Experience demands that man is the only animal which devours his own kind, for I can apply no milder term to the general prey of the rich on the poor.

Thomas Jefferson

For god’s sake, let us hope he doesn’t show up to the tea party with some kool-aid.

America is a great idea that embarrasses herself too often in clumsy spectacle on the pages of history. It is too bad, really, that our principles of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” are too readily discarded in favor of mob rule and fear. Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, and the like, are parasites on our nation’s irrational. They are blood thirsty predators looking for the crippled prey among the citizenry.

We are also blessed at this point in history with a president who seems to not really know what he wants to be when he grows up. Not good timing. And his is an awkward service, one that seems blind to its great strength and yet always striking out when and where it is weakest. Hey dude, seriously, stay out of the local politics, quit trying to spin the economy, and grow some freaking cojones and stand up to the conservative lynch mob that has been trying to kill you before you ever escaped the womb.

Now that that is cleared up, I have been liberated in spare time and motivation to jump back in to this mad, mad world of blogging. See you soon.

This is the state that didn’t want a MLK day, too, no?

How can anyone suggest these are merely random and not related to White Power? It need not wear a hood or be named Jim Crow to be an assault (institutional or otherwise) on people of another color.

This pic really cracks me up. Visit Like Cool for the original.

The Oklahoma legislature is one of the most hostile elective bodies to women’s rights in the nation. Last year, it passed a far-right measure that would have collected personal details about every single abortion performed in the state and posted them on a public website. Although the questionnaire would not have asked for name, address, or “any information specifically identifying the patient,” as Feminists for Choice pointed out, the questions could easily be used to identify a woman in a small community (emphasis is mine).

skip, skip, snip:

The law mandates that the screen be turned so the patient can see the ultrasound and orders doctors to describe the size of the fetus and any viewable organs and limbs. There are no exceptions for rape or incest. It also limits who can do the ultrasound and which technology can be used — issues lawmakers are ill-equipped to decide. If doctors veer from these mandates, they can be stopped from performing abortions and sued. The law intrudes far deeper into people’s medical decisions than anything in the controversial new federal health care law. (emphasis not mine; original)

Sigh.

on DADT, Dear Jim thinks that disallowing discrimination in the military would change foxhole dynamics:

And you know — you hear the stories all the time. A military guy — I happen to be Army, and Army and Marines always feel that when we’re out there, we’re not doing it for the flag or the country; we’re doing it for the guy in the next foxhole. And that would dramatically change that.

Dear Jim also lead the charge against Obama’s nominee for SCOTUS:

“While her service as the Dean of Harvard Law School is an impressive credential, decisions she made in that role demonstrated poor judgment. While there, she banned the U.S. military from recruiting on campus, an issue very important to me.

My understanding is that indeed military recruiting could and do continue, but it occurs through the school’s VA center.

So, for these two assertions, Dear Jim deserves to be known as today’s Daily Prick.

And to vent a bit: it really cheeses me off that I am charged $ (minimal, but still!) to keep my landline name & number private. Why the hells bells is the default such that that info is public and not private. The friendly and sociable folks that desire random phone calls from assorted peoples should need to opt-in. Facebook tactics before Facebook tactics existed.

via Love Your Chaos

“Life is a promise; fulfill it.” – Mother Theresa

Recently, I spoke to a room full of high school students on the topic of “Don’t Waste Your Life.” Among the advice that I gave them, I offered this nugget of truth: “Don’t just drift through life. Live intentionally and on purpose.” I believe that is one of the most important lessons that a person can learn – and the sooner we get it, the better.

Living a simple life certainly requires intentionality. In a world that is hectic, busy, and hurried, simplicity is not. In a culture that encourages selfishness and excess, minimalism does not. And in a society that is rushing to gain more, satisfaction with less is counter-cultural.

To live an intentional life, we must begin by laying a proper foundation and then add practical steps on top of it.

First, Lay the Foundation.

Realize that your life is made up of choices. Every morning is a new day full of decisions and opportunity. You get to pick your attitude and your decisions. You don’t have to let the circumstances of your past negatively determine the pattern of your life in the future. You have a choice in the matter. You do not need to be stuck in the same pattern of living that you have been for years… realize that every morning is a new opportunity.
Evaluate the culture that you’re swimming in. Life is not lived in a vacuum. It is lived surrounded by a culture that is moving somewhere. This culture around us forms a swift downstream current. Living an intentional life will require you to take a step back and evaluate the flow of the stream to determine where it is headed, how it is affecting you, and if it is taking you in a direction you desire.
Examine yourself. Know who you are. Get a strong handle on your passions, talents, abilities, and weaknesses. Give precious time and energy to this endeavor. It is one of the most valuable things you can do.
Second, Add Practical Steps.

Decide to live your life. Stop comparing yourself to others. You were not born to live their life. There is no sense wasting yours being jealous of theirs. Instead, you were born to live your life – determine today to be good at it. After all, you only get one shot.
Define a purpose. Identify what you want your life to communicate and contribute. Find a passion to live for that is bigger than yourself. Write it down. It will bring new meaning to your life. It will wake you from the slow death of only living for yourself.
Set goals. Goals move us and goals shape us. Set goals that are directly in line with your defined purpose. By their very nature, they will introduce intentionality into your life.
Stay focused. We live in a world of constant connectivity and distraction that is begging for our attention nearly every moment of the day. Learn to turn off the distraction and live your life instead. Turn off the tv and don’t read gossip magazines. Remove nonessential physical belongings that are robbing you of time and energy that could be better spent living intentionally.
Learn from others. Successful people are curious people. They possess the humility to learn from others. Identify people accomplishing your pupose and goals. Then, study them and learn from them.
The worst thing you could ever waste is your life. Instead, commit yourself to live intentionally and on purpose.

Go to the site. Read more. Good stuff.

Last summer, we reached the six-month mark in our cannabis experiment. We’d been using medical marijuana to help quell our autistic son’s gut pain and anxiety, and we were seeing some huge changes in his behavior and, presumably, his happiness. J was smiling, interacting (one of home-based therapists said she’d never encountered such an affectionate autistic child), even putting his dirty dishes in the dishwasher—rinsing and everything!—not only without being told, but without ever having been asked to do such a thing.

No. No. No. Pot has zero medical benefits & these anecdotal warm and fuzzy stories about how pot can help with certain features of autism is not permissible. Besides, the kid might get addicted. Or he might get cancer. Or watch Jon Stewart. And giggle.

“We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo van Gogh for airing this show… The anti-”South Park” post includes audio from a sermon in which the speaker says assassination is justifiable punishment for those who defame Muhammad… CNN says Al-Amrikee, the author of the post, said the al-Awlaki sermon was included in his post to remind Muslims that insulting the prophet is a severe offense for which the punishment in Islam is death.

Sigh. I hate bullies.

Apparently translated as “I will not be your father.”

original post.