In my US Congressional District - Texas 26, our incumbent US Representative, Michael Burgess voted AGAINST network neutrality after taking $33,000 in "contributions" from the telephone and cable monopolies. (Burgess also just voted NO on an ethics reform bill that passed the house by an overwhelming bi-partisan majority. The bill will ban former members of congress who are lobbyists like Tom Delay will be soon, from entering the house floor and congressional exercise facilities.)

The challenger, Tim Barnwell, actually understands the issue, unlike many out-of-touch politicians.

Tim Barnwell has publicly stated his support for Network Neutrality here:
http://www.barnwellforcongress.com/2006/05/net_neutrality.php#more

Tim is a great guy who will serve the people's interest, not his own or the corporate lobby. If you live in Texas District 26 (check your voter card), PLEASE vote for Tim Barnwell.

http://www.barnwellforcongress.com

For more background on Network Neutrality, please read my earlier post:
Save the Internet - Protect Network Neutrality

For an excellent piece that tells what Michael Burgess is all about, you should read the "An Open Letter to Michael Burgess" piece by Stephen Webster of the News Connection

There's been talk recently in Texas and around the nation about a Gas Tax Holiday or some other similar rollback of state or Federal gas taxes in light of the extremely high prices for fuel right now.

The rationale goes that since the 24.4 cents per gallon or so in taxes would be removed, gas prices would go down from the current $2.90 a gallon to about $2.66. Unfortunately this would not only NOT lower the price of gasoline, it would result in a windfall profit for the oil companies that have already taken us for a ride.

Gasoline prices are set by the market based on supply and demand. Demand for gasoline is somewhat elastic, which means that when the price goes up, people find ways to use less. When the price goes down, people use more. This price-elasticity, coupled with the worldwide and local supplies of gasoline is what ultimately sets the market price.

If the market price is artificially lowered by removing taxes, price elasticity guarantees that demand would increase until the price goes back up to a point where supply and demand match. The 24.4 cents that was going into the Federal Treasury would now be going to BP and ExxonMobil.

So, this proposal will not help lower the price of gas, and WILL result in lowered income for the government. With the current "borrow-and-spend" so-called "conservatives" in power, our children will be even more indebted.

Kudos to the Democrats for at least TRYING to do something about fuel prices, but they should have consulted any economist before proposing something so outlandish and ineffective.

We need to impose a FAIR tax on corporations, and quit giving corporate welfare to the likes of ExxonMobil and other big oil companies that are profiting greatly.

We may not "solve" the fuel price problem. It may actually help us out that prices are so high right now. I know that's not comforting to folks like my mom who drive thousands of miles a month in their jobs, but it will lead to innovation in fuel economy.

"A penny saved is a penny earned", so the saying goes. I would paraphrase to say "A gallon saved is a gallon earned". Conservation (which by all rights should be a "conservative" value) is the BEST way to lower demand and thus keep fuel costs low, and a smaller part of the budget.

We need to work on alternative sources, but we must be responsible in how we do it. The Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve (ANWAR) keeps surfacing as a supposed solution to our country's dependence on foreign oil. Unfortunately, the American people have been sold a bill of goods. ANWAR is not by ANYONE's predictions an economically feasible or even particularly large oil reserve. The oil companies don't want to drill there. The purpose of putting ANWAR on the table is two-fold:

1. Republicans resent any attempts to put a given place off-limits for environmental reasons. They believe that man has a God-given right to exploit whatever, whenever, without regard to preserving anything wild for our future generations.
2. Oil companies want the PRECEDENT of having the Federal government open up protected lands to PRIVATE drilling.

All those opposed to high gas prices: raise your right foot!

Background

Other facts about DU

• DU is Pyrophoric, meaning spontaneously combustible. Exposed DU powder can combust in plain air.
  
• Burning DU forms Uranium Oxides and Uranium Nitrides, since it also bonds with atmospheric nitrogen
  
• Burns at 3000 – 6000 degrees C. creating nanoparticles – about .001 microns
  
• Radiation decay is by Alpha particles - the most energetic ionizing particles. Normally alpha radiation is stopped by the skin, but inhaled or ingested DU dust can cause radiation damage inside the lungs and other organs.
  

Gulf War I (GW1) Statistics

Recommendations

• Suspend the use of all DU projectiles unless and until an independent commission can prove their safety to personnel, non-combatants, and environment.
  
• Hold the Pentagon and the DOE accountable for the exact count and tonnage of DU projectiles used in each conflict, and the types of targets engaged. We must determine the extent of any current damage
  
• Inform troops of risks with DU munitions, and proper precautions for recovery efforts or operations in DU affected areas.
  
• Require use of radiation dosimeters for troops in contact with DU. Test exposed troops immediately after exposure.
  
• Create a program of accountability for DU cleanup and soil remediation in affected areas.
  
• More importantly, discourage the current doctrine of pre-emptive strikes for “regime change” so that we don’t have as much reason to need and use DU munitions.
  

Additional Resources

http://www.salon.com/ent/video_dog/po ... /colbert_press/index.html http://www.salon.com/ent/video_dog/po ... rt_white_house/index.html
You'll have to watch an ad first, but it's worth it. I am literally rolling on the floor laughing.

Large corporations like AOL, Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast want to have the right to control what sites on the internet you visit, or cause certain sites to load slower than others so that they can sell "preferred" access to certain websites. AOL would like to sell access to your email, but that's another story. Congress is considering passing a bill that would GUT free speech on the Internet. As MoveOn.org puts it:

"Net Neutrality prevents AT&T from choosing which websites open most easily for you based on which site pays AT&T more. Amazon doesn't have to outbid Barnes & Noble for the right to work more properly on your computer."

In essense, certain websites would have to pay "protection money" in order to be seen by all users.

Sign our petition here today:


http://www.civic.moveon.org/save_the_internet

Call your congress person today and let them know you won't stand for it!

http://civic.moveon.org/call/signup.h ... _id=328&mode=house.senate

We are in a war. The war of which I speak is not the war in Iraq, or the war on terror, but the war being waged in our own homeland. This war, like all wars is the result of the choice of fear rather than love. This is a war of culture in which fear is being exploited by those who seek to divide us and undermine the unity of our nation. The power-hungry and morally corrupt that drive our government and manipulate public opinion seek to divide us by pitting the rich against the working class, the native born against the immigrant, the religious against the free-spirited, the conservative against the progressive. Love will win this war, but we have to remember the purpose of the war, and not get too caught up in the battles. For Progressives in this country, these times are disheartening. Just when you think that the corruption can’t possibly get any worse, and you are feeling furious enough to move to action, the regime will make another corrupt and deceitful move. The cycle continues for so long that you get "Fury Fatigue", and apathy starts to set in, because you feel powerless.

We must not allow ourselves to succumb to negativity, or we will become as spiritually bankrupt as they, and the truth we try to uphold will appear tarnished. Know that Love always wins in the end. All the great teachers and leaders have given us that message. There are but two emotions that all others are derived from: Love and Fear. If we learn to recognize these, we can stay on the right side, for fear is a useless emotion. I’m of course not speaking of fear in terms of cautiousness, which is a basic human instinct. Our experience has taught us that touching a hot stove is going to hurt. We don’t fear touching a hot stove. We’re aware of it and cautious. We don’t dwell on it.

Fear seeks to control; Love seeks to liberate.
Fear breeds intolerance; Love breeds acceptance.
Fear makes worry; Love makes serenity.
Fear has distrust; Love has true faith.
Fear destroys; Love builds.
Fear is violent; Love is peaceful.
Fear wants to be heard; Love wants to understand.
Fear hoards; Love is content.
Fear is greedy; Love shares abundance.
Fear finds blame; Love seeks correction.
Fear demands punishment; Love applies discipline.
Fear harbors grievance; Love forgives
Fear creates lies; Love exposes and endures even the hardest truths.
Fear hides from responsibility; Love takes it on with pleasure
Fear makes pride; Love seeks humility.
Fear is bondage; Love is freedom.
Fear leads to hate and disgust; Love leads to joy and fulfillment.
Fear is the illusion of separation; Love is the realization of one-ness.
Love conquers Fear. Always.
In the end, there is nothing but Love.
Love is everything, and everything is one.

Next time you feel yourself demoralized by the fear mongers, think to yourself “What would Love do?”

People everywhere are coming to this realization, and it’s resulting in a spiritual awakening that will unite our nation eventually, regardless of religion, creed, or any of the superficial things that divide us.

Almost any issue can be put to the test, and the heart will tell you the right answer. Sometimes fear can lead to multiple potential solutions to a problem, and one of those solutions may be the right solution, but the key is to arrive at the solution after careful consideration of the way that Love would take. Seek the truth, and then present the solution in terms of how it exemplifies Love.

Stay on the side of Love. Don’t fear your opponent in this war of philosophies. Our distance is mostly a matter of perspective that can be overcome with gentle persuasion and a generous dose of love, concern, and truth.

Situation: Republican war-room.

Mr. Hater: Gee, Mr. Crook, our party is sure taking a beating with all these scandals hitting the news.

Mr. Crook: Yeah, I mean what do these people expect? Do they want honest politicians who don't take bribes?

Mr. Sheister: They act as if Tom Delay shouldn't have taken all of that corporate money in exchange for votes.

Mr. Hater: I know, and don't forget about Rep. Chris Chocola, Rep. Thelma Drake, Rep Nancy Johnson, Rep Deborah Pryce, and Dick Cheney, all of whom are being dissed just because they sold votes and influence our big oil buddies.

Mr Crook: And the whole Jack Abramoff scandal too - and Rep Duke Cunningham who recently went to jail for his little bribes.

Mr. Sheister: I know what we'll do! Lets distract the ignorant hicks with a new fake "issue".

Mr Hater: What are we going to use this time? I think they're getting worn out on the old standbys: You know, The Pledge of Allegiance, Prayer in Schools, Abortion, Gay Marriage, and other stuff that doesn't really affect them.

Mr. Crook: How about MEXICANS? That will get us in good with the racist segment. It's brilliant. Lets start a national debate about immigration. We can cloud the issue with lots of misinformation and prey on their deepest fears about crime and jobs and most of all, the loss of the white majority.

Mr. Sheister: Absolutely incredible idea! Lets get W and Bill Frist on the phone!!! We might pull this off.

Mr. Hater: Suckers!!!

All: Muahahahaha!!!!

Thanks to the grassroots efforts of people like me, Democrats, and even a good number of Republicans, the deal to sell control of our nation's seaports to the Arab nation of United Arab Emirates (UAE owns Dubai Ports World) is off.

True to form, the Bush administration backed the deal, even after it became a foregone conclusion that a VAST majority of Americans didn't approve. Bush was actually pushing the deal. Is this what we pay our leaders to do? - To push private business deals that compromise the security of our nation?

George W. Bush is the biggest hypocrite when it comes to national security. His shenanigans have shredded any last bit of credibility that he may have had. He just doesn't get it, and he never will.

I can only pray that the people see this administration and their cronies for what they are: Corporate lackeys. The upcoming congressional elections could tip the scales and cost the Republcans dearly. Especially the ones that stuck with Bush regardless of the stupidity of this deal.

Right on, America. Thanks for speaking out and making your will known. Congress had better watch out. We're on to the corruption, and one way or the other it is going to stop.

Hard Times (Going around the internet by email - source unknown)


When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious
diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning ... uphill BOTH ways through year 'round blizzards. Carrying their younger siblings on their backs ... to their one-room schoolhouse, where they maintained a Straight-A average, despite their full-time, after-school job at the local textile mill... where they worked for 35 cents an hour just to help keep their family from starving to death! And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

But now that...

I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia! And I hate to say it but you kids today you don't know how good you've got it! I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have The Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!



There was no email! We had to actually write somebody a letter ... with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!

There were no MP3's or Napsters! You wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself! Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ'd usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up!

We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it! And we didn't have fancy Caller ID Boxes either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your Mom, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like "Space Invaders" and "Asteroids" and the graphics sucked ass! Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died!
... Just like LIFE!

When you went to the movie theater there no such thing as stadium seating! All the seats were the same height! If a tall guy or some old broad with a hat sat in front of you and you couldn't see, you were just screwed!

Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 15 channels and there was no onscreen menu and no remote control! You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the channel and there was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?!

We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little bastards!

And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up ... we had to use the stove or go build a frigging fire ... imagine that! If we wanted popcorn, we had to use that stupid JiffyPop thing and shake it over the stove forever like an idiot. That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled.

You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980!

This Article is a really interesting read.

It turns out that this "hunting" trip that Dick Cheney took was one of these so-called "canned" hunts, where they release pen-raised animals right in front of a bunch of spoiled rich bastards like Dick.

Let me state for the record that I'm not anti-hunting. I think it's a sport that can be fun, pragmatic, and in some cases can even help with conservation.

What these pompous jackasses were doing was paying several thousand dollars to shoot at domesticated animals without having to do any of the sport. The fact that Mr. Cheney and his cronies obviously see nothing wrong with this, and tried to suppress the story leads me to several conclusions:

1. Dick Cheney is NOT A REAL MAN. He's a poser at best.
2. Dick Cheney has no sense of right and wrong about this, so it stands to reason that he might have trouble in his decision-making in other aspects of his life.
3. Dick Cheney is heartless and cruel.

I won't go into all of the various charges of corruption that he could stand for, but this is not a man we should have representing us in government. This is someone that needs some serious spiritual help, and to spend his retirement making up for his misdeeds.

If President Bush had a pair, I think he should ask for the vice president's resignation.

As for the "poor fellow" who got shot? Just another old, rich, spoiled, republican, white guy, trying to compensate for something by shooting at helpless domesticated animals. Sucks to get shot, but I view it as karma. As for Mr. Cheney, who has stayed out of harm's way while thousands of our US troops fight for their lives and make tough decisions every day, he finally witnesses first hand what kind of suffering that a human being can endure when shot. Maybe a touch of remorse of some kind would do his soul well.