Watching Republicans make excuses and Harvey Milk still is ahead of our time

This week, I've watched Republicans debate, well, about nothing. I've seen some on the Senate floor debate literally spend 15 minutes talking about absolutely nothing. News outlets have it right. Republicans are bitching about spending in this bill and argue we should just give all this money in the form of tax cuts to the American people. The average American knows more about how to use it than we in Congress do. That sounds enticing, but how did tax cuts work the first time?

Oklahoma Republican Sen. Coburn is one of those who offers little substance. He provided an amendment that strips away Community Development Block Grants. I have several problems with this. Thinking back to my days as a pion journalist, the one main attraction for a community was its recreation facilities. Literally, everyone I spoke to who attended a baseball tournament from out-of-state said this facility offered the best baseball fields of any other they visited.

On the flipside, I understand Coburn's argument. The communities will just waste away the money on useless projects that don't stimulate the economy. O.k. What problems are we facing right now? Obesity rates and juvenile delinquency are rapidly rising. So, I think this small portion of a large pot is conducive for the quality of life in communities. Ask military brats who lived in Germany what they thought about it. I'm willing to bet you they won't complain to you about a lack of recreation and things to do.

The Democratic Senator from Hawaii and forgive me for not remembering his name, argued about the provision in this bill. If you strip away any construction on swimming pools, then you intentionally or unintentionally take away pools for Veterans, those at Trauma Centers, and those used for Coast Guard training. It seems to me Republicans are more concerned about their interests ONCE AGAIN, then those the American people voted on back in November. Finally, I'm for much more spending to get this economy going again. The concessions made for Republicans have too much for short-term in the form of tax cuts. Rome wasn't built overnight and neither will more efficient energy grids if we don't start somewhere.

'Milk'

This was another stirring biopic, but Sean Penn's performance wasn't as captivating as Phillip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal as Truman Capote. However, they're two different films and this takes nothing away from Penn. This biopic focuses on a gay man who struggles to find his purpose in life. For most of it, he hides his homosexuality and witnesses atrocities to the gay community.

Once settled in San Fransisco, he and his partner set up a small business. Naturally, some don't greet them with open arms. Milk becomes increasingly active with those in and around his business. His bold actions lead him to pursuing a life in politics.

Waves of resistance from bigot-ridden groups are who Milk fights. He tells those in the gay community to "come out of the closet and let your voices be heard." His famous opening before gatherers was, "My name is Harvey Milk and I'm here to recruit you." Interspersed with archival footage and compelling events in this film, this is another one I highly recommend. You'll understand why there should be more Harvey Milks out there today resisting discrimination laws like California's Prop 8.

There's a great website I found when traveling the blogosphere. We exchanged an e-mail one time when I had some questions leading up to California's Supreme Court ruling gay marriage is legal. Unlike myself, she was born and raised in Georgia and lived in Newt Gingrich's area. She covers City Hall there and breaks down complex government rules, ordinances, and statutes to their simplest forms. Basically, she knows her shit. You can see how San Fransisco has evolved or devolved since Harvey Milk worked as a Supervisor by checking out thesweetmelissa.com. Guys, she looks good too!