As we are so close to the election, I posted a 'farewell' to the campaign here... but I must of course break that silence to say I am very sorry to hear of Senator Obama's loss of his grandmother. I lost my mother this year, and haven't quite recovered. But I know that Obama will, that strong leaders are such because they can hold the course through even personal loss.
Nonetheless, of course it hurts.
Barack, our thoughts and prayers are with you. Tomorrow we vote and realize our dreams - and hers.
"In dreams begin responsibilities." - Delmore Schwartz
John McCain is a terrible Commie, brainwashed by the Viet Cong when he was a POW. During that brainwashing, McCain (a Panamanian by birth) was also forced to perform oral sex on his guards (which he learned to enjoy) and once had to eat a new-born baby. Finally, he converted to Islam and came to hate the United States. He is addicted to heroin and his wife Cindy (known as the "Lesbian Love Goddess" among her friends - which include current lover, Sarah Palin) is an influential Mafia Family leader who ordered the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan. McCain still has a taste for young boys - both sexual and cannibalistic. When he's very high on one drug or another (cross-addicted), he likes to drive around and run over little old white ladies (being Panamanian, he just hates 'Anglos'). His plan for the economy is to use the power of the presidency to confiscate EVERYTHING for himself. He's a very dangerous man.
He's known to troll this sight and leave stupid comments, embarassing himself while believing anybody reads his swill.
All right, just kidding. It's early monday morning, when the administrators will be chucking the trolls out - rather sooner than later, I hope. Just report them and move on, no use reading their crap or responding to them.
Oh, BTW, did I mention that McCain is the anti-Christ and that he was sent here from mars?
No, no, just kidding... but he does like munching on a baby boy every now and again, while reading Das Kapital....
Well, today, with only a little more than a week before the election, they threw everything at us - outright racist trolling here, newspaper columnists warning of a new New Deal (socialist nightmare, according to them), Palin saying Obama is a communist, McCain promising that he can't lose -
and with the day ending, none of it really matters, Obama is still ahead.
Americans are sick and tired of riightwing ideology. We welcome true conservatives - but it is not truly conservative to slander people for their race, for their liberalism, for their love of this country and its history, including the New Deal.
We are sick of the UNAmerican Republican Party, the ANTIAmerican Sarah Palin, and all their clones.
Americans remember FDR fondly and now look to the future. Americans like change and will have it.
Real Americans vote for Barack Obama.
The American media wouldn't do it, so it was up to the Brits. The Guardian in England just published a 'thumbnail biography' of Barack Obama composed of remembrances from friends and family members from childhood through his work as an Illinois State legislator (any friends from his later career would be overtly political in their responses, so the time frame makes sense).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/26/barackobama-uselections2008
I won't reprint the whole article, although I'm sure someone will. It speaks about a man who has struggled to find a path leading to the greatest service for the greatest number. He's also a pretty good poker player. And his history is all about passion channeled into action and an ability to work with people of differing backgrounds and beliefs.
It's a must read; believe me, you WANT this man as our President, you NEED this man to be our president.
By the way, yesterday McCain said his wife Cindy operates a "small business" like Joe the Plumber - Cindy's is worth upwards from $100,000,000, not including investments portfolio.Haven't we got it yet? McCain thinks HE'S middle class - which means the real middle-class, the working middle-class, is just below-the-radar noise to him. When will the real "Joes" of America realize that labels don't mean anything. Government always involves itself in economics - it's a question of who benefits - the wealthy robber barons or the working people?
But let them vote against their own interests. If McCain wins he'll sweep them under the rug. But the tragedy is, he'll sweep their children and grandchildren there, too.
It is for their future that we must elect Barack Obama President and take back the government so it can do good for people - and preserve us from getting raped by the wealthy again.
A troll claiming to be David R. Kamershen, PhD. in economics, recurrently posts a 'parable' on taxes advocating tax cuts for the wealthy. However, this little story has a story behind it:
From http://www.snopes.com/business/taxes/howtaxes.asp:
Dr. David R. Kamershen, a professor of economics at the University of Georgia, has also been erroneously attributed as the author of this essay. he has posted a denial od authorship on his personal web page (http://www.arches.uga.edu/~davidk): "Contrary to Internet folklore, Dr. Kamershen is NOT the author of "Tax Cuts: A Simple Lesson in Economics." Additionally, he does NOT know who wrote it." (...) William F. Buckley Jr. Also reprinted and analyzed a version of this piece in his 21 April 2001 column for the National Review (...) that drew a stinging rebuke from The New Republic's Jonathan Chait: "(...) What made this episode so odd was that Buckley apparently hadn't bothered to check out who had written the parable to begin with. (According to my two minute search of Lexis-Nexis, it was someone named Don Dodson of Fort Worth Texas, in a letter to the Chicago T ribune.)" (...) The Chicago Tribune version included no additional information about the item, however, not even an indication that the submitter claimed to be the author.
But what's really amusing about this hoax is that the big argument behind it is that taxing the wealthy will cause them to move American jobs overseas - something they've been doing anyway for the past eight years paying virtually no taxes under Bush. I guess we not only need to tax them but regulate them as well.
All copyrights waived - the reader may repost this post and even claim authorship.
The latest rightist web-smear is that Obama is a member of the New Party, held to be an affiliate of the Deomocratic Socialist Party. All terms of this assertion are false.
1. The New Party (defunct) was created largely to support progressive candidates through the use of "fusion" (multiple party) balloting. It endorsed 200 candidates in its brief 6 year history. was never "socialist."
2, The Democratic Socialist Party is directly linked internationally to the Labour Party in England - the same party Tony Blair led when he joined Bush to inaved Iraq;
3. The two parties are not related in anyway.
4. Analuysis of Obama's policy statemenst, and his voting record, demonstrates conclusively that he i not a socialist.
5. Some of the material used in this smear appears forged or doctored.
If challenged on these facts, demand the challenger do their own real research and stop relying on cheap smear campaigns.
what a difference a month makes! - a few weeks ago, with the media in McCain's tank and the Repugs stealing votes throughout the rust-belt, I was sure that Obama's unwillingness to get tough was losing the campaign.
Now it appears McCain would have to blow-up the White House and use the scraps to build a cabin in Arizona in order to live in it. And he is proving that he is entirely capable of doing that and of then entering the psychotic delusion that he's actually President.
Both McCain and Palin have jumped of the looney-right deep end, and are blissfully unaware how extreme, how nasty, and how devoid of opinions they really appear. As the right-wing once again enters the margins of American politics, it will give an anguished cry that blames "liberals" for playing some dirty trick on them - but that's only their cynicism, their assumption that mainstreet America is inhabited largely by buffoons like themselves who enjoy right-wing dirty tricks.
At any rate, Obama continues to develop policies that will likely save America from the disasters of the Bush era - and McCain Palin tell the political equivaent of a dirty joke.
Their irrelevant - their done.
PS - sorry for my lapse of faith in september. See you at the Obama inaugural!
If this were an honest election, it would already be over, and Obama the President elect. what the real polls - those not rigged this week by eliminating professed Democrats - indicate is that there are no undecided voters, and that Obama has won 48% to McCain's 44% (and with 290 electoral votes), the remainder split betwen Nader and Barr.
However, this is not to be an honest election. Unbelievable but true, the Republicans are already stealing a third election. 600,000 voters in Ohio have already been disenfrancised and the Republicans are at work stealing Colorado, Nevada and Virginia, along with their traditional thievery in Florida and Texas.
In addition, the mainstream media has extended its protective wall around McCain to include Sarah Palin, one of the most corrupt and ideoogicaly extreme of contemporary politicians.
And unfortunately, the Obama campaign is not paying attention to its base, but to traditional Democratic Party handlers, who have a long history of losing elections.
Rigged polls, rigged media, rigged election, and a weak opposition party preparing to disappoint us again. So it's all but over now; and the people of America have lost their precious Constitution, their only real claim to nationhood. But it's clear they proved unworthy of it.
Like other progressives, I sometimes thought of leaving the country in dark peds of Republican domination. This time I have made arrangements for it. The New Deal is already completely undone; what McCain Palin promise us is a return to the era before the Civil War - only this time, you don't get a chance at a Lincoln.
Obama is that chance. But Americans prefer People Magazine to real people.
Farewell and good luck - you'll need it - you got nothing else left.
Hillary gave a good speech, although the best of it was reserved for her call for a vote-by-acclamation. But there's no doubt that the Bill Clinton who showed up last night was, once again, the president we voted for twice - he gave a brief poweful endorsement of Obama that left no 'talking point' untouched.
Once again the Obama campaign has proved that it really can 'pull rabbits out of the hat' when things are not looking so go. The Convention has been great, and I have no doubt that Obama will deliver a fine speech tonight.
There is a dark cloud on the horizon: throughout the Convention, the mainstream media has openly attract the Democratic Party, revealing itself as never before as a right-wing propaganda machine. Will Americans pay attention to this? Probably not, so we have our work cut out for us. We need not only attack McCain - character as well as his policies - we need to find ways that intimidate the press, getting them to either reveal their bias or force them to back down from it.
Of course we must go one with our positive message - but can anyone doubt Obama himself will continue to do so? It's what he does best.
But the rest of us - and now I mean all Democrats, as well as independents who recognize the need for change - must deal with an America that is deeply, darkly cynical, generated by a partisan media enjoying its power to influence the middle-class into paralysis. If McCain does by some accident become president, it will be due to this cynicism, and when things worsen under his presidency, the press will assure us that it would have worsened anyway, so don't complain.
We can't let that happen. W need to put all our pressure on the media to get them to present America with the facts and not the infotainment fodder we've been getting the past 8 years.
Email, write, Youtube, Myspace, blog and comment anywhere and everywhere - get the message out! OBAMA '08!
My probable Interview with John McCain
Question: Senator McCain, I'm trying to discover why anyone should vote for you, so let me ask about your policy positions. Where do you stand on the current economic recession?McCain: You know, I was a POW for 5 years.
Q. Is it true you intend to give massive tax breaks to oil corporations experiencing the highest profits in history and to allow them to drill for oil in the middle of many of the smaller cities in America?M. You know what POW means - I was a prisoner of war.
Q. You're going to make the sale of contraceptives illegal, after you appoint two more conservative Supreme Court Justices who will find that 'Constitutional'?M. It wasn't easy, being a POW.
Q. Is it true that you intend to nuke Tehran unless the Iranians except an American-appointed governor?M. For 5 years, I was a POW.
Q. You've flip-flopped on every issue, cheated on your first wife, nearly faced criminal charges as a member of 'the Keating 5,' you're known to have taken bribes from the government of Georgia as well as from ExxonMobile, and you cheat on your property taxes on the 7 or 8 houses you own. Why should any voter trust you?M. Ha! that's an easy one: I was a POW for... a number of years.Q. How many years, again?M. ...I'll have to have my staff get back to you on that.Q. You were just saying -M. What were we talking about, again?Q. How many years you were a POW.M. Ah, yes, being a POW can be annoying, it feels as though, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day -Q. you're quoting -M. No, that's all my own -Q. Shakespeare?M. Who is this Shakespeare guy?! How dare he question my authenticity?! I was a POW for 5 years you know! Dirty commie c***!
I admit I picked this up from another website: http://www.tehomet.net/canadians.html, and didn't write it myself, which disappoints me:
Why Can't I Own Canadians? by AnonymousDear Doctor Laura: Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to follow them. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Leviticus 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them? I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her? I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Leviticus 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offence. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians? I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself? A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Leviticus 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Leviticus 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here? Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Leviticus 19:27. How should they die? I know from Leviticus 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves? My uncle has a farm. He violates Leviticus 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Leviticus 24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Leviticus 20:14) I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging. Yours sincerely, An Admirer.
Why Can't I Own Canadians? by AnonymousDear Doctor Laura: Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to follow them. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Leviticus 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them? I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her? I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Leviticus 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offence. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians? I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself? A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Leviticus 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Leviticus 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here? Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Leviticus 19:27. How should they die? I know from Leviticus 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves? My uncle has a farm. He violates Leviticus 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Leviticus 24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Leviticus 20:14) I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.
Yours sincerely, An Admirer.
In utter despair, I thought my last post would be my final post, because there's no doubt that this past week as been near-disaster, especially with the press - and there's no doubt that the situation is now grave, sin Ron Fournier of the AP Washington Bureau has all but announced the AP's election coverage will be dedicated to destruction of Obama. How serious is that. Outside of te major cities, local newspapers get about 99% of their national and international news and 'analysis' from AP. So no matter what appears on the editorial page of your newspaper, the stories now will have an open slant against Obama and for McCain. (You may email AP to complain here: Michael Oreskes, AP Managing Editor, mOreskes@ap.org.) Since we already know FOX and ABC are anti-Obama, and CBS and CNN are soft on McCain, that only leaves MSNBC and sometimes NBC trying to stay neutral in the election on TV; and now we know the local newspapers will be anti-Obama as well.
However, I have taken some heart and hope from the growing recognition that the choice of Biden may well have been a stroke of genius. Certainly his start from the gate yesterday was vry strong. Now if the Clintons can just play ball at the Convention we may get that 15 point bounce McCain's people keep 'warning' us about. And if we do, we'll never lose it. So, all right, let's buck up and start again....
Barack Obama can still pull some coals out of the barbeque and light another fire - but he really has to be a wizard to accomplish it.
This is what got lost Friday August 22, 2008:
What got lost this week, folks? - Probably the election. And the opportunity to redefine America for the 21st Century
My guess is Obama has made he same misake Democratic candiates hve made since Carter's 2nd campaign - handing it over to handlers, who are far more interested in their economic situation in Washington than in winning a presidency. Obama has long slammed lobbyists, but in trusting the handlers he's forgotten a belt-way rule of thumb - all insiders are lobbyists, and not necessarily for the person employing them.
Oh well; for a few brief months this disenfrancised overeducated ex-punkrocker felt like he was part of a political process again, after some 25 years of Republlico-fascist government, I guess that's something; it was fun, sometimes.
Goodbye, Barack - I'm still voting for you, I'm asucker for lost causes. But I'm too old to play this game anymore. Good luck.
Nxt time, don't just challengee the rules- write new ones.
