Stories from the Bham News

If you live in Birmingham, vote now, before the rain gets any worse!!! Patrick Cooper!!!

These snowman salt and pepper shakers have nothing to do with the news, but aren't they cute!




News Flash! I agree with Joe Reed. Speaking of Artur Davis, Reed said, "But because he is now running for governor he is looking out for himself and not the people."

Reed was referring to Davis's votes against health care reform, but the poor people of his district are not the first voters that Artur Davis has thrown under the bus. His republican votes on gay issues (hate crimes, ENDA) are nothing but a play for the homophobe vote in his run for governor. Since Davis's aid told me when he was running for congress (the second time) that Davis is a friend of the gay community and even had a lesbian on his staff (that's what I was told) then it's clear, he is voting the way he does for his own interests, not the interests of his constituents. Same with health care.

Today the Birmingham News is just full of encouraging news.

1. Greenhouse gases now a threat

(Article) That headline is a little misleading. The gases have been a threat for years, the EPA is just now admitting it, after 8 years of ignoring or re-writing science. It will be interesting to see what comes out of the World climate conference in Copenhagen.

Rising sea water is part of the reason for the flooding in Bangladesh. The people living there and being forced from their home probably don't understand climate change and its effects, but they have an excuse. Republicans and other doubters in this country don't have an excuse.

But while Bangladesh needs help now and this conference won't produce any immediate results, it is still encouraging that we have an administration that believes in science and understands the urgency of the situation.

The EPA said that America's health is at risk from climate change.

2. Medicaid, Medicare expansion sought

(This story is not available on al.com yet). Democrat Senators are seeking to expand Medicare and Medicaid to near-retirees age 55 or 60 who would be able to purchase coverage. They probably won't be able to include this in the current bill, but at least they are talking about it.

3. President praised for pumping cash into arts

(Article not posted on al.com but available here) President Obama has "marshaled the largest infusion of cultural funding in decades."

So, these are a few of the major issues (yes, arts is a major issue) that were reasons we voted for Obama and democrats in general.

One eskimO and the Nostalgia Train

One eskimO, out of London, with lead singer Kristian Leontiou has a great sound, plus Kristian is pleasing to the eye. Listen, and watch this video.



And this is kind of neat, especially if you will be in the Big Apple during December. NYC Transit is going to bring back the Nostalgia Train.

This is a picture from last year, via J.reed on Flickr .

MTA says:

The Nostalgia Shoppers' Special is made up of subway cars in service from the 1930s to the 1970s, running along the lettered lines from the Grand Concourse to Coney Island. Ceiling fans, padded seats and incandescent light bulbs were state-of-the-art when these cars were first placed in service.

The cars were removed from service 30 years ago and replaced by the stainless steel, climate-controlled trains that our customers have become accustomed to. Many subway riders have never experienced the charm of wicker seats and ceiling fans, but they are back for four Sundays of service, beginning Sunday, December 6. The holiday "Nostalgia Shoppers' Special" will operate on Sundays only, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., on December 6, 13, 20 and 27.

Sundays only. Who's up for a trip?

Arlington Tennessee - what can i say?

Bessemer Conservative should move to Arlington Tennessee. Surely you have heard how Arlington's mayor, Russell Wiseman, fired off at President Obama on Facebook for holding his Afghanistan announcement at the same time as Charlie Brown's Christmas.

Ok, so, this is total crap, we sit the kids down to watch 'The Charlie Brown Christmas Special' and our muslim president is there, what a load.....try to convince me that wasn't done on purpose. Ask the man if he believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and he will give you a 10 minute disertation (sic) about it....w...hen the answer should simply be 'yes'...."

I guess we can say that Russell is not so much of a Wise Man to have written something so idiotic on his Facebook page.

My favorite part of the quote is "try to convince me that wasn't done on purpose." Oh yeah, like the president looked at the TV schedule and found Charlie Brown and said, "attack!"

Listen, Russell, our president has better things to do than that.

He also wrote this, "...you obama people need to move to a muslim country...oh wait, that's America....pitiful."

Is Arlington such a backward place that they would elect this person? And he has kids? Poor children.

Please Arlington, do better next election.

This is bewildering

Falling is love is a wonderful experience. For some, it leads to long-term relationships or even marriage (for the privileged majority).

Rick Warren, the purpose driven pastor, did it differently. He married someone he was not in love with and was not attracted to, asking her to marry him on their second date, because "he said he heard God clearly tell him that this is who he will marry." His wife did not love him either, but she agreed because "she recalled hearing God say, “I’ll bring the feelings.”

This story, via JoeMyGod and originally at Christian Post, is more than a little strange.


"Through interviews with Sheler, Rick and Kay Warren disclosed that they were not attracted to each other nor had feelings for each other when they agreed to be married. Instead, they believed that God had spoken to each of them saying this is the person they should marry."


I'll let you come to your own conclusions, but can't offer too much respect for someone whose marriage began more a like Britney Spears relationship than a love story. Especially when he, as Joe said, has "no problem at all interfering with the relationships of other people who are madly in love with the person they want to marry."


On a completely different subject I just have to share this picture of Glenn Shadix and Johnny Depp. Glenn was attending an event honoring Tim Burton at New York's Museum of Modern Art last month. Read about it at Glenn's blog. Johnny Depp! People magazine's sexiest man of the year!

Precious

We saw the movie "Precious" this past weekend, and I think everyone should see it. It exposes a reality that too many people face - the horror of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. But it also shows what can happen when someone cares.



The movie has an outstanding cast including Gabourey Sidibe as Precious. Sidibe was raised in Harlem, and was pursuing a degree in psychology when she was cast for the role. Lenny Kravitz plays nurse John, and Mariah Carey plays the social worker Ms. Weiss. Mo'Nique plays Mary, the mother of Clareece Precious Jones. Paula Patton plays Ms. Rain, the teacher that cares.

Watch the trailer. See the movie.

Supporting the Pres re Afghanistan

Here's proof that I'm not in lock-step with the left wing of the Democrats. Of course, those who claim I blindly follow president Obama will use this as evidence. But that notion has been disproved on numerous occasions, they just aren't paying attention.

The picture above is of Marine One leaving the south lawn of the White House carrying the president to Andrews Air Force Base for the trip to West Point yesterday (official White House photo). The president can be seen reading in the 'copter.

I listened carefully to the President's speech last night. I was more attentive than many of the cadets in the audience, or maybe they just do their best listening with their eyes closed, I don't know. I missed an event that I really, really wanted to go to (World AIDS Day at WorkPlay) so I could hear the president.

Just in case you were in a cave, or at WorkPlay, the president announced he will send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. Quickly. They will do their job and leave, beginning deployment in July 2011.

Obama, purposely or not, is following Powell Doctrine, named after Colin Powell. The Powell Doctrine includes having a plausible exit strategy, something the Bush Doctrine and the person it was named after never thought of.

If you have followed me from before the time I started this blog you would have read letters in the Western Star and elsewhere and know that I supported the invasion of Afghanistan soon after 9-11 to rid that country of its Taliban leaders.

You would know that I was 100% opposed to the invasion of Iraq as that was an unjust war of choice.

It was a huge mistake to reduce our presence in Afghanistan and refocus on Iraq. President Bush did not finish the job he set out to do, that the American public supported him in, and that would have saved gobs of money and countless American and allied lives.

President Obama was handed a hornet's nest (one of many) when he took office.What would have been a relatively easy completion of the task in Afghanistan now is a much more complicated situation. But that does not mean we should just throw up our hands and leave to them to deal with.

There is still the problem of Al-Qaida, and the resurgent Taliban, and Pakistan, and India.

India? Yes, they will play a role and must be considered in the solution. What do you think the president was talking about with their leader while he was in Washington? Party crashers?

We cannot rid the world of Al-Qaida. But we can take away their ability to function effectively where they are (now). They will try to regroup somewhere, no doubt, but I believe that in many countries (including Afghanistan) that the people are beginning to realize that terrorist violence does not make their lives any better, and they will pressure their governments to resist the terrorists and that gradually Al-Qaida and their like will have a difficult time getting funding and finding places to hide.

That may sound simplistic, but I am an optimist (sometimes).

Now, about this "arbitrary deadline" that Richard Shelby and others have decried. The date set is not "arbitrary." It was chosen with careful consideration, not by throwing a dart at a calendar. Any task, from planting a rose garden to restoring a kitchen or building a highway to Memphis to fighting a war should have a timetable including an estimated time of completion. The timetable can be modified as conditions change (highway to Memphis).

"Oh, but now the Taliban knows our plans and they will see us focusing on one city and respond to that by going to another, and..." Like they wouldn't be doing that anyway?

"The Taliban will just wait until we leave and then resurge." Not if they are dead!

The president said last night that we were united in 2001 behind the decision to go into Afghanistan.

"It's easy to forget that when this war began, we were united -- bound together by the fresh memory of a horrific attack, and by the determination to defend our homeland and the values we hold dear. I refuse to accept the notion that we cannot summon that unity again."

The hall erupted in applause after this line. I agree. We should unite behind this president and his decision. (Photo - Reuters)

Fair and balanced

Well, fair, anyway. And balanced most of the time.

In a move that will surprise many, I plan to listen to the president tonight before fully deciding my views on the course our nation should take in Afghanistan. I am leaning toward supporting his decision to send in more troops, but I want to hear more about exit strategies and timetables.

Contrary to what some think, I listen to both sides of an issue before making my decision. In doing so, I can express my opinion in an educated manner.

Sometimes an issue is decided, and I no longer feel the need to listen to the viewpoints of those who disagree with my position. An example is the science of evolution. Intelligent design is not science, so I don't listen to those arguments. This is not to say that people cannot believe in intelligent design or even creationism, and that doesn't bother me, until they try to pass it off as science and incorporate it into our educational system. This wastes valuable teaching time, and does nothing to prepare our children for higher education and life in the real (scientific) world.

I feel the same way about the origins of homosexuality. It is not a choice, and I won't waste my time arguing with people about that. But on occasion, I have to address the issue when somebody says something really stupid.

As for Afghanistan, there are certainly national security issues, and the very real question as to whether success is actually possible or not. American lives are at stake. So I am very interested in hearing what the president says.




I hope this does not become a daily thing, but BC (Bessemer conservative) has made some more statements about me. It doesn't bother me that a conservative is expressing his views, but when he writes something that is wrong, I will correct it.

He wrote this:

He (referring to me) also points out that democrats did not remove prayer from schools or take the Ten Commandments from government buildings. He points out that the Supreme Court did this. Really, they just came up with this idea and ruled on it? No, democrats cried and whined that it offended them, got it to court and it was then ruled on by democratic judges and the like.

Technically, that may be correct, but it is misleading. The composition of the Supreme Court that ruled on Abingdon School District v. Schempp (which consolidated with Murray v. Curlett), the 1963 case which is associated with school prayer and Bible reading, included 5 justices appointed by a democratic president and 4 appointed by a republican president. Eight of the justices, including Chief Justice Earl Warren (an Eisenhower appointee) agreed or concurred with the majority, and only 1 justice , Potter Stewart (also an Eisenhower appointee), was in dissent.

So the decision was a pretty balanced one with 3 Republican appointees and 5 Democrat appointees in agreement.

He also says this about me:

He also finds it necessary to point out that Jefferson County and Bessemer were won by obama during the election. Maybe that is why Jefferson county almost went bankrupt... Since the democrats have taken office in the area, both city and county governments have taken a turn for the worse.

Actually, Jefferson County "almost went bankrupt" while Republicans held (and still hold) a majority on the Commission. You can't get much more republican than Jefferson County Commission president Bettye Fine Collins.

And he's one to talk about taking a turn for the worse, after his hero George W. Bush led the country into the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

About me, he says this:

His beliefs undermine "his equality for all" stance that he is always preaching. What he does not get(because he is lead by guilt, sin and the misgivings of those in power) is that the progress he is for will never come from taxing anything and everything we Americans buy, use, do and say.

Never mind what he is trying to say (?), I am concerned with this phrase - "he is lead (sp) by guilt, sin and the misgivings of those in power."

I am led by "guilt" and "sin"? I am really trying to understand what he means by this. I hope this is not going where it appears to be. Even though we disagree on the issues, this seems pretty judgmental to me, and I thought he at least believed in the common humanity of man. Maybe I was wrong.