Good to see....

Dissent!

It is encouraging to see that Venezuelans aren't rolling over and submitting to Chavez.

TV station chief: We are not afraid of Chavez

CNN's bullet points from the article:

• NEW: Demonstrators march again despite police use of water cannon
• NEW: U.S. calls Venezuelan action an attack on freedom of expression
• Venezuela investigating Globovision, now the only opposition channel left
• Venezuelan minister says, "CNN lies to Venezuela"; CNN denies allegations

I was surprised by this piece of news:

U.S. imposes new sanctions against Sudan

CNN bullet points:

• NEW: "Giving Khartoum more time is not the answer," diplomat says
• NEW: House Speaker Pelosi says Bush did the right thing
• NEW: Sudanese ambassador says government is working for peace
• U.S. imposes punitive action against 31 companies and three individuals

I guess all of the kids handing out anti "Fidelity Investments" fliers around Boston (and I'm certain many other metropolises across the U.S.) and "Save Dafur" information has paid off on some level.
Now the investors are being forced by the hand of the government. It's shameful it should have to come to that, however business and ethics are by no means symbiotic.

Sheehan: She Finally Figures it Out.

I had to add this post when I saw the article because, I found it to be honest and courageous on her part.

Anti-war mom Cindy Sheehan gives up her protest

I have complained about Cindy Sheehan quite a bit in the past. I'm not going to necessarily retract anything I said, because what's done is done. I feel Sheehan was very much over run with emotions, and saw this tragedy as a calling to add purpose to her life. Unfortunately, I think she ignored a lot of important things (her family, her son's honor, and ultimately her own well being) because she got caught up in the excitement and the fame. I see her words essentially as an admission of this.

The most poignant portion of her letter which details her resignation from the anti-war front, was the following passage:

"I have tried ever since he died to make his sacrifice meaningful," she wrote. "Casey died for a country which cares more about who will be the next American Idol than how many people will be killed in the next few months while Democrats and Republicans play politics with human lives.

Cindy Sheehan has finally realized that she was used.

I feel very bad for this woman.

Memorial Day in Maine

I went home for my Mother's birthday today. I joined my parents and Aunt Gigi for some sirloin steaks cooked out on the gas grill, with some salad and baked potatoes. A very pleasant, and tasty meal. The weather was beautiful up in Sabattus and I spent a good deal of time sitting in the rocker on my parent's deck.

This evening I caught most of the Red Sox game with the Cleveland Indians. It was a bit sad to see Trot Nixon playing for the other team, but the warm reception that the Chowder-heads gave him was nothing short of amazing. You could tell it meant a lot to him as he tipped his hat to Fenway. Nixon apparently was hoping to stay in Boston unfortunately it wasn't what the cards had in store for him.

I think maybe in the next couple of days, just perhaps I may throw this dastardly cold off of my back. The coughing is becoming more infrequent. I think I'm going to credit the Pabst as the primary "healing-agent".