Who Died...???

There's an editorial in the NY Times: Anti-Gay Anti-Family that talks about what has just recently happened in California, Florida and Arizona. It also brings to light an issue that was not highlighted in the recent elections...a measure that social conservatives got passed in Arkansas that makes it illegal for anyone other than married (read man/woman) couples to be foster parents. Yes, you read that right - no grandma cannot live with her boyfriend and keep her pension and still raise her grandchild - the boyfriend would have to marry her and they would take a substantial hit to their incomes in their golden years, not to mention, income that would be needed to raise the child...

My question here is this...Who died and made the social conservatives the deciders of who is fit and who is not to marry, to have children, to raise children, to build families, to love?

I believe it is time for another Stonewall Uprising of epic proportion and this time the streets are going to be the main streets of anytown USA - this has gone too far...

United We Love...

Clean Coal????

With all this talk about "Clean Coal" why is no one talking about what really happens still, when coal is mined, and what the current President is trying to do in Appalachia to the mountains there by allowing the mountain tops to be removed in an effort to make mining easier? How does that help our planet? Isn't that in effect strip mining? Why aren't we talking about this???? This is serious and needs to be addressed. Along with making our planet less dependent on oil, we need to protect our natural resources like our mountain ranges that protect the people below and make sure that those who are doing the mining are following the strict guidelines when it comes to waste disposal so that water resources are protected for those who live near and below those mines.

While the burning of the coal that is mined may be a cleaner process, the actual mining of the product has not really improved as far as it's impact on the environment.

A new start...

America made history on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. After eight very long years of governance by someone with mediocre intelligence, the voting public finally realized that just because someone talks and acts like a regular guy, doesn't necessarily mean he is the best suited person to be sitting in the west wing of the White House.

The person who needs to be in that position, is a person of high intelligence who can grasp complex ideas and situations and make studied decisions that are in the best interest of the country at-large rather than the select few surrounding them. America chose well and a collective sigh of relief was felt around the world.

This does not mean that there will be easy sailing for the new President or that our President-elect will not have to make compromises on some of the promises made during the campaign for election, on the contrary, there will be plenty of compromises to be made and promises broken in the name of keeping the country on an even keel. It is the way of politics and it is something we will have to live with. How many promises will be broken, we will have to wait and see...

For now, we have the hope of a new direction, a step in a positive direction to look forward to.