Can it get any stranger? A parent demanded that her kid's middle school marching band not play the song Louie, Louie because it has raunchy lyrics. And the principal agreed. Yet, the songs lyrics are unintelligeable and in fact contain nothing inappropriate! You'd think the principal would have at least checked the songs lyrics online before making her decision????? But, no, she took the parents word for it.
Why don't we put every kid in a buble away from anything potentially bad? *rolls eyes*
The sad part was these poor kids were freaked because they didn't have another song to replace Louie, Louie for an event. Fortunately, the truth was learned before the event, so they were able to go forward with the Louie Louie routine.
Yeah, and last I checked, marching bands don't sing lyrics. Oy.
Ok, now the big story is they may charge her for false reporting of a crime. Which it sounds like they may have reason to do. Fine. Charge her with a misdemeanor. But some folks sre talking felony charges. Huh?
I know it cost the police department time and money looking for her and yeah the families are loaded. But felony charges? And all this media circus? I think it's time for the media to move on to another story. This microscopic look at this case is just unnecessary. There are far more important events going on in the world and in this country today.
For example, another 140 people died in Iraq in the last 5 days. In this article it lists how many Iraqis died and how they died, but there is no mention of US casualities....only the number of wounded on a couple of occasions. But I have a hard time believing that no Americans died. The press is simply avoiding talking about the deaths whenever possible.
All the news stations seem to be focussing on the story of the runaway bride from Georgia. While I understand the concern everyone had about her disappearance, now that she has returned safely, I think the news should butt out of the private affairs of this family. What goes on now and why she felt compelled to run away are none of our business.
Obviously she was under a grest deal of stress to have run away. Focussing on their story is only going to further stress out this woman and her family. And stories about how the town feels betrayed are bullshit. Personally I'm very relieved to know that she is safe and that she left on her own accord. That's a far better ending than the family having to deal with the death/murder of a loved one.
Don't these networks have better things to do like, say, the Michael Jackson Trial/Media Circus? LOL.
Since Mikey has decided to make an appearance on my blog showing his ignorace equating Cerebal Palsy and Persistent Vegetative State, I will refer him and anyone who is interested to a medical doctor's blog who delves into the medical facts of the case and the misconceptions some conservatives have about Persistent Vegetative State. An excellent read no matter where you weigh in on the case.
Basically Cerebral Palsy is different that PVS. Cerebral Palsy involves limited brain damage that impairs movement but the patient is conscious and aware. I don't think anyone is advocating killing people with Cerebal Palsy or anything of the like. While folks with Cerebal Palsy do have a cerebral cortex (damaged, but not completely gone), Terri Shiavo completely lacked one. It became filled with fluid as a result of the amount of brain damage she sustained. There was simply no cerebral cortex brain tissue left.
With no cerebral cortex brain tissue, there was no hope of Terri ever improving with therapy or otherwise. Cerebral Palsy patients can improve with therapy, depending on how much/what kind of brain damage they have. Clearly PVS and Cerebral Palsy are two different conditions.
I hate to say this, but in the most layman's terms, the lights were on but no one was home. And she was never coming home. I'd rather see her in the arms of her maker and let her be in peace, than keep her hooked up to a feeding tube waiting for some infection to finally kill her. Because she stated in the past that she would not want to be kept alive in that kind of state.
And that is the key in this case -- Terri said on a number of occasions that she would not want to be kept alive in this state. She said this to family members and friends during the time another family member was dying. That's what the courts went by. That's what I'd want them to go by when a person doesn't have a living will in place. Otherwise, the wishes stated in a living will should be followed. It's a civil liberties issue. End of story. May she now rest in peace.
And may the TV networks stop focussing on what should now be a private family matter as the husband and parents wrangle over the burial details. This stuff is private and should be kept that way.
And I find it interesting that rather than discussing the facts of the case, some folks come around here trolling and spouting profanity. Personally, I couldn't imagine having so little life to waste my time doing that. LOL. And I wouldn't expect my arguments to be taken seriously if I didn't show a reasonable measure of respect in stating them.
My God, all the wackos have come out of the woodwork. From the mostly harmless but stupid folks that try to bring Terri Schiavo water (she's unable to swallow) to the guy who tried to steal a gun in order to kill Michael Schiavo to another guy who solicited for someone to kill Michael Schiavo and/or Judge Greer.
Uhhh...sanity check time. Any of these actions, if successful would end a life. Hmmmmm.....So much for protecting the sanctity of life.
There is an aspect of bad timing to this whole story. The fact that she will likely die during Easter weekend. That's probably adding to the extreme Christian Right hysteria. Meanwhile your average Christian is cringing at the actions of their brethren and longing for less distraction during this holy week.
Why won't they (the extremists) let Terri die in peace? I mean with death she'll finally be at peace. Being Christians, don't they believe she will be taken to heaven? Wouldn't that be a better place for her than in a vegetative state in a hospital? And why must the extremist Republicans accuse Democrats/Liberals of wanting Terri to die? I think 'wanting her death' is not quite accurate. What we want is for her wishes to be protected. Like many others, she dd not want extreme measures to be taken to keep her alive like this.
I realize some of the evidence for that relies on believing Michael Schiavo's testimony. But his was not the only testimony that indicated the Terri had expressed this desire before she became incapacitated.
Meanwhile John Edward, TV psychic, says that Terri is aware of what is going on. What he doesn't say is what she's thinking about the whole circus surrounding her. Not much of a psychic, is he? ;) The least he could do was confirm what she wanted. Or take a message for her parents or Michael.
I know...I'm bad.
The sad thing is I used to kinda take this guy half seriously. LOL
House Panel Seeks to Keep Schiavo Alive. "Working against the clock, House lawmakers tried to prevent doctors in Florida from removing the feeding tube Friday from a severely brain-damaged woman."
We are more humane to our animals than we are to our fellow human beings. In fact the only one benefitting from keeping this poor woman alive is maybe the the parents who have received money from the GOP.
"This inquiry should give hope to Terri, her parents and friends and the millions of people throughout the world who are praying for her safety," House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Majority Leader Tom DeLay and Government Reform chairman Tom Davis said in a joint statement. "This fight is not over."
Uh guys....she's been brain dead for a number of years. She's never going to get better. What kind of life are you fighting so desperately to save?
You are all wasting your energies and money on a vegetable while children go to bed hungry. I don't see you all fighting to save these children from violence and poverty, when they actual have the potential to be active Americans. Instead you champion the life of a woman whose brain died long ago, but her body is being kept alive by artificial means.
And tell me who is praying for her safety? Do you really think there are millions of such people? I think not. I am ashamed at our legislators who have not allowed this woman to pass away peacefully and instead torture her husband to watch her like this day in and day out.
If she were a dog or a cat she would have been put to sleep to prevent her suffering. As a human she's forced to "live" if you want to call it that.
How could any God condone such selfish behavior?
Good news about Baby 81 in Sri Lanka. DNA tests have confirmed the baby boy does belong to the couple who put a formal claim for him. I'm happy to know both the child and the parents get a happy outcome,
This is one of those cases where someone needs to come forward with some $$$ for the DNA testing. If this woman who has staked claim to the child is in fact the mother, then she should be able to take custody of him. And if not, the hospital needs to test each of the other families who has suggested that the child is theirs. If he is not anyone's then the whole thing gets stickier. And it's possible that his family was consumed by the tsunami. Jeez, what a terrible tragedy.....
The news from the tsunami ravaged countries in Asia continues to stun me. The numbers of those killed by the massive waves continues to rapidly rise. And I'm just floored to read here that number of displaced persons is estimated to be between 3-5 Million people. Dear God, the situation there is bleak. I gave one contribution to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies already. I'm thinking I may want to donate more. Maybe to Doctors without Borders or Oxfam.
For those who have ever taken the Tube or plan to in the future: London seeks ways to cool the Tube
Even when it was cool outside when I visited London in 2002, it was stuffy and warm or even hot on the Tube. One of the locals explained that the tubes are too narrow for the trains to carry AC units. That's because the Tube system was built prior to the invention of air conditioning.
Thank God the DC Metro has AC on its trains and its underground stations. That and people generally use deodorant here. ;) Otherwise it could get mighty stinky, especially since it gets hotter for longer in DC than in London.
Today Mary Kay Letourneau has been released from jail. And of course the media is all over it. However the very last line of the article gets me annoyed: Fualaau's (her former student) phone number is unlisted.
How is that important to the story? Aww...the poor reporters couldn't call him and his family up and harrass them. If the whole ordeal hasn't been bad enough, like this guy really needs the media questioning his every thought and action.
Must be a slow news day. Or Bush needs some misdeed of his buried, so Murdoch and the boys are willing to assist, LOL.
I'm just so tired of the crap that poses as news.....
On top of everything else, this story about hackers attacking supercomputers at several universities doesn't make me feel any more secure. God knows, Bush created the Department of Homeland Security, but he sure hasn't funded it properly.
Ted Rall hits the nail on the head with his analogy explaining the emotional election in Spain.
Pfizer to End Tests of Viagra for Women
Excerpt: Experts agree that female sexuality is more complex than male sexuality, involving psychological and physical factors.
Well, duh. I always thought it unlikely that Viagara would do much for female sexuality. The biology and psychology of a female is quite different from that of a male. Guess Pfizer will have to settle for it's current male market share, LOL.
You may have noticed the Washington Post is now requiring users to register to read their articles. Today I looked at the form and found they are asking for far more information than I'm willing to give. Name, address, phone number are typical, and while I'm not thrilled to give those out, they are fair game. But job title, primary responsibility, job industry, and company size I find very intrusive. Yet these are required fields, not optional.
I guess I won't be reading the WaPo online anymore. I'm not thrilled with it's slant these days anyhow.
I'm sick of how most of these ABB (Anybody but Bush) people are contorting themselves to figure out who's the most "electable". One day they like Dean, the next Clark, then Kerry, now Edwards.
Can we pick a friggin' candidate based on the issues? Personally I believe we could run a chimp against Bush and win. But having a chimp run the country would only be minimally better than Bush. (I'm not saying beating Bush is necessarily a sure thing...but people who want Bush out certainly are proving to be not terribly concerned with who's running.)
I want a guy who is going figure out a way to get us out of the hole financially. We only have a few years left before the baby boomers start collecting off of Social Security and Medicaid. Bush & Co chose their tax cut policies such that a) they gave a huge tax break to their rich buddies/contributors and b) so they could ensure there would be no money for any republican or democrat to expand or even maintain any social programs in this country. (Not only 'people' programs, but also maintaining roads and infrastructure.)
Since that is a major concern of mine I particularly like Dean, even after the "I Have a Scream Speech." The guy is gutsy and honest and his record as Governor shows he committed to balancing budgets and creating successful social programs such as Success by Six and healthcare coverage for all children. And this week he showed me he's not about to back away from a fight. Personally, I believe we need that kind of candidate since Rove will smear ANY one of the candaidates.
The media has just done such a bang up job portraying him as angry, etc, while leaving Kerry fairly untouched. One of the reasons why is because Dean has stated that he would break apart the media conglomerates since our news is only coming from a total of 11 independent sources. This makes guys like Rupert Murdoch (owner of conservative Faux..er Fox network) nervous.
These days I don't see MSNBC or CNN as much better than Fox News. They too are more about spin and sensationalism. They've been that way since the OJ Simpson trial.
Instead I'm finding myself gravitating toward C-span and PBS. I just want the facts ma'am. Not any of that spin and other BS.
Meanwhile the ABB crowd is being lead around by the media with this whole notion of electability. They are prepared to vote for who they perceive can win instead of picking the most qualified candidate.
Interestingly, the same sort of media hack job was perpetrated against John McCain. The Bushies went out of their way to use his service in Vietnam to suggest he was not stable. "Someone you should question whether he should have his finger on 'the button'". And hence Bush beat McCain and we ended up with him as prez.
We live in a country that lacks conviction. And one that takes democracy for granted. We let our news media decide the issues for us, since they have have our best interests at heart. *cough* *cough* (Think of all those consumer reports, household tips, etc., that promote the lack of common sense and creativity that is so prevalent in this modern age. LOL.)
When I meet folks that are committed to another candidate and can state reasons A, B, and C, I respect that, even if their support is for a different candidate. But these ABB who are waiting for the rest of the country to decide for them just irk the hell out of me.
If you know me at all, you'd know that I'm not particularly a leader, but I sure as hell ain't a sheep. (I like to think of myself as GDI--God damn independent)
Now granted I will vote in the general election for whomever the candidate may be. But I'm concerned that we will be stuck with Kerry who wouldn't know how to make a tough decision to save his life. Here's a guy who has made a career of bouncing from issue to issue, going with what's popular at the time. Including voting for a war he didn't believe just because it was politically expedient to do so.
Yet the sheep think a guy with a military record will somehow makes him more qualified. The sheep think that the 'safe' candidate is the one they should pick. The sheep want to pick who every one else picks.
I'll repeat my mantra....I ain't no goddamn sheep.
[/rant] [/stream of consciousness]
Worried about the next election? Or at least the electronic voting portion? This won't make you feel much better.
School Board member Rita S. Thompson (R), who lost a close race to retain her at-large seat, said yesterday that the new computers might have taken votes from her. Voters in three precincts reported that when they attempted to vote for her, the machines initially displayed an "x" next to her name but then, after a few seconds, the "x" disappeared.
In response to Thompson's complaints, county officials tested one of the machines in question yesterday and discovered that it seemed to subtract a vote for Thompson in about "one out of a hundred tries," said Margaret K. Luca, secretary of the county Board of Elections.
This news story about an Italian base in Iraq being attacked by a suicide bomber demonstrates that the Fadayeen and/or al Qaida will target any foreign presence in Iraq, not just the American one. But what caught my eyes wasn't as much the story itself but this paragraph:
Italy has sent about 2,300 troops to help rebuild Iraq. About 340 Carabinieri are based in Nasiriyah, along with 110 Romanians. No Romanians were reported wounded in Wednesday's attack.
Okay, last I checked, Romanians are from Romania, not Italy. Romans are from Rome, Italy. *snicker*
Switching from funny stories to scary stories, here's an op-ed from Ted Rall that hits the nail on the head. The kid from down the road from me [in Damascus, MD] should be rewarded and not punished for demonstrating the holes still present in airport security. All these changes, all these supposed improvements apparently mean zippo. We are no safer than we were on that day in September.
And why the hell not? Oh yeah, those tax cuts for the rich. Why fund Homeland Security when there are possible donors to refund tax dollars to.....
I'm not sure what makes me more sick--Bush, Cheney et al. running their mouths off instilling more fear this week, or reading how September 11th could have been prevented. I think the latter. Knowing that 3000 people died and our lives changed forever, all because the Bush administration and its cronies *ignored* all the intel Clinton et al had collected on Osama bin Laden and sat by and did *nothing*.
Read it for yourself here.
I'm too disgusted to say much more.
I read an article about tribal infighting in Congo, the first large-scale massacre since the UN Peacekeepers arrived. Since I didn't know much of the history of this conflict I clicked on the link to the right of the WP article that leads to a Macromedia presentation that summarizes the region's history nicely. [Click on 'A Guide to the Congo Wars']
Using a narrator, footage and pictures, it presents the material in chronological order, telling the story of the Congo from prior to WWII to present day. I highly reccomend this Macromedia presentation to anyone who would like a glimpse at what this conflict in Congo is really about. I was stunned to learn this conflict has resulted in the most civilian deaths in this half century of any war. Unfortunately, this conflict does not receive much attention when our TV news media prefer to focus on the circuslike atmosphere of California politics.
If lying to this country about reasons for going to war weren't enough, now we see how the Bush Administration deals with people who speak out. They rat out their wives. Joseph Wilson, who determined that the yellow cake uranium was not being sold to Iraq by Niger and who spoke out to say that the Bush contention was false, found his wife's name leaked to the press as a CIA agent, probably in retalliation.
Wilson's wife (Plame) was a covert op for the CIA, and not 'just an analyst' as some Republicans tried to spin. Having her cover blown puts many of her contacts in jeopardy. And blowing the cover of an operative is a federal offense, punishable by 10 years in prison.
So while the Repubs may be whining that this is a partison attack on the White House, this is no laughing matter. Especially since Plame specialized in tracking WMD. The loss of her cover is huge. And this story could get even huger.
Might wake up some sleeping Americans as to the real intents of the Bush Adminstration. If we're lucky.
Since Isabel is likely to come for an unwanted visit Thursday or Friday, I have to go shopping. I'm not panicked or anything. It's just I didn't bother to get a loaf of bread when I was at the store Sunday. Now additionally I need to buy some batteries for my radio and a gallon jug of water. And maybe some more snacking food. Otherwise, there is no point in buying more stuff to put in my fridge or my freezer if in fact the lights do go out.
I'll probably gas up my car tomorrow. That about covers it. With all that in place, Isabel will likely go up to Jersey or Long Island and bother folks up there and leave me the hell alone. LOL. :)
Figures. I schedule with my parents to finally come down this upcoming weekend so we can paint the trim on my house and now there is a hurricane taking aim on the East Coast. Just my luck. I'll have to watch this storm closely...*sigh* She's a category 5, which is not good for the East Coast if she comes our way and stays at that intensity. (Though she'll probably downgrade some before she gets here.)
Granted my house is much further inland than my parents. (They live in South Jersey.) I remember Hurricane Gloria in the '80s....lotta rain and wind. We got the day off from school. Gloria came within 50 miles of the Jersey coast...something like that. And she was no category 5. I think she might have been category 3 at best.
At most, we lost a tree in our front yard. The sole pine tree, my dad was thrilled to be rid of it. Gave him an excuse to cut it down. I remember him and the neighbors cutting it down during the storm, admist all the rain. It had broken a major root and had started to lean badly and sway. So they took it down before it came down on the house or on other trees in the yard.
I'm getting mighty nervous...I buy my first house and already there is a category 5 storm threatening. *sigh* Just what I need.
You know I'll be watching the Weather Channel 24/7 this week.
Now Israel not only wants to expel Arafat--they want to kill him. Oh nice. Further proof in my eyes as to how bloodthirsty and desparate Israel has become. I've always been taught two wrongs don't make a right. And in this situation I think killing Arafat would only make things worse for Israel. What are they thinking????
Each day I feel I recognize the world we live in less and less. It's staggering how much the world has changed in the last 2-3 years.
'Jane--Stop this crazy thing!'
First we spend the week remembering death (9/11), then we deal with more death. Add John Ritter and Johnny Cash to Warren Zevon earlier in the week. No wonder everyone at work has been wearing lots of black. It's just been grim.....
The Bush Administration coerced the EPA to lie to the residents of NYC about the air quality following the 9/11 attack on the WTC. Or at least that's how I interpret this article .The EPA reassured people that the air quality was not hazardous because of national security reasons, so they and the administration claim. Great, national security becomes more important than personal security. Makes ya feel real safe doesn't it? Read the whole story here.
It seems that Europe is suffering from not only from excessive heat, but also severe drought. It's so dry that the Danube is at record low levels, allowing for residents of Croatia to find large Nazi military relics from WWII--including a jeep and a tank.
Their weather pattern is in stark contrast to the cooler wet summer the Northeast has been experiencing.
I bet the folks are in Iraq are finding the irony in a portion of the US and Canada having to deal with a major blackout and all that goes with it. Here they are complaining of temps of 90 degrees. That's nothing compared to the 120s the Iraqis and American soldiers have to deal with, having no consistent electricity.
I had planned to go to Western New York this weekend, but now I have to check to see if power has been restored there before I leave. I may have to put off going until another time if its not back on yet.
A week ago I ranted about jokes that reeked of racism. It turns out the particular item I received that ticked me off that day was the same item that an Arkansas official resigned his position over. Apparently he passed the 'poem' onto members of his staff, some of whom found it offensive. The thing that gets me is the guy doesn't quite get why it was offensive. Sheesh.
Stole that title from TVBarn. But it's so true! Jerry Springer files to run for the US Senate? It's gotta be a sign! The end is near.
Additionally, I got the email this morning that Dean is demanding resignation from "those in this administration who misled the nation and misled the world in making the case for pre-emptive war." I love that he's knocking things up a notch. Someone needs to. But Bush quitting? That would be a sign of the end, even if I would so love seeing him have to step down. LOL.
It appears that researchers at NASA have found what they are calling the 'smoking gun.' A test on Monday showed that a piece of the shuttle foam, released during takeoff was capable of putting a gaping hole in the shuttle's wing at 500 mph. Knowing that doesn't bring the crew back, but it sure goes a long way toward rebuilding trust in the space agency. It also suggests that there had been no chance of making inflight repairs since the hole could have been too large to fix with the materials the astronauts had on hand. Perhaps this will close the latest tragic chapter at NASA.
Enough to make anyone feel ill. Oy. Wake up America and smell the coffee.
I still haven't mentioned this here, but my boss had been raving since December that the Farmers' Almanac predicted a big storm for this past weekend. I heard about this every freaking time it snowed. (I'm not kidding!) Now when I do finally go back to work, I'll hear how the Almanac was so right....LOL.