Deaths continue in Iraq

The Iraq War, packaged as "Operation Iraqi Freedom," has been pushed off the front pages and the evening news lately. The American public is tired of bad news. (Please see post below.)

Meanwhile, Iraqi civilians and American and Iraqi soldiers continue to die. Families are torn apart and homes are destroyed. Many of our dead soldiers are young -- most had just begun to live as adults. We'll never know what wonderful things they could have done in their lives, because they served our country with, as the saying goes, the ultimate sacrifice.

Whether you support President Bush's decision to invade Iraq and fight this war or not, don't forget that it is still raging on. Soldiers like Corey Spates are dying almost daily. Please don't forget.

Sgt. Corey E. Spates, 21, of LaGrange, Ga., died Sunday in Diyala Province, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered a roadside bomb. He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment.

Spates joined the military in May 2004 as an armor crewman and was assigned to the 2nd Squadron since August 2006. He deployed November 2007.

Spates' decorations and awards include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Combat Action Badge, Driver Mechanic Badge and Driver Wheeled Vehicle.

From the local LaGrange Daily News:

He told his wife that every night he looked at the moon and sent a kiss and a prayer to her side of the world.

He told his father, Steve Spates, that the tight end that decided not to accept University of Georgia’s football bid would regret that decision.

Two weeks before his death, Spates sent his wife roses for her birthday.

A week later, he sent a second dozen roses to celebrate their anniversary.

Five days after his death, she received his Valentine’s Day gifts - including a box of chocolates from the place where they honeymooned.

When you hear the politicians talk about bringing home the troops, think of Corey. And then pick up the phone and call your Senators and Representatives and tell them this war must stop.

Clinton/ Obama Exit polls: Who wins the "Grownup voter"?

I don't know when it happened, but apparently I've turned into one of "them." You know, the party poopers. The grownups. The ones who tell you not to sit too close to the t.v. The ones who correct your grammar. The ones who tell your child to stop running in the store. The ones who say "Someone's going to put an eye out."

Now don't get me wrong, when I was younger, I was a complete idealist — as I'm sure Hillary Clinton was, too. I grew up "inside the beltway" and have been fascinated with politics my entire life. I campaigned at my elementary school for George McGovern when I was eleven. My first presidential election I voted for John Anderson (yeah, remember him?!). I've been to peace rallies, no nukes rallies; I've ridden on a bus for 15 hours to march on Washington.

When I was seven years old I was in the car with my mom when we heard on the radio that Martin Luther King Jr. had been shot. I will never ever forget how upset she was at that news.

I tell you all of this because I want you to understand: I want to have a better world. I want peace. These are core values of mine. The thing is, I have learned in my years of involvement in all of these causes and issues that there are some realities in how things get done.

Yes, there's the adult speaking again. The party pooper raining on the Obama parade. But here's the reality, folks: this country is screwed up! We are closing in on 4,000 American dead in a war that no one here even pays much attention to any more -- a war that was begun under false pretenses. Our economy's down the toilet, gas prices are out of sight and oil companies fight off every effort to develop true renewable alternatives. We have troops in Afghanistan fighting and dying, and we're consumed with the latest "scandal" on the campaign trail. America has become a nation of toddlers: "Ooh look! Something shiny and bright! I want it!"

What's behind that shine, folks? I am afraid that it's as thin as some pretty foil — all shine and no substance. So call me an old fart if you want. I call it growing up.

I continue to support Hillary Clinton as the most qualified candidate to take over the White House. She wants all the same change that Obama speechifies on. The difference is that she has the experience and the understanding to take on the challenge of bringing about that change. He does not. She will be able to lead, he will not. He will rely on advisers and confidantes, and where have we seen this before? For the past 7 years George W. Bush has overcome his "inexperience" by bringing in Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, etc., and what has happened?

So don't waggle shiny things in front of me, Sen. Obama. I outgrew that a long time ago.

Wednesday poetry break ... with a dash of snark

You Smiled, You Spoke, and I Believed

You smiled, you spoke, and I believed,
By every word and smile deceived.
Another man would hope no more;
Nor hope I what I hoped before:
But let not this last wish be vain;
Deceive, deceive me once again!

— Walter Savage Landor

(And yes, that's 3 shots for those of you playing the Obama Drinking Game ....)

While we wait for the election results ....

Something completely different ... and silly, to distract you.

While filling out a form recently, I had to write in my occupation. Well, my formal occupation is "Trainer," because I train people how to use software an' stuff. Trouble is, whenever someone sees that job title they always say "Oh really?" And then they kind of look me up and down.

You see, this is a "Trainer":

This is "Not a Trainer":

Obama's speeches: Not plagiarism, but still less than honest

No doubt by now you've heard about allegations by the Clinton campaign that Obama has plagiarized parts of a recent speech by using the same words and intonation used by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. Obama's response is that he and Gov. Patrick are friends and have discussed strategies, and that he used Gov. Patrick's lines with his tacit approval:

"I'm happy to give Deval credit, as I give credit to a lot people for spurring all kinds of ideas," he said. "But I think that it is fair to say that everything that we've been doing in generating excitement and the interest that people have in the election is based on the core belief in me that we need change in America."

Note: Those of you participating in the Obama Drinking Game should have taken one shot at this point. Please, pace yourself today!

Because Obama says he had discussed these words with Gov. Patrick, it does not seem to fit the definition of plagiarism. However, it does strike me as fairly dishonest and yes -- phony. He's selling us on the idea of change and new ideas while recycling someone else's campaign speech.

His charm is lost on me. As Hillary Clinton has said: "If your whole candidacy is about words, they should be your own words."

Texas poll shows dead heat among Dems

(CNN) -- It's all tied up in Texas.

A new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll suggests the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination between Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois is a statistical dead heat in Texas, which holds primaries March 4.

In the survey, out Monday, 50 percent of likely Democratic primary voters support Clinton as their choice for the party's nominee, with 48 percent backing Obama.

Take your pick of headache remedies, my friends. Or perhaps just drop the alka seltzer directly into the vodka. That works, too.

And here's some really insightful commentary from the experts:

"One reason the race appears to be tight is that Texas Democrats are having a hard time choosing between two attractive options," says CNN polling director Keating Holland.

Apparently Keating Holland holds a Doctor of Tautology degree.

Pakistani voters reject Musharraf —and U.S. policies

It looks like Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf may be on his way out, following elections held in that country yesterday. Although finals votes have not been counted, there did not appear to be any tampering or intimidation by the ruling party, as had been feared by many. From the New York Times:

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistanis dealt a crushing defeat to President Pervez Musharraf in parliamentary elections on Monday, in what government and opposition politicians said was a firm rejection of his policies since 2001 and those of his close ally, the United States.

Almost all the leading figures in the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, the party that has governed for the last five years under Mr. Musharraf, lost their seats, including the leader of the party, the former speaker of Parliament and six ministers.

Official results are expected Tuesday, but early returns indicated that the vote would usher in a prime minister from one of the opposition parties, and opened the prospect of a Parliament that would move to undo many of Mr. Musharraf’s policies and that may even try to remove him.

In parliamentary elections, of course, voters vote for the party rather than the candidate. So in theory, Musharraf could decide to try to hold onto the presidency even if his party is not in the majority. However, most observers believe he knows that would be a futile — perhaps even deadly — decision.

“Musharraf should be preparing a C-130 for Turkey,” Mr. Ahsan said, referring to Mr. Musharraf’s statements that he might retire to Turkey, where he spent part of his childhood.

Two politicians close to Mr. Musharraf have said in the past week that the president was well aware of the drift in the country against him and they suggested that he would not remain in office if the new government was in direct opposition to him. “He does not have the fire in the belly for another fight,” said one member of his party. He added that Mr. Musharraf was building a house for himself in Islamabad and would be ready soon to move.

Now, let's see how Dana Perino and the rest of the White House gang spin this one ....

A lighter moment

I feel like I've bummed us all out with the last few posts (except for Sir Charles, of course!). So it's time to bring out the secret weapon: puppies. They're not the ones down the hall, but could be their litter mates. Enjoy.

And then out of nowhere, comes Charles Barkely

This should put a smile on your face!




Isn't it wonderful to see Wolf Blitzer squirm when faced with honesty? Imagine: a person who quite clearly believes he is speaking the truth and doesn't care about "political" repercussions!

Hate crimes, sadly, are not something new

I'm going to warn you right now -- this is sad. I encourage you to watch, though, because it is really powerful. And I promise you that I am looking for some uplifting news to post later today, because although I want to give as much attention as I can to victims of violence, I also know they wouldn't want us to stop living and laughing. So watch this, and then step outside in the sunshine for a few minutes and look at the sky. (Thank god my co-worker brought her puppies to work today!) Take a deep breath, and do something to stop the madness.



h/t to Mid-Life Clarity for the video.

Coming soon to a home near you: Guns

Guns. I've never shot one. I don't understand the appeal of holding one, having one, shooting one. All I know is they are destroying lives throughout America. In the past 2 weeks I have read about the shootings of a young gay teen in California, an entire family in Maryland shot by their 15-year old son while they slept, and 21 shot with 6 dead in a classroom at Northern Illinois University.

I know there are other stories, too. Lives are ended daily in inner cities across this country, from Baltimore to Detroit to L.A. You may wonder where these guns are coming from, and the sad news is that guns are extremely easy to buy in America. Disturbingly so. From the AP:

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The online gun dealer who sold a weapon to the Virginia Tech shooter said it was an unnerving coincidence that he also sold handgun accessories to the man who killed five students at Northern Illinois University.

Another website run by Thompson's company, www.thegunstore.com, also sold a Walther .22-caliber handgun to Seung-Hui Cho, who killed 32 people in April on the Virginia Tech campus before killing himself.

"I'm still blown away by the coincidences," Thompson said Friday. "I'm shaking. I can't believe somebody would order from us again and do this."

Coincidences? Is he kidding? As long as guns are available like this, we will continue to see these "coincidences" again and again. I don't want to hear any more citizens or especially politicians twisting the Second Amendment for their own purposes. The right to bear arms was written into the Constitution so that a young nation could have a "well regulated militia" for protection and security of the nation — not so that you could go target shooting with a Glock 9 mm handgun.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is working to demand stronger gun laws. We have got to get together on this as a nation before our youngsters feel the only way to to solve their problems is with a gun.

To be young and gay, often means to be dead

"The real issue is not the kid coming out, but the kid sitting next to him."

You haven't seen this story on the evening news, and none of the presidential candidates has mentioned it. But earlier this week, a 15-year old boy was shot in the back of the head by a classmate. Students were just sitting down in their seats when the 14-year old assailant suddenly pulled out a gun and shot Lawrence. He shot Lawrence because he was gay and it freaked him out.

From the LA Times:

Police have not determined a motive in the slaying but said it appeared to stem from a personal dispute between King and the suspect.

[S]everal students at the south Oxnard campus said King and his alleged assailant had a falling out stemming from King's sexual orientation.

The teenager sometimes wore feminine clothing and makeup, and proclaimed he was gay, students said.

"He would come to school in high-heeled boots, makeup, jewelry and painted nails -- the whole thing," said Michael Sweeney, 13, an eighth-grader. "That was freaking the guys out."

As regular readers know, I used to teach middle school. So I know, it doesn't take much to freak out the guys. I also know that when something like this happens it is imperative that the adults make a clear sign that this is wrong -- very wrong -- and it will not be tolerated.

Yet the LGBT community is still waiting to hear one of our "adults" (i.e., elected officials and those who would hope to be elected) stand up and make a statement about this tragedy. As blogger Sara Whitman has noted:

The message of hate is getting through to our kids, loud and clear. It’s okay to kill someone who freaks you out because they don’t fit a gender role to your liking.

And think about these words spoken by Lorri Jean, CEO of the L.A Gay Center, at a memorial for Lawrence King:

No one is born hating gay and transgender people or believing that we should be denied equal rights. Such hatred and bigotry must be learned. It is learned in families that don’t accept their own children if they’re different than the norm. It is learned in right wing churches where ministers preach abomination or in schools where teachers and administrators don’t protect LGBT kids from bullying and harassment. It is learned from political leaders who support blatant discrimination again us or whose leadership fails them when it’s time to speak out and take action on behalf of our equality and our humanity.

Superdelegates? Really? Michelle Obama's clothes? Clinton's campaign manager? Is that what's important? Of course not. So when will either Clinton or Obama show some real leadership, refocus on the priorities, and make a clear statement denouncing this act? 

Poll shows Clinton far ahead in Ohio, Pennsylvania, but unclear on Texas

It's alka seltzer time again, folks.

If you're an Obama supporter, you probably won't be able to watch the entire video below. I understand, and that's o.k. But if you're a Hillary Clinton supporter and need a little pick-me-up before we head into the weekend, I think you'll enjoy Alicia Keys singing "Superwoman."

Obama an agent of change? Really?

This looks like "old school" politics to me:

Superdelegates get campaign cash

Many of the superdelegates who could well decide the Democratic presidential nominee have already been plied with campaign contributions by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, a new study shows.

Obama's political action committee has doled out more than $694,000 to superdelegates since 2005, the study found, and of the 81 who had announced their support for Obama, 34 had received donations totaling $228,000.

Clinton's political action committee has distributed about $195,000 to superdelegates, and only 13 of the 109 who had announced for her have received money, totaling about $95,000.

So, tell me again how Barack Obama is different from the rest of the politicians? He's been buttering up the super delegates for 3 years! (Quick math check if you don't egt what I'm saying: this means he's been doing it since he was first elected to the U.S. Senate.)

Obama has a political machine behind him. He is not a Washington outsider. His passionate claim to be "different" other politicians is not merely misleading — it's a lie.

This is the kind of backdoor politics I fear we will have with a President Obama, and it's why I worry so much about his supporters who seem to be blinded by that double-barreled shot: charisma and good speechwriters.