Print This Post Print This Post

Oct

11

If Dubya were a Jew, he’d be in trouble on Thursday

Filed Under Politics | 9 Comments

The penultimate prayer in Judaism requires Jews to pound a closed fist over their heart as they recite a litany of sins – something which I will start doing tomorrow evening and during the day on Thursday as part of Yom Kippur.

Since once is never enough, we have a few different ways of describing our sins and we do it in English, in Hebrew, silently, outloud. All day. While we fast.

I received the following version of one of these prayers, called the Al Cheit, today. I do not know the author, but I promise, I attribute it to you – whomever you are, rather than myself, although I wholeheartedly agree with everything it says.

Word of note: In Judaism, it is said, God can only forgive sins that we’ve committed against Her. For sins commited against other people, we must ask them for forgiveness.

High Holy Days Confessional (“Al Cheit”) by George W. Bush

For the sin I have committed before you by promising to be a compassionate conservative, but showing no compassion.

For the sin I have committed before you by waging an unjust war in Iraq in the false name of fighting terrorism.

For the sin I have committed before you by waging a political campaign built on fear, not hope.

For the sin I have committed before you by cynically exploiting the horrors of 9/11 for political gain.

For the sin I have committed before you by ignoring the plight of the poorest and weakest among our citizens.

For the sin I have committed before you by the unnecessary deaths of 2,000 young Americans, the injuries to thousands more, and the deaths and injuries to untold numbers of Iraqis.

For the sin I have committed before you by lying about my record of service in the National Guard.

For these sins, oh forgiving God, forgive me, pardon me, grant me atonement.

For the sin I have committed before you by dividing rather than uniting our people.

For the sin I have committed before you by ignoring the loss of over one million jobs in the U.S.

For the sin I have committed before you by doing nothing to provide health insurance to millions of Americans, and to stem rapidly rising prescription medicine andother health care costs.

For the sin I have committed before you by systematically weakening environmental and pollution regulations, thereby endangering public health and destroying precious wilderness resources.

For the sin I have committed before you by promising to leave no child behind, and then failing to adequately fund educational programs.

For the sin I have committed before you by allowing the assault weapons ban to die, allowing these grotesque weapons to return to our streets.

For the sin I have committed before you by bearing false witness about the reasons for going to war in Iraq.

For the sin I have committed before you by perpetuating the falsehood that increasing homeland security requires a weakening of civil rights.

For the sin I have committed before you by imposing a veil of secrecy on government decision making processes.

For these sins, oh forgiving God, forgive me, pardon me, grant me atonement.

For the sin I have committed before you by allowing the ends to justify any means.

For the sin I have committed before you by lowering taxes for only the very wealthiest Americans (giving them a 3.5 trillion $ tax break) enriching the few at the expense of the many.

For the sin I have committed before you by running a cynical and destructive presidential campaign, designed to destroy rather than just defeat my opponent.

For the sin I have committed before you by fighting a war in Iraq to divert attention from failures in the just war on terrorists, and from failing to act against the looming nuclear threat from Iran and North Korea.

For the sin I have committed before you by failing to make any progress in achieving a just peace between Israel and the Arabs.

For the sin I have committed before you by turning a massive government surplus into a massive deficit in less than four years, thereby burdening future generations withuntold debt.

For the sin I have committed before you by unnecessarily damaging relations with American friends and allies throughout the world.

For these sins, oh forgiving God, forgive me, pardon me, grant meatonement.

For the sin I have committed before you by promoting a personal ideology rather than the interests of the people.

For the sin I have committed before you by arrogance and swagger, speaking with a forked tongue, and for the haughty exercise of power.

For the sin I have committed before you by appointing arch-conservative judges to the federal judiciary.

For the sin I have committed before you by irresponsibly damaging the reputation of the United States throughout the world.

For the sin I have committed before you by enriching my friends in the conduct of government and military affairs.

For the sin I have committed before you by encouraging xenophobia on thepart of the American people.

For the sin I have committed before you by attempting to impose my extreme religious and moralistic values on the entire nation, and weakening the separation between church and state.

For the sin I have committed before you by characterizing all who opposeme as evil, and all who agree with me as good.

And for the sin I have committed before you by failing to acknowledge my responsibility for all these sins, for attempting to blame others for them, and for all the injury and damage they have caused to individuals, the Nation, and the future.

For these sins, oh forgiving God, forgive me, pardon me, grant me atonement.

Bookmark and Share

By Jill Miller Zimon at 6:00 pm October 11th, 2005 in Politics | 9 Comments 

Print This Post Print This Post

Oct

11

Red Room Revolution

Filed Under Politics | 3 Comments

I’m trying to learn, I really am. So, in this effort, I saw a link on Tech Link (how ironic) to a live chat with Cathy Panzica, the Thompson, Hine attorney who spearheads the RRR effort.

What I know about it derives from the blogosphere, including George Nemeth’s interview with Ms. Panzica for Cool Cleveland and a couple of articles and documents elsehwere in the ‘sphere. (I think it started with this on BFD.) Ms. Panzica also provided information about herself and RRR during the live chat. (Do they dislike it if folks use RRR – because every time I type it, I think of KKK.)

Being the pragmatic mom with a brain that I am, I posted a question that asked, how will her efforts affect Jane Doe in Cleveland? What tangible changes – other than cranes (this in reference to her comment about how good it would be to see 10 cranes out her window, which I assume meant lots of construction and growth; and she allowed that seeing Panzica on five of those cranes would be good too) – and benefits would a NE Ohio resident detect as a result of RRR?

The moderator liked my question and posed it to Ms. Panzica.

Ms. Panzica directed listeners to RRR’s Grass With Roots pillar. This element provides a way for people to gain tech skills so that they can participate in a tech-oriented economy. She added that, for people at companies already engaged in the tech business, they should meet and talk with RRR about how they can add value to what RRR is doing and include them in the RRR program. Last, she said that if you’re in an industrial business that has tech solutions, you should “press on those people that are driving those solutions.”

Are we talking about making a Route 128 – the highway that rings Boston and was known for years as a high-tech locale? That’s what popped into my head as I re-listened to some of the chat.

But as for the Grass With Roots pillar, I read it, I read what she and George talked about in regard to it, and I’m still not sure – does it apply to me? It refers to talent training and those displaced. Who am I? I’m not so sure I like the faith-based support thing for the providing entity, but I did read Ms. Panzica’s clarification about that when she spoke with George.

I happen to think I’m a great candidate for that PhD level training geared toward my entrepreneurial talents (the fact that I can spell that without spell-checking should get me in by itself) that RRR could mold so that I can better contribute to NE Ohio tech capabilities and deployment. My post about how women my age seem to be lagging in tech could even be my application essay. The paucity of female speakers at Web 2.0 and the number of female-authored blogs in the Top 100 also support my belief that I’m a great candidate.

But again, is this offering even intended for people like myself? If not, why not – am I just being greedy, wanting a piece of what is being made to sound so enticing?

I’m going to e-mail Ms. Panzica and see what she says. Because, with all sincerity, I would love to learn about whether or not I really could take advantage of this program and warp-speed the plodding nature of my self-correcting adventures in technology thus far (read: tinkering with my blog and figuring out what Trackback does).

Btw, what’s CIO stand for? Chief Information…? (see – I need that training.)

Bookmark and Share

By Jill Miller Zimon at 4:40 pm October 11th, 2005 in Politics | 3 Comments 

Print This Post Print This Post

Oct

11

If Dubya were a Jew, he’d be in trouble on Thursday

Filed Under Politics | 8 Comments

The penultimate prayer in Judaism requires Jews to pound a closed fist over their heart as they recite a litany of sins – something which I will start doing tomorrow evening and during the day on Thursday as part of Yom Kippur.

Since once is never enough, we have a few different ways of describing our sins and we do it in English, in Hebrew, silently, outloud. All day. While we fast.

I received the following version of one of these prayers, called the Al Cheit, today. I do not know the author, but I promise, I attribute it to you – whomever you are, rather than myself, although I wholeheartedly agree with everything it says.

Word of note: In Judaism, it is said, God can only forgive sins that we’ve committed against Her. For sins commited against other people, we must ask them for forgiveness.

High Holy Days Confessional (“Al Cheit”) by George W. Bush

For the sin I have committed before you by promising to be a compassionate conservative, but showing no compassion.

For the sin I have committed before you by waging an unjust war in Iraq in the false name of fighting terrorism.

For the sin I have committed before you by waging a political campaign built on fear, not hope.

For the sin I have committed before you by cynically exploiting the horrors of 9/11 for political gain.

For the sin I have committed before you by ignoring the plight of the poorest and weakest among our citizens.

For the sin I have committed before you by the unnecessary deaths of 2,000 young Americans, the injuries to thousands more, and the deaths and injuries to untold numbers of Iraqis.

For the sin I have committed before you by lying about my record of service in the National Guard.

For these sins, oh forgiving God, forgive me, pardon me, grant me atonement.

For the sin I have committed before you by dividing rather than uniting our people.

For the sin I have committed before you by ignoring the loss of over one million jobs in the U.S.

For the sin I have committed before you by doing nothing to provide health insurance to millions of Americans, and to stem rapidly rising prescription medicine andother health care costs.

For the sin I have committed before you by systematically weakening environmental and pollution regulations, thereby endangering public health and destroying precious wilderness resources.

For the sin I have committed before you by promising to leave no child behind, and then failing to adequately fund educational programs.

For the sin I have committed before you by allowing the assault weapons ban to die, allowing these grotesque weapons to return to our streets.

For the sin I have committed before you by bearing false witness about the reasons for going to war in Iraq.

For the sin I have committed before you by perpetuating the falsehood that increasing homeland security requires a weakening of civil rights.

For the sin I have committed before you by imposing a veil of secrecy on government decision making processes.

For these sins, oh forgiving God, forgive me, pardon me, grant me atonement.

For the sin I have committed before you by allowing the ends to justify any means.

For the sin I have committed before you by lowering taxes for only the very wealthiest Americans (giving them a 3.5 trillion $ tax break) enriching the few at the expense of the many.

For the sin I have committed before you by running a cynical and destructive presidential campaign, designed to destroy rather than just defeat my opponent.

For the sin I have committed before you by fighting a war in Iraq to divert attention from failures in the just war on terrorists, and from failing to act against the looming nuclear threat from Iran and North Korea.

For the sin I have committed before you by failing to make any progress in achieving a just peace between Israel and the Arabs.

For the sin I have committed before you by turning a massive government surplus into a massive deficit in less than four years, thereby burdening future generations withuntold debt.

For the sin I have committed before you by unnecessarily damaging relations with American friends and allies throughout the world.

For these sins, oh forgiving God, forgive me, pardon me, grant meatonement.

For the sin I have committed before you by promoting a personal ideology rather than the interests of the people.

For the sin I have committed before you by arrogance and swagger, speaking with a forked tongue, and for the haughty exercise of power.

For the sin I have committed before you by appointing arch-conservative judges to the federal judiciary.

For the sin I have committed before you by irresponsibly damaging the reputation of the United States throughout the world.

For the sin I have committed before you by enriching my friends in the conduct of government and military affairs.

For the sin I have committed before you by encouraging xenophobia on thepart of the American people.

For the sin I have committed before you by attempting to impose my extreme religious and moralistic values on the entire nation, and weakening the separation between church and state.

For the sin I have committed before you by characterizing all who opposeme as evil, and all who agree with me as good.

And for the sin I have committed before you by failing to acknowledge my responsibility for all these sins, for attempting to blame others for them, and for all the injury and damage they have caused to individuals, the Nation, and the future.

For these sins, oh forgiving God, forgive me, pardon me, grant me atonement.

Bookmark and Share

By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:00 pm October 11th, 2005 in Politics | 8 Comments 

Print This Post Print This Post

Oct

11

Red Room Revolution

Filed Under Politics | 3 Comments

I’m trying to learn, I really am. So, in this effort, I saw a link on Tech Link (how ironic) to a live chat with Cathy Panzica, the Thompson, Hine attorney who spearheads the RRR effort.

What I know about it derives from the blogosphere, including George Nemeth’s interview with Ms. Panzica for Cool Cleveland and a couple of articles and documents elsehwere in the ‘sphere. (I think it started with this on BFD.) Ms. Panzica also provided information about herself and RRR during the live chat. (Do they dislike it if folks use RRR – because every time I type it, I think of KKK.)

Being the pragmatic mom with a brain that I am, I posted a question that asked, how will her efforts affect Jane Doe in Cleveland? What tangible changes – other than cranes (this in reference to her comment about how good it would be to see 10 cranes out her window, which I assume meant lots of construction and growth; and she allowed that seeing Panzica on five of those cranes would be good too) – and benefits would a NE Ohio resident detect as a result of RRR?

The moderator liked my question and posed it to Ms. Panzica.

Ms. Panzica directed listeners to RRR’s Grass With Roots pillar. This element provides a way for people to gain tech skills so that they can participate in a tech-oriented economy. She added that, for people at companies already engaged in the tech business, they should meet and talk with RRR about how they can add value to what RRR is doing and include them in the RRR program. Last, she said that if you’re in an industrial business that has tech solutions, you should “press on those people that are driving those solutions.”

Are we talking about making a Route 128 – the highway that rings Boston and was known for years as a high-tech locale? That’s what popped into my head as I re-listened to some of the chat.

But as for the Grass With Roots pillar, I read it, I read what she and George talked about in regard to it, and I’m still not sure – does it apply to me? It refers to talent training and those displaced. Who am I? I’m not so sure I like the faith-based support thing for the providing entity, but I did read Ms. Panzica’s clarification about that when she spoke with George.

I happen to think I’m a great candidate for that PhD level training geared toward my entrepreneurial talents (the fact that I can spell that without spell-checking should get me in by itself) that RRR could mold so that I can better contribute to NE Ohio tech capabilities and deployment. My post about how women my age seem to be lagging in tech could even be my application essay. The paucity of female speakers at Web 2.0 and the number of female-authored blogs in the Top 100 also support my belief that I’m a great candidate.

But again, is this offering even intended for people like myself? If not, why not – am I just being greedy, wanting a piece of what is being made to sound so enticing?

I’m going to e-mail Ms. Panzica and see what she says. Because, with all sincerity, I would love to learn about whether or not I really could take advantage of this program and warp-speed the plodding nature of my self-correcting adventures in technology thus far (read: tinkering with my blog and figuring out what Trackback does).

Btw, what’s CIO stand for? Chief Information…? (see – I need that training.)

Bookmark and Share

By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:40 pm October 11th, 2005 in Politics | 3 Comments 

Print This Post Print This Post

Oct

11

If Dubya were a Jew, he’d be in trouble on Thursday

Filed Under Politics | Comments Off

The penultimate prayer in Judaism requires Jews to pound a closed fist over their heart as they recite a litany of sins – something which I will start doing tomorrow evening and during the day on Thursday as part of Yom Kippur.

Since once is never enough, we have a few different ways of describing our sins and we do it in English, in Hebrew, silently, outloud. All day. While we fast.

I received the following version of one of these prayers, called the Al Cheit, today. I do not know the author, but I promise, I attribute it to you – whomever you are, rather than myself, although I wholeheartedly agree with everything it says.

Word of note: In Judaism, it is said, God can only forgive sins that we’ve committed against Her. For sins commited against other people, we must ask them for forgiveness.

High Holy Days Confessional (“Al Cheit”) by George W. Bush

For the sin I have committed before you by promising to be a compassionate conservative, but showing no compassion.

For the sin I have committed before you by waging an unjust war in Iraq in the false name of fighting terrorism.

For the sin I have committed before you by waging a political campaign built on fear, not hope.

For the sin I have committed before you by cynically exploiting the horrors of 9/11 for political gain.

For the sin I have committed before you by ignoring the plight of the poorest and weakest among our citizens.

For the sin I have committed before you by the unnecessary deaths of 2,000 young Americans, the injuries to thousands more, and the deaths and injuries to untold numbers of Iraqis.

For the sin I have committed before you by lying about my record of service in the National Guard.

For these sins, oh forgiving God, forgive me, pardon me, grant me atonement.

For the sin I have committed before you by dividing rather than uniting our people.

For the sin I have committed before you by ignoring the loss of over one million jobs in the U.S.

For the sin I have committed before you by doing nothing to provide health insurance to millions of Americans, and to stem rapidly rising prescription medicine andother health care costs.

For the sin I have committed before you by systematically weakening environmental and pollution regulations, thereby endangering public health and destroying precious wilderness resources.

For the sin I have committed before you by promising to leave no child behind, and then failing to adequately fund educational programs.

For the sin I have committed before you by allowing the assault weapons ban to die, allowing these grotesque weapons to return to our streets.

For the sin I have committed before you by bearing false witness about the reasons for going to war in Iraq.

For the sin I have committed before you by perpetuating the falsehood that increasing homeland security requires a weakening of civil rights.

For the sin I have committed before you by imposing a veil of secrecy on government decision making processes.

For these sins, oh forgiving God, forgive me, pardon me, grant me atonement.

For the sin I have committed before you by allowing the ends to justify any means.

For the sin I have committed before you by lowering taxes for only the very wealthiest Americans (giving them a 3.5 trillion $ tax break) enriching the few at the expense of the many.

For the sin I have committed before you by running a cynical and destructive presidential campaign, designed to destroy rather than just defeat my opponent.

For the sin I have committed before you by fighting a war in Iraq to divert attention from failures in the just war on terrorists, and from failing to act against the looming nuclear threat from Iran and North Korea.

For the sin I have committed before you by failing to make any progress in achieving a just peace between Israel and the Arabs.

For the sin I have committed before you by turning a massive government surplus into a massive deficit in less than four years, thereby burdening future generations withuntold debt.

For the sin I have committed before you by unnecessarily damaging relations with American friends and allies throughout the world.

For these sins, oh forgiving God, forgive me, pardon me, grant meatonement.

For the sin I have committed before you by promoting a personal ideology rather than the interests of the people.

For the sin I have committed before you by arrogance and swagger, speaking with a forked tongue, and for the haughty exercise of power.

For the sin I have committed before you by appointing arch-conservative judges to the federal judiciary.

For the sin I have committed before you by irresponsibly damaging the reputation of the United States throughout the world.

For the sin I have committed before you by enriching my friends in the conduct of government and military affairs.

For the sin I have committed before you by encouraging xenophobia on thepart of the American people.

For the sin I have committed before you by attempting to impose my extreme religious and moralistic values on the entire nation, and weakening the separation between church and state.

For the sin I have committed before you by characterizing all who opposeme as evil, and all who agree with me as good.

And for the sin I have committed before you by failing to acknowledge my responsibility for all these sins, for attempting to blame others for them, and for all the injury and damage they have caused to individuals, the Nation, and the future.

For these sins, oh forgiving God, forgive me, pardon me, grant me atonement.

Bookmark and Share

By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:00 am October 11th, 2005 in Politics | Comments Off 

Print This Post Print This Post

Oct

11

Red Room Revolution

Filed Under Politics | Comments Off

I’m trying to learn, I really am. So, in this effort, I saw a link on Tech Link (how ironic) to a live chat with Cathy Panzica, the Thompson, Hine attorney who spearheads the RRR effort.

What I know about it derives from the blogosphere, including George Nemeth’s interview with Ms. Panzica for Cool Cleveland and a couple of articles and documents elsehwere in the ‘sphere. (I think it started with this on BFD.) Ms. Panzica also provided information about herself and RRR during the live chat. (Do they dislike it if folks use RRR – because every time I type it, I think of KKK.)

Being the pragmatic mom with a brain that I am, I posted a question that asked, how will her efforts affect Jane Doe in Cleveland? What tangible changes – other than cranes (this in reference to her comment about how good it would be to see 10 cranes out her window, which I assume meant lots of construction and growth; and she allowed that seeing Panzica on five of those cranes would be good too) – and benefits would a NE Ohio resident detect as a result of RRR?

The moderator liked my question and posed it to Ms. Panzica.

Ms. Panzica directed listeners to RRR’s Grass With Roots pillar. This element provides a way for people to gain tech skills so that they can participate in a tech-oriented economy. She added that, for people at companies already engaged in the tech business, they should meet and talk with RRR about how they can add value to what RRR is doing and include them in the RRR program. Last, she said that if you’re in an industrial business that has tech solutions, you should “press on those people that are driving those solutions.”

Are we talking about making a Route 128 – the highway that rings Boston and was known for years as a high-tech locale? That’s what popped into my head as I re-listened to some of the chat.

But as for the Grass With Roots pillar, I read it, I read what she and George talked about in regard to it, and I’m still not sure – does it apply to me? It refers to talent training and those displaced. Who am I? I’m not so sure I like the faith-based support thing for the providing entity, but I did read Ms. Panzica’s clarification about that when she spoke with George.

I happen to think I’m a great candidate for that PhD level training geared toward my entrepreneurial talents (the fact that I can spell that without spell-checking should get me in by itself) that RRR could mold so that I can better contribute to NE Ohio tech capabilities and deployment. My post about how women my age seem to be lagging in tech could even be my application essay. The paucity of female speakers at Web 2.0 and the number of female-authored blogs in the Top 100 also support my belief that I’m a great candidate.

But again, is this offering even intended for people like myself? If not, why not – am I just being greedy, wanting a piece of what is being made to sound so enticing?

I’m going to e-mail Ms. Panzica and see what she says. Because, with all sincerity, I would love to learn about whether or not I really could take advantage of this program and warp-speed the plodding nature of my self-correcting adventures in technology thus far (read: tinkering with my blog and figuring out what Trackback does).

Btw, what’s CIO stand for? Chief Information…? (see – I need that training.)

Bookmark and Share

By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:40 am October 11th, 2005 in Politics | Comments Off 

"));