Tim McFarland's Blog

Who Will Kill Health Care Reform?

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 15:08:31 EDT

The debate about health care is getting ugly. In some cases, it is getting violent.

I can't even begin to list all the misinformation being spewed forth on this issue. The most egregious affront to liberty is the use of the tactic that involves demonstrators appearing at the town hall meetings of members of congress, and shouting down anyone else who wants to speak. That does not promote debate; it is an attempt to kill it.

Actually, the worst thing may be telling seniors that Obama's health care plan is going to kill them. Unbelievable.

Beware of the insurance industry, fighting for its profits by paying lobbyists and others to kill health care reform. This is BIG money. They will not give up without a fight, and that fight is ugly. It reminds me of the newsreel footage I've seen of union battles in the first half of the 20th century. Ugly. Dangerous. Deadly.

Here are some links, for those who are interested.

Rachel Maddow, 8/7. In my opinion, she is doing some excellent work at exposing those who want to kill the debate on health care, and, thus, kill health care reform.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#32337676
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#32337941
Bill Moyers, with Wendell Potter. If you only watch one program on the issue, watch this. Potter is a former insurance company executive, and offers insight into that industry (and why they want to kill health care reform).

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07312009/watch.html

Politifact, on health care misinformation:
A new health plan distortion

Sarah Palin weighs in, claiming that Obama's plan will kill her baby with Down Syndrome:
Sarah, Sarah, Sarah...
Susie Madrak, whose mother just died, has a blog with much good information. It's enough to get you good and angry:
Suburban Guerrilla

Especially good is a piece she did on the misinformation tactic of "killing granny." Earl Blumenauer is featured:
They're Just Despicable. Scaring Seniors into Thinking They'll be Euthanized is Worse Than Evil.

What Does Failure Look Like?

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 01:11:52 EDT

It doesn’t surprise me that Rush Limbaugh says he wants President Obama to fail, or, more precisely, “I want Barack Obama to fail if his mission is to restructure and reform this country so that capitalism and individual liberty are not its foundation.” Limbaugh is self-absorbed, and makes money by being provocative. Unlike our elected leaders, he does not need to think about the greater good of our country’s prosperity. He is interested in his own prosperity. And good enough for him. That is the capitalist way. The American Way.

It also doesn’t surprise me that members of the Republican Party feel stuck between not wanting to offend Limbaugh and his followers and not wanting to sound like they bear our new president ill will in seeing his efforts fail. Which do you support – a bully who can hurt you if you stand up to him, or the people who elected you?

What does surprise me is that no one is defining what failure means. Has anyone asked if “wanting Obama to fail” means 10% unemployment? 15%?

Does failure mean more foreclosures? How about a Dow at 5000?

I wonder if Obama failing means another trillion or so dollars paid to banks. Or is it buying auto companies, Or letting them go bankrupt and adding even more to the unemployed?

I wonder if those who listen to and agree with Rush Limbaugh think this kind of failure is ok, if it proves that conservative ideology is superior to other views.

Of course, I am one of the lucky ones who still has a job, so I can afford to think about these things.

Those who are not so lucky may also wonder: With all the crises we face as a country, why would you want any president to fail?

Why the Republicans Deserved to Lose

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 15:41:01 EST

Maybe enough people figured out that the party whose president lied to us to get us into a war, spent us into record deficits, helped bring about a recession, embarrassed us in front of the world, ignored the Geneva Convention, sanctioned torture, and tried to rewrite the constitution so our republic looked more like a dictatorship wasn’t the party to reward with another four years in power.

Maybe enough people figured out that running a campaign that tried to paint your opponent as a terrorist, socialist, Muslim, un-American, unknown, radical-preacher lover, born in Kenya wasn’t the best way to promote your own agenda and make your issues known, especially when your rallies seemed to degenerate into hate-fests that were one step away from KKK gatherings.

Maybe enough people figured out that pandering to the religious right, selecting an ignorant incompetent as a running mate, making statements that the economy was sound when it wasn’t, and ignoring the facts that the war in Iraq will never be “won,” were enough to signal a total disconnect with reality, and drive voters away.

For whatever the reason, the Republicans lost this election, and they deserved to lose.

For all the right-wing hate speech spewed forth, for all the closeted racism, for all the disgraceful performances from Focus on the Family, Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, and others, the Republican Party could not counteract the positive messages from Barack Obama and the Democratic Party.

Calls of “What has he ever done?” didn’t come close to “Yes, we can!” Claims of being unpatriotic didn’t counteract the power to inspire others. Smears, lies, slander, and slime could not, would not stick to someone whose message was positive, whose demeanor was presidential, and whose vision was clearly articulated.

And so, despite what must have been the dirtiest campaign in my lifetime, John McCain and the Republicans lost this election.

Perhaps, as the GOP works to rebuild itself, it might take a lesson from the Obama campaign. Look at the people who elected him. Look at the people who are now involved in politics. Figure out that the young, the non-white, the people of many faiths or none are a force that needs more than hate, negativism, and bigotry to motivate them in an election. They need a vision for the future that is positive. They need a leader they can trust with their future. They need to be heard.

And on Tuesday, November 4th, 2008, they were.

Why did you take my sign?

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:41:00 EDT

As vandalism goes, it’s a very minor thing.

In respect to the US Constitution, however, it may be much bigger.

Someone stole my Obama sign last night.

I had purchased two signs last spring, and they were both taken during the summer. The latest sign lasted about a week.

I have to wonder if this is someone’s idea of political protest. Is Obama merely a candidate someone doesn’t like, or does it go deeper?

Are there racists in my neighborhood?

Of course, I’ll never know, because I doubt that whoever took my signs will come forward and admit to it, but I am sad that this would happen.

We need to be able to disagree, without trying to silence opinion that differs from our own. For myself, I am quite capable of letting my neighbor’s McCain sign stand proudly in his yard, without feeling the urge to pull it out of the ground.

Wish others had felt the same way.

Palin Poison and the Third Bush Term

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:13:00 EDT

Palin Poison and the Third Bush Term

Good News/Bad News

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:14:35 EDT

The bad news is, we missed out on the opportunity to vote for a true, down-home, kitchen table, aww-shucks, gee-whiz ticket because we have McCain-Palin running instead of Huckabee-Palin.

If Americans like Caribou Barbie's style, they'd love seeing her run with Gomer Pyle.

The good news is, maybe CBS will see the light, and bring back Hee-Haw.

Am I Wrong?

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 02:49:46 EDT

Am I wrong in thinking I don't want the government to bail out companies who have made bad financial decisions?

Aren't these the same companies who pay their "fat cat" CEOs multi-million dollar salaries?

Didn't they take bunches of bad mortgages and "package" them, as if this would make them good investments?

I am scared.

I do not (duh) trust this administration.

I do not want to put taxpayers on the hook for 700 billion dollars (or more).

Am I wrong?

Forgive me. I was "inspired."

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 01:16:35 EDT

Free Advice

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:43:33 EDT

Give up on Sarah Palin, guys. If Dan Quayle can get elected...

McCain is the one to attack.

I'm afraid that there will be an eventual backlash from picking on this little grandmother-to-be. Just watch how it gets spun.

Meanwhile, Teflon John is trying to salute the flag, while running from Bush.

Maybe if he got a Reagan tattoo...

No way! No how!

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:11:13 EDT

I couldn't resist.

It's going on the back of my car right now.

Forum on a Religious President

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 02:36:05 EDT

It wasn’t a debate, nor was it neutral territory, so I wonder how to evaluate tonight’s “Saddleback Civil Forum on Presidency.”

Both candidates did well, I thought, though Obama’s answers tended to be more introspective, and the audience clearly showed more enthusiasm for McCain. Should we call it a draw, because there were no huge gaffes, and Obama held his own in a venue that favored more conservative views?

I am reminded of a passage from Sam Keen’s Hymns To An Unknown God:

“Religion offers authorized answers to life’s most agonizing questions – creeds and catechisms. I was visiting Mother the other day, and she told me a joke that characterizes the nature of religion. ‘A Sunday school teacher asks his class: ‘What little gray animal climbs trees, gathers nuts, and has a long bushy tail?’ A little boy answers: ‘I know the answer is supposed to be Jesus or God, but it sounds like a squirrel to me.’’ No matter what the question, the answer for Christians is always Jesus or God.”

This is how many of John McCain’s answers sounded to me. Black and white, pat answers to difficult questions – no thought required. At one point, when a question was being asked about education, McCain gave a quick, three-part answer before the interviewer had finished asking the question. He seemed well-practiced at delivering party-line responses.

I think I’d prefer a president who thinks.

The abortion question, when does life have human rights, produced another knee-jerk, automatic response from McCain: “At conception.”

Obama’s confession, that it was “above his pay grade,” shows that this is not an easy question to answer.

Score Obama one point for humility and another for introspection.

Score McCain one for a perfect, two-second sound bite.

For me, I need more than sound bites, pat answers, or knee-jerk responses. These may work for the Religious Right, but I need more.

So, my response to tonight’s forum?

I turned off the TV and started reading Dreams from My Father.

What's Old is New Again

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:07:01 EDT

I don’t mean to brag, but after filling up my 1998 Sienna, it looks like I got over 23 mpg on the last tank of gas.

Usually, I’m lucky to get 20, and in town, it’s less than that. What accounts for this 15% increase in fuel efficiency?

First, properly inflated tires. I had my tires rotated at Salem Tire last week, and the mechanic noticed that the front tires were wearing on the sides. So, after putting them on the back, he inflated them to 42 psi.

I’d never put that much air in a tire, but he reasoned that it would help even out the wear, noting that the upper limit recommended for the tires was 44 psi. The owner said, “It’ll also give you better gas mileage.”

It did.

Second, I’ve been riding around with my windows and moon roof open more, using air conditioning less. Using air conditioning eats into fuel efficiency, so a little fresh air saves gas and money. (Side note: my pickup is an exclusive “260” system – two windows rolled down and sixty miles an hour.)

And, on this tank, I had two trips to Lincoln City. Usually, I’d get 20 mpg on a tank with trips like this.

Barack Obama was just in junior high during the oil crisis of the seventies; however, John McCain was old enough to have experienced it as an adult. How then, does Obama give good advice regarding increasing fuel efficiency, and McCain pooh-poohs his ideas, mailing his supporters tire pressure gauges in mockery of Obama.

I remember the ads of 1973-75. “Inflate your tires.” “Avoid jackrabbit starts and sudden stops.” “Plan your trips,” etc. Good driving advice that should be followed all the time. Advice that my dad followed. In fact, in my experience, old men are usually pretty good at common sense ways of saving money. It comes with age and experience. Where the hell has McCain been, then? In the back pocket of the oil companies, like Bush and Cheney?

I don’t want to insinuate that we shouldn’t be drilling for oil. Maybe some offshore drilling is warranted. After all, Paris Hilton seems open to it.

But, if you want to see some real results right now, take a few simple steps like the ones I’ve mentioned here. Start off with a trip to the tire store. Yes, they’re in business to sell tires, but they’re also experts at what they do, and can offer good advice on how to get the most out of your investment.

Too bad my dad is gone. He’d know that what worked in the seventies will also work now. Obama’s advice is sound. And McCain is full of… hot air.

Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:03:24 EDT

Do people alive today remember Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn, the author of The Gulag Archipelago and other books, who died today at 89?

I do.

Maybe it was seeing, then later being in, the play One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich when I was in high school; maybe it was just the era (Post-Watergate, Carter & human rights), but I remember buying The Gulag Archipelago, published and sold at the same time as The Pentagon Papers, in the early 70s. I read it, and the two succeeding volumes (1800 pages, total), in college.

The subtitle to this work is An Experiment in Literary Investigation. In it, Solzhenitsyn described the climate of oppression that was the Soviet Union. He talked about the suspension of human rights, and systematic torture and extermination of those who Stalin saw as a threat to his power. This fear led to what Solzhenitsyn estimated as the death of sixty-six million people, from the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, to 1959 – three years after Stalin’s death. Since the book was published, the estimate has been revised to up to one hundred million deaths.

Why is this important? Why is Solzhenitsyn’s life and work important to us today?

Solzhenitsyn quotes a proverb as he begins The Gulag Archipelago:

“Dwell on the past, and you’ll lose an eye.

Forget the past, and you’ll lose both eyes.”

It is ironic that Solzhenitsyn dies today. I have recently rediscovered my interest in him, after leaving my collection of his works in boxes for many years. You see, history repeats itself, and events happen that make one recall similar events in history. Guantanamo, for example. Habeas corpus. Torture.

No, we are not killing millions. We are not the Soviets. Bush is not Stalin.

But read chapter one of the Archipelago, “Arrest.” Read how Solzhenitsyn knew it was all a mistake, that they would make it right. Read later about torture, about “the secret brand.”

Read, comrade, about how a society was changed to believe in it’s own idiocy.

I have to wonder what is happening to our society, when we allow laws to be broken by our leaders, and atrocities to be visited upon our weakest members. What happens to our humanity?

Solzhenitsyn’s answer: “One man can be bent into so many shapes in a lifetime! How different he may become, for himself as well as for others. And one of these different selves we readily, eagerly stone to death, obeying an order, the law, an impulse, or our blind misconception.”

We cannot afford to lose both eyes.

McCain Backlash

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:11:22 EDT

Free advice:

If you are going to run a negative ad about your opponent

that features young people (i.e., under 50),

don't end it with a picture that makes you look

like you're in an ad for Alzheimer's Awareness.

Yes, the McCain ad that compares Barack Obama with Britney Spears and Paris Hilton may be a new low for the campaign,

but it may be exactly the kind of ad that helps John McCain look old, feeble, and out of touch.

Rather that a close up of him gazing out the window with an oblivious grin on his face,

a shot of him actually DOING something, like walking or mowing the lawn might be better.

Of course, he does kind of resemble the profile of Washington on the quarter.

Maybe a pony tail would be a good move...

A President Who Listens

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:01:30 EDT

That European Tour Ended WAY Too Early

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 03:08:41 EDT

Any way we can get ol' George to take another trip?

Maybe to the Antartic?

I'm thinking about Hillary

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:47:56 EDT

Now that the contest is over, and the "healing" is taking place, I am thinking about Hillary.

Anyone reading the news can find arguments for and against an Obama-Clinton ticket, but for the first time, I'm wondering if there isn't one area that Hillary can really make a substantial contribution to the world by being vice president. That area is women's rights around the world.

Looking on the BBC News site this evening, there are three stories that have to do with women (or, more accurately, females) being murdered, raped, aborted, or otherwise oppressed.

After reading these stories, it's clear that what the world needs is a leader who can cry out against these injustices.

I wonder if Hillary Clinton could be that leader, in a vice-presidential role.

India baby girl deaths 'increase'

Girls' hopes

'Raped for opposing Mugabe'

Our National Embarrassment.

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:23:05 EDT

Can't he just keep his mouth shut?

Or, at least, end each visit with "and that good ol' boy, John McCain'll keep them A-rabs right in line!"

Sigh.

Bush stands by invasion of Iraq

It's great!

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Wed, 21 May 2008 00:53:23 EDT

I am very proud of my state tonight.

Looking to November

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Mon, 19 May 2008 00:15:08 EDT

With so many eyes on Oregon, I decided to review my blog, and delete posts that were derogatory towards Hillary Clinton.

So many of them were venting, and/or were meant to be funny, but the man I voted for two weeks ago (in Oregon’s vote-by-mail election) is all about positive ways to go about achieving the change we want to see in the world. These posts were not worthy of the trust he and his campaign have placed in his supporters by making this forum available to us.

My hometown newspaper, the Salem Statesman-Journal, endorsed Hillary. They have a website, and as I read the posts from bloggers, I found that many Hillary supporters made negative, even hateful comments about Obama. Some of them quoted the same lies that have been circulated by bigots, the ignorant, and Republicans.

These people are Democrats.

This upset me. I support Obama. I have friends who support Hillary. Obama will probably be the Democratic nominee. If he is not, I will vote for Hillary in November.

The most frightening thing to me is not whether we will have an Obama presidency or a Clinton presidency next year; it is the thought of a McCain presidency. This is four more years of George W. Bush. It is insane!

The one way that Democrats will lose, and Republicans will laugh at us, is if we say OUR Democrat is the ONLY Democrat we can support. This harkens back to 1968, when Democrats, deprived of RFK and McCarthy, stayed home instead of voting for Humphrey. The result was President Richard Nixon.

Oh, God, I want Obama to win! But my impassioned plea is for Democrats is to realize we have two good candidates, and soon it will be time to support ONE over John McCain.

If you can't do this, you may as well register as a Republican.

I voted for Obama in Oregon today!

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sat, 03 May 2008 21:19:35 EDT

Oregon has vote-by-mail.

Ten times the convenience.

None of the hype.

The Oregonian wants Hillary and Obama to have a debate in our state. The beauty of our system is, if people honesty haven't made up their minds, they can wait until election day to fill out the ballot and drop it off.

But voters like me can fill it out, mail it in, and be done with it. If anybody calls or knocks on my door, I can say, "I voted."

No looking for a place to park, no waiting in line.

What a deal!

The Real McCain

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:24:56 EDT

John Rothmann, of KGO Radio in San Francisco, interviewed Cliff Schecter 4/27/08. Cliff is the author of The Real McCain. If you want to know more about the person Obama will defeat in the fall, go here to listen to the program: (updated link) The Real McCain

Good Economic News from Oregon!!!

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:15:45 EDT

I don't know how much of this is due to Obama's visit here, but finally we have some good economic news:

Oregon's Beer Industry Continues Boom

http://logobama.com/

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:29:36 EDT

Hope 4 Obama, Events Coordinator is right. This is fun, especially with a little help from some other software:

http://logobama.com/

Here's my youngest stepson, from a production of The Lorax:

Bitter?

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 20:44:15 EDT

Once again, I don't get it. It seems to me that a member of the Democratic Party would realize that, yes, people in Pennsylvania, or other states, who have lost their jobs and heard the same old rhetoric the past 10 or 20 years might be disappointed, betrayed, or BITTER, just as Barack Obama described. Yet, Hillary uses this as an opportunity to attack Obama, rather that agree, and pledge to change the situation. Sigh.

I'll say it again, I will vote for Hillary if she is the Democratic nominee, but it is increasingly becoming more disgusting to do so.

I hope I won't be forced to make that choice.

MLK to RFK

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:31:01 EDT

RFK

I was in the third grade when Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, but, somehow, I don't recall what the impact was on me or my family. I've thought about that all this week, because I do remember that just a few weeks later, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated, stealing from us the opportunity to guide the county in a new direction.

School was already out at that time, and I was going to a day camp, sponsored by the YMCA. I'd been a Kennedy supporter, as much as a third-grader can support a candidate for president, and I remember how concerned my parents were, knowing that they'd have to tell me that he'd been killed.

I don't remember my reaction. The atmosphere at Camp Crestview, however, was somber. I remember us praying, and talking about RFK.

Assassins stole our dreams that year, 40 years ago. And then, some Democrats decided that they could not support Hubert Humphrey for president, because of his stance on Vietnam. Johnson had decided not to run, Kennedy had been killed, McCarthy had fought for the nomination, and the Democratic Convention was a violent disaster. That November, some Democrats stayed home, rather than vote for Humphrey. The result was that Richard Nixon was elected president.

Does history repeat itself?

The events of 1968 cause us to speculate on more "What ifs?" than any other year in my lifetime (except for, perhaps, five years earlier, when we lost JFK). What I see now is the feeling arising that we can see a dream realized. Barack Obama is providing us with the opportunity to dream, hope, and get back a piece of what was lost 40 years ago.

I will vote for Obama in Oregon's primary in May, and I hope to vote for him in November; however, if he is not the nominee of the Democratic party, I will not vote for John McCain, nor will I refuse to vote. I will also not vote for Ralph Nader, or another third-party candidate. I will vote for Hillary Clinton.

This is a lesson we should learn from history. If we demand that our candidate is perfect, we will be disappointed. If we choose to "make a statement," with our vote, what we get is the exact opposite of what we want.

I hope I won't have to make that choice.

The Torture President

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:11:48 EDT

The Torture Memo

Thank you, Muqtada al-Sadr

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:12:20 EDT

Muqtada al-Sadr has done us a big favor.

He has shown the world that the war in Iraq cannot be won.

Of course, most of us knew this already, but for the McCainite, sword-beating crowd, it may be a bit of a shock.

Just as in Vietnam, al-Sadr has shone us that, regardless of how long and hard we fight, there will come a point when we will leave, and he will attack.

The civil war in Iraq is inevitable.

Currently, al-Maliki is in control, but he is too weak to defend his people against al-Sadr and his followers.

Hillary talks about finding the right time to get out.

There is no "right time."

The time is now.

McCain talks about not waving the flag of surrender.

Are we willing to commit a half-million troops, invade Iran, conquer al-Sadr's army, and by doing so, incite even more radical muslims to take up arms against us?

BIG MISTAKE!

Get out now. The generals and others can work it out.

But we absolutely cannot think that there is a better time,

or a war than can be "won,"

any more than we could in Vietnam.

How do you spell "quagmire?"

I - R - A - Q !!

Al-Sadr Trumps in Latest Showdown

Bush's War

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:44:48 EDT

If you didn't get to see the Frontline special "Bush's War" on PBS, you can find it at this link:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/bushswar/

It is a clear indictment of the Bush administration, and it's policy of promoting this war. As much as I've read, seen, and heard about the war, this program was surprising to me in two ways:
1) On the very day that the Twin Towers and Pentagon were attacked, the Bush administration saw 9/11 as an opportunity to invade Iraq.
2) The political in-fighting in the Bush administration allowed for Rumsfeld to arrogantly and incompetently mismanage the war. Some material you may already have seen, but much of it is new. It is a fitting tribute to those who have fought in this war the past five years.

The truth shall set you free.

ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A REPUBLICAN?

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 16:20:41 EDT

We're past mud, now. And the crap is so deep, we don't even need to sling it anymore. All we need to do is support a Democratic candidate, then get caught making racist comments, consorting with prostitutes, making bribes, etc. The list goes on.

Here's a question for you: five years from now, will we be "celebrating" ten years of combat in Iraq, telling President McCain to stay the course, and seeing an end to "Roe v. Wade"? Will the history books say that we had a unique opportunity in history to see a black man or a woman elected president, but were too caught up in our own pettiness to make it happen?

The best thing that could happen is for Jeremiah Wright to come forward, apologize for his comments, and let the world know what kind of relationship Barack Obama has had with his church the past 20 years.

It is a LONG way to November. There will be MANY chances to blow it.

The results may be President McCain.

Heaven forbid!

Stop it! Stop it right now!

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:54:52 EDT

Billy Carter, Roger Clinton.

Geraldine Ferraro, Jeremiah Wright.

Samantha Power

Louis Farrakhan.

Etc., etc.

All are linked to presidents or presidential candidates.

All messed up.

Do we judge the candidates by what these people say and do?

If so, we are going to need a much longer list.

I don't believe Obama and Hillary are any more to blame for their supporters' comments than were Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton. How they react to these comments is how we should judge their candidacies.

Those who speak for the candidates, who are part of the campaign, are the ones we need to listen to. And if these people mess up, our candidates need to take the appropriate measures to distance their campaigns from them.

We do NOT need to crucify a candidate because some idiot, bigot, ding-dong, drunk, or whatever decided to open his/her mouth and voice an opinion.

Oh, one more:

Bill Clinton.

No comment.

"Dancing in the Streets" diatribe a new low for the Republicans

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 15:43:07 EST

Remember that American Government class you had in high school? You learned about the different branches of government, how a bill becomes law, and all about elections? Didn't they say something about how honest and open political debate encourages a thoughtful discussion of the issues?

Forget it.

Not only is the back-and-forth between the Hillary camp and Obama organization getting worse every day, here is US Representative Steve King, R-Iowa, making one of the most racist and fear mongering diatribes of the campaign. He says, in essence, that the Muslim world will be celebrating if Barack Obama is elected, in the same way they celebrated for the attack on 9/11. See the video on "Crooks and Liars."

http://www.crooksandliars.com/Media/Play/27100/2/King-smears-Obama.mov

Help me with this.

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:20:42 EST

I don't get it.

W has an approval rating of one percent above dog poop.

So, John Wayne McCain goes to him to be anointed as the standard bearer for the party?

Oh, yeah, they're Republicans. They don't give a F**K!

Now, it makes sense!

Anyone, ANYONE, who wonders what kind of CHANGE we are talking about should look at this picture.

Memorize it.

Go without sleep

or food.

And figure out that we need to

VOTE OBAMA!

Bring 'em Home!

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 02:37:28 EST

The best political commentary is on KGO Radio, out of San Francisco.

On November 28, 2006, Bernie Ward did a broadcast. It was an impassioned plea to end the war in Iraq.

It is as relevant today as it was then.

Here is part one (about 8 minutes):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj0gUtFyoFw

And part two (about 10 minutes):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb5oQb9pRuw

I'm sure you will be as inspired to listen as I was.

Don't buy into it.

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:42:37 EST

The worst thing Barack Obama could do, in the midst of this back-and-forth between him and John McCain on Iraq, is to buy into this John Wayne faux patriotism that would have us "win" and not "surrender" (whatever the hell that means), and keep our forces there.

John McCain, a man with a military background and a military family, seems to want to bully the non-warmongers in the country, calling us naive and using "hot button" terms like "surrender."

As a pilot, he supposedly knew what his mission was in Vietnam. What is ours in Iraq?

Find weapons of mass destruction? Done. There were none.

Depose Saddam Hussein? Done. He's dead.

Set up a different government? Done. Whether better or worse that the previous one, you be the judge.

Establish a stable democracy?

Have you ever seen the movie Wayne's World? You know the phrase "... and monkeys might fly out of by butt"?

There is no mission in Iraq. We shouldn't have gone in the first place, but since we did, our "mission" has been an ever-changing target.

Get out. Get out now. We are done with this. It has bled us dry. Families have lost their sons and daughters. Families have injured or mentally unhealthy people to deal with. Our nation is in a recession.

Thank you, George Bush.

No, thank you, John McCain.

Senator Obama, just say no!

Health Care

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:23:07 EST

To get a small idea of the need for universal health care, read this article. It talks about the Oregon Health Plan, and the response they are getting from allowing people to apply:

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/february252008/dhs_signup_2-25-08.php

Change

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 21:18:25 EST

It amazes me to hear from people that they don't understand what Obama means by "change."

Last week, I heard it from a couple of women who see Hillary as the better choice, because of her "experience." They were quick to describe Obama as naive, even going so far as to consider voting for John McCain instead. Others, including my favorite political commentator, John Rothmann on KGO radio, question this claim of "change." They ask, "Change what? What kind of change? It's fine to call for change, but what does this mean?"

This is insane.

We have had over seven years of a failed, outlaw administration, with a failed foreign policy, leading us into a war that never should have been fought, and bringing us to the brink of a recession. John McCain will carry on in George Bush's footsteps. He will "stay the course."

Change from this is what we need.

Hillary has also been critical of Obama's call for change, but even she represents change from the failed policies and direction of George W. Bush. She and Obama have different approaches, different ideas, but these differences are miniscule when compared to the course John McCain would chart for the country.

Those who question Obama's call for change had better ask themselves, do they want four more years of the same mess, which is what we would see in an administration led by John McCain?

They should also ask who is the person who would best lead us in bringing about this change. Clearly, to me, it is Obama.

McCain Hypocracy

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 23:36:11 EST

John McCain is a war hero. This is one reason why some moderates can support him. Even those who can't stand Hillary, but would usually vote Democratic, might make the mistake of supporting McCain.

Not only does this mean that these people are agreeing to replacing liberal justices on the supreme court with conservatives who would overturn Roe v. Wade, it also means that they are supporting a hypocrite. John McCain once was a man of integrity, who stood his ground against the United States using torture. No more. He has flip-flopped on this issue to appeal to the right. His most recent vote in the Senate was against the law making waterboarding illegal - something he said he was against just a few months ago.

Clearly, John McCain is pandering to the right. I'd hoped that he would remain his own man, leaving conservatives, and especially the religious right, out of the campaign. But, they obviously hold too much power for McCain to ignore.

Here's the link to a video from MSNBC, courtesy of Crooks and Liars:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/Media/Play/26376/2/countdown_mccain_torture_021408.mov/

McCain Video

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 03:20:01 EST

If you haven't seen it yet, go to this link to see a parody of the Obama "Yes, We Can" Video - John McCain verson.

Funny, but probably true, which makes it sad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gwqEneBKUs

KGO

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 20:15:10 EST

I'd like to recommend a news/talk station to everyone who is interested in hearing good political commentary, often with a "liberal" bent: KGO radio from San Francisco.

I've listened to KGO for over thirty years. You can find them at 810 AM, and their signal carries from San Francisco up through Canada in the evening. They are also available via the internet. Here's the link:

http://www.kgoam810.com/

The best political commentator is John Rothmann, who has interesting views and excellent callers. His program airs from 1:00 AM - 5:00 AM on Saturday mornings, and from 1:00 AM to 6:00 AM on Sunday mornings - not the time that a lot of people are awake, let alone listening to the radio, but here's where the "magic of the internet" comes in. Follow that link above, and you are able to listen to or download programs from the KGO archive.

I usually record John Rothmann's program live, using Audio Hijack, then listen to it on my iPod during the day. It provides an excellent education and discussion of current issues, especially politics, and, this year, the presidential campaign.

Give KGO radio a try. You will be impressed with what they have to say!

Chris Matthews Quote

Tim McFarland - Salem, Oregon — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 02:36:55 EST

I just saw a video on Crooks and Liars of an exchange between MSNBC's Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann after the Virginia primary. Matthews said this about Obama's speeches:

"...it’s a dramatic event. He speaks about America in a way that has nothing to do with politics. It has to do with the feeling we have about our country..."

How true. Obama's oratory seems to transcend the political. Perhaps that's another reason to elect him.