One of them is this new check rule. On Thursday nights, I go grocery shopping at Walmart (I know that's wrong, but the day I get rich I'm never going there again). I write a check because I know that at 7 am Friday morning my paycheck will be in my bank account. Well, I guess I can forget about doing that. Bush just passed some new rule where checks are run right then and there. In fact, I'm not sure that it's supposed to benefit the consumer at all, but it's to help out the business by making sure they don't get written bad checks. That's fine and dandy, but say that your checkbook gets stolen. This new rule makes it virtually impossible to stop fraud so the money is gone before you can even do anything about it.

The next one is this overtime rule. Sure it is now including a few people that weren't eligible before. Before, if you made less than $238 a week you were eligible, however, now it is expanded to those making less than $455 a week. Great unless you have two or more people working under you, your job requires creativity, of if you are a salesperson who has to travel and is away from your physical place of employment. If you are a doctor, teacher, or lawyer you also get no overtime pay. Decision-making administrative employees are also ineligible for overtime. People with computer related jobs are ineligible.

Thankfully, this new overtime rule doesn't affect me, but it effects everyone in my family including my boyfriend and his family. So now when my boyfriend is staying late at work for the third night in a row this week, he's doing it for free. When my dad or my boyfriend's dad puts in another 65 hour workweek, that's 25 hours he's not getting paid for.

I wish I could get as angry as I used to about these issues, but now I just get heartburn. If I don't get my way in November, I'm going to need some Xanax.

Here's a picture of part of the crowd. Take this many people by about 10 and that's how many people were there.

Once in a while I pick up the Weekly World News at the grocery store while waiting in line. One time, I read that Osama isn't really the 6'5" giant people claim to be, he's actually a dwarf! This story was accompanied by a midget-sized Osama dancing a jig.

There is a lawyer in San Fransisco claiming that he has information that Osama actually died several years ago. It's not an entirely insane notion, I've read reports of Osama having been hooked up to dialysis for many years. Really, I'm just flabbergasted by this report.

I watched the Daily Show the night that Wolf was on and I was a bit taken back when Wolf just laughed and made the comment of making mistakes in regards to faulty intelligence. I make mistakes all the time, but people usually don't die as a result.

I really like this opinion about the religious right and public morality.

One last thing; DV should hook up with these guys!

I absolutely love this photo. Here's the story about the woman whose family was invited to a chat about their "terrorist" activities with the LAPD. Apparently, it is now considered terror to be a Muslim.

How convenient is it that Bush's military records were "lost?" I the headline for it was up for about an hour on the Yahoo home page on the right hand side. Where are the people who should be screaming about this, making it known that something is messed up? I hate when people complain about the "liberal media." Mainstream media spends the majority of it's time sniffing Bush's ass. This is ridiculous.

Also, for you pro-choicers, here's a story about how other countries are smarter than us.

Also, Kerry has another big supporter. Some Chrysler guy who has pulled his endorsement from Bush because he feels that Bush is costing them high-tech jobs. Yay!

Anyway, here was my rebuttal: Your religion says that homosexuality is a sin (and I also pointed out that the part in the bible that talks about that is the most ridiculous section of the bible). and that gay marriage should not be permitted. Here is why it should be. Your religion says that homosexuality is wrong. My religion (philosphy really, I'm Buddhist) says that homosexuality is ok. People came to this land from the east to escape oppressive religions, therefore, enacting the freedom of religion statue which is the foundation of the separation between church and state. Seeing as that a judge validates a marriage and not whomever presides over the ceremony, it is none of the business of the church to decide which genders may be a part of that marriage.

When looking up the chapters for Leviticus, I found this awesome website about Christianity and homosexuality. Share it with your Jesus crispy friends!

In other news:
Bill Reilly has a heart of gold.

Also, some concert promoters in NY are trying to get The Boss to play a show across the river from the Republican Convention to distract from the "president." A few other bands are willing to play and I think that would be badass.

John Ashcroft still a racist asshole? Oh, ok, just checking. Turns out a Muslim with no access to bomb making materials can be held forever without access to attorneys or anything like that, but if a white supremacist does it, it can just be swept under the rug. He's white, so it's ok.

New poll: Bush is lagging behind Kerry on most issues. Concerning the Iraq war, the public feels that either or could do the job.

One last thing: If Kerry picks Edwards as a running mate, he has got it in the bag. Edwards actually has a pretty big fan base in the midwest.

See, the thing about that is Kerry was making statements about how Bush is too busy catering to the right-wing Jesus crispies to make federal funds available to research disease that are here on Earth that aflict people every day. If you recall, a former president just died who had Alzheimer's and although stem cell research may not have been able to prevent that, perhaps we could have understood the disease more and possible be able to prevent other diseases like it. Unfortunately, someone failed to tell Bush that to extract stem cells, they don't get women pregnant to just abort the child. There are other means. Dumbass.

However, 48 Nobel prize-winning scientists are endorsing Kerry.

Here are some excerpts from his article that I would like to share:

"...Radical conservatives are intent on making private behavior the subject of public moratlity. Radcons have blended Christian fundamentalism and right-wing moralism into the larger worldview. They believe activities such as abortion, divorce, homosexuality, and sex outside marriage should be regulated and condemned by society as a whole. They think these behaviors are destroying the American family. And they blame 1960s liberalism."

"Radcons are correct in one respect: public morality is important. But private sex has nothing to do with it. Liberals should be screaming from the rooftops about the real decline of public morality, which includes fraudulent accouting and stock manipulation, insider trading, tax evasion, exorbitant pay of top executives, financial confilicts of interest and the bribery of public officials. "

"Radcons cling to their belief that society's poor and weak need to be disciplined. No sex before marriage. No welfare payments unless recipients work 40 hours a week. Lock up for years thosewho commit petty theft or are caught with drugs, to the point that American prisons are bursting. But those at the highest reaches of economic power can make their own rules."

Here's the latest that chafing my hide. (I just learned that chafing and chaffing are two different things. One causes a rash and the other is in regards to making fun of someone.) For starters, the whole administration has got to go. Everybody talks about how Bush needs to be out of office, but when it really comes down to it, they all do.

Take John Ashcroft for instance. A New York Times Op-Ed columnist calls him the "worst attorney general in history." I second that motion.

I really dislike Bush, but I would be so distraught if he was assissinated because that would mean President Cheney. I said it yesterday and I'll say it again today: GIVE IT UP ALREADY!

Here it is, one more time. There is no link between Iraq and al-Qaeda.

Looks like Florida is aiming to screw up the elections again. This time they're using a machine that has a software-flaw that could eliminate a paper trail and making recounts impossible. Supposedly, voting officials in the state certified the system knowing about this bug.

In another crap move made by the "president," he is willing to give the go ahead to let large corporations sponsor a trip to Mars. Just another step to the privitization of this whole friggin' country.

Another reason why Bush shouldn't be allowed to speak on his own" Apparently, he was giving a speech in Ohio about "frivolous" malpractice suits that are doctors from practicing. An ob-gyn that has settled numerous lawsuits over the past two decades in which patients suffered horrible injuries was Bush's posterboy for doctors who had been victimized by frivilous law suits. Good effort, though.

However, there is some good news. A group of senior diplomats and military officials are calling for Bush's defeat in November. I think their timing is excellent. If the American public can see that a group that most people won't argue is highly intelligent is speaking out against Bush and his policies, maybe the NASCAR group will start to listen. Most of these guys were signed on under the Reagan administration, so that should help as well.

One last thing...I thought we were calling them freedom fries.

However, Bush and Cheney are still saying there are ties. Where are they getting this? If they could give me one damn reason, I might believe it, but just repeating it over and over again won't do much to change my mind.

For instance, in April, the Iowa Senate blocked the nomination to the state school board. This man had served on the Des Moines School Board for twelve years but was defeated in 1995. Why would a man with 12 years experience be denied a nomination? He's gay. That's right. Can't have those fags and queers pushing their gay agendas on the kiddies. God forbid they grow up to tolerate people different from them. And you all know what will happen if he ended up on the board. He would have tried to turn our kids gay! What gall! A man that wants on the school board just so he can recruit for his "team."

Most recently some jerk on a city council in a town outside of Des Moines stated that "The (police) force is no place for a woman."

What really sucks is that these are our leaders, all the way up to the White House. I can't wait to have a president who identifies with the general public, not just the religious bigots and chauvinists, which by the way is not the majority. I'm looking forward to a president that is legitimately elected and won't discriminate against major groups of people. I can't wait til November!

Needless to say, the months after were months of protest and persecution. I wore a t-shirt with the phrase "War is not the Answer" across the front and "PEACF" (The bottom of the last E had fallen off) across the back to a bar in my hometown. Later that night, I was physically assaulted by a short man who resembled a bull dog.

Finally, almost two years later, I am able to say "I told you so," however, I can't possibly take any gratification considering the lives that have been lost.

I then took a job at the police station and put political activities on the backburner for awhile. Things were at a point where police officers would hide in nearby buildings and take pictures of protesters and I didn't know what affect it would have on my job. That would have been one helluva lawsuit, but it's easier just to pay the bills.

On April 15th of this year, "President" Bush came to Des Moines to speak to a bunch of rich people. I had been doing a little bit of volunteer work with NARAL and went on behalf of that group. I saw a couple of the cops that I knew, but they just waved and smiled at me and when I spoke to them later, they promised to keep my secret.

On April 25th, I attended the March for Women's Lives which was the most phenomenal event that I have ever been apart of. And my sign was shown on C-Span.

After returning from Washington D.C., I was so inspired and motivated and ready to make difference. I knew that I was out to change the world.

I started the "Homeless Tour 2004" where I would travel to different homeless shelters and register people to vote or help them get started in getting their voting rights back. It was an amazing experience and you'd be suprised at how aware these men and women were. They know things aren't right and they are ready for a change.

I wrapped up the tour and joined DrivingVotes.org. I'm so glad to join forces with other people who are ready for Bush to go and I'm happy to be apart of something that's going to change the country.