Okay, so Scott Brown is a hunk. I'll give him that.

I won't laugh about how he embarrassed his daughters. And yes, it was an embarrassment. A lot of guys don't get it, and if that's the case, I can't make them understand why a woman or girl deserves to be treated with dignity.

My bitch today though, has little to do with either Scott Brown, how he treats his daughters or even that beefcake photo. (Ah, yeah. Nice.) I'm just tired of hearing about how this is a mandate from the American people, because so goes Massachusetts, so goes America. The party of 'No' doesn't get it and neither does the party of 'Oh, my God, health care is dead!' I don't know what Mr. Brown will do with the next 6 years. I guarantee though that if he goes along with the obstructionist and partisan practices of the Republican party, he won't be elected a second time. The same would have been true if Martha Cokely would have been elected.

Yes, I am a Democrat and I want to see health care passed. Mostly because I don't have any. I am 54 and not in the best of health.

The thing is nothing has gotten done in Congress this past year outside of the Stimulus, which wasn't big enough. Too many things have been negotiated away before anyone realized that the Republicans weren't planning to agree to anything anyway. The Democrats wasted a 60 vote majority because they still don't have enough backbone to rule this country. On the other hand the Republicans still think that cutting market regulations and giving tax breaks to the rich will stimulate the economy. Ah, guys, those measures stimulated the economy into the worst recession this country has seen since the Great Depression.

And for those of you into revisionist history, those were the same policies that Herbert Hoover espoused when the stock market crashed under his watch on October 29, 1929. Roosevelt became President three years later. You don't believe me, look it up.

My point is, we 'Main Street' Americans (I hate tags) want a government that works. Especially one that works for us. My friends and I spent most of this Christmas helping people who have been stricken by this economy. There are still people losing their homes and losing their jobs. Yet, no one is working to help the unfortunately homeowners. Credit card companies and banks are either creating new fees or raising old fees. Congress has stopped the big banks from imploding while the rest of us are wondering just how much longer we can hang on.

We want change. We want solvency. We want a political system that will take care of these problems, and not two political parties that have lost sight of the American people. Scott Brown's election was a mandate on real change.

Ketchup Time

Ed finally started school this week. I thought he was going to drive me insane with his complaints about wanting to go back. He's taking trig, another music class - this time learning basic piano, philosophy, and film appreciation. He's a little confused with trig, although he's enjoying the other classes.

He tried to explain about what he's learned in philosophy at this point, particularly the difference between truth, knowledge, and so on. What he says makes a lot of sense. It doesn't make it any less boring though. I don't understand why someone wasted their time thinking this crap out.

He brought home his syllabus for his film class. He has to watch movies like Casablanca, Sunset Blvd., and Citizen Cane. Jon and I have most of these films. Hopefully we can make a few evenings out of watching some of our favorites again. Love Sunset Blvd. Love Casablanca more. According to a lot of the experts, Citizen Cane was suppose to be the best film ever made. In my humble opinion? Uh, sure. It's the best film ever made after Casablanca, Judgment at Nuremberg, Inherit the Wind, Sunset Blvd., and a few others. Pity he doesn't have to watch any John Wayne movies. I have enough of them.

I invited my daughter to bring home another cat thinking that about how much I miss having my own personal pet at home. I had bonded so closely to Pizza and I miss her so badly. Same with Blacky, although I have to say she was definitely Jon's cat, she loved all of us. Anyway, Scrambles moves in and she planted herself in Bill's lap. She's his cat. I'm jealous maybe, but I'm glad he has that special relationship, just because I don't know how long we'll have him around.

Damn, that cat has big paws.

Funny thing about Scrambles. I kept her in my room the first couple of nights because I thought for sure that Mike would eat her up. He has a really nasty streak in him. Instead, J.J. is pissed and Mike is doing his best to ignore her. At least when we're around. Ed caught him grooming her yesterday. He isn't the hard ass he thinks he is.

I'm kind of pissed off. No, more than that. I'm really pissed. When the Republicans had a 51 vote majority, they pushed everything President Bush asked for right through the Senate. Now that the Democrats lost that one vote, taking them down to 59 Senators, they can't pass health care. Yes, I'm liberal on some issues. The fact is I don't have health care, and I haven't been to the doctor in years. My sister asked me if I go to the hospital when I'm ill. "No," I told her, "I stay home and wait until I get better."

"They're suppose to take care of everyone no matter what the illness."

"Sure they do. That doesn't mean they don't charge all their patients. And it doesn't mean that they don't turn their bills over to bill collectors when the patient can't pay. They want their money, too."

Why can't the Dems get their acts together and make this happen? Whether they lost Ted Kennedy's seat or not, they still hold a bigger chunk of both Houses than the Republicans did at anytime under Bush.

I hate watching the Republicans walk in lock step. Ask one member of Congress what his views are and he or she will cite exactly what every other Republican cites. I can't tolerate the idea that we've elected robots rather than rational, thinking individuals who know the difference between right and wrong. I realize that's subjective, but taking money from insurance companies and pushing a company line that does nothing but hurt the middle and lower classes is immoral. If you don't believe that lobby money isn't in play here, it is a simple matter of checking out few web sites that list what lobbies pay what. It is an eye opener.

One other item. I don't like today's ruling from the Supreme Court. Corporate America should never be allowed to donate to a Presidential candidate whether directly or indirectly. This is not a matter of free speech as some people say, it is a matter of more business as usual.

Okay, rant over.

E-Mail Funny

Happy New Year All…………………….Remember “Hollywood Squares”?

Q.. Paul, what is a good reason for pounding meat? A. Paul Lynde: Loneliness! Q. Do female frogs croak? A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough. Q. If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it. Q. True or False, a pea can last as long as 5,000 years... A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes. Q. You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman? A. Don Knotts: That's what's been keeping me awake. Q. According to Cosmopolitan, if you meet a stranger at a party and you think that he is attractive, is it okay to come out and ask him if he's married? A.. Rose Marie: No wait until morning. Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older? A. Charley Weaver: My sense of decency.. Q. In Hawaiian, does it take more than three words to say 'I Love You'? A. Vincent Price: No, you can say it with a pineapple and a twenty.. Q. What are 'Do It,' 'I Can Help,' and 'I Can't Get Enough'? A. George Gobel: I don't know, but it's coming from the next apartment. Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more or less with your hands while talking? A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I'll give you a gesture you'll never forget. Q. Paul, why do Hell's Angels wear leather? A. Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily. Q.. Charley, you've just decided to grow strawberries. Are you going to get any during the first year? A.. Charley Weaver: Of course not, I'm too busy growing strawberries. Q. In bowling, what's a perfect score? A. Rose Marie: Ralph, the pin boy. Q. It is considered in bad taste to discuss two subjects at nudist camps.. One is politics, what is the other? A. Paul Lynde: Tape measures.. Q. During a tornado, are you safer in the bedroom or in the closet? A. Rose Marie: Unfortunately Peter, I'm always safe in the bedroom. Q. Can boys join the Camp Fire Girls? A. Marty Allen: Only after lights out. Q. When you pat a dog on its head he will wag his tail. What will a goose do? A. Paul Lynde: Make him bark? Q. If you were pregnant for two years, what would you give birth to? A. Paul Lynde: Whatever it is, it would never be afraid of the dark.. Q. According to Ann Landers, is there anything wrong with getting into the habit of kissing a lot of people? A. Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army. Q. It is the most abused and neglected part of your body, what is it? A. Paul Lynde: Mine may be abused, but it certainly isn't neglected. Q. Back in the old days, when Great Grandpa put horseradish on his head, what was he trying to do? A. George Gobel: Get it in his mouth. Q. Who stays pregnant for a longer period of time, your wife or your elephant? A. Paul Lynde: Who told you about my elephant? Q. When a couple have a baby, who is responsible for its sex? A. Charley Weaver: I'll lend him the car, the rest is up to him Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them and has actually seen them on at least two occasions. What are they? A. Charley Weaver: His feet. Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed? A. Paul Lynde: Point and laugh Reasons Not To Mess with Children A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales.. The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small. The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale. Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible. The little girl said, 'When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah'. The teacher asked, 'What if Jonah went to hell?' The little girl replied, 'Then you ask him'. A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work. As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was. The girl replied, 'I'm drawing God.' The teacher paused and said, 'But no one knows what God looks like.' Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, 'They will in a minute.' A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds.. After explaining the commandment to 'honour' thy Father and thy Mother, she asked, 'Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?' Without missing a beat one little boy (the oldest of a family) answered, 'Thou shall not kill.' One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head. She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, 'Why are some of your hairs white, Mum?' Her mother replied, 'Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white..' The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, 'Mummy, how come ALL of grandma's hairs are white?' The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture. 'Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer, she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael, He's a doctor.' A small voice at the back of the room rang out, 'And there's the teacher, she's dead.' A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, she said, 'Now, class, if I stood on my head, the blood, as you know, would run into it, and I would turn red in the face.' 'Yes,' the class said. 'Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the ordinary position the blood doesn't run into my feet?' A little fellow shouted, 'Cause your feet ain't empty.' The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray: 'Take only ONE . God is watching.' Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note, 'Take all you want.. God is watching the apples.' WE DON'T STOP LAUGHING BECAUSE WE GROW OLD, WE GROW OLD BECAUSE WE STOP LAUGHING.

Happy New Year - 2010!

Whew! The year in Angel crap is over. Yeah, I know how that sounds. The truth is I can't see myself not being involved. Christmas would just never be the same. If I can point back to those things that have changed my life or me as a person, at the top of my list would be my involvement in our Angel program. I know one reason my children have turned out as well as they have is because of this program. They learned what love is, about having a purpose, and what it means to contribute positively to society. Even so, it is a lot of work. Before this month is through, I have to write a thank you, which I'll share after it's published.

That's Scrambles the Death Dealer climbing inside the Christmas tree. When Becki brought her home, I was terrified that this itty bitty kitty would provide Mikey an appetizer. He's not cat size, but critter size. He's big enough and mean enough to be a raccoon. I was concerned he would eat her up and spit out her bones, she spent the first few nights locked in our bedroom with us.

She's a maniac. She runs and plays all day long, and when she's completely tuckered out, she falls down and sleeps. In between she managed to train her new 'brothers.' She follows Mike around like she's in love with him, and she teases the heck out of J.J. Now I figured J.J. would fall in love with her just because at 11, he's still very playful. At first he found her presence insulting. He tried to punish us for by ignoring all of us. Now, he's decided that she can have her moments. When I least expect it, I'll find them taking turns chasing each other.

Ed looked it up. Scrambles is what he calls 'poly-dactyl.' In other words she has six or 7 claws on each foot. She even looks like she has a thumb. Ed said that this is a common occurrence, and that cats are being bred for this. There are even cats with opposable thumbs. One of the traits these cats share is their ability to stand or walk on two feet for an extended period of time. Scrambles is so tiny, and yet she will stand up and walk a few feet before easing back onto all four.

Scrambles has enormous back feet. I swear that they measure half the length of her body.The day Becki brought her home, Ed examined her feet. Then he cornered Mikey. "You're going get your a... kicked!" Ed sang.

Becki is back to school, thank God, and Ed still has a week before he starts. It's cold and she hates it. The photos above are of our trek to the train station on Friday. Trains are not that warm. And I don't care how beautiful one is, clothing like this hides all of it. Sorry, daughter. More than just the train ride, she has a three block walk to her school, all of it under L tracks. That's where Chicago lives up to it's name, the Windy City. The L tracks with the canyons created by skyscrapers form wind tunnels. I remember when I worked in the Loop and nearly being knocked off my feet by the wind.

Ed, on the other hand, isn't phased by the cold. He says he's bored and wants school to start now. I can understand that. He has nothing to do but play video games on the computer.

The reports are in. Becki could have done much better last semester, and will do better this semester. Or else. Eddie, though, did exactly as he had the last two semesters. He retained his B in math while pulling A's in everything else.