Dear Fellow County Employee,
This year as in past years, the Board of Supervisors has recognized the National Day of Prayer with a proclamation. In 1952, Congress established an annual day of prayer and in 1988, that law was amended, designating the National Day of Prayer as the first Thursday in May.
On Thursday, May 1, I once again invite you to commemorate the National Day of Prayer at the CAC flagpole at 12:30 P.M. The theme for the 57th annual National Day of Prayer is "Prayer! America ’s Strength & Shield."
Unfortunately, I will be in Washington , D.C. on County business on that day and will not be able to attend the event. However, members of my staff will be present and I hope you join them to keep a tradition going that for us began nine years ago.
We are thankful for the freedom to gather, the freedom to worship and the freedom to pray.
This commemoration is a personal, not a government function; and so, for those of you who choose to participate during your own personal time, I hope you will be able to be at the Flagpole Thursday at 12:30 P.M.
Bill Horn
Supervisor, Fifth District
1600 Pacific Highway, Room 335
San Diego, CA 92101
619-531-5555
They use the County's email network to invite us to pray? They hold the prayer on County property?? And then they claim that it is not a government function--give me a break! Is there going to be a day of meditation too? A day of yoga? A day of peyote? A day of pilgrimage to Mecca? How did they decide which religious observance to celebrate?
I just want to know what happened to the separation of church and state.
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( 2.9 / 40 )You can help save the polar bear and get a grip on global warming. Please sign the Center for Biological Diversity petition now urging the Secretary of the Interior to list the polar bear as an endangered species.
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( 2.8 / 20 )Navid and I watched Michael Moore's movie Sicko tonight. I strongly recommend it to everyone! I have supported Dennis Kucinich in the last two presidential primaries, so I know all about universal single-payer health care--in fact, I advocated for universal health care on my high school debate team. It's not a new idea, but somehow the American political discourse considers it revolutionary. Watching Sicko turns the tables, making our system look plumb crazy. Let me tell you, I'm now glad I studied French, because they're living the good life over there!
But I'm also lucky to be married to an Iranian, and therefore considered an Iranian citizen, so if I ever get really sick, Navid says they'll take care of me over there. So for any of you girls looking for healthcare security, Navid's got some single friends...
But don't take my word for it, watch the movie. You'll be glad you did.
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( 3.6 / 7 )Check out this video of Senator Clinton talking about Iran, and check out this article too. Thanks to Reza for the links.
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( 2.9 / 16 )Well, the day of organic eating worked out. The mangoes in my certified organic cereal weren't organic, but I think everything else I ate today was (although I'm not sure about the orange that I had with lunch since it didn't have a sticker on it).
The biggest sacrifice for the day was not drinking my usual Diet Coke--I'm quite sure there is no such thing as organic Diet Coke :-( But I didn't notice a marked decrease in my energy from usual. Still, I don't know if I'm ready to give it up yet.
I did notice that quite a few things in the house, like our rice, chips, crackers, olive oil, onions, and potatoes, aren't organic. We've been shopping at the closer (and cheaper) Vons rather than Whole Foods. But if we were a little more careful, it would be easy to go almost totally organic. And hopefully the beans, peas, tomatoes, and peppers we planted in the back yard will grow and replace a few vegetable purchases. This article by Michael Pollan explores why we should bother changing our lives to try to fight global warming, and suggests growing your own food as one of the best changes you can make. I'm already dreaming about ripping out grass and planting more fruits and veggies!
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( 3.2 / 11 )Earth Day is coming up on Tuesday! What are you doing to celebrate?
How about riding your bike to work, or carpooling?
You can save some energy and brain cells by reading a book that night instead of watching TV or surfing the net. Better yet, go for a walk and observe nature!
Going grocery shopping? Take the bags from your last trip back with you instead of getting new ones.
And while you're shopping, here's one I thought I'd try: plan one day of organic meals. Breakfast is pretty easy since organic bread, coffee, orange juice and cereal are all readily available in a regular grocery store, as are organic bread and peanut butter. I'll be packing my own lunch since I don't know of an organic restaurant nearby... an apple and a cheese sandwich should do just fine. Dinner may be trickier, especially if you're a meat eater. Our neighborhood Vons doesn't carry any grass-fed beef. But you should be able to find organic chicken breasts. I think I should be covered, although I don't think the rice we have in the house is organic, so I'm not sure what we'll eat with the chicken. I did get some organic frozen corn on Satruday, so maybe that will do, with a salad... It's worth the experiment, to start to realize how close we're really getting to organic eating. (And local is another story yet.) Then we've got 364 days to practice until next Earth Day!
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( 3.2 / 12 )President Bush gave a speech on global warming yesterday. I thought I'd share some of the highlights.
"Over the past seven years, my administration has taken a rational, balanced approach to these serious challenges." If denying the reality of global warming counted as a rational approach, then that would be true.
"Today, I'm announcing a new national goal: to stop the growth of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2025." Not to bring emissions back down to today's level, let alone to reduce emissions below today's levels, but merely, in another 17 years, to stop their growth!
"As part of this strategy, we worked with Congress to pass energy legislation that specifies a new fuel economy standard of 35 miles per gallon by 2020." Never mind the fact that Bush's EPA has barred California from enacting more stringent requirements! California’s proposed standards would have been gradually phased in between model-years 2009 and 2016, and by model-year 2016, would require reductions of tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions from new motor vehicles of approximately 30 percent. But thanks to the Bush administration's "rational, balanced approach," that won't happen!
Bush also bashed the Kyoto Protocol, the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act, while pooh-poohing the idea of using regulations or carbon taxes to reduce emissions, and championing nuclear and coal power. If this is an attempt to define his legacy as a friend of the environment, he must think Americans are really, really stupid. It's more likely that he is trying to replace proven environmental laws and policies with weaker, slower "incentive" based policies that will allow his cronies in industry to continue poisoning our planet for years to come.
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( 3.6 / 7 )This came in my email today:
Wes Clark co-authored an Op-Ed in the Los Angeles Times, calling on John McCain to co-sponsor a new GI Bill for our veterans.
The following is an excerpt from the Op-Ed:
Sen. John McCain served his nation with honor in Vietnam, and he is right to be proud of his service. But by hedging on whether he will support a "GI Bill for the 21st Century," he is casting doubt on his own commitment to the newest generation of American heroes.
The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, sponsored by Sens. Jim Webb (D-Va.) and Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), will restore the promise of a cost-free education to those who serve in the military. The original GI Bill transformed American history, providing education for returning soldiers. The GI Bill not only recognized our nation's moral duty for the enormous sacrifices of our World War II veterans, but it helped create America's middle class and spurred decades of economic growth for our country. Economists estimate that the original bill returned anywhere between $5 and $13 for every dollar we spent on it. But the original GI Bill has become woefully outdated, to the point where the average benefit doesn't even cover half the cost of an in-state student's education at a public college.
The Post-9/11 Veterans Act, which has an estimated cost between $2.5 billion and $4 billion, is common-sense legislation. With 51 cosponsors, including nine Republicans, the three other Vietnam War veterans in the Senate and former Secretary of the Navy John Warner, the bill simply updates what the late historian Stephen Ambrose called "the best piece of legislation ever passed by the U.S. Congress." Yet, faced with unprecedented filibusters, it needs 60 cosponsors. As de facto leader of the party, McCain could signal to other Republicans to sign on to the bill and assure passage.
Instead, McCain has said he hasn't had time to read the bill and isn't sure if he could support it. It's hard to believe that neither he nor anyone on his staff has had time to read such an important bill, which has been around since before he started running for president. But, even if true, McCain must do the right thing now, when his leadership is needed.
Watch the video and sign the petition.
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( 3 / 5 )Do you believe McCain when he says the Iraq war is almost over? Check out this video from MoveOn.org:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suNqiAgE1kw
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( 2.4 / 7 )I thought this story on NPR was interesting:
http://www.kpbs.org/news/local;id=11290
It turns out that green waste can be counted as recycled without being composted. Some of the landfills here in the County are using green waste in place of dirt to cover the garbage in the landfill. The only question I had after listening was where they get the dirt from when they do use dirt. Dirt is a valuable commodity too. But they have to dig up a bunch of it to create the landfill, and it doesn't break down to release greenhouse gases!
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