HAS THE FCC NOT YET DONE ENOUGH DAMAGE TO OUR COUTNRY AND ITS MEDIA?

Once again, Rupert Murdoch (News Corporation) is trying to buy more media services. The title\ , News Corporation, is a misnomer since he does not check sources and had a completely biased view on what can be presented.  Fox News calls itself 'fair and balanced' but it is hardly that. Apparently the lies out of Fox News aren't enough to fool the whole world  might prevent readers from learning the truth of things if he can buy a monopoly.    Once before when he tried , so many people petitioned to the FCC that takeover was prevented..Once again he and his son James seem to be testing the waters for a repeat request..Once gain, petitions to prevent such a take over are circulating.

For anyone who would like to see fewer choices in media coverage, you might be interested in signing the petition.  You can get it here.

      Keeping the Nation clean for all of us will not be left to the government alone.  We must all raise our voices to see that we are no longer controlled by unelected forces.

A LIE THE REPUBLICANS PERPETUATE TO THE FOOLS WHO DON'T READ THE CONSTITUTION

The President cannot spend money without the approval of the Congress. The President is helpless in spending money, he cannot authorize the spending of money. He can veto when it arrives at his desk.

How then can Republicans continue to claim that he is spending too much money?  It makes me uncomfortable to realize there are so many gullible people who repeat this criticism of  President Obama.  If anyone tells you he has done nothing but spend money.   

Please tell them to look here and read what is written (after the 3 ads which precede the list of 111 items of his accomplishments).
There is a great misunderstanding about the debt ceiling and are using lies like, "He wants a blank check to spend money .when the fact is that he is only trying to pay back the debt owed, mostly caused by the unpaid war we had, approved by the Republicans. Republican Representative from Wyoming, Cynthia Loomis, is among the most vociferous in her ignorance

WILL BOEHNER GET TO STAY ON AS SPEAKER?

The do-nothing House under Boehner did nothing again about the relief to those who are still suffering 66 days later from Sandy. As though it wasn't insulting enough not to take up the bill, the reason stated was the that members did not have the 'stomach' to take it up.There are not too many jobs where you get paid the salary they receive after giving their oath to serve for the citizens of the United States, sometimes work Tuesday through Thursday, take very long vacations, and spend most of their time campaigning and raising funds for the next election cycle.  

Clearly that issue is not at the top of the Legislative list but if enough people complain, perhaps the media would be kind enough to report facts instead of opinions for a bit and the public might learn of these issues.  Speaking to a staunch Republican tonight, he had never heard of the Koch brothers, Grover Norquist, and was unaware that Rupert Murdoch owned the Wall St. Journal as well as Fox News to which he was glued daily,  I would like to see the media on MSNBC, CNN, Current, and all the local news go back to being journalists rather than opinion panels such as THIS WEEK and MEET THE PRESS put on  .In their attempts to be 'fair and balanced' networks other than FOX bring on ridiculous people and do not contradict them.  It was so refreshing to day to hear Andrea Mitchell actually challenge some of the lies from Grover Norquist.  She is one who actually does her job fully.and has earned her respected reputation.  There just aren't enough to do the same.

It was refreshing to hear some of the Republican Representatives find their cahones and censure Boehner for not taking a vote on the Bill to pay for the Sandy disaster.  Was Boehner kicking the can to the next Speaker?   We should learn that today.  As bad as he is as Speaker, will Eric Cantor be better?

WE DID NOT GO OVER THE CLIFF

Eric Cantor

With no thanks to those Republicans who sold their sold to the devil, without the help of Eric Cantor, Darrell  Issa, and a few others, there were enough votes to pass the bill. One can only guess why the others want us to fall off the cliff.  Cantor fancies himself as powerful and it is suspected he wants Boehner's job or his sights may even be politically higher.  He is arrogant and unfeeling about middle class as is Daniel Issa, purported to be worth 450 billion dollars.  I suppose it is small wonder he didn't want his taxes to go up.  I guess it is hard to live on that kind of money?

Darrell Issa

Darrell Issa should be remembered for having a panel on contraceptives for women without a woman being on the panel.  He is someone who, in my opinion, does not represent America or what is good for our country.  Why so many people fear him is not clear to me as I think he has proven his ignorance of his country's needs.Having a lot of money may get you there with some outside power but it takes much more governance to be a good House Representative than his power-hungry self has shown while serving to date.

There are many more very important votes to be cast before our economy if without threat from these Representatives who answer only to their ideology and their allegiance to those powers out of government to whom they pledge.

Well, at least this is one catastrophe that has been averted for the moment.  We can only watch and hope for some sense to hit those elected who march to a drummer outside the Congress.

MAY YOU HAVE A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS 2013

Undoubtedly there will be those who will continue to vote in those members of the do-nothing Congress who have made it clear they are more interested in maintaining their jobs than doing what those who voted for them expect them to do.

Tonight our country has been pushed over the fiscal cliff.  I can only hope this means that the Republicans who have signed the Norguist Pledge will be freed from it now be taxes will be raised with absolutely no input or vote for it by any who had signed the pledge.  Isn't it amazing that their allegiance is greater to a non-elected official than our country.  It does not surprise me but it certainly saddens me.

Nevertheless, in keeping with my determination not to worry of things for which I have no control, I will spend the first day of the year thinking about the many years we celebrated my father's 'name day' and birthday on the 1st day of the they year.  He lived to be 107 1/2 so it is quite plain to see that New Year's Day had little flexibility in our family.  My father has been gone now for 25 years.  Adjusting to the fact that I am the elder of my generation has not been easy.  Part of growing up is to accept that there is so much that life has shown you but over which you have no ability to pick and choose the 'keepers'.

May you have had another year in 2012 to grow and learn so that you can start another year with more worldly knowledge.  Hopefully it will be a better year with new friends and more adaptation to being whatever age you now are.While the world turns on it pomp and pretense, greed and cruelty, may more of us stick to the morality which used to exist in our society once,

NOT CALIFORNIA; JUST BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM

The do-nothing Congress should be commended for convincing the country they are only interested in staying on the job and getting the backing from Grover Norquist in the next campaign.  Congress should pass a law that those who are elected may not hold a pledge for any dictates by any organization outside the Federal Government.  I really wonder at anyone in this country that can believe Boehner and McConnell can speak what they say with a straight face as they say that Obama offers no plans while they are offering to give in so much!  It does make me wonder what kind of mushrooms they are eating.

David Brooks

On Meet the Press this week, it was uplifting to hear a journalist speak proper English and use descriptive words rather than slang and derogatory language as so many do for lack of a broad enough vocabulary.  David Brooks was on the Meet the Press Panel and described the behavior of the Congress, carefully mentioning that he was referring more to the Republicans than the Democrats, as shambolic.  It is a extremely fitting label for the Republicans, for sure...and it may even fit a few Democrats.  I am told a few of them also signed the Norquist pledge.

In that Brooks has always leaned pretty far to the right, it is nice to hear a journalist who can speak reality, regardless of his own wishes.

WHY MOVIES ARE ENTERTAINING

Having just seen the Hobbit, my mind went into its usual conflicts with the story. n We see the dwarfs and Hobbit walking endlessly for many days in areas where food, and sometimes water, looked to be very scarce.  The carried a backpack but it die not seem to contain anything useful.  Nothing was shown about their survival.  No food was caught, no rations apportioned, but they maintained exhaustive energy,  As I have often mentioned, I like 'feel-good; movies and books.  But sometimes even the ones which most people would see as 'feel good' with happy endings really don't say anything about the ever-after.  Books about warriors in the 100th and 12th centuries show nothing about hygiene, oral habits, bathing, whether they had intestinal diseases, or whether anyone ever died of compacted constipation.  I'm sure that they would have been unable to diagnose most of the ailments they had,  Death was constant through childbirth, infection, STDs, and so much we think we have avoided by modern medicine today,

A friend sent me an excellent article on diagnosing illness centuries ago through writings available with detail.  It appeared in the Wall Street Journal and is a fascinating read  Speculations on famous people made by a talented physician make a new perspective out of some of the greats whose published works still keep us reading them.