House of the Rising Sons: February 2007

Feb 28, 2007

Welfare Healthcare

For all of you out there who just love trotting out those "welfare mothers in cadillacs" stories, this one is for you.

Here's your bullshit Welfare "free" Healthcare.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17372104/

Twelve-year-old Deamonte Driver died of a toothache Sunday.
A routine, $80 tooth extraction might have saved him.
If his mother had been insured.
If his family had not lost its Medicaid.
If Medicaid dentists weren't so hard to find.
If his mother hadn't been focused on getting a dentist for his brother, who had six rotted teeth.

It really is sickening that in this "land of plenty" a child can die of a toothache for lack of care. Some of you can sit there and justify keeping the minimum wage as low as possible, supposedly for the poor, put upon small businessmen, while turning a blind eye to defunding medicaid so a fucking multimillionaire can afford a third yacht, a fourth home, and avoid his taxes.

If I am willing to sacrifice a few extra bucks for taxes, then surely those much better off than I can afford to, if nothing else- just to help our fellow countrymen have a better leg to stand on as they attempt to take care of their families.

Billions wasted being funnelled to Iraqi warlords for NOTHING. Fucking Nothing, you war-mongering fools. America's billions are being pocketed by American corporations and scam artists who get government contracts that they should have never have gotten in the first place. Why did they get them? Oh, simply because they were the President's supporters.

There are billions and billions wasted weekly in the Middle East. Money spent helping to keep Israeli politicians' pockets full or in kickbacks to Saudi princes for their so-called support of America- while our country rots from within.

Security? What a bitter fuck you to the American people from the rich corporatists who run our country currently. (and are running it into the ground, on oh- pretty much every damn level).

Our country dwindles, without- AND within. No one with any level of intelligence, morality, and the barest modicum of historical knowledge should be supporting the men who are slowly killing our country while PRETENDING to protect it.

All for some scumbag, dopehead, can't hold his beer, spoiled little brat.

I would say "Thanks for nothing" to the Republican party and every foolish American who continues to support this little tinhorn prince, but that's not quite appropriate.

You've done fucking plenty. Its just all been bad, worse, and worser.

I guess, like the stock market idiots on CNBC yesterday, America will continue to ignore it's growing problems until it's YOUR home thats gone, YOUR kid that dies, or YOUR Job that gets outsourced. Only when it all goes belly-up in the most horrific way possible will you cretins suddenly wake the fuck up and go "Why didn't anybody do anything?"

Well We are TRYING. If you don't want to help, then shut the fuck up and get out of our way. Let real Americans get rid of these corrupt, inept, self-serving bastards. Quit your bitching about Hillary and Obama because you are sooo afraid of a woman, or worse, a negro- becoming the President. Quit repeating Rush Limbaugh's lies that the Democratic party doesn't have a plan, because it's all bullshit, and bullshit that is getting easier and easier to see through with every day that America suffers through Republican "plans".

Their plan was to get rich off the American government. Well, tee-motherfucking-hee, it worked.

Feb 27, 2007

Where in the world is Waldo...

This is just a quick update to let ya'll know that I haven't stepped off the edge of the planet...

I am in crash course study mode all this week for my 65 exam. No time to blog, really, although I will try to find something good if I can. Right now I'm watching the Cheerleaders on CNBC panic over the China situation.. Jeepers, Scoobs, Does something look wrong with this picture?

Sweat, you stock market bitches, sweat!

Anyway- Everybody have a good week, I'll be in and out as time allows... Seeya at your blogs!

Feb 23, 2007

Friday Feedom Links

How Far must we fall?

Inside the Largest Immigration Prison camp in the U.S

U.S. Economy leaving record numbers in severe poverty

Presaging the end of Iraq35

from the comments at Empire Burlesque:

Ah, the glory of the "I told you so". Except its not so damn glorious telling these idiots "I told you so" over and over when you are up to your armpits in the blood of people who really, REALLY didn't have to be killed.

Our knowledge is impotent. Our Logic is useless. Our Morals are trumped by their blind obedience to themselves. Knowing what is going to happen while those in power chug along in oblivious, or perhaps not-so-oblivious fashion, makes it all so much more unbearable. Do they know they are wrong? Do they know their rhetoric is a failure? I think so, and for us to point out the obvious doesn't seem to hurt them at all. Bush and Cheney just unload another wheelbarrel full of bullshit on the public and chuckle to themselves when no ones watching.

I think another thing that those of us in-the-know Realize is that these men are callous criminals who would sell out our country in a heartbeat for their own bottom line. Some men become twisted for glory. Some men become twisted for misguided nationalism. These men are twisted for the simplest and shallowest of reasons: simple greed. Simple selfish greed. And our country will continue to suffer until enough of us stop trying to REASON with them and remove them from positions of power.

And finally- Please, keep your testicles INSIDE the vehicle

Year Zero

Frederick from Mccs1997 has an interesting find...

http://mccs1977.com/2007/02/23/move-over-ignignokt/

I am going to link everything I can find about this here, for my own ease of use. If anyone finds any more links/interesting stuff concerning this NIN project, let me know in the comments.

The kids are the ones that WILL change America. Let the Dinosaurs become fossils. Hope for the best and plan for the worst. Free your mind and your ass will follow.

http://anotherversionofthetruth.com/

audio clip 1, audio clip 2, audio clip 3, forum

http://www.iamtryingtobelieve.com/

http://105thairbornecrusaders.com/

http://www.consolidatedmailsystems.com/nooneimportant/

http://www.consolidatedmailsystems.com/citizen_unknown/

http://www.consolidatedmailsystems.com/nooneimportant/

http://bethehammer.net/

http://churchofplano.com/

http://uswiretap.com/case_number_required/

http://www.uswiretap.com/71839J/

http://www.artisresistance.com/

http://yearzero.nin.com/

http://www.nin.com/index2.html

Warhawk Vision

But he was looking for signs of Israeli atrocities in Lebanon, so it's all good.

More wacky nonsense from the man who sowed Lebanon with American WMD. Why in the holy fuck would you give THIS GUY clusterbombs to attack his neighbors?

And the right wing marches on...

Coming Soon: Middle East Armageddon.

Buy your Exxon and Halliburton stock now, kids!

Good ole' Israeli terrorism sponsored by American government in order to smite Arab terrorism! One good whackjob deserves another, right?

And with terrorist attack reprisals only up ... let's see here.. 600 % .. we should meet the neocon goal of Defcon-Fucked well before Bush ever leaves office!

With another five years of supporting Israel, invading middle eastern countries, and bombing the shit out of anything that Der Shrubenfuhrer deems "Evil bad guys" well, let's just say we're on the fast track to martial law, American internment camps, and more glorious terror attacks on American soil so we can tell those mean liberals "Nyah-nyah! Told ya so!"

No more boring apathy for you, America! Woo-Hoo! Your kids will never be safe now! Mission Accomplished! This group of greedy war profiteers has managed, in less than five years, to turn the entire world against us! Yay! Now we can be justified when we say we hate everybody but America.

And not only have they ruined our reputation and whatever chance at living in peace our children may have had- but they have ALSO managed to repeat another major screwup from the Vietnam era: Our "leaders" have completely and utterly demoralized our troops with their incompetence, avarice and lack of true support

AND- (wait, there's more) they have managed to almost completely kill recruiting for our armed forces at the same time.

...

After Vietnam, the troops weren't only treated like hell by antiwar groups, the way the right wing wants you to believe, but they were also spit on by their own arms of the military and our government. Recruitment dropped way down for a decade, as veterans came home and people began to see exactly how the government had screwed our vets. Well, its happening again, and meanwhile, our leader, oblivious to a country that is rapidly growing wise to his little mideast scam, is trying to start more wars.

Bush is STILL trying to cut taxes for his rich buddies while cutting funding for our troops who are coming home. Our government is still funneling millions to Israel while we can't afford to take care of our own country. The military is finding new ways to deny our pstd-suffering troops proper care. The funds are running out on the war effort. There's no money. If Bush wants to keep this war going, he's going to have to either start taxing the rich fools who have supported this war so vocally, or maybe he can start a penal-system amnesty program, since no one else wants to sign up as fodder in Iraq.

What will it take for the REST of America to take the lens caps off? Will our military have to completely collapse before these milling sheep take their eyes off the glow from Britney's shaved head?

Feb 21, 2007

Reason 3,231 that Hillary Should be ignored by Democrats

I don't post about her much, mainly because I think Hillary Clinton is such a huge liar and fake that it should be obvious to all Anti-war progressives who have been paying attention to her antics and lack of any real action against the Republican war machine for the past five years.

But John at Americablog gives us yet another reason why Democrats should not be donating to her campaign.

Americans of no particular political affiliation should pass on her, as well.

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2007/02/hillary-is-sistah-souljahing-entire.html

There are a Lot of good people who can lead us out of the pit that President Bush has pushed the American people into, and Hillary just isn't one of them. Set aside the fact that a good 30-40% of the country absolutely loathes her and would never vote for her in a thousand years.

I am not talking about electability, or the "Clinton" stain on politics. Hindsight is 20/20 and he was actually a very good president and led our country into a great time of stability before President Bush ramrodded that into the ground. But he was a liar and he lied to the American people and embarrassed the entire office of the President of the United States instead of just being a man and saying, yes, I cheated on my wife. It's none of your fucking business, but yeah, I did it- and I did it in the whitehouse with a government employee. Well, okay, maybe it was a teensy bit of your business.

No, no one died because of that lie- but I believe that lie led directly to us having the morons in office that we do right now.

But that isn't the reason I don't want his wife elected. His wife isn't on the same page as liberals on the war. She sat silently when Feingold, Murtha, and Reid were speaking out, under especially harsh criticism. She isn't on the same page as constitutional conservatives on Bush's wiretapping. She dismissed the critics when even Republican Arlen Specter managed to get outraged about Bush's dismantling our of rights to privacy.

She's a politician. Period. And she hasn't fought for ONE damn thing in the past five years that she hasn't carefully analyzed for its' effect on her future electability and upper movement.

As a Democrat, I have to agree with John from Americablog- She's on par with Joe Lieberman right about now.

There are many worthy candidates to focus on. Don't give your hard earned money to Clinton to squander, whether she gets elected or not. She is not what America needs to fight against the corruption that is already eating away our rights.

Blind media leading the blind population

Taibbi rolls another great commentary off...
Maybe we deserve to be ripped off by Bush's Billionaires

Apparently, from now on, every time a jackass sticks a pencil in his own eye, we'll have to wait an extra ten minutes to hear what happened on the battlefield or in Congress or any other place that actually matters.

On the same day that Britney was shaving her head, a guy I know who works in the office of Senator Bernie Sanders sent me an email. He was trying very hard to get news organizations interested in some research his office had done about George Bush's proposed 2008 budget, which was unveiled two weeks ago and received relatively little press, mainly because of the controversy over the Iraq war resolution. All the same, the Bush budget is an amazing document. It would be hard to imagine a document that more clearly articulates the priorities of our current political elite.

Not only does it make many of Bush's tax cuts permanent, but it envisions a complete repeal of the Estate Tax, which mainly affects only those who are in the top two-tenths of the top one percent of the richest people in this country. The proposed savings from the cuts over the next decade are about $442 billion, or just slightly less than the amount of the annual defense budget (minus Iraq war expenses). But what's interesting about these cuts are how Bush plans to pay for them.

Sanders's office came up with some interesting numbers here. If the Estate Tax were to be repealed completely, the estimated savings to just one family -- the Walton family, the heirs to the Wal-Mart fortune -- would be about $32.7 billion dollars over the next ten years.
The proposed reductions to Medicaid over the same time frame? $28 billion.

Or how about this: if the Estate Tax goes, the heirs to the Mars candy corporation -- some of the world's evilest scumbags, incidentally, routinely ripped by human rights organizations for trafficking in child labor to work cocoa farms in places like Cote D'Ivoire -- if the estate tax goes, those assholes will receive about $11.7 billion in tax breaks. That's more than three times the amount Bush wants to cut from the VA budget ($3.4 billion) over the same time period.

Some other notable estimate estate tax breaks, versus corresponding cuts:

Cox family (Cox cable TV) receives $9.7 billion tax break while education would get $1.5 billion in cuts
Nordstrom family (Nordstrom dept. stores) receives $826.5 million tax break while Community Service Block Grants would be eliminated, a $630 million cut
Ernest Gallo family (shitty wines) receives a $468.4 million cut while LIHEAP (heating oil to poor) would get a $420 million cut

And so on and so on. Sanders additionally pointed out that the family of former Exxon/Mobil CEO Lee Raymond, who received a $400 million retirement package, would receive about $164 million in tax breaks.

Compare that to the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which Bush proposes be completely eliminated, at a savings of $108 million over ten years. The program sent one bag of groceries per month to 480,000 seniors, mothers and newborn children.

Somehow, to me, that's the worst one on the list. Here you have the former CEO of a company that scored record profits even as it gouged consumers, with gas prices rising more than 70 percent since January of 2001. There is a direct correlation between the avarice of oil company executives and the increased demand for federal aid for heating oil programs like LIHEAP, and yet the federal government wants to reward these same executives for raising prices on the backs of consumers.

Even if you're a traditional, Barry Goldwater conservative, the kinds of budgets that Bush has sent to the hill not only this year but this whole century are the worst-case scenario; they increase spending generally while cutting taxes and social programming. They commit taxpayers to giant subsidies of already Croseus-rich energy corporations, pharmaceutical companies and defense manufacturers while simultaneously cutting taxes on those who most directly benefit from those subsidies. Thus you're not cutting spending -- you're just cutting spending on people who actually need the money. (According to the Washington Times, which in a supremely ironic twist of fate did one of the better analyses of the budget, spending will be 1.6 percent of GDP higher in the 2008 budget than in was in 2000, while revenues will be 2.6 percent of GDP lower). This is something different from traditional conservatism and something different from big-government liberalism; this is a new kind of politics that transforms the state into a huge, ever-expanding instrument for converting private savings into corporate profit.

That's not only bad government, it's bad capitalism. It makes legalized bribery and political connections more important factors than performance and competition in the corporate marketplace. Beyond that, it's just plain fucking offensive to ordinary people. It's one thing to complain about paying taxes when those taxes are buying a bag of groceries once a month for some struggling single mom in eastern Kentucky. But when your taxes are buying a yacht for some asshole who hires African eight year-olds to pick cocoa beans for two cents an hour ... I sure don't remember reading an excuse for that anywhere in the Federalist Papers.

He concludes as only he can:

Here's the thing about the system of news coverage we have today. If the Walton family, or Lee Raymond, or the heirs to the Mars fortune actually needed the news media to work better than it does now, believe me, it would work better. But they have no such need, because the system is working just fine for them as is. The people it's failing are the rest of us, and most of the rest of us, apparently, would rather sniff Anna Nicole Smith's corpse or watch Britney Spears hump a fire hydrant than find out what our tax dollars are actually paying for.

Shit, when you think about it that way, why not steal from us? People that dumb don't deserve to have money.

Feb 20, 2007

Taking your lessons where you can

Last night I was helping my seven year old daughter with her homework, and she had to ask six adults if they would want to be the President of the United States, and why or why not. She's only seven, but she's a voracious learner and very smart for her age (yeah, I'm bragging). And I let her call up random relatives and friends for their answers. She called up five people and then she told me she was done. I said, well honey no- you need one more to have six and you haven't asked me- so I can be your sixth person.

She just looked at me with her "Daddy, please" eye roll and said she didn't have to ask me. I was the first person that she put down. I looked at her homework, and yep - I was at the top of the list. She already knew I WANTED to be President.

It was really just a charting exercise but she did have a discussion question at the bottom. "What have you learned by asking this question?" I was watching over her shoulder as she filled in the yes or no squares, and I was eagerly waiting for my chance to talk over the discussion question with her. But she never skipped a beat.

"I'm done! Can I go play now?"

"Well, let me see your answer"... I read:

"I learned that some people who really care about changing the way things are want to be president and some people that don't want the responsibility don't care."

Okay.... Better answer than I expected. We talked it over for a bit and I complimented Amy on her reasoning. "You missed the o in responsibility though." Another eye roll as she grabbed it back, corrected it, and then headed off to play.

I know people who don't have kiddos are probably groaning as they read this- (probably the same way I groan when some blogger does Cat-blogging. I am still, like, WTF is it with the cats?)
but - what brought on this tiny little story about last night was an article over at Ziem's Views that discussed education and how money factors in to how educated a state's children become and how they might end up as "red" or as "blue" as their state.

In Lubbock, I attended two school districts in high school- one in a poor rural district, (Roosevelt) and the other in the biggest rural district in the state at that time(Frenship) which had tons more money. The difference in faculty as well as classes offered between the two districts cemented in my mind the fact that Money DOES make a huge difference in the quality of education, even within the same county.

But I don't think the educational cost per child affects our red-blue mindset growing up as much as our family environment does. By all rights, I should be yet another rich white Republican who tells racist jokes and puts down everyone who wasn't born with a silver spoon in their mouth. But I had a poor mom who divorced my rich abusive asshole father and didn't take a dime of his damn money.

And she struggled through and survived, sometimes not on very much. But no matter what hardships we experienced, she always took the time to help my brother and I learn and learn with us, as well, about life. She taught me that racism is for fools who are trying to make themselves feel better about their own shortcomings . She taught me that hard work is rewarded when it is coupled with working smart, and she taught me that life is too short to be evil to anyone, even your enemies. She instilled in me a joy for reading at a very early age, a respect for books and myself.

So maybe it was just her independence and progressiveness that allowed me to buck the inherited racism from my father and his father and about 90% of the men over the age of 50 in Texas. Maybe it was the time she took to talk to me about all the important things in life that made me want to walk a mile in someone else's shoes before I judged them.

My father taught me that every friend is only an acquaintance in life, someone that sooner or later you will have to rid yourselves of because they will want something from you.

My mother taught me that every acquaintance you have is a friend. And when a friend needs something, you help them if you can, and when you need something, they will help you as well, if they are a good friend.

Yes, it helps your child's education to go to a school that has enough money to pay for new books, better qualified teachers, and have a school board that isn't strapped for cash so much that they can't afford to "splurge" on even basic electorals like art, music, and more than one computer class.

But education starts at home. I see far too many people that are more worried about their kids' free throw stats than their english grades. I see way too many parents that don't seem to take any interest whatsoever in the child's schooling, other than extra curricular activities. The homework looks a little foreign, it has been so long since you have done any of this work that there is a tendency to just force it back on their teachers or a school-appointed tutor, which is most likely just a schoolmate who is a little ahead of your child.

But if you really care about your children's education, there's more to it than simply throwing money at school districts. It means taking some of your own free time, which it seems we have less and less of - and spending it teaching your child life lessons as well as helping them with their school work.

Teach your children well. And you will be amazed at what you learn during the process.

Ownership society

The Rape of Sabrine

Riverbend:
Let me clear it up for any moron with lingering doubts: It’s worse. It’s over. You lost. You lost the day your tanks rolled into Baghdad to the cheers of your imported, American-trained monkeys. You lost every single family whose home your soldiers violated. You lost every sane, red-blooded Iraqi when the Abu Ghraib pictures came out and verified your atrocities behind prison walls as well as the ones we see in our streets. You lost when you brought murderers, looters, gangsters and militia heads to power and hailed them as Iraq’s first democratic government. You lost when a gruesome execution was dubbed your biggest accomplishment. You lost the respect and reputation you once had. You lost more than 3000 troops. That is what you lost America. I hope the oil, at least, made it worthwhile.

Also at Empire Burlesque: Annals of Liberation
Chris Floyd:

This is your war, you followers of Bush. This is your war, you timorous Democrats who won't even consider a measure to cut off funding for Bush's crime. This is your war, you Beltway pundits, you "serious reporters" serving as unfiltered pipelines for the lies and manipulations of the brutal thugs in power.

This is your war -- but the bloodsoaked consequences will belong to us all, and to our children, and to their children, a dark acrid smoke trailing down through the generations.

Al Quaeda loves Republicans

Told ya so...

Al Quaeda donates to Republican Party

Terrorism charges brought Friday against the administrator of a loan investment program claimed that he secretly tried to send $152,000 to the Middle East to buy equipment such as night vision goggles for a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan.Abdul Tawala Ibn Ali Alishtari, 53, of Ardsley, N.Y., pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in Manhattan to an indictment accusing him of terrorism financing, material support of terrorism and other charges. The charges carried a potential penalty of 95 years in prison.

CBS News has confirmed that Alishtari is a donor to the Republican Party, as he claims on his curriculum vitae. Alishtari gave $15,500 to the National Republican Campaign Committee between 2002 and 2004, according to Federal Election Commission records. That amount includes $13,000 in 2003, a year when he claims to have been named NRCC New York State Businessman of the Year.Alishtari also claims to be a lifetime member of the National Republican Senate Committee's Inner Circle, which the NRCC describes as "an impressive cross-section of American society – community leaders, business executives, entrepreneurs, retirees, and sports and entertainment celebrities – all of whom hold a deep interest in our nation's prosperity and security."

You see, the truly evil men ARE all on one side.

I don't support torture, murder, bombing civilians, and ignoring the laws of our country. Republican neocons DO. Al Quaeda does. They have a lot in common, don't they?

The truth is that The Republican Party is the biggest reason Al Quaeda is doing so successfully. Why WOULDN'T they be big supporters of Cheney and Bush? Bush is protecting Osama by not actively pursuing him and invading Iraq has caused Al Quaeda to gain thousands of new recruits worldwide.

A New Arms race has begun. The Middle East is in greater turmoil than any time in my lifetime. Racism and religious intolerance is rising in America for the first time in forty years. Christians support torture and murder over the teachings of Jesus Christ as a result of their fear.

I mean, I'm not a christian, or I might actually believe that Bush IS the antichrist. But he's not. He's just an ex-junkie silver spoon fed three time loser who rode on a Democrat's political coattails to make it to the Governship of Texas. Then he faked getting religion in order to gain the presidency. He wanted the presidency simply out of greed.

In every single case since he has gained "America's throne" he has ruled on the side of corporation he has ties with and his friends in oil business and the military industrial complex over the American people. He has dismantled Habeus Corpus, he has destroyed the EPA, and he has helped the rich get richer, all at the expense of the middle class. What the hell does HE Care? Lower class, middle class , it's all the same to him. Serfs and peons and pawns.

Republican neocons or Al Quaeda: They are all the same to me. They will do ANYTHING, no matter how vile and immoral to get their way.

Decent Americans will defeat both groups of terrorists. There are more of us than there are of you. We believe in the constitution and the American way. We don't believe the end justifies the means and we don't believe in taking shortcuts that undermine our country's honor.

We will not set aside our morality, our religious beliefs, and our freedom under false justifications like you have. We will not allow the Republican party leadership to continue staining the American flag.

Feb 16, 2007

Beer Commies

As requested, here is a re-post of my Beer commies article from last year at the OLD House of the Rising Sons. It's such a pain to find a link on MSN, I just said to hell with it- and cut and pasted it from my archives:

"I don't support commies, sorry." Pete

Recently in my household, an influx of Divorcee refugees has forced me to experiment with communism. Two buddies, both kicked out of their houses by their wives, have temporarily found refuge in my spare bedroom and on my sofa.

Given this extreme circumstance we had two choices. Being the Americans we are: We chose Capitalism first. We all bought an individual 30 pack Friday, the weekend brought friends of the refugees and our supply was soon depleted.

I had enough for a second 30 pack Saturday, but Refugee 1 did not. Refugee 2 had enough for a 12 pack. Again, consumption ensued and our supply was depleted, except I found myself sharing some of the consumables by way of a lender's agreement to Refugee 1.

Sunday was again a day of consumption and supplies were gone again. However, my only savings was in the form of an IOU from Refugee 1. Refugee 2 had money for further supplies but refused to agree to a Lending agreement, demanding cash. Two were without supply and endured taunting jibes from Ref.2 as he consumed his own supply.

Monday came, and both Ref1 and I received income and purchased consumables individually. Ref 2 was to borrow a technical term- "on the shit end of the stick". An Argument erupted and Chaos ensued. Violence was forthcoming. The Bastards Armistice was declared and Beer Communism has been born.

We pool our economic resources, and when one of the Workers union has no beer, the others cheerfully supply it. As long as everyone pulls their weight within the Beer Communist party, we should enjoy a fruitful (if not sober) political life.

Friday Free For All

Tortured Past - It isn't ALL Bush's fault
(yeah, yeah I said it!)

Putin on the Ritz
(There's more at stake than just oil and the Middle east)

Stop him before he does it again

Fire Dog Lake For All your Scooter Trial Needs, and for this great video of a Iraq Veteran and member of Congress telling it like it is.

Thank You Sir may I have another?

And take a stroll through my links, which are mainly to independent American bloggers.

Have a good weekend.

No more blank checks! Accountability is at the heart of every True Conservative. Walk towards the light, keep walking towards the light...

Feb 15, 2007

Declaration

"fade leave them where ever we fight Al-queda..could be 15 years I dont give rats ass as long as they fight them away from my home"

-Caveman. And he's talking about our troops.

That is the most chickenshit statement I have heard YET concerning our troops. And I have heard a lot of chickenhawks spout a lot of their macho bullshit while cowering stateside.

Then he goes on to tell me how Scared I am.

This is how the yellowbellied cowardly Right wingers think. This is the truth about all of them. Bill Kristol, David Broder, Dick Cheney, George Bush, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, and the list goes on and on and on - Non-military (well- Except the hero of the Oklahoma Tet Offensive, Dubya) loudmouth roosters crowing and ruffling their feathers about the "enemy" and how we need to kill them before they kill us. Fear. Fear. Fear. Shitting their pants about terrorists and ay-rabs and mexicans and blacks.

They will pat our troops on the back, throw them a parade, and then send them half-the-world away to die - who cares as long as these fake heroes back at home don't have to do a damn thing except stick a fucking magnet on their car and attack us so-called "liberal hippie leftists".

I am so sick of these cowards. They don't care whose kids die as long as its not theirs. They don't care if they are building a world FULL of terrorists that hate America and will attack it for the next 40 years as long as they don't have to get off their asses and deal with it themselves.

"fade leave them where ever we fight Al-queda..could be 15 years I dont give rats ass as long as they fight them away from my home"

These are the words of cringing dogs, not American patriots. Why IS There Terror, you useless sniveling twits? Why would an Arab hate an American? Why?

Because we have been invading THEIR fucking countries for decades, sponsoring Israeli terror and grab-assing crude oil wherever we can lay our greedy hands on it. Iran and Iraq could not and would not wage war against America. They don't have the capability to hurt our country. Al Quaeda? Al Quaeda was in fucking Afghanistan. Osama was there. Why Iraq?

It wasn't to fight terror. Your cowardice is ONLY exceeded by your ignorance. And I, for one, am sick of listening to your fucking bullshit.

The last thing you wanted was a fight IN the United States, right? Well, too fucking bad. You got one. We took Congress in 2006. We WILL take the Presidency in 2008.

We WILL stop the self-destructive push to bomb Iran.

We WILL impeach this cowardly, dictator wanna-be President. He WILL NOT Pardon his cabal of cronies like Rove and Scooter.

We WILL get to the bottom of the lies this administration cooked up that are responsible for the deaths of those soldiers who you "don't give a rat's ass" about.

You ARE Traitors to the American way. Not us. We will fight right here, right now, in our own country for our constitution, for our freedom, for the rule of law and to keep our country from turning into a Corporation that sponsors torture, murder, and the slavery of its middle class.

America's soldiers are OUR Children, Our Fathers, OUR brothers, OUR sisters, OUR countrymen. To you they are just pawns.

Not any more.

Feb 14, 2007

Freaky Wednesday

Wow = A lot of weird stuff going on today.

Iran is the victim of a terrorist attack.

Bush, at his press conference this morning, says that he's not sure if Iran is aiding Iraq. (that is the breaking news headline on Msnbc this very moment).

Al-Sadr may have fled Iraq? That's good news. One less creep stirring up trouble. The question is, will the creep that take his place be better or worse?

Putin, no boy scout himself, accuses the U.S. of starting a new Arms race. Well, no argument there. Allowing Israel to build nukes with no punishment whatsoever is the cause of that. Now North Korea, Iran, and who knows who else will have nuclear weapons- all because our government didn't follow up on the U.N. resolutions against Israel. Way to go. When are we going to make Israel the 51st state? Or is it more reasonable to just rename the U.S. the U.S. of Israel instead? How exactly did we become such a puppet for Israel, giving them billions of U.S. dollars over the years?

And not the least of our news today, Roving reporter Caveman issued his first link ever here at the House of the rising sons in the comments yesterday- To an ACTUAL News agency! And he brought up a valid discussion concerning the Iran-Iraq weapons connection. I am amazed.

The point he addressed was whether or not some .50 caliber Austrian made rifles that were sold to Iran in 2004 were being used in Iraq. And if so, how did they get there? If we have indeed found some Steyr-Mannlich (the Austrian weapon manufacturer) 50 cals in Iraq, and we can verify that the serial numbers are the ones sold to Iran, where does the trail then lead? What Iranian agency were these weapons sold to? Is it a smoking gun?

And as far as that- how much American ordinance and weaponry is being used in Iraq by insurgents today? No Quarter has some points to ponder in the comments here : No Quarter

As 1watt at No Quarter comments:
The US military can't account for 2 Trillion in systems, the FBI lost 320 laptops & weapons, yet two or three black market supplied weapons show up in Iraq & Chimp wants to bomb Iran?

And putting aside the nitpicking- I myself believe that Iran is helping the insurgency and what's more I don't think it is sufficient reason to declare war on Iran. Russia didn't declare war on the U.S. when we were supplying Mujadeen in Afghanistan against them. They got over it, and we should too. Russia had no more business in Afghanistan than we do in Iraq.

And more importantly- there is this to think about- from thinker- also at No Quarter:

But back to Iran. The presumption that Iran would move on America in Iraq if they were nuked, is one possible outcome, but what if they went in the other direction? Clearly if America does something it will be at the behest of the United Nations and around the same scenario and bullshit pulled up on Iraq. President Mahmoud would reasonably feel agrieved at the European brown nosers under those terms and, with what's being going on with Russia, they may gain some pretty powerful allies with a vested interest in a very different World.
The powers that be should take a necessary deep breath.
Posted by: Thinker Wednesday, 14 February 2007 at 01:06

There's a larger picture to consider than just the middle east.

Feb 13, 2007

What are you fighting for?

Links and stuff

Old Broad

Progressive Chicano on Friends among the other side

Doc BioBrain: Dopes in Suits

No Quarter on Iran: Can People be fooled twice?

AND THE MUST WATCH VID OF THE DAY: The PM of Australia is a fool

Every Democrat in America should watch this video and take notes.

The Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, made some comments that the Right Wingers in America picked up on. Now Right wingers notably hate Barack Obama. Mainly cuz they don't want some uppity negro to be President even if Joe Biden says he's clean. So when Howard repeated the Caveman-like comment that Al Quaida is hoping for Obama and the Democratic party to win, they absolutely stood up and cheered like the fucking idiots they are.

But Australia, yes even Australia, is MORE Progressive than America. One day later Kevin Rudd, another Australian politician, puts PM Howard in his place and exposes how ridiculous Howard's comments are. He says this directly to the PM's face (when he can attempt to meet Rudd's eyes) and he perfectly expresses why such comments are complete and utter bullshit.

We need more common sense rebuttals STRONGFULLY worded from our party. We don't need bi-partisanship with the scumbags who repeat such vile lies as this. Al Quaeda has millions more dollars in support directly BECAUSE of the Republican party. Al Quaeda has tens of thousands of more sympathizers and anti-american sentiment BECAUSE of the Republican party's actions. The world has turned against the U.S. BECAUSE of the Republican's party and the neocon cabal running the White house. Those are just facts. Look them up, if you dare. To postulate that our current situation and Al Quaeda's current strength is because of Democrats is just untrue.

It's too bad that Bush is such a coward that he cannot face scrutiny and debate with a few Congressmen. It's too bad that our President, unlike the leaders of Australia and Great Britain, isn't required to meet in congress and defend his own positions himself, instead of through his proxies.

Because we know this fool can't explain himself when he gets asked a real question about Iraq.

Every day of trial brings more of this administration's dirty tricks to light. Each day reveals that the Main Stream Media HAS Been in and Remains in = this White House's pocket. Russert, Woodward, Novak, Matthews- ALL Republican pawns, we see now. (As if we on the left didn't KNOW this already). Cheney's a crook. Libby's a crook. Rove's a crook. They all conspired to out a WMD EXPERT in the CIA because her husband dared to tell the truth.

For shame! The Truth! (gasp) To Republicans the truth is treason.

Feb 9, 2007

Its a Beautiful Day in the Reality Based Community!

A lot of good news today- Most importantly The Watada Court Martial has ended in a Mistrial, due to the Judge trying to keep the case from being what it truly is about: The War and a military officer living up to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and to his duty as an American officer, which sometimes means refusing to follow an illegal order.

Watada maintained that his refusal to participate in an illegal war in Iraq was justified, indeed required, under the Army's own Uniform Code of Military Justice. Under Judge Head's rulings, however, there simply would be no way for a soldier to resist an illegal order. Indeed, an American military person could be ordered to commit mass murder or genocide and then be denied the right even to make a case for the lawfulness of his actions. The judge's rulings fly in the face of the Supreme Court's Hamdan v. Rumsfeld decision, which stood for the principle that all US officials are bound by national and international law not to commit war crimes.

The Army maintained that the duty to refuse an illegal order, established at the Nuremberg Trials and enshrined in the Universal Code of Military Justice, applies only to orders to commit particular criminal acts like executing a prisoner. But in Watada, Resister, a January 27 video by New America Media's Curtis Choy, Watada says that responsibility "doesn't just include individual war crimes. It includes the greatest crime against the peace, which is, as they determined after Nuremberg, wars of aggression, wars that are not out of necessity but out of choice for profit or power or whatever it may be."

Watada's dissent was intended to spark a movement of civil resistance on the part of the American people. As he told the Veterans for Peace annual convention in Seattle recently, the peace movement needs a change of strategy.

"To stop an illegal and unjust war, the soldiers can choose to stop fighting it.... If soldiers realized this war is contrary to what the Constitution extols--if they stood up and threw their weapons down--no President could ever initiate a war of choice again," he said.
But the young officer's appeal is not only to people in the military. He told the Veterans, "Should citizens choose to remain silent through self-imposed ignorance or choice, it makes them as culpable as the soldiers in these crimes." In the Watada, Resister video, he added, "No longer can any American citizen or organization simply sit on the fence and say, Well, we don't take a position on the war, because the war in itself is unconstitutional in many forms, and we as Americans have to step up and say either we agree with what's going on or we disagree with what's going on.... If you disagree...then you are going to have to ask yourself what are you willing to sacrifice of yourself in order to correct the injustice and wrongs of this government in regard to the Iraq War."

"We all take part in it--if you pay your taxes, you're taking part in this war. We all have a responsibility, as they determined after Nuremberg, whether you're the lowest soldier or the highest ranking general, or just a regular civilian, we all have responsibility...to resist and refuse enabling and condoning this criminal behavior," he said.

And the other Great news today was the bloggers' Victory over Bill O'Reilly. Miss Kitty, at C&L posted about O'Reilly slated to be a speaker at a National Center for Missing and Exploited children event. This was after Bill had blamed a child/victim of sexual abuse for being raped and kidnapped on national television.

As a group, the C&L crowd and various others contacted the NCMEC about this matter. And the NCMEC pulled Bill's invite to be a speaker. As I posted myself on C&L:

This IS good news, and not only because it takes Bill O down a peg, not only because it verifies that our efforts are working, but BECAUSE O'Reilly, expressing his Blame the Victim attitude hinders the very important efforts of the NCMEC. He is a sexual predator himself and the NCMEC is completely appropriate to distance themselves from him.

So, some Great news! And overheard today amongst a group of millionaire Libertarians/Republicans at work today: "360 pallets of cash? Just given to the goddam Iraqis? What the hell is this President doing? Just giving away money to these damn terrorists?!"

Welcome to the reality based community, Gents. Glad you could make it.

The Truth about "leftists"

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Republicans block Debate on Iraq

Damn... The Republicans keep shooting themselves in the foot. As Andrew Sullivan puts it,
"If the Republicans had spent half the effort they have devoted to domestic partisanship to winning the war in Iraq, we may not be in the morass we are today ..."

The most pressing issue in America today is the Iraq War - And the Republican party doesn't want to talk about it. "Wait! wait! We Do! We do want to talk about it!"

The White House was overjoyed at the Republicans tactic, as it shot down debate on the Iraq war, which they sure as hell don't want anybody discussing.... Cause they know they are Dead wrong on the surge.

So Hagel, who has been outspoken against Bush on the surge, votes against a DEBATE on Iraq. And Warner, who co-sponsored the bill, actually ending up voting AGAINST It.

Why? Because they are partisan cowards that are voting again- to support the White House INSTEAD of the troops.

But, ouch. They want a Do-over. Now Hagel, Warner, and 5 other Republicans have Changed their ittybitty minds after the uproar that came from their constituents and the American people after their vote to silence discussion of Iraq.

Is this what the Republican party has been reduced to? Attempting to bury their heads in the sand?

New Defense Secretary Gates says that debate on the war WON'T hurt morale. And as the new Bush crony in Iraq, you neocons can take HIS word, can't you?

I will take Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace's word for it:
"There’s no doubt in my mind that the dialogue here in Washington strengthens our democracy. Period."

Running and hiding from a subject is NOT how to solve it. Cowardly Republicans can't fight their own battles and now they have to be hogtied to have a debate.

And here's some of our ACTUAL TROOPS weighing in: (from Digby)http://www.digbysblog.blogspot.com/

SEABROOK: There were also troops on Capitol Hill today, former soldiers now lobbying against the surge. They made their way from office to office, finally paying a visit to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. John Sults(ph) runs this group of veterans.

Mr. JOHN SULTS (Former Soldier): We’re the troops, we’re here. We are the troops. We’re sitting next to leader Pelosi, because "they" don’t support the troops.

SEABROOK: They, in this case, is the Republicans, says Sults.

Mr. SULTS: If you all want to talk about not supporting the troops, go over to the Republican side ask them how to vote against body armor instead, not once, but twice in 2003. That’s not supporting troops. If you support escalation, you don’t support the troops. Twenty thousand more troops in Baghdad is a backdoor timeline. It is like spitting in the ocean. It will not make a difference. We need a new strategy in Iraq.

A common man's pride

The nation has A-D-D. Most Americans get their beliefs from television and movies. They shun books as if they might die if they actually were forced to sit quietly and read for a moment. America is no longer a nation of craftsmen and statesmen. Gone is the work ethic from our ranks, gone is our desire to shape base elements into great works that last for a long, long time. Gone is the pride in our workmanship, gone is the reverence of patience, gone is the respect for taking the time to do something well, even for taking the time to simply think.

We have become a country that worships disposal. We buy the cheapest crap, and throw it away two months later and buy an identical piece of crap to replace it. Once we built things to last and revered the working class who created these things. Now they are reviled by the richest as pawns, and derided by the poorest as slaves. The American people allow CEOs to plunder profits and gasp in greedy awe at their mansions, their yachts, their multiple “homes”.

And somehow we scorn our working class for daring to desire better pay and healthcare. Unions were what brought our country, up- from the truly industrial slave days of the early 1900s. And now, they are mocked and undercut by these celebrity CEOs who sell out their own workers by outsourcing to China, India, and Pakistan.

And still, the people worship them, in the name of the almighty dollar. America, contrary to popular belief, was NOT Built on free market Capitalism. It was built on the Constitution and the rule of law and enabling the common man to become a better man.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and what we are doing now to our nation is creating a chain with only one strong link at the top, with thousands of brittle links beneath it. Americans who mock the working class and work to prevent the betterment of the lower and middle classes are simply selfish cowards. But these cowards’ policies are ruining our country, except for the richest of the rich . Creating a middle class that is poorer, hungrier, and sicker will eventually doom our nation.

A lot of parallels have been drawn of Iraq and Vietnam. One parallel that I think has not been mentioned enough is the one between our current leadership and the leadership of the Soviet Union in the 70’s. It was not communism that brought the Soviet Union down, from it’s perch as a Superpower. It was corruption, a military industrial complex that drained its nation’s coffers, and a ruling elite that scorned and punished its citizens.

Democracy will not bring America down, and neither will capitalism. But unfettered corruption coupled with a mentality that values corporate profits over our nation’s well-being WILL inevitably destroy everything that Americans HAVE fought for, all these years, from wars to protests in the streets, to political leaders standing up for what IS right and not what profits them the most.

A woman's death

From Will Bunch at Philly's Attytood

A woman's death makes the news. And no, it's not THAT woman.

This breaking news story is about the sudden, unexpected, and tragic death of a young woman, not to mention the family that she leaves behind.

Yes, people die every day, and too many do so before their time. But this woman was special, and the things that she did made an impact on all of us.

Oh, there were many things that this woman, so deserving of our undivided attention tonight, did not do. No, she didn't take off her clothes for a men's magazine for a big payday, work as "an exotic dancer" or marry a billionaire customer who was 63 years older than her. Nor did she spend most of her adult life pursuing that billionaire's estate in courtrooms from Texas to Washington, D.C., or record her life for a reality TV show, or abuse drugs, or give birth to a child whose paternity is the focus of a legal battle.

Frankly, we feel silly for even writing those things, because such a woman would clearly not be newsworthy.

...

Her name is Jennifer M. Parcell. She was just 20 years old, and she graduated in 2004 from Fallston High School in near her hometown, Bel Air, Md.

A couple of years ago, Jennifer Parcell went to Parris Island and watched the Marine graduation services for her older brother, Joseph. She decided that she, too, wanted to join the Marines, and eventually both Jennifer Parcell and her brother were sent to Iraq, even serving at the same post for a time.

But then, they separated. Yesterday, Jennifer Parcell was supporting combat operations in Al Anbar province when she was killed in action. If we had more information about her death, we would provide it. But here at Attytood, we don't have the millions of dollars in resources or the extra manpower that they have at CNN, or MSNBC, or Fox News.

We wish we did, because then we could give the life and death of Jennifer Parcell the national attention that it truly deserves.

And all the Americans gasp at the death of another celebrity, while seven more soldiers die in relative silence. A hundred or so more Iraqis die in the chaos we have so haphazardly injected into Iraq as well.

Victims, aren't we all?

We don't have to be. Give all of your support to the strongest most outspoken Democratic candidates that are for ending this war immediately. Lend your money and your voices to the men and women who call for Impeachment the loudest. Get out and tell your friends and your families and your co-workers that you aren't putting up with this dirty, bloodstained party of Chickenhawk corporate raiders anymore.

Feb 8, 2007

Criminy!

Is all that cursing necessary?

Feb 6, 2007

If Jesus returned today

The Right Wing "Christians" have really gone to hell, with all their pro-war, pro-torture, pro-greed policies. Here's a link to the guys Jesus would REALLY be hanging out with if he returned today...

http://www.christianalliance.org/site/c.bnKIIQNtEoG/b.592941/k.CB7C/Home.htm

And, C&L reposted the link to Ava Lowery's "Blessed are the Peacemakers" video

http://www.peacetakescourage.com/wwjd.html

I'm not a christian anymore. I declared my atheism to my mother at age 8. Hypocrisy is something I have never been able to stand. And even at age 8 it was hard to ignore the twofaced baptists who would smile and welcome my single mother, then turn around and insult her right in front of my younger brother and I as soon as her back was turned. We didn't dress nice enough. We didn't tithe enough. We were poor because she couldn't keep a man. Among some of the less infuriating insults directed our way by the "keepers of the faith". I have met many christians of many different stripes. In Lubbock, there is a church on every corner. And 95% of them are christian sects and denominations. My grandfather told me that the louder someone shouts his faith, the bigger a sinner he is. I have never seen this tiny bit of wisdom refuted, not once in meeting thousands of christians. My mother is a christian. She accepted my declaration of 'atheism' or unbelief with pain in her heart and soul, but she never made me go to church with her again.

I sit quietly, respectfully when someone says grace or a prayer at some family function. This doesn't bother me in the least. I have faith of a sorts, but it certainly isn't the christian faith. What does bother me, I have to admit, when you have lost a dear friend who wasn't religious at all, and you have to sit through some snake oil pay-per-view preacher selling Jesus at the funeral. I despise that sort. My family has instructions that if they want someone to speak at my funeral, it damn well better be someone who knows me. And if God is mentioned, it will be in the context that maybe I am up there having a beer with him (or her) as we speak.

Selling salvation is big money. Gettting paid to save your soul so YOU Don't have to is what evangelists live on. Which is why the worst sort of people become these leeches. And which is why the state of Christians in America has become so denigrated and disgusting.

It's not as popular to follow Jesus' teachings, like the sermon on the mount, and actually live the way you are supposed to. It's much easier to pay lip service, and then go your own way, do your own thing. Christians today drape the American flag OVER the cross and put Jesus aside in order to glorify wars.

It would be a lot easier for me to respect Christians if they actually followed the teachings of Christ.

Matthew 5:1-12

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him.

And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek , for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Feb 5, 2007

Gov. Perry Issues Special Vaccination Order

Texas requires HPV vaccine - from Think Progress

Gov. Rick Perry (R) “signed an order Friday making Texas the first state to require that schoolgirls get vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.” He bypassed “opposition in the Legislature from conservatives and parents’ rights groups who fear such a requirement would condone premarital sex and interfere with the way parents raise their children.”
(link from ABC news)

At first glance, I was pleased, although a bit shocked that Rick Perry had gone against the religious groups on this the HPV vaccine. Perry is a conservative christian who opposes abortion and stem-cell research and generally relies on the right wing Texas Baptists for his voting base. But, as with all things, the full story unfolded into a more complex picture.

Why require it, like a polio vaccine, when HPV is not quite in the same ballfield? HPV can cause cervical cancer, surely bad, but is it a national epidemic that needs a special Governor's order to bypass Texas legislature to get it to the people of Texas?

It's a relatively new drug, and I don't know that it's been tested enough yet before we start prescribing it to ALL 11 and 12 year old girls.

But further down into the ABC article I ran into this:

Merck is bankrolling efforts to pass state laws across the country mandating Gardasil for girls as young as 11 or 12. It doubled its lobbying budget in Texas and has funneled money through Women in Government, an advocacy group made up of female state legislators around the country.

Perry has several ties to Merck and Women in Government. One of the drug company's three lobbyists in Texas is Mike Toomey, Perry's former chief of staff. His current chief of staff's mother-in-law, Texas Republican state Rep. Dianne White Delisi, is a state director for Women in Government.

Ah, so. Well, there's Perry's reasoning. For one brief second I saw our multiple term Governor doing something contrary to his base. But, of course, it ends up being just for the money. If there is one thing that trumps all of these "religious" politicians' beliefs- it's a little cold hard cash.

Well know we know the WHY, but let's move on to the WHAT. Gardasil is the vaccine. It was approved by the federal government in June and a governmental advisory panel has recommended all girls get the shots at 11 and 12 before they are sexually active. It's a three-shot vaccination, said to cost around $360. Ouch. Expensive if you don't have insurance. Gardisil was the first vaccine specifically designed to fight cancer, by fighting HPV (human papilloma virus) which has been linked to cervical cancer. It is hoped (not proven) that it will prevent hundreds of thousands of women from dying from cervical cancer. In the U.S. approximately 4,500 women die each year from the cancer.

The drug has been tested on 27,000 women and has been found to be effective against two strains of the HPV, which accounts for roughly 10% of HPV infections. Merck says the vaccine
protects women for at least five years and is most effective when given to them around ages 9 to 11.

??? Okay, something about that last factoid doesn't quite make sense to me... only effective for five years? So if given at age 9, they are protected until age 14? Being that the drug is so new, there has not been enough time to test true time of effectiveness.

More Info about HPV and Gardisil
Best Syndication Article

And From Cancer.org I found this:

There are many types of HPV viruses, and they are transmitted by sexual contact. Almost everyone who is sexually active gets these viruses—both men and women—but it is only a very few who develop any problem as a result of the virus.

So, if that is true, why is the vaccine only being given to girls? Can the vaccine prevent HPV in boys and thus- prevent its spread to women as well? Nothing I could find indicated that it couldn't be used in boys, just that it wasn't being marketed towards them. Which, if this is just a Big Pharma ploy to make money, doesn't make sense. Because vaccinating everyone makes more money than half of everyone.

The American College of Pediatricians oppose HPV vaccination on the grounds that HPV is not communicable in a classroom the way, say, chicken pox is. Dakota Voice

(UPDATE/DISCLAIMER: Doc Amazing, at Sadly No! informs me that the American College of Pediatricians has a lot of right wing web links on their website and "a lot of right wing kookery" Okay. Duly noted. Anyone who knows me or reads this blog for more than a week knows how little I care for the christian war on science. But upon re-reading the article linked above from the Dakota voice, the information still seems solid. Dangerous though HPV is, it as communicable as hepatitus or something of that nature, which is the only point I am taking from that particular article from that organization.)

And then, on top of all these other considerations, we also have the parental rights issue to consider as far as requiring you to vaccinate your child with medicines that have dubious benefits.

“Texas allows parents to opt out of inoculations by filing an affidavit objecting to the vaccine on religious or philosophical reasons.” (from the ABC article)

If you object to it, or believe that the vaccine hasn’t had time to be properly tested for harmful side effects you will not Have to get your child vaccinated.

HOWEVER- as a Texas parent of two girls myself, there are serious ramifications to refusing vaccines for your child. My children have been fully vaccinated, but I personally know a couple who (hardcore baptists) refused vaccines for their child since birth. And more than one doctor and clinics have “taken them to task” on several occassions when their child has gotten sick, for whatever reasons. Refusing an vaccine can possibly lead to CPS getting involved and charging you with parental neglect.

For this issue, with its various angles, I haven't made up my mind yet. There's a lot to consider, and with my oldest daughter being seven and a half, I guess it's something that I need to pour more effort into in the next couple of years before deciding if this vaccination is a must. What are your thoughts?

UPDATE: Supergirlest at My Thinking Spot has an update on Gardasil side effects..
http://always-a-musing.blogspot.com/2007/03/more-band-aids-for-cuts-that-need_07.html