MSG - The Slow Poisoning Of America
MSG Hides Behind 25+ Names, Such As 'Natural Flavoring' MSG Is Also In Your Favorite Coffee Shops And Drive-Ups
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Because of MSG
MSG - The Slow Poisoning Of America
MSG Hides Behind 25+ Names, Such As 'Natural Flavoring' MSG Is Also In Your Favorite Coffee Shops And Drive-Ups
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Buy Gasoline like eggs
A man eats two eggs each morning for breakfast. When he goes to the grocery store he pays 60 cents a dozen. Since a dozen eggs won't last a week he normally buys two dozen at a time.
One day while buying eggs he notices that the price has risen to 72 cents. The next time he buys groceries, eggs are 76 cents a dozen. When asked to explain the price of eggs the store owner says, "the price has gone up and I have to raise my price accordingly."
This store buys 100 dozen eggs a day. I checked around for a better price and all the distributors have raised their prices. The distributors have begun to buy from the huge egg farms. The small egg farms have been driven out of business.
The huge egg farms sell 100,000 dozen eggs a day to distributors. With no competition, they can set the price as they see fit. The distributors then have to raise their prices to the grocery stores. And on and on and on. As the man kept buying eggs the price kept going up. He saw the big egg trucks delivering 100 dozen eggs each day. Nothing changed there.
He checked out the huge egg farms and found they were selling 100,000 dozen eggs to the distributors daily. Nothing had changed but the price of eggs. Then week before Thanksgiving the price of eggs shot up to $1.00 a dozen. Again he asked the grocery owner why and was told, "cakes and baking for the holiday." The huge egg farmers know there will be a lot of baking going on and more eggs will be used. Hence, the price of eggs goes up. Expect the same thing at Christmas and other times when family cooking, baking, etc. happen.
This pattern continues until the price of eggs is $2.00 a dozen. The man says "there must be something we can do about the price of eggs." He starts talking to all the people in his town and they decide to stop buying eggs. This didn't work because everyone needed eggs. Finally, the man suggested only buying what you need. He ate 2 eggs a day. On the way home from work he would stop at the grocery and buy two eggs. Everyone in town started buying 2 or 3 eggs a day.
The grocery store owner began complaining that he had too many eggs in his cooler. He told the distributor that he didn't need any eggs. Maybe wouldn't need any all week.
The distributor had eggs piling up at his warehouse. He told the huge egg farms that he didn't have any room for eggs and would not need any for at least two weeks. At the egg farm, the chickens just kept on laying eggs.
To relieve the pressure, the huge egg farm told the distributor that they could buy the eggs at a lower price. The distributor said, " I don't have the room for the %$&^*&% eggs even if they were free."
The distributor told the grocery store owner that he would lower the price of the eggs if the store would start buying again. The grocery store owner said, "I don't have room for more eggs. The customers are only buying 2 or 3 eggs at a time." "Now if you were to drop the price of eggs back down to the original price, the customers would start buying by the dozen again."
The distributors sent that proposal to the huge egg farmers. They liked the price they were getting for their eggs but, them chickens just kept on laying.
Finally, the egg farmers lowered the price of their eggs. But only a few cents. The customers still bought 2 or 3 eggs at a time. They said, "When the price of eggs gets down to where it was before, we will start buying by the dozen."
Slowly the price of eggs started dropping. The distributors had to slash their prices to make room for the eggs coming from the egg farmers. The egg farmers cut their prices because the distributors wouldn't buy at a higher price than they were selling eggs for.
Anyway, they had full warehouses and wouldn't need eggs for quite a while. And them chickens kept on laying.
Eventually, the egg farmers cut their prices because they were throwing away eggs they couldn't sell. The distributors started buying again because the eggs were priced to where the stores could afford to sell them at the lower price. And the customers starting buying by the dozen again.
Now, transpose this analogy to the gasoline industry. What if everyone only bought $10.00 worth of gas each time they pulled to the pump. The dealers tanks would stay semi full all the time. The dealers wouldn't have room for the gas coming from the huge tank farms. The tank farms wouldn't have room for the gas coming from the refining plants. And the refining plants wouldn't have room for the oil being off loaded from the huge tankers coming from the Middle East.
Just $10.00 each time you buy gas. Don't fill it up. You may have to stop for gas twice a week but, the price should come down. Think about it.
As an added note...When I buy $10.00 worth of gas,that leaves my tank a little under half full. The way prices are jumping around, you can buy gas for $2.65 a gallon and then the next morning it can be $2.15. If you have your tank full of $2.65 gas you don't have room for the $2.15 gas. You might not understand the economics of only buying two eggs at a time but, you can't buy cheaper gas if your tank is full of the high priced stuff.
Also, don't buy anything else at the gas station, no cigarettes, no bread,milk or chewing gum, don't give them any more of your hard earned money than what you spend on gas, until the prices come down..
One day while buying eggs he notices that the price has risen to 72 cents. The next time he buys groceries, eggs are 76 cents a dozen. When asked to explain the price of eggs the store owner says, "the price has gone up and I have to raise my price accordingly."
This store buys 100 dozen eggs a day. I checked around for a better price and all the distributors have raised their prices. The distributors have begun to buy from the huge egg farms. The small egg farms have been driven out of business.
The huge egg farms sell 100,000 dozen eggs a day to distributors. With no competition, they can set the price as they see fit. The distributors then have to raise their prices to the grocery stores. And on and on and on. As the man kept buying eggs the price kept going up. He saw the big egg trucks delivering 100 dozen eggs each day. Nothing changed there.
He checked out the huge egg farms and found they were selling 100,000 dozen eggs to the distributors daily. Nothing had changed but the price of eggs. Then week before Thanksgiving the price of eggs shot up to $1.00 a dozen. Again he asked the grocery owner why and was told, "cakes and baking for the holiday." The huge egg farmers know there will be a lot of baking going on and more eggs will be used. Hence, the price of eggs goes up. Expect the same thing at Christmas and other times when family cooking, baking, etc. happen.
This pattern continues until the price of eggs is $2.00 a dozen. The man says "there must be something we can do about the price of eggs." He starts talking to all the people in his town and they decide to stop buying eggs. This didn't work because everyone needed eggs. Finally, the man suggested only buying what you need. He ate 2 eggs a day. On the way home from work he would stop at the grocery and buy two eggs. Everyone in town started buying 2 or 3 eggs a day.
The grocery store owner began complaining that he had too many eggs in his cooler. He told the distributor that he didn't need any eggs. Maybe wouldn't need any all week.
The distributor had eggs piling up at his warehouse. He told the huge egg farms that he didn't have any room for eggs and would not need any for at least two weeks. At the egg farm, the chickens just kept on laying eggs.
To relieve the pressure, the huge egg farm told the distributor that they could buy the eggs at a lower price. The distributor said, " I don't have the room for the %$&^*&% eggs even if they were free."
The distributor told the grocery store owner that he would lower the price of the eggs if the store would start buying again. The grocery store owner said, "I don't have room for more eggs. The customers are only buying 2 or 3 eggs at a time." "Now if you were to drop the price of eggs back down to the original price, the customers would start buying by the dozen again."
The distributors sent that proposal to the huge egg farmers. They liked the price they were getting for their eggs but, them chickens just kept on laying.
Finally, the egg farmers lowered the price of their eggs. But only a few cents. The customers still bought 2 or 3 eggs at a time. They said, "When the price of eggs gets down to where it was before, we will start buying by the dozen."
Slowly the price of eggs started dropping. The distributors had to slash their prices to make room for the eggs coming from the egg farmers. The egg farmers cut their prices because the distributors wouldn't buy at a higher price than they were selling eggs for.
Anyway, they had full warehouses and wouldn't need eggs for quite a while. And them chickens kept on laying.
Eventually, the egg farmers cut their prices because they were throwing away eggs they couldn't sell. The distributors started buying again because the eggs were priced to where the stores could afford to sell them at the lower price. And the customers starting buying by the dozen again.
Now, transpose this analogy to the gasoline industry. What if everyone only bought $10.00 worth of gas each time they pulled to the pump. The dealers tanks would stay semi full all the time. The dealers wouldn't have room for the gas coming from the huge tank farms. The tank farms wouldn't have room for the gas coming from the refining plants. And the refining plants wouldn't have room for the oil being off loaded from the huge tankers coming from the Middle East.
Just $10.00 each time you buy gas. Don't fill it up. You may have to stop for gas twice a week but, the price should come down. Think about it.
As an added note...When I buy $10.00 worth of gas,that leaves my tank a little under half full. The way prices are jumping around, you can buy gas for $2.65 a gallon and then the next morning it can be $2.15. If you have your tank full of $2.65 gas you don't have room for the $2.15 gas. You might not understand the economics of only buying two eggs at a time but, you can't buy cheaper gas if your tank is full of the high priced stuff.
Also, don't buy anything else at the gas station, no cigarettes, no bread,milk or chewing gum, don't give them any more of your hard earned money than what you spend on gas, until the prices come down..
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Not in the Main Stream Media…..
**JANITORS STRIKE UPDATE**
HUNGER STRIKE DAY 16:
Day 15:
UM Students Takeover Central Campus Building to Protest Civil Rights AbusesOn the heels of an appeal by local clergy members and University of Miami faculty that janitors on the fifteenth day of a hunger strike step down and permit the community to take up the fast in their name, university students overwhelmed the school’s admissions office in a show of concern and support. Janitors have refused to end their fast. More than 75 workers and supporters rallied outside the building in support of janitors—employed by UNICCO Services—and their fight for a better life.
Have you called Donna?
YOU CAN HELP -- Call Donna Shalala at (305) 284-5155. Tell her:
1. She has the power to resolve this strike.
2. She should intervene on behalf of the workers and call on UNICCO to end its civil rights abuses against the immigrant janitors.
3. She should make UNICCO allow the workers to form a union using the most fair and democratic means available – a card check election where all parties remain neutral.
HUNGER STRIKE DAY 16:
Day 15:
UM Students Takeover Central Campus Building to Protest Civil Rights AbusesOn the heels of an appeal by local clergy members and University of Miami faculty that janitors on the fifteenth day of a hunger strike step down and permit the community to take up the fast in their name, university students overwhelmed the school’s admissions office in a show of concern and support. Janitors have refused to end their fast. More than 75 workers and supporters rallied outside the building in support of janitors—employed by UNICCO Services—and their fight for a better life.
Have you called Donna?
YOU CAN HELP -- Call Donna Shalala at (305) 284-5155. Tell her:
1. She has the power to resolve this strike.
2. She should intervene on behalf of the workers and call on UNICCO to end its civil rights abuses against the immigrant janitors.
3. She should make UNICCO allow the workers to form a union using the most fair and democratic means available – a card check election where all parties remain neutral.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Many new articles on Black Box VotingBradblog has many new items on vote fraud
This one is especially worth reading:
E-VOTING 2006: The Approaching Train Wreck
Our Elections are Now Officially 'A National Disaster in the Making'
A MUST READ GUEST EDITORIAL BY JOHN GIDEON OF VOTERSUNITE.ORG
Monday, April 10, 2006
The future comes to visit
If you think there is a case to be made for the need to wiretap domestically, I contend you are engaging in wishful thinking.
Need proof?
Click here
Need proof?
Click here
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Heard in the bathroom this morning
Having Tom DeLay leave Congress is like having a hemorhoid finally drop off your ass.
Supporting our troops with a vote
"History is littered with governments destabilized by masses of veterans who believed that they had been taken for fools by a society that grew rich and fat at the expense of their hardship and suffering." Anthony J. Principi -- former Secretary of Veterans' Affairs
VA Watchdog News Flash
March 16,2006
Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise today to offer an amendment to make veterans health care funding assured and mandatory.
Real security means supporting our troops abroad and making sure theyhave the body armor and the equipment they need, but it also means supporting them when they come home. It means giving our current and our future veterans the health care they need and deserve.
The amendment I am offering today provides full funding for veterans medical care to ensure that the VA has the resources necessary to provide quality health care in a timely manner to our Nation's sick and disabled veterans.
The problem we face today is that resources for veterans health care are falling behind demand, and we know this because every year we are trying to address the shortfall.
In 1993, there were about 2.5 million veterans in the VA healthcare system. Today there are more than 7 million veterans enrolled in the system, over half of whom receive care on a regular basis.
Despite the 160-percent increase in patients over the last decade, the VAhas received an average of only a 5-percent increase in appropriations during this administration. Some of my colleagues will say this amendment isn't necessary because there have been funding increases over the last several years. They also say we do not need to create another entitlement program. Over the last 2 years, we have seen a 500-percent increase in the number of veterans seeking care from the VA who have been serving in Iraq and serving in Afghanistan. But the administration's budget projects that the VA will treat 109,191 veterans next year, and this falls over 35,000 veterans short of the number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans the VA currently treats. So we see a 500-percent increase in the number of veterans coming home after serving us bravely in Iraq and Afghanistan, and yet their budget assumes that there are 35,000 fewer--fewer than last year--fewer Iraq and Afghanistan veterans we are going to treat next year.
These numbers do not make sense.
Last year's budget is also a case study on why we need to have assured funding for VA health care. In total, Congress provided an additional $3billion for veterans health care because the administration grossly miscalculated the need for veterans health care.
We need to finally move this into a category where every year those veterans coming home who need health care will know that the dollars are there based on their eligibility, based on their service, based on their need--not based on a debate on the floor in the Congress about how much we are willing to spend to address their health care needs. This should not be a year-to-year debate and commitment; this should be an assured commitment that the dollars will be there. Just as they are for Medicare, for Medicaid, our veterans ought to know that every year, their funding for critical health care services will be assured.Today's soldiers are tomorrow's veterans. America has made a promise to these brave men and women to provide them with the care they need--not based on a debate on how much we want to spend or calculations year to year on the numbers that folks think may or may not seek care. This ought to be about making sure that every one of our brave men and women coming home, whether it is from the current wars or whether it is our World War II vets or any other war or conflict in which our soldiers have been serving--when they need health care as veterans, we will fulfill our promises to make sure it is there for them. I urge my colleagues to support this very important amendment, supportedby all of the major veterans organizations in this country. It is time to get this done and get it done right
Vote Counts:
YEAs 46
NAYs 54
Alabama: Sessions (R-AL), Nay Shelby (R-AL), Nay
Alaska: Murkowski (R-AK), Nay Stevens (R-AK), Nay
Arizona: Kyl (R-AZ), Nay McCain (R-AZ), Nay
Arkansas: Lincoln (D-AR), Yea Pryor (D-AR), Yea
California: Boxer (D-CA), Yea Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Colorado: Allard (R-CO), Nay Salazar (D-CO), Yea
Connecticut: Dodd (D-CT), Yea Lieberman (D-CT), Yea
Delaware: Biden (D-DE), Yea Carper (D-DE), Yea
Florida: Martinez (R-FL), Nay Nelson (D-FL), Yea
Georgia: Chambliss (R-GA), Nay Isakson (R-GA), Nay
Hawaii: Akaka (D-HI), Yea Inouye (D-HI), Yea
Idaho: Craig (R-ID), Nay Crapo (R-ID), Nay
Illinois: Durbin (D-IL), Yea Obama (D-IL), Yea
Indiana: Bayh (D-IN), Yea Lugar (R-IN), Nay
Iowa: Grassley (R-IA), Nay Harkin (D-IA), Yea
Kansas: Brownback (R-KS), Nay Roberts (R-KS), Nay
Kentucky: Bunning (R-KY), Nay McConnell (R-KY), Nay
Louisiana: Landrieu (D-LA), Yea Vitter (R-LA), Nay
Maine: Collins (R-ME), Nay Snowe (R-ME), Yea
Maryland: Mikulski (D-MD), Yea Sarbanes (D-MD), Yea
Massachusetts: Kennedy (D-MA), Yea Kerry (D-MA), Yea
Michigan: Levin (D-MI), Yea Stabenow (D-MI), Yea
Minnesota: Coleman (R-MN), Nay Dayton (D-MN), Yea
Mississippi: Cochran (R-MS), Nay Lott (R-MS), Nay
Missouri: Bond (R-MO), Nay Talent (R-MO), Nay
Montana: Baucus (D-MT), Yea Burns (R-MT), Nay
Nebraska: Hagel (R-NE), Nay Nelson (D-NE), Nay
Nevada: Ensign (R-NV), Nay Reid (D-NV), Yea
New Hampshire: Gregg (R-NH), Nay Sununu (R-NH), Nay
New Jersey: Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea Menendez (D-NJ), Yea
New Mexico: Bingaman (D-NM), Yea Domenici (R-NM), Nay
New York: Clinton (D-NY), Yea Schumer (D-NY), Yea
North Carolina: Burr (R-NC), Nay Dole (R-NC), Nay
North Dakota: Conrad (D-ND), Yea Dorgan (D-ND), Yea
Ohio: DeWine (R-OH), Nay Voinovich (R-OH), Nay
Oklahoma: Coburn (R-OK), Nay Inhofe (R-OK), Nay
Oregon: Smith (R-OR), Nay Wyden (D-OR), Yea
Pennsylvania: Santorum (R-PA), Nay Specter (R-PA), Yea
Rhode Island: Chafee (R-RI), Nay Reed (D-RI), Yea
South Carolina: DeMint (R-SC), Nay Graham (R-SC), Nay
South Dakota: Johnson (D-SD), Yea Thune (R-SD), Nay
Tennessee: Alexander (R-TN), Nay Frist (R-TN), Nay
Texas: Cornyn (R-TX), Nay Hutchison (R-TX), Nay
Utah: Bennett (R-UT), Nay Hatch (R-UT), Nay
Vermont: Jeffords (I-VT), Yea Leahy (D-VT), Yea
Virginia: Allen (R-VA), Nay Warner (R-VA), Nay
Washington: Cantwell (D-WA), Yea Murray (D-WA), Yea
West Virginia: Byrd (D-WV), Yea Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Wisconsin: Feingold (D-WI), Yea Kohl (D-WI), Yea
Wyoming: Enzi (R-WY), Nay Thomas (R-WY), Nay
VA Watchdog News Flash
March 16,2006
Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise today to offer an amendment to make veterans health care funding assured and mandatory.
Real security means supporting our troops abroad and making sure theyhave the body armor and the equipment they need, but it also means supporting them when they come home. It means giving our current and our future veterans the health care they need and deserve.
The amendment I am offering today provides full funding for veterans medical care to ensure that the VA has the resources necessary to provide quality health care in a timely manner to our Nation's sick and disabled veterans.
The problem we face today is that resources for veterans health care are falling behind demand, and we know this because every year we are trying to address the shortfall.
In 1993, there were about 2.5 million veterans in the VA healthcare system. Today there are more than 7 million veterans enrolled in the system, over half of whom receive care on a regular basis.
Despite the 160-percent increase in patients over the last decade, the VAhas received an average of only a 5-percent increase in appropriations during this administration. Some of my colleagues will say this amendment isn't necessary because there have been funding increases over the last several years. They also say we do not need to create another entitlement program. Over the last 2 years, we have seen a 500-percent increase in the number of veterans seeking care from the VA who have been serving in Iraq and serving in Afghanistan. But the administration's budget projects that the VA will treat 109,191 veterans next year, and this falls over 35,000 veterans short of the number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans the VA currently treats. So we see a 500-percent increase in the number of veterans coming home after serving us bravely in Iraq and Afghanistan, and yet their budget assumes that there are 35,000 fewer--fewer than last year--fewer Iraq and Afghanistan veterans we are going to treat next year.
These numbers do not make sense.
Last year's budget is also a case study on why we need to have assured funding for VA health care. In total, Congress provided an additional $3billion for veterans health care because the administration grossly miscalculated the need for veterans health care.
We need to finally move this into a category where every year those veterans coming home who need health care will know that the dollars are there based on their eligibility, based on their service, based on their need--not based on a debate on the floor in the Congress about how much we are willing to spend to address their health care needs. This should not be a year-to-year debate and commitment; this should be an assured commitment that the dollars will be there. Just as they are for Medicare, for Medicaid, our veterans ought to know that every year, their funding for critical health care services will be assured.Today's soldiers are tomorrow's veterans. America has made a promise to these brave men and women to provide them with the care they need--not based on a debate on how much we want to spend or calculations year to year on the numbers that folks think may or may not seek care. This ought to be about making sure that every one of our brave men and women coming home, whether it is from the current wars or whether it is our World War II vets or any other war or conflict in which our soldiers have been serving--when they need health care as veterans, we will fulfill our promises to make sure it is there for them. I urge my colleagues to support this very important amendment, supportedby all of the major veterans organizations in this country. It is time to get this done and get it done right
Vote Counts:
YEAs 46
NAYs 54
Alabama: Sessions (R-AL), Nay Shelby (R-AL), Nay
Alaska: Murkowski (R-AK), Nay Stevens (R-AK), Nay
Arizona: Kyl (R-AZ), Nay McCain (R-AZ), Nay
Arkansas: Lincoln (D-AR), Yea Pryor (D-AR), Yea
California: Boxer (D-CA), Yea Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Colorado: Allard (R-CO), Nay Salazar (D-CO), Yea
Connecticut: Dodd (D-CT), Yea Lieberman (D-CT), Yea
Delaware: Biden (D-DE), Yea Carper (D-DE), Yea
Florida: Martinez (R-FL), Nay Nelson (D-FL), Yea
Georgia: Chambliss (R-GA), Nay Isakson (R-GA), Nay
Hawaii: Akaka (D-HI), Yea Inouye (D-HI), Yea
Idaho: Craig (R-ID), Nay Crapo (R-ID), Nay
Illinois: Durbin (D-IL), Yea Obama (D-IL), Yea
Indiana: Bayh (D-IN), Yea Lugar (R-IN), Nay
Iowa: Grassley (R-IA), Nay Harkin (D-IA), Yea
Kansas: Brownback (R-KS), Nay Roberts (R-KS), Nay
Kentucky: Bunning (R-KY), Nay McConnell (R-KY), Nay
Louisiana: Landrieu (D-LA), Yea Vitter (R-LA), Nay
Maine: Collins (R-ME), Nay Snowe (R-ME), Yea
Maryland: Mikulski (D-MD), Yea Sarbanes (D-MD), Yea
Massachusetts: Kennedy (D-MA), Yea Kerry (D-MA), Yea
Michigan: Levin (D-MI), Yea Stabenow (D-MI), Yea
Minnesota: Coleman (R-MN), Nay Dayton (D-MN), Yea
Mississippi: Cochran (R-MS), Nay Lott (R-MS), Nay
Missouri: Bond (R-MO), Nay Talent (R-MO), Nay
Montana: Baucus (D-MT), Yea Burns (R-MT), Nay
Nebraska: Hagel (R-NE), Nay Nelson (D-NE), Nay
Nevada: Ensign (R-NV), Nay Reid (D-NV), Yea
New Hampshire: Gregg (R-NH), Nay Sununu (R-NH), Nay
New Jersey: Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea Menendez (D-NJ), Yea
New Mexico: Bingaman (D-NM), Yea Domenici (R-NM), Nay
New York: Clinton (D-NY), Yea Schumer (D-NY), Yea
North Carolina: Burr (R-NC), Nay Dole (R-NC), Nay
North Dakota: Conrad (D-ND), Yea Dorgan (D-ND), Yea
Ohio: DeWine (R-OH), Nay Voinovich (R-OH), Nay
Oklahoma: Coburn (R-OK), Nay Inhofe (R-OK), Nay
Oregon: Smith (R-OR), Nay Wyden (D-OR), Yea
Pennsylvania: Santorum (R-PA), Nay Specter (R-PA), Yea
Rhode Island: Chafee (R-RI), Nay Reed (D-RI), Yea
South Carolina: DeMint (R-SC), Nay Graham (R-SC), Nay
South Dakota: Johnson (D-SD), Yea Thune (R-SD), Nay
Tennessee: Alexander (R-TN), Nay Frist (R-TN), Nay
Texas: Cornyn (R-TX), Nay Hutchison (R-TX), Nay
Utah: Bennett (R-UT), Nay Hatch (R-UT), Nay
Vermont: Jeffords (I-VT), Yea Leahy (D-VT), Yea
Virginia: Allen (R-VA), Nay Warner (R-VA), Nay
Washington: Cantwell (D-WA), Yea Murray (D-WA), Yea
West Virginia: Byrd (D-WV), Yea Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Wisconsin: Feingold (D-WI), Yea Kohl (D-WI), Yea
Wyoming: Enzi (R-WY), Nay Thomas (R-WY), Nay
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
We are totally screwed
It is beginning to dawn on more and more people that we no longer have a Government that represents the safety, well being, and inalienable rights of the American people. What we now have is THE CORPORATION.
What we currently perceive as a rash of Congressional Corruption is in reality a major joke on our Nation. Our legislation is being written, and America is being run and operated by THE CORPORATION.
The Bush Corporation is in the process of selling off America to the bidder willing to participate in a kick back scheme that will generate enough money to seal the deal forever.
The burden will fall on every citizen under the age of fourteen, and they will never get out from under the debt that is being generated in the interest of THE CORPORATION.
We are screwed.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Culling the Congressional herd
Mr. Natural at Left Edge North drops a link in our comments, and it is a doozy
(Excerpt)
How corrupt is the US congress? Maybe the recent case of Randy "Duke" Cunningham is illustrative. An 8 term congressman from California, Cunningham was a major promoter of the Iraq war. He has been a longtime proponent of "lock 'em up and throw away the key" style justice for drug offenders (that is, until his own son was caught with drugs), which makes Duke's upcoming sentencing all the more ironic. A wikipedia article on Duke states the following:
In September 1996, Cunningham attacked President Clinton for appointing "soft on crime" judges. "We must get tough on drug dealers," he said. "Those who peddle destruction on our children must pay dearly." He favored stiff drug penalties and voted for the death penalty for major drug dealers. Four months later, his son Todd was arrested for helping to transport 400 pounds (181 kg) of marijuana from Massachusetts to California. At his son's sentencing hearing, Cunningham fought back tears as he begged the judge for leniency (Todd was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, in part because he tested positive for cocaine three times while on bail).
Click here for the rest of the story
(My Comments)
The biggest issue in the news yesterday was illegal immigration. I heard a caller to a radio talk show rant about the fact that some of the illegal visitors display an attitude of entitlement about being in this country. If you wonder where that attitude of entitlement comes from, simply think about Tom DeLay or any of the other corrupt Congressional politicians (and there are more than we are likely to find out) who act as if they belong in Congress regardless of their despicable behavior. Acceptance of these political assholes indicates a gaping tear in the fabric of our Democracy, and it needs to be mended.
Start by throwing corporate influence out of our election process, and finish by holding elected officials accountable by the very standards they preach for others. I, for one, would much rather have illegal neighbors than corrupt policy makers.
(Excerpt)
How corrupt is the US congress? Maybe the recent case of Randy "Duke" Cunningham is illustrative. An 8 term congressman from California, Cunningham was a major promoter of the Iraq war. He has been a longtime proponent of "lock 'em up and throw away the key" style justice for drug offenders (that is, until his own son was caught with drugs), which makes Duke's upcoming sentencing all the more ironic. A wikipedia article on Duke states the following:
In September 1996, Cunningham attacked President Clinton for appointing "soft on crime" judges. "We must get tough on drug dealers," he said. "Those who peddle destruction on our children must pay dearly." He favored stiff drug penalties and voted for the death penalty for major drug dealers. Four months later, his son Todd was arrested for helping to transport 400 pounds (181 kg) of marijuana from Massachusetts to California. At his son's sentencing hearing, Cunningham fought back tears as he begged the judge for leniency (Todd was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, in part because he tested positive for cocaine three times while on bail).
Click here for the rest of the story
(My Comments)
The biggest issue in the news yesterday was illegal immigration. I heard a caller to a radio talk show rant about the fact that some of the illegal visitors display an attitude of entitlement about being in this country. If you wonder where that attitude of entitlement comes from, simply think about Tom DeLay or any of the other corrupt Congressional politicians (and there are more than we are likely to find out) who act as if they belong in Congress regardless of their despicable behavior. Acceptance of these political assholes indicates a gaping tear in the fabric of our Democracy, and it needs to be mended.
Start by throwing corporate influence out of our election process, and finish by holding elected officials accountable by the very standards they preach for others. I, for one, would much rather have illegal neighbors than corrupt policy makers.
Monday, March 27, 2006
War for oil?.. We report, you decide
The Prize Defined
By: Sondra Hickman
(Excerpt) To read the entire article, click here
Just as Abraham Lincoln hid the issue of the Civil War under the guise of freeing slaves, instead of the true reasons of tariff collection on goods being exported directly out of the South, so it is with the war in Iraq. Bush has hidden his and the US State Department agenda under the farce of "freeing the Iraq public" after first claiming "weapons of mass destruction." What are the Iraqis being freed of? That question was answered in this quote from the address to the Institute of Petroleum held in London in 1999 by the CEO of Halliburton, Dick Cheney who said:
"By 2010 we will need on the order of an additional 50 million barrels a day. So where is the oil going to come from? While many regions of the world offer great oil opportunities, the Middle East with 2/3 of the world's oil and the low cost, is still where the prize ultimately lies."
When Cheney says low cost he means it cost only about a $1 a barrel to get the oil out of the ground in Iraq, its easy to get, easy to truck or pump, and very easy to sell.
In 2001 Cheney was appointed to head the Energy Policy Development Group by George W. Bush. He went on to add this comment, "Even though companies are anxious for greater access there, (meaning the Middle East) progress continues to be slow."
So I realized what it is we will be winning with the UK by our side, the 80 some odd oil fields not already in production in Iraq will be placed into production along with the 17 that are currently in operation. The new government in Iraq and the Iraqi Oil Ministry is being hand fed the idea of PSA, which is a production sharing agreement. What is this?
Ultimately it will give the BIG oil of the west Mobil, Exxon, BP, Shell, Chevron Texaco, Conoco Phillips, a legal way to take the oil from Iraq. This PSA agreement could give the state a 60% share and the Invested Companies a 40% share of profits. This could mean a loss of as much as $194 billion to the Nation of Iraq.
A PSA agreement could secure oil for the western world for quite a long time, while Iraq loses public control of their oil holdings by placing it in private hands. Take into consideration the word secure has two meanings. One 'its safe and sound', the other means 'to take control of', so while the US/UK "secure the oil" they are also writing a huge tab for long term occupation. Are Mobil, Exxon, Chevron, Shell oil companies going to pay to keep soldiers there to protect these holdings or are we the US tax payer going to foot the bill? These giants made 35 billion in 2002.
In the PSA agreement a company's investment is not made solely in research and development it is invested in the package from ground to your gas tank...pumping and transporting the oil, so if the well runs dry so does the money. Iraq will be tied into this agreement for years and lose while foreign oil companies make billions in profits with the mostly US State Department invented idea. These agreements could control the flow of oil for up to 40 years.
The US/UK has been trying to secure the region in order to start the work of controlling the flow of oil out of Iraq. Its going to be very hard for the US to go ahead with plans to rebuild and reopen the Haifa Pipeline and pump oil directly to the Jewish nation of Israel over the land of Jordan. Israel currently buys oil from Russia. The Haifa Pipeline has not been in operation since 1948 when Iraq had the War of Independence. The cost to put this pipeline back in operation would be $400,000 per kilometer. In order to secure this entire region the US has a hard row to hoe, lets say they actually get the pipeline operating, this would mean US occupation forever to keep the oil flowing. The North occupied the South for twelve years following the end of the Civil War back in 1865.
How can Bush pull out now? He can't he has not won his prize. He has a plan to secure that oil. Big oil companies stand to make millions, even his own dynasty the Bush family stands to profit. In his book American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush, Kevin Phillips, a political and economic commentator, says:
"No other family that has fulfilled its presidential aspirations has been so involved in the ascendancy of the arms industry and of the 21st-century American imperium - often at the expense of regional and world peace and for their personal gain."
Sondra Hickman lives in NYC, and writes on various topics of interest, visit her at www.dixxebell.com
Copyright © 2006, NewsBlaze, Daily News
By: Sondra Hickman
(Excerpt) To read the entire article, click here
Just as Abraham Lincoln hid the issue of the Civil War under the guise of freeing slaves, instead of the true reasons of tariff collection on goods being exported directly out of the South, so it is with the war in Iraq. Bush has hidden his and the US State Department agenda under the farce of "freeing the Iraq public" after first claiming "weapons of mass destruction." What are the Iraqis being freed of? That question was answered in this quote from the address to the Institute of Petroleum held in London in 1999 by the CEO of Halliburton, Dick Cheney who said:
"By 2010 we will need on the order of an additional 50 million barrels a day. So where is the oil going to come from? While many regions of the world offer great oil opportunities, the Middle East with 2/3 of the world's oil and the low cost, is still where the prize ultimately lies."
When Cheney says low cost he means it cost only about a $1 a barrel to get the oil out of the ground in Iraq, its easy to get, easy to truck or pump, and very easy to sell.
In 2001 Cheney was appointed to head the Energy Policy Development Group by George W. Bush. He went on to add this comment, "Even though companies are anxious for greater access there, (meaning the Middle East) progress continues to be slow."
So I realized what it is we will be winning with the UK by our side, the 80 some odd oil fields not already in production in Iraq will be placed into production along with the 17 that are currently in operation. The new government in Iraq and the Iraqi Oil Ministry is being hand fed the idea of PSA, which is a production sharing agreement. What is this?
Ultimately it will give the BIG oil of the west Mobil, Exxon, BP, Shell, Chevron Texaco, Conoco Phillips, a legal way to take the oil from Iraq. This PSA agreement could give the state a 60% share and the Invested Companies a 40% share of profits. This could mean a loss of as much as $194 billion to the Nation of Iraq.
A PSA agreement could secure oil for the western world for quite a long time, while Iraq loses public control of their oil holdings by placing it in private hands. Take into consideration the word secure has two meanings. One 'its safe and sound', the other means 'to take control of', so while the US/UK "secure the oil" they are also writing a huge tab for long term occupation. Are Mobil, Exxon, Chevron, Shell oil companies going to pay to keep soldiers there to protect these holdings or are we the US tax payer going to foot the bill? These giants made 35 billion in 2002.
In the PSA agreement a company's investment is not made solely in research and development it is invested in the package from ground to your gas tank...pumping and transporting the oil, so if the well runs dry so does the money. Iraq will be tied into this agreement for years and lose while foreign oil companies make billions in profits with the mostly US State Department invented idea. These agreements could control the flow of oil for up to 40 years.
The US/UK has been trying to secure the region in order to start the work of controlling the flow of oil out of Iraq. Its going to be very hard for the US to go ahead with plans to rebuild and reopen the Haifa Pipeline and pump oil directly to the Jewish nation of Israel over the land of Jordan. Israel currently buys oil from Russia. The Haifa Pipeline has not been in operation since 1948 when Iraq had the War of Independence. The cost to put this pipeline back in operation would be $400,000 per kilometer. In order to secure this entire region the US has a hard row to hoe, lets say they actually get the pipeline operating, this would mean US occupation forever to keep the oil flowing. The North occupied the South for twelve years following the end of the Civil War back in 1865.
How can Bush pull out now? He can't he has not won his prize. He has a plan to secure that oil. Big oil companies stand to make millions, even his own dynasty the Bush family stands to profit. In his book American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush, Kevin Phillips, a political and economic commentator, says:
"No other family that has fulfilled its presidential aspirations has been so involved in the ascendancy of the arms industry and of the 21st-century American imperium - often at the expense of regional and world peace and for their personal gain."
Sondra Hickman lives in NYC, and writes on various topics of interest, visit her at www.dixxebell.com
Copyright © 2006, NewsBlaze, Daily News
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
A Hero story that never ends
Ground Zero Still Claiming Victims
By Sondra Hickman
Today a paramedic was laid to rest; she did her job with courage and honor
On September 11, 2001 planes crashing into World Trade Center. Within minutes one tower came crashing to the ground and soon after the second tower fell. The smoke was seen for miles. I stood at a large picture window in the six-floor office building of Con-Edison, just a mile away as the crow flies, and watched the events unfold in stunned disbelief. Who would have ever thought of such a thing? The dust cloud traveled with the wind it contained more than just smoke; the cloud also contained pulverized bits of asbestos.
Since I had just become a New York State Emergency Medical Technician, I rushed to the site to help with the wounded. I was part of a volunteer force of hundreds that night. There were no survivors to administer care to; they had been removed within the first couple of hours directly after the disaster. It took me all of five hours to make my way from Brooklyn back to lower Manhattan where I lived and then on down to the WTC site.
If the news had been announced to stay away, that a deadly carcinogen had been released would I have still gone down there? Not without proper gear! And the workers I saw had no proper gear issued to them. Some had on respirators, but most didn't. I was given a pair of safety goggles and a thin paper mask. That's all.
All of lower Manhattan had a fine layer of gray dust covering everything. From the sidewalks to the window ledges twenty stories up, a complete blanket of this nasty powder covered our world, from 14th street and down. Working at the site I saw this gray powder mixed with the water the Fire Department was spraying on the smoldering pile of rubble, and it became a gooey slippery mud.
I worked in the temporary morgue trying to identify bodies that were found. We searched the pockets for identification and we cataloged the obvious. Each body brought to us was covered by this muddy gray "clay". It made it almost impossible to see a face, and even more impossible to describe the clothing in which the body was clad. We did our best and made as good a record as we could before shipping these bodies to cold storage for more identification. In some cases we found a wallet with a name, sometimes only a torso came in, sometimes it was only a lower body...one such lower half came in with his wallet still neatly stuffed in the side pocket.
I volunteered for two days then went back to my job at Con-Edison. The EMS employees of the City of New York, FDNY EMS, worked there for many days, weeks, and even months later. One such worker was Deborah Reeve. I did not know her personally, but I'm sure we saw each other down there.
Deborah worked out of Station 20 for the EMS services as a paramedic. A 17-year veteran she worked in the morgue area also, moving corpses around, cataloging, doing whatever she was assigned to do. Today Deborah Reeve is being laid to rest at San Andres Presbyterian Church in Bronx, NY. She was 42 years old. She died after a long battle with mesothelioma; she was diagnosed in 2004, after having symptoms in 2003. Mesothelioma is a lung cancer that is directly related to exposure of asbestos. Deborah like many others, myself included, were exposed to a material that has been recognized as a carcinogen since 1960 and was subsequently banned in 30 countries around the world.
Deborah is survived by her husband, and two children ages 12 and 6. She died at Calvary Hospital in Bronx, NY a hospice care facility. The battle was long, hard, and expensive. Deborah was the first EMS worker to receive disability compensation of about $30,000 per year as a direct result of her efforts at the 9/11 disasters. She was however denied Workers Compensation by the City of New York. FDNY did not allow fellow EMS workers who wished to donate their unused sick time to her family to help pay her medical bills. The department gave $25,000 toward her burial expenses.
Deborah is not the first nor will she be the last to die as a result of this environmental catastrophe. Lawsuits are now finding their way into our courts against the EPA, and other Federal agencies for deeming it "safe" to return to downtown, when in fact a great public health risk was evident. Many clean up workers were brought in to clean with a paper mask and a rag, illegal aliens in search of a day job were hired by cleaning companies to get rid of the mess.
Asbestos is a mineral that is mined straight out of the ground. The USA has stopped mining asbestos but continues to import it as a raw material and in goods and products that contain it. Asbestos is a strong fibrous material that has strength and flexibility and is used in many products to make them stronger and heat resistant. Many types of insulation contain asbestos, and since it has been deemed a health risk, it has been removed from many buildings. Contracted companies who know how to protect themselves and the public from exposure usually do asbestos removal, an untrained immigrant with a rag and cloth mask doesn't cut it. Even Union Workers who were issued Respirator Masks are now worried, a product recall says they may not have been protected.
How many people will the attack of 9/11 take in the end? How many families will be affected? The medical world is only touching the tip of the iceberg now, with at least $90 million dollars earmarked for tracking the health of the workers at Ground Zero. This funding is only extended to 2009. It can take up to 20 after exposure, depending on the density of exposure, for someone who was exposed to become ill as a result of that exposure.
My condolences go out to Deborah and her family, and all the families who will have to deal with this in the future.
Copyright © 2006, NewsBlaze, Daily News
By Sondra Hickman
Today a paramedic was laid to rest; she did her job with courage and honor
On September 11, 2001 planes crashing into World Trade Center. Within minutes one tower came crashing to the ground and soon after the second tower fell. The smoke was seen for miles. I stood at a large picture window in the six-floor office building of Con-Edison, just a mile away as the crow flies, and watched the events unfold in stunned disbelief. Who would have ever thought of such a thing? The dust cloud traveled with the wind it contained more than just smoke; the cloud also contained pulverized bits of asbestos.
Since I had just become a New York State Emergency Medical Technician, I rushed to the site to help with the wounded. I was part of a volunteer force of hundreds that night. There were no survivors to administer care to; they had been removed within the first couple of hours directly after the disaster. It took me all of five hours to make my way from Brooklyn back to lower Manhattan where I lived and then on down to the WTC site.
If the news had been announced to stay away, that a deadly carcinogen had been released would I have still gone down there? Not without proper gear! And the workers I saw had no proper gear issued to them. Some had on respirators, but most didn't. I was given a pair of safety goggles and a thin paper mask. That's all.
All of lower Manhattan had a fine layer of gray dust covering everything. From the sidewalks to the window ledges twenty stories up, a complete blanket of this nasty powder covered our world, from 14th street and down. Working at the site I saw this gray powder mixed with the water the Fire Department was spraying on the smoldering pile of rubble, and it became a gooey slippery mud.
I worked in the temporary morgue trying to identify bodies that were found. We searched the pockets for identification and we cataloged the obvious. Each body brought to us was covered by this muddy gray "clay". It made it almost impossible to see a face, and even more impossible to describe the clothing in which the body was clad. We did our best and made as good a record as we could before shipping these bodies to cold storage for more identification. In some cases we found a wallet with a name, sometimes only a torso came in, sometimes it was only a lower body...one such lower half came in with his wallet still neatly stuffed in the side pocket.
I volunteered for two days then went back to my job at Con-Edison. The EMS employees of the City of New York, FDNY EMS, worked there for many days, weeks, and even months later. One such worker was Deborah Reeve. I did not know her personally, but I'm sure we saw each other down there.
Deborah worked out of Station 20 for the EMS services as a paramedic. A 17-year veteran she worked in the morgue area also, moving corpses around, cataloging, doing whatever she was assigned to do. Today Deborah Reeve is being laid to rest at San Andres Presbyterian Church in Bronx, NY. She was 42 years old. She died after a long battle with mesothelioma; she was diagnosed in 2004, after having symptoms in 2003. Mesothelioma is a lung cancer that is directly related to exposure of asbestos. Deborah like many others, myself included, were exposed to a material that has been recognized as a carcinogen since 1960 and was subsequently banned in 30 countries around the world.
Deborah is survived by her husband, and two children ages 12 and 6. She died at Calvary Hospital in Bronx, NY a hospice care facility. The battle was long, hard, and expensive. Deborah was the first EMS worker to receive disability compensation of about $30,000 per year as a direct result of her efforts at the 9/11 disasters. She was however denied Workers Compensation by the City of New York. FDNY did not allow fellow EMS workers who wished to donate their unused sick time to her family to help pay her medical bills. The department gave $25,000 toward her burial expenses.
Deborah is not the first nor will she be the last to die as a result of this environmental catastrophe. Lawsuits are now finding their way into our courts against the EPA, and other Federal agencies for deeming it "safe" to return to downtown, when in fact a great public health risk was evident. Many clean up workers were brought in to clean with a paper mask and a rag, illegal aliens in search of a day job were hired by cleaning companies to get rid of the mess.
Asbestos is a mineral that is mined straight out of the ground. The USA has stopped mining asbestos but continues to import it as a raw material and in goods and products that contain it. Asbestos is a strong fibrous material that has strength and flexibility and is used in many products to make them stronger and heat resistant. Many types of insulation contain asbestos, and since it has been deemed a health risk, it has been removed from many buildings. Contracted companies who know how to protect themselves and the public from exposure usually do asbestos removal, an untrained immigrant with a rag and cloth mask doesn't cut it. Even Union Workers who were issued Respirator Masks are now worried, a product recall says they may not have been protected.
How many people will the attack of 9/11 take in the end? How many families will be affected? The medical world is only touching the tip of the iceberg now, with at least $90 million dollars earmarked for tracking the health of the workers at Ground Zero. This funding is only extended to 2009. It can take up to 20 after exposure, depending on the density of exposure, for someone who was exposed to become ill as a result of that exposure.
My condolences go out to Deborah and her family, and all the families who will have to deal with this in the future.
Copyright © 2006, NewsBlaze, Daily News
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Apox-o-lips
Summary: In response to gay rights organization Soulforce's Equality Ride -- a bus tour aimed at confronting religious schools and military academies that ban the enrollment of GBLT students -- the American Family Association's Don Wildmon proposed his own hypothetical trip to "the homosexual bathhouses," saying, "[W]e're going to confront these people ... for what they're doing."See what the General has to say about all this
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Just a friendly reminder
If you have a fishing license for Washington State, you are required to return your 2005 Catch Record Card by April 30, 2006.
The Catch Record Card is used to record any and all catches of Salmon, Sturgeon, Steelhead, Halibut, and/or Dungeness Crab.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Happy St. Patrick's Day
Take a break from the hustle and bull of the political cess pool, and join a fellow MAINSTREAM LIBERAL in celebration of the green. It doesn't have to be a long break, mind you, because I don't want you to disengage from the battle at all. Simply take a moment to recognize all that is beautiful around you, and thank either an Irishman or a mainstream liberal.
By the way, did I mention that I am a Mainstream Liberal?
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