tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87221518573392209802011-10-06T15:18:07.492-07:00I believe most passionately in the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I believe the powerless must be advocated for against the powerful. I believe all men were created equal, and that civic debate can actually change mindssfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.comBlogger291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-55699010133797747862011-01-16T12:20:00.000-08:002011-01-16T12:46:37.323-08:00

Thanks to Jim Treacher at The Daily Caller, we now know what to do when right-wing extremists make good on their promises to bring guns next time: We shout at them. Because, apparently, Mark Eric Fuller shouting "You're dead!" at a Tea Party leader is exactly the same as Jared Loughner shooting twenty people and killing six, including a nine-year-old girl.Do you think that if I stick my tongue

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-27079352076637067202011-01-07T13:30:00.000-08:002011-01-07T13:32:41.848-08:00

Breaking news from the American Spectator:$770 Billion - $540 Billion = $230 Billion!!Who could have known?

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-81697555049781471692010-05-24T10:09:00.000-07:002010-05-24T10:10:10.087-07:00

I'm writing to complain about the reaction on the Sarah & Vinnie show this morning to the story about the child molester who got turned in by his girlfriend. The story was that the guy accidentally showed his girlfriend pictures of himself molesting a 2-year-old girl and the girlfriend didn't turn him in until he began "making comments" about her own daughter.The hosts' reaction was to

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-17045852050989852372010-04-01T18:02:00.000-07:002010-04-01T19:51:19.024-07:00

I just read another amazing post by Harriet over at Fugitivus. About three months ago, I discovered her blog (I think via Feministing) at which point I spent the next three weeks reading every single post and every single comment published, three years' worth of posting. There simply is not another writer dealing as honestly, completely, humorously, wisely, and empathically with issues

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-78991169405547326282010-03-12T13:46:00.000-08:002010-03-12T13:56:59.410-08:00

I got involved in a discussion last week with an HCR opponent in the comment section on this news story. Even though my interlocutor had the last word in this particular thread, because of my time constraints, I thought it was interesting enough to post. The dialogue follows: uponfurtherreview: fredschumacher wrote: To accept health care reform is to accept we are mediocre.*** Right -- we're so

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-61172136212622033262010-01-16T22:34:00.000-08:002010-01-16T22:36:14.577-08:00

Here's a knitting pattern I designed today. It's for a 16" square poncho for my little girl, with a built-in neck hole. I'll cast on tomorrow and, if it looks any good at all, I'll post a photo as an update.Naomi PonchoDesigned 1/16/2010gauge: 18 st x 24 rows = 4" x 4"size 6 and 8 needlesMain WorkBottom BorderIn CC, cast on 73 stitches on size 6 needles.Row 1: k1, * p1, k1, * repeat from * to *

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-61872421708165099202010-01-15T12:12:00.000-08:002010-01-15T12:15:11.584-08:00

The stories of real heroes are starting to come out of Haiti. The kind of people who, if you met them, you would shake their hand and say "Thank you." The kind of people who inspire us all to do our best. Writing with tears in my eyes for this horrible tragedy. And, just like after 9/11, the hero stories lift my heart. Time after time, in our darkest hour, human beings rise to the need and

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-13375394587725712422010-01-15T11:15:00.000-08:002010-01-15T12:06:29.898-08:00

It's simple, fast, and will make a difference. Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T are waiving their fees for these charitable donations.I found some information from MSNBC. You can make various amounts of automatic donations with the following texts:Text the word "YELE" to 501501 to donate $5 to the Yele Haiti foundation.Text the word "HAITI" to 20222 to donate $10 to the Clinton Foundation Haiti Relief

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-46127239168339290112010-01-13T16:49:00.000-08:002010-01-13T16:50:50.015-08:00

I've been following Teddy Partridge's liveblogging of the Prop 8 trial. Since transcripts won't be available for a couple of months, and the SCOTUS upheld the defendants' appeal on youtubing the proceedings, this is the best source for the trial I can find. Alliance Defense Fund has a twitter feed, but I find it hard to follow and hard to search. It's unfortunate, because I wanted to get a

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-3689044639987326222010-01-10T12:49:00.000-08:002010-01-10T12:51:58.580-08:00

Via John Ballard, I learned of this Paul Campos op-ed. Mr. Campos presents a perspective on terrorist attacks that we don't often hear in this country, and one that I subscribe to. Here's a sample, but please read the whole thing:It's a remarkable fact that a nation founded, fought for, built by, and transformed through the extraordinary courage of figures such as George Washington, Susan B.

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-47887011251777674002010-01-08T16:30:00.000-08:002010-01-08T16:33:29.300-08:00

I'm sure everyone remembers Dr. Howard Dean's pushing for the public option last fall, and his repeated statements that it should go into effect, at least in part, by the mid-term elections, "for political reasons."Swopa has a succinct version of this with a video embed, in which Dr. Dean gives his reason:Once health care reform actually goes into effect, the Republicans who are only selling fear

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-62202041551687785552010-01-07T13:58:00.000-08:002010-01-08T03:45:53.697-08:00

Via memeorandum, I happened on an article by Truth & Consequences blog author James Simpson. Mr. Simpson and I are clearly antipodal on the political blogosphere, but he was kind enough to respond to me in comments. That discussion went down a rabbit hole of tangents very quickly*, so I'd like to actually respond to the point of his post here. Mr. Simpson, I invite you to comment. And you can

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-53148054037328088342009-11-05T11:54:00.000-08:002009-11-05T12:38:02.826-08:00

Reuters has a very important article today chipping away at the war-mongering narrative that grips the beltway common wisdom. The headline should be trumped from all rooftops in D.C.: "IAEA found nothing serious at Iran site"U.N. inspectors found "nothing to be worried about" in a first look at a previously secret uranium enrichment site in Iran last month, the International Atomic Energy chief

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-39193932150086579882009-08-24T12:13:00.000-07:002009-08-24T12:15:54.672-07:00

Probably the most important article on health insurance reform today. (h/t Memeorandum).

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-78555285072583297152009-05-09T12:14:00.000-07:002009-05-09T13:06:02.406-07:00

Louis Caldera is now out of a job.  He was the politically-appointed chief ultimately responsible for the horrifying low-altitude flyover photo op two weeks ago.   A plane used sometimes as Air Force One was given a mission to buzz lower Manhattan so a picture could be taken of the plane over the Statue of Liberty.Within two weeks, the White House has released this report (.pdf) explaining how it

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-36703962133200306652009-04-29T17:58:00.000-07:002009-04-29T18:14:32.428-07:00

I do mean to finish writing responses to the Mukasey/Hayden entry on American Torture, but just quickly I wanted to share my thoughts on this amazing video (h/t avocado):In this episode of 30 Days, a Mormon mom spends a month living with two gay men who have adopted four boys.  The men agreed to do the show because they believed that personalizing the situation could change an opponent's mind;

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-19600909730693199082009-04-17T12:22:00.000-07:002009-04-17T13:11:02.357-07:00

I don't have time to write today.  I'm writing anyway because of this.The Obama administration has declassified and released opinions of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) given in 2005 and earlier that analyze the legality of interrogation techniques authorized for use by the CIA. Those techniques were applied only when expressly permitted by the director, and are described

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-41193596313545258532009-04-15T22:37:00.000-07:002009-04-15T23:05:22.525-07:00

Something on Rachel Maddow just clicked a connection for me.  Bear with me while I reason it out.I've been wondering for a while now what is connecting with ordinary right-wing people in the "tea party" protests - why do they care that people making more than $250K should pay about 3 cents more on each dollar over that amount than they are now?  Especially when that doesn't come into effect until

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-14963552654282567902009-03-21T18:57:00.000-07:002009-03-21T19:06:14.810-07:00

Here's my question: why take a job if you don't think the job should be done?  Listening to Governor Barbour's response to the President's Weekly Address, I can't help but think that the governor believes his job should be limited to cashing his paycheck and making sure his friends don't pay taxes.  I am coming to the belief that holding elected office as a Republican ought to preclude one from

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-16539874037423236282009-02-28T13:13:00.000-08:002009-03-21T19:48:13.891-07:00

For the record, every death I hear about in the Iraq war, and every sacrifice made by our troops, I get madder and madder.  This must stop.  If I could wish, I would wish all our troops out of harm's way today, and not a single injury further on behalf of President Bush's imperial misadventure.

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-21733659716921962522009-02-19T17:02:00.000-08:002009-02-19T17:22:16.182-08:00

Washington Times:Newly elected Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele plans an “off the hook” public relations offensive to attract younger votersI don't care that this idiom is new to political speech.  English is a living language, and phrases like that will clearly become more and more part of everyday usage.  I also have no sense of whether Mr. Steele uses the phrase often

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-23490499372932992102009-02-17T13:32:00.000-08:002009-02-17T13:44:01.819-08:00

I am hopeful the American Assistance and Recovery Act will help mitigate the worst aspects of this recession, and the launch of recovery.gov looks like it may be helpful.  If we had had transparency like this five years ago, we may not have lost that $9 billion in Iraq.However, the recovery.gov website appears to be more design than substance at the moment.  I like the graphs, but wish they had

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-24378737729382846672009-02-17T12:30:00.000-08:002009-02-17T13:08:17.352-08:00

With Secretary Clinton in Asia currently, American press are completely uninterested in the phone calls President Obama is making with various European and Middle Eastern leaders.  Given the past skirmishing between Turkey and the Kurdish terrorists hiding in Northern Iraq, I was hoping for some details regarding our current stance on the PKK.  The report at TurkishPress is the only report I've

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-68060863673787420382009-02-14T10:36:00.000-08:002009-02-14T11:03:59.993-08:00

Paul Rieckhoff, for those of you who don't know, served as a 1st Lieutenant in Iraq.  In addition to that service to his country, he's used his degree in Political Science to found the non-profit group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.  Their website is iava.org.IAVA just completed a political event they called "Storm the Hill" meeting with lawmakers in D.C., lobbying for a change in the

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-62816660175434034262009-02-10T13:26:00.000-08:002009-02-11T10:58:06.115-08:00

Susan Duclos (reviewing a sampling of outrage over the Holder DOJ invoking Bush's "state secrets" legal strategy):  NEWSFLASH for the far left.... you got what you asked for, you believed all the change hype and you were told it was all crap, so quit acting all offended and surprised.Obamas [sic] most ardent supporters, three weeks into his presidency, are now turning on him like he is the enemy.

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-43171465659165663162009-02-08T15:27:00.000-08:002009-02-14T14:53:42.628-08:00

Charles Krauthammer's op-ed last Friday starts off with Rovian politics. Accuse your opponents of your own failings:So much for the president who in his inaugural address two weeks earlier declared "we have chosen hope over fear." Until, that is, you need fear to pass a bill.No, fear-mongering is exploiting the terror attacks of 9/11/01 to mount support for an unnecessary war. Fear-mongering

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-77362069016095736822009-02-08T11:59:00.000-08:002009-02-08T13:21:28.391-08:00

AJ Strata saw the same Telegraph article I did, but has a completely different take on it.   He(?) also knows who to blame:This news leak/article deserves a good fisking to illustrate how Obama may be leading this year's Darwin Awards, for the act of taking a whole nation to the brink of extinction...We are now all being let in on  Obama's intelligence briefings - how wonderful...And whoever is

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-78309897407406793652009-02-08T08:56:00.000-08:002009-02-10T08:27:56.234-08:00

Tomorrow, the ACLU is bringing a case to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco - Mohamed vs. Jeppesen Dataplan.  They charge that Jeppesen, a subsidiary of the Boeing Corp., "knowingly provided logistical services that aid the CIA's 'extraordinary rendition' program."  This is the current Dept. of Justice's first opportunity to show whether it will repudiate or cover up the torture

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722151857339220980.post-20479952254028835402009-02-07T15:00:00.000-08:002009-02-07T15:03:34.465-08:00

I've been busy reading blogs for a couple of years now. Recently I've realized that the comments I have been leaving on other peoples' blogs are far too long, and if I really have that much to say, I should do it on my own space, not theirs, and give links to the stuff I'm reading - whether I agree with it or not.Here are the problems with the U.S.A. that get me fired up (in rough order of

sfHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658306259074791214noreply@blogger.com0