank you for every single minute!

Liberal

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