DRUG ABUSE IN AMERICA

We are here

to learn to love.

Before we get to today's topic and update on Michael Jackson's new autopsy, I would like to take a moment to say that I'm in shock at the news this morning that Billy Mays died. He is the OxyClean pitchman. My son happens to love his Discovery Channel show "Pitchmen." He was only 50.

Mays was one of the passengers aboard a plane that blew a tire and landed very roughly at Tampa International Airport yesterday. He told a local FOX affiliate he was hit on the hard on the head by falling items. Apparently he told his wife he didn't feel well when he went to bed.

So far, in the recent past we've lost: Paul Newman, Heath Ledger, Natasha Richardson, David Carradine, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith, James Baker Hall, poet, Kentucky Laureate; Bob May (Robot from Lost in Space) Huey Long (The Ink Spots, 105 years old!) ....who else? Please leave comments.

I still can't get over the death of John Ritter, Walter Matthau, Jack Lemon or Peter Sellers!

And of course, my sweet brother. I had a dream about him not long ago — and he was totally healed, radiant as if he had been put back together. I had never dreamed about him since he died. But this dream was so real, I reached out and said "You're healed. Your heart is healed. You look great, you're alive!" And he grinned and said, "Yes, I'm fine now."

I had found his body on December 1, 1995. This was more than a dream.

Doesn't this make you think that life is precious? There is so much to see and do, so much beauty in the world. It sounds cliche, but we have to make the most of every single day, every moment. Grab life and live your dreams. Do what you really want to do in your heart.

I do not believe in death, I really think we are here to learn to love.

Go for your dreams. Cherish your loved ones. Find the gifts inside you and use them now. Life is short, art is long.

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DEA RENEWS WARNINGS ON PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE.

Update: Jackson family wanted to admit Michael to drugs clinic two weeks ago as he was danger to himself. New Fox Report: Michael's second autopsy reveals he was mixing various drugs: Demerol, Vicodin, Oxycontin, Dilaudid, and more...

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Amid questions about the possible role of drugs in Michael Jackson's demise, the US Drug Enforcement Administration Friday renewed concerns about rising deaths from misuse of prescription pills.

It warned that more people died from drug abuse than in shootings, and in the category of accidental deaths it came only second to car accidents.

The overuse of prescription pain-killers, stimulants or tranquilizers — either opium-based or synthetically manufactured — is on the rise in the United States.

In 2005, the last year for which figures are available, there were more than 8,500 deaths nationwide, an increase of 114 percent on 2001.

Hospital admissions due to an overdose of such drugs leapt 74 percent from 2002 to 2006, and emergency room visits were up 39 percent, the DEA said.

Most of those needing treatment were aged between 18 to 25, the agency added, and said that between 2003 to 2007 some six percent of Americans in that age group had admitted using prescription drugs for non-medical uses. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j5swrIt6MmiD52e27apQjYRr24SQ
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MORE ON MICHAEL JACKSON:

Michael Jackson's family were so concerned about his addiction to powerful painkillers they considered forcibly admitting him to a rehabilitation clinic just two weeks before he died.

The plan - which would have involved psychiatrists trying to convince a judge he was a danger to himself and others - was abandoned only because of Jackson's resistance, and the overwhelming pressure to fulfil his concert commitments in London.

Instead, he agreed to consult a controversial therapist known as 'Doc Hollywood' and to allow a 'sober coach' to accompany him to Britain, to stay with him constantly to try to wean him off drugs. By CAROLINE GRAHAM Daily Mail, UK

Go for your dreams. Cherish your loved ones. Find the gifts inside you and use them now. Life is short, art is long.

Today's quote: “Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity.” George Carlin

TWO NEW ANGELS: MICHAEL JACKSON & FARRAH FAWCETT

DOUBLE SHOCKER! First Farrah, now Michael Jackson

Rest in peace Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.. two of the sweetest souls on the planet. Too sensitive for this world.

My friend Vicki Coggins:

I was still in tears about Farrah's death..... Michael Jackson??? this is too much. We're rejoicing that you have two new beautiful angels in your loving arms right now but we ask your healing hands hold the hearts of their grieving families, and all those people whose lives they touched. God bless the families in their mourning. Amen

Pop icon Michael Jackson dies at 50

Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop," has died after suffering cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home. The singer had been preparing for a major comeback after years of seclusion.

Twitter Updates:

Rest in peace Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.. two of the sweetest souls on the planet. Too sensitive for this world.

RT @aplusk heres the link http://bit.ly/S4xDa TMZ saying Jackson is dead

Michael Jackson has been rushed to the hospital, cardiac arrest.

Omigod! Did someone say Michael Jackson died? I just did a blog about Farrah Fawcett. Rest in peace.. and God Bless these sweet souls.
about 1 hour ago from Twitter/LydiaCornell

REST IN PEACE FARRAH! WE LOVE YOU
Farrah Fawcett, former Charlie’s Angels actress has passed away at the age of 62. Fawcett had been diagnosed with cancer in 2006 and died at 9:28 a.m. PST at St. John’s Heath Center in Santa Monica, Calif. Her longtime partner, Ryan O’Neal, was with her when she died.

Farrah was my idol for a time. I loved her soft sweetness. She had class and humility. I was a feminist, but had to dumb myself down to make it in Hollywood. She seemed to be a bit too real for this town, and too sensitive. I wish she had found AA or any 12-step program for dealing with her demons. It's the fastest way to real peace.

Farrah wasn't arrogant as the posers are today. Sorry Paris, but you introduced the "smirk" and the home porno tape — along with Pam Anderson — and you ruined a generation of girls.

Though the show I did with Ted Knight "Too Close For Comfort" was in the 80's, we all copied Farrah's hairstyle. I had the feathered-back wings. You could land a 747 on my head.

'Charlie's Angel' Farrah Fawcett dies at 62

By BOB THOMAS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Farrah Fawcett, the "Charlie's Angels" star whose feathered blond hair and dazzling smile made her one of the biggest sex symbols of the 1970s, died Thursday after battling cancer. She was 62.

The pop icon, who in the 1980s set aside the fantasy girl image to tackle serious roles, died shortly before 9:30 a.m. in a Santa Monica hospital, spokesman Paul Bloch said.

Ryan O'Neal, the longtime companion who had reunited with Fawcett as she fought anal cancer, was at her side, along with close friend Alana Stewart, Bloch said.

"After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away," O'Neal said. "Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends, we take comfort in the beautiful times that we shared with Farrah over the years and the knowledge that her life brought joy to so many people around the world."

"Farrah had courage, she had strength, and she had faith. And now she has peace as she rests with the real angels," Jaclyn Smith said.

Said Cheryl Ladd: "She was incredibly brave, and God will be welcoming her with open arms."
Fawcett burst on the scene in 1976 as one-third of the crime-fighting trio in TV's "Charlie's Angels." A poster of her in a clingy swimsuit sold in the millions.

Her full, layered hairstyle became all the rage, with girls and women across America adopting the look.

She left the show after one season but had a flop on the big screen with "Somebody Killed Her Husband." She turned to more serious roles in the 1980s and 1990s, winning praise playing an abused wife in "The Burning Bed."

She had been diagnosed with cancer in 2006. As she underwent treatment, she enlisted the help of O'Neal, who was the father of her now 24-year-old son, Redmond.

This month, O'Neal said he asked Fawcett to marry him and she agreed, but they were unable to wed before she died.

Her struggle with painful treatments and dispiriting setbacks was recorded in the television documentary "Farrah's Story." Fawcett sought cures in Germany as well as the United States, battling the disease with iron determination even as her body weakened. NBC estimated the May 15, 2009, broadcast drew nearly 9 million viewers.

In the documentary, Fawcett was seen shaving off most of her trademark locks before chemotherapy could claim them. Toward the end, she's seen huddled in bed, barely responding to a visit from her son.

Charlies Angels

Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Smith made up the original "Angels," the sexy, police-trained trio of martial arts experts who took their assignments from a rich, mysterious boss named Charlie (John Forsythe, who was never seen on camera but whose distinctive voice was heard on speaker phone.)

The program debuted in September 1976, the height of what some critics derisively referred to as television's "jiggle show" era, and it gave each of the actresses ample opportunity to show off their figures as they disguised themselves in bathing suits and as hookers and strippers to solve crimes.

We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. Aesop

NEDA SOLTAN: ICON OF RESISTANCE

The World Mourns Neda‎
Her name was Neda Agha-Soltan. She was 26 and loved pop music. She was killed by the Basij and has become an icon of the resistance.



TWITTER UPDATES

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/LydiaCornell

THE GOOD FROM IRAN: First victory: World doesn't look at us as terrorists anymore! #iran #iranelection

PRAY FOR NEDA, her family and all Iranians

1. Could anything be more bizarre than calling yourself a Christian, but doing the opposite of everything the Great Peacemaker taught?39 minutes ago from web
2. "Stay away from the Bible Belt; they have GUNS down there!" Funny line from Alan Arkin film. These "Christians" are the opposite of Christ.41 minutes ago from web
3. @kittenramone Maybe they don't know that Christ is the root of the word Christianity because the vowel sounds are different!about 1 hour ago from web in reply to kittenramone
4. Good News From Iranian Tweet: "
First victory: World doesn't look at us as terrorists anymore." #iran #iranelectionabout 12 hours ago from web
5. RT @slpHDtwitts Nobel Peace Prize winner Iranian feminist Shirin Ebadi calls fr new election http://bit.ly/ka4P2#iranelection #NEDA #gr88about 12 hours ago from web
6. People can be restored, revived, reclaimed and forgiven. Never throw out anyone.about 22 hours ago from webAMAZING FOOTAGE OF STREET CLASHES BBC ON YouTubeDo Not Post The Names Of Iranian Tweeters!!! #iranelection #neda #gr88Neda is our Hoseine Fahmide #iran #iranelction

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HEALTH CARE, LIKE POLICE & FIRE DEPT

SHOULD NOT BE FOR PROFIT!

WHY ARE THEY SO AFRAID?

Republican lawmakers are afraid of a lower cost health care option, because they are afraid people will choose it!

Medicaid and Medical are already the best socialized medicine we have in this country. Of course in France they have a much better system, as in every other industrialized nation.

BREAKING NEWS: During the last five years, over 1,000 people on Terror Watch list bought guns. "Gun rights advocates said showing up on a terrorist watch list should not be grounds for being denied a gun." - New York Times

Read more below, but first, let's say a prayer for Neda, the young woman killed in Iran simply for kneeling in protest. And then this weird story..

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I have to post this again from the New York Times: "Gun rights advocates (NRA) said showing up on a terrorist watch list should not be grounds for being denied a gun."

ARE THEY CRAZY??

A VIDEO-CAMERA ON EVERY CORNER? SPYING FOR PROFIT ON AMERICANS

Is this right? 165 closed Circuit TV cameras spying on the city of Lancaster, which has a population of 55,000. Who is watching everyone through these cameras all day long? Not the government, but a private company that says it wants to reduce crime. Hmmm. Sounds suspicious. What about our rights to privacy? Could evidence on these tapes ever be used to blackmail people in divorce cases? Could evidence ever be misinterpreted? Isn't it kind of creepy to be watched from every corner all day long? "No one has the right to see who comes in and out of my front door," says one L.A. Times reader. This has crossed the line, don't you think? Or do you. Maybe I'm wrong.

MASSIVE REPUBLICAN PROPAGANDA AGAINST LOW-COST HEALTHCARE FLOPS: 72% WANT A CHOICE! Republican lawmakers are afraid of a lower cost health care option, because they are afraid people will choose it!

When It Comes to Health Care, Why Do Republicans (and Some Centrist Democrats) Hate Americans? by Mitchell Bard, 06.22.2009 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mitchell-bard

You see, the Republicans are speaking out of both sides of their mouths. They are quick to tell you, as Graham did, how terrible government-run health care would be, with long waits for inferior service. But when you argue for a public option, with people being given the chance to keep what they have (with private insurers) or opt for a new public option (especially for those who don't currently have any insurance) that would compete with the private companies, then the Republicans say that the private insurers would be driven out of business because they can't compete with the public plan. But if the government-run plan would be so bad, why would the private insurers lose to it? Shouldn't Americans, terrified at the big bad government trying to run their health care decisions, run screaming away from the new public plan and into the arms of the wonderful private insurers they adore? What is the risk? And if the government-run plan is so good it would be an improvement over the private insurers, why are the Republicans against it (if they can't admit that they are protecting the business interests over the health of Americans)? Isn't the goal better care at lower costs?

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On Terrorist Watch List, but Allowed to Buy Guns
By ERIC LICHTBLAU
June 20, 2009

WASHINGTON — People on the government’s terrorist watch list tried to buy guns nearly 1,000 times in the last five years, and federal authorities cleared the purchases 9 times out of 10 because they had no legal way to stop them, according to a new government report.

In one case, a person on the list was able to buy more than 50 pounds of explosives.

Gun purchases must be approved unless federal officials can find some other disqualification of the would-be buyer, like being a felon, an illegal immigrant or a drug addict.

“This is a glaring omission, and it’s a security issue,” Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, the New Jersey Democrat who requested the study, said in an interview.

Mr. Lautenberg plans to introduce legislation on Monday that would give the attorney general the discretion to block gun sales to people on terror watch lists.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/20/us/politics/20watch.html
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BEAUTIFUL WOMEN

Below is a wonderful poem Audrey Hepburn wote when asked to share her 'beauty tips.' It was read at her funeral years later.

AUDREY HEPBURN'S BEAUTY SECRETS

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed.

Never throw out anyone.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself,

And the other for helping others.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

This was an email I received to send to all my beautiful woman friends, but EVERY WOMAN IS BEAUTIFUL, so this is for you.

Audrey Hepburn has always been my all-time favorite female celebrity.

Share this with another woman and you will boost another woman's self esteem, and she will know that you care about her.

Quotes for the day:

Every person has a spark of divinity built into their very molecules which is compelled to make a major contribution. Like a blueprint you were born with, this unique gift works through you and is committed to lifting the suffering of others through the expression of a specific virtue. When you are living in alignment with your blueprint, invisible hands seem to assist your every effort.
- from the Amazing Darren Gibson's website.

If news is not really news unless it is bad news, it may be difficult to claim we are an informed nation. - Norman Cousins, editor of Saturday Review

"Give up the need to be more, better or different. Give up wanting to be like or liked by someone else."

And here is my other favorite actress of all time: Julie Christie, pictured here in Dr. Zhivago

SARAH PALIN IS RIGHT ABOUT ONE THING

SARAH PALIN ON THE

SEXPLOITATION OF

WOMEN

There is one thing I agree with Sarah Palin on: the sexual exploitation of women. Calling women "sluts" or the other degrading terms has got to stop. Referring to women as nothing but body parts de-values us, and it hurts young girls.

BUT...

Is Sarah Palin exploiting her 14-year-old daughter by dragging her into this whole David Letterman fight. No one brought up Willow or anyone younger EXCEPT the Palins. Is this because they need attention and must always stir up controversy to keep Palin's name in the news?

She is right about women though. I have been mentoring teen girls in our neighborhood and I am distressed at the low self-worth they have (the suicide rate of 10-15 year old girls has skyrocketed) and I'm astounded at the way young girls are treated by their male peers.

Something drastic has to be done.

When I was on "Too Close for Comfort" I was told to put on a bikini and pose in suggestive ways as part of the sales campaign to sell the show. I was too timid and too green to say no. I had to dumb myself down in order to fit into Hollywood. So many stories you will not believe! Coming soon..

Now it seems women are being objectified more than ever. Check back for update including photos.

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Right is Left' as Mainstream Denialists Spiral Towards Madness

TPM's Eric Kleefeld offered this 'Deep Thought' gem yesterday:

How long will it be until white supremacists claim that the shooting at the Holocaust Museum never happened?

But it's not just the fringe extremist wingnuts we need to worry about. The mainstreamers seem to be going over a similar cliff of late, now arguing that James von Brunn, the Obama-hating, Rush Limbaugh-loving, neo-Nazi accused gunman from Holocaust Museum assassination is lefty!!

A "lefty" - a Democrat, advocates for peace, environment, diplomacy, equal rights, (gay rights, civil rights, women's rights) homeless veterans, education, public services - all the things that build up a nation. If everyone is thriving, crime and unemployment go down. Everyone must be given the tax breaks that giant corporations get, or the tax breaks must trickle down. But they never have trickled down as the CEOs keep all the money at the top.

James von Brunn, the Obama-hating, Rush Limbaugh-loving, neo-Nazi accused gunman from Holocaust Museum assassination is a right-wing fascist extremist.

Left wing "extremists" make movies, not war.

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Has anyone seen the freaky 'PRISTIG COMMERCICAL FOR DEPRESSION? he woman gazing at the weird walking doll like a Stepford wife in a trance? And the bizarre music?!

FREE WILL AND THE SOUL

YOUR BODY IS NONE OF MY BUSINESS! Unless you're my teenager...

This country is so immature; we're all a bunch of puritans who are upset by sex, obsessed with sex, and in fear of sex. By making it so taboo, we've made it too exciting. Other countries are blase about topless beaches, but in America we've made icons out of the breast and the penis. I am raising sons, tweenage boys, and I am hearing things you cannot believe on a daily basis that are going on in middle school.

Our culture's fascination with porn and nudity and sleaze is creating an entire generation who have only one thing on their mind: graphic sex. That is all they talk about. But not "loving monogamous sex", not the excitement of mystery; it's all about body parts and violent language, and using women as sex objects. It has never been worse in our country. I cannot believe what I'm seeing and hearing. Our children crave and deserve innocence. They deserve to have their childhoods back -- where imagination was more important than knowledge. I am mentoring teen girls in our neighborhood. Please stay tuned for some pretty raw but enlightening posts on this soon.

IS KILLING PRO-LIFE?

DOMESTIC TERRORISTS ARE THE BIGGEST THREAT TO OUR COUNTRY

I've been thinking about the root of hatred lately — and it's obvious that "evil" (I don't believe in evil) is always the same regressive, self-centered fear-based bigotry that Christ fought against and that has been here since the beginning of civilization: the ancient dark force of fundamentalism. There is, of course, no power in "evil," but this is our only enemy — the primitive hateful force that was behind the Inquisition, the Salem witch trials, the Ku Klux Klan, the assassination of Martin Luther King, the slaying of abortion doctors, the killing of Matthew Shepherd, the illegal invasion of Iraq, the campaign of Bush-Cheney, the obsession with automatic weapons, the fear of Muslims, the fear of immigrants, the fear of helping the poor, the fear of free medical care, the fear of peace and the crucifiction of the Great Peacemaker — the force that is most represented right now by the extremist political right wing in our country. And of course their messengers and propagandists: Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Ann Coulter, Mark Levin, Glen Beck.

It has always been the same force of evil, it just keeps changing its name.



HuffPo comments after Dr. Tiller was murdered in cold blood last week by suspect Scott Roeder:

Right wing fundamentalists who are stockpiling guns and murdering people like this are absolute terrorists in our own country. Look at what happened at the Palin rallies: people yelling "Kill him!" and nothing was done...and the recent ad in a newspaper encouraging our president's assasination. These people are more of a threat to our freedom and safety than any Gitmo prisoner who might be imprisoned in our fortress-like prisons. I hope this man is prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

I am stunned and deeply saddened over the called "pro-life" terrorists in this country. They are pro-death, not pro-life. They are anti-life. They are so deeply wrong and tragically flawed in their thinking, it is beyond comprehension. There is a reason the womb is encased in the separate individual body of a human being. It is not community property. This is not a state or government issue. No bureaucrat, government agent, policeman, moral judge, religious tribe, fanatical fundamentalist -- or any other human being has the right to dictate what I do with my private parts. Even for God-loving Christians they cannot deny that the whole point of the Bible is the journey of the soul to God. The journey of each human being making good or bad choices which create his or her character. Every human being has the right of free will. FREE WILL means each person can choose to make a mistake and his or her soul has to suffer the consequences and grow from this. Every story in the Bible concerns deeply flawed humans who made terrible mistakes, but were forgiven and redeemed if they turned to their Father — God. Without free will, they could never have this journey or learned these lessons. The whole point is love, forgiveness and redemption.

In Iowa, Dan Holman, of the anti-abortion group Missionaries to the Preborn, told CNN that Tiller's death was something to "cheer."

I was cheered by it, because I knew he wouldn't be killing any more babies," Holman said.

Holman protested a May 17 speech by President Obama in which the president urged Americans to find common ground on abortion. He told CNN that "all abortionists are deserving of death, and they are not the only ones. There are politicians and judges, and others who support this murder are also deserving of death."

In all of Christ's teachings, he only cared about how we treat each other: The Golden Rule. In every one of his Beatitudes, he taught the laws of love. "The meek shall inherit the earth." Life is not about flesh, it is spirit. The soul is not located in the material body or in fetal tissue. The spiritual values of love and compassion are the only things Christ cared about.

The law of love, the spirit not the flesh, how we treat our each other, how we treat our enemies. "Turn the other cheek. Love your enemies." There is no substance in matter. Christ was offended by the Pharisees with their rules, gold, robes and rituals. So much focus on ritual and "material" rules and complex food laws that bogged down the spirit. Remember he said "It's the spirit of the law and not the letter" meaning "It's how you LOVE ONE ANOTHER that matters to God." It seems these modern day Pharisees, the evangelical extremists such as Pat Robertson, the late Jerry Falwell, John Hagee and people at Operation Rescue — are focused on everything BUT what is important. When will they learn?

Again, it's the dark force of primitive fundamentalism that puts more faith in fear than in God; that condemns sinners instead of bringing the light of love and forgiveness, as Christ taught; that controls others with lengthy rituals and icons of idolatry. This very same force is responsible for the current economic crisis. Style over substance. Fundamentalism >authoritarianism > materialism (greed) > consumerism.

Again, Christ's most important law is the Golden Rule, or how we treat our fellow human beings. But before you say "How we treat a fetus is more important than how we treat living, born human beings!" you are decidedly WRONG. This is not what Christ, the Great Peacemaker taught. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. No where is this subject mentioned in any of his teachings, or anywhere else in the Bible.

It is absurd to think that a piece of prenatal tissue that may or may not be viable, and that is the genetic result of a supremely private act between husband and wife (or tragically, between rapist and victim) -- and is part of a distinctly separate human woman with free will, living in a land of freedom, with privacy rights and civil rights — to think this is worth killing a born, living, breathing, human being over is the ultimate evil. For these hateful, anti-Christian, pro-death extremists who call themselves "pro-life" and would murder a living human being to save an unborn defective fetus -- to think that a "potential life" that is ensconced within the separate, free, individual body of a woman, a private citizen — is more important than the living, the born, the mother's own life, the victims of our illegal bombing campaigns, our soldiers, the Iraqi children, the homeless, the poor, the orphans, the destitute or even one's enemies such as Dr. Tiller — is un-Christian, immoral, and against everything Christ himself taught.

How dare you, Scott Roeder and your ilk -- how dare you take our your sick pathological, twisted vengeance on an entire family and community -- not to mention ruining the life of your own son and going against every law of the God you claim to worship. You have no idea what cases Dr. Tiller was treating. You twist the legal language to suit your malevolent purposes. Women who had no other choice but to have an abortion because the fetus was not going to live, or was threatening the life of the mother - he was saving lives. Until you've walked in the shoes of every woman going through this, you have no right to judge.

But if you take the bible as the literal word of God, then why don't you take God's words literally? "Judgment and vengeance is mine!" said God.


COMING SOON...
How to Talk to your Teens about Sex in American Culture (which isn't normal sex)

Thanks to the recent announcement of Jamie Lynn Spear's pregnancy, many parents have had to have conversations with their tweens and teens about pregnancy and sex. Talking to children about these topics can prove to be scary and a difficult task, but it doesn't have to be...

LIES AND ATTACKS ON SOTOMAYOR "UNBELIEVABLE"

Quotes of the week:

A shift in consciousness. By replacing thoughts and dwelling on goodness, truth and beauty, one can achieve full-blown miracles.

"Fear is that little darkroom where negatives are developed."

-Michael Pritchard

"Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape."

"The pursuit of happiness is the source of all unhappiness."

ATTACKS ON SOTOMAYOR "UNBELIEVABLE" *

SENATOR LEAHY: SHE CAN'T SPEAK OUT SO I WILL

WASHINGTON — AP Senator Leahy, who plans to meet Wednesday with Sessions on a schedule for the hearings, said he's eager to give Sotomayor the chance to respond to "unbelievable attacks" by Republican critics like radio host Rush Limbaugh and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who have branded her a racist because of remarks she made in 2001 that her experiences as a "wise Latina" would allow her to make better decisions than a white male.

Leahy called the criticism against Sotomayor "among the most vicious attacks that have been received by anybody," and lamented that as a nominee she's unable to directly answer them.

So he asked the judge whether he could repeat publicly what she told him privately about how her personal experiences -- she is the New York-born daughter of Puerto Rican parents who was reared in a Bronx housing project and went on to Princeton and Yale on her way to the highest echelons of the legal profession -- would shape her rulings.

Leahy quoted Sotomayor as saying, "There's not one law for one race or another; there's not one law for one color or another; there's not one for rich and one for poor; there's only one law."

Leahy is pushing for a swift series of hearings on Sotomayor's confirmation, and has said the harshly worded criticism of her necessitates a quick timetable.

"Because the defacto leader of the Republican Party equated her to the head of the Ku Klux Klan pretty well demands that she have a hearing earlier than later," Leahy told reporters on his way to meet with Sotomayor. He's planning to meet Wednesday with Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the top Judiciary Committee Republican, to discuss the schedule.

Radio host Rush Limbaugh and former House Speaker New Gingrich have both branded Sotomayor a racist, and Limbaugh went on to compare choosing her for the high court to nominating former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.

Leahy defended Sotomayor on Tuesday, saying he was proud of his own Irish-Italian background and his wife's French-Canadian background. "Does that make us racist?" he said. "She is not a racist." Read the rest at HuffingtonPost.com

Prop 8: The Ban on Gay Marriage

OUTRAGEOUS!! I have a comment on the California Supreme Court's decision to uphold a ban on gay marriages. This is exactly equivalent to Rosa Parks being required by law to sit at the back of the bus because she was black. This is an outrageous violation of the Civil Rights. The rights of a minority should never be determined by the tyranny of the majority. ARE YOU SAYING THAT AN ENTIRE GROUP OF HUMAN BEINGS IS NOT EQUAL TO ANOTHER NON-GAY GROUP OF HUMAN BEINGS? Gays exist; they serve in the military, they pay taxes, they have driver's licenses and gun permits. Why aren't they "allowed" to sanctify their monogamous unions the way other human beings are? THEY ARE HUMAN BEINGS. It is illegal to discriminate against people on the basis of color. Why was Prop. 8 even on the ballot? Why do we allow a slight majority of morally intolerant bigots to take away the equal right to happiness of a minority? This is discrimination, plain and simple. Imagine if being gay was a choice, which it isn't. Religious people of all stripes choose their religion no matter how wacky it seems, yet they are protected against discrimination under the constitution. I am deeply ashamed of California for this horribly archaic, bigoted, intolerate bozo of a decision.

FEAR OF PROSECUTION CAUSED CHENEY TO STUMP FOR TORTURE, DAUGHTER SAYS



May 24, 2009 (ChattahBox) — Former Vice President Dick Cheney’s vocal offensive defending the Bush legacy on the war on terror has raised a lot of eye brows as to what purpose it serves. During his service as VP he worked behind the scenes avoiding the media mostly, where as now he has been front and center criticizing Obama, which has surprised many as a break in protocol and very poor form for a previous administration to speak out against the new President.

Last night on CNN, Liz Cheney, perhaps inadvertently, revealed that part of the reason we’ve seen her dad come out of his bunker to defend the torture regime that he authorized, is that he is anxious to head off any investigation of future prosecution. To me this is not a big revelation, it’s just another instance where Dick Cheney is exercising poor judgment in knowing when NOT to go to war. Apparently though conservative circles are loving what Liz Cheney has to say, as she is becoming so popular some want her to run for office.
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President Obama nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be the next U.S. Supreme Court justice. Of course, the Right is already fighting against her confirmation—so we need to get the facts out about her impressive qualifications and background.

First, I must clear up the lie that everyone keeps repeating about Sotomayor.

During the May 26 edition of MSNBC Live, NBC News chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd falsely asserted that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor "is on tape saying, I'm not supposed to say this, but guess what, we legislate from the bench." Todd added, "I think that's going to compel a lot of Republicans on principle; that they will actually be sort of -- they would be lying to their own principles if they somehow supported her." In fact, in the "tape" Todd was apparently referring to -- from a February 25, 2005, Duke University School of Lawforum -- Sotomayor did not say that "we legislate from the bench." Rather, responding to a student who asked the panel to contrast the experiences of a district court clerkship and a circuit court clerkship, Sotomayor said that the "court of appeals is where policy is made." Moreover, as NBC News justice correspondent Pete Williams noted earlier in the broadcast, "[E]ven some conservatives and followers of strict constructionism have said that [Sotomayor] was only stating the obvious: that trial judges, district court judges, decide only the cases before them, and that appeals courts, because they are the, you know, above the other courts, do set policy; they do make precedent that governs the other courts."

Indeed, the Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States (2005) notes that federal appellate courts do, in fact, have a "policy-making" role.

AND HERE IS WHAT SHE ACTUALLY SAID:

SOTOMAYOR: The saw is that if you're going into academia, you're going to teach, or as Judge Lucero just said, public interest law, all of the legal defense funds out there, they're looking for people with court of appeals experience, because it is -- court of appeals is where policy is made. And I know -- and I know this is on tape and I should never say that because we don't make law, I know. OK, I know. I'm not promoting it, and I'm not advocating it, I'm -- you know. OK. Having said that, the court of appeals is where, before the Supreme Court makes the final decision, the law is percolating -- its interpretation, its application. And Judge Lucero is right. I often explain to people, when you're on the district court, you're looking to do justice in the individual case. So you are looking much more to the facts of the case than you are to the application of the law because the application of the law is non-precedential, so the facts control. On the court of appeals, you are looking to how the law is developing, so that it will then be applied to a broad class of cases. And so you're always thinking about the ramifications of this ruling on the next step in the development of the law. From http://mediamatters.org/research/200905260037

Below is a list of 10 key things about Sonia Sotomayor that you might not know. Can you check it out and send it to 10 friends today? If each of us forwards the list, we can start to get the word out about Judge Sotomayor, and help to ensure that she gets a speedy and fair confirmation process.

Ten Things To Know About Judge Sonia Sotomayor

1. Judge Sotomayor would bring more federal judicial experience to the bench than any Supreme Court justice in 100 years. Over her three-decade career, she has served in a wide variety of legal roles, including as a prosecutor, litigator, and judge.

2. Judge Sotomayor is a trailblazer. She was the first Latina to serve on the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and was the youngest member of the court when appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of New York. If confirmed, she will be the first Hispanic to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court.

3. While on the bench, Judge Sotomayor has consistently protected the rights of working Americans, ruling in favor of health benefits and fair wages for workers in several cases.

4. Judge Sotomayor has shown strong support for First Amendment rights, including in cases of religious expression and the rights to assembly and free speech.

5. Judge Sotomayor has a strong record on civil rights cases, ruling for plaintiffs who had been discriminated against based on disability, sex and race.

6. Judge Sotomayor embodies the American dream. Born to Puerto Rican parents, she grew up in a South Bronx housing project and was raised from age nine by a single mother, excelling in school and working her way to graduate summa cum laude from Princeton University and to become an editor of the Law Journal at Yale Law School.

7. In 1995, Judge Sotomayor "saved baseball" when she stopped the owners from illegally changing their bargaining agreement with the players, thereby ending the longest professional sports walk-out in history.

7a. Sotomayor made a ruling allowing the Wall Street Journal to publish Vince Foster's suicide note. In 1997, she was nominated by Bill Clinton to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

8. Judge Sotomayor ruled in favor of the environment in a case of protecting aquatic life in the vicinity of power plants in 2007, a decision that was overturned by the Roberts Supreme Court.

9. In 1992, Judge Sotomayor was confirmed by the Senate without opposition after being appointed to the bench by George H.W. Bush.

10. Judge Sotomayor is a widely respected legal figure, having been described as "...an outstanding colleague with a keen legal mind," "highly qualified for any position in which wisdom, intelligence, collegiality and good character would be assets," and "a role model of aspiration, discipline, commitment, intellectual prowess and integrity."

Judge Sotomayor is an historic, uniquely qualified nominee to the Supreme Court. Let's get the word out and make sure we get a prompt, fair confirmation on her nomination.
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Here’s Blogger Mike's take on this nomination: "I think she is a textbook replacement for Souter and the Far Right Wing should be kissing Obama’s shoes for appointing a moderate cut from the same cloth as Souter and NOT appointing a hardcore liberal to balance out Allito and Scalia who lean so far to the hard Right that they are hanging off the right edge of the earth by their fingernails.

That said I think she is a very good pick with excellent credentials that certainly brings diversity to the court although I don’t think hardcore partisan ideologues from EITHER party should ever have been nominated to the SCOTUS. But unfortunately that door’s already been opened with Alito and Scalia so I feel the far and central lefts pain on this and strongly hope a hardcore liberal IS nominated to balance out the far Right Wing extremist Conservatives we have that are currently dominating the Supreme Court.

One last point I keep hearing the far Right Wing extremists like Rove, Limbaugh, Hannity, et al screech about “liberal activist judges” legislating from the bench or “radical activist liberal judges”
legislating their own personal views from the bench.

Please enlighten me here but isnt that EXACTLY what hardcore far Right Wing radical extremist activists like Scalia and Alito do, how many time do THESE corporatist stooges just legislate from the bench and inject their own personal bias’s by ALWAYS siding with the big corporations or wealthy while they and their Right Wing idealogues constantly accuse the left of siding with the poor or the little guy. It’s hipocrisy plain and simple just like when the Right says ONLY they are patriotic and love their country while the left is treasonous and hates their country. It’s high time we stop letting them lie and frame the issues without being rebutted by THE TRUTH.


* Sources for each of the 10 things:

1. White House Statement, May 26, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51451&id=16226-3820792-wx2vdwx&t=1

2. White House Statement, May 26, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51451&id=16226-3820792-wx2vdwx&t=2

3. Cases: Archie v. Grand Cent. Partnership, 997 F. Supp. 504 (S.D.N.Y. 1998) and Marcella v. Capital Dist. Physicians' Health Plan, Inc., 293 F.3d 42 (2d Cir. 2002).

4. Cases: Flamer v. White Plains, 841 F. Supp. 1365 (S.D.N.Y. 1993), Ford v. McGinnis, 352 F.3d 382 (2d Cir. 2003), and Campos v. Coughlin, 854 F. Supp. 194 (S.D.N.Y. 1994).

5a. "Sotomayor's Notable Court Opinions and Articles," The New York Times, May 26, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51454&id=16226-3820792-wx2vdwx&t=3

5b. Cases: Bartlett v. N.Y. State Board, 970 F. Supp. 1094 (S.D.N.Y. 1997), Greenbaum v. Svenska Hendelsbanken, 67 F.Supp.2d 228 (S.D.N.Y. 1999), Raniola v. Bratton, 243 F.3d 610 (2d Cir. 2001), and Gant v. Wallingford Board of Education, 195 F.3d 134 (2d Cir. 1999).

6. "Sonia Sotomayor: 10 Things You Should Know," The Huffington Post, May 26, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51452&id=16226-3820792-wx2vdwx&t=4

7. "How Sotomayor 'Saved' Baseball," Time, May 26, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51455&id=16226-3820792-wx2vdwx&t=5

8. "Sotomayor's resume, record on notable cases," CNN, May 26, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51453&id=16226-3820792-wx2vdwx&t=6

9. "Sotomayor's resume, record on notable cases," CNN, May 26, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51453&id=16226-3820792-wx2vdwx&t=7

10a. Judge Richard C. Wesley, a George W. Bush appointee to the Second Circuit.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51451&id=16226-3820792-wx2vdwx&t=8

10b. "Sotomayor is Highly Qualified," The Wall Street Journal, May 9, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51456&id=16226-3820792-wx2vdwx&t=9

10c. Honorary Degree Citation, Pace University School of Law, 2003 Commencement.