-
Banned Books Week
When thinking of banned and contested books, it’s easy to conjure up images of the repression that existed in America during the 1950s. Sure, we’ve all heard of the book burning parties, and we all know that Diary of Anne Frank and Of Mice and Men were banned back in the day. But the repression hasn’t ended. The assault on knowledge and ideas and discussion and diversity marches on. In 21st Century America book burning parties continue, as do attempts at banning books in libraries. Here is a partial list of the banned and contested books from just this past year. Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time…
-
For My Daughter
Sometimes our memories of events become skewed. They get all tangled up in the emotions we were feeling at the time, and the actual facts, the actual words, get lost in the chaos as our brain set’s the memory and files it away for future reference. Someday in the future you may ask me what all this hullabaloo was about. I want to take a moment and set down the details surrounding what really should not be an earth-shattering ground breaking moment. President Barack Obama’s address to school children today. This is not a new thing. Presidents have been addressing school children for years, as have nearly all the other…
-
I (heart) Irony
The Boston Tea Party was a protest staged in 1773 against the British Government. The colonists were protesting taxation without representation. In 2008 elections in the United States, the voter demographics more closely represented the demographics of the United States citizenship than any election in US history. Today large groups of people across the country are staging “tea party” (remember taxation without representation) protests against a government that is more representative of the population than any in this country’s history. Adding spice to the irony – the term “teabagging” that the protesters are using to describe their own actions is a euphemism for a sexual act. giggle.
-
Bye-bye PI
After 146 years, Seattle’s oldest newspaper the Seattle Post-Intelligencer shut down print production today. It’s a sad day for Seattle. The last edition of the PI hit newstands early this morning, and by noon it was impossible to find a copy around the Seattle area, although you can get one for $50 on eBay. Vultures. The fourth estate is critical to American liberty, just as a free press is critical to freedom in any country. And the more perspectives, the more voices, the better off we are. It’s true that the PI will continue with an online version of the paper, but with less than 20% of the reporters and…
-
Subscribe to President Obama’s Blog
The moment Barack Obama officially became the President of the United States, the Presidential website, WhiteHouse.gov, switched over to President Obama’s website. The new website is built on a much more stable and transparent architecture, and this switch heralds another of many significant changes in the American Presidency: we now have a President that comprehends and values the Age of Information in which we are currently living. Whether you love him or fear him, I encourage all of you to spend some time exploring the new WhiteHouse.gov website in addition to subscribing to and reading his blog. To those who are still afraid of President Obama because, as they say,…
-
President Obama’s Inaguration Speech
My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but…
-
Here or There, as long as the deed gets done
A part of me is so jealous of my friends who have flown, driven, biked, ran, crawled, whatever it took to get to Washington D.C. But then I think about how cold it is there, and I’ll be here in my jammies, eating breakfast, snuggled in a giant comforter, and able to run to my bathroom anytime I like without waiting in line. Inauguration day will be just as important whether I’m here or there.
-
What Fuels Your Vote?
My goodness the hate mail has been flying around this past week. Lies, hate and bigotry are all alive and well in America, my friends, and for some reason, they’re congregating in my email in-box. I had to read through my spam box just to take a break from the nastiness in my in-box. I don’t like to do this in my blog, but I want to take a few moments to talk about religion because, out of all the nastiness I received in my in-box, by far the most inaccurate and hateful messages were from the evangelical Christians in my life. I was raised in an extremely conservative christian…
-
This Needs to be Heard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_NMZv6Vfh8 _________________________________________ Subscribe to CoffeeJitters © Copyright Judy Haley 2008. All rights reserved.
-
Rednecks
We found some awesome Rednecks for Obama bumper stickers and T-shirts. Then Aaron decided to redneck his facial hair. “We Hunt, Fish, Drink Beer and Support Barack Obama” rednecks4obama.com
