Stepping Up

Those who read the back pages of this blog know Bubba like to challenge me to do more than just kvetch. I talk like a Dem, vote like a Dem, but I'm not a very good Party Girl. Spending too much time working on getting re-elected, yet ignoring the vital, crucial issues facing this state, country and world, seems to be required for all politicians, regardless of party. I am skeptical of getting involved with any group that wants my time and money, but offers me no return on my investment. What could get me involved? A leader, who is not afraid to make himself heard. Someone who shows commitment to the issues and not just the election. Clinton seemed to be one, but he lost himself and his legacy in a web of personal problems. Dean may be one, lets see how he does as Party Manager. Obama may prove himself one day too. I couldn't name you anyone in Texas right now who represents the Dems significantly which is why I'm for Kinky in 2006.

On the other hand, I'm very proud of my hometown newspaper today. Check out the Houston Chronicle Editorial page. Not one but two outstanding opinions from a board who bitterly disappointed both Bubba and me when they went for Bush in the election. The first suggests our leadership worry less about "maintaining the life of patients in persistent vegetative states," and more about " the healthcare needs of the poor, the health insurance needs of the middle class and the nutritional needs of underprivileged children." The second questions the HPD's use of Tasers against minorities in 9 out of 10 cases. Maybe if there is help from the MSM, there is hope for this country!

So to answer Bubba's challenge to do rather than just rant, I have signed on the support Make Poverty History / The ONE Campaign. "The ONE Campaign seeks to give Americans a voice, to ring church bells and cell phones, on campuses and in coffee shops, for an historic pact to fight the global AIDS emergency and end extreme poverty. We believe that allocating an additional ONE percent of the U.S. budget toward providing basic needs like health, education, clean water and food, would transform the futures and hopes of an entire generation of the poorest countries. " I figure with Wolfwitz in charge at the World Bank, this cause needs all the help it can get!

As it is Friday, I wanted to put something in of local significance. Here's a little ditty I like to call

TASER Tag Rag

Take a quarter the population,
Give them lives of desperation.

Broken homes, no healthcare,
pitiful wages everywhere.

Take away their education,
Not just here, but across the nation.

Stir together, add hate and fear,
Let the brew sit year after year.

Now add police armed with TASERS.
Safe, non-lethal, civilization-savers.

Mixed together what do you get,
A 9:10 minority benefit.

That's my TASER Tag Rag....and that's all folks!