Longwall Mining and Mothers Milk

Longwall mining and mothers milk. Doesn't that thought just make ya all warm and fuzzy inside? After considering all of the women who are directly, and indirectly effected by longwall mining, it got me to wondering about something. Remember all of those energy employee's bused in for demonstrations backing clean coal? Do you remember how many of them were shiny faced women with big smiles, laughing and in general just having a really swell time? I'm wondering about their thought processes here.

The women who appeared in those shots were, in large part, mothers. Some of them probably breast fed their babies. So I'm just wondering. Did it bother them that they were likely feeding their children mercury (Hg) during those encounters? Have they ever given any thought about how they may have done harm to those children just by feeding them?

Mercury is a by-product of coal. The mining of it, the burning of it and the storing of the ash that is left behind. Think TVA in Tennessee near the first of '09. It is all moving along into the water and into the food chain of all living things, including those women shown in the demonstration pictures.

The humans drink the water. So they get some there. They eat the fish. They get a bunch there. In fact, the larger the fish, the heavier the dose of mercury. They eat vegetables and grains. And, sure enough, they get some there. Let's have a look at the trail there. Sure looks like they're getting a pretty good amount to me. You? Seems we have company. EPA says that 21% of women of child bearing age have mercury above their recommended level.

Now mother has a pretty good amount of mercury on-board, gathered over a lifetime of living with the effects of mobilized carbon which we know carries mercury. Now comes a pregnancy.

The blood from mother now flows in and out of baby. The baby is nourished by what mother eats and drinks. Any possibilities of mercury getting into the baby here?

Baby is born. And development is really in high gear. Neurological development is done primarily in early life. Mercury impairs neurological development. So first, the baby got a good dose from the mother from her blood and from eating what mother ate through blood circulation. Now mother suckles the baby and so continues to pass on the mercury that is continuously coming into her system.

So now let's go back and have a look at those smiling faces. What exactly are they smiling about? Poisoning of the planet? Poisoning of their own children? Poisoning of you and your children? Poisoning of me and my children? Where is the humour here.

Longwall mining and mothers milk. It's really not that funny.

Longwall Earthquake

Having lived in Southern California for a good deal of my life, I know from earthquakes. Most of them are small and harmless. And, for the most part, those who have lived in the area for some length of time pay little heed to them. There are those, however, that crack walls, send fish tanks crashing to the floor, freeways crumbling and apartment houses collapsing like accordions. Think Northridge here.

But, supposing rather than having just the occasional tumbler that does damage of that sort, it were to go on every day? An unrelenting earthquake called longwall mining. And, at the end of it all, there was no FEMA. No, disaster declaration. No assistance from any corner. In fact, the news organizations don't even notice what has happened. No breathless reporter. No screaming headline. Nothing.

Pretty grim, no? Well, this isn't some nightmare dreamed up by RB just to amuse himself between motorcycle trips. Rather, this is everyday reality anyplace there are homes on the surface of the earth and longwall mining beneath. Places like Greene County in the southern most part of Pennsylvania. And, the outcome is just as described.

Earthquake disasters ongoing. Precious few pay any attention. How is it possible that real life drama is upstaged by fake drama? Wonder why that is? Maybe it's because coal industry folks like Energy Citizens are taking up space? And, since they have all of that coal and oil money behind them, they get more attention? Surely RB, you couldn't be suggesting that since those rich folks, read newspaper owners, oil/coal company big wigs and their bought and paid for politicians hang out at cocktail parties together, they could be more interested in money making than actual people?

Well...yes, I am. Politicians in both parties are locked in by the money of their contributor's. And, the fewer and poorer the people there are in the area, the more important that money becomes. Think Baucus here. Yep, earthquake alright. With those most affected also being those with the smallest voice in the shouting match.

Longwall Mining, Jr.

Last week, during NN '09, I was located in Pittsburgh, PA. Beautiful city. Clean, green, and very proud of the strides they have made from the polluted dirty place I visited in the late 60's. We had our convention in the greenest convention center in the country. There was, with reason, lots of talk about all things green and how the G20 would be coming to the city to showcase what can be done in the way of cleaning up a once blighted area.

But, just a short drive down the freeway from all of the green and pride of all things shiny, was the exact opposite of what was to be found in the city. All over Greene County disaster is being wrought by Consol Energy. The only thing I can think of to compare it to is cancer. It travels under the surface. Unseen. Destroying everything it comes near.

The name of this cancer is longwall mining. It travels 400'-600' under the surface of the land eating at everything in it's path. And everywhere it travels, under homes, near dams, and headwaters for streams, it leaves behind disaster.

Peoples homes splintering and cracking. And, finally crumbling into a pile of rubble. Dams cracking to the point of having to be dismantled and the water behind lost. Leaving the fish flopping on the waterless ground left behind. Streams drying up, leaving only dry, cracked beds behind. With no water for farm animals and their minders.

Of course the mining company Consol, in this case, denies any culpability and any need to do more than patch up kind of remediation. They say that they will mitigate any damages done to homes. But those who have lost their homes to this insidious disease know the reality of those claims.

What a difference a couple of hours can make. On the one hand a model for a new and clean environment. On the other complete devastation. Some light on the subject would be most welcome, I am sure, to those who make their homes in Greene County. And, for that matter, anyplace else where longwall mining is occurring. Or, will occur.

Smiling Faces

Remember all of those smiling faces at the oil/gas/coal rally down in Houston the other day? Remember how they were smiling and laughing like they were having the time of their life? Well, they were. It was like a company picnic. Most of those folks were employees of the energy companies mentioned above. So, if you're getting paid to ride a bus to a picnic and wave a sign that shows you to be a complete moron, what the hell. You got paid.

Did you also notice that there were no rough necks? Or, miners? Pretty obvious there. Who in the hell wants some ill dressed, dirty faced, profane kinda guy/woman messing up there pretty picture.

Just a couple of thoughts about all of that. First, as concerns mining. There are 27 deaths per 100,000 workers per year in that industry. That would be roughly nine (9) times higher than US industry as a whole. That would sure as hell make you smile. No?

How about, lots of those folks live in areas where they can hunt and fish and live the good life. Well, lets see here, fully one quarter of the fish tested in 291 streams had mercury levels above the safety levels set by EPA. That'll get your smiley faces splashed all over, won't it? Everybody likes feeding their families high levels of mercury, don't they?

Hmmmmm. Where is the connection RB? Well by golly, says here that emissions from coal fired plants are the largest source of mercury contamination in the United States. Boy, Howdy. No wonder those folks were all smiles.

One more little add on here. A report out in the past couple of days says that aerosols have increased in the stratosphere in the past decade. They're getting a big boost from coal burning. Especially in China.

Perhaps, I should change that title to Lying Faces.

Longwall Mining

Most of us in this country take for granted that we can turn on our tap at the sink and get a glass of water. But, suppose you turned on the tap and didn't get anything. Further, suppose that the water came from your own well. What, specifically, would you do?

That isn't just an exercise question. It is happening in many states in the country and no one is even talking about it. Why? Because those causing water to disappear and homes to crumble are very large coal mining companies. They have a lot of money. They are very well connected. Read that as having politicians bought and paid for.

So, what would you do? If you had livestock would you sell them off? Would you go to town to get bottled water? For three and a half (3 1/2) years? It has happened that way. It is happening. And, as long as longwall mining is allowed to continue, it will happen again and again.

Just a suggestion here. Google longwall mining. Have a look at some of the photo's that are available. Contact citizenscoalcouncil.org. Get a little information. Then be prepared to be entirely pissed at what you see and hear. Mining companies like the dark (not just a pun) because the light of day, shone down on their dirty and murderous work, would do for their business what it has done for so many in the minefield. Namely, it would kill them.

One could point at mountain top destruction as the obvious sign of all that is wrong with coal mining. And, of course they would entirely correct in doing so. But, longwall mining is what is not obvious. You can't tell from above the mining itself that there is anything out of the ordinary going on.

What you need here is a rear view mirror. Look back at where the mining has taken place. See any flowing streams? No. Why, you might ask? Well lets see here. If you dig down 400-600 feet, then start digging horizontal to the plane of the ground above and don't shore up the tunnel behind you, what is going to happen? Of course, the ground behind will fall. How much? Let's see here. The machine that does the mining is about 4"-6" high. That means that you have a 4"-6" hole behind you wherever you do the longwall mining. If you don't shore up the hole, at some point the ground will sink 4"-6". Hmmmmmm. If you were to say, dig beneath or near to a stream, and the ground sinks, what might the obvious be? The water disappears.

At this point, the mining company would likely say that it really hasn't disappeared, but gone deeper and is coming up elsewhere. But, suppose, going back to the top of this post, that all of a sudden your water was gone? It may indeed be coming up elsewhere, but how in the hell does that help you? If your animals no longer have water to drink. And, your home, which has been using that water for drinking, bathing, washing clothes, you know the regular everyday stuff, is now dry. No water. It may be deeper and coming up elsewhere, but again the same question.

This little problem is not singular, nor isolated. It is common place and happening to a lot of people in the coalfield. Anyplace they are using longwall mining, there is on-going housing and water destruction.

It took only a couple of hours to get me started down the path that will cure my personal ignorance of the the destruction being done in the name of coal. Longwall mining is an unmitigated disaster. And, it is neither being talked about, nor written about at this moment. Through this diary, and hopefully others, Grist(?) this is about to change.

Screamers and Health Care

So here we are at the Congressional break, all of us discussing our ideas of health care, how our idea is the best and showing how it should be implemented. WAKE UP

Oh...shit...dreaming again.

Well then, lets have a look at how it's really going. The mouthpieces of the Republican Party are inciting riot. That of course would be Dobbs, Beck, Hannity, O'Reilly, WaPo and the WSJ, just to name a few. Then we have the knuckle draggers who listen to them, mostly middle aged white folks who appear to be on Medicare.

Hmmmm. Why would folks on Medicare be protesting government run medical insurance ideas? Surely they know that Medicare is a government run operation? That without it most of them would be without health care of any sort?

Maybe its not healthcare we're talking about? Maybe they just don't like the color of the guy in the White House? Oh for shit sake. This couldn't possibly be racist based...could it? Somebody wailing that they "want their Amerika back" makes me believe that maybe it is somehow connected. You remember that Amerika. The one run by Dick "Dick" Cheney. Spying on Quakers. The Unitary President. Rendition. Torture. Yes, I think that's the one.

So, health care really isn't what this is all about. They're just pissed because all of those other people in the country voted in a landslide to shitcan their guy and vote in some B.L.A.C.K. guy...who isn't really a citizen. He's a Kenyan. And, they have a piss poor copy of a Australian birth certificate with badly done Kenyan stuff on it, from before Kenya was a country to prove it.

It looks to me like what we have is a bunch of people being carted about by the coal and oil folks to prevent any rational discussion by screaming and shouting and threatening to kill those who don't believe the cockamamie shit they believe.

News Flash. Those of us on the Left, and specifically those of us who are way, way, way over to the Left, don't give a shit about your silly assed beliefs. We know them to be based entirely upon hatred and bias toward any who aren't directly in line with your idiotic beliefs. Or, more to the point, racists and bigots.

And, just for you right wing kristians out there. If Jesus was here, he'd be a Democrat.

Health Care Reform

We have waited since 1994 for a chance to change the way health care is delivered in this country. We are now tantalizingly close to seeing it happen. Up until this afternoon, the Blue Dogs had sided with the Republicans in trying to dismantle the program as envisioned by the President. How anyone who calls him/herself a Democrat could possibly stand against the wishes of their own leader, not to mention the nation as a whole, is mind boggling.

So why would they take such a stance? Money, baby. Lots and lots of money. Given to them by the insurance companies who stand to be the ultimate losers in the new scheme of things. Even now television ads are already being launched into homes of millions by all sorts of groups you never heard of, mainly funded by the insurance companies.

One specific silly assed ad calls upon viewers to ask their representatives when they arrive home on summer break if they have read the Reform Bill. The whole Reform Bill. Of course any jack ass knows that most bills are not read by the representatives, but rather the staff. Who then bring things of import or specific interest to the rep's attention.

A better question would be, have any of those calling for this action read the bill? The Whole Bill? Hell no they haven't. What they know is that if there is any meaningful reform, they will lose money. They don't want reform of any sort. What they want is things to continue as they have. With insurance companies deciding who will get what care and for how long.

We will have a public option. And what that really means, is that people will have the opportunity to have the same kind of health care that the representatives have. Health care is not a luxury. It is a necessity. Every industrialized country on the planet has it in one form or another. It is time we joined the rest of them and placed our people before bridges to nowhere.

Senator Snowe and the Public Option

Democratic split. It's in all the newspapers and on all of the television newscasts. Is it true? Of course its true. That's how the Democratic Party works. Kind of like how a real democracy works. Differing viewpoints. Different solutions.

On the other hand, nothing is read or heard about any split in the Republican Party. Would that be because there is none? Is it possible that independent thinking is frowned on within that party? Do they all march lockstep? The answer to those questions is...mostly. That would be why they are called conservatives. They don't want change. It is the antithesis of their very core belief system.

However, at this moment we are involved in a very important debate over whether or not this country will, at least in the health care world, move into the present century. And, it turns out, there is a very prominent Republican separating herself from her party. Senator Snowe (R-ME) has made it clear that she is in favor of what is called the public option. The public option would allow citizens to opt for a Medicare style choice of health care.

So why is this important? it is important because many, many people still get most of their news from the old outlets. Specifically, cnn, nbc, fox, wsj, nyt, etc. Since none of these outlets sees fit to publicize this type of thinking within the R Party, it is implied that there is no discussion about the public option. In fact, Senator Snowe gave a speech this past weekend telling her constituents that she is more than just thinking about it, she is in fact demanding that it be included in the upcoming Health Care Reform Bill.

It must be made clear to all, which would include those in the steno pool (fox, nyt, et.al) that there is debate amongst R's as well as D's. That debate is a good thing. And, that most importantly, 54% of the citizens in this country are in favor of including the public option in the upcoming bill.

So, simply put, I would like to see in the old line media, the inclusion of the fact that there is indeed some discussion among R's, specifically moderates of whom there are very few, about the inclusion of the public option as part of the health care reform in this country.

Come on old line media, make yourselves at least somewhat relevant. Let us hear something of Senator Snowe and the Public Option

Bipartisanship

We have heard, since President Obama took office, about how he needs to work at bipartisanship. And, indeed he has. He has made every effort to reach across the aisle to the Republican Party and include them in the work of the people.

So. How is that going for him, you might ask? So far, he has been mocked and scoffed at by those who were just so lately rejected in a landslide by the American people. WTF? Is that correct? Those who were just last November essentially reduced to a Regional Party are still so arrogant that they refuse to participate? They are still demanding that it's their way or nothing? Sorry. But yes, that is the case.

The vote for the Stimulus package had ZERO Republican votes in the House. And, a total of THREE Republican votes in the Senate. That, to me, doesn't sound like there is any desire on the part of the minority party to do the work of the people. That instead sounds like obstructionism. And, from the sounds emanating from the leadership of that minority party, we can expect a whole lot more of the same. It seems they have decided to continue the action that lost them control of the entire government over two election cycles.

So, RustyBrown, what is your view on all of this? Well Thanks for asking. Until the next election cycle when we will have our magical "60", we form a coalition in the Senate to accomplish there what must be done. Since Senator Franken will soon take his seat, it will take only a couple of votes to make that a working coalition.

What about the Republican Party, the minority party you ask? Simple. They have now pushed themselves away from the table. They have made themselves, by virtue of their own doings, irrelevant to any and all discussions. If they are willing to change their tactics and make some drastic changes in their policy views, they can once again be part of the dialog. However, at this moment, they are as extinct as the Mastodons.

The country is in a very bad way. The stimulus package that will get the ball rolling toward putting the economy back on it's feet has been passed. Albeit without the help of the Republican Party, save three. That being the case, we must now proceed without them and conduct the business of the people. That is to say, righting all of the wrongs perpetrated upon the nation by the Republican Party, who had complete control of the levers of government for six years. Their policies and politics failed completely. Both were soundly rejected. It is time to move on. Without them.

"Waterboarding Is Torture."

Three words. Three simple, plain, English words. That was all it took. No dithering. No beating around the Bush. No ummm's, or uhhh's. Just three words to declare what most of the human race has known all along. "Waterboarding is torture."

Nazi's and Japanese were hung for it. It has always been part of the Geneva Convention rules. It is taught to every military recruit in the US military. There is no doubt in any reasonable human mind that "waterboarding is torture."

Yet, for the past several years, under the Bush Administration, it has been clear to all that indeed it was being used on prisoners. We heard of it from Gitmo. We heard of it from Abu Ghraib. It was rumored that it was being used on folks being held under special rendition.

Mr. Cheney and several others, including Mr. Hayden, inside the Administration poo poo'd it for quite some time. Finally saying that it was an excellent tool that should be kept in the arsenal of those who interrogate. That it was actually benign. That people couldn't/wouldn't be killed if subjected to it. That it had given authorities valuable information and had saved lives.

All of that is bullshit, of course. Experts say that it didn't/hasn't given us anything like valuable information, and is a useless tool that does nothing for anyone. Except sadists.

Mr. Holder, the AG designee, provided the three word reply to a question asked by Senator Leahy. He left no doubt in anyone's mind what he thought of waterboarding. What was not asked, and what bothers me at this moment is: what happens next? Will you take this conclusion forward. If those inside the Bush Administration ordered torture, which is a war crime, will they be brought to trial? Will justice be served?

"Waterboarding Is Torture." I hope that the end of this nasty proposition is that the rest of the world is shown that we are indeed a country, once again, ruled by law.

Israel, right or wrong?

The Government of the United States has, since Israel came into existence, backed them right or wrong. Sometime in the next eight years, I am hoping that our new Administration takes a hard, long look at this policy. And, more than that, takes the necessary action to correct this idiotic stance.

There are reasons to back Israel, when right. We must, when necessary, back them with whatever diplomatic or military power is needed. However, in every case, they are not right. And, this moment seems to me to be one of those times when they are not right.

Their right to peace is no different than anyone else's. They have to be free from constant missile attack by the Palestinians. But, to bomb innocents, for whatever reason, is unacceptable. And, they have indeed bombed innocents.

Today it is reported that they have not only bombed a UN facility. But, also a hospital. In what delusional world, and under what possible circumstances can this action be justified? Of course, it can't. There is no excuse for bombing a UN site known to house civilians. And, there is no way in hell that bombing a hospital can be found to have justification.

When asked about the bombing of the UN site, the Israeli's stated "we were fired on first." That, to me, sounds like the crap one would expect to hear on a childhood playground. Except that this is no playground. People are being killed. And, being killed indiscriminately. That is war crime area. And, the US Government decided inside the UN to fore go condemnation. That is cowardice. And not taking responsibility for what is clearly something that in the least, should be condemned by every country in the UN.

This is the backing, right or wrong, which began this diary. It is my conclusion that the US Government is wrong to back Israel on this matter. They are guilty of complicity in the killing of innocent Palestinians

Our Countdown

So, finally we have come to the final count down for the Bush Administration. It has been a long and very damaging eight years. The Constitution has been denigrated and called just a piece of paper. Wars have been started with lies. People have been tortured. Spying on citizens has become a normal course of action. The good of the majority has been subjected to the whim of the few.

But now, we have begun to see that the light at the end of tunnel is not in fact, a train. Like most, I hope for the best possible outcome. But, I also realize that the man we have chosen us to lead us out of the wilderness, is a man. With all of the problems that are inherent in the species.

We know already that he is a great orator. He may turn out to be a great leader. That is my most fervent hope. For the problems he faces are great. And, they are many. With more arriving, seemingly by the day.

The world's climate is headed for a very questionable future from the hands of man. It only remains to be seen how bad it will be. We are mired in a war of choice in Iraq. Afghanistan is drawing us in and there will certainly be more deaths for all in that place. The US, as well as the world economy is crashing like the Hindenburg. Our health care system is anything but. Peak Oil is bearing down upon us, with seeming scant notice by the populace at large. In part fueled by bullshit shoveled ever so heavily by our own government and big oil.

Those of course aren't all of the problems, but it's a pretty good starting list. I have already stated that I believe him to be entirely human. So, do I want him to be in any way ordinary? Not a chance. Just to bring the country out the other end of his Presidency marginally improved will take a Herculean effort.

Indeed, we have seen over these past years, what mediocrity, ineptitude, deception and cronyism can do for us. It has taken us from world leader, to nearly third world. From surplus, to indebtedness that will haunt our Grandchildren. From beacon to the world, to one to be mistrusted and feared. Not a great legacy.

Now. In this time. We are in need of true leadership. We are in need of someone with character, who will not shrink from telling us the truth. Who will expect from us our measure of sacrifice. Who will be tireless and fearless in the face of his/our daunting tasks in the days, months and years ahead.

Rick Warren

It's not uncommon, nay, it is expected, that when a newly elected President begins actually naming names for posts in the government, that there will be some dissent among the Party faithful.

Yesterday, PE Obama named Rick Warren to pray at his Inauguration. What ensued was a shitstorm. Mr. Warren is a known homophobe. Not exactly a plus among the Democratic rank and file. Not among the blogosphere. And, specifically, not among the GLBT group and their many supporters.

As one might expect, there was a truckload of diaries posted almost immediately. Some, of the death to the infidels type. But, most of the WTF variety. And, I must say, the latter are of the type that were of most interest to me.

Very few of the diaries had anything to do with praying. For a goodly many of us, praying is tantamount to the childhood game of wishing upon a star. Rather, they were based upon Mr. Warren's homophobic thinking. An always amusing, but very sick stance, to me. Love thy neighbor. Except if he/she is a GLBT, a Muslim, or (insert group).

We may in time know the reason for this WTF choice. It should be interesting, whatever it is. Suffice to say, that my own thinking is very straightforward on this matter. The guy's name should never have come up. For any reason. That being said, I voted for PE Obama to make the choices. He made his. Time to move on.

Mitchell Wade

Mitchell Wade, in case you need some help remembering, is the CEO of MZM. His company held defense contracts with the U.S. Government. He was also convicted of bribing former Congressman "Duke" Cunningham, of San Diego, CA.

Now it turns out, that Mr. Wade, in order to try and reduce his sentence, has been cooperating with the Feds. How much cooperating? Well, let's see here. There are, after much discussion, now five members, or former members, of Congress being actively investigated.

Sure is a slow process. One might think that after getting Mr. Cunningham put away, it would be pretty quick work to get to the others. Not so. Mr. Cunningham, who was sentenced on 03/03/06, to 8 years and 4 months, was, it appears, the low hanging fruit. And, it was only after Mr. Wade was selected to spend some quality time in the U.S. Penal System, that these discussion began.

So, when do we get to find out who these five people are? No one is saying. At least at the moment. It seems as though we will have to wait a little longer to find out who else will have the opportunity to vacation within the confines of the University of Federal Prison.

It may be slow, but it seems to be working. We can only hope that with a new Administration, such activity will begin to pick up speed. And, I hope like hell, people like Tom DeLay, are losing sleep, as more and more light is shone down upon them.

Caviar

We have, over the past eight years, been fed bullshit, masquerading as caviar. We have been told, as recently as during the Presidential debates, by Mr. McCain, that the economy was doing great. His pal, Mr. Bush, agreed wholeheartedly, saying that the fundamentals of the economy were sound.

We "Support the Troops." You can hear it, still, dribbling from the lips of those who have done so little. First, they sent them into a war for oil. Based entirely upon, giving it the best spin possible, cherry picked evidence. They had no plan post Baghdad. They didn't provide the necessary equipment for those whom they had placed in harms way. When those troops came back they were shunted off to places where they could easily be ignored. The story of those placed at Walter Reed is instructive.

Last week, we were told that many of those who had been in the Gulf War in the early nineties were/are sickened. How many? How about 1 in 4. Twenty-five percent of those who were sent to the Gulf by GHWB, are afflicted by Gulf War Syndrome. The VA, for years, denied that any such thing existed. Refusing to care for those who had served. Until of course they were found to be shredding files of those who would be given care.

One would expect much better of this country. Especially, those in power who put those troops into the situation in the first place. But, even with the information in the previous paragraph, it gets worse. At any one time during the year, there are between 500,000 and a million homeless veterans in the United States. When they were asked to serve, they went without hesitation. When they need help, they are given the underside of a bridge.

A very large contingency of the GOP is quite vocal about reproductive rights. They block the doors of Abortion clinics. They will smile smugly, when damage is done to one of those clinics. And, many, really don't mind all that much when the medical staff at one of these places is murdered in the name of the Rights of the Unborn. With that in mind, there would be, the utmost attention given to those who are then born. No matter their circumstance.

Oh, if that were only true. What we have instead, is 700,000 children who went hungry in the United States in 2007. Add the adults and we have 36.2 Million who struggled with hunger. But, let us forget the adults. If we can. And, return to the children. Why, if children are so important, would there be any child who could/would not have enough to eat.

For that answer, please return to the first sentence, of the first paragraph of this diary. What is so injurious, is that those of us who were fed that bullshit, either believed it, or did nothing about what we knew were lies.

With a new President. With a new Congress. With a mandate from the people. A real mandate. And, not the idiocy presented to us by Mr. Bush. We can hope that together. As a nation. We can begin the process of caring for those who we know are the most vulnerable. And, in the most need of care.

Mandate Center Left

As of today, there still seems to be lot of blather in the traditional media, and specifically the other side of the political spectrum, on how the US, is a center right nation. Let us save a lot of wasted time, effort and energy here, and call that thought for what it really is. Namely, bullshit.

Center right? No. This election was a repudiation of the right and it's politics and policies. There was a clear (as opposed to Bush) mandate for a move to the left. And, just so we know what left and right mean here, right means corporate, left means people.

To make the case, lets look at some interesting numbers, shall we? Of those who were surveyed, 64% believed that government should guarantee health care for all. For this item, self identified Republicans say that universal health care coverage should be a right for all Americans. What they mean of course, is US citizens. Since Americans would be all on the continent. So, lets just speak for ourselves here.

How about some other numbers? A full 73% of agree that large corporations pay too little taxes. Sounds a lot like redistribution of wealth there. What about that Republican whine that talking with the enemy is weak and traitorous? Well, 67% favor more diplomacy with our enemies. Was that just the Commie wing? No, just your typical center left US citizen.

Lastly, let us look in on the sex part of the left/right divide. Nearly two-thirds of US citizens agree with Roe v Wade. What with all of the noise from the Wurlitzer, one might think that the whole country, except for a few Democrats (Communists) favored such a thing. And what about gay marriage? Well, 58% of those queried, oppose an Amendment to the Constitution that would ban gay marriage.

On that last point, let us be clear. The LDS and their money stopped the gay marriage movement in California. That is very unfortunate for a lot of people. However, it will not be the final word. This will come up again. And, next time, there will be better organization, better planning and much better execution in this matter. Whether the christian wrong, in all it's iterations, likes it or not, this will come to pass.

Just for the hell of it. And, because I can, I think I'll throw in a couple of other items, number wise. A full 78% agree that investing in clean energy is important to revitalizing our economy. And, for ;the deniers of the world, 57% support reducing global warming pollution.

Center right? Not a chance in hell. The way forward (read progressive/liberal) is to move the country once again down the humane path of the center left. After the disaster that was the Bush era, it is time to clean our house of the pests and filth. It is time to air out and let the sun shine throughout.

Welcome back, US citizenry. To the center left.

Mr. President Elect, Barack Obama

What we witnessed, in the election of Mr. Barack Obama yesterday, is nothing short of one of the most historic events in the history of the United States of America. A person of color, not only won the election, but won it in what can be called no less than a mandate.

Mr. President. You won the race for the Presidency not because you were black. But, despite it. Your opponent, who used dog whistles, innuendos, and sometimes outright racism to thwart your advance, instead failed miserably.

Mr. President. Although your opponent tried to paint you as inexperienced, it was you who maintained the steady hand when the economy went into a tailspin. The man of experience ran around flapping his arms and showing his complete lack of ability to lead. You asked questions an looked for a solution.

Mr. President. During the race, your opponent, who claimed the military/POW cloak as his own, showed his utter disregard for Veterans by voting against the New GI Bill. By continuing to back the failed Iraq policy. And, by making every effort to distance himself from those who will be forever scarred by that policy.

These are just a few of the reasons we now have the privilege of calling you Mr. President Elect. Is it my fervent hope and deepest desire that you succeed in your new venture. For all of us have a stake in it's outcome.

Life As a Rat

There is an old saying about rats jumping from a sinking ship. And, most of us have a pretty good idea of what that looks like. But, at this very moment, we have the opportunity to see it as it will one day appear in encyclopedia's and dictionaries.

Today, the latest and greatest of the rat's did a swan dive from the good ship S.S. McCain. It turned out to be the Number 2 on that ship, Ms. Palin. Now that in and of itself should be no surprise to anyone who has watched the movement aboard the ship since Ms. Palin was selected for her post.

There have been the common ongoing leaks to the press, the backstabbing, the resume's sent out from people at the top. But, this one was clearly way past what one would expect from any #2. Except, Ms. Palin.

That she is ambitious is a given. That could be said of anyone who enters the game. That is an opportunitst we know from her dealings in Alaska, long before she became the GOPVP candidate. That she ould stab people in the back to move ahead, we also know from her previous performance. That she would take it to the national stage and pull it out in the most crucial time of the election cycle is absolutely astounding.

Ms. Palin made it clear today that if the S.S. McCain/Palin goes down in '08, she, Ms. Palin, will be part of the '12 Presidential election cycle, because she wasn't doing this for naught. Never mind that this she is one of the most mismanaged, ill-conceived ideas ever to be brought to any American Presidential election. She has thrown Mr. McCain under the bus, and in fact is now driving said bus.

Ms. Palin. You are in fact a Rat. And I, for on, am ever so hopeful that you do loose yourself from the anvils which are at this moment being tied to your feet, and go to the top of the Republican Party. I hope that you do in fact take charge of what is now known to be a corrupt and useless idiology. Because, that would almost single handedly make it possible for the Democratic Party to take this country back where it belongs. To a place where we are looked at as a nation of good ideas and ideals. And, not the biggest fish in the cesspool that we are now in due to the Republican Party.

Life as a rat ain't all it's cracked up to be, Ms. Palin. Is it.

Corporate Socialism

We have been told, for the past months, that we needed to bail out (insert industry) because if we didn't the world would collapse around us and we would all die. Pretty dramatic. And, if you're standing there watching the economy implode, it also sounds pretty credible. What the hell do we do next?

Then, out of the intertubes comes this little gem from Rachel Beck and Joe Bel Bruno. "Despite the Wall Street meltdown, the nation's biggest bans are preparing to pay their workers as much as last year or more, including bonuses tied to personal and company performance."

WTF? A couple of things jump out here. First, the same as last year? Second, based on performance? How in the hell do you reconcile those two? Why would a business who is collapsing be paying employees at any level anything like last years salary? Or, if the bonuses, (bonuses?) are to be paid on performance, why aren't the employees paying the company?

Now this should be obvious. Even if you're a dyed in the wool Friedman capitalist. When the Government (read you and I) bales out a company, it is corporate socialism. If we bought the company, then why in the hell are we paying people for work they did not do?

Let's start with socialism. At this very moment, Mr. McCain and Ms. Palin are screaming at the top of their lungs that Mr. Obama is a socialist. By the way. In my world, that is a good thing. Yet, they have given away billions to corporations of all sorts in the way of tax breaks and the like, to make them viable. How in the hell is that not socialism?

The second sentence is for me, what he thing is all about. The bastard's cheated and lied and stole from other people. You don't pay such people. You incarcerate them. For those who are of the Republican Reich wing variety, ya put the fuckers in jail.

We may be able to pull ourselves out of this mess. But, I for one, am going to start planning my exit strategy. There is on-going discussion in this family about farmland. It is beginning to appear as though the time is drawing near for us all to start bringing those discussions to a close and act upon them.

I Cast My Ballot

Yesterday, as it was the first day of early voting in Texas, I cast my ballot. Significant? Perhaps not to many. To me? You bet your sweet ass. In the claimed home state of George W. Bush, I cast my ballot for the next President of the United States, Mr. Obama. A Democrat. That is delicious to me.

After suffering through the worst Presidency in the history of the nation, I, among many others, have begun the process of dragging this country back from the abyss. It will be a long and arduous road we take. It will require that we include those who earlier had cast us aside as traitors and unAmerican. It will require that we sacrifice and compromise. Most of all, it will take time.

There is much to be done here. We must end the occupation of the sovereign nation of Iraq. We must begin to rebuild our economy. And, follow by rebuilding our wealth. We must return our Constitution to it's place as the guiding document for the nation. And, most of all rebuilding our faith in our nation and it's leaders.

Under those headings there are a host of items to be dealt with. Torture, spying on our own citizens, reduction of the Patriot Act to something reasonable, perhaps the demolition of the Homeland Security Agency. These are just a few, of course. But, it gives us an idea of what we have to deal with over the next many years.

So, yesterday, I cast my ballot for the next President of the United States. Mr. Barack Hussein Obama. Please get yourself and all of those around you to the polls. This election matters. Cast your ballot.