“If you can’t love yourself, how the hell you gonna love somebody else?” - RuPaul - - - - - - - - - - - “if by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people -- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties -- someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal.” - John F. Kennedy - - - - - - - - - - - - “Imagine finding someone you love more than anything in the world, who you would risk your life for but couldn’t marry. And you couldn’t have that special day the way your friends do – you know, wear the ring on your finger and have it mean the same thing as everybody else. Just put yourself in that person’s shoes. It makes me feel sick to my stomach …. When I shared a picture of my tattoo on my Twitter page and said, ‘ALL LOVE is equal,’ a lot of people mocked me – they said, ‘What happened to you? You used to be a Christian girl!’ And I said, ‘Well, if you were a true Christian, you would have your facts straight. Christianity is about love.’ The debate resulted in a lot of threats and hate mail to people who agreed and disagreed with me. At one point I had to say, ‘Dude, everyone lay off.’ Can’t people have friendly debates about sensitive topics without it turning into unnecessary threats?” - Pop star Miley Cyrus on her marriage equality tattoo - - - - - - - - - - -
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Sunday, January 29, 2012

WTF Has Obama Done? - Issue No. 001 - Civil Rights - The Inaugural Issue

As I mentioned yesterday, this is a new daily series on my blog in which I will post an achievement by President Barack Obama over the last 3 years.  I may post one, two or even more depending on how close we get to the election this November.  Considering there are hundreds of achievements our President has accomplished over the course of his first term, I may need to post more than one.  And I'm only covering 3 years so you can just imagine!

In today's first issue I'd like to start off with what the President has achieved in reference to Civil Rights, which includes funding and the President's targeted actions.  I have listed three WTFs for my first issue down below, and I as mentioned in yesterday's blog, I don't want to spread lies, so if you feel I wrote something false, please help me by letting me know.  If you want to debate me, that will be fine too, but I won't go back and forth for hours trying to explain something that isn't true. I will provide references to each WTF at the end of each achievement.

WTF-1   
Funds to help our Children and Youth who have disabilities - $12.2 billion in new funding went towards the "Individuals with Disabilities Act" using the "American Recovery and Investment Act" to help pay for it.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 appropriates significant new funding for programs under Parts B and C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Part B of the IDEA provides funds to state educational agencies and local educational agencies to help them ensure that children with disabilities, including children aged three through five, have access to a free appropriate public education to meet each child's unique needs and prepare him or her for further education, employment, and independent living. Part C of the IDEA provides funds to each state lead agency designated by the Governor to implement statewide systems of coordinated, comprehensive, multidisciplinary inter-agency programs and make early intervention services available to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. [References at the U.S. Department of Education website here.]

WTF-2  
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act - Ledbetter, a former supervisor at a Goodyear tire plant in Alabama, sued the company after discovering several months before her 1998 retirement that, for years, she was paid less than her male counterparts. A jury awarded Ledbetter more than $3 million. But the Supreme Court overturned that judgment in March 2007, ruling 5-4 that a 180-day statute of limitation for her to file a lawsuit had started from the first instance of discrimination, meaning that her suit about more than a decade of discrimination was untimely.

The Democratic Congress took up Ledbetter's cause, drafting legislation that would set the clock running when the discriminatory action was discovered. But in April 2008, the Senate was unable to overcome a threat of filibuster. Then-candidate Obama even left the campaign trail to vote for the act; he later launched a mostly accurate attack against McCain for opposing the measure. Ledbetter appeared at the Democratic convention to praise Obama for supporting the measure, noting, "My case is over. I will never receive the pay I deserve. But there will be a far richer reward if we secure fair pay."

Obama included a vow to reverse the effects of the Ledbetter decision in a major campaign document, his "Blueprint for Change."

Fast forward to Jan. 29, 2009. President Obama signed the Ledbetter Act, saying, "Ultimately, equal pay isn't just an economic issue for millions of Americans and their families. It's a question of who we are and whether we're truly living up to our fundamental ideals." Promise Kept. [Reference 1, Reference 2, Reference 3]

WTF-3  
Presidential Memorandum extending benefits to same sex partners of federal employees - For far too long, many of our Government's hard-working, dedicated LGBT employees have been denied equal access to the basic rights and benefits their colleagues enjoy. This kind of systemic inequality undermines the health, well-being, and security not just of our Federal workforce, but also of their families and communities. That is why, last June, I directed the heads of executive departments and agencies (agencies), in consultation with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), to conduct a thorough review of the benefits they provide and to identify any that could be extended to LGBT employees and their partners and families. Although legislative action is necessary to provide full equality to LGBT Federal employees, the agencies have identified a number of benefits that can be extended under existing law. OPM, in consultation with the Department of Justice, has provided me with a report recommending that all of the identified benefits be extended. [Reference 1, Reference 2, Reference 3]

Please make sure to read Issue No. 002 tomorrow as I continue with WTF-4
Everyday on BLADE 7184

Cool Wedding in Portlandia

Spike and Iris don't really believe in marriage, the whole idea of it is kind of suffocating, but they need a wedding planner nonetheless.  A cool wedding. LOL.

As I mentioned on Friday, I really need to start watching this show.  If anything, I may start watching the episodes online. OMG, these actors are great!  Portlandia is seen on IFC (Independent Film Channel), so check your local listings and watch it!  I definitely will.

I Quote That - Friends

OMG Hilarious! - Happened

Harry Potter's iPhone

What? You didn't know that Harry Potter had an iPhone?  C'mon, really?

It's Purely Animal - Issue No. 44 - Hamlet The Hungry Piglet

Omg, Ryan is going to flip when he sees this.  This is one of the things I miss most about growing up on my mom and dad's farm - the animals.  I'm so grateful to my parents for having me experience country life for for 18 years, because otherwise I wouldn't have learned to appreciate both worlds.  I love living in a city and in the suburbs, but while I admire it, it doesn't compare to the beautiful countryside and farmlands.  I can't wait to get my Ryan a little piggy.  He wants one so bad, and after he sees this he's going to want one even more.

Commit A Crime To Live In Luxury

Wouldn't you want to go stay in a place like this?  I mean, look at this place.  It looks more like a prestigious club for the rich than it does a prison.  Yeah, you read that right, a prison.
Considered one of the most luxurious jails in the world, the prison in Leoben, Austria has garnered harsh criticism.  And rightly so, look at all these pictures!  It looks more like a 5 Star hotel, than a place for criminals.
Unfortunately, the place is currently booked with 205 inmates, so you'll have to wait your turn.

Poster of the Week - Issue No. 43 - Loneliness

Continuing alphabetically, I bring you this week's poster, "Loneliness".
I have organized my blogs with 3 days worth of postings, so if you wish to continue reading the days before that, and so forth and so forth, you can click the "Older Posts" button /\ /\ /\ right /\ up there.

There are 3 other ways you can find interesting topics to read as well.

*Clicking on any of the links under my "Favorite Categories" section on the left hand side of your screen

*Using the Google Search bar under the scrolling text.

*By choosing a date from the drop down list on the right hand side of your screen.


Hope you enjoy my daily posts, and hope to hear from you soon.

- Blade 7184 aka Peter