It may seem a bit presumptuous of me, sitting high and dry in Texas, to be pontificating on this subject. However, I learned a thing or two (or three) working on relief efforts after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In September 2005 I wrote a diary about some of those things – Katrina Taught Me How To Give .  

That was before Rita arrived. She provided even more learning opportunities.  So jump over if you want some useful information about how to help our neighbors in the mid-West (or in many other natural disasters).

I just got another chain e-mail from the relatives. Seems the Government has banned a recitation used during the flag folding ceremony at military funerals, due to religious content. True enough - the outrage is all overthe web! (Malkin, Powerline, Townhall, etc.)

In fact, the American Family Association sent out a call to action alert over it.

It is time for Christians to say enough is enough

October 26, 2007

In the latest attack on Christianity, the U.S. government has banned the flag-folding recitations at all 125 national cemeteries. The banning came as the result of one complaint! The situation is similar to that in which one person removed prayer from schools.

http://www.afa.net/...

Why is this a howling funny, and not just ho-hum business as usual? As Dear Abby says, Read On.

Any given day the letters to the editor stand a chance of raising my ire, hackles, and or blood pressure. Sunday is almost guaranteed since such a large number are printed that day. One letter today really did the job, and not only because of what he said, but who he was.

Here's a portion of the letter printed.

Despite weeks of outreach from the Bush administration, Democratic leaders in Congress chose to move forward ....Democratic leadership proposals more than double current spending ... Do we really want taxpayers to pay for government insurance for children

Jump on down to see the entire letter, who wrote it, and my response.

Well, he might as well be.
As I write this there are a couple of diaries on the rec list about the great BillO' feud. (There's also one that I think is at least the third I've seen today on the Prescott Bush "Business Plot" to overthrow the government, but that's another story). There are a couple more BillO' specials bubbling up on the recent list.
Meanwhile, a diary of glowing hope for the future of this country has dropped off the bottom of the heap.

Most here will remember the so called Pottery Barn rule made famous by Colin Powell.  This concept has been a troubling one for me relative to the debates about 'what next in Iraq'. We did barge into their country and make a mess. We do owe them some consideration beyond withdrawing and leaving them to "stew in their own juice". However, I can't see that leaving our troops there to kill and be killed is the answer. Especially as every day we are doing even more damage to the country and people of Iraq.

Finally, today, I heard an approach to this conundrum that makes sense; and it was proposed by people who know their stuff. Come along and see this Nobel Peace Prize winning plan!

"I posted on Yahoo! under a pseudonym because I had fun doing it. Many people post on bulletin boards using pseudonyms." He said that "I never intended any of those postings to be identified with me."
"The views articulated by rahodeb sometimes represent what I actually believed and sometimes they didn't. Sometimes I simply played 'devil's advocate' for the sheer fun of arguing. Anyone who knows me realizes that I frequently do this in person, too."

Me too. Hate to break it to you, but Catte isn't my real, true, legal name. And sometimes I post edgy opinions. And I have fun.

Like many of you I get regular e-mails from my right wing kin. In fact, I will be sharing some dandies in a future diary. However, it is obvious that the e-mail I received today requires serious attention from our side.

It is a parody of the Democratic Convention schedule. There are similar such things available about the Republicans, but the one's I'm finding are out of date as to many names, and some issues.

With all the wit, wisdom and talent around here we can surely do better. We must do better - our honor is at stake!

Come on Kossacks - show your stuff!

THIS THREAD IS NOW CLOSED. UNRECOMMEND AND GO TO PART 6
HERE

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We know that Paul Wolfowitz's girl-friend is still being paid by the World Bank, but she no longer works there. So what does she do? Is she working on global warming, or alternative energy? It sure looks like it - at least until you dig a bit deeper. Here is the thread I pulled on to find out about Ms. Riza's exciting new job.

I am a regular recipient of e-mails on many topics from several (mostly) Republican, Libertarian, and generally right wingish relations. I often have to take a deep breath and count 10 before I even open them. Often, I have already clicked snopes.com and other sources ready for debunking responses. No debunking needed today.

Today's missive is a copy of a communication from the Senior Chaplain at Walter Reed. He's definitely feeling that the good news of staff care, and the things that are going right at Walter Reed are being neglected in all the coverage of what is going wrong. He also has some blistering things to say about some of the individuals involved. But it's his story, so I'll just let him tell it.

I have highlighted points that struck me. Your reactions may vary.

All the worst possible things to do.

Apparently it's "Breaking"
It's also "hit and run"
A few clips from a story, no time for analysis.
My only excuse, the Open Thread is pretty old.

(And all I was doing was trying to relocate a "cute story" about the Carter's anniversary.)

To the meat of the matter - is DeLay really considering a come back?

I left a meeting today and a colleague said "See you next week. We are leaving tonight to go to [daughter's] graduation"
Thawing the halibut filet and rinsing dishes at home, my phone rang and a neighbor said "Can you grab our newspaper and mail Saturday - we are leaving tomorrow to go to our nephew's graduation"
Some did it last week, some are doing it this week, some will do it next week (or the week after)- in bunches, like grapes, there are graduations going on.
Who are these people?

In all of the debates about immigration most everybody on this site has recognized that at some point we, or our ancestors, were immigrants too. However, there has also been a clear line drawn by many that there is a difference between legal and illegal immigration.
Well, I'm here - American as all get out.
Social security card, driver's license, passport, even a regularly used voter's registration card.
How did this come to be? It was really fairly easy.

Let me tell you my story.

I spent way too much time hanging out here the last week or so and I got confused - who are the good guys and who are the bad guys?
Early on I figured that some good guys were Kerry, Kossacks, even Oprah; and some bad guys were Bush, Alito, James Frey.
On the other hand, maybe Oprah is a bad guy and James Frey is a good guy?
Bush is clearly a bad guy - isn't he?
But a large number of Kossacks agree with Bush. Does that make Bush a good guy, or are many Kossacks bad guys?

Well, I finally teased out a common thread having to do with truth, honesty, ends and means - ethics in general. Seems a lot of us and them are in the same boat.

Welcome abooooard, and report for the life boat drill.

After nearly three weeks of exhausting non-stop effort with a Texas based non-profit I know a lot now that I didn't know before. Like many, I've learned some things about personal preparedness for potential disasters, and about the folly of relying on "government" to save us in the event of a catastrophe. What I've really learned, though, is how to "give" - and how not to give. How to give in a way that is useful and helpful to those in need. How to give in a way that is purposeful.  How to recognize when the giving serves only to make the giver feel good, often at the expense of doing actual and practical good. Some of these things I knew intellectually, but now I know bone deep. Some things I didn't really know at all, until I was in the middle of it all.  I invite you to learn what I learned, without the hours of sweat and tears and frustration and exhaustion. Come along....

On Monday a call went out from Paul Hackett and his campaign to e-mail everyone we knew, asking them to e-mail everyone they knew - in hopes that this viral marketing approach would find its way into enough Ohio voters in-boxes to GOTV. The comments went long and loud. Is this spam? Are we doing more harm than good? Is this really Paul, or is it a troll trying to get us to do something stupid? Now, on the "rec" list there is a diary about  it

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/8/3/192454/7949

That diary focuses on the issue of the  "annoyance" potential of e-mails vs door knocking vs phone calling, etc.  My diary is a parable focused on a slightly different angle - some of the viewpoints represented in the debate and the "back and forth" that followed. A bit  "meta", but parables can help expand understanding so come with me to expand your understanding:

Who's afraid of being a Democrat or expressing liberal views in this land of the brave? In this country of ours that holds up free speech to be a primary and essential right?

I was fascinated by this diary yesterday outlining two "person on the street" interviews in Dallas, Texas.  Both interviewees had some disagreement with the current administration and the direction of our country and both kept those opinions quiet in their work and social lives. They were afraid.

They were not alone, as you will learn below.

Last week (April 25 to be exact) Armando had a diary on How Journalists Refer to the "Nuclear Option" It struck a chord with me because I had been hearing this attributed to Democrats, which suggested that we, not the Republicans, were ready to "blow the place up".  I'd heard it most on NPR, because that is what I listen to during my commute. So I sent an e-mail to NPR. I posted a copy in the thread: here, if you are interested

I didn't hear anything back, but didn't really expect to.  However, now I've learned that my message probably went in the circular file - thanks to some blogger, who will not be specifically identified below.