Our Yard Sign Hydra
Our yard sign got stolen early this morning. This upset me greatly. Not because of the $30 I donated to the campaign in exchange for the sign; I would have given that money to the campaign anyway (and...
View ArticleMcCain volunteer attacked...hoax?
A campaign volunteer for the McCain campaign is claiming that she was mugged at an ATM, and the attacker, enraged at her McCain bumper stickers, beat her and scratched a B into her face. Right-wing...
View ArticleParadigm shift: A vision for the future of newspapers
It is no secret that newspapers are ailing. Circulation is falling at just about every major paper. Just this month, we lost the Rocky Mountain News, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer ceased its print...
View ArticleHigh deductible plans = underinsured
I read with great sympathy danceattakjg's recommended diary about his wife's situation--uninsured and with a newly discovered chronic medical condition. I was especially sympathetic because my husband...
View ArticleHank Johnson Townhall, GA-4. We came out in force!
Hank Johnson's district is Cynthia McKinney's old district on the east side of Atlanta, so there are a lot of progressives. But this is Georgia, so the district is surrounded by a sea of red, and WSB's...
View ArticleOn garbage, health care, and winning the argument
What does garbage have to do with the debate over health care reform? In Gwinnett County, Ga., quite a lot.Several years ago, Gwinnett County in suburban Atlanta contracted with a non-profit...
View ArticleA tale of two churches: the bankruptcy of the Southern Baptists
I know there are many Kossacks who are soured on the Christian faith, and the Christian church. It so often is mean-spirited, self-righteous, close-minded, and vindictive. It can be worse from the...
View ArticleA tale of two churches, Part II: the church that stayed
Thanks to all who read and commented on my first diary, about a church that fled in the face of the refugees that settled at it's doorstep. The next part of my story is about the church I eventually...
View ArticleIs the cure worse than the disease? A primer on pesticides, pollution, and risk
This diary began as a comment on another, until it got so long and detailed I decided it was a diary in it's own right. The original diarist was upset because a careless pest control company had...
View ArticleThe Scientific Environmentalist: All About Metals
It appeared that a good number of people appreciate my diary from last Friday addressing the science behind pesticide risk and the utility of some pesticide use within reason. So for as long as I have...
View ArticleTelling Governor Sonny Perdue that small business people want a PUBLIC OPTION
Someone must have gotten their wires crossed, because I received an invitation to a "Business Summit" on health care and energy, hosted by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue's PAC. I went, ostensibly...
View ArticleFurious: routine well-baby check not covered. UPDATE: Against the law?
I am livid right now. I will try to be coherent. It's only over one $125 claim, and I know that means I have no problem at all compared to most people who are getting claims denied by their insurance....
View ArticleThe Scientific Environmentalist: tree-hugger edition
I love trees. I REALLY love trees. There was a special old sycamore at a nearby park when I was a kid, and when we went for walks my dad would run up ahead and hide, and then do a voice for the tree,...
View ArticleDoing good : ways to make the world just a bit better
I spend a lot of energy on politics, because I believe it is a good and effective way to create positive change in the world. Everyone who wants to make the world and our country a better place, and to...
View ArticleWho is John Galt? Raskolnikov.
I have a co-worker—I am not sure his salary, though considering his position it is likely in the $150,000 range—who is fervently wishing for a John Galtian revolution.(For any who may not know the John...
View Article"How can anyone who gets a paycheck be a liberal?" - My night with the tea party
Last Tuesday night, I attended the 'Taking Back America' event sponsored by the Salem Radio affiliate in Atlanta. It was a fascinating (though frightening) night inside the Tea Party mind, topped off...
View ArticleRemember to read down the ballot!
I consider myself I high information voter. I blog at a political site, I regularly read three others, I subscribe the three political journals, and I keep NPR on perpetually. But I have still had the...
View ArticleTake Heart! Last night was a good night for Democrats.
Last night was not a great night, but it was absolutely not a disaster.Americans, in our politics, tend to be short-sighted and suffer from amnesia. From that perspective, last night looks good for...
View ArticleWho is Herman Cain? The new Republican dark horse
There is a contender in the Republican primary who has not yet gotten a ton of attention outside of certain right-wing pundit spheres. Even when he is given attention, he is usually referred to as a...
View ArticleSpilled milk, the Cuyahoga River fires, and the value of environmental...
You may not have heard the latest outrage de jour--the Environmental Protection Agency wants to regulate spilled milk. It's being touted everywhere as a primo example of government run amok. "What...
View ArticleDeclaration of Human Equality: Thoughts on the Fourth of July
The French have Bastille Day. Germany has the Day of German Unity. Ireland has St. Patrick's Day. Every country in the world--at least to my knowledge--celebrates their national pride on some day....
View ArticleWe need Casey Anthony: Why sensational cases and celebrity journalism are...
It's as inevitable as the periodic explosion of news surrounding a sensational court case or celebrity scandal: the clucking opprobrium from those consumers of more serious, real news, the...
View ArticleThe Monstrous Lie: The Often Forgotten Victims of the Death Penalty
While many in this community hold their breath during Troy Davis' 11th hour bid for life, the local news here in Georgia ran a local new story in which the murdered police officer's mother, Anneliese...
View ArticleCain gets REALLY nasty, shoots self in foot
Herman Cain released a press release that is almost shocking in it's nastiness. He decides to do everything he can to destroy the character of Sharon Bialek. He lists court cases that have been filed...
View ArticleThe real case record for Sharon Bialek
Yesterday, I wrote a diary about how disgusted I was with the press release issued by the Herman Cain campaign, attempting to rip Sharon Bialek to shreds. Listing court cases in which someone was...
View ArticleSarah Palin gives thanks for a public option
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I know it is Thanksgiving and I should spend more time giving thanks for my beautiful family, my fantastic pets, my great job, and books. But I saw an item about Sarah...
View ArticleWhy I am voting for Romney tomorrow
I am a lifelong Georgia Democrat. Many of my friends and fellow activists are not voting in the Republican primary tomorrow; others are voting for Santorum, because they believe Obama has a better...
View ArticleCheck your registration! How someone almost lost their vote
Today was the last day to register to vote in Georgia. I am paranoid about my vote, and always check that my husband and my registration is still valid four weeks before any general or primary...
View ArticleFighting racism and GOP power grabs in suburban Atlanta
The Atlanta metro area is suffering from an epidemic. In our rich, diverse city, affluent areas are trying to break off from the larger community and form their own, mostly rich and white cities....
View ArticleLet Me Google That for You: a bad, anti-science bill that fundamentally...
I am the research director at an engineering firm. I help our people find all kinds of obscure and sometimes hard-to-find information. On a typical day, I might answer questions as varied as 'what...
View ArticleJoin the Georgia Senate money bomb!
Tonight, Georgians are watching the returns from a primary runoff roll in. It's been nine wonderful weeks of watching Republicans Jack Kingston and David Perdue brutalize each other.And it would be a...
View ArticleVoter suppression in Georgia: The Secretary of State says 'Just trust us."
The GOP has been active in the last month in trying to suppress the vote, and unlike in some places, they are honest about their intentions. State Senator Fran Millar got national attention when he...
View ArticleVoter suppression: Georgia Secretary of State is caught in a lie UPDATE:...
On September 9th, the Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp accused the New Georgia Project, which was having great success registering minority voters, of voter fraud. The SoS office served them with...
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