Don't send me junk unless you've checked your facts

Q: Did Obama turn down foreign offers of assistance in cleaning up the Gulf oil spill? Did he refuse to waive Jones Act restrictions on foreign-flag vessels?

A: No to both questions. So far, offers from six foreign countries or entities have been accepted and only one offer has been rejected. Fifteen foreign-flag vessels are working on the cleanup, and none required a waiver.

So don't send me any more crap that says he turned down all assistance that was offered. All offers, except for a few, came with a serious price tag. Read the rest of what Fact Check has to say.

Oil+Spill%2C+Foreign+Help+and+the+Jones+Act

It's their prize to give

In his will Alfred Nobel wrote:
… portion of the award to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity among nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.

The "most or the best work." After the last eight years I think they gave the Nobel Peace Prize because he wasn't George Bush and the subtext of the award, it goes to the American people for electing Obama. He reached out to the world to assure them he was different and hopefully brought some honor back to our country as a nation of the world. We, though some don't like it, are a part of this ever shrinking neighborhood.

To critics: have you all forgotten what Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz, and Rumsfeld accomplished? They were damn lucky no one tried them as war criminals.

Health care; it really is up to you

Tell your member of Congress to get off their butt and support the President. They did it for Bush when they allocated billions (I still shake my head at that) to fund an immoral war in Iraq. Let's doing something for our kids and assure they will have health insurance in the future. We owe it to them for letting Bush ruin this country.

Sign the letter!

My President

For two terms I've longed to pen that phrase, My President and now, as of January 20, 2009, I can. I do feel in my entire heart that he is representing what I believe in; finally.

From the moment I heard his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention I knew he'd be the saving grace for America. It just took a bit longer to get him on the Capital steps swearing the oath of office.

Pride to be an American is what I felt for a few reasons. Pride in the system; I've always been an advocate of the power of your vote and quite angry when people say it doesn't matter. It does and Barack Obama proves that point. Proud of my daughter and her husband because they supported Obama from the very beginning and traveled to Washington, stood in the freezing cold for hours to be no closer than a few miles to watch the inauguration. I'll leave her blog for how that made them feel I know I was so proud they could believe in something so strongly. It was only twenty degrees for God's sake!

Time will tell how he does but I only beg that everyone gives him time. It took eight years to get us in the mess we're in so we can give him time to get us on the right track. Congratulations, Mr. President.

They didn't call him Tricky Dick for nuttin.

One can't watch the new movie, Frost/Nixon without drawing some lines to our current president. No fan of Nixon here but you almost feel a bit sorry for him. I said almost because you still had some insight into his denial since he felt it part of the presidential powers bestowed upon him. Respect for he job diminished with him and didn't recover. This is why I have hope with the incoming administration. Please, just bring some respect back to the job.

Humans are a compassionate lot, as a group, but will the American People somehow feel the same for Bush after he is gone? It might depend on what is said about his involvement in, his words, variety of mistakes. He is now saying some things did not go as planned. Ya think? In our life time we'll never know the truth. Hopefully, one of the "loyal to the group" will write a death-bed confession and then we'll know who's been controlling this country for the last eight years. Just how old is Wolfowitz?

Do go see Frost/Nixon before it slips into video. Frank Langella--who could forget his Dracula, pretty hot for 1979 but I digress--his performance as a beaten Nixon is spellbinding. Like driving by an accident, you can't look away, though it is painful to watch. Now my grandmother would have relished this part of the movie since she hated Nixon with a purple passion. She had two books beside her chair, the Holy Bible and Plain Speaking: An Oral Biography of Harry Truman; she could quote chapter and verse from both. She was none to found of Johnson, as she was sure he murdered Kennedy, until her nephew became the Johnson's Texas minister. Loyalties have a familial ties.

I'm looking for the original interviews on Netflix even though I lived through that era I don't remember watching the program. I did, on the other hand, watch too much of the Watergate hearings; who didn't. There is one thing my darling companion and I remembered, the country was glad to put it away. Hey, it was the '70s.

It is so true

There is really so much to say about last night but I do need to collect my thoughts. We invited sister and brother-outlaw over for dinner and to watch the returns. We also asked a friend to join us for dessert, her husband would be gone and I thought it would be fun to watch all the goings-on with other folks. Like minded folks such as us.

Now I'd planned this would not be settled until somewhere around midnight and I also was hesitant about the outcome. Boy was I wrong. The polls closed in California and immediately they announced Obama the winner. The mood was ebullient, cheerful and full of energy. When I called our daughter she was screaming, "Is it true?" Yes, lil bird, this is true, so very true.

When I talked of why I was voting for Obama it was never for the fact he was a black man. That never played into my decision. Just like I didn't vote for Hillary because she was a woman. I voted for the person that would give me the most change from what we have and deep in my heart I know it's him. When he spoke last night it gave me chills and made me feel prouder to be an American than I have in eight years. Made me feel like we can do anything. Economy in the toilet? Sure but we are moving on.

Does this mean the evil presidency of George Bush is over? Nope, not yet. Look what they have in store for us now. When will it end?

Wake up, folks it's time to decide

Tom Friedman, an author and journalist, has a new book out, Hot, Flat, and Crowded. This is about two problems, American's and the world's. I've read some of his articles in the NY Times and hear him interviewed, he's a regular on Imus. He said something that resonated with me about taxes.

If someone tells you they don't want any new taxes just remind them how many billions of dollars they pay now to foreign governments and that he'd rather pay taxes in the U.S. to go to schools, and technology and roads. We already pay through the nose in the form of gas prices to the Saudis and loans to China. While they get rich our country gets poorer.

We need an administration that actually wants change and we need it now more than any time in the past. Listen to Obama, hear what he has to say. If you agree we need to reduce health care costs, and help working middle-class families, and end this idiotic war in Iraq responsibly then vote for Obama.

Register and vote, there are 26 days left.

Does everyone have an idiot uncle, too?

Is your hate well placed with Obama's minister? What about Jerry Falwell's diatribe about immorality and anti-Christian's being responsible for 9-11? If you want to hate someone we've got plenty to hate. I hate the current administration for dragging us into this now five-year war costing four thousand American lives and one-half a trillion dollars. Imagine the country spending that amount of money here on education, infrastructure, or jobs. Someone has gotten rich on this conflagration and it isn't the soldiers fighting there, nor I doubt, the inhabitants of Iraq.

Two of my uncles are such bigots I wouldn't walk across the street to visit them let along fly to Indiana. Why? Because I don't care about them. They fill their lives with such hate it doesn't matter what else they do, they don't exist to me. What I've found about myself is I'm an "insulationsist." I keep close people who believe pretty much the same as I do. That might be wrong but it keeps me happy. I've long since tried to change anyone. They are who they are but I don't have to be around them. So, if I bust your chops for something you've said to offend me, consider yourself a friend.