From a 21 Year-old Girl in Texas

  Our friend Maureen in Mass. sent us this email and we thought we'd share it with you.

Tom and Rob

This was written by a 21 yr. old female who gets it.  It's her future she¹s worried about and this is how she feels about the social welfare big government state that she¹s being forced to live in!  These solutions are just common sense in her opinion.

This was in the Waco Tribune Herald, Waco , TX Nov 18, 2010

Put me in charge . .

Put me in charge of food stamps. I'd get rid of Lone Star cards; no cash for Ding Dongs or Ho Ho's, just money for 50-pound bags of rice and beans, blocks of cheese and all the powdered milk you can haul away. If you want steak and frozen pizza, then get a job.

Put me in charge of Medicaid. The first thing I'd do is to get women Norplant birth control implants or tubal ligations. Then, we'll test recipients for drugs, alcohol, and nicotine and document all tattoos and piercings. If you want to reproduce or use drugs, alcohol, smoke or get tats and piercings, then get a job.

Put me in charge of government housing. Ever live in a military barracks?

You will maintain our property in a clean and good state of repair. Your "home" will be subject to inspections anytime and possessions will be inventoried. If you want a plasma TV or Xbox 360, then get a job and your own place.

In addition, you will either present a check stub from a job each week or you will report to a "government" job. It may be cleaning the roadways of trash, painting and repairing public housing, whatever we find for you. We will sell your 22 inch rims and low profile tires and your blasting stereo and speakers and put that money toward the "common good.."

Before you write that I've violated someone's rights, realize that all of the above is voluntary. If you want our money, accept our rules. Before you say that this would be "demeaning" and ruin their "self-esteem," consider that it wasn't that long ago that taking someone else's money for doing absolutely nothing was demeaning and lowered self-esteem.

If we are expected to pay for other people's mistakes we should at least attempt to make them learn from their bad choices. The current system rewards them for continuing to make bad choices.

AND While you are on Gov¹t subsistence, you no longer can VOTE! Yes that is correct. For you to vote would be a conflict of interest. You will voluntarily remove yourself from voting while you are receiving a Gov¹t welfare check. If you want to vote, then get a job.

    Of all God's creations, man is the only one who drinks without being thirsty, eats without being hungry and talks without having something to say.

Fascinating Interview w/Cosmologist Lawrence M. Krauss about his findings and recent book "Everything and Nothing."

   As a scientist (meteorologist) and someone who has been following the latest research into the cosmos, including Stephen Hawking's research, I found this interview fascinating. It's an interview conducted by author and philosopher Sam Harris (a famous author in his own right) with Lawrence M. Krauss about his findings and recent book "Everything and Nothing."

   I urge everyone to read at least this first question and answer (and the others can be found at the following link). FULL INTERVIEW: http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/everything-and-nothing/

   I plan on reading this book and learning from it... Krauss' findings parallel those of Stephen Hawking. 

- Rob

Lawrence M. Krauss is a renowned cosmologist, popularizer of science, and director of the Origins Project at Arizona State University.  He is the author of more than 300 scientific publications and 8 books, including the bestselling The Physics of Star Trek. His interests include the early universe, the nature of dark matter, general relativity and neutrino astrophysics. He is also a friend and an advisor to my nonprofit foundation, Project Reason. Lawrence generously took time to answer a few questions about his new book, A Universe from Nothing.

***

One of the most common justifications for religious faith is the idea that the universe must have had a creator. You’ve just written a book alleging that a universe can arise from “nothing.” What do you mean by “nothing” and how fully does your thesis contradict a belief in a Creator God?
Indeed, the question, “Why is there something rather than nothing?” which forms the subtitle of the book, is often used by the faithful as an unassailable argument that requires the existence of God, because of the famous claim, “out of nothing, nothing comes.”  While the chief point of my book is to describe for the interested layperson the remarkable revolutions that have taken place in our understanding of the universe over the past 50 years—revolutions that should be celebrated as pinnacles of our intellectual experience—the second goal is to point out that this long-held theological claim is spurious. Modern science has made the something-from-nothing debate irrelevant.  It has changed completely our conception of the very words “something” and “nothing”.  Empirical discoveries continue to tell us that the Universe is the way it is, whether we like it or not, and ‘something’ and ‘nothing’ are physical concepts and therefore are properly the domain of science, not theology or philosophy. (Indeed, religion and philosophy have added nothing to our understanding of these ideas in millennia.) I spend a great deal of time in the book detailing precisely how physics has changed our notions of “nothing,” for example.  The old idea that nothing might involve empty space, devoid of mass or energy, or anything material, for example, has now been replaced by a boiling bubbling brew of virtual particles, popping in and out of existence in a time so short that we cannot detect them directly.  I then go on to explain how other versions of “nothing”—beyond merely empty space—including the absence of space itself, and even the absence of physical laws, can morph into “something.”  Indeed, in modern parlance, “nothing” is most often unstable.  Not only can something arise from nothing, but most often the laws of physics require that to occur. 
Now, having said this, my point in the book is not to suggest that modern science is incompatible with at least the Deistic notion that perhaps there is some purpose to the Universe (even though no such purpose is manifest on the basis of any of our current knowledge, and moreover there is no logical connection between any possible “creator” and the personal God of the world’s major religions, who cares about humanity’s destiny).  Rather, what I find remarkable is the fact that the discoveries of modern particle physics and cosmology over the past half century allow not only a possibility that the Universe arose from nothing, but in fact make this possibility increasingly plausible.  Everything we have measured about the universe is not only consistent with a universe that came from nothing (and didn’t have to turn out this way!), but in fact, all the new evidence makes this possibility ever more likely.  Darwin demonstrated how the remarkable diversity of life on Earth, and the apparent design of life, which had been claimed as evidence for a caring God, could in fact instead be arrived at by natural causes involving purely physical processes of mutation and natural selection.  I want to show something similar about the Universe.  We may never prove by science that a Creator is impossible, but, as Steven Weinberg has emphasized, science admits (and for many of us, suggests) a universe in which one is not necessary. 
I cannot hide my own intellectual bias here.  As I state in the first sentence of the book, I have never been sympathetic to the notion that creation requires a creator.  And like our late friend, Christopher Hitchens, I find the possibility of living in a universe that was not created for my existence, in which my actions and thoughts need not bend to the whims of a creator, far more enriching and meaningful than the other alternative.  In that sense, I view myself as an anti-theist rather than an atheist.
 FULL INTERVIEW: http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/everything-and-nothing/

BOOK: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/145162445X?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwsamharri02-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=145162445X

LA auxiliary bishop resigns, admits fathering kids

As a former Catholic, I still think that demanding priests not marry is simply stupid. Religious people in many other faiths marry. Forcing priests to "shut off" their sexuality is dangerous. Of course, the church also needs to ensure that priests who are mentally ill and abuse children are removed and given therapy. While I'm at it, the church needs to stop spending their congregation's money attacking gay marriage- not only because it's political and they're not supposed to do that (and should lose their tax exempt status), but also because it's a legal right, not a religious one. - Rob 

LA auxiliary bishop resigns, admits fathering kids

By ROBERT JABLON | AP – 11 hrs ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The resignation of a Los Angeles bishop who fathered two children has shocked the nation's most populous Roman Catholic archdiocese, where Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala grew up and was an outspoken supporter of causes dear to the huge Hispanic population.

   Zavala, 60, who once urged Catholic media to report scandals such as clergy sex abuse "in a spirit of love and mercy," had his resignation accepted Wednesday by Pope Benedict XVI. Roman Catholic canon law permits bishops to step down earlier than the normal retirement age of 75 if they are sick or otherwise unfit for office.

"This is unexpected, sad and disorienting news for many people who know and like Bishop Zavala," archdiocesan spokesman Tod Tamberg said. "Remember, he was raised here. He has deep roots in Los Angeles and so he's very well-known here."

Tamberg said he knew nothing about Zavala's affair except that it involved consenting adults and that no church funds were used.

A handful of other priests have quit their post over sexual relationships, including: Florida priest Alberto Cutie, who resigned in 2009 and married his then-girlfriend; Auxiliary Bishop James McCarthy of New York, who resigned in 2002 after the archdiocese was alerted about his affairs with women; and Archbishop Robert Sanchez of Santa Fe, New Mexico, who resigned in 1993 after confessing relationships with women.

The late Archbishop Eugene Marino of Atlanta resigned in 1990 when his relationship with a parishioner was made public; the woman said she and the archbishop had secretly married.:

FULL STORY http://news.yahoo.com/la-auxiliary-bishop-resigns-admits-fathering-kids-210529533.html

La Nina Means a Mild Winter Continues for southeastern U.S.

This Dec. 2011 NASA satellite image shows the cooler than normal sea surface temperatures (blue) that represent La Nina. Credit: NASA JPL

If you live in the southeastern and mid-Atlantic states, you've been enjoying a milder than normal winter, thanks to the La Nina phenomena in the eastern Pacific Ocean. La Nina is expected to continue through the winter, so the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says the mild winter temperatures will continue.



  What is La Nina? It's below-average sea surface temperatures (SST) across the eastern and central equatorial Pacific Ocean that affect (and bend) the path of the jet stream. The Jet Stream is a fast moving ribbon or "street" of air in the upper troposphere that moves from west to east, and storms track along it. The Jet Stream is buldging north of the Mid-Atlantic, keeping that area and the states south of it, warmer than normal. 
    In a forecast issued on January 5, 2012, NOAA said "During January - March 2012, there is an increased chance of above-average temperatures across the south-central and southeastern U.S., and below-average temperatures over the western and the northwest-central U.S. Also, above-average precipitation is favored across most of the northern tier of states and in the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, and drier-than-average conditions are more likely across the southern tier of the U.S. (see 3-month seasonal outlook released on 15 December 2011)."



FOR THE FULL REPORT FROM NOAA: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.pdf

Santorum and His Dead Baby- this is sick!

We received TIME magazine today, and trying to understand Rick Santorum's mindset and his voracious hatred for gay people and men and women who use contraception(which he wants to make illegal in the U.S., BTW), I read an article by Joe Klein. Joe interviewed Santorum, who shared stories about his grandfather, his religion, etc.  

- One thing that stood out is DISTURBING.

Santorum and his wife Karen lost their son Gabriel in childbirth 15 years ago. A horrible tragedy. 

 -The article says "Karen nearly died from septic shock, but she refuses to have an induced birth - an abortion, in effect. In retrospect, she admitted she wasn't thinking clearly; she had three other children at home." Sadly, Santorum wants to make that kind of abortion illegal, putting the life of the mother at risk. That's just stupid. 

*** NOW for the DISTURBING PART: "After Karen miscarried, the Santorums BROUGHT THE DEAD CHILD HOME OVERNIGHT SO THEIR OTHER CHILDREN COULD SEE THAT HE WAS "a beautiful, tiny little baby."  

 - We don't have children, but we think that's SICK. There's something mentally wrong here. His living children will ALWAYS have the mental trauma of seeing their dead newborn brother! Telling them is one thing, but bringing home the corpse of a newborn is just SICK.

  We welcome your thoughts on this.  

SOURCE: TIME Magazine, Vol 179, No. 2, Jan. 16, 2012. Article "The Passion of Rick Santorum," p. 33

Some GOOD Economic News! Private hiring surges, jobless claims dip

 -- For those  who think the economy is still miserable, there's good news. Things are getting better in the job sector of the economy. Here's a story from Reuters News on 1/5/12:

(Reuters) - Private-sector hiring surged in December as employers added 325,000 new workers while claims for jobless benefits fell, raising hope that recent labor market improvement would continue in 2012.
The ADP National Employment Report's December job tally surprised economists who had expected a 178,000 gain. It was also well above the 204,000 private jobs added in November.
"The number is stunning," said Wayne Kaufman, chief market analyst at John Thomas Financial in New York. "This is another data point that shows our economy is healing. It fits in well with improvements we've seen in consumer sentiment, and obviously that's because there are more people getting paychecks, which is making everyone happier."
Joel Prakken of Macroeconomic Advisers, which helps produce the report, struck a note of caution, telling reporters that the December surge in hiring might have been caused in part by year-end seasonal factors and revisions were possible. In the U.S. stock market, stock futures pared losses after the data while U.S. government debt prices fell slightly.
FULL STORY: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/05/us-usa-economy-idUSTRE7BM0AB20120105?feedType=nl&feedName=ustopnewsearly

PHOTO DOG BLOG: A Day in the life

Dolly tears into a stuffed Dolphin from her grandparents

 Playing, napping, listening - all part of a day in the life of our dogs, Dolly, Franklin and Sprite. Here are some pictures of them over the holiday week.

Trying to get the stuffed monkey from Franklin is impossible!

Dolly resting from playtime

Sprite listening to everyone talk and waiting for a treat

In-Santorum - From the headlines

I honestly can't believe what I hear coming from the mouths of political candidates like Rick Santorum and Michelle Bachmann. Santorum is apparently not the "Moral Christian" he says he is- doing lots of back door deals and favors.  What's horrifying to me is that people vote for them and that these candidates and supporters actually believe this stuff. I can only refer to them as "In-santorum" (Insanity).
If you don't read anything on this page, read the 10th and  LAST bullet point.
Here are some examples of the stupidity from the headlines:
1) Santorum Surge Brings Ethics Questions
"There were several instances in which Santorum appeared to have taken campaign contributions in direct exchange for legislative assistance," said Sloan, whose organization, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), spent months investigating Santorum's activities while he was in office.
FULL STORY ON  Ethics Violations from ABC NEWS: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/santorum-surge-brings-ethics-questions/story?id=15287424#.TwWai_Le6Sr

2)  Santorum Backs Invalidating All Gay Marriages (how Rotten is this?)
Santorum repeated his support for a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/santorum-backs-invalidating-all-gay-marriages.html#ixzz1iRUdePoy

3) Santorum Blames Gays for Marriage Decline (this is just stupid)

Poster found on the Internet

( former senator Rick Santorum, reacting to a newly released report saying that marriage is at an all time low in the United States, tweeted to his near 46,000 followers that the decline is due to “changing” the definition of marriage.  (Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/santorum-blames-gays-for-marriage-decline.html#ixzz1iRUvAzXq 
4)   Santorum: Gay Marriage Means Kids Would Be Taught Gay Sex (RIDICULOUS!!!)

Jason Kornelis, a 23-year-old recent graduate of Dordt College asked how Santorum’s being against gay marriage is any different to the kind of prejudice that once surrounded interracial marriage. Santorum balked at the comparison, and was incredulous that Kornelius didn’t think same-sex marriage would negatively impact society.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/santorum-gay-marriage-means-kids-would-be-taught-gay-sex.html#ixzz1iRVSF4bw

4)  Santorum: Insurers Should Discriminate Against People With Pre-Existing Conditions  (You think this guy cares about everyone? No)

The former Pennsylvania senator not only defended insurers for denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, he also argued that individuals who are sick should pay higher premiums because they cost more money to insure.Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/santorum-insurers-should-discriminate-against-people-with-pre-existing-conditions.html#ixzz1iRVv7uwp 

5)  With a Santorum Presidency, You May Lose Your Birth Control

Santorum would let states ban birth control.  Story: .http://santorumexposed.com/?p=454
and : http://www.care2.com/causes/with-a-santorum-presidency-you-may-lose-your-birth-control.html#ixzz1iRWMxcxN

Poster found on the Internet

6) Carbon Dioxide is Not Harmful

"Carbon dioxide is portrayed as harmful. But there isn't even one study that can be produced that shows that carbon dioxide is a harmful gas." -Rep. Michelle Bachmann, April, 2009

7) Remove Minimum Wage to Wipe Out Unemployment?

"If we took away the minimum wage -- if conceivably it was gone -- we could potentially virtually wipe out unemployment completely because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level." -Michele Bachmann, Jan. 2005

8) She Knows her History: NOT

"But we also know that the very founders that wrote those documents worked tirelessly until slavery was no more in the United States. ... I think it is high time that we recognize the contribution of our forebearers who worked tirelessly -- men like John Quincy Adams, who would not rest until slavery was extinguished in the country." -Rep. Michele Bachmann, botching American history while speaking at an Iowan's for Tax Relief event in January 2011. The Founding Fathers did not work to end slavery, and John Quincy Adams was not one of the Founding Fathers.

9) *READ THIS** USA POLITICS  ARTICLE: If you’re wondering why Michele Bachmann doesn’t seem to get history, economics, science or facts, it’s not because she’s stupid or gaffe prone. These are not mistakes; these are Bachmann’s real beliefs.

Full Story: http://www.politicususa.com/en/michele-bachmann-dangerous

10) WHO SUPPORTS THESE PEOPLE? - According to an article in USA Politics (See above): How extreme are her supporters? According to a recent poll, 35% of those who support Michele Bachmann thought the rapture was coming on May 21, 2011.

Check Out the SUPERMAN reboot in Action Comics

It's no secret that I love Superman (Batman, Green Lantern, Flash and others) and still collect comics. 

   This past September, DC Comics rebooted all of its comics and took some back to a time early in their careers.

    ACTION COMICS is set 10-15 years in the past, and 5 years prior to the current JUSTICE LEAGUE arc, and shows us a young Superman, in his early 20s, just having moved to Metropolis… and ready to save the world.. by any means necessary.

 My comics shop- Third Eye in Annapolis said in its blog: "In the first four issues of Action, Morrison has done SO much awesome stuff, from introducing big time Superman bad guys like Metallo (and hinting at Brainiac), to supporting cast like Steel and Jimmy Olsen, to the Bottle City of Kandor… it’s incredible.   His portrayal of Luthor is especially interesting."

Now, in Action #5, out this week, "Morrison is doing something that is especially huge… he’s retelling, and redefining the origins of SUPERMAN  in the 21st century, while not throwing away concepts that came before, but modernizing others," Third Eye Comics said.  ***I can't wait! The first 4 issues were great!***

Shopping and Religion: an Analogy/ A viable candidate

While watching the news about the Republican candidates Monday morning, it became obvious to me how much they continue to push their religion on the American public (except for GOP's Jon Huntsman, who seems to have a great deal of experience and knowledge on how to run a country and has common sense).

My observation is that religion is like grocery shopping. It's something personal. You don't demand that all  of your friends shop at your supermarket of choice, do you? No. You can only recommend it.
So, why do most political GOP candidates want you to shop at their "religious" grocery store?  It makes no sense. We are a country of individuals who make their own choices.

Further, if this country was run by one religion, we would be the same as another country (or countries, which shall remain nameless), led by one religious leader that vows to destroy all other religions or blot out those who don't follow their beliefs.  That is NOT America. We are a melting pot of all beliefs and no beliefs. We need to understand that, and allow for ALL, not just a select few. President Obama is not forcing his religious views on the country and keeps religion separate from politics as our founding fathers intended. (Check out the writings of Jefferson, Franklin, Adams).

BTW- JON HUNTSMAN - is someone I would consider voting for. **I think Huntsman is a smart guy who could actually run the country and do a great job. However, religious conservatives don't like him because he believes climate change is a reality (Finally- an Educated candidate!), who believes in civil rights, and was a diplomat. He's got a lot of great political expereince. Jon Meade Huntsman, Jr. (born March 26, 1960) is politician, businessman, and diplomat who served as the 16th Governor of Utah. He also served in the administrations of four United States presidents. More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Huntsman,_Jr.

CNN MONEY:    Same-sex spouses lose big on taxes
By Blake Ellis @CNNMoney December 31, 2011: 7:54 AM ET
    Same-sex spouses sometimes pay thousands more in federal income taxes than their straight counterparts because the Defense of Marriage Act bars the IRS from recognizing their marriages. An analysis conducted for CNNMoney explains the many federal tax advantages not available to gay and lesbian married couples. 
************************************************** 


NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Same-sex spouses are paying as much as $6,000 a year in extra taxes because the federal government doesn't recognize gay marriage, according to an analysis conducted for CNNMoney by tax specialists.
While marriage provides tax benefits for many heterosexual couples, same-sex families don't enjoy the same perks because they are not allowed to file their federal returns jointly.
The imbalance persists despite increasing acceptance of gay marriage as a legal right. More than 12 states now grant full or partial marriage rights to same-sex couples, and a recent Gallup poll showed -- for the first time -- that a majority of Americans favor gay marriage.
But not the federal government, which is constrained by the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. Even as more same-sex couples are able to file jointly at the state level, they are still forced to file as single when submitting federal returns to the IRS.
This means they can't combine their income and deductions to take advantage of lower tax rates. It's also harder for them to qualify for certain tax breaks because the credits phase out sooner for single filers.

State tax changes on the way in 2012

"It's costing these families thousands of dollars a year, as well as the emotional pain and suffering," said Ken Weissenberg, a partner at accounting firm EisnerAmper who is in a same-sex marriage himself.
Why gay couples pay more: To zero in on the tax bill gap between same-sex families across the country, CNNMoney asked H&R Block to crunch number comparing same-sex and heterosexual families according to a variety of scenarios. (Check out H&R Block's methodology)
One scenario involved families with one spouse earning $100,000 and the other spouse staying at home with the family's two kids.
In the same-sex family's case, the working spouse files as "head of household," and the stay-at-home spouse is considered a "qualifying relative."
Say that couple reported no other income or deductions. In that case, the same-sex household's federal tax bill is $15,199, which includes tax the head of household must pay on health insurance premiums to cover the stay-at-home spouse. That's $4,543 higher than the straight couple's liability. Why? Because the "head of household" designation comes with some disadvantages.

Filing as "head of household" instead of "married filing jointly" exposes more income to a higher tax bracket. Plus, standard deductions, which are given based on the filing status to taxpayers who don't itemize deductions, are lower for a head of household than they are for married couples filing jointly.
And then there are the kids. When a child tax credit is claimed, the gap between same-sex households and married couples can grow even wider.
The heterosexual couple in H&R Block's example is able to claim the full $1,000 child tax credit for each kid. But the credit phases out sooner for families claiming "head of household." So in this case, the cost of being unable to file jointly comes out to $6,043 for same-sex households.
The one exception where same-sex spouses can actually come out ahead is the so-called marriage penalty. For some same-sex spouses in the higher tax brackets who work and have no children, filing tax returns using the "single" status makes the liability a little lower than that of heterosexual married couples. Still, "single" status is typically less advantageous than "married filing jointly."

They tried to deduct what?!

Other factors driving up the bill: It's not just income taxes that are costing same-sex couples more.
Many same-sex spouses don't qualify for the same marital exemptions given to other families for inheritance taxes and gift taxes. In addition, same-sex households receive lower tax exclusions for capital gains on the sales of a home (unless the home is jointly owned and each spouse qualifies for the exclusion).
All of this is not only costing same-sex couples more, but it's a paperwork and compliance nightmare.
Same-sex families who live in states where gay marriage is recognized typically have to fill out up to four separate returns -- including mock federal returns -- to cover both their state and federal taxes. Plus, hiring a tax preparer to take on these more complicated returns tends to be significantly more expensive.
"But it shouldn't stop anyone from getting married," said Weissenberg, who says he pays an extra $5,000 in taxes per year simply because he is in a same-sex marriage. "If I had to pay twice as much in taxes to be married to my husband, I would." 

Fun in Lynchburg, VA

During our week off, we drove down to Lynchburg, VA to meet our friends Tom G., Robert and Ed. We stayed at a great hotel that was once a shoe factory. We enjoyed a great dinner, breakfast and lunch, and paid respects to our other friend Ed who passed in 1996 (my Tom's late partner). We learned the Lynchburg closes up shops during Christmas week and about 80% of the stores are closed during that entire week!  It was a fun time and great to see Tom, Robert and Ed. Here are some photos- and some thanks to Robert L.

L to R: Rob, Ed, Tom, Tom and Robert in hotel lobby

L to R: Ed, Robert, Tom, Rob and Tom

Shoebox with breakfast order inside

Ed, Tom and Tom breakfasting in downtown

Craddock Terry Hotel- former shoe factory and nice place to stay!

Ed, Tom, Robert, Rob and Tom in hotel lobby

Tom and Tom at Lunch in restaurant that was a former Woolworth store downtown