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June 29, 2006
Why America is losing her respect with me...
Borrowed from some other blogging friends - I hope you guys don't mind me reposting it.
In case you ever wondered why I think Neo-Conservatives and the Bush Administration is corrupt and slowly destroying the United States...here are my reasons (with references):
1. 80% of all votes in the United States are counted by only two companies: Diebold and ES&S.
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diebold
2. There is no federal agency with regulatory authority or oversight of the U.S. voting machine industry.
http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0916-04.htm
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html
3. The vice-president of Diebold and the president of ES&S are brothers.
http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/private_company.html
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html
4. The chairman and CEO of Diebold is a major Bush campaign organizer and donor who wrote in 2003 that he was "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml
http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1647886
5. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel used to be chairman of ES&S. He became Senator based on votes counted by ES&S machines.
http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2004/03/03_200.html
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/031004Fitrakis/031004fitrakis.html
6. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, long-connected with the Bush family, was recently caught lying about his ownership of ES&S by the Senate Ethics Committee.
http://www.blackboxvoting.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=26
http://www.hillnews.com/news/012903/hagel.aspx
http://www.onlisareinsradar.com/archives/000896.php
7. Senator Chuck Hagel was on a short list of George W. Bush's vice-presidential candidates.
http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_28/b3689130.htm
http://theindependent.com/stories/052700/new_hagel27.html
8. ES&S is the largest voting machine manufacturer in the U.S. and counts almost 60% of all U.S. votes.
http://www.essvote.com/HTML/about/about.html
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html
9. Diebold's new touch screen voting machines have no paper trail of any votes. In other words, there is no way to verify that the data coming out of the machine is the same as what was legitimately put in by voters.
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm
http://www.itworld.com/Tech/2987/041020evotestates/pfindex.html
10. Diebold also makes ATMs, checkout scanners, and ticket machines, all of which log each transaction and can generate a paper trail.
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm
http://www.diebold.com/solutions/default.htm
11. Diebold is based in Ohio.
http://www.diebold.com/aboutus/ataglance/default.htm
12. Diebold employed 5 convicted felons as consultants and developers to help write the central compiler computer code that counted 50% of the votes in 30 states.
http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,61640,00.html
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2004/10/301469.shtml
13. Jeff Dean was Senior Vice-President of Global Election Systems when it was bought by Diebold. Even though he had been convicted of 23 counts of felony theft in the first degree, Jeff Dean was retained as a consultant by Diebold and was largely responsible for programming the optical scanning software now used in most of the United States.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0312/S00191.htm
http://www.chuckherrin.com/HackthevoteFAQ.htm#how
http://www.blackboxvoting.org/bbv_chapter-8.pdf
14. Diebold consultant Jeff Dean was convicted of planting back doors in his software and using a "high degree of sophistication" to evade detection over a period of 2 years.
http://www.chuckherrin.com/HackthevoteFAQ.htm#how
http://www.blackboxvoting.org/bbv_chapter-8.pdf
15. None of the international election observers were allowed in the polls in Ohio.
http://www.globalexchange.org/update/press/2638.html
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/10/26/loc_elexoh.html
June 26, 2006
Emotionally Raw
I'm feeling very vulnerable and drained right now about the entire Canada thing. The topic has come up in way too many ways today, and the signs Mason talks about often have been all over the place today. For no apparent reason I started crying in the kitchen this evening as I started making dinner...
We received a very sweet "care-package" from Geoff and his husband Bobby today. Nothing special, but an assortment of magazines and guides from Canada and Toronto Pride that they had gathered. Something for Mason and I to go through and help us "keep the faith" about getting there eventually - it's a sweet gesture that they have done a few times and I for one am extremely grateful for it. I started going through the magazines today and came across the "Pride Guide from Xtra" and started flipping through it. Much like any Pride Guide across North America (or the world I think) it had some commentaries, some advertisements, and some articles. It was nice to look at segments like "The Top 5 Gaybourhoods" advertisements for the Ontario Provincial Police hiring, but it was one ad that seemed to yank on my heartstrings and activate the floodgates...
It wasn't really a splashy ad, or a full page ad, it was simply a message from Mr. John Tory, Leader of the Opposition in the Ontario Provincial Parliament and Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (think the State Republican Leader in your Statehouse.) He has a smile on his face and the slogan next to him says "Supporting Pride Week '06" with the party's website underneath him. I sat there and bawled, and as I sit here typing this I can feel the tears welling up in me right now. The idea that a political leader of that ideology would even acknowledge Pride Week, much less support or celebrate it astounds me. I ache to be there, to live there, to start my life there...all to be postponed by a letter in Ottawa.
I know some people will say that the grass just seems greener, that Canada has its problems too, that I'm over-reacting because of Pride, but I don't care at this point. Canada you need to be proud of what you have accomplished as a country. Your culture and nation has something that the United States doesn't - a respect for all people, a genuine reverence for all individuals no matter how different from you they are, and for that I am truly thankful.
Posted by Nikolas at 07:33 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBackJune 24, 2006
Home
I check the Toronto Star every morning along side with the Rocky Mountain News. It keeps me connected to the goings on in Toronto till I get there, and the stuff in Denver and Colorado that I need to know about. Every day I marvel at the enormous cultural chasm that seems to have grown larger day-by-day between the two cities I love.
There is an excellent series on immigration that started in the Toronto Star today. It includes a photo mosaic of one immigrant holding up the picture of another immigrant. Chinese supporting Iranians, Italians holding up Indians, First Nations displaying Americans, the list goes on and on like a conference at the United Nations. It's a fascinating look at how Toronto is dealing with it's identity and how these new Canadians see their lives in the next 20 years - all of them love Canada.
On the flip side the Rocky Mountain News just finished a week-long special segment on illegal immigration. Portraying immigrants caught in the cross hairs, losing their families, their benefits and opening up forums for Coloradoans to spew hate-filled speech about how we should send them all home. One Arizona political candidate has even advocated forced labor camps for undocumented workers..."force them to build the wall along Mexico's border!" All this is in the shadow of the Democrats being forced to open a special session of the Colorado State Legislature to deal with a ballot initiative that would, in effect, strip undocumented immigrants of their benefits - including emergency medical treatment at hospitals, public education and job discrimination.
Flipping online through the Toronto Star this morning there was a banner on the top of the page that caught my attention. It was a Rainbow Flag as long as the screen and it advertised the special Pride Week Pullout Section of the paper. When I was in Toronto last year for Pride I was amazed at this - that city newspaper would so openly support such an event. The CBC too has a link to Pride in Toronto on it's front page with a link to GLBT History in Canada.
Trying to imagine that in the United States if sadly unbelievable. MSNBC would sooner focus on the protesters at a gay pride event then the march itself, and the Rocky Mountain News may have a small (and I mean small) article about Pridefest in they're Monday edition. The opinion page however will be full of rabid anti-gay Coloradoans decrying how the gays have sent us toward the road to hell.
The Toronto Star also had an article talking about Toronto's homeless problem. I census was done in the past week and measured that in a city of 2.5 million people, Toronto's homeless population is around 5,052. Denver (about 575,000 people), is the epicenter of a homeless initiative that other cities hope to emulate one day. A study just concluded that Denver's homeless population peaks at 37,000 during the summer and a low of 10,000 during the winter. OK, WTF?!?
So as the days pass and the articles change in each paper it becomes more and more clear to me where I belong...and I'm ready to go home.
Posted by Nikolas at 10:10 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBackJune 21, 2006
Blessed Litha
Wow, what a day, week, month and year. I nearly choked on my coffee this morning when I realized today is the Summer Solstice also known as Litha or Midsummer. I realized it was coming up and was planning on a solitary celebration this weekend, but it still surprised me how quickly the year has passed by...from now on the days start getting shorter and the God starts his slow decline in strength and power only to die at Samhain/Hallowe'en - the final harvest.
I find it oddly appropriate that the weekend I plan on celebrating the height of the God's power, sensuality and strength is the same weekend as Pridefest in Denver and in most cities around the globe....go figure ;-)
To all my Pagan/Wiccan/Heathen friends...a Blessed Litha, Midsummer or Summer Solstice. To all my other friends enjoy the dog days of summer :-)
A Response To Our E-mail
We don't have Mr. Xxxx' medical results from Ottawa yet.
Thank you for your patience.
Canadian Consulate General
Seattle, WA
ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, at least they're polite.
*starts tearing hair out*
Posted by Nikolas at 11:56 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBackJune 20, 2006
Selfish
Forgive me for having a momentary pity party last night - there are some days that are harder then others, and last night seemed to be one of those. The comments left were very thoughtful and reminded me of why we started this whole process.
Then as if to add extra emphasis on the reality of my situation I found out that today is World Refugee Day. Canada has stated that it will accept over 800 refugees from the totalitarian country of Myanmar. Sometimes you need a message like this to put things in perspective for you...
I live in a developed country, with democratic freedoms (slowly being eroded away, but I digress) a good job, food, shelter and my family intact. Millions of refugees from places like Darfur, Myanmar, Liberia, Palestine and countless others have no homes, no food, no freedoms and their families are torn apart.
Suddenly, whining about not hearing from Canada is put in perspective for me. Thanks.
Posted by Nikolas at 09:21 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBackJune 19, 2006
To E-mail or Not To E-mail
We're reaching the point of insanity with the Canadian Immigration Processing.
Mason and I had to fax back a counter-offer to our realtor today for our neighbor who wants to buy the house. It's somewhat freaky because we are getting father in the process in selling and moving and packing but yet we haven't gotten the final approval letter from CIC.
As the goal date of August 28th gets closer we both feel the need to give our notice to our jobs and let them know, but we can't because we haven't gotten the final approval letter from CIC.
The stress at home has been building more and more each day. We are both feeling frustrated and stressed out. Our excitement is still there, our love of Canada and Toronto is still there, but it's starting to be temepered by apprehension and doubt...because we haven't gotten the final approval letter from CIC.
When we got our last letter from Seattle, there was the option of e-mailing the consulate if you had a question. Something that was not available with Buffalo. We've held off on doing so because we wanted to see the process through, we wanted to do the right thing...
I think it may have been the stress of the past couple of weeks, or maybe the incredibly shitty day we both had today but we gave in and e-mailed the consulate today. Just to make sure they have all of the paperwork. I don't know what to think anymore, I'm exhausted with the whole process.
I'm just tired...sigh.
June 12, 2006
Who stole my Tomato?
Every morning before I head out the door to work I stop and check in with my garden. I check the flowers and pick off any dead blooms or leaves. I check in with my herbs to see how they are doing and if their soil is OK, then I make it over to my veggies and see how they are doing in their containers and if they have enough water. Finally, I check out the grapevine - readjusting him if needed and then look at all the bushses we planted. It's a little routine that I enjoy, keeps me connected to my garden and to the divine. I have never been happier then I am now with my garden and it gives me a great deal of happiness to see all these things alive and in bloom around me.
Specifically, on the vegetables, I have three good size tomatoes growing. Two realtively still unripe and smaller ones, but one large and robust tomato that was just starting to turn from green to yellow to red. I was looking forward to the not to distant day I would be able to pluck that first tomato, thank it for it's sacrifice, and make a dish out of it that would tantalize the tastebuds since it would be so fresh....
...but someone stole my tomato.
At first, when I looked at the vine I noticed that it didn't seem right, and then on closer inspection I noticed that there were only two (the smaller and unripe) tomatoes. I checked the ground and the surrounding yard and found nothing. I know it's not a squirrel because A) I would have found the remenants of the tomato, B) It was simply to large for him to carry off, C) they haven't taken the other more accessible tomatoes and D) it was clearly picked from the vine, not chewed off. Since we really don't have any other wild animals in the neighborhood who would take the tomato it leads me to believe that someone unlatched our gate, entered our yard, came up to our house and stole our tomato.
I'm a little dissappointed by the whole situation, but I think in the back of my head that perhaps this person really needed the tomato more then I did, and if I was able to help feed them then I'm blessed. I've got plenty in my life, and I have the ability and means to go out and buy fresh tomatoes anytime I want. However, I'm still saddened by it as it shakes the little respect I still had for humanity.
Posted by Nikolas at 05:14 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBackJune 11, 2006
Jump
I yoinked this from a friend of mine's blog...leave it to the blonde diva goddess to remind me how cyclical life is...
Jump by Madonna
There’s only so much you can learn in one place
The more that I wait, the more time that I waste
I haven’t got much time to waste, it’s time to make my way
I’m not afraid of what I’ll face, but I’m afraid to stay
I’m going down my own road and I can make it alone
I'll work and I'll fight, Till I find a place of my own
Are you ready to jump?
Get ready to jump
Don’t ever look back, oh baby,
Yes, I’m ready to jump
Just take my hands
Get ready to jump
I'm ready to jump...really I am :-)
Posted by Nikolas at 10:34 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBackJune 10, 2006
Go See This Movie.
This quite possibly has to be one of the most powerful movies I have seen in my lifetime. It dosen't matter what your political affiliation or religious belief...you need to see it. Now!
June 06, 2006
Into the unknown
Slow day today at work - it was hard to get motivated to do much of anything. I mostly caught up on paperwork and tried to finish the last of my Court Reports - this month is going to be full of Court Hearings, ugh. I keep reminding myself that the end of this job will come soon, and as I have said before...I love my profession I just hate my job.
The one defining moment that came today was my final phone call to the immigration doctor that did our physicals. I figured one more good annoying phone call should put the final nail in the coffin over this delay in the immigration process. She was pleasant on the phone, but we were both aware that this $400 relationship should have ended many, many weeks ago and we had both grown weary of each other being in the other's life. She informed me that they expressed the letter from the specialist to Ottawa and that it was received yesterday by CIC.
So that's it my friends, the last (knock on wood) of the requirements fulfilled. All we do now is wait, which is something that I have grown to use to with the Canadian Immigration process. Perhaps, I have finally learned that art of patience I seemed to have so much trouble with during this whole adventure. After I hung up the phone with the medical office I sat on my desk and made a small prayer to the universe, asking the divine...asking myself...to make the process quick and fruitful. Sending the energy and the prayer into the unknown.
Here's to the unknown...
Posted by Nikolas at 10:28 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBackJune 03, 2006
Sigh...
Sorry for the prolonged absence from blogland everyone, but it seems that I needed a break one way or another in order to work through some shit in my head, (and as much as I love Mason, he hardly ever writes here.)
The whole process with CIC has gotten me to the point of apathy. I did eventually go back to the doctor who did our immigration physicals who opened the mysterious letter and shared its contents with me. Nothing I already didn't know, in fact, after the initial physicals I went and saw a specialist because the doctor knew Ottawa would want that. The letter instructed me to do that, I did, I thought it was all done...
Apparently not because the ineptitude of the specialist and the immigration doctors was astounding. Apparently, it takes over a month to send a letter to one doctor and then for that doctor to send it on to Ottawa. Arg. So at this point who the hell knows where we are in the process - it's the last step, I know, but it seems to be taking forever. The medical issue won't be anything that will bar are entry into Canada (I don't think) but it's frustrating none-the-less.
Mason and I had wanted to let our jobs know June 1st that we would be resigning in August. We had wanted to set a firm date for August 28th as the move date. We had wanted to fly out to Toronto in July and look at places to rent, but now everything seems like it's on perpetual hold.
I have a house to pack, shit to sell, goodbyes to make, a car to import, insurance to get, rental vans to rest and I can't even seem to get out of bed in the morning and get motivated because I don't even know if this is going to happen. Sigh.
Sorry, this wasn't meant to be a pity party, just the thoughts of the moment. Anywho, I promise to be a little more diligent about blogging and to try and catch up on everyone's life out in cyberspace.
Peace.
