Don't read the personals!

Don't read the personals!

I was eating the best lunch in St. Louis and I accidentally opened the personals section of the Riverfront Times. And like a child, a curious child seeking forbidden delights, I started reading. Let me be kind and say that the people writing those ads think they will find that special someone. They are wrong. Most people are not kind, caring, and giving. The ones that are have already been scooped up or are trapped in relationships they can't or won't leave. Barring recent widows/widowers and virtuous divorcees, the remainder must have questionable intentions. So I will write a personal ad that is realistic and hopefully funny.

Self conscious, neurotic, compartmentalizing, straight SWM loner seeks self absorbed, facile and demanding SWF for gratuitous, meaningless sex and someone to eat with. Must be extremely high maintenance and materialistic. Do you enjoy frantic mall crawls, watery margaritas, tanning, curling irons, white lipstick, cellphones and carryout? Are you the focus of most of your conversations and feel left out when they aren't? Well you may have found your man.

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You down with GOP, well you know me!

You down with GOP, well you know me!

What a wonderful representation of Republican hypocrisy. I have always wanted to be a Republican. Balanced budgets, a safe homeland, a strong economy and oh wait a minute the Republicans have never done any of those things!! Both parties are owned by special interest. It matters little if there is an R or a D next to a Senator's name, but the Republicans keep pressing the "family values" routine and it wears thin when you have so few screwing so many for so much...both figuratively and literally. I don't care for Ron Paul very much, but this video shows how he is by far the best Republican out there. He hits so many obvious contradictions in the party leadership, but is basically laughed at for being so on target. Notice how the rest of them look down or away because they know he is right on.

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Lies!!

Lies!!

Let me preface this post with a few facts. I supported Obama in his run for the Presidency with time, money and effort. The most inspirational politician in my lifetime won the election and promised a new beginning, a new hope. We get lies. We have come to expect lies from politicians. Dogs bark, cats meow, birds sing and politicians lie. The two big glaring lies of the past few days, Obama prepares an Executive Order authorizing indefinite detainment of "terror" prisoners, and a Signing Statement concerning the new "war spending" bill.

Here is the first lie. From a Glenn Greenwald piece on Salon,"my Administration will work with Congress to develop an appropriate legal regime." He is not. He is making it "legal" for him to incarcerate human beings without due process. He is avoiding the trial of those "terrorists" and their possible confinement in an U.S. facility. Since most of those men have been tortured, their cases would be thrown out of any lawful court. Good job Cheney!! But even if they were convicted we could certainly hold them in "super max" prisons. We hold hundreds of thousands of hardened career psychopaths who are infinitely more dangerous than these guys.

The second lie. From an article on Politico, “This president will use signing statements in order to go back to what has previously been done — that is to enumerate constitutional problems that either the Justice Department or legislative counsel here see as potential problems with their reading — but not ask that laws be disallowed simply by executive fiat,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said. He is disallowing part of the legislation. From the Huffpo piece, "However, provisions of this bill within sections 1110 to 1112 of title XI, and sections 1403 and 1404 of title XIV, would interfere with my constitutional authority to conduct foreign relations by directing the Executive to take certain positions in negotiations or discussions with international organizations and foreign governments, or by requiring consultation with the Congress prior to such negotiations or discussions. I will not treat these provisions as limiting my ability to engage in foreign diplomacy or negotiations." Then don't sign the Bill. It's that simple.

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Sadness!

Sadness!

The life and death of Michael Jackson. It is so sad. Take a child and turn him into a superstar. I have a feeling this story is the final chapter in the life of an aging, tormented, disfigured, broke, junkie, pedophile who committed suicide by Doctor via Demerol. I once heard a comedian say Michael's surgeries were an attempt to turn him into his ultimate role model, Diana Ross. I also read that his psychopathology may have been molded by his father physically/emotionally abusing him and his older brothers "sinning" in his presence when he was quite young. Being a Jehovah's Witnesses cult member could not have helped. The JWs have a very special kind of hierarchical and all encompassing credo that is very inconsistent with the life of a pop star. Violent parenting, indifferent siblings, abusive church life and then to be given over to an entire planet. Criminal.

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Sleep easy my dear!

Sleep easy my dear!

Farrah Fawcett died at age 62. She was in Extremities and The Apostle and did a great job in both. I never thought of her as the uber sex symbol like most guys my age. I liked her ability to appear real and go well beyond the typecasting that could have strangled her career. I would never post about a celebrity unless I thought they were really making a contribution. She did, and I am not that big a fan. She was married to Lee Majors which creeps me out. He creeps me out. I don't know why.

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Obama is real!

Obama is real!

Huffpo posted a video of Harry Smith from CBS interviewing President Obama. Watch how Obama reacts after Smith uses the word "treacherous"! His persona changes for a couple of seconds. The President straightens up and looks Smith in the eye and laughs. It was the "You don't want to do that" laugh and it was SO good. Then the most powerful man on the planet quickly reverts to his usual calm, refined, dignified visage. It was a glimpse, an affirmation of the reality of that man. Both headlights came on full bright!

And as bright as that light shines, I am still torn about this President. You have to just love the guy because of what he has done and what he has said. Remember when the mainstream media were wearing us all out over his "patriotism" and all those blog postings and all those pundits and all those ranting racists screamed to high heaven at how Obama was a combination Marxist Antichrist Muslim Taliban Superfly born in Kenya and raised on some exotic soviet controlled Indonesian collective named Hawaii? All he had to say was this, "Everything that I am is because of this country." Nine words. he didn't raise his voice, he didn't cheese, he just looked at the camera and made history.

Then I think about how he is a mainstream center right Democrat. We knew from day one he isn't a progressive. His FISA vote last summer made many of us crazy. I was a "Get FISA Right" member from the beginning. He never promised to be a progressive but he did promise hope and change, and now is the time. The GOP is rotting away! Of course there are plenty of Republicans and neocons out there, but their main political engine is withering. But Big Business is still in control and that is the problem. He has to go both barrels with the media and cut threw the corporate propaganda and do what HAS to be done. Today!

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Turn off the Money Cannon!

Turn off the Money Cannon!

All these issues, Health Care, the economy, our troops, budget deficits, could be addressed with campaign finance and election reform. As long as the law makers are owned by the big money interests, we are in trouble. Here is my plan...

1. All campaigns are publicly financed. You can contribute up to $100 when you file your income tax, State and Local.

2. No political ads on TV or Radio until the last week before the election and both candidates get free spots of equal length.

3. We all vote on Sunday. If you vote you get a check for $50. If you don't vote, you pay a fine of $20.

4. As far as the Internet, candidates can do what they want except ask for money. No ads just a site.

5. No PACS or soft money. Nothing! SEND MORE RULES!!!

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German Retribution!

German Retribution!

A story about some German pensioners kidnapped and tortured a financial adviser that allegedly lost their money is on Huffpo. I hope the mainstream media doesn't pick up on this story because it is dangerous. I am not about surpressing information but people are losing their houses. That makes people unhappy, combined with the stream of hate speech already flooding AM radio and cable news, which could spell trouble for a few unlucky bankers.

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Rereading 1984, again!

Rereading 1984, again!

I found an excellent passage on page 129 of "1984" by George Orwell. This is about people accepting political ideas. "They could be made to accept the most flagrant violations of reality, because they never fully grasped the enormity of what was demanded of them, and were not sufficiently interested in public events to notice what was happening. " When our current leaders say, "there is no support for a a public health care option", they have no need to fear that such a mendacious statement could come back to haunt them. Even with polls like this, politicians can still make those kinds of pronouncements in a jovial and carefree manner. This is why it is so important for our leaders to promote the "dumbing down" of America. Are Americans wising up? Not much. Too many people are wrapped up in "John and Kate" whoever those people are. Paul Krugman says centrist Democrat Senators could sink health care reform. "Thus Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska initially declared that the public option — which, remember, has overwhelming popular support — was a “deal-breaker.” Why? Because he didn’t think private insurers could compete: “At the end of the day, the public plan wins the day.” Um, isn’t the purpose of health care reform to protect American citizens, not insurance companies?" Centrist is code for corporate sponsored.

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How soon they forget!

How soon they forget!

Priorities change when they hit the major leagues. How soon they forget who their friends are. Obama and his crew are now saying single payer coverage simply isn't an option. Oh ya? Over 60% of the American people support single payer coverage. As long as insurance companies are in charge, Americans will not be safe. Over 20,000 people die every year because of no coverage, denied coverage, or under coverage. That's seven times the number killed on 9/11 every year!!

It's off the table because "Big Insurance" and "Big Healthcare" don't want it on the table. Priorities change, but progressives keep fighting!

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A must read for everyone!

A must read for everyone!

Christopher Hitchens is a bastard. I love his writing, I love his speeches and seminars, I love his erudite wit, but he is a bastard. I hate his sexism, I hate his contrarian pro war views, I hate his feud with George Galloway, yet he is a "godsend"!

God is not Great is his most recent work and he does with this book what I thought could not be done. He has given us a mainstream best seller that excoriates the evil that is organized religion. This book has been out for awhile, but I just got it. Read this book. Then read it again. If you believe in freedom and peace and justice then you must know that organized religion is our second biggest enemy. Our worst enemy being ourselves.

This book is good for people that are still lying to themselves. So many Americans lie to themselves daily. "There really is a man up in the sky that watches me.""Our economy of waste and consumption is sustainable." "No one really discriminates anymore, that's the past." "These pants make me look fat."

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Times are a changin'!

Times are a changin'!

The Iranian government is complicated and only thirty years old, but it might be in for a shake up. The Supreme Leader is named Ayatullah Ali Khamenei. He is in trouble because his knee jerk reaction to the election was to endorse it before the votes were counted, if in fact they were counted. This made him vulnerable to the populist uprising we have been seeing for the past week. According to the constitution of Iran, he can be replaced by the same council that elected him. He is not just a preacher, he is a politician as well. I don't think anyone can predict the outcome, but my instincts from the beginning have been this is a sea change in Iranian politics.

Look at the clothing the Iranian protesters are wearing. They look like us. Twitter has been the source of most of the news that is getting past the government suppression. This is an age old conflict in a modern setting. It's between a 17th Century Theocratic Oligarchy and a 21st Century electorate. Peace and Justice is the rallying cry for all working people all over the world. No justice, no peace. If only our people could turn off the TV long enough to realize they are getting raped by our politicians. Our "media" and politicians want Ahmadinejad to win, in fact almost ALL mainstream media sources say he has won. The neocons and their media need the hardliner Iranians like an oncologist needs cancer!

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The Volcano Erupts

The Volcano Erupts

This video is a montage of clips and stills of the awe inspiring Iranian protesters. Oh to be there with them, laying everything on the line for what they believe in!

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Closer than you might think!

Closer than you might think!

This is a chart describing Iran's system of government. It isn't that different from ours, just substitute the "Guardian Council" and "Supreme Leader" with the "military industrial mediatainment complex" and you have our system.

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Teh Onion!

Teh Onion!

Obama Drastically Scales Back Goals For America After Visiting Denny's

This is what I live for, the ultimate in dry, scathing satire of our culture.

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LOL!!!!!!!

LOL!!!!!!!

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28 Years Later!

28 Years Later!

Twenty eight years ago today I got on a bus to Ft. Leonard Wood Missouri and started U.S. Army Basic Combat Training. Oh those were the days.

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I should have posted yesterday!

I should have posted yesterday!

I was riveted to the live blogging on Huffpo all day yesterday. The summer heat, boxes of Chinese food and a no work made me sluggish and prone to breaking wind. I should have posted that I was betting the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would re think his endorsement of Ahmadinejad's win. And sure enough he did! Looks like 20/20 hindsight, but I knew that Khamenei is too smart to oppose such a massive uprising. I want Iran to be our friend, I want the friction to end, I want Obama to welcome them into our community.

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Inspiring Photos of Iranian Protest!

Inspiring Photos of Iranian Protest!

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TAIBBI!

TAIBBI!

Matt Taibbi, contributing editor for Rolling Stone, is an award winning columnist, author and my personal hero. He writes like a linebacker-deadly but acrobatic, offensive but appealing, violent yet artistic. He is Thomas Friedman's most voracious critic which is a full time job in itself. He can be a bit sexist and he can sure cuss up a storm, but he makes me feel all warm and scaly inside. Taibbi blasts his way through this article about a pandering WSJ contributor and one of the Bush Administration's myriad con artists. He is a literary assault rifle with a full clip or as Friedman would say, "as I was polishing my 38th Pulitzer prize in my wife's $38,000,000 mansion I montaged an image from one wispy concrete like thought as to how Matt's script is not truly unlike a storm cloud baking long and looping cuneiform text into the windswept and arid rain forest that is our monochromatic cube of a planet as seen on the Discovery Channel!"

It took me all of .000011574 "Friedman Units" to write that Friedman like line.

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That's My Congressman!!

That's My Congressman!!

Russ Carnahan and the Aptera!

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Update on Iranian Election Post

Update on Iranian Election Post

In our post on the Iranian elections, we stated that candidate Mr. Mousavi would be more dangerous to American warmongers, like neocon douchebag Michael Rubin than the current Iranian president Ahmadinejad. I am proud to say that we were right on the money. These guys are so predictable.

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20 Most Dangerous Foods in America!!

20 Most Dangerous Foods in America!!

We at umslblog.com hate the mainstream media. They manufacture opinion and consent in real time. We particularly despise NBC's "The Today Show" and it's zero attention span sound bite shallowness and it's corporate induced pseudo conventional wisdom shit shoveling format. This is where the media arch criminal Catie Couric got her start. It is reported that she paid her personal trainer $7500 a week. That's class. Occasionally they get something right. The 20 Worst Meals segment, which aired as a long and disjointed commercial, is posted on their website. Ring the dinner bell ma!!

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Is Fox News Promoting a Civil War?

Is Fox News Promoting a Civil War?

Glenn Beck promotes violence. Bill O'Reilly promotes violence. The entire Fox news staff lampooned the DHS Report on Hate Groups and Violence. The only conclusion one could make is that Fox News is promoting violence. And they want big, nationwide, violence. Picture pickup truck after pickup truck full of downsized, marginalized, rebel flag waving rednecks surrounding the Congress, blaming progressives and "libruls" for the crimes committed by conservatives and corporatists.

If a Nascar addicted, beer drinking, racist, sexist, homophobic, wife beating, burger chomping, child abusing, meth cooking, finger lickin' good redneck wants to see his real enemies, he needs to look at the sponsor stickers on his favorite race car. If they want a civil war they need to stop and think what the results would be. Blood=profit for big corporations.

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Will this get any traction?

Will this get any traction?

Peter Schiff on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart! I always felt the bailout was bullshit, now I hear someone besides an evil Republican politician saying it. This guy Peter Schiff has been right all the way down the line. He worked for Ron Paul, which is good and bad, because that means he is a Libertarian. Libertarians have some good ideas, but have one fatal tragic uber flaw. They think the "market" solves all ills.

I will bet $1M dollars to $.01 that the big blogs don't touch this. I emailed the link to the video to Huffpo and Crooks and Liars. We shall see. It is too anti-Obama and too gloomy for even the best blogs to run. I like Obama too, he got my money, my time and my vote last election. But he isn't perfect.

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Best Video Ever!!!

Best Video Ever!!!

A link to the best video I have seen in a long long long time!

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Iranian Populism!!

Iranian Populism!!

Mir Hossein Mousavi is running for President of Iran. He sounds like a guy our Military Industrial Complex would like to kill. Not because he is a threat to the US and it's "interests" in the region, but because he is as close to a populist progressive as you can get in Iran. He could bring us closer to Iran, something our warmongers are deathly scared of. There isn't enough money and terror in opening up Iran to the West. It is more profitable, a better business model, to keep us at each others throats.

It's a great photograph, long slender beautiful hopeful fingers forming a symbol that cuts through all the rhetoric and hate and lies and duplicity. Love. From one working class American to all working class Iranians - WE LOVE YOU!!!!

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Sarah!!!

Sarah!!!

The 27% of the American public that still think Cheney and Bush were great leaders, think Sarah Palin is even better! I read this from Rolling Stone last week in order to answer an online friends assertion, "Sarah is my hero!" When David Brooks the columnist and author called her and the former President's willful ignorance "a cancer within the Republican Party", you know something is wrong with her.

Beyond Rolling Stone's nice little piece and Brooks' slap in the face, there are more serious flaws to this politician and her cult. She is a full on member of the Christian Right. They believe the Earth is 6000 years old, that the Bible is the exact word of God, that we are in the "End Times" which is a period of time that precedes "Armageddon" the battle that will destroy the world and end Satan's rule. They are a clear and present danger to the whole world. They and their philosophical ancestors have opposed every attempt at scientific and social progress. They have killed and enslaved more different kinds of people, in the name of God, than any other group in history.

The earth simply isn't 6000 years. Evolution through natural selection is a verifiable fact. The Bible is so contradictory, immoral, inconsistent, misogynistic, racist, violent, and toxic that even if there were a "supreme creator" she certainly wouldn't sanction this work. And to be a proponent of such a destructive ethos is to me an indictment, a "scarlet letter", a huge neon sign saying, "I defy logic, law and decency and you are supposed to respect me for it!" Guess what? All I can do is suggest therapy, lots of therapy!

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Orin Hatch, Corporate Hatchet Man!!!

Orin Hatch, Corporate Hatchet Man!!!

Orin Hatch, Senator R-UT, has some powerful friends. That link will show you just how much a Senator goes for now days. When Big Insurance, Big Pharma and Big Telecoms buy a pack of Senators, they are betting they will stay bought. Hatch and his plutocratic oligarch sidekicks sent a letter to the President. Just say no to a public health care plan is their message!

My writing mentor tells me to stay cool, be clear and concise but not vindictive or vitriolic. Sorry. These people will spare no expense bombing third world countries and deposing democracies and propping up terror states, but when it comes to working Americans getting a fair shake, well that is just impossible. Impossible.

Guys like this love two words, Strength and Leadership. It takes strength to be kind and giving and it takes a leader to make solutions work for everyone. We see none of these virtues in this crew. This is a transaction pure and simple. Rich white guys working for rich white guys, and EVERYONE ELSE needs to fend for themselves. Let racism and economic disparity keep working people fighting each other. Hell, it has worked for CENTURIES!!!

Senators have great health care coverage!! They gave it to themselves!! OK...breath...just breath...that's it!

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Brand New Start!

Brand New Start!

I have been working out consistently for almost two months now. No smoking and as close to a vegetarian diet as I can get. Still eating wild caught fish and shrimp, but there is guilt. No more online games either. No TV, I have been off the "most dangerous drug on the planet" for a few years now.

I am always tired and never bored. I avoid negativity at all costs. Reading and writing are now the substance of my life and soon volunteering for the library and for some politicians will round out the schedule. This fall I will be a STUDENT AGAIN!!!!!

If you haven't made that jump, that seemingly impossible course correction you know you need, don't give up hope. For me it was gradual. It started with not hating myself. That didn't come overnight but a big step came at age 30. It was as if I dropped a huge suitcase full of neutronium bricks. Getting out of the restaurant business was BIG. I found out I could do almost anything and didn't HAVE to be in a kitchen or in a dining room. The next step was removing alcohol from my diet. No more hangovers, no more suicidal thoughts, no more depression, no more guilt, no more self destruction. Finally I set myself to get physically fit and finishing my degree. That is my anchor right now. Completion!!!

It's never to late to make a brand new start!

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Oooops!

Oooops!

As reported by on the PBS show Now with Bill Moyers , President Obama is dropping the ball on health care reform. I totally supported Obama for President and continue to root for him!! As previously posted I was overjoyed by his statements on Palestine and his speech in Cairo. Oh the joy at hearing an American President stand up for the interests of all concerned in the Mid East and NOT just the Israelis!!

The President has made it clear he wants us to hold him accountable. Well sir, what about this incredible video where you state you are a single payer proponent? You have the House, the Senate AND you are the President!!! What are you waiting for? What has changed? If health care stays a for profit business, then people will be denied coverage and costs will keep rising. We are not getting a good value for our dollars spent. It is that simple. People who aren't covered are at grave risk. Do the cops ask you if your insured before they keep a criminal from killing you or you kids. Do firemen ask if your insured before they risk their own lives to save yours? NO!

Mr. President do the right thing! All the spin and lobbying and deceitful politics in the world can't stop you because you have us! WE came through for you, now come through for us!!!

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Robin Wright-Jones

Robin Wright-Jones

Robin Wright-Jones is my State Senator!! I emailed her to give her my support and offer my services, to which she promptly replied! Her voting record is sound and her record exemplary! I have to admit for years my political focus has been national, but after watching the rise of the grassroots movement and the power of the "googles" and "internets", it seems imperative to get involved with key leaders like Ms. Wright -Jones! Change starts from the bottom not the top, and I want to be able to say I did something other than bang on these keys! Here is a little bit of her background.

* A progressive Democrat representing the 63rd Legislative District of the Missouri House of Representatives since 2002.

* The former chairperson of the House Democratic Caucus for 4 years.

* Chairperson of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus.

* A native St. Louisian educated in the St. Louis Public Schools (Ashland Elementary and Beaumont High School) and the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

* An ardent community volunteer for the past 39 years having served on the boards of the National Neurofibromatosis Foundation of Missouri, Gateway Paralyzed Veterans, William Harrison Center/Forest Park Community College, Landmarks Association, SafeFutures, United Way Early Childhood Panel and a facilitator for President Clinton’s One America Race Dialogue Initiative.

* A proven leader with the skills to build consensus and move an agenda forward who has served as chairperson for the Salvation Army Safe Haven Shelter Advisory Council, State of Missouri’s Prince Hall Family Support Center, Yeatman C.E.C. Council and Vice-Chair of the City Community Education Councils of the St. Louis Public Schools.

* A former classroom teacher, public housing administrator and corporate executive who believes that competition in the marketplace creates a vibrant financial environment for individual and corporate opportunities.

* An independent real estate broker interested in growth incentives for small business owners.

* A recipient of numerous awards from the St. Louis Business Journal, the RCGA, Missouri Community College Association, Cardinal Glennon Hospital and Harmony Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.

* A daughter, mother, grandmother deeply concerned about quality of life issues across all generations.

I can't wait to get started!!

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The Money Power Party!

The Money Power Party!

I like to listen to Noam Chomsky. He is considered the most quoted and active intellectual extent. He is a ground breaker in his field, Linguistics, and he has been a social and political activist since his childhood. He often mentions the "Money Power Party" and how our democracy is "non functioning". That sound pretty crazy to most people who consider our democracy strong and our two party system viable. His goal is not to insult or ridicule our country or it's institutions, rather to strengthen and preserve them. But to do that we have to be honest and see the process and the players for what they truly are not what we want them to be. Let me explain.

I will start with a few statements that everyone agrees with. We elect Congressmen and Senators to develop and pass legislation to govern our country. This legislation is then signed by the President and becomes law, or is vetoed and starts a whole new process by which it is shelved or is passed by means of an override vote in both houses. Almost everyone would also agree that Congressmen and Senators are influenced everyday by lobbyists who represent large corporations and special interest groups. Lobbyists sometimes actually write drafts of legislation and help maneuver it through committees and sponsors. Corporations are not democracies. They are entities governed by CEOs, Boards of Directors and to an extent shareholders. Nothing groundbreaking in any of those statements, just simple fact.

From those statement one can then say...If non democratic corporations and special interest groups dominate the mechanism of legislation and those who pass it, and if they influence both parties equally and do not answer to voters, then there is only one political party, which we can call the Money Power Party, and that party runs a non functioning democracy in which voters are only pawns who decide which party approved candidates are elected.

Now for the solution. Campaign Finance and Election Reform!!!!!! How can we fix the legalized bribery that is Washington D.C. and our State Capitols? Good question, figuring that out is my personal journey.

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A simple phrase!

A simple phrase!

Consumerism is eating this planet. I wanted to make a quick catch phrase to sum up my feelings on consumerism. It isn't easy to fend off the daily assault of advertisements that are scientifically designed to make you buy, and products that are intended to "define who you are", and celebrities (a product in themselves) whose overpowering charisma and style are narcotic. Here it is.

Quit buying crap you don't need with money you don't have from people that don't care about the future.

Crap: TVs, cellphones, SuVs, shoes with lights in them, F-22 Raptors, Limousine's, Crocs, meat and fish raised on factory farms, most houses made after 1970, newspapers, pro sports tickets.

Money you don't have: Credit cards. Can you imagine if everyone cut up their credit cards and didn't use them for a year?

People who don't care: Fast food restaurants, Walmart, Oil Companies, DuPont, GE, anyone who advertises on FOX News.

Things you should buy: A bus pass, organic foods, used books, clothing made in America, a musical instrument, walking shoes, sun block, a water filter, a "Children of Men" dvd.

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Learning About Carnahan

Learning About Carnahan

I am going to start volunteering for Russ Carnahan my U.S. Congressman from Missouri's 3rd District. So I had to start studying his career, his positions and his goals. I have to admit, at first I was wary and a bit conflicted.

Surprisingly he is a member of The New Democrat Coalition. Many think that is code for Democrats that are really Republicans. Evan Bayh and Joe Liebermann are founding members. Need I say more.

Thank goodness Carnahan's voting record does not really reflect the values of the aforementioned organization. As I scrolled down the list and kept saying to myself, "yes , correct, that's right, good vote", it became clear whose side he is on. Ours. He doesn't miss many votes either. That's a good performance stat in my book.

He is also on very important committees considering the issues we are facing: Transportation and Infrastructure, Foreign Affairs, and Science and Technology. He has shown impressive leadership on environmental issues. His "Outline for 21st Century Transportation" is very articulate and makes points you don't usually hear from mainstream politicians.

So it looks like Carnahan is definitely someone I could stand behind! I hope to be an effective part of his team. Go Russ!!!

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My baby done wrote me a letter!

My baby done wrote me a letter!

AIPAC, the Israeli lobby in Washington, is pressuring Congress to "encourage" the President to ratchet down his rhetoric on the settlements and a two state solution. A letter signed by over 300 congressmen "calls on the administration to work “closely and privately” with Israel — in contrast to the current public pressure". That quote was from Politico.

This made me wonder if my congressman Russ Carnahan, signed that letter. He did, but he also signed another letter along with 80+ other congressmen that encourages the President to keep up the good work. The letters are contradictory to be sure, but Carnahan's district covers some pretty diverse territory. He has to be careful and I respect that. Carnahan has a great voting record and I think he is above reproach. And we could always do A LOT WORSE!!

Obama addressed this in his speech in Cairo..."America will align our policies with those who pursue peace, and say in public what we say in private to Israelis and Palestinians and Arabs."
That is a direct message to AIPAC and Congress!!!

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Liz is on the tube honey!!

Liz is on the tube honey!!

Liz Cheney is all over the talk shows. Some people are wondering why the daughter of a failed leader of our country is getting such access. "The military industrial mediatainment congressional big pharma insurance complex" may have chosen their next candidate for President. Palin is damaged goods and there is no de facto leader of the GOP that is remotely electable. You can't go after Obama with old, rich, and tarnished white guys like Romney or Gingrich, that would be suicide. A white female neocon with built in name recognition is their best chance. They will fail miserably but it will be fun to watch!

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Getting Better all the Time!

Getting Better all the Time!

From Obama's speech in Cairo, "So let there be no doubt: the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own."

I had little or no expectations for this politician. His vote last summer to give retroactive immunity to basically anyone involved in illegal surveillance was a cynical and purely political vote. Of course I was thrilled, and a bit tearful when he was elected. An intelligent, articulate,and highly educated African American is now our President. It was as if the whole world let out a sigh of relief.

In the past few weeks he has done what I considered impossible. He has told the Israelis that they need to start playing by the rules. It is enough to make you think he is serious about making a difference. George Galloway can articulate the stance of the Israelis better than anyone.

I find it ironic that if you want to find a rogue state that commits heinous human rights violations, consistantly breaks international law, thumbs it's nose at the UN and has weapons of mass destruction, don't look at Iran look at Israel!!!! If he can clean up that mess he is truly a man of historic proportions. Mr. President, we love you!!!

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Obama, stop with the Burgers!!

Obama, stop with the Burgers!!

I wish our President would stop PUBLICLY eating burgers. Burgers are not unlike poison. The bun is made form processed flour, preservatives and sugar. The meat and cheese are full of fat, preservatives, antibiotics and hormones. These "foods" are more than just nutritionally unsound, they are manufactured in a CRUEL and UNSUSTAINABLE manner!!! The bacon is made out of pigs, I likes pigs. The beef is made from calves that are tortured in concentration camps called feedlots.

But Obama is a member of the Money Power Party which has two factions, the Republicans and the Democrats. Both faction are sworn to protect the interests of large corporations, and their highly funded lobbyists, above all else. The Beef Lobby is well entrenched and Obama must support their product. YOU DON'T HAVE TO!!

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Our Footprint

Our Footprint

This image is from Google Maps. It is a remarkable example of how we can see the effect of humans on the planet. Most of this farmland is used to grow corn and soybeans. Corn is used, among other things, to feed cattle and pigs for slaughter on massive feedlots and to make high fructose corn syrup. Soybeans are used for many applications, good and bad.

Every acre of that land is cultivated with tractors that burn oil. It is sprayed with herbicides and pesticides made from oil. The crops harvested from these fields are transported to market by trucks that are made from oil, that run on oil, on roads made from oil. The food "products" created from these crops are made in factories that run on coal and oil, are packaged with products made from oil, and are delivered to supermarkets by trucks made from oil, that run on oil, on roads made from oil. All so people can have Twinkies and Whoppers. Mmmmmmmm!!!!

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Guilty

Guilty

Dick Cheney has now admitted there was no connection between Iraq and Al Queda. Now we find he briefed senior members of Congress on the torture program he approved and administered. This is not a partisan issue. This is a human issue. Here is a video of an interview with a senior interrogator who emphatically states that Cheney's program cost American lives. Cheney is a man who can shoot a senior citizen in the face and get the victim to apologize. He has somehow avoided prosecution for what can only be described as war crimes. Cheney never served in the military and that is not an accident! Maybe he should serve some time now, in a prison.

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