Friday, February 29, 2008

God's Politics - Jim Wallis blog, faith blog, religion, christian, christianity, politics, values

God's Politics - Jim Wallis blog, faith blog, religion, christian, christianity, politics, values

So let's set the record straight. I have known Barack Obama for more than 10 years, and we have been talking about his Christian faith for a decade. Like me and many other Christians, he agrees with the need to reach out to Muslims around the world, especially if we are ever to defeat Islamic fundamentalism. But he is not a Muslim, never has been, never attended a Muslim madrassa, and does not attend a black "separatist" church. Rather, he has told me the story of his coming from an agnostic household, becoming a community organizer on Chicago's South Side who worked with the churches, and how he began attending one of them. Trinity Church is one of the most prominent and respected churches in Chicago and the nation, and its pastor, Jeremiah Wright, is one of the leading revival preachers in the black church. Ebony magazine once named him one of America's 15 best Black preachers. The church says it is "unashamedly black and unapologetically Christian," like any good black church would, but is decidedly not "separatist," as its white members and friends would attest.

And one Sunday, as Obama has related to me and written in his book The Audacity of Hope, the young community organizer walked down the aisle and gave his life to Christ in a very personal and very real Christian conversion experience. We have talked about our faith and its relationship to politics many times since.

Read the full article in context

Check out this post on Uncle Jay Explains The News

Greetings--

Ted thinks this will be of interest to you:

Uncle Jay Explains the News - October 15, 2007

http://www.unclejayexplains.com/2007/10/15/uncle-jay-explains-the-news-october-15-2007/

Enjoy.

--
http://www.unclejayexplains.com

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Snow lesson like a hard lesson

A couple of weeks ago I bought a snow-blower.

For years now I’ve been discouraged by how expensive a new one can be. I got one for a steal at a garage sale once, but it was at least thirty years old. I managed to use it once or twice, had a bear of a time getting it to ever start and wound up with a broken pull chord.

So when I found one just a couple of years old for like a third or a quarter of what they go for new, I couldn't believe I could get such a great deal. The previous owner was an older gentleman who had undergone surgery for a broken neck. His top three vertebrae had to be fused and his surgeon told him that he had to get an electric starter, because pulling on the pull-start chord could literally kill him.

It was still a chunk of change for someone as cheap as me, but I figured it that this was a good investment. You see, I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona so I am lousy at scooping snow. It’s not that I’m lazy, I just never learned how. Besides, I struggle with chronic sinus infections and mild bronchial asthma. Every time I shovel snow, I end up in a coughing attack and sometimes even have to throw up.

Needless to say, I was thrilled to finally have a decent snow blower. When I told my wife, she said that she had thought I was looking for a push-start. Sure, in the best of all possible worlds, but this was a great bargain! As if I’d ever find one so new, so affordable, AND a push start!

But two snow storms came and went and for the life of me I couldn't get the stupid thing started! I'd try to be patient with it. I'd try to be violent with it. I tried every combination I could of adjusting the choke and the throttle. I pushed the little pump to prime the fuel line. I checked the gas, the oil and the spark plug. I couldn't believe how inept I could be. Why was it so easy for all my neighbors to get their snow blower's started? Was it just because I'm from Arizona? Is it because I'm so unhandy? Unmanly?

I shoveled instead and hoped my wife wouldn’t notice. She’s not the type to say “I told ya so,” but I figured she had every right too. It made me wince ever time I thought about it. Thankfully, she refrained.

I pulled and I pulled, I yanked and I yanked. I exerted as much energy and strained my arms and back more than if I had simply shoveled the snow. Not to mention my blood pressure rising from the anger and frustration with this seemingly useless machine.

From left to right, you can see the choke, the throttle, the spark plug and the button for priming the fuel pump, and the gas cap. All there in plain sight to anyone standing proudly in front, ready to drive, ready to lead and command the machine. So what was my problem?


Finally, one day I got home before my wife and kids so the garage was empty. It was a relatively warm day in the 30's with no new snow and even some melting. I thought to myself, okay, I have some time and some room, and no pressure- so I'm going to take a look at this thing one last time before I give up and try to sell it and hopefully recoup some of my losses. If I could get it to work, great, if not, then I guess I'd have to try to sell it for even less than I bought it for.

I'm not even sure why I decided to do this, but I got down on my knees to look around the rest of the engine to see if I could see if something was wrong- as if I was some kind of heap-big macho mechanic.

Lo and behold, down on my knees, from a different, decidedly more humble point of view, something was revealed to me that I had overlooked.

A little switch. A valve that the manufacturer had no doubt, included to prevent gas from freezing in the lines. All I had to do was to turn it to the clearly marked "On" position and guess what- voilĂ ! it started on the very first tug. Didn't even have to tug that hard.

The lesson? Sometimes the only way God can show us something is when we're on our knees. Prayer, humility, submission to Him. These may be difficult, but you won't believe how much less work and grief they involve than anger, frustration and impatience.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Eat Me! Fun Recipes


You do not like them.
So you say.
Try them! Try them!
And you may.
Try them and you may, I say.

St. Patrick's Day recipes:

Feb 8
-Irish Coffee
Feb 8
-Irish Pub Breakfast
Feb 8
-Steak and Guinness pie for St. Patrick's
Other favorite recipes:
Feb 7
-Celebrate Arizona Statehood Day (Feb 14)
with it's native dish
Jan 30
-College Student Suprise
Jan 30
-Elephant Stew
View All Recipes

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Race for Second Banana Begins


Last Tuesday, February 19th was the Wisconsin Primary. I have a good friend who teaches Social Studies in Wisconsin who wrote before then to shoot the breeze about politics.

“I would imagine it's about time to start placing bets on the Democratic and G.O.P tickets. McCain and Romney seem really grouchy with each other so I don't think they can work together. How about a McCain/ Huckabee ticket?

Obama and Clinton would be a powerful combo but I don't think they'd do well together either. How about an Obama/Edwards ticket? Do you think that with Edwards' populist bent and Obama's fresh ‘outsider’ reputation that this combo could work? Do you think he'd consider Kucinich or Jon Stewart?”

Well, the day I wrote this, Mitt Romney came out and officially endorsed John McCain. I don’t know if he’s fishing for a spot on the ticket or not. I had figured he had got out when he did so that he could run again in 2012.

Conventional wisdom has McCain/Guliani in an all 'Hawk' ticket, although McCain/Huck would certainly bring in the Southern and "Evangelical" vote. Either way, "Mr. Smooth" Romney would be left out in the cold. And in the weeks since Super Tuesday, Huckabee has been pretty adamant that he’s not giving up and that he expects a miraculous win.

Some pundits have thought that he’s trying to force McCain to make him the V.P. News flash Huck, with a temper like McCain’s I wouldn’t try to force him to do anything.

Is there a chance of a "DREAM Team" on the Democratic side? Hillarack or Oballary? I don' think that there's anyway that Hillary accepts the number two post. For her this isn't about transforming the country, it's about personal ambition.

As for Obama, he may be the quintessential post-partisan, coalition/consensus-building, aisle-crosser, but I just can't see anyone getting over the way that Hillary and her husband have treated him. Sure, you can say “keep your friends close and your enemies closer,” but he doesn't need to have to be looking over his shoulder to see if the Clintons have his back or if they're about to stab him in the back.

I’m sure that some people think that if he's serious about including Republicans in his administration, he'd ask Ron Paul to be his running mate- but, after that cover article in the New Republic about Ron Paul’s racist rants in his newsletter, that would be like Lincoln running with Jefferson Davis or maybe Nathan Bedford Forest.

Lefties would LOVE Obama to go with Edwards, but Edwards is a class-warrior and Obama is pulling Independents and disillusioned Republicans, he might risk losing them with Edwards.

Needless to say both Clinton and Obama are courting Edwards for his endorsement, but he’d made it pretty clear while he was still running that he wasn’t interested in the Vice Presidency.

I’d like to see Barrack ask Bill Richardson and thereby court the Hispanic vote. Then again, Richardson watched the Superbowl with his old pal William Jefferson Clinton.

One rumor has Obama going with Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine one of the first politicians outside of Illinois to endorse Obama last year. Another puts Tom Daschle former U.S. Senator and Senate Majority Leader from South Dakota on his short list. That would certainly bolster his inspirational speeches with years of Washington experience.

Maybe Obama WILL pick a woman, but NOT Hillary- Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius or Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano thus creating the most difficult to pronounce Presidential ticket in memory- either Obama/Sebelius or Obama/Napolitano!

What if Hillary Clinton gets the nomination? Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, without a doubt the blandest, whitest, plainest, most soft-spoken choice out there. Don’t you think she’d want it clear who wears the pants and who'd in charge and she want to make sure that there's no possible way that her Vice President could be someone anyone would seriously consider as a possible successor to her, thus leaving the way open for a Chelsea Clinton candidacy in 2016.

As much as I love teaching and living in Iowa, I wouldn’t mind a pay raise even if it meant having to pack up and move to the beltway. So once again, I’d like to let all three candidates know that I’m available. I promise not to hog the spotlight and will personally guarantee that I’ll never be as sneaky, scary, or bossy as Dick Cheney. John, Barrack, Hill- gimme a call.


Ted Mallory lives in Charter Oak and teaches at Boyer Valley Schools in Dunlap. Ted first declared his candidacy for the V.P. on August 2, 2007- but his campaign hasn't gotten very far yet. 'Ted's Column' has appeared weekly in the Charter Oak-Ute NEWSpaper since 2002.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

What is Politics?

A little boy goes to his dad and asks, 'What is politics?'

Dad says, 'Well son, let me try to explain it this way: I am the head of the family, so call me the President. Your mother is the administrator of the money, so we call her the Congress. We are here to take care of your needs, so we will call you the People. The nanny, we consider the Working Class. And your baby brother, we will call him the Future. Now think about that and see if it makes sense.'

So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what his Dad has said.

Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him. He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper, so the little boy goes to his parent's room and finds his mother asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny's room. Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny. He gives up and goes back to bed.

The next morning, the little boy says to his father, 'Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now.'

The father says, 'Good, son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about.'

The little boy replies, 'The President is screwing the Working Class while the Congress is sound asleep. The People are being ignored and the Future is in deep shit.'

Florida Congressman shows real huevos

Today, in hearings on Capitol Hill, I confronted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on her role in the lies, exaggerations, and misdirection that led us into the Iraq war.

During my questioning, Secretary Rice falsely stated that she never saw intelligence casting doubt on the Bush Administration claims that Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction. This unbelievable statement is flatly contradicted by numerous government reports and CIA testimonials. (To watch the video of my exchange with Secretary Rice, click here.)

Secretary Rice's responses demonstrate once and for all that we need aggressive oversight over this out of control Administration. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration has ignored the constitutional right of Congress to provide such oversight.

It is time Congress took aggressive action to assert our rights on behalf of the American people.

The House of Representatives must immediately hold former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten in contempt of Congress for their failure to respond to congressional subpoenas.

I have been aggressively lobbying Members of Congress to support a vote on contempt, and I am thrilled to report that Speaker Pelosi told me directly that she agrees it is well past time to vote on contempt. I am anticipating that the House will shortly vote on resolutions of both civil and criminal contempt for both Miers and Bolten.

No one should be immune from accountability and the rule of law.

Not Harriet Miers or Josh Bolten.

And especially not Condoleezza Rice, George W. Bush or Dick Cheney.

It is time to defend the Constitution and our rights as a co-equal branch of government.

I will continue to take on the Bush Administration for their outrageous abuses just as I confronted Condoleezza Rice today and Attorney General Mukasey last week. (Click here to see my questioning of Mukasey.)

With your help we will hold these top Bush officials in contempt and continue our efforts to hold impeachment hearings for Vice President Dick Cheney.

Thank you, as always, for your great support.

Yours truly,
Congressman Robert Wexler (D) FLA

Spare yourself the pain


I love my wife. I try very hard to be romantic. I’ve painted her pictures and written poetry and taken her to candle-lit restaurants. I am not opposed to love or romance. I’m all for love and romance. Be that as it may, I have always believed that Valentines day is a sham and a joke and a lie that should be stamped out as an affront to intelligent, thinking, reasonable people everywhere.

Let me explain. Way back in the pagan times, Italians celebrated Lupercalia February 13 through February 15. This was a festival was in honor of the She-Wolf who suckled the infant orphans, Romulus and Remus, who founded the city of Rome. Lupercalians wanted to drive off evil spirits and purify their city, producing health and fertility.

Along sometime in the 5 or 600’s AD, some Pope thought it would be a great idea to replace Lupercalia with a Christian holiday. So he came up with the “Feast of Saint Valentine. Pretty much nothing is actually known about this Valentine guy except that the Romans killed him and he was buried somewhere north of Rome on 14 February. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Saint Valentine is celebrated on 30 July.

Somehow, back in the 1400’s English writer Geoffrey Chaucer wrote some poems or something and turned Valentines Day into something that has to do with romantic love between couples.

Even though in 1929 Al Capone tried to make it about carnage by slaughtering a bunch of members of Bugsy Moran’s gang in Chicago, the romance thing stuck- even though romance has very little to do with either Christian martyrs or little Italian kids who were raised by wolves.

Of course, in the mid-twentieth century the U.S. Greeting Card Association got together and decided to cash in. Today Valentine’s is the #2 biggest card sending holiday behind Christmas. What a racket. My theory is that the greeting card industry is run by a bunch of misogynists who play on the vulnerabilities of women. They make women feel like men don’t care enough about them if they don’t get anything for Valentine’s.
Interestingly enough, women purchase 85% of all Valentine cards. Men, of course, have to fork over the dough for candy, flowers, and jewelry.

So, as I have every year since I started writing this column, I would like to offer my readers (whom I love- just not in a romantic sense) an alternative holiday; Arizona Statehood Day.

My native state, Arizona became the 48th United State on February 14, 1912, the 50th anniversary of its recognization as a Confederate Territory.

You might argue that you’re an Iowan, why celebrate the statehood of another state? Just think of all the great things Arizona has given us.

Sure, there’s the Grand Canyon and Navajo rugs. There’s Republican front-runner John McCain and the first woman Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. And don’t forget Barry Goldwater and all those John Wayne and Clint Eastwood movies that were filmed there.

But Arizona has given us plenty of other things that many of us take for granted.

For example, your right to remain silent. Miranda warnings became required by the 1966 Supreme Court decision in the case of Miranda v. Arizona as a means of protecting a suspect's Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination. And come on, how fun would TV crime shows be without them?

And my favorite contribution is a culinary one. Monica Flin ran “El Charro” a restaurant in Tucson. In 1922, she accidentally dropped a burro in the deep fat fryer where they made tortilla chips. She immediately began to utter a Spanish curse-word, the equivalent of the “F-bomb,” if you must know. That is she BEGAN to say it- just then her grandchildren entered the kitchen. so she changed it to “chimichanga!” Some people think that it’s the Spanish equivalent of “thingamajig,” others think it’s a combination of the naughty Spanish word and “Cowabunga.” Either way, the important thing is that the customer liked it even better that what they’d ordered.

So without Arizona’s gift to Mexican food, sour cream and guacamole would be very lonely. Which is what single people feel when no one sends them a valentine, so ease their pain and spare them the heartache. Celebrate the OTHER February 14 holiday, Arizona Statehood Day.

Click here to hear a lovely holiday song, http://objflicks.com/arizona.htm

__________________________________________________________________
Ted Mallory lives in Charter Oak and teaches at Boyer Valley Schools in Dunlap. 'Ted's Column' has appeared weekly in the Charter Oak-Ute NEWSpaper since 2002. Don't worry, he bought his wife something for Valentines Day, even if it was reluctantly. She has put up with him for over 15 years now and buys him 'Arizona Statehood Day' cards every year.

Celebrate Arizona Statehood Day with it's native dish


Category: Baking
Style: Mexican
Servings: Six

Description:
Arizona-Sonoran cuisine is considered the "soul food" of Arizona. Non-Arizonans mistakenly refer to this style of food as "Tex-Mex," which is just downright offensive.
El Charro Cafe, the oldest Mexican restaurant in Tucson has a family legend that says that Monica Flin, who started the restaurant in 1922, cussed in the kitchen when a burrito flipped into the deep fryer. Because young nieces and nephews were in the kitchen with her, she changed the swear word to "chimichanga," the Spanish equivalent of "thingamagig." The customer loved it and it became El Charro's signature dish, although Macayo's, another restaurant in Phoenix and later Las Vegas, has tried to claim that they came up with it.


Ingredients:
6 (12- to 14-inch) flour tortillas
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup red chile sauce or enchilada sauce
Salt and black pepper to taste
Vegetable oil
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
2 cups chopped green onions
Chopped tomatoes (optional)
Guacamole (optional)
Sliced black olives (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Warp stacked tortillas in aluminum foil, and heat in oven 15 minutes or until hot. To microwave, wrap a stack of tortillas lightly in paper towels and warm on high for 6 or 7 seconds per tortilla.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, brown beef; drain, leaving beef in the pan. Add onion, chile or enchilada sauce, salt, and pepper; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until onions are transparent.

In the center of each warm tortilla, spoon 1/6 of meat filling. Fold tortilla, tucking in the ends to make a secure fat tube, and fasten with wooden toothpicks. NOTE: Assemble only 2 or 3 at a time, as the tortilla will absorb liquid from the sauce.

In a large pot or deep fryer over medium heat, add at least 4 inches of vegetable oil. Heat oil to 375 to 400 degrees F. Fry the chimichangas, 1 or 2 at a time, 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oil, drain and place on serving plates. Top with Cheddar cheese, lettuce, green onions, and any optional ingredients that you prefer.

Happy Arizona Statehood Day (February 14, 1912)!!!

You lived in Phoenix in the 60s, 70s and 80s if...
  • You remember when Bell Road (especially thorough Glendale) was the considered edge of civilization. There was nothing there but tumbleweeds and prairie dogs. Now, it's where you go to run all your errands. Or if you were traveling eastbound on Bell Rd. the sign that said 'Scottsdale- 21 miles'
  • Your parents took you to Legend City.
  • Mornings were spent watching 'The Wallace and Ladmo Show'. When it was over, it was time to leave for school. 'Ladmo Bags'.
  • You remember when Beardsley Road was a seldom traveled, two-lane blacktop. Now, it's the eastbound frontage road for the 101 freeway.
  • Before there was Target, there was Gemco. Now, most of the old Gemco stores are Targets.
  • You watched Star Wars at the original Cine Capri.
  • You remember stores like Yellow Front, Woolco, Newberry's, McCrory's,TG&Y, Fedmart, Sprouse Reitz, Wards, U-Totem, Woolworth,and Yates.
  • You remember when there was a cabbage field where Metro-Center is now located.
  • You remember when Metrocenter had a below-grade ice skating rink.Watching skaters from the overlook above was the best way to escape the summer heat.
  • Farrell's ice cream parlor @ Chris-Town Mall. No Farrell's trip was complete without getting to see two waiters run though the restaurant with a sundae resting on a stretcher, while lights and sirens whirred in the background. Sometimes, the ice cream would fall off the stretcher. Don't forget the trip thru their candy store.
  • You were bummed when Farrell's closed.
  • You saw a concert at Compton Terrace. When it was attached to Legend City.
  • Your dad subscribed to the Phoenix Gazette(afternoon paper) and the Arizona Republic on Sunday.
  • You remember when the Brass Armadillo antique mall was Angel's--a building supply warehouse similar to Home Depot.
  • You remember when you got your building supplies from O'Malley's, Entz-White or Payless Cashways.
  • You remember when the Phoenix Suns were the only professional sports team in the state, and they played their games at Phoenix Memorial Coliseum.
  • Your groceries came from Alpha Beta, AJ Bayless, Lucky's, Neb's Market or Smitty's. Smitty's even had a little coffee shop attached to it.
  • A night out consisted of family dinner at the Lunt Avenue Marble Club. Their deep fried mushrooms were the best.
  • You remember when eastbound I-10 ended at Dysart Road. In order to continue east, you had to take McDowell or Thomas Road 15 miles to I-17 and head south. I-10 started up again somewhere east of downtown.
  • You ate breakfast at Sambo's or Bob's Big Boy.
  • You remember when houses were built with carports instead of garages. Roofs were covered with wood shakes or asphalt shingles instead of concrete tiles.
  • You remember home builder's billboards that advertised interest rates of 11%
  • Your aspirin and cough syrup came from Skagg's, Revco, Thrifty's, Longs, or Drug Emporium.
  • Your shoes came from Buster Brown.
  • You remember when CBS was on channel 10...ABC was on channel 3...and channels 5 and 15 were independent. Now, CBS is on channel 5...FOX is on channel 10...ABC is on channel 15...and channel 3 no longer has a network affiliation. NBC and PBS are the only ones that stayed on their original stations (channel 12 and 8, respectively). You remember when channel 15 broadcast pay-tv at night (It was called ON-TV).
  • You spent hours watching early music videos on UHF channel 61. Due to the limited number of videos at the time, songs like 'Down Under', 'I Ran', and 'Come on, Eileen' were repeated quite often. You were lucky if you could get decent reception.
  • You accompanied your dad to the True Value Hardware store in Westown in hopes of getting to stop at Baskin Robbins afterwards.
  • You shopped at Valley West Mall before it became a ghost town, and was ultimately torn down.
  • You shopped at Phoenix Spectrum Mall when it was known as Chris-Town.
  • You woke up to Bruce Kelly in the morning on KZZP. Before that - Jonathon Brandmeier and his 'loons'!
  • You rode the 'Tico' to Park Central.
  • You remember quality local programming like Open House with Rita Davenport or Sun Spots with Jan DiAtri.
  • You accompanied your dad to the LaBelle's catalog showroom to buy your mom's Christmas present.
  • Before he was governor, you remember Evan Mecham as the owner of a Pontiac dealership in Glendale.
  • You remember when Castles 'n' Coasters was known as Golf 'n' Stuff.
  • You remember when the entire state of Arizona only had one area code. Now, there are three in the Phoenix area alone.
  • You remember when your phone number that started with '959' and it was changed to '840' and you never knew why.
  • You remember when Scottsdale Fashion Square was an outdoor mall with Goldwater's, Bullocks and Lenord's luggage being the only stores. You remember when Goldwater's was bought out by Robinson May who was then bought out by Macy's. You remember when Diamonds was bought out by Dillards.
  • You remember when Diamonds ticket box-was the only place to buy concert tickets.
  • You remember when it hit 99° and that was considered HOT.
  • You remember when Big Surf was the place to go to bet the heat. Then hitting the drive inn to see movie across the street.
  • You remember when best ice cream was found at Thrifty's Drug Store, where 85¢ would get you three scoops.
  • You remember when you wrote all your information down on a piece of paper and then your drivers license was mailed to you. It was very easy to change the 1968 to 1965 (because it was still in your hand writing) so that you could go to "Devil House" drinking because the drinking age was 19 years old.
  • You remember when you could go to Devil House for dancing 'after hours' which was from 1am -3am.
  • You remember going to see 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' at midnight on Mill Ave.
  • You remember when 44th Street and Thomas was 'Thomas Mall'.
  • You remember when 40th Street and Thomas was 'Tower Plaza'. And there was a few people that climb to the top and threaten to jump.
  • You remember when there was a canal at 48th.
  • You remember when driving up Pima Rd and you could see for miles & miles because there was nothing east or north of Shea Rd. And it was very dark and scary.
  • You remember when the only way to get to Shea Rd was thru 'Dreamy Park' and there weren't any streetlights? Squaw Peak was only a name of a mountain. Not a highway.
  • You remember when you saw a concert at Graham Central Station, because the band was not popular enough to fill Mesa Amphi Theater.
  • This May is your 20th class reunion!

Click here to hear a lovely holiday song, http://objflicks.com/arizona.htm

Monday, February 11, 2008

Republicans for O!

RepublicansforObama.org is a grassroots organization founded by proud party members who all share one important trait— we are Americans first and Republicans second. (Even if it is a close second.) Collectively, we have campaigned, worked for, and voted Republican all our lives, but recognize that our Country needs a new kind of leader at this time. While there will always be important issues on which thoughtful Americans will disagree, there are others that cannot be up for debate— our economic prosperity and our standing in the world.

Senator Obama has rejected the politics of division and the win-at-all-costs attitude that has hurt our ability to move forward as a nation. While we as Republicans will not always see eye to eye with a President Obama, we know that his politics of competency and unity will lead to a stronger America.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Hey Shadow Mountain Matadors!

Glad you guys like'd that little trip down memory lane
  • I saw Star Wars at Cine Capri (stood in line in 100° for it too) Town & Country was my favorite shopping center- especially the Tang's Imports and Ed Debevic's was the greatest- especially cheese fries
  • I saw First National of Arizona become First Interstate become Wells Fargo- my brother & I both worked at that Bashas'. Anyone remember the Pizza place that was there that showed Laural & Hardy shorts and the servers wore straw hats (like a Farrelll's)? And what about Shea Plaza Cinema- $1.50 all seats/all times except for 50¢ Midnight Movies? We saw Raiders of the Lost Ark there every night for like two weeks one summer.
  • I LOVED Thrifty's cylindrical ice cream scoops, really took the edge off summer.
  • Remember when the Home Depot on Cave Creek and Thunderbird was a Woolworth's Woolco? Or when the SubWay was the Submarine Factory?
  • Definitely had a birthday on the Ronald McDonald train
  • SO miss Uncle Sam's Pizza, that was a Friday night before or after the game ritual
  • Anybody else remember having to cycle through cruising Central Ave. with cruising Metrocenter because there was some law about passing the same point more than three times in an hour? Remember when Castles and Coasters was called Golf & Stuff?
  • Anybody else see the Beach Boys on the 4th of July at Giant's Stadium? Remember the Booster Rooster at Phoenix Giants games?
  • Who was at Shadow Mountain when someone had won the call in contest to KZZP and got "Tiffany" to put on a concert from Senior Square?
  • How about that night when KISS, Boston and Chicago all had concerts in the valley on the same night, and some people actually tried to go to all three?
  • Did any of YOU guys ever listen to the Red Radio Show on kUpd?
Remember everybody, no matter where you are, Feb 14th isn't about Valentines, it's about being a "Zonie," From the Arid-Zona. Be sure to celebrate Arizona Statehood Day! Have a Margaritta and a Chimi!

And special thanks to Wendy Lane who takes care of our SHMS Yahoo Group and the Alumni website at http://www.shadowmountainalumni.com

Friday, February 08, 2008

Impeachment News: Attorney General Would Refuse to Enforce Contempt



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Congressman Robert Wexler <contact@wexlerforcongress.com>
Date: Feb 8, 2008 3:33 PM
Subject: Impeachment News: Attorney General Would Refuse to Enforce Contempt
To: ted


Dear Ted,

Our Constitution is under threat and the most basic principle of checks and balances is being undermined. Not since Watergate has a president so openly disregarded the will of Congress.

During hearings in the Judiciary Committee yesterday, I told Attorney General Michael Mukasey that I called for impeachment hearings because of the stonewalling and blatant abuses of the Bush Administration. He responded by stating that he will NOT enforce a contempt of Congress citation against Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten for refusing to testify before Congress. The video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7M9sjRLCtQ

Alberto Gonzales may be long gone, but the Bush Administration continues its executive overreach with the new Attorney General.

We can debate the need for Impeachment hearings. We can argue its effects on the election or our agenda. But one thing is abundantly clear:

If Congress' right to require testimony is undermined, then our country's leaders - Democrat, Republican, or Independent - will be immune from accountability.

The power of the subpoena - to call officials before us - is one of the most fundamental safeguards in our system of government. To have it effectively discarded - by virtue of the President instructing Administration officials to ignore a congressional subpoenas and not even appear before Congress - is unprecedented. The idea that the Attorney General would willingly defend this position - despite Congress' constitutional right to call such witnesses, is outrageous.

Impeachment hearings could render this moot: The President, Vice President, and all officials under them would no longer invoke executive privilege. There would be no more smokescreens.

In one week, I will be delivering my letter calling for impeachment hearings to Chairman John Conyers. Already, 16 Members of Congress have joined my call, including 3 Judiciary Committee members. I am hopeful for more in the coming days, but it is important for you to reach out to your representative in Congress to express how you feel. You can view the current list of signers, here: http://www.wexlerforcongress.com/news.asp?ItemID=230

I do not know how Congress will react, but I do know this: I will pursue this course aggressively. I will not compromise away the constitutional role of Congress. Your support is invaluable. Please know that I am working everyday to ensure that the Bush Administration is held accountable.

Please continue to support this movement at www.wexlerwantshearings.com.

Yours truly,

Congressman Robert Wexler

 

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Judiciary Committee Should Move to Impeach Bush and Cheney


By Elizabeth Holtzman, http://www.impeachbush.org

Since mid-December, members of the House Judiciary Committee Robert Wexler (D., Fla.), Luis Gutierrez (D., Ill.) and Tammy Baldwin (D., Wis.) have called for hearings on the impeachment of Vice President Cheney.

There is more than ample justification for impeachment. The Constitution specifies the grounds as treason, bribery or "high crimes and misdemeanors," a term that means "great and dangerous offenses that subvert the Constitution." As the House Judiciary Committee determined during Watergate, impeachment is warranted when a president puts himself above the law and gravely abuses power.

Have Bush and Cheney done that?

Yes. With the vice president's participation, President Bush repeatedly violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which requires court approval for presidential wiretaps. Former President Richard Nixon's illegal wiretapping was one of the offenses that led to his impeachment. FISA was enacted precisely to avoid such abuses by future presidents.

Bush and Cheney were involved in detainee abuse, flouting federal criminal statutes (the War Crimes Act of 1996 and the anti-torture Act) and the Geneva Conventions. The president removed Geneva protections from al-Qaeda and the Taliban, setting the abuse in motion, and may have even personally authorized them.

The president and vice president also used deception to drive us into the Iraq war, claiming Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda were in cahoots, when they knew better. They invoked the specter of a nuclear attack on the United States, alleging Hussein purchased uranium in Niger and wanted aluminum tubes for uranium enrichment, when they had every reason to know these claims were phony or at least seriously questioned within the administration. Withholding and distorting facts usurps Congress' constitutional powers to decide on going to war.

Can a commander-in-chief disobey laws on wiretapping or torture to protect the country in wartime?

No. The Constitution requires the president to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." The Supreme Court ruled Harry S. Truman could not seize steel mills to prevent a strike, even during the Korean War. Nixon's claim of national security as a justification for illegal wiretaps was also rejected in impeachment proceedings against him.

Insufficient time. In the case of Nixon, the House officially instructed the Judiciary Committee to act in early February 1974. The committee finished voting on articles of impeachment July 29, less than six months later. No presidential impeachment proceeding had taken place for almost 100 years, so the committee had to start from scratch, analyzing the Constitution and developing procedures for the impeachment inquiry. Now that the relevant legal spade work is done and a road map for proper impeachment proceedings exists, Congress might conduct them even faster than in 1974.

Distraction. During Watergate, the impeachment inquiry didn't prevent Congress from getting its work done. In fact, the House Judiciary Committee also worked on other matters during impeachment, just as the Senate did during its impeachment trial of former President Bill Clinton.

Divisiveness. True, President Clinton's impeachment was a highly partisan process that divided the country - because most Americans didn't support it. They believed his conduct was reprehensible, but not an impeachable offense. Impeachment therefore had negative repercussions for the Republicans who instigated it.

Nixon's impeachment united the American people. The process was bipartisan, demonstrating this wasn't just a Democratic ploy to undo an election. The fairness of the process, the seriousness of purpose, the substantial evidence - all gave the public confidence that justice had been done. This reinvigorated the shared value that the rule of law and preservation of democracy are more important than any president or party.

Research Group poll says 70 percent of Americans believe he abused his office slightly less than a majority support impeaching Bush.

Undermining election prospects. When the impeachment process began, Nixon had just been reelected in one of the largest landslides in history. Few, if any, worried about whether impeachment was a political winner for Congress or the Democrats. Public opinion simply forced Congress' hand when Nixon fired Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. After the Judiciary Committee conducted impartial hearings and voted on impeachment, Congress' approval ratings soared. Republicans were swamped in the November 1974 elections.

Whether or not they bring electoral rewards in 2008, impeachment proceedings are the right thing to do. They will help curb the serious abuses of this administration, and send a strong message to future administrations that no president or vice president is above the law.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Don't be afraid to just knock


Last month, I started re-reading a book of sermons by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. called “Strength to Love,” from 1963. Many people would be surprised by what a Biblical teacher King was because we tend to take him for granted as a cultural icon or a Black leader or a political activist.

One chapter in particular struck me as something that we could all use these days. Let’s face it, this is a time of high anxiety and stress for many of us. Governor Culver recently tried to reassure Iowans that we’re in better shape than the nation as a whole to face the coming recession. But come on, things have been getting hard for all of us for a long time.

Wars, stagnant wages, increasing costs of living especially gas, food, heating fuel and health insurance, talk of climate change, cultural change, and global competition have all left us a little frazzled. Perhaps you’re finding that just the challenges of daily life, let alone personal tragedies and crises are wearing you down.

Rev. King talked about Jesus’ parable of the man who knocks on his neighbor’s door at midnight asking for bread found in Luke 11:5-8.

“The traveler asks for three loaves of bread,” Dr. King wrote. The three things we need most are faith, hope and love.

“In a generation of so many colossal disappointments, men have lost faith in God, faith in man, and faith in the future…in the midst of staggering disillusionment, many cry for the bread of faith.”

“There is also a deep longing for the bread of hope.” Dr. King continued, “In the early years of this century many people did not hunger for this bread. The days of the first telephones, automobiles, and airplanes gave them a radiant optimism. They worshiped at the shrine of inevitable progress. They believed that every new scientific achievement lifted man to higher levels of perfection.”

But as we all know, came WWI and WWII and the Cold War. We realized that technology won’t produce a futuristic utopia. We may have more than enough food to eradicate world hunger, but greed and corruption prevent us from ever being able to get the food to who needs it. The twentieth century left mankind wounded and disillusioned.

King lamented that “the light of hope went out, and they roamed wearily in the dark chambers of pessimism. Many concluded that life has no meaning… But even in the inevitable moments when all seems hopeless, men know that without hope they cannot really live, and in agonizing desperation they cry for the bread of hope.”

If anything, we’ve learned too well that life is not fair. Some people don’t even see the point in trying anymore.

Finally, MLK pointed out what we are most starved for.

“There is the deep longing,” King wrote, “for the bread of love. Everybody wishes to love and to be loved. He who feels that he is not loved feels that he does not count. Much has happened in the modern world to make men feel that they do not belong. Living in a world which has become oppressively impersonal, many of us have come to feel that we are little more than numbers.”

We all need to find ways to get out of bed in the middle of the night and come to our neighbor’s aid. We all need to try to feed others in anyway we can but we should also remember where to turn when times get worst.

Luke 11: 5-8 has a man asking to borrow bread from a neighbor, but in Luke 11:1-4, Jesus teaches the disciples the Lord’s Prayer and in 11:9-13, He urges us to pray and ask God’s help for anything we need. If we need faith, hope, or love, all we have to do as ask, seek, or knock.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Has anybody seen my good friend Bobby?

Above is a watercolor of Robert Kennedy that I did while my Painting class were working on their own historical portraits.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Ron Paul is not the Right's answer to Obama, he's the Antibama


A reader recently wrote to me disappointed that I had talked about six other Presidential candidates in my Jan. 31 column, but completely ignored Ron Paul. This was AFTER I had drawn the sorts pro-Paul cartoon for the Feb. 7 issue, but before he saw it. Let me be perfectly clear, I am a progressive, therefore I view government as a tool- not the enemy. In theory, we the people ARE the government . Libertarians like Paul are usually either a few steps away from being anarchist or... they are big states-rights advocates (which frequently translates into ant-integration, anti-civil rights... Old South if you know what I mean.)

Mind you, there are plenty of Libertarian philosophies with a great deal of merit, streamline government, government accountability, personal rights and privacy. I completely want any of you Libertarians out there to feel accepted and esteemed. I certainly agree with Ron Paul on Iraq. But when I was growing up, legitimate, respectable Republicans considered John Birch and members of the John Birch Society looney fringe kooks. I figured there was some reason why not the media, but his fellow Republican candidates were marginalizing Paul, as if they were embarrassed by him. Turns out, I was right. If you read 30 years of his newsletters, you find out that he's not just a raving racist and homophobe, he's a full blown secessionists- as in Confederate States of America!
Check this out

Ron Paul is not going to be president. But, as his campaign has gathered steam, he has found himself increasingly permitted inside the boundaries of respectable debate. He sat for an extensive interview with Tim Russert recently. He has raised almost $20 million in just three months, much of it online. And he received nearly three times as many votes as erstwhile front-runner Rudy Giuliani in last week's Iowa caucus. All the while he has generally been portrayed by the media as principled and serious, while garnering praise for being a "straight-talker."

From his newsletters, however, a different picture of Paul emerges--that of someone who is either himself deeply embittered or, for a long time, allowed others to write bitterly on his behalf. His adversaries are often described in harsh terms: Barbara Jordan is called "Barbara Morondon," Eleanor Holmes Norton is a "black pinko," Donna Shalala is a "short lesbian," Ron Brown is a "racial victimologist," and Roberta Achtenberg, the first openly gay public official confirmed by the United States Senate, is a "far-left, normal-hating lesbian activist." Maybe such outbursts mean Ron Paul really is a straight-talker. Or maybe they just mean he is a man filled with hate.

Yes we can

Race for Dick Cheney's job

On Feb 5, 2008 12:47 PM, SgtTom@upnorth.cold

I would imagine it's about time to start placing bets on the Democratic and G.O.P tickets.

McCain and Romney seem really grouchy with each other so I don't think they can work together. How about a McCain/Huckeby ticket?

Obama and Clinton would be a powerful combo but I don't think they'd do well together either. How about an Obama/Edwards ticket.

Do you think that with Edwards' populist bent and Obama's fresh "outsider" reputation that this combo could work?

Thoughts. WRONG!!! PAT BUCHANAN!


On Feb 5, 2008 15:o7 PM, teddy@undersnow.brr

Conventional wisdom has McCain/Guliani in an all 'Hawk' ticket, although McCain/Huck would certainly bring in the Southern and "Evangelical" vote. Either way, "Mr. Smooth" Romney is left out in the cold.

Is there a chance of a "DREAM Team" on the Democratic side? Hillarack or Oballary? Freddie "The Beetle" Barnes, what say ye? I don' think that there's anyway that Hillary accepts the number two post. For her this isn't about transforming the country, it's about personal ambition. As for Obama, he may be the quintessential post-partisan, coalition/consensus-building, aisle-crosser, but I just can't see anyone getting over the way that he husband has treated him. Sure, keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but he just doesn't need to have to be looking over his shoulder to see if the Clintons have his back or if they're about to stab him in the back.

LOOK, (says Pat Buchanan, again) if he's SERIOUS about including Republicans in his administration, he'll ask Ron Paul to be his running mate- of course, after this week's cover article in the New Republic, that would be like Lincoln running with Jefferson Davis or maybe Nathan Bedford Forest. Lefties would LOVE Obama to go with Edwards, but Edwards is a class-warrior and a borderline Socialist- Obama is pulling Independents and even some disillusioned Republicans, he'd lose them with Edwards, Edwards is too left leaning. What's more,
Edwards is a White, Southern Male, he's got his pride, he'd turn Obama down if offered.I expect Barrack will ask Bill Richardson and thereby court the Hispanic vote.

WRONG! Richardson watched the Superbowl with his old pal William Jefferson Clinton. I predict that Obama WILL pick a woman, but NOT Hillary- Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius or Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano thus creating the most difficult to pronounce Presidential ticket in memory- either Obama/Sebelius or Obama/Napolitano!

Elenor Cliff, WHAT IF HILLARY IS INDEED THE NOMINEE?

Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, without a doubt the blandest, whitest, mealy-mouthiest girly man since George HERBERT Walker Bush. She wants it clear who wears the pants and who'd in charge and she wants to make sure that there's no possible way that her Vice President could be someone anyone would seriously consider as a possible successor to her, thus leaving the way open for a Chelsea Clinton candidacy in 2016.

Predictions??!?

Sunday, February 03, 2008

For Constitution's sake!

"I predict that before Bush leaves office, the case for his impeachment will and should be given a more careful hearing. It must not be pursued as a partisan remedy to force a transfer of power. Rather it should be used as an institutional remedy. Polling now shows that a large majority of Americans believe that President Bush and Vice President Cheney have committed serious transgressions against the Constitution which would merit consideration of the impeachment process. Impeaching President Bush and Vice President Cheney for their attempts to hijack the Constitution would make a clear statement about abuse of power. It would also serve to put reasonable constraints on the conduct of their successors–who are likely to be Democrats. This is a step which genuine Conservatives and Republicans who adhere to their party’s former understanding of a government with an executive of carefully limited and checked powers should welcome and embrace."

Read 'A Case for Impeachment' By Scott Horton in Harper's magazine

Friday, February 01, 2008

Hillary's inner Flick

I saw this on Slate and thought it was a kill! Do you ever feel like you're Matthew Broderick? You used to be the cool suave, Ferris Bueller, but now you're just another boring, middle aged teacher type? I do.

Vermont town may indict Bush/Cheney of war crimes

The town of Brattleboro, VT, known for its controversial public nudity laws, as well as an effort in 2007 to impeach President Bush, has once again gained national attention. A petition was signed by 5% of voters from the town, or 436 signatures to charge the President and Vice President of the United States with war crimes.

Residents of the town will vote on town meeting day to decide whether to pursue charges of war crimes against both President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

The petition read as follows:

"Shall the Selectboard instruct the Town Attorney to draft indictments against President Bush and Vice President Cheney for crimes against our Constitution, and publish said indictments for consideration by other authorities and shall it be the law of the Town of Brattleboro that the Brattleboro Police, pursuant to the above-mentioned indictments, arrest and detain George Bush and Richard Cheney in Brattleboro if they are not duly impeached, and prosecute or extradite them to other authorities that may reasonably contend to prosecute them?"

Officials in Brattelboro have stated that this is merely a symbolic vote, as the town and its law enforcement officers lack the power to arrest the President. - Source: By Wikinews


--

Dead men shouldn't vote;
But writer want's to be first 'dead president'

Mark Twain, June 15, 1879

I have pretty much made up my mind to run for President. What the country wants is a candidate who cannot be injured by investigation of his past history so that the enemies of the party will be unable to rake up anything against him that nobody ever heard of before. If you know the worst about a candidate to begin with, every attempt to spring things on him will be checkmated. Now I am going to enter the field with an open record. I am going to own up in advance to all the wickedness I have done, and if any Congressional committee is disposed to prowl around my biography in the hope of discovering any dark and deadly deed that I have secreted, why–let it prowl.

In the first place, I admit that I treed a rheumatic grandfather of mine in the winter of 1850. He was old and inexpert in climbing trees, but with the heartless brutality that is characteristic of me I ran him out of the front door in his nightshirt at the point of a shotgun and caused him to bowl up a maple tree, where he remained all night, while I emptied shot into his legs. I did this because he snored. I will do it again if ever I have another grandfather. I am as inhuman now as I was in 1850.

I candidly acknowledge that I ran away at the battle of Gettysburg. My friends have tried to smooth over this fact by asserting that I did so for the purpose of imitating Washington, who went into the woods at Valley Forge for the purpose of saying his prayers. It was a miserable subterfuge. I struck out in a straight line for the Tropic of Cancer because I was scared. I wanted my country saved, but I preferred to have somebody else save it. I entertain that preference yet. If the bubble reputation can be obtained only at the cannon’s mouth, I am willing to go there for it, provided the cannon is empty. If it is loaded, my immortal and inflexible purpose is to get over the fence and go home.

My invariable practice in war has been to bring out of every fight two-thirds more men than when I went in. This seems to me to be Napoleonic in its grandeur. My financial views are of the most decided character, but they are not likely, perhaps, to increase my popularity with the advocates of inflation. I do not insist upon the special supremacy of rag money or hard money. The great fundamental principle of my life is to take any kind I can get.

The rumor that I buried a dead aunt under my grapevine was correct. The vine needed fertilizing, my aunt had to be buried, and I dedicated her to this high purpose. Does that unfit me for the Presidency?

The Constitution of our country does not say so. No other citizen was ever considered unworthy of this office because he enriched his grapevines with his dead relatives. Why should I be selected as the first victim of an absurd prejudice?

I admit, also, that I am not a friend of the poor man. I regard the poor man, in his present condition, as so much wasted raw material. Cut up and properly canned, he might be made useful to fatten the natives of the Cannibal Islands and to improve our export trade with that region. I shall recommend legislation upon the subject in my first message. My campaign cry will be: “Desiccate the poor workingman; stuff him into sausage.”

These are about the worst parts of my record. On them I come before the country. If my country don’t want me, I will go back again. But I recommend myself as a safe man –a man who starts from the basis of total depravity and proposes to be fiendish to the last.