In an effort to be fair, I am providing a link to Mr. Cheney's response to this weekend's accidental shooting incident:
http://articles.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20060212154709990003&ncid=NWS00010000000001
He has taken full acountability for the accident.
That is good.
That's what Americans need want to see from a leader.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
#34 - White House Finds Humor in Cheney Gun Incident
This Forbes news article reports the White House staff's attempts at using humor to minimize the seriousness of Vice President Mr. Dick Cheney's shooting mishap this past Saturday:
http://www.forbes.com/work/feeds/ap/2006/02/14/ap2525155.html
I admit that I am anti-gun.
Very much.
So I am definitely lacking in humor in regards to gun related accidents.
But, the above Forbes article goes deeper than my distaste for guns...
Is it me or does anyone else just find the fact that White House staff are cracking jokes about this shooting as arrogant to the nth degree?
This situation is not funny.
At all.
The second in command to the greatest power in the world has shot someone, and his staff think it is funny?
He has shot an elderly man, whom will not be able to have the buckshot removed from his skin. And now one of those buckshot pieces has managed to work itself to the man's heart?!
Even more disturbing is the White House stance that the victim is "responsible" for this accident because he did not let Cheney and his group know that he was returning with his quarry?!
Hello!
I thought the person holding the gun is the one responsible for firing it?
The attitude taken by the powers that be is exactly what has gone wrong with political leadership in the United States.
Arrogant.
Defensive.
Lacking accountability.
Completely out of touch with how others perceive their unethical behaviors.
And they get away with it.
According to the National Rifle Association (NRA):
"... the organization's cardinal rules of hunting, including the need to make certain the target is actually what it appears to be."
(http://www.courttv.com/trials/berseth/backgrounder_ctv.html )
That sounds like the guy holding the gun is responsible for shooting... doesn't it?
Shooting someone in a hunting accident is a misdemeanor, or worse, a felony.
http://www.forbes.com/work/feeds/ap/2006/02/14/ap2525155.html
I admit that I am anti-gun.
Very much.
So I am definitely lacking in humor in regards to gun related accidents.
But, the above Forbes article goes deeper than my distaste for guns...
Is it me or does anyone else just find the fact that White House staff are cracking jokes about this shooting as arrogant to the nth degree?
This situation is not funny.
At all.
The second in command to the greatest power in the world has shot someone, and his staff think it is funny?
He has shot an elderly man, whom will not be able to have the buckshot removed from his skin. And now one of those buckshot pieces has managed to work itself to the man's heart?!
Even more disturbing is the White House stance that the victim is "responsible" for this accident because he did not let Cheney and his group know that he was returning with his quarry?!
Hello!
I thought the person holding the gun is the one responsible for firing it?
The attitude taken by the powers that be is exactly what has gone wrong with political leadership in the United States.
Arrogant.
Defensive.
Lacking accountability.
Completely out of touch with how others perceive their unethical behaviors.
And they get away with it.
According to the National Rifle Association (NRA):
"... the organization's cardinal rules of hunting, including the need to make certain the target is actually what it appears to be."
(http://www.courttv.com/trials/berseth/backgrounder_ctv.html )
That sounds like the guy holding the gun is responsible for shooting... doesn't it?
Shooting someone in a hunting accident is a misdemeanor, or worse, a felony.
I believe that when one of our leaders has committed a mistake that involves the well being of another person... well, I believe that should be up for public scrutiny.
These guys walk around with the power to annihiliate portions of the world.
They are given public consent to kill numerous people everyday.
Should Mr. Cheney be held up for public scrutiny over this shooting accident?
You betcha.
Should he have his hunting license suspended?
Yep.
Should he pay fines?
Yes.
Should he be more forthcoming about this accident?
Yes.
If Mr. Cheney had been Bill Clinton, Ken Starr already would have been snapping at his heels.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
#33 - War Makes People Sick
A team of reaseachers from the University of California have completed reviewing the medical records of 15,000 Civil War soldiers.
The news?
Fighting in the war made them sick.
Well, that is rather simplistic, but the study shows that there was a higher incidence of health problems (both physical and mental) for those who fought in the Civil War.
The BBC extends this information into the effects of war on today's soldiers.
Read more about this here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4686656.stm
The news?
Fighting in the war made them sick.
Well, that is rather simplistic, but the study shows that there was a higher incidence of health problems (both physical and mental) for those who fought in the Civil War.
The BBC extends this information into the effects of war on today's soldiers.
Read more about this here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4686656.stm
Friday, February 03, 2006
Sunday, January 29, 2006
#31 - Finding the Beauty in Winter
I wish I could be as eloquent as this. Take a peek:
http://artofcalm.blogspot.com/2006/01/in-depth-of-winter-i-finally-learned.html
http://artofcalm.blogspot.com/2006/01/in-depth-of-winter-i-finally-learned.html
#30 - Bloom Where You Are Planted
"Somehow this madness must cease. We must stop now. I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor of Vietnam. I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted. I speak for the poor of America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home and death and corruption in Vietnam. I speak as a citizen of the world, for the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken. I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
TAKE ACTION:
How do we begin to grow in peace?
Think globally and act locally.
Start today with yourself.
Take an inventory.
List actions you have made to create peace... in your heart, in your home, in your school or workplace, and in your community.
Ask yourself if you are harboring thoughts that will not contribute to peace?
Make a plan for healing.
Own those actions which are yours to own.
Make amends.
Pave the way to love.
Start today...
one small deed,
one well chosen word,
one prayer,
one step closer to compassion.
Do a random act of kindness,
be someone's angel today,
share yourself with others,
lighten someone's burden...
the choices towards peace are infinite.
Just do it.
NEVER SURRENDER TO DESPAIR.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
TAKE ACTION:
How do we begin to grow in peace?
Think globally and act locally.
Start today with yourself.
Take an inventory.
List actions you have made to create peace... in your heart, in your home, in your school or workplace, and in your community.
Ask yourself if you are harboring thoughts that will not contribute to peace?
Make a plan for healing.
Own those actions which are yours to own.
Make amends.
Pave the way to love.
Start today...
one small deed,
one well chosen word,
one prayer,
one step closer to compassion.
Do a random act of kindness,
be someone's angel today,
share yourself with others,
lighten someone's burden...
the choices towards peace are infinite.
Just do it.
NEVER SURRENDER TO DESPAIR.
#29 - Peaceful Tomorrows
"The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows." — Martin Luther King, Jr.
( Read more gems of wisdom here: Thoughts)
WAGE PEACE!
( Read more gems of wisdom here: Thoughts)
WAGE PEACE!
#28 - Finding the Voice of Democracy (Archive 01/09/05)
How many are aware that both the House of Representatives and Congress put to the task addressing the reality that the presidential election once again failed to represent all of the American citizens?
Please, before you flip over to another blog....
I am not doing the crybaby shuffle of "Our guy did not win."
That is really not my point at all.
I am much, much more concerned with bringing people to the awareness that our democracy has been stifling the voices of many.
Not all of the voters in Ohio had the opportunity to vote.
It does not matter who their choice was...
the reality is that THEY DID NOT GET TO ADD THEIR VOICE by electing their choice of a leader for our nation.
And isn't the freedom to do so what democracy is supposed to be all about?
And, yes... this turned out to be a race issue.
There is something that you may not be familiar with if you have not encountered it. There is a term called accessibility.
Some folks are familiar with the term because this word is used to address challenges faced by people with disabilities.
You know...like if someone can not shop in a store because it is not wheelchair excessible.
That is one type of accessibility.
Then there is the accessibility...well, actually lack of... for people living in certain communities.
In rural communities you may find that people living in poverty do not have accessibility to doctors.
And in urban settings... folks may not have accessibility to many of the services and facilities that are easily taken for granted in the suburbs populated by families with some money and cars.
The voters in the inner cities of Ohio had to wait and wait and wait and wait...
Their election posts were not prepared for the influx of voters.
And if you are public transportation dependent... getting out to your polling place, waiting a long time, and then hitching a ride home may have been quite a hassle.
The reality is that many minority voters in Ohio did not get to share in the election process.
There is something wrong with that.
Here are what some of our elected officials (who still abide by the foundations of our government) had to say and do about this:
"...the centerpiece of this country is democracy, and the centerpiece of democracy is ensuring the right to vote."-- Senator Barbara Boxer, California
"...we are here because not a single election official in Ohio has given us any explanation for the massive and widespread irregularities in the state..."-- Representative John Conyers, Michigan
"... there are irregularities across this country with regard to voting and we as a Congress have an obligation to step up to the plate..."-- Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Ohio
Please take the time to read more here:
Welcome to MichaelMoore.com! : Words
I love my country. I truly do.
My family has five generations of people who have served our nation in time of war.
Like any good relationship... people have to pay attention to each other.
They have to grow and stay rooted at the same time in a solid foundation.
The Constitution provides excellent soil for roots to grow deep.
But, I have to say...
that if we, as American citizens, do not tend to our government; if we choose to take for granted that our liberties are a given... if we throw all of our trust into elected officials... without keeping a close eye on who is doing what....
We could really lose all that we cherish.
Read the history books.
We are doomed to repeat history if we do not learn from it.
Nations are not static...
they change...
sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.
Please, before you flip over to another blog....
I am not doing the crybaby shuffle of "Our guy did not win."
That is really not my point at all.
I am much, much more concerned with bringing people to the awareness that our democracy has been stifling the voices of many.
Not all of the voters in Ohio had the opportunity to vote.
It does not matter who their choice was...
the reality is that THEY DID NOT GET TO ADD THEIR VOICE by electing their choice of a leader for our nation.
And isn't the freedom to do so what democracy is supposed to be all about?
And, yes... this turned out to be a race issue.
There is something that you may not be familiar with if you have not encountered it. There is a term called accessibility.
Some folks are familiar with the term because this word is used to address challenges faced by people with disabilities.
You know...like if someone can not shop in a store because it is not wheelchair excessible.
That is one type of accessibility.
Then there is the accessibility...well, actually lack of... for people living in certain communities.
In rural communities you may find that people living in poverty do not have accessibility to doctors.
And in urban settings... folks may not have accessibility to many of the services and facilities that are easily taken for granted in the suburbs populated by families with some money and cars.
The voters in the inner cities of Ohio had to wait and wait and wait and wait...
Their election posts were not prepared for the influx of voters.
And if you are public transportation dependent... getting out to your polling place, waiting a long time, and then hitching a ride home may have been quite a hassle.
The reality is that many minority voters in Ohio did not get to share in the election process.
There is something wrong with that.
Here are what some of our elected officials (who still abide by the foundations of our government) had to say and do about this:
"...the centerpiece of this country is democracy, and the centerpiece of democracy is ensuring the right to vote."-- Senator Barbara Boxer, California
"...we are here because not a single election official in Ohio has given us any explanation for the massive and widespread irregularities in the state..."-- Representative John Conyers, Michigan
"... there are irregularities across this country with regard to voting and we as a Congress have an obligation to step up to the plate..."-- Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Ohio
Please take the time to read more here:
Welcome to MichaelMoore.com! : Words
I love my country. I truly do.
My family has five generations of people who have served our nation in time of war.
Like any good relationship... people have to pay attention to each other.
They have to grow and stay rooted at the same time in a solid foundation.
The Constitution provides excellent soil for roots to grow deep.
But, I have to say...
that if we, as American citizens, do not tend to our government; if we choose to take for granted that our liberties are a given... if we throw all of our trust into elected officials... without keeping a close eye on who is doing what....
We could really lose all that we cherish.
Read the history books.
We are doomed to repeat history if we do not learn from it.
Nations are not static...
they change...
sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.
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