Shutdown over

After over two weeks the government shutdown ended last night when cooler heads prevailed. Lead by the women of the senate, a compromise bill was passed. It's only a temporary reprieve, but both sides have said that they learned from the experience and it won't happen again. I wish that were true of the Tea Party members who actually caused it. Sen. (R) Ted Cruz of Texas showed absolutely no remorse and even blasted his fellow Republicans for caving in. This guy is one of the primary reason why Congress has only a 5% approval. The shutdown cost the US Economy $24B, and he didn't care. Amazing!

Government Shutdown

To no one's surprise the radical right wing Republicans forced a Federal government shutdown last night. They refuse to accept the fact that the Affordable Health Act passed into law and was affirmed by the US Supreme Court. They lost and need to get over it. Neither the President nor the Senate will support a bill that defunds the bill. If they want to make some changes, that's fine, but they shouldn't be shutting down the government and/or putting the US into default by not raising the debt ceiling, which will happen in two weeks. The tea party is acting like a bunch of two year olds throwing a temper tantrum. They need to grow up and act like adults.

March on Washington

Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech. It was a momentous occasion, especially with America's first black president being the primary speaker. The bottom line is that much has been done, but more progress is needed. Two examples were President Clinton's statement that “A great democracy does not make it harder to vote than to buy an assault weapon” and that not one Republican lawmaker attended.

Heat Wave Redux

Last year at this same time we had a terrible heat wave. Well this year's was worse. It was even hotter, lasted longer, and the humidity was higher. Our weather on Cape Cod is always more pleasant than most of the northeast, but it was brutal here, too. I did my "naked trick" again, but it didn't help that much. Besides I still had to put on clothes to go outside, which I don't think is fair. Why are Americans such prudes that nudity offends them so much? Oh well, the weather should break tomorrow and we should get some relief.

George Zimmerman

George Zimmerman was found not guilty in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. The prosecution could not prove murder beyond a shadow of doubt. Needless to say the verdict was controversial and sparked protests throughout the country. Was justice done? Legally, yes. For the Martin family, no. The real question is where do we go from here.

World Wide Skinny Dip

Today the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) will be making an attempt to break the world's largest skinny dip. It's part of their Nude Recreation week. You can go to their web site, www.aanr.com, to find the closest location. Then take off your clothes, jump in, and make history.