Cagney at 7 months

I've been mulling over various political entries, but I just can't pick a topic.  Way too many to rage against at this point in time.  So I decided to take the easy way out and post the latest pictures of the littlest cat in the house, who has decided she is independent and in charge.  So, for your viewing pleasure, here is the Monster-In-Charge:

 
She weighs just over 6 pounds now.  When I snatched her off the street, she was just over 2 pounds.  Here's an early picture of her for contrast:

Happy Days Are Here Again?

The race for the Presidency of the United States is in full swing.  The candidates for the Republican nomination have been busy traveling the country, participating in debates, giving media interviews and just plain speechifying.  What have we learned so far?  Here’s my take on The Issues:

• They are pro-life.  Translation:  they are pro-fetal life and anti-abortion.  To see their positions on the already living, see the other points below.

o   Rick Perry loves to hunt.  In fact, he’s gone hunting with the Champion of Thrill Killing, Ted Nugent.  Apparently his pro-life stance doesn’t extend to other species.

o   Mitt Romney, many years ago, put the family Irish Setter in a crate and tied the crate to the top of the family station wagon for a road trip to Canada from Massachusetts.  Back then, though, he was pro-choice.  I’m willing to bet, had the dog been given a choice, he would have preferred to ride inside the car.  

• The Federal Government spends too much money.  Translation:  social problems, education, Social Security and Medicare are bankrupting our country.  The wars and the Department of Defense, on the other hand, need even more money. 

o   Mitt Romney has four grown sons, none of whom have served in the military.  Even one of England’s princes has served in the Afghan/Iraq wars.

o   The wars in Afghanistan & Iraq (money only, not lives) is approaching $ 1.3 trillion dollars

o   The latest budget for the Defense Department is $ 680 billion dollars.

• The Department of Education is bad.  Michelle Bachman wants to dismantle it and the others want to decrease its budget.

• Climate change isn’t real.  Rick Perry accuses scientists of making it up to obtain grant money.

• Obamacare is bad.  I abhor this moniker.  The health care plan was negotiated in Congress and passed by Congress, it was not a Presidential order, nor written by the President.  In 2010, 26% of Americans do not have health care coverage. 

•  The issue that is the top concern of most Americans, jobs, is an issue that most of the candidates agree on.  They want to cut corporate taxes (even though many corporations, because of allowed deductions and write-offs, tax loopholes and savvy accountants, pay little or no taxes already) and lower the tax rates for the “job creators.”  Of course after 10 years of the Bush tax cuts, those so-called job creators have slashed jobs instead of creating them.  Wealth is more heavily concentrated in the top 2% now than it has been since the period preceding the 1929 stock market crash.  If 10 years of lower taxes on the top income brackets has led to the highest unemployment numbers in nearly 100 years, why extend this failed policy? 

o   And this is Ron Paul during one of the Republican debates:

“Do you advocate getting rid of the minimum wage, would that create more jobs?” Politico’s John Harris asked Paul during Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate.

“Absolutely,” Paul declared. “It would help the poor people who need jobs. Minimum wage is a mandate. We’re against mandates so why should we have it? It would be very beneficial.”

Additionally, to spur job growth, the candidates blame the cost of over regulation on the lack of job creation.  Having to meet minimum safety requirements or environmental regulations (like Clean Air & Clean Water standards) hampers businesses and prevents them from being able to afford to add more employees.  In their minds, government intervention is to blame for the high unemployment rate in the U.S. 

So where exactly is the concern for the American people who are out of work?  Well, here’s Herman Cain’s take on Occupy Wall Street and the unemployed:

CAIN: I don’t have facts to back this up, but I happen to believe that these demonstrations are planned and orchestrated to distract from the failed policies of the Obama administration. Don’t blame Wall Street, don’t blame the big banks, if you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself! [...] It is not someone’s fault if they succeeded, it is someone’s fault if they failed.

I guess that the “Compassionate Conservative” days are over.  Let’s all sing that upbeat standard from the Great Depression, “Happy Days Are Here Again.”  

 I’m beginning to feel that the movie Soylent Green isn’t far from becoming Science Fact instead of Science Fiction.  

If these are the faces of democracy in word and action, they are making socialism look pretty damn good.

Checking in

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.  I have been extraordinarily tired lately.  By the time I get home from work, wash the critters' dishes, feed the hungry herd and then tackle the rest of the herd in the cat room, I'm 15 minutes from passing out on the couch.  Even with extra vitamin D3 pills daily, my internal battery has lost its juice.

Some good things:

• The Big Bang Theory is FINALLY in syndication.  Yay!  I get to watch all those episodes I missed when the show started.  
• Terra Nova debuted.  DINOSAURS & Jason O'Mara, oh my.  O'Mara was the creepiest villain on The Closer.  He's nice to look at - but I REALLY like the dinosaurs.
• Had a wonderful lunch with my amazing friend Candy S today.  Garden Cafe - delicious food, interesting company/conversation.  Thanks again for the lunch, Candy.
• There has been a change of seasons (temporarily, no doubt) in sunny Florida.  I opened the front door and a few windows this AM, much to the delight of the cats.  Turned off the A/C for a few hours.  It's a GOOD THING!
• A friend & fellow cat rescuer has stepped up to help me get the no longer little Cagney spayed at a much reduced rate.  (Our local animal services clinic has temporarily stopped public appointments for cats & dogs.  Their new veterinarian is fresh out of school and not able to handle the volume that previous seasoned vets were able to do - that is definitely NOT a good thing.  It means even more homeless, unwanted animals will end up at the shelter sooner or later and neither animal services nor the local SPCA are No-Kill facilities).

Some possibly good things:

• Claudia seems to be responding to this herbal/holistic med KIDNI FLOW.  Two puddles without any blood in them.  It could be my imagination, but she seems to be feeling a bit better too.  I'm sure she was experiencing some pain with this bladder problem.  Please keep your fingers crossed that this stuff will work & clear up Claudia's bladder problem.
• Colt's eosiniphilic granuloma on his lip has healed.  
• The On agan, Off agan washer & dryer have mostly been On again.

On the political front:

• Our political system is so screwed up that my ranting is much like Don Quixote tilting at windmills.  I just don't have the energy to get upset - or at least not lately.  Bernie Sanders seems to be the only voice of reason in Washington.  The rest of those guys are nothing more than scam artists.  Instead of promising to make us rich with their investment schemes, they are scamming most Americans into believing their latest hair-brained idea will improve our collective futures, when the only future they are interested in IS THEIRS.  Move along fellows, I'm not buying.

It's time to finish the laundry, mop the kitchen & bathroom floors and start the buffet for that perpetually hungry horde of mine.

Keep in touch.

You must read Peter Wolf's blog - Vox Felina

Whether of not you support Trap/Neuter/Return, you must read Peter Wolf's latest blog post on Vox Felina.  It is absolutely unbelievable that Nico Dauphine is highly regarded in the conservation community.  After reading this it is obvious to me that she is, at the very least, vindictive.  At the worst?  I'll leave that up to you to determine.

http://www.voxfelina.com/

A year later

I've been home from the major hospital stay for nearly a year.  The follow-up, post hospital, has been a very bumpy ride.  Chase, Chaz, Colin, Charlie, Cissy & Caleb - gone, but not forgotten.  My half sized right breast finally completely healed, after a very painful skin graft & 13 derma grafts.  Of course, the aftermath is a scarred, nasty looking thing - but I'm the only one that has to look at it, so it really doesn't matter. 

The worst part is that the extended change of routine has left me unable & unwilling to get back on the treadmill of life.  I'm still in first gear, with little to no motivation to even attempt second gear.  I'm feeling my age.  I've come face to face with my own mortality.  Things just look different from this new perspective.  And, I'm flatout tired all of the time.  Fewer things carry much importance.  It's a struggle to get going in the morning.  I don't look forward to a heck of a lot.  I've restricted my life even more and prefer to stay home than go anywhere or do anything.  I'm not sad, just tired and not motivated.  Que sera, sera.  I guess Doris Day was right. 

Claudia's hyperthyroidism seems to be under control.  That's good, but she has blood in her urine and antibiotics haven't helped.  Colt has been losing weight, so he went to the vet this week.  He has hyperthyroidism as well, just not as bad as Claudia's was to begin with.  He also has an eosinophilic granuloma on the inside of his upper left lip.  Steroid shot & thyroid medicine for him. 

Oh, and I tore up my dishwasher months ago.  My washer & dryer work when they feel like it & I need 4 new tires for the CRV.  And, it would be a big help if I could just win the lottery.  If anyone reading this is psychic, please send me the winning lottery numbers.  I'm more than willing to share the jackpot with you. 

With any luck, I'll get back on track and work through this living in slow motion condition.  I wonder if this is what PTSD feels like.  After all, for nearly 2 years I've dealt with an unbelievable amount of personal tragedy.  In addition to 2 hospitalizations in a single year, the loss of 8 cats and 1 dog since February, 2010 has been devastating.  The brightest spot in all of this:  Cagney (the Hell on Wheels kitten).  Rarely does a day go by that she doesn't make me smile and/or laugh.  This kitten, who surely would have died had I not managed to get her trapped when I did, has a personality the size of the state of Alaska.  She's fearless, funny, acrobatic and delightful.  Life is new to her and she reminds me that life can be interesting and fun.  For the time being I'll remain an observer, witnessing it through her eyes. 

Perry says "Galileo outvoted"

We interrupt the regularly scheduled Rant to comment on last night’s Republican debate. 

My favorite moment?   By favorite, I don’t mean that I cheered or liked it, but that it defines why Rick Perry needs to go back to school instead of running a state and, certainly, not a country.  In response to Jon Huntsman’s statement on his position on climate change, Brian Williams asked Rick Perry about his previous statements on his position on this issue.  After all the erroneous statements about scientists daily abandoning the “theory” of human caused climate change, he uttered this gem of wisdom:

“EVEN GALILEO GOT OUTVOTED FOR A SPELL”

Galileo was a brilliant scientist.  He is credited with many discoveries, most notably the telescope.  Through his telescope, he was able to confirm Copernicus’s theory that the Earth revolved around the Sun.  The problem?  At that time, in Italy, the Pope and the Catholic Church were firm in their beliefs that the Earth was the center of the Universe.  To suggest something other than this was HERESY.  Galileo went on trial before the Inquisition and, primarily due to his advanced age, was sentenced to imprisonment in his cottage for the remainder of his life.  He was enjoined to no longer speak or write about his heretical theory of the solar system.  You can read more here about the lead up to the trial, the trial itself and the results:

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/galileo/galileoaccount.html

This wasn’t a trial as we now know it from Law & Order or even Franklin & Bash.  It was Galileo against the Cardinals and the Church.  For all intents and purposes the Church was The Government.  Galileo faced excommunication, possible torture, imprisonment and possibly even death for suggesting an alternative explanation for our “universe.”  This was not a democratic process – he wasn’t “outvoted for a spell” as Rick Perry characterized this episode of history.  Galileo was forced to recant his heresy and to never speak of it again. 

Fortunately for us today, climate scientists are continuing to speak up.  Recently thousands of people, in protest of the Keystone XL tar sands project, gathered outside the White House.  Several hundred were arrested, including Bill McKibben of 350.org, Daryl Hannah, Naomi Klein and NASA’s top scientist, James Hansen.  In the case of Galileo, at worst he would have been executed.  One person alone could have died.  Our continued denial of human caused climate change and our refusal to take action to, at the very least, slow down its progress will ultimately lead to the deaths of millions upon millions of human and non-human lives on our planet.  Just as The Inquisition ushered in The Dark Ages, the stance of Rick Perry and nearly all of the Republican candidates for the Presidency may very well cause the entire Earth to go dark.  They may, in fact, be responsible for killing all of life on Earth.  Denial and adherence to dogma is a recipe for disaster. 

Of course, there was more to the debate last night. 

·         PERRY: Social Security is a Ponzi scheme

·         PAUL:  Eliminate the minimum wage

·         BACHMAN:  Obama caused the rise of gas prices from $1.79 a gallon to nearly $4.00 a gallon

·         BACHMAN:  Obamacare is bankrupting America

·         CAIN: his 9-9-9 tax plan.  9% tax on businesses, 9% tax on income, 9% sales tax

Santorum, Gingrich & Romney contributed as well, but none of their remarks made as much of an impression upon me as those above.  I’m convinced that Perry will win the Republican nomination.  Do we really want another undereducated Texas governor in the White House?  If he or she is going to run our country, shouldn’t the President be, at the very least, as smart as the smartest amongst us? 

Land of Confusion

As an avid NPR listener I am rapidly approaching political overload.  Add to that the television programs I watch on a relatively regular basis:  The Daily Show, The Rachel Maddow Show and occasionally The Last Word and The Ed Show.  Not only are the candidates making quite a few statements that I find disturbing, in the very least, and outrageous, at their worst, but they keep changing their position or are making statements that I find have no logical explanations.  

 

One of the things I like best about The Daily Show are the dueling clips for various politicians.  Current clips are shown followed by the politician stating an opposite position months prior.  It certainly makes me wonder – do they actually believe in anything they are saying?  Apparently I’m in the minority in thinking this since most of them score relatively high in all of the polls taken.  Maddow, O’Donnell and Schultz have started doing similar segments as well.  

I can’t help wondering why people support these folks who one day like trees and a month later say trees are limiting our oxygen supply and should all be cut down.  (I just made that one up – but, hopefully, you get my point). 

There are quite a few issues where this is happening.  Bloggers and the aforementioned media sources can do a better job of pointing out these seeming discrepancies or outrageous positions much better than I.  However, since this is my blog and my opinion, I shall proceed anyway.  Since the list continues to grow, I plan to tackle each issue as a separate blog post.  And, I might even throw in a gratuitous cat post here and there, just to keep this from becoming too serious and mind-numbing.

So here’s the list so far:

·         DISASTER RELIEF

·         SMALLER GOVERNMENT

·         FEWER REGULATIONS

·         NO TO SHARIA LAW

·         SOCIAL SECURITY/MEDICARE/MEDICAID

·         JOBS

More later………….the litter boxes are calling.