This Is What We Are Dealing with in Ohio's 16th District

Just when the idiot Congressman my fellow citizens elected, it got worse. This guy owns nursing homes (and has been sued by patients and their families) and should be the last member of Congress to want to end Medicare and Medicaid!

Here's an the bulk of an email I received from ProgressOhio:

Here’s Your Chance to Send Representative Renacci Your message.

ProgressOhio is inviting constituents, seniors, and activists to attend a press event at Rep. Renacci’s office Thursday July 21st.

Give Renacci a Red Card on Medicaid!

Rep. Renacci’s security and staff controlled the debate at his recent Town Hall. He used tactics such as distributing Red Cards and Green Cards for the crowd to use and then he asked them questions in a way that confused them on how to use the cards to respond. Renacci also kicked individuals out of the meeting and his staff decided which questions would be discussed during the town hall.

Citizens both outside and inside the hall struggled to make their voices heard over the Congressman’s stifling tactics.

Now you have your chance to send Representative Renacci a message and REALLY have your voice heard.

Politicians are currently negotiating a deal in Washington that would cut Medicaid for seniors, people with disabilities, and children while at the same time giving millionaires another tax break. Their schemes could cost Ohio billions of dollars and thousands of jobs!

Medicaid is how most of us pay for long-term care in our homes, assisted living facilities, or in nursing homes. Do we want to go back to the days of the poor farms and old folks homes?

Let Rep. Rennaci know that he was elected to represent all of the people in his district and that we are opposed to cuts in Medicaid.

Join ProgressOhio, a Health Care for America Now (HCAN) partner, retirees, and activists on June 30th in Columbus to send a message to Rep. Renacci that we want our voice heard on Medicaid.

On one hand, I want to go and I want to holler really loud; on the other, his office is located smack in the middle of the richest township in our area and place where there is insufficient parking. AND the cops are the nastiest in the county. Therefore, I don't think I should go because y'all know I'm not bloody likely to sit quietly and swallow the swill he'll be spouting. I do think it's interesting that there wasn't an announcement of this in his latest email newsletter which tells me how interested he is in hearing from us.

I feel kind of gutless for not going but I can't afford bail but the only one who takes care of me is the old lady I see in the mirror every morning and Jiminy Cricket tells me to stay home.

I did, however, sign up to volunteer with ProgressOhio and I plan to help campaign against him in the coming election. Does that count?

I leave y'all with a very old joke: What the opposite of Progress? Congress!

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kay

We Are Ohio!!!!!

Good news came in yesterday from Columbus!!!!   Over 714,000 good folks in the great State of Ohio have signed the referendum petitions to repeal  SB7, aka the union-busting bill, and I am proud to have my signature counted among theirs.  The goal was to obtain 450,000 signatures and they predict that by the time all the petitions are in, we may double it.  This means that there will be vote to repeal  SB7 come November. Kudos to Ohio Attorney General, Jennifer Bruner, who spearheaded the referendum campaign, and the many volunteers who gave countless hours working to get and count the signatures!

Here's the video a young friend sent along who is studying film at OSU.  I think she has a brilliant future with network news!



We are Ohio and we're standing loud and proud!!!!!! Take that, Governor Kasich! You're going down!

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!

Kay

Martin Luther King Day

Today is the day that we remember and honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. -- the leader of the civil rights movement that was a at the forefront of omy growng up years. He was an extraordinary man in extraordinary times. Many of you who read this blog, like me, were just coming of age when he was killed by an assassin's bullet -- just a few years after we suffered the loss of President Kennedy the same way.

Much has been written about the effect those heinous acts had on us as individuals, as a generation and as a country. And here we are again after another tragic assault on another leader who only wanted to good for us and our country and today I wept for Gabrielle and all who were killed or injured in the Tuscon tragedy. The madness of the times of our youth is still very much with us and, if anything, has gotten worse and that saddens me deeply.

We, as a country, have obviously learned nothing from our past mistakes and hate is very much with us. At a time we should be coming together, we have finger-pointing and hate speech from those who purport to be our leaders at a level I've never seen in my nearly sixty-three years.

What is the answer? I don't know. However, I do think it would behoove us to muster the courage of of the late Dr. King to scourge those who feed hate and violence from the air waves and from our government and look into our own hearts to find the strength to restore honor and decency to our country. To do otherwise is disrespecting the legacy our Founding Fathers left us and the future of our grandchildren.

I know I've rambled a lot here and I hope at least some of it makes sense. I'm still pretty upset -- and will probably continue to be so. Please bear with me.

Here's a song that was popular in our youth that asks a pertinent question: When we ever learn? And Joan Baez is still asking it and still sounds and looks beautiful.



{To those who had trouble with my videos: I checked and they still run perfectly on my blog. Since I'm not a techie I can only guess that it's a problem with your settings or somesuch. If you wish, you can click on the YouTube logo and watch them at their site}.

Kay

'Nuff Said!

I am buried between work and assorted other nonsense and depending on the upshot of what happens with the job because of the inanity of bureaucratic b.s. I am not in a good frame of mind to say the least.

The inane law enacted in Arizona has offended the very core of what it meant to be free in this country and what many of us fought for during the years when I was growing up. I could stomp my soap box but the Pima County sheriff says it better and what follows says it all.





"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Do we tear down the statue that brought hope to many of our ancestors from around the globe? I think the Governor of Arizona says "YES!"

And I think she is a bigot and a traitor to the principles upon which this country was founded. I am ashamed of her and anyone who follows her lead.

Happy Blogging!!!!!!

Kay

More Idiocy!

It's not often I vent twice in one day but, in the interest of my blood pressure I have done so today.

I've been waiting for this -- it was just a matter of time. Glen Beck has finally managed to offend the vast majority of the country. Leave it to him to try to make 'social justice' a cuss word. He is evil -- in the Biblical sense.



Beck professes to be a Mormon. The Mormons I know are committed to the very things
Beck attacked and are required to do missions. I hope the elders throw his you-know-what out.

I am a Roman Catholic and, if you've been reading here a while, y'all know that I've written here about the good work we do in our parish to help others as has every parish I've been a member in my almost 63 years.

The Presbyterian Church around the corner from me sponsors a meal for the poor as well as other.

The Jewish community here are huge supporters of helping others. One of my classmates who is now a multi-millionaire founded an agency to help the elders and disabled in our community find care.

I also decided to check in Islam's take on charity and was pleasantly surprised. Y'all can read about it here. I also checked on Buddhism.

In short, all the major religions require charity as part of their respective roads to heaven.

Here are a few quotes from my hero Gandhi that I think Beck should take to heart:

* The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.
* Generosity consists not the sum given, but the manner in which it is bestowed.
* The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems.
* You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result.
* Be the change you want to see in the world!

This response from Countdown was brilliant:



I think Glen Beck is trying to undermine our rights to practice our faith. Kudos from the Mormons for apologizing for the insults and venom Beck spewed but they should not have had to do such a thing if Beck really followed his faith. And I wonder if the Mormons have excommunication, shunning or somesuch.

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!

Kay

P.S.: Tomorrow we'll have fun here!!!!

Britt Hume Redux

Britt Hume dug himself deeper in the hole with his holier than all of us views on Tuesday. And yesterday Keith Olbermann had an excellent guest from the Interfaith Alliance who actually made sense.



I like Rev. Waddy because he really got to the heart of the matter when he talked about respect among the various faiths.

As a Catholic, I am not considered a Christian by the likes of Britt Hume. Duh? I know because it's been told to me many times by others like him. Frankly, I don't want to join their cabal of intolerance because we all find our own way to God.

My dad's favorite quote from the Bible was, "Judge not lest ye be judged." I think Hume needs to re-read the Old Testament. And yeah, I'm being a tad judgemental. He asked for it!

The Founding Fathers established freedom of religion when they wrote the Constitution -- I recommend that Britt Hume re-read that fine document and shut up.

Happy Blogging!!!!!

Kay

The Jefferson Muzzle Awards 2009

It's that time again!!!!! For the eighteenth year, The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Expression of Free Speech has announced its 2009 Muzzle Awards to those who have grievously ignored Thomas Jefferson's statement that freedom of speech "cannot be limited without being lost."

I look forward to these awards each year and appreciate that these fine folks are paying attention to protecting this precious right. As bloggers, we should all rejoice in their commitment as we could all be in huge trouble without the First Amendment. And whether you agree with their choices or not, it really all about freedom of speech and choice as our Founding Fathers wished and that's a good thing.

This year's list runs the gamut from horrifying to plain damned silly and includes a somewhat motley crew. Some are no big surprise like the two major political parties whose members consistently ignore the Constitution and the First Amendment with monotonous regularity. Others amaze me like the judges who I thought -- silly me -- were supposed to know the Bill of Rights and that scares the hell out of me as the school systems accorded this dubious honor and over-populated the list. I'm only going write about the #1 winners (i.e., the ones who annoyed me most) but here is the list of the offen . . . er . . . ah . . . honorees for 2009:

1. The Democratic and Republican National Parties
2. Command Authority of Camp Lejeune Marine Base (NC)
3. Berrien County (Michigan) Court Judge Dennis Wiley
4. Virginia Circuit Court Judge Westbrook J. Parker
5. The Administrations of Lone Star College and Tarrant County College (both in Texas).
5. The Administration of Cypress College (California)
6. The Administration of Yuba Community College Administration (California)
7. The Perry Township (Indiana) School Board
8. The Administration of the Academy for Arts, Science, & Technology (South Carolina
9. The Administrations of Millard South High School (Nebraska) and Aurora Frontier
K-8 (Colorado)

You can read about all of them here. If you're like me and treasure your freedom of speech, be sure to have a hankie or box of tissue (or whatever medications you require for stress) nearby.

As I said I'm only going to comment on the #1 "honorees" because there are so many among the rest that I want to rant about. I may write about some of the others later.

Thank you Democrats and Republicans for muzzling protesters at both conventions. You truly earned your #1 ranking. I hope you can share it as you re-think the First Amendment. I'm sending extra points to the RNC for not allowing Ron Paul or his delegates on the convention floor. I mean really -- Ron Paul, a multi-term Republican Congressman -- had over thirty delegates committed to him from the Republican primaries and was not allowed to attend the convention. Shame, shame, shame on both parties. Over 850 people were arrested at the Republican convention which included forty members of the press. At the DNC's party they were some horrific incidents, too, although no numbers were available. Words can't truly express how angry I am but I'm delighted the TJ Center calls attention to their transgressions.

Y'all can visit the TJ Center's link above and see what travesties were committed against the First Amendment. And be sure your blood pressure is under control.

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!

Just a Quick Thought After a Long Day

It's been a very long and difficult day. I went back to work this morning only because a girl's gotta eat. I still feel like death warmed over. Thank God I see my doctor tomorrow! I also had a meeting tonight and couldn't miss it because it was my turn for refreshments which made the day even longer. Sigh. This girl's a freak about keeping her obligations. I'd forgotten it was election night. I am now a trustee of our neighborhood association. No big deal. It's a no-brainer and since I'm giving up a couple other things, it's okay.

The point is (bet y'all thought I'd never get there) that I'm tired and not of a mind to write here. I did, however, find this video on California's Prop 8. I've said before that I'm not an aficionado of Keith Olbermann but I think he got it right here. I have gay friends who I think would agree.



Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!!!

Kay

Happy Veteran's Day!!!!

I hope y'all get the chance to hug your favorite Vet today!!!!! My daughter, a veteran of the U.S. Navy during 9/11, lives in Maine so I'll just call her. I'll do the same for my brother, a veteran of Desert Storm. My Dad, a WWII veteran, has gone to his reward so I'll probably call his widow and reminisce about the pride he had in his service and say a prayer for him. When he died, he was commander of hus VFW Post -- an honor of which he was intensely proud. All my uncles are veterans, too -- most of them served in Germany in the aftermath of WWII. I am proud that my family and many of my friends have answered the call to defend our country.

To all of my blogging friends who have served: THANK YOU!!!!!!!

To the young men and women serving us around the world: THANK YOU!!!!!!!

To all y'all: Hug your favorite Vet if you can and join me in saying a prayer for those who are now serving and those who gave their lives for our country. I like this one from the Franciscan Friars.

O Lord, today I thank You for our veterans, for their willingness to risk all so that our nation might dwell in peace and safety. May they find the honor and recognition they truly deserve.

I pray that You will heal the physical, spiritual, and psychological wounds some of these veterans have suffered. Bring a lasting peace to those who mourn the loss of comrades. Help them to find Your love and mercy, so that they may cope with the actions they may have had to take while they served our country.

Make them realize that the rules of engagement in war do not always follow the laws of God, but give them solace by Your scripture passages that show them that sometimes battle is necessary for the common good. Amen.

God bless America!!!!!!!!!

Happy Blogging!!!!!!

Kay

The 2008 Muzzle Awards

It's that time of year again and the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression has awarded its Muzzles to those cretins who have the dubious honor of having done the best job of violating the First Amendment of the Constitution in honor of our Founding Father's Birthday.

I was a bit surprised that the Bush administration and Congress escaped their notice but I suspect the former could be in line for their Lifetime Achievement award.

It is again a motley crew and I'm only going to skewer, er . . . comment on a couple. You can see the full list here.

Nebraskans figured prominently with the U.S. Attorney there twice and a judge capturing the top three awards. The judge in #3 spot really got to me. In a rape trial, he prohibited the use of the following words: “rape,” “victim,” “assailant,” “sexual assault kit,” and “sexual assault nurse examiner.” Duh? I don't think I need to enlarge upon that.

Another one was the fourth honoree, The New York Department of Motor Vehicles received the award for denying a retired New York cop his vanity plate of choice shown below. It isn't obscene -- tacky maybe. but not obscene -- and expresses his point of view and if he was on the job during 9/11, I can certainly understand his sentiment.

Another giggle goes to the Scranton (PA) Police Department for arresting a woman for screaming profanities at her overflowing toilet. An off-duty cop who was her neighbor called the police and reported her. She was arrested for disorderly conduct. I don't know about y'all but if my potty is overflowing, I cuss and last time I checked, it isn't illegal otherwise I think most of us could be in real trouble.

In the interest of brevity, I'm skipping to the last honoree. There are other winners worthy of comment but I'll let y'all explore those. The last award is only the second Lifetime Muzzle ever Awarded and the winner is (drum roll) . . . The Federal Communications Commission for a list of seemingly endless violations! No surprises there but the honor had to be noted.

Hope y'all enjoy this site as much as I do -- I usually run the whole gamut of emotions as I read it. I think y'all know I am strong believer in the First Amendment and consider it the cornerstone of that oft-ignored document, The Constitution of the United States and I'm glad the TJ Center is watching.

I leave you with a quote I really liked. I think it says a lot

"A free press cannot always serve the masters of truth and popular opinion at the same time. If it serves the former, it does its duty; if it bows to the latter, it abdicates its responsibility.” -- Ronald K. L. Collins, First Amendment scholar

Happy Blogging!!!!!!

Kay

Another Assault on Our Liberty

I recently reviewed fellow Elderblogger Bob Brady's outstanding blog, Pureland Mountain for Time Goes By's Getting to Know the Elderblogger's List feature. When I review I don't mess around. I check current posts, archives, photos and links and then I write my review. I was so thoroughly delighted with Bob's blog, I know I spent well over an hour exploring it and recommend that y'all pay him a visit. I think you'll find it fascinating.

I found the video above there and am borrowing it because it really triggered my outrage much the same way HR:1955/S.1959 has and I think it bears mention as it shows glaringly what the Bush administration and Congress are doing to the civil liberties guaranteed us under the Constitution. Bob's heading on his post that includes this video states: I Don't Remember This Country. Sadly, I have to agree with him. When are we going to fight back?

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!

Kay

Food for Thought

I spent much of my day thinking of Ronni Bennett's post today re: S. 1959, The Thought Crimes Bill and Zeitgeist, an excellent but disturbing movie I watched the other night. It examines history and chronicles how the world and our country has reached the point we're at today. Some people I've spoken with think I've slipped my gears and yeah, a thought crimes bill sounds unbelievable in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave but it's there rearing its ugly head and, in my not so humble opinon, it has to be stopped NOW!

When I was a junior in high school in the mid-60s, I had a wonderful American History teacher. He was Native American and a former Army Intelligence officer and we called him the Chief to his amusement. He was good at making us think about the world we lived in and worked hard to make us understand that there was a cold, cruel world beyond our suburb in which we had to learn to live. In addition to history, both American and Native American, we argued current events and social issues which often turned into screaming matches. In those sessions I learned where I stood on a lot of issues and I learned to speak my mind about them.

Today, while I was absorbing all the information I've been exposed to this week, I remembered a handout the Chief gave us and I want to share it with y'all. Most of you have probably seen it before but I think with the possible threat to our liberty, perhaps a reminder is merited.

First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up,

because I wasn’t a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up,

because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up,

because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me,

and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.

by Rev. Martin Niemoller, 1945

It's time for everyone to speak up for all of us.

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kay