independence day

BAGHDAD, June 30 -- This is no longer America's war.

Iraqis danced in the streets and set off fireworks Monday in impromptu celebrations of a pivotal moment in their nation's troubled history: Six years and three months after the March 2003 invasion, the United States on Tuesday is withdrawing its remaining combat troops from Iraq's cities and turning over security to Iraqi police and soldiers.

While more than 130,000 U.S. troops remain in the country, patrols by heavily armed soldiers in hulking vehicles as of Wednesday will largely disappear from Baghdad, Mosul and Iraq's other urban centers.

"The Army of the U.S. is out of my country," said Ibrahim Algurabi, 34, a dual U.S.-Iraqi citizen now living in Arizona who attended a concert of celebration in Baghdad's Zawra Park. "People are ready for this change. There are a lot of opportunities to rebuild our country, to forget the past and think about the future."

　

From CrooksandLiars.com

Just in time for July 4^th! Can we celebrate once again? It is nice just to write these words. Only time will tell but we live to hope.

Those of you who read my blog know well my feelings. This war is (was) a BLOT on the history, honor of my country. A Disaster which we will be paying for long into the future.

Once again I call on our country to give the vets of this war AND their families ALL the help that they need - regardless of costs.

the Photo Album:

I don't understand why they did what they did? I don't understand how it helps me do my blog. I just noticed that somehow I failed to continue the pro blog. I am going to hold off paying as I am looking at alternative blog sites.

of Marriage:

Nevada's Junior Senator wanted to amend the Constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman.

He has quite litterally been caught with his pants down. He has admitted an affair (with the wife of one of his own staffers). He has resigned his leadership post in the Republican Party. Let us hope the voters of Nevada send him home from Washington when he is up for re-election in 2010.

Typical, isn't it, the best way to defend marriage is to live up to your marriage Senator Ensign. Ronnie Polaneczky decided to go out into the gay community to give the senator some tips.

Open Letter to President Barrack Obama

Dear Mr. President: I a 65 year old gay American (William N Moriarty). I have been living in exile in the UK for 12 years now. I can’t live in the United States with the man I love.

I have been waiting for FULL CIVIL RIGHTS all my life. I think time and tide are on our side; I clearly wonder if I will ever live to see it happen.

I understand that you have many National and International problems that you have to deal with. I understand that you assumed a full plate when WE elected you to office. I believe you are a friend of LGBT people.

The right wing extremists have already ramped up the violence against gay people. 2008 saw a 28% increase in hate murder and a corresponding increase in violence.

I think it is time for positive, powerful and public statement from the White House on behalf of our community. I am not talking about words (which you use so well, Mr. President), I am talking about A MAJOR POLICY ENDORSEMENT which advances the CIVIL RIGHTS of me and my community.

We need this Mr. President, Our country needs this. The World needs to see this Mr. President. I think you need this too. You have to begin to backup rhetoric with ACTION. We backed you, we believed in you and we are still waiting.

I taught U.S. History in Hartford, Ct. for 31 years Mr. Obama. I taught the “real” history – not the sanitized history that some white Americans want to hear. I have always been an optimist. I have always believed in America. I understand the promise of the Constitution. I agonized the past 8 years and yearned for someone like you to lead my country. I am old and tired and the wait for full citizenship has been too long.

You need to act, Mr. President.

Even Gay Guys had dreams of their own Baseball Card

Here is Mine...

Meanwhile, Bravenet has made a huge ERROR. They have changed how one uses the Photo Albums ( I pay a premium price for my photo album) and in the process have created a nightmare for users:

1. It loads every picture in your photo album before you get to the picture you want.

2. It is slow, very slow and you have to set size of page to 50% to get to bottom of page. This is a big problem for people like me.  i.e. older, eyesight not what it once was

3. They did this change without and CONSULTATION or NOTIFICATION  to users.

4. They could not have use the system after they changed it or they might have noticed that IT DOES NOT WORK.

5. It is so bad that I will cease using BraveNet if it is not corrected and soon.

6. After my first note to them they returned with the usual stuff you get from the big corporations when you have a problem:  "your important to us", "were working on it", the letter did NOT answer a single question about the new photo album I put to them.

7. My second complaint was more acerbic. The response was: we will give you an extra month for the inconvenience. I don't want an extra month - I want a PHOTO ALBUM which is EASY and QUICK to work.

8. I can't believe they did this without looking at what they had destroyed.

9. Among other problems is that the "new" system changes all the titles I have on pictures and substitutes a meaningless numbering system making retrieval even more difficult.

Dave and I will be heading off to Ft Lauderdale on the 25th of this month for a two week holiday. There is no holiday from dialysis.

Bill on Dialysis Machine showing hook up to Fistula at Queens Hospital

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday you must go off to dialysis and the same is true on holiday. So, We travel on Thursday so that I will be able to do my dialysis on Friday.

Now, all dialysis centers, hospital, nurses, doctors all URGE you to travel. The problem is there are so many hurdles one must get over to set up foreign dialysis. In my case, we travel to the U.S. The absolute first thing they want to know in the U.S. is: "How are you going to pay for this?" I am very lucky, I retired with one of the best Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance programs. The state of Connecticut (my employer prior to retirement) no longer offers as good a plan. I have been to Florida on dialysis twice since I retired. This time I have turned 65 and now am on Medicare in the states. Once again, I am lucky as my old insurance backs up Medicare.

However, they want so much information before they will book a chair for you including:

Latest blood results, HIV, Hep B, and MRSA results within latest month, Chest x-ray, ECG, Travel dialysis setup, Latest Flow Charts from Queens, Physical from GP, Medical History from GP - this is not all. I faxed 30 pages of info.

Today, I was informed that they would book a chair for me for our holiday......... We were relieved. 

 

Gay Marriage Advance in New York and New Hampshire

This is excellent news. It will pass in the House and if Duane is correct it will pass in the Senate and the Governor will surely sign....

Meanwhile, in New Hampshire: After the Governor asked for revisions to the bill passed in the NH House and Senate it was sent back to committee in the House. All sides agreed with the new language (very slight changes of no real consequences) and it will be passed again and signed by Governor.

My thoughts on the California Supreme Court Ruling on Prop 8. As you all know - they refused to set aside the vote which denied Gay Marriage but did allow those who had married before the vote to stay married.
I don't think the court had much wiggle room on this issue. The vote was won by the homophobes led by the Mormon Church. I never thought that the court could rule against this vote as much as I hope they would.

What next? Time is running out on the hhomophobes who would deny Californians and Americans such a basic civil right. Led by New England and Iowa the tide is strongly in our favor. California must mount an even bigger effort to get this evil law off the books. This time all progressives, all those who favor equal rights for all, and most of all LGBT peoples must re-double our efforts and our fund raising.

We must not allow the Bigots who call themselves Christians to win.

Pat Robertson - right wing IDIOT and so called "preacher" says that leagalizing Gay Marriage would lead to SEX WITH DUCKS! Words fail me but thankfully Riki "Garfunekl" Lindhome and Kate "Oakes" Micucci have come up with the perfect musical video response: