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!

Out of the Box

I've been thinking a lot about what to post next and most of my thoughts have been in the form of rants. Right now, I hate everything! What is the reason for my discontent? Could it be the media attention to the Terri Schivo case? Tom deLay? The PTA at my kid's school? My kids? I'm just so angry at the world right now. No strike that, I'm angry at this country; the world is just too big a place and too diverse. It's allowed to be idiotic and inconsistent. But the US should get its act together, and I'm in no mood to put up with its bullshite anymore.

I've written recently about the Schivo case and my problems with DeLay. Borowitz hit it on the head today with his headline story, "1000's dead in Indonesian earthquake, but US media will stay with Schivo case until May sweeps." My college-age daughter, who is in a political science class right now, explains this way as "of more local importance and possibly precedence setting." But the media doesn't actually cover that part of the story. They focus on the sensationalism of the issue and the American people buy into that spin. What about the war in Iraq? That should have local interest, what with all the American soldiers dying, but it's old news now. And the precedent set is a bad one, involving both the executive and legislative branches in a muti-decided judicial issue.

Tom deLay,
could die today,
and I would just
shout hurray! Okay, not really, but the guy really pisses me off!

My youngest is mad at me because I won't support the fundraising at her school. She wants all the presents they give for heavy-gifters. This school, in the so-very-wealthy KISD, raises $100,000 annually to benefit the oh-so-privileged children, and yet they miss the very genuine opportunity to actually teach the uber-compassionate conservative lesson of giving. When I mention this fact to the powers that be, I'm told it would be much harder to raise matching-money from corporations if some of it were to be given away. The very companies, who don't want to pay more taxes for education of the underprivileged, gladly give money away to the wealthy, so long as it "stays in the family."

My final rant of the night is for all of us who think of ourselves as "free thinking"; liberal, progressive or independent. Look at your safety zone for a minute. Think of where you close the lid, the sides, the bottom of your personal box, and then open it up a little. Stretch, grow, reach towards the light. There are joys to be had by breaking your own rules; they are really more like guidelines anyway.

I'm Back.......

It's been a strange couple of weeks since my last post. First, Bubba came back and I wanted him to have a chance to share what he had been thinking (not much by the looks of things- price of oil, blah, blah , blah). Then evil gremlins invaded my computer, requiring something equal to the length and cost of the Iraqi War to eradicate (no end in sight). Finally, we took a lovely little mini-vay to the hill country over Easter where I thought about this blog not at all.

In the hours since I been home however, I've had time to form some concrete ideas. One, Tom DeLay is a hypocrite and corrupt beyond words. It's jerks like him that make this country the totally screwed up mess it is quickly becoming. Someone said recently, if conservatives spent as much time worrying about the people in this country who really can use their help, as they have wasted bemoaning the case of Terri Schivo, they'd of never gone to war in Iraq, because they'd be busy protecting our boarders, educating the underclass and creating jobs so every American could provide food, clothing and healthcare for their own family.

Two, Kinky Friedman is running for Governor and I'm going to help him get on the ballot in 2006, if only because I love supporting third party candidates. It would be an added bonus if Kinky could expose Rick Perry for the useless waste of space he truly is. Plus, I really like saying my Governor's Kinky (and having it not refer to Schwartzeneggar).

Finally, I love Texas in the springtime. Cool temps, bluebonnets everywhere...it makes me feel so hopeful. In honor of this renewed love and faith in the land that I hold so dear...I Haiku

Bush, Perry, DeLay
Vote and Bullshit, Fart and Pray
Texas will survive