Is there a Garment Factory in Your Future?

I haven't gone off the deep end YET, at least I don't think I have. But one of my friends who is now buying bunker rations was "kind enough" to forward this little snippet of unsubstantiated crap to me this morning!

Now supposedly, in the afterglow of said U.S. action, several states are reasserting their sovereignty. I am Googling (why is my spellchecker underlining that word?) China, eminent domain, state sovereignty and Snopes.

Hopefully this information will be debunked quickly. I don't like having to think about this kind of crap before I've even finished my first cup of coffee.

~ I'm just sayin'.

Get Over It

"For once in their "d*** lives, they should put away their partisanship and make some decisions for the good of the country."

This is taken from an email I received from a friend this morning. I thought about his frustration, and remarks made by the President accusing the Republicans of perceived obstructionism levied against the Stimulus package passed earlier this month with the help of 3 crossover Republican votes in the Senate.

My friend is a Republican with a capital "R". I suspect what he meant was, why can't the Democrats yield to the Republicans for the good of the country?

Would that be the good of the country as interpreted by Republicans? Or by Democrats? Because therein lies the very heart of the partisanship. We don’t have the same interpretation of what is for the good of the country. A solution from liberals is quite different from that of conservatives. That’s why we have more than one party. And yet we all whine about partisan bickering. Our representatives standing up for the principals they were elected to represent! Get a grip – that’s our system. Most of the time it works well. (I guess to each of us, that would be when your party is in power!).

~ I'm just sayin'.

Show Me the Money

What would you do if you had been laid off by Microsoft recently, which is bad enough - only to receive this letter in the mail box instructing you to return a portion of your severance:



The mistake was solely Microsoft's error (I guess they didn't use Excel when figuring the math). Somehow I would find it difficult to locate a warm spot in my heart as I followed their instructions to remit the overpayment. I'm pretty sure there are quite a few people who just "don't know where that money is".

Seems like a low blow, but in trying to be fair I have to say after this became public Microsoft decided to rescind their "request". I'm not sure this removes the insult that was added to injury.

~ I'm just sayin'.

A Nation of Cowards

Eric Holder accused us of being a nation of cowards, and we didn't like it. We had barely finished patting each other on the back for electing the first African-American President. And, of course, the accusation came from the first African-American Attorney General of the United States.

Has Holder lost his mind? Maybe not.

The fact that I didn't understand his statement substantiates it. Whites are not engaged with African-Americans in the dialog of race relations or bias. It is too easy to simply say I judge a man on his actions, not the color of his skin. I think I understand that Mr. Holder is saying this conversation is not finished.

If you are interested here is a test you can take. Try the Race IAT. People don't always speak their minds.
http://tinyurl.com/nn8ey
You will complete three tasks: two brief questionnaires and an IAT in which you will sort words and pictures into categories as quickly as possible. You should be able to complete the tasks in less than 10 minutes total. When you finish, you will receive your results as well as more information about the test and the performance of others.

Chu jumps in...

http://tinyurl.com/cfynk5

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OK, I can accept that Mr. Chu is not yet prepared to convey the administration's position to OPEC. What I cannot understand is that Mr. Chu does not understand that a cabinet member IS the administration. Was President Obama so deliberate in his nominations, then so careless in the preparation of his nominees? It seems there is a disconnect between the President and his cabinet members at this point. After Obama's prefacing of the Geithner bailout plan as "terrific" the world quickly learned that Geithner had no plan - yet. Did Geithner forget to tell Obama?

But then Obama rolled out the mortgage bail out using TARP funds. That sounded a lot like something the Secretary of the Treasury might have done? Hmmmm. But then maybe Geithner's not "the Administration" either.

~ I'm just sayin'.

So much to say ~ so little space

A year ago we were fully immersed in a Presidential election, right? Most of us took our stand - not that difficult - behind a Presidential candidate/nominee. I know there had to be much else going on about us, but somehow the memory of it has faded. Will the memory of these days fade so easily? Are there really any slow news days anymore?

For accomplished bloggers it is probably great to have so many topics to choose from. But for the novice that I am, it is a bit overwhelming, because in considering the choices, one can't help but realize the fact that we are hardly standing on terra firma with regard to the sheer magnitude of issues facing us as a world or as a nation.

I have decided to commit to at least one post a day. It may not be the biggest news of the day, but it will be the news that moves me to open up this page and type. I may even wish for a slow news day so I can whine a bit on my own behalf. Hey - I'm good at it!

But as I launch this page we are faced with many issues worthy of discussion. As easy as it may have been to choose your Presidential candidate, let it not be so easy to determine your stance on the news of the day. There is always more than one perspective from which to consider any issue. Listen, read, consider, reconsider and then let your position be a flexible one. I have never understood why it is a virtue to be so loyal to a position that we would disregard any expression of dissent. Open forums are to educate ~ not merely affirm.

Seek to inform and be informed. Perhaps we can, as a result, become more knowledgeable on the issues that matter today.

~ I'm just sayin'.