Throw a Shoe For Peace!
Posted: 20 January 2009 Filed under: News, Society, War | Tags: Humor, President Bush, Protests Leave a comment »A 25-foot-tall inflatable President Bush figure in a “Mission Accomplished” flight suit. People were chucking shoes at it.
The shoe hurling, sponsored by several anti-Bush, pro-peace groups, was inspired by Iraqi journalist Muntather Zaidi, who threw his shoes at Bush last month during a Baghdad news conference.
The shoes bounced off the midsection of the giant Bush, forcing a local television cameraman to duck as they sailed past his head.
On the stage nearby — behind a neat line of boots, loafers and sneakers — Gael Murphy, co-founder of the antiwar group Code Pink, called Zaidi courageous and thanked “everyone who has stood up and spoken truth to power in their own way.”
“Hold onto your shoes,” Murphy said to the crowd of about 100 protesters. “The struggle is not over.”
The shoe hurlers planned to march later to the White House, where a few were going to toss their ammunition over the fence.
This year’s protests are expected to be notably mild compared, for example, with 1973′s raucous anti-Vietnam War demonstrations aimed at President Nixon or the angry shouts of “Hail to the thief!” in 2001 after George W. Bush’s disputed victory over Al Gore. A handful of anti-Obama protests — most centered around the abortion issue — were planned for Inauguration Day.
Random Thoughts ’09–#2
Posted: 20 January 2009 Filed under: News, Observations | Tags: Random Thoughts 2 Comments »This is a continuation of the notes that I take and that do not make it into a post, but I would like to hear what others think of the subjects.
1–why are Americans not more pissed about the direction and the ineffectiveness of the bailout?
2–Drew Peterson, you know the ex-cop whose second wife was killed and his present wife is missing, has moved his new girlfriend and 2 kids into his house. (What is this girl thinking?)
3–US spends $52 million a year on nukes.
4–Miami is the newest “fattest” city in the US–they must be hiding them on CSI: Miami.
5–foreclosures in the US were up by 81% in 2008.
6–is it me or is there more ads for ambulance chasing lawyers with the sagging economy? A promise of winning the lawsuit lotto.
7–22 year old grad student is auctioning off her virginity. Will be done in Nevada so she cannot be nailed for prostitution.
8–there will be over 700 inaugural balls on 20 Jan 09.
May I Present, Pres. Obama
Posted: 20 January 2009 Filed under: News, Society | Tags: Entertainment, Inauguration, President Obama 2 Comments »In case anyone is still not sure what is happening today, let me enlighten you.
TUESDAY, JAN. 20 (INAUGURATION DAY)
Gates to the Inaugural Ceremony open at 8 a.m. The inaugural festivities are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. They will include:
_ Musical selections of The United States Marine Band, followed by the San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus.
_ Sen. Dianne Feinstein provides call to order and welcoming remarks.
_ Invocation by the Rev. Rick Warren.
_ Musical selection of Aretha Franklin.
_ Biden will be sworn into office by Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.
_ Musical selection of John Williams, composer/arranger with Itzhak Perlman, (violin), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Gabriela Montero (piano) and Anthony McGill (clarinet).
_ Obama will take the Oath of Office, using President Lincoln’s Inaugural Bible, administered by Chief Justice John Roberts. Scheduled around noon.
_ Obama gives the inaugural address.
_ Poem by Elizabeth Alexander.
_ Benediction by Rev. Joseph E. Lowery.
_ The National Anthem by The United States Navy Band “Sea Chanters.”
After Obama gives inaugural address, he will escort outgoing President George W. Bush to a departure ceremony before attending a luncheon in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall.
The 56th Inaugural Parade will then make its way down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House.
Later that day, the Presidential Inaugural Committee will host 10 official inaugural balls:
_ Neighborhood Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center.
_ Obama Home States (Illinois and Hawaii) Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center.
_ Biden Home States (Pennsylvania and Delaware) Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center.
_ Midwest Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center.
_ Mid-Atlantic Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center.
_ Western Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center.
_ Commander in Chief’s Ball at the National Building Museum.
_ Southern Inaugural Ball at the National Guard Armory.
_ Eastern Inaugural Ball at Union Station.
_ Youth Inaugural Ball at the Washington Hilton.
Unofficial balls include:
_ Congressional Black Caucus Inaugural Ball at the Capitol Hilton.
_ Creative Coalition Inaugural Ball at the Harman Center for the Arts.
_ Recording Industry Association of America’s ball for Feeding America.
_ BET’s Inaugural Ball at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
_ Africa on the Potomac inaugural celebration at Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va.
_ American Music Inaugural Ball at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.
_ Inaugural Purple Ball at the Fairmont Hotel.
_ Human Rights Campaign’s Equality Ball at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel.
_ Inaugural Peace Ball at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.
_ Impact Film Fund ball.
A Pardon For Stevens?
Posted: 20 January 2009 Filed under: Government, News, Politics, Society | Tags: Corruption, Crime & Punishment, President Bush, US Senate Leave a comment »Always a day late and a dollar short (God I hate to use cliches)
It seems that if you are in the government in one way or another, you are not responsible for your actions. Why do I say that? Take a look at recent occurrences. Libby comes to mind. And now they are pushing this:
CBS News has confirmed that Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has asked President Bush to pardon Ted Stevens, the former Alaska senator from charged with several felony counts by a federal jury in 2008.
A spokesperson from the White House could not be immediately reached for comment.
Before losing his seat in the last election, Stevens had served as a senator from Alaska since 1968. Last October, he was found guilty on seven counts of failing to reports gifts. After trying to contest his seat following a slim loss to Democrat Mark Begich, Stevens conceded the race in mid-November.
I say screw him…let him face the music and take responsibility…something Repubs have been yelling for others to do for decades.
Truce Comes To Gaza–Day 3
Posted: 20 January 2009 Filed under: International Situations, News | Tags: Ceasefire, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Middle East, Palestinians Leave a comment »A tenuous ceasefire held Monday in Gaza, where Palestinians dug out from the rubble and Hamas put on a show of defiance vowing to fight on after the Jewish state’s deadliest war on the territory.
No air strikes, rockets or fighting was reported by either side for the first time since Israel’s massive assault was launched on December 27.
The guns had fallen silent around Gaza after Israel announced a unilateral ceasefire from Sunday, and Hamas and other militant groups called a week-long truce of their own.
On the ground, the lull saw early efforts at a return to some sort of daily life amid the desolation, AFP reporters said.
Some stores raised their metal shutters and banks opened doors. Hamas police reappeared on the streets and directed traffic.
Now the war of words starts…all over again.
Arab divisions over the Gaza crisis have re-emerged at a summit in Kuwait.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Hamas had invited the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip by refusing to extend a truce that expired in December.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Arab leaders should adopt a resolution declaring Israel a terrorist entity, and support Palestinian resistance.
They included the Qatari and Syrian leaders, among the sternest Arab critics of Israel’s military campaign, and Egypt and Jordan, who have long-standing alliances with Israel.
Arab nations accused Israel on Monday of blasting Gaza with ammunition containing depleted uranium and urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to investigate reports that traces of it had been found in victims of the shelling.
In a letter on behalf of Arab ambassadors accredited in Austria, Prince Mansour Al-Saoud, the Saudi Ambassador, expressed “our deep concern regarding the information … that traces of depleted uranium have been found in Palestinian victims.”
A final draft of the letter was made available to The Associated Press on Monday. It urgently requested IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei to “carry out a radiological and physical assessment in order to verify the presence of depleted uranium in the weaponry used by Israel … in the Gaza Strip.”
On another front.
The Saudi king says his country will donate $1 billion to help rebuild the Gaza Strip after Israel‘s devastating three-week offensive in the Palestinian territory.
King Abdullah criticizes Israel for using excessive force in Gaza and says “one drop of Palestinian blood” is more valuable than all the money in the world.
The king spoke Monday in Kuwait City at a summit focused on boosting economic growth and development in the Arab world.
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