Hello!

Welcome, Essex, Vermont - Williston Park, New York - Perth, Scotland - and Charlottesville, Virginia!

A troubling sign

President Barack Obama has, on the large scheme of things, been a decent President. There has been, however, a glaring exception to the rule. This will not go away easily. When Timothy McVeigh was arrested for his many, many crimes in Oklahoma City, he nevertheless was read his rights under the Constitution. He was tried, convicted, incarcerated, and ultimately executed - all the time knowing his rights. I personally oppose the death penalty, but if McVeigh could know his rights yet still wind up in the death chamber, I have to admit the US had a helluva good case.

Now what is the difference between Timothy McVeigh and other people arrested in other countries? I can think of three reasons:

1) They are of the "wrong" color.
2) They were born in the "wrong" country.
3) They belong to the "wrong" religion.

Please, President Obama, let these men and women be afforded their basic human rights. Our country is better when we do this.

Hello!

Welcome to Summerville and Bluffton, South Carolina, Kent, Washington(state) and Minneapolis, Minnesota!

Send some deserving trolls to ***JAIL***

If you live near one of the cites in the US, ***please*** pay special attention to those pictured. They were murdered. Why? The "crime" of wearing women's clothing. (or in the case of women, wearing men's clothing)That's it. That's their "crime". If you know anything about these murders, contact the local city or town police. Thanks for your help.

Name:Ashley Santiago Ocasio
Place of killing: Corozal, PR
Time or date of attack: mid-April
Age of victim: 31
Please contact Puerto Rico or San Juan police

Ashley Santiago Ocasio

Name: Myra Ical
Age of victim: 51
Time or date of attack: January 18
Place of attack: Houston, TX
Please contact Houston, Texas 713-308-3600

Hello!

Welcome, Somerville (Winter Hill), Massachusetts!

I'm one of those few who genuinely like most politicians. No, honest, really. They visit with every loon or nutcase that comes along, no matter how carefully she/he crafted the work. Add to that the hordes of lobbyists that come their way. No matter where on the spectrum they may fall, theirs is the Word of God.

This is not the case of "Senator" Tom Colapietro.

We are all aware

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MOM!!

An important site

I decided to take a few seconds to inform you of an important site, www.psyche.com or Psyche's Links, listed above. It's fantastic and VERY thorough.

Hello!

Thanks to Scottsdale, Arizona - Santa Monica, California - Huntington, New York!

Gettin' Round(check this for more info)

Hey folks-

Last night I was in here, tapping away on my computer, when I overheard a conversation between two people sitting behind me. I'll paraphrase:


"Yeah, he just loves trains. Last year he took a train from Hartford to DC, then back. That's how much he loves them."

I don't know the guy's name,but I certainly can commiserate with him. I just wish our legislators would feel half as energetic.

Along the shoreline, CT residents have it just fine. (Well,relatively speaking.) But move just a bit north, and it's Sahara in Connecticut. And in this state, we aren't exactly fighting back the sand dunes either.

I did a little checking, one the Hartford(Connecticut)-Boston route, the other the Paris-Nantes route. In case you're wondering, Paris-Nantes is about twice the distance of Hartford-Boston. Check that. Twice. Okay,you say. twice the distance, twice the number of hours to get there. Except, that's not true. At its fastest, French trains are twice as fast as American ones.

Next, I would like to discuss number of trips per day. For those who have spent their life in the US, they probably say, "Well, that's not bad. Morning, afternoon, and evening - that's really not so bad".

Well, let's compare that to the Paris-Nantes example. Paris sends out twenty-one trains per day. On the route back, Nantes sends out twenty-three trains per day. If you miss the train in Hartford, wait several hours. If you miss the train in Paris or Nantes, you never wait more than an hour.

Finally, price. Amtrak's is a bit confusing, one saying $100, the other having three tiers:$82.00, 77.00, or 57.00. Now, 57 dollars seems reasonable - until you realize the French are offering twice the distance at the rate of $62.00. (roughly, a New York City - Boston trip)
o
By the way, did I mention the hour and a half wait you have between trains when you get to New Haven?

Now, I'm not waving a "Let's beat Paris!" flag in people's faces. Nor am I saving my pennies for a Paris move. Much as I love the cite it's New England that I truly love. To the rest of the nation, all I can say is compare your train service to that of RailEurope. Then, if you're truly steamed - don't call Amtrak. Contact your Congressperson. Contact your Senators. Contact the President. Tell them we don't need roads any more, we need rails - immediately.

Thanks for listening. If you send it out send me a quick Twitter or e-mail.

Hello!

Hello, Italy, (Italia),Lombardia, (Lombardy), Brescia!

Hello!

Hello, Moscow, Moscow City, Russia!

There's not a lot I can say about India, but consider this. It's too important not to do anything.

Hello! When I first started, I was waxing poet-ish-ly about the wonders of the computer. Ha! you say, you abandoned me. Yes, I did, and I'm truly sorry. One thing that has really happy is the successful launching of the a href - /a programs. For those of you who as daffy as me, it means certain important words will be brought to your attention, with the option of clicking over to the areas of even greater possibilities.or

Barack Obama

Good evening, all. It's been awhile, but it's really been worth it. You see, I'm working on my own computer. Not that the library's has been a tremendous resource, (and it has been one, I'm telling you) but this is, well, nice. For one thing, I've got a cup of coffee close to me. (For those of you who are coffee-deprived, you understand.) For another, I have beautiful jazz playing for me.

OK, now for the more serious topic. For one thing, I do not want it that I wish it that Barack Obama be bashed. Not in the very least. In the military, he's planning on wiping clean the noxious "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Let me tell you a true story. My mom and I had a verbal tussle, one which involved health care. As many of you know, President Barack Obama is involved with the Senate (especially) on his plans to revamp health care delivery in this country. Well, surprise, suprise--the Republicans are against it.

grumbling

Sorry for the bit of a pause I entered into. First a bit of grumbling. In my former hometown (Plainville, CT) there was a man who decided to teach his dog a lesson. So he hit the dog's back with a loaded staplegun. Several times. I often think about the legalities of a person being kicked out of the country, but in this case, the government was entirely within its rights. I woulda flown the plane out of the country myself.

(continued)

'bout freekin' time!!!

I repeat- 'bout freekin' time. After a LONG delay, I finally got a housr of my own. Well, apartment actually, but it is very much my own. Scary? Well, yes. But I don't think that's abnormal at all.

If there was anything that characteized the men abd women of the "Rubyfruit generation", it was our innocence and our idealism. We really believed that we could make things better, for ourselves and for our generation.

Jesse Monteagudo
Cuban-born writer and activist
ed. John Lessard

ways to save money

I have been watching the news lately, not with a little bemusement. We hear - let us cut the bullshit, those that we do allow to stay, let us cut (or eliminate) their benefits. Hogwash. I can think of three moves which can be taken quite speedily.

• I like Jim Calhoun. I like basketball. Hell, I don't want wish to see Gampel Pavillion torn to shreds. What I do not wish to see is Jim Calhoun "earning" a 1.6 dollar paycheck. A $300,000 check will do quite nicely. And if he balks at this, wish him good luck as he leaves.
• The one thing M. Jodi Rell does not deserve is a mansion, even a relatively small one. Sell it. And sell the car too.
• This one is fairly controversial. I do have compassion for the victims, despite my own opposition to the death penalty. But look at the facts: $750,000 for a lifer, over $1 million for the death penalty. Enough said.

What is real--what is not

Well, the President gave his first speech tonight. And what was my view? Overall it was between good and very good. However, there were two points (IMHO) that bear addressing.

• Clean coal "technology". This belonged to a laundry list of various technologies including wind, solar, ect. How does wind and solar differ from clean coal? First, you have to mitigate - not eliminate - the coal effluvia. Second, when coal is gone, it is indeed gone. Third, the taking of coal is significantly more than the other technologies. Please, Mr. President, let us sack this expensive and unnecessary goal.
• I waited and waited for a bold, real healthcare move. Unfortunately, I waited in vain. I do believe there are areas where Republicans and Democrats can work together, but this ain't one of them. Let us have real healthcare now.

Hello, Oakland, California - Calgary, Alberta - Port Charlotte, Florida -

Where am I?

Just a quick note-- I'm going to see how having a meeting at Starbucks of West Hartford CT (Albany Avenue section) would work out. Meetings will be held at 3 pm, Sundays, weather permitting. (I'm in a wheelchair, so I hope you understand)

A View From Obama

A few day's later, how fresh it all seems! I know, I know, for some of us it all seems a bit wearying, but look past the hype and look at the real substance we face:

• a freeze of all salaries that are $100,000
• a tremendous curtailing of lobbyists
• a real open door who want to see what is going on in Washington

There are a quibbles, to be sure. But on the whole, it looks great.

In a couple of days, I will have my first blog out. In the meantime, here"s what one person said:

There is such a flood of precepts and so few examples - so much preaching, advising, rebuking and reviling, and so little doing.

Henry Adams, American writer

To Quote A Queer, ed. John Lessard

First of all, hello, Forres!

When the youth of America gets together, amazing things happen. College campuses were once a hotbed of political activity. Students of the 60s were responsible for great changes, politically and socially. The youth movement launched and defined what we've become since the 60s. I would like that happen again.

Tom Ford, American fashion designer

To Quote a Queer, ed. John Lessard

Happy New Year!!! OK, I realize it's been awhile since I've posted, but here's a brief one.

I recently started To Quote a Queer, and have found it tremendously enjoyable. I will occasionally share a quote from here. Hope you find it it either profound or hilarious - or both.

I am gay, black, British, smart, dumb, patronising, stubborn, all these other things - flawed in many ways - and I am now asserting my activism.

John Amechi, British NBA basketball player

To Quote a Queer, ed. John Lessard

Things I'll be working on

As I was going in and out of sleep the other night, I had an idea. Working as a manager (of sorts) I could provide an e-newsletter where authors of my opinions could write articles, fictions, and art. Here are a few things I'm looking tor:

• As a preview, a short bit about what you've been up to. Generally, I dislike silliness.
• Fiction or non-fiction, I tend to like GLBT and what "handicaps" tend to do to them.
• Sci-fi is liked; screeds not much so.
• Art is good, with manga/mangaesque particularly so.

Think I'll like them? Send them in.

Sorry that I've been off lately. I'vwe been trying (unsuccessfully) to get my comix up lately.

Dunderheads, Unite!

OK, I'm a bit pissed off. Make it very. It seems that a bunch of skinhead philosophes decided to wipe out Barack Obama and other candidates. Is this really happening? I don't need you, Connecticut doesn't need you, the whole !$#@&@^ United States doesn't need you!

Go away, dunderheads. Like to Pluto.

The Big President

Here's a quick piece of information for you. The New York Times chose Barack Obama over John McCain in their choice for president. Granted, the Times does have its flaws (mostly very minor} but this pick is a good one.

Welcome, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and New York City, New York!

a note to my friends

In October of 2008, an event of truly historic proportions took place. Many of you might be saying "Yeah, sure. I've seen it all before." Most times, yes, but definitely not this time. If you've been busy contemplating in a cave or trekking the Himalayas, what has happened as a result of a Connecticut Supreme Court decision granting full marriage rights as a result of a 4-3 decision for gays, lesbians, and transsexuals.

Right now, there is a conservative group pushing for a last-minute amendment. If you are of the legendary 10%, I don't really need to make the case to you. However, I make the case for the following larger group.

• It is a waste of money when the budget is already scarce.
• Even if everyone in your household is heterosexual, chances are very good you have a homosexual in your neighborhood. And chances are very good they are NOT an ogre.
• It's the decent thing to do in any neighborhood.

Having made my points, I urge you to vote NO.

Thanks, belatedly, for those who participated in the last poll. There were two who voted, one who was more likely to vote for a John McCain/Sarah Palin ticket, another who was neither more nor less likely to vote for McCain/Palin candidacy.

This poll is a repeat, but with Cynthia McKinney added to the mix. She is the Green Party candidate.

Hello, Newburyport, Massachusetts!!!

Our Conundrum

God's Problem

Bart D. Ehrman

HarperOne

In Bart D. Ehrman's book God's Problem, an ancient difficulty is examined by Ehrman. On one hand, we have the " all loving" God (with many, many exceptions) ,the horrific world in which we find ourselves living. If we find ourselves living in the world Ehrman does, it is not a happy scene at all, despite protestations to the contrary.

Ehrman seems to be in a constant wrestling match between God (traditionally created) and all the agonies we face. However, the books are - for lack of a better term - a more holistic vision. While any Bible or Torah is certainly a wide-ranging text, what can Ahura Mazda say to us? Or Krishna? How can the writers of Talmud affect or color the original texts? In the more modern version, how can Thomas Merton (whom I greatly admire) affect our ways of thinking?

I don't think what is generated is as much a tabula rasa as much as a tabula "holistica". Do I believe that any thinking will see suffering wiped out, or, more realistically, understand it? Of course not. But what I can do is alleviate the suffering, and protest the outrages. This is one area in which Ehrman and I can agree.

I myself have accepted Buddhist teachings. However, Thich Nhat Hanh has, ironically, felt a deep appreciation for Christian teachings. Not in the very traditional sense, but it is there. Perhaps if we see more holistically, we will see more.

Hello,Bozrah, Connecticut!!

Hello, Sebastopol, California!

Hello, everyone--

I found this site quite accidentaly. It may not be the most cheerful in the world, but it does mark peoples' places in the world. Take a moment and think of them.

Del Martin

Larry Townsend

Billy Keen, Jr.

Cyd Charise

Robert

Robert Raushenberg

George Slover

Scott Graham

Chris Crain

Michael Brown

Carlos Mieglo

Kevin Sayre

Why I care

Just a few notes on the animal cruelty section. Read a bit of what each section has to say. Whether these blogs are speaking to hardcore vegans or meateaters getting a bit of a conscience, there's something here for everyone. Peace to you all.