Clark County Indiana Democrats

Random thoughts

2011-10-05T20:40:00.001-04:00

Actually, these aren't actually RANDOM thoughts. But it is a hodgepodge of thoughts that aren't in any particular order...

I'm sure I'm not the first to suggest this but ... perhaps Rev. Falwell has early stage Alzheimer's disease and was offering his wife a way to gracefully divorce him. That or he's a jerk. (See my January 2010 post for more on the Rev)
So Sarah! is not running. 15 minutes- DING! See I told you it was all about getting a TV show and not really getting into politics. But I've also written about Republicans as Zombies so BEWARE because she-of-no-brains could reanimate as a candidate at any time.
Why the heck can't the Republicans find SOMEONE to run that can unite the party? This is their perfect opportunity. Amazing. Not that I mind...
Local politics- While Tom Galligan may come off as gruff or blunt, I have to say he gets things done. In addition, Mike Moore his opponent pretended to be a Democrat all those years and then left the party and blamed the switch on Dems not being nice to him. The nerve. He saw an opportunity (such as it was) and took it. Vote for Tom and help him beat this fake soundly.
Has Todd Young done anything? He always seems to be "concerned", "studying the situation", "working for the people of the 9th district" but has he DONE anything? Sure he won't have a record to trip him up come an election, but geez Todd we've got big fish to fry and you're "studying" how to fry fish?! As my dad would say "Do something even if it is wrong". In this case, you probably will do something wrong, but at least try.
An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup. H.L. Mencken

That's enough tonite- DG

Welcome to my world!

2011-08-24T22:10:00.001-04:00

We have a nice little piece of land in a scenic part of So. Indiana where we are building a small cabin. Every time we go there I think it was a great decision to pick this spot . As the real estate agents say "Location, Location, Location".

But in between visits we are getting phone calls about the cabin building process from one (and thankfully only one) neighbor who is really upset about the whole thing. He's sure we are tearing up the road with the equipment going up and down the hill to the cabin site. Turns out there are some others in the neighborhood doing things on their land that involves big equipment, too. So even though we are not really wreaking havoc or wrecking roads, the world as he knows it is coming to an end.

Finally, an informal gathering of those in the "neighborhood" was called. Of course the guy complaining didn't show, but the rest of us got to know one another a bit more as we explored the question of how the private roads will be maintained (snow removal, fixing the asphalt,etc.) In the process, we discovered that the original rules about what can be done/not done (the "covenants") for our neighborhood group have expired. In addition, there's no official structure- with any legal "teeth"- for gathering money to take care of the roads. This begins to sound like Tea Party heaven! "No rules...No taxes" at least in our little corner of the Hoosier state.

There we stood, trying to figure out how to take care of the roads without levying fees. Some offered to pay money toward the fix, but several said they weren't paying anything-even though they agreed the roads needed work. Someone offered the idea of Work Weekends where people could pitch in to do some of the work. This has worked OK for clearing the snow...although I got the impression that not all were doing their share of that back breaking job. However, replacing pavement is not generally done by hand with shovels, so "sweat equity" is probably out as a solution for fixing the roads.

Yep there we were feeling like our lawmakers. No taxes? No way to fix or improve the roads! We tabled the discussion, much like our legislators are want to do. Any ideas for my world and yours regarding trying to do stuff without money? Be sure to let DG know.

Buh-Bye

2011-04-08T15:15:00.000-04:00

Got to say DG is not crying at the news of Glenn Beckk losing his spot at Fox. I'm wondering if Becck is crying for real now.

It really is a wonder that, as he spun more and more out of orbit, he was allowed to stay as long as he has. No doubt like the other Zombie Republicans out there he'll re-invent himself and come back to torment us in some other form. (Ye GADS- Trump - Beck 2012?!!)

But for the time being sing it with me now..."Na na na na hey hey hey GOOD-BYE!" ~Donkey Girl

DG's grab bag

2011-03-18T14:02:00.006-04:00

A bunch of little things to share today:

-> Please see my earlier post "Tea and Zombies" for a fuller treatment of the Zombification of the Right at: http://clarkcountydems.blogspot.com/2010_10_01_archive.html

Newt's picture is here because he's the most recent poster child for the Zombie Wing of the GOP. You just thought he was dead politically after he had an affair with a staffer ...and told his wife he wanted a divorce while she was in the hospital recovering from cancer surgery ("She isn't young enough or pretty enough to be the President's wife." said Gingrich). Google "Gingrich and scandal" and read about all the many scandals of this Zombie. Please pay special attention to how he's now trying to make himself some sort of Christian preacher figure, too.

-> "Oh Evan- REALLY?!" You just thought you were disgusted with Bayh for quitting when and how he did -all the while being sanctimonious. Now this. The most charitable thing I can say is that perhaps the Zombies ate his brain before he agreed to be on Fox "News". I recall I promised not to call Republicans "Damn Republicans" anymore. I made no such promise about Democrats however.

-> Speaking of Fox "News"- someone we know calls the Faux News. I like that. I'm hereby adopting. Also check out Andy Borowitz's recent take on that batch of crazies at http://www.borowitzreport.com/ at his Borowitz report. Funny!

-> My brother, who is in the Navy Reserve, managed to be near Tokyo for his annual two week stint just as the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear plant crisis hit. His take on the Navy people he's working with are that the mostly young people (in their 20's) on his team are a "very fine set" who are "excellent in their wilingness to help, their attitude and flexibility". He says the Japanese are very polite, smile at the much bigger Americans and helped him get to his destination (after he was dumped off by United Airlines in a city far from Tokyo and was told by the airline he was on his own!) even though there was a language barrier. Prayers for all there please.

-> Donkey Girl is going to be asking questions at the IUS Dems Jeffersonville mayoral candidate debate April 1 (no joke). What should I be asking?

ENOUGH~ DG

Lessons for little donkeys

2011-03-09T21:28:00.004-05:00

In the copy room at school, I found a lesson for students on "Disagreeing Appropriately". It seemed a good thing to offer all the donkeys out there that are going to have to be out there disagreeing with the Repubicans that are surrounding us. So here's the shortened version:
Step 1. Look at the person (this shows youy are paying attention...don't stare or make faces, smile/be pleasant)
Step 2. Use a pleasant voice (so people are more likely to listen to you...don't mumble, speak slowly, use short sentences, keep a comfortable distance from the other person, smile)
Step 3. Say "I understand how you feel." (because understanding gives the talk a positive start...plan what you're going to say before you speak, discuss your concerns as part of a converation not a confrontation, be sincere).
Step 4. Tell why you feel differently (using vague words leads to confusion...give as much detailed info as possible, be prepared to back up what you say, and again think before you speak).
Step 5. Give a reason (your disagreement will carry more weight if you have a valid reason, be sure your reasons make sense, support your reason with facts and details, one or two reasons is usually enough, stay calm).
Step 6. Listen to the other person (shows you respect what the other person has to say, don't look away or make faces, don't interrupt, again stay calm, don't argue)
*Please note the instructions TWICE say to smile, stay calm and think before speaking.
So go out there to the various meetings, conversations and political settings that await donkeys this election season and legislative session and give this a try. DG is trying and hopes you will too!

Long time no see

2011-02-16T20:50:00.003-05:00

Yes Donkey Girl has been asleep for awhile. I was hoping the November election was just a bad dream...but alas here we are in 2011 and the Republicans have the US House and a majority in both houses in Indiana. But I guess it is time for DG to get back at it! So here's what I've been pondering while drifting in and out of sleep the last couple of months:

In the past I have, at times, refered to Republicans as Damn Repubicans. In the interest of our new found civility, I will not use this term from now on. I may think up other terms, but they will be more precise and less generically rude.
Jeff politics really never ceases to amaze me. Just when you think you've seen it all something else comes along. But DG has to admit that she just can't seem to look away when I see something like the current mayor's race developing. I'll even admit to suggesting that I could run as the "unity candidate".
I was really sad that Baron Hill lost. He's a good man and I'll miss him and the other good people that lost. But honestly after the shooting in AZ, my first thought (beyond the shock, horror and concern for the victims and families) was that maybe I was glad he and his staff no longer had to face the angry, crazy folks. Good luck on that Todd Young and I do mean good luck-no sarcasm here.
It has given me pause to learn that the Tea Party folks and I have a bit in common. I attended a bridges meeting and found we share the same sentiment on "No Tolls". I was also interested that some of the Tea Party crowd shared my distaste for the extension of the "Patriot Act" . (Really President Obama? That's what I worked and voted for?! Come on- if I'd wanted more of that I could have relaxed and let McCain get elected.)
If we really are concerned about the deficit, then let's get serious about raising taxes and cutting the big chunks of the budget like the bipartisan debt commission suggests. Cutting the food programs for the poor is just cruel and similar political theater don't do anything to address the budget and debt problems. That sort of thing just makes us cynical.

Oh that's enough for now. I'm getting sleepy- DG

Tea and Zombies

2010-10-21T12:13:00.005-04:00

Lil DG, my kid, gave me an idea last night- the Right/Teabaggers/ Republicans are actually Zombies. I've searched the 'net and found this isn't really all that new a concept (as evidenced by the photo at the left that I easily found via Google) , but I still think it bears examining. You might recall that Donkey Girl likes to do comparisons, so here's yet another one! What do we know about Zombies? And the Right? Are they one and the same?

Zombies are the re-activated dead. Thought Palin & McCain (or was it McCain/Palin?) and Republican party were dead after that last election? Thought Rush and Newt and many others of the Right who were involved in scandals might go away for good? Think again. They are out there terrorizing us once again.
From Wikipedia: "Zombies are regularly encountered in horror and fantasy themed fiction and entertainment." That seems to neatly sum up the Right- horror, fantasy and fiction! PLUS there's Bill O' and Gleenn Beecckk making entertainment out of it all...
Where did they come from? No one seems to know for sure. Virus? Plague? Alien parasites from outer space? Cell phone blast a' la S. King? Mutagenic gas? Wasilla AK? (Actually, where they come from matters little- surviving them is the real problem to figure out.)
Thanks to George Romero's Night of the Living Dead (and many other Zombie flicks) we also know that society can breakdown when we're infected with this plaque. Need I say more about the comparison here?!
"BRAINS!" Zombies eat brains. That's what really is happening on Fox TV...
Zombie traits include stumbling along, drooling, rotting, even dancing with Michael Jackson. Try matching Christine O'Donnell to this model and see what you think.
The clincher for me that links the Right to Zombies is this fact... They have claimed Obama is the Anti-Christ, Muslim, Hitler, etc. but they NEVER claim he's a Zombie. Coincidence? I think not. They won't claim he's a Zombie, because they are the living dead.

BTW- You can make yourself or others look like a Zombie at http://www.zombieme.net/p5/ , but only the Right can guarantee you'll become a Zombie!

FYI-for a much longer piece on Zombies and the Right go to : http://www.truth-out.org/revenge-zombies-palin-beck-limbaugh-and-return-dark-times59952

Enough of that gross subject for Donkey Girl! Reclaim our country from the living dead- vote now or on Nov. 2 for the Dems. ~DG

Target time

2010-10-10T22:37:00.004-04:00

OKAY- now I know there's a target painted on me. The Old White Guys (OWGs) continue to take shots at me (see previous posts) . Now I must admit it was easy enough to figure out I was a Democrat this time. I was handing out Baron Hill lit at Harvest Homecoming and had on a Baron Hill shirt. It was a nice day, there were lots of people with little kids, the air was festive.

Then this OWG Todd Young supporter came by and started verbally jabbing at me. (Something about how the OWG thought Baron is supporting Nancy Pelosi's every liberal whim). I responded mildly, but kept moving. I didn't think getting in a verbal battle with the kiddos looking on was really going to help the festive mood. Later our paths crossed again and yep...this guy wanted to pick a fight once again. This time I just ignored him and left the area. Fortunately, our paths didn't cross again.

What is it with these guys- old, white, guys or otherwise? Why did he think it was OK to attack me verbally while I was just being part of the whole festival scene? I would NEVER start this type of thing-at a festival, on TV, at church, at work, wherever!

Come on OWGs. You don't have to go all Bill O'Reilly crazy on me every time I express support for someone not sanctioned by the Teabag party. You simply look nuts and make it REALLY obvious that it is time to return our country to the "good old days" before you people turned ugly. Plus...it doesn't stop me. I just go out and work that much harder. I know you feel impotent, but stop taking it out on Donkey Girl.~DG

FEELINGS!

2010-09-01T19:49:00.003-04:00

"Feelings, nothing more than feelings"

I'm contemplating those sappy lyrics after a discussion I had with an old white guy (hence forth OWG) who was subbing at work. Of course he had to share his thoughts on politics with me. (BTW do I have some sort of Democrat target painted on me? How do these guys always find me to torment!?). He was reading the magazine with the "Islamophobia" cover.

OWG says-" Huh- it says here 25% of the American people think Obama is a Muslim. I'd agree with that!'

So DG had to say- "Gosh Obama says he's a Christian."

OWG says-" I don't FEEL he's a Christian because he went to that church in Chicago with that horrible minister."

DG again- "So do you think President Bush is a Christian?

OWG- "Yes- he's a Christian."

DG- "How do you know?"

OWG-" I FEEL he is."

There you have it sports fans. It is now all about how we FEEL. Facts, truth, what people actually profess- be damned! We're now in the realm of the 13 year old girl. How we FEEL trumps everything.

DG FEELS a migraine coming on.

Back to school

2010-08-19T21:30:00.008-04:00

The buses are rolling and it is time for some schoolin'...

Sarah- Go sit in the corner until you think you can behave yourself young lady! And wipe off that lipstick Missy. You look like a hussy.

Billy- You just earned yourself an extra assignment young man. I want 500 sentences - "I will not lie"- written neatly on narrow lined paper on my desk in the morning sir or there will be heck to pay.

Newton- Go back to the Principal's office right now. Yes sir- I know you just got off probation for your previous misdeeds, but if you can't play nice with others, you have to go back to the office and think some more about how you are behaving. NO BACK TALK NOW!

Rush- If I've asked you once I've asked you a HUNDRED times. PLEASE. Stop. Talking. Go put our nose in that circle on the board and BE QUIET for once in your short little life.

Glenn- For heaven's sake! What is wrong now? Stop right now or I'll give you something to really cry about. Fine- move over there all by your lonesome and pout. But give it a rest and stop carrying on.

Class, Claaasss, CLASS! children stop making fun of Barack! He can't help his name- Am I right Rand? Remember this polite young man just moved here and you aren't making him feel very welcome. Now you Barack- your assignment tonight is a short report on Hawaii. I just know that the class be fascinated when they learn about your birthplace.

That's it for Sister Mary Elephant tonight.

Hot under the collar

2010-07-26T17:25:00.003-04:00

I see I wrote just over a month ago. (Bad DG!) Actually, I've had visitors and two trips since then, so I have an excuse for not writing much. But honestly, the biggest reason I haven't written is that it is too darn hot! The computer room just gets too steamy due to the electronic equipment . That makes the whole thing a whole lot less inviting. But while we're on the topic of hot, let me just take a few lines to vent about something that is making me hot under the collar...

Dan Coats comes back to Indiana after spending 11 years in D.C. as a lobbyist for the fat cats. BUT are the the conservatives out there concerned about that? Nope - they are writing nasty things about Brad Ellsworth. EXCUSE ME!? What's wrong with this picture?

Brad didn't spell out in fine detail how much of the time he's been a hired sheriff's deputy and how much time he's been an elected sheriff on his resume. The R's have a problem with that...and all the while they are studiously avoiding Dan Coat's resume. Hypocrisy thy name is Republican!

And don't get DG started on that blogger who tried to frame Ms. Sherrod. Yep. It is campaign season and I'm a hot mess from all the mud being slung already! ~DG

NIMBY (Not In My Backyard)

2010-06-17T09:15:00.003-04:00

Donkey Girl is fortunate to have a screened-in back porch this year (mosquitoes love to bite me). Last night was a great night for sitting out there and reading under the fans. There was breeze, birds were out, the new plantings looked healthy. It was GREAT!

I got to thinking ...what if the oil spill were happening in the field out back of my house? What if the oil were slowly creeping toward my house, my new porch and all those plants? What would happen if my dog wanted to play in the yard? If the oil got in my house?

It made me really sad to think about the birds that coated with oil and piling up dead under our feeder. I'd feel awful- so much beauty gone under a shiny sheen of oil. And what if I had no money, no way to clean it up? That's what is happening to the people and animals in the gulf area.

My daughter sent a link to me that you should try-http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com/ You'll see how much of our area would be covered by the spill. (And actually it doesn't really show the whole thing, because so much of the oil is under the surface of the water...and the oil keeps gushing).

We've got to change how we live. It is that simple. ~DG

2010-05-30T17:48:00.004-04:00

OK... I'm really tired of BP and this huge mess.

Time for a re-run of H.L. Mencken:

"Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." (Thanks to Brainy Quote who has a great collection of his quotes!)

If Obama is getting tarred with this mess, then it is time to take H.L.'s advice! I hope all those "Drill baby drill" folks have literally choked on their words, too. ~HAR! Donkey Hussein Girl

Math for Dummies

2010-05-19T19:57:00.005-04:00

DG was never a math whiz. My Algebra 2 teacher sat all of us dunces at one table, so he could ignore us all with ease. That was it. I never took anymore math- not in high school and certainly not in college! (This was after all the 70's when you could write your own plan for college and mine most definitely did not include math... that would just have dragged down my GPA!)

However- I'm getting to the point where I feel compelled to do some simple equations for the Teabaggers out there, so here's my humble attempt to boil down the taxation issue:

Taxes=Government Services (schools+parks+military+first responders+Social Security)

No taxes= No Government Services (schools-parks-first responders-Social Security)

The next time a Teabagger member starts ranting about NO taxes, please ask them for me - "Which of the government services we currently enjoy/are using do you intend to cut when you get rid of those taxes?"

I'll say it again. It is easy to yell NO NO NO. A two year old masters this easily. It is, of course, much harder to figure out what we need and how we'll pay for it in a responsible manner. For that you'll need thoughtful Democrats (and perhaps the few Republicans who can still think for themselves.)~ DG

My Red Queen to Your White Rabbit

2010-05-02T19:56:00.003-04:00

Back in the day, there was Jefferson Airplane singing about Alice when she was 10 feet tall. Back then the general consensus seemed to be that Alice in Wonderland really was full of druggie references. Think of the Caterpillar smoking the hookah...

But in my more advanced years and with a new version of Alice in Wonderland in the theaters, I'm beginning to change my mind.Think about these Tea Party "coincidences":

Red Queen = Sarah Palin (Wearing her trade mark red yelling "Off with their heads!")

Mad Hater = Glenn Beck

Tweedle Dee = Rush /Tweedle Dum= O'Reilley

White rabbits running around muttering to themselves ("Don't tread on me")= The guys in the Teabagger party.

I think it really was a Poli Sci treatise by Lewis Carroll and as it is late-I rest my case! DG

Time's up!

2010-05-01T22:15:00.004-04:00

Not sure about others in the Clark County Dems, but Donkey Girl is pretty tired of the dirt associated with our local politics. It is high time we got done with this primary season...

This crumby season of mudslinging does make me think that we need a new caucus within our "big tent" . We need a Jack Ass wing of the Big Ol' Donkey Demo party. Send me your submissions for nominations to this special children's seating section (you know - that little card table in the kitchen where the kiddies have to sit because they spill, spit and throw their food) . I've got a few folks in mind. How about you?

Time's up boys and girls. Get out there and vote! Don't forget to send DG an email with those nominations.

Backfiring

2010-04-18T22:26:00.003-04:00

You remember the TV cartoon show- Wile E. Coyote always had great schemes to get the Roadrunner, but they always backfired. The most recent dirty tricks go- around in Clark Co. Democrat politics reminds me of that, only not so funny. I'll just ask my fellow voters- who stands to benefit from the dirty tricks? Do you want to vote them? I think it is pretty clear to me who I'll vote for based on all this scheming. And it isn't the wily one! ~Donkey Girl

P.S. Did you see in the Evening News where the three Republicans who want to run against Baron Hill all claim the voters are sick of politics and politicians. Wait- aren't these three guys involved in politics and aren't they politicians? Geez guys- maybe it is just hypocrites we're tired of, not politicians!

Stupid or just plain dumb?

2010-03-18T22:21:00.010-04:00

I'm just flat out annoyed with the NO-NO-NO Republicans. All I can do at this late hour is offer H.L. Mencken's quote for those Democrats who have the guts to vote for health care reform...

"Any man who afflicts the human race with ideas must be prepared to see them misunderstood."

Little old lady from who knows where!

2010-03-13T14:27:00.005-05:00

I generally get along with my elders, as I'm pretty elder myself. But honestly, I had to argue with the little, old lady calling from who-knows-where the other day. She started by assuring me that the "American People" were against this health care bill.

I promptly disagreed. I wondered aloud if she was perhaps smoking marijuana (medicinally I meant) and then I enlightened her- NO I didn't agree with that broad, false statement. We abruptly ended the phone call at that point.

If I'd stayed on the phone a bit longer, I'd have pointed out that she must surely be getting public health care called Medicare. I would also have asked her why she thought she should be getting health care while lots of others can't (due to the cost or because they have a pre-existing condition that makes them uninsurable). Finally- I would have asked "Why is it the Republicans want things for themselves and never anyone else?! "

You'll probably get one of these phone calls, so get ready to ask that question! While you're at it, make a phone call or three telling Congressman Hill and Senators Bayh and Lugar you DO WANT HEALTH CARE REFORM and you want it NOW! ~ DG

Bitch @ Mitch

2010-02-04T20:47:00.003-05:00

Gov. Daniels traveled came to southern Indiana just long enough to tell those who use the Kennedy Bridge that he thinks tolls for crossing the new bridges are “the fairest way… to get the job done”. The Governor has stumped around the Hoosier state mouthing “no new taxes”, yet now embraces this tax and pronounces it “fair”.

On both sides of the river we’ve been taxed to pay for roads and bridges all over our respective states. But when it is time for us in the Greater Louisville area to FINALLY get a bridge, Gov. Daniels thinks it is “fair “ to place that tax burden only on us!

Governor Daniels must think that big trucks hauling stuff from far away will be the only ones affected by this tax. That is absolutely not true. You and I go to work, school, shop, dine, watch basketball games- you name it- and cross the bridge. We’ll be the ones paying that tax over and over and over again at the toll booth. All of us in the Greater Louisville area, on the Sunnyside and in Metro Louisville, will bear the brunt of this proposed tax. The time is now to contact both Governors and those on the Authority to let them know you think this proposed tax is unfair.
~DG

Tea-totaler

2010-01-27T20:16:00.006-05:00

I am a big tea drinker. One of the most recent indignities of getting older is having to cut out caffeine after lunch time, so I can sleep OK at night. This means my after school trips to various beverage places had to stop- no Starbucks with their Earl Grey version, no talking with Joe at the Red Pepper while stopping for some "iced tea-no sugar-lemon if you have it", no jaunt down Frankfort Ave. for a brisk cup, no endless little cups of Persian tea at Saffron. Only weak decaf tea at home from the fridge.

I do still allow myself a cup of real tea in the AM when I start to yawn around 10:30. Generally my little tea ritual goes great and I'm feeling more peppy. Occasionally, however, I get distracted, have to help a patron, fiddle with the copier...and this is where the political message comes in. It occurred to me the other day as I was looking at a used up tea bag while drinking tea that was too strong, that it was an apt metaphor for the raging fools stirred up about taxes.

There might have been a time when the teabaggers were all about waking us up. Nothing like a brisk cuppa to get one thinking more clearly. But MAN- the tea party has gotten OLD. The bags been in the water too long and all that's in the mug is bitter tea. The used up tea bag is pretty disgusting to behold and of course...the Mad Hatter is in charge.

Time for a different brew. (Right now I'm hooked on Passion Tea Lemonade from Starbucks.) Kick the caffeine teabaggers, then make like the Cheshire Cat and disappear. ~ Donkey Girl

700 nasty sayings

2010-01-16T14:27:00.006-05:00

I really think Pat Robertson is beyond the 700 gaffs level. But if not- the most recent quote about Haiti (apparently Pat thinks they made a pact with the devil and that's why bad stuff happens to Haiti) brings this "reverend" that much closer. It is worth at least 10 points of the 700 for sure!

I'm not sure what happens when Pat reaches 700 nasty remarks. Perhaps there will be a giant sucking sound as the Devil carts him off to a special circle of Hell. But long before that this man ought to be removed from the pulpit and airwaves.

I suppose it is possible that Pat is already in Hell making these remarks.

Thanks to Heaven for Andy Borowitz giving us a funny, succinct take on all this:

THE BOROWITZ REPORT - Just hours after saying that God was punishing Haiti for making a "pact with the Devil," televangelist Pat Robertson retracted the statement, telling TV viewers, "Haiti? I thought they said 'Hades.'"
Rev. Robertson said that he had heard the report of the earthquake on the radio and had misinterpreted its location: "For the life of me, I thought God was punishing Hades, which does in fact have a pact with the Devil."
Apologizing for his "goof," the televangelist told his TV audience, "Golly - people must've thought I was being an insensitive asshole." (click on the blog title for a link to the Borowitz Report)

ENOUGH on nasty old Pat ~ Donkey Girl

P.S. Thanks to The Onion for the diagram of Hell!

2010

2010-01-01T21:09:00.008-05:00

Time for Donkey Girl to end her long winter's nap! Busy times at the DG household are coming to an end and once again our thoughts turn to politics.

These are (as my daughter would say) random thoughts to start off 2010:

-The "off year" year for elections has ended. Now the fun begins! I think we have some GREAT candidates for the state races- Sam Locke (from neighboring Floyd Co.) for State Auditor, Vop Osili and Tom McKenna for Secretary of State, plus Shane Gibson for State Rep. IN House District 72 and Chuck Freiberger IN State Senate District 46 seat.

- My theory on Rush Limbaugh's heart ailment? His heart was trying to grow 3 sizes that day. Stay tuned.

-I'm holding my breath on the health care debate as it finishes up. (I realize this is a dangerous proposition, but at this point I can't give up hope!) We need something, even if it isn't perfect. This donkey didn't work hard and send money to various candidates for the Dems to let this thing get stomped out by the elephants. Come on D's..."Git 'er done!"

- Are we sure there's no way to vote some of our D's off the island? This past year presented us with some local "Democrats" who should just go...Credit cars, liquor and cars. OH MY!

-If you've not seen Invictus -please do! It is about Nelson Mandela's astute decision to bring people together using rugby. A great political film... (Blind Side is also good!)

-Note to Janet Napolitano: When in doubt keep your mouth shut. To be clear... this wasn't "Heck of a job Brownie", but for heavens sake don't try to put a good face on some guy with explosives in his pants!

-DG doesn't care about the BCS. I do like the Rose Bowl parade however.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Donkey Girl

Historic vote

2009-11-08T17:07:00.004-05:00

I've been sick all weekend and just stayed in. My daughter came over for dinner and brought a video. Nearing the end of the movie, she announced that we needed to stop the video briefly and watch the end of the historic vote in the House on the health care bill (she'd been getting CNN updates via her Blackberry which dinged repeatedly) . I'm glad she did!

What an amazing thought- that people who are sick with everything from the flu-like junk I've had -to really serious stuff like cancer will be covered.

There's a family member who has a chronic condition...I won't have to worry that someday they'll be cut off from insurance for having the misfortune of the disease topped with no insurance.

My husband and I won't have to worry about not getting coverage because we've had cancer AND both of us have a great prognosis thanks to health care.

People will have coverage and go get the medicines and procedures they need. I didn't think twice about the drugs my doctor prescribed for this thing that has been going on for at least a month. The drugs were covered and I was glad to have both a doctor and the pills when I needed them!!!

I won't feel guilty knowing I have insurance and so many who need it don't. (I'm glad to do my share of picking up the tab, you nasty tea-baggers...)

Not perfect? Yep. But we can work on that.

I can't wait until this thing gets through both houses and is signed. Start calling the ever cautious Sen. Evan Bayh NOW to tell him not to miss the historic moment when it is his turn.~DG

Thanks Bishop Mike

2009-11-08T16:56:00.005-05:00

NOTE: I got this emailed "e-pistle" from our Bishop (United Methodist Bishop of the Indiana Conference). He said it eloquently, far better than I could. Donkey Girl rarely pushes her religious point of view (and she has no idea if Bishop Mike is a Democrat), but I thought this was very worthwhile sharing...

“Praying for Peace in the Midst of Violence” – November 6, 2009

I am writing this E-pistle in the aftermath of the shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, yesterday in which it is accused that an army major shot and killed 13 people and injured many more. That tragedy prompted me to write this E-pistle and to invite all United Methodist people in Indiana to pray for those victims and their families.

Now as I am writing this message, I am seeing the news of another shooting in Orlando, Florida. It is not yet determined how many people have been killed or injured in this shooting rampage.

In the midst of such violence, our temptation is to starting jumping to conclusions. I have already heard comments about the alleged shooter in Texas being a Muslim, and no doubt we will hear others jumping to other conclusions about the shooting in Florida once we know the identity of that perpetrator. We need to realize that “jumping to conclusions” is a human response to try to restore our sense of balance as we deal with unimaginable situations. Sometimes we think that if we can find a quick and easy answer to the “Why?” questions, then our world is somehow back into balance and security.

I understand that need for answers, but I urge you NOT to jump to such conclusions. Allow yourself to live with the anxiety of hearing about such terrible situations, without needing to find someone to blame or some quick and easy “answer” to these situations. No doubt we will learn in the days to come many of the multiple reasons behind these awful events, and those reasons may lead us to discuss how to alleviate or even to prevent such violence.

In the meantime, our appropriate response is to PRAY. Pray for peace, pray for the healing of those injured, pray for the families of those who have lost their lives, pray for a just solution, and … yes … even pray for the person or persons who have inflicted such violence. Hearing the words of Jesus that we should “love our enemies” and “pray for those who persecute us" is a somber reminder that we can and should pray, even in the midst of terrible situations and unimaginable violence.

Does our praying do any good? Yes. It helps us to cope. It brings the spiritual resources of God’s people to bear on the situation. And it moves us from looking for easy answers and toward the more lengthy process and seeking God’s will. Most of all, praying brings us into the spirit of peace that only God can offer. So, pray. Pray for all involved in these terrible situations. Pray for peace. Pray.

from Bishop Michael J. Coyner

The more things change...

2009-11-01T20:31:00.004-05:00

Donkey Girl and spouse went to Williamsburg, VA for Fall Break from school. It was a fascinating place to visit and we immersed ourselves in the colonial history of our country. One of the best parts was the "Revolutionary City" re-enactments that were given each day. In addition to these dramatic presentations, there were times when the various colonial leaders were presented by the actors.

We went to such a presentation by the man doing Patrick Henry. The crowd was mostly white and older- retired people who had the time and money to be there hanging about on a weekday. It seemed from the reaction of the crowd to Patrick Henry's stirring words that these folks were ready to overthrow our present government. It was as if they had no understanding of what colonial life was like and why Patrick Henry spoke so strongly about overthrowing an oppressive government (the King). I guess they thought that because people have taken Henry's words (out of context) for use on Fox, that he's their hero. I left with a feeling that if they had met Patrick Henry in real life they really wouldn't have liked this upstart fire-brand who was anything but conservative.

I've read a bit more about Patrick Henry and plan to keep on learning about him. I think so far the main thing I've learned is that "the more things change the more thing stay the same". If you read very far into the founding of this country you'll find the people involved are a pretty mixed bunch. No one is pure and totally wonderful. For example, most of the men of Virginia that were involved in the Revolution held slaves and couldn't bring themselves to free the slaves- even in their wills. Most of them admitted that slavery is wrong and yet in the next breath could be very eloquent about freedom... They were a mixed bag too religiously and had the typical failings of the rest of us. What really is amazing is that somehow they got it together long enough to win our freedom and craft our country!

Reading about the lives of Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, John Adams etc. has surely been enlightening. I recommend it and places like Williamsburg, VA to anyone wanting to get in touch with the real story of the Revolution.

You can read more about Patrick Henry at www.history.org/Almanack/people/bios/biohen.cfm

"His light and heat were seen and felt throughout the continent; and he was every where regarded as the great champion of colonial liberty.” William Wirt (Biographer of Patrick Henry)

~Donkey Girl

Crazy Cranky

2009-09-30T19:33:00.007-04:00

Weird mishmashes of xenophobic blather drive me crazy cranky. I'm feeling this way tonight after reading the Evening News Letters to the Editor section. The nastiness of the "Montezuma's Revenge" letter is my beef. The guy goes off (wildly) on people speaking Spanish in the United States...

I can understand that people are uncomfortable with new things. People are often suspicious of anything new to them. But honestly, Hispanics aren't new to this country. Maybe they are new to this guy, but they've been in North America at least 500 years! There are lots and lots of them here now, too. I'm thinking it is time for this guy and his ilk to get over the fact that there are folks in this country that speak Spanish. There have been for a long time and it looks like into the future there will be Spanish speakers here, too.

In this case, the guy in the paper is all upset because there are signs somewhere in the U.S. in Spanish. I've traveled a bit in the mid-west and I have yet to see signs in Spanish (except at the airports where they are welcoming people in various languages.) I suspect this guy was moved to write his racist rant, because he 's been vegging out in front of the Fools at Fox on TV or inhaling too much Rush- or both. I have serious doubts he's been anywhere, seen much of anything or done anything out side his comfort zone in a LONG time. This has got to be TV/radio griping passed on to us in print (thanks Evening News!). Frankly-my guess is that he's got his panties in a knot over something he really doesn't even know about first hand.

Here's a newsflash jingoistic guy- I was raised in Colorado over a 1/2 century ago. Hispanics there then, signs in Spanish then, kids in school that spoke both English and Spanish then. I've lived to tell the tale! For at least the past 500 years there have been folks in North America that spoke different languages and yet...we survive. Calm down and stop spewing hate.~ DHG

(Had to look up jingoistic, xenophobic or ilk? Learn to speak English for gosh sakes!)

An open memo to Joe Blow

2009-09-19T22:27:00.004-04:00

“Anyone can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person at the right time, and for the right purpose and in the right way - that is not within every one's power and that is not easy.” Aristotle

Are you listening Joe Blow Wilson of Rep. of SC? Being angry "the right way" was not within your power the other night. The right time? I think you blew it!

You've gotten notoriety from all of this... and perhaps campaign funds. But there is also a cost to blowing your anger all over the House during prime time in front of the President and the nation. Really not "the right way", sir. (Frankly, I thought it made you look out of control and if I were to run a campaign against you I'd make sure we'd play on that weakness...perhaps even goad you into more angry outbursts. Who wants a Rep. who has lost control? If this is your problem, then your opponent will surely highlight this failing. )

Perhaps you weren't out of control and were deliberate in your outburst. If this is the case, then let me thank you for making the American public even more suspicious of Congress. Angry for the right purpose? Again- I think not.

Either way- you've now drawn plenty of attention to yourself. Aristotle is succinct in his analysis of this emotion. Either you rule it or it rules you. You been angry the easy way, but given this very public display of your anger you'll have to watch your anger and your step even more so than before. This could become the way people define you. The R's pit bull? I'd think twice before becoming that kind of pet.

As one who struggles with this whole issue, I encourage you to become more of a student of Aristotle. I think we are fast approaching the time when angry outbursts will come back to bite those who don't control it. ~ DG

Curiouser and Curiouser

2009-09-06T21:10:00.007-04:00

“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked. “Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice. “You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.”

There are times I think I'm mad (meaning crazy). It is as if somehow you've fallen down the rabbit hole and suddenly what you know is all turned upside down. Friday was like that at school...
The school had gotten a number of calls from parents about the Presidential address to school kids that will be broadcast this coming Tuesday. Some parents were agin' it and others wanted to be sure that their student got to see it.
The librarians were called in to help here. I had to put a notice on the school's web site and the other librarian has to be sure to tape the address, in case anyone misses it. As with many "controversial" things teachers will be providing an alternative assignment and alternative place to be for those who are in classes that will be watching (not all will) the speech about doing well in school and setting goals.
I blurted out- "What is this country coming to" when I was told about this situation...because honestly that's what I'm thinking. It seems we are coming apart at the seams. When kids in school can't watch the President on TV telling them to do well in school- what have we come to?
What kind of example are parents setting? When they don't like something- like this black President (who they insist wasn't born in America) - they say just stick your fingers in your ears and go LA-LA-LA loudly while sticking out your tongue? Really?!
We are all mad here...DG

Baron Hill: Movie Star!

2009-08-22T23:38:00.002-04:00

Hi Friends! Donkey Kong here...
I've not posted to the blog in awhile: A combo of general informational burnout and just being lost in summer...Its been nice!
Alas...Sotomayor is in, this is good!
Cash for Clunkers...Highly successful, this too is good!
The recession seems to be ebbing....This will be good!
Healthcare reform? Still waiting!

Got a link to the new Michael Moore movie promo for
:Capitalism: A Love Story
Our Rep. Baron Hill is in it!
Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhydyxRjujU

If Baron has gone Hollywood next time you see him...Knock off his sunglasses!

Till next time friends,

Donkey Kong

My kind of Kin

2009-08-22T10:27:00.004-04:00

Long time readers of the Clark Co. Indiana Democrats blog will know that Donkey Girl really likes quotes from H.L. Mencken. I've used several of his over the years in this blog and on the Clark co. dems web site "Quote of the Month" page.

But I have a second love now! We vacationed last weekend in Brown Co. IN and I finally read some of Kin Hubbard's stuff while staying at the Ab Martin Lodge in the park. I'm hooked. We bought a book that has some of his cartoons and lots of his writing. It is terrific.

For those who don't know him, Kin Hubbard was a Hoosier humorist who did cartoons about the character Abe Martin (pictured here) and many other cartoon folks who inhabited his version of Brown Co. To read more about him go to: http://www.indianahistory.org/pop_hist/people/hubbard.html. But for today I just want to leave you with this quote from him...

"Lots of folks confuse bad management with destiny."

More Kin later ~DG

OH NO!

2009-08-12T20:22:00.004-04:00

The party of Dr. No...

Do you recall your James Bond plots? (If not and you really do want to recall the whole plot just click the title and go to Wikipedia's summary of the plot.)

In Dr. No, the evil mastermind of the title is part of the "private criminal/espionage organization SPECTRE (SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion), and plans to disrupt a highly publicized Project Mercury space launch from Cape Canaveral..." (thanks Wikipedia) Of course, in the end Bond stops Dr. No's evil plans and escapes with the girl.

Can you begin to guess where Donkey Girl is going with this?

Yep- you got it! The Republicans have joined Dr. No's little party that promises terrorism, revenge and extortion.

What fun! What plans do we have for disruption today, Dr. No?

All this town hall hooliganism reminds me once again that when in doubt R's fall back on the old standbys of lies and the "just say no" doctrine.

Post your vitriolic videos, act nasty in public, cry loudly and stomp your feet on TV. Keep it up and people will eventually come to see you as the NO-NO-NO party. No ideas, no manners and no sense. ~ DG

Hellth care

2009-08-05T21:19:00.005-04:00

OK- DG is just about tired of the health care discussion...

-Yes we should fix this thing.

-Yes it is big and unwieldy and hence hard to fix.

-Yes people disagree about the fix

But- YES WE CAN fix it.

Darn it. I'm tired of the Fools on Fox (FOF) and others that want to play games with this issue. The time has come for us to settle down and figure it out. My real ire is reserved for the Republicans that are making political hay out of all the lies they are telling about the "evil plans" that are afoot. It is one thing to be the "loyal opposition" and it is totally another to use such an important piece of legislation to score points for the next election.

The ads and endless discussions aimed at scaring people to death are the worst! This isn't the "democratic process". It is just the shameless huckstering of snake oil salesmen.

Donkey Girl's prescription? Some will just have to swallow a bitter pill or two. Others need their heads examined and perhaps we all should get an adjustment. But in the end, we have GOT to get this broken mess fixed up.

Good luck to the doctors in D.C. Tell them where it hurts while they are visiting their constituents during the August recess, but be a good patient and work with the D.C. doctors not against them. And for the quacks hiding amongst the doctors- watch out. We'll be watching and at the next election we may just have to revoke your license to practice medicine!

Dogs of peace

2009-08-02T16:18:00.017-04:00

We have just welcomed a new greyhound into our home. Talbot came from a track in Arkansas and was one of 6 or 8 puppies. Only one of all those dogs actually had a racing career. That means the rest of the crew was "excess" doggage. Tally's mother had at least 3 litters, too. (Please take a moment to do the math here.). We're glad to get Tally, but hope that all those other "extras" found homes, too. Unfortunately, the track says there are WAY fewer people adopting this summer (25 vs. a normal 100) due to the bad economy.

Then there was the dog thrown off the bridge this week ...It survived due to a bunch of people doing the right thing, but there are a couple of awful people right here in Indyucky who drove a way after committing this deed in front of God and everybody.

Michael Vick is now out of jail after his cruelty to animals (dog fighting) sentence. Will he do the right thing?

I see the "I can do what I damn well please" attitude toward animals that is held by a large chunk of society as a symptom of societal sickness. Animals are just one more thing used up and thrown away by this society. Of course, people are quick to point out to me that people are cruel to each other as well. (Sometimes this is said, as if that explains it all.) A few have tried the "dominion over animals ordained by God" argument with me. Others chide me for caring too much about animals and not caring enough about children (like it is an either/or situation). However, despite all those protestations, I'm coming more and more to believe in the ancient view of the inter-connectedness of all things. For me it it doesn't simply reduce down to a convenient pat answer "all humans are evil" and the "why bother?" with a shrug of the shoulders.

This comes down to a basic choice we have to make over and over. Whatever we do to the least, last, lost- human or animal, old or young, men or women...shows how we and society truly are. If the least, last or lost are well taken care and humanely treated-then we are well. If not, that is a sign of real sickness. In turn, this will be how we are treated when we are the least, last or lost, too.

So many of the policies being debated- health care, torture, which person is chosen for the Supreme Court, racial issues, the Middle East- hinge on this idea.

Donkey Girl will leave you with this quote:

"The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us."- Black Elk (1863-1950)

Kabuki Konfirmation

2009-07-15T21:18:00.003-04:00

Listening to parts of the konfirmation hearings of Sonya Sotomayor made me think of Kabuki theater from Japan. You can click on the video to see a little sample of Kabuki right now! Here's why I am making this konnection:

Kabuki Theater is highly "stylized" where movements mimic puppets (Bunraku puppets which is something for a whole other blog post). In most cases, most Senators practice highly stylized moves based on their political persuasion. Whether they are puppet movements is up to the viewer/listener to decide...
The Senate is highly developed theater, formed over a long time period and so is Kabuki.
Despite Senators' attempts to become a bit more "folksy" at times, these Senate proceedings still has that formal, stuffy feel of this traditional Japanese art form.
Popular Kabuki actors today (who sometimes star in movies and TV) bring modern audiences back to this traditional form. Think Al Franken here.
Poses, where characters glare fiercely at one another, are common in Kabuki. Our Senate hearings for Sotomayor? You be the judge! Kabuki or not Kabuki...
Kabuki fans often shout out things during the play when someone they support comes on stage or does something important on stage. The Senate hearings were "disrupted" by pro-life activists. Surely this was a Kabuki tradition brought to D.C. However, in a Kabuki theater you won't be removed for the shouting out...so that is different.
Lastly- Kabuki has struggled to free itself of the theaters' association with prostitution. It seems the politicians in the Senate also have to continually strive to avoid being associated with prostitutes.

There you have it Kabuki/Senate fans. Donkey Girl has shown you the amazing similarities between these two institutions.

Coincidence? I don't think so! ~DG

Funny videos

Republicans- the gift that keeps on giving!

2009-07-04T14:42:00.007-04:00

While Democrats have their share of juicy news tidbits recently (see earlier Readin', Ritin' post), the Republicans have been going overboard this week. They have been providing all sorts of fodder for the 24 hour news cycle! Michael Jackson's death knocked them off their game briefly. But I'm sure most D's breathed a sigh of relieve when Sarah Palin was back on center stage hogging the limelight.

What is it with that woman and why is she so popular with "the base"? The best explanation (CNN this AM- a black pundit) I've gotten so far, about her leaving the Alaska Governor's office mid-term, is that she needs money to pay legal fees and that there is a TV gig in the offing. So much for being a public servant Ms. Palin! Off we go to get the big bucks.

She used her family for props (including the new little boy Trig and the grandson) at the news conference . Frankly, if we'd written a TV show about the Palins, we'd have been accused of attacking the Republicans. Hey wait- maybe instead of Sarah being a pundit (which will be a tough sell) they are doing a "reality" show...WOW "Kate & 8"watch out!

I won't get into the recent crazy male Republicans filling the airwaves with their "family values" and corresponding illicit affairs. It is, after all, 4th of July. We'll have plenty of fireworks and don't need them today.
Be safe and sensible~ DG

Bravo Al!

2009-06-30T22:17:00.006-04:00

Al Franken has been fighting tooth and nail to get to the U.S. Senate, but BY GOLLY he's going to make it! A very exciting thing in many ways...

We've been sending him money now and then, so I'm really pleased our money was well spent (although I have to say most money spent supporting Dems is money well spent!).
The Senate just got funny x 100. Those BORING talks to the camera on CNN better get more exciting, Al.
And I'm excited about having a guy in the Senate who wrote Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. If ever we needed 60 seats AND a guy who can tell the truth, it seems to me now is the time. (Has anybody been keeping track of all the lies the R's are telling now that they are the desperate minority? I guess it doesn't really surprise me, as they lied to us for years and years, but WOW has it been crazy...especially those "family values" guys who are having affairs. When they aren't lying, they're saying NO to everything. Great.)
If you've followed Al over the years you'll know that he is funny, smart and compassionate. A great combo in my book.

Go on now - make us proud while making us laugh! DG

Rag time

2009-06-28T22:14:00.008-04:00

Donkey Girl and Hubby like to sit around Sunday AM with the papers, sipping great coffee and listening to WFPK. I realize this makes us sound like effete snobs and perhaps for that couple of hours we are. (Later we go to church then mow the grass and do the laundry, so we come back to real life pretty quickly...)

I'm particularly upset today, as I contemplate the demise of the C-J and by all reports many of the other newspapers in the country. My job at the breakfast table is to sort through the paper and pull out the stuff we'll read and recycle the rest. More and more the actual part we read is a much smaller pile than the advertisements. It used to be about equal...

Today the "Cathy" strip in the comics was so small I could hardly read it. Travel pictures are taken by regular folks who submit snapshots, and guest community bloggers write part of the opinion page. Not only is there less content the content there that is printed isn't being produced by journalists and other news professionals. The last straw for me was a picture that was included about the Founder's Day celebration seen below.

Any idea what was being portrayed here? This was supposed to be a picture of a float that had a tableaux of the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima! Last time I looked that scene involved American soldiers and a complete flag-not sky, wires, part of the flag, a hand and a traffic light! Obviously, someone really screwed up (You can see the correct photo at their web site...) And of course, we are paying for the privilege of reading this once respected rag.

Here's an American "industry" that is going down the tubes while we watch. China isn't taking our newspapers away from us, by the way. This is happening because we haven't figured out a way to make newspapers work in the 21st century. We don't need all our news printed in ink on paper, but darn we need "newspapers" of some sort- not just online versions with lots of blogs and blinking ads. Our country is founded on a free press. Right now we've got crappy newspapers and tabloid TV. DG is feeling hopeless. (OK- there is NPR, but still...) I'm not sure what the answer is, but I hope someone figures this mess out soon! Our democracy can't stand this current chaos of "journalism" on the cheap. ~DG

Proud to be HUMBLE

2009-06-26T14:10:00.005-04:00

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Over the past several weeks I've been picking up vibes about being humble. I first started thinking about this when I went to Relay for Life at Jeff High. One of the more humbling things in life is to walk the "survivors' lap". I do that lap when I can and I'm reminded that I'm flat out blessed to be here. I also am really aware that a whole bunch of people and circumstances had to flow together for my cancer to be detected, treated and conquered. Most of that I had nothing to do with:

I just showed up and people like the doctors nurses and technicians took over.

Of course there are the practically invisible things that led to my cure as well. It is humbling to realize that having insurance (which grew out of my having an education and a job) has a lot to do with my survival, for example.

Frankly, there is political will that pressed onward and upward to make sure things are in place for women to get mammograms, reconstructive surgery and more time in the hospital ...so breast cancer is found early and women are treated well. In the past that was not always so!

Then there are all the people that have come together over the years for things like Relay for Life. People doing what they can and it all adding it up. They work hard, have fun and collect that money-not for themselves but for others down the road.

Like I said- humbling. ~Donkey Girl

Readin', Ritin' and Reprimands

2009-06-22T08:25:00.015-04:00

Editors'note: Normally we put a picture at the top of a posting to illustrate the comments. However, in this case it seemed that re-posting the photo in question would just be a bad idea. Please excuse this omission. Go find the photo yourself on the Internet if you haven't seen it. It is there we assure you.

Just when I think I've run out of things to write about...idiocy breaks out and I have new fodder upon which to chew. Thanks Jeffersonville! Actually there's been an embarrassment of riches lately, so you can stop for awhile. Let's see if DG can combine them here in one short (ha!) blog posting:

As a LONG time educator, we've got some schoolin' to do here. This appears to be a teachable moment, so let's get on with it!

To the attorney that started all this uproar- "Those who live by the sword, die by the sword." If you are a public figure already, then anything you do, say or write by definition is "public". When you do something really stupid or bizarre, trust that it will be noticed and made "public". At least you seem to grasp the notion that there's something to be embarrassed about and have apologized. Either you emptied the can and crawled in or your friends helped you. DG thinks you should get some new friends for starters. No matter how this happened, this should be your wake up call.
Friends of L- At some point defending or ignoring dysfunctional behavior is enabling. This, as I said, is a teachable moment. Reach out to this guy and support him, but help him makes the changes he needs to make. Many find L likable (like the neighbors who now regret calling the police). I don't know him personally and I'm well aware that there's a HUGE difference of opinion about this guy. If anyone is going to help this guy it will be those who find him likable that are going to do the heavy lifting... if this scandal can be used for positive change. Those "friends" that artfully arranged this whole "Still life with L and can" should stay far, far away permanently.
The Police- There should be a play book on how to handle these things. In that play book taking work photos and posting them to the Internet should be noted plainly as SOMETHING NOT TO DO, even when it is REALLY TEMPTING . See... whoever took these pictures gave "man in can" and his employers someone to blame for the whole mess. It seems you weren't thinking ahead about where your actions might lead. This doesn't reassure me. I know that as a school person I have all sorts of rule books, memos, professional development on how to behave and think ahead. Surely you do, too.
The employers (and there are a bunch of you out there) -It seems to be hard for you guys to reprimand this guy you've chosen to represent you. Why is that? More than once I've been (rightly) reprimanded by my employers. I lived to tell the tale and I'm better for it! Do you have any idea how this looks to the general public? I'm so tired of the stereotypes "politics as usual", "dirty politicians", "the whole thing is crooked". Insist on improvement here or you'll deserve those things being said about you. Your attorney needs to get a grip and you should insist he do so before returning to work for you. Surely there are other attorneys in this town that would do your work in an honorable and competent manner in the meantime.
To one and all- GET A CLUE about the power and associated danger of the Internet. Yes- yesterday this would have been just a local matter for gossip and a home town paper. AND Yes - today, thanks to the viral capacity of the Internet, this is spreading everywhere. We preach and preach and preach about this danger to the kids and their parents saying "You post a picture on Facebook and the whole world can see it!" Have you not been paying attention to these admonitions? Please don't act shocked by this. It is the world we live in now. Remember that or it will really bite you in the butt. I put "Jeffersonville, IN" into Google and this story was the second thing to pop up in the listing of links. Think companies wanting to do business here don't do this kind of search? Think again.

Wow - too long. So it goes. DG

DK weighs in Back!

2009-06-14T23:23:00.002-04:00

Sorry Donkey Girl...If you were trying to provoke me? It didn't work, because you are right...
Sotomayor is most qualified to be on the High Court (despite her past redundancy: "Latina woman"??? Latina IS a woman....)

Garrison Keiller once wrote of the failure of men to govern this country correctly...And due to this failure, we should turn it over to women...

I'll go Keiller a step further...For over 230 years, this country has largely been governed by white males. As a white male, I have to admit that we have, in large part, failed up to this point. While we have indeed had many successes, right now things aren't so good!

So I am coming out in favor of this country being run by anyone BUT white males. We have an African-American president now....a good start. Our female Secretary of State, another good step.

And a Latina on the Supreme Court? Icing...
Next is an overhaul and balancing of Congress...

Donkey Kong

Just for fun!

2009-06-14T22:02:00.001-04:00

Gwen, the Mill bill and taking action

2009-06-09T21:27:00.008-04:00

(Gwen- out standing in her field)

Saturday we had to put our old dog Gwen to sleep. She was no longer able to walk and had kidney failure, so there really wasn't any other choice. So first off, this is a memorial to Gwen. But I want it to be more as well...

Gwen came to us via the Shamrock Foundation. She was found wandering vaguely on the street in Louisville and eventually made her way onto Petfinder.com where we first saw her. She was a funny old soul and we miss not having her around. We've done this "rescue an grown-up dog" three times now and each has been a good decision in many ways.

The one problem we had with Gwen was that it became apparent pretty quickly that despite being "purebred", the breeder (whoever that was) didn't care anything about breeding a dog that would have good health. She had fatty tumors and warts, went deaf quickly, had bad conformation, bladder/kidney problems,arthritis and major neurological issues . Donkey Girl's humble opinion is that some of this was just simply getting older, but LOTS of it was bad breeding done by someone ready to make a buck to satisfy the public's desire for a "purebred" dog. We're glad we adopted this nifty little dog, but we sure wish someone had thought about her beyond the "cute puppy!" and "let's make money" stage.

Any doubts about puppy mills and how many "purebreds" come from mother dogs kept constantly pregnant in terrible conditions, should be wiped away by the recent puppy mill raids across the country, including one in Harrison Co. where 200 (!) dogs were rescued. Check out the stories yourself at the Humane Society Of the United States web site.

Nothing wrong with quality dogs from good breeders who care or plain old mixed breed from the rescue agencies- but LOTS wrong with the puppy mills that churn out puppies with no concern for moms , pups or future owners. Thanks to State Rep. Steve Stemler and others for taking the first step in making Indiana less attractive to puppy mill owners during this past legislative session. Please urge Steve and other State Reps to take even stronger steps to eliminate this warped kind of commerce.

How we treat animals reflects how our society is as a whole. Contact your State Rep. and when you want a pet, adopt a rescued/shelter dog and resist the urge to buy a puppy from unknown sources in pet stores or from ads in the newspaper. Put these people out of business permanently!
~ DG

DG weighs in

2009-05-29T22:29:00.005-04:00

"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." Judge Sonia Sotomayor

OK first- it was eight years ago, is taken out of context and was addressed to a particular audience...

Next- who cares?

Then- I think it is a given that a Latina, or any woman for that matter, will reach a better conclusion than any male white or whatever.

Finally- remember Clarence Thomas (oh yeah...him). He has lots of race/gender issues and he's still sitting on the court. Rush, Newt & Fox- let's be consistent.

Sorry- Donkey Kong and the other men in my life. This is really how women talk about you guys. Most of the time you aren't listening (HUH?) to what we're saying. But we're saying it. Get over it guys! This should not disqualify the woman.

BTW-I think it is cool that we are learning to refer to her as a Latina

~donkey GIRL :-)

Playing catch up

2009-05-25T21:51:00.005-04:00

My, My...I've been a slow donkey! Let's play a bit of ketchup:

I got to see President Obama in Indy last weekend. It was a nice occasion that included John Mellencamp, Baron Hill and other IN Democrat Congressmen. The President was impressive and it is great to know that he and our Representative are on the same team!

While no one can replace Shirley Nolot, it was nice that a number of people worked together to make sure our (now) annual Memorial Day display of flags and the Memorial Day ceremony came together. This was the biggest crowd we've had (and unfortunately there were 4400 flags, too...).

Can anyone figure out why Dick Cheney is all over TV now talking torture all the time? This is the same guy who was so famous for spending lots of time in an undisclosed location. Now he's the Energizer Bunny who keeps on going and going and going. Someone please make that scary man go away!

Donkey Girl is glad that someone with big time experience is coming to help out in the Greater Clark County School District as the superintendent. However, I'm more than a bit concerned about having someone payed the big bucks through donations.

Finally- If you followed Star Trek, don't miss the Star Trek "prequel" that is in theaters now. Lots of action, so you'll want to see it on the big screen! I've been hooked on sci-fi for years and loved those corny TV shows. Right up my alley.

Here's to summer and ketchup on my fries! DG

Remain calm

2009-05-16T23:07:00.005-04:00

It is time for all good D's to calm down about the various health care proposals out there. I've started to get emails back and forth from various quarters about the different health care reforms being floated out there. Here's what is on my mind:

This should not become a litmus test ... I know there are a lot of people passionate about their particular point of view regarding health care, but I don't want the D's to become like the true believers among the Republicans where one single point of view becomes the "test" to see if you are good enough to be included in the party.

We should not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

I recall how the Clintons very much wanted health care reform. I also recall how that went down. We don't want a repeat of that!

I voted for Obama because I saw him as someone with vision, but also someone pragmatic who would get things done. He consistently lists getting health care reforms done as a top priority. I'm willing to trust him to get something done on this even if it isn't all I'd want.

Seriously...I don't think that in the first six months of Obama's presidency (and currently without a 60 vote majority in the Senate) that a total and complete switch to the government running health care is possible.

I'm not sure that I even want health care being run by the government. I've had some brushes with Social Security on behalf of my mom. If that's how health care would be handled- no thanks!

There is something to be said for the profit motive. The industry could be regulated and there should be more help for people who can't afford health care, but removing competition and profit motive might not be the best thing- especially in our more-or-less free market society.

OK- commence sending those emails. But take a deep breath first, step back and listen to the other side(s) before you do! ~DG

Shirley...

2009-05-06T00:40:00.002-04:00

I find myself, much like many of you, deeply saddened by the news of Shirley Nolot's passing...
She was such a leader and heroine for the County Democrats. Always happy, uplifting, positive...

I can very vividly recall the day I met Shirley...Fay Allen introduced me and my wife to her when she was County recorder. We were at a Unity Day picnic in Langsdon Park (I think that is what it is called...) Fay told her we were good democrats and that is all it took...As I got more involved with the Men's Club (Shirley was a fixture at these meetings!) she became a great advisor, mentor and supporter to me...

I once asked Shirley how one rates the always friendly hugs she gave...I received one from that point on....

A final hug to you Shirley! You were one of the good ones and it is an honor to have known you... Godspeed and God Bless

Donkey Kong

Handicapping the Donkeys

2009-05-03T15:51:00.005-04:00

One or two more lessons from Derby season before we move onto Mother's Day and Memorial Day...

Those who have watch a several KY Derby races know that it is a rare horse that can be first the entire length of the Kentucky Derby. It is a long race and those who start out first, fast and strong, don't always finish that way. This year was a good example of that! A 50-1 odds horse, who was at the back of the pack, found that opening and finished way far ahead.

Here are the political lessons we can draw from this example:

The odds don't always determine the outcome. As my husband pointed out, the odds reflect the way people are wagering, but are not an exact measure of the real abilities of the horses running. So the odds on whether Obama and Co. can fix the economy, the war and all the other stuff that needs fixing might be long odds, but that doesn't mean the fixing can't and won't get done.
Arrogant people like Bob Baffert can talk a good line and claim lots of the limelight. This doesn't mean they will win. Are you listening Mitch McConnell?
The Democrats should view their time now in the White House and as a dominate force in Congress as the start of at least a 1 1/4 mile race. They will need stamina and cunning to win in the end. They haven't stumbled so far. Good! Now look for that opening on the rail.

~Donkey Girl

Patience my little grasshopper

2009-04-22T20:33:00.011-04:00

It has finally dawned on Donkey Girl that the spring season, here in Derby Land, is designed to teach patience...and just in time!
My evidence:
I've been waiting for at least two weeks for the dogwoods to blossom out and they are still not really out yet.
Exiting Thunder teaches patience whether you want to learn patience or not...
The balloon race is certainly a leisurely activity to follow and in a number of years we have even had to wait until the next year for the race. Really not for those type A personalities...
People throw parties to watch a steamboat race. Know how slowly that kind of race goes?
Finally, there are the horse races themselves. You smash into Churchill Downs with tons of really close friends. You wait for everything. The races are really quick, so don't blink. But then there are those long pauses in between when everyone goes to bet. This really has to be the definition hurry up and wait. (I once was at the track sitting in front of a bus tour of older folks during the Oaks. You could tell they had no idea why this was a big deal...sitting in the sun watching people in hats hang out while losing money regularly for fun.)
So here's the political connection readers- we have been schooled in patience. Let's help folks apply it now while the loudmouths at Fox are trying to stir-up the populous with their complaints that Obama and Company are slow at fixing everything BushCheney left behind.~DG

Hawpe- caustic as always

2009-04-19T21:35:00.005-04:00

First-check out David Hawpe's dumb column in the C-J this AM... (Click on "Hawpe-caustic as always" above to get the link.) .

Here' my reply:

Is Mr. Hawpe serious when he chides Congressman Baron Hill for taking time to read the Waxman-Markey bill before voting? We call them "representatives" for a reason, Mr. Hawpe. Frankly, it is refreshing that in the 9th district of Indiana we have a Congressman who actually reads things and thinks about the ramifications for constituents and the nation when voting. The 9th district covers 20 counties that have a wide range of people and issues. If Rep. Hill wants to consider the matter and the effect on us until time for him to vote, that's fine with me. AND- if Baron Hill were to run for Governor of my state, that's also be fine with me! Go back to commenting on your own state, sir. With the cast of characters in Kentucky politics, there's no reason to spend time and ink bad-mouthing a sensible Hoosier.

We'll see if they print my letter. Feel free to chime in and send the paper your thoughts as well. Go to: http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=999980212021 for the submission box. Seriously...go write a letter~ DG

Two lumps please

2009-04-15T19:43:00.008-04:00

Do what?

(Dear gentle readers of this blog- This is a warning of sorts. If you don't know the slang term "teabagging", then perhaps you should go elsewhere today and come back later when I'm writing about something else. ~DG)

Tonight I'm pondering American politics, especially our sometimes-worthy opponents the Republicans. Here's what has me flummoxed...while I appreciate a good publicity stunt like dropping tea bags in garbage cans to protest taxes (which is sort of like dressing up as Indians and sneaking on a ship to dump crates of tea into a harbor to protest taxation without representation), I'm also left with some VERY big questions about the Repubs and this whole teabag shebang:

Have the R's figured out what "teabagging" means?
If so, when did they know the meaning of that slang term? Before the whole event (giving the whole stunt pretty smutty twist), or after when some one's grandchild had to explain it to them once the stunt was announced?
Or was it Michael Steele that had to get them hip to the meaning?
Did they deliberately open themselves up to people like Shuster and Co.? (See youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOinq_IeCyY ) Why?
If it wasn't deliberate, how do they plan on capturing the "youth vote" if they are so publicly clueless about things like this? If this grey-haired donkey has a clue, then it seems reasonable me that they'd could have Young Republican operatives tasked with "slang checking". (Hey! What about that guy from Clark Co. that was the Republican Party Chair for awhile...could this be his new job for the party?)

Well, this has gone far enough. I promise to make the next entry cleaner. But honestly, when they do stuff like this it just begs to be written about in the blogosphere. ~ DG

Back when pirates were fun

2009-04-13T17:44:00.007-04:00

Weren't we just enjoying Jack Sparrow with those crazy dudes, the Pirates of the Caribbean? Didn't we enjoy a Lenten meal at Long John Silvers last week? Wasn't "Talk Like a Pirate" day fun? Buy any of the skull and crossbones stuff that is all the rage for your kids, matey? And don't you love those guys dressed up like pirates in that ad singing their song in a seafood restaurant cuz their identities were stolen? Ah ...those were the good old days.

Unfortunately, pirates and piracy has entered a new phase in our collective American consciousness, thanks to the Somali pirates that held Captain Richard Phillips hostage. No more fun for us. Now it all about figuring out where this pirate trend came from and what to do about it.

I just read up (a bit) on piracy and Somali on MSNBC and my head is swimming. They've got videos, photo shows and interactive maps to go along with all the written content. Here's what I came away with-extreme poverty, a 15 year civil war that followed the exit of a dictator, people using the a chewable stimulant Khat, warlord and militias, "Black Hawk Down", a million dead and a million refugees (hence the need for the aid being delivered to them on the ship that was hijacked) and oh by the way our old nemesis Al-Qaeda. I suppose I might be a real pirate, too, if that's how the last 15 years looked for me.

I'm recalling when I didn't know the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite. Time to get a clue, I guess. Start reading and listening! Har~DG

Corn and commonsense

2009-04-08T20:23:00.007-04:00

Have you noticed that Donkey Girl has been mellow lately? I guess it is the Springtime weather, but I haven't felt very strongly about anything this past week. But it is probably time to get back to some political commentary, so here goes...

For my last two years of undergrad I went to college in Iowa. I truly went to a college in the corn fields-Cornell College in Mt. Vernon Iowa-near Cedar Rapids. During the college orientation program, we walked on roads that went through cornfields to a nearby state park. It was like entering a mysterious green world and was my first introduction to Iowa. I have to say the dirt is blacker there than I've ever seen and the corn stalks positively glow at the height of the summer!

One semester, I was over my head in an advanced political science class on campaigns and elections. I hadn't taken any other poli. sci . classes, so lots of the discussions were way beyond me. Fortunately, the prof. offered a hands-on project of campaigning for the party or candidate of our choice, instead of writing a paper at the end of the class.

I was a bit nervous about going door to door in Cedar Rapids for the Democrats. I came from Colorado where all the farmers and ranchers were dyed-in-the-wool , hard-nosed Republicans who would slam the door on any Democrat going door to door. I thought that the folks in Iowa would be similar. Turns out I was really wrong. I was canvassing in the city for this project and many of the people I talked to were union workers and they were mainly Democrats. These folks knew the issues and knew who they were voting for in the election.

Students from Iowa who went to Cornell came there well educated and worldly enough, despite being raised in small towns and on farms. There was tradition of political awareness in Iowa, too. I came to understand that presidential campaigns start in Iowa for a reason!

All this is to say- I'm not surprised that Iowa is one of the first states to offer gay marriage. I would imagine that most Iowans think it is a matter of commonsense and fairness. I'd like to suggest that Hooisers, who are similar in many ways to those corn farmers and factory workers, pay attention to this news story. Donkey Girl, who was educated in Iowa and been around a long time, thinks it is high time for a similar law in Indiana. ~DHG

Dr. Strangehat

2009-04-01T20:57:00.017-04:00

This is ex- VP Dick Cheney at the 2009 inauguration ...(How did the Obamas and others on the podium keep from slapping him that day?!)
This is Judge Doom...literally and figuratively black hats on these two!

This is Dick Cheney compared to Dr. Strangelove. (When I went looking, I found this compiled photo of the two together, so I know I'm not the only one to have this thought.)

Then there was the Mr. Potter (BAD Mr. Potter) of Its a Wonderful Life photo I found while searching for the Cheney picture. Do you detect a trend?

OK- I was going to write about awful Dick Cheney and how he was the leader of "secret" (except now we know...) CIA plans to assassinate people. It was to be a blog about how glad I am that Obama got elected using exhibit 1001- Dick Cheney. But I went looking for a picture first. I'll remember not to do this in the future! It is late and I'll just let these photos do the talking. That's 5 X 1000 words each= 5,000 words on this evil evil man.

Finally- to see the funny, funny Photoshopped photo of Dick Cheney in Aretha Franklin's grey inauguration hat click on the title above. ~ DG

TGFB

2009-03-27T21:08:00.006-04:00

Thank God For Basketball! Just when you think you've had more economic news than you can stand and just when you're being reminded that there is still a war on... along comes March Madness. For those who don't spend much time in the Bermuda Triangle of Basketball (IU to U of L to UK), it will be hard to explain this phenom and how we momentarily disappear for some serious viewing of this tourney. Suffice it to say, it is like having big weather activity to discuss. Most families bond in front of the TV and eat junky food. There aren't any religious overtones to mess up the mojo. As long as there are teams on TV that you can work up some interest in -you are good to go. (At this level of basketball there should be some team you can like and follow - even if it is just because they aren't Duke.) It is the common language for everyone and you can't avoid it, so you might as well get into it for the this magic moment.

Spring Break has started, U of L is on the tube and daffodils are in bloom.

Life is good~ DG

HL again

2009-03-20T23:32:00.006-04:00

Life is a constant oscillation between the sharp horns of dilemmas.

H.L. Mencken

When in doubt I go to old HL for inspiration! This quote sums up for me where we are with this financial mess. If we do nothing, things get worse ("too big to fail"). If we do something, things get worse (trillions in debt).

My dad would say "Do something, even if it is wrong." I lean this direction. I confess that I'd rather do something versus waiting around to see what will happen. But of course, the problem with this philosophy is that you can be wrong...and probably end up working hard to make things worse. (In this donkey's humble opinion, this is what happened in Iraq.)

Those who demand things in black and white, or who want things corrected now for free drive me crazy! Better to realize the oscillation exists and try to manage it. Godspeed President Obama as you navigate between the sharp horns! ~DG

Tom Terrific

2009-03-16T22:09:00.011-04:00

I wanted to post a GREAT cartoon by Tom Tomorrow here, but I couldn't get it to look right on the blog (plus this way I am not violating copyright laws...).

So you'll just have to take my word and go to :

http://www.salon.com/comics/tomo/2009/03/10/tomo/index.html

(Tom Tomorrow used to appear in the LEO before it went upscale. Great stuff!)

Really- don't miss it! ~ Donkey Girl

Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics

2009-03-14T18:05:00.008-04:00

I sent money to Al Franken and heartily hope that he wins the Senate seat in Minnesota. One of the things I'm indebted to him for is the great title Lies (And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them). It neatly sums up most of the Republicans we've been dealing as we watch the economy collapse. There are, of course, lies of commission and lies of omission to consider when talking about lying liars.

Lies of commission include things like "Saddam has new-clee-er weapons", "Heck o'ajob Brownie" and "Mission Accomplished."

But it is the more recent lies of omission I'm thinking tonight. In particular, I'm thinking of what Senator Chuck Grassley(R-Iowa) said in the Republican radio address this week... "The President and his allies in Congress want to spend too much, tax too much, and borrow too much." How convenient it is for Sen. Grassley to omit mentioning how the previous President and his allies started a war that has cost trillions and cut taxes for the wealthy at the same time! For good measure, the R's also made sure there were no regulators around to sound an alarm. Grassley and his party are responsible (or is it irresponsible?) for this financial crash and burn.

Watching your savings go up in smoke? Suffering in this time of monetary melt down? We didn't start this fire. Democrats just happen to be the first responders to this disaster that was started by Elephants playing with matches.

All together now--- "Liar, Liar Pant on Fire."~DG

All together now...

2009-03-10T21:24:00.007-04:00

A guy, at the town hall meeting with Rep. Baron Hill on Saturday, quoted, (with obvious disgust) the cover of Newsweek that read "We are all socialist now". The cranky man's implication was that Hill and the other Democrats who voted for the stimulus package are a bunch of danged socialists. Problem is the guy didn't read (or didn't fully read/understand) the article that went with that cover.
To quote just a bit of the article here...

"The U.S. government has already—under a conservative Republican administration—effectively nationalized the banking and mortgage industries."
"It was, again, under a conservative GOP administration that we enacted the largest expansion of the welfare state in 30 years: prescription drugs for the elderly. "

You can go to http://www.newsweek.com/id/183663 to read the whole thing. The point of the piece is that ALL of us have been involved in moving toward having government spend money in a large way. The cranky guy also apparently missed the significance of the color of the cover. There's a red hand (Republican) shaking a blue hand (Democrats). See the point is that both Democrats and Republicans voted for this "socialist" stuff.

This time last year, we got the original stimulus check (remember that?) in a form of a nice government check sent directly to us. This came at the request of President Geo. W. and is just one small example of a government "handout" on his watch. Near the end of 2008 there was the bank bailout requested at the end of Geo. W.'s term, so once again a Republican was leading the charge to have the Federal Government hand out a whole lot more bucks.

Cranky guys, Rep. Mike Pence of IN, and bloviating radio/TV personalities are already trying to tell us that this current spending is somehow a Democratic Party plot to slowly make the U.S. a socialist state. Just remember your history. We didn't create the large mess the elephants left behind. Democrats are now the ones willing to deal with this large "shovel ready"project that is designed to clean up eight years worth of bad governance by Republicans. ~ DG

Good Dog!

2009-03-08T15:11:00.004-04:00

Periodically someone will tell me our Congressman Baron Hill is "SO LIBERAL". I just have to laugh and wonder what hate-filled blow hard they've been listening to on the radio! In this last election, one of our local "Democrats" tried to tell me this, so I had to go dig up the information about our good Blue Dog Democrat , Congressman Hill. This guy was convinced that Hill was listening to his liberal friends in Indy who had lots of money rather than listening to Hoosier sensibilities.

The Blue Dogs came up again this weekend when Rep. Hill did a town hall meeting on Saturday and mentioned how the Blue Dog Coalition is working with President Obama to go back to the time when "Paygo" (pay as you go) rules were in place and we actually had surpluses (1999 and 2000) ...long ago and far away before Geo. W. was Prez.

Take some time this week to tell Congressman Hill "Good Dog!" for hanging in there and insisting that we return to common sense rules of spending on Capitol Hill. Now more than ever we need fiscally responsible people bringing some order to our deficit laden federal legacy left to us by the previous bunch of bandits.

~DG

I hear the train a comin'

2009-03-02T21:56:00.003-05:00

My brother is a train nut. I've spent time chasing trains, looked at train slides, gone to various special train stations, etc. I frankly have never shared my brother's enthusiasm for trains. But I think that might be changing.

Over the last decade I've had the opportunity to be in several big cities that have various kinds of trains for mass transit (the El in Chicago, The Metro in D.C., etc.). Each time I've come home I've wished we had something similar here. I spend 35+ minutes each way commuting to my job...by myself in my (hybrid) car. I would really LOVE that time to read, sleep and chat.

Most recently we took the train from Baltimore to D.C. for the inauguration. IT WAS WONDERFUL! The MARC train people in Baltimore had a system for getting us in the station and on the train on time (The same cannot be said for the D.C. end. I think that was not the train people in charge at Union Station, however.)

There is great irony at work here in Indi-uky. By the time we FINALLY get those darn bridges built it will be time to agitate for commuter rail/light rail instead. Or wait- maybe we should agitate now...David Coyte has had it right all these years it seems.

Choo-choo~ Donkey Girl

It's Been Awhile Friends...

2009-02-26T23:20:00.002-05:00

Greetings Dems! Donkey Kong is back from his election hangover! Do you ever just hit a wall? We volunteer for various campaigns, we hit the phones, we hit the trail...then after the euphoria of victory, we become paralyzed, lethargic. In my case, I couldn't even blog...

Election Night was something I will never forget. The masses gathering at Grant Park in Chicago is indelibly imprinted on my mind. I took a day off from work to watch the inaguration...I watched it all! The ceremony, the parade, every ball entrance...What a day!

But we still have so much work to do...Perhaps like you, I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around the enormous sums that were the bailout, the stimulus...
But I have to believe in and trust Pres. Obama and his top notch team: This will work!

I am heartened by the light at the end of the tunnel in Iraq...May our troops come home , not only soon, but safe!

Keep Officers Broady and Lawhorn and their families in your prayers. They are heroes and they were just doing their job...

PEACE!

Donkey Kong

Change done right or flush with success

2009-02-22T18:38:00.008-05:00

Ummm- Donkey Girl likes to use elegant rhetoric and motifs. But sometimes, that's just not possible. This is especially true when something that is normally not discussed in public provides the perfect metaphor. So- sorry in advance then for the following discourse:

After several years of putting up with toilets that don't flush well in our NEW house and many stupid arguments about who's fault is was/who had to go get the plunger, Donkey Girl asked for a new toilet for her anniversary gift. (If you guessed that the 29th anniversary was the porcelain anniversary, you'd be right in this case.) It has restored peace and harmony to this part of our married life, so it was a great gift!

Turns out that when the new regulations for low flow toilets went into effect awhile ago, most companies that made toilets simply made a smaller water tank and didn't redesign the whole thing. Who knew?! As it turns out those clever Japanese at Toto did know this and did some engineering in response. Presto- a toilet that works and is low flow. (Click on the title above to follow the link to our brand of choice.)

I think there's a moral here. We need change, just like we need to lessen the amount of water being use each time we flush. Laws were written with the best of intentions to address this situation, but the laws weren't enough. What it took for things to really work were individuals and companies making sure things were designed correctly. The change America is seeking won't work if laws are written and people/companies just slap together something that meets the bare minimum of compliance.

Going green? Getting out of the war(s)? Fixing the economy? We have the choice to do it right or do the bare minimum.

LET'S DO IT RIGHT! DG

Hey-listen up!

2009-02-18T20:02:00.007-05:00

I'm amazed at the number of people that vote for office holders in elections and then go back to paying no attention to the political process immediately after the election is over (except to grouse now and then in a vague way about something they really don't understand). I'm also amazed by people who get excited over whatever Rush's current rant is, but who go no further on solving whatever Rush's problem o'theday is. So here's some advice to those tempted to slip into a four year coma or complain in dim fashion:

Get hooked into some groups that shares your point of view. They will be glad to alert you about pending legislation. No real news flash, but the legislature is is where LOTS of stuff is really decided. Yes- it is messy and slow. Yes- politicians/public servants will be politicians/public servants. And yes- that's how our democracy works. However, it is incredibly easy to get ready to make those politicians/public servants listen to you. For example-animal issues are big for me. I'm on the list to get email from the Humane Society of the United States. They prompt me with email requests for sending mail or making calls on behalf of animals AND they make it easy to do so.

Put your legislators on your speed dial and bookmark them as favorites, so you can quickly and easily call or write them. Heck- address a few envelopes and stick stamps on them even. Fire off a letter, email or call now and then. It is good for the brain and helps our legislators-state and national- know what the people are thinking.

Develop a Zen like stance when thinking about the legislative process. First it is a process, not an event. This, of course, implies that legislation is something that develops over time. Learning how the game is played is at least half the battle, so spend all that time you are waiting for something to actually happen learning more about the process. Be pleasantly surprised when something does gets done instead of complaining about how long the process took.

Practice seeing shades of grey. The vogue (or has it always been this way?) is to view things in the sharp contrast of black or white. There are many both left and right who have developed the fine art of painting pictures for us in just these two colors. I enjoy watching Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow spin out the Left's talking points. But I remind myself that they are entertainers, as well as political pundits, delivering information is a very fast moving world. What they say and do cannot - by any stretch of the imagination- be the complete and final word on anything political.

Zen saying- The obstacle is the path.

Donkey Girl saying- Hang in there.

Drippy econ

2009-02-15T20:45:00.004-05:00

Some further thoughts on the Democrats' vote for the"stimulus" package...

To be clear- I'm not thrilled to be spending the money. However, the snow/ice/rain/ice/snow storm left me with the perfect (sad) analogy for this national situation.

Due to a combo of poor design and cheaper than prudent construction, our roof leaked during the storm. Snow and ice built up on the roof until rain was running down behind the flashing, following the wall into the basement. Water soaked the wall board, ceiling, sub floor, etc. on the way down. We knew about this leaking problem, but thought it had been fixed. We hadn't had a severe enough problem with snow on the roof, so no leaking showed up until the other night.

Fortunately, insurance will cover some of the cost. However, we still are stuck having to fix the original problem, so we don't have this leaking in the future. (We are thankful that we've not started finishing the basement and that all the junk down there stayed dry!)

This is where the parallel can be drawn to the national economy. Do the Democrats want to lead the way on spending all this money- especially after all the money the Bush & Co. already spent? NO! But we are in a really bad situation and something must be done. If I don't fix the roof, another bad storm will come and eventually we'll be fixing the same stuff again. Same with this economy. We've got to spend money now to prevent bigger problems down the road. In addition, we've got to fix the lack of regulation, so we don't get this kind of economic madness again.

Once again- nice try R's. Your attempt blame the D's for more spending now is simply lame political posturing. Just like the cheapo builder that built Donkey Girl's house, you left us with a leaky roof on the U.S. Economy and we'll have to spend some money to fix the situation.

~DG

Repeat after me

2009-02-08T19:24:00.002-05:00

President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama

You get the idea. (A friend said she repeated this phrase 100 times to get the nasty taste out of her mouth :-)

Another reason to do this chant is to remind the R's that we won the last election and that people elected a black man with the middle name Hussein because they wanted change. The R's had 8 years to run up a trillion + in debt. Now that real change has come and President Obama wants to offer hope and bring progress in a very dark time, the R's are getting all snitty about spending money. Nice try guys. We haven't forgotten what you did. Don't try to blame President Obama for trying to fix things you broke.

President Obama President Obama President Obama President Obama~ Donkey Girl

Off the Island

2009-01-29T20:25:00.005-05:00

Got anyone you'd like to vote off the island? The Illinois Senate just voted Rod Blagojevich off their island and I was thinking there were some local pols I'd like to vote off the island myself!

Being part of the local Democrat scene has its pluses, but there are definite minuses,too. On more than one occasion someone has asked "How can you work with such dirty politicians?" This is probably not news to my Democrat buddies...I'm sure they get this question, too. I don't like my work and name linked to the unethical folks that place themselves in the large Dems tent.

But here's the rub- people are free in this country and county to say they are Democrats when they run for office. Not much the rest of us can do about it, except not vote for them. I also have to say that I'm PROUD to be associated with many, many Democrats that are hardworking and honest.

So make your survivor list. Then go vote the bad ones off the island.~Donkey Girl

Fur Sure

2009-01-26T17:23:00.005-05:00

It is time for Donkey Girl to speak out about something that she's really bummed about...people, not animals, wearing fur. Some of you may know that I'm a vegetarian, but long before I took that step I was against wearing fur. Animals need their fur, but we no longer need to rely on fur to keep us warm, so it is time to stop this cruel practice.

I have noticed this winter, when it has been so much colder here, that a bunch of people I know have fur coats or things trimmed in fur. I wonder if they have any idea how much pain was caused by their fur coat or trim. Whether it came from a trapped animal or a ranched animal, these animals were killed in a very inhumane ways simply for something we don't need.

I have to speak out now- especially about all the fur I saw at the inauguration. I truly was appalled. People in that crowd should know better. Please don't tell me it is an ethnic or cultural thing. The animal with the foot in the trap doesn't care what background you come from.

Think I'm full of it? Check out the PETA http://www.furisdead.com/and Humane Society pages. It isn't something that will just go away. We have to stop it one by one. And oh by the way...not all fur is from wild animals. Lots of it is from bunnies, dogs and cats- no matter what the tag says. Plus some faux fur is real fur. Find out the truth and live accordingly.

Put out and pushing back~ Donkey Girl

Some more details

2009-01-25T16:52:00.005-05:00

Now that I'm back home, have washed the clothes, and finally put away the Christmas tree...I can reflect some more on the inauguration and the change that has finally come.

It was little taste of heaven to be with such a variety of people and to have things like age and race be moot points. We were all happy to be there and we had worked for that day together. We also knew that we were blessed to have gotten the chance to be in D.C. for this huge event, so everyone was determined to be happy.

Lots of people remarked on the "Indiana for Obama" button my husband wore. People knew that we'd turned Indiana BLUE and were as excited as we were about it :-)

It is a bizarrely small world sometimes. We were waiting in line for the train in Baltimore and who should walk up next to us but our former pastor and his wife who lives in Evansville! We knew they were supporters, but we hadn't discussed going to the inauguration with them, so this chance encounter was craziness.

I've always been struck, while visiting D.C., by the number of homeless right next to our Capitol. I know this juxtaposition of poverty and the most powerful people is nothing new. But when you're outside for several hours like we were, and then talk to someone homeless it brings home how hard, demoralizing and just flat-out tiring being homeless would be.

I don't think D.C. should get the Olympics. They were not up to this task and I doubt they'd be up to hosting the world. (I heard they were interested. Just say no D.C. !) The traffic situation is nuts there, too.

I'd LOVE to have mass transit available to me here. I HATE my commute and it is so wasteful for me to drive by myself across the river every day. They won't build that East end bridge until I retire, so I'm sure we're even farther away from light rail, buses, whatever - but now would be a great time to consider it.

Time to go switch the loads in the washer- Donkey Girl

At last!

2009-01-20T20:29:00.003-05:00

At last-Obama is President. The countdown clock has run out and Bush/Cheney are gone...at last. What can I say about this long weekend in D.C. ? It has been a fulfilment of so much dreaming and working for so many people over so many years. There were plenty of irritants - poor planning for handling the crowds, there were a few jerks and people really shouldn't have jeered Bush at the ceremony. But GOSH- all those people and overall it went well. The sun was out, even though it was a REALLY cold. My favorite part was talking with people all over the place from all over the place. It was amazing how all of us shared the same thoughts about the issues, the campaign, the hopes, the uphill climb ahead. There is a great group of people tuned in and listening. Time to get going PRESIDENT Obama said. Let's get going...at last! Donkey Girl

The Flat Earth Society

2008-12-03T19:04:00.005-05:00

I'm kind of an old fashioned gal, but hanging out in a high school with teens keeps me more up to date than I might be otherwise. I've recently discovered I like is listening to audio books we have in our library while driving my car. I honestly find it hard to have enough time to finish a book in the evenings, because I've got other duties and I"m tired. Listening during my commute and errands has really added to my book time.

I'm currently listening to Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat. The version I have is a bit dated as it ends in about 2004-2005, but there are still important things to learn from it. I'd recommend the 2nd revised and expanded edition, if you haven't read it. You can read more of a summary at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_is_Flat.

I'm not sure I agree with everything he says or predicts, but I have to say he described (in 2004) to a "T" the kind of president we just elected in 2008! I think what I find most useful is his looking forward. His prescriptions for what to do based on his observations are off base somewhat, I think and he's a bit "golly gosh gee whiz" about all the "flattening" and "converging" he describes. However, he , at least, is thinking ahead about what needs to be done to get us in shape for success as a nation in the 21st Century.

I don't know about you, but the Beijing Olympics were a wake up call for me. I hadn't seen or read much about modern China, so the way they presented the Olympics was really striking to me. It was obvious that they are no longer all wandering around in quilted black outfits under the unsmiling gaze of Chairman Mao. Friedman's book begins to fill in the gaps for me on how recent world history (especially in the technological realm) has really begun to change how business is done. I plan on reading Hot, Flat and Crowded, his most recent book next. Definitely a good author if you look forward to the next installment of his non-fiction!

Donkey Girl

Order in the court

2008-11-23T20:55:00.004-05:00

Just in time for the holidays...

I plan on asking for a gavel for Christmas. People have gotten so unruly when it comes to politics that I want a gavel to rap loudly when things get out of hand.
OK-- I know people are always unruly with regard to politics...but my impression was we expected to make progress in all things. Yet not all the folks out there have gotten the message, especially with regard to politics.

Case in point is Doug Olsen who writes a "column" for the opinion page of the Evening News. His most recent musing likened Obama to the Anti-Christ. Nothing says Happy Holidays like writing that you think the President elect might be the evil incarnate who will bring the end of the world! There are plenty the nut jobs drinking the Kool-Aid out there who are ready, willing and able to take a shot (literally) at Obama. All they need is some local yokel "columnist" pouring gasoline on their fire.

And thanks to the Evening News, this guy is now published on paper and the Internet. Think this is just nuts? Give Shea Van Hoy, the editor, a call and tell him "order in the court". Bang that gavel in his ear and maybe he'll get the message that civility needs to return to our public discourse. Better yet- sound off (politely) by writing a letter to the editor and reminding our whole community that we expect people to start behaving better than they have for the last eight years!
Donkey Girl

THANKS!

2008-11-09T17:54:00.004-05:00

I've been thinking about things that made the last 8 years and the election bearable:

There were the TV shows that helped us know we weren't alone- West Wing, The Dailey Show, Colbert Report, Keith Oberman and Rachel Maddows, Tina Fey and SNL

There was the Internet in all its folly and glory-how else could this have happened? From MYBO to Will.i.am's Yes We Can on YouTube, to Jib Jab, to all the emails...the connections that were made kept me going and laughing.

People I met through the campaigns (both this time and in 2006 for Hill)- I've written about the fine young adults, but I really enjoyed getting to know the people my age that were fired up about the campaign. I'd like to say a special thanks to all the folks I got reacquainted with or met for the first time through the various Obama groups like the study circles. It was a really interesting, hardworking bunch of volunteers and staff members!

The flowering of the "arts" related to all this- the music, the t-shirt and button art (like the Shepard Fairey posters), the many photos passed around, the clever things people wrote (and wrote and wrote) and said...it all lifted my spirits. I would especially like to point out Garrison Keillor and Gail Collins of the NYT!

All those folks who said "I like your shirt/button" when I was wearing my Obama shirt - When I first started wearing it here people didn't say much (which is never a good sign!). That little bit of affirmation really helped me as I worked on the election.

Donkey Girl

The new dawn of American leadership is at hand

2008-11-05T20:51:00.004-05:00

Listening tonight ...

Two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century...

Join in the work of remaking this nation.

New spirit of service, sacrifice- patriotism, responsibility

A determination to heal the divides...

I hear your voices...I need your help, too.

Democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

Our union can be perfected.

There's so much more to do.

What change will they see?

This is our moment, this is our time.

Out of many we are one.

YES WE CAN- Donkey Girl

11/4/08

2008-11-04T23:10:00.005-05:00

Yes we did!

Donkey Hussein Girl

Stand up to the apes

2008-11-01T20:36:00.004-04:00

"This is the day you've waited for! You get to stand up to the apes!" Capt. Leo Davidson Planet of the Apes

My husband is watching an old movie tonight after working hard outside in the yard. I watched for a few minutes and out popped this line that seems tailor-made for the last days of this election. In case you've forgotten the plot, an astronaut lands on a planet ruled by human like apes who rule with an iron fist and oh-by-the-way hate humans. On the eve of the battle the hero utters the immortal line above.

Think Mr. Doddo in Clarksville is a human hating ape (with apology to all the real great apes out there)? Then go vote. This is your only chance for the foreseeable future to "stand up to the apes".

Donkey Hussein Girl

What A Week!

2008-10-26T22:31:00.002-04:00

I learned a lot this week my friends. Apparently I am anti-America. Seems that if you do not subscribe to the right-wing/GOP/neo-con agenda and ideology, you are anti-America. Who knew? I guess I missed that memo! And here I thought just participating in the political process enhanced one's "America" bona-fides...Like I said I learned a lot this week.

Apparently I am also backing a Socialist for President. That one surprised me too. Seems that if you actually support fair taxation and giving everyone an economic chance, you are a socialist.

Excus`em Moi! (Please excuse my lame attempt at French Donkey Girl...)

But if Bush, Bernanke, Paulsen, et al. say we need to buy AIG, Fannie and Freddy AND bailout Wall Street with tax dollars, that is responsible and needed. These entities are, of course, Too Big To Fail. This definition of socialism seems to be very elastic.

If a company has become Too Big To Fail...perhaps they have become Too Big To Exist...

This election season soon ends. I'm excited, but tired. Thanks to The Daily Show, Colbert Report, Countdown w/ Keith Olberman, Rachel Maddow and SNL for keeping me buoyant! May the Dems prevail!

Donkey Hussein Kong

Wanderings and signs

2008-10-25T21:14:00.004-04:00

Donkey Girl and hubby have been on a short vacation - to Bloomington, to Brown Co. and then to Cincinnati, OH. Of course there are political signs everywhere you go these days. We were interested to see LOTS of Obama signs wherever we went. We expected them in Bloomington, but even as we drove across Indiana to Ohio, we saw plenty!

I was particularly surprised to see them on the street where my in-laws lived for years. I've always kidded that the town where my husband grew up was kind of like Brigadoon. (Brigadoon appears out of the mist every 100 years or so... it is a land that time forgot.) It is so quaint it almost hurts. This is quintessential Americana town. They are not known for being progressive. And yet- there were a bunch of lawns sporting the D's signs. Amazing I'd say!

I'd say all the SIGNS are good. Let's just keep on keeping on and we'll get the change we need and deserve. ~DHG

The 12 days of Campaign left- sing along

2008-10-22T20:57:00.009-04:00

On the 1st day of Campaign, the R's did give to me the oldest nominee...

On the 2nd day of Campaign, the R's did give to me two long terms

On the 3rd day of Campaign, the R's did give to me three rigged votes

On the 4th day of Campaign, the R's did give to me four swiftboat ads

On the 5th day of Campaign ,the R's did give to me five years of war

On the 6th day of Campaign, the R's did give to me six guys debating

On the 7th day of Campaign, the R's did give to me seven spooks a -spying

On the 8th day of Campaign, the R's did give to me eight years of SPENDING

On the 9th day of Campaign, the R's did give to me nine doctors spinning

On the 10th day of Campaign, the R's did give to me ten racists ranting

On the 11th day of Campaign, the R's did give to me eleven banks a-failing

On the 12th day of Campaign, the R's did give to me twelve markets crashing

RAID!

2008-10-21T21:45:00.004-04:00

David Ward , cranky old guy from New Albany, was quoted in the Chicago Tribune saying he wasn't going to vote for Obama because Obama is black.

NICE! I love it when the local yokels make all of us of the Kentuckiana region look like fools. I know that many folks in Southern IN are not racist, but that Mr. Ward still thinks it is OK to make this pronouncement loudly and proudly to a reporter from Chicago is really telling. Ward obviously doesn't think there's anything wrong with what he said. I called Ward to be sure he was quoted right, etc. and "Yep!" he was. Ward was not the least bit chagrined by all this, in fact he seemed pleased.

So what you gonna do? Call Ghostbusters? Naw- RAID! Time for nasty roach-like racists to crawl back into the darkness...or they'll get squashed. (OK - Mr. Donkey Girl advises that sounds too lethal. I was trying to avoid saying exterminated, but really... what word works here? )

What I'd like is for David Ward to realize the error of his ways. Maybe when we have President Obama in the White House things will become clearer to him.

14 days? AND COUNTING- Donkey Hussein Girl

16 days in Fall

2008-10-19T16:06:00.002-04:00

We have a whopping 16 days left in this election. I know it seems like this has gone on FOREVER, but we're almost done with this one. It is time for good little donkeys to get in the harness and pull this wagon up and over the mountain! We may be small individually, but collectively "yes we can". Do you have time, money or talent to help us finish up? Then NOW is the time to get down to the offices and do what part you can to win this- "from the White House, to the State House to the Courthouse".

The Democrats HQ is at the old Masonic Building on Spring across from Warder Park and the Campaign for Change office (satellite Dem office) is in the old Le Rose Theater building just past Schimpffs and Perkfection on Spring. They need people to knock on doors, make calls, do data entry, bring in food, clean up, etc. Just ask what they need. They will tell you!

Giddy up~ DHG

P.S. Vote early at the Courthouse on Court Ave. 8:30-4:00 M-F and Sat. 8:30-Noon

Vote early!

2008-10-17T21:43:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow we are going to the memorial service of a long time friend who died a week ago. Truly- he is in heaven where God has welcomed him with the words "Well done good and faithful servant". I'm sorry he suffered and it is too bad that we will be without his example in our world, for he really did live out "a life that becomes the Gospel". However, I loved learning that, even as he was dying, he was making calls to encourage people to vote for Obama/Biden. He also voted early absentee. So let me encourage you to follow his example. Surely if he could do it will dying of cancer, you can! Make those calls and vote early!

(To vote early you go to the Voter Registration office at the courthouse (ours is on Court Ave. in Jeff.). The one in Clark Co. is open 8:30-4:00 M-F and on Saturdays leading up to the election they are open 8:30-Noon. Nov. 1 they will be open 8:30- 4:00! Bring a photo ID that is issued by the government, like a driver's license. You'll fill out an "absentee-in-person" ballot that you put in an envelope. It will be opened on election day to be counted.)

The freedom we have to vote for election officials is truly a gift. Appreciate it and do it!

~ Donkey Hussein Girl

Disheartened...

2008-10-15T00:10:00.002-04:00

Friends, I find myself disheartened tonight...After a particularly brutal and ugly elementary girls basketball game between Maple and GRC...
Then hearing the lastest venom from the McCain/Palin campaign tour (Hate in 08!!!)

A GRC parent actually yelling "Whoop Her Ass" and when her child did not respond to this exhortation, increasing the volume and repeating the "Whoop..." command....
The repeated shouts of "terrorist", "traitor" and the most disturbing: "Off with his head" and "Kill him" at McCain/Palin rallies....

Is my tolerance and open-mindedness simply naive???
Is negativity and hatefulness so deeply entrenched???

I simply refuse to believe this!

I believe Barack Obama is and will be best for this country.
As will Jill Long-Thompson and re-electing Baron Hill for Indiana!

Oddly enough, yesterday John McCain said he will "whip" some
"you know what" in tomorrow's final presidential debate...
Well today, I witnessed the type of venom McCain espouses...

America no longer needs the politics and policies of McCain/Bush and their ilk...
I've long admired the rising sun logo in the Obama ads,
Even when I may have actually been supporting someone else.

But Barack Obama is my candidate and I crave the dawning of our new day!

Donkey Hussein Kong!

How low can he go?

2008-10-14T19:54:00.003-04:00

As the stock market began the free fall and Congress was voting 700 Billion to rescue us from ourselves, Mr. Donkey Girl remarked that our president had managed to screw up everything. Is the country going in the right direction? Only 8% think so (I wonder who they are!), so say the pundits and pollsters. That raises the tantalizing question " Can George W. Bush get this approval rating down to 0%? I hate to contemplate what would need to happen for it to get to zero...but if anyone can do the "how low can you go limbo", it would be Bush. By the way- do you think there will still be W stickers on cars? After this, I think I'm carrying a scraper and getting rid of any evidence that people ever supported him. I think it will be for their own good.

Off to watch John Stewart ~ Donkey Girl

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

2008-10-12T21:20:00.008-04:00

Are you getting racist emails about who might be the Anti-Christ? Here's Donkey Girl's response ... an attempt to interpret The Book of Revelation in the Bible. If crazy R's can try so can this little Donkey.

From Wikipedia (my source for all things true!) :
"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are the forces of man's destruction described in the Christian Bible in chapter six of the Book of Revelation. The four horsemen are traditionally named after the powers/dangers they represent: Conquest, War, Famine and Death; only Death, however, is directly named in the Bible."

1st horseman riding the White Horse- All we have to do here is change an R to a U and we can see that it is W. himself riding this horse that represents Conquest... also depicted as "a hollow suit of armor from which bugs emerge" ( Man- don't you like that depiction of mad King George!?) What was all that lying about to get us into Iraq? Conquest.

2nd horseman riding the Red Horse- Red being the color of the Republicans, I think it is pretty obvious that this horseman is an R. My guess is this is Dick Cheney in a red plaid hunting jacket with his gun, so I think we can safely say Dick Cheney represents War.

3rd horseman riding the Black Horse- Since McCain was the dark horse in the primary, I'd say this horseman is the current R candidate. Plus, McCain was an honorable man who is steadily going over to the dark side. By the way- the Black Horse represents starvation and famine and I'm guessing four more years of Republican control and there will be famine in our land!

4th horse"man" riding the Pale Horse- PALe-in is the other OBVIOUS horse person ushering in the Apocalypse. Perhaps the horse has lipstick (I can't tell from the pictures). This horse is always depicted as "thin and weak, instead of strong and healthy". Draw your own conclusions. The Pale Horse represents death. Since Palin likes to kill things, I think this is certainly an appropriate horse for her to ride.

Please feel free to copy and paste this rant of Donkey Girl into an email to respond to the aforementioned racist email. ~DHG

From my new friend Niecy

2008-10-08T20:52:00.007-04:00

A heritage message:

McCain had strong Southern roots–—his great-great-grandfather, William A. McCain, owned a Mississippi plantation with more than 50 slaves and died fighting for the Confederacy in 1863—but he believed that his heritage lay almost entirely inside the country’s military. The son and grandson of U.S. Navy admirals, he graduated from the United States Naval Academy near the bottom of his class in 1958, his low class rank attributed to indifference both to disciplinary rules and to academic subjects he did not enjoy. [Source: www.Britannica.com John McCain]

My father was born in Mississippi in 1908 and was the son of sharecroppers. My grandmother was born a slave. At the age of 5 my grandmother saw her brother, who was 13, sold. She never saw him again the rest of her life. John McCain and I have more in common than I realized. My father was a veteran of WWII and received the Victory Medal, Asiatic Pacific Theater Medal, Bronze Medal and awarded for Good Conduct. Unfortunately, when he returned from the war he did not receive the respect that he deserved. He was still treated as a second class citizen and still subject to racial discrimination. My father came North to find a better opportunity. He worked at Colgate Palmolive until his retirement. Do you really think I want John McCain to become our next President?

Thanks to Niecy for sharing her straight talk- Donkey Girl

The little engine that couldn't

2008-09-28T15:17:00.007-04:00

I used to think that the McCain "straight talk express" would prove to be formidable opposition for the Dems in the fall. Now I'm beginning to really question those earlier thoughts of Donkey Girl. Here's why:

STRAIGHT- When you start lying to major TV folks like David Letterman, you definitely are NOT the "straight talk" express. I suppose you can get away with lying to the general populace (like W has). Did McCain really think no one would notice he was still in NY City?
TALK- There was lots of huffing and puffing at the debate, but when it came down to answers and solutions, there was a lot of sound and fury signifying NOTHING. He rambled, blustered, talked once again about his POW experience. But as to real solutions? "They're gone!" (as Sarah Palin would say). This is what happens when you give up your principles to be popular enough to get elected by your base.
EXPRESS- The only thing "express" about all of this financial bailout plan offered by the R's is the rush to pull the wool over our eyes about this most recent "crisis" that has been building for 8 years (at least). They rushed us to an ill thought-out war based on lies. It is happening again with this mess.

You can fool the people some of the time, but give us a few minutes to digest what you just said, compare it to what you said yesterday and talk with some people who know. We'll figure it out! We really aren't that stupid and that's why I don't think McCain and his hockey mom side kick have what it takes (even with Karl Rove pulling the strings).

Donkey Girl has a fondness for the Little Engine that Could (see previous post with that theme May 3, 2008). However, McPalin is not that little engine. It is the a loco-motive on the bridge to nowhere if you ask me!~DHG

Curiouser and Curiouser

2008-09-25T21:50:00.003-04:00

Rome is burning and good old John McCain wants to NOT debate? As they say at school-"What's up with that?" If ever there was a time for a good stirring debate NOW is the time. Sure he'll have to get up to speed. Think he can? Nah...I don't either. That's what this is about. Don't believe this "No Debate" stuff is about some a big concern he has for those of us with one house. He's not up to it and he's bailing out. Cut and run anyone?

(By the way- if you recall the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland, it grins and disappears. Someone Photoshop McPain's face on to the cat's and send it to me please!)- Donkey Hussein Girl

Cruel Sarah Palin

2008-09-18T17:24:00.001-04:00

Power to the people

2008-09-17T10:51:00.003-04:00

OK- Donkey Girl has power back at her house. TERRIFIC! But this offers a lesson or two I think we should stop and reflect upon:

Being without power sucks. Both electoral power and electric power.
Want to sit around in the dark? Vote for the R's this time.
Want to have the hurricane winds of change rip through your life? Vote for McPain.
Want to pay $4.15 and up for gas after waiting in line? Give those Republicans 4 more years (and then it will be $5.15- if you can get gas!!).
Want a bail out? You definitely have to be a high flying R who screws up to get help.
(Thanks to Tubby M. for his little talk yesterday about getting lessons out of things like this...) ~
Donkey Hussein Girl

Take a deep cleansing breath

2008-09-16T10:23:00.007-04:00

Yes I know there are just 48 days to the election, but honestly if we are going to freak out all is lost. Donkey Girl is asking you to relax a bit.

Try viewing the following:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/opinion/11collins.html- great column on Dems taking a chill pill

http://vodpod.com/watch/1005895-les-misbarack?pod=newteevee - Ultimate Improv does a great send up of Les Mis and the whole Obama thing (keep in mind I was for Obama starting when he spoke at the 2004 convention...it still is funny!)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/13/tina-fey-as-sarah-palin-o_n_126249.html- Tina Fey as Palin ...scary good! Maybe the D's can hire her to do ads and say the outrageous things Palin is pretending she never said...

Feel better? OK now go do something. They need canvassers and phone callers at the HQ's.

AND don't tell me you don't have power. I don't either. But don't just sit there wishing for power. Go out and get some power us little guys. (Tried to find gas today? Is there any? How much did it cost? See what I mean?!) -DHG

And counting

2008-09-05T21:26:00.004-04:00

(Thanks to NASA - my tax dollars at work- for the photo.)

The Bush countdown clock stands at 136 days left! Can you believe it? That means we are nearing the end of this whole drawn out mess. One way or another it will end, that much is sure.

However, the more McCain cozies up to the far right the more disturbed I've become. My husband said that is is more common to court the fringes in the primary and then move to the center afterwards. Not good old "Maverick McCain". He's taken a hard right turn without regret it seems. And learning facts (like how often he's voted with Bush and the rest of the Republican mob) about him hasn't helped. What's that phrase- "familiarity breeds contempt"?

At the end of the Democrats' convention (as the Obama family and Bidens were walking off that wonderful stage)I remarked to Mr. Donkey Girl that I wished we could just skip ahead to the part where they are moving into the White House. I obviously have watched way too much TV and DVD's. The reality is that for Donkey Girl to be happy in January when Bush is moving out, she and all the other donkeys out there have got to pull together for this last bit. There is no skipping the work that must be done in Sept. and Oct. if we are to win in November. So let's count down together to the blast off....10, 9, 8...- Donkey Girl

WWRD-What Would Rush Do?

2008-09-02T21:37:00.003-04:00

Gotta ask- WWRD if Gov. Palin were the Dems VP pick? Can you hear the bloviating NOW? Yes folks, he'd be in hog heaven... So I'm pondering how is Rush handling all the news of un-wed pregnancy, mark-ups, one day's vetting, experience of 20 months now that the Alaskan Governor, the R candidate, is in the hot seat.

I can't take him, so someone will have to report in for me. Calling all Ditto Heads! Let Donkey Girl know what spin Rush is putting on this. I'm sure he can... Just like he did with his drug dealing and addiction.

Indeed...WWRD?~DG

I'm so dizzy ...

2008-08-29T21:50:00.004-04:00

My head is spinning! What a week of inspirational speeches and late nights. But I'm also feeling askew from the McCain announcement of this brand new governor as his running mate. Is he truly senile? I've suggested this a couple of times, but really said that in jest. Now I'm not so sure. Does he really think Hillary supporters are going for this hockey mom? He struck me as out of touch at time(1 house or 7?), but man I think he's got this one REALLY wrong. We're ready for some change, but a true neophyte a heart beat away from the presidency? Oh dear. Even George Bush the Mad had some governing under his belt before tackling the huge screw up that is his legacy. Hmmm, what are we to think?

I think I'll go canvass for Obama/Biden. Less than 70 DAYS in this election. If that doesn't light a fire under you, than nothing will. - Donkey H. Girl

Tomato Time

2008-08-20T20:34:00.002-04:00

Are you feasting on tomatoes?! Boy I am!! I had the perfect one for lunch (people were actually envious as they ate their micro meals) and then we had an "heirloom" tomato salad at dinner. I bought some at the Farmer's Market and got some from the neighbors. I'm in hog heaven and for a vegetarian like me I mean heaven.

This bounty can be compared to the political activities at hand. I know for some it feels overwhelming, but right now we are poised at the perfect moment for those who love politics and understand what this moment means. Right now there are way too many things for anyone person to do on any one weekend, I know. But this is when we need to eat up our politics morning, noon and night. It won't get any better than right now to do what we have to do to win these elections. The deadline for registering people to vote is just about one month away, for example. If they don't register, they don't vote. So RIGHT NOW is the time to get busy.

Donkey Hussein Girl

Tire-d

2008-08-07T20:17:00.002-04:00

You know it is high campaign season when the R's start doing stupid human tricks!

....Like what's up with the Obama and Paris H. ad? All I could say was "DO WHAT?!" when my husband told me about it one morning. How confused is he? The rap on McCain is that he's getting old and senile. I'd say this proves it.

...And this is so like the R's- Suggest expensive, environmentally scary stuff (like drilling in the ANWAR that won't help for 7-10 years on the oil issue), THEN make fun of the suggestion to inflate our tires (which would actually help more and would help now). I say let's get out those gauges, fill our tires and snicker all the way to the White House.

Yes- Donkey H. Girl is already tire-d of the R's campaign nonsense. But we've got a ways to go friends. So hunker down and don't let those crazy R's get to you.~DHG

Ohh..It is ON!

2008-08-06T01:24:00.002-04:00

We had a very well attended "Grand Opening" to the Dem HQ tonight!
The excitement is palpable: The general public is disgusted by the effects of the GOP/Neo-Con ideology...
And make no mistake: What is happening now is not, NOT, GOP/ Neo-Con strategy gone completely awry...This is GOP/Neo-Con strategy IN FULL EFFECT...

Record Deficit, Record Debt, Endless War, De-Regulation and Un-precendented Constitutional Assaults: The GOP/ Neo-Con agenda...IN FULL EFFECT

We so need a Dem Prez! A Dem majority in both the House and Senate! A filibuster proof majority in the Senate!

Here we are in the last 6 months of W's 2nd term. Shouldn't his foreign and economic policies be clicking on all cylinders now? They are a complete failure because their ideology is a complete failure...

If I sound angry, it is because I am: The administration of W has been a complete and unmitigated disaster on virtually every front...

But I always give props when due: W's HIV eradication efforts in Africa have been laudable, often later than pledged, but laudable...

If only he cared about the medical care of his own citizen's at least as much...

Get together right now

2008-07-29T21:22:00.003-04:00

Donkey Girl sez it is time for the D's to get together...

I've been thinking about what would happen if John McCain wins. Here I've been counting down to the next president (see the countdown clock link to the right). If the next prez is McCain, I'll just have to move someplace else, because I really won't be able to take this mess any longer.

Just in case you have forgotten what Bush and his fellow R's have been up to recently check out this handy listing: http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/13/8923/

See what I mean?

And if you were feeling at all warm and fuzzy about McCain because he isn't Bush, click here for a list of the many, many, many flip flops of this guy: http://howinsaneisjohnmccain.blogspot.com/2008/03/mccain-never-met-position-he-didnt-like.html

I'm pretty sure this straight talking, little engine that "maybe could once upon a time" has really been derailed. If he can't tells us the truth now, how might he be in the Oval Office? (Oh wait- we already know how this would play out. See the Bush list of fiascoes above!)

So I mean it...it is time for us to get together behind all the Democrats on the ballot and work like crazy, spend what money we can on our candidates and go vote in HUGE numbers for all the Democrats from president to judge and coroner, so my nightmare doesn't come true. Obama, Hill, Jill and many local candidates need our support. Top to bottom and sideways...we must make sure our support is deep and wide!

Here's to wall-to-wall Democrats and happier days ahead if the D's are victorious in the fall! Donkey Hussein Girl

A quick question

2008-07-21T21:54:00.005-04:00

Why is it OK for John McCain to trot around saying Obama is too inexperienced to be President ...while McCain's campaign is complaining that Obama is making ageist remarks?

~ Donkey Hussein Girl

More torture

2008-07-17T09:55:00.007-04:00

Just a quick note today to add a link to Frank Rich's column http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/opinion/13rich.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin about the new book The Dark Side by Jane Mayer. Basically, he details how this use of torture and how the Bush White House taking their "eye off the ball "of Afghanistan has left us open to more terrorism- despite all the "war on terror" in Iraq! Read it and weep- DHG

(P.S.- While spell checking this post, I got the option to use Whorehouse for Whitehouse. Interesting indeed!)