Blacklidge

Health Care Battles

Here we go! The people who should be helping Americans, especially now, are just going to start battling away. The Republicans just don't care if we ever get health care and the Democrats are going to get so bound up in political correctness and their own inability to get together and wipe the Republicans out completely. The Republicans have no problem once they get their filthy hands on the reins of the country, they go for the throat. The Dems, historically, start in-fighting and bickering and get absolutely nothing done. I guess Obama should have realized that his team has that fatal flaw, before he even got in there.

Health care is available in almost any developed country in the world. It can be done here. Really, it can. The politicians are manipulating us and we are going to have to go without, because of the lobbyists and large companies that run our congress.  It is very sad but I know there is no way that the citizens will rise up and protest and demonstrate like we did in the sixties. Apathy rules and the politicians are banking on that.  

In case you wondering where I stand, a response to a stupid email

Why would you send that to me? Bush is the anti-christ, as far as I am concerned. He started two wars to enrich himself and his rich friends, he shattered the middle class in America, he tore away our rights as civilians.The middle class, which I used to belong to, no longer exists in this country.  Don't just send this  stuff around like you are sending facts, these are not facts. If you were anyone else, I would copy this to all the names listed from previous senders, just to get another viewpoint across, as if they would listen. This and other emails like it are evil and send out misinformtion about our current president and it doesn't do anyone any good to read it. Propaganda like this is how the enemy in the world wars got misinformation out. I hope you are getting information from many sources, as I know you have time to listen to lots of things and read lots of things. If you are getting most of your information from emails like this, you aren't doing yourself or your vast family any good at all. Some of the people that send you emails are truly misguided and it shows in the virulent and nasty things they send. Bush was no friend of yours or mine, I hope you know that. Not only was he the stupidest man ever to sit in the white house, he had an evil, cruel creep as his vice president, who would stop at nothing to get his way. 

You know me, I can't just keep my mouth shut. I know you will say that you accidentally sent this to me, but if you send this evil to others, you have to know that not everyone is on the same page with the crazy broad that sent it to you. Our country could easily be torn apart the events happening right now and crazies like her are leading the charge.

 

Jury Duty

Well, I was supposed to call about jury duty in late October but I spaced it completely out. I mean, gone, baby, gone! So, being ever friendly, Pima County sent me a nasty gram with a few threats and I called them up. They were nice and set me up for this week. I got down there this morning and went through most of the day there. I really have a couple of appointments this week that I cannot miss, so I was angling for a pass. Nowadays they aren't so easy on folks trying to get out of jury duty. That is why I was there all day. I managed to convince the first judge that I needed to not be there all week so he sent me back to the office for another try. Later, after lunch, they sent me to another judge, for an equally long trial. If either one of them had been for today or just today and tomorrow, I would have been there. Both of these trials were for the whole week. So, I managed to escape, long about 3:00. Then, of course, I felt guilty. I really had to go to one of my appointments, no rescheduling. Still, I felt like a cad as I was driving away. Ah, well, better luck next time. One thing I thought was odd, was that the plaintiff from the first trial was wandering amongst the possible jurists in the afternoon. A guy on trial for aggravated assault and attempted murder. That was a bit of a shock. I sort of made a maneuver away from him. He made me nervous.

Halloweenie!

I know that I am just taking the line of least resistance when I turn out the lights and pretend that I am not home on Halloween. I have done it for a long time. It's just that when I do it, I feel like a fraud. I usually have candy anyway, but I usually blame it on the dog. I don't want to scare her, after all. She actually did okay tonight, with the few kids who braved the door without a light. She barked a bit but was okay when I gave the candy out. When I was younger, I went to parties or out for the evening. Now, I'd rather stay home most of the time. When I had my coffee shop in Globe, Az, the whole downtown area would stay open late and give candy out from the storefronts. It was a safe and fun way to get them out to show us their costumes. I think that those years were my best Halloween years. Most of the time, we would underestimate how many kids there would be and have to send someone over to Safeway on the run, for more candy. Anyway, it is dieing down for this year. Maybe I'll go to the movies next year. Remind me, would you?

Health Care Continues To Be A Big Deal

I wish they would just get something passed sometime soon. I worry that there won't be a public option. Really, if there isn't a public option, why even bother to go through all of this? The insurance ghouls have those politicians by the short hairs and if they pass something without having a way to control them, we will all be so very sorry. How many Americans have called or written with their insistence that a public option is necessary? We need to keep calling and keep writing, and start little crib notes on who not to vote for next time.

Why is it that our politicians are even able to take money from big groups like the insurance companies? I thought that some laws were passed to keep them out of the politician's business. If we had a system where the public paid for the elections, with a very low cap on the amount spent, none of this would be happening. Our system is so corrupt that there doesn't seem to be a way to fix it. Why do they need to spend huge fortunes on elections, every time one rolls around? We all get sick of the negative campaigns, the commercials on every channel, the bitterness that it all stirs up. Until we as Americans wake up and realize we're being robbed by this over class of government, the cycle will just repeat itself. Even though it is an off year, this one has had way too much political wrangling to suit me. At least the evil, insurance company-bought-and-paid-for-stooges aren't raising such a commotion anymore.What a blip in our history. I guess this is no more bitter than lots of other portions of our political history, it just seems worse because of the reliance on the new medias to get stuff out there, in a quicker, more nasty way. Luckily, our side has the advantage on the internet and television smarts. I suppose it will all pass soon enough, and with any hope, our lives will be a little better because of all the effort now.

Call your state's house and senate people. Tell them what you want. Do it today. Do it again tomorrow.

Backyard Hawk

Today, while I was foolishly baking up some goodies, a bird flew into my backyard and sat on my bird bath. At first, I just wasn't paying attention, then I thought, "Jeez...that was a big ol' bird. So I grabbed my camera and snuck over to the open patio door. Sure enough, it was a hawk of some sort. There are tons of them living around here and I worry about them eating my kiities. The thing is, if you have seen my cat, Wyatt, you know it would take several of these guys to pick him up. Anyway, here are a couple of shots of him. Click to enlarge and check out those feet! I wouldn't want him after me!

Finally, the Fall!

I lived in Colorado, most of my life. You can tell when the season is changing there. Any season. You can see it, feel it and know that it is coming. Not so much so here in the desert. We've been waiting for a change in the 100 degree heat for a long, long time. Well, it is finally here! We're all so excited. Yeah, 70s, 80s, 90s. Life is good!

More Desert

Just a Note

Obama=Nobel Peace Prize

Texture

A crested saguaro, usually seen in only one in ten thousand cacti.
Up close on the trunk of a saguaro.

Lumpy, bumpy and pokey! This type of cactus has the tiniest spines, they stay in the longest and sometimes hurt the worst!