Tag: Maine

DREAM Now Letters to Barack Obama: Selvin Arevalo

Originally posted on Citizen Orange.

The “DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama” is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, S. 729, would help tens of thousands of young people, American in all but paperwork, to earn legal status, provided they graduate from U.S. high schools, have good moral character, and complete either two years of college or military service.  With broader comprehensive immigration reform stuck in partisan gridlock, the time is now for the White House and Congress to step up and pass the DREAM Act!

[Note from Kyle de Beausset: Selvin wrote this letter right before he got into a minor car accident on April 9, 2010.  He was set to get his high school diploma in June but has been in detention ever since.  I have chosen reproduce Selvin’s letter as I found it in his empty room, rather than polish his slight grammatical errors, to allow his character to shine through.]

Dear President Barack Obama,

From the bottom of my heart, I plead to my God that you and your entire family receive blessings from the highest God while you are reading this letter.  I admire and thank you for the great labor that you are fulfilling as a president in this big nation.  My name is Selvin Ovidio Arevalo.  I came to this country when I was 15 years old.  I came from Guatemala to this country to fulfill my dreams because I always have believed that this is a country of many opportunities for those whom want to succeed.

Poor Macondo Can’t Get It Up, Can We Just Give Him Cialis & Be Done With It ?

The Further Adventures of Macondo, the Misbehaving Well.

Oh, Macondo, you were supposed to save us, and now look what you’ve done!



Can you hear the drums, Fernando ? I remember long ago another starry night like this

In the firelight Fernando, You were humming to yourself and softly strumming your guitar

I could hear the distant drums , and the sound of bugle calls were coming from afar

They were closer now, Fernando, every hour every minute, seemed to last eternally.  I was so afraid Fernando, We were young and full of life and none of us prepared to die

and I’m not afraid to say, the roar of guns and cannons almost made me cry

There was something in the air that night, the stars were bright, they were shining there for you and me, For Liberty, tho we never thought that we could lose, there’s no regret,  if I had to do the same again, I would my friend, Fernando  

Friday:  The First Family puts on their color coordinated summer outfits in muggy DC,  and marches dutifully to the helicopter for the obligatory New England Summer vacation in Maine.  They will be staying at the Holiday Inn in Bar Harbor on Mt Desert Island, which was last visited by a President while in office 100 years ago,  when William Howard Taft showed up.

President,Maine,weekend getaways,Acadia National Park

Enjoying a stroll today at Acadia National Park in Maine, Properly Attired for the Neighborhood.

A small earthquake hit Washington DC, this morning.  The 3.6 magnitude rattler was the largest recorded within 30 miles of the nation’s capitol since 1974.  There were no reports of damage from the 2.0 aftershocklette.

DC earthquake,2010 July DC earthquake

Matt Simpson’s Prediction Comes True at Last.

The House of Congress adjourned the day before, and scheduled its next meeting for lunchtime on Monday, July 19, 2010.  The Senate also adjourned at 6:33 pm Thursday, and vowed to return next Monday afternoon, whereby they will take up the Jobs Bill. Or the Energy Bill. Or something.

Gov Manchin of West Virginia will have appointed a new Senator by then to fill the seat left vacant by the loss of Senator Byrd.

And thereby complete the Entire Remaining Agenda of the First Term of the Obama Administration in 12 Days.  Yes, By God, West Virginia.  

Almost heaven. Life is old there. Older than the seas, Younger than the mountains, Blowin’ like a breeze. Take me home. To the place. I belong.  

Or at least get the polling numbers up.

(sssppst, those polling numbers….  didja fire the old one yet ? )  

Home. If home foreclosures continue at the current rate this year, in 2010 there will have been a million homes lost to the banks, more than the 900,000 homes lost to foreclosure in 2009.  The usual amount is about 100,000 homes a year, before the mortgaging/bank financial meltdown started.  7.5 million homeowners are in some sort of payment problem.  The 3.2 million jobless people who had their unemployment benefits expire because of lack of Senate action so far this month   become the targets of the self righteous, who ignore the higher “unofficial” unemployment rates of 15 to 20% in places like Republican Tea Partier’s Wally Herger’s district in the rural north of California, and tell them to get off the couch, stop eating chips and sodas, and learn to live on subsistence income.  Because the system shouldn’t reward the lazy nor punish those who succeed. It is 107ºF degrees in Redding this afternoon, this Friday.  Not using air conditioning is the new patriotic.

It was the 87th day since the pierced earth in block 252 of the Macondo prospect in Mississippi Canyon, nearly a mile under the sea, had bled out all the ancient dead liquified souls that it had held for eons, and covered it, shifted it back and forth by wind, strangled it in its carbon and sulfur stench, and mired its living things in tar and fed the swimming things the liquid toxins.  People of the coastal Gulf waters watched with cynical eyes as the British Petroleum company and the government told them that first they had shut it off, and then they would wait and see, and then maybe they would turn it back on, after all.

Pressure readings after 24 hours were about 6,700 pounds per square inch and rising slowly, Allen said, below the 7,500 psi that would clearly show the well was not leaking.  He said pressure continued to rise between 2 and 10 psi per hour.  He said a seismic probe of the surrounding sea floor found no sign of a leak in the ground, one of the major concerns because oil erupting into the surroundings would be harder to contain and could weaken the well before it is plugged for good.  The news came at the dinner hour on Friday, just as it always does.  

The slow deflation of optimism continued.

All the miracles of modern technology, 4 billion dollars and 3 months later, and still couldn’t get it up.


twitter

Said from the start if pressure didn’t rise to 5- 6K PSI, no well integrity & 7,500 + PSI, we would absolutely have integrity.

-Kent Wells

BP_ America

Official BP    


http://twitter.com/BP_America/…

Maybe there is a blockage in the well.  “The pipe integrity’s still there, It’s just getting around obstacles,” said one geology professor at Columbia.

A few hours earlier, another one at the University of Houston named Don Van Nieuwenhuise had tried to say that the well had merely lost power over the time it has been leaking.  But in another source he says


“There’s a couple of weak points at 9,000 feet, and one at 17,000 feet, that they might be particularly interested in looking at watching in the seismic. ”

http://www.neurosoftware.ro/fi…

Another telegenic oil wonk, Rob Cavner, of Houston, put it thus:  


“they are just sitting there circulating on the bottom at 17,840 (feet).  Just sitting there. Wells claims they are doing that for “safety reasons” during the well integrity test. What ? …. what the hell are they doing ? They now have an ability to capture all the oil and stop this massive pollution of the Gulf, as well as measure it. We have great weather to get the relief well completed. We already know without the “well integrity test” that they have severe damage to the BOP and other surface equipment and casing. If that were not true, it wouldn’t have blown out in the first place.”

____

“As soon as they do capture all the flow, then a real, measurable number will be in front of the public, and that’s the last thing BP wants, since that number will then be used to extrapolate environmental damage, hence per barrel fines that will likely run to the tens of billions anyway.”

   So just call Dickie’s cardiologist, would you ?

But for those who need help before a heart is available, or for whom a transplant is too risky, we have a gizmo called the left ventricular assist device, a $200,000 item. The LVAD is a cumbersome almost-artificial heart that requires the recipient to wear heavy batteries, a shoulder sling with various parts, tubes going through the chest and into the heart and abdomen, and other substantial inconveniences. It helps push a portion of the heart’s blood forward, doing the work the failing ventricle no longer can accomplish. Once used only to stabilize people awaiting heart transplant, it now is referred to, not ironically, as a “destination therapy”-the exact intervention that you want, not the half-assed loaner you are stuck with till the real McCoy arrives.

Six years ago, the doctor and medical historian Howard Markel, writing in The Atlantic, assembled seven fancy cardiologists and discussed Anonymous Patient C’s medical history with them; all were surprised that he was still puttering along, and even more surprised to then be informed that he was at the time their vice president. Stated most simply, he should have died long, long ago. Most people with his heart, his weight and sedentary habits, his history of cigarette smoking and who knows what else already have heard the bell toll. But not Cheney-pointing out that, though useful to define national trends, population-based statistics are completely useless for predicting the fate of an individual. The extremely unlikely happens every day, all of the time:   Just as it’s the rare person who wins the lottery, or is struck by lightning, or rolls snake eyes 50 times in a row, so too does a bad guy with a worse heart beat all the odds to stay alive.

So too does a destructive national energy policy, with a bad deepwater oil well, beat all the odds to stay alive.

____________

Saturday Dawning:

Break out the champaign for brunch, darlings!

BP announces at its only press briefing of the day that :


http://www.theoildrum.com/node…

[13:39] “You’ll see bubbles on the 36″ casing”

[13:39] “This is quite normal. First piece of pipe put in down to 500′. Build well on top of that”

[13:39] “There are 6 or 8 valves around this piece of pipe, it’s quite caution. But we’ll go take a sample and make sure it’s not gas from deeper down in the riser”

[13:40] ahh

[13:40] “Could be nitrogen or biodegrading methane”

[13:40] “As the well cools down, that’s probably what caused those bubbles”


Next technical update will be tomorrow (July 18) at 7:30 am CT. Any other updates btwn now & then will be announced.

about 2 hours ago via web   http://twitter.com/BP_America/…

At this point, there is no evidence that we don’t have well integrity. -Kent Wells

about 2 hours ago via web   http://twitter.com/BP_America/…

The longer integrity test goes, the more confident we get & the test will end when it is the right time to make that decision. -Kent Wells  

about 2 hours ago via web    http://twitter.com/BP_America/…

Continuing to progress with long-term containment options as planned. -Kent Wells

about 2 hours ago via web    http://twitter.com/BP_America/…

Bubbles you see on the 36″ casing on one of ROV cameras is normal. Being cautious, going down to double check & get a sample. -Kent Wells

about 2 hours ago via web    http://twitter.com/BP_America/…

Well integrity test continues, with pressure currently at 6,745 PSI, building at approx 2 PSI per hr. -Kent Wells

about 3 hours ago via web  http://twitter.com/BP_America/…

Every 6 hrs we’re going to look at the info & keep making decisions at that point on what to do going forward. -Kent Wells  

about 16 hours ago via web   http://twitter.com/BP_America/…

  ooh la lah, Le Weekend Sans Fin.  Est il droit pour vous ?  Toute l’heure peut etre le bon moment avec BP.                  

Do you live in Maine? Then you could influence history

If you live in Maine and know 100 people (or live within driving distance of 100 people), then you can change the results of the gay rights referendum from last Tuesday.  An email from Black Box Voting:

I’ve been getting a lot of calls and emails from folks both for and against gay

rights, the first group wondering how to get this recount thing off the ground,

the second group kinda mad at Black Box Voting for leading the charge.

So here are some updates:

1. The $2500 is available. People who’ve been getting our emails have stepped up

to the plate with this, and all it takes is a phone call now

2. The holdup is the petition. Black Box Voting is not going to organize this.

It takes 100 Maine voters on a petition to  do this thing. 100 names:

http://www.mainelegislature.or…

If someone gets 100 names on a petition, call me and I’ll help push the buttons

for #1.

Wire transfers or overnight means tomorrow’s deadline is challenging for handing

over the money.

Now as to “why do it?” and “where are the numbers anyway?” and what would happen

if the recount goes forward?

Why? Because Maine does happen to have the best voter’s rights in the country

right now, but it’s not great — they use concealed computerized vote counting,

violating citizens right to see their own election counting. Maybe I should call

it “the least worst” voting rights in the country. We have a confluence of key

opportunities that is very rare for the issue of concealed computer counts.

1) The recount is affordable

2) There are probably interested citizens willing to seek it

3) The firm with control over programming Maine’s elections is one that concerns

many citizens, not just Maine, but also in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New

Hampshire and Vermont. LOTS of people want more light shed on these guys.

4) If machine counts don’t match the recount in any location, or if the chain of

custody is broken in any way for any of the recount ballots the implications

will affect all of New England because one firm controls all the voting machines

(LHS Associates)

5) This will give us a good opportunity to examine chain of custody in Maine

There’s more to the email, but the basic story is this – for $25,000 and 100 Maine citizen signatures (although you should probably collect a few hundred if possible), anyone in the state can order a recount of November 3rd’s vote.  It’s worth a shot since it’s so easy, and it could mean a victory for election, integrity, too.

Any takers?

Friday: Schubert Flint & Prop 8 Money Goes to Maine

(This started out as a reply comment in a recommended diary over at GOS by Bill in Portland, Maine, to somebody who said the Veto 1 sure looked like Prop 8, and it sort of took on a life of its own as I started putting in the links.)

The PR on “Yes on People’s Veto # 1” in Maine- It’s being run by Schubert Flint,  http://www.schubertpa.com/who_…  the exact same Sacramento- based Republican PR firm that ran the Prop 8 campaign here in CA last year, to drag Republicans across the finish line, with laundered tax free donation money.

This is just another job for people like this, altho they won’t put it up on their Schubert Flint website under the “past successes” category.

There is still LOTS of out of state money going east towards Maine-  as I have said in several other comments, it’s just not going to be obvious unless one knows where to look.

Let’s take a peek:

Big Breaking Update! Make $10 Into $20 By Supporting Marriage Equality In Maine!

So, the Dog very rarely posts on the same issue in the same week, but this is a kind of breaking and important news, so please forgive the old hound as he breaks his own rules. As you may know, the great State of Maine has passed marriage equality for its gay citizens. This is a very, very big deal as it is the first State to do so without litigation as the basis of the action by the legislature. Mainers, being the good small d democrats they are also have what is known as a citizens veto provision. If you live in Maine and can get the signatures, you can get a vote to override action by the legislature. This is what is happening now in Maine. The Anti’s (the theocratic forces who don’t think all citizens should have equal rights to marry) have gotten the signatures and are trying to override the legislature.

Originally posted at Squarestate.net

Update: You People Rock! We have already raised the 10,000 required to get the matching 10,000 from our anonymous donor. He is so impressed that he has agreed to match everything up to 20,000 raised by midnight EST Friday. We are already at 16,098 right now, so we only have to raise 3,902 in the next 11 hours!

So, if you have not donated, here is you very last chance to make you money count twice as much towards full civil rights for all citizens!

Marriage Equality In Maine! We Need The Netroots!

Yes, health care reform is a big issue, and yes every one of us needs to put some time in on it, but it is not the only issue. Since this is an off year for elections it is easy to get completely focused on policy but there is a fight we should all be aware of and should all put some effort into. What is this fight? It is the fight to take marriage equality away from the citizens of Maine. That’s right readers, the same forces of religious intolerance who managed to get Prop 8 passed in California and they are setting their sights on Maine.

Originally posted at Squarestate.net

After Prop 8 – A Netroots Nation Panel

The Dog is at the Netroots Nation and it is fabulous! For those playing our home game this week the Dog is going to try to post as many posts about being here as possible! This post is about the first panel of the day. It was titled Prop 8 and beyond. Marriage Equality for all 50 States.  

I went to the Veterans Administration hospital yesterday.

This is my first post on DocuDharma. It is cross posted from a DailyKos essay (of Fri Nov 09, 2007 at 10:51:54 AM EST)

http://www.dailykos.com/story/… I have about 30 diaries on DailyKos. I will not be cross posting them all (that’s good for you). Only the ones I think were my better ones and/or got good response. I want to thank my friend “boadicaea” for turning me on to this site and also her assistance in the last few weeks with helping me with my disjointed, repetitive and lengthy wtiting style. I have read a lot on Docudharma in the last 24hrs and really like what I read and the atmosphere of the community. Expect to see me here daily. I look forward to the day when Docudharma has the membership of sites like DailyKos (150K members), and I know it will, and I can then be an “old timer” with an ID under 1100-:)

I went to the Veterans Administration hospital yesterday for a routine appointment that was to be just a quick check-in with my doc & off I go.

The main point of this diary is about our military personnel. The unfair situations they are faced with & the amazing commitment of many. There are other issues within my blabbering. It wouldn’t be a TominMaine diary without some rambling & personal items wrapped around the issues.

I have an appointment at the VA about once a month between my many doctors. I had to see my doctor who monitors my TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury from an auto accident in 1999.

Without VA health & prescription (22 meds) coverage, my SSDI & my wife’s meager wages (she has no health insurance), we might be living in the attic of my mom’s house. With myself, my wife, 2 dogs & a cat, it would be cramped in that drafty, smelly attic in an old New England house built over 100 years ago. The attic would be better than the cellar with the stone walls & it looks like something out of “Silence of the Lambs”. I also know my mom would push me from mild bi-polar disorder to complete insanity.

I am luckier than the 47 million uninsured who could face such horrors and worse.

None of my many medical issues are life threatening. They are an inconvenience to living “normal”, I am always in at least some pain, they are often frustrating and a pain in the ass, but we all have our cross to bare and I don’t want to trade mine for anyone else’s. I know how to live with mine and remain happy and content.

Because of the several benefits I am entitled to, I am much luckier than many millions in our country. I take some time each day to give thought to this fact. Usually during my early morning regiment. Today though, I spent my morning time thinking more about my “simple” visit yesterday to the VA hospital. BTW, my pets are part of my whole morning routine also.  

Every morning when I get up, I am greeted by my two dogs and my cat. They rise with great anticipation of going out and then getting fed. They all three shadow me around as I go through my morning rituals of about 15 minutes. They know this proceeds their pleasures. When done with my routine, I pour my first cup of coffee, and to my pet’s delight, we head out the door. They do what animals do first thing in the morning and then they wander through the woods a little. While they do that, I view the early morning here in the deep woods of Maine. The quiet and serenity allows me some time to think about things.

My cat goes out with us each morning for this daily routine. She thinks she is a dog. When she is out alone, she always comes home when I call her. In the afternoon, if I’m feeling o.k., we take a walk in and around the woods. She always comes on these walks with the dogs and I. When she is out alone and wants to come in, she paws the screen door so it sounds like someone knocking softly. If I don’t hear it, the dogs will start barking and let me know. Like me, she is not “normal” and kinda unique. Some photos for your viewing pleasure.

ALL THREE ON A WALK.

http://i239.photobucket.com/al…

PENZA (named after a city in Russia)

http://i239.photobucket.com/al…

WALTER

http://i239.photobucket.com/al…

OREO

http://i239.photobucket.com/al…

Reflecting on my trip to the VA yesterday, I thought of the people I spoke to, the things I learned and the emotions I felt. I thought maybe this would make a decent diary. You can decide that.

While I waited to see my doctor, I got a flu shot. The guy giving shots was a volunteer. He is also an active duty Major in the Army. Since I had a little time to wait for my doctor, we talked about numerous military and political issues.

He told me about an Army General that he knew who was an expert on the middle east. When Bush was planning the attack on Iraq, this General was one of the few with the guts to adamantly and quite vocally disagree with attacking Iraq. He gave Bush a kinda “in your face” explanation of the realities of attacking Iraq. He predicted exactly what is happening today. He said the only way this wouldn’t happen was if we dedicated 600,000 troops to Iraq and we would probably have to keep most of them there for many years. That General “retired” a month later. They are not all Petraus. Rest assured, before he said his piece, that General knew what the results would be. He still said it with all that was on the line for he and his family. That’s a big set of balls with a dose of courage and some honor thrown in. That General was a true commander and patriot who cared about his troops. God, I wish I was there for that.

The Major and I got around to talking about a personal issue that is important to me and I think all Americans should know about it. We talked about our soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan returning with TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury).

Since I have TBI and so do many soldiers returning from Iraq/Afghanistan (65%), I have researched this problem extensively. Another major side effect that has been caused by Bushco’s debacle.

I was very glad to hear from the Major about a new VA program that is to be SOP (standard operating procedure) at all VA hospitals. Every soldier returning from Iraq and Afghanistan is put through a battery of tests for PTSD, mental health issues and TBI to see if they need help or are fit to return to the front line. About fucking time this was done.

I thought the Major’s information was excellent news. During my research, I read that the military was working on this testing but I had not heard that it had been implemented.

It was a little ironic to have this conversation yesterday with the Major. After many hours of research, on the morning of 11/02 (1 wk ago today) I posted a diary about TBI and our returning Vets (I will cross post to Docudharma). This is an issue our nation should be concerned about. The impact on our military capabilities could be devastating. TBI has become known as the “signature injury” of this war. The term TBI will soon be as well known as the term PTSD. Some estimate that there could be as many as 65% of Vets returning from Iraq/Afghanistan suffer from TBI.

Besides the good news of the testing, there was one other thing the Major told me that had a strong emotional impact on me.

The word is getting around amongst the troops about possible ways to “fool” the testing.

NO, not to fake that they have these illness’, just the opposite. Some soldiers who may have PTSD, mental health issues or TBI, want to “pass” the test and be allowed to return to the front. The military is now aware of this and is fortunately making adjustments to make it more difficult for them to “fool” the testing.

I know, this seems pretty fucking crazy to “civilians”. I think maybe you would have to have served to truly understand this irrational behavior.

The majority of these young men and women don’t speak much about the politics of the war. Few talk much about if it is right or wrong. Many believe these things are none of their business.

“mine is not to reason why, mine is but to do and die.” Alfred, Lord Tennyson

This is in spite of the fact that they all know exactly what is being said at home in the USA about the war and the government.  

Each of these men and women stood in front of an American flag and a military officer told them to raise their right hand and repeat after me: “I, (NAME), do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God”.

The vast majority in the military don’t take this oath lightly. It becomes a part of them even if many can not repeat it word for word. Their commitment to the military is a matter of honor, pride and a personal promise to themselves, their nation and their God. Mostly, there is a deep sense of loyalty to their fellow soldiers that impacts much of their bahavior.

If only 50% of our politicians took their oath of office as seriously and deeply as the majority of these brave men and women do, then our country wouldn’t be in the fucking mess it is in right now. Then again, most politicians today don’t have the morals, ethics, courage, personal pride or loyalty to their fellow workers or constituents of most in the military.

As stated, even more compelling for those who want to “fool” the test, is a sense of responsibility to those “friends” they left at the battlefront. A felling of guilt for leaving their comrades in arms. A desire to return to help protect those who helped to protect them.

These men and women make huge sacrifices for you and I and our country. When, where or why there is a war is irrelevant when we are talking about the individuals who serve. When talking about those who defend our country against real enemies or some moron politicians perceived, imaginary, manufactured or fictitious enemies, our military men and women must do their duty. Regardless of the stupidity and futility of Iraq, these individuals deserve our respect and appreciation. They need us to speak out for them. Most absolutely will not say negative things about the futility of their mission or the ineptitude of Bushco while they are on active duty. It just is not done by most regardless of what they think, it is blasphemy. Most of them know the realities of this insanity. It is also punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) which also applies to most for two years after “actice duty” ends and they are “on reserve”. They need us to fight for the benefits they earned and deserve. They need us to fight for the quality medical care they deserve when they come home. They need us to do everything we can to end this war. Most importantly, we must insist, demand and ensure the politicians we elect support all these things our soldiers deserve.

Because I live in Maine with such a small population (1.2million), I don’t see a lot of Iraq/Afghanistan Vets when I go to the VA. I probably average seeing one each time I go to the VA hospital. I always try to speak with each one I see.

I told you about the Major who was just giving me a flu shot yesterday. We ended up having a 20 minute wide ranging conversation that educated me and affected me. By coincidence we discussed an issue very important to me that I posted a diary about that very issue just a week before. This was not something I expected when going to a simple appointment at the VA yesterday.

 

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