I couldn't resist

Talk about a bad hair day!


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Tax Time is Upon Us Again: Monetary Suggestions

Today, a large number of people are only beginning to fill out their tax forms. Some won't start until tonight, necessitating that drive by the TV cameras at the Post Office. Others will file on line, cursing the burden on the servers that delays their work. The phone lines will buzz with calls to tax help services and relatives with financial experience.

Everyone who can file should, since it will make them eligible for the tax 'rebate' that has been promised us. This election-year giveaway isn't going to help the government get out of the hole it's in, but it may provide some needed cash for folks out there.

Tax refunds and 'rebates' are often a nice little chunk of money that gets wasted. Do not piss this money away. The Bushites want you to spend it on frivolous things that will 'help the economy'. Do something really useful instead.

Some Pagans are smart with their money and/or well-heeled, but I've met a larger number who, just like most people out there, don't have a lot of money and don't have any idea of what to do with a windfall (even a small one). Many Pagans feel that they shouldn't concern themselves with money, but I think they should still spend what they have wisely!

Some suggestions:

* If you've been putting off dental work for yourself or your child, do it now.
* Have that physical or well child checkup.
* Get that eye/hearing checkup for yourself or your child.
* Fix those brakes and/or replace those bald tires.
* Buy that damned auto insurance! I entered traffic accidents for about seven years, and too many people out there are driving uninsured. If you can afford more than liability insurance, it's worth it. I say this as one who knows.

Don't have those needs?

* Pay down (or off) one of your credit cards. Don't divide it among your credit cards, kill one outright.
* If you don't have an emergency savings account, get one. This works better if it's at a different bank than the one for your checking account. The temptation to nickel-and-dime a savings account to nothing is pretty high, so don't make it easy to shift money over to the account you use for daily expenses. I would suggest paying the credit card(s) off first, though, because a credit card can get you through an emergency when a tiny savings account won't.
* File a will. This is especially important if you have children or are half of a gay couple. Don't trust the court to leave your property or award your kids to the person of your choice.
* Get that house/property repair you desperately need. Last time we got a rebate, a damaged tree in our yard was threatening to fall over. We paid some local people to come take it out. This helped stimulate the economy and ensure our house's safety.

Got more money left over, or don't have those needs?

* Open an IRA. Those of you who got rebates before will remember that, the following year, you had to count them as income. An IRA will reduce your tax liability next year and, in the long run, help replace the Social Security you may not be getting. Your bank may tell you that you need $500 - $1000 to open an IRA, but some online services will let you begin one with a much smaller amount of money. I opened one on Sharebuilder (owned by ING) with $200 and could probably have opened it with $25.
* Give to a worthy charity. It can be a tax benefit, and it'll help someone else. If you feel political, give to a group like Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. There are also some Pagan charities doing good work. If you want the tax deduction, verify that they qualify for it before you give them the money. Of course, the good karma of giving to a charitable group doesn't depend on its IRS classification.

If you're getting a large return:

* Buy a CD. You have to get a bigger check to do this, but it lets you save money at a higher rate and is not as easily broken into as a savings account. If you're getting a big refund and don't need the money immediately, it's not a bad idea.
* Buy a bond. Ask your bank or credit union about this. I have some bond stocks in my retirement account, but I'm no expert on this. Bonds are a nice hedge when the economy sucks.

Got some better ideas? Feel free to comment.

Ralph Long: Know Your Friends (and those who aren't)

From Ralph Long's blog:

I recently got a couple of Fund Raising emails from http://www.kentuckyvotes.com/. The emails came from Kelly L. Smith [postmaster@bipps.org]. Now I subscribe to this site, along with a number of other sites and I know its run by the same folks that run the Bluegrass Institute. Kentucky Votes is a pretty good service if you ignore most of the comments on the site.

The subject of the email was KentuckyVotes.org_A Testimonial from Norman Davis and contained this line.

Our friend and colleague, Norman Davis of Clarkson, Kentucky, is a regular user of Kentucky Votes. No big deal, I’m a regular user of Kentucky Votes. But to think that Norman Davis endorsing something will get me to pony up some bucks, well that’s not going to happen.

For those of you who don’t know who Norman Davis is let me introduce you. Davis is the leader of a coalition of groups called Take Back Kentucky.

A 2004 Kentucky Department of Justice Report - Hate Crime and Hate Incidents in the Commonwealth of Kentucky lists Take Back Kentucky as a Patriot Group.

Patriot groups define themselves as opposed to the “New World Order” or advocate or adhere to extreme anti-government or conspiratorial doctrines.

Ralph says that he won't be giving money to this group any time soon. I would suggest that everyone do the same before ponying up for any candidate or interest group that contacts them during this election year.

Too bad it's not coming to KY!

Information on the simulcast below:

Celebrities, Religious Liberty Heroes Headline National Simulcast For Church-State Separation

Activists Gather At Theaters In 25 Cities To Put Church-State Separation On National Agenda During 2008 Election

Actors, musicians and comedians will join church-state activists from across the country March 26 to put church-state separation on the national agenda during the 2008 election season.

In movie theatres in 25 cities across the nation, interested citizens will gather to learn about the threats to church-state separation and to demand that presidential hopefuls and candidates for other offices answer questions about key issues dealing with individual freedom. A list of 10 great questions to ask candidates will be featured.

Titled “Everything You Always Wanted to Know about the Separation of Church and State … but Were Afraid to Ask!,” the high-definition program is being hosted by First Freedom First (FFF), a joint project of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and The Interfaith Alliance Foundation.

Peter Coyote, a celebrated Hollywood actor and filmmaker, will emcee the program, which is to include a performance by special guests, The Bacon Brothers. Actor Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael formed the band more than 10 years ago and continue touring nationwide.

Other actors and celebrities scheduled to participate include Michael J. Fox (“Family Ties” and “Spin City”), Jack Klugman (“The Odd Couple” and “Quincy, M.E.”), James Whitmore (“The Shawshank Redemption”), Wendie Malick (“Just Shoot Me!”), Dan Lauria (“The Wonder Years”), Catherine Dent (“The Shield”), stand-up comedian and Air America host Marc Maron, singer/songwriter Catie Curtis and singer/satirist Roy Zimmerman.

In addition, Americans who have fought for individual freedom will tell their stories. Invited guests include Bryan and Christy Rehm (who fought creationism in Dover, Pa. science classes), Matthew LaClair (a New Jersey high schooler who exposed religious indoctrination at his school), Roberta Stewart (an Afghanistan War widow who fought for equal rights for Wiccan veterans), Dr. Susan Wicklund (who wears a bullet-proof vest to provide reproductive services in underserved areas) the Rev. Madison Shockley (pastor and reproductive rights advocate) David and Ryan Altoon (who oppose fundamentalist proselytism at U.S. military academies) Melinda “Lindy” Maddox (who successfully sued Alabama “Commandments” Judge Roy Moore) and Susan Jacoby (author of The Age of American Unreason).

First Freedom First was launched in 2006 to mobilize Americans from all walks of life in defense of church-state separation. Recently FFF ran television ads in several presidential primary states urging citizens to ask the candidates to elaborate on their understanding of religious liberty.

The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director, and the Rev. Welton Gaddy, president of The Interfaith Alliance Foundation, will also participate in the simulcast.

Said Lynn, “This is a unique event that brings together celebrity commitment, civic engagement and the latest technology. Presidential candidates have been asked what their favorite Bible verse is and what sins they have committed. I want to know where they stand on key issues of individual freedom. This simulcast will tell us how to find out that information -- and give us an entertaining evening to boot.”

Said Gaddy, “We are thrilled that so many American icons we have welcomed into our living rooms over the years have graciously agreed to lend their star-power to focus attention on religious liberty and some of its heroes. This gathering should prove to be a lively and much-deserved celebration of the diversity of belief systems in this country and some of the citizens who have boldly taken public stands to protect the boundaries between religion and government.”

The March 26 simulcast is being produced by Progressive Media Agency, a Portland, Ore.-based firm led by Adam Klugman and Enrique Arias.

Kentucky: The Newest Pretext to Force Christian Prayer Into the Schools

DINO Bob Damron, et alii panderers, are making another run at injecting religion into the schools. This is one of the reasons I voted 'No' on the constitutional amendment allowing the KY General Assembly to meet every year. The state seems to run more quietly when these folks aren't in session.

The ploy this time is to get the kids to recite the Lord's Prayer in class under the guise of understanding the American forefathers. Thus, they will have "American = Christian" (specifically Protestant Christian) stamped into their minds early on. Why do I suspect that they won't be re-enacting any Native American rituals, which would certainly be an important part of our country's history as well? Perhaps they should also include some African religious instruction, which would give the pupils a greater understanding of how the slaves brought here felt when they were forced to give up their faith. That'd really ram the message home, wouldn't it?

http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/08RS/HB460/bill.doc

HB 460 (BR 27) - R. Adams, K. Hall, J. Comer Jr, R. Damron, J. Stewart III, A. Wuchner

AN ACT relating to schools.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky:

Section 1. KRS 158.175 is amended to read as follows:

(1) As a continuation of the policy of teaching our country's history and as an affirmation of the freedom of religion in this country, the board of education of a local school district may authorize the recitation of the traditional Lord's prayer and the pledge of allegiance to the flag in public elementary schools. Pupil participation in the recitation of the prayer and pledge of allegiance shall be voluntary. Pupils shall be reminded that this Lord's prayer is the prayer our pilgrim fathers recited when they came to this country in their search for freedom. Pupils shall be informed that these exercises are not meant to influence an individual's personal religious beliefs in any manner. The exercises shall be conducted so that pupils shall learn of our great freedoms, including the freedom of religion symbolized by the recitation of the Lord's prayer.
(2) The board of education of each school district shall establish a policy and develop procedures whereby the pupils in each elementary and secondary school may participate in the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States at the commencement of each school day.
(3) The Kentucky Board of Education shall develop a program of instruction relating to the flag of the United States of America, including instruction in etiquette, the correct use and display of the flag, and other patriotic exercises as may be related. This program of instruction shall be provided to each public school for use in its course of instruction. The program of instruction, at a minimum, shall include the provisions of 4 U.S.C. secs. 1 to 3 and 4 U.S.C. secs. 5 to 9.
(4) The board of education of each local school district may purchase or otherwise acquire and provide for display in each classroom copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Address, and other documents the local board deems significant to the history of Kentucky and the United States.
(5) At the commencement of the first class of each day in all public schools, the teacher in charge of the room shall [originally may] announce that a moment of silence or reflection not to exceed two (2) minutes [originally one (1) minute] in duration shall be observed.

Note that the proposed law also enforces reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, which will probably NOT be the original one without the 'Under God' phrase. Somehow, I think the later version will be used. I guess our buddies in the House don't want the kids to get confused about what religious freedom really means.

The real fun should start, though, when the Catholic kids start using different words in the middle of the Lord's Prayer. Back in the Bad Old Days, Catholic kids got punished for using the 'wrong' words during classroom prayer. Today, they'll just get points off until they start using the American version. And they'll get the message, too.

Interested in complaining? Call 1-800-372-7181 to leave a message.

Fuzzy creatures

Yes, I'm a sucker for fuzzy critters.

However, if you prefer another type of fuzzy critters, look below. I blame this all on Daily Kos.

Church-State Separation Commercials Running in South Carolina!

Many thanks to Blue Gal's post at Street Prophets for drawing my attention to this! First Freedom First is putting their money into the 'Red States', where it's needed the most.



This ad features Jack Klugman, one of my favorite actors. Klugman also has one where he advocates his right to choose how he dies. There's still a lot of fire in the old belly, though, so don't think it maudlin.

Sarah G