White House Reports That Deficit On The Rise Again

I read this clip in this morning's Sunday newspaper. Duhh....

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Can't these bozos even use a calculator?
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If you keep reducing taxes on the wealthy and keep spending like drunk sailors without any sense of fiscal responsibility on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, any reasonable person would expect the federal budget deficit to rise.

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The Republicans are doing just what Reagan did. Don't they ever learn? Really really dumb.
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The American Form of Govermnet Is No Longer a Democracy

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The word democracy derives from the ancient Greek dēmokratia (δημοκρατία) literally, rule by the people formed from the roots dēmos (δημος) "people,"
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If this really were a government Of the people, By the people, and For the people things would operate differently.
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For example, at the moment the drugs that people need to take to fight high blood pressure and cancer are much cheaper to buy in both Canada and Mexico. These are the exact same substances, produced by the same multi-national drug companies, and with the same levels of quality control in the production process. Why is this?
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Because lobbyists, special interest groups, and the big money campaign contributors are in control, not the people.
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Absurd Drug Pricing

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In our internet leukemia support group there has been some recent discussion regarding drug pricing in America. These discussions are about the drugs that patients who have malignant cancer use to fight their disease.
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I personally have only met three people who have leukemia. And of these three people, two do not have health insurance. And cannot get health insurance because they have cancer. Both folks led long and successful carrers and are now early retired due to their disease. But they are not eligible for any assistance by the government, so all treatment costs are out of their own pockets.
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I just had to copy and post these latest remarks because they hit the bulls eye dead center:
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"Thank you for the eloquent explanation as to why drugs cost so much in the USA. You seem to have a good grasp of the subject, so I would like you to explain one more angle. Why is it that in California 1 Campath treatment (30 mgs) costs $15,000.00 and in South Africa it costs $750.00. It seems 20 times more here is a little high, but surely you can explain it.
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Oh, and Idon't want to move to South Africa, so just skip that part."
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El Paso, Texas at Sunrise

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I took the dog out into the desert this morning to watch the sunrise.

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The colours peaked at around 6:40 a.m.

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It was 25 degrees F (-4 C) but the wind was completely calm, and there was no precipitation. So it was absolutely beautiful here in the Chihuahuan Desert.

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Racism Is Alive And Well In El Paso, Texas

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Read this article in the El Paso, Times written by a local attorney.
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LINK: http://www.elpasotimes.com/opinion/ci_8133578
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Microsoft Trys To Buy Yahoo!

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I read today that Microsoft has made a bid to buy Yahoo! If this is successful it would be a real shame. Talk about an excessive concentration of power. What ever happened to the government protecting the people from monopolies?
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When Microsoft gets involved with something their greed and arrogance turns things sour. So I guess Yahoo! and Flickr are next to go south.
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LINK: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSWNAS894220080201?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
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The Europeans and Big Mac

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The Germans overwhelmingly think Senator John McCain is the best candidate.
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Good article: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,532266,00.html

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El Paso Holocaust Museum

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I got to see the new El Paso Holocaust Museum today. It is truly special.

I have been to holocaust museums at Dachau, in Berlin, and in Cologne but this new one in El Paso, Texas is the best. Honest.

Today was a really special day too. Sara Hauptman was speaking to a large gathering of Germany Air Force members. She is a holocaust survivor, a great grandmother, and a proud American citizen who lives in El Paso.

During WWII she was a young Jewish mother and lion tamer. But no one knew she was Jewish. When working in the ring with an audience full of Germans, she was very frightened of the Nazis, but she knew that she must not let the animals smell her fear.

One of the ladies who volunteers at the museum told me that Mrs. Hauptman was shaking today. In fear of the Nazis…..this many years later.

During the war she fought with the Belgian Resistance under the cover of a lion tamer in a circus. She made false identity papers, delivered messages, disposed of Allied parachutes, and more. After her arrest she was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau where she became a victim of Dr. Mengele’s experiments. Later she was shipped to Dachau near Munich, Germany. --(In 1972 I visited Dachau for the first time, and I was at the summer olympic games in Munich the day that the Palestinians murdered the Jewish athletes.)

After the liberation by the Allies, she met General Dwight D. Eisenhower and became a liaison between the Allied liberators and concentration camp survivors.

This excellent museum is in downtown El Paso. Entry is free and it is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 to 4:00. On Saturday and Sunday it is open from 1:00 pm to 5:00.

This is a link to their website: http://www.elpasoholocaustmuseum.org/

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Hirsi Ali Ayaan

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Hirsi Ali Ayaan is a former elected member of the Dutch parliament. She is also a former Muslim and a very articulate critic of Islam, which she calls an intolerant belief system. She moved to America from The Netherlands shortly before I did. At the time I told my friends mostly in jest, "If Hirsi Ali has decided to leave Nederland then I'm going too!"

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Oh her web site she is quoted as saying,

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------------ "tolerance of intolerance is cowardice."

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This little clip from YouTube is well worth watching: http://youtube.com/watch?v=FdxP0eDuiP4

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McCain vs. Obama

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If John McCain faces Hillary Clinton in the general election he will beat her. And we will continue to have a Republican president.

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Because Senator McCain is polite, is a gentleman, and is honest. Senator Clinton falls rather short when put up in comparison. Some people have begun referring to him as Big Mac.

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Bill Richardson is not in the race any longer. Hillary will unite

Republicans. Only Obama has enough perceived integrity to win against McCain.

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Bush & Cheney To Be Charged With War Crimes?

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In a small town in in Vermont there has been a successful petition drive to allow the voters to choose wheter to charge President Bush II and V.P. Cheney with committing war crimes.
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They have been somewhat surprised at how viscious and negative all the reaction has been. Surprised? They must have a led a pretty sheltered life. The Republicans and their fellow travelers hold world records on being rude and nasty.
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But Hillary and Bill are fast learners.
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LINK: http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080129/NEWS02/801290309/0/BUSINESS
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The American Form of Government

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I'm going to say something really shocking.
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If you look at the very large amount of money that is being spent on pork barrel projects you see that it is growing exponentially. This fiscal irresponsibility is going to come home to roost. The country and many voters have been spending more that their income for some time now.
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Al Gore won the election, not the Bush dynasty.
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Many other countries spend a far smaller amount per capita on health care and yet have effective universal health care. In America we waste vastly more money doing it all in the private sector, and yet a significant percentage of the people do not have health insurance.
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The Congress in Washington, D.C. is in perpetual gridlock.
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Does it begin to be clear the picture I am painting? Maybe, just maybe, we no longer have the best and most effective form of government in the world.
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This is a pretty shocking thing to say, but I am beginning to think it may be true.
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Nacho Libre

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If you want to see a really great and tremendously funny story buy or rent this movie.

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One part of it is a love story between a priest and a nun in an orphanage. The other part is in the wrestling ring.

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Honest, this one is truly outstanding!

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Permian Basin

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When you take highway 180 East from El Paso, Texas you climb up through the Hueco mountains.

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You can't help seeing the sedimentary rock that the road was cut through.

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It is just so obvious that this used to be at the bottom of the ocean.

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President Bill Clinton

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In today's press they are saying that Bill Clinton's recent behavior supporting his wife looks a bit like a rabid mad dog. And that it is unfitting to see an ex-president acting in this manner.
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Well, getting blow jobs in the white house from young enthusiastic aides is rather unseemly too.
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And what exactly did Bill do with that cigar Monica?
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Beating The Bitch

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Us Democrats seem to be slow learners. We keep running people as a candidate for president who don't have the slightest chance at all of winning.
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This is a video of a nice old lady asking Senator John McCain, "How do we beat the bitch?"
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LINK: http://youtube.com/watch?v=WLQGWpRVA7o&feature=related
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The Simpsons Movie

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On the cover it says that "You'll laugh till your knees hurt and you can't breathe!" I like to belly laugh like that.

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Well that statement is a little over the top, but it is a very funny movie, and it is well worth watching.

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Mt. Franklin at Night

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I decided to try out my new telephoto lens at night with the starlight filter on it.

This picture is taken from the far east side of El Paso. Near the intersection of Joe Battle and Zaragoza Rd.
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The mountain is about 13 miles (21 km) away.

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Hillary The Distasteful

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Mrs. Clinton’s rude and uncivilized attack on Mr. Obama in the debate the other night almost turned my stomach.

She is not the kind of person that I want representing the United States of America around the world. We already have an ignorant bozo as our representative. It would be unwise to trade him in for someone as impolite, vulgar, and revolting as the woman who I saw bare her fangs.

During the Vietnam war once I was carrying a sign in an anti-war march, and I passed within a few feet of General Westmoreland (as the CIA guy took my picture with his beautiful Nikon camera). About ten years later I ran for elected political office as a Democrat, and I won. In general I find Republicans to be dishonest and greedy, not to mention cold and uncaring.
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I guess it is fair to call me a life-long Democrat.

After seeing the true Hillary come out I have to praise this long election campaigning cycle. With this monster to come home to, I can sure see why Bill sought out other female companionship.

It pains me greatly to say this, but I would stay home or vote for John McCain before I would vote for that arrogant bitch.
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Democracy and Tolerance

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The little country of Holland (The Netherlands) is tiny. It's size is 16,033 square miles, and 18% of that is under water. This is 6% of the physical size of the state of Texas at 261,797 square miles. The state of Texas has about 20 million people whereas the country of Holland has 16 million people.

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Despite its small size, Holland is widely respected internationally. And for many years The Dutch have been known for their culture of democracy and tolerance. It is not a coincidence that many of the International Courts are located in The Hague.

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I know the country fairly well, having lived there for 15 years. I just moved back to America about a year ago.

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One of the most popular Dutch politicians at the moment is a man by the name of Geert Wilders. He is a very honest and open man, sometimes to the point of exposing himself to personal danger from various fringe elements.

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This is a video of him on You Tube of him being interviewed in English. It is well worth taking the few minutes time to watch this: http://youtube.com/watc--------- http://youtube.com/watch?v=j0jUuzdfqfch?v=0W6twYw4E8w

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