Search This Blog

Thursday, July 31, 2014

AOTD 07.31.14 | John Boehner..


John Boehner, Asshole of the Day for July 31, 2014

by TeaPartyCat ()
There’s a crisis at the border. The House GOP has been working on a bill for weeks. But then today they pulled it after it became clear it didn’t have the votes to pass.

And then John Boehner and the leadership released this statement/a>:
This situation shows the intense concern within our conference – and among the American people – about the need to ensure the security of our borders and the president’s refusal to faithfully execute our laws. There are numerous steps the president can and should be taking right now, without the need for congressional action, to secure our borders and ensure these children are returned swiftly and safely to their countries. For the past month, the House has been engaged in intensive efforts to pass legislation that would compel the president to do his job and ensure it can be done as quickly and compassionately as possible. Through an inclusive process, a border bill was built by listening to members and the American people that has the support not just of a majority of the majority in the House, but most of the House Republican Conference. We will continue to work on solutions to the border crisis and other challenges facing our country.
Let me summarize this for you:
  1. Obama can solve this with unilateral action
  2. But we worked on a bill to solve it for a month anyways
  3. We can’t agree on how to solve it
  4. But we still expect Obama to solve it, even though we can’t agree on a plan
  5. We’ll blame him if he doesn’t solve it unilaterally
  6. Oh, and we’re still suing Obama for his unilateral action on Obamacare
  7. See you in 5 weeks after our vacation!
Or more simply you might summarize it as:
We won’t let our vacation get canceled just because 50,000 refugee kids need help. That’s Obama’s problem.
And I’m not exaggerating here. By 3PM congressman had already begun leaving town. The same congressmen who spent yesterday voting on Boehner’s plan to sue the president for taking unilateral action on Obamacare.

So, for suing Obama yesterday for taking unilateral action, and then saying Obama should solve the border crisis through unilateral action today, John Boehner is Asshole of the Day.

It is John Boehner's 11th time as Asshole of the Day.
Full story: Talking Points Memo

Stephanie Doty
Weary of Wonderland
July 31, 2014
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

AOTD 07.30.14 | Stephen A. Smith | He's 'sorry?' I'll say -- he's a sorry excuse of a man


Stephen A. Smith, Asshole of the Day for July 30, 2014

by GirlGetALife ()
ESPN suspended on-air personality Stephen A. Smith for a week because he suggested women somehow ‘provoke’ their own beatings in domestic violence situations. Smith made his asinine statement while discussing the paltry two-game suspension the NFL handed down after investigating claims that Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice assaulted a woman. Rice was suspended after being arrested for allegedly knocking out his then-girlfriend (now wife). He was caught on video dragging her out of an elevator.

Any normal person with knowledge of the assault would call Rice to the carpet for his behavior and demand the NFL hand down a stiffer punishment. But Stephen A. Smith isn’t normal. He began his remarks saying ‘yeah, domestic violence is wrong’, but things went bad - really bad - quickly. Smith said:
"We got to also make sure that you can do your part to do whatever you can do to make, to try to make sure it doesn’t happen again."
We would have loved it if Smith would have explained what a woman could do to stop her abuser from attacking her. Maybe she shouldn’t nag him or question him? Or, maybe she’d be safe if she didn’t breathe around him.

What Smith failed to consider is that there isn’t anything an abused person can do to prevent domestic violence because, well…it isn’t their fault. The only person who has to change their behavior is the abuser.

Of course, Smith apologized for his actions. But he then sent out a tweet that defended his on-air comments (he deleted it, but here it is):
He made a second apology, saying he ‘didn’t articulate his views clearly enough’. Smith didn’t go on to explain the point that he was trying to make

Smith articulated his views perfectly. He’s not sorry for what he said - because he said it more than once. He’s only sorry that so many people - including his ESPN colleagues - complained. His apology was an attempt at damage control.

He deserved more than a one-week suspension from ESPN brass, but it’s better than nothing.
Odd…the guy who made ridiculous comments about domestic violence received a harsher penalty than the guy who actually committed an act of domestic violence.

But this isn’t about the NFL…it’s about Stephen A. Smith. And he’s Asshole of the Day.
It is Stephen A. Smith’s first time as Asshole of the Day.
Full story: New York Times
Stephanie Doty
Weary of Wonderland
July 31, 2014
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

Speaking the truth for ALL to hear


There ARE, indeed, times when silence is NOT golden.  I applaud this gentleman for daring to speak the truth for ALL to hear.

Stephanie Doty
Weary of Wonderland
July 31, 2014
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

Must we live unintentional lives


I learned this morning that in February 2007, the Department of Peace and Nonviolence Act
was submitted to Congress, but was not enacted.  In light of the ceaseless global wars that inflict unnecessary death and suffering,  I fail to understand why Congress did NOT enact this legislation that, most assuredly, could have made a significant difference.  

Then again, if the primary objective of our elected representatives is to TOTALLY IGNORE and DISREGARD any and all benefit to the greater good as a consequence of favoring the select few, perhaps the dysfunctional, toxic behavior of this group provides the foundation for the unconscionable decision that was collectively made NOT to create, at the very least, a modicum of pretense to show good faith in any peaceful effort on the part of this country.

If this is so, I can only wonder what it will take for ALL Americans to awaken from the stupor imposed on the majority [via corporate media] by the rapacious greed of the minority to remove those elected representatives from office who have chosen to callously and malevolently ignore the greater good they have pledged to protect.

The harsh, unerring reality has been that ANYONE who dares to confront and/or challenge the horrifying reality that exists in America is vilified and/or demonized as a crazed, unpatriotic zealot who is to be ignored, blamed and/or murdered for holding anti-American views.

That good, responsible, morally  conscious individuals have been forced to leave elected positions -- through lost elections, death OR refusal to remain part of a broken system -- is indicative [to me] that people are REFUSING to accept personal responsibility for the direction this country is headed, thus abandoning common sense, moral integrity and/or the willingness to fully engage in taking action to ensure change that can and does make a qualitative difference in the lives we live.

IT IS BEYOND TIME TO STOP THE MADNESS AND CHAOS of accepting that which serves ONLY a select few.   Fortunately, there ARE individuals and groups committed to peace.  My faith and hope for humanity, thus, remain in tact.


DPNVA HR 808
This bill was introduced on February 5, 2007, in a previous session of Congress, but was not enacted. The text of the bill below is as of Feb 05, 2007 (Introduced).
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/110/hr808/text

 http://www.afdop.org/


http://www.peacealliance.org/the-leading-edge-of-peace/

Stephanie Doty
Weary of Wonderland
July 31, 2014
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Tell President Obama the seismic fight isn't over



Join us TODAY in telling the Obama Administration A) their record of decision is severely flawed and B) we’re not going anywhere. We won’t let them allow seismic blasting permits that damage our coastal life and communities. 
The Obama Administration made a huge mistake yesterday, authorizing the use of deadly seismic blasting of the U.S. East Coast. These blast threaten to injure or kill up to 138,200 marine mammals—including endangered right whales—and devastate coastal communities who depend on tourism, fishing, and coastal recreation.

 http://act.oceana.org/sign/stop_seismicletter/?source=slider

Stephanie Doty
Weary of Wonderland
July 30, 2014
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/


Today. tomorrow, always and forevermore . . .

Stephanie Doty
Weary of Wonderland
July 30, 2014
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Yet again -- John Boehner designated 'Asshole of the Day'


assholeofday:
John Boehner, Asshole of the Day for July 29, 2014
by TeaPartyCat ()

Three weeks ago Sarah Palin spelled out the case for why she thinks "It’s Time To Impeach Obama". Since then there has been lots of talk about it— is it prudent, could it backfire, etc.
And of course on the Democrat side, there has been fundraising off this new turn. There was fundraising off previous showdowns — before and during— the shutdown last fall comes to mind, and the fundraising was on both sides. This happens. But Speaker John Boehner says it’s different this time— that it’s all a scam by Democrats:
"Listen, this whole talk about impeachment is coming from the president’s own staff, and coming from Democrats on Capitol Hill. Why? Because they’re trying to rally their people to give money and to show up in this year’s election," the Ohio Republican told reporters, in response to a question.
"We have no plans to impeach the president. We have no future plans," a visibly frustrated Boehner said. "Listen, it’s all a scam started by Democrats at the White House."
Really. A scam.
So if it’s a scam, then any talk we see happening would all be trumped up by Democrats and not by elected officials or major voices in the GOP, right? Let’s see:
And that’s really just 5 minutes on Google.

And yes, Speaker Boehner has himself ruled out impeachment, but let’s not pretend that he is so in control of his caucus that this could never happen. He said there would be no shutdown at this point last year. Then during the August recess the Tea Party wing drummed up the base for a shutdown, and lo and behold, the shutdown happened.

So it’s not a scam. It could happen. The House GOP has spent more time in the last 4 years on show votes (repeal! abortion!) and showdowns (debt limit! sequester! shutdown!) than on anything else, so they could return in September and start impeachment, even with an election staring them in the face. But John Boehner pretends like none of that ever happened. And for that, he is Asshole of the Day.

It is John Boehner's 10th time as Asshole of the Day.

Full story: Talking Points Memo
COMMENTARY:  IF there was an 'in perpetuity' category, this nabob [as well as the likes of Sarah Palin,Ted Cruz, Rick Scott, Rick Perry and Rand Paul [to name but a few]] would surely earn the permanent designation of 'asshole,' since I cannot conceive any one of them could pass an entire twenty-four period without richly deserving the title so deservedly earned due to his/her ongoing, arrogant stupidity.

Stephanie Doty
Weary of Wonderland
July 29, 2014
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

It is what it is

Stephanie Doty
Weary of Wonderland
July 29, 2014
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

Nothing more, nothing less

William Wilberforce died on this day in 1933. He fought tirelessly against the British slave trade ultimately leading to the Slavery Abolition act in 1833. Wilberforce died just three days after hearing that the passage of the Act through Parliament was assured.
I read the above squib and saw the attached graphic posted on Google Plus this morning.  I considered the folly we experience in our lives when we attempt to ignore reality in favor of following that which we wish for reality to be instead -- delusional thinking does NOT make reality so.   It never has; it never will.


Stephanie Doty
Weary of Wonderland
July 29, 2014
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

Monday, July 28, 2014

Phil Bryant, Asshole of the Day for July 28, 2014


by TeaPartyCat (Follow @TeaPartyCat)
Two years ago the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare, but ruled that the Medicaid expansion must be optional for states. Even though the federal government picks up almost the entire tab for the Medicaid expansion, many Republican-controlled states have refused to take it, thus leading to 5,000,000 people going without coverage who would otherwise qualify.
And now we have Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant blaming Obama for the uninsured in his state:
If statistics show that the ill-conceived and so-called Affordable Care Act is resulting in higher rates of uninsured people in Mississippi, I’d say that’s yet another example of a broken promise from Barack Obama.
Bryant and his state refused the Medicaid expansion. Had he accepted it, 137,800 more people would be covered. And yet Bryant is blaming Obama for these people going without insurance. But of course he does, and for that, he is Asshole of the Day.
It is Phil Bryant’s first time as Asshole of the Day.
Full story: Talking Points Memo

Stephanie Doty
Weary of Wonderland
July 28, 2014
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Elegant simplicity of divine life force



Only Breath
Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu
Buddhist, sufi, or zen. Not any religion

or cultural system. I am not from the East
or the West, not out of the ocean or up

from the ground, not natural or ethereal, not
composed of elements at all. I do not exist,

am not an entity in this world or in the next,
did not descend from Adam and Eve or any

origin story. My place is placeless, a trace
of the traceless. Neither body or soul.

I belong to the beloved, have seen the two
worlds as one and that one call to and know,

first, last, outer, inner, only that
breath breathing human being.
From Essential Rumi  by Coleman Barks

http://peacefulrivers.homestead.com/Rumipoetry1.html#anchor_13840

Stephanie Doty
Weary of Wonderland
July 26, 2014
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

Thich Nhat Hanh | Call Me by My True Names


Call Me by My True Names

Do not say that I'll depart tomorrow
because even today I still arrive.

Look deeply: I arrive in every second
to be a bud on a spring branch,
to be a tiny bird, with wings still fragile,
learning to sing in my new nest,
to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,
to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.

I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry,
in order to fear and to hope.
The rhythm of my heart is the birth and
death of all that are alive.

I am the mayfly metamorphosing on the surface of the river,
and I am the bird which, when spring comes, arrives in time
to eat the mayfly.

I am the frog swimming happily in the clear pond,
and I am also the grass-snake who, approaching in silence,
feeds itself on the frog.

I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones,
my legs as thin as bamboo sticks,
and I am the arms merchant, selling deadly weapons to
Uganda.

I am the twelve-year-old girl, refugee on a small boat,
who throws herself into the ocean after being raped by a sea
pirate,
and I am the pirate, my heart not yet capable of seeing and
loving.

I am a member of the politburo, with plenty of power in my
hands,
and I am the man who has to pay his "debt of blood" to, my
people,
dying slowly in a forced labor camp.

My joy is like spring, so warm it makes flowers bloom in all
walks of life.
My pain if like a river of tears, so full it fills the four oceans.

Please call me by my true names,
so I can hear all my cries and laughs at once,
so I can see that my joy and pain are one.

Please call me by my true names,
so I can wake up,
and so the door of my heart can be left open,
the door of compassion.
From: Peace is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh 

In Plum Village, where I live in France, we receive many letters from the refugee camps in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines, hundreds each week. It is very painful to read them, but we have to do it, we have to be in contact. We try our best to help, but the suffering is enormous, and sometimes we are discouraged. It is said that half the boat people die in the ocean. Only half arrive at the shores in Southeast Asia, and even then they may not be safe.
There are many young girls, boat people, who are raped by sea pirates. Even though the United Nations and many countries try to help the government of Thailand prevent that kind of piracy, sea pirates continue to inflict much suffering on the refugees. One day we received a letter telling us about a young girl on a small boat who was raped by a Thai pirate. She was only twelve, and she jumped into the ocean and drowned herself.

When you first learn of something like that, you get angry at the pirate. You naturally take the side of the girl. As you look more deeply you will see it differently. If you take the side of the little girl, then it is easy. You only have to take a gun and shoot the pirate. But we cannot do that. In my meditation I saw that if I had been born in the village of the pirate and raised in the same conditions as he was, there is a great likelihood that I would become a pirate. I saw that many babies are born along the Gulf of Siam, hundreds every day, and if we educators, social workers, politicians, and others do not do something about the situation, in twenty-five years a number of them will become sea pirates. That is certain. If you or I were born today in those fishing villages, we may become sea pirates in twenty-five years. If you take a gun and shoot the pirate, all of us are to some extent responsible for this state of affairs.

After a long meditation, I wrote this poem. In it, there are three people: the twelve-year-old girl, the pirate, and me. Can we look at each other and recognize ourselves in each other? The tide of the poem is "Please Call Me by My True Names," because I have so many names. When I hear one of the of these names, I have to say, "Yes."
http://www.quietspaces.com/poemHanh.html

Stephanie Doty
Weary of Wonderland
July 26, 2014
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/


Call Me by My True Names, by Thich Nhat Hanh

Do not say that I’ll depart tomorrow
because even today I still arrive.
Look deeply: I arrive in every second
to be a bud on a spring branch,
to be a tiny bird, with wings still fragile,
learning to sing in my new nest,
to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,
to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.
I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry, in order to fear and to hope.
The rhythm of my heart is the birth and death of all that are alive.
I am the mayfly metamorphosing on the surface of the river,
and I am the bird which, when spring comes, arrives in time
to eat the mayfly.
I am the frog swimming happily in the clear pond,
and I am also the grass-snake who, approaching in silence,
feeds itself on the frog.
I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones, my legs as thin as bamboo sticks,
and I am the arms merchant, selling deadly weapons to Uganda.
I am the twelve-year-old girl, refugee on a small boat,
who throws herself into the ocean after being raped by a sea pirate,
and I am the pirate, my heart not yet capable of seeing and loving.
I am a member of the politburo, with plenty of power in my hands,
and I am the man who has to pay his “debt of blood” to, my people,
dying slowly in a forced labor camp.
My joy is like spring, so warm it makes flowers bloom in all walks of life.
My pain if like a river of tears, so full it fills the four oceans.
Please call me by my true names,
so I can hear all my cries and laughs at once,
so I can see that my joy and pain are one.
Please call me by my true names,
so I can wake up,
and so the door of my heart can be left open,
the door of compassion.
- See more at: http://www.consciousdancespace.com/index.php/inspirations/poetry/#sthash.0UQ3Tsme.dpuf
Call Me by My True Names, by Thich Nhat Hanh

Do not say that I’ll depart tomorrow
because even today I still arrive.
Look deeply: I arrive in every second
to be a bud on a spring branch,
to be a tiny bird, with wings still fragile,
learning to sing in my new nest,
to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,
to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.
I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry, in order to fear and to hope.
The rhythm of my heart is the birth and death of all that are alive.
I am the mayfly metamorphosing on the surface of the river,
and I am the bird which, when spring comes, arrives in time
to eat the mayfly.
I am the frog swimming happily in the clear pond,
and I am also the grass-snake who, approaching in silence,
feeds itself on the frog.
I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones, my legs as thin as bamboo sticks,
and I am the arms merchant, selling deadly weapons to Uganda.
I am the twelve-year-old girl, refugee on a small boat,
who throws herself into the ocean after being raped by a sea pirate,
and I am the pirate, my heart not yet capable of seeing and loving.
I am a member of the politburo, with plenty of power in my hands,
and I am the man who has to pay his “debt of blood” to, my people,
dying slowly in a forced labor camp.
My joy is like spring, so warm it makes flowers bloom in all walks of life.
My pain if like a river of tears, so full it fills the four oceans.
Please call me by my true names,
so I can hear all my cries and laughs at once,
so I can see that my joy and pain are one.
Please call me by my true names,
so I can wake up,
and so the door of my heart can be left open,
the door of compassion.
- See more at: http://www.consciousdancespace.com/index.php/inspirations/poetry/#sthash.0UQ3Tsme.dpuf
Call Me by My True Names, by Thich Nhat Hanh

Do not say that I’ll depart tomorrow
because even today I still arrive.
Look deeply: I arrive in every second
to be a bud on a spring branch,
to be a tiny bird, with wings still fragile,
learning to sing in my new nest,
to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,
to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.
I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry, in order to fear and to hope.
The rhythm of my heart is the birth and death of all that are alive.
I am the mayfly metamorphosing on the surface of the river,
and I am the bird which, when spring comes, arrives in time
to eat the mayfly.
I am the frog swimming happily in the clear pond,
and I am also the grass-snake who, approaching in silence,
feeds itself on the frog.
I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones, my legs as thin as bamboo sticks,
and I am the arms merchant, selling deadly weapons to Uganda.
I am the twelve-year-old girl, refugee on a small boat,
who throws herself into the ocean after being raped by a sea pirate,
and I am the pirate, my heart not yet capable of seeing and loving.
I am a member of the politburo, with plenty of power in my hands,
and I am the man who has to pay his “debt of blood” to, my people,
dying slowly in a forced labor camp.
My joy is like spring, so warm it makes flowers bloom in all walks of life.
My pain if like a river of tears, so full it fills the four oceans.
Please call me by my true names,
so I can hear all my cries and laughs at once,
so I can see that my joy and pain are one.
Please call me by my true names,
so I can wake up,
and so the door of my heart can be left open,
the door of compassion.
- See more at: http://www.consciousdancespace.com/index.php/inspirations/poetry/#sthash.0UQ3Tsme.dpuf
Call Me by My True Names, by Thich Nhat Hanh

Do not say that I’ll depart tomorrow
because even today I still arrive.
Look deeply: I arrive in every second
to be a bud on a spring branch,
to be a tiny bird, with wings still fragile,
learning to sing in my new nest,
to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,
to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.
I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry, in order to fear and to hope.
The rhythm of my heart is the birth and death of all that are alive.
I am the mayfly metamorphosing on the surface of the river,
and I am the bird which, when spring comes, arrives in time
to eat the mayfly.
I am the frog swimming happily in the clear pond,
and I am also the grass-snake who, approaching in silence,
feeds itself on the frog.
I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones, my legs as thin as bamboo sticks,
and I am the arms merchant, selling deadly weapons to Uganda.
I am the twelve-year-old girl, refugee on a small boat,
who throws herself into the ocean after being raped by a sea pirate,
and I am the pirate, my heart not yet capable of seeing and loving.
I am a member of the politburo, with plenty of power in my hands,
and I am the man who has to pay his “debt of blood” to, my people,
dying slowly in a forced labor camp.
My joy is like spring, so warm it makes flowers bloom in all walks of life.
My pain if like a river of tears, so full it fills the four oceans.
Please call me by my true names,
so I can hear all my cries and laughs at once,
so I can see that my joy and pain are one.
Please call me by my true names,
so I can wake up,
and so the door of my heart can be left open,
the door of compassion.
- See more at: http://www.consciousdancespace.com/index.php/inspirations/poetry/#sthash.0UQ3Tsme.dpuf

A basic truism


Stephanie Doty
Weary of Wonderland
July 26, 2014
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

Follow Your Heart

Follow Your Heart: Become the Person You Were Meant to Be

"Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” -Howard Thurman
When asked what they want to do with their life, most people cannot offer a straight answer. The reason is that what they truly enjoy doing and what they feel they should do to make money are two entirely different things. We feel that it's more important to get into a career that offers good pay and benefits rather than following where are hearts are trying to guide us. As a result, most people spend their lives chasing money and never fulfilling their heart's greatest desires. We pay the bills and accumulate possessions only to find ourselves on our death bed swimming in regret.

http://www.aesthetic-conscience.org/2014/07/follow-your-heart-become-person-you.html

Stephanie Doty
Weary of Wonderland
July 26, 2014
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

The truest ache


Manifestation of Dreams is the Transformation of Self 

Often times in life we are hit with overwhelming inspiration to pursue a dream, and during that moment of inspiration it seems as though the stars are aligned and nothing can hold us back. Riding on a passion-driven high, we know in our heart that we have found our purpose and set out to manifest our dream into reality. It seems as though synchronicity is in full effect, as little coincidences and serendipity confirm every epiphany that aligns with our vision. Days go by… weeks and then months. We pour our heart and soul into our vision but the optimism and passion begins to fade away. Why did it seem so right in the beginning if it was not meant to be? Were we just being naive, or is there something missing?
http://www.aesthetic-conscience.org/2014/07/manifestation-of-dreams-is.html

Stephanie Doty
Weary of Wonderland
July 26, 2014
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/