Giant Step Backwards

The results are in....and we have taken a giant step backwards. The "Tea-Partiers" will have their say, the Democrats will remain indecisive, and every politician will now be focusing on the 2012 elections....therefore, nothing of any importance, nothing will be done. Anything that Pres. Obama has accomplished will be either undone or overlooked by the Republicans in the hope that they will return to power.......its all downhill from now on, folks. This has become too disturbing for me, a world where blatant lies count as truth,ignoring those who need help in order to protect megacorporations,supporting wars that drain us monetarily as well as morally and ,instead of encouraging proper education for our youngsters we fill their heads with utter crap and give them no chance against the rest of the world to flourish.. So, I say....Finito, and God bless you.
       

The Silly Season

Well, after a summer of escaping into the world of Tennis it is time to get back into the "real world"......and what a mess it is! I really didn't think that matters could get much worse but when I see and hear some of the candidates for the U.S. Senate it is clear that the inmates have taken over the asylum! 

We are now entering the silly season, AKA pre-election campaigning. We must go through a daily barrage of political half-truths and some downright lies by those who want our votes. Every hour of every day these ads are in our face and there seemed to be no escape but one......our Churches. However, now thanks to the Alliance Defence Group even that last refuge from all that blather, would vanish! This misbegotten group would have it that Pastors and other clergymen could not only campaign for candidates but allow them to be guest speakers to their congregations all the while maintaining the Churches' tax exempt status! This is so wrong,on so many levels that I hope and pray it gets the fate it deserves!! The purpose of a Church is to offer solace in times of despair and to offer hope by the words of The Almighty.!

~ Comments by Skazski

A Republican Myth

The greatest myth of all.....the Republicans Pledge to America....they claim that thousands of jobs will be saved by cutting taxes and by cutting spending.

Statistics show otherwise. Their tax cuts would only benefit about 4% of the population,who pay the same taxes on millions of dollars as those who earn less than a quarter of that amount... and by cutting spending on such items as repairing /expanding our infrastucture, health care and the environment jobs will be sharply decreased....a situation that we cannot afford in this difficult economic climate.

~ Comments by Skazski

Bechtel, Just a Small Mom n' Pop Store

A finding in a recent investigative report on Tax Law and the definition of a "small business" was a shocker! One would think that a small business was the Mom N' Pop store in the neighborhood,or the family run hardware store...but, no....it refers to the least number of owners, even if it is a megacorporation (i.e.Bechtel) and rakes in profits of millions of dollars a year ! Equality under the law? I think not! And we have the audacity to call ourselves a "democratic" country....Ha!

~ Comments by Skazski

 New Grandchild!

note from a very happy old woman; Congratulations to Kelly and Mark for bringing a brand new baby girl into our family.. 

Rafa Did It!

At last! Rafa has completed the Grand Slam!...and he is only 24 years old! I can't think of a more deserving champion. He will be tested in the coming year but let'ssee if he can repeat by winning all four majors in one year.  Tennis Rants

Thoughts while watching the U.S.Open. If a player intentionally smashes/breaks his racket during a match he is given a warning and if he does it again he gets a point reduction......but, if a player berates and demeans an official,i.e. a linesperson nothing is said or done! Does the Tennis Association consider an inanimate object( racket) more valuable than a human being? This is not only unsportsman like it sets a very bad example for young players.

Intentional advantage???? The last 3 players that Federer met were "lefties"....in anticipation of a Nadal-Federer Final?Too bad RF met Djokavic in the semis!Who decides the match-ups?on what basis do they make their decisions? By comparison Nadal faced much tougher opponents in his early round matches......is bias afoot here?   Tea Party In The Garden: Wrong Path

In a weird way I understand the Tea Party's frustrations, but I think that their aim is misdirected. They should be angry with the members of Congress and Senate who have constantly blocked almost every action of the President to improve our financial situation. Cutting taxes is only going to make matters worse....it is a pity that they (Tea Partiers) are being led down the garden path and would take the rest of us with them. The Republican Party has a history of backing "Big Business" and the wealthy elite and to hell with the underdogs(us)....seems like sour grapes to me.

Well, now President Obama is getting flack for his scheduled appearance on the View.....a program that has a wider viewing audience than most press conferences or "news" shows....this after accusing him of being aloof and only giving scripted appearences......what a hypocritical bunch we are!

Why Hysteria Ove Wikileak Disclosures?

Why the hysteria about the Wikileak disclosures? They contain nothing about our troop movements and only disclose matters that almost everybody already knows or guesses. If anything they have brought home the fact that our involvement in Afghanistan is a losing proposition, in lives and taxpayers' hard earned money.....the sooner we get out of that quagmire the better. Some pundit stated that if we are to succeed in that region we should send in competent civilians to help that infrastructure instead of blowing them to hell.......bread makes more friends than bombs. And why are we giving such vast amounts of money to Pakistan when they support the Taliban in its war against us?

Done vs. Finished

Pet peeve #1...Lord knows the English language is tricky and, the older I get the use of "ence" and "ance" gets harder to remember....but the use of the word "done" instead of "finished" really gets my goat!...as in "I'm done eating" instead of "I've finished eating"....as my mother used to say " you are not a batch of cookies, you are a person". Nowadays that seems quaint, but it still rankles me when I hear it.

Celebs in Jail and "Overcrowding"

Another thing that doesn't make sense.....if a "celebrity" is sentenced to a jail for say, 90 days and is confined to an isolation cell....why is that celeb. released after only a couple of weeks due to "overcrowding"? How can that isolation cell be overcrowded? It's not as though that celeb was put into the general prison population.....hmmmm.

Common Courtesy

Pet peeve#2...rudeness and thoughtless behavior ........ Emily Post is long gone, and politeness seems old-fashioned...but common courtesy and good manners, such a simple "thank you" or "please" are the threads that make up the tapestry of a civilized society.

Medial Marijuana in Jail?

Odd thoughts that pop into my head while trying to get to sleep........if prescription meds are allowed in jail, what about medical marijuana?

Michele Obama: Too Busy For TV Watching?

Prez. Obama's statement, on the View, that it is the only daytime show that his wife watches....to which his critics say "hooey"....she is far too busy, in the morning, to watch TV...and besides she is s Harvard grad......funny that those critics haven't heard of TIVO, just saying.

Trash TV: Exploitation of Young Girls

Sex sells AKA Trash TV.....let's be honest, we all watch one or more of these so-called entertainments but some go too far in matters of immorality, and one of the top ten, (in my opinion) is devoted to the misdeeds of a family who has an obsession with one letter of the alphabet in their names. The matriarch has no problem with the exploitation of her daughters. A younger one is 14 and since she is an "aspiring model" two of her older sisters posted pictures of her, in very poor taste considering her age, taken during a photo shoot at the beach. The message to all the young girls who watch this trash seems to be.....its O.K. to look like a hooker and if that gets you publicity great! Oy vey!

Trash TV: A Mug's Game

More Trash TV....They say it's just a game but does that excuse fraud???? Also in the top ten of Trash TV is a show about a group of people, locked in a house for the summer with cameras following every move as they compete for a half million dollars by lying, back-stabbing and even "romancing" their fellow roomies......but the ugliest ploy used by one of these contestants is claiming his wife has an extremely rare disease of a leg, that can only be cured by very expensive surgery. This not only  diminishes those who actually suffer from catastrophic diseases but demonstrates the skewed thinking that it is O.K. to win anyway you can and honesty is a mug's game.....and,yes, the wife is going along with the scheme....God! I hope they don't have children!

Bring Back the WPA

Bring back the WPA!!!! In the 30's when times were tough,money was tight and jobs were scarce FDR created the WPA which put people to work in meaningful jobs. In one small corner of our state many of the highways, that are still in use today, were built by the WPA...as was Timberline Lodge in the Mt. Hood National Park. Why can't the government recreate such a program today? It would provide much needed jobs and our country would benefit from the revamping of its infrastructure.
Image source: Timberline Lodge 1938 Bartking.net

Vacation time is here and so are the Tennis Games......back after the U.S.Open in September. Shalom.

Rafa's Ritual

Thoughts while watching the opening games in Toronto.....Rafa Nadal's 1st serve....tug at pants, tuck hair behind left ear, rub nose, tuck hair behind right ear, wipe hand on pants leg, bounce ball 6 or 8 times, toss ball up, hit ball into net.

Plea to Rafa: No Pink!

An ardent plea to Rafa.....please,please,please discard any and all shades of pink from your tennis court apparel.....pinks are a jinx!!

Obama on THE VIEW

Well, now President Obama is getting flack for his scheduled appearance on the View.....a program that has a wider viewing audience than most press conferences or "news" shows....this after accusing him of being aloof and only giving scripted appearances......what a hypocritical bunch we are!

Hysterics Over Wikileak Disclosures

Why the hysteria about the Wikileak disclosures? They contain nothing about our troop movements and only disclose matters that almost everybody already knows or guesses.. If anything they have brought home the fact that our involvement in Afghanistan is a losing proposition, in lives and taxpayers' hard earned money.....the sooner we get out of that quagmire the better. Some pundit stated that if we are to succeed in that region we should send in competent civilians to help that infrastructure instead of blowing them to hell.......bread makes more friends than bombs. And why are we giving such vast amounts of money to Pakistan when they support the Taliban in its' war against us?

Blows Up Real Good! (and it's better with beer!)

Could anyone please tell me how getting drunk,blowing up such large fire-crackers that it sounds like WW3, scaring the bejeesus out of countless dogs and cats and jolting other people out of sleep is symbolic of Patriotism?? Most communities have 4th.of July Parades and Fire-works displays...fine and good....what I have a problem with are the reckless firing off of (usually illegal) fire-works in the days preceding the 4th, and for several days afterward...and into the wee hours of the morning. Even though there are city bans on such actions they are often overlooked.....and the mind-set of those scoff-laws is..."I'm proud to be an American"...Huh?

At War with the Almighty?

According to a new law people now will be allowed to carry concealed weapons in Churches, Synagogues and Mosques! Are we at war with the Almighty or are we there to worship the NRA? This goes so far beyond the ridiculous...it is lunacy!...and further proves that we are fast becoming a nation of idiots!!

Will USofA Be Here in 250 Years?

In the lifetime span of civilized nations of the world we, the USofA, seem to be in the "terrible two's" phase of development...Reason and learning are resisted as being too boring, in our greed for a more comfortable life style we blow the tops off mountains (for coal), pollute our waterways and atmosphere, lie to protect us from paying the consequences of our actions and have temper tantrums (wars) when opposed by more rational minds. I wonder if this nation, as it is today, will still be in existence in 250 more years?

Patience

So the President's approval ratings are down......I have been as guilty as the rest of the country in expecting a whirlwind of changes to happen overnight,but on seriously thinking about the changes that have occurred since his inauguration I have realized that he has accomplished more,overall,than the previous administration in the same length of time. With all of the matters that are facing this country, both foreign and domestic, and with the Republicans using the filibuster tactics at every turn, it is a miracle that ANYTHING has been done.....after all, isn't it better to have a President who studies every situation before deciding on a plan of action rather then dashing madly off in all directions?!

Cut Obama Some Slack

Good Lord! cut the guy some slack! Now, some of our patriots on the right, have scolded President Obama for taking his family on vacation....not to The Gulf,but to New England! Did President Bush take his family,on vacation, to New Orleans after Katrina?....and do those same critics remember that in the same length of time in office, Pres.Bush had taken 216 days of vacation? In the dictionary "petty" should be synonymous with "politician"!

~ Comments by Skazski