Maybe I can't type very well, but I can still cut and paste links.

It Wasn't All Bad

Shoot The Moon

I had my first surgery, but still have a right handful of stitches. I type pretty good with one hand!

...for a little bit...then I wear out.

I got an email from a friend and this is her signature line right now, so I thought I'd share it.

"How much longer are valuable lives to be sacrificed in the vain endeavour to impose upon the Arab population an elaborate and expensive administration they never asked for?" - The Times of London on Aug. 7, 1920, as a ferocious insurgency threatened the British occupation of Iraq.

I thought about putting it over in the Quote du Jour, but I like the one that's there. I should probably change the title since I don't change it often enough for "du jour".

Bill Moyers at Alternet.

Congressman John D. Dingell (MI-15) recited the following poem on the floor of the US House of Representatives concerning House Resolution 579, which expressed the sense of the House of Representatives that the symbols and traditions of Christmas should be protected. “Preserving Christmas” has been a frequent topic for conservative talk show hosts, including Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly.

Twas the week before Christmas and all through the House
No bills were passed ‘bout which Fox News could grouse;
Tax cuts for the wealthy were passed with great cheer,
So vacations in St. Barts soon would be near;

Katrina kids were nestled all snug in motel beds,
While visions of school and home danced in their heads;
In Iraq our soldiers needed supplies and a plan,
Plus nuclear weapons were being built in Iran;

Gas prices shot up, consumer confidence fell;
Americans feared we were on a fast track to…well…
Wait--- we need a distraction--- something divisive and wily;
A fabrication straight from the mouth of O’Reilly

We can pretend that Christmas is under attack
Hold a vote to save it--- then pat ourselves on the back;
Silent Night, First Noel, Away in the Manger
Wake up Congress, they’re in no danger!

This time of year we see Christmas every where we go,
From churches, to homes, to schools, and yes…even Costco;
What we have is an attempt to divide and destroy,
When this is the season to unite us with joy

At Christmas time we’re taught to unite,
We don’t need a made-up reason to fight
So on O’Reilly, on Hannity, on Coulter, and those right wing blogs;
You should just sit back, relax…have a few egg nogs!

‘Tis the holiday season: enjoy it a pinch
With all our real problems, do we honestly need another Grinch?
So to my friends and my colleagues I say with delight,
A merry Christmas to all,
and to Bill O’Reilly…Happy Holidays.

It was a busy weekend. On Saturday evening I went to a 50th birthday party for Fernando Suarez. Very nice. Good food, good music, good people. It was also a fundraiser for Fernando's organization, Guerrero Azteca. All the money collected at the door was matched by Pacific Bakery so Fernando can continue to do his work.

Candace, Patricia and I drove up to Venice Beach yesterday to participate in a CodePink holiday fundraiser. Unfortunately, we didn't make very much money so it wasn't worth the trip financially, but I had a nice time. I think we made a grand total of about $25.00! Jody has a lovely house, and we got the opportunity to talk to the LA CodePink folks. Candance took some of her paintings and her mosaic garden stepping stones, which are all very nice, but there just wasn't the traffic we'd need to sell much.

Happy Monday. I'm staying home sick today. Bleh. But it gives me time to post something here, so there's that anyway.

I found a pretty darn cool website called iGive, and if you sign up and then use their links to shop at one of many online stores, they will donate a percentage of your purchase to the charity of your choice. Nifty, eh?

Hi there. Today is the first Sunday of the month so CodePink San Diego will be at the usual location in Balboa Park at noon.

There's certainly been plenty of news and activities to report, but I've been remiss in my duties as a blogger. Sometime life gets overwhelming, and something has to fall to the bottom of the list. This time is was terryfaceplace's turn to be neglected. There's probably a little more neglect in the near future though, because I'm having carpal tunnel surgery right before Christmas. Unless I figure out the fine art of typing with a pencil held between my teeth, the posts here may be sparce for a few weeks.

I know that it's premature to claim success in fighting the situation in Iraq, but I've started feeling somehwat hopeful that the efforts of the anti-war community have started to pay off. It's a roller coaster of hope and despair, but the sliver of hope and possibility keep me going. It's gratifying to see events like the aforementioned Bring Their Buddies Home vigil that was held the day after Thanksgiving. The turn out was great and the people that passed by were overwhelmingly supportive. That's a big change from a year ago.

That's why keeping that sliver of hope in my mind is important. The progress is sloooooooow. (Especially slow for impatient little me.) I have to remind myself to think in terms of months and years, and not expect to see constant progress in the short term. I keep the title of Paul Loeb's book in mind. The impossible will take a little while. You can't do this political/social change stuff and live for immediate gratification, doncha know?