Sign of the Times

Remember the saying about the sixties:

"If you remember the sixties, you weren't really there."?

I read this today:

"If you didn't blog about the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, you weren't really there."

Imagine We The People

After airplane mechanical issues in Charlotte and the rumor (?) of a 'suspicious package' on the Metro yellow train plus significant overcrowding, I and a Miami college student who also made the trip alone emerged from the Metro Center into the sunlight of a beautiful day in our nation's capitol. Despite the delays and packed trains, let me just say I witnessed only courtesy and not one single complaint from anyone. Not. One. Complaint. Thanks to the residents of DC who were friendly and helpful to its visitors.

Being at the National Mall is a thrill that should be experienced by everyone. To be there to participate in a cause in which you feel strongly is unsurpassed. I've been there three times: 1) the march against the invasion of Iraq, 2) the march for women's lives, and 3) rally to restore sanity and/or fear. The ability to participate in these events is second only to voting in my experiences of patriotism.

The Rally to Restore Sanity may be viewed in its entirety here.

Slideshow of funniest signs may be viewed here and here.

Full text of Jon Stewart's closing remarks: A Moment of Sincerity.

“I can’t control what people think this was. I can only tell you my intentions. This was not a rally to ridicule people of faith or people of activism or to look down our noses at the heartland or passionate argument or to suggest that times are not difficult and that we have nothing to fear. They are and we do. But we live now in hard times, not end times. And we can have animus and not be enemies.


But unfortunately one of our main tools in delineating the two broke. The country’s 24 hour political pundit perpetual panic conflictinator did not cause our problems but its existence makes solving them that much harder. The press can hold its magnifying up to our problems bringing them into focus, illuminating issues heretofore unseen or they can use that magnifying glass to light ants on fire and then perhaps host a week of shows on the sudden, unexpected dangerous flaming ant epidemic.


If we amplify everything we hear nothing. There are terrorists and racists and Stalinists and theocrats but those are titles that must be earned. You must have the resume. Not being able to distinguish between real racists and Tea Partiers or real bigots and Juan Williams and Rick Sanchez is an insult, not only to those people but to the racists themselves who have put in the exhausting effort it takes to hate--just as the inability to distinguish terrorists from Muslims makes us less safe not more. The press is our immune system. If we overreact to everything we actually get sicker--and perhaps eczema.


And yet, with that being said, I feel good—strangely, calmly good. Because the image of Americans that is reflected back to us by our political and media process is false. It is us through a fun house mirror, and not the good kind that makes you look slim in the waist and maybe taller, but the kind where you have a giant forehead and an ass shaped like a month old pumpkin and one eyeball.


So, why would we work together? Why would you reach across the aisle to a pumpkin assed forehead eyeball monster? If the picture of us were true, of course, our inability to solve problems would actually be quite sane and reasonable. Why would you work with Marxists actively subverting our Constitution or racists and homophobes who see no one’s humanity but their own? We hear every damn day about how fragile our country is—on the brink of catastrophe—torn by polarizing hate and how it’s a shame that we can’t work together to get things done, but the truth is we do. We work together to get things done every damn day!


The only place we don’t is here or on cable TV. But Americans don’t live here or on cable TV. Where we live our values and principles form the foundations that sustains us while we get things done, not the barriers that prevent us from getting things done. Most Americans don’t live their lives solely as Democrats, Republicans, liberals or conservatives. Americans live their lives more as people that are just a little bit late for something they have to do—often something that they do not want to do—but they do it--impossible things every day that are only made possible by the little reasonable compromises that we all make.


Look on the screen. This is where we are. This is who we are. (points to the Jumbotron screen which show traffic merging into a tunnel). These cars—that’s a schoolteacher who probably thinks his taxes are too high. He’s going to work. There’s another car-a woman with two small kids who can’t really think about anything else right now. There’s another car, swinging, I don’t even know if you can see it—the lady’s in the NRA and she loves Oprah. There’s another car—an investment banker, gay, also likes Oprah. Another car’s a Latino carpenter. Another car a fundamentalist vacuum salesman. Atheist obstetrician. Mormon Jay-Z fan. But this is us. Every one of the cars that you see is filled with individuals of strong belief and principles they hold dear—often principles and beliefs in direct opposition to their fellow travelers.


And yet these millions of cars must somehow find a way to squeeze one by one into a mile long 30 foot wide tunnel carved underneath a mighty river. Carved, by the way, by people who I’m sure had their differences. And they do it. Concession by concession. You go. Then I’ll go. You go. Then I’ll go. You go then I’ll go. Oh my God, is that an NRA sticker on your car? Is that an Obama sticker on your car? Well, that’s okay—you go and then I’ll go.


And sure, at some point there will be a selfish jerk who zips up the shoulder and cuts in at the last minute, but that individual is rare and he is scorned and not hired as an analyst.


Because we know instinctively as a people that if we are to get through the darkness and back into the light we have to work together. And the truth is, there will always be darkness. And sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t the promised land. Sometimes it’s just New Jersey. But we do it anyway, together.


If you want to know why I’m here and want I want from you, I can only assure you this: you have already given it to me. Your presence was what I wanted.


Sanity will always be and has always been in the eye of the beholder. To see you here today and the kind of people that you are has restored mine. Thank you."

I stood in the sculpture garden of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and listened to Mavis Staples sing "I'll Take You There", together with The Roots, John Legend, Sheryl Crow, Yusef Islam (aka, Cat Stevens), Jeff Tweedy, Tony Bennett, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show cast, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and guests. Yes. I danced and sang in public. I couldn't help myself!

An incredibly beautiful day with music, art, laughter, pride, people with a common objective ....it doesn't get any better than this for a Saturday afternoon. Perfect.

Note: I took a few photographs and videos, but quite honestly I wanted to be physically present and I couldn't do that hiding behind a camera.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween 2010!

Don't forget to vote: Tuesday, 11/02/2010

Weekend Cat Blogging #282

Boo! Jules, Vincent and I wish our Weekend Cat Blogging friends a Happy Halloween!

This week's Halloween Edition of Weekend Cat Blogging is hosted by Luna at Catsynth.

Rally to Restore Sanity on Saturday!

I'm headed to Washington, D.C. for comedy, music, reasonable and thoughtful dialogue, and correctly spelled signs. Photos of what sanity looks like to follow!

RTRS Countdown: Day 1

Submitted by Matteide, as seen on The Huffington Post

Feel Good Friday

RTRS Tentative Schedule Leaked

The Rally to Restore Sanity permit has been issued by the National Park Service and events were read aloud to the Christian Science Monitor by the NPS, as follows:

10:00 a.m.: The pre-pre-show begins with videos and music on the jumbotron to keep the gathering crowd friendly and entertained.

Noon: The pre-show starts with a performance from The Roots.

12:40: A comedian (to be determined) warms up the audience.

12:57: A video countdown with a show introduction.

1:00: The show kicks off with the national anthem by a musical guest (to be announced).

1:05: Mr. Stewart welcomes the crowd – whose projected size is ballooning daily. Currently, there are 200,000 sign-ups on the official Facebook page alone.

1:20: Mr. Colbert enters, and two actors – Don Novello and Sam Waterston – perform readings.

1:40: Jeff Tweedy and Mavis Staple perform for 10 minutes, followed by Stewart and Colbert until 2 p.m.

2:15: Sheryl Crow performs for five minutes, followed by speakers and guests (to be determined).

2:30: Musical guests (also still being lined up) come on.

2:40: The show turns to a pre-taped sequence – The Sanity and Fear Awards.
To round out the three-hour production, Stewart and Colbert will make their final statements.

If you do make it to The Mall on Saturday, just remember the Golden Rule: Don't Be A Douche. ~Samantha Bee, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, 10/28/2010

That's Why We Call It The Magic City

Photo: The Birmingham News/Mark Almond

I call Birmingham 'The Magic City' for many reasons. Now, here's one more.

From The Birmingham News:

Some workers around the area speculate it's part of a growing In­ternet campaign -- Operation Beautiful -- which encourages women to post anonymous notes in public places for other women to find in an effort to end negative self-talk or "fat talk."


"The point is that We ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL. You are enough . . .


just the way you are," according to the website.

From NPR:

No one seems to know how it got there, but commuters in Birmingham, Ala., have been treated to a mysterious message. Painted on a bridge over the Elton B. Stephens Expressway, it reads: "You are Beautiful." An official in the mayor's office says he doesn't know who's spreading the love.

Considering where my head was when I posted What Happened to Acceptance? yesterday, this was a timely and welcomed message. Thanks to whomever for their message.

Check out:  Operation Beautiful

Let's stop 'shoulding' all over ourselves.

RTRS Countdown: Day 2

Submitted by ando-harris, as seen at The Huffington Post

What Happened to Acceptance?

What do you really think about yourself when you look in the mirror? I personally think like Popeye, "I yam what I yam". No longer do I yearn to be thinner, prettier, or younger. If that thought does briefly cross my mind, it is usually for some one's need other than mine, as in "I wish I could be prettier/thinner/younger for (fill in the name) then maybe they could love me".  I can not for the life of me see how that can possibly be healthy.

In my mind's eye, I am like the young Fonzie in the photo above -- I still feel pretty much like I felt between ages 20 and 50. Yet, I'm on the other side of 50. So, how old do we have to be to be allowed to look our age?

I have long been contemptuous of our society for demanding we, i.e., women remain forever young, particularly after I spent a couple of decades in therapy dealing with acceptance.  I know others struggle with these issues. We can't all be Jamie Curtis. Please do not hold up Madonna or Demi Moore as examples of the aging woman. These are aging women with money to sculpt themselves right into being unrecognizable. While I admire Madonna professionally, I do not want to look like that.

Two essays caught my eye this week:

Why Can't Middle-Aged Women Have Long Hair? by Dominique Browning

and Aging by Paulina Porizkova

The following, written by Porizkova, soundly resonated with me:

The beauty of age was supposed to be about the wisdom acquired and with it, an acceptance and celebration of who you are. Now all we want for people to see is that we have not yet attained that wisdom. Aging has become something to fight, not something to accept. Aging is a matter of control and control of matter.

Acceptance was suppose to be a good thing. When may we just f**king exhale?

RTRS Countdown: Day 3

submission seen on Sane or Not

REMINDER: President Obama on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart tonight, three days before the Rally to Restore Sanity in D.C.

Peaceful, Easy Feeling

This is the sound I hear after a rain. It is the sound of a constant wind rustling through the leaves of trees, peaceful and relaxing. It is the sound I work to and the sound in which I fall asleep. This 11-second video is two days after a rain. Close your eyes and imagine its voice immediately following a long, slow rain. You will be transported to the mountains without leaving your chair, as am I.

The beauty of life is, while we cannot undo what is done,

we can see it, understand it, learn from it and change.

So that every new moment is spent not in regret, guilt, fear or anger,

but in wisdom, understanding and love. 

~ Jennifer Edwards

Derek Dooley as Bluto Blutarsky

University of Tennessee football coach, Derek Dooley, attempted to compare his inexperienced team to German forces in World War II (source).

Right now we're like the Germans in World War II. Here comes the boats, they're coming. You have the binoculars, and it's like, 'Oh, my God, the invasion is coming. ~ University of Tennessee football Coach Derek Dooley

Unfortunately, this is how he sounded:

Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!... And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough...[thinks hard] the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go!  ~ John 'Bluto' Blutarsky, Animal House

I bristle over the light comparisons of team sports and war; however, this was too funny as Coach Dooley himself sounded very young and inexperienced.

RTRS Countdown: Day 4

Submitted by Rhiannon_Carlton, as seen at The Huffington Post

RTRS Countdown: Day 5

Submitted by hyppie, as seen at The Huffington Post

RTRS Countdown: Day 6

Submitted by Stephen Grayce, as seen at The Huffington Post

Weekend Cat Blogging #281

It is a big football Saturday for The University of Alabama. Jules and I are patiently waiting to watch The University of Tennessee's Neyland Stadium turn from orange to red. Isn't fall a beautiful time of year? Roll Tide!

Jules is our entry for this week's Weekend Cat Blogging, hosted by Nikita Cat at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat.

RTRS Countdown: Day 7

Submitted by David Hildebrand, as seen at The Huffington Post

RTRS Countdown: Day 8

Stop the VAIN and INANE, get us back to the SANE!

Submitted by icandump, as seen at The Huffington Post

Feel Good Friday

RTRS Countdown: Day 9

Handlebar mustaches, not Hilter mustaches

submission not identified, as seen onThe Huffington Post

Programming note: President Obama will tape an appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on October 27, three days before the Rally to Restore Sanity in Washington, D.C. President Obama has endorsed the rally.

RTRS Countdown: Day 10

Obama is a Muslin (cloth): unidentified submission, as seen at The Huffington Post

RTRS Countdown: Day 11

Submitted by JacklynD, as seen on The Huffington Post

Sunrise, Sunrise

Looks like morning in your eyes.

RTRS Countdown: Day 12

Submitted by Davii, as seen on The Huffington Post

RTRS Countdown: Day 13

Submitted by Rick Shreiner, as seen on The Huffington Post

Weekend Cat Blogging #280

Vincent is showing the fine art of sleeping while sitting up. It has been that kind of week; in fact, I had to reach back into my photo archive for this shot of sweet Vincent. He has grown since then in both size and level of trust.

This week's Weekend Cat Blogging is hosted by Samantha, Clementine and Maverick at Life From a Cat's Perspective.

RTRS Countdown: Day 14

Submitted by Mitzy, as seen on The Huffington Post

Rally to Restore Sanity 10/30/2010: Be There!

If you haven't heard by now, Jon Stewart of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart is hosting a Rally to Restore Sanity on 10/30/2010 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in an attempt to help bring the level of political discourse back to civility and sanity. Between now and then, I will be posting some of the recommended 'sane' signs and posters to bring that have been suggested. Some of them are really good and, as one would expect, witty and smart.

Here is the official T-shirt:

Read about the rally here.  Ariana Huffington of The Huffington Post is providing transportation from New York City. Oprah Winfrey provided transportation to last night's audience at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

If you can't make it to D.C., the revolution will be televised! Comedy Central will televise the rally and it will be streamed live on the Internet.

Boise State #1 in Mock BCS

Call it sour grapes or just being an Alabama fan, but Boise State? Really? When Boise State plays SEC-equivalent teams AND when they remove that childish Smurf color from their football field then I will take them seriously. Apparently, ESPN's BCS Guru Brad Edwards takes them seriously.

Yes, Alabama lost last weekend to South Carolina, one of six conference teams who has had or will have two weeks to prepare to play Alabama. SIX SEC TEAMS have two weeks to prepare for the Tide. One school, Georgia State, agreed to a schedule change so that Alabama would at least have two extra days to prepare for in-state rival, Auburn.

Bring. It. On.

Weekend Cat Blogging #279

I couldn't wait for Halloween to post this photo of Little Jules Winnfield, aka, Jules. It scares me (now) to think about the acrobatic moves I made to get this shot!

This week's Weekend Cat Blogging is hosted by Salome at Paulchens FoodBlog?! stepping in for Breadchick and LB at The Sour Dough.

Feel (as) Good (as I can) Friday

For my birthday today I am treating myself to one of my very favorite songs by - who else? - The Beatles.

More Fear and Loathing in Tuscaloosa

Another billboard paid for by Ronnie Holmes (see lower left-hand corner) has appeared along the highways of Tuscaloosa. I blogged about a billboard here next to the Tuscaloosa Tire Center on Skyland Boulevard owned by a Ronnie Holmes. This billboard was also above a Firestone Tire Store but I have not been able to determine the ownership or if there is any connection.

These billboards have featured two other images: A photograph of former President George W. Bush with the text “Miss me yet?” and another that showed the pictures of President Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid with the text “The Constitution says ‘We the People’ not ‘Three the People.’” (see here and here).

After eight years of the Bush administration squandering a surplus into a $3- trillion-dollar plus debt and placing us on the brink of the greatest collapse since the Great Depression, I remain amazed that anyone would have the audacity to place this claim on President Obama's shoulders. Because these claims have absolutely no validity whatsoever, I have to believe that they are made by some one or some group with a larger agenda or, dare I say, racism. I dare. Racism.

A New Low for Beck

Nothing says entertainment like ridiculing a family in their darkest hour for ratings and money. I understand Beck's motivation: ratings, money, personal glory. I don't understand the people who listen to him or watch him on Fox. Where are their souls? Where is their compassion? Where is their common decency?

There are fees, you say. That is true. But, what kind of person goes after a family's personal pain and tragedy? What does that accomplish? Are working class people banter for multimillionaires who make their money off people's hatred and fear? Shame on you.

Peanuts Turns 60

This giant, wall-sized mural of the famous scene of Lucy holding a football for Charlie Brown to kick, was made from 3,588 "Peanuts" strips by Japanese artist Yoshiteru Otani.

Photo by Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Caption by Daniel Terdiman










The comic strip, Peanuts, created by Charles Schultz was a big part of my youth. Here are the characters I remember most vividly:

Charlie Brown: the main character; a lovable loser
Snoopy: Charlie Brown's ubiquitous dog
Linus van Pelt: Charlie Brown's blanket-toting best friend; Sally's love interest
Lucy van Pelt: Linus' older sister; a bossy girl
Woodstock: Snoopy's best friend; a yellow bird
Sally Brown: Charlie Brown's younger sister
Schroeder: the piano-playing character; Lucy's love interest
Peppermint Patty: Marcie's bossy best friend; a freckle-faced tomboy who likes Charlie Brown
Marcie: the bespectacled character; Peppermint Patty's best friend
Franklin: the first African-American character
Pig-Pen: the dusty character
Frieda: the girl with "naturally curly hair"
 
One morning in Vacation Bible School, the minister (my father) asked a group of kids what they thought of when he said the word, "peanuts". Several shouted, "Charlie Brown!". He then began telling a story about Charles Schultz. I don't remember the story. I do remember thinking, how did my father know about Peanuts and Charlie Brown? I didn't think my father was cool enough to know anything about pop culture. Of course, all he had to do was read the comics page of the newspaper or step inside my bedroom where he would see my Peanuts calendar and the numerous Peanuts comic strips pinned to my bulletin board. Apparently, I wasn't the cool one. I thought of food.
 
The Peanuts comic strip turned 60 on Saturday. I will have to add a visit to the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California, to my bucket list. Happy Birthday to Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang!

You Choose or The Government Chooses. You Decide.

Women from my generation remember clearly the forces that were Anita Bryant and Phyllis Schafly.* It seems that every time the GOP get in political trouble for their failed economic policies they reach in their bag of hate, hiding behind the Bible, and go after women and homosexuals. Even GOP women go after the women.

I am happy there are women candidates in the GOP, if indeed the Tea Party is in the GOP, but I don't believe that their platforms are good for women. However, it is my sincere belief and hope that women will vote for policies that are in their best interest, not for a set of chromosomes.

Five current candidates are now on record opposing abortion for women even in the case of rape or incest. This used to be only supported by the fringe of the movement. These candidates, all running on the desire for smaller government, want that same government to force women to carry a child to term in the case of rape or incest under the threat of prosecution.

These five current candidates support no abortion, no exceptions:
Sharon Angle (Nevada)
Christine O'Donnell (Delaware)
Ken Buck (Colorado)
Rand Paul (Kentucky)
Joe Miller (Alaska)

Speaking to MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, Princeton Professor Melissa Harris-Lacewell said:

[O]n the one hand, there's this little tiny bit of me that wants to cheer for the fact that you have women candidates willing to be sort of courageous enough to put themselves forward in this very tough political situation.


On the other hand, let`s be completely clear about the facts here. There is no place in the world and no time in history where restricting women's reproductive rights makes a people or a nation more free or more equal. These extreme positions on abortion are without any question a war on American girls and women. And the fact that there are women who are both complicit and participatory in it is really neither surprising nor unprecedented.

Watch full segment and interview here:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

A Colorado Fetal Personhood, Amendment 62 will appear on the 2010 state ballot in Colorado as an initiated constitutional amendment. The measure marks the second time Colorado voters have seen an abortion-related measure on the statewide ballot. Amendment 48 appeared on the November 2008 statewide ballot in Colorado, where it was decisively defeated.

Similar amendments have been proposed in Mississippi, Montana, and Georgia but, to my knowledge, only Colorado has collected enough signatures to get it on the 2010 ballot. It was defeated in 2008.

One last example, as posted in Huffington Post:
What is my point? My point is that the GOP is losing their soul to the fringe groups of America. I am a Democrat, but I will lose if the current candidates of the GOP win.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) attempted to convince pastors that economic issues are moral issues at the Greater Freedom Rally at a church in Spartanburg, South Carolina yesterday, imploring them to help conservatives retake Congress in November.


In addition to reiterating anti-choice talking points on abortion and backing "traditional marriage," according to the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, the senator went further and "said if someone is openly homosexual, they shouldn't be teaching in the classroom and he holds the same position on an unmarried woman who's sleeping with her boyfriend -- she shouldn't be in the classroom."

*Both Anita Bryant Ministries International and Eagle Forum are listed as tax-exempt organizations by watchdog.net.

Consumer Education: Part II

Better educated consumers make better voters.

Rick Seaman of Portland, Oregon, made this chart from data he found on TreasuryDirect.gov.  "If voters don't understand this, the media has failed them," Seaman writes. As seen on The Maddow Blog.

Consumer Information

We get receipts for everything we purchase, a carefully detailed breakdown for our information. Where is our receipt for taxes? Below is from a paper, A Taxpayer's Receipt, compiled by a think tank called Third Way. These writers contend that for a person to be able to effectively vote on fiscal policy they should know where their taxes are going; most people in the U.S. do not know.

Once we file our taxes, we would receive a receipt that looks something like this:

I believe this would be an excellent idea. An educated consumer would be a much better voter.

Weekend Cat Blogging #278

Little Vincent Vega maneuvers his way to my desktop by climbing from the desk behind me, over the top of my chair, across the arm rest, balancing on the keyboard tray, and then sitting directly in front of my monitor until I finally coax him to lie down. What Vincent doesn't know is that I keep his trail stable so he won't slip and embarrass himself.

This week's Weekend Cat Blogging is hosted by Mind of Mog.

Coming on 10/02/2010: UA Crimson Tide v UF Gators

I do not like to trivialize the word 'war', but it should be one heck of a football game. Roll Tide Roll!