The PA Report

Posted on May 16, 2006
Filed Under Blather, Pennsylvania, Red Sox, rant, the telly | Leave a Comment

Greetings from rainy Happy Valley.  I suppose it’s not as rainy as the world of the Curtisian.  But it’s rainy-ish.

I am watching the Red Sox and Orioles on ESPN, and Mark Loretta is hitting everything Lopez is giving him.  Mark Loretta is on my good list.  Lowell, too.  ESPN, while not as bad as Fox, ain’t no NESN.  (Did I just write “ain’t no” on purpose?  Yes.  Yes, I did.)  Remy and Don are just much more entertaining, and a good bit more informative, too.  And I’ll bet they didn’t skip out in the middle of the 3rd inning to show Barry Bonds doing NOTHING in Houston.  Do we have to drop everything every time this jerk is at the plate?  They’ve just informed me that they think we do.  (*Groan*)

It’s quiet here, but then again, it’s pretty quiet at home, too.  I made 30 phone calls today for work, and I feel like it wasn’t enough.  Must crank (not crank call, but crank out the calls).  Most people I called were very nice and cooperative, but one very sour woman was enough to end my phone calling for the day.  No need to be rude.  I’m just doing my job like she is.  And no, I am not selling anything.

I made dinner tonight–penne with asparagus in a light pink sauce and a little salad with arugula and tomatoes.  It was good, though I think a tad more kick would have been welcome.  I’ll have to try it again at home.

Is it just me, or are the Red Sox doing more spitting this year than they have the last couple of years?  Baseball or not, it’s gross.  Whenever I see the guys chewing gum instead (Nixon, Loretta), I applaud.

EDIT:  After I posted this, I saw Nixon spitting something, and ESPN showed Varitek (not you, JV!) stuffing his lip (ugh).  One of the commentators actually said something about it, as though it was JV’s little reward after his home run.  As Mel Cooley would say, “Yech!”

Still Annoyed

Posted on March 22, 2006
Filed Under Blather, politics, rant | Leave a Comment

I could easily sit here all day and blog about how much I despise the Bush administration and the vast majority of what they do and have done, but that would be as painful for me as it would be for you. I will say, though, that everytime I see Bush I can’t help feeling that he insults the world with everything he says and does. Today at the gym I saw (but opted not to actually listen to) part of his news conference. The closed captioning allowed me to read what was being said if I wanted/needed to. I was annoyed once again by his smug attitude and lack of respect for the reporters, and when I was reminded that, if the Iraq war is indeed supposed to be a part of some “war on terror” (and I’m not sure I totally buy that), then the U.S. government is insisting on waging a state-to-state war when what they supposedly want to eradicate is not necessarily state-sponsored or even state-based. These guys ask us to believe a lot. OK… rant over.

When He’s Right…

Posted on January 30, 2006
Filed Under And another thing..., politics, rant | Leave a Comment

…he’s worth repeating. Barack Obama gets to the point: “There’s one way to guarantee that the judges who are appointed to the Supreme Court are judges that reflect our values. And that’s to win elections.”

Stop This Man

Posted on February 7, 2005
Filed Under Blather, politics, rant | Leave a Comment

Slashing education programs, student loans, healthcare programs to pay for lots and lots of military actions… Please stop this man!

What checks and balances?

Posted on November 20, 2004
Filed Under Blather, politics, rant | Leave a Comment

Unfortunately, I cannot be surprised that the Bush people are pushing to fundamentally alter our government, bit by bit, so they can seize even more power and come ever closer to having no one to answer to. See here.

This, in particular, makes me sick:
“Republicans defended their rules changes, saying that the election this month validated their agenda and that Democrats need to be less obstructionist.” The election was not exactly a landslide, and voicing one’s opinion in a democracy, perhaps especially when that opinion differs from the opinions of those in power, is not obstruction, it’s participation, and it’s what this thing is supposed to be about. Maybe somebody should be obstructing!

Voting Irregularities

Posted on November 1, 2004
Filed Under Blather, politics, rant | 2 Comments

I just heard from an acquaintance in Arizona who has just discovered that she is not on her county’s voter list. She re-registered to vote in September after moving to a new county, but she’s being told she’s not in the system for her county. She’s trying to get a provisional ballot, but said the phone lines into the recorder’s office she needs to get in touch with are jammed and she keeps getting a busy signal. Sounds like a major voting problem to me. And she’s in Arizona.

Funny how these things seem to be an issue in states that will matter to the election, isn’t it? I’m embarrassed to be an American right now.

A Plea

Posted on November 1, 2004
Filed Under Blather, politics, rant | 5 Comments

I have strong feelings about tomorrow’s election, as those of you who know me will know already. If I had a lot of time, I could sit down and go through the multitude of specific reasons why I believe that George W. Bush and his administration are the most frightening thing to happen to our country and the world in a very very long time, and why I believe that a Kerry administration would be much better (though not perfect… I’m not that naive).

It brings me practically to tears to think of what might happen if we don’t get Bush and his administration out of office… (Just thinking about what they’ve already managed to get away with, and the manipulative way they’ve operated throughout George W’s time in office, makes me livid.) So I’m going all out here and pleading with you–vote tomorrow, and vote for John Kerry. Save our ship, people. Because it is our ship.

The current administration believes that they can shape our country to fit their beliefs, that they can and should use their own religious views to shape our government, that they are accountable to no one but themselves, and that they can get away with anything. The way they distort everything and use fear as a weapon looks disturbingly like many of the regimes they claim to be fighting against… Where are the checks on their power? Where is the respect for all people, here and abroad? Where is the humility? These things are missing from this administration, and if you think they give a damn about you, you’ve got another thing coming–another four years even worse than the last four.

What did you learn about democracy in school? Think about it. Does the current administration and its actions fit that ideal? Secrecy, manipulation, fear, disregard for the sanctity of civil liberties… do these things mesh with your concept of democracy? That’s not how I understand democracy.

Kerry is smart. Kerry knows we have a big mess to deal with, here and in the world. He knows it is complicated. He knows mistakes have been made. He’s not trying to hide various screw-ups to justify the continuation of bad policies… He has the experience to know that when situations change and new facts come to light, policies and government actions need to be adjusted accordingly. He’s not perfect–no one is, but I believe he will put an administration into place that will govern with some regard for the Constitution and the democratic ideals that are what our country is supposed to be about.

George W. Bush’s America is not my America. I would like to feel like I belong in my own country again. So… (wringing hands)… PLEASE PLEASE go out and vote tomorrow, and vote for John Kerry.

There’s my plug. Now the crossing of fingers begins…

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