"Holy" by Pvris (click here)

Yeah, you've got it all,
But you've got it all wrong.
No, you don't know
You're a poor unfortunate soul.
Oh I know,
You make it seem that you feel whole,
So they don't know
You're a poor unfortunate soul.

Yeah you put on a faith facade,
Think you're holy when you're not.
I hate to break it to you baby,
But you're simply lost.
You can right all the wrongs just to feel you belong,
But simply calling out sins don't bring you closer to God.
You're just a ghost at most,
A set of empty bones,
Searching for anything and everything to make you feel whole,
When it gets cold, oh oh oh.

You don't know.
No you don't know.
Oh you're all alone,
You poor unfortunate soul.
You can't control where your body lets you go.
Oh you're all alone,
You poor unfortunate soul.

And you say that I've got it all wrong.
'Cause you just know I'm a poor unfortunate soul.

But there's no way that there's weight in the words that you preach,
When you're claiming your faith and you contradict your speech.
So I sit here and listen to your tongue and cheek,
I know that when you sit and pray you're only praying for keeps.
Cause you're a ghost at most,
A set of empty bones,
Searching for anything and everything to make you feel whole,
When it gets cold, oh oh oh.

You don't know.
No you don't know.
Oh you're all alone,
You poor unfortunate soul.
You can't control where your body lets you go.
Oh you're all alone,
You poor unfortunate soul.

You're shallow and empty and filled with regret.
I think that chest must be heavy from that cross on your neck
You only wear 'cause you're wary of what comes next after you're death.
Don't think I didn't notice.

Don't think I didn't notice.

Don't think I didn't know you just a po-oh-oh-oh
Poor unfortunate so-o-o-oul
Poor unfortunate so-o-o-oul
Poor unfortunate so-o-o-oul
Poor unfortunate

And you've got it all (poor unfortunate so-o-o-oul)
You've got it all wrong (poor unfortunate so-o-o-oul)
No you'll never know, never know, never know (poor unfortunate so-o-o-oul)
You're a poor unfortunate soul.

Don't think I didn't notice.

"LGBT not welcome here."

Governor Bobby Jindal stated the RFRA laws proposed does not ban the LGBT community from any participation of society's everday activities.

BUT. And it is a huge but.

The LGBT community cannot participate in any marriage in any restaurant or organization's hall if they are denied services because of religious devotion.

So, Bobby Jindal states, the religious discrimination can be practiced underground. If Bennigans has a hall for rent for special occasions it can deny the same members of the LGBT community it willing serves in their restaurant. It is unconstitutional as the RFRA laws are.

When these young ladies decide to marry they are not going to find a hall that will serve them or a bakery or a florist because they are lesbians. Tell me where the rights of these young women change because they decide to get married?

No law can create an underground that will breed voids of services for LGBT Americans? Where in the USA Constitution is there the right of people to deny services to the LGBT Community. I want to know where exactly the US Constitution removes the rights from these young women? 

October 30, 2013
By Lucy Hallowell

We told you about (click here) Br{ache the Silence (BTS) last month. The organization is working to end discrimination and homophobia in women’s sports and has just put out its first video in its Tour of Champions. The Tour’s purpose is to use NCAA Champion teams and individuals to send the message that LGBTQ athletes are welcome in women’s sports at its highest levels.
The first stop on the tour is Storrs, Connecticut home to the University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball Team. The Huskies won the NCAA Championship a year ago and were voted number one in the coaches poll yesterday. The team has won eight national championships and has been at the top of the sport for more than a decade. When the top team in the country makes a video that says not only are gay players welcome here, but discrimination is absolutely not, it’s a message that filters down through other programs....

The discrimination is not based in the Freedom of Religion Right in the First Amendment. There is no justification in the First Amendment for discrimination of any American based in religion. 

The First Amendment of the USA Constitution PROVIDES a SPACE for religious practice in the country. It does not provide a place of the practice of religion in an underground framework in any law.

Is an organization withholding services to the LGBT community, allowed to post signs openly that it does not serve the LGBT patrons in private party services? What does that look like? Can a business owned by a Christian be allowed to post a sign that states we only serve the LGBT community in the back of the restaurant? Is that same organization or business that refuses the LGBT certain services allowed to post a sign stating they refuse to allow any LGBT person from using the public restroom open to heterosexuals. They discriminate between the two. Those discriminating in certain services, where do their services stop? Serving food. The LGBT Community is allowed to go into businesses and organizations' building, but, they can be refused services. 

Who decides what services are provided to them? 

Can a florist have a defined limited menu of choices for anyone LGBT and make it so hideous no one would want that arrangement, hence, they are not welcome. This is the same exact basis of the poll tax. By law everyone can vote, but, certain ethnicities have to pass tests or pay for a voter registration card so expensive no one can afford it.

There is always a way to defeat laws without really breaking the law. 

There can be no special status for public services or services by private industry that serves the public. If A minister states he or she only provides services to those of the same faith he is legitimate, but, he is legitimate anyway. He is not obligated to perform marriages to anyone outside of his faith. That already exists.

Just because the butcher, the baker and the candle stick maker is Christian, there is no special status. The business cannot refuse services simply because a person is not of their faith. If at Easter all he provides for purchase is Hot Cross Buns, that is legitimate, but, that is legitimate anyway. If a baker wants to provide a service to Christians and limits the choice from a religious definition, it is allowed so long as the entire community can have access unless the service is provided in a different space exclusively refusing LGBT individuals. 

That is very true of the Jewish faith when they are shopping for 'correct' menus for their family. Walk into any public grocer and find products or a section that is Kosher. That is what most Americans expect. They expect to find choices based in their faith because that is good business. If a grocer wants to make profits, it will occur because the community has it's needs met. 

This idea there can be a separate but equal place for the public in any establishment is discrimination and assaults the individual's identity. It is an attack against a person that has no control over their genetic identity. 

The legislation is illegitimate for all these reasons and more. Can LGBT be treated in a Christian hospital?  

How does anyone decide what child is gay or straight? Does a day care center managed by a Christian owner have the right to determine if a child is gay and prohibit that child from services reserved for 'normal' children? If that owner is required to provide services to the public will that mean the children of gay parents be placed in a certain room with different playground time than children of straight parents? Where does the special status stop? Who determines the rules? 

The RFRA laws state services have to be provided to the LGBT community, EXCEPT, for special circumstances. Who defines what those special services are and how are they administered?

Providing certain rights but not all rights to the LGBT Community is toxic to our society. It will hurt people if it doesn't already. 

What qualifications does it take to fly in a jet? Certain jets are set aside for the LGBT Community? Is Amtrak exempt from any rules and must provide accommodations for the entire public or is a Christian noting the RFRA law which states they have special status and cannot sit in the same train car as any LGBT person to be accommodated? 

RFRA rules are nighmares and belong nowhere in American legislation that passes into law.

Governor Brown needs to hold town hall meetings and not simply hand out summons.

April 4, 2015
By Frank Shyong, Hailey Branson-Potts and Matt Stevens

There are few signs of California’s epic drought (click here) along a stretch of Maple Drive in Beverly Hills.
Deep green front lawns stretch out, dotted with healthy trees and sculpted foliage. The only brown lawn in sight was at a home under construction.
As California gears up for the first mandatory water restrictions in its history, a long-standing class divide about water use is becoming increasingly apparent....

Water is a big deal. It is a part of our lives in insidious ways. No one no matter what community they live in believes they would have to part with this vital component of this entitlement of life. 

Besides the communities, there are businesses that are going lose revenue because they won't have the same Spring Time and Summer Time market places. They can become inventive and invite ideas such as sand boxes for the children and patio furniture where dinner is served. 

But, water is something most people take for granted and I guarantee you no matter who it is this idea of sacrificing more and more is stressful. Imagine that. The lack of water in day to day life is stressful. Water is stressful when there is too much of it and now it is stressful when there is too little.

The folks in Beverly Hills have spoiled themselves into thinking they can have everything they want if only they pay the bill. They aren't so much belligerent as they are soiled. They don't know what it is to sacrifice. That seems obvious to me.

Governor Brown should hold town hall meetings across the state. He needs to hear what people think and offer them remedies to cope. I personally challenge him to bring back water to all of California in one year. This time next year California needs water flowing and crops blooming and Beverly Hills getting off their psychologist couch.

It is important Governor Brown has this relationship with the people. Everyone needs to be connected. Their sacrifice has to be realized and their suggestions and complaints noted. 

This is a very difficult time. Crime may escalate and jobs might be lost. The Governor has to bring about an understanding that he is aware of their burden his ambitions to bring an end to the water shortage.  It may even be wise to have an emergency plan ready with water trucked in should the drought this summer become unbearable. Citizens can have copies of emergency plans for reassurance.

The people living in Beverly Hills need to have a small greenhouse(s) on the property where rare and important plants can receive attention if they haven't made the jump to light speed yet. Water needs of special and precious plants can be better managed in a greenhouse where their own humidity can be contained. Those folks will need their gardeners all the more to control the climate in order for those plants to be maintained. 

Governor Brown is up to this. If there is still noncompliance after a town hall meeting then citations for breaking the law should be issued. I wish everyone good luck.   

Modern day nuclear arsenals define the brinkmanship that exists in our world today.

I read somewhere that Russia is unhappy with any interceptor missiles deployed in Europe.

Really?

If Russia's only protection were large number of tigers I would think the interceptors were nonsense and stupid, but, that isn't the case is it? 

Clue: Ukraine and the former treaty.

Think about it.

It is my estimation the interceptors will be the last missile system removed once all nations' nuclear arsenals are destroyed and that level of intimidation is gone from Earth. There will still be some conflict such as exists with Israel and Palestine whereby interceptors will carry brevity, but, most use of them will be mute after the nuclear weapons are ended.

Both the USA Democrats and leadership in Russia should recognize modern day use of such WMD as nuclear weapons. They define the brinkmanship that lead to the invasion into Iraq and same with Ukraine. China also uses them to intimidate to expand it's sovereign borders. 

The threat is very real. I believe President Putin was prepared to use them over Ukraine if tensions were not somewhat cooled. Now, today, Ukraine wishes it never gave up it's nuclear arsenal. They believe their country would have remained intact and sovereign if the nukes were ever present. That is a very scary reality for all people of this Earth. 

If there is one aspect of international governance that is a pariah it is nuclear weapons. It is so ridiculous to regard those weapons as necessary in the 21st century.

Unfortunately, there are examples in Japan of what exactly nukes can do to a country and society. The warning is just not heeded. Nukes leverage too much power and cause international conflict because of the nature of the weapon itself. If we only realized after WWII what a horror was unleashed in Japan and actively sought to remove such a threat from our children's futures the Middle East would not have the problems that exists today. 

The unspoken threat. That is what nukes have become. 

Are they an equalizer in the balance of power between nations? I don't think so. There have been a deterioration of countries such as Pakistan in the face of ownership of such weapons. As a matter of fact, the nukes Pakistan has are the reason why the country has deteriorated and compromised the tribal areas with terrorists. The bad guys want them to use against whomever they perceive as an enemy.

Someday, leaders with such capacity will look at their people and realize they are innocent participants in a danger they abhor. The French today find nukes a huge immoral presence in their country. The French wanted and had plans to remove them from any military reality of their country, but, then came the issue of Ukraine. Ukraine and the broken treaty did a lot of damage to sanity and movement away from nukes.  

Someday, leaders will realize the imposition of these weapons on the stability of the world's powers, the brinkmanship they allow and will demand a higher moral standard for war as practiced in the Geneva Conventions. Someday. It might not be in my lifetime, but, it will happen and Earth will find peace and benevolence among people.

I hope that will come sooner than later, but, realistically I know there is a 'presence of threat' that has been renewed as of 2001 and the civil war of Ukraine. It feels pretty lousy to be one of the P5 and be responsible for the deaths in Japan. It really does.

"The Iran Deal"

The audacity of hope. You see the flag in that picture. Amazing.

President Obama is proving why the people placed trust in him, not once, but, twice. He is a magnificent president. His transparency makes politics difficult for some of the Democrats in Washington, DC as they head home, but, his peers should be proud of him. 

It is unfortunate the Supreme Leader is so negative about the deal, but, he is on the other side of any threat of war with this deal. For that he should be grateful. His people are excited about their choice of President and the fact President Rouhani has actually negotiated the country's historic diplomacy. 

Just listen to this tape. Magnificent. And to think the Supreme Leader is disgruntled over the agreement and the pledge by President Rouhani to have it survive the criticism. Incredible and makes quite a statement by the President of both Iran and the USA.

April 3, 2015
By Greg Botelho

Iran's President (click here for video) on Friday hailed the proposed international deal on his country's nuclear program, vowing that Iran will stick to its promises and -- assuming other countries live up to their end of the bargain -- become a more active, engaged player in world affairs.

"Some think that we should either fight ... or we should surrender to other powers," President Hassan Rouhani said. "However, we believe none of that. There is a third path. We can cooperate with the world."

Rouhani said his government kept its word to Iranians when negotiating the framework deal, which was agreed upon Thursday and sets parameters for talks that could lead to a comprehensive deal by a June 30 deadline. Chief among them is that Iran would keep at least some centrifuges and no longer face international sanctions.... 

Kindly remember, there were concessions made at the very first beginnings of these talks. The Iranian government has lived up to every one of those concessions. President Rouhani did not play politics or bargain with the lives of Iranians; he was steadfast in providing reason to the P5 that he was an honorable and truthful leader deserving of trust.

I still pinch myself to realize Secretary Kerry found a way forward and solidified that framework. It is a good deal. It is negotiated through international law that governs such dangerous weapons. Kerry and the President were nothing short of brilliant. I am so pleased the former Senator from Massachusetts was able to carry out such an incredible document. I am happy and I am happy for the Iranian people. 

I am more confident today that the future holds a time when nuclear weapons will become a complete affront to the global conscience. It is a verifiable treaty. It will stand. Do I fear Iran? No. I fear the nukes and that goes for any nuclear weapon capacity.

This is a victory for the Iranian political moderates. The people trusted them and they have prevailed in their promise to Iran. This is a very good thing for all of Iran.

I find that statement about RIFR by Jeb Bush very interesting.

He said, "I didn't expect the backlash...."

It shows he is not prepared to be the President of the USA. When he stated he didn't expect the backlash he was simply following the politics of his party. I guarantee you even today he hasn't familiarized himself to the law. 

Then he continued his endorsement of Governor Pence's RFIR law. He stated, "...when all the facts are established..."

That is a familiar Republican paradigm for lies and deceptions to the electorate. Rather than stating the law may not be necessary under our Constitution he postponed his decision waiting for the facts.

Do Republicans lie? Do they deceive? You betcha, one of the hallmarks of Republican governance is to manipulate the public to prevent backlash and when it happens no one is wrong in the first place and the public over reacted. The Public must be nothing more than basket cases and primarily women who listen to every word their spouses tell them.

I think one of the most famous and current reflections of the SOP Republican Lie belongs to Senator Bob Corker and the VW union vote. That man lied about every aspect of the presence of a union with VW. The company thought it was a good idea to have a union, because, their corporate structure requires representation of the labor force in management decisions. 

The lies didn't start with Senator Corker, they stated with partisan politics at the state level in Kentucky. 

February 11, 2014 

By Steven Greenhouse

...State Senator Bo Watson, (click here) who represents a suburb of Chattanooga, warned on Monday that if VW’s workers voted to embrace the U.A.W., the Republican-controlled Legislature might vote against approving future incentives to help the plant expand.

“The members of the Tennessee Senate will not view unionization as in the best interest of Tennessee,” Mr. Watson said at a news conference. He added that a pro-U.A.W. vote would make it “exponentially more challenging” for the legislature to approve future subsidies....

That level of interference with a PRIVATE COMPANY is incredibly invasive to a person's work place and is a threat to their future of holding down a job. Now I would expect if the company was practicing coercion in the work place by threatening employees with their jobs in a general statement, as in voting practices and/or religious expression, enforcing a 'desired culture;' it would be appropriate to ask local prosecutors and/or even the SBI to investigate or simply refer the employees to a US Attorney regarding labor laws in Kentucky.

February 20, 2014
By Stephen Crockett

Last week’s Volkswagen worker unionization vote (click here) in Tennessee was the dirtiest union election of the 21^st Century with all the dirty tactics coming from outside anti-union political forces.

Without the intimidation and lies of elected Tennessee Republicans along with billionaire financed national right-wing groups, the union would almost surely have won the union representation vote. (A slim majority of 53 percent of plant workers opposed unionization.)...

But, for a US Senator to back the threats made by state legislators and act completely unethically in his capacity there should have been ethics investigation of the US Senator with a referral to state investigators to close the loop with others involved in the lies to and manipulation of the public.

There is a level of privacy innate to any work place. Bathrooms, break time, phone calls to others within work break times, lunch and socializing or not with peers and the list goes on. The relationship with the company is extremely important and to realize state and federal legislators will put their thumb on the scale through abuse of power is outrageous. The legislators lied about everything and today the UAW has a union in the VW plant anyway. 

That is why Republicans count on their image and ability to manipulate the public. The will become a member of the dinner table without even knowing a family because that is the image they portray. 

The FIDUCIARY relationship between Republicans and there electorate is chronically unethical and invades a home's privacy.

Their favorite statement is "...when all the facts are in, things will be seen differently." They are calming the waters so THEIR interpretation of political atmospherics will prevail. Doesn't it usually? When Republicans step into a situation and state the facts will bear out, don't they usually? And normally those that challenged Republicans are to be meek and apologetic to all that is possible under that interpretation of events.

In regard to Pence? He has from the beginning been lying. He is still lying. He won't stop lying because rather than the truth he has hung his hat on a lie and now he has to make the lie the truth.

Good governance is not simply 'the best in political theater.' It is actually knowing and understanding what is occurring within the legislative process, judicial process and the actual power leveraged by legislation. A Republican will lie and simply pat any objector on the head and send them out to play in a world unfit for their daily lives. 

When citizens 'act up' in opposition to something said or legislated, what is going on there? Sometimes it's politics, but, Americans have an inherent knowledge of their lives and their idea of good governance. When people strongly oppose government in the USA it is because the 'status quo' in their lives has been rattled. People know 'when something is wrong.' They know when their lives have been affected by an act of government. That 'knowing' is important because within it is 'the lie' facing the Republican politicians and THEIR BACKLASH against the public. 

It is not up to the public to take time out of their daily lives to fight for their rights. Their elected officials are suppose to know the rights afforded the people under the constitution and act accordingly. People should not be upset because a politician is voting or acting in opposition to their understanding of the laws within the life they lead. 

Legislation is not suppose to remove rights from people or penalize them unfairly enforcing poverty or poor health that can kill them. Legislation is to address new ideas that will enhance the electorates' quality of life or solve problems, which might be the same thing. The legislative process is not suppose to come out of the woodwork like cockroaches. It isn't suppose to be Citigroup handing a politician an amendment TO DEEPLY IMPORTANT legislation like the US Budget. 

Those elected are suppose to live up to the moral obligations of providing for THE PUBLIC GOOD and protection. Now compare that to what happened in Kentucky over VW. Reflect now on the completely inappropriate RFRA laws and know they assault not only human rights, but, legal standing of an entire class of people in the USA. 

Indiana's RFRA law is unconstitutional and we know it. It allows discrimination and we know it. We know Pence is lying to appease his so called "base" and bring about discrimination and hatred of the LGBT community. Hate? Yes, because all this will be interpreted by some of the electorate or public (which is not the same thing, but, should be) as permission to grow hatred and to influence the outcomes of elections at the cost of human quality of life or life itself. Do I have to give examples?  

What is more important is the Republicans not only lie, but, they know they are lying. When they state, "...when all the facts are known..." they are looking for wiggle room to make the lie the truth. That is very passive aggressive. It just is. The lie that becomes the truth mostly is to appease and provide services to the cronies that elected them. It is not about the people. It is for that reason Republicans are mostly untrustworthy of the votes and power they are provided. 

The Indiana RFRA law should have never made it the Governor's Desk, yet alone the legislative agenda. But, governance by Republicans means acting in the best interest of their 'base electorate,' which is not the public because Republicans practice voter oppression as in the 2000 Dade County purging of the African American electorate.

So, for those that look at this entry and state, THOSE simple words caused all this? I say, it sure did, so stop lying.

Oh, one more thing. 

Harry Reid. 

He didn't lie, he just wasn't as quick on his feet as he should have been. I am quite confident when he stated as Senate Majority Leader, "Romney didn't pay taxes," it was to provide an impetus to disclosure that the public was clamoring for. I doubt Senator Reid knew whether or not Romeny paid taxes, but, it sure appeared to be the case. Senator Reid could not rifle through IRS forms to LEAK a definitive statement, he simply came to conclusions most of the electorate was coming to.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid knew he should find a way and there was a lot going on to bring about a disclosure of which at least the 47% wanted from Romney. The statement by Harry was somewhat proven a lie as well when Romney at the very least disclosed two tax returns. 

I have to laugh when pundits today state, "Hillary must have something to hide because she didn't turn over the server (which doesn't belong to her, but, her spouse that happens to be the Former President of the USA) and erased private emails. It is one thing to be a strong Democratic candidate and have their reputation played with and it is quite another to be a wealthy Republican candidate and be proud of the fact he didn't want to disclose his tax returns. 

There were many issues with Romney. He had absolutely no foreign affairs experience, he coveted his income tax filings and he pandered to wealthy donors by mocking 47% of the population when the economy had dumped so many at the doorstep of poverty or worse in 2008. He had no empathy, which is strongly Republican. Romney's credentials is counter culture to the majority of the people of the USA. He annihilated companies that provided work for Americans and called it moral at his garage sales. It wasn't Harry Reid that caused the defeat of Mitt Romney, it was Romney himself.

France is correct. This is a mental health problem.

This is Isabelle Caro. She was a model. How old is she in that picture?

This picture was taken in France when she was 28 years old. It was the year she died.

This is the reality of Anorexia Nervosa. When does it become unacceptable for models to be this ill because they are convinced they need to work in the industry. 

The technical word for her body is emaciated. She isn't starving, she is suffering from a mental health problem. This is where the mind losses control of it's body's well being. Now, isn't that a mental health problem? 

When a woman becomes unable to discern their own body image, that is definitely a mental health problem. She needs treatment and if she had to put on weight in order to work, she may have done exactly that. At the very least those in the industry would be obligated to set her straight and help her realize she was far to thin to walk down an aisle with high fashion exampled to other women. 

I applaud France. I hope it works. 

April 3, 2015

(Reuters) - France (click here) will ban excessively thin fashion models and expose modeling agents and the fashion houses that hire them to possible fines and even jail, under a new law passed on Friday.

The move by France, with its fashion and luxury industries worth tens of billions of euros, comes after a similar ban by Israel in 2013, while other countries, like Italy and Spain, rely on voluntary codes of conduct to protect models.

The measure is part of a campaign against anorexia by President Francois Hollande's government. Lawmakers also made it illegal to condone anorexia and said any re-touched photo that alters the bodily appearance of a model for commercial purposes must carry a message stating it had been manipulated.

"The activity of model is banned for any person whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is lower than levels proposed by health authorities and decreed by the ministers of health and labor," the legislation says....

Why would an aggrieved population insist on unnecssary laws?

Article V
The Congress, (click here) whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress; provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article; and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate. 

You understand them, I don't. They are some of the most bizarre people in the USA. Somehow Immigration Reform can be analogized by a car in need of a mechanic. Go figure. I guess Evangelicals have a lot of broken down cars.

It is anyone's guess why they think the can covet the USA Constitution because of some stupid analogy about the LGBT community.

By Leith Anderson

...If your car is out of gas (click here) and has a dead battery and a flat tire, it won't help to solve one problem. You need a comprehensive approach.

Let's take the word out of policy and politics and into a discussion with your mechanic. The two of you are standing in his shop next to your broken car. It's obvious that it won't run and the mechanic explains why: out of gas; dead battery; flat tire; lost key. You are concerned about the cost but really need the car to get to work every day. "If I fixed only one or two of the items on the list, which would you recommend?" The mechanic replies: "If you fix just two, your car will still be broken. For it to run right, you need to fix them all." "Well," you suggest, "suppose we start with a gallon of gas. That's the cheapest and easiest. We'll deal with the others next year."...

Anderson is the President of the National Association of Evangelicals. He covets the USA Constitution as if it is his to change. They are strange people.

You know the hideousness of the APPLICATION of this faith to covet the government is stupid. If the President of this organization has to bring the word in analogy about a broken down car what does that say about his followers? Seriously. This is not an intelligent discussion from a President of a religious organization.

Immigration Reform is about people. People are cars? Like what? This is the President of the organization that wants people to throw every Undocumented out of the country. He is strange.  

Then these people want to run the country? No flyin' way. There is a separation between church and state and they need to appreciate that.  

Can you imagine the zealots that would come out of the woodwork once they realized they can control the USA Constitution because they have the money to do it. The Founding Fathers (there were no women signing the US Constitution - that is an important thing to note) knew what they were doing when major changes to the Constitution has to surmount three-fours of the states.  

It gives me nightmares to realize men elected to the federal government and then posture themselves in a Governor's seat to prepare for a run for the Presidency subverts a federal law that would cause victimization of classes of people. I still can't believe the Robert's Court has cut into the freedom of people by oppressing the vote. Nightmares. They are nightmares. 

They have no morals. None. And their identity is suppose to be holy because of their fidelity and priority to their children. 

January 16, 2014
By Jennifer Glass, Ph.D.

Why (click here) are divorce rates higher in religiously conservative “red” states and lower in less religiously conservative “blue” states? After all, most conservatives frown upon divorce, and religious commitment is believed to strengthen marriage, not erode it. Even so, religiously conservative states Alabama and Arkansas have the second and third highest divorce rates in the U.S., at 13 per 1000 people per year while New Jersey and Massachusetts, more liberal states, are two of the lowest at 6 and 7 per 1000 people per year....

Why? Because of poverty, very deep poverty, alcoholism and drugs. That's why.

This is the USA poverty rate. The Evangelicals must be so proud, they have some of the most important work to carry out to stop the divorce rates and improve the lives and health of children. I am just wondering when they plan on getting started. 
 

Visit your National Parks this Summer. Return to Patriotism and Save Our Forests from Forest Fire. No fire crackers in the forest either.

The US Forest Service and the US Fish and Wildlife need to be fully funded. They need to be vigilant to the protects of our most precious lands. 

Forests will hold water in the ground and encourage water vapor in the atmosphere. Our giants, the Sequoias and Redwoods have their own ecosystems. So long as the canopy is dense there will be water vapor to protect them.

Smoking couldn't be more correct, only you can prevent forest fires. Does anyone pay attention to the reasons why these fires begin?

Approximate 451,445.6 number of acres burned in the U.S. so far this year based on historical statistics.

Humans and Wildfire (click here)

Humans and Wildfire

As many as 90 percent of wildland fires in the United States are caused by humans. Some human-caused fires result from campfires left unattended, the burning of debris, negligently discarded cigarettes and intentional acts of arson. The remaining 10 percent are started by lightning or lava.
- See more at: http://www.nps.gov/fire/wildland-fire/learning-center/fire-in-depth/wildfire-causes.cfm#sthash.6qqdBn9g.dpufHumans and Wildfir

As many as 90 percent of wildland fires in the United States are caused by humans. Some human-caused fires result from campfires left unattended, the burning of debris, negligently discarded cigarettes and intentional acts of arson. The remaining 10 percent are started by lightning or lava.

Humans and Wildfire

As many as 90 percent of wildland fires in the United States are caused by humans. Some human-caused fires result from campfires left unattended, the burning of debris, negligently discarded cigarettes and intentional acts of arson. The remaining 10 percent are started by lightning or lava.
- See more at: http://www.nps.gov/fire/wildland-fire/learning-center/fire-in-depth/wildfire-causes.cfm#sthash.6qqdBn9g.dpuf

Smokey's Kids (click here) 

90 percent of all wildland fires in the USA are caused by people. There needs to be public service announcements that get the attention of people to instill a sense of ownership and stewardship of these lands. They are public lands and they can be protected by simplest way in the world; vigilance.

Humans and Wildfire

As many as 90 percent of wildland fires in the United States are caused by humans. Some human-caused fires result from campfires left unattended, the burning of debris, negligently discarded cigarettes and intentional acts of arson. The remaining 10 percent are started by lightning or lava.
- See more at: http://www.nps.gov/fire/wildland-fire/learning-center/fire-in-depth/wildfire-causes.cfm#sthash.6qqdBn9g.dpuf

Humans and Wildfire

As many as 90 percent of wildland fires in the United States are caused by humans. Some human-caused fires result from campfires left unattended, the burning of debris, negligently discarded cigarettes and intentional acts of arson. The remaining 10 percent are started by lightning or lava.
- See more at: http://www.nps.gov/fire/wildland-fire/learning-center/fire-in-depth/wildfire-causes.cfm#sthash.6qqdBn9g.dpuf

• Destination: Sequoia National Park (click here)
• Duration: 3 - 5 days
• Dates: Multiple tours between 04/24/2015 - 10/04/2015
• Packages starting at: $295

Return to and growing the garden of eden.

About fifteen years ago when the impending environmental disaster was more or less certain, I wanted to find a way for people or nations to fund large projects like dams and irrigation. Basically, I wanted to return the Garden of Eden to Ethiopia. 

Everyone I talked to told me, no. They said it would be a waste when so much of the land was drought stricken and the people needed help now. I could not get people to understand how making Earth green would help push the negative feedback loop of the Climate Crisis into a positive spin rather than a void of despair. No matter how I tried I could not get people to see past the next few years of humanitarian funding to find a path for restoration of chlorophyll to land. 

That is exactly what has to be done. Humans have to put chlorophyll over as much of the land masses as possible. It will be necessary in the future as much if not more than today.

I was thrilled when the Nobel Peace Prize went to a brilliant woman from Africa. She IS on the right track. She is growing trees and sustaining their viability. Everyone should follow her example. 

I don't believe the Governor's warning has come too late, this has been a ongoing problem.

I will say this and the federal government has to help. We need a green California and I am not talking about energy. The state has to find solutions to bring water to all regions. Desalination is the only viable solution now and it has to come online at an accelerated rate. The more dried and parched land there is the less CO2 used. Use alternative energies to run the plants as much as possible. I think it would be a mistake to plan one large plant rather than a few small ones. They will go up quicker and once the water starts to flow and the chlorophyll returns there is a chance there might be a natural return of rain in time.

Right now in California every resident knows the severity of these circumstances, they have been living with them for awhile now. All those dead trees need to come out of the ground to protect from fire. Put them in a wood chipper and sell them to more moist areas of the country. I know it is heartbreaking, but, the opportunity for new groves can be as short as a year away.

When the water returns within in the next year or so, the orchards will have to be replanted. All this takes a lot of money and this emergency is dire and the federal government has to pick up a substantial amount of the cost. The USA's economy can't afford to lose California agricultural production and it's trading partners can't afford to lose the food.

In some ways I wish Californians weren't so able to manage their lives within an understanding of conservation and environmental protection, maybe everyone would have screamed louder and sooner. We need to get this done, people. There is no other option right now and I expect California lawns and gardens to be green by this time next year. It is the only reasonable time line remaining. 

Rabbis can sometimes be the worst people to talk to about Israel and it's global posturing. So, I am not surprised to here rhetorical hate espoused by a rabbi today. Israel doesn't have a vote regarding the international relationship of Iran to the five permanent countries at the UN Security Council.

This is Yossi Melman. He is a citizen of Israel and maybe that is what makes him so very interesting. He is a writer and journalist for Haaretz. His specialty is intelligence and strategic affairs.

He wrote a book entitled "The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran." He co-authored it with Meir Javedanfar.

In the book the former President of Iran is more than criticized, but, a foolish man who uses rhetorical hate to gain political clout and power. The book points to every aspect of Iran's society that opposes the position of the then President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It appears as though President Ahmadinejad pivoted 180 degrees after his election and turned away from the domestic problem he was elected to solve. 

Ahmadinejad was in office while the USA was occupying Iraq. In his estimation the rhetorical hate was necessary to define the country as strong enough to stand the tide of the USA military should it decide to come across the Iranian border. Kindly remember, the USA was the Shah's sponsor. There was every reason for Iran to be fearful of the USA declaring war into Iran as Bush named it as an Axis of Evil member.

The people of Iran wanted the disillusionment of their country in the international theater to end. They wanted to be accepted as a legitimate country doing the best it could for the people within it's borders. The re-election of the President was primarily due to the fact the USA was occupying Iraq and President Ahmadinejad was holding Iran against the perceived tide of invasion. Those that re-elected him were afraid of what many believed would be an inevitable invasion into Iran.

The priorities of the people under Ahmadinejad never changed, they wanted a better life and that meant a better domestic policy and economy. When President Hassan Rouhani was elected and approached the global community to begin the long process back to return as a trusted country, it was more the true face of the Iranian people.

But, as to Yossi Melman. He and his co-author were the people that researched the opposition within Iran to a nuclear bomb. These authors are Hebrew. They are Jewish and they live in Israel. It was these two authors that reported and journaled the very real fact that after the Iranian Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeine considered nuclear weapons as sinful and called a fatwa on them. That is a fact. It cannot be disputed and President Obama didn't lie.

The Rabbis in the world need to get over themselves and stop being antagonistic against the Palestinians or any other country that is conveniently their political standard. I think it is very poor judgement to build a political system on fear of other nations rather than seeking peace with a strong national defense. By the way, that is the reason Israel has the interceptor missiles. The missiles are suppose to give Israel and it's people the understanding there is no limit to insure them and their country being a part of this world on Earth. It is time for Israel to stop it's war mongering and join the many countries seeking a peaceful and productive world.

There is a growing danger to the Phillpines. This storm has been on the radar for about 2 days.

This is a framework.

I don't see the role of the US Congress.

Article 2, Section II (click here)

...He (the President) shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law: but the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.

The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session.

It is a framework and not a treaty. The Senate has to have two-thirds agreement before their treaty passes Congress. The Democrats have a place in the outcomes of the treaty.

Israel does not have veto power. 

It is good news.

Iran's only ambition is peaceful use of nuclear energy. It sounds as though the USA is back to the beginning of it's relationship with Iran to be sure there is a quality reactor for peaceful purposes. There was mischief last time by the USA. Secretary Kerry has returned a trust relationship with Iran so their peaceful use can go forward. That is amazing. I am happy. Why am I happy? Because the largest population of Shi'ites are safe today.

Iran produced 254 billion kWh gross in 2012, (click here) with consumption of about 200 TWh, per capita about 2600 kWh/yr. Its 2012 electricity production comprised 170 TWh from gas, 69 TWh from oil, both of which it has in abundance, 12.5 TWh from hydro which is less reliably available, and 2 TWh from nuclear power. Demand is growing about 4% per year, and Iran trades electricity with Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Turkmenistan and Turkey. Net export is about 7 TWh/yr. 
 
In mid-2013 generating capacity was 68 GWe. The country plans to boost generating capacity to 122 GWe by 2022, with substantial export potential.

Iran derives an income from the production of electricity.

It has been a long and difficult road back for Iran. This is a new chapter for the country and it's relationship with global powers. There is every reason to believe the June agreement will be important to allow Iran to have a greater economic footprint which is good for everyone.

The RFRA is not needed in the states.

This is a political issue and it is running over to the general population. It is discriminatory and with the inability or unwillingness of states' legislatures to repeal the laws there is a very strong element of bigotry. These can't and won't stand. 

The states currently playing with the lives of our LGBT community can't go unnoticed. They can pass any hate law they want, but, it won't hold up in a court of law. These laws are defeated before they are written.

This melodrama for the benefit of religious politics is far from appropriate and is a huge waste of the people's monies. The legislatures and the governors aren't getting anything done as they play with language to protect the religious right funders. I really think these legislators and governors are impeachable.

This mess is completely unnecessary. There is no such thing in the USA as the perfect spiritual world except for enclaves that have chosen that path. Religious biased citizens need to accept that. This is a democracy that values the lives of all citizens. This is a democracy with it's economics based in capitalism and defines the REQUIREMENT for work and wages. If the LGBT community is ostracized from work because of religious bias that assaults their very lives. It is completely unacceptable.

Let me put this plainly, the RFRA laws being played with today are unconstitutional. That is already known as fact.

Looking across the spectrum of the international world where religion is important their are major differences between the greater world and the Right Wing Radical Party of the USA. At one point the Vatican was concerned about the well being of prostitutes. Prostitution is a part of reality in many countries. It is legal in many countries and ironically those same countries value religion to the degree the USA's right wing party does.  

The difference between the American religious radicals and the rest of the world is that the rest of the world are grown ups that accept the world they live in while striving to be as near to God as they can. I suppose those folks practice pray far more than one might even realize. The carrying on by the USA religious radicals is outrageous. They are insisting on having control of the USA government to bring about a perfect world FOR THEM and only for them. Get of the way. You can't have the military to conquer the world.

The same USA religious radicals also tout the fact they find the world a challenge by many to live a life within the shadow of God. If the world is perfect to human's understanding, where are the people striving to live in the perfect shadow of God going to prove it? I find this 'perfect world' idea the agenda of cowards. Mother Teresa of Calcutta surely did not live in a perfect world, received a Nobel Peace Prize and after her death is receiving attention from the Vatican to declare her a saint. The Evangelicals need to get real, this is a political ploy and not a matter of living within their doctrine to God. The Evangelicals are shameful to their understanding of faith and living within a democracy that recognizes all of it's citizens in equality. There is no charity in an Evangelicals definition of religious. NONE.

Their survival will require human intervention to supplement their diet.

They aren't suppose to be treated like pets.  That is the value scientists carry in assessing a species ability to return from any endangered or threatened status. 

It is coming summer and the first year of cubs. These cubs are not going to survive as they aren't learning their natural hunting skills. There will be a need for wildlife management to reassess the recovery plan for these giant marine mammals. 

The loss of ice in the Arctic Ocean is most probably causing a collapse of the ecosystem. I wouldn't doubt the seals have declining numbers, too. Last year we witnessed walruses moving to land as well. Even the Native Americans would be threatened if they didn't have access to other food sources such as a grocery store. Even then they need a source of income. The Native Americans in the USA aren't the only native people in the region. There are other groups throughout the Arctic region. 

The world’s oceans are in trouble. (click here) Every day, 22 million tons of carbon dioxide from factories, cars, power plants and other human sources are absorbed by the world’s oceans.

The result? A frightening phenomenon that's making seawater more acidic, spelling disaster for many marine animals, from plankton and coral up the food chain to sea stars, salmon, sea otters, whales — and ultimately people, who rely on oceans for food....

The phytoplankton are at the center of the ocean food chain, the Arctic Ocean is no different. The phytoplankton are single cells organisms. The change in pH will effect their existence. Is is the global phytoplankton that produce the majority of Earth's oxygen as well.

In this June 15, 2014 photo, a polar bear dries off after taking a swim in the Chukchi Sea in Alaska. A paper published Wednesday, April 1, 2015 says polar bears forced onto land because of melting ice are unlikely to find enough food to replace their diet of seals. (U.S. Geological Survey, Brian Battaile/Associated Press)

April 1, 2015
By Dan Joling

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A group of researchers (click here) say polar bears forced off melting sea ice will not find enough food to replace their current diet of fat-laden marine mammals such as seals, a conclusion that contradicts studies indicating that bears may be benefiting from bird eggs, berries and other land food sources.
Few bears are using land food and what they find can’t replace lipid-rich ringed or bearded seals, said Karyn Rode, a U.S. Geological Survey research wildlife biologist and lead author of the review paper published Wednesday in the journal, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
The paper by federal and academic researchers reviews current polar bear research. It’s aimed at recent research documenting bears feeding on land and suggestions that those foods are becoming more important for them, which could increase their chance for survival as summer sea ice recedes, preventing seal hunting....