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December 29, 2005
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Thursday's Links
Activism
Suggest Your Own Slogan. Ah, here's a fun way you can get involved. Flex those creative muscles! Go to the link and suggest a slogan that DFA can use for a billboard in Tom DeLay's congressional district. Ousting DeLay would strike a great blow for democracy and human decency. Certainly you can think of something clever, can't you?
News
Eric Rudolph and Abortion. By now you are probably aware that Eric Rudolph has pled guilty to the bombings that occured during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, GA, as well as to two other such acts. A defiant Rudolph explained that he could not abide by a government that would sanction what he calls "abortion on demand," and used the platform of the Olympics to "embarass the U.S. government in front of the world." Although Rundolph says he regrets the loss of "innocent" life, his actions are nonetheless heinous and despicable. Although it may sound trite to say that "violence is never an answer," it is nonetheless true. Our question is, how many more Rudolphs are being fostered by the vitriol that the religious right is spewing these days? Judges, doctors, lawmakers have all been threated - it seems that "sanctity of life" is really just a catchphrase these days.
They Call it Progress. And it is, of a sort. Connecticut is poised to become the second state to establish civil unions for same-sex couples. The state also passed an ammendment that defines marriage as a union of one man and one woman. It appears that the amendment was necessary for Republican Governor M. Jodi Rell to sign the civil unions legislation. Connecticut is the first state to pass such civil union laws without being directed by the courts. Of course, neither political side is happy, as Democrats lament the amendment, and Republicans lament the civil unions. To us, it appears that Democrats came out ahead, because as Rep. Alfred Adinolfi (R) said, "This bill is the same as same-sex marriage, it's just called civil unions." It provides the same tax breaks to civil union couples as to married couples. We hate preaching patience on issues that should be obvious in 2005, but baby steps seem to be what's going to get it done.
Violence Over Afghan Opium. A few weeks ago, the U.S. decided to crack down on the drug trade in Afghanistan, probably because they realize how much it is affecting Americans. Of course, Afghanistan's opium trade is nothing new. So it shouldn't be surprising that the first raid in Afghanistan turned into a bloody battle with American mercenaries. What is surprising is that the American contractors who led the raid thought it would be a peaceful, low-key mission. Mark our words - this will become much worse before it gets any better. And the conventional wisdom is that Afghanistan is in much better shape than Iraq.
Editorials
The GOP Is Harboring Domestic Terrorists. We talked a little about this earlier in the week, but Jill's justifiable outrage over the "Confronting the Judicial War on Faith" conference, and its speakers, needs to be heard. Jill quotes Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) who said last week, "I'm a radical! I'm a real extremist. I don't want to impeach judges. I want to impale them!" As Jill reminds us, the penalty for threatening a judge is six years in prison. But will Coburn see the inside of a cell? Hardly - he'll barely feel the effects in his constituency. And that is the real problem. We're kidding ourselves if we think rhetoric like this doesn't somehow fuel sociopaths like Eric Rudolph.
Lacking the Political Will. Two million people have died in Darfur (that's about 2/3 of the population of New York). An additional 4 million have had to flee their homes. Food is running in short supply. And the ICC has yet to do anything about it, aside from verbally condemn the leaders of the janjaweed. It's a good thing that international donors recently pledged $4.5 billion dollars in aid. Now, if we could only get someone to, you know, stop the war.
Bush Reaches into New Jersey To Screw Up Our Prescription Drug Program. We don't live in New Jersey. And aside from their wonderful turnpike, we don't spend a lot of time there. But New Jersey does have a problem that is probably reflected in many other states - Bush's new prescription drug plan clashes with the state's drug plan. Foreseeing this, a nonpartisan commission was set up to look at issues like this. According to the author of this editorial, "The commission agreed that seniors should get the highest drug benefit, with no additional paperwork. This is done through automatic enrollment by the state into whichever plan is better for the resident. Minimal paperwork, maximum benefit. Simple." Not so simple, as Bush said No. "[He] decided that seniors in New Jersey must pick among a myriad of confusing options for their drug benefit. In addition, New Jersey and other states that already have prescription drug benefits lose Medicaid money from the Federal government, raising costs to state taxpayers." How is this fair to taxpayers? To the state? To the seniors already on their plan? The future isn't looking too hot, folks, and it is getting more and more frustrating trying to figure out how to fix it, when we have a man hell-bent on destroying it.
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December 29, 2005
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Thursday's Links
Activism
Suggest Your Own Slogan. Ah, here's a fun way you can get involved. Flex those creative muscles! Go to the link and suggest a slogan that DFA can use for a billboard in Tom DeLay's congressional district. Ousting DeLay would strike a great blow for democracy and human decency. Certainly you can think of something clever, can't you?
News
Eric Rudolph and Abortion. By now you are probably aware that Eric Rudolph has pled guilty to the bombings that occured during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, GA, as well as to two other such acts. A defiant Rudolph explained that he could not abide by a government that would sanction what he calls "abortion on demand," and used the platform of the Olympics to "embarass the U.S. government in front of the world." Although Rundolph says he regrets the loss of "innocent" life, his actions are nonetheless heinous and despicable. Although it may sound trite to say that "violence is never an answer," it is nonetheless true. Our question is, how many more Rudolphs are being fostered by the vitriol that the religious right is spewing these days? Judges, doctors, lawmakers have all been threated - it seems that "sanctity of life" is really just a catchphrase these days.
They Call it Progress. And it is, of a sort. Connecticut is poised to become the second state to establish civil unions for same-sex couples. The state also passed an ammendment that defines marriage as a union of one man and one woman. It appears that the amendment was necessary for Republican Governor M. Jodi Rell to sign the civil unions legislation. Connecticut is the first state to pass such civil union laws without being directed by the courts. Of course, neither political side is happy, as Democrats lament the amendment, and Republicans lament the civil unions. To us, it appears that Democrats came out ahead, because as Rep. Alfred Adinolfi (R) said, "This bill is the same as same-sex marriage, it's just called civil unions." It provides the same tax breaks to civil union couples as to married couples. We hate preaching patience on issues that should be obvious in 2005, but baby steps seem to be what's going to get it done.
Violence Over Afghan Opium. A few weeks ago, the U.S. decided to crack down on the drug trade in Afghanistan, probably because they realize how much it is affecting Americans. Of course, Afghanistan's opium trade is nothing new. So it shouldn't be surprising that the first raid in Afghanistan turned into a bloody battle with American mercenaries. What is surprising is that the American contractors who led the raid thought it would be a peaceful, low-key mission. Mark our words - this will become much worse before it gets any better. And the conventional wisdom is that Afghanistan is in much better shape than Iraq.
Editorials
The GOP Is Harboring Domestic Terrorists. We talked a little about this earlier in the week, but Jill's justifiable outrage over the "Confronting the Judicial War on Faith" conference, and its speakers, needs to be heard. Jill quotes Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) who said last week, "I'm a radical! I'm a real extremist. I don't want to impeach judges. I want to impale them!" As Jill reminds us, the penalty for threatening a judge is six years in prison. But will Coburn see the inside of a cell? Hardly - he'll barely feel the effects in his constituency. And that is the real problem. We're kidding ourselves if we think rhetoric like this doesn't somehow fuel sociopaths like Eric Rudolph.
Lacking the Political Will. Two million people have died in Darfur (that's about 2/3 of the population of New York). An additional 4 million have had to flee their homes. Food is running in short supply. And the ICC has yet to do anything about it, aside from verbally condemn the leaders of the janjaweed. It's a good thing that international donors recently pledged $4.5 billion dollars in aid. Now, if we could only get someone to, you know, stop the war.
Bush Reaches into New Jersey To Screw Up Our Prescription Drug Program. We don't live in New Jersey. And aside from their wonderful turnpike, we don't spend a lot of time there. But New Jersey does have a problem that is probably reflected in many other states - Bush's new prescription drug plan clashes with the state's drug plan. Foreseeing this, a nonpartisan commission was set up to look at issues like this. According to the author of this editorial, "The commission agreed that seniors should get the highest drug benefit, with no additional paperwork. This is done through automatic enrollment by the state into whichever plan is better for the resident. Minimal paperwork, maximum benefit. Simple." Not so simple, as Bush said No. "[He] decided that seniors in New Jersey must pick among a myriad of confusing options for their drug benefit. In addition, New Jersey and other states that already have prescription drug benefits lose Medicaid money from the Federal government, raising costs to state taxpayers." How is this fair to taxpayers? To the state? To the seniors already on their plan? The future isn't looking too hot, folks, and it is getting more and more frustrating trying to figure out how to fix it, when we have a man hell-bent on destroying it.
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December 29, 2005
Suggest Your Own Slogan. Ah, here's a fun way you can get involved. Flex those creative muscles! Go to the link and suggest a slogan that DFA can use for a billboard in Tom DeLay's congressional district. Ousting DeLay would strike a great blow for democracy and human decency. Certainly you can think of something clever, can't you?
News
Eric Rudolph and Abortion. By now you are probably aware that Eric Rudolph has pled guilty to the bombings that occured during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, GA, as well as to two other such acts. A defiant Rudolph explained that he could not abide by a government that would sanction what he calls "abortion on demand," and used the platform of the Olympics to "embarass the U.S. government in front of the world." Although Rundolph says he regrets the loss of "innocent" life, his actions are nonetheless heinous and despicable. Although it may sound trite to say that "violence is never an answer," it is nonetheless true. Our question is, how many more Rudolphs are being fostered by the vitriol that the religious right is spewing these days? Judges, doctors, lawmakers have all been threated - it seems that "sanctity of life" is really just a catchphrase these days.
They Call it Progress. And it is, of a sort. Connecticut is poised to become the second state to establish civil unions for same-sex couples. The state also passed an ammendment that defines marriage as a union of one man and one woman. It appears that the amendment was necessary for Republican Governor M. Jodi Rell to sign the civil unions legislation. Connecticut is the first state to pass such civil union laws without being directed by the courts. Of course, neither political side is happy, as Democrats lament the amendment, and Republicans lament the civil unions. To us, it appears that Democrats came out ahead, because as Rep. Alfred Adinolfi (R) said, "This bill is the same as same-sex marriage, it's just called civil unions." It provides the same tax breaks to civil union couples as to married couples. We hate preaching patience on issues that should be obvious in 2005, but baby steps seem to be what's going to get it done.
Violence Over Afghan Opium. A few weeks ago, the U.S. decided to crack down on the drug trade in Afghanistan, probably because they realize how much it is affecting Americans. Of course, Afghanistan's opium trade is nothing new. So it shouldn't be surprising that the first raid in Afghanistan turned into a bloody battle with American mercenaries. What is surprising is that the American contractors who led the raid thought it would be a peaceful, low-key mission. Mark our words - this will become much worse before it gets any better. And the conventional wisdom is that Afghanistan is in much better shape than Iraq.
Editorials
The GOP Is Harboring Domestic Terrorists. We talked a little about this earlier in the week, but Jill's justifiable outrage over the "Confronting the Judicial War on Faith" conference, and its speakers, needs to be heard. Jill quotes Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) who said last week, "I'm a radical! I'm a real extremist. I don't want to impeach judges. I want to impale them!" As Jill reminds us, the penalty for threatening a judge is six years in prison. But will Coburn see the inside of a cell? Hardly - he'll barely feel the effects in his constituency. And that is the real problem. We're kidding ourselves if we think rhetoric like this doesn't somehow fuel sociopaths like Eric Rudolph.
Lacking the Political Will. Two million people have died in Darfur (that's about 2/3 of the population of New York). An additional 4 million have had to flee their homes. Food is running in short supply. And the ICC has yet to do anything about it, aside from verbally condemn the leaders of the janjaweed. It's a good thing that international donors recently pledged $4.5 billion dollars in aid. Now, if we could only get someone to, you know, stop the war.
Bush Reaches into New Jersey To Screw Up Our Prescription Drug Program. We don't live in New Jersey. And aside from their wonderful turnpike, we don't spend a lot of time there. But New Jersey does have a problem that is probably reflected in many other states - Bush's new prescription drug plan clashes with the state's drug plan. Foreseeing this, a nonpartisan commission was set up to look at issues like this. According to the author of this editorial, "The commission agreed that seniors should get the highest drug benefit, with no additional paperwork. This is done through automatic enrollment by the state into whichever plan is better for the resident. Minimal paperwork, maximum benefit. Simple." Not so simple, as Bush said No. "[He] decided that seniors in New Jersey must pick among a myriad of confusing options for their drug benefit. In addition, New Jersey and other states that already have prescription drug benefits lose Medicaid money from the Federal government, raising costs to state taxpayers." How is this fair to taxpayers? To the state? To the seniors already on their plan? The future isn't looking too hot, folks, and it is getting more and more frustrating trying to figure out how to fix it, when we have a man hell-bent on destroying it.
