Obama team you did it, congratulations, we can finally start turning the page on the disastrous Bush era.
And the people around the world are happy we can move forward once more. So fellow citizens of the world let's thank all the people who worked and voted for Barack Obama.
THANK YOU AMERICA FOR CHOISING OBAMA
Let's collect a whole lot of thank yous from around the world, upload your thank you picture at http://www.globalthankyou.com/
Peace out
MCCAIN’S LAST STAND
JOIN US, Wednesday October 15, 9:00pm EST It's time for another Presidential debate between our Barack Obama and John McCain. Over the past week since the last debate the McCain campaign has become pretty negative in his attacks on Sen. Obama, the economy is struggling to rise again.
We need to pull together and joining in our forum is a good way to do that. The more we talk about Obama, the more he becomes popular and he is going up in the polls. Here is the link to the forum, Bookmark it and come join us! This is our community event for Obama.
http://nomccainnopalin.com/forum
As I said in my last invitation, it would be quite difficult to invite all of you to my house in eastern Canada. So, if you are not familiar with our website, http://www.nomccainnopalin.com/ please visit it soon. Many of us have contributed to it and we are proud of the work that was put into it.
"Debate Live Blogs." Is the place we have set aside for chatting and comments on the debate. It is the last one before the election on November 4th and with the heated exchanges over the last week it should be another interesting debate. According to most media sources this debate could be crucial.
The format for the forum will be different this time around. You do not have to register if you prefer not to, but keep in mind the forum will be moderated as to protect the participants. Please have a look at the PDF file with all of the information you need to join us on Wednesday for an evening of chat and analysis.
You will also see the information on the front page of the website. So, take a run over as soon as you can and setup your username and start chatting right away, so that you get to know the forum by debate night. We also hope that you will remain active in the forum after the debate.
YES WE CAN!
Claudia J.
Forum Administrator
claudia@nomccainnopalin.com
www.nomccainnopalin.com
Hey guys,
Get a load of this article, written by Steve Strang, right wing evangelical publisher of "Charisma" Magazine. I've heard crazy things from right wing Christians before, but this pretty much takes the cake. It's entitled, "Life as we know it will end if Obama is elected".
http://www.strangreport.com/2008/10/life-as-we-know-it-will-end-if-obama-is.html
I'm a singer/songwriter based out of Toronto, Canada and in the hopes of expressing our support for Barack Obama up here in the North, I made this video.
America's strength has always been in its ability to rise up from tribulations that would crumble most nations. This election has the chance to end a war, to propagate equality, and to unburden a struggling economy with fresh ideas and forward-thinking leadership.
I hope you guys enjoy this video and pass it along to anyone you think needs encouragement this November 4th to bring change TO washington.
www.woundednation.org
Lipstick Bungle
By CHARLES M. BLOW Published: September 19, 2008
Mr. McCain, on Monday you repeated your delusional notion that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. Now, the federal government is working on a deal to save that economy from collapsing. You have admitted that the economy is not your forte, so you could have used a running mate with some financial chops. (Remember Mitt Romney?)
But no. Who did you pick? SnowJob SquareGlasses whose financial credentials include running Wasilla into debt, listing (but not selling) a plane on EBay and flip-flopping on a bridge to wherever. In fact, when it comes to real issues in general, she may prove to be a liability.
In what respect, you may ask?
It turns out that the Republican enthusiasm for Sarah Palin is just as superficial as she is. They were so eager for someone to cheer for (because they really don’t like you) that they dove face first into the Palin mirage. But, on the issues, even they worry about her.
In a New York Times/CBS News poll conducted this week 77 percent of Republicans said that they had a favorable opinion of Palin. But when asked what specifically they liked about her, their top five reasons were that she was honest, tough, caring, outspoken and fresh-faced. Sounds like a talk-show host, not a vice president. (By the way, her intelligence was in a three-way tie for eighth place, right behind “I just like her.”)
When those Republicans were asked what they liked least about her, they started to sound more like everyone else. Aside from those who said that there was nothing they didn’t like, next on the list were: her lack of experience, her record as governor and her lack of foreign-policy experience.
Also, most Republicans think you only picked her to help with the election, not because she is qualified, and a third said that they would be “concerned” if for some reason she actually had to serve as president.
And Palin is proving to be just as vacant as people suspected. In her interview with Charles Gibson last week, she didn’t know what the Bush doctrine was. At your first joint town hall meeting with her in Michigan on Wednesday, in front of an invitation-only crowd of Republicans no less, she dodged substantive questions about the issues as if they were sniper fire, while issuing a faux challenge to the audience to play a game of “stump the candidate”. Seriously?
Many of your supporters will no doubt cry sexism. Fine with me. But that defense rings hollow. I find many of them to be sexist. Fresh-faced? Delegates on the floor of the Republican National Convention wearing buttons like “Hoosiers for the hot chick”?
Seriously.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/20/opinion/20blow.html?_r=2&ref=opinion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
by Jon Kelly - 20 Sep 08,
On 4 November, Rahim Al-Haj will be a first-time voter. His eyes were wide with boyish enthusiasm as he told me how excited he was at the prospect of exercising his democratic right. But Rahim was no callow 18-year-old straight out of high school.
Imprisoned and tortured in his native Iraq for his opposition to Saddam Hussein's regime, Rahim, 40, became an American citizen at a ceremony on 16 August, having arriving here as a refugee eight years ago.
"I cried that day," he told me. "And the very first thing I did afterwards was fill in a voter registration form.
"My polling card arrived this morning. I picked it up and did this," he said as he mimed kissing it.
"After 40 years, I can't wait to vote freely at last."
But Rahim didn't want to be thought of as a dissident or a political activist. He's an exceptionally skilled musician, one of the world's most accomplished players of the oud - a lute-like stringed instrument whose origins date back over 5,000 years.
I asked him to play for me. He obliged with a quick-paced, melancholy composition. His affinity with the instrument and the gentle, mournful sound it produced was striking.
"It's much more intimate than a guitar," he explained as he strummed. "You have to hug it like you'd hug your wife or girlfriend."
As a small boy, his bond with his oud was so strong that he used to sleep with it in its carry case. His love of music won him a string of awards and a place at the Institute of Music in his native Baghdad.
But it was Rahim's passion for composing and performing that forced him into exile. He used his talent and popularity to speak out against the regime by writing songs which protested against the Iran-Iraq war.
The authorities didn't hesitate. His recordings were banned and he was thrown into prison at the mercy of Saddam's torturers.
"But worst degradation was that they took my oud away," he recalled. "I'd practice playing on my wrist. It was as though I could hear the music."
After he was released from prison during the first Gulf War, Rahim fled the country using false papers. But because musicians had to declare their instruments before leaving Iraq, he had to leave the oud behind.
He went to Jordan before settling in Syria, where he met his wife and stayed for eight years. But when Iraq and Syria restored diplomatic relations in 1998, he had to leave again - this time for the USA.
The United Nations refugee agency sent him to Albuquerque, New Mexico, because they thought the desert landscape would remind him of home.
At first it seemed strange to him. It wasn't the bustling New York-style metropolis he had expected. But as he learned English and made friends, it became his favourite place in the world.
Rahim's career flourished. He played with symphony orchestras in New York and teaches music at the University of New Mexico. In 2008 he was nominated for a Grammy. And like any American, he exercised his constitutional right to complain about the state of the nation.
"America is a wonderful place - the country is gorgeous and the people are so open and welcoming," he said.
"But Americans are very isolated. The only people around them are the Mexicans, who they treat badly, and the Canadians, who are just like them.
"If I can do anything while I'm here, I'd like to help them understand other parts of the world."
I asked him how he was planning to use his first-ever free vote. The answer came back on the beat: Obama. The occupation of his homeland had been a disaster, he said.
"I had mixed feeling when Saddam was overthrown because he was such a terrible man," Rahim said. "But I also saw the devastation and the suffering that my people experienced as a result of the invasion.
"When there's a snake in your house, you don't destroy the house to get rid of it. But there have been four million people displaced in Iraq, one million dead, Shia turned against Sunni.
"It isn't just about Iraq. We need change at home too. Ask anyone about how the economy's affecting them. The Americans have suffered under Bush, too."
Before I left, we embraced. He made me promise never to take my right to vote for granted again.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/talkingamerica/2008/09/oud_awakening.html
Barack's movement for change is already working!
He's got Bush reducing military presence in Iraq and increasing it in Afghanistan.
McCain has allowed feminism into a Republican campaign and he's talking about the environment.
Barack is already bringing change as his presidency approaches.
When he finally is president, it will become Change we can believe in!
Democrats Abroad and Americans Abroad for Obama will host a voter registration table at Toronto CIty Hall on the first three days of the Democratic Convention (Aug 25, 26, and 27).
Volunteers will be present to assist Americans wishing to register to vote to fill out Federal Postcard Applications in the Rotunda on the ground floor of City Hall.
Tell your friends, and fellow Obama supporters to get a many people registered as possible!
Begins Monday, August 25 at 10:00 AM -5pm; same hours on Tuesday, Aug 26 and Wednesday, August 27
TORONTO CITY HALL (TORONTO, ON)
100 QUEEN STREET WEST
TORONTO, ON M5H 2N2
Good Morning Faithful Reader! Yr Humble Correspondent and Voice in the UK took a much-needed break this weekend - enjoying the summer sun. While the pundits and columnists here sliced, diced and analysed Obama's visit to the UK, I gathered my wits, painstakingly sifted all the press, and prepared the following for your entertainment. But before we get to the best of the opinion and comment in the British press, as well as the usual local knowledge...
Is it possible?
Dare I think it?
Is HE actually reading this? (keeping in mind of course, as previously established that he is not "He")
You be the judge, based on this snippet garnered right from this very website...
When the Senator went to 10 Downing Street he was granted an opportunity to visit the garden as well as stroll with the PM through the square behind the residence. One of the things they discussed was a statue of another gentleman from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln. The Augustus Saint-Gaudens statue in Parliament Square London is an exact replica of the one in Lincoln Park in Chicago.
As those of you who have been paying attention know, this statue and its origins have been discussed previously in this blog (see below). It's just too much to fathom. I think my head just exploded... or turned inside out like it does when someone tries to explain the Theory of Relativity to me. Have I inadvertently made a microscopic contribution to global small talk in the humble service of you dear reader? Best not to think about it really.
We dare not consider that this "blogger" (note: I now prefer the term "e-Diarist" after Samuel Pepys) has our future President's ear (or in this case eye), so we carry on as we were before, not speaking of ourselves in the third person...
Sen. Obama's short visit to the UK was carried live on the BBC 24 hour news channel. Commentary here was mostly about whether Obama could help UK PM Gordon Brown politically and of course whether it meant anything that Obama did not spend much time here in the UK and that we were last on the itinerary - Much hand-wringing about that. What is the condition of the US-UK "Special Relationship?" (a term first coined by Winston Churchill - and yes - it has its very own Wiki entry) What would it be like under President Obama? This was discussed at great length.
You are no doubt aware that he met the PM, also Tony Blair (former PM of course and now Special Envoy to the Middle East) and opposition leader (i.e. Conservative/Tory Leader) David Cameron. You are probably also aware of the conversation picked up by an ABC microphone where Barack is heard to say "... actually the most important thing you need to do is to have big chunks of time during the day when all you're doing is thinking." I agree wholeheartedly. After this, I'm going to do just that - some quality navel-gazing!
On to the editorials... We'll move our way from right to left today - i.e. start with the Telegraph (conservative) - sometimes known as the "Torygraph" over here. My mother-in-law reads it. "Does Obama ever Think of Us?":
Britain's chattering classes should be careful what they wish for. Senator Obama promises change and a bold new course for the United States. The end result may be an America that looks away from Britain and erects higher barriers to trade and investment.
Then to the Irish Independent, "Don't be conned by globalist Obama" which isn't really worth quoting. Back more towards the center with "Obama speaks to the brain and the heart" in the London Times:
By delivering speeches ... densely argued and historically referenced, Mr Obama is consciously asking more of his audience. It creates a political vulnerability, making it easier to dismiss him as a liberal elitist out of touch with the good ol' boys who decide the crucial swing states. But it also creates a political possibility - that the presidential election may be decided on the basis of intellectual arguments...
Moving further leftwards we have this offering from The Scotsman, "The Obama roadshow rolls into London":
... he was the "must get" man. For tourists, prime ministers, UN envoys, leaders of the opposition and the press, Barack Obama was the only one they really wanted to photograph or to be seen with. The US presidential hopeful chose to spend the last day of his Middle East and European tour in London, cementing the 'special relationship' between the UK and America before flying back across the Atlantic.
And finally, this from the liberal Guardian, "He came, he saw, he sprinkled us with stardust. Even Gordon smiled."
He has a devilish, wicked, lopsided little half-smile, does Mr Barack Obama, and the instincts in his face want him to use it. Just as well, really, because it pulls him back into the realm of humanity, and without it we might be in danger of trading hallelujahs and tugging his frayed hem.'He's not the President,' reprimands the copper keeping crowds at bay outside the House of Commons. 'Yes, he is!' wails a fat white sunburnt American. 'He's my President! Let me throooough, man, let me through!'
He has a devilish, wicked, lopsided little half-smile, does Mr Barack Obama, and the instincts in his face want him to use it. Just as well, really, because it pulls him back into the realm of humanity, and without it we might be in danger of trading hallelujahs and tugging his frayed hem.
'He's not the President,' reprimands the copper keeping crowds at bay outside the House of Commons. 'Yes, he is!' wails a fat white sunburnt American. 'He's my President! Let me throooough, man, let me through!'
<ed: No that was not me parleying with London's finest>
It was also noticed with some good-natured amusement here that Barack shook the hands of the two bobbies outside No. 10 Downing Street as he walked in. Is he really that nice and polite, or was he just tired and stuck in robo-campaign-bot mode? It's enough to keep the tabloids here busy for awhile...
So with that we must dip into the photo archives today, as it was fairly higgledy-piggledy around here this weekend, and my London journey had to be scrubbed at the last minute. Not to worry though as my Middle East trip has been confirmed and booked (destination still classified) and there are more local trips in the works. Does anyone know anyone who either lives in or is visiting the Gloucestershire area who would like to join me? Two would be a lot better than one...
Today's photo is taken at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland. This photo is actually taken in the ruined Holyrood Abbey next to the Palace, which is directly across the street from the new Scottish Parliament. (helpful note for tourists: Edinburgh is pronounced "ED-in-burr-ah" not "Eed-en-BURG")
And because we always go that extra step for you here at the blog:
My Top 10 Things I Like About Living in the UK*
(* but first, in case you didn't know... "England" is a country, which along with "Wales" and "Scotland" (also individual countries) are located on the island of "Great Britain." These 3 countries along with the country of "Northern Ireland" combine to form the "UK" or the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland")
So, without further ado and with apologies to David Letterman (and with all due respect to all the things I love about living in the U.S.A.)...
10. There are lots of sheep! (and lots of jokes about Welshmen and sheep)
9. Boxing Day (yes I know they have it in Canada too...)
8. The Royal Family (an endless source of both pride and amusement)
7. Gardening (this is not a "nation of shopkeepers", it's a nation of gardeners)
6. Your Driver's License is good for life! (no annoying renewals...)
5. You can fly to Venice for the weekend!
4. Prime Minister's Questions (rowdy, funny, weekly, and way better than anything on C-Span)
3. Bonfire Night/Guy Fawkes (we have fireworks in the winter when you don't have to wait until 10 p.m. for it to be dark!)
2. Pubs! (a cross between a living room and a tavern. They have not been successfully reproduced anywhere.)
1. The People. What a great sense of humor they have: it can be rowdy, bawdy, or so sharp and subtle you don't even know you've been cut down to size until you see the blood spilling out. Everyone and everything is fair game. Also legendary politeness, a sense of history, dignity and ceremony which covers an intense passion and great courage which lies just under the surface.
p.s. Special thanks - shout out! - to the Obama supporters in Ozaukee County Wisconsin for finding(!), reading and supporting my blog. You guys keep me going - thanks!
Greg
For someone who has staked his whole campaign on the Iraq war, I was utterly astounded when you told Katie Couric of CBS that the Anbar or Sunni Awakening followed the Surge, when in reality the Anbar Awakening preceded the Surge by almost four months. My friend that is a matter of recorded history.
Joe Klein of Time Magazine stated McCain's assertions as"pure nonsense"
In the beginning you promised the Nation a very civil and respectful campaign. You criticized Senator Obama for not visiting Iraq. Now that he has done that you criticized him for going. Was this jealousy on your part? Several weeks ago you visited Canada and Columbia to promote Free Trade. No criticism there, right John. Yesterday, you accused Senator Obama of being willing to lose a war in order to win the Presidency. More respect on your part, Senator? You accused him of putting the Nation at risk because of his inexperience. This must be the civility you spoke of several months ago. The only Candidate who has Presidential experience is one who is running for a second term. But even with all these remarks and derogatory insults about Obama that are coming out of your own mouth, Senator Obama continues to tell the people that you Sir are a war hero. That is respect Senator McCain. You seemed to have forgotten what respect means. You, Sir have fallen drastically short of the campaign you promised in the beginning.
You have surrounded yourself with campaign advisers of questionable reputations. Charlie Black's lobbying firm has represented dictators like Marcos, Mobutu of Zaire and Savimbi of Angola. Carly Fiorina while with HP tried to circumvent the trade boycott of Iran. Joe Lieberman and Lindsay Graham were both advising Vets for Freedom, a 527 group not unlike The Swift Boat Vets . And yet these are the advisers who have been allowed to stay with your campaign.
I could point out many more gaffes you have made in the last two months, but the only thing I must add is your shameful reputation and voting record when it comes to representing the Veterans of this country. You receive a 100% disability pension, tax free I might add, and you have denied every improvement that these brave men, not only need but surely deserve. How any one millionaire veteran like yourself allows other veteran to be homeless is beyond comprehension.
My friend, my friend please explained to the Veterans of American how Walter Reed Surgical Hospital once the "Crown Jewel" of the US Military has become known as the Dungeons of Building 18, under your watch.
Now that the cameras are focusing on you, an apology and I'll do better somehow just doesn't cut the mustard; it's what you did when no one was looking that counts.
A dreamer is one who canOnly find his way by moonlightAnd his punishment isThat He sees the dawnBefore the rest of the world
-Oscar Wilde Awesome Blogs
Good... morning... fellow... Americans... or is it Citizens of the World today? ... *urk*. As I climb out from under the banners, balloons and signs I make my way to the computer dear reader... Ack!! what is that I just stepped on?... oh it's just a half-eaten frankfurter... Why is there confetti stuck to the side of my face?
Time to check what the rest of Europe has to say about yesterday... But first the facts: Barack Obama spoke in Berlin yesterday, in front of about 200,000 people more or less. He spoke for half an hour. I watched it live. Before I go into the "spin cycle" of press and analysis - what did I think you ask? At first I was surprised that it didn't go on for longer. Also, I have to admit that I expected a speech along these lines - not particularly "rah rah", but an early indication to Europeans that they have an interest (to severely understate it) in carrying their share of the international load. This isn't just about troops or bombs but about a lot more.
In my view, Europe is now caught in some kind of post-Cold War political adolescence. They are allowed to criticize (when they do) America for being war-mongering and heavy-handed and unilateral. At the same time they like to (sometimes - not always) conveniently forget that American military strength has allowed them to avoid spending money on their own military and has allowed them the luxury of spending that money elsewhere - on domestic development, healthcare, a bloated European government based in Brussels and so on. It's time to grow up Europe - that's what I got out of Obama's speech. In return for America listening, understanding and taking the time to build true coalition in world affairs, we need Europe to abandon its adolescent attitudes and contribute in many different ways. They can't have their cake and eat it too anymore. Not exactly the sort of thing to get you waving the Stars and Stripes. Or maybe the sort of thing that sends you home after waving the Stars and Stripes to do a little serious thinking...
To wrap up - I think Europe is starting to realise what America is starting to realise... If you think President Obama is going to skip through green fields with flowers in his hair turning off all the nuclear power stations, save the polar ice caps and give you a tax cut at the same time you need to wake up. He is an intelligent man (that's an improvement in our leadership right there) who can bring people along with him, each according to their ability, to achieve common goals. Look at his campaign, this website - that's what he's going to do with the world - not something divine, but something really amazing.
On to the morning press - There's a tremendous amount of it, but hopefully I've trawled through most of it for you... First, from the Irish Independent, "Obama tells Europe to 'Expect better from the US'", but as stated above, the message is also - because we're going to expect better from you! Then there is this from the UK Daily Mail, "250,000 Berliners go berserk for Obama ... and he hits Britain this afternoon" - a good summary with lots of good pictures. If you want to read a good minute-by-minute blog of what is was like to be there, try, "Liveblogging Obama's Berlin speech", which starts out with:
"And so John McCain's dastardly scheme to snatch the presidency from Barack Obama's grasp using complicated reverse psychology techniques enters its final stages. First, you will recall, the Arizona senator challenged his rival to embark on a foreign fact-finding mission. Obama did so, falling straight into McCain's trap by committing several terrible gaffes such as having a really successful trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. Then McCain may or may not have tried to seize the spotlight by using the conservative columnist Robert Novak to plant rumours that the Republican vice-presidential candidate would shortly be revealed -- which might have worked if Novak hadn't seized the spotlight himself by hitting a guy with his Corvette in downtown Washington."
Then we start to get a little deeper, a little more circumspect: Jonathan Steele in the UK Guardian contrasting the reception in Europe to that in the Middle East: "... it is not surprising that many Europeans are crying out for a man in the White House who will be less aggressive, less unilateral, less imperial, and more attuned to the complexities of international policy. Obama seems to be the one."
And this from Der Spiegel: "Huge Crowds Left with Mixed Feelings"
Which brings us full circle to the thinking that while there are a lot of good reasons to support Barack Obama - many, many good reasons! - I have to break it to you Constant Reader - and this morning a Fellow Citizen of the World - he is not The Messiah, as discovered in this well-written editorial in the London Times. (UPDATE: Note - I have since seen this editorial described as "mocking" Obama - that's not how I read it at all, but make up your own mind.)
So what of the future then? I am more convinced than ever that we need Barack Obama as our next President. My travels will continue! Next stop: London (aka "The Big Smoke"), where much like Dick Whittington, I will travel from Gloucester, not to seek fame and fortune, but to continue to spread the message of change and hope! My cat however (despite being a mouser of the finest quality) will stay home.
As always, please leave a comment and tell a friend about this blog. Cheers from the UK,
UPDATE: If this was all a little too heavy for you... It was for me... have a laugh with Wonkette - "McCain Tricks Obama into Massive Global Win". Wait until they get hold of Mitt Romney...
