THE SENATE SEEMS TO BE FULL OF RELIGIOUS WHINERS

It seems dome of the Senators don't want to work on Christmas.  Do they think that only Jews and Muslims keep the police, fire departments, hospitals, retail and grocery stores,war, and other less important functions than the Senate working on holidays...religious or otherwise?  Read what David Herzenhorn has to say about it in THE  CAUCUS.  He quotes Senator Byrd in 2004 in a statement to the Senate body.  In typical Byrd-speak, he tells of being a Christian and believing in the ten commandments, etc.  We know that the whole Senate is not Christian and that Christmas is just one day.  I think I'd rather convert to Judaism and get all eight days of Chanukah off as well and all the other religions' special days.  That, combined with vacation time would make nearly three months, counting long weekends and other times.

Rather than make a link to this speech, I have chosen to quote it in entirety for those who don't 'do links'.

Reid's office released the following statement, hitting Kyl and DeMint for "sanctimonious lectures":
"As a Christian, no one has to remind me of the importance of Christmas for all Christian faiths and families across America.
"I do not need to hear the sanctimonious lectures of Senators Kyl and DeMint to remind me of what Christmas means.
"My question is where were their concerns about Christmas as they led filibusters on every major piece of legislation this Congress.
"Senate Republicans need look no further than themselves in casting blame for the predicament we are in right now.
"In this Congress, Republicans have waged 87 filibusters. They have used every trick in the book to delay legislation.
"In 15 minutes we are going to proceed to the START Treaty. Senator DeMint is going to make us read the entire treaty, in an effort to stall us from passing it.
"Then Senate Republicans are going to make us read the bill we need to pass in order to fund the government
"These are additional days of wasted time we could be using to pass legislation and get home for the holidays.
"Yet some of my Republican colleagues have the nerve to whine about having to stay and actually do the work the American people pay us for?
"Perhaps Senators Kyl and DeMint have been in Washington too long because in my state Nevadans employed in casinos and hotels have to work hard on holidays, including Christmas, to support their families.
"Most people don't get two weeks off yet alone one week off for Christmas. And those people who are lucky enough to have a job in these trying times need to work extra hours just to make ends meet.
"So it is deeply offensive to me and millions of working Americans across this country for any Senator to suggest that working through the Christmas holiday is somehow 'sacrilegious' or 'disrespectful.'
"The path to finishing this year lies in the hands of Senator Kyl, Senator DeMint and any other Senate Republican who are trying run out the clock or run out the door without finishing the American people's business.  "If they decide to work with us we can all have a happy holiday."

Now we know why this man was chosen as Speaker of the Senate, don't we?

THE RABBLE HAS BEEN ROUSED ENOUGH

There is a new perspective from others I have recently seen on the bail-outs that came from ReasonOnline. While I not infrequently disagree with many writers and find them less than reasonable, in all, the magazine generally challenges one's thinking, thus a good read. Amusingly, it writes: "These days, every politician assumes that because he has a driver's license and an ATM card, he must have all the necessary skills to run an automaker and operate a bank. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, for example, said Detroit should use its bailout money to become "a global, competitive leader in fuel efficiency." It goes on to say, "Of course, some taxpayers feel that members of Congress should forfeit their salaries in years when they fail to balance the budget. But our leaders' contempt for failure applies only to the private sector." The old saw about "Do as I say, not as I do." is what the Congress runs on.

While I have been writing for days at the unfair and naive response by the Congress to the whole Bail-out and Stimulus packages, the Washington Post writes: "After a week of unexpected setbacks for an industry accustomed to deference, bank executives said they were now racing to convince Congress and the Obama administration that imposing punitive taxes on bonuses would unfairly punish thousands of people for the sins of a few. Executives also argued that hitting banks would hurt the broader economy."

Are we to believe that, after the Media frenzy of stirring up the masses by the Media's ignorance of facts, some people who matter are beginning to see the bigger picture?

Meanwhile, all problems are not about money, bonuses or politics. The Space Agency reported: 2:00 PM, 3/22/09, Update: Urine flow problem forces station crew to delay processor test A critical test run using the space station's presumably repaired urine processor system was called off today when the lab crew ran into problems loading the system with stored urine. After several hours of troubleshooting, mission control told station commander Mike Fincke to close the water recovery system rack and call it a day. The troubleshooting steps we just did to try to resolve this problem with the UPA (urine processing assembly) were no joy," Rick Davis called from mission control shortly before 2 p.m. "We are going to stand down from UPA activities for today so that we can get everyone looking at it to come up with some additional ideas." Perhaps the Congress might shut down for a few days to give people with ideas an opportunity to solve the problems in a more productive way than spending all the time trying to find out a person to blame.

Why does a Boston Globe headline seem to me to cheapen the purpose of attending church? Churches vie to be Obamas' spiritual home Will there not be Divine Intervention to make sure the right one is attended?