I feel so very fortunate

I got back to Alaska and went to the store in the car and it was running like crap.  I called my mechanic who is always backed up two weeks and asked when he could see my car.  He said tomorrow but then said today.  I took it in and it got a tune up and it is set to finish the work next Monday.  It helps that I taught his son and his son is doing well in middle school.  This dad had tried to keep his son back because he had made so much progress behaviorally and academically.  I promised him that he would do well but also told him that he had to be tough on the young man when he screws up.  One time of Saturday School and his son decided to be a reasonable person.  This young man came so very far in his accepting consequences over the 4 years I worked with him.  Over the years, I thanked this man for working with me on this young man.  He is now getting C's or higher in work required of all students, not a special program.

I got my car back and it works great.  I also like being able to go talk about the successes and positive changes made by his son.  I like to know my young charges have gone on to do well after they leave my school.  That is success.

It is nice to be able to get my car fixed so quickly too.

Glenn Beck is opening a Theme Park for Right Wing Crazies!!

Glenn Beck is opening a theme park for Right Wing Crazies to live, play and teach others to be paranoid.  It only costs 2 Billion dollars to make - such a deal.  It will be in Texas.


On his program last night, Beck revealed that his intention to "go Galt" is quite literal, unveiling grandiose plans to create an entirely self-sustaining community called Independence Park that will provide its own food and energy, produce television and film content, host research and development, serve as a marketplace for products and ideas, while also housing a theme park and serving as a residential community.
At the center - in the middle of the lake that is itself larger than all of Disney Land - Beck (with the help of David Barton) will create a massive "national archive"/learning center where people can send their children to be "deprogrammed" and elected officials can come to learn "the truth."


http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/independence-park-be-glenn-becks-galts-gulch

Before 1977, NRA helped craft Gun Control Laws!! Then they started opposing the gun laws they helped write.

A bit of the article:
Ihttp://www.alternet.org/suprising-unknown-history-nra?akid=9921.294211.LSmuOs&rd=1&src=newsletter776253&t=2

In the early 1920s, the National Revolver Association—the NRA’s handgun training counterpart—proposed model legislation for states that included requiring a permit to carry a concealed weapon, adding five years to a prison sentence if a gun was used in a crime, and banning non-citizens from buying a handgun. They also proposed that gun dealers turn over sales records to police and created a one-day waiting period between buying a gun and getting it—two provisions that the NRA opposes today.

http://www.alternet.org/suprising-unknown-history-nra?akid=9921.294211.LSmuOs&rd=1&src=newsletter776253&t=2

40 Percent of purchased guns have NO BACKGROUND CHECKS!! That is 6 million guns per year sold without background checks.

I found this article interesting:  From FOX   A guest says: No Background Checks at all!!  I think this is a crazy idea.

Under current federal law, licensed federal firearms dealers conduct background checks on gun purchasers to prevent dangerous individuals such as violent criminals or the mentally ill from obtaining weapons. Gun transfers, “private sellers” or transactions at gun shows or online are exempt from the requirement and as a result more than 6 million gun transfers are unscreened.

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/01/13/1440191/fox-news-host-shocked-by-gun-advocates-claim-that-background-checks-are-a-waste-of-time/

Colin Powell - I sure like him. He put down Palin for her racist comments.

Here is a video of Colin Powell.  He is great.  He is a regular person and a moderate Republican.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-sffvkqWgA&feature=player_embedded

This lady compares shooting folks with an assault weapon to hitting people with hammers and hatchets - CRAZY STUFF!

In the Aurora Theater, the shooter shot off 30+ rounds in 27 seconds to kill and hurt many individuals.  Ms. Blackburn says we can't consider banning Semi-Automatic Assault weapons because he would have killed with hammers or hatchets.  I THINK WE SHOULD BAN ANYTHING THAT CAN KILL 3 OR MORE PEOPLE IN 1 MINUTE!! If he is great with a hammer or hatchet, I don't think he would be able to go into a movie theater and kill 3 or more without getting creamed by other patrons.

This woman is crazy and is grasping at straws to make it OK for people to have weapons which should be used by the police and/or military.  (I used the M-16 in the Army and had a lot of training before I was allowed to use it.)

Car comparison:  You take a test to drive a car legally.  The car is inspected yearly or so.  If you get tickets in the car, you go in front of a judge and pay a fine.  You can have your license revoked.  You also must have insurance on your car and I think the same should be true of guns.

The comparison she made is asinine.  I would also like to point out that mass shootings have increased dramatically since the ban on assault weapons were lifted.  They have at least doubled and actually, I think more.

We need background checks and quit making magazines and clips that hold 20, 30 to 100 bullets and can be fired of in seconds should be made illegal - it makes sense.  The present laws will ensure that another mass killing will be coming in the near future and then another one after that.  

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/marsha-blackburn-opposes-gun-control-becausehttp://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/marsha-blackburn-opposes-gun-control-because

Back in Alaska

I just spent 3 weeks hanging out in the lower 48 but I am back in Juneau.  The weather is crappy.  It is rainy and 36 degrees which is warmer than Seattle.  Seattle and Portland also had sun.  We had clouds down to the ground here in Juneau.  I was told they got 6 inches of snow followed by rain which washed the snow away.  When I am in Alaska in the winter, I would like to have real snow - lots of it actually.

Start back tomorrow and already got a call to fill me in on things.  It feels good to be back in my Alaska bed.  I had the privilege of sleeping where my newest grandson was in Portland and it was great to wake up and go visit him before I went out to do my stuff in Portland and Gresham.  3 weeks really went by fast.

I was flying to alaska and the pilot kept filling us in on the score until the end.  I think he did not tell us about the final result because there were a lot of Seahawks fans on the plane.  SeaHawks lost but they had a geat comeback 4th quarter.

Back to work tomorrow.

Interesting Video: America is not the Best In the World! Thought Provoking.

This video is actually great!  It is 3 and a half minutes of considering is America as Great as it used to be?  It takes us away from the political, I love America,  which politicians spit out and then vote for the wealthy and against the average folks.  Just thought provoking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16K6m3Ua2nw&feature=player_embedded

USA Flunks Health EXAM: US is worse in most health areas than other countries.

The USA rated poorly on health care when compared to other countries!

Some of the reasons involve choices make at a personal level. We eat too much, abuse drugs too often, wear seat belts too rarely and commit violence against each other to often.

A just-released report from the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council is making news by clearly illustrating that Americans have "shorter lives and poorer health." This is somewhat shocking, given how much we spend on health care each year — more than any of the 16 other rich countries surveyed in the study. What's even more upsetting is that this report focused quite heavily on people who are young. In the United States, even that group fared poorly.

Why is this?

Systemic issues are also to blame. We have higher levels of poverty than comparable countries, and our safety net programs are less capable of catching people when they fall. And too many also have too much trouble accessing the health care system, resulting in inefficient, ineffective and often absent care.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/11/opinion/carroll-health-study/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

The Original Intent of the 2nd Amendment - Interesting! The NRA distorted the 2nd Amendment to make money folks.

Here is a bit from the article:  Interesting.

The Second Amendment was never intended to give individuals a personal right to own whatever weapons they desired. It was certainly not intended to enable groups of individuals to use deadly force against their own government. Instead, it was intended to enable government-led groups of white men to put down slave rebellions and to steal real estate from the Indians.

...The problem of gun violence in the United States is complex, and as H.L. Mencken observed, "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." Advocating that we arm elementary school principals and kindergarten teachers is not only wrong but insane. We must stop allowing this kind of insanity to prevent us from having reasonable gun control legislation.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Unspeakable-Original-I-by-Laurie-Endicott-Th-121216-899.html?fb_action_ids=455923134456672&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%22455923134456672%22%3A177910449018085%7D&action_type_map=%7B%22455923134456672%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=[]

Jack Lew, Treasury Secretary Nominee - he was in charge of the budget for Pres Clinton the 3 years we had surpluses!! Impressive.

Jack Lew, the Nominee for Treasury Secretary has an impressive record.  Here, Rachel Maddow talks about his years of working with Reagan and Clinton in making serious deals and being in charge of the budget the 3 years we had a budget surplus under Clinton.

I am quite impressed.

http://www.politicususa.com/rachel-maddow-obama-deficit.html

Aurora Shooter bought assault weapons, bomb making stuff, 6000+ bullets and bullet proof clothes legally

During testimony today a police officer said that the Aurora Theater Shooter bought all of his killing material legally.  There was nothing which could have been done legally to stop him with the current laws.  I am looking forward to the Biden recommendations and hope President Obama makes changes with Executive Order instead of going through the Congress which is bought and paid for by the NRA.  The 2nd Amendment also says A WELL REGULATED MILITIA which is part of the 2nd Amendment.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/01/james-holmes-legally-bought-arsenal-of-guns-chemicals/

Private Prisons = A money maker. Drugs get people arrested and increase the Profit.

This is a good report on how the Drug Wars is basically a means of making big Profit for the Private Prisons as well as for Police Departments.  They get more money for drug arrests than they do for robbery, etc.  Interesting Information.  The more the drug arrests, the more the money to be made.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fRKiRJBzIA

2 Judges found guilty of sending kids to jail and the judges getting paid from the Private Jail.

Two Judges in Pennsylvania sent kids to jail and got kickbacks from the Private Prison.  The probation officers were against the kids being sent to prison but making money was more important than what was best for the child.  Prisons are filling fast and people are getting rich off of it.  Studies find that public prisons are cheaper with as good or better of a rehabilitation of inmates.  We are wasting taxpayer money on these Private Prisons.  It is also known that the very difficult and costly prisoners are not taken by the Private Prison Systems.  They take the kids who can make a lot of money for them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4q7p3ME95E

Guns - What are reasonable changes that will prevent future tragedies.

People talk about reasonable changes to current gun laws but what are they?  This article goes over 3 changes and the reasons she feels they will make a difference.
Change 1:  The Aurora shooter bought over 4000 bullets for a Semi-Automatic assault weapon without bringing attention to himself for buying those bullets.  he also bought multiple guns, and body armor without notice.  I read  elsewhere where an 18 year old boy bought 20 AK15 Semi Automatic guns by showing his driver's license and the ATF could not legally ask him what the assault guns were to be used for.  Some felt he was getting the assault guns for a drug cartel.  (The laws which forbid Government Agents from inquiring about massive purchases are the result of pressure put on by the NRA.)
Change 2:  Mental Health issues.  If someone has known Mental Health Issues, they could be prevented from buying a gun.  Note:  This could easily apply to Military who have PTSD issues from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Change 3:  Banning bullet magazines which have more than 10, 20 , 30, 100 bullets (You pick the number)  Big Clips are for killing is my thought.  For a person to shoot off 30 bullets in 25 seconds just makes it easy to kill.  Semi-Automatic weapons ban - I think it should be done.  Those are assault weapons and should only be legal for the Police and Military in Military operations.


http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/three-sensible-ways-aurora-shooting-c

Who is Jack Lew, the nominee for US Treasury Secretary.

Who is Jack Lew, the Treasury Secretary Nominee and what does his past tell us?  This article tells us about him.

http://www.franklycurious.com/index.php?itemid=3614

Paul Krugman speaks!!

Paul Krugman - more information from a man who is anti-austerity:  If you look at global economies, those  have done the austerity economy approach, you will notice they are the countries with shrinking economies and up to 20% unemployment.

This is the man to include when the US economy is discussed.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/01/11/krugman-recession-gratuitous-because-if-congress-created-jobs-program-it-would-all-be-over/

NRA idea of an officer with a gun in each school proved wrong yesterday.

Martin Bashir checks out the shooting of 2 people yesterday at a High School in California.  The rules which the NRA wanted, cop in every school, would have made things worse.  Talking settled the incident not more guns.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/50437044#50437044

The deficit mess has been solved - largely, Paul Krugman

Paul Krugman is someone I listen to - he makes sense.  We have had changes to our financial situation put on us and then you have to consider the results, which is what Krugman does.  He says with the changes which have been taking place the past few years and the improving economy, our budget downfall has improved.  He has some great charts to make his case.

Thank You Paul Krugman.

http://www.alternet.org/economy/paul-krugman-hey-weve-already-solved-deficit-problem

NRA is Suing Tucson for having a VOLUNTARY GUN BUY BACK PROGRAM! This is just crazy!!

Rachel Maddow explains how a Republican City Councilman got a Gun buy back program set for the 2 year anniversary and the NRA wants to Sue to stop it.  I cannot believe it.  The person turning in a gun would get a $50.00 Debit Card for Groceries.    The NRA insists that all of those guns being turned in NOT BE DESTROYED but be sold to the highest bidder.  I want to turn in a gun and have it destroyed and get $50.00 but the NRA wants to deny that right.  Pretty sad in my mind.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/50416215#50416215

51 Gun Shows will NOT ALLOW loaded guns even with a concealed carry permit!! Guns are safe enough for schools?

Irony:  51 Gun Shows in the USA, WILL NOT ALLOW any loaded guns for SAFETY reasons.  Yet, we are now talking about arming teachers?  We will not allow those most comfortable with guns to carry them around loaded but we will allow staff to have a loaded gun around our kids and grandkids.  I find this ironic.

If loaded guns are good enough for schools, they should be good enough for Gun Shows and Court Houses and Hospitals and even Police Stations, it seems to me.  Here is a bit of the article:


At most shows, if an attendee brings a personal firearm, he or she must check it at the door and use a tie “so that they cannot be operated, be breached or loaded.”
Some events, like Bill Goodman’s Gun & Knife Shows across Ohio and Tennessee, even threaten prosecution for those who try to enter with a loaded weapon. “Patrons who bring loaded magazines or weapons into the show will be refused entry and may be subject to prosecution,” their website reads.


http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/01/11/1435631/gun-show-safety/

Juanita Jean has a Small Winkie Day!! Good!!

I will let Juanita Jean explain - she does it so very well.

http://juanitajean.com/2013/01/11/hey-yall-its-i-have-a-small-winkie-day/

NY Times closes Environmental Desk - A HUGE issue for our time and it is being ignored.

The NY Times closed their Environmental Desk on 1/11/13.  This is a major issue and it is an ever increasing problem.  Australia has record high temperatures now.  The past 10 years have been increasingly hotter in the US but media is ignoring so hand full of Billionaires can make more money.

Pretty Sad really. California set a record for electricity produced by alternative energies though,

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/01/11/1433971/january-11-news-new-york-times-closes-its-environment-desk/

Jon Stewart on Al Gore selling Current TV

Jon Stewart discusses the Current TV sale.  He is so very good and makes some great points with his pointed humor.  FIRST BONER ALERT for 2013.

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/stewart-gores-sale-current-tv-al-jazeera-f

Should Teachers carry guns in class?

Here is a teacher who is taking a class to be able to carry a gun at school.  As a teacher, this scares the crap out of me.  If I happened to shoot a child or parent while trying to take out a 'bad guy' would be terrible and very difficult to live with.

why do we have clips of more then 10 bullets where a deranged person can shoot 30 plus shots in 25 seconds?  Big Clips and semi-auto assault weapons are meant to kill, they should be for police and military only.

http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/ed-schultz-interviews-utah-teacher-who-want

A ghost drives a car through drive throughs - funny

This is very funny.  A car without a driver goes through a drive through

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/drive-thru-prank-leaves-workers-questioning-reality-214808352.html

A 17 year old child care worker is beheaded because her charge died under her care.

A girl babysits and the baby dies under her care.  She is convicted of murder and beheaded.  She did not speak the language and had not interpreter until just before she was beheaded.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/10/opinion/saudi-arabia-sri-lankan-maid-opinion/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

How Powerful is the NRA? Rachel Maddow

Rachel Maddow discusses the recent losses of the NRA politically.  They did poorly this last election.
99 percent of the money spent on Politicians in 2012 was wasted.  They lost most of the elections they were pushing.

http://egbertowillies.com/2013/01/10/rachel-maddow-blows-up-mystique-about-the-need-to-fear-nra-video/

Stephen Colbert on Gun Control - point by point

Stephen Colbert does a great job in talking Gun Control point by point.  He and Jon Stewart are great!

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/10/1177779/-Another-keeper-Stephen-Colbert-takes-apart-the-NRA-s-gun-arguments

"I am ready to start killing people" This guy is crazy and he has lots of guns. He is ready to shoot when we talk about the realities of babies being killed in schools

The crazies are coming out of the wood work and it is scary.  The "I am ready to kill people" crowd is getting ready.  This fellow says he will not stand ANY CHANGES in the present gun laws.  After hearing him, I question whether a fellow like him should have a semi-automatic gun.  He is working a lot on emotion and an emotional person with a gun can flip and hurt (or kill) a lot of people.

This tells me we need to limit large magazines and semi-automatics.  Leave those weapons for the military and police.

Why does the average person need a gun which can discharge 33 bullets in 27 seconds?  The only reason is to kill and hurt people, like happened at the movie theater in Aurora. Colorado.

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/unhinged-tactical-response-ceo-threatens-sta

Mr, You cannot take my guns - ever, is found dead with a bullet wound to the head. He was surrounded by guns.

So, having a gun or 10 or 50 may not keep you alive after all.  Dang- Getting shot in the head makes for a bad day and bad publicity for your cause.

Juanita Jean talks about Mr. Gun for all man who gets shot and killed in his gun shop.

http://juanitajean.com/2013/01/09/the-only-way-to-stop-a-bad-guy-with-a-gun-is-a-dead-guy-with-a-gun/

KBR Corp poisons our troops in Iraq and insist that the Government pay for their screw up

KBR is a part of Haliburton, (Dick Cheney's company before he was VP).  KBR exposed soldiers to a carcinogen in Iraq and the soldiers end up with cancer.  KBR is making the Government pay for their mistake of poisoning our soldiers.  Sad but true.  There does not seem to be any Corporate Responsibility anymore.  They do whatever, whenever and then expect others to pay for their mistakes.

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/kbr-wants-taxpayers-foot-bill-after-being-f

An Aurora Survivor talks to Bashir and will talk to VP Biden regarding Gun Laws.

I am so glad that Vice President Biden is leading the talks about Gun Laws.  Since Aurora, there have been 640+ people killed by guns.  That is like a Big Airplane crashing and there are major studies after any crash.  The Republicans are very upset at 4 Diplomats being killed but totally ignored a Congressmen being shot in Arizona and 8 people died there.  We had 20 babies killed in a Kindergarten but we are told not to talk about semi-automatic guns.  We need to have sincere discussions and VP Biden will allow real discussions taking place.  Thank You President Obama and Vice President Biden for this first step.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/50413342#50413342

Drilling in the Arctic - Bye, Bye clean environment for sea life and wildlife.

The perils of drilling in the Arctic are huge.  Every attempt to this point has had problems.  We just had a drilling rig crash on a reef.  (It was being towed to avoid paying Alaska taxes on the rig and a storm crashed it.)  Another rig is facing multiple violations for safety.  I found this to be an interesting read.  An oil spill in the Arctic will be a disaster.  I have spent time with Yupik Eskimos and they are hanging on with the current less than adequate supply of Salmon, whale, bear, moose and caribou - covering the
Arctic with oil will make a bad situation even worse for a people who rely on nature to keep them alive.


http://yellowfringe.blogspot.com/2013/01/sarge-you-are-ok-with-arctic-drilling-i.html

Another Jon Stewart Gun Control Discussion

Here is another Jon Stewart talk about Gun Control.  He does such a good job of taking on the issues point by point.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-january-8-2013/scapegoat-hunter---gun-control