From Peace Protest to Humor to Release

Went to the little peace vigil at Union Square and Parks Dept. officer Robert Thompson (#1184) tried to tell me we weren't allow to be there. HUH? All five of us, gently, quietly, with a few signs but no megaphones and certainly under 25. Well, I called 311, which is 212-New-York on cell phones and Leigh told me I should be allowed to be there, as long as we are under twenty. Dear Robert said that inside the park no one was allowed. I said, "I'm a Community Board member and the Police Dept. has told me this is perfectly legal." Betty Lou Hornick piped up that we had a permit, issued back after 9-11 when they started the vigil. Robert took my card, spoke to Barbara (who?) the parks manager and held to his position, but gently, and mentioned he probably wouldn't be there next week. Good! I can take a hint. We'll be back, at least Betty Lou, Sam Oast and I.

Betty Lou and Sam

But today was more special because of David Homanich's parents, Judy Homanich and George Homanich, from Binghamton, NY were there, on an outing to celebrate their 23rd anniversary. They had heard about our little vigil and they had hoped to visit The Little Red Lighthouse, by the George Washington Bridge. They found us, small, but very present. Hope they found the lighthouse. We shared some poignant moments, talk of their dear departed son David, news of the St. Patrick's Four, a poem written by Vietnam veteran for peace George Mizo, now also deceased, and Mike Luckovitch's heart-wrenching WHY editorial cartoon on the dead 2000 soldiers.

Glenn, Betty Lou, Sam, Judy, George

After the seriousness, I arrived home and did some web browsing. Looked up more on Fitzmas. But needed a bit of humor so with great expectations I turned to Harriet Miers's blog. Hysterical (and she links to Audient). Thanks to Harriet, I found her "friend" Patrick Fitzgerald, and following some of the movie links found in the profile I found Karl Rove and Scooter Libby. Harriet remains the tops, blogwise, but the whole thing was just what I needed to avoid writing the press release I have to write about Assemblymember Cathy Nolan and my friend and neighbor State Committeeman Jimmy Van Bramer and West Queens Independent Democratic Club a/k/a WQIDC hosting a neighborhood reception for Congressmember Anthony Weiner. Truly, it was fun, but I didn't think I'd have to write up some notes. I'm not in the mood. Better get in the mood, pdq.

What did Tom Corbally (RIP, Tom!) used to say? "It's not who you know but what you know about who you know." Ah, that Corby! Hmmmm. Well a little humor is good for the soul. But I still have a press release to write. Thank God it is the end of Daylight Savings Time and I have an extra hour to write it in.

Peace Hugs,
Kate Anne

Hartmann & Kate Anne: Count them votes!

Thom Hartmann did a terrific show today on electronic voting and election fraud. If you aren't listening to Thom, you are missing out on progressive radio at its best. The current show is only available until tomorrow at noon -- Subscribe to Thom Hartmann's archives at White Rose Society's link above (in the title). They suggest a price to pay via Paypal, but pay what you can. AND you can use iTunes to download it onto your iPod and/or your computer. (Except now I have to collect yesterday's late show as today's was posted quickly -- arghh! But, hey, I'm a subsciber. Cout them votes and count them blessings!!) Go get 'em Thom, and check out all my vote fraud links at http://kateanne.com's link's page.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

2000 dead -- Too much blood shed

Tonight Sunnyside Woodside Peace and other groups co-sponsored a community forum featuring Jeremy Scahill from Democracy Now, Connecting the Dots -- The Gulf Wars: Iraq to the US Gulf Coast. Jeremy spoke about how New Orleans' Katrina debacle is much more than cronyism and "George Bush doesn't like Black people" -- it is about militarism and paramilitarism, with 130 different private security contractors (reminiscent of Germany's brownshirts, one veteran for peace said), and empire. Throw the black people out and takeover. Transport them far from their homes so they can never find the money to make it back to what is left of them. Outrageous! And Jeremy said so much more and so well, reminding me that there is so much to do -- in Iraq, in New Orleans, in Sunnyside NYC.

And tomorrow is the commemoration of the 2000th American serviceperson dead in Iraq [the ones who died off the battlefields later don't count], which happened today. Over 500 such events are listed on the American Friends Service Committee site (linked in the title). And George W. Bush talks about "their" terrorism. He doesn't see his own actions to the Iraqi people, and to the New Orleans (and Baton Rouge, etc.) people, and to those on the hunger strike at Guantanamo, and those 2000+ dead American troops as terrorism. God forgive him, I don't know if I can. "Too much blood shed for NO noble cause." Cindy Sheehan will get arrested again and maybe, if we are lucky, Karl Rove and Scooter Libby will experience Fitzmas and be indicted. It promises to be a day.

Tomorrow, I'll be wearing my pin from Ruth Klein: Lady Liberty weeping and the words, "2000 TOO MANY - TROOPS HOME NOW". And I will be standing up once again with Cindy, and speaking up and making some positive difference. St. Rosa Parks (RIP) will be watching us, and guiding us, along with St. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose words on another of Ruth's pins should be heeded, "There comes a time when Silence is Betrayal". Let's all call our Senators and Congressmembers: 202-224-3121, light a candle, and speak out. Enough. Too many. Troops home NOW!

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Natural Cures and Consumerism

Woke up in the middle of the night to succumb to an informational that I have seen before. I dialed 800-823-1522 and purchased the book Natural Cures, coming with its free-bees: a CD on natural ways to lose weight and 6 of the author's past newsletters. When I called the toll free number and spoke to Mary of Utah, I was encouraged to sign up for upcoming copies of the newsletter, which could be cancelled at anytime but otherwise billed to my credit card --at $42 a year! I declined. I was encouraged to buy Kevin's 12 CDs on various topics, for 19.95 TOTAL. I bit. But I declined the rush order fee of $9.95 additional and stuck with the original postage and handling of $9.95. This means it will take 6 to 8 weeks to get to me, but, as it is I spent about $75, if Mary was truthful on the prices. AND I gave them my email so I will likely get other offers. That's okay. My email overfloweth and I am handy with my delete button.

Lovely conversation with Mary -- I told her when I declined the newsletter that I had plenty to read and was trying to attack my paper clutter. That's this month's focus at FlyLady.Net, I added. She noted the link. I blessed her and hung up, $75 poorer but intrigued with the Natural Cures book. I agree with Kevin that the pharmaceutical companies want to keep us sick so they can sell us more drugs. Are they really sitting on the cures to cancer and arthritis? Hmmmm. Given the profit motive in our economic system, I wouldn't be surprised. We need single payer National Healthcare and to remove the greed factor from healing. And Kevin, I know you gotta make a living, but I just paid $75 for God knows what. In 6 to 8 weeks, I will find out. Hopefully, it will be a welcomed additional to my books on health, nutrition, and healing.

Peace Hugs,
Kate Anne

PS I forgot to mention that Mary of Utah offered me some sort of deal with a Wal-Mart coupon. I told her I'm a peace and justice activist and they pay their employees too little to get my business. Wonder if she'll contemplate my call?

Made in America

In a world where fewer and fewer of us remember the song, "Look for the Union Label", finding the words "Made in America" or "Made in the USA" is more and more difficult. I finally succumbed and purchased some rubber spatulas (for scraping bowls) that were NOT the Rubbermaid I had hoped for, but an off-brand made in China - *sigh*. Our government owes more and more to China (and other countries) and our trade deficit adds to the disaster. NAFTA, CAFTA -- Americans lose jobs as those cheaper prices are paid for dearly in other ways.

A little bit later, I purchased some batteries for my little Walkperson radio. I was busy comparing prices and was thinking even with the Eckerd's batteries on sale, I bet I could find them cheaper. Then I saw the words, "Made in the USA" -- enough: SOLD. You win some, you lose some, but our country's working class better begin winning more. Part of it begins with us, buying American when we can and demanding protection for our better paying American working class jobs.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Bankruptcy Bill Goes Live - OUR TURN to RESPOND

The Credit Card Lobby-written Bankruptcy Bill went into effect yesterday. Consumer Reports's Consumers Union has come back with a response to it and the Credit Card companies. Tell our Congress Critters (as Jim Hightower of Hightower LowDown aptly calls them) that we want consumer protections. Above is the Consumer Reports Link to information and action, including easily done emails to Congress and the Senate (which can be downloaded and printed for snail-mailing) or link to it througth YourWallet.org.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Re-elect President Al Gore

Some great Hartmanns the last couple days -- see the White Rose Society's Hartmann page for the latest talk show episode. But yesterday Thom was speaking of who he might support for president and vice president. Names big on his list were Al Gore who Thom, like Jimmy Carter and all those newspapers who COUNTED the Florida votes, know(s) won in 2000 -- along with John Edwards perhaps for vice president -- or Howard Dean for vice president. Thom Hartmann would, like Ted Kennedy, vote for John Kerry over Hillary Clinton but is still upset with John Kerry giving up on Ohio without a fight -- where machines went crazy, Democratic areas suffered long lines, professional ballots were in scarce supply, and 100,000 votes still remain uncounted. (Read John Conyers' book, What Went Wrong in Ohio. Of course, I'd vote for lots of people over Democratic Leadership Council member Hillary Clinton (read: corporate hack and war lover). Thom also chimed in that Barbara Boxer would be a great president. Yes, there's who should be our first woman president. Let's hope she doesn't feel the need to play Nita Lowey to Hillary. (Nita should be our NY Senator.) The one thing my brother Gregory and I agree in our politics: Hillary Clinton sucks. Greg would barf at President Al Gore, but I'd say that Al Gore is definitely high on my list -- along with, and perhaps topped by, President Barbara Boxer. Or get those two together? Hmmmmmmm.

Gotta get to work -- paid work -- but on 2008. But first 2006 -- let's retake Congress for PROGRESSIVES.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Bush Crime Family chooses Harriet Miers

Choice in (although WOMEN's Choice is likely to be out): Harriet Miers is Bush's pick to succeed Sandra Day O'Connor. Another stealth candidate -- the woman has never even been a judge. BUT she is a woman and a Bush Crime Family loyalist. (Oh dear, I sound like AAR's Mike Malloy -- but Frist and DeLay and "bought news" only reinforce Malloy's terminology!)

Do you feel safer with Roberts as Chief Justice? Does Miers bring you any comfort?? I'm going to go pet a cat. Here's one for you, my daughter Katerina's Mr. Big: