This is my family

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Monday September 13, 2010 · 5:41 PM PDT

2010/09/13 · 17:41

My husband and I used to joke about having a 90s family. And when Rei wrote a diary titled "Late At Night, Gripped With Fear, I Drove Without Telling Anyone," I commented about my family. BobSmith415 begged me to diary my story, so now I am.

I met my husband in the early 90s. Our meeting was a great sports story. He was a married sportswriter, and he called me from a Final Four (that he was just attending, not covering) because he had been shifted to the Features Department briefly and was working on a piece about fantasy baseball leagues. I happened to be the commissioner of the Manuel's League, which included a number of Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporters. He figured it would be easy, but, knowing he couldn't actually quote anyone from the paper, he called me. During the interview, he asked me how it was being the female commissioner of a fantasy league. I told him I liked to tell people I drafted my team based on cuteness. But, I noted, I had Chris Sabo (a rather homely Reds third baseman) on my team, so, clearly that was a joke. When the article came out, it quoted me thusly, "[Atlantajan], the Marge Schott of the Manuel's League, drafts her team based on cuteness."

I was, to say the least, frosted.

AtlantaJan

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Friday June 11, 2010 · 6:56 PM PDT

2010/06/11 · 18:56

Some time ago, I posted a diary stating that the Obama administration was on board with a new IWC plan to, not only continue whaling, but to increase its scope into the Antarctic whale sanctuary. I was roundly chastised. Recent stories have given credence to my contention.

Look, I am an Obama supporter. But if I had to choose between Obama and the destruction of whales, well, I am humpback. Here me roar.

AtlantaJan

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Wednesday April 28, 2010 · 6:47 PM PDT

2010/04/28 · 18:47

Last week, the International Whaling Commission announced a proposed 10-year deal, spearheaded by the Obama administration, that would suspend the moratorium and allow whaling countries to kill whales legally for commercial purposes for the first time in a generation.

See what the LA Times is saying:

The Obama administration argues that the whaling moratorium should be suspended because it has loopholes that are being illegally exploited by Japanese, Norwegian and Icelandic whalers. They believe that after 25 years of conflict within the International Whaling Commission, commercial whaling should be legalized in the hope that, by bringing the killing out into the open through agreed-upon quotas, a consensus eventually will emerge in support of a phase-out of whaling altogether.

Its intentions are good. But the strategy is dead wrong.

First, the proposed deal nowhere requires a phase-out of whaling. Not in 10 years. Not ever.

The new rule would allow Japan, Norway and Iceland, the last remaining whaling nations, to kill whales for commercial purposes and ignore scientific levels of sustainability for the great sea mammals.

AtlantaJan

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Thursday March 04, 2010 · 2:58 PM PST

2010/03/04 · 14:58

Obama has proposed huge cuts in the Coast Guard's budget. We are a military family (Dad and brother served in the Air Force, sister in the Coast Guard). But we are all big fans of the Coast Guard. I have written a letter to Obama arguing that the Coast Guard remains the first line of defense for our nation, but, more than that, is generally the first branch of the military -- and one of the most effective -- onsite in disasters like Katrina and the Haiti earthquake.

I battle my right-wing relatives constantly, but I need help on this one. My sister, who retired as commander of CG Station Canaveral, just sent out this piece by the odious John Mica of Florida. Mica has put out a diatribe on The Hill's Congressional Blog that states:

This budget would reduce funds for port, waterway and coastal security by more than $100 million. It would also eliminate five Maritime Safety and Security Teams (MSST): specially trained anti-terrorist teams responsible for providing security at our largest ports. Included among the cuts would be the MSST station at our nation’s second largest port, the Port of New York/New Jersey.

Stay with me, y'all. I know some of you will be able to fight this with information you have off the top of your heads.

AtlantaJan

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Thursday February 18, 2010 · 5:36 PM PST

2010/02/18 · 17:36

Support for nuclear power, offshore drilling and "clean coal" are making long-time environmentalists think twice about their support of Obama. The New York Times has a piece up today, "Environmental Advocates Are Cooling on Obama," that makes just that point, quoting representatives of the Center for American Progress, Friends of the Earth and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Environmental advocates largely remained silent late last year as Mr. Obama all but abandoned his quest for sweeping climate change legislation and began to reach out to Republicans to enact less ambitious clean energy measures.

But the grumbling of the greens has grown louder in recent weeks as Mr. Obama has embraced nuclear power, offshore oil drilling and “clean coal” as keystones of his energy policy. And some environmentalists have expressed concern that the president may be sacrificing too much to placate Republicans and the well-financed energy lobbies.

AtlantaJan

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Thursday October 22, 2009 · 5:46 PM PDT

2009/10/22 · 17:46

Much has been said about Jamie Leigh Jones, the woman whose rape spawned Al Franken's anti-rape amendment. But there's another woman, whose story hasn't been told lately, whose rape and murder should be part of the discussion. LaVena Johnson, a 19-year-old soldier from Missouri, was found in a tend belonging to KBR. According to forensic evidence, she had been dragged there. She had abrasions all over her body, burned hands, burned genitals, a black eye and a bullet hole in her head. Her death was ruled, inexplicably, a suicide.

LaVena Johnson's parents, Dr. John Johnson and Linda, quite obviously, don't buy it.

AtlantaJan

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Friday May 08, 2009 · 9:57 PM PDT

2009/05/08 · 21:57

Raymond Burke is the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, basically the Chief Justice of the Catholic Supreme Court. Prior to his elevation to that position by Pope Benedict, he was the Archbishop of St. Louis.

You may remember him as the archbishop who said he would not offer Communion to John Kerry because of his pro-choice views; he also said that any Catholic supporting Kerry (or any pro-choice candidate) would be committing a "grave sin" and should not be allowed to receive Communion without first repenting of that sin.

In 2007, he raised a ruckus because Sheryl Crow, a supporter of women's rights, was giving a benefit concert for a children's hospital.

In short, he is a twisted, stupid man.

AtlantaJan

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Wednesday April 22, 2009 · 6:10 PM PDT

2009/04/22 · 18:10

I have diaried about this before, and you have been comforting and sweet. But that was before my dad died. Now he has, and I want you all to know that. He was an amazing man, and it seems like I should put a period on the diaries that have gone before.

Dad died around 3:30 am last Thursday morning. My sister, Cathy, and my brother, Joe, had just gotten in at around Noon on Wednesday from their respective Chicago and Maui homes. They and my other sisters and brother were at his bedside when he died.

The funeral was lovely, especially the graveside service, which included a wonderful Air Force Honor Guard from Moody AFB in Valdosta, a nine-gun salute (you have to be a really big wig in the military to get a 21-gun salute, apparently) and a bugler playing Taps.

AtlantaJan

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Wednesday April 08, 2009 · 9:59 PM PDT

2009/04/08 · 21:59

I have diaried about this before when my dad had stopped realizing who we were. He was still fairly okay. Now, he is not. I have to leave Atlanta to go down to Florida because my dad is dying. My brother from Maui and my sister from Chicago will also come down to Florida to join my sisters who live near my dad and who have been angels during the last few months and my sister from Atlanta, who, by virtue of the fact that she is retired, has gotten to spend a lot of time with him lately.

AtlantaJan

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Thursday March 19, 2009 · 8:59 AM PDT

2009/03/19 · 08:59

CNN has a story up about W's current project -- writing a book about 12 "important decisions" he has made in his life and presidency. The topics will include:

his decision to run for president, his choice of his closest advisers, the September 11 terrorist attacks, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, his response to Hurricane Katrina, the forming of his stem cell research policy, his decision to quit drinking, how he found faith and his relationships with his father, mother, siblings and wife.

AtlantaJan

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Wednesday March 11, 2009 · 8:43 PM PDT

2009/03/11 · 20:43

Earmarks have become the new four-letter word, thanks largely to John McCain. But exactly what are "earmarks?" They are not, as some politicians and regular people would have you believe, black holes where taxpayer money goes to die. In fact, earmarks are the way Congressmen and women get money to send to their districts. Some earmarks are stupid, most are not. Most are useful expenditures of taxpayer funds that, in general, make life better, not just for those home districts, but for every American.
It's time we stopped treating earmarks as a dirty word.

AtlantaJan

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Thursday March 05, 2009 · 10:31 PM PST

2009/03/05 · 22:31

As a lapsed Catholic, I think, every now and then, that I should return to "Mother Church." I sometimes wonder whether my lapse has more to do with wanting to sleep in on Sundays more than serious disagreements with the Church. And then, something like this comes up. And I realize that, no, it has everything to do with the fact that this Church is nothing I can support.

This Church believes it is more important to force a child to have a child than it is to protect a child.

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This is my family

Whaling: Once more with feeling

Obama Okays Killing Whales

I need Kossack help to rebut nonsense

Is Obama Losing the Environmentalists?

Lavena Johnson - raped, murdered by KBR

Vatican official says Obama is anti-life

My dad has died

My dad is dying

Name Bush's Book, a diary of pure silliness

"Earmarks," the new four-letter word

Catholic Church excommunicates doctors for 9-year-old's abortion