Changing Places

Good. Glad they finally passed it.

Senate Passes Vast Overhaul in Ethics Rules – New York Times

The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly passed sweeping changes to ethics and lobbying rules, overcoming bipartisan reluctance to ban many of the favors that lobbyists do for lawmakers and to illuminate the shadowy legislative practice of earmarking money for special projects.

The Senate’s action makes the start of the 110th Congress a watershed moment in the history of K Street and Capitol Hill. Interpreting the results of the Nov. 7 election as a reaction to corruption scandals when Congress was under Republican control, the Senate has joined the House in adopting broad new rules that go beyond the proposals Republicans introduced last year, the ones that Democrats campaigned on, or the extensive changes House Democrats recently passed.

The measure passed around 9 p.m. by a vote of 96 to 2. Senators Orrin Hatch of Utah and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, both Republicans, were the only members to vote against the bill.

All right, Speaker Pelosi! ( I love saying that!)

House rolls back oil company subsidies – Yahoo! News

The House rolled back billions of dollars in oil industry subsidies Thursday in what supporters hailed as a new direction in energy policy toward more renewable fuels. Critics said the action would reduce domestic oil production and increase reliance on imports.

The energy legislation was the last of six high-priority issues that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., had pledged to push through during the first 100 hours of Democratic control. The bill passed by a 264-163 vote.

Republicans – unethical. And so is anyone who votes for ‘em.

Republicans Halt Ethics Legislation – washingtonpost.com

Senate Republicans scuttled broad legislation last night to curtail lobbyists’ influence and tighten congressional ethics rules, refusing to let the bill pass without a vote on an unrelated measure that would give President Bush virtual line-item-veto power.

The bill could be brought back up later this year. Indeed, Democrats will try one last time today to break the impasse. But its unexpected collapse last night infuriated Democrats and the government watchdog groups that had been pushing it since the lobbying scandals that rocked the last Congress. Proponents charged that Republicans had used the spending-control measure as a ruse to thwart ethics rules they dared not defeat in a straight vote.

“It’s as obvious as the sun coming up somewhere in this world that they tried to kill this bill,” a furious Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said last night in an interview. “And all 21 Republican senators up for reelection are going to have to explain how they brought down the most significant reform ever to come before this Congress. They brought this baby down.”

Or maybe “Camel Boy”. This is Darwin tonight after his trip to the emergency vet for eating half a euphorbia succulent. He threw up most of it, but they gave him a cute hump of subcutaneous fluids to wash out any remaining toxins. Must explain to him that naturalists don’t have to try eating their specimens.

Sigh. 2 hours and $134 dollars later, we’re home.

The euphorbia didn’t handle the experience very well, however.

Body Writing print

“The more we love our bodies, the more likely we are to cultivate positive health habits: eat more nutritious meals, exercise regularly, treat ourselves kindly through an illness, listen to our body’s wisdom wisdom in the healing process. Accepting your body; right now, with all your real and socially fabricated limitations, is the foundation for making better choices for yourself. Come home to your body. Your body is on your side and always has been.” — Carmen Renee Berry, Coming Home to Your Body

What you get out of it depends on what you put into it!

Thanks, Jennifer, my mug swap buddy!!!!

And thanks to Create a Connection for creating the swap opportunity!

Create a Connection

I wish that I knew from the very first–from childhood–how short life is and how few rules there really are. People think there are all these rules they have to follow about how they spend their days and what they wear and what their house looks like, but it’s not true. You have to follow the law, so you won’t get arrested–not much creative about that!–and you have to make money to pay the bills, so you’ll have a place to sleep and take a shower. And you need to wear clothes so you won’t catch cold. But beyond that, there’s so much leeway–so many choices that we don’t take advantage of! You don’t have to wear what’s in fashion–you may have to dress a certain way for work, but that’s just 40 hours a week. And you don’t have to paint your walls eggshell, and you don’t have to watch all the hot shows on TV. You don’t have to answer the phone just because it rings, and you don’t have to have a doorbell. You can invent a life that works for you and the people you love. If you don’t have to have a Hummer, then maybe you can take a job that pays a lot less but gives you the freedom to take off a month to volunteer in South America or Africa, or go backpacking through some other country, if that’s your dream. We believe that we have to make a ton of money to buy the things we see advertised on TV (can you tell I’m not a big fan of TV?), and that keeps us chained to a job that drains us. Remember what I said about sometimes feeling guilty for not earning more money? I have plenty of money for the things I need; it’s that I sometimes think there are other things I’m supposed to have that require more from me–a bigger car, a fancy house, grown-up clothes. This doesn’t happen very often–but even for me, there’s that voice, that idea that there are things to which I should aspire that would make me give up the creative life for a more traditional one.

So the advice I would give them: start living your real life as soon as possible. Find out who you are, what you like, what makes your soul sing. Get more of that. As long as you aren’t abandoning your family–human, furred, feathered, whatever–then it’s OK. Get rid of what you don’t need, ease out of relationships that sap your soul, give up the things that don’t really matter. And then spend the time and energy you gain on the things that make you feel most yourself, most in touch with the universe.

– Rice Freeman-Zachery

Make yours here.

Heh. I love Over the Hedge!

Pre-bath…

Post-bath!

We had to drain the spa anyway, so we used the nice warm water to bathe all the puppies. Good thing, considering Darwin had been rolling in stuff all morning…

“Among the Indians there have been no written laws. Customs handed down from generation to generation have been the only laws to guide them. Every one might act different from what was considered right, did he choose to do so, but such acts would bring upon him the censure of the Nation… This fear of censure acted as a mighty hand, binding all in one social honorable compact.” –George Copway, Ojibway chief, 1818-1863

from 365 days of Walking the Red Road

“He that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils; for time is the greatest innovator.” — Sir Francis Bacon

“Many of us have spent years trying to ameliorate the world’s suffering without first confronting our own. The belief that it is possible to heal the world without healing ourselves first is what the Yoga Sutras call a lack of true knowledge. The truth is, when we are happy we spread happiness, and when we are in pain we spread suffering. If our aim is to alleviate the world’s suffering, we must begin with our own minds and bodies.We must do yoga. Each action taken in compliance with the eight-limbed path brings with it an increase in our own peace and happiness — and our happiness is welcomed by the universe. We do not need to fear the steps we are about to take. In fact, we will experience each right action, no matter how small or insignificant as a pleasure and a relief. With each step we take towards the light, the universe rejoices. When we let go of our suffering, we participate in the salvation of all living beings.” — Rolf Gates, Meditations from the Mat.

Bloghuh?

Why is it some days I just have nothing to say?

Sigh.

Actually, I have tons of things I could say. I’m just tired, getting over the last of a cold, stressed out from the amusing destruction of raising a puppy, and sick of dealing with my son being out of school – at least he goes back Monday. And our Resident Idiot is going to speak tonight, telling us why we need to send yet more kids to die in Iraq. Yeah, sure we do. Why anyone listens to the Resident Idiot is beyond even me. I have stacks of books here trying to explain it, and I still don’t understand how so many American voters could be so stupid. I saw through Bush and company in a heartbeat, why couldn’t they? Are we just that deluded as a people that we really think we’ll continue to get away with driving huge SUVs, living in huge houses and burning all the oil we please, even while the snow doesn’t happen in the Northeast and the ice caps melt? When will we wake up? When the crops fail due to drought or floods?

Like I said, sigh. There’s too much to say, and not enough. It will never be enough.

UPDATE after reading Dumbya’s speech:

Meet the new plan… same as the old plan….

What exactly was supposed to be new here, other than sending more kids to die? Or rather, letting them get less rest and training between tours of duty so they’re more likely to die?

This is insane.

Bloghuh?

Think Progress » VIDEO FLASHBACK: Bush Says Sending More Troops To Iraq Would ‘Undermine Our Strategy’

Some Americans ask me, if completing the mission is so important, why don’t you send more troops? If our commanders on the ground say we need more troops, I will send them. But our commanders tell me they have the number of troops they need to do their job. Sending more Americans would undermine our strategy of encouraging Iraqis to take the lead in this fight. And sending more Americans would suggest that we intend to stay forever, when we are, in fact, working for the day when Iraq can defend itself and we can leave. As we determine the right force level, our troops can know that I will continue to be guided by the advice that matters: the sober judgment of our military leaders.

Of course, this was in 2005. Now, it’s a good idea, according to Bushie. Why in the world are we supposed to believe this now? Do they think we are idiots?

Bush is the idiot. And why can’t he just be honest about his Permanent Base plan, already? We all know it’s what the neocons and oil companies are after.

American troops are being used to try and ensure oil company profits. We all know it, no one will say it, and our troops are dying for it every day.

Enough is enough. Let’s get out.

Daily Kos: Sinking Beneath the Power of the Iraqi Nightmare

Perhaps the most disturbing headline caught over the weekend – disturbing because I passed it over nonchalantly on first read – was this: Iraqis to lead assault to take back Baghdad. Yeah, yeah, yeah, my brain registered. Just more acknowledgment of havoc in Baghdad. But transpose this headline to the western hemisphere and imagine “Americans to lead assault to take back Washington D.C.” Then imagine yourself shrugging and turning the page.

That’s how powerful and numbing this particular nightmare has become – “retaking” the major city in a country is merely one piece of news over a weekend.

Indeed – can you imagine an invading force in this country and Americans being used to retake our cities? It’s just beyond ridiculous. Yet that is the reality of Iraq.

We need to get out.

Uughh. Ickiness setting in… lots of coughing and cruddiness today.

… Darwin eats the bowl, too…

Via My Confined Space…

Oh, yes!

“This is an historic moment – for the Congress, and for the women of this country. It is a moment for which we have waited more than 200 years. Never losing faith, we waited through the many years of struggle to achieve our rights. But women weren’t just waiting; women were working. Never losing faith, we worked to redeem the promise of America, that all men and women are created equal. For our daughters and granddaughters, today we have broken the marble ceiling.” Nancy Pelosi

Via Digby

Song: Sister Suffragette Lyrics
Music: Richard M. + Robert B. Sherman
Lyrics: Richard M. + Robert B. Sherman
Premiere: 1964

Mrs. Banks:
We’re clearly soldiers in petticoats
And dauntless crusaders for woman’s votes
Though we adore men individually
We agree that as a group they’re rather stupid!

Cast off the shackles of yesterday!
Shoulder to shoulder into the fray!
Our daughters’ daughters will adore us
And they’ll sign in grateful chorus
“Well done, Sister Suffragette!”

From Kensington to Billingsgate
One hears the restless cries!
From ev’ry corner of the land:
“Womankind, arise!”
Political equality and equal rights with men!
Take heart! For Missus Pankhurst has been clapped in irons again!

No more the meek and mild subservients we!
We’re fighting for our rights, militantly!
Never you fear!

So, cast off the shackles of yesterday!
Shoulder to shoulder into the fray!
Our daughters’ daughters will adore us
And they’ll sign in grateful chorus
“Well done! Well done!
Well done Sister Suffragette!”

Yay!