While Rick Santorum was visiting Washington State, Gov. Christine Gregoire signed marriage equality into law.
“I hope life treats you kind. And I hope you have all you dreamed of. And I wish you joy and happiness. But above all this, I wish you love.” For days, I haven’t been able to hear those words without tears coming to my eyes. This iconic song, “I Will Always Love You,” a song I grew up loving, has a new meaning to me. No longer do I imagine “The Bodyguard” with Whitney Houston bidding farewell to KevinCostner at the end of their on-screen romance. Now, I hear Whitney singing to everyone who loved her, whether family, friend or fan, offering her sincerest hopes for all of us after she’s gone: joy, happiness and the fulfillment of dreams. She sought those things through her fans, through her music and through her family. Yet we know that in that pursuit she was besieged by struggles that people are often too quick to judge and too slow to understand. Yes, I am talking about crack cocaine addiction, prescription drug addiction, alcoholism and a litany of other demons to which so many superstars succumb. Broken hearts go many places to find solace—not all of them good. In an interview on “Good Morning America,” Céline Dion gave an emotional response to the death of the woman she aspired to be like as a young girl. She expressed anger and sadness that the dark side of show business had taken Whitney’s life, overshadowing the true woman: a mother, a beautiful singer, a talented actress and a kind, loving person. Media outlets responded by twisting Dion’s words into an attack on Whitney by saying that she should remain silent about the demons that led to Whitney’s demise. After all, it hasn’t yet been confirmed that Whitney’s death resulted directly from drugs. While I appreciate the sentiment that we should celebrate Whitney’s life and not dwell on the things that tore her apart, I take a different view. This is the same wisdom we employed after the deaths of Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse. When an innocent person is murdered, we don’t simply heap piles of praise on the victim, mourn and let the killer go free. Why is it, then, that when we lose someone like Whitney, we think it’s enough to eulogize, lament, whitewash the crime scene and let go? Is it because we’re afraid that acknowledging her struggles will reflect shamefully on her? Or are we afraid that it will reflect shamefully on us? The truth is, we are a society that gives beautiful people wings and then pulls them back just as they begin to soar. Even if addiction wasn’t the direct cause of her death, it’s almost certain that she would still be with us were it not for the years of struggle and torment that were thrust upon her by a merciless fame culture. To paraphrase a surprisingly wise man named Marilyn Manson, her wishes were granted, but her dreams were destroyed. I don’t know the answer to the question about how we solve the urgent issue of substance addiction in America. I can’t begin to say what needs to be done to reform this culture that fosters heartache and pain. I do know that the best tribute we could offer Whitney would be to remember her beauty, her music, her voice — and to then find a way to seek justice against the culprits that took her from us. We can do that without sacrificing the opportunity to grant her the “one moment in time” she so longed for: “Give me one moment in time / When I’m racing with destiny / Then in that one moment of time / I will feel eternity.” In life, she sealed her eternity through her music. In death, if we so allow, she can find eternity even more meaningfully by inspiring us to seek the changes that might have saved her. We will always love you, Whitney.
After giving this speech, in which he pointed out that Republicans use “big government” for their own purposes and that Ronald Reagan actually grew the government and that there was no “Reagan Revolution,” Judge Andrew Napolitano was promptly informed that his show is cancelled. Oops.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOaCemmsnNk&sns=fb
Judge Napolitano.How to get fired from Fox Business in under 5 mins (by littletammy20)Incarceration In The United States
(high res)
The US is ranked #1 in some impressive areas but being #1 for incarceration isn’t something to brag about. In fact, more than 1 in every 100 adults in America are incarcerated at any given time. In some states such as Louisiana as many as 1 in 55 adults are incarcerated at any time. But even in states with fewer incarcerations like Maine, 1 in 226 are still incarcerated. In light of such numbers it isn’t surprising that the US has 25% of the world’s incarcerated population even though the US only makes up around 5% of the population globally.
Despite the huge population of incarcerated people it is far from a representative portion of the population. While the national average is 1 in 100, only 1 in 106 is a white male. Shockingly, 1 in 15 Black men are incarcerated. This is like 2 people out of every classroom. Comparatively 1 in 36 Hispanic men are incarcerated fully 300% more than their white counterparts.
Whitney Houston - I Look To You (by whitneyhoustonVEVO)
