[inlink]matthew,467[/inlink]

(e:Matthew) - you should check out the UB Dental School Clinic. They provide discount dental services if you qualify.

THE ERIC STARR GROUP
Original Jazz

When:
Saturday, December 18th, 2004
8:00 PM

Where:
The New Tralf
622 Main Street, 2nd Floor
Buffalo, New York

Tickets: $15
(716) 854-3068 for reservations
www.newtralf.com
www.ticketmaster.com

See www.ericstarrgroup.com for more information

This is the first day in my life that I've been ashamed to be an American. The majority of our citizens chose to support a preemptive unilateral war. There was no vote counting debacle. There were no lies about weapons of mass destruction and alleged connections between Osama bin Laden and Iraq. No. There was no mistake. My compatriots have spoken.

I find it astounding that gay marriage is a moral issue, while the destruction of thousands of lives is acceptable. One friend told me that fewer Iraqis will starve because of the US involvement. That's not good enough. Not good enough to put Americans in harm's way. Not good enough to completely disrupt the lives of innocent Iraqis. Maybe Americans don't understand what it is to have a war on their own soil. After all, we haven't experienced that in 150 years. Although Pearl Harbor and 9/11 were tragic, they were isolated incidents. Our schools, churches, and other institutions were not completely destroyed. We didn't have bombs falling from the sky on a daily basis. Other countries haven't had that luxury. Maybe that's why most other nations weren't ready to embrace the Iraqi invasion.

Are those in the Mid-West and the South so removed from things that they don't understand? Perhaps in their small towns they don't have contact with people of different cultures, and they don't see that the "enemies" are human beings trying to raise their families, just as we are? Have they lost their compassion for humanity?

The post-election analysts say that those that supported Bush did so because they thought he would keep us safer or because they were voting for morality. In the case of security, I can only say that nobody can truly protect us, though it helps if we don't anger the entire world. As for morality, progressives need to take a hard look at what's going on. The Right does not have a monopoly on morals. And moral issues do not end at abortion, stem cell research, and gay marriage. War, civil liberties, helping the poor, and the environment - these are moral issues. It's my firm belief that religious people across the country have been fooled.

When I woke this morning, my first instinct was to move to Canada. But if progressives move, where does that leave the US? It's our responsibility to do the right thing - to stay here and fight for freedom and for those who can't fight for themselves. Karl Rove took morality and turned it inside out to win an election. Let's take it back.

Anyone planning on voting for David Cobb for President should be aware that he is on the ballot as a write-in candidate in New York State. Instructions for write-ins are here :

"This is the (e:peep) mafia. You haven't been attending our meetings. Don't you know that once you join, you can never leave. Show up to the Pink or else.."

Okay, so that wasn't exactly verbatim. But (e:jill) and (e:mike) were certainly trying to stir up some trouble last night.

(E:peeps) are down and they haven't seen each other. All signs point to an epeep night out. Maybe we should try another Thursday night at the Pink. According to (e:strip), even Republicans like it there.

And to help us all cheer up - how about some winter outings? Anyone interested in cross-country skiing or ice skating?

Let's get the morale back up around here.

Mohawk Place is having another dance party tomorrow - Saturday. Be there. Last time, (e:jill), (e:drchlorine), and (e:chriddy) were spotted shaking their e-booties.

Forget romance. Trust statistics. At lovecalculator.com, you can discover the odds of any two people having a successful relationship. Just enter the two names and poof. Sorry PMT - I guess it won't work for you. Here are my stats:

Prince - 67%
John Cusack - 86%
Damon Albarn - 95%
Jarvis Cocker- 66%
John Edwards - 99%
Bono Vox - 86%
Estrip Bot - 99%
Jeff Tweedy - 94%
George Bush - 24%

That estrip bot gets the girl every time!

Project Vote Smart is a great site, but neither George Bush nor John Kerry have submitted their issue positions. Is it that much to ask of them? Just tell me exactly where you stand. There is way too much rhetoric out there, and not enough nitty gritty.

This Buffalo News editorial pretty much sums it up for me.

Pano Georgiadis wants to tear down 1089 Elmwood Ave. to expand his restaurant and parking lot. One of his main arguments for demolition of this lovely Queen Anne, built in 1893, is the poor condition of the interior. However, Georgiadis has owned this house for seven years, collecting rents while allowing it to deteriorate. Should we reward his neglect or hold him accountable?

The Elmwood Village is a thriving residential and commercial district, one of the few areas in the city where property values are rising and population is increasing. This is due in part to the uniqueness and beauty of the architecture, the streetscape.

Since Pano's restaurant directly benefits from the popularity of this community, and draws a large portion of its customers from the surrounding neighborhoods, Georgiadis would do well to support preservation efforts, rather than alienate his neighbors.