Through The Mud Clearly

And here are just a few reasons why: my information was gleaned from the Dem and Rep platform.

Embryonic Research
Democrats: "Research should be based on science, not ideology. We need to invest in biomedical research and stem cell research, so that we are at the leading edge of prevention and treatment.… We will lift the current Administration's ban on using federal funding for embryonic stem cells—cells that would have otherwise have been discarded and lost forever—for research that could save lives. We will ensure that our patent laws protect legitimate rights while not stifling innovation and creativity. We will end the Bush Administration's war on science, restore scientific integrity, and return to evidence-based decision-making."

Republicans: "Taxpayer-funded medical research must be based on sound science, with a focus on both prevention and treatment, and in accordance with the humane ethics of the Hippocratic Oath. In that regard, we call for a major expansion of support for the stem-cell research that now shows amazing promise and offers the greatest hope for scores of diseases—with adult stem cells, umbilical cord blood, and cells reprogrammed into pluripotent stem cells—without the unethical destruction of embryonic human life. We call for a ban on human cloning, the creation of human embryos for research purposes."



Abortion
Democrats: "The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.
"The Democratic Party also strongly supports access to comprehensive affordable family planning services and age-appropriate sex education, which empower people to make informed choices and live healthy lives. We also recognize that such health care and education help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby also reduce the need for abortions.
"The Democratic Party also strongly supports a woman's decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre- and post-natal health care, parenting skills, income support, and caring adoption programs."

Republicans: "Faithful to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence, we assert the inherent dignity and sanctity of all human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children. We oppose using public revenues to promote or perform abortion and will not fund organizations which advocate it. We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity and dignity of innocent human life.
"We have made progress. The Supreme Court had upheld prohibitions against the barbaric practice of partial-birth abortion, the Born Alive Infants Protection Act has become law, and states are now permitted to extend health care coverage to children before birth. We invite all persons of good will, whether across the political aisle or within our party, to work together to reduce the incidence of abortion; to protect girls from exploitation and statutory rape through a parental notification requirement; and to oppose sex selection abortions. We all have a moral obligation to assist, not to penalize, women struggling with the challenges of an unplanned pregnancy. We salute those who provide them alternatives, including crisis pregnancy centers, and we take pride in the tremendous increase in adoptions that has followed Republican legislative initiatives."
Internationally, the GOP "asserts the rights of families in all international programs and will not fund organizations involved in abortion. We reject any treaty or agreement that would violate those values. That includes the UN convention on women's rights… and the UN convention on the rights of the child."



Marriage
Democrats: "We support the full inclusion of all families in the life of our nation, and support equal responsibility, benefits, and protections. We will enact a comprehensive bipartisan employment non-discrimination act. We oppose the Defense of Marriage Act and all attempts to use this issue to divide us."

Republicans: "Because our children's future is best preserved within the traditional understanding of marriage, we call for a constitutional amendment that fully protects marriage as a union of a man and a woman, so that judges cannot make other arrangements equivalent to it. In the absence of a national amendment, we support the right of the people of the various states to affirm traditional marriage through state initiatives.
"Republicans have been at the forefront of protecting traditional marriage laws, both in the states and in Congress. A Republican Congress enacted the Defense of Marriage Act, affirming the right of states not to recognize same-sex marriages licensed in other states. To safeguard that victory, a Republican House of Representatives passed legislation withdrawing jurisdiction over DOMA from the federal courts. We urge renewed use of that Article III power to prevent activist federal judges from imposing upon the rest of the nation the judicial activism in Massachusetts and California. …
"We lament that judges … are undermining traditional 25 marriage laws from coast to coast."

OK, I said I wasn't going to write about politics but...this morning my pastor spoke (in part) about the sanctity of human life. And; as he said; its not a political issue but a moral one! He talked about both the Republican stand and the Democrat stand on the issue. One thing he said impacted me enough to write about it. Now, I may not be able to phrase it in the exact wording the Democrats use in their platform but here is what I heard. If the aborted fetus is (somehow) born alive then the medical staff is obligated to do everything to sustain its life. To me; what the Dems are saying that if the attempt to murder the baby is unsuccessful then they must try to save the child's life. But, they don't call it a baby ..it is considered a mass of cells until it is born. Yes, it is a moral and biblical issue; after all one of the ten commandments is: thou shalt not kill. Life is precious and should be treated that way!

Whew! Yesterday was my first online Spanish class. My brain feels like it has turned to mush! The first thing we had to do was to take a test. :(. We had to listen to some audio and determine if what was being said was true, false, or don't know. The second part was "fill in the blank". This of course was all written /spoken in Spanish. The final part of the test was to write a paragraph about yourself in Spanish. As I am attempting to do this; I am thinking....what have I got myself into....I know absolutely nothing.....this instructor must be loco! Fortunately; this turned out to be a "pre test" to find out how much of the language we actually know! We got points for taking her little test, but our final grade won't include the results of the pre test. I won't know how I did until next week; but I am certain I didn't come close to a passing grade. Thankfully it doesn't matter!

I usually don't write about things of a political nature. But I am today. I have been hearing a lot of negativity about the McCain/Palin ticket (mostly about Palin). This is coming from the majority of my coworkers who are Democrats. They all think she should stay home with her kids, has no experience in the political realm, has a pregnant teenage daughter, and think she is lying about her past. Many of them were supporters of John Edwards. I had to ask them...if Edwards had won the Democratic nomination, then the truth about his extramarital affair came to light, would you still support him? After all, he lied to the American public and to his wife! I also posed the question; what kind of a man would continue campaigning when his wife was undergoing treatment for cancer? That is irrelevant I was told; because Edwards is not on the ticket!! Then it was back to Republican bashing. Okay, I am done writing about politics.

...go round and round, round and round, round and round all thru the town. Well I have written about some of the people on the bus and today I have to write about the bus itself. On the way home I usually board one of those double buses...the ones that look like they are attached in the middle by an accordion and duct tape! It sorta reminds me of a slinky..except Slinky's go end over end while the bus would only go side to side. When you first get on the bus and you look to the back you feel as if the back of the bus is in another zip code. It is actually two buses (only one engine) hooked together with the accordion/duct tape contraption. The middle seats in the accordion section are on a revolving floor. When the bus turns a corner; those seats turn with it....kinda like a slow ride at Disneyland! The other weird thing about it is; when you are setting in the rear of the bus and it turns a corner you can actually see the passengers in the front of the bus through the windows. Oh, and at every turn it makes a strange noise as if someone had just sat on a whoopee cushion!. At first I thought it was from a whoopee cushion... but...its not!
I have learned I cannot sit in the revolving accordion, duct tape seat section because it makes me nauseous! What an adventure!!

Right outside the back door at my office there is a canal. Catfish and carp are the primary inhabitants. It just makes me want to grab a fishing pole and snag a few of those catfish. Ummmm yummy, dredged in egg and cornmeal and fried in a cast iron skillet!!! But I cant do it. Why not? Because there is a big sign that says: No Trespassing...No Swimming or Fishing Allowed...Non Potable Water. The water is sparkling,clear and non-stagnant...you can see the bottom unless there has been monsoonal activity. Then it just muddy waters and I can understand how the water could be bad then. The fish are huge and look very healthy. Ducks swim around in there. I guess I will have to be content to just look at them(sigh).

Somebody famous rides the bus!! Well, okay, he is probably not famous. But he looks like he could be the brother of someone who once was famous. I ride the bus with a gentleman who looks like he could be Tiny Tim's brother! You do remember Tiny Tim don't you? Long black hair, high pitched voice. No? He was the guy who played the ukulele and sang "Tip Toe Through the Tulips". What??? You still don't remember him? He married Miss Vickie on the Tonight Show hosted by Johnny Carson. Ah...I see it all coming back to you now. Gee, that was really a long time ago, hope I didn't make you feel old. I was just a little kid then! :)

Its still summer in Arizona. Right now it is hovering around 100 degrees outside. Here is my question: why would anyone be wearing a furry purple hat with ears??? Every morning a teenage girl gets on the bus wearing this hat. She seems normal enough. She has hair. I know this because it is long. I would ask her about this but I sit in the back of the bus (so I can watch people and write interesting/semi interesting tidbits) and she sits/stands in the front. The bus is sooo very crowded that it would be impossible to get to her to ask. Besides that; I would lose my seat!! It probably just a form of self expression in the same way orange hair, tattoos and body piercing are. Hummmm. I think I just answered my own question.