Iraqi Constitution update

So, the Iraqi parliament just approved a few changes to the charter, which is being voted on in 3 days, in order to give it a better chance of passage in the Sunni areas, and by extension in the rest of the country.

The central change gives Sunnis the opportunity — once the constitution is passed and a new parliament is elected in December — to try to make major changes to the charter.

Sunnis are hoping to have a larger representation in the next parliament and want to try to water down the autonomous powers that Shiite and Kurdish regions will hold under the constitution's federal system. But the current additions give no guarantee that the Sunnis will be able to push through the changes in the future — only that they'll have the chance to try.

If I were Sunni, I'd have held out for more than just a chance to try to change something in a document that will bound my country forever (changing a constitution after it's been approved is no easy task.)

So now I guess it looks more and more like it will be approved, which will probably lead to Iraq being split into 3 countries, with two rich ones sandwiching a poor one, desperate to get a piece of the pie, which could easily translate into full blown civil war (just in case you don't already consider the current situation to be civil war, which I kind of do.)

And let's not forget that the southernmost block will be ruled by a mirror image of neighboring Iran's ultra theocratic government.

Nice legacy Mr. Bush.

Bush is totally crazy

I just posted about how we spend $5 billion a month in Iraq, and then I read this article about Bush's body language during a recent interview, and this tidbit shocked me:

When asked why Gulf Coast residents would have to pay back funds but Iraqis would not, Bush blinked 23 times and hitched his trousers up by the belt.

Are you kidding me? The Gulf Coast residents are required to pay back the funds obtained from the federal government for the reconstruction of the disastered area due, in large part, to the incompetence of the federal government itself, while THE IRAQIS WON'T OWE US A DIME?!

Again, I have to ask, do you see anything wrong with this picture? I mean, are we (taxpaying citizens) here to help the Iraqis or ourselves? I mean, ok with helping others when they are in need (although, let's not forget, the Iraqis weren't really in need, we kinda, sorta, actually put them in the situation of being in need,) but why should we not help ourselves first?

And again, if you read the article, you'll see how this little piece of news, which to me is of paramount importance, was just casually thrown in the middle of the piece. There should be a whole article dedicated to it on every major (and minor) newspaper in the country. Instead, we get nothing but a quick reference mid-sentence.

Outrageous.

The GOP hates the poor

As if I needed more proof. I was reading this article about how the price of heating for this coming winter might be 30-50% higher than last year because of the damage caused by the hurricanes in the Gulf Coast, and came across this little paragraph:

For some low-income families the sharp jumps could mean choosing whether to eat or keep warm, energy experts and advocacy groups fear.

"We have never had prices so high and increase so quickly," said Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, which represents the state agencies that distribute money to help low-income families pay their fuel bills.

This winter, Wolfe expects more than a million additional applicants for the government program, a 20 percent increase over last year, with not enough money to go around. Congress provided $2.2 billion for the program, known as LIHEAP, last year. Wolfe said $5.1 billion is needed to keep pace this coming winter with the soaring energy costs and expanded demand.

I didn't even know there was a program to help the poor pay for their heating bills, and I think it's wonderful, given this is the richest nation in the world. Now, my point is, the program needs "only" $5 billion for this coming winter and some families might have to choose whether to eat or keep warm? In America? We are currently spending around $5 billion a month in Iraq and we're forcing American citizens to choose between eating or keeping warm?

That, ladies and gentlemen, is what's wrong with this picture. Ray and I saw a bumper sticker yesterday that read, "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention." That's exactly right. This is outrageous. And why isn't the media reporting on this matter extensively, so that the public can actually get a chance to feel outraged? Because, as you can see from the excerpt, the article only mentions the fact that these people might go hungry or cold for lack of funds (a ridiculously little amount for the bigwigs in Washington,) as an aside.

Outrageous!

I'm BACK!

The vacation went very well, except for the weather, which was miserable the whole time. I can't complain though, since I got to rest and read a lot, and that was pretty much all I wanted to do. The kids were good (well, Nicole did have a HUGE meltdown,) and everyone was impressed with them (so cute, so adorable, so well behaved, everyone was saying...) Needless to say, Ray and I were very proud :-) The place, on the other hand, was APPALLING!! It looked like it hadn't been renovated in like 40 or 50 years and it was raining inside all over the place, with pieces of ceiling insulation falling off, stained rugs, ripped wallpaper all around. Containers of every shape and color were carefully displayed all over the place to collect the indoor rain. Not a place I'd call Country Club, that's for sure... Oh well, places you go, things you learn I guess. I'll post some of the pictures of the ruins tomorrow, so you'll see for yourselves.

The West Wing's live episode

Like I reported this morning, via TV Guide:

NBC is now confirming: A live episode of The West Wing -— featuring a debate between presidential candidates Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) -— will air on Nov. 6. Two separate versions will be shot, one for the East Coast and one for the West.

This is going to be a very interesting episode, especially considering it's the debates one. I wish I could see both versions though!

Gay marriage for everybody?

This is one case to watch closely:

The court that made Massachusetts the first state to legalize gay marriage will now decide whether same-sex couples from other states can marry there.

The case is being closely watched across the country. If the Supreme Judicial Court strikes down a 1913 law, same-sex couples from across the country could wed in Massachusetts and demand marriage rights at home.

By reading the legal arguments, I don't think our side has a strong case, but I can't imagine they would have pursued it if they thought they couldn't win. We'll see. Surely, I'd love for the court to strike that bloody law down, dealing another big blow to governor Romney.

One thing I'm puzzled by is how come the legislature hasn't changed the law itself. They decided against the constitutional amendment, wouldn't they strike down a draconian law that goes back to interracial marriages' bans?

Then again, Romney would probably veto such a change. He can't veto a Supreme Court decision.

Kyoto accord

Shortly after taking office, President Bush rejected the Kyoto accord that was negotiated by his Democratic opponent in the 2000 election, former Vice President Al Gore.

The accord emphasizes the need to develop technologies that cut emissions and capture carbon but Bush said it would cost the U.S. economy $400 billion and almost 5 million jobs while excluding China and India from its requirements.

Ok, Bush is right to worry about the costs to our economy and workforce, but we are the ones causing global warming (unless you're the idiot Senator from Oklahoma,) and we are the ones that have to solve the problem.

Millions of jobs would be lost in phasing out old technologies and forcing polluters to clean up their act? Well, those jobs could be absorbed by the development of new, cleaner, and alternative technologies, as the treaty encourages.

$400 billion lost? We already threw $300 billion in Iraq (something like $5 billion a month) and we worry about $400 billion versus saving the planet? Are you kidding me?

I do agree that China and India should be forced to reduce their emissions too, but their economies are just now starting to bloom, therefore it would really be hard for them to slow down their growth in order to reduce pollution when their citizens are finally starting to enjoy a better quality of life. In time, they'll follow suit, but how can we expect them to behave selflessly when we won't?

The stupidest thing ever said

This CNN article deals with global warming, the Kyoto treaty, and the progress in the US on the reduction of greenhouse gases production. This is what this idiot had to say:

The Senate panel's chairman, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, rejected not only the treaty itself but also the Bush administration's acknowledgment that pollution is contributing to global warming.

"Even if humans were causing global warming -- and we are not -- but even if we were, Kyoto would do nothing to avert it," Inhofe said.

I don't think I've ever heard anything more stupid than that. Have you?

And this is a US Senator talking. I'm sorry, but you can't say humans don't cause global warming. One thing is Bush saying, just as stupidly, that there is no global warming, another is saying that there is, but it's not our fault. Oh yeah, it must be the polar bears. Or rabbits.

Maybe it's prairie dogs. Who knows. But it's not us, because our cars, houses, and factories are just the most natural thing there is out there.

GOD TOLD ME TO DO IT, SO I DID

Ok, I am not a religious person at all, but I'm sure that this is troubling for anyone who is still sane in this country.

A new BBC series reveals that President Bush told just such a thing to Abu Mazen, Palestinian Prime Minister, and Nabil Shaath, his Foreign Minister, in their first meeting in June 2003.

Nabil Shaath says: "President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, "George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan." And I did, and then God would tell me, "George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq…" And I did. And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, "Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East." And by God I'm gonna do it.'"

Abu Mazen was at the same meeting and recounts how President Bush told him: "I have a moral and religious obligation. So I will get you a Palestinian state."

This is one of the scariest things I've ever heard about Bush, and this time there is no doubting its veracity. I'm sorry, but if I heard someone talk like that, I'd wonder about his sanity. Period.

So the real question here isn't 'did Bush really say it' (he did,) or 'does Bush really believe what he said' (of course he does,) but 'since Bush is obviously crazy and still has 3 years in office, how much more damage can he do?'

We are talking about the guy who controls the mightiest military machine in the history of humanity and whose finger can launch 10,000 nuclear weapons in a matter of minutes. He could annihilate humanity and destroy civilization as we know it, and why? Because he suddenly wakes up one night, after dreaming God told him to launch the US nuclear arsenal, and just HAS to do it. Because God told him to.

We are talking about a born again Christian who longs for the coming of the rapture, and who might get sick of waiting and decide to speed things up a little, since he has the power to do so. He probably thinks God would thank him later for sparing him the work.

This is really scary. Three more years of this and we might all end up dead. I mean think about it. Iran, North Korea, Syria. It's not like he doesn't have a list.

God help us. No, really, help us. Forget George. He's crazy.

Speaking of TV shows...

We saw the second episode of Lost and it was very good. More on the guy in the hatch, his living quarters, the graffiti, the medicine, the computer, the countdown.

And those "others" that look like zombies!?

I have to admit that I was a little puzzled when they started showing again scenes we saw in the first episode, but then it all made sense. It was actually a very interesting way of directing the story. Now let's see what happens next.

The third episode is on Tivo, but with the vacation and all, I don't know when we'll get to it.

We are also into Prison Break (can't wait to see how Michael is going to save his oh-so-precious doctor without giving up his escape intent,) although with this one you really have to suspend you disbelief. So many things are stretched to the point of rupture, and I just hope they don't turn me off, or I'll drop it.

Like I did with Reunion, a show with a good premise (a group of college friends reunite at the funeral of one of them; we flashback 20 years to when they were getting out of college, and then every episode is a year in succession, till present day, where I assume we find out who the murderer of the victim was,) but poor delivery and development. The writing is really poor and the acting isn't good at all. I dropped that one last week during the third episode. Cute guys, ugly show.

Then there is The Amazing Race, still the best reality show on TV. This time, the teams are made up of four people instead of two, which might limit what the teams can do and the places where they can travel. I just hope it's as good as the previous installments. So far we only saw the first episode, the second is on Tivo, but I'm afraid they might end up staying mostly in the States (or maybe Europe,) given the difficulties of moving 4-member teams instead of 2-member teams. I hope not, since the traveling is one of the best parts, but usually the teams leave the States right away, during the first episode, and that hasn't happened this time. We'll see.

And finally... (Vitto stop reading right now!!) ... Desperate Housewives. What a great show. Loved Lynette's interview (that diaper, oh my god, I almost fell off the couch!) and Bree's exchanges with her mother in law. Oh man, I loved it when she put the priest back in his place. I'm not fretting about who's in Betty's basement quite yet, I'm sure it's going to be a while before we find out all the details. And what about John spread on that bed like a king!!

Again, haven't seen the last episode, and it will be two with this Sunday's, since we're away...

So much to catch up with!