So, last night, as we were lying in bed, I was going over my to do list for Saturday (as I fly out very early Sunday to go to Denver for work).
N: … and I have to vacuum the fish tank
A: (giggling) Do you use an upright or canister?
N: (puzzled) An aquarium vacuum…
A: (laughing) You have had fish too long that you dont see how silly that sounded
N: (laughing) Would a wet vac be better?
This is a call to action.
US Rep Charles Taylor is the Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Environment. This is the subcommittee which handles funding for the national parks.
In his role, Taylor has repeatedly blocked the federal government from allocating its share of the funds for the Flight 93 memorial in western PA. This effects not only the families of those who died as well as those who own the land the memorial is to sit on.
The good news is that the producers of “United 93″ have pledged 10 percent of the box-office receipts from the opening weekend to the memorial project.
My call is two fold and simple. First, go see Flight 93 this weekend. Second, write Rep Taylor and urge him to allow funding for the memorial.
For more details, read the news paper report.
Today is Yom Hashoah – Holocaust Rememberence Day, when we commemorate the victims of the holocaust.
With every act of barbarism there are acts of extreme courage and heroism. Or, as Yad Vashem refers to them, the Righteous Amoung the Nations. Among the most famous is Oscar Schindler.
I wish I could feel that something has been learned from the horrors of the holocaust… but looking at the news tells me that is a false hope. The list on Genocide Watch is too long to think that we have learned stop genocide.
We don’t even act to force those who committed genocide to admit it – Turkey is on the verge on entering the EU while they not only deny the Armenian genocide but it is against Turkish law to speak of it. Even though Hitler, when planning the ‘Final Solution’ in 1939 stated “Who today remembers the Armenian genocide?”
The sad thing is what allows such things to occur. It is the silence of the bystander…
First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.
– Pastor Martin Niemöller
I wonder… if this was to happen here and now, who among us would be a victim; who one of the nations of the righteous; and who a bystander?
Think carefully upon your answer to that question…
Someone the other day posted about Jennifer Government: Nation States
Well, I have started playing and its kind of addictive. Doesn’t take much time but does make you think.
If you are interested in creating a country, I have created an Atlantia region. Come, join me.
Interesting…
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You scored as Old School Democrat. Old school Democrats emphasize economic justice and opportunity. The Democratic ideal is best summarized by the Four Freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.
What's Your Political Philosophy? |
I have to agree with the four tenants but I dont think the quiz is very accurate…
(1) your own cell phone
( ) a television in your bedroom
(2) an MP3 player
( ) a photo printer
( ) your own phone line
( ) TiVo or a generic digital video recorder
(3) high-speed internet access (i.e., not dialup)
( ) a surround sound system in bedroom
( ) DVD player in bedroom
(4) at least a hundred DVDs
(5) a childfree bathroom *No children so…
( ) your own in-house office
( ) a pool
( ) a guest house
( ) a game room
( ) a queen-size bed or larger
(6) a stocked bar
(7) a working dishwasher
(8) an icemaker
(9) a working washer and dryer
( ) more than 20 pairs of shoes
( ) at least ten things from a designer store
( ) expensive sunglasses
(10) framed original art (not lithographs or prints) *Made by my mom and SCAdians…
( ) Egyptian cotton sheets or towels
( ) a multi-speed bike
(11) a gym membership
(12) large exercise equipment at home
( ) your own set of golf clubs
( ) a pool table
( ) a tennis court
( ) local access to a lake, large pond, or the sea
( ) your own pair of skis
(13) enough camping gear for a weekend trip in an isolated area
( ) a boat
( ) a jet ski
( ) a neighborhood committee membership
( ) a beach house or a vacation house/cabin
( ) wealthy family members
( ) two or more family cars
( ) a walk-in closet or pantry
(14) a yard
( ) a hammock
( ) a personal trainer
(15) good credit
( ) expensive jewelry
( ) a designer bag that required being on a waiting list to get
( ) at least $100 cash in your possession right now
(16) more than two credit cards bearing your name (not counting gas cards or debit cards)
(17) a stock portfolio
(18) a passport
( ) a horse
( ) a trust fund (either for you or created by you)
(19) private medical insurance *Provided through work
(20) a college degree, and no outstanding student loans
Do you:
( ) shop for non-needed items for yourself (like clothes, jewelry, electronics) at least once a week.
( ) do your regular grocery shopping at high-end or specialty stores
( ) pay someone else to clean your house, do dishes, or launder your clothes (not counting dry-cleaning)
(21) go on weekend mini-vacations
( ) send dinners back with every flaw
(22) wear perfume or cologne (not body spray)
( ) regularly get your hair styled or nails done in a salon
( ) have a job but don’t need the money OR
( ) stay at home with little financial sacrifice
( ) pay someone else to cook your meals
( ) pay someone else to watch your children or walk your dogs
( ) regularly pay someone else to drive you taxis
( ) expect a gift after you fight with your partner
Are you:
( ) an only child
( ) married/partnered to a wealthy person
( ) baffled/surprised when you don’t get your way
Have you:
( ) been on a cruise
(23) traveled out of the country
(24) met a celebrity
(24) been to the Caribbean
(25) been to Europe
( ) been to Hawaii
(26) been to New York *Grew up there…
( ) eaten at the space needle in Seattle
( ) been to the Mall of America
(27) been on the Eiffel tower in Paris
(28) been on the Statue of Liberty in New York
( ) moved more than three times because you wanted to
( ) dined with local political figures
(29) been to both the Atlantic coast and the Pacific coast
Did you:
( ) go to another country for your honeymoon
( ) hire a professional photographer for your wedding or party
(30) take riding or swimming lessons as a child
( ) attend private school
( ) have a Sweet 16 birthday party thrown for you
