“Mommy, guess what? Did you know this bracelet was MADE IN CHINA?” I turned around and saw Alex in the back seat of the van, holding up the rubber wristband that serves as admission ticket to Annheuser Busch’s Clydesdale breeding farm, which we had just left. “I didn’t know, but I’m not surprised,” I told…
Read MoreAll articles filed in politics
National Debt: Whose Problem? Whose Solution?
Image via Wikipedia My family loves to discuss political issues with great heat and force. For the most part, I stay out of these discussions, because I know how much I don’t know. I am not an expert in foreign policy, economics, government or anything else, so it seems presumptuous to pontificate as if I’m…
Read MoreChanging the World, One Pixel at a Time
Image via Wikipedia For the last couple of days, everyone has been sounding off on the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Sheriff Clarence Dupnik blames the tenor of politics. Rush Limbaugh (of course) blames the Democrats—if not for the shooting, at least for daring to say that the tenor of political commentary such as his…
Read More7 Quick Takes, vol. 103
___1___ I hardly ever click on anything in the Facebook sidebar, but this one caught my eye: “What’s the point of Girls? Challenge one father’s goal for what he’s trying to raise his father to become by clicking here.” Uh-oh, I thought. But I was wrong. His post is stellar, and although at first I…
Read MoreAn Open Letter
Dear Ms. Carnahan and Mr. Blunt, I will not be voting for either of you this November. You have both lost my vote with your attack ads full of half-truths, distorted truths, and untruths. If you cannot treat each other with a respect based on your opponent’s dignity as a human being, you cannot possibly…
Read MoreI’m a Conscientious Objector–to Politics
con·sci·en·tious (k n sh – n sh s) ob·ject·or (ˈäb-jikt-ər) Noun Abbr. CO One who on the basis of religious or moral principles refuses to bear arms or participate in military service. I walked into the bedroom after blogging yesterday morning and was greeted by the strains of a nasty political attack ad. “Oh, brother,”…
Read MoreGuest Post: A Faithful Life
Last night was one of those nights—you know the ones—the kind that always follow bad nights (in the plural), that start bad and escalate. It’s as if God and the universe are determined to clump all the ick together in one night. I’ve just deleted all the details…suffice it to say, while Christian was teaching…
Read MoreNationalized Health Care, Down Syndrome, and Abortion
I’m going to go out on a limb today and say something that a good portion of my readership probably won’t like. Namely: I support Obama’s health care plan. You might remember that last year a group of us put together a bill to mandate coverage of “habilitative” services for children with special needs. This…
Read More7 Quick Takes, vol. 69
1. Generally speaking, I am not a fan of Saturday Night Live. But as a National Anthem singer (who grits her teeth at the ludicrous versions we’re subjected to) and a liturgist (who can’t stand the fact that the national anthem has become a solo op instead of a community song), I found this performance…
Read MoreWhy a Person who HATES POLITICS is lobbying for a bill
I think it’s safe to say that most of us have no idea how the political process works. Several months ago, I got involved with PEP-C, which you may remember is trying to pass legislation requiring insurers to cover PT, OT and speech for kids (under 18) with developmental disabilities. Early in the process, one…
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Kathleen M. Basi 