Ready For Hillary

 A few weeks ago, I received a fund-raising letter from a Hillary Clinton for President group. Just for a joke, I made up a name( Dogg Shitt) and have been corresponding with this website. They are unaware or don't seem to care that my avatar's last name is Shitt.

Dear Dogg,




I’m not just ready for Hillary -- I’m rarin’ to get going on her campaign.



This isn’t just about electing the first woman president, and it’s not just about keeping the Republicans from enacting their extreme social agenda -- although both of those are important. This is about doing everything in our power to put the best person in office in 2016, period.



But we can’t simply rest on our laurels and cross our fingers that Hillary will make the right decision. We need to show her that she has strong grassroots support, and you can help with that right now.



There is no better way to gauge enthusiasm for a political campaign than by measuring how many people are willing to invest in getting it off the ground -- especially at the smallest levels.



Can you make a $5 contribution before the end of month fundraising deadline so Ready for Hillary can reach our goal of adding 3,000 new donors in August? You will send a resounding message that America is ready for Hillary Clinton to be our next president!



If we can reach our fundraising goals, it will be awfully tough for her to turn us down.



We can’t turn back now. As you might imagine, the fate of workers -- especially in the Midwest -- is something that I’m obsessed about. And President Obama has been a champion for them -- in Michigan and across the country.



I was proud to speak at last year's Democratic convention and promote the President’s work to rescue the American auto industry and save one million jobs. There is no denying it: Hillary Clinton is the best candidate to keep the White House in Democratic hands in 2016 and build on the progress President Obama has made.



That's why Ready for Hillary’s work is so critical. We need to build a grassroots infrastructure -- in all 50 states -- that includes long-time supporters and welcomes new supporters to the team.



Will you make a $5 contribution today to help us reach our fundraising goal by August 31st?



Thanks so much,



Jennifer Granholm

Former Governor of Michigan

Movie Review- Breakdown

The film "Breakdown" has a fairly conventional plot.  Jeff and Amy Taylor ( Kurt Russell and Kathleen Quinlan) are traveling cross-country when their car breaks down in a remote southwestern desert. A seemingly helpful trucker (JT Walsh) gives Amy a ride to a nearby cafe while Jeff stays with the car.

  Jeff manages to fix the car on his own and goes searching for his wife. What makes Breakdown so great is Kurt Russell's performance. Russell is completely believable as a desperate man who will do almost anything to get his wife back. JT Walsh is also very impressive as a mild-mannered psychopath.

Movie Review- Scarface

Everything about the 1983 remake of "Scarface" screams 1980s excess. The costumes,expensive cars, garish sets, and Oliver Stone's violent, profanity laden script is an obvious metaphor for the conspicuous consumption of the Reagan era.

 Tony Montana (Al Pacino) escapes from Cuba as part of the Mariel Boatlift. Tony quickly finds work in  Florida's massive illegal drug business and eventually builds his own criminal empire.

Scarface is Al Pacino's film all the way. Tony Montana is vicious and crude but always watchable.

Book Review "Little Audrey" by Ruth White

"Little Audrey" by Ruth White is the author's memoir of life in a West Virginia coal mining camp in the 1940s.  Audrey was actually Ms. White's older sister and the story is told through her eyes.

In 1948, twelve year old Audrey is recovering from a terrible case of scarlet fever while she copes with poverty, taunts from school mates, and a Father that drinks up much of the families income.

 It is Audrey's Mother Olive who holds the family together with love and little else.

 Little Audrey is an exceptional work filled with real people and it is one of my favorites for the year.



                                 Craig Zimmerman  

Book Review: The Island Keeper by Harry Mazer

Upset over the deaths of her Mother and Sister, 16 year old Cleo runs away to a remote island in the middle of a Canadian lake. Cleo soon realizes that she underestimated the difficulty of a long stay on the island, but she manages to adapt. When her food runs out and her only transportation to the shore is destroyed, Cleo is forced to learn how to gather natural food and to hunt and fish.

 I found it a little unrealistic that a young girl from a wealthy family could make such a transformation in a matter of months. Still, The Island Keeper is a better than average novel for its portrayal of nature and the grieving process.

Book Review- "The Innocent Man" by John Grisham

 John Grisham has written a number of bestselling legal thrillers( The Firm, The Client) but he also wrote a fascinating book on a real-life case of injustice from the small town of Ada, Oklahoma. The "Innocent Man" that the book's title refers to was Ron Williamson.

Ron Williamson is not an entirely sympathetic victim. In the 1960s and 1970s, Mr. Williamson was a talented baseball player, but after failing to make it to the big leagues, Ron descended into alcoholism, drug abuse, and severe mental illness.

Williamson was arrested numerous times for DUI, and was also twice accused of rape, although he was later aquitted of both charges. Partly because of Williamson's bizarre behavior,he became the prime suspect in the murder of a young woman in Ada.

On very flimsy evidence, Williamson was convicted of the murder and sent to death row. Grisham does an excellent job of examining the many flaws of our judicial and correctional systems and "The Innocent Man" will frighten anyone who thinks that the police, prosecutors, judges, and prison officials know what they are doing.

Where Is The Outrage?

http://www.care2.com/news/member/284672516/3147358


President Obama assumes the right to use a drone to execute a U.S. citizen without a trial.