Rant

I need to rant a little bit.
I don't believe in censorship,
but what ever became of common sense?

Thursday the news that Prince Harry was serving in Afghanistan on the front lines, was posted on the Drudge Report.
Today because of Matt Drudge, Prince Harry was reassigned back home.
Matt Drudge and all of his ilk are irresponsible and I wish there was a way to
stop people like him, from making money on peoples privacy.

Then we have Heather Mill's, waiting to see how many millions she can get from Paul McCartney. He made a very substantial offer to her and she turned it down.
I hope that the judge comes up with a lesser amount.

I am not even going to get into The Shrub's press conference, yesterday and the look of surprise when he was asked about a possible gas hike to 4.00 a gallon.
Maybe some one should have mentioned the outrageous profits Exon and other oil companies are making.

Counting down the days till he is gone...

Oscar!

I love movies and I love the Oscars.
I saw 4 of the movies nominated this year.
Only missing, There will be Blood.
It's way to long to sit in a theater.

Of those that I saw, Juno is still my favorite
and though I think Javier Bardem should definitely
win for supporting actor.
I did not like the movie,
but his performance was so convincing, that I kept looking over my shoulder
all the way home

Did I like Atonement? Ehhh!
I liked parts of it, but it isn't a movie I would want to see again,
though I might read the book sometime.

I would like to see Michael Clayton again, and not just because of hunky George Clooney either.
It was an excellent suspense story and reminded me of a John Grisham novel.
I was on the edge of my seat during most of it.

Tonight I will be rooting in my heart for Ellen Page as best actress and Diablo Cody's original screenplay
for Juno.
Win or lose, both of them have really long careers ahead of them.
That movie made me feel good for weeks, and I still chuckle when I think about it.

Right now it is a box office success and the top money maker, but then that isn't how they vote is it?

Hey it's Hollywood!

No he didn't !!

Todays little bomb in the NYT about John McCain makes me wonder if the "Holier then Thou" crowd is behind the attack.

It makes you wonder when it has been Rush Limbaugh and friends screaming the loudest against him, even to the point he hasn't railed much against the Clinton's lately.

When is the media going to get out of peoples private lives?
Like Bill Clinton, this morning McCain jumped way to fast in his denials.
What Bill should have done and what John McCain should have done is looked into the camera and said "This is nobody's business but mine and my families."

Then never comment about it again.

He didn't learn from Bill's mistake, I hope he won't get caught in any little white lie, or the "straight talk express" will run off the tracks.

Check your Brain out.!

I saw this on Jessica's blog and couldn't resist giving it a shot.
Not sure if I agree with the results or not.

Your Dominant Intelligence is Interpersonal Intelligence

You shine in your ability to relate to and understand others. Good at seeing others' points of view, you get how people think and feel. You have an uncanny ability to sense true feelings, intentions, and motivations. A natural born leader, you are great at teaching and mediating conflict. You would make a good counselor, salesperson, politician, or business person.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

A new World maybe?

This past week I have heard so many people giving reasons for why they can't support either Obama or Clinton.
Many woman are angry at Obama because they see the chance for a woman President slipping away.
Then there are the progressives that still blame Hillary for her vote that they say led us to war.
Last night I watched Washington Week on PBS. As they were discussing the upcoming primaries, one of the commentators said that many woman in Massachusetts are angry
that even though the state went overwhelmingly for Hillary, many of the super delegates are supporting Barak.
John Kerry is one of them and he has a primary opponent, there is thought that he may pay for his support of Obama.
Personally I think this is the Media trying again to stir the pot.

Here in Minnesota we are seeing the same argument used against those supporting
Hillary

I was a Edwards supporter, and right now though my heart may be with Hillary
I would support Barak Obama in a heart beat.

My hope is that if we elect a Democratic President, we will finally see some competent people in the cabinet.

Think what kind of world we would have with someone like John Edwards as Attorney General, maybe then we could get our Constitution back.

Auntie Lo

Last night I talked to my Auntie Lo, she is my dads sister, and will be 96 in June.
She is in a nursing home in Iowa and was in the hospital for a few days.
She has such a fantastic attitude, right now she is hoping to live long enough so she can vote for Hillary.
I didn't want to pop her balloon and tell her that she may not have that chance, even though she may still be here then.

I think she was in her 80's when she went to her first Iowa caucus, she loved it and wished she had gone sooner in her life.
She would call me periodically just to talk politics, because she couldn't find anyone who was interested in it.

I remember many summers spent on the farm.
I enjoyed the trips there until I was about 14 or so, then I wanted to be home with my
friends.

I did love all the family reunions we had on the farm, making homemade ice cream, fried chicken
that made your mouth water.
These were chickens she raised, not shot full of antibiotics or kept in pens.
She could dress a chicken in 5 minutes and she had many customers who would come and pick them up
Today they are called organic, and very expensive.

Many years later she worked as a cook at a resort in the summer and spent her winters in Arizona.

Lo was the glue on my dads side of the family, we no longer have any gatherings.
She has one younger sister left, but she is always feuding with someone and right now
I don't even think she talks to half of her own kids.
I only see her at funerals, and that is enough for me.

LO a pioneer woman who's only dream right now is to see a woman President.

My Marine GSon

Techy Flash here. GiGi is out having lunch with family as my oldest boy is in town. He is a recently promoted Sergeant in the US Marine Corps. I introduce him here, and talk about my visit with him Thursday as well. But today is GiGi's turn. Here she is with Tom in the middle, and his other two brothers (my other son Josh was not with us):
Sgt. Tom will deploy to Al Asad Airbase in Iraq this August for a 6 month stint. His MOS keeps him behind the wire in the green zone, so there is some comfort in that. I am sure GiGi will have much more to share later.

Flash

2:02
Thanks Flash, I think.
We just got home from lunch, we were joined by daughter Linda and friend Tom and 2 of our other G sons, plus Princess Amalia.
It was great visiting with Tom and hearing what he has been doing for the past 3 years since we last saw him.

His plans for now are to re-up, I am hoping his stint in Iraq will change that.
As the boys left, Tom and his younger Bro's were on there way to a shopping Center in Roseville Mn. Tom, determined
to get them hair cuts, Marine style.
Youngest Bro Bob was inclined.. Nick not so much, hey he will soon be 16 and is developing a mind of his own.
One thing we tried not to do with any of our chicks was tell them how they had to cut their hair.
I probably do more of that now then I did when they were teens.

It was a good day, maybe Tom will be back tonight to stay with us.
Though I doubt it.
His older cousins wanted to take him out on the town, and how can he pass that up.

We'll see later.

Time for Change

Last Tuesday was probably one of the most exhilarating nights I have ever experienced, second only to the night Paul Wellstone was elected Senator in Minnesota.

Over the years the crowds at our precinct caucuses have been up and down according to candidates or issues.

In 2004 we had good size crowds for John Kerry,John Edwards and Howard Dean about 500 or 600 in my district

But this year because we have two very strong candidates,that supporters feel passionate about, over 2500 overwhelmed our school.
People were parking blocks away from the school and hundreds were standing outside in the cold waiting to get through the doors.

While I registered people at our Precinct caucuses, a 92 year old woman, wearing a Hillary button signed in and cast her ballot.
She then sat down and joined the meeting, while many of the younger people voted and rushed out the door.
I wish I would have had time to talk to her. I have been curious, wondering how long she stood in line, outside in the cold and inside in the hall.
Her daughter sat there too, smiling proudly at her.

Another young woman with an Obama sticker on, voted and then rushed home to her children so her husband could come back.

My first caucus was in 1970, it was 2 years after Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy had been assassinated and I felt it was time to quit mourning and get back to work.
I have had many rewards for my work, helping to elect good people is one of them.

Last Tuesday because of the tremendous crowds at our caucuses, people were turned away or couldn't find parking spots.

Because of that, it is time for the legislature, to make choosing our President open to everyone who wants to participate.
It is time for Minnesota to return to a Presidential Primary system.

They have four years to do it.

WOW !

THEY CALLED BILL AND HILLARY MEAN!!!





Hillary Clinton can't win, she kept her family together and helped raise an awesome daughter.
I wonder what people would have said if she had thrown him out in the street.
Politics isn't for sissies and if Obama is the candidate I hope Michelle will be ready for what will be thrown at them.
It won't be pretty!!!!

Be Happy!!

I hope to go see Hillary tomorrow, if Hubba is feeling better, until then these are 10 things I am happy about tonight.

Tagging..Artist..Misty..Heidi..Sarah Lee

1.Target Center in Mpls had 20,000 plus people there to greet Barak Obama !
( click on Centristy)

2. Hillary arrives tomorrow, I'm fickle,I like them both !

3. John Edwards chose to wait till after Super Tuesday to endorse a candidate
I knew he had class..!

4. I bought a new outfit for a big party tonight(I hate shopping)

5. At the fancy schmancy dinner tonight to honor a friend.
I was able to sit a stare at our handsome Police Chief .

6. The writers strike may be over in time for the Oscars * big smile*

7. I have a Nut Goody candy bar in my freezer

8. Temperatures were in the 30's today, felt like spring.

9. My daughter Linda got to shake hands with her hero today
(again Centrisity link)

10. I am going to go have a glass of Chenin Blanc, after I take Hubba's temp.

Super Tuesday!

Think about the last 8 years and if you have never been involved, find a candidate
and get inspired.
We need to get our country back!

Dems 2 Wing Nuts 0

I watched with much trepidation the Democratic debates tonight.
I was afraid that maybe I would see a car wreck.
But I was pleasantly surprised.
Personally I liked Joe Biden, and when he withdrew,
I had planned on supporting Edwards
at Minnesota's caucuses.
I did not think he would drop out of the race before then, but he did.
So I will be voting for Hillary in the binding ballot we will have.
The debate tonight helped me reinforce my decision, because of their stands on health care.
Hillary's plan is closer to Edwards, a Universal Single Payer plan that would cover everyone.
Barack's plan for lower premium costs, leaves too many people out of the loop.
But don't get me wrong, this is the first time I can ever remember
that I would be happy with either one of them on the top and hope the other will take a VP slot.

In contrast McCaine and Romney's debate found them sniping at each other.
I watched McCaine sitting there with a smirk similar to Bushes every time Romney opened his mouth.
McCaine was baiting Mitt all night long giving the Pundits lots of fodder.

February 5th Super Tuesday will be the first caucus in 25 years that I have not
been in charge of organizing it.
It has been great not having that pressure this year.
When I chose not to run for Chair of the of our Senate District in 2006, some very capable people came forward,
and are doing a great job.
So next Tuesday I will go to my precinct caucus, cast my vote for Hillary, and add my name to the Districts volunteer list.

I swing a mean hammer when putting up those lawn signs, and hey I might get a free t-Shirt.

Home Sweet Home

Thanks everyone for the good wishes.
We left 16 below zero temps last Wednesday and arrived
in Mesa to 65 degrees, and a bunch of
wimps, whining because it was so cold.
The next 3 days were wonderful, high 60's and 71 on Saturday.
Sunday was a rainy Minnesota spring day and I loved it.
We got out of there just in time, the airport was full of people arriving for Super Bowl.

Now it's back to the real world.

As I write this our President is telling us how to solve all the problems in this world.
He is also talking about how successful "No Child Left Behind" has been.

Obviously he hasn't talked to the teachers I know.

Time for a Break

We are off to Mesa tomorrow to see friends and relatives.
Just a short little break in the winter.
We should have gone last week , when it turned so frigid.
Well at least when we fly home next Monday we'll be met
with warmer temps.
I won't have access to the internet or even cable.
I shall survive..

In his own words!

Remembering Martin

Today is the birthday of Martin Luther King and in honor of his birthday,
our book club invited author Jonathan O'Dell to speak to us and share his
experiences of growing up in Mississippi in the 50's and 60's.

First we read his book, The View from Delphi, based somewhat on his early life.
The book is set in a small early pre-civil rights community.
It tells the story of two young mothers Hazel and Vida, who find a common ground
because they have both lost a son.
Hazel's husband hires Vida to be a housekeeper and caretaker to his wife and to watch over their young son Johnny.
They start as adversaries, but soon Hazel and Vida discover a friendship that grows through out the story.

When Jonathan spoke to us, it wasn't long before we all realized this was the story of his family and he was
the character Johnny, from the book.

He told us when his mother comes to some of his lectures she will raise her hand and tell the people there, she didn't do everything Hazel did in the book.
But Jonathan said "she did most of it," he just changed some of the events.

He is now a resident in Minnesota, and here he sees a different type of racism.
One that many Northerners don't want to admit they feel.
Spending my morning listening to Jonathan , made this a special way to remember Martin Luther King.

It was a sad day when he died, and followed shortly by the tragic death of Robert Kennedy.

I have always wondered what this world would have been like if those two men were still here.

Jane Austen

I was in 7th or 8th grade when I discovered Jane Austen.
We were assigned a Biography to read and then do a book report.
Sister Mary Ricarda made several suggestions,
some were the life of Saints,
but I chose Jane.
After that I began to read her books and get lost in them.
Her heroins from the late 1700's to 1800's are intelligent,
spunky woman.
They lived in an era where unmarried woman were not looked on kindly.
Today I'm sure they would have been strong feminist's, they were leaders.

Tonight on Masterpiece, PBS, begins The Complete Jane Austin.
Rebecca Eaton, executive Producer of Masterpiece(formerly Masterpiece Theater)
said " Whoever thought Jane Austen would be event television, but it is."
First up is Persuasion, followed by Northanger Abbey on January 25th,
Mansfield Park, February 1st.
There will also be repeats of Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility,
and Emma, plus a dramatization of her life.
To me her books are like children, it is difficult to have a favorite.
My favorite book is usually the one I am reading at the time.
Tonight and over the next 3 months, I will be sitting in front of my new TV, with a cup of Green tea, living for a couple hours in another century.

Hillary doesn't like to Iron shirts!

Congratulations to Senator Clinton, who showed the good old boys in NH, she isn't ready to iron shirts.
This is a horse race right now and it is time for the Media to quit trying to shove their choices down the voters throats.
Last night, Chris Matthews MSNBC trying to tell people Clinton's campaign was terminally wounded, had egg on his face tonight.
Jack Cafferty CNN who would make choking sounds when he would read a complimentary message about her, is probably choking himself tonight.

I like all three of the Democratic candidates.
They all have good ideas and are going to bring back the respect that our country use to have.
My thoughts,
I can't wait for the next person who calls me to survey.

I will lie through my teeth..

Rosie is our Friend

I see Misty... *smile*

Obama wins Iowa !

I wasn't all that surprised by Obama's win in Iowa.

He is responsible for re energizing the Democratic Party.
Tonight reminded me a little of 1960.
The young supporting JFK and the old timers behind Stevenson
Like Kennedy, Obama is responsible for bringing
young people into the party to give it new blood.

This isn't over yet for Clinton and Edwards, this is just the beginning.

I think the big winner tonight was the Democratic party, because a tidal
wave swept through Iowa, a red state.
The Democrats doubled their turn out from 2004, twice as many
as the Republicans.


I am very excited about where this country could be going.

I just hope we stay on the right track