Martin Luther King Jr. Day marks the birthday of Rev. King who was the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. He is a human-rights icon. “I Have a Dream“ is the popular name given to the public speech in which he called for racial equality and an end to discrimination.
The campaign for a federal holiday in King’s honor began soon after his assassination. Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed in 1986.
fnord
“Let’s honor the sacrifice of Dr. King and the brave men and women who have made progress possible.
And let’s rededicate ourselves to ensuring that every eligible American — regardless of class, color, or creed — can cast a ballot and have it counted.”
http://my.democrats.org/page/content/mlk/
I remember during the run up to last year’s election of Obama, 6176 always predicted that this looked like a one-term presidency no matter who won. It’s too early to know for sure, but look at the anger and who that anger is directed toward. Here’s an article I found interesting, titled, “Mass. Senate race’s lesson for Obama.”
“In June 2008, a few months before the financial implosions began, I asked two smart financiers who happened to be Republican about the future of the seemingly shaky American economy.
Defying the moment’s conventional predictions that we would somehow muddle through, one offered a dire and uncannily accurate forecast. He explained why banks would blow up, investments would crash and the federal government would have to spend “at least $300 billion” to bail out financial institutions.
The other financial expert listened closely, took a sip from his drink, and smiled. “This,” he said, “would seem like an excellent time for the Democrats to take power.”
It wasn’t that he liked Democratic policies. He just wanted the other side in charge when things came tumbling down.
It’s also striking that most conservatives, through a method that might be called the audacity of audacity, have acted as if absolutely nothing went wrong with their economic theories. They speak and act as if they had nothing to do with the large deficits they now bemoan and say we will all be saved if only we return to the very policies that should already be discredited.”
I read an article about the Mass Senate race this morning — actually, I read so many I can’t find the one I’m looking for again.
Anyway, it didn’t say anything different than the others — a squeaker, too close to call, people are angry, this is a referendum on the Obama presidency, too much spent with no results, the Democrats blew it… But it used one phrase I thought apropos.
These aren’t my words, they’re from someone else:
“Coakey is the Democrat’s canary sent into the mine.”
I know this is long, but isn’t it interesting that Sen. Imhofe (R) from Oklahoma hates the evil government but yet just loves this federal money helping his people and then shipping the mess they created up north to Kansas.
Posted on Mon, Jan. 18,
Mining waste from Okla. headed for Kansas highways
By SONYA COLBERG
The Oklahoman
http://www.newsok.com
PICHER, Okla. – Mining waste from the Tar Creek Superfund site in northeastern Oklahoma is to be used on highways in Kansas.
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., said the chat will used on highways in Kansas because that state is less restrictive on lead and zinc levels in the material than is Oklahoma.
The highway and road chat plan is key to the cleanup strategy. More than $35 million in stimulus money will go to the Tar Creek area where mining decimated part of northeast Oklahoma and parts of Missouri and Kansas.
“I’m comfortable they have done enough science to see that it’s safe,” said Gary Blackburn, director of the Kansas Bureau of Environmental Remediation.
Chat has been used around residents’ households and sold by private parties for years, said Rebecca Jim, executive director of the Local Environmental Action Demanded (LEAD) Agency. The chat will be consolidated and the Quapaw Tribe, an area landowner, will begin selling it to contractors to mix with asphalt.
The 40-square-mile mining area is populated by mountains of white chat, mine cave-ins and a small number of hardy townspeople. An estimated 30 years remain for complete cleanup of the area, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Chat contains high levels of cadmium, zinc and lead. Lead is especially dangerous in children because it can reduce intelligence, Harvard University studies show.
The chat’s toxicity, along with the sinkholes, is why the government moved people out of the area.
But studies show that chat encapsulated in hot mix asphalt or Portland cement concrete encloses the dust. That makes it safe when used as a highway material, Leslie Rauscher, Region 6 Environmental Protection Agency spokeswoman said in an e-mail. As roadways containing asphalt mixed with chat wear down, the Environmental Protection Agency will ensure safety with periodic inspections to see that federal regulations were followed, EPA staffers said.
Gov. Brad Henry said the state has spent $10.5 million on relocation. More state money likely will be spent because Oklahoma must match part of the federal funds spent on Tar Creek, said a state Department of Environmental Quality spokesman.
“I don’t think anyone could have predicted all the twists and turns this process would take as it moved from a state to a federal relocation program, but the good news is we are nearing the
http://www2.kusports.com/videos/2010/jan/16/28503/
A little fun (compliments of the Lawrence Journal World) for the KU basketball fans among us. The music is from “The Well Tempered Clavier” by J. S. Bach. I don’t recall which fugue it is, but it is one I heard the elder practice often.
Did you see our old friend in the Eagle today?:
Democratic candidate in race for Kansas governor gets no party backing
By Associated Press
PAOLA — The only declared Democratic candidate in the Kansas gubernatorial race — a high school dropout living on Social Security and Medicare — is being largely ignored by party officials.
Even so, Herbert West told the Topeka Capital-Journal in an interview in the northeast Kansas town of Paola that he could be the “top dog.” He said the government no longer pays attention to common folks.
“There’s been too much of the ‘upper’ politicians doing too much for themselves and forgetting the citizens exist,” West, 43, said. “I’m blue collar. I live it every day.”
Democratic leaders aren’t backing him, saying they know virtually nothing about him. And House Minority Leader Paul Davis insists a “quality, credible” Democratic candidate for governor will step forward soon.
Gov. Mark Parkinson, who took office last year after Kathleen Sebelius resigned to become U.S. health and human services secretary, opted not to run.
Whoever wins the Democratic primary in August is expected to face U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, a Republican, in November.
As a teenager, West dropped out of high school and threw himself into part-time work at restaurants and auto shops. He earned a GED in 1984 and completed paramedic certification.
But he said he was diagnosed with a rare medical condition that left him vulnerable to potentially lethal blood clots and kept him from becoming a paramedic. West, who is single and has no children, receives Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security benefits and lives in Miami County.
West ran unsuccessfully for Miami County sheriff in 2008, though he lacked law enforcement experience. He also said he applied to be Parkinson’s lieutenant governor.
West said his campaign will focus on what he sees as widespread injustice and corruption in Kansas.
He said he doesn’t believe state taxes are too high, but he does think lawmakers spend the money foolishly. He suggested attacking a $400 million deficit by collecting money through “General Fund Relief” buckets that merchants would set up.
He said he feared a planned Manhattan laboratory for research on dangerous viruses could trigger a biological disaster. He thinks the state shouldn’t have offices on Hispanic or African-American affairs.
“Why fund those offices exclusively for those people?” he said.
The death penalty opponent also said advocates of capital punishment risk losing their souls.
Read more: http://www.kansas.com/news/story/1141397.html#ixzz0czuifq1F
I read that article, David. And, I remember that (paraphrasing) Monkeyhawk isn’t now and never has been a candidate for governor of the state of Kansas.
I think I’ll write Monkeyhawk in! Should I use his ‘nic’ or his real name?
I think those Dem officials who claim to know nothing about Herbert should just use the Google.
Of course, that’s more likely a polite way of keeping arms’ length.
Better you use his real name otherwise it could make Politics confusing……
Ahhhhh yeah I saw !!!! I Nominate Monkeyhawk,,,, Maybe Joe Lieberman oh wait a minute he is not a Democrat is he?
Huh that makes me wonder, did Judas belong to a Political party?
Maybe he started one and Lieberman could run as that party’s candidate?
JOE LIEBERMAN THE JUDAS PARTY CANDIDATE!
No on second thought, maybe better off with West!
http://www.dutchdailynews.com/dutch-kids-happiest/
Look at a list of the nations with the “happiest” kids…
The U.S. is TWENTY FIRST on the list! We need to work on that one!
I’m a happy kid!
Please help keep me out of the Insult Blog, friends..
Don’t go there, it isn’t a place your soul finds nourishment, nor is it informative, enlightening or stimulating. There are blogs all over ‘the internets’ where you find ideas being discussed. Always be kind to yourself, David, you’re worth it!
You wanna start some fun threads? Anytime you want in, just say so! It takes a neighborhood.
Man what the heck happened? I checked the weather and it was 46 degree with a prediction of a high of 51.
I left for Wichita the sun shining and it not feeling too bad going down the highway on the motor cycle.
The closer I got to Wichita the colder it got and the fog was getting thicker and thicker!
By the time I left the West side it was M.F.C!!!!
By the time I got to Wal-Mart East there were large droplets of water on the windshield.
It took nearly forty minutes after getting home before my fingers would bend and straighten out.
Kansas if you don’t like the weather wait a few minutes… It will get worse!
When it’s cloudy and wet that means I am gonna hurt. So, today wasn’t welcome in my world.
Fnord I would gladly suffer the cold and discomfort again if it would mean you did not hurt.
Ah, you’re sweet. It’s not easy to get older. I remember when old people would talk about being able to predict the weather, and I’d smile (laughing inside silently) at those old coots.
Karma!
Never laugh at old coots!
LOL it seems I can go back to having hopes of Linda Lovelace becoming President!
Brown in the Senate race posed for Cosmo… Yes he was one of the men who posed nude in Cosmo.
Yet is has not been made a point in the battle covered by the media.
Maybe it is sexist? If Brown had been a woman and posed for Playboy would that have been different?
Perhaps the day is coming when we accept that people without clothes can be elected officials?
Oh great my imagination suddenly put an image of Newt standing naked behind a pudendum giving a speech while running for President.
Rolls of fat bracketing the side of the pudendum all white and pale.
OMG he is now doing an imitation of Rush Limbaugh at CPAC!!!!!! Bounce around…. Bounce around!
Damn the mike just fell off the stand…. He is bending over to pick it up!
Holly crap I see tourists riding donkeys down a path to the bottom of the grand canyon!!
AHHHHHH! No I have not been drinking!
Count your blessings I use words and not paper and paint… Imagine the images that would be appearing?
Oh there are already there…. sorry.
Yeah, and I’m glad I’m not eating!
Billionaires for Wealthcare is a grassroots network of health insurance CEOs, HMO lobbyists, talk-show hosts, and others profiting off of our broken health care system.
We’ll do whatever it takes to ensure another decade where your pain is our gain. After all, when it comes to health insurance, if we ain’t broke, why fix it?
BillionairesForWealthcare.com
Despite their massive financial support for Republican Scott Brown’s Senate campaign, the Billionaires received some extra hostility from Brown’s supporters
Actually, I’m watching the K-State/Texas basketball game. I was hoping both teams could lose. Looks like K-State is puttin’ it to Texas! Hmmmm. Big 12 play is always tough, this season I think it will be tougher!