Room for Another Bust at 70-Year-Old Mt. Rushmore?

Given their way, some conservatives would jump at any chance to round out South Dakota’s iconic Mt. Rushmore with their hero 40th president, Ronald Reagan.
“Reagan was the most successful president of the 20th century,” Reagan Legacy Project Chairman Grover Norquist told Devin Dwyer of ABC News earlier this year. “He took a country that was in economic collapse and military in retreat round the globe and turned it completely around.

Congress rejected the notion 12 years ago but the monument’s 70th birthday today is a reminder that the monument of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt is incomplete with or without another face: The sculptor died before finishing Washington’s waist and coat, and Lincoln’s hands, according to the  Rapid City, S.D. tourism website  Stefano Salvetti,  

Absolutely, NOT--Not Reagan--Not F.D.R.--Not Obama--Not J.F.K--Not Eisenhower-- NO, New face should be added at all!!! In My Opinion,no one should be added to this Historical Monument, regardless of race, creed, religion or Political Party. These four faces have been together like this for so long. Now it has become far too late to change now.
If any thing, start carving up an other mountion or mountain side for the more recent presidents who are found to be worthy.

Posted on October 21,2011 by Marcia Yerman.

A new national poll demonstrates that the most negative political voices are distinctly out of touch with the public’s preference for strong regulations to protect the country’s health. Voters aren’t buying the specious “jobs versus clean air/water” argument.
More importantly, they have a clear preference for the findings of Environmental Protection Agency scientists over the talking points of “corporate polluters.”
The poll, conducted October 6-9, 2011 by Public Policy Polling, surveyed 1,249 registered voters across the country. It included voters in 2012 “battleground” states (Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, California, Florida, Colorado, Nevada). There was an “over sampling” of suburban and Latina women, to ensure “rigorous results.”
The ten new polls were conducted for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWV), and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). In a call with reporters, the results were announced in tandem with remarks by leaders from all the organizations.
The numbers show that a clear majority (70 percent) of those queried were in opposition to Obama’s decision to block the ozone pollution standard. This is one of many examples evidencing that women and Latina women support regulations, and their disappointment with Obama’s walk back skewed higher—79 percent and 71 percent, respectively.
Findings showed that:

• 78 percent of Americans want the EPA to hold corporations responsible for toxins they release into the environment, with 83 percent of women and 80 percent Latina women agreeing.
• 69 percent of Americans agree with health experts who support the reduction of air pollution from industrial sources, rather than those  who advocate overruling the EPA to protect jobs, with 75 percent of women and 73 percent of Latina women agreeing.
• 70 percent of Americans support the EPA requiring stricter limits on the amount of toxic chemical industrial facilities can release, with 77 percent of women and 76 percent of Latina women agreeing.

Agreed, clean air and fresh water are those things, we Americans in the U.S. take for granted, until they are gone. After all, the EPA, especially Earth Day, became after the Cuyahoga River caught on fire, or rather all the polution in it.
If we continue to let those 'Greedy corporations' con us into believing that we need jobs and they need to make as the most money they can so that we can have a job--more than clean air and fresh water, so that they can go back to polluting, our children and grandchildren will pay the price with all the diseases that they will get from the lack of clean air and fresh drinking water. After all, it is not about us, it is about the world we leave behind for our children and grandchildren and their grandchildren and so on.
After all, business is not really the backbone of society, the family is. Granted someone needs to work, so the family can eat, have shelter and transportation, but it is still the family that is the back bone. After all, look how few singles work over time or extra hours and/or second or third jobs, in comparison to the average Father/Mother. 

Exposing The Religious Bigatry of the Far Right

	Earlier this month, nearly every major GOP presidential candidate, along with the top two Republicans in the House of Representatives, spoke at the Religious Right's annual Values Voter Summit. In response to calls from PFAW and others, presidential candidate Mitt Romney made a modest effort to distance himself from the bigoted hate speech regularly pushed by the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer at the event. In our coverage of the Summit and its participants, PFAW's Right Wing Watch also seized on the anti-Mormon comments of a Perry supporter and Radical Right preacher from Texas, fueling a media flap that's still going even two weeks after the Summit. Questions of religious bigotry on the Right, and the anti-Mormon and anti-Catholic statements of the preacher in question, Robert Jeffres, continue to be a part of the GOP presidential primary narrative. Not only this way, but also having worked for a far right religious zealot supervisor who was often heard on the cell phone talking to her sister, the owner and manager of a Non-union company and her one and only 'disciple'--" Take him/her for what they are worth!" As if short changing some one, in their case--that someone I was told was 'Guilty' of 'Witchcraft' or 'Being a Warlock' or of 'Being a Goon--in league with the dreaded ex-husband who some how was getting away with lying, cheating, stealing and bribing everyone, with no fear of getting caught' Or so she said. After all, who was I to question her, when I did, I was told that I was being 'Spiritually Immature'. After all, she claimed to have been the all-knowing, all-wise elder, based on her right-wing politics and being a Gentile Caucasian. Thus she was justified when she accused Pastor Peters of being a Warlock, which she based on Peters being an Hebrew name, so she said that he was of the 'Synagogue of Satan'. In addition, she convicted a Caucasian teacher of being a 'Witch' based on the fact that she was dating, dare I say it, an African-American man and hung out with other African-American men, whom my supervisor was convinced only hung out with her to find other Caucasian women to rape them and her, even though she's an over 60 old lady. She was terrified to be alone any where near them. I was usually drafted to be her 'Body guard', under such conditions.

Reform the un-American Patriot Act By Farhana Khera,

(CNN) -- Ten years ago this month, I stood on the U.S. Senate floor as our nation's leaders debated the first major anti-terrorism legislation after the tragic attacks of September 11. This legislation, which quickly passed Congress and became law, would allow the federal government, for the first time, to easily spy and collect data on innocent Americans.
This law, the poorly named USA Patriot Act, and subsequent expansions of federal law enforcement power, would erode America's freedoms and waste precious resources. Patriotism is about defending America's moral character and celebrating what makes this country great. Unfortunately, this bad law did the exact opposite.
I was an adviser to Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin, the only senator who voted against that law. Fear and anxiety was abundant in the halls of Congress in those early days and weeks, and understandably so. My colleagues and I had experienced two terror attacks in one month -- first the September 11 attacks and then the anthrax mailings that forced many Senate employees, including myself, to take potent medication for weeks and closed an entire Senate office building for three months while it was fumigated. Washington would be on edge for months to come.
I know what it feels like to be worried about safety. But I also know that we lose when our nation changes its fundamental character, when neighbors no longer trust neighbors and when government wastes precious resources. That is why I want my government targeting actual threats, not innocent Americans.
During the last decade, Muslim Advocates has found the FBI has increasingly focused its powers on law-abiding citizens, not based on criminal behavior, but based on race, ethnicity and religious or political beliefs. Our report, Losing Liberty: The State of Freedom Ten Years After the Patriot Act" found, and the ACLU has also reported, that the FBI targeted entire communities, specifically Muslims, Arabs, South Asians and Middle Easterners, sowing fear and mistrust among all Americans.
So where are we 10 years later? Today, the FBI can show up at your work, unannounced, to interrogate you about an article on political events you post on Facebook, or seize information about your phone calls, e-mails, internet activity and medical and banking records -- all without a shred of evidence that you've engaged in criminal activity. Government agents can stop and interrogate you at the border as you seek to re-enter the United States, asking questions like "Do you pray?" "What mosque do you attend?" or "Why did you convert?" Donating $100 to a charity to help the needy can lead to questions simply because it is a Muslim-run charity.
Today, it is difficult to find an American Muslim who has not had one of these encounters with law enforcement, or knows someone who has. But it's not just the Muslim community. Journalists, professors, and anti-war activists have been targeted for surveillance, Today, it is difficult to find an American Muslim who has not had one of these encounters with law enforcement, or knows someone who has. But it's not just the Muslim community. Journalists, professors, and anti-war activists have been targeted for surveillance, questioning and sometimes investigations by law enforcement based on their speech or political beliefs and activities.
Little is publicly known about the full scope of the FBI's activities. Much of it is shrouded in secrecy. But we do know that, according to one former senior FBI counterterrorism official, the FBI conducted nearly 500,000 interviews of Muslim and Arab males from 2001-2005, and not a single one of those interviews led to information that would have allowed the government to detect or prevent the 9/11 attacks. Think about that: For every hour an agent spent talking to someone who had nothing to do with terrorism, that was one hour less spent tracking down a real threat, in this case at least 500,000 hours in four years alone not spent on actual criminals.
We also know that the FBI has trained its agents that growing a beard, frequently attending a mosque or wearing traditional Muslim attire reveal extremism. This ignores that the 19 hijackers never grew beards or wore traditional Muslim attire while in the United States and that certain individuals, such as Faisal Shahzad and Colleen LaRose, never frequented a mosque.
The FBI should be focused on evidence of criminal activity, not targeting law-abiding Americans. This is not the America our founders envisioned, and certainly not the beacon of liberty our nation aspires to be. America is at its best when we overcome fear and face our challenges together as one people, one nation.On this 10-year anniversary of the Patriot Act, it is time for Congress to act with courage. Congress should amend the law to require law enforcement to focus on actual threats, and should conduct a full public accounting of the use of the Patriot Act and all federal surveillance powers that target Americans based on their race, faith or political ideology.

 This was a 'knee jerk re-action'  or rather 'over re-action' in the aftermath of  9/11 that was based on fear and paranoia, which was led by our weakest and most inept, if not down right worst president thus far into the 21st century--George W. Bush. After 9/11, we Americans forgot the words of one of our better presidents -- Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, who said that we have nothing to fear but fear itself.

Tell the Ohio Department of Transportation--What???

Tired of Ohio's defunct transportation system?  Want more alternatives beyond just getting in your car?  Tell the Ohio Department of Transportation to provide more funding for automobile-alternatives and complete streets.

Ohioans need transportation options that are sustainable, such as walking, biking, passenger rail, and public transit.  But to fully take advantage of these modes, we need efficient, robust systems that meet the needs of all users.

Ohio also needs safe streets that accomodate all people, not just automobile users.  Complete streets afford individuals safe transportation choices and a transportation system that is more diverse and less environmentally damaging.  ALL Ohioans' needs should be considered in road and transportation development projects.

Ohio's transportation system is failing to meet the needs of its users. Here are a few facts that illustrate the problem:

• Ohio spends only $1.52 per person annually to fund public transit.
• Congestion in Ohio has increased by about 2% every year for the last three decades.
• Many Ohio households lack a motor vehicle, either by necessity or choice.
• In Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati alone, tens of millions of gallons of fuel are wasted each year as a result of congestion.
• Ohio's transportation system results in hundreds of millions of dollars in transportation-related healthcare costs each year.

This all is most likely true, probably very true at that, but the question is what to do about it. After all, more bike trails sound good, except for Ohio weather--2011 is a record setting year in precipitation and next year may be just as wet. This begs the question--who in their right mind is going to ride a bike to work in the rain or snow?After all, very few Ohioan live that close to their jobs. I know I take the freeways with all too many of my fellow Ohioans. We drive the freeways because we need, distance demands it.
Then, there is the problem of public transportation--buses. I remember being one of the few people who had a car to drive to work, which meant that more often than not I was called on to drive the cleaning crew to the customers.  As I recall, having driven a few co-workers to the bus station, that they usually had to take 3 or more buses to get to work and another 3 or more buses to get home, making getting around into a job in itself.
But then, again, I remember driving a couple of co-workers to the bus station. I remember the young man said that he took the bus 7 days a week, so I suggested that it sounds like he needs a car. The two of the literally laughed me to scorn to suggest that he work enough hour to pay for a car and to work enough hours for car insurance and to work enough hours to pay for the gas, that I was being silly, since the young man has a life and therefore can not work ALLLL those hours. 
What can I say, young men like him and women like her are another reason why so many people avoid taking the buses, even when the buses take them where they want to go.
I would love to be greener--if only . . . I could be without taking an hour or two or three to get to work and the same hours back.

Today was the day--here is the result.

I did it, I did it after another dozen attempts I did it. What can I say; I forgot what I did last time that worked.  I am still learning about computers and computering. This is me with my new hair color thanks to Mary Jones of the Fringe Salon, but don't blame her--yes, I do have weight to lose, like all too many Americans, I weigh about 30 lbs more than I should, Which Is Indeed, My Fault. I am the one who likes CHOCOLATE--each and every kind. It is indeed my Responsibility to lose weight, which at age 50, easier said than done.

By the way, my interview went well at Express Employment Professionals, which if I say any more I will end up 'jinxing' myself, so I won't.
But then again, this is my chance to be political, without fear of offending anyone. The one disadvantage of working with a group, we all have to work together regardless of race, creed, color, religion and political party, which for me, in the past has been easy, since as an Independent--I listen more than talk, but now the Republicans have gone sooooo conservative that even this moderate sounds liberal, Thanks to the Tea Party.  After all, I have experience being stuck in the middle, as the Independent Moderate of the family, whose late-father, God Rest his soul, was a very Conservative Republican and who older son is a very Liberal Democrat. Thank God, younger son is very apolitical, or who knows what kind of refereeing I would have had to do. This is how I learn to walk the tight rope when it comes to politics, when necessary.
 

Another Rant--Part II

I did--I did it, after 3, 4 or was it 5 times trying, I did it. This is a picture of me. Why; because tomorrow I go back to the hair salon, named the Fringe over here in Stow, Ohio to get my hair dyed again, from grey and darker brown to the golden color.
Tomorrow, I work--then again--big deal, most adults and even a few teenagers do that. Well, for me it is. After all, it is not to often that I have to remember to keep my work day short to get to the hair salon in time and then, get ready for an interview, which I am hoping and praying to do well at. Hense the return  to the Fringe Hair Salon. I am hoping that with my hair color revived--I will have a rebirth of self-confidence. I am hoping that the old saying of fake it till you make it works out to be true.
After all, this part-time dead-end job has got to go.Right now, I am paying myself more than my boss is paying me, which is not fair to my sons, whom I should be leaving an inheritance to, like the way my Father left one for me and my sister. I should leave them more than just bills.
I am not afraid of hard work, in a matter of fact that is why I am looking to enter a company on the ground floor, because I will work may way up the latter. Hard work is no problem at all. The problem becomes what is happening at Landerwood Plaza. I work my butt off and what do I get when I ask for references--they look at me like I am growing a second or third head.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, I clean up after Waste Management, because since they have taken over the dumpster, they do I the worst job that I have ever seen. Between leaving a whole lot of garbage behind, they barely put the dumpsters back together. I swear one of these days, the Cuyahoga County Health Department has got to see what they do and how they do it. I mean leaving the dumpster with the most food waste open and where raccoons have moved in, can not be healthy. After all, what bugs me the most about it--it feels like the harder I work the more invisible I become. And worse, some how it is all too coincidental that Waste Management is doing it, since my boss is in tight with the management of Waste Management. OH, when I can finally leave and it becomes someone else's job to clean up. . . . .

Even, more important, If I get a job--a real job with real hourly pay and overtime. I might even catch up with various health and life insurance, which will be a start of what I leave behind for sons.  Even more than that, I could start giving more, again. Work can become such a joy, when you know you are working for a good cause other than just yourself/own family. After all, both my sons and I are such a small part of a much-much-much larger world. To become an active participant again, WHAT A BLESSING!!!!
In addition that then and only then, will I be able to go over to the Summit Shelter and bring home a cat. I do miss having a cat around. There is something about that CAT-atude, that makes a house a home, that is after the children have grow up and out.
But First, I have a younger son who needs help getting his e-check and liecience (car) plates and his car windshield repaired or rather replaced

Letter to the Editor: Public employees not 'monsters plotting' to bankrupt communities

I LOVE TEACHING.
I'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR 26 YEARS. I DID NOT GO INTO TEACHING FOR THE MONEY, BENEFITS OR RETIREMENT. I TEACH BECAUSE IT IS A WORTHWHILE, NOBLE PROFESSION. I TEACH BECAUSE I LOVE KIDS. I TEACH FOR THE EXCITEMENT I SEE IN STUDENTS' EYES WHEN THEY GAIN REALIZATION OR COMPREHENSION OF A CONCEPT.
When I graduated near the top of my Stow-Munroe Falls class in 1980, no one told me to go into teaching so that I could make "exorbitant" salaries and benefits. In fact, most friends told me that I should go into some field where I could make some "real money." I chose to go into teaching anyway.
Now I am hearing that teachers are some of the highest paid, most extravagantly benefited employees in the state. If this were true, I would expect to see prospective teachers lining up to get into this profession. I believe half of all starting teachers leave the profession within five years. Programs like "Teach for America" are using interest-free loans and cash bonuses to attract young people into the profession, especially in urban and rural settings.
Why aren't we hearing parents tell their children, "Go into teaching -- you will be one of our most highly compensated workers in society?" We all know the answer -- because it is simply not true. Teachers, firefighters, nurses and policemen make a decent living.
Much has improved in the last 28 years due to the collective bargaining laws which Senate Bill 5 now wants to remove. But we are the middle class. We are not monsters plotting to greedily drive our communities bankrupt. We public employees strive to make our communities better and safer every day. Please don't shut down our voices. Vote "no" on Issue 2.

David Stebbins, Stow

Thank You, Mr. David Stebbins of Stow, Ohio for your service.

Now for the big question, Why is it shocking and horrible 'Class Warfare' when it is the Middle Class and Working Class dare to fight back against the Upper Class? But when it is the Middle and Working Classes who work non-Union jobs versus the Middle and Working classes who work Union jobs--then that becomes Okay--down right socially acceptable???  Is this not the very definition of the double-standard, this hypocrisy must end!

Vote No on Issue 2--RALLY OHIO!!!!

We Are Ohio is holding a special event on Saturday, October 22nd. Members of the We Are Ohio team will be joined by State Senator Mike Skindell, State Representative Mike Foley, State Representative Nickie Antonio, Cleveland Councilman Martin Sweeney, and Cleveland Councilman Martin Keane for a Day of Action in Kamm's Corner.

This stacked team will meet at PJ McIntyre's Irish Pub at 17119 Lorain Ave. at 10am and then hit the streets to inform voters to vote NO on Issue 2.

Can you join us this Saturday, October22?

Thanks for all that you do, and we will see on on Saturday!

Best,
Marquez Brown
Regional Political Director - We Are Ohio

Day of Action - Kamm's Corner Canvass Event (Canvass)

Join State Senator Mike Skindell, State Representative Mike Foley, State Representative Nickie Antonio, Cleveland Councilman Martin Sweeney, and Cleveland Councilman Martin Keane for a Day of Action in Kamm's Corner. Please join us at PJ McIntyre's Irish Pub on Lorain Avenue on Saturday October 22, 2011. We will hit the streets and inform voters to Vote NO on Issue 2!

Signup for 'Day of Action - Kamm's Corner Canvass Event'

I have signed up for the 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. shift. I am looking forward to seeing many more of my fellow Ohioans who care about the future of Ohio's middle and working classes. 

HOLD IT--HOLD IT--I have got an Idea. If there is anyone reading this blog who joins me at this rally. I will do my best buy one and only one round of drinks for us. After all, I have heard that sometimes buying a round of drinks is not always permitted and this would be my first time at PJ McIntyre's so I definitely do not know their rules and regulations.

What to blog--what to blog

Today was one of those inbetween days, between the long physically exhausting Monday, what can I say--this time of the year--Monday's are the Worst. Then, again, there is tomarrow, a very important if not the most important Wednesday. Two open hirings and hand in a job application. Each place I have to be at the top of my game, no matter how tired I may be from work. After all, being tired is no excuse, especially now a days. After all, How do I get my hopes up for getting a job--a real job, with growth potential, not just a dead-end part-time job, where I pay myself to work for the boss who can not nor will not answer any questions about the company, because somehow she seems to act as if she is the only one who needs to know any thing. Take for example, the blank company fax number which I left blank because either there is none or I do not 'have the need to know it'.
Oh to work for a secular company who do not need to keep secrets or run covert operations 'in order to keep 'witches' and 'warlocks' from do who knows what against 'The Heavens'.

Mom's Clean Air Force--My Toddler's Mercury Poisoning from Tuna

   

                               This is a guest post by Ayelet Waldman:  

  When my daughter Sophie was four years old, she was, in many ways, a Jewish mother’s dream. Her favorite lunch wasn’t pizza or hamburgers or chicken McNuggets. My little girl loved nothing better than a tuna sandwich with plenty of celery and pickles. And you should have seen her in a sushi restaurant, happily gobbling up maki rolls. As is often the case with new parents, I attributed her sophisticated palate to my own parenting skills (just as I saw every tantrum, every tear, every obnoxious moment as a clear reflection of my incompetence).
Not everything, however, was going so smoothly. Our daughter, a bright, inquisitive child, had lately begun to exhibit some peculiar plateaus in her development. By the age of three, Sophie could tie her shoes; at four she had somehow forgotten that skill. For a while she had been making good progress, even accelerated progress, in learning how to read. In the past year, however, she seemed to slow down, even to regress.
Now, don’t get me wrong. There was nothing about my daughter’s behavior that could be described as developmentally delayed. She seemed more or less normal for her age, and, only we, her parents, were worried—and even we were suspicious of that worry. After all, what kind of a nut starts stressing out not that her child is below average, but that she isn’t above average enough? We hesitated to express our fears aloud, even to one another.
  I wish I could say that it was our skillful parenting, our cleverness, our intimate knowledge of the mysteries of child development that caused us to figure out that there was something seriously wrong with Sophie. It was, however, a complete coincidence, an accident, that saved her from suffering permanent brain damage.
Sophie, like many children whose parents suffer from a devotion to the architecture of generations past, was at risk for lead exposure from paint scraped from the walls of our Craftsman bungalow. At the instruction of our pediatrician, we were all regularly tested for lead. When Sophie was four, her heavy metal test revealed something far more frightening, and our unexpressed fears were made grimly real. Our perfect baby, our darling first-born, was suffering from high levels of mercury, hovering just above those the FDA considers acceptable. The day we found out the test results, I panicked. I desperately inventoried the contents of our house, grabbing up thermometers to make sure they had not been lurking, broken and unobserved, in the backs of drawers. I remember standing in Sophie’s room that night, watching her sleep, and wishing I reach deep into her skull and tear out with my naked fingers the horrible molecules that were working their wretched havoc on my little girl’s brain.
And then I did what every self-respecting American mother with a DSL line does. I surfed the web, and there I found the person who would answer all my questions. Dr. Jane Hightower, a physician in San Francisco, has made the dangers of mercury exposure a personal and professional crusade. Dr. Hightower told me that what was most likely the source of Sophie’s mercury exposure – tuna fish. By encouraging Sophie to eat a food that I knew to be good for her brain, her heart, her immune system, I had poisoned her.
As instructed by Dr. Hightower, we completely eliminated fish from Sophie’s diet. This resulted in a more than a few hysterical tantrums in the grocery store, with Sophie holding on to a can of Chicken of the Sea with a kind of grim desperation, while I madly tried to entice her with packages of cookies, chocolate bars, and even sugared cereals. But I didn’t give in, and within a couple of months, Sophie’s mercury levels were down.
We all know how good fish is for our children, how the Omega III fatty acids in fish oils are crucial for the development of their brains. And yet, the mercury in fish is toxic to their cognitive development. How are we as parents to resolve this dilemma? How do we keep them both healthy, and safe?
The most important thing we as mothers can do to protect our children is to demand action from our government. We have EPA regulations. It’s time to enforce them. And yet, what is Congress poised to do? The very opposite. The Senate will soon vote on the TRAIN Act of 2011, an act designed to cripple the Clean Air Act regulations that could protect our children. That’s right. Your representatives are about to decide whether they want to keep poisoning your children. What are you going to do about it?

As a Mother who can still remember that day or was it two days that lasted forever when my then only son (this happened before younger brother was born) came down with food poisoning from the gyros we ate.  I still thank God that he survived the experience. without any lasting side effects or worse.  We must strenghten the EPA. Saving lives is and must be a higher priority than mere money.

And the Republican Party claims to be 'The Pro-Life Party'--Now Is the time to truly be the Pro-Life Party by voting to save lives! Now Is the time to Walk the Walk, not just talk the talk--talk is cheap.  I CHALLENGE THE REPUBLICAN PARTY TO PROVE THAT THEY REALLY AND TRULY ARE PRO-LIFE BY VOTING AS IF LIFE IS MORE VALUABLE THAN MONEY.

Let Us Unplug Dirty, Old Coal Plants

Let's Unplug Dirty, Old Coal Plants

Political weakness keeps them polluting 30+ years too long

Across the nation, old coal-fired power plants are gasping for their last breath, having survived long past their prime because of political favors and weak government regulations. They would have died decades ago if not for a fateful policy compromise in the late 1970s that exempted existing power plants from new air quality standards in the Clean Air Act.
The compromise was based on a prediction that the plants would be retired soon, but instead it gave them a whole new lease on life, with a free pass to pollute for another 30 plus years. And until recently, there was no end in sight.
These plants continue to cough up toxic pollutants like mercury, lead and arsenic into the air. They are by far the biggest producers of the power sector’s pollution, forcing millions of Americans to seek their own life support – in the form of respirators and inhalers – just to get through each day without an asthma attack.
Earthjustice litigation is taking steps to close the loopholes and retire dozens of the old plants, while cleaning up those that continue to operate. We are employing a multi-prong strategy to compel the Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen pollution standards based on the best available science and technology.
National environmental laws like the Clean Air and Clean Water acts are meant to be updated regularly to reflect the current science. Thanks to our litigation, the EPA has recently begun to deliver on the promise of our nation’s environmental laws by taking long overdue action on limiting mercury from coal, cleaning up the air in our national parks that is obscured by power plant haze, and setting national standards on water pollution. In addition, the EPA is currently on the hook for enforcing greenhouse gas emission standards, updating national standards for smog and soot.
Our goal is to end what amounts to government subsidizing of the coal power industry, and to invigorate the clean energy economy. That’s good for the climate, for our health—and for jobs. Early this year, a report by Ceres showed that the EPA’s two new air quality rules would create nearly 1.5 million jobs over the next five years because of pollution control equipment and jobs from clean energy development.
As EPA does its job and these new regulations are adopted, dirty coal plants are being forced to decide whether to pay the price of significant pollution upgrades – or shut down and replace that power with cleaner choices.
Of course, coal plant owners and their allies don’t want to have to make that choice. Even now, instead of focusing on ways to fix the economy, the coal industry is waging an all-out defensive attack on environmental protections that are good for the nation but threaten their industry’s bottom line.
Some coal plant operators have seen the writing on the wall. Since many plants are already past their prime, some are choosing to retire—a hard decision made all the easier by our litigation. For example, this spring the owner of the Trans Alta coal plant, Washington state’s largest source single source of air pollution, agreed to shut down the plant by 2025 after coming to the realization that installing the air pollution controls necessary to comply with air and water pollution standards was not a profitable venture. Currently we’re also stepping up efforts to shut down dirty, outdated coal plants in New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Montana, Nevada, Texas, Tennessee, and the Midwest.
We’re also working to encourage clean energy alternatives. Our clean energy program includes preventing construction of transmission lines that favor coal over renewable energy sources and encouraging smart grid developments that rely on clean energy sources like wind and solar, strengthening efficiency standards for appliance. The nation is at an energy crossroads. One path cuts old ties and moves on to a clean energy future powered by a mix of next generation power sources. The other path prolongs our dependence on an energy source that is cooking the planet and making us sick. The choice is clear. Thank you for joining with us as we help build the clean energy path.
  s and buildings, and pushing full implementation of state-level climate and renewable energy policies.

As sure as time caught up and passed up the good old ice that used to be in our ancestor's Ice boxes and the coal that was once upon a time used to heat their houses, time must also catch up with the coal for factories. Is it any wonder that the U.S. has fallen behind in exports. This is the 21st Century, therefore, should not our factories rely on 21st Century Technology? After all, not only would that make dollars and sense in fresher air, but also in creating new green jobs, which would be a Win-Win-Win for all.  Most Especially, considering how very, very dangerous coal is to mine for the workers safety and health.

The Four Secrets Of Optimism

Not only is life hard, it can unexpectedly become harder. One day we might be comfortably cruising along, and then suddenly it seems like everything is going wrong: Your marriage is in a shambles, or you’ve just discovered that you’re not as financially stable as you thought, or you suddenly lose a lover, friend, or family member. The world has changed. Everything seems ominous and uncertain.
That’s when you can fall into the trap of pessimism and negativity. It may seem like the natural thing to do given what you’re going through. How can we work on building a healthy and optimistic way of living when we’re overcome with pain, anxiety, and fear? But no matter how hard things become, there are ways to approach your situation that can make it less burdensome.

Well, I can not speak for anyone, but myself, but the reason that I am passing on the article about "Optimism" is lately I have fighting what feels like the losing battle of staying out of the pit of despair or anger.

 Four ways to stay positive when life gets you down:

Express Gratitude.  Be mindful about what you do have, whether it’s a fantastic friend or a wonderful partner. Try making a list of things you’re grateful for every night for two weeks. It can be even more powerful to express gratitude to someone who you feel truly thankful for. Write them a letter telling them how they have helped you. Additionally, try to cultivate a sense of gratitude in everyday life for things both major and minor. Thank that stranger who goes a little out of his way to hold the door open for you. Appreciating the good in the world can change the way you look at life.

I wish, this is why it is hard for me to stay out of those 'pits'. I basically work in isolation, so it is rare  for me to talk to anyone about anything. In addition to that the few people that I have talked to complain that the majority of those who work/shop at Landerwood Plaza are 'a bunch of rich snobs' and considering the one time that my son talked me into shopping there--I remember there was a pair of capri (short pants) the cost $169.+change and even he could not believe the price tag.

Volunteer. Take your awareness outside of yourself and focus it on the well being of others. This may not be possible if you’re in crisis mode, but it can be very helpful if you’re increasingly preoccupied by your own negative thoughts. Many studies have shown that community service and philanthropy are more satisfying over the long term than focusing on your problems. Try volunteering at your local library, homeless shelter or hospital.  You can become less focused on the bad stuff you’ve been dealing with—and even form a connection with others in the process.

Oh, yes, I like this idea. I am joining more and more clubs in the attempt to get busier and busier with the hope that the less time that I have trying to plan out my schedual. The more time that I take in remembering that someone is counting on me, the less time I have to be in the 'pits'.

Notice the Good. It might seem nearly impossible to find the silver lining in a burdensome situation, but it can be helpful.  Maybe you’ve gone through some personal growth and change because of what’s happened, or you’ve become closer to someone.

Keep looking on the 'Bright Side'--I confess, sometimes this is easier said than done.

Change Negative Self-Talk. It’s way too easy to think the same negative thoughts over and over again. However, you can learn to change this by doing some cognitive-behavioral therapy on yourself. When you notice yourself having a negative thought about yourself, replace it with a positive one. If you find yourself  thinking “It’s all my fault” or “I’m not good enough,” stop and remind yourself of how well you’ve been coping and how others appreciate you.
The bottom line on becoming and remaining optimistic: We can’t change what happens to us or to loved ones, but we can change how we react to it. And though that process may take some time, it’s worth it because of the joy and peace of mind optimism can bring.

Again, I confess, this is easier said than done. After all, the temptation to be extra critial of myself has always been my biggest weakness and strength, when I do it constructively then I challenge myself to grow, but other times . . . Ugh! Grrrrrr!

On behalf of MercyCorps

"If a violent tornado, hurricane or earthquake left your neighborhood in ruins, I'm sure you would rush to help your neighbors in need.
But what if the crisis occurred half a world away and involved millions of families? What if the disaster left people in such desperate need that something as simple as a bucket could be the difference between life and death?
I think you'd want to help them . . . especially if you had the chance to meet Venite.
Venite is a single mother in Haiti's capital city, Port-au-Prince. On January 12, 2010, she was at work when Haiti's devastating earthquake struck. She remembers a big rumble and two wverwhelming "rushes," but it wasn't until she was outside - amid the rubble, blood and screams -- that she realized her world had literally fallen apart.
Venite suddenly had nothing. No home. No job. No food for her children. But in these dark and harrowing moments, Venite found mercy.
For more than 30 years, Mercy Corps, has rushed to help millions of people like Venite when they needed it most. Like a kindhearted neighbor, we bring blankets, water (and buckets to carry it) and long-term help to people who have lost everything.
But we cannot respond to the world's most desperate cries for help alone. We depend on compassionate people like you to show your mercy, too. Can you spare just $20, $30 or more to help save lives and restore hope to people who have lost everything?
If your (our) gift(s) is(/are) received by December 31, 2011, it will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Western Union Foundation with an equal contribution to supprt struggling families in Haiti. There has never been a more important time to give. . . . mercycorps.org

Well, I do not know about anyone else, but I am going to give something before this year ends.

Ohio Issue 2: Collective Bargaining Supporter Co-Opted By Anti-Union Forces (UPDATED

WASHINGTON -- An Ohio woman who is such a strong opponent of an upcoming ballot initiative that she is willing to appear in ads opposing the measure has now found herself co-opted by the other side as the unofficial spokesperson for the anti-labor forces.
Next month, Ohio voters will be voting on Issue 2, a ballot referendum on S.B. 5, a measure that restricts collective bargaining rights for state employees, among other provisions. Opposition to the legislation inspired large protests from residents around the state earlier in the year.
The pro-labor group We Are Ohio is urging voters to vote no on Issue 2 and thus reject Republican Gov. John Kasich's controversial legislation.
Its newest ad features Cincinnati resident Marlene Quinn, who almost lost her great-granddaughter Zoey in a fire. "If not for the firefighters, we wouldn't have our Zoey today," stated Quinn in the ad. "That's why it is so important to vote no on Issue 2. Issue 2 makes it illegal to negotiate for enough firefighters to do their job."
Quinn is not an actor. She is genuinely opposed to Issue 2.
But a new ad by the pro-Issue 2 group Building A Better Ohio uses the same footage of Quinn in its own new ad -- making her a de facto spokesperson for an issue she opposes.
In the Building A Better Ohio ad, Quinn also appears onscreen and states, "If not for the firefighters, we wouldn't have our Zoey today." A narrator then jumps in and adds, "She's right. By voting no on Issue 2, our safety will be threatened."
WATCH A COMPARISON OF THE QUINN FOOTAGE IN THE TWO ADS:


"I think it's dishonest and downright deceitful that they would use footage of me to try to play tricks and fool voters," Quinn said in a statement.
"It's insulting to the brave firefighters that saved the lives of my grandson and my great-granddaughter Zoey. I'm outraged. They did not ask my permission. I feel violated. I want to stop Senate Bill 5. Everyone should vote No on Issue 2."
Building A Better Ohio did not return requests for comment.
According to Melissa Fazekas, a spokeswoman for We Are Ohio, more than 10,000 people volunteered to collect signatures to qualify Issue 2 for the November ballot. They were required to obtain 231,149 signatures, with a certain percentage from at least 44 counties in the state. Their campaign wound up with more than 915,000 signatures certified in total from all 88 of Ohio's counties.
UPDATE: 3:30 p.m. -- The New Media Firm, which produced the original ad for We Are Ohio, noted on Twitter that it has heard from two TV stations that have decided to pull the Building A Better Ohio ad featuring the footage of Quinn: "Breaking: WSAZ in Charleston and WTAP in Parkersburg have pulled the misleading Issue Two Yes ad. #weareohio."
We Are Ohio confirmed the news to The Huffington Post. Neither WSAZ nor WTAP returned a request for further comment.
UPDATE: 4:45 p.m. -- Statement from Jason Mauk, spokesman for Building A Better Ohio:

Opponents of Issue 2 chose to use a personal story to make a political argument, but the same story makes an even more powerful case for supporting the reasonable reforms we're asking of our government employees. Without Issue 2, our communities will continue to lay off police officers and firefighters because they can't afford to pay them. By asking our government employees to pay their fair share of benefits and earn their paychecks based in part on performance, we can generate millions of dollars in savings that will keep safety forces on the job protecting the public. The reality is opponents of Issue 2 have been caught by Ohio's largest newspapers lying in their television ads, and they've proven they'll say anything to distort the facts. They don't like our efforts to set straight their multi-million dollar campaign of dishonesty and emotional scare tactics, but we'll continue to educate Ohioans about why a yes vote is critical not only to public safety but also to the economic vitality of our state.

UPDATE: 5:48 p.m. -- A press release sent out by We Are Ohio said at least eight TV stations pulled the Building A Better Ohio ad. None of the stations returned a request for comment, nor did Building A Better Ohio.
Paul Weber, one of the Cincinnati firefighters who responded to the call saving Zoey Quinn, sharply criticized Building A Better Ohio on Tuesday.
"I applaud the decision by the stations to pull down this deeply offensive and misleading ad,” said Weber. "Marlene Quinn is deeply hurt by the deceptive use of her words. My fellow firefighters and I are outraged that anti-worker politicians have taken advantage of a senior citizen for speaking out in support of her great-granddaughter. As the incident commander and the first firefighter on the scene, I can tell you that it took a team of over 40 firefighters working together to rescue Zoey and her grandfather. Without collective bargaining, we might not have had enough firefighters on hand to save their lives. Senate Bill 5 and Issue 2 are unsafe for our community. I call on all media outlets to respect the wishes of Marlene Quinn and stop airing this deeply offensive and misleading ad."


And, yet, today, during 'The View', what 'Vote For Issue 2' ad was seen, yet, again. Yes, you have guessed it. The Ohio Republicans have proven, yet again, there is depth of lies or deception they will not sink to--to get their way

Occupy Cleveland

(CNN) -- A spirited and leaderless protest in the Wall Street section of New York is now in its fourth week, helping to inspire a growing number of demonstrations acoss the U.S.

The protests, dubbed Occupy Wall Street, began on September 17 as hundreds of people descended on the streets of Manhattan's financial district. Since then, the movement has spread to dozens of other cities.

The movement, which is modeled after social-media-driven demonstrations in the Middle East, aims to raise awareness about the role financial institutions played in the continued economic downturn affecting the world markets, and to show their discontent at the lukewarm attempts to prosecute those at fault. Demonstrators are also rallying against the state of the war in Afghanistan, the state of the environment, and a wide array of other domestic and international issues.

Who's behind the protests? Read more on CNN.com

Are you attending or covering the protests in Wall Street? Have you witnessed the marches, sit-ins, or arrests taking place? Explore the iReport submissions above, and send us your photos and videos to add to the timeline.

 I am not there with them, physically, but I support them whole heartedly, especially the rally against the state of war in Afghanistan, since the nephew of an old neighbor/friend was sent there, only to come back home and commit suicide.

Standing with Occupy Wall Street

	Protestors are assembling in New York and around the country to let billionaires, big oil and big bankers know that we’re not going to let the richest 1% force draconian economic policies and massive cuts to crucial programs on Main Street Americans. Out-of-touch Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor said he is “increasingly concerned by the growing mobs.” Mobs? That must be what Republicans refer to as the middle class, or maybe the millions of unemployed Americans across the country. As Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters, “The message of the American people is that no longer will the recklessness of some on Wall Street cause massive joblessness on Main Street…” Send a message straight to Eric Cantor, Speaker Boehner, and the rest of reckless Republican leadership in Congress: Sign our petition right now and help us reach 100,000 strong standing with Occupy Wall Street protestors across the country! SIGN THE PETITION: http://dccc.org/Occupy
	I have signed and am siding with those who are occupying Wall Street.

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