These are meanderings of my mind today... musings on life as we think we know it.

We all die.  There is no escaping that fact – we are dying from the minute we take our first breath.  The real question is how many of us live.  When we are young, the impermanence of our lives does not exist: the speeding cars, the wild chances we take knowing that we are invulnerable to the old person's disease called death.  But, with each sudden reminder – the death of a schoolmate or a child we know – we realize that not only do they old leave this mortal coil, but we, too, are at risk of ceasing to "be".

For some, that shock becomes a fear so great that life is wrapped around that concept as surely as the car and the tree that brought the awareness to our young being.  For others, illness slowly creeps in to remind the psyche of the temporal nature of life. For some, the news of a closing consumes the joy of the middle – and the balance of that life is spent in mourning instead of celebration – in bitterness for what will never be instead of filling that remaining space with richness of what is.

But, why this diary?  Follow along with me, won't you?

couldn't help but catch all the "brouha" (haa!) about katie's trip to the war zone (a la legitimizing her "status" to cronkite and rather's war years).

much ado about noting her reports from outside the green zone - how she is being shuttled to the market to see people shopping - and now, we hear she is visiting anbar, where by chance, yet another american, georgie boy, is spending his holiday in beautiful anbar!

today, the fed took the unnerving step of step of pumping money into the market - three times.  the first influx of cash was done in an $19b one hour earlier than it's regular time.  then, the fed issued a statement - something not done since 9/11.

For immediate release

The Federal Reserve is providing liquidity to facilitate the orderly functioning of financial markets.

The Federal Reserve will provide reserves as necessary through open market operations to promote trading in the federal funds market at rates close to the Federal Open Market Committee's target rate of 5-1/4 percent. In current circumstances, depository institutions may experience unusual funding needs because of dislocations in money and credit markets. As always, the discount window is available as a source of funding.

it gets worse... click if you have a strong stomach (and bank account)...

whoo HOOO!!! he DID it!

barry hit 756 just minutes ago!  he now is the top all time home run hitter and the crowd is going wild!

go BARRY!  

this is a quick diary to hopefully keep you from making my major mistake last week.

i opened an "ecard" from a "classmate" and loaded the nasty little trojan that is going round since july creating a massive botnet.  this little bugger is wreaking havoc with net activity by inserting into registries the backdoor to making your computer a spam server.

google has pages of info on this little nasty here describing how this particular bug has evaded over 30% of the virus protection programs.

check below for more info...

sunday nite i started feeling the warning signs of a summer cold.

couldn't find my zinc lozenges in time to stave it off, so the last few days have been spent in utter misery.

after finding out i had four tabs of drixoral left, i kept the massively rebelling sinuses at bay until this afternoon when the deluge started.

so, off i went at 7:30 pm to find more drixoral.

simple, right?  and what has this to do with politics?  well, join me after the fold and i'll explain (between bouts of rage and fury!)

well, i'm BAAAAACCCCCK!

took a well spent break from this place - needed time to separate from the bickering and polarizing and bashing - and it did a body good, let me TELL ya!  yall should try it when you start feeling vexed!

the good news is that i've got a new focus, a new perspective and a much better temper!  [let me tell ya, that LAST one is more important to me than to you all!]

so, what are the new revelations?  well, come with me below the fold and i'll share!

this holiday i am saddened by the loss of one of the brightest american opera singers america has ever known.

she was more than just a singer - she was an inspiration to all who love music.

beverly sills died of lung cancer on monday - her voice now left to those wonderful recordings for us to enjoy.

i had the great privilege of working on an opera where she was more than just the star - she was the inspiration!

this site has become somewhat obsessed with impeachment these days, so, let's look at the issue. REALLY look at the issue! okay?

let's start at the beginning: here's the definitive primer on impeachment - have at it!

QUESTION: who, legally, can be impeached?

ANSWER:

The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

   --U.S. Constitution, Article 2, Section 4

This includes the president, the vice president AND members of the  
judiciary (including supreme court justices)

let's not stop here... for an accurate definition of the process please join me beneath the fold!

UPDATE:  the lowey amendment to provide contraception passed - barely.
the smith amendment denying contraception failed - barely.
bush has threatened to veto the bill and the republicans have sufficient votes to sustain the veto.  what are YOU going to do about it?

at this very moment, the house is debating the smith stupack amendment to the foreign operations pending bill for family planning that would prohibit ANY u.s. aid to be given to a nation that would provide abortion services.

the bill currently before the house is foreign aid spending that would allow organizations to promote methods OTHER than abstinence for the prevention of aids yet the republicans are actively threatening to keep the bill from passing unless a specific amendment prohibiting aid for family planning prohibits ANY monies being used for abortion or any monies for OTHER services be offered that would allow money to be diverted and be used for abortion.

this is obscene. this is beyond outrageous!

for a bit of light hearted fun, go to fox news and watch brit hume slur his way through the news in the best style of grimmo of old!

it is hysterical seeing him try to mangle the words through his slushy tongue... his head is bobblying and his eyes have deep circles.

oops!  too much reality for this old school anchor to handle any more?

maybe the end IS near for the faux fox and their little bent on truth!

there is and has been much ballyhoo around here about the current state of the iraq funding bill.  ALL of the statements made have been inflamatory, speculative AND incorrect.

we do NOT serve our community by these distortions and inaccurate depictions of the delicate negotiations occurring right now in congress.

c-span has spoken to members of the democratic party to ask what is happening with this bill - and the explanation makes damned good sense!  the democrats are NOT caving - they are working to ensure the quickest withdrawal possible WITH republican support!

come below and i will explain it to you as cspan explained it earlier.  then weep for the time and energy and respect that has been lost in these past few days.

i watch the inauguration of the new french president.   and, yes, i just changed the title because people may not understand why i am writing this.  please don't misunderstand.  the excitement and joy portrayed at the inauguration of sarkozy is not the reason for my sadness, indeed, the spectacle and pomp surrounding the new leader of france is, indeed, encouraging that one leader can follow another in a peaceful transition following a hard fought election cycle.

no, what makes me sad beyond any description, is the view of this new president riding in an open vehicle, proudly waving to those waiting to greet him on his new journey.

what breaks my heart is the recollection with angry satisfaction at seeing our own current "head" of state being pelted with snowballs during his mad dash to the safety of an enclosed ceremony - with angry americans being locked away from his narrow view of america.

it was so small, it fit into the palm of his hand - from fingertips to wrist - sleeping.

yep, that was my introduction to sam - samson, cuz who knew WHAT he could do if his hair ever grew! sam, the chihuahua, became an integral part of my family's life.  confident, secure in his greatness, he would frequently chase german shepherds from our yard - never realized the reason they ran away was due to my father being on the other end of the leash... but we let him believe in his own courage. all 11 pounds of it.

sam talked.  not barked.  talked.  he was singing for a handout one day when a member of the family walked by and said, if you're going to make him talk, then make him SAY something... and something he did.

i am using my daily allotment to promote a diary that brings fact to a much heated discussion of the last three days.

Now, that DemHillStaffer offers us specifics on the trade agreement, his diary gets only minimal response and no response from those so quick to judge?

well, i hope that the diary slipped away just because of timing, not due to the lack of interest in the truth. the diaries misrepresenting this issue garnered well over 1,000 posts, mostly decrying the betrayal of the democrats.

now, however, when the REAL facts emerge, where are those detractors?  where is the interest?

many years ago in long island, a local horseman decided to give something back to his community in the form of a real country fair.

in that same community, an animal rights activist called everyone in a highly agitated state begging for people to help stop "animal abuse" urging all to call the local board of supervisors to stop this same fair because it would feature mule-diving!  i received one of those calls and immediately registered my concerns with the board of supervisors, but after i hung up the phone, reality hit!

just what the HECK is MULE-DIVING!  

there was a "mistake" mde and the republicans screwed up and voted against something they wanted - or maybe the other way around.

there is a whole lot of shouting (a la, british parliament close to the throwing chairs in hong kong?)

the vote is on the homeland security bill - the question is on the adoption of an amendment that the republicans wanted but voted against thinking they were voting AGAINST the bill...

how did it happen?  go below (and be sure to watch the reruns on cspan).

today, one of my adopteds in the air force called me.  he "recertified" in weapons training after slipping through the paperwork for several years.  the air force recerts every 2 years - he made it to five before being sent out to spend the day doing weapons handling.

i jokingly asked if he was being deployed - for the moment he is safe because of his field.  he DID tell me something that is extremely worrisome - and should have everyone who knows military folk deeply concerned.

come with me to see where we are headed - and why you should talk your kids out of joining the air force and the navy!