That's right.  On August 12th, 1967, at 10:11pm EST, I was brought into this world after 12 long hours of labor (a fact which my mother never neglects to mention on my birthday).  I was a healthy 7lb. 11oz. 21-inch long baby girl.

I'm sure you're all clamoring to come up with ideas about what to get me for my birthday, so after the fold, I've provided you with a helpful wish list of birthday gift ideas.

Follow me!

I'm going to put this into a handy-dandy list that you can print out for easy reference.

For my birthday I want:

1. all of our troops home from Iraq.  All of them.  Declare victory and bring them home so that not one more military or civilian life, regardless of nationality, is lost.

2. a rational, reasonable policy to deal with terrorism.  This should include the human element.  Those who are not currently radicals should be encouraged by Americans and by United States policy so that they don't feel the need to become terrorists.  Not one more person should be tortured, abused, and/or molested by Americans or her policy.  We should live our principles and extend them to others.

3. universal health care.  I don't want to hear another story about a person being unable to seek medical attention for whatever reason because they can't afford it.  I also don't want to have to spend any more of my time wondering if the treatment recommended for friends and family is being recommended because that friend or family member is without means and/or insurance.

4. a rational environmental policy.  There are too many things we need to do in this regard to list them all, but especially high on my list is the signing of the Kyoto Treaty.  I want America and American policy to recognize and validate the science behind global warming and step up to the plate and take responsibility for its contribution.  On a personal level, I would like those whom I know to determine and understand their climate impact on the planet and take appropriate action.  Something as simple as adjusting your thermostat or buying CFL light bulbs could go a long way towards helping with this impending ane very real climate threat.

5. the House and the Senate returned to Democrats.  I can't do more than ask each of you to help your Democratic candidates in your state so that we end the madness that has been Republican rule.

6. a full accounting by an official source of the mistakes made before, during and after Hurricane Katrina.  I would like this to include an explanation as to why the Hurricane Pam simulation warnings were essentially ignored and a further accounting of why the corrective actions suggested by the simulation were not carried out.

7. a complete, immediate and concerted effort to rebuild the Gulf coast of the United States and especially those devastated poorer areas of New Orleans.  I want streets cleaned, trash removed, houses rebuilt, and habitation restored.

8. an end to the fomenting of hate.  Stop using entire groups of people as political fodder to GOTV.  Have some morals and some sense of decency.

9. a full legal path to marriage for those in the GLBT community.  Love is love, and as I see it, we can surely use more of it in a committed fashion.

10. an end to the policy of spying on Americans.  I can't believe I even have to ask for this, but sadly, I do.  I want us to return to our values and our principles and our respect for the law and an acknowledgement that nothing excuses compromising those values.  Nothing.

11. a halt to the advent of religious creep in our lives.  The Founders separated church and state for a reason.  If you want to worship, knock yourself out.  Just don't make me do it along with you.  Stop trying to put the Ten Commandments in places that are funded by my tax dollars.  I'm Christian, but not all of us are.  If I want to see the Ten Commandments on a regular basis, I'll print them out, frame them, and hang them on my wall.  If I want to pray, I will do so in the privacy of my home or at a church or place of my choosing.  But don't try to make me do it when you deem appropriate.

12. a return to a fundamental respect for science.  Again, I can't believe I have to ask for this.  Science is good.  It tells us a lot of things, things that we need to know.  It does so with a rigor and level of scholarliness that is beyond reproach.  You may believe wholecloth in the Creation, but I don't - because science showed me how history unfolded.

13. an end to tax policies that create a society of haves and have-nots.  This great country of ours provides opportunities for all.  But those opportunities don't come without a cost, and one which should be distributed in a way that is fair and allows everyone to participate in improving their lives.

14. an end to living beyond our means.  I don't do it in my household, and I don't think our country should do it, either.  Stop spending my future into the ground and denying me any hope that we'll be able to pay for other things that are worthwhile - like education.

15. a perp-walk by all the Bushco criminals in the Hague (hat-tip to ek hornbeck for suggesting this in the comments).

I know there are more things that I want, but I don't want to be greedy.  If you can think of something that I've left out that you think I would especially like, let me know what to expect in the comments.

And remember - it's the thought that counts.

posted by RenaRF at 2:25 PM 3 comments