Is America Burning - a Forum To Discuss Issues

All comments welcome, pro or con. Passionate ok, but let's be civil. ...Pertinent comments will be published on this blog. Air your viewpoints.

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Skyline - Houston, Texas

Monday, March 31, 2008

Especially For Betmo

worriedamerican wants to share a video with you

Video Description

Clip 1975; Promo clip

Personal Message

Betmo; Enjoy! :-)

Good promo clip. Watch it first.

(He looks so YOUNG!! In 1975, he WAS young. I wasn't so old either))

worriedamerican

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Added: Later version. (If screen remains blank, click on middle of it to view video.)





© 2008 YouTube, Inc.






COMMENTS:
Blogger The Future Was Yesterday said...

Just for Betmo my ass!:) I've been a "Rhinestone Cowboy" for years!:)

Monday, March 31, 2008 4:41:00 AM

WA: Not JUST for Betmo, for everyone, but ESPECIALLY for Betmo.

Blogger betmo said...

yeah- well, she likes me better :) thanks so much- it made my day :) i was like 4 in 1975 ;)

Monday, March 31, 2008 8:15:00 AM

Blogger The Future Was Yesterday said...

"i was like 4 in 1975 ;)"
Damn kids shouldn't be allowed to have a blog until they grow up.:P

Monday, March 31, 2008 7:12:00 PM

Blogger Worried American said...

I'm not telling how old I was in'75 but I liked the song and Glen also.

Dan'l: A Rhinestone, redneck band guitar picking Cowboy that liked Jeremiah bullfrogs!

Betmo: Ole Glen is still on the radio and Rhinestone Cowboy still plays. One of those ageless hits.

Tuesday, April 01, 2008 12:20:00 AM

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Sunday, March 30, 2008

Time Out From Politics and Fundies!!

I have enjoyed about as much as I can stand for awhile of politics, Fundies, and wars. I have to have a break!!
I have posted on this in the past but it is always good for a re-run. Click on and Enjoy the Time Out. Some of you are old enough to remember.




COMMENTS:
Blogger Gadfly said...

Damn, Old Woman! That does bring back memories! We did our share of clapping and dancing, didn't we?

I remember Tony and Vickie's party in Bel Aire, you all tonied up in a floor length purple paisely with yards of beads, high heeled sandals, and your hair twisted up in some kind of knot with the rest hanging loose. The Boozer wore those Uncle Sam pants and red fishnet shirt. I had on ragged jeans and a tie dyed tee and ho chi min sandals. Sitting on the carpet drinking Jack Daniels from bone china cups. Roy walked in the bathroom on a couple getting it on. Ha! What a mixed crowd, as always, and the Jeremiah song got everybody up and moving. Damn but those were the days. Then we got old! What a bummer.

That song was real popular and we heard it everywhere we went. It even got the starch out of you, moving and grooving.

Sunday, March 30, 2008 5:38:00 AM

WA: I didn't have THAT much starch in me! When it came to dancing, I could "shake that thang!"

Blogger The Future Was Yesterday said...

"I have enjoyed about as much as I can stand for awhile of politics, Fundies, and wars. I have to have a break!!"
I can't say as I've enjoyed it, but I've sure had enough with some left over!

"Some of you are old enough to remember."
Remember? I remember when the band was formed that sang that song, as well as the song. The song just never got old. It was the most requested song by far, when I played steel guitar in a shit kickin' band. Now go figger that. A bunch of rednecks singing "joy to the world!:)"

Sunday, March 30, 2008 7:35:00 AM

WA: Dan'l, you are a man of many talents. Played steel guitar? In a shit kicking band? You are full of surprises!

Blogger Granny said...

Oh, you should have seen Rochelle and Rebecca dancing around the house when I played that for them.

Some songs never become dated.

Sunday, March 30, 2008 7:48:00 AM

WA: Kids of all ages still love it.

Blogger betmo said...

we had that song on eight track tape- but not by three dog night- some other guy. his name escapes me- but when i was a kid- it was my favorite song ;) oh- and rhinestone cowboy. loved it.

Sunday, March 30, 2008 8:33:00 AM

WA: Yep. Kids of all ages loved it. It was and still is a great song.

Blogger Worried American said...

Gadfly: You can't resist telling tales out of school, can you? Yes, those were great days and we had a ball most of the time. We had a number of different social circles, some overlapped and some didn't. Tony and Vickie's was one where several overlapped. The arty-intellectual crowd was a duke's mixture. But they all enjoyed Joy To The World.

Monday, March 31, 2008 1:19:00 AM

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Friday, March 28, 2008

Daniel from Australia

Daniel, from Australia and not to be confused with Dan'l, has reopened his blog"Seeking Utopia" with a much different format and content. It is a lovely peace blog. Pop over for a visit.

His other blog "Dangerous Creation" is a completely different type of blog. If you haven't checked it out, it is worth visiting. Daniel warns, "David, his alter ego, will be raising hell for all and sundry over on Dangerous Creation. Politicians and Goliaths beware!"

Daniel and David G. are one and the same. I find that Daniel/David to be quite an interesting person and I enjoy his posts.

Incidentally, I apologize for my absence and lack of visiting on other blogs. I will continue to be absent for several more days except for brief checking in. My partners fill in admirably.

COMMENTS:
Blogger The Future Was Yesterday said...

I will have to run over and give the chap an apology. Nobody should have to suffer the humiliation of being confused with me!

"My partners fill in admirably".

I'm glad yours are. Mine have gone AWOL!:) I'm sure the sweet thing has a bigger duty than our blog (as I try to keep from getting my butt kicked around the room).

Friday, March 28, 2008 5:08:00 AM

Blogger Daniel said...

Worried, I apologize for any confusion that may have occurred. I started the new blog with a new template and pseudonym but, I guess I just couldn't let the old blog Seeking Utopia go! Far too sentimental, that's me!

Anyway, the part of me that loves beauty and idealism can have fun on SU while my alter ego, David, who hates injustice and inequality, can do his worst on DC!

Hey, all you great people on IAB, take care, you hear?

Friday, March 28, 2008 5:49:00 AM

Blogger Granny said...

WA - I don't know about "admirably" but I'll do my best.

I used to confuse Daniel and Dan'l too.

Friday, March 28, 2008 9:03:00 AM

Gadfly: Y'all might remember that Dan'l invited me to be a team member on his blog. Shortly after I was working up the nerve to dip a toe in his blogging waters, the sh*t hit the fan on my home front (you DON'T want to hear the long sad story and no, I ain't been in jail again!) and I have kinda let him down. But I have not abandoned him to the attacks of his enemies and I do back him up in whatever he says or does. Dan'l, please forgive me! I WILL be back, like ol' MacArthur.

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Tuesday, March 25, 2008

What a Relief - I'm Not Insane After All

I was browsing through a book at Barnes & Noble today and ran across a poem I'd never seen before. (Sometimes my education is sorely lacking). It struck a chord immediately and I should have copied at least the first line so I could find it again.

I returned home, turned on CNN, and John McCain was speaking; once again about the success of the surge and the war in general. He calls those of us who oppose it naive which is a little more courteous than calling us insane I suppose, but the general idea is the same.

The first thing I thought of (after I turned the t.v. back off) was the poem I'd just read. I couldn't remember how it started and google was no help at all. Finally I remembered I own a copy of Bartlett's. Took me about a minute to find it and then it was easy to find on the net along with several essays and study guides which I didn't read. I'd rather stay with my own feelings than have something I like dissected to death.

Here it is, saying a lot in a very few words which is typical of the poet.

Much Madness is divinest Sense --
To a discerning Eye --
Much Sense -- the starkest Madness --
'Tis the Majority
In this, as All, prevail --
Assent -- and you are sane --
Demur -- you're straightway dangerous --
And handled with a Chain --

Emily Dickenson (around 1



Monday, March 24, 2008

Four Thousand (and counting)


How much longer?

I don't think we'll ever know the exact number of casualties resulting from this misbegotten scheme or how many innocent civilians fall under the heading of "collateral damage".

Yet, our "leader" continues to insist we're succeeding. If this is success, I'd just as soon not see failure.
COMMENTS:
Daniel said...

Hey, you'all! It's Daniel from Seeking Utopia here. Yes, Daniel has risen from the dead and his blog is once again up and running. It will be a peace blog and a place of peace!

David, his alter ego, will be raising hell for all and sundry over on Dangerous Creation. Politicians and Goliaths beware!

Take care, you'all!

Tuesday, March 25, 2008 3:33:00 AM

Blogger The Future Was Yesterday said...

Cheney will look at that photo and numbers, and say: "So?"

Tuesday, March 25, 2008 3:54:00 AM

Blogger Worried American said...

Hi, Daniel; Welcome back. I hope I can access your Seeking Utopia blog now. Previous efforts informed me I wasn't authorized, so I hope that it was merely closed for revamping it.
I'll be by later.

Dan'l; I'll drop by your place later also. At present very involved with family. Not much time for blogging.

Friday, March 28, 2008 2:07:00 AM

Blogger Worried American said...

PS, Dan'l; Re: Cheny's "So?"

The attitude of this administration seems to be, "You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs!"

Friday, March 28, 2008 2:09:00 AM

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Happy Easter Everyone

Or whatever you're celebrating or not celebrating this weekend.

Thanks to Delilah Boyd for finding this clip on You Tube.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

War protesters halt traffic, recall dead -

War protesters halt traffic, recall dead - Yahoo! News

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080320/ap_on_re_us/iraq_war_protests

War protesters halt traffic, recall dead

By SARAH KARUSH, Associated Press Writer Thu Mar 20, 1:47 AM ET

Masked protestors are arrested by police after they would not move out of an intersection, as part of a protest against the war in Iraq, in Washington on Wednesday March 19, 2008. Anti-war protests took place across the nation Wednesday. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
AP Photo: Masked protestors are arrested by police after they would not move out of an intersection,...
Slideshow: Iraq

WASHINGTON - Protesters blocked traffic and government buildings in Washington, acted out a Baghdad street scene in Syracuse, N.Y., and banged drums in a parade through San Francisco on Wednesday to mark the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. In other, more somber observances, organizers set up a 2-mile display of about 4,000 T-shirts in Cincinnati, meant to symbolize the members of the U.S. military killed in Iraq, while in Louisville, Ky., demonstrators lined rows of military boots, sandals and children's tennis shoes on the steps of a courthouse.

Laurie Wolberton of Louisville, Ky., whose son just finished an Army tour of duty in Iraq, said she fears the worsening U.S. economy has caused Americans to forget about the war.

"We're not paying attention anymore," she said. "My son has buried his friends. He's given eulogies, he's had to go through things no one should have to go through, and over here they've forgotten. They just go shopping instead."

On previous anniversaries, tens of thousands of people marched through major U.S. cities, and more than 100,000 gathered on several occasions leading up to the invasion.

Only a few hundred mustered for one of Wednesday's largest gatherings, in Washington[...].

Read the rest of the article here

[WA:Read the article. Read the bold face portion above. "a few hundred", "about a hundred", " a few dozen", etc. Where were the "tens of thousands", the "100,000"? Just handsfull of people dare the bad weather to come out against an illegal war that has slaughtered 4,000 of our sons and daughters, wounded up to 100,000, killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, wounded god knows how many, destroyed 2 nations, made the US universally hated, increased terror cell recruitment a thousand fold, ruined our economy, put your great-great grandchildren in debt for their lifetimes and left to face the blowback of these wars . Why aren't there tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands rising up and DEMANDING impeachment of Bush and Cheney, prison for the Neo-Cons and an end to this damnable war? Where in the hell are AMERICANS?

[ I hear it on every side; I read it on countless blogs and in countless articles - condemnation of the war, condemnation of Bush and his lies, condemnation of our lost jobs and ruined economy. But WHERE is the ACTION? Does the majority of our citizens pin their hopes for the future on War Hawk McCain? Pro-Big Business Bush -Clone Two Faced Lying Hilary? Wall Street backed Obama (guess what camp that puts HIM in? Smells like world domination Big Business.) Are our fellow citizens that dumb and gullible? Or of the "let George do it" mindset? leaving it up to "somebody else". Well folks, we LET GEORGE DO IT and look what it has gotten us.

[The last few sentences of the article:

The Iraq war has been unpopular both abroad and in the United States, although an Associated Press-Ipsos poll in December showed that growing numbers think the U.S. is making progress and will eventually be able to claim some success in Iraq.

[Is THAT it? Tell a big lie often and long enough and the sheeple will believe it. BushCo and the pet poodle mainstream media hammers home over and over, "we're making progress, the surge is working, making progress, the surge is working" on and on. Oh yes, "building democracy, establishing freedom" and the makes-me-want-to-puke, the "keeping America safe", "protecting our freedoms", "war on terror" ad nauseum.

[I'm too old for this. I have to shut the hell up before I have a stroke. WA signing off]

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Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Karen Mahabir in Washington; Dave Collins in Hartford, Conn.; Laura Wides-Munoz in Miami; William Kates in Syracuse, N.Y.; Marcus Wohlsen in San Francisco; Dinesh Ramde in Milwaukee; Stephanie Reitz in Springfield, Mass.; Will Graves in Louisville, Ky.; and Deepti Hajela in New York.

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Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Peace Vigil



MoveOn.org sponsored nationwide candlelight vigils today marking the 5 years we've been in Iraq.

Merced has had a vigil every Friday since the Viet Nam war but it's not officially a part of a national group. This one was.

Anyhow, my friend and I showed up with my camera and our candles in front of the local high school with about 25/30 others; not a bad turnout here. We're circulating a petition (bring the troops home) and will deliver it to our local Congressman's (Blue Dog Democrat Dennis Cardoza) office this Friday.

The first picture was taken just as we were trying to get out act together; always a problem for Democrats (and a few Greens) as you may have noticed. The second is my friend Tom. I wanted everyone to see that shirt.

So do the vigils, the petitions, the rallies do any good some people have asked? My answer? I don't know but it beats doing nothing. I feel the same way about the writing the three of us do here, the phone calls I make, and the letters I write.

Think Globally, Act Locally is one of the bywords of the environmental movement but it could apply to any effort. If my spoken or written words help even one person to stop and think about the horrendous cost of this illegal war; if one person picks up their trash or drives a little less; if there is one less case of gay-bashing because of something I've said or written, it's a start and well worth the effort. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and I continue to hope that it's not too late.


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COMMENTS:
Blogger the reaper said...

All of humankind's problems could be solved if enough people could sit in a room, quiet by themselves for 10 minutes a day.

Seems simple enough. BTW, Thanks for the great blog.

Thursday, March 20, 2008 1:13:00 AM

Blogger The Future Was Yesterday said...

Hope - not the Obama kind for political gain; Hope - not for more of the Hillary same - but Hope of the common people. It's dim right now, this is a hard era. But as I recall you saying once, "what else do we have?"

Indeed.

Thursday, March 20, 2008 1:25:00 AM

Blogger Worried American said...

Sometimes it seems like we are pushing a 2 ton wad of dough up Mount Everest with our nose. It is exhausting and discouraging. But we have to try and keep trying.

Thursday, March 20, 2008 7:24:00 PM


Snakes and Spiders I have known - and some I'm glad I haven't

Some years ago Jim Stafford/Ray Stevens had a popular song whose chorus described the phobias of many people:

"I don't like spiders and snakes
And that ain't what it takes to love me..."

Last year both Granny and I published posts about snakes and we found that several of our friends were not fond of snakes. On the whole I am tolerant of the animals of both species but am wary of poisonous creatures. Other than avoiding dangerous snakes and spiders (or kill them if they invade my family's space), I have a live and let live philosophy regarding them. I used to remove Queen Diamond, my daughter's white kneed tarantula, from her habitat when it was cleaning time; ditto for the 5' Burmese python named Buddy (who grew to 10' before son-in-law got rid of it). However, there are a few spiders to which I have an unreasoning aversion.
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Latona - Brazilan White Knee Tarantula
Photo © Penny Carter
Latona - Brazilan White Knee Tarantula (Acanthoscurria Geniculata)
A tarantula like Queen Diamond. She was young and her leg span was only about 4". Mature specimens can have a 6" to 8.5" leg span. In addition to fangs which can inflict a painful bite, tarantulas have toxic hairs on their abdomens that they can fling with their hind legs.
"The urticating hairs of the Brazilian Giant White Knee Tarantula (Acanthoscurria geniculata), native to Brazil, are moderately irritating.This species is relatively large, with a leg span of up to 8.5 inches. Unlike many of the larger terrestrial tarantulas, it is very colourful in its appearance, due to the brilliant white stripes that are present on its leg joints."

Tarantulas have an exoskeleton that they must shed as they grow. The molting process is an interesting procedure.
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Burmese Python like "Buddy". They love to curl up in a water bowl or swim in the bath tub. Wikipedia says, "The Burmese python is one of the largest of all snakes, growing up to (23 feet) and weighing up to (200 pounds)[1]. A Burmese Python at Serpent Safari Park in Gurnee, Illinois, USA holds the record for heaviest living snake. As of 2005, it weighs (403 lb) at a length of (27 ft)." Buddy was 5' long when my daughter and son-in-law got him and over 10' long when Wes sold him. I handled the creature but was ever aware of how powerful he was. After he attained a certain size I refused to handle him and began to hound Wes to get him out of the house where my daughter and grandson lived. Pythons 8' and larger have been known to kill their adult male owners. Snakes may be docile pets most of the time and tolerate handling but they do NOT bond with their owners like Fido or Kitty! They do NOT love you.

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Spiders I do not wish to know and darned sure would never handle as I did Queen Diamond!
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Goliath or Bird Eating Spider. The creature is the reddish/brown item on the limb.






The urticating hairs on tarantulas such as the Goliath Birdeater (Theraphosa blondi), the largest spider in the world, are far more severe. These hairs can result in painful rashes and have been compared to sharp shards of fibreglass.


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A spider that I am very glad is now extinct. It was HUGE and lived during dino times. Megarachnae -Mesothelae

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Artist's rendition of prehistoric spider coming from burrow to prey on lizard-like creature.

And while we're on prehistoric creepy-crawlies, how about a scorpion as big as a small car??

One Giant Bug
comparative size to 6' human
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So the next time you want to squash a bug, remember its ancestors.

COMMENTS:
Blogger The Future Was Yesterday said...

And all this time I thought you were a normal Lady!:)

Snakes and I have a live and let live agreement too. Stay the hell out of my way, and I'll let you live. I know so few are harmful, but I don't trust anything without feet that can move faster than I can - and do it while going around countless "S" curves!! Dan+One snake of ANY size=instant sissy.:)

Thursday, March 20, 2008 12:26:00 AM

Blogger Worried American said...

Hi, Dan'l! Normal lady? Ofcourse I'm normal - just a tad eccentric, perhaps. I co-exist fairly peacefully with most creatures with whom I share this planet. Even humans. Some I avoid if I don't care for closer acquaintance. Even humans. :-)

Thursday, March 20, 2008 7:16:00 PM

PS: I think most of our readers "don't like spiders and snakes". Actually, I prefer honey bees.

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