And so at this moment, as we wind down the war in Iraq, we must tackle those challenges at home with as much energy, and grit, and sense of common purpose as our men and women in uniform who have served abroad. They have met every test that they faced. Now, it is our turn. Now, it is our responsibility to honor them by coming together, all of us, and working to secure the dream that so many generations have fought for –the dream that a better life awaits anyone who is willing to work for it and reach for it.
Quote by TriSec:
Morning, comrades!
Some interesting things going on....I had a phone screen yesterday for another part-time gig, but it's better hours and better pay than the store. (and about a half-mile from home, bonus.) I also have another screen tomorrow for a job with an EMR provider (electronic medical records), which would get me back in my industry and out of the city. (That's in Metrowest). They were "highly interested" in my resume, according to the recruiter.
And go figure, things are heating up at the contract gig today too...I'm feeling rather critical to the operation over the last few days. But it's 10 months now, and still no perm. Not getting the warm fuzzies there.
It's the first day of school in this Commonwealth; let's be careful out there.
But Lee said a mission of the Black Robe Regiment, a group of religious leaders that Beck announced on Saturday, is to get church members to use their voting rights and become involved: "It is to encourage our congregations to become involved in the process of restoring honor around the world and at home by being involved in the exercise of maintaining good will, including voting."
Lee said he has already become involved by placing voter registration forms in his church.
Asked if he will endorse candidates or tell parishioners for whom to vote, Lee said, "We do not vote a Republican ticket or a Democratic ticket, we vote a Christian ticket. How a candidate performs in relation to our Judeo-Christian ethic dictates how I support them."
Lee said he would endorse candidates privately. But asked if he would do so from the pulpit, he said: "I don't need to say it. If a candidate does not adhere to the Christian faith, they will know who it is."
Land also said he planned to boost voter involvement and guide parishioners to use their voting rights to influence government decisions on many issues.
"Energizing all of our members to register to vote, to be informed as to where the country stands on issues and leave it to them to connect the dots," Land said. "I will do my best to make sure they know what the bible says about the sanctity of human life, marriage and the notion of man."
Quote by Raine:
We should be happy that he didn't wear a cod piece.
What Created the Populist Explosion and How Democrats Can Avoid the Shrapnel in November
But actions speak louder than words, and Americans want to see action. It may be too late for the kind of jobs bill we should have seen a year and a half ago, but it isn't too late for Democrats to go on the offensive against the Republicans -- virtually all of them -- who opposed extending unemployment insurance to millions of Americans who were thrown out of work by the Republicans' corporate sponsors. It isn't too late for Democrats to contrast their support for the highly popular aid to state and local governments that just saved the jobs of hundreds of thousands of teachers, firefighters, and police all over the country with Republicans' desire to throw them out onto the street. It isn't too late to make a voting issue out of the bill the Republicans are stalling that would give small businesses a fighting chance in an economy stacked against them, and to make clear that one party stands for small businesses, which create 75 percent of the new jobs in this country, and the other party stands for big businesses that outsource American jobs and offshore their profits to avoid paying their fair share of American taxes. It's not too late to pass a bill that would limit credit card interest rates to a reasonable percent above the rate at which credit is made available to credit card companies. It's not too late to pass the first badly need "fix" to the health care reform act to demonstrate to Americans that Democrats mean it when they say this was just the first step, namely a law that stops insurance companies from increasing their premiums by 40 percent while cutting the size of their networks by 50-75 percent, which violates the principles of affordability and choice that were so essential to efforts to sell health care reform to the public. It's not too late to vow to change the rules of the Senate to prevent the use of the filibuster to give every special interest veto power over every important piece of legislation. It's not too late to introduce legislation that's been on hold in both the House and Senate to guarantee fair elections, so that the voice of everyday Americans is heard over the voice of the special interests that finance political campaigns.
On every one of these issues, a strong populist message trounces anything the other side can say. But Democrats need to play offense. They need to take up-or-down votes on bill after bill, including those they expect the other side to block, knowing that every one of those votes has the leverage of a campaign ad behind it. They need to change the narrative from what sounds to the average American like a whiny and impotent one -- "the Republicans won't let us do it" -- to a narrative of strength in numbers shared with their constituents. And they need to make every election a choice between two well-articulated approaches to governance -- and to offer their articulation of both sides' positions and values.
That leads to a final point. What Democrats have needed to offer the American people is a clear narrative about what and who led our country to the mess in which we find ourselves today and a clear vision of what and who will lead us out. That narrative would have laid a roadmap for our elected officials and voters alike, rather than making each legislative issue a seemingly discrete turn onto a dirt road. That narrative might have included -- and should include today -- some key elements: that if the economy is tumbling, it's the role of leadership and government to stop the free-fall; that if Wall Street is gambling with our financial security, our homes, and our jobs, true leaders do not sit back helplessly and wax eloquent about the free market, they take away the dice; that if the private sector can't create jobs for people who want to work, then we'll put Americans back to work rebuilding our roads, bridges, and schools; that if Big Oil is preventing us from competing with China's wind and solar energy programs, then we'll eliminate the tax breaks that lead to dysfunctional investments in 19th century fuels and have a public-private partnership with companies that will create the clean, safe fuels of the 21st century and the millions of good American jobs that will follow.
That's what Democrats stand for. It's time they said it.
Quote by TriSec:
Regarding compromise, I forget which Representative said this one. (I believe it was on Momma some months back.)
"If we're 5 steps apart on a bill, I'll take 2 steps towards you. I'll even take 3 steps. But damn if I take all 5..."
If we compromise everything away to nothing, then there's nothing to run on and we lose.
The victims are a couple from the settlement of Beit Hagai and two residents of Kiryat Arba. One of the dead was a woman believed to have been pregnant.
By Anshel Pfeffer, Chaim Levinson, Jonathan Lis, Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel
Four Israelis were shot dead in their car Tuesday near the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba less than a day before Israeli and Palestinian leaders meet in Washington for a summit to announce the resumption of direct peace talks. The attack, for which Hamas has claimed responsibility, shattered years of relative calm in the West Bank.
The victims are a couple from the settlement of Beit Hagai and two residents of Kiryat Arba. One of the dead was a woman believed to have been pregnant.
The Beit Hagai couple has been identified as Yitzhak and Tali Ames, 45 and 47. They are survived by six children, the oldest 24 and the youngest 5. Just six months ago, the Ames couple celebrated the birth of their first granddaughter.
J Street Condemns West Bank Terror Attack
Posted by: Amy Spitalnick | August 31st, 2010 2:14 pm
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami released the following statement, unequivocally condemning today’s terror attack in the West Bank that killed 4 Israelis:
J Street is deeply saddened to learn of the recent attack at the Kiryat Arba settlement near Hebron in the West Bank that has left four Israelis dead.
We unequivocally condemn this brutal attack and hope that Israeli and Palestinian security forces swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ families.
It is unfortunately not a surprise that extremists would try to undermine the launch of direct talks. We urge all sides to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control and harming the prospects for peace.
We are reminded of Prime Minister Rabin’s important words: “And so we are determined to do the job well - despite the toll of murderous terrorism, despite fanatic and scheming enemies. We will pursue the course of peace with determination and fortitude. We will not let up. We will not give in. Peace will triumph over all our enemies, because the alternative is grim for us all. And we will prevail.”
David Grossman: 'I cannot afford the luxury of despair'
Was it horrible having to grieve in public? He must have feared that his son would be adopted as yet another symbol of the Situation. "I'm not sure it was horrible. One burden is at least taken away [when you are a public figure]: you don't have to tell people what happened, because they know. We found our way. We're very private people. We are a close family and we have a wonderful, devoted group of friends. What happens outside that... well, it depends how people approach me. Most approach me with tenderness and sensitivity. There has been a lot of warmth. But I made it clear from the beginning that I don't ask for special privileges. I don't want people to say: ah, because he suffered this, his opinions are this. My opinions are not my emotions. I spoke in Rabin Square, but I only do [public] things that I would have done before.
"I'm not a rational, cold person. On the contrary, so much of the politics is emotional here, and the two peoples involved are very emotional, so you must be attuned to emotions very precisely. But the bottom line must be logical. You must not surrender to the primal urges of revenge. I just do not see a better solution than the two-state solution. I'm more sad, and maybe desperate, but not in a way that paralyses me." He pauses. "Maybe I cannot afford the luxury of despair. Maybe. Or maybe it's a question of personality: I cannot collaborate with despair because it humiliates me to do so."
All the same, he cannot feel hopeful at the prospect of more (American-brokered) talks. "I think our prime minister is the only person who can change our destiny for the better. He has a lot of credibility here. The question is: does he really believe in peace with the Palestinians? And I'm afraid that the answer is no. Even if he taught himself to utter the words 'two-state solution', he deeply mistrusts the Palestinians."
Quote by wickedpam:
so who's on instead of Thom today?
Quote by livingonli:Quote by wickedpam:
so who's on instead of Thom today?
The usual fill-in who does the morning show in Portland. I keep forgetting his name.
Quote by Al from WV:
Happy Birthday, Raine, and many returns of the day.