tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90342253808251463962024-03-04T20:35:32.539-08:00American Terrorist and Thug WatchThe American Terrorist and Thug Watch is here to identify and report on the activities of American Terrorists and Thugs. And more. <br>
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White House phone number: 202-456-1111<br>
Write a note to the President: <br>http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/ (copy and paste in your browser)<br>
Senate—202 224–3121<br>House—202 225–3121<br>
FIRED UP! READY TO GO!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger190125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-75844775906860358782010-12-23T17:39:00.000-08:002010-12-23T17:53:20.358-08:00Mitch McConnell, American Terrorist<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-EYoluTnZqe86aO58AhhDmTnqad1J5Ubs6P6J1klFULskFL0HRh-n5oxvIJxoxs6XddvMtThksFxGc9e6B1zjXojjMuUDbvSd_4aYg7SqZQP1aRc_23Wa2ztw8FOf_RGm3d7A-dsoftZ/s1600/McConnell.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 228px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-EYoluTnZqe86aO58AhhDmTnqad1J5Ubs6P6J1klFULskFL0HRh-n5oxvIJxoxs6XddvMtThksFxGc9e6B1zjXojjMuUDbvSd_4aYg7SqZQP1aRc_23Wa2ztw8FOf_RGm3d7A-dsoftZ/s400/McConnell.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554060397595127346" /></a><br />Mitch McConnell is the senior senator from Kentucky. It's old news by now that he was the driving force behind negotiating huge tax breaks for wealthy people at the expense of the poor and the middle class. He did this by, as President Obama said, "holding the American people hostage." More specifically, McConnell held unemployed people hostage by threatening to lead a blockade against unemployment compensation. President Obama knew that this selfish, soulless cynical SOB had no problem hurting millions of people and their families in order to get his way. <br /><br />In plain words, McConnell terrorized the American people with his disgusting criminal tactics. Therefore, McConnell is an American Terrorist and a thug. <br /><br />If there is a Hell, there should be a special place for him to burn forever and forever and forever. <br /><br />He has an ugly mind to match his ugly face.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-75840819297381020102010-12-15T20:34:00.000-08:002010-12-15T20:35:41.400-08:00New Names for our Two Political Parties in the USThe Bullies and the Wimps.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-6406261702670462282010-12-05T20:33:00.000-08:002010-12-05T20:47:39.915-08:00The Speech I Wish Obama Would GiveGood Evening, my fellow Americans. I am speaking to you tonight because we face a crisis of confidence that calls for bold action. As president of the United States, it is my job to help create a better world for all Americans. I am declaring tonight that I will no longer tolerate those who stand in the way of progress. <br /><br />Americans need jobs, health care, housing, food and the assurance that their government is here to help them. <br /><br />We do not need war. We are engaged in two wars that are costing us the lives of young Americans and billions of dollars. Those wars must be brought to a close beginning tonight. I am announcing that we will begin troop withdrawals from Afghanistan immediately and accelerate drawdown in Iraq. <br /><br />We are struggling through a recession that has devastated the lives of millions more Americans, and continues to take its toll. That recession must be met head on. Tonight I am announcing support for a massive jobs program modeled after President Franklin D Roosevelt's WPA designed to put millions of Americans to work in many vital sectors of our economy. <br /><br />I will not tolerate a Supreme Court decision that puts soulless corporations in charge of our elections with massive infusions of cash. I have asked key members of Congress to work on a bill that will severely restrict corporate meddling in the politics of our nation. <br /><br />There will be those who will complain that we are acting too fast and reaching too far. They will vow, as they have in the past, that they will block progress as too radical and too expensive. <br /><br />However, I believe the vast majority of Americans will support changes that will save lives and money and put millions of people to work. And as I said at the outset of this address, I will no longer tolerate reactionaries who would block progress. <br /><br />Our democracy is at stake. In addition to ending both wars and taking bold steps to end the recession, I am proposing a 50 percent cut in our annual military budget. I am taking seriously President Eisenhower's warning about the military industrial complex, which is as big a danger to our democracy as any foreign terrorists. The money we save should be used to give every young American who wants to go to college a chance to further his or her education. That policy alone will guarantee us a brighter future than a bloated military could ever give. <br /><br />Furthermore, I propose that we expand Medicare to cover all Americans from birth to the end of life. We have spent far too much time and effort building a health care system that gives outsized benefits to insurance companies and not enough benefits to the people. I am prepared to fight hard for this relatively simple change in taking care of the health of our people. <br /><br />I am also proposing that this country take the lead in reducing global warming and the assault on the natural environment. Part of my WPA program will be dedicated to this proposal. <br /><br />So here is a warning to those who would counsel business as usual. No more Mr. Nice Guy. No more tax breaks for the rich at the expense of the poor and the middle class. No more capitulating to those who would continue policies that only harm most Americans for the benefit of the few. <br /><br />I am putting Congress on notice. I expect the members of my party to pull together to accomplish the goals that I will set out in more detail in the days and and weeks ahead. Those who oppose progressive change will find themselves facing well-funded progressive opposition in primary elections two years from now. If members of the opposition party wish to help in our efforts to improve the lives of All Americans, I welcome their help. If not, they can expect I will do all I can to make sure they end their careers in the dustbin of history. <br /><br />Because the changes I propose are sensible, I expect the American people will support me in my renewed dedication to fight with all my strength and skill to help make their lives more secure and more productive with a policy of peace, job creation, a sustainable economy and decent health care for all. <br /><br />Thank you and good night.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-67272098765758184942010-11-10T09:42:00.000-08:002010-11-10T09:44:53.135-08:00Tea Party<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtMcS9VhWmdg74WNo9viCFE3t17bdimSxXf-OwALvD7995NtVIsiTAEOyECSsPMI9eNscpzHkSFjVCMzIAir-CbkPMQojYAVij-e5u6Jx_VF_TT63lSj5f5Sd_TO5E7Gz_svWCyJHijqI/s1600/teaparty.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtMcS9VhWmdg74WNo9viCFE3t17bdimSxXf-OwALvD7995NtVIsiTAEOyECSsPMI9eNscpzHkSFjVCMzIAir-CbkPMQojYAVij-e5u6Jx_VF_TT63lSj5f5Sd_TO5E7Gz_svWCyJHijqI/s400/teaparty.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537978391443971522" /></a><br />This just in. A photo of an executive planning session for the Tea PartyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-66563724611993534072010-11-09T17:42:00.000-08:002010-11-10T07:21:16.266-08:00Thoughts on ReligionI have been thinking about religion lately. Mostly it is because my sister and her husband and their two grown daughters are always writing about God and Jesus on their Facebook page. I am not religious, but I am curious about religion. <br /><br />Once on the phone, my sister mentioned some health problems she had, none of which I would wish on anyone. But then she said when she dies and goes to Heaven she expected God to give her a new healthy body. She really believes this. <br /><br />I think it would be very comforting if I could believe that after I die, I will go to a happy place where I would live forever. Unfortunately I have no belief in any such thing, any more than I believe in the tooth fairy or Santa Claus. And I wonder how anyone could possibly believe in such a thing. But polls show that millions of people believe in Heaven and Hell. It makes no sense to me. <br /><br />I am not absolutely sure there is no God. I am about 90 percent sure that God does not exist. I tend to think the universe came about as a result of implacable and immutable forces of nature that we do not fully understand. The Big Bang apparently began with a tiny bit of something smaller than a pinhead. But I don't think God had anything to do with it. I tend not to believe in God for several reasons. <br /><br />First of all, the universe is logical, orderly, and capable of being mathematically analyzed. Explanations for God are not at all logical. Science depends on careful examination and analysis. Religion depends of faith. Religious people tell us God's behavior cannot be explained, while science continues to discover precisely how nature works according to universal laws. <br /><br />I think religion serves three main purposes for people. First, churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious gathering places serve a social purpose. People are social creatures and they like being around people who share their values. I also think God or gods were invented to explain mysteries. The Greeks and Romans had gods of weather and love and thunder and the passage of the sun from morning to night and all sorts of mysteries of nature. Bit by bit over the centuries, science has unraveled much of what religion once explained. Finally, I think religion, especially Christianity and Islam which preach Heaven or Paradise offers hope to those who fear death. Hindus believe in reincarnation. Some Jews believe in an afterlife. The whole idea of afterlife was central to AD Egyptians. It appears that Christianity borrowed that idea and ran with it. <br /><br />Seems to me there are a lot of problems with the idea of Heaven and Hell. First of all, why would a loving God invent a place of eternal torture? The only answer that makes any kind of sense is that God is not at all loving, but vengeful. There's a frightening thought, a vengeful and all-powerful God. But that doesn't square with the idea of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace and Love. So there's a contradiction. <br /><br />And then there's Heaven, where people (who accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior) go to spend eternity in blissful happiness, forever and forever and forever. Sounds crushingly dull after a few hundred years. Happy Happy Happy. And what if you go to Heaven but your loving husband or wife or kids who never quite accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, are not allowed into heaven, but sent straight to Hell. Are you still going to be Happy Happy Happy forever and forever knowing that your loved ones are consigned to a place of eternal torture? <br /><br />And then what about all the people who were born and died before Christ, so never got the chance to accept him as their Lord and Savior? Straight to Hell, I guess. And all the Jews and Hindus and Muslims who don't accept Christ. Straight to Hell. Doesn't make sense. <br /><br />Christianity doesn't make sense. I don't know much about any of the other religions, but it seems to me belief in an Imaginary Man in the Sky is ridiculous. My sister recently had an auto accident. She and her husband were hurt but not too badly. One of her daughters thanked God that they were not killed. I wondered if God was responsible for saving them from death just then, why couldn't God have prevented the accident in the first place. The answer was that God Works in Mysterious Ways, it is not for us to understand. This lets God off the hook, seems to me. God as an irresponsible teenager. <br /><br />Actually, I wish I COULD believe in religion. It comforts those who do believe. It works for them. Apparently makes them happy. At least it works for those who really follow the best aspects of their religion, the parts about peace and loving your neighbor. Problem is, a lot of religious people seem to be vengeful and judgmental and selfish. And then there are the Catholic priests who have molested children. The worst kinds of people are those who use religion for their own selfish purposes. Or the hypocrites, who pretend to be religious but act quite in opposition to their own stated religious beliefs. <br /><br />There are many people doing good in the name of their religion and their God. To me, this is the best face of religion. But I think God never created man. Man created God. So religion is not a divine and holy thing. It is just a flawed human institution, embodying good and bad, like the people who invented it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-36199218113447379812010-11-04T08:31:00.000-07:002010-11-04T08:38:35.928-07:00<span style="font-style:italic;">This is a letter to my sister, who said she was angry about the way things are going in the country. I am not one hundred percent sure which side of angry she is on. She is a North Carolina Christian. I kind of suspect she may not be coming from my perspective, but we'll see. </span><br /><br /><br />Elizabeth, You are absolutely right, little sister. I'm angry along with you and a lot of other people.<br /><br />I listened to Obama's speech this morning and discovered once again, HE JUST DOESN'T GET IT. He doesn't get that these Ku Klux Republican corporatist rat bastards have only one thing in mind, and that is to destroy his presidency. Just that one thing. Nothing to help end the Depression. Nothing about jobs.<br /><br />And Obama, ignoring the birthers and the death panel lies and Mitch McConnell saying his number one goal is to STOP OBAMA, and Obama, like a fool, says he wants to compromise, and work with these people, sit down with Boehner and McConnell and the rest of these clowns and NEGOTIATE! AAAAAAAAAARRARRRRRRGGGGG!<br /><br />Yeah, he'll negotiate the privatization of Social Security and deregulation of Wall Street and sending more jobs to China and bashing the unions, and all that country club Republican crap.<br /><br />I didn't put in my time serving my country in the military to see a lot of old white fascists working for the richest people in the country, and predatory corporations sending jobs overseas. Republicans have no respect for the military or veterans. Bush proved that.<br /><br />But, come on angry or not, I'm sure we are all looking forward to having an orange-colored Speaker of the House. That has got to be funny. And that thug from Kentucky, Rand Paul, who'd like to repeal the 1964 Civil Rights Act. All the goofy Tea Partiers now in the Congress. Now that's entertainment.<br /><br />You are right. it's infuriating but I think it's funny at the same time.. (I know, I have a twisted sense of humor.)The funny part is crazy stuff like Republicans defending a major tax break for rich people while at the same time they say they want to CUT THE DEFICIT. It will be funny just seeing them trying to justify that.<br /><br />Ya gotta laugh or you'd just have to sit down and cry. And it's healthy to laugh at the antics these idiots are sure to produce.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-48986427674323378292010-10-20T21:16:00.000-07:002010-10-20T21:28:08.751-07:00New Post, first Since AUGUST?I admit I have been watching Facebook and occasionally posting over there. A friend of mine has taken the position that there's no difference between the Republicans and the Democrats, and another one posted that we need to turn out ALL the incumbents and start all over again with new people in office. Yet a third person over at Facebook posted this:<br /><br /><blockquote>Say what you want the democratic party is leading this country down the path of Socialism with a slow curve to communism. With just fifty percent of americans paying taxes the programs this administration is shoving down our throats is unsustainable. Take a look at the chaos thats reaking havoc in Europe. Socialism at its best. The American people are not as stupid as this administration thinks. This country was founded on freedoms that thousands gave their lives protecting. I am more than willing to give my life defending my freedom and the freedom of my family."</blockquote><br /><br />I replied that there are differences between the political parties, and that although we are often disappointed with the Dems, we need to encourage and vote for progressive Democrats and try to move the Democratic party more in the direction of Franklin D. Roosevelt's vision for America during the Great Depression of the 1930s. I also offered the opinion that most Republicans are misinformed and mean spirited. So the same person who posted the diatribe about Democrats leading the country down the path of socialism posted this: <br /><br /><blockquote>Hey what do i know im just a misinformed and mean-spirited american citizen, the progressives know whats best for me and the rest of the country, just ask them, chairman mao explains it all in his little red book."</blockquote><br /><br />Which kind of proved my original point -- about Republicans being misinformed and mean-spirited. I would never want to waste my time sitting down with a beer and conversation with this guy.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-18439029000838974522010-08-24T16:48:00.000-07:002010-08-24T16:53:05.680-07:00Woman Dumps Cat in a Garbage Bin<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KmsQcpDp0UQ?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KmsQcpDp0UQ?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />It happened in Jolly Old England. The cat was missing. A nearby homeowner, owner of the cat had recently installed a video camera due to a spate of burglaries in the neighborhood. They scanned the videotape to see if there were any clues to the disappearance of their cat. Sure enough, they caught the fifty something grey haired lady dumping their cat in the garbage bin. She has since been identified and police are interviewing her.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-83133449773017886732010-08-24T16:04:00.000-07:002010-08-24T16:06:03.583-07:00KissingerGeeeez, Johnny Carson and Jack Webb both gone. A lot of my lifetime heroes gone. George Burns, Dan Rather, Walter Cronkite, Caroll O'Connor, Johnny Cash, Paul Wellstone, Jimi Hendrix, but HENRY KISSINGER, who was Nixon's Secretary of State fer chrissake forty years ago, still ain't dead. Is this guy a vampire or a zombie or something? Did he make a pact with the Devil? He's an old War Criminal, and he just lives on and on and on. <br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4pWBJiW0Xpo?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4pWBJiW0Xpo?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-26538484707457050552010-08-16T19:50:00.000-07:002010-08-16T19:51:54.970-07:00The Chinese Red Army Does a Tribute to Michael JacksonNo kidding. Does the Chinese Red Army really have a sense of humor? <br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nSPtz7wVDHI?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nSPtz7wVDHI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-31796115527345382302010-08-08T22:14:00.000-07:002010-08-08T22:16:51.363-07:00Dick Cheney Has No HeartThis is is old news to people who have been keeping up with the news. But it still amazes me. Dick (Darth) Cheney has no heartbeat. No kidding. This is not Supermarket Tabloid Stuff. He's a Cyborg. I always suspected he was heartless. BTW, he has no pulse. <br /><br />Rumor has it that he has two big sharp canine teeth He doesn't show up in a mirror, and he avoids sunlight. Why do you think he is always in an undisclosed location? If you ever meet up with him, you better have a crucifix handy. <br /><br />He's an evil Dick.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-81899103945045405012010-08-01T13:29:00.000-07:002010-08-01T13:41:13.939-07:00A Video About a FlowerA video about a flower. Only, it is a very special kind of flower.<br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hMM_T_PJ0Rs&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hMM_T_PJ0Rs&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-14329012097538440662010-07-20T23:28:00.000-07:002010-07-20T23:41:39.914-07:00Battle with Bank of AmericaI have been in combat with Bank of America. This email explains it all. It is not a complicated problem, but to Bank of America it is impossible. Here is the text of a chat I had with the wonderful customer service people. <br /><br /><br /> Welcome to an online chat session at Bank of America. Please hold while we connect you to the next available Bank of America Online Banking Specialist. Your chat may be monitored and recorded for quality purposes. Your current wait time is approximately 0 minutes. Thank you for your patience.<br /> Thank you for choosing Bank of America. You are now being connected to a Bank of America Online Banking Specialist.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chole: Good Afternoon! Welcome to Bank of America's Service Chat for Personal accounts. <br />Chole: My name is Chole. May I have your complete name & last 4 digits of the account? </span><br />You: Hi Chole Name: Russell X XXXXXXX<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chole: Hello Russell.<br />Chole: How are you doing today?</span> <br />You: Last 4 Digits: XXXX<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chole: Thank you. <br /></span>You: ok thanks, Here is a problem. All information to solve the problem follows. <br />You: Five phone calls have not solved this problem. I want to pay my BofA HELOC with a credit union account. , BofA placed THREE small deposits in my account for verification, but the verification Web page provided only TWO spaces for me to respond. So I failed to verify. I need to solve this problem so I can pay THIS MONTH's HELOC account. About to go to my local TV consumer reporter to get this solved. Here is all info you need to solve the problem. (HELOC Acct: # XXXXXX) (Verification Deposits: $ .48 .47 .01) (XXX Credit Union: Routing: XXXXXXXXX Checking: <br />XXXXXXXXXXX)<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chole: Please go ahead with your query. <br /></span>You: There it is.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chole: I understand that you would like to pay HELOC account from another bank's account.<br />Chole: And, you have to verify the trail deposit. <br />Chole: Let me help you with that. </span><br />You: correct. You have the credit union account, the name of the bank, the routing and cheking number there, and the exact amount of the trial deposits. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chole: The trial deposits are done only in two small amounts........<br />Chole: And this trial deposit has to be done from Credit Unions account/</span><br />You: The <br />You: Credit union is the American Broadcast Employees FCU<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chole: Does it allow to transfer funds online?</span><br />You: yes. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chole: Please make a trail deposit from that account into this HELOC account. <br />Chole: And it has to be only two small amounts. <br />Chole: In these three deposits did you try to confirm the latest two deposits? </span><br />You: Wait. the way this works is BofA made the trial deposits to veritfy the account. I was not able to verify because they made THREE deposits and the Web page only gave me TWO spaces to verify. Chole, did you read my complete explanation avove? <br />You: above not avove<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chole: Yes I did read the whole explanation. <br />Chole: That was the problem.<br />Chole: There has to be only two small deposit to verify. </span><br />You: Right. I need to verify those three deposits. <br />You: OK TWO. Which two?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chole: The latest two. <br />Chole: Ignore the older deposit.</span><br />You: OK, that would be $.47 and .01<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chole: Please try to verify with them once. </span><br />You: Can you confirm verification?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chole: No we do not have access that, it is a self service one. </span><br />You: Rats. OK, but I have been locked out of the system because of this screwup on the part of BofA. Can you get someone to unlock it, and give me the Web address so I can try again. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chole: Sorry, as an associate I have only access to transfer the chat to my Supervisor. </span><br />You: We have to get this problem solved so I can make sure my HELOC payment goes in on time. BTW, I paid it in June and I need to make sure it is credited for July <br />You: Well, let's get it solved. <br />You: Let<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chole: I understand your point of view. </span><br />You: Let's get it solved. Supervisor. Good idea. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chole: Sure....<br />Chole: Please allow me a moment!</span><br />You: I would hate to have to start this whole conversation over again if the chat window were to close down due to inactivity. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chole: I am still with you.<br />Chole: I will transfer you over to my Supervisor but he will have the same access to this issue. </span><br />You: So if my payment is late, BofA would come down on me about that because BofA can't solve the problem? <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chole: I only assist with personal Checking and Savings account. <br />Chole: However, I can help you with setting up these trail deposits and verifying. But I will not be able to comment on the late payment fee.<br />Chole: Would you still like me to transfer the chat to my Supervisor? </span><br />You: Let's just get the problem solved. Now<br />You: Let's transfer to BofA CEO Brian Moynihan if necessary. In fact maybe a copy of this chat should go to a top exec of BofA. This is NOT a complicated problem. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chole: Please wait.. while I transfer the chat to my Supervisor. <br /> Please wait while I transfer the chat to Ralph who can best assist you today.<br /> Thank you for choosing Bank of America. You are now being connected to a Bank of America Online Banking Specialist.</span><br />You: [After a long wait] anyone there? <br />You: I am going to get disconnected if someone doesn't appear. I do not wish to waste a lot more time on this very simple problem. Hello?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chole: I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. <br /> Please wait while I transfer the chat to Ralph who can best assist you today.<br /> Thank you for choosing Bank of America. You are now being connected to a Bank of America Online Banking Specialist.<br />Ralph: Hi Russell! This is Ralph. I am the floor supervisor.</span><br />You: Hello there Ralph. I have every confidence you can solve this problem. It is not complicated. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ralph: Please give me some time while I review your chat with Chole.</span><br />You: OK, let me give you the simple version. BofA made THREE small trial deposits in my credit union account but only gave me TWO spaces to verify on their Web page. So I failed to verity correctly and BofA locked me out of the verification page. Why can't I just pay the HELOC online out of the account: BTW I already paid the HELOC early and need to make sure it is credited for JULY<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ralph: I understand as you have failed verification on the trial deposits you have got locked out .</span><br />You: Correct, Ralph<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ralph: Please give me a quick moment while I provide you the number to our specialists who would be able to help you with this.</span><br />You: No I will not call. I have wasted hours on phone calls with BofA on this problem. No calls. I will copy this chat and sent it to Corporate HQ if necessary. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ralph: Russell, I am sorry but through this chat channel we are unable to assist you.<br />Ralph: I can provide you with our specialists contact number who can guide you.</span><br />You: Fine, have someone call me. Someone who can actually solve the problem. 323.221.0821 or 323. 221.3550. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ralph: I regret we would not be able to provide a call back regarding this issue.</span><br />You: I think BofA will be <br />You: I spent years as a television consumer reporter. This is one of the most outrageous cases (my own) that I have ever encounterd. Do you really think Corporate wants a copy of this message by email or snail mail? <br />You: I think it is your job, Ralph, to find out who can solve this problem and have them call me. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ralph: Please contact us at 1.800.933.6262 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Mon to Fri, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sat to Sun, Eastern Time. I do understand your frustration and I am sorry for the inconvenience. <br />Ralph: I am referring you to our specialists as they would be able to guide you on this.<br />Ralph: We solely assist with personal accounts so we are unable to directly assist you with this issue.</span><br />You: This IS a personal account. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ralph: We assist only with Personal Checking and Savings accounts.<br /></span>You: How do I contact the HELOC people? <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ralph: I have referred you to our Online Banking Specialists regarding the trial deposits verification.<br />Ralph: One moment please.</span><br />You: The online banking specialists have proven to be incompetent and unconnected. They have no interest in helping. They just shuffle me from one office to another. <br />You: How about if I publish this entire chat online for everyone to see? Without my account numbers included, of course?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ralph: Please contact our Heloc specialists at 1.800.934.5626 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Mon to Fri, Eastern Time.</span><br />You: There's a reason I have no bank account with BofA. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ralph: I do apologize for the inconvenience. Our specialists at 1.800.933.6262 would be able to help you with the trial deposits.<br />Ralph: Is there anything else I may assist you with?<br />Ralph: Are you still with me? Please respond so I can leave this chat window open to answer any questions for you. <br />Ralph: Russell, Unfortunately, due to the elapsed time since we received your last message, we are exiting the chat session. If you wish to chat with a Bank of America associate again, please click "Chat Online Now."<br />Last text message received Thank you for chatting with us. We value your feedback and would like to invite you to take a moment to complete a survey and tell us how we did today. The survey takes only a few moments to complete and will be presented to you upon closing this window.<br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-14279697964461214712010-01-05T20:59:00.000-08:002010-01-05T21:01:31.668-08:00A Break from the ProjectFinally finishing up The Project. I hope. The Client wants a bunch of changes. Naturally. Have to make the Client happy. Will be finishing up in the morning. Meantime, here is Techno Chicken. Everyone out for recess. <br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.todaysbigthing.com/betamax/betamax.swf?item_id=2629&fullscreen=1" width="480" height="360"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" quality="best" value="http://www.todaysbigthing.com/betamax/betamax.swf?item_id=2629&fullscreen=1" /></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-27669551247899124022010-01-02T17:16:00.000-08:002010-01-02T17:40:21.332-08:00Bumper Sticker ReligionI see them all the time out here in Los Angeles. Bumper stickers touting one religious sentiment or another. "Jesus is God, Read the Bible." and the same quote in Spanish. This one annoys me. In my humble opinion, the Bible is not exactly a reliable reference to prove anything. Besides that, it seems to me that any religion that can be reduced to a bumper sticker is way wide but not very deep. If you can put your entire spiritual experience on a bumper sticker, you don't have much going for you. It seems almost an insult to a genuine religious belief to carry it around on the bumper of your car. <br /><br />"My Boss is a Jewish Carpenter." That's cute. I think it references Jesus, but I don't know of any evidence that Jesus was a carpenter and a Google search seems to indicate he was not a carpenter at all. One Web site says: "..the Greek word for 'carpenter' in the gospels actually stands for an underlying Aramaic term that is used metaphorically in the Talmud to denote a scholar."<br /><br />Or how about the little fish you see pasted to the trunk lids of cars? This one is a religious symbol referencing Jesus feeding the multitudes with just a handful of fish and a few sips of wine. It's also an in-your-face statement that says, "I'm an Evangelical Christian and what are you going to do about it?" The reply to it, of course is the fish with feet, an in-your-face statement that references Darwin and evolution, something that Evangelical Christians deny. <br /><br />"Jesus is My God." There's another one that also appears in Spanish. Seems to me it reflects a shallow view of God and Jesus and the whole notion of a serious spiritual experience. It's bumper sticker religion.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-68287367350841328162009-12-27T22:20:00.000-08:002009-12-27T23:04:59.170-08:00Merle, Tequila, New Glasses, the Car Wash, Mutts, Iran, Iraq and AfghanistanThe Little Woman is working on some new country songs. She's in a Merle Haggard phase just now. Listening o a lot of Merle these days. I knew he was Outlaw Country, but had forgotten he was in San Quentin for three of Johnny Cash's appearances. So the story goes, when Merle was finally out, pursuing a music career he met Cash and told him: "I certainly enjoyed your show at San Quentin." Cash said "Merle, I don't remember you bein' in that show." Merle said, "Johnny, I wasn't in that show, I was in the audience."<br /><br />My son is 18 years old Monday. Got him a bottle of Tequila. He wanted a bottle of Tequila. He's not even legally allowed to drink, but I trust this kid not to be foolish around booze. We don't keep much liquor around in the house. There may be a bottle of Canadian or some Bourbon in a kitchen cabinet, but no one around here uncorks any of it much. <br /><br />We also got him a couple of <a href="http://muttscomics.com/strip.aspx">Mutts</a> books. Mutts is his favorite comic of all time. He gets all grins at Mutts. We don't have a dog or a cat. He's doing some volunteer work at the local animal shelter. <br /><br />Finally getting new glasses tomorrow. I have been using a pair of my old glasses to see to read or write this, but one of the lenses fell out. So I taped that side up and I have been looking out just the right side lens. I don't have my regular old glasses because I turned the frame over to the optometrist to put new lenses in. It's the frames that cost big bucks. Screw that. Use the old frames. <br /><br />Washed the car. Two dollars and a quarter tonight down at the Wash it Yourself Place. I used to spend seven or eight bucks, but discovered I can get a pretty good wash, rinse, wax and second rinse all for two bucks if I'm speedy. Saving a few bucks here and there wherever I can. I suspect I am not the only one around here pinching pennies. <br /><br />Have not been keeping up with the news much. Some scary stuff going on in Iran. You have to wonder if police brutality can continue to work. Those dissidents have got some real cajones to continue to fight after the cops gunned down at least nine of them this weekend. Fired into the crowd. The question is, will that stir up the dissidents even more or will it shut them down? Somehow I think it will energize them. I wish Obama would come out against the violence as a human rights issue. Iran has not been a backward Islamic Republic for decades. It is an Islamic country, not backward, and women didn't have to walk around imprisoned in a black sheet and they didn't cut your hands off for stealing a candy bar. But it has a repressive religious government now, and that is unacceptable to people who want to join the 21st Century.<br /><br />Do something to help Stop the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, even if it's only no more than writing Obama at whtehouse.gov and telling him how foolish it is to continue to get our troops killed over there, and how stupid it is to continue spending money on wars that cannot be won. You would think Obama would have learned something from the British and Russian defeats in Afghanistan. And Iraq is a lost cause. We should never have been in either war ever, except to grab Osama which we could have done when we had him trapped at Tora Bora. But my theory is we didn't really want to catch him. Bush needed him to be the boogy man to keep us all scared and docile. We ought to declare victory in Iraq and Afghanistan and leave. Now. <br /><br />Write a note to Barry O. I write notes all the time. I'm probably on some kind of list by now.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-81545073443731271672009-12-25T19:37:00.000-08:002009-12-27T22:20:45.673-08:00Christmas day. Bright and Sunny in Southern California, with barely a hint of a chill in the air. We watched some movies, I leafed through a couple of gift books, R. Crumbs Genesis was one of them. Crumb is an absolutely brilliant artist that I have admired since the hippie days of the 60s. Love the guy's work. I have one of his original comic books around here somewhere. There are no limits to his imagination and no borders on taboos. He did an episode years ago featuring Jesus Christ in a modern setting and some of it I am sure would be totally offensive to Evangelical Christians. But in my view, the work reflected the true spirit of the Revolutionary Hippie Radical Jesus. Screw the Evangelicals. <br /><br />My Republican Sister in Law sent a big coffee table book featuring the headlines of newspapers from WWII. I am kind of a WWII freak, having been a little child during that era. I am also a Civil War freak. They kid me around here with my interest in Adolph Hitler. Hitler was a fascinating guy, a seriously mentally ill individual who got hold of the levers of power of a country with a dangerous military. The result was the deaths of some 15 million people. Who wouldn't be fascinated by that? Or it could be argued he was never mentally ill, just thoroughly evil. Or both. Mentally ill and evil. What a combination. <br /><br />Anyway.<br /><br />We had one of those spiral cut hams from Trader Joes. And some wonderful whole wheat bread from the La Brea Bakery. Great Christmas day sandwiches. And hard cider. And some chocolates. My son spent part of the day watching some new horror flicks. We began watching <span style="font-style:italic;">War of the Roses</span> on cable, but then the cable went out, so we did other things, listened to music and the like. It was a good Christmas day. We sitll have some tamales we got from a legendary East L.A. Mexican restaurant where every Christmas, crowds gather for their great Christmas tamales. You have to stand in line for 20 minutes or more just to get a few tamales to take home. We do that every Christmas. <br /><br />I haven't been paying a lot of attention to the news. I guess it's good that we got a health bill in the Senate. Now it remains to be seen what the reconciliation will be like. I hope we get a decent bill. Those Republican bastards ought to be ashamed of themselves. I have this theory that some part of the Neanderthal DNA remains in some Homo Sapiens individuals even today. And those who have it are Republican knuckle draggers. Republicans are simply stupid and mean. They ignore facts and their own delusionary reality leads to a mean-spirited result for the rest of us. A perfect example is the health care debate. How could anyone in his right mind oppose measures to assure that people have access to good health care? Really, you have to be stupid to believe that good health care is a bad thing. And you have to be mean to want to deny it to everyone. <br /><br />But it remains to be seen just how good the final health care bill will be. If it is just a giveaway to the insurance companies, then a pox on the House and the Senate for caving in to the Neanderthals. <br /><br />I mentioned at the beginning of this piece that it was a beautiful day. So peaceful and quiet outside. It was as if some kind of peace blanket had fallen over all the world. I just stood for a while on our little street on the hill and zoned out on the silence. It was a trancendental moment. Christmas day is always a special day. <br /><br />Gotta go.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-78899065830851315442009-12-24T23:57:00.000-08:002009-12-25T19:37:42.834-08:00Christmas EveWell, it's Christmas Eve, really late. I should be taking a shower and brushing my teeth and going to bed. But first:<br /><br />The Little Woman had her yard sale. She collected 70 or 80 bucks and got rid of some stuff. And we met some neighbors we hadn't met before. That was the best part. <br /><br />And I collected half my fee for the Banner project. That made for a Merry Christmas because we were almost broke. As it was, we were able to celebrate the way Americans always celebrate, by going out and shopping and giving a shot in the arm to the economy. I had to accompany my (almost) 18 year old son to places like Best Buy and Toys R Us. It amazed me the stuff people were buying and carrying out of the store. All of it made in China. A lot of it in big cardboard boxes. Guitar Hero and big Barbie Doll sets and flat screen TVs and Blu Ray DVD players. All stuff I neither could afford, nor did I actually want any of it. I wondered where all the money was coming from to buy all this stuff. After all, this is the Great Recession, the younger brother to the Great Depression. Who has a job to pay for all this stuff? <br /><br />I think I saw a lot of credit cards coming out of wallets at the checkout counters. The economy is structured with low wages and lots of available credit. But I think the available credit is coming to an end for a lot of people. I predict 2010 is going to bring a major hangover to the spending spree people have been on even in this serious economic downturn. Especially in the downturn, because people don't want to face reality, and they use their credit cards like a security blanket. I think a lot of people are finding out the blanket is shredded. <br /><br />We actually had a rather modest shopping trip -- a few DVDs and books for my son and a relatively inexpensive pair of speakers for The Little Woman's audio setup in the studio. After all, an aspiring country singer needs a decent pair of speakers. <br /><br />Oh, I mentioned I collected half my fee for that Big Project. It was a PDF project with images and text, an annual report for a non profit financial institution that does good work in the Inner City, funding minority and women-owned business and the like. It has some connections to City Hall through its president and CEO is a smart and savvy banker who was born in Watts, an African American section of L.A. at the time. Now it is turning majority Latino. Most bank presidents, I bet 95% are old White Guys. Not this gentleman; he is African American, and he has managed to reach his status by getting a good education in the world of business and being really shrewd. He's also just a really good guy. Unusual, I think, in the world of banking. Look how those crooks acted with our bailout money. But I digress.<br /><br />I had this PDF project, and I began by building the pages in an HTML editor and converting to PDF. I worked for weeks on the thing. And it looked pretty good, but because I had to use tables, nothing really lined up quite right and the client didn't like it. So I did it over. And this time it looked worse. But the client showed me what he really wanted and gave me half the fee. THEN I learned last night in just an hour or two how to use Adobe InDesign CS2. I have had it on the desktop for a couple of years or more and never used it. What a wonderful program! You can drop images in anywhere, no tables. And text, no tables. Move stuff around. And then automatically save it all as a PDF and it looks great! It's all compatible because it is all in the Adobe family. Now I will be able to put the rest of the project together in a day or two and collect the rest of my fee before the New Year. Whew!<br /><br />It's a good omen for 2010, starting out with some money in the bank. Happy Christmas, Have a wonderful Winter Solstice Season. My best wishes to both of my readers, (or all three or four) for a Great New Year. <br /><br />Gotta go.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-48604895585311264632009-12-24T21:47:00.000-08:002009-12-24T21:49:05.144-08:00Merry Christmas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzfbG7Di9u3u-gmLNFMFV53OK4iKUEvU563-1r_Plv591NkLji-fWZT-WDMV53PAdwnmSTZZEYbgmjBbr8kX_moJe-26QcsEv4WnkZMnTOllRNUTBBviwzaksKg-gbzNwuweLGupfqYMl/s1600-h/santaintrouble.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 347px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzfbG7Di9u3u-gmLNFMFV53OK4iKUEvU563-1r_Plv591NkLji-fWZT-WDMV53PAdwnmSTZZEYbgmjBbr8kX_moJe-26QcsEv4WnkZMnTOllRNUTBBviwzaksKg-gbzNwuweLGupfqYMl/s400/santaintrouble.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419046682228538546" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-26161438672979220932009-12-18T09:08:00.000-08:002009-12-18T09:32:12.241-08:00Friday, Four More Shopping DaysTHe Little Woman is determined to do this yard sale. I put up a poster on the bulletin board at the school. She wants an ad in the L.A. Times.<br /><br />Last night we finally bought a Christmas tree. I was looking for one for around $20, but no such luck. We went to one big tree lot in South Pasadena, where they showed a pathetic little bush of a tree for $25. Three feet tall. Then we drove to a lot on York where the guy had a noisy generator going to power his string of lights, and he had maybe 15 trees. That place sure looked lonesome. No luck there either. Finally we stopped at the big lot at York and Figueroa and looked at a tree with a price tag of $40. I asked if they'd take $35 and they would. So they tied that on top of the car, And I bought a package of mistletoe for a couple of bucks and gave the tree tyer boys a couple of bucks and off we went. I should have known trees wold be cheaper in Highland Park than South Pas. <br /><br />A guy at Trader Joe's told me Home Depot sells trees really cheap. He said he got a 7 footer for $25. I'll look at Home Depot next year. <br /><br />I heard that some homeowner in Northern California did a diorama depicting Jesus with a shotgun standing in front of a mortally wounded Santa Claus. That's the American way. Tired of Santa Claus dominating Christmas?Tired of the frenzied shoppers forgetting that Christmas is supposed to be about the Birth of Christ and peace and love? THen put up a scene in your front yard showing Christ murdering Santa with a shotgun. Bam! Problem solved. <br /><br />Gotta go.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-63798535004017351322009-12-17T08:02:00.000-08:002009-12-17T08:23:04.385-08:00ThursdayThe Little Woman has been planning a garage sale with her singing partner, but I think it's too late. The plan was to do it Sunday, but we don't have the stuff collected yet. She hasn't priced anything. She was going to put a classified ad in the L.A. Times. Time is running out for this project. We don't have the thing organized at all. <br /><br />And I still have the Banner project to finish. Hope to finish it today. That check will make a nice Christmas present if I can get the thing finished and off to the client. <br /><br />The Little Woman still has a bad cough, a residue of the flu she had. It's making her tired. She needs rest after that grueling session she had teaching art to the little nose pickers in the L.A. public schools. I have a bad cough, too. It's a seasonal thing. I expect this to happen just about every winter. <br /><br />We don't even have a Christmas tree. We have always have a tree. Finances are tight this year. All season I have only seen one car with a tree tied on the roof. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7lLTu7W3pPXVp6hQjgYSBdMsmyJtiBsrxeY_zdhxm6m3YacARLl_dbiGVIS-f9jszFhOqM9hiyUocg_vl5BjZLR3ceaQqkvrsuESZRG_vo3zusRvqFyCP5OKBxjXBsYjhNT9ufJVUNShL/s1600-h/nativity.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 289px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7lLTu7W3pPXVp6hQjgYSBdMsmyJtiBsrxeY_zdhxm6m3YacARLl_dbiGVIS-f9jszFhOqM9hiyUocg_vl5BjZLR3ceaQqkvrsuESZRG_vo3zusRvqFyCP5OKBxjXBsYjhNT9ufJVUNShL/s400/nativity.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416241328797899538" /></a>Speaking of Christmas, here's a shot of the life-size creche my dad used to put up every year in our front yard in Lowell, Indiana. This was probably from around 1947. Dad bought the Mary and Joseph mannequins from a Chicago department store. The mule was, of course, our family mule. Doesn't every family have a mule? His name was Long Ears. Out of frame of the shot was a lighted star on a pole, and dad would put a record player on the porch playing Christmas music. It was really quite touching. Cars would stream past our house in an endless parade. Dad won the Lowell Christmas Decoration Contest every year for several years and finally they just phased the contest out.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-70588184640761595852009-12-16T22:08:00.001-08:002009-12-16T22:23:00.258-08:00On the Gold LineI was on the Gold Line, our light rail line that runs from Union Station all the way out to deep in the heart of East L.A. <br /><br />A teenage girl was telling her friend what happened a few nights ago when a big thunder and rain storm interrupted the electricity in her house. Everything went dark in part of the house. It gets dark here in the winter around 5:00. She said they stumbled around and found some candles and lit those. And then she said her mom panicked. Her grow room lights were out. <br /><br />Grow room? This was getting interesting. It wasn't hard to gather from the conversation that her mom was growing pot indoors, and now she was worried because her crop was in the dark.<br /><br />Somehow, because the lights were out in only part of the house, it must have been a tripped GFI or a blown fuse. That's my guess. So her mom managed to get an extension cord and a light strip to the grow room and fire up the lights again. <br /><br />Whew! American entrepreneurial ingenuity to the rescue. The grow room was once again lighted and all was right with the world. <br /><br />Turns out it was all legal, as the girl explained to her friend. Her mom has a medical marijuana card, she said, and she was growing for one of the pot co-ops we have all over Los Angeles. We have more pot dispensaries in L.A. than Starbucks, in fact there are about 1,000 medical marijuana co-ops n Los Angeles, and not nearly as many Starbucks. <br /><br />This is driving the City Council nuts, trying to put most of them out of business with one regulation or another. Problem is, medical marijuana is legal, and the cops can't just bust in and arrest pot dealers like they could in the old days, although the City Attorney claims he is about to do just that. City Council has warned him not to, and he threatens to ignore City Council. <br /><br />A voter initiative has just qualified for the November 2010 ballot to tax and legalize marijuana in California. Polls show a majority of locals might just vote for it. Heaven knows the state could use the revenue.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-68583890702505070252009-12-16T12:08:00.000-08:002009-12-16T13:14:33.479-08:00WednesdayOK, started the day with a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat toast. Peanut butter, mayonnaise and fresh lettuce. It's the kind of sandwich my mom used to make me back in Indiana when I was a kid. Only she used white Wonder Bread and Miracle Whip, which Barbara will not allow in the house. She has a point there. Actually she will allow Wonder Bread in the house, but she wads up the slices and uses them to clean paintings. Works great. And she doesn't like Miracle Whip because it has canola oil or something in it that she considers poison. She's probably right. <br /><br />We are all so disgusted with Obama. Here's a note I left for him at whitehouse.gov. <br /><br /><blockquote>Dear Mr. President. <br />I am so disappointed in your performance for the past year. We worked hard to get you elected. We gave money. We had hope for change we could believe in. <br /><br />Instead, we got a major Wall Street bailout that gave our tax dollars to big banks and their rapacious credit cards which are screwing us to the wall in this economy AND giving their CEOs huge bonuses. With our money. <br /><br />Where are the kinds of jobs programs that FDR created with the WPA? Mr. President, you talk a good game, but we see few results. <br /><br />And this health insurance reform. A disaster. A boondoggle for the insurance companies. In my view and in the view of many who voted for you, you have shown NO leadership. And Harry Reid hasn't been much better. <br /><br />I am telling you, I am a lifelong FDR Democrat. But I am not voting in the midterms if things don't improve. <br /><br />Happy Holidays to you and your family. </blockquote><br /><br />I would encourage everyone, all three of my readers to email President Obama. It probably won't do any good, but wait, <span style="font-style:italic;">does he want a second term or not</span>? If he gets the idea he could actually be endangering his political prospects maybe we could turn him around.<br /><br />It's going to be a bleak Christmas for a lot of folks. We don't have a tree yet. The damn things cost too much. No one in the family has bought a present for anyone else. We are holding off on the traditional order of Christmas tamales that we usually get from an East L.A. Mexican restaurant each year. And we haven't ordered the chocolate cherry bread we usually buy from the LaBrea Bakery.<br /><br />I have a good story about a conversation I heard on a bus. I don't have time to leave it here just now. Have to finish the Banner project. I'll try to get to the story tomorrow or Friday. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBsTA1M6qaqp08T9UgTxJLVd34y_WvcLq7DQhu8IAQypuzR4atjSPPV2kZhlPT_d2gAAypaeAVVwIAJHZcCV_354EQAlhDlXav_vXK5wXr4aNt-bSLyMpt11l_NN0nvLWnhdTCW_4AwuM1/s1600-h/Joe_Lieberman_official_portrait.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBsTA1M6qaqp08T9UgTxJLVd34y_WvcLq7DQhu8IAQypuzR4atjSPPV2kZhlPT_d2gAAypaeAVVwIAJHZcCV_354EQAlhDlXav_vXK5wXr4aNt-bSLyMpt11l_NN0nvLWnhdTCW_4AwuM1/s200/Joe_Lieberman_official_portrait.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415945152024148914" /></a>Doesn't Senator Joe Lieberman look like an evil elf? I think so. <br /><br />Happy Holidays.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-72789910608917729282009-12-13T23:39:00.000-08:002009-12-13T23:52:54.418-08:00WeekendFinally got some sleep. This job of Barbara's has been keeping ME up late. She's an art teacher. Three different South Central schools in rotation. Five classes each school. It's a marathon challenge for her at the schools, a major job for me doing the planning and creating samples of the hands-on work in the lesson plan weeknights for the kids to look at in class. Been keeping me up past midnight sometimes. Have to find art examples on the Web. Download. Print on 8X10 transparencies. Organize all the classes. <br /><br />I have a job Monday. Nothing the rest of the week. Maybe I'll get a couple of days or more. Maybe nothing but Monday. Still have the Banner project, a major PDF project for promoting an inner city financial institution that funds small businesses and real estate. It's basically a small non-profit bank. If I don't get more work this week, I can finish up that project and collect a check. <br /><br />Barbara's <a href="http://www.erinrametta.com">singing partner</a> came over as usual on Sunday morning. She is not only talented, she is organized, and she wants to help organize my office space. Cool. The place looks better already. <br /><br />Sudden thought: People who deny evolution seems to me don't really appreciate the awesome amount of time it took for life to develop and for us to emerge finally from the amino acid slime that began all life. Billions and billions of years. That's a lot more impressive, I think, than some big invisible guy with a beard in the sky going <span style="font-style:italic;">ZAP!</span> and creating Adam all formed and ready to go. Nope, seems to the the billions and billions of years it took to create all the animals and us is far more awe inspiring than the Bible story.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9034225380825146396.post-8067841423239353982009-12-12T00:34:00.000-08:002009-12-12T01:09:15.131-08:00Friday Got Some WorkGot two days of work this week. Entertained a bunch of second graders today. They were all helpful and cooperative. That's what I write to the teacher at the end of the day whether they were or not. They mostly are. Even the xixth grade class I managed yesterday. In this business you gotta be an entertainer. That's why there are so many actors and other showbiz types doing substitute teaching. They don't want real jobs so they can go on auditions. Or maybe they just don't like the idea of being tied down to a job they just have to go to every morning five days a week. Of course that's the kind of job I had during my news career. <br /><br />I had another one of those jobs when I taught a high school class for three years. I taught video production. Bunch of all spoiled white kids, second-generation Armenian kids in a magnet high school. One kid told me he was never going to work in my class because his dad had lots of money which he planned to inherit. One kid in that class pulled a knife on me. I got him kicked out of school and all his friends said I should be ashamed of myself. <br /><br />To do list:<br /><br />Finish Banner project. That one is going to net me a nice check. <br />Do the California agency paperwork and get that project on track<br />Pay SAG dues if I can ever get back on the furslugginer Web site. I swear SAG changes their password requirements about once every month. Or so it seems. I doubt that Jack Nicholson or Sean Penn has ever bothered to sign in to a page on the SAG Web site. Mostly it is for actors looking for work. I doubt that Nicholson or Penn ever have to look for work. <br /><br />I just heard on the radio that young African American people are out of work at least three times the national average, which is said to be about 10%. That makes the number among African American youth about 30%, yet I don't see Obama doing much about it. He talks about unemployment and the number has retreated some in this last report, but why doesn't he just recreate the WPA, the way FDR did back in the 30s? There's plenty the Feds could do to create work for people, fixing up roads and schools and national parks. <br /><br />And there should be a special program for writers and artists, too, the way FDR did. That program produced some invaluable work. I remember a little theatre at Indiana University that had murals on the walls inside that were done by WPA artists. It was a classic. I bet it is still there. I love the sort of art the WPA produced during those years, a sort of Socialist Realism. There is a movie theatre in Glendale that has the same kind of art updated on its domed lobby ceiling. It depicts the Hollywood movie industry, the stars, the crews, etc. It is beautifully done and worth going to the Americana just to see the mural on the ceiling of this massive theatre lobby. <br /><br />Why is this reminding me of the Sistine Chapel? <br /><br />Speaking of, has it come to your attention that lots of priests wear dresses? I mean they just appear in church in a dress and no one thinks anything of it. It would be kind of weird if an auto mechanic showed up wearing a dress down at Highland Park Auto Repair. Or if some teenage boy showed up at his Burger King job wearing a frilly frock. But for priests it raises no eyebrows. And the Pope always wears a dress all the time. Can you imagine the Pope wearing jeans and a t-shirt? They might be an improvement. <br /><br />Gotta go.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com