Archive for December, 2009

Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

Its hard to know what to say to wrap up an entire year (and decade) in a few words, so I’ll leave it to the pros. Check out Rants and Reasons for an excellent reflection on 2009: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly:

The world is a saner and safer place today than it was a year ago. We should be thankful for that while mindful of the real misery wrought by decades of conservative ideology.

Happy New Year everyone. Lets kick ass in 2010!

GOP Does Not Take National Security Seriously

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

Anyone still holding onto the delusion that the Republican Party is genuinely concerned about national security need only look to the recent antics of Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) to know the ugly truth.

DeMint is blocking the confirmation of a Transportation Security Administration Administrator because of a question about nominee Errol Southers’ position on collective-bargaining.

Let’s reflect. On Christmas Day, a flight bound for Detroit, Michigan was almost blown up with explosive chemicals and 300 lives were nearly lost. Our President is behaving respectfully and appropriately, admitting that it was a “systemic failure” and taking steps to assess and then fix the problem.

Republicans like DeMint, on the other hand, are using it as an opportunity to gain political ground by criticizing the President for his word choices and forcing the country to go without a director of the TSA – the agency responsible for flight safety and security.

Americans who are serious about the safety of this country support the ethical and efficient operation of the agencies designed to protect us and the leadership of a President who will take the situation – and our lives – seriously.

Denouncing Charlie Sheen

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

On Christmas Day, Charlie Sheen was arrested in Aspen, Colorado for spousal abuse that may have involved a weapon.

If true, his conduct is horrible, disgusting and inexcusable in itself, and is also incredibly dangerous. As a celebrity, Sheen serves as a role model and thus runs the risk of teaching other boys and men that its okay to beat their partners.

But, in the airport today, I heard something that challenged this in a small but powerful way. Two burly menmystrength_poster_11_let were sitting behind me reading the paper and one said “Charlie Sheen is a wife-beater – fucking asshole.” And the other responded, “Yeh, I would never hit any woman I’m with.”

We need more men denouncing domestic assaulters and professing themselves committed to ending sexual and domestic violence. Props to all men who know that strength is not for hurting.