Joni Mitchell-For Free (BBC)

It doesn't get any better than this...ever.

We Are A Country In Debt And Decline...

Thomas Friedman in today's New York Times:

My fellow Americans: We are a country in debt and in decline — not terminal, not
irreversible, but in decline. Our political system seems incapable of producing
long-range answers to big problems or big opportunities. We are the ones who
need a better-functioning democracy — more than the Iraqis and Afghans. We are
the ones in need of nation-building. It is our political system that is not
working.

Friedman's advice: vote for the presidential candidate who you think can reverse the decline. Who is that?

Jim

Happy Gay Pride Weekend!

We're having our own gay pride day parade here in Cherry Grove later today. There's a lot to celebrate this year. We can legally marry in California, and it looks like we'll have a gay friendly president after next January. We're flying the rainbow colors on our top deck!

Jim

Barbarian America

The Supreme Court, which is packed with Republican right wing appointees, has now ruled that Americans have a constitutional right to own weapons of personal destruction. This is a departure from the existing understanding of the second amendment, and it represents activist right wing judges creating a right that did not previously exist. The New York Times editorial board weighs in on the decision:

This is a decision that will cost innocent lives, cause immeasurable pain
and suffering and turn America into a more dangerous country. It will also
diminish our standing in the world, sending yet another message that the United
States values gun rights over human life.

We still execute people at the same time that we refuse to provide health care to about 50 million of our own citizens, we now proudly tout our "right" to kill each other with guns, we invade and occupy foreign countries on false premises, kill hundreds of thousands of civilians, and the list goes on and on. As a country we are barbarians. This is how we are viewed by other more civilized peoples.

Jim

Cherry Grove: Unwelcome Dune Development

We have a beautiful lot in front of our house in Cherry Grove that has never been built upon. In fact, it lies within the Federal Dune District and the New York State Coastal Erosion Hazard Zone, so technically, it's not a "buildable" lot. However, in these times environmental concerns take a back seat to monetary ones, and so we will likely loose this pristine lot to development. One of our neighbors has a display on his property including these satirical signs that pretty well gives you an idea how he feels about the pending development of the lot.

Jim

Feds Bust Men in "The Rack"

Apparently, U.S. park rangers have recently issued several citations to men caught having sex in the notorious "meat rack," the undeveloped area that lies between Cherry Grove and the Pines. There is a decades long history and tradition relative to such activities in "the rack." Sex in the meat rack is a victimless crime. The rangers would do better to issue citations to people who walk on our dunes, which DOES damage the ecosystem on Fire Island. In any event, the rangers will be very busy indeed, particularly at night, should they choose to mount a campaign to end the decades long tradition.

Jim

PHOTO: Peonies and roses in bloom in our garden

George Carlin Is Dead

...and so we have lost someone who got it right about the perverse effects of religion on each and every one of us:

"The whole problem with this idea of obscenity and indecency, and all of
these things — bad language and whatever — it's all caused by one basic thing,
and that is: religious superstition," Carlin told the AP in a 2004 interview.
"There's an idea that the human body is somehow evil and bad and there are parts
of it that are especially evil and bad, and we should be ashamed. Fear, guilt
and shame are built into the attitude toward sex and the body. ... It's
reflected in these prohibitions and these taboos that we have." - from YahooNews

Yes, "wonderful" religion has caused more grief over things sexual including the demonization of gay people, yet so many gays still cling to religious beliefs in spite of the oppression that they suffer at the hands of organized religion. It's like being a gay Republican! George Carlin was right. Not me: no religion, no thanks!



Jim

Rose Levine Sings New York!

The great Rose Levine sings once again in the Grove!

Obama And Gay Marriage

Writes "Patrick" over at Pam's House Blend:

If I can't trust Obama to understand what is at stake in California and do
the right thing with all of the historical and intellectual perspective he
brings to this election - then why would I believe for one moment that he will
act on my behalf on an array of issues once he is elected?

AMEN!

Jim

Another Obama Disappointment

The Democrats in congress caved in to Bush and the Republicans by approving a bill that lets the phone companies off the hook for their complicity in the illegal wiretaps ordered by the Bush administration. Obama announced that he supports the bill. This is change?

From Raw Story, here's the scoop on this:

"The proposed FISA deal is not a compromise; it is a capitulation," Senator
Russ Feingold said
today. "The House and Senate should not be taking up this bill, which
effectively guarantees immunity for telecom companies alleged to have
participated in the President’s illegal program, and which fails to protect the
privacy of law-abiding Americans at home. Allowing courts to review the question
of immunity is meaningless when the same legislation essentially requires the
court to grant immunity. And under this bill, the government can still sweep up
and keep the international communications of innocent Americans in the U.S. with
no connection to suspected terrorists, with very few safeguards to protect
against abuse of this power. Instead of cutting bad deals on both FISA and
funding for the war in Iraq, Democrats should be standing up to the flawed and
dangerous policies of this administration."

So much for Obama and change. He is beginning to look like another version of Bill Clinton - doing what is politically expedient rather than what is right.

Jim

PHOTO: Another blossom that lasts for too short a time - our peony bush.