Do You Want to Secede From the Nation?

What kind of patriotic person becomes a member of a group that wants Alaska to secede from the nation? Seriously, have you ever thought, "You know what? I think Illinois should quit the Union. It's time we go our separate ways." I bet not. Oklahoma, have you thought that? New Jersey, you? Wisconsin, California, Oregon have any of you thought that?

I know our Southern friends at one point thought it...but, lately? I don't think folks in Atlanta or Baton Rouge or Memphis think, "Yeah, it's still not working for us--we're out of here. Let's quit this stuff!" Maybe the folks with the stars and bars gloriously fluttering in the wind behind their pick up trucks might think they'd like to split, but not most thoughtful, patriotic people. They know we are one people and one country...just as Obama has so eloquently pointed out numerous times. That is America, not ideas of secession.

A glittery Swarovski crystal flag pin doesn't a patriot make.

"Keep up the good work, and God bless you." Palin said to the Alaska Independent Party convention...this year!





Oh, and God Bless America...I guess.

Did They Not Know All of This Stuff?! Why Not...

Sarah Palin. The good times just keep coming, don't they? Did the McCain people really do their research on her as they said they did? If so, were all of the things we're now finding out about her OK with them?: belonging to an Alaska secession movement, pregnant 17 year old daughter (even though they're all into the abstinence only programs...), being for the bridge to nowhere until it was politically expedient to be against it, actually appealing to get millions in earmarked money for Alaska and then pretending to be independent and a reformer...the list goes on and on.

If they didn't research her and would have found a problem with all of these revelations, why didn't they? What did they look at? Did they just look at her anti-abortion stance and pro guns stance and the fact that she's a woman? That doesn't cut it. Not by far.

If you were the presidential nominee, wouldn't you look under every rock and around every corner and in every media outlet and find out the deal on your possible VP nominee? Wouldn't you have done a better job in picking someone than McCain? What does that say about McCain's judgment?

How About Those Abstinence Only Programs, Huh?!

Obama is a gentleman and told his people that the fact that Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin's 17 year old daughter is pregnant is not anything for them to use politically. He reminded them that his mom had him at a young age and that the candidate's family members are not up for grabs. Classy, once again.

I, however, have no compunction and will slam this hypocritical bullshit. Republican family values any one? Abstinence only programs instead of sex education that tells you how not to get pregnant?! Moralizing about gays while you play footsie in a men's john?! No. This is dupicitous bullshit.

I guess just learning to say "No." and not learning how to use a condom doesn't always work... Huh. Go figure. Perhaps a little knowledge about how the body works and what you can do to prevent pregnancy might be in order.

Maybe people need to do more than just Join the Abstinence Movement.

Obama commented in his speech at the democratic convention that surely both sides of the abortion issue can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies...Or, the Republicans like Sarah Palin can teach their kids about the sacred nature of their virginity and then not tell them how to keep from getting pregnant.

Nice.

Oh, along with abstinence only programs in the schools, Palin also wants Creationism to be taught alongside Evolution as a sort of competition of ideas thing--healthy for our children to be able to debate it, she thinks. But, I'm kind of questioning her judgment right about now, aren't you too? OK, maybe, but only if they'll include the Chinese universe in an egg creation story--that's my favorite. As a homeschooler, I can't help thinking that maybe they can go over that creation story during the Spring when they're tending the eggs in the incubator waiting for them to hatch. Get the tie-in?

Unit Study!!

'Cause it wouldn't be just one creation story in science class would it? No. It couldn't be--that'd be unamerican. We've got the whole no establishing of a religion right there as clear as day in the 1st amendment. Right? A public school couldn't use just one creation story if they were going to try to teach creationism in a science class. That would be establishing a state religion, like Iran or something. Silly! The Republicans wouldn't want to do that would they?! They believe in America--they say that all the time!! "Country First", right?

Journalist Amy Goodman Arrested at RNC

I just came back from a very fun family visit where we all wished my father a very happy 80th birthday. We love him and he loves us.

I thought I would come back home and download some pictures and write about how my kids adore their older cousins and how much fun we siblings had laughing and joking with each other and my parents and how my mom got way too much food and how we all agree that that is what you do to be abundantly welcoming and it's just unavoidable...and delicious.

At my parents house, I was in news limbo and didn't watch anything except a bee video we got at our library (Did you know that if honeybees get rained on and then get cold, they're sort of paralyzed and just sit there getting soaked?) We all thought it was interesting. I didn't get on the computer all weekend, which these days is very rare. So, after we kissed my folks goodbye and came home and relaxed a little, I got online to read Daily Kos and Huffington Post.

It was there that I discovered that journalist Amy Goodman had been arrested outside the Republican National Convention. She was trying to find out about two of her producers who earlier had been arrested while covering thousands of protesters.

This is shocking, and wrong and scary. So, instead of writing about my weekend, I feel like screaming out to the world that our constitutionally protected freedoms are being trampled, ignored, stolen away and I hope people start to realize how unAmerican this behavior is...This is not democracy. Democracy is protecting the voices that you might not even agree with, but have the right to be heard. Speech is protected here. We are not a dictatorship. We are guaranteed rights by the constitution and the first of those specifically outlined is the 1st amendment where we learn we have these rights,

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

It's clear to me that those were the first things outlined to be fully protected because those are the things that allow for people to speak truth to power--what a democracy allows and demands. Use it, or lose it...If you can't think about God (or lack thereof, if you so choose) or talk about whatever the hell you want or meet people wherever you want and write it all up on a nifty blog or speak about it on Democracy Now! as Amy Goodman does every single day, then you really won't be in much of a democracy.

Here's a release from Democracy Now! explaining what happened to Amy.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
www.democracynow.org

September 1, 2008

Contact:
Dennis Moynihan
Mike Burke

ST. PAUL, MN—Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman was unlawfully arrested in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota at approximately 5 p.m. local time. Police violently manhandled Goodman, yanking her arm, as they arrested her. Video of her arrest can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/...

Goodman was arrested while attempting to free two Democracy Now! producers who were being unlawfuly detained. They are Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. Kouddous and Salazar were arrested while they carried out their journalistic duties in covering street demonstrations at the Republican National Convention. Goodman’s crime appears to have been defending her colleagues and the freedom of the press.

Ramsey County Sherrif Bob Fletcher told Democracy Now! that Kouddous and Salazar were being arrested on suspicion of rioting. They are currently being held at the Ramsey County jail in St. Paul.

Democracy Now! is calling on all journalists and concerned citizens to call the office of Mayor Chris Coleman and the Ramsey County Jail and demand the immediate release of Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar. These calls can be directed to: Chris Rider from Mayor Coleman’s office at 651-266-8535 and the Ramsey County Jail at 651-266-9350 (press extension 0).

Democracy Now! stands by Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar and condemns this action by Twin Cities law enforcement as a clear violation of the freedom of the press and the First Amenmdent rights of these journalists.

During the demonstration in which they were arrested law enforcement officers used pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion grenades and excessive force. Several dozen others were also arrested during this action.

Amy Goodman is one of the most well-known and well-respected journalists in the United States. She has received journalism’s top honors for her reporting and has a distinguished reputation of bravery and courage. The arrest of Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar is a transparent attempt to intimidate journalists from the nation’s leading independent news outlet.

Democracy Now! is a nationally-syndicated public TV and radio program that airs on over 700 radio and TV stations across the US and the globe.

Video of Amy Goodman’s Arrest: http://www.youtube.com/...

This is not OK.