Simmons and Edwards Yoga Buddies?

 John Edwards     Russell Simmons

Co-Founder of Def Jam Records recently gave an interview to the New York Times discussing a mish-mash of topics such as hip hop and lyrics to politics. The article is especially amusing as Simmons discusses his opinion about politics and the candidates.

From Deborah Solomon’s interview:

What do you make of Barack Obama, who recently said that rap musicians should reform their lyrics?What we need to reform is the conditions that create these lyrics. Obama needs to reform the conditions of poverty. I wish he really did raise his money on the Internet, like he said. I wish he really did raise his money independently.

What are you saying? I think about one-fourth of his campaign contributions came from small donations made over the Internet, even though he collected more than any other Democratic candidate from Wall Street people. So at the end of the day, he’s controlled, too. That’s my point. He’s a mouse, too, like everybody else.

Are there any presidential candidates who inspire you? I talk to John Edwards more than I talk to anyone. He has said more things about the conditions we need to think about. He went to yoga with me. He did the whole class, an hour and a half. He sweated like crazy. He’s in good shape, but it was hard on him.

Simmons goes on to give props to Oprah, Donald Trump, and God. Although he sounds like he is on the Edwards bandwagon, Newsmeat.com reports Simmons has contributed more to Hillary Clinton than to John Edwards.

As for Newsmeat.com, this is a pretty interesting site! It has a searchable database of every American Federal political campaign contribution of at least $200 from 1977. Data is reported from the Federal Election Commission. To get a listing of contributors, you can either type in their name or zip code. Celebrities are listed with their contributions and you can also check out the entire 2008 Presidential Donor List. I enjoyed clicking on random names on the Hall of Fame ticker.

For instance:

Clyde Drexler gave $2,000 to Bush-Cheney Primary in ‘04

Robert DeNiro has spent $66,200 on Democratic donations and $1,000 in special interests

Tommy Lee Jones has spent $12,000 to Democratis candidates including Al Gore’s campaign in ‘99 (Guess college roommates are friends for life.) But alas…$300 to the Republican party?

Paul (I did not give my girlfriend a job AND a promotion) Wolfowitz has donated about $3,500 to Republican candidates.

Anyway, check out the site. You’ll enjoy snooping into the political pocketbooks of celebrities. Not so private lives huh?

Legion of Doom v. The Super Friends

Saw this on YouTube this am. Have a great weekend!

How George Got His Groove Back

I just couldn’t resist.

President Bush joined a group of dancers on stage during the first ever Malaria Awareness Day, to help combat malaria on the continent of Africa.

You have to give him credit though. You can tell he didn’t want to do this but then found his groove.

Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you…The Malaria Dance!

Cows and Politics

From About.com: Political Humor (I especially like the Japanese and Russian one!)

A CHRISTIAN DEMOCRAT: You have two cows. You keep one and give one to your neighbor.

A SOCIALIST: You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor.

AN AMERICAN REPUBLICAN: You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. So what?

AN AMERICAN DEMOCRAT: You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. You feel guilty for being successful. You vote people into office who tax your cows, forcing you to sell one to raise money to pay the tax. The people you voted for then take the tax money and buy a cow and give it to your neighbor. You feel righteous.

A COMMUNIST: You have two cows. The government seizes both and provides you with milk.

A FASCIST: You have two cows. The government seizes both and sells you the milk. You join the underground and start a campaign of sabotage.

DEMOCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE: You have two cows. The government taxes you to the point you have to sell both to support a man in a foreign country who has only one cow, which was a gift from your government.

CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE: You have two cows. You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.

BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE: You have two cows. The government takes them both, shoots one, milks the other, pays you for the milk, then pours the milk down the drain.

AN AMERICAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when the cow drops dead.

A FRENCH CORPORATION: You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows.

A JAPANESE CORPORATION: You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. You then create clever cow cartoon images called Cowkimon and market them World-Wide.

A GERMAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You reengineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.

A BRITISH CORPORATION: You have two cows. They are mad. They die. Pass the shepherd’s pie, please.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows, but you don’t know where they are. You break for lunch.

A RUSSIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You count them and learn you have five cows. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. You count them again and learn you have 12 cows. You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.

A SWISS CORPORATION: You have 5000 cows, none of which belong to you. You charge others for storing them.

A BRAZILIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You enter into a partnership with an American corporation. Soon you have 1000 cows and the American corporation declares bankruptcy.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You worship both of them.

A CHINESE CORPORATION: You have two cows. You have 300 people milking them. You claim full employment, high bovine productivity, and arrest the newsman who reported on them.

AN ISRAELI CORPORATION: There are these two Jewish cows, right? They open a milk factory, an ice cream store, and then sell the movie rights. They send their calves to Harvard to become doctors. So, who needs people?

AN ARKANSAS CORPORATION: You have two cows. That one on the left is kinda cute.

Freedom of Religion and Veterans’ Headstones

Until now, there have been 38 approved religious symbols that may be used on a deceased military service member’s memorial marker. Previously approved symbols include the Episcopal cross, Christian cross, Star of David and even a symbol for Atheists. The Department of Veterans Affairs will now include the five-star encircled pentacle to the list. The lawsuit is a result of a ten year battle to incorporate the Wiccan pentacle to the approved list of symbols of faith.

The settlement, which was reached on Friday, was announced on Monday by Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, which represented the plaintiffs in the case. The litigation charged that denying a pentacle to deceased Wiccan service personnel, while granting religious symbols to those of other traditions, violated the U.S. Constitution.

Why the ten year battle?

The following are excepts from the New York Times:

The group attributed the delay to religious discrimination. Many Americans do not consider Wicca a religion, or hold the mistaken belief that Wiccans are devil worshipers.

There are 1,800 Wiccans in the armed forces, according to a Pentagon survey cited in the suit, and Wiccans have their faith mentioned in official handbooks for military chaplains and noted on their dog tags.At least 11 families will be immediately affected by the V.A.’s decision, said the Rev. Selena Fox, senior minister of Circle Sanctuary, a Wiccan church in Wisconsin. In reviewing 30,000 pages of documents from Veterans Affairs, Americans United said, it found e-mail and memorandums referring to negative comments President Bush made about Wicca in an interview with “Good Morning America” in 1999, when he was governor of Texas. The interview had to do with a controversy at the time about Wiccan soldiers’ being allowed to worship at Fort Hood, Tex.

“I don’t think witchcraft is a religion,” Mr. Bush said at the time, according to a transcript. “I would hope the military officials would take a second look at the decision they made.”

Americans United filed the lawsuit last November on behalf of several Wiccan military families. Among the plaintiffs was Roberta Stewart, whose husband, Sgt. Patrick Stewart, was killed in September 2005 in Afghanistan.

Previously, Mrs. Stewart had only received a government memorial plaque for her husband; however, it was the first of its kind to include the Wiccan pentacle but only after a one year battle to include the symbol. You can read the story of that challenge in the Washington Post (you must register first but it’s free!)

I found another good article about Sgt. Stewart’s story at ReviewJournal.com. It’s a shame that his family has had to wait so long to have his headstone engraved with the symbol of their religion. The AU sees this victory as a stepping stone in overcoming biases toward minority faiths.

I also recommend The Pluralsim Project . This is a great website that explores the religions that are practiced throughout the United States and how to embrace our differences in faiths.

April 24th is Equal Pay Day!

44 years after John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law, women are still competing with men for equal pay in the workplace. 

From MSNBC and the AP:

NEW YORK – Women make only 80 percent of the salaries their male peers do one year after college; after 10 years in the work force, the gap between their pay widens further, according to a study released Monday.

The study, by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation, found that 10 years after college, women earn only 69 percent of what men earn.

Even after controlling for hours, occupation, parenthood, and other factors known to affect earnings, the study found that one-quarter of the pay gap remains unexplained. The group said that portion of the gap is “likely due to sex discrimination.”

“Over time, the unexplained portion of the pay gap grows,” the group said in a news release.

Catherine Hill, the organization’s director of research, said: “Part of the wage difference is a result of people’s choices, another part is employer’s assumptions of what people’s choices will be. … Employers assume that young women are going to leave the work force when they have children, and, therefore, don’t promote them.”

The organization found that women’s scholastic performance was not reflected in their compensation. Women have slightly higher grade point averages than men in every major, including science and math. But women who attend highly selective colleges earn the same as men who attend minimally selective colleges, according to the study.

“The pay gap is not going to disappear just through educational achievements,” Hill said.

Tuesday is Equal Pay Day and women are encouraged to wear red. Why? According to National Organization for Women,

“If we’re going to be “in the red,” we might as well wear it proudly to show our determination to end the wage gap.”

 

Ladies, put on your red and become involved! For more information, check out the AAUW and NOW websites above.

 

Boris Yeltsin Dead per Kremlin

Per the AP:

Boris Yeltsin has died, Kremlin announces

Former Russian president led country after Soviet Union breakup

BREAKING NEWS

8:50a.m. CST

Updated: 3 minutes ago

MOSCOW – Former President Boris Yeltsin, who engineered the final collapse of the Soviet Union and pushed Russia to embrace democracy and a market economy, has died, a Kremlin official said Monday. He was 76.

Kremlin spokesman Alexander Smirnov confirmed Yeltsin’s death, but gave no cause or further information.

No Cozy Table For Three

There isn’t a better way to mix politics with entertainment than the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. Saturday night’s dining out brought together a cocktail of entertainers, activists, and top political officials.

Musician/global activist Sheryl Crow and fellow activist and An Inconveient Truth’s Oscar winning producer Laurie David were among the guests. Crow and David have just completed a two week tour among college campuses. The ”Stop Global Warming College Tour” is a call to university leaders, students, and faculty to help spread awareness of global warming and its effects.

At Saturday night’s dinner, David approached the president’s deputy chief of staff Karl Rove to discuss the global warming issue. Words were exchanged and at one point Crow stepped in. There has been some he said/she said comments about what exactly was said.

 Jim Rutenberg of the New York Times writes of the incident:

The one thing all three parties agree on is that the conversation quickly became heated.

As Ms. Crow and Ms. David described it on the Huffington Post Web site on Sunday, when Mr. Rove turned toward his table, Ms. Crow touched his arm and “Karl swung around and spat, ‘Don’t touch me.’ ”

Both sides agreed that Ms. Crow told him, “You can’t speak to us like that, you work for us,” to which Mr. Rove responded, “I don’t work for you, I work for the American people.” Ms. Crow and Ms. David wrote that Ms. Crow shot back, “We are the American people.”

In their Web posting, Ms. Crow and Ms. David described Mr. Rove as responding with “anger flaring,” and as having “exploded with even more venom” as the argument continued.

“She came over to insult me,” Mr. Rove said Saturday night, “and she succeeded.”

Mr. Rove did not respond to a request for comment on the women’s Internet posting on Sunday.

Tony Fratto, a White House spokesman said, “We have respect for the opinions and passion that many people have for climate change.” But, Mr. Fratto said, “I wish the same respect was afforded to the president.”

He accused Ms. Crow and Ms. David of ignoring the president’s environmental initiatives, like pushing for alternative fuels, and for “going after officials with misinformed assertions at a social dinner.”

“It would be better,” Mr. Fratto said, “to set aside Hollywood histrionics and try to help with the problem instead of this baseless, and tasteless, finger pointing.”

Don’t quit your day job McCain

Ah geez. Here we go again with another politician trying to make light of a serious subject but ends up looking like an insensitive dufus.

On Wednesday, John McCain campaigned at a VFW hall in South Carolina. He was asked about the possibility of war with Iran. His reply was a stupid rendition of the Beach Boys’ “Barbara Ann” but using the words “Bomb, bomb, bomb…bomb, bomb, Iran.” His nonchalant mannerism of going into another war and killing people was just a joke to lighten the mood in the VFW hall per one of his aides.

I also love how he blows his nose as soon as he gets on stage. There’s a true leader. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of things that I like about McCain (although this Lefty Lucy would never vote that way) but it seems that he has been taking some cues from M.C. Rove which is just a total turn-off. Way to represent John!

Just an update, this is from The NY Times this afternoon:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The liberal group MoveOn.org is launching an ad against Republican John McCain and his joke about bombing Iran, arguing that the nation ”can’t afford another reckless president.”

The group plans to spend about $100,000 to air a commercial on network and some cable television stations in Iowa and New Hampshire, states that hold early contests in the presidential nomination process, spokesman Alex Howe said Friday.

Guess they didn’t find it amusing either.

Attorneygate Continues

 AG Gonzales is marching back up to the Hill today to defend the firings of eight federal prosecutors. He was supposed to be there earlier this week; however, the VT Massacre set the hearings back. The whole thing that gets me is that he has blatantly LIED about not having any knowledge of the firings but then this past weekend he apologized for what he had said in the past and says that he stands his ground that the firings were justifiable. Yes, the firings were in his power to do so however unmoral they may have been. Guess we’ll see what happens today.

The fire-o-meter is almost at 99%.

The Mice Will Play When The Cat’s Away

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two Secret Service officers were injured on Tuesday after a gun held by another Secret Service officer accidentally fired inside the White House gate, according to a spokesman, Darrin Blackford.

Their injuries are non-life threatening, the spokesman said.

One officer suffered a shrapnel wound to the face, and the other was wounded in the leg.

They were taken to George Washington Hospital.

At the time, President George W. Bush was on a trip to Blacksburg, Virginia, to attend a ceremony at Virginia Tech university following Monday’s shooting rampage.“It appears that at approximately 2:10 p.m. (1810 GMT) there was an accidental discharge of a service issued weapon, which occurred inside the Southwest Gate at a security post near the White House,” Blackford said.

Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House, Lafayette Park across the street from the White House and other nearby walkways were all shut down to pedestrian traffic due to the incident. Many police vehicles were in the area.

“Accidental discharge?” Sounds like someone won’t be getting Presidential Detail!!!

Facebook and MySpace at Virginia Tech

 As the horrific events unfolded today at Virginia Tech, we learned that students had no idea what was happening on their beloved campus. A gunman had killed 32 students and faculty members, injured at least 20 others, and then turned the gun on himself. 

Students were locked down in their dorms and classrooms with little means of communicating with their friends and family. Some jumped from windows, some hid in hallways, and some found the strength to record the events on cell phones and webcams.

There has been so much focus on webistes such as FaceBook and MySpace and how dangerous these sites can be for teenagers and young adults. Until now, these sites are known only to been havens for internet predators or to show how students enjoy their college-partying life with explicit pictures and language. Today these sites were a place of refuge, communication, and comfort.

VT students were using every type of communication possible from texting, IM’ing, and phone calls to logging onto the internet via laptops. Many students used their FaceBook profile page to update their status saying “I’m Ok.” Friends were trying to locate one another by posting messages on their blogs and writing on each other’s walls (it’s a FaceBook thing). This evening I sat down and spent two hours reading various posts and messages. I can hear the terror in the words and anger in many others. I have read how students were upset that more was not done sooner. I read that one student still has not heard from her best friend and roomate. I read that another never wants to return.

As the tears were rolling down my cheeks, I read the endless groups that have been created in FaceBook in memory of what happened today. There are titles such as “We Remember Virginia Tech April 16, 2007″ to “We Are Praying For You VT.” One of the groups is sending out an invitation to students and alumni that a candlelight vigil will be held. Dexel University posted:

Tomorrow, April 17, wear maroon and orange ribbons or shirts to remember those victims of Virginia Tech. Please spread the word by joining and inviting your friends to join the groups below. We want VT to know that the world is thinking of them.

Tomorrow these sites may be back to the usual college stuff, but I doubt it.

FaceBook and MySpace have played a major role in helping those students today. We have heard the voices of the VT students and our prayers and hearts go out to them and the entire VT family.   

Tax Weekend…hurry up!

A couple of oldies but goodies for you to enjoy this weekend.

Since my taxes are done, I will be spending April 15th (which is also my birthday) SPENDING may tax return. I might even take in a mind-blowing movie like “Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters.”  Not a lot of thinking required for this one. I’m sure I can find a way to fit it into politics somehow.

What’s the reality of a bipartisan ticket?

 Launched in May 2006, Unity08 is just now gaining greater recognition for promoting a third party candidate for the Presidential 2008 election. The difference with this third party organization? They want to nominate a man or woman from both sides of the ticket: one Republican and one Democrat to run together for President and Vice President.

Unity08 is the brainchild of Doug Bailey (former advisor to Gerald Ford) and Gerald Rafshoon (former communications director under Jimmy Carter). Unlikely pair? Well, that’s the whole idea of this third party ticket.

Taken directly from the Unity08 website:

Unity08 believes that neither of today’s major parties reflects the aspirations, fears or will of the majority of Americans. Both have polarized and alienated the people. Both are unduly influenced by single-issue groups. Both are excessively dominated by money.

For most of the 20th Century, the contest for the U.S. presidency was waged over those “in the middle.” Recent Presidential elections, however, have not been focused on the middle but on the turnout of each party’s special interest groups — with each party’s “base” representing barely ten percent of the American people.

We believe that, while the leaders of both major parties are well intentioned people, they are trapped in a flawed system — and that the two major parties are today simply neither relevant to the issues and challenges of the 21st Century nor effective in addressing them.

As a result, most Americans have not been enthusiastic about the choices for President in recent elections, the key issues they ran on, or the manner in which the campaigns were conducted.

Therefore Unity08 will act to assure that an alternative ticket is presented to the American voters in 2008.

Unity ‘08 is now gathering delegates online which will let voters cast an e-ballot for the duo that they want to run on the 2008 ticket. Should either the Dems or GOP worry? Well, although the GOP has enough worries right now (like aligning with their own party), I seriously doubt it. It is an entertaining idea and shouldn’t be ignored but I’m not ready to hop on this bandwagon yet.

Can you just imagine?…Hillary and Rush…Giuliani and Obama???   sheesh

Check out the stories on The Politico and ABC News. There is also a quick video from ABC News.

‘B.C.’ cartoonist Johnny Hart…RIP

“B.C.” catoonist and “The Wizard of Id” co-creator Johnny Hart passed away Saturday at the age of 76. Hart had a stroke while drawing at his storyboard in his New York home.

Poke, poke, poke

 

Picture by Stephen Crowley of The New York Times    

Cheney lurking in the bushes (no pun intended) of the Rose Garden really creeps me out.

Remember the poking game that you and your brother would play when you were kids? You would poke him (not too hard), then he would poke you (his finger was always stronger), then back and forth the game would go until you both were in pain with red marks while mom screamed for the both of you to “Knock it off!”

The poking game was in full force in D.C. by last Friday.

The game started to get nasty with the Iraq funding bill that Congress said they would pass, appropriating money to continue the fight in Iraq but only with a stipulation that Bush set a time period for troop withdrawal – September 2008. <poke>

Then Bush said that he would veto any such bill that came upon his desk and blamed Congress for not caring about the troops. <poke>

Then the Senate passed the bill and said it would be Bush to blame for not taking care of the troops and respecting Americans. <poke>

Then as the Easter Break came for Congress, Bush used his presidential powers to make three recess appointments that Senate Democrats would have surely blocked. <poke – that one hurt!>

I might just add that after the last poke, Bush ran off to hide at Crawford for the weekend. Maybe he thinks the Dems can’t reach him there for another poke back? Ok, it was a planned trip for the holiday. In any case, the game is in full swing and my arm is beginning to ache with sympathy pains from all the poking.

Read more about the recess appointments and interview with VP Cheney on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show in today’s New York Times (you have to register but it’s free).

….sidebar… I can’t help looking at the picture above again and wonder who is controlling the strings of this administration.

Happy Easter!

Have a wonderful Easter! He is Risen!

 (and who says you can’t have a few laughs today!)

Big Spenders

So the latest numbers are in and according to the Houston Chronicle, “Democrats have 25 million reasons to listen to Obama.” His fundraising is just slightly below that of Hillary Clinton and has pretty much blown the well-funded GOP right out of the water. With the GOP already falling apart by the seams, this was just another feather in the hat of the Democrats.

On an update from Tuesday’s post, Newt Gingrich has now tried to explain his actions and words regarding billingualism in America. Too slow Joe. Damage has been done. See the article and video from MSNBC.

Here is the nightmare I had last night…

Oh sweet Jesus…

The new President in 2009 and his VP

Limbaugh and Coulter

HE DID NOT…

Ok, now that the first pitch has been thrown out (and yes, I’m in another Lidge Loss fog this morning) to kick off the baseball season, I feel the need to address an event that happened this past Saturday.

Speaking to a crowd for the National Federation of Republican Women, Ex-Speaker of the House and possible Republican presidential candidate in 2008 said “… We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto.”

OH YES HE DID…Apparently he had the “applause of more than 100.” Whoop-dee-do! Wow..100! It’s gonna be a close one if he gets that nomination! (Like there is a chance in Hades for that.) I do believe that first he will have the foot that is shoved into his mouth and down his throat removed.

  What do you think he is saying here???

In regards to the “ghetto” comment, the last time that I went to vote the ballot was in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Does this mean that the Vietnamese also speak like they are from the ”ghetto” as he so eliquently puts it? 

Now it’s obvious to the most casual observer that in order to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen – not a fluent U.S. citizen. I can tell you, I have taken two years of Spanish and grew up around many Spanish-speaking family members and if I had to cast my vote on a Spanish ballot, well then geez…I might as well just color on it with my favorite crayons. Learning a language takes time. While it is true that to become a U.S. citizen one must complete a test in American history in English, that test doesn’t magically make you fluent. 

Oh Newt…you really gave me a chuckle. I found your comments so compelling that I decided the Astros needed to come first.

“He said WHAT???”

Batter Up! It’s Opening Day!

  The day is finally here! Opening day with the Houston Astros and you can bet that I will be right down there on the baseline…that is, next to my HD big screen. Tickets have been sold out for weeks.

Game time is 6:05p on FSN.

Roy O. is pitching against Zach Duke and the Pittsburg Pirates. On Sunday, Garner released a statement saying that Luke Scott should be out there in right field. Of course the countdown is on for Craig Biggio…only 70 hits to 3000!

The rest of the Good Guys are playing: Berkman, Burke, Ensburg, Everett, Ausmus, and new Astro and clean up hitter Carlos Lee. Of course it looks like Brandon Backe will be out another season. Pitching will be a challenge since we have lost a couple of big-namers (ok, only one officially but might as well count on 2). The pitching rotation includes Oswalt, Jennings, Williams, Rodriguez, and Sampson. The bullpen has Qualls, Wheeler, and Lidge among the ranks but there are questions (aren’t there always???) about Lidge being the closer.

If you have never been to Minute Maid Park, make this the season that you go. You can be a non-baseball fan (heaven forbid!) and yet still enjoy the atmosphere of the park. The food is great, the seats are awesome, and Houston Astros fans are the best in the league.

So…

put your jersey on (I’ll be wearing #11), get your rally towel and hat ready

 and PLAY BALL!!!

   WE BEE-LIEVE!