05 | July | 2007 | Honjii's Harangues

Couldn’t We Just Commute Bush’s Presidency?

July 5, 2007 at 6:21 am | Posted in Bush, Current Events, government, News, political, political commentary, president, Scooter Libby, What if? | 7 Comments

Then he (and his administration) wouldn’t have to serve out the rest of the term?

Send Bush a Pro-Choice Birthday Greeting

July 5, 2007 at 5:26 am | Posted in Bush, Current Events, government, health care, political, president, social comment, stupidity | Leave a comment

With his birthday coming up on July 6, George W. Bush is probably dreaming about puppies and presents. After all, he has been good to his anti-choice friends during his two terms.
This year, the Supreme Court decision to uphold Bush’s Federal Abortion Ban ruling took the cake.Thanks to Bush-appointed Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito, the Supreme Court essentially eliminated a core protection of Roe v. Wade — that a woman’s health must always be protected.

Politicians country-wide are already viewing this decision as a “green light” to interfere in personal, private medical decisions. Consider the following:

A doctor could face criminal penalties of up to two years in prison, even if he or she was acting to protect a woman’s health.

Even pro-choice states must abide by the federal ban. It doesn’t matter if states have stronger pro-choice laws than the federal government. sign petition here (new window)

That’s a Lot of Money Going Up in Smoke!

July 5, 2007 at 2:24 am | Posted in government, government waste, I'm just saying, irony, modern trends, political, rants, social comment | 1 Comment
Tags: fireworks, July $th

Fourth of July fireworks displays can range in cost from about $12,000.00 up to over $120,000.00. That’s a lot of money to pay for people to spend twenty minutes going ooohhh and aaahhhh. Some of the money, for municipal displays, is provided to communities through donations and grants, but most of it comes out of the public coffers. If you think about how many cities and towns across the U.S. will put on fireworks displays tonight the total amount of money going up in smoke is staggering.

Most communities, including mine, claim to have inadequate budgets to provide needed services. We don’t have adequate health care for everyone who needs it. There are people who are homeless and hungry…I’ll bet they love watching the fireworks displays from their cardboard boxes under the bridge.

Ahh, but it’s a show of patriotism you say. Sorry, but I think the more patriotic thing to do is use the money for something more important than entertainment. There is no real historic precedent for fireworks on Independence day.

Independence Day in the U.S., is an annual holiday commemorating the formal adoption by the Continental Congress of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia. Although the signing of the Declaration was not completed until August, the Fourth of July holiday has been accepted as the official anniversary of U.S. independence and is celebrated in all states and territories of the U.S.

The holiday was first observed in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776, at which time the Declaration of Independence was read aloud, city bells rang, and bands played. It was not declared a legal holiday, however, until 1941. more (new window)

The money spent on pyro-technics might not, in fact, be enough to feed everyone who is hungry, to provide health care to all who need it but it would be a start. This makes me think of the friend who borrows money from you, claiming to be in dire straits, and a month later goes on a trip to Fiji and you still haven’t been paid back.

I’m just saying.