Cats for Obama

Can you help me?

melania — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:02:11 EST

I want buy a mug in ofa store, but I have a problem: I live in Italy, so, I don't understand what I must do.. Can I pay with euro money? Can I buy something in ofa store? Can merchandise come here, in Italy?

Thanks to everybody!!!

What The Opposition To Insurance Reform Is Wrong, Very Wrong

Barbara McCarren — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:19:47 EDT

The phrase ‘only in America would this be possible’ is often said in gratitude by immigrants born into a class system or Americans born into poverty when they are acknowledged as leading citizens, and asked to share their story. These iconic stories of ’success earned, as it should be’ re-tell us that the American Dream lives & we are still ‘the land of opportunity’. America’s founding documents declare that in our country there are no positions at birth that impede great achievements, but instead a bill of guaranteed rights to a life of equally available opportunities. An immigrant born into a hierarchy can work hard in our country’s free-market system and earn not just money but stature and respect in the business community. He can earn his citizenship as well. Success in business is calculated impersonally, by summing assets, material value & profit margins. Community respect & admiration are accorded for hard work, self-reliance & dedication. A child born into poverty can learn the value of education & utilize public resources to earn not just scholastic achievement, but a position at the highest level in any field or practice imagined. She or he is accorded esteem as a living example that many great Americans share humble beginnings. Personal success rising from disadvantaged circumstances can be of purely personal value or, like the immigrant, measured by material wealth. The immigrant begins by selling oranges from a cart & becomes a billionaire, inventing a wildly popular orange beverage. The kid raised on food stamps begins with an education in organizing skills & becomes President of the United States of America. The latter forgoes fortune because the opportunities granted in this nation are priceless & the chance to serve its people is an honor. Only in America, both would say, would this be possible. Neither path to success or measure of achievement is applicable to the other endeavor. We experience a deeper national pride in the latter story of success; against all odds the scrappy individual finds opportunities he is told his country provides, he prevails with determination, confidence, ambition & courage. It is the story of Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Carnegie, and Oprah Winfrey and has the potential power, with no financial equal, to shift societal priorities & redefine the core values of a nation. Both kinds of success are encouraged in America because we begin with the belief we are created equal, with certain inalienable rights including the pursuit of a subjectively defined happiness. We all agree that America is uniquely blessed and characterized by these ideals. We do not all agree that all success is measured financially, and yet we all know some things should not be subject to free-market unlimited profit taking.
That said, I don’t agree that those who oppose healthcare insurance reform stand for nothing, or simply say “NO” on this issue. They are adamant in their commitment to principles that Americans hold dear. The principles the opposition stands FOR is the fundamental flaw in their argument against the reform of healthcare insurance practices. They are vociferously FOR protecting free-market capitalism, FOR supply & demand pricing, FOR drug company ‘agreements’ protecting pricing and patents* and FOR principles of capitalism in which money is exchanged for goods by agreement of both parties, without coercion or threat of physical force. What the opposition is FOR is not applicable to, or remotely related to a successful healthcare system. It’s a red-herring.
We have allowed healthcare insurers to cut coverage, reject quality over cost, cap pay-outs, dump ill human beings & fix prices for profit, so they can remaincompetitive with each other. Our sickness, our illnesses, & our treatments suck-up their profits. Ipso facto, our health and well-being are costly and the item of least concern to a profit-driven health insurance business. It was a mistake to allow the health of the nation’s citizens to be the basis for business opportunity, and a mistake to allow it to continue. Congressional opposition to reform howls about Socialism galloping over American economic principles, as if this mistaken application has squatter’s rights to the territory of healthcare insurance; the health of citizens be damned.
Private and public grade schools, universities, churches, the US Military and firefighters are not listed on the stock market because their success is not measured financially, for good reason. Those who oppose reform know this, and either know this is the flaw in their argument or are hereby notified. Healthcare insurance reform is necessary to correct an oversight. We let for-profit practices substitute for quality health care and did not foresee the need to project the unintended consequences of these misapplied practices & their inappropriate measures of success.
Of this we can be certain: no insurer will be denied treatment or die because their pay-out is capped, due to insurance reform. This is a pre-existing condition that is draining our economy, and we must treat it as it should be treated, for the health of our nation. A malignant cancer does not check your stock portfolio, your place in history or your financial assets before it proliferates in your body. Senator Kennedy knew this. He received the care of the world’s finest doctors, his suffering was eased & he benefited from experimental treatments that defied his initial prognosis for survival. We are all thankful for this, but Senator Kennedy publicly lamented that he received the finest treatment because he was born Edward Moore Kennedy, of wealth and fame, & had excellent government subsidized healthcare coverage. He said it as often as he could over 14 months: everyone should be treated with the quality care that he was treated. Everyone is created equal. Our founders wrote it as creed, and the Kennedy family worked for, stood for and lived for that principle. An oft-used pronouncement by many who oppose reform rings very true here, to we who support reform: every life is precious.

*note: the patent is a government protection and antithetical to free-market capitalism

Letter to Senator Feinstein from Cherokee Mike

Barbara McCarren — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:17:45 EDT

August 28, 2009

Senator Dianne Feinstein
United States Senate
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator Feinstein:
We are at a turning point in American history and you have the rarest of opportunities to take your place in this rich history.

Will you vigorously and openly support President Obama’s efforts for a public option in health care reform, or will you take the path of weaker, lesser human beings and cave into the lies and distortions being trumpeted hysterically from every media outlet the Republicans and Big Health and Big Pharm. can access?

Millions of Americans who are ready and financially ready to retire would do so if they had access to affordable health care. This would open up millions of employment opportunities for unemployed and underemployed Americans. When Americans no longer fear being bankrupted by exorbitant medical costs, they will do what Americans secure in their jobs and secure in their ability to pay their bills have always done: spend on necessities and other consumer goods, thereby stimulating our economic recovery in the healthiest and most effective way.

With recently strengthened consumer credit and banking regulations, no longer will working Americans fear having all they have worked for and saved for wiped out as a result of immoral, and what used to be illegal, financial manipulations. But more needs to be done.

Affordable government sponsored universal health care for all Americans, paid for by the contributions of all working Americans, can be a reality. You have an opportunity to assume an active leadership role in implementing legislation to this effect.

As a constituent, I urge you to speak out strongly, clearly, and quickly on what I believe is the most important issue of our lifetime.

I am one of the fortunate ones whose employer, upon my retirement, covered my health care premiums, at obscene rates, until I become officially a medicare recipient on September 1, 2009. As you know, my Medicare is not free. But the cost is fair and reasonable and the care is excellent. What a shame and a pity that all Americans do not have such an opportunity.

Your vote on the Iraq war can be understood considering the magnitude of the campaign of lies and deception promulgated by the previous administration. But this time the lies and deception are easily exposed. I assure you that when this issue is resolved with universal single-payer health care made available to all Americans, and the huge benefits to our country and our society as a whole begin to be realized, those who failed to champion the cause because of fear, lack of integrity, or personal financial or political gain will be forever be remembered for the spineless charlatans they proved to be.

Who will be the heroes?

There is a program on The History Channel, Medal of Honor, that chronicles the actions that many soldiers took while under intense pressure and enemy fire to earn our country’s highest military honor. Acting unselfishly and without regard for their personal safety, they took the least desirable or personally beneficial course of action, and instead did “the right thing.”

You, too, are under hostile fire. Lead the charge for a public health care option for all Americans now! Regardless of the result, you will be forever proud and honored for having done “the right thing.”

Sincerely,

MJM

147 millions

melania — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:42:43 EDT

In Italy, last week, one person won 147 millions of euros at "lotto"..

it's an big big big amount!! I think they are too much money, maybe, if you win 147 millions, you will find reason, you will ruin yourself

ted

melania — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:01:44 EDT

I'm so sad for ted's dead..it was an great person, with him, it go away the kennedy dynasty.

It's terrible the kennedy's history....john, bob, john jr, and now, ted..

Maybe, the great people, they are fated to do an ugly dead, they are fated to have an ugly end..

they are so great, so beautiful in their life, and so bad in their dead...

Show Support

Dawn in Arizona — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 21:53:35 EDT

Here is a link to a CNN Poll on Obama and health care. These stations pay attention! and DO news stories on the stats:

http://reportcard.cnn.com/

Let's all get together and give our President an A+ !

How great it is to have a working President who is putting his all into the job for all of us.

Get Voting!

The First Dog: OUR.BO

Lynda Woolard - New Orleans — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:41:47 EDT

Having been involved in grassroots animal welfare/rescue/rights for 20+ years, I was one of those people who eagerly and anxiously awaited news on what Barack and Michelle were going to do in regards to adopting a puppy for Sasha and Malia. I was a lead dog, if you will, in pushing the idea that they should adopt a rescue and preferably a shelter dog. I was heartened by Barack's comments that HE really wanted to get a rough and tumble shelter dog. But! as usual I was careful to not just hear what I wanted to hear. I was acutely aware of the other issues President Obama laid out when discussing the new family member.

First, during the campaign, Barack always stated that he had promised the girls a puppy. A puppy. P.U.P.P.Y. Right off the bat, we knew this was going to rule out a whole lot of rescue dogs who tend to be older. This is fair enough for young girls getting their first dog. I got a puppy as a kid, too. There's something about being young and getting a young animal. You can relate to it. And you can grow up together. By the time I was 30, I started liking the idea of adopting adult dogs. They come pre-trained and you miss all that puppy teething, high energy bother.

Secondly, and really importantly, Malia has allergies, so her parents wanted to be sure she had a pet she could be close to and comfortable with. I won't argue whether or not hypo-allergenic breeds truly exist. Let's just agree that some breeds cause less allergic reactions than others. I know, for instance, that I am allergic to some cats. Not many. But occasionally I run across one that just makes me miserable. Anyway, this issue was a key issue in selection of the dog and rightly so. Consider if they chose a dog to find out later that it made Malia sick. One of three things would happen here and none of them good: Malia would have to suck it up and be miserable OR the dog would just have to not spend time with the family when Malia was present OR the dog would have to find a new home. This is a scenario that is not uncommon and all too often the dog ends up in a shelter or a back yard. (In fact, I know animals that were left behind in Katrina because a family member in the evacuation vehicle was allergic.)

Now, because of my involvement with the animal community and my involvement with the Obama campaign, people who are unhappy with the choice of Bo have felt it necessary to take this issue up with me and I have received a range of reactions from "I'm very disappointed" to "Obama broke another promise and killed a shelter dog". Well. As one who was calling for them to adopt a shelter dog, I understand a little disappointment. But I got over that pretty quickly. Look. The little guy, in my mind, IS a rescue. He didn't fit in with his first family, so he ended up with THE First Family. I hear all sorts of conspiracy theories about how this is a set up and the dog was really bred for the Obamas. I don't really buy that, but even if it were true... to harp on that would be to miss our opportunity as members of the animal welfare community. We can scream about conspiracy because we wanted a different outcome or because it feels good, but what message then are we sending when we have the platform to send a message... that this person most of our country really admires tricked us all so he could get a purebred... and if you're going to emulate him, well, then it's your turn to fake a need to get a purebred?

OR shall we point out to people the many things the first family did right in adopting a dog?

They planned ahead and waited to adopt until the family had time to train it and take care of it. They prepared the children for the responsibility that they all would need to share as they welcomed a new family member into their home. They did their research and found a breed that would suit their needs... regarding allergy issues, trainability, disposition, personality, space requirements and energy levels. They didn't go shopping around to breeders, but instead adopted an already 6 month old dog - which means half its puppihood has already passed. And they found the dog through a friend with whom they have a really close personal connection... and who has health issues of his own such that he may not be around for too long.

The standard put on this president for adopting a dog is beyond anything any other president has had to live up to pet-wise. He never promised to adopt a shelter dog, he said he hoped to get one. He advocated against puppy mills and by all accounts, this dog is not from a puppy mill. It appears to be from a responsible breeder. I won't argue whether or not responsible breeders truly exist. We will never get rid of "breeds" altogether. Dog people are forever going to like certain breeds or even need them for utilitarian purposes.

The pet overpopulation problem is not caused by breeders or breed lovers or President Obama. It is caused by unmanaged stray populations, puppy mills, irresponsible breeders and owners who do not spay/neuter their pets for reasons ranging from ignorance to laziness. Period. Dogs and cats are euthanized in the hundreds of thousands in this country because people don't know about the existing holocaust, or don't care, or because they let their animals roam freely thus allowing them to reproduce indescriminantly or land themselves with the dog catcher (which "displaces" whatever dog was previously in that kennel... a euphemism for euthanasia).

The Obamas did their due diligence and did the best they could... and didn't do half bad, I think. Give them a break. They are first time pet owners. They will learn more as they go. Like we all have had to do.

Let's shine a light on all the things they did RIGHT. Let's use this as a teaching moment instead of yet another time that the animal rights folks look like crazy zealots. I've lost enough battles and animals to know the pain of the trade. I face it everyday. But I won't blame our president for that. His family got a second hand dog that won't make their daughter sneeze or itch and made a donation to the Washington Humane Society. End of.

Welcome to your new home, Bo. May you live long and know great love.

Now let's let the president get back to solving this whole war/economy/environment thing... wherein human and non-human animals suffer and die everyday.

Along The Road We Go

Dawn in Arizona — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:09:27 EDT

Is it not great to wake up knowing we have a President who is working hard for US??

Finally! today we hear about the rail system getting much needed attention.

Any of you old enough to remember when we could travel nearly anywhere by train?

The airline lobbyists put a stop to our trains! What a great system we had- and now to bring it into this century is exciting.

We are in the top part of Arizona - in the believe it or not - I would have to drive to Flagstaff, AZ, get on an AmTrac and go to California in oder to go East! Really! Even though the train comes right back through Flagstaff a person must buy a ticket to California to head the other direction. Strange.

Bet this gets sorted also.

the most beautiful song against war

melania — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:56:26 EDT

For me, the most beautiful song against war is this:

Knockin' On Heaven's Door (lyrics)

Mama, take this badge off of me
I can't use it anymore.
It's gettin' dark, too dark to see
I feel I'm knockin' on heaven's door.

Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door

Mama, put my guns in the ground
I can't shoot them anymore.
That long black cloud is comin' down
I feel I'm knockin' on heaven's door.

Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door

It's wonderful!!!

gun licence

melania — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:35:50 EDT

After latest slaughters, that are performed whit weapons on hands, I think it must limit gun licence. It's disgreful that almost everyone can own one gun!! Maybe, I don't know facts well, I live in Italy, so I can't follow everything whit my eyes. However,I think it must do somethingh!!!

Join Me, Please!

Dawn in Arizona — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 14:51:15 EDT

Everytime I come here and see long blue nonsense post- I post! Please join me! Do not answer me, make a post of your own in support of our great and wonderful new President who has a brain and uses it!

Do not answer the Blue Meanies- POST and keep it up.

Thank you Mr. President for making us proud once again!

participatory democracy

melania — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 03:20:58 EDT

Many commentators told that Obama changed way to do democracy, they told that Obama bring participatory democracy. What do you think about this? Is it true?

is change possible?

melania — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 05:37:01 EDT

I think that in Italy we need change; but there isn't any person which can bring change.

there isn't any politcal person which is onesty, coherent, loyal.

Now we have Berlusconi, the man who said: "Obama is young, beautiful, and suntanned".

when his collaborators don't write him the speech, he say only idiocys!

now I think: I mustn't do belive that change is possible or, in the future, also in Italy will come one political person such as Obama?

AIG and the Bushies

Dawn in Arizona — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 21:26:59 EDT

Before leaving office Bush gave to AIG - now it is up to President Obama to clean that mess up also. Bush left America in a horrid state! Bush gave to all his rich buddies everything they wanted, no bid contracts, billions of dollars and an America with few legal rights.

Let us all support President Obama in his mighty quest to turn this country around.

FoR ThE OBAMA'S - Maybe the ultimate dog is a cat!

darlene matthews — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:01:47 EST

http://www.a1savannahs.com/savannahs.htm

What is a Savannah’s Temperament Like?

Savannah Cats have very loving and outgoing personalities. They are highly intelligent cats and learn quickly. Most of them love to explore the outside on a leash, or being in the house and playing Fetch. Others retrieve their toys or follow their favorite person like a little dog through the house. A Savannah expects to be a family member that is involved in every activity, rather than being just a usual house pet.

They definitely love water and have surprised us often with a spontaneous visit in the running shower.

Do Savannahs Get Along Well With Other Pets or Children?

Savannahs are very adaptive cats. They get along with well-behaved and respectful children and if your current cat or dog is social, your new Savannah will most likely end up sleeping in the same bed.

bred in the USA TOO !

A1 Savannahs

Martin & Kathrin Stucki
Ponca City, Oklahoma, USA - Raymond, New Hampshire, USA

Email: a1savannahs@yahoo.com

Cattery Phone: 580 718 0011

Wir sprechen Deutsch, - hablamos español, -nous parlons francais

Laughing at the Republicans

Dawn in Arizona — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:02:15 EST

How much fun this is to see the Republicans be so puzzled! Gee! you mean hate and letting large corporations run everything did not work??? It all fell onto their heads and now where do they go?? All they are doing is naysaying everything about our President! That's all ya' got. LOL We all had to put up with arrogant nasty Republicans for to darned long. Change has come...and look at them run.

and how great is it to see children in the White House again! Wow! America is coming back to her roots of self help and getting along, and yes, love...caring for our poorest and our elderly...the marks that a great nation makes on the Earth.

Invitation

Mary — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 10:45:49 EST

Please stop by and visit my website at www.myspace.com/maryjonickum. Thanks.

My Hope and Faith Still Lives

Dawn in Arizona — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:32:46 EST

This site has become quite negative - yet my hope in Obama still lives on and will. Please-give this man a chance, he is not even in office yet. I do not want to drop my membership on this site but if the negativity keeps up I will do so. Our country is in trouble- 8 years of baby Bush working hard to ruin our Democracy has worked, make no mistake he set out to steal elections, got it done and helped only the very rich get richer. Bush did not care what happened to any of us. Now we go on and can only pray that the teams Obama puts together can get this mess cleaned up.

Inauguration Song-Change We Can Believe In

Patricia Tyson — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:21:20 EST

I am so excited to present a song that I composed, "Change We Can Believe In"! It was inspired by President-Elect Barack Obama's campaign theme, and will be sung at the Inauguration Choral Festival in Washington, DC in January 2009. I have taught it to 2 high school choirs in Chicago, IL: Morgan Park HS (who is invited to the Inauguration Choral Festival), and to King College Prep (my alma mater-class of 1974). What a privilege it is to give back to the community, and my hope is that this song will encourage the singers, as well as the listeners, to pursue a more excellent way.

Here is the link to Morgan Park choir: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=755vrFw4vSo They are singing to the cd instrumental track.

There is a live version, with me on the piano, as sung by King College Prep: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S3XLqKAJh8

To Our California Friends - Wildfires

Suzie McKay — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 08:09:32 EST

We here in Las Vegas are watching the wildfires in L.A. and are so sad that so many of you have lost their homes. Is there anything we can do?

Can we organize a food, clothing or personal necessities drive for you? Is there a church or charity taking donations? Do you need cages and/or food for animals? We're pretty good at organizing here so just let us know how we can help and we'll coordinate a drive to help you.

If we don't all practice what the campaign taught us, we have learned nothing.

Congradulation President-Elect Barack Obama!!!!!

La Susa — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:12:04 EST

Congradulations President Elect-Barack Obama!

Congradulations To All Of Us, We Won!

It has been a long and hard race!

A Special Thanks To Everyone Here!

And with hope in our future, I am finnally at ease!

If there is one thing that I have learned throughout all of this, and that is, to expect more of myself, especially in the face of adversity. Thank you President-Elect Barack Obama!

Holding my Breath

Dawn in Arizona — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:47:51 EST

Last night I was glued, as I'm sure many were, to all the returns.....and then came the announcement and the tears.

Wow! We did it!

My little doggie I just rescued set on my lap(when I could hold still)- he is so nervous but when I did my happy dance he wagged his tail for the first time!

America may still in some parts be in the dark but we helped the best man for the job get elected.

I see a future now for all of us. As millions did wonder if the Reps could steal another elction I walked around on tip toes, praying, hoping....

President Obama inherits a horribly broken government but he can get it done.

Now let us keep him in office for two terms!

No more "dream deferred" ... the dream has come true.

Janet from PA ... no longer bitter, because hope has prevailed — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:02:50 EST

Last night, I was too overcome to write, although I did stay up for hours watching the TV coverage and reading everything on this blog. I finally went to sleep, still partly incredulous, still wondering if everything I'd seen on MSNBC last night would turn out, in the morning, to be just a dream.

I woke up today, and nothing in my dream had changed ... because yes, this time, everything had changed. No more stolen elections. No more "politics as usual." WE WON.

I'm still crying ... tears of joy ... and pride. Yes ... for the first time in a long time, I'm REALLY proud of my country ... and its people ... especially of these people, who made the dream come true:

Congratulations to Barack. You will be a glorious and inspirational president. Jed Bartlett, move over. :-)

Congratulations to Michelle, Malia, and Sasha. You unselfishly lent us your husband and father for so many months ... giving so many of us the opportunity to get to know him, as you do ... and to love him, as you do.

Congratulations to the Davids, their staffs, all the wonderful field organizers, and everyone else involved ... for running a brilliant and positive campaign. You've shown that the high road can be the road to victory.

Congratulations to everyone who endorsed Barack ... all those far-seeing politicians, from Bill Richardson and Ted Kennedy onward ... and all the columnists we read and whose links we posted so often ... who knew that Barack was someone very special and who told us so. You had the right words at the right time.

Congratulations to Keith and Rachel, pundits extraordinaire ... two voices of truth amid a mass-media chorus of innuendos and omissions and lies. You kept the faith, and kept us faithful.

Congratulations to Joe Biden, running mate extraordinaire. No more Amtrak for you ... you're on the O-train now.

And congratulations to us, the volunteers ... the canvassers, the phonebankers, the donors, the bloggers ... the millions of blades of grass that grew from those grass roots ... and flourished ... and spread Barack's message of hope throughout a parched America. We never stopped giving ... our time, our money, our words, our actions, our hearts, our souls ... and our votes.

We won this election, and we can all be proud of our country ... and ourselves.

YES.WE.CAN Elect Obama Our New President!

Susan in Spokane — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:30:53 EST

Wooo-Hoooo! We did it! What a night! Myself and hundreds more gathered in a conference room at one of our local Red Lion hotels. Sponsored by the Spokane County Democrats, we had two large screen TVs tuned in to CNN to watch the results as they came in, and excellent finger food. With each state's results, we whooped for Obama -- and went wild when he was announced our next President.

Our Washington state Governor's race is close again, but I'll wait till tomorrow to check on that one. Governor Gregoire, our Democrat incumbent, is a staunch Obama supporter, and I don't doubt for a minute that she would help him as President in any way she could if she gets re-elected. Like Obama, she's an excellent speaker.

If this site stays up, I'll post a couple more blogs tomorrow -- one on this campaign "journey" (from the owner of a healing arts center called "Inner Journeys", no less!) and one of thanks for all those I've come in contact with through working in my small way for our next President of the United States.

YES.WE.DID, and yes, we will continue,

To all, a VERY GOOD NIGHT!

Susan

McCain VS Obama

La Susa — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:56:04 EST

Im not in favor of McCain because he wants to cheat workers, and give more money to the extreamly rich that make 250,000.00 or more! Yo no estoy en favor al McCain por que el quire enganiar a los trabajadores y dar mas dinero a los ricototes, la cual que hacen 250,000.00 y mas!

Im not in favor of McCain because he is too old, 72 years old, and placed Palin as VP. Poor Palin dosn't know much about the world, much less about how to run Our Nation. Yo no estoy en favor al McCain por que ya esta muy viejo, 72 anos, y puso a la Palin de VP. La pobre Palin no sabe mucho del mundo, menos como correr nuestro Nacion!

Im not in favor of McCain because he says he knows how to do everything, but really what has he done in, practicly nothing in 20 years. Yo no estoy en favor al McCain por que el dice que el sabe como hacer de todo, pero a la deveras no ha hecho casi nada en 20 anos.

Im not in favor of McCain because he lies too much! There are so many lies I cannot place them all here, it is an embarrasment! Yo no estoy en favor al McCain por que miente demaciado! Hay tantas mentiras que no los puedo ponerlos todos aqui, es una veruenza!

I voted for Senator Obama because he wants to help those workers who pay way too much in taxes. He wants the rich that make 250,000.00 or more to pay taxes as it was during the years of President Clinton. Yo Vote por Senador Obama por que el qiere ayudar a aquellos que trabajan y pagan demacido taxes. El quiere que los ricos que hacen 250,000.00 y mas que ellos pagan taxes como era en los anos del Presidente Clinton.

I voted for Senator Obama because he realized when his mom was ill that the insurance companies didn't want to pay the bills because her illness before she died being cancer was considered 'pre-existing'. And she sadly died with the worries of the bills. Yo Vote por Senador Obama por que el se dio cuenta que cuando su mama estaba enferma las companias de seguranza no querian pagar los cuentos por que querian decir la cual que la enfermedad que cancer que tenia su mama antes de murir que era 'pre-existing'. Y la pobre murio con penas de los cuentos!

I voted for Senator Obama because he knows what it is like to live in poverty, for when he was a child he and his mom were on foodstamps. And his manerism is one of humility. Yo Vote por Senador Obama por que el sabe como es vivir pobre, cuando el era nino, su mama y el estaban es las estampas. Y tiene un modo de ser que es humide.

I voted for Senator Obama because he knows what it is like to live without a dad. His dad left when he was only two years old. And he knows that there are many mothers with children who are alone and suffering with mounting bills. Yo Vote al Senador Obama por que el sabe como es vivir sin un papa. El papa de el se fue, cuando el no mas tenia dos anos de edad. Y sabe que hay muchas madres con ninos que estan solas y sufiendo con biles demasiados.

I voted for Senator Obama because he wants to give many jobs to the people! Yo Vote al Senador Obama por que el quiere a dar muchos trabajos a la gente!

I voted for Senator Obama because he wants all students to have the opportunities to go to collage, not just the rich! Yo Vote al Senador Obama por que el quiere que todos estudiantes tengan la oportunidad a ir al colejio, no, no mas los ricos!

I voted for Obama because he knows we have to stop the war in Iraq, and look for that man Bin Ladden who killed nearly 4 thousand people here in the United States on September 11, 2001. Yo Vote al Obama por que el sabe que tenemos que parrar la guierra en Iraq y buscar al hombre ese Bin Ladden; que mato ha casi 4 mil personas aqui en Los Estados Unidos en Septiembre 11 del 2001.

I voted for Senator Obama because he dose not want American companies to leave to China, and he wants them to stay here in the Untited States. Yo Vote por el Senador Obama por que el no quiere que las companias Americanas se van para China, el quiere que se esten aqui en Los Estados Unidos.

I voted for Senator Obama because he wants to help companies make new inventions, so that we will not be dependant on other nations for oil. Yo Vote al Senador Obama por que el quiere ayudar a las companias hacer invenciones nuevas, para no estemos dependidas en otros Naciones para el aceite.

The tax calculator: El calculador de taxes:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gGgFgH

Barack is Irish! Who knew?

Deirdre — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:34:02 EST

It turns out that Barack Obama has ancestors/relatives in Co. Offaly! My dad is thrilled! And check out what they're singing in pubs these days.

I'll be posting about more serious issues later on today -- in the meantime, enjoy!

PS I can't get the movie to play in this blog, so here's the link.

The Barack Obama Song

Acuerdencen! Remember!

La Susa — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:48:28 EST

Acuerdencen al los ancianos y gente debiles a llevar sillas para que se descansan cuando voten en el dia 4 de Noviembre, por que se me hace que va a ver mucha gente!

Remember to remind the elderly and weak to bring chairs so that they can rest, when they go vote on November 4, because I belive that there will be a lot of people!

VP Dick Cheney

La Susa — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:20:07 EDT

VP Dick Cheney campaning in Wyoming today, praising McCain!

sourse CNN

ECONOMICS

La Susa — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:28:21 EDT

EconomyObama's Stance on the Economy Barack Obama's Tax Savings Calculator:http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gGgFgH

Barack Obama has offered a detailed plan to get America’s economy back on track, by creating new jobs and easing the burden on hardworking Americans by offering middle-class tax cuts three times the size of McCain’s.

Plan to Strengthen the EconomyThe Problem

Wages are Stagnant as Prices Rise: While wages remain flat, the costs of basic necessities are increasing. The cost of in-state college tuition has grown 35 percent over the past five years. Health care costs have risen four times faster than wages over the past six years. And the personal savings rate is now the lowest it's been since the Great Depression.

Tax Cuts for Wealthy Instead of Middle Class: The Bush tax cuts give those who earn over $1 million dollars a tax cut nearly 160 times greater than that received by middle-income Americans. At the same time, this administration has refused to tackle health care, education and housing in a manner that benefits the middle class.

Learn More

McCain's Stance on the Economy

John McCain’s economic policy is the same as George Bush’s. It ignores middle class Americans, giving $200 billion in tax cuts to corporations, including $4 billion in tax breaks to Big Oil, while leaving over 100 million middle-class Americans with no relief. Economists say McCain’s plan will add $3.4 trillion to the national debt.

This is important!

Mary — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 14:07:26 EDT

PBS has an online poll posted asking if Sarah Palin is qualified. Apparently the right wing knew about this in advance and are flooding the voting with YES votes.

The poll will be reported on PBS and picked up by

mainstream media. It can influence undecided voters in swing states.

Please do two things -- takes 20 seconds.

1) Click on link and vote yourself.

Here's the link:

http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html

2) Then send this to every single Obama-Biden voter

you know, and urge them to vote and pass it on.

The last thing we need is PBS saying their viewers

think Sarah Palin is qualified.

McCain Lieing Again!!!!!!!!!

La Susa — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 13:08:47 EDT

McCain says Obama wants to re-distribute the wealth!

Who has been burdened by taxes the last 8 years? The Middle Class, because the million and billionaires have enjoyed a tax break, that McCain wants to make permanent!!!!!!!

Obama wants to tax the million and billionaires, and belive me, those folks are not small businesses!!!!!!!!

McCain is using fearmongering to sway votes in his favor!

Who was with Bush on the 'Privatizing of Social Security'? McCain?

When Sen McCain claims to have been tested to be United States President; in 1962 when he sat in a plane cockpit, during the Cuban missle Crisis, why didn't McCain run for USA President way back then? It's only been 46 years ago.

McCain says he knows how to win wars, what wars has he won?

McCain says he knows how to fix corruption, what corruption has he fixed?

McCain says he knows how to fix Wallstreet, when has McCain ever fixed Wallstreet?

Yo, Arnold R-Gov of Calif.

La Susa — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 11:29:09 EDT

We can take your 'skinny legs' insults, but we cannot take four more years of McCin-Bush economics!!!!!! Was it not you Arnold R-Gov of Calif. that asked for a bail out for the State of Calif. a few days after the AIG bail out? So you want the hard working middle class to bail out Calif., because you don't know how to balance a budget? And allow the billion and millionaires to get richer and richer?

Do the math!!!!!! See Barack's Tax Calculator!

http://www.my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gGgFgH

Get Educated! Use the Brain Muscle! Look it up in the dictionary!!!!!!!

The insults and fear mongering has gotten way out of hand! Just because Sen Barack Obama wants to make healthcare affordable for everyone, dose not mean a socialistic government! Way too many of our working families are going bankrupt because of the sky rocketing costs of healthcare! And those who don't have healthcare, are often treated when it is too late, driving up the costs of healthcare for all of us!!!!!!! Of all develped countries in the world, the USA is lagging far behind, with high infant mortality rates etc. etc.! The past 8 years the middle class has payed above and beyond their fare share, while the rich get richer! Now the middle class are loosing jobs left and right, they need a break! And I don't think it's too much to ask the million and billionaires to pitch in their fare share! Our economy depends on the middle class! they are the buying power of America! Small buisnesses fall under the catagory of middle class people because they earn far less than 250,000.00 dollars a year!!!!!!!!

Socialism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the means of ...
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism

Democracy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system. It is derived from the Greek ...
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy

Capitalism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Capitalism is the economic system in which the means of production are distributed to openly competing profit-seeking [1] private persons and where ...
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism

Marxism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Any political practice or theory that is based on ...
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxist

For Those Who Have Tax Questions

La Susa — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:56:49 EDT

See the Tax Calculator

http://www.my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gGgFgH

Exxon Record Profits!

La Susa — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:09:49 EDT

Exxon Oct. 30, 08 Record Profits; 14.8 billion! Bush-McCain Economics!

Every Vote Counts!

La Susa — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:18:02 EDT

Vote Early, take friends and relatives with you!

Before and on Nov. 4, if one can help to bring people to the polls! If one has folding chairs, mark with your name and phone number and offer to help our seniors, and those with disbilities sit down while waiting in expected long lines!

Remind folks to sign their names on paper ballots!

In some areas one cannot wear political T-Shirts or pins!

If one has no car, is disabled and cannot be out and about, still vote early, call all of your friends and relatives and encourage them to vote!

We cannot afford to believe the polls! Every Vote Counts!!!!!!

Sarah the Nieman Marxist is DEFINITELY a Socialist

Deirdre — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:14:45 EDT

Check it out everybody -- It's official! Sarah Palin has been in the habit of "spreading the wealth" all over Alaska.

Here's the article:

AP Article on Sarah the Socialist

Enjoy!

And to think she accuses our future president (I hope) of socialism! Scandalous!

More later -- have to run. I'll put up the article about Roe vs. Wade and the right to life after we're done with Halloween stuff.

Happy Halloween, everybody!

Joe the Plumber....

La Susa — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:30:40 EDT

Joe the plumber said yesturday "I will vote for McCain the real American." 'The real American', wonder what he means by that? Or what is he implying by that statement? Unless one has Native American ancestry as dose Sen Barack Obama, I cannot see the connection to 'real American'. I personally find the comment offensive... Should Sen McCain win this election, what cabnet position will Joe the Plunger have, or did I hear wrong?

Poor Joe the Plumber, if he had studied small business (or at least googled it) he would know that overhead, payroll, utilities and a host of other expenses are deducted before talling up the total profit from business income on Schedule C of the Federal Tax Forms... It's sad to see gulable American people lied to, in such a decptive fashion! I wonder if Joe the Plumber is jumping for joy because EXON-MOBIL again anounce hudge profits! Will Joe the Plumber get any cash from EXON-MOBIL as McCain has implied that the rich will somehow benifit the poor and middles class?

McCain-Palin Small Business LIES, DECEPTION, MISLEADING!!!!!!!!!

La Susa — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:05:12 EDT

McCain's Small-Business BunkJuly 14, 2008He claims 23 million small-business owners would pay higher tax rates under Obama. He's wrong. The vast majority would see no change, and many would get a cut.SummaryMcCain has repeatedly claimed that Obama would raise tax rates for 23 million small-business owners. It's a false and preposterously inflated figure.

We find that the overwhelming majority of those small-business owners would see no increase, because they earn too little to be affected. Obama's tax proposal would raise rates only on couples making more than $250,000 or singles earning more than $200,000.

McCain argues that Obama's proposed increase is a job-killer. He has a point. It's true that increasing taxes on those at the top would leave them less money for other purposes, including investment and hiring in the case of business owners. But the number of business owners who would see their rates go up would be only a small fraction of what McCain says. Many would see their taxes go down.
AnalysisSen. John McCain has been making this false claim over and over, starting with a July 7 speech announcing his "jobs for America" plan:

McCain, July 7: Senator Obama's tax increases will hurt the economy even more, and destroy jobs across this country. If you are one of the 23 million small-business owners in America who files as an individual rate payer, Senator Obama is going to raise your tax rates.

He repeated it in an address to the League of United Latin American Citizens the next day:

McCain, July 8: Keeping individual rates low isn't intended as a favor to wealthy Americans. 23 million small-business owners pay those rates, and taking more money from them deprives them of the capital they need to invest and grow and hire.

He said it again at a campaign event July 9:

McCain, July 9: If you are one of the 23 million small-business owners in America who files as an individual rate payer, Senator Obama is willing to raise your tax rates.

And he repeated it in the first of a planned series of radio addresses July 12:

McCain, July 12: If you are one of the 23 million small-business owners who files as an individual rate payer, watch out – because as your business grows, my opponent proposes to raise your taxes.

But repeating a falsehood doesn't make it true. McCain's 23 million claim is a bogus figure.

Outdated, Inflated, Inapplicable

To justify the 23 million figure, McCain spokesman Brian Rogers referred us to a press release by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which refers to "23 million small business owners" without citing a source. That is actually an outdated count of all the businesses in the United States, produced by the U.S. Census for 2002, when the Economic Census counted a total of 23,343,821 business firms of all sizes. Of those, 16,845 firms employed 500 persons or more, which still leaves just over 23.3 million classified as "small" by the widely accepted definition that we will use here.

That figure is six years out of date. The U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy estimates the total number of "small" firms with fewer than 500 workers reached 26.8 million in 2006. That's the most recent estimate. But it is also inflated. Since the total U.S. population was just under 300 million in 2006, it would mean that one in every 11 Americans – men, women and children – is a "small-business owner."

It turns out, SBA's estimate includes more than 20 million "nonemployer" firms, an unknown number of them sideline or hobby businesses run by persons who actually make their living some other way. Census and SBA count as a "small business" anyone who reported as little as $1,000 of business receipts. By that very broad definition, John McCain himself is a "small-business owner," because his tax return shows Schedule C income from book royalties. For that matter, Barack Obama would also be a small-business owner, by virtue of his book income. As would President Bush and Vice President Cheney, as we pointed out in 2004. Of the 26.8 million that SBA counts as "small businesses," fewer than 6 million are actually "employer firms" with any payroll.

From this, we must conclude that to arrive at his 23 million figure, McCain is counting mostly "business owners" with no workers, including those who simply report small amounts of income from sideline or freelance work. McCain is arguing that Obama's tax increase would "destroy jobs," but he's counting mostly firms that don't produce any.

That in itself is seriously misleading. If McCain wants to focus on the effects of Obama's plan on employment, he would do better to confine his count to employers – the just under 6 million firms that actually have workers. And even that figure wouldn't be applicable because Obama's tax increase wouldn't fall on all employers, only on those in the top two income tax brackets.

McCain Campaign's Statement

1. These small businesses are subject to Sen. Obama's pay or play health care plan: The tax will either be in the form of health insurance to
workers or cash to the government.

2. Further, even giving Obama the benefit of the doubt, if they make
over $250,000 and file as individuals or have capital gain or dividends, their taxes go up, as Obama has promised.

Note US Chamber cites 23 million figure: "The U.S. Chamber is proud to pay special tribute to some of its most valued constituents: America's
23 million small business owners"McCain's Non-explanation

McCain cannot justify his 23 million claim. We asked McCain spokesman Brian Rogers for substantiation and received the statement that we reprint here. We find it simply won't do.

Rogers starts by saying that Obama's health care proposal to provide coverage for uninsured workers would amount to a "tax," either in the form of higher costs for covering employees or "cash to the government." But McCain was talking about income tax rates, not higher business costs. That's not justifying McCain's claim; that's trying to change the subject.

Furthermore – as we've just seen – the vast majority of those that McCain is counting as small-business owners have no employees and wouldn't encounter any added costs for covering workers. Obama's plan wouldn't apply to every small employer, either. It says: "Small employers that meet certain revenue thresholds will be exempt." Also, after Rogers sent his message, Obama announced July 13 that he is proposing to grant $6 billion per year in tax credits for small businesses that provide health insurance plans, covering up to half the cost of premiums paid to cover employees.

As for actual income tax rates, which is what McCain keeps talking about, Rogers says "if they make over $250,000 and file as individuals ... their taxes go up." But this leaves out all but a very small fraction of those McCain counts as small-business owners. Rogers also says taxes will go up if small-business owners "have capital gains or dividends," but Obama's proposal would not increase rates on capital gains or dividends for couples making under $250,000, or singles making under about $200,000, regardless of whether they are classified as small-business owners or not.

How Many Would Actually Pay More?

McCain is right about one thing. Many small-business owners would indeed see their taxes go up if Obama is elected and raises the top income-tax rates. According to a survey from the National Federation of Independent Businesses, about eight out of 10 small-business owners responding to the poll report that they are organized legally in a way that would require them to pay taxes on their business income as individuals, rather than as a corporation. But since Obama's plan wouldn't affect those making less than $250,000 for couples, or about $200,000 for singles, we need to estimate how many would fall into those high-income categories.

Obama's plan, according to his economic policy director Jason Furman, would return the top two federal income-tax rates to what they were before Bush lowered them. In addition, Obama would adjust the income-tax brackets to ensure that no married couple making under $250,000 or single filer making under $200,000 would pay the top rates.

The actual number of business owners who would be affected turns out to be well under a million, and the number of employers would be even less. Based on the number of taxpayers who now report any sort of business income on their returns, the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center projects that 663,608 taxpayers with business income, or business losses, will fall into the top two tax brackets in 2009, when any Obama tax changes would first take effect. Not all of those can properly be called "small-business owners," however. Some are farmers. Many are lawyers, accountants or other professionals who get some of their income in the form of partnership distributions. Others may be passive investors in real-estate partnerships or similar investment arrangements and not really persons who own and manage a business.

It is also not clear how many who report business income actually employ any workers. In 2004, the Tax Policy Center found that hundreds of thousands of individual taxpayers who had business income from partnerships or subchapter-S corporations (whose owners pay taxes as individuals) did not claim any tax deductions for employee expenses. For all these reasons we judge that the actual number of small-business employers who would face higher tax rates under Obama is probably far below 663,608, and certainly a far cry from McCain's ridiculously inflated 23 million figure.

Lower Taxes for Many

While Obama's plan would raise rates at the top, it also would grant what he calls a “Making Work Pay” tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family. Since this credit would not begin to phase down for couples making less than $150,000, we judge it likely that many, if not most of the 23 million that McCain counts as "small-business owners" would likely get tax reductions.

An Echo of Bush

McCain's claim struck us as wildly improbable the first time we heard it because we debunked a much less expansive claim that President Bush made about John Kerry in 2004. Bush ran a TV ad saying that Kerry's proposal to raise taxes on persons making more than $200,000 a year would affect 900,000 small-business owners. We found Bush's number to be far too high. We noted that Bush was counting as a "small-business owner" anyone who reported even $1 of business or partnership income, regardless of how the taxpayer made their living. At that time, the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center estimated that a total of 471,000 small-business employers could be affected.

– by Brooks Jacksonhttp://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/mccains_small-business_bunk.html

McCain-Palin "Ethical?" Against Obama ARE FALSE, LIES!!!!!!!!

La Susa — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:35:54 EDT

'Unethical?'October 27, 2008http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/unethical.htmlA McCain-Palin/RNC ad claims Obama 'rewards his friends with your tax dollars.' It's off the mark.SummaryAn ad released jointly by the McCain-Palin campaign and the RNC claims Obama "rewards his friends with your tax dollars" and calls his actions "unethical." Some of what the ad says is false or misleading. Here are the facts:

The ad claims that Obama supporter and Chicago real estate developer Allison Davis received $20 million in taxpayer money. That's false. Davis didn't get this money. Instead, the federal grant went to the Chicago Housing Authority, replacing money it had already put forward for a mixed-income housing project on which Davis was a developer. The grant didn't go to Davis, nor did it help him pocket any additional funds.

The ad says Obama gave Tony Rezko $14 million of taxpayer money. That's misleading. It's true the housing project Rezko was working on cost $14 million in taxpayer cash. Rezko and his partner netted $855,000 in fees.
Obama worked to get Kenny Smith a $100,000 grant to build a park, which Smith later failed to complete. Smith has since caught the attention of the state attorney general. But, according to reports, Obama isn't under investigation for helping Smith get the grant.

The RNC and McCain may consider Obama's actions to be "unethical"; that's a matter of opinion. But the fact is, as far as these three incidents are concerned, Obama has not been officially accused of any wrongdoing, and there's been no report that his actions are the subject of any official investigation.
AnalysisThe joint ad from the McCain-Palin campaign and the Republican National Committee accuses Sen. Barack Obama of being "unethical," citing instances in which individuals connected to Obama received federal or state funds. Sen. John McCain's campaign and the RNC have spent $5.9 million so far airing the ad in 17 states, including Pennsylvania, where $1.2 million has been spent on the ad, and North Carolina, where it has aired a total of 1,629 times, according to the Campaign Media Analysis Group of TNS Media Intelligence. The ad started airing on Oct. 14.

RNC/McCain-Palin Ad:
"Unethical"

Announcer: Obama rewards his friends with your tax dollars. Tony Rezko, fourteen million. Allison Davis, twenty million. Kenny Smith, one hundred thousand. That's unethical. Congressional liberals promise to raise your taxes to reward their friends with wasteful pork. Taxes for you. Pork for them. Who's gonna' stop 'em? Congressional liberals? Or him.

McCain: I'm John McCain and I approve this message. $20 Million? Try Zero

The ad claims that real estate developer Allison Davis received $20 million of taxpayer money thanks to Obama. But that's false. Davis didn't get any of this money. The ad cites a story from The Washington Times, but the article says that "city housing authorities confirmed" that the "grant money won't go to Mr. Davis or his company."

According to documentation provided by the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA), a letter was ghostwritten for Obama, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and others by the CHA in support of a project called Stateway Gardens – an urban revitalization effort to transition crime-ridden high-rises into mixed-income housing. The letter was sent to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in an effort to acquire a fiscal year 2008 grant of $20 million to support the project, of which Davis, a supporter of Obama, was one of the developers.

We spoke with Housing and Urban Development (HUD) spokeswoman Donna White, who told us that the money was not awarded to Davis, but to the Chicago Housing Authority:

Donna White, spokeswoman for HUD: The Chicago Housing Authority competed for [the Hope VI] grant. The housing authority applies for the funding, they select a developer. ... It's common for congressional members to submit letters of support when they know that a housing authority in their jurisdiction is competing for a grant.

We also spoke with William Little, executive vice president of development for CHA, who reiterated that the HUD grant was not awarded to Davis, but to the CHA, and that the grant allowed the CHA to reallocate funds it had already directed to the Stateway project. Davis did not see a profit as a result of the HUD grant, according to Little, nor did the budget for the Stateway project increase. When we asked Little about the charge in the ad that Obama "reward[ed]" Davis with $20 million, he told us:

William Little, CHA: That's totally false. HUD awarded CHA $20 million in a Hope VI grant, which allows CHA to reallocate funds it had previously earmarked for that particular project to other projects. The overall budget for the project did not increase. Allison Davis gets none of it.

A portion of the Stateway development is devoted to market-priced housing, and Davis stood to profit from the sales of those homes. But he did not pocket any of the HUD grant, which went to construction of low-income units.

Tony Rezko (Again)

The ad also claims that Tony Rezko got "fourteen million," because of Obama. But he didn't.

A 2007 report from The Chicago Sun-Times is the source, but the article goes over territory we've addressed before: that Obama wrote letters to state officials supporting a low-income senior housing complex Rezko was trying to have built. Both men say Rezko did not solicit the letters. The Sun-Times quoted Obama spokesman Bill Burton as saying Obama didn't write the letters as a favor but "in the interests of the people in the community who have benefited from the project."

Regardless, the ad is wrong to imply Rezko pocketed millions. The project cost $14 million of taxpayer money. But, as we've reported, Rezko and his partner, who was Allison Davis, received $855,000 in fees. It's not peanuts, but it's not $14 million either.

Kenny Smith's $100,000 Garden

The ad then claims Kenny Smith received $100,000 in taxpayer money as a "reward" from Obama. This claim holds more water than the rest, but it's still a leaky vessel.

The ad cites a New York Post report that details how Obama, then a state senator in the midst of a race for a congressional seat, worked on Smith's behalf in 2000 in an effort to raise $1.1 million in state funding for the "Englewood Botanic Garden Project." Smith, head of the nonprofit Chicago Better Housing Association and a volunteer for Obama's congressional campaign, planned to rehabilitate a plot of land in a Chicago neighborhood. He was awarded a $100,000 state grant to do so, a far cry from the $1.1 million he had hoped to receive.

But Smith never built the park. And, according to a report from The Chicago Sun-Times, state Attorney General Lisa Madigan, a Democrat who backs Obama, has started to look into whether or not taxpayer money was mishandled. While questions have been raised about how Smith spent the money, according to the Sun-Times, the paper notes that "neither Smith nor his wife are accused of any wrongdoing." The Post report cited by the ad said that "officials in Madigan's office said Obama's actions in giving out the member item aren't under investigation."

Democrats "Promise to Raise Your Taxes"

The ad swings away from the taxpayer hand-outs and claims: "Democrats promise to raise your taxes to reward their friends with wasteful pork." That linkage doesn't sound like a promise any sane politician would make.

The ad cites a Nov. 2007 article from The Washington Times, which chronicles a bill introduced by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.). The bill would have amended the tax code to repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax and limit deductions that could be claimed by taxpayers making more than $250,000 a year, among other measures. But Rangel's bill, introduced a year ago, never cleared the Ways and Means Committee.

As for the "wasteful pork" claim, the fact is that securing earmarks is a popular practice among both Democrats and Republicans. Two oft-cited earmark recipients are longtime Sens. Robert Byrd (D-W.V.) and Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). Both were listed in Porkbusters.org's "Hall of Shame" in 2006 and have been singled out as "Porker of The Month" more than once over the last eight years by the organization Citizens Against Government Waste – proof that, promise or not, Democrats and Republicans send money home for projects whether taxes go up or down.

– by Emi Kolawole

from www.factcheck.org

a non-partisan watch dog group!!!!!!!!

"A License to Kill" Email and TV Adds FALSE! LIES!

La Susa — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:00:24 EDT

A License to Kill

October 28, 2008

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/a_license_to_kill.html

A new anti-Obama group runs a bunk-filled ad implying he'd give a driver's license to Mohammed Atta. SummaryAn upstart group calling itself the "National Republican Trust PAC" mixes a pile of false claims and the image of 9/11 mastermind Mohammed Atta to create one of the sleaziest false TV ads of the campaign.

The spot falsely claims Obama has a "plan" to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. In fact, Obama has said quite specifically, "I am not proposing that that's what we do."
The ad implies such licenses would enable terrorist attacks. In fact, Atta wouldn't have needed one to carry out his attacks.

It claims that Obama's health care plan will apply to illegal immigrants. But Obama has stated quite clearly that his plan "does not" cover illegal immigrants.

The ad falsely claims that Obama's plan "gives illegals Social Security benefits," which is also flatly untrue.

AnalysisDespite its name, the National Republican Trust has no formal connection to the Republican Party. It is an independent group with ties to the conservative Web site Newsmax. It sprang into being barely a month ago and has reported spending more than $900,000 to attack Obama through e-mail messages and, now, TV ads.

Its TV spot first showed up on the air in Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 26, and it has also received considerable circulation on the Web. It attempts to link Sen. Barack Obama to the 9/11 hijackers. The link? A spurious claim that Obama plans to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. NRT PAC, which is headed by a former writer for the Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Insight magazine, says it plans to air the ad in other swing states.

Update, Oct. 29: Newsmax distributed a new NRT PAC fundraising e-mail today in which NRT boasts of having now raised "over $3 million." A postscript states that the group's ads are now running "in 5 battleground states."

National Republican Trust PAC Ad: "Social Security for Illegals"

Announcer: Millions of illegal aliens in the U.S. Barack Obama’s plan gives a driver’s license to any illegal who wants one.

But that’s not all.

Obama’s plan gives illegals Social Security benefits and raises taxes for his health care plan to cover them. Who pays? You do.

Driver’s licenses and government benefits for illegals. Higher taxes for us. That’s Obama’s plan. Obama. Too radical. Too risky.

The National Republican Trust PAC is responsible for the content of this advertisement. Drive Like a Maniac

The ad begins with the ominous warning that "Barack Obama's plan gives a driver's license to any illegal who wants one." More alarmingly, the ad flashes a picture of a Florida driver's license featuring 9/11 mastermind Mohammed Atta. The ad then goes on to claim that Obama's "plan" provides illegal immigrants with Social Security and health care benefits and would raise taxes to pay for it.

Hardly a word in the ad is true.

Let's start with the incendiary implication that Obama's "plan" would somehow enable terrorists like Atta. That's ridiculous. It's true that Atta did use a Florida driver's license to board the plane he hijacked. It's also irrelevant. Atta entered the U.S. legally, using a tourist visa, so laws about licenses for illegal immigrants wouldn't have affected him anyway. What's more, Atta could just as easily have boarded the plane with his Egyptian passport. The Transportation Security Administration lists foreign government-issued passports as acceptable identification for boarding a U.S. flight. For that matter, The Cato Institute's Jim Harper, who advises the Department of Homeland Security on data privacy, describes NRT PAC's claim as "despicable" and says that it is "terror-pandering of the highest order."

Plan? What Plan?

Furthermore, NRT PAC's claim that Obama has a "plan" to give driver's licenses to "any illegal [immigrant] who wants one" is just false. Obama has no such plan. "Plan" implies a worked out, formal policy. But NRT rests its claim entirely on comments Obama made during two Democratic primary debates. All candidates were asked whether they supported then-New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's plan to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. Obama hedged, but when pressed, admitted that he agreed with states granting licenses, and requiring insurance. Here's part of the exchange:

CNN's Wolf Blitzer (Nov. 15, 2007): Barring, avoiding, assuming there isn't going to be comprehensive immigration reform, do you support or oppose driver's licenses for illegal immigrants?
Obama: I am not proposing that that's what we do. ... I have already said I support the notion that we have to deal with public safety and that driver's licenses at the state level can make that happen. But what I also know, Wolf, is that if we keep on getting distracted by this problem, then we are not solving it.

We take no position on the wisdom of Spitzer's proposal. But it's false to puff up Obama's comments into a "plan" when he quite specifically said, "I am not proposing that that's what we do." That sounds to us to be the opposite of a plan. The group would have been correct had it said Obama supported Spitzer's plan, but only in the absence of a federal effort to fix the immigration mess.

Health Care and Taxes. Again.

It is simply untrue that Obama plans to provide health care for illegal immigrants. To the contrary, in an exchange with CNN's Joe Johns during a January debate in South Carolina, Obama explicitly ruled out coverage for illegal immigrants:

Johns (Jan. 21, 2008): Senator Obama, we all know what universal health care is, as Senator Clinton just said, sort of the idea that everybody deserves health care. And I have not been able to sort of zero in on your position on this one question: Does your plan cover the estimated 12 million or so illegal immigrants in the country?
Obama: It does not.
Johns: Why not?
Obama: Well, because I think we've got limited resources. And it is important for us that, when we've got millions of U.S. citizens that aren't yet covered, it's important for us to make sure that they are provided coverage.

That sounds pretty clear to us. Furthermore, as we've said more times than we care to count now, Obama's plan raises taxes only on people making more than $200,000 ($250,000 for a couple). That's true for income taxes, capital gains taxes and payroll taxes.

Social Security Bunk That Won't Die

Just for good measure, the ad recycles some two-year-old bunk, too. The claim that Obama "plans" to grant Social Security benefits to illegal immigrants is nowhere to be found on his Web site. NRT PAC bases this claim on Obama's vote on an amendment to a 2006 immigration bill. But that amendment would not have granted Social Security benefits to any illegal immigrants, not unless they became U.S. citizens or legal immigrants first. We debunked this attack back in 2006 when it was a Republican favorite. The passing years haven't made it any truer.

Under current law, an illegal immigrant who later gets legal status can claim credit for any Social Security taxes he or she paid while still illegal. The 2006 amendment would have ended that practice. The bill failed 50 - 49, with Obama joining the majority to vote against it. Many illegal immigrants pay Social Security taxes even while working illegally. In 2006, for example, the Social Security Administration collected about $7 billion in taxes that couldn't be credited to specific workers.

Again, we take no position on the merits of the amendment. But it's a serious distortion to say that it would have granted Social Security benefits to illegal immigrants.

End-Game Sleaze

The National Republican Trust PAC came into being Sept. 26, when it first registered with the Federal Election Commission. By Oct. 15 it had reported raising $463,000 for its anti-Obama campaign. (Update: In an e-mail to supporters on Oct. 29, the group said it had raised more than $3 million.) It has reported spending a total of $902,604 to attack Obama, according to the most recent report filed Oct. 26. It has reported spending substantial sums to the conservative Web site Newsmax and to other vendors for "email communication" opposing Obama's election, and to a Virginia company called Integram for "direct mail." It has also listed expenditures for "media production" and a "media buy."

Its Web site lists its executive director as Scott Wheeler, who also writes articles for Newsmax, which the NRT PAC pays to distribute anti-Obama e-mail messages, many of which are little more than fundraising pleas.

It's not uncommon for the final weeks of the presidential campaign to bring out some of the most deceptive ads of the cycle. We thought it would be tough to top the whoppers we've seen already, but it looks as if some of the third-party ads are out to prove us wrong. If this gem from the National Republican Trust PAC is any indication, we'd best brace for a blizzard of balderdash.

– by Joe Miller

Marxism, Socialism and What Spreading The Wealth?

La Susa — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:01:50 EDT

McCain and Palin can't seem to even understand "Marxism," " Socialism," nor the concept of "spreading the wealth!" Do they not understand that the Federal Income Tax payers of America have been the Middle Class for the last 8 years! And I guess somehow shifting the tax burden from the middle class to the wealthiest is what? Marxism? Socialism? Spreading the wealth? Oh yea I forgott, McCain and Palin want to make permanent Tax breaks for the most wealthy, what's that called?????

McCain and Palin are misleading the American public about small business income, implying that businesses that earn 250,000.00 will be liable to pay federal income taxes, not understanding that businesses have to subtract all of their expenses; payroll, insurance, cars, rents, etc. etc. before they can conclude their total earnings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See Link below and compare one's income tax savings it's amazing!!!!!!!http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gGgFgH

Christmas Idea!

Dawn in Arizona — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:34:59 EDT

How I wish I would have thought of this awhile back...but how about buying items from the Store here?? They are Union Made and Made in The U.S. !!

I just ordered things for my family. The reason I wish I had thought earlier to do this - is that they are out of some sizes. Still I got a great heavy shirt for my daughter - and who would not want to have buttons from this campaign.

And, as always...Vote!

Overhead Projector Way Over McCain's Head

Barbara McCarren — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 19:23:54 EDT

For more posts with pictures see my ObamaBidenUSA blog. Working to backfill that site with archived, perhaps blog-worthy, posts, photos and episodes from the trail (or trial), but there are simply too many current events to comment on to allow for that now.

-------------

This from October 11:

Requested Zeiss Starmaster; unfunded by Congress

An Incitement to Riot on Behalf of the Human Imagination

If we find an answer to that [why it is that we and the universe exist], it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason - for then we would know the mind of God.

Steven J. Hawking, A Brief History of Time, 1988 —————————————–

There is not now, nor has there ever been, a greater source of imaginative space than the idea of the universe, the heavens, the galaxies, the cosmos, the Biblical “world without end”, our outer space. International efforts to explore space involve unprecedented levels of capital investment, an unselfish exchange of intelligence in anticipation of conditions and goals that, literally beyond us, cannot be defined. Manifestly these explorations affirm that we are one planet, Shakespeare’s “pendent world”, with a unique set of natural laws and a unique place in the universe. Symbolically, without any standard measure of return value, space exploration is an investment in hope, innovation, cooperation and curiosity.

Man Ray’s 1938 Tube Poster

I call on fellow educators, the intellectually curious, the believers in ingenuity, those dwellers in the unknown and purveyors of creativity to protest the suffocation of the American imagination as promoted by John McCain and Sarah Palin. Their dismissive ignorance of poetic and scientific curiosity is an affront to progress and a promise to further erode America’s once unchallenged leadership in technological and creative innovation. In repudiation of McCain’s embarrassing and disdainful rant against the “3 million dollar ‘overhead projector’” for the Adler Planetarium that Barack Obama supported (with a bipartisan group of Congressional representatives from Illinois), we must declare, “Enough! Enough of your embodied support of arrogant stupidity, your fear of research, your vow to manifest a lack of education.”

Just as McCain/Palin have a right to adhere to their own narrative of the creation of the universe, with no further exploration desired, we have a right to expand our knowledge of the natural world and explore uncharted territories both literal and poetic. I dare them, in their myopic world-view, to reject as non-existent what they simply have no ability to imagine. I riot on behalf of those who hold that ability sacred.

Our inner cities with occluded night skies and insular pockets of poverty hold extant venerable institutions built to share the kind of knowledge that metaphorically transports, and we should take pride in upgrading them to standards that dignify the information they present. None are more iconic than Chicago’s Museum Campus, and the Adler Planetarium, the oldest planetarium in the western hemisphere with its 40 year-old projector. Planetariums alone, as convincing simulacra, powerfully showcase the achievements of space exploration and feed the imaginations of curious visitors including millions of school children from whom the next American visionaries will likely emerge.

The planetarium experience is unlike any other, a world view made possible by the insistent commitment of centuries of visionaries, and actualized through the initiative of a few leaders willing to gamble on potential. The return on the gamble is a sure bet - that by acknowledging that all courageous advances are first conceived of in the limitlessness space of the human imagination - future innovators are encouraged to reach for the stars.

Why I Voted For Sen Barack Obama

La Susa — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:27:03 EDT

I voted for Sen Barack Obama because I feel that I was misled about Weapons of Mass Destruction and our reason for going war in Iraq. And by going to war with Iraq, Bin Ladden was given a free pass to do as he pleases after killing nearly 4,000 civilians.

I voted for Sen Barack Obama because he has an eye on the future of our Nation, and knows that unless our children excell in Math and Science we as a Nation will fall. For we have to be the inventors of the future, we have to have the opportunities to go to collage!

I voted for Sen Barack Obama because he knows we have to independant of fossil fuels that are contaminating our entire planet! And he will promote Solar and Wind power that we so desparately need! We cannot be held hostage in the oil markets anymore!

I voted for Sen Barack Obama because he knows what it is like to pay off a student loan, and knows first hand how difficult it is for the middle class to struggle with paying bills. And as a child he saw his mom struggle and survive on foodstamps, he knows what it is like to go without.

I voted for Sen Barack Obama because he stands in opposition to giving permanent tax breaks to oil comanies i.e. the 5 per-cent of the wealthiest Americans, and instead would give a tax break for working Americans, who can bearly make it, as it is. And he will extend the unemployeement benifits knowing that our nation is currently in a financial crisis.

I voted for Sen Barack Obama because he has good ideas on how to create new jobs for Americans by giving tax incentives to those companies who stay in America, and also tax incentives to companies who take the time to invent new alternatives to fosil fuel!

I voted for Sen Barack Obama because he recognises how important and influencial the United States is globally, and that we need to preserve and improve our image abroad.

I voted for Sen Barack Obama because I know he knows where me and my family come from, and will be able to voice our concerns in US Government.

I voted for Sen Barack Obama because he has character, and dose not make rash decisions based on poll numbers. He thinks before making important decisions, and is able to maintain cool while being lied about and defend his position firmly.

I voted for Sen Barack Obama even though I don't agree with him on every issue, but I do know that he has the substance and moral character to make the nessasary changes we need in government like 'transperancy'. Furthermore as a former civil rights attorney he is well informed about my civil rights as an American citizen, and I know he will uphold The American Constitution!

I couldn't vote early, but ...

Janet from PA ... no longer bitter, because hope has prevailed — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:47:44 EDT

... today I helped two senior citizens vote ... early ... for Barack!

As a member of "Delaware County Senior Volunteers for Obama," I've been making calls to folks in [mostly Republican] retirement communities. Today I was able to obtain absentee ballots for two Obama supporters, Dorothy and John, aged 93 and 94. They'd applied (or thought they had) six weeks ago and hadn't gotten their ballots yet, and they were desperate.

After getting affadavits (permitting me to act as their agent) faxed to me by the Delco Election Board, I drove to Dorothy and John's apartment, had them fill in the affadavits and absentee ballot applications, drove back to the Board of Elections, obtained the absentee ballots, took them back to D&J for their votes and signatures ... and then returned the ballots to the Board of Elections.

This took a total of three hours.

Dorothy -- whom I had not met until today -- is very sharp, "with it," and well informed about the issues. Physically, however, she is not at all well ... breathing problems, spasms ... she is very frail and can hardly walk. She'd told me on the phone that she and her husband, who's paralyzed from the waist down and in a wheelchair, are both "hanging on by a thread" ... but they simply HAD to vote in this election ... because life in a country run by McCain and Palin was "unthinkable."

As I sat beside Dorothy in her living room, helping her fill out her application (no simple task), I saw her write her birthdate as 3/8/15 ... and I gasped, because I was born on 3/8, also. Clearly, this encounter was MEANT to happen!

And then when I returned later with the actual absentee ballots, and she filled hers in and let me assist her husband to do the same ... and together, we got two votes "signed, sealed, and delivered" for Barack ... she was so incredulously grateful that I'd taken the time to do this wonderful thing for her and her husband. In fact, she promised to bake me a birthday cake next March!

I was crying all the way home ... tears of joy ... for Dorothy and John; for my own parents, who didn't live to see this incredible election; for all Obama supporters everywhere.

That's my early-voting story ...

... donate in their honor?

Link

John McCain Trying to Scare People Who Don't Understand Small Buisnesss

La Susa — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:18:57 EDT

McCain trying to scare people who don't know about 'tax write off's' that are subtracted from the total earnings in small buisnesses. Very Sad....

McCain Says He's Aready Been Tested....

La Susa — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:41:23 EDT

McCain Says He's Already Been Tested? Just curious what exactly is he refering to; being a POW in the 60's? Being A part of the S and L Scandle? Dis I miss something in American History? Was he President in the White House during 9-11?

McCain Lies About Obama And ACORN

La Susa — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:30:43 EDT

ACORN AccusationsOctober 18, 2008McCain makes exaggerated claims of "voter fraud." Obama soft-pedals his connections.SummaryThe McCain-Palin campaign accuses ACORN, a community activist group that operates nationwide, of perpetrating "massive voter fraud." It says Obama has “long and deep” ties to the group. We find both claims to be exaggerated. But we also find Obama has understated the extent of his work with the group.

Neither ACORN nor its employees have been found guilty of, or even charged with, casting fraudulent votes. What a McCain-Palin Web ad calls "voter fraud" is actually voter registration fraud. Several ACORN canvassers have been found guilty of faking registration forms and others are being investigated. But the evidence that has surfaced so far shows they faked forms to get paid for work they didn’t do, not to stuff ballot boxes.
Obama’s path has intersected with ACORN on several occasions – more often than he allowed in the final debate.

AnalysisWe've received scores of e-mails asking us about Obama's connection to the community activist group Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now, or ACORN. A McCain-Palin ad released on the Web accuses Obama of having ties to the organization, which it says engages in "intimidation tactics," "massive voter fraud" and "pressuring banks to issue risky loans."

Destroying Democracy?

The McCain ad accuses ACORN of "massive voter fraud." In the final presidential debate, John McCain added that ACORN "is now on the verge of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country, maybe destroying the fabric of democracy." Sounds scary, but is it true?

McCain-Palin Web Ad: "ACORN"

McCain: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.

Announcer: Who is Barack Obama? A man with "a political baptism performed at warp speed." Vast ambition. After college, he moved to Chicago. Became a community organizer. There, Obama met Madeleine Talbot, part of the Chicago branch of ACORN. He was so impressive that he was asked to train the ACORN staff.

What did ACORN in Chicago engage in? Bullying banks. Intimidation tactics. Disruption of business. ACORN forced banks to issue risky home loans. The same types of loans that caused the financial crisis we're in today.

No wonder Obama's campaign is trying to distance him from the group, saying, "Barack Obama Never Organized with ACORN." But Obama's ties to ACORN run long and deep. He taught classes for ACORN. They even endorsed him for President.

But now ACORN is in trouble.

Reporter: There are at least 11 investigations across the country involving thousands of potentially fraudulent ACORN forms.

Announcer: Massive voter fraud. And the Obama campaign paid more than $800,000 to an ACORN front for get out the vote efforts.

Pressuring banks to issue risky loans. Nationwide voter fraud. Barack Obama. Bad judgment. Blind ambition. Too risky for America. There's no evidence of any such democracy-destroying fraud. Here's what is true: In recent years, ACORN employees have been investigated multiple times for voter registration fraud. ACORN workers have been convicted of submitting false voter registration forms in Colorado Springs in 2005, Kansas City, Mo., in 2006 and King County, Wash., in 2007. ACORN's Las Vegas office was raided by a state criminal investigator on Oct. 7, 2008. ACORN workers are also the subjects of ongoing investigations in Wisconsin, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana. The Indiana investigation started in early October and may involve thousands of fraudulent registration forms.

On Oct. 16 The Associated Press quoted two "senior law enforcement" officials as saying that the FBI is investigating ACORN seeking "any evidence of a coordinated national scam." The following day the Obama campaign's lawyer, Robert Bauer, sent a seven-page letter to the attorney general claiming that federal law enforcement officials were being improperly used to help McCain by suppressing the vote through "unsupported, spurious allegations of vote fraud." He asked that the investigation be transferred to the special prosecutor investigating the U.S. attorney firing scandal. The McCain campaign issued a statement in which spokesman Ben Porritt called Bauer's letter "outrageous" and "absurd" and a "heavy handed tactic of attempting to criminalize political discourse."

But so far ACORN itself has not been officially charged with any fraud. Aside from the heated charges and counter-charges, no evidence has yet surfaced to show that the ACORN employees who submitted fraudulent registration forms intended to pave the way for illegal voting. Rather, they were trying to get paid by ACORN for doing no work. Dan Satterberg, the Republican prosecuting attorney in King County, Wash., where the largest ACORN case to date was prosecuted, said that the indicted ACORN employees were shirking responsibility, not plotting election fraud.

Satterberg: [A] joint federal and state investigation has determined that this
scheme was not intended to permit illegal voting.

Instead, the defendants cheated their employer, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (or ACORN), to get paid for work they did not actually perform. ACORN's lax oversight of their own voter registration drive permitted this to happen. ... It was hardly a sophisticated plan: The defendants simply realized that making up names was easier than actually canvassing the streets looking for unregistered voters. ...

[It] appears that the employees of ACORN were not performing the work that they were being paid for, and to some extent, ACORN is a victim of employee theft.

The $8-an-hour employees were charged with providing false information on voter registration forms, and in one case with making a false statement to a public official. Five of the seven who were charged pleaded guilty. ACORN was fined for exercising insufficient oversight, but it was not charged with masterminding any kind of deliberate fraud.

ACORN pays canvassers by the hour, not by the form, but it does ask them to meet certain registration goals. In ACORN's Las Vegas office, one employee who admitted to submitting fraudulent registrations said that she did so because she found ACORN's requirement of 20 registrations per day to be too steep to meet, according to an affidavit by a Nevada state criminal investigator. Local news reports at the time also said that some of the ACORN offices under investigation paid bonuses for each registration, or a higher hourly rate to those who brought in more applications. ACORN's deputy political director, Kevin Whelan, denies that this is ACORN policy.

What ACORN Says

In its defense, ACORN says that only a few of its 13,000 paid canvassers turned in any faked forms. "[T]here are always some people who want to get paid without really doing the job, or who aim to defraud their employer," the group said in an Oct. 10 statement on its Web site. "Any large department store will have some workers who shoplift."

ACORN also says it cannot simply discard suspicious forms on its own, but is required by law in most states to submit to local election officials all the forms its canvassers bring in. ACORN's Whelan told us that its own legal counsel strongly advises that the group do the same in states that don't explicitly require it, because "only election officials are legally able to determine the validity of a voter registration application." But ACORN says that it first flags all suspicious registrations. Staffers call the phone numbers written on completed registration forms to make sure they're valid and also take note of incomplete or duplicate forms. The group says that it alerts election officials to forms that look fishy when it sends them in.

However, it's not clear whether or not those procedures were followed in Nevada prior to a highly publicized raid by state officials on Oct. 7. According to an affidavit by Colin Hayes, a criminal investigator for the secretary of state's office, a probe began July 2 after the county registrar reported receiving a number of suspicious registration forms from ACORN. Hayes did not state whether or not those suspicious forms had been flagged by ACORN before being turned in. Later, during a July 18 meeting, ACORN's lawyer told local and state officials that the group had identified a number of suspicious registrations and "would be willing to provide such information" for further investigation. On Aug. 7, at the request of the county registrar, ACORN supplied copies of documents related to 33 ACORN workers who had been fired for "suspicious" voter registration activities.

Investigator Hayes followed up, confirmed that many registrations were faked, and found a former ACORN worker who confessed to faking most of her forms. After obtaining a warrant based on the affidavit, state officials seized records and computers. Secretary of State Ross Miller was quoted as saying the faked forms included names from the starting lineup of the Dallas Cowboys.

While ACORN says that such raids are part of "a systematic partisan agenda of voter suppression," it is worth noting that in this case, Secretary of State Miller is a Democrat.

Whelan told us that ACORN's national management staff trains local directors and travels extensively to supervise offices, but the 2007 Washington state prosecution makes it clear that quality control is lacking in at least some outposts. Prosecutor Satterberg wrote: "We believe that ACORN’s internal quality control procedures were not just deficient but entirely non-existent when it came to the latter stages of their operation in Tacoma." He fined the group $25,000 for failing to exercise sufficient oversight.

How Common Is Fraud?

Election fraud does exist, but hasn't been shown to be widespread. The New York Times reported in 2007 that a five-year crackdown on such fraud by the Bush administration's Justice Department had produced 70 convictions at the federal level, including 40 campaign workers or government workers convicted of vote-buying, intimidation or ballot forgery, and 23 cases of multiple voting or voting by ineligible voters. But the Times described these as unconnected incidents and said the Justice Department had turned up no evidence of "any organized effort to skew federal elections."

Bush administration officials have pushed hard to find such evidence, too hard in one case, according to an investigation by the Department of Justice's internal watchdogs, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). Their report into the firing of nine United States attorneys concluded that the "real reason" for the firing of New Mexico's U.S. Attorney David Iglesias was "complaints about Iglesias’s handling of voter fraud and public corruption matters." The complaints included gripes by state Republican Party officials who believed that widespread fraud by Democrats had prevented George Bush from winning the state in the 2000 presidential election. Iglesias launched a task force that worked with the FBI but found that "there was insufficient evidence in any of the cases the Task Force reviewed to support criminal prosecution by the [U.S. Attorney's Office] or state authorities," according to the report of the OIG and OPR. These included cases involving ACORN workers. Republicans charged that Iglesias was showing insufficient rigor in prosecuting the cases.

ACORN and the Housing Crisis

The McCain ad says that ACORN in Chicago engaged in "bullying banks. Intimidation tactics. Disruption of business" and "forced banks to issue risky home loans." In support of these statements, the McCain campaign cites conservative opinion pieces, including a column by Mona Charen posted by the National Review Online, titled "Guilty Party: ACORN, Obama and the Mortgage Mess."

It is true that ACORN has led demonstrations on a number of issues nationwide – predatory lending, immigration reform, neighborhood violence, utilities shut-offs, minimum wage increases. Sometimes the group's tactics are confrontational, veering into civil disobedience. For instance, in the late 1980s, ACORN activists in a number of cities, including Chicago, seized abandoned houses and encouraged "squatting" by homeless people, in an attempt to force local governments to salvage abandoned properties and convert them into low-income housing. The targets of ACORN's protests sometimes describe the activists as intractable or even aggressive. Other ACORN protests are less confrontational; Sen. McCain himself spoke at an ACORN rally on illegal immigration in 2006.

It stretches the facts, however, to say that ACORN "forced" banks to make risky loans, though it has certainly applied pressure on banks to make loans to minority and low-income borrowers. ACORN also has worked directly with banks in a joint effort to increase such lending. In Chicago these efforts date back at least to 1992, after a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston showed that minorities in that city were two to three times as likely to be denied mortgage loans as white applicants, and that high-income minorities were more likely to be turned down than low-income whites. Chicago ACORN then started a mortgage assistance program, in cooperation with five local banks, to help minority and low-income borrowers get mortgage loans.

The mortgages that ACORN worked out with the banks did have lower underwriting standards than were customary. They allowed a higher percentage of a family's income to go to debt repayment, and counted rent and utility payments, not just credit card payments, as evidence of ability to pay back a loan. The loans were also more forgiving of past credit problems, as long as the recipient was making a proven effort to address them. But ACORN provided loan deals only to people who went through counseling on budget and credit issues. In 1992, First Nationwide Bank Vice President Neal Halleran told the Chicago Tribune: "Transaction by transaction, [loans from the ACORN program] would appear to be performing no worse than our portfolio overall." According to the Tribune, First Nationwide had contacted ACORN to initiate the lending program.

Obama: Burying ACORNs

The ad says that "Obama's ties to ACORN run long and deep" – that he "taught classes" for the group, paid a "front" $800,000 for get-out-the-vote efforts, and was endorsed by ACORN for president. That last one's true – ACORN's political action committee did offer an Obama endorsement. It's also true that Obama has worked with the group in the past. In 1995, Obama helped represent ACORN in a successful lawsuit to require the state of Illinois to offer "motor voter" registration at DMV offices. Obama has said that this is his only association with ACORN, but that's not the case – he has had other, though less direct, interactions with the organization.

When Obama was on the board of directors of the Woods Fund, the foundation gave grants of $75,000 in 2001 and $70,000 in 2002 to ACORN's Chicago office. The McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee cite an additional grant of $45,000 in 2000. The Woods Fund has not responded to our calls about their 2000 grants.

The Obama campaign also paid Citizens Services Inc., a group affiliated with ACORN, more than $800,000 for get-out-the-vote (not voter registration) efforts during the primary election. The nature of CSI's services was initially misrepresented on the Obama campaign's disclosures to the Federal Election Commission, which the campaign describes as an oversight. The Obama campaign says it has not been involved with ACORN during the general election.

In addition, after law school, Obama may have had contact with ACORN when he directed a Chicago registration drive for Project Vote in 1992. According to Sanford Newman, who was the program’s national director at the time, ACORN may have been one of dozens of organizations that participated in registration drives that year with Project Vote personnel like Obama. But Project Vote didn’t begin contracting exclusively with ACORN until after Obama worked for the group in 1992. “Working for Project Vote at the time was by no means working for ACORN," Newman told us. ACORN had no influence on Project Vote policy and no representation on its board.

As for "teaching classes" for the group, the McCain campaign cites a March 2008 Newsday article, which says that ACORN organizer Madeleine Talbot "initially considered Obama a competitor" when both were working to get asbestos insulation removed from a Chicago housing project, but that "she became so impressed with his work that she invited him to help train her staff." Newsday does not say whether Obama accepted the invitation. An article by Chicago alderman Toni Foulkes says that "we [ACORN] have invited Obama to our leadership training sessions to run the session on power every year" between 1992 and 2004, when the article was written. The Obama campaign says that Obama participated in two, one-hour trainings in a volunteer capacity. Foulkes could not be reached for comment.

Neither ACORN's Chicago office nor CSI has been accused of voter registration irregularities.

–by Jess Henig, with Ronald Lampard

Update, Oct. 21: We originally said that Project Vote works closely with ACORN, implying that Obama would have had contact with the group when he directed a voter registration drive for Project Vote in 1992. We have since learned that Project Vote and ACORN may or may not have worked together in Chicago that year. The group didn’t contract with ACORN exclusively back then. We have corrected the story to reflect this.http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/acorn_accusations.html

Why Are The Palin's in a CookCoon?

La Susa — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:46:52 EDT

Heavan forbidd but if McCain, a 73 year old is elected and passes away while in office; will Todd and Sarah Palin be able to 'pass the international test?' Considering we the American people have been denied knowing the Palins, and the press denied access to interview them, our knowlage of them is extreamly narrow.... Hocky, Mom, Lipstick, Mayor Palin of a town with 5,000 residents for 8 years, Mayor Palin builds Sports Stadium on property that dose not have a clear title and is still in litigation, Mayor Palin increases sales tax on residents, Mayor Palin leaves office with town in debt millions of dollars, Governor Palin's 'Bridge to Know Where, accets earmarks, with questionable ties to 'ethics'.

Tod Palin former member of radical anti-american AIP group for 7 years..... This same AIP group allegedly helped Sarah Palin win for mayor and governor? I belive we the American People need to know more About the Palins, furthermore I belive it is our Right. Why have they been so sheltered, and off limits to the media? Is there anything else that they are hiding?

It just seems so odd to me that Sarah Palin can a out right accuse Barack Obama of having spoken with Bill Ayers, and yet, Sara's connection, her husband's sevan year membership with the AIP is like not even being covered by the main stream media... The office of Presidency is not a beauty contest, it's serious, and McCain is old... Just look at the last eight years of Bush...

NRA TV Add Fack Check--False!!!!!!!

La Susa — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:24:01 EDT

The Rifle Association's 'True Story'

October 23, 2008

A misleading NRA ad claims Obama voted "to deny citizens the right of self-protection."

Summary

The National Rifle Association's misleading attacks on Obama continue. A new ad shows a terrified woman grabbing a gun after an intruder smashes his way into her home. It accuses Obama of voting repeatedly for a measure that would "make you the criminal" in such cases, and voting to "deny citizens the right of self-protection." The NRA says the incident depicted is "a true story." Not quite. The actual 2003 burglary didn't involve a woman, and it didn't become violent until the male homeowner went downstairs and started firing before calling police. The ad fails to mention that the issue was a local handgun ban that made the homeowner's gun illegal to keep in the house. What Obama voted for was not any general repeal of the right of self-defense, but to uphold enforcement of the local gun ban, a "petty offense" that carried a maximum penalty of a $750 fine.

–by Brooks Jackson FULL STORY Analysis

Im So Tired Of McCain's Lies!!!!!!!!

La Susa — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:42:50 EDT

While McCain Implies he would not tax anyone in the USA and that We Americans will fight till we win in any war we engade in, I guess he asumes the money for war, national disasters, federal funds, government payroll will simply fall from the sky... If McCain won't TAX the RCH, then who will be Taxed? You and I? The waitress, the plumber? Even if McCain could make money fall from the sky, what I strongly despise is out right lieing about Sen Obama's tax plan! Im so disgusted that McCain and Palin can mock Sen Obama and imply that Sen Obama would tax "everyone" is a bold face lie!!!!!!!!! All Sen Obama wants to do is impose the taxes that were in place on the most wealthiest at the same rate as they were during the Clinton era... And to cut taxes on the middle class, who are now struggling!

Enclosed From Factcheck.org's Article on Latest McCain Add Lies! Read More......

Former Mayor Sarah Palin Pro-Guns in; Schools, Bars, Hospitals etc.

La Susa — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 17:02:26 EDT

Mayor Sarah Palin and Chryson Pro-Guns Everywhere!

Meet Sarah Palin's radical right-wing pals

The following year, when Carney proposed a local gun-control measure, Palin organized with Chryson to smother the nascent plan in its cradle. Carney's proposed ordinance would have prohibited residents from carrying guns into schools, bars, hospitals, government offices and playgrounds. Infuriated by the proposal that Carney viewed as a common-sense public-safety measure, Chryson and seven allies stormed a July 1997 council meeting.

With the bill still in its formative stages, Carney was not even ready to present it to the council, let alone conduct public hearings on it. He and other council members objected to the ad-hoc hearing as "a waste of time." But Palin -- in plain violation of council rules and norms -- insisted that Chryson testify, stating, according to the minutes, that "she invites the public to speak on any issue at any time."

When Carney tried later in the meeting to have the ordinance discussed officially at the following regular council meeting, he couldn't even get a second. His proposal died that night, thanks to Palin and her extremist allies.

"A lot of it was the ultra-conservative far right that is against everything in government, including taxes," recalled Carney. "A lot of it was a personal attack on me as being anti-gun, and a personal attack on anybody who deigned to threaten their authority to carry a loaded firearm wherever they pleased. That was the tenor of it. And it was being choreographed by Steve Stoll and the mayor."

Asked if he thought it was Palin who had instigated the turnout, he replied: "I know it was."

Source:

By David Neiwert

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/10/10/palin_chryson/index2.html

Tod Palin's Ties To Iran??????

La Susa — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 14:28:57 EDT

Source:

The Huffington Post

Todd Palin's Past Political Associations A Likely Security Clearance Disqualifier

Oct. 15, 2008

By Frank Naif

Above all, honesty is the rule for anyone filling out an SF 86 -- do you think CIA or DoD will want to hire or retain someone who lied on a security form?

Which gets us back to Todd Palin. From the security officer's perspective, Todd Palin the hypothetical applicant should be truthful and disclose his former association with AIP on the SF 86 in Section 29, Association Record. And because AIP has been associated with the Revolutionary Government of Iran, he probably should also disclose his AIP membership on Section 20, Foreign Activities.

How would government security officials who administer the security clearance process view the facts of Todd Palin's association with AIP? The answer is not clear cut, but his involvement in a secessionist party with foreign and violent connections would inject serious doubts about his security suitability. At best, the AIP association would raise questions that might be resolved favorably with further investigative work. However, many security officials would likely view the AIP association negatively -- especially the Iranian connection -- and deny Todd Palin a clearance.

By Frank Naif

Source:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-naif/todd-palins-alaska-indepe_b_134793.html

A Tree Gave Its Life for Obama Yesterday

Susan in Spokane — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:58:47 EDT

Sad news for tree-lovers. I had put two Obama yard signs in our yard, along with a yard sign for the WA State Democratic Governor, Christine Gregoire, who is running again for governor this year. Sometime during the night of Oct. 14th, not only were our yard signs taken, but our young tree in front of one of them was hacked and fatally wounded.

The Gregoire for Governor sign had been discarded along the side of the street not far from our home. No sign of the Obama ones. By the way, Gov. Gregoire has been an outspoken Obama supporter, and just held a rally here in Spokane last week with Gov. Bill Richardson of NM and a couple of our State senators as well as one of our US Senators -- not only to rally her campaign, but Obama's, too.

I was prepared for stolen yard signs, but not for harm to an innocent tree. The tree wasn’t voting for Obama – and even if it were, that doesn’t mean its life had to be taken. I am very saddened by this cruel act. I had decided to make a donation to Obama in memory of the tree. Today I realized that there may be other tree-lovers and Obama supporters out there who would also want to commemorate our sapling with a donation to Obama’s campaign.

Therefore, the fundraiser on my Obama profile page. I will match the first $200 donated. This gives me the opportunity to make the donation I had planned to, as well as use this act by “those ones” to help our candidate even more!

My sincere thanks to those of you who join this cause. If you are in the Spokane area and are available on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 19th), I will hold a drum circle in memory of the tree at the Inner Journeys Center, 334 South Grant St. in the downtown Spokane area (NOT Grand Blvd.! Grant St. is a couple blocks past the Goodwill store on 3rd Avenue on the right side. The Center is the last house on the right.) from 4 PM to 5:30 PM. All are welcome. There is parking in the rear of the building – just follow the narrow driveway.

YES.WE.CAN move beyond hate and ignorance!

Susan in Spokane

Meet Sarah Palin's Radical Right-Wing Pals!

La Susa — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:33:16 EDT

Meet Sarah Palin's radical right-wing pals

Extremists Mark Chryson and Steve Stoll helped launch Palin's political career in Alaska, and in return had influence over policy. "Her door was open," says Chryson -- and still is.

Editor's note: Research support provided by the Nation Institute Investigative Fund. For Salon's complete coverage of Sarah Palin, click here.

By Max Blumenthal and David Neiwert

Pages 1 2 3

Video: Interview with former Alaskan Independence Party chairman Mark Chryson

Oct. 10, 2008 | PALMER, Alaska -- On the afternoon of Sept. 24 in downtown Palmer, Alaska, as the sun began to sink behind the snowcapped mountains that flank the picturesque Mat-Su Valley, 51-year-old Mark Chryson sat for an hour on a park bench, reveling in tales of his days as chairman of the Alaska Independence Party. The stocky, gray-haired computer technician waxed nostalgic about quixotic battles to eliminate taxes, support the "traditional family" and secede from the United States.

So long as Alaska remained under the boot of the federal government, said Chryson, the AIP had to stand on guard to stymie a New World Order. He invited a Salon reporter to see a few items inside his pickup truck that were intended for his personal protection. "This here is my attack dog," he said with a chuckle, handing the reporter an exuberant 8-pound papillon from his passenger seat. "Her name is Suzy." Then he pulled a 9-millimeter Makarov PM pistol -- once the standard-issue sidearm for Soviet cops -- out of his glove compartment. "I've got enough weaponry to raise a small army in my basement," he said, clutching the gun in his palm. "Then again, so do most Alaskans." But Chryson added a message of reassurance to residents of that faraway place some Alaskans call "the 48." "We want to go our separate ways," he said, "but we are not going to kill you."

Though Chryson belongs to a fringe political party, one that advocates the secession of Alaska from the Union, and that organizes with other like-minded secessionist movements from Canada to the Deep South, he is not without peculiar influence in state politics, especially the rise of Sarah Palin. An obscure figure outside of Alaska, Chryson has been a political fixture in the hometown of the Republican vice-presidential nominee for over a decade. During the 1990s, when Chryson directed the AIP, he and another radical right-winger, Steve Stoll, played a quiet but pivotal role in electing Palin as mayor of Wasilla and shaping her political agenda afterward. Both Stoll and Chryson not only contributed to Palin's campaign financially, they played major behind-the-scenes roles in the Palin camp before, during and after her victory.

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Palin backed Chryson as he successfully advanced a host of anti-tax, pro-gun initiatives, including one that altered the state Constitution's language to better facilitate the formation of anti-government militias. She joined in their vendetta against several local officials they disliked, and listened to their advice about hiring. She attempted to name Stoll, a John Birch Society activist known in the Mat-Su Valley as "Black Helicopter Steve," to an empty Wasilla City Council seat. "Every time I showed up her door was open," said Chryson. "And that policy continued when she became governor."

When Chryson first met Sarah Palin, however, he didn't really trust her politically. It was the early 1990s, when he was a member of a local libertarian pressure group called SAGE, or Standing Against Government Excess. (SAGE's founder, Tammy McGraw, was Palin's birth coach.) Palin was a leader in a pro-sales-tax citizens group called WOW, or Watch Over Wasilla, earning a political credential before her 1992 campaign for City Council. Though he was impressed by her interpersonal skills, Chryson greeted Palin's election warily, thinking she was too close to the Democrats on the council and too pro-tax.

But soon, Palin and Chryson discovered they could be useful to each other. Palin would be running for mayor, while Chryson was about to take over the chairmanship of the Alaska Independence Party, which at its peak in 1990 had managed to elect a governor.

The AIP was born of the vision of "Old Joe" Vogler, a hard-bitten former gold miner who hated the government of the United States almost as much as he hated wolves and environmentalists. His resentment peaked during the early 1970s when the federal government began installing Alaska's oil and gas pipeline. Fueled by raw rage -- "The United States has made a colony of Alaska," he told author John McPhee in 1977 -- Vogler declared a maverick candidacy for the governorship in 1982. Though he lost, Old Joe became a force to be reckoned with, as well as a constant source of amusement for Alaska's political class. During a gubernatorial debate in 1982, Vogler proposed using nuclear weapons to obliterate the glaciers blocking roadways to Juneau. "There's gold under there!" he exclaimed.

Vogler made another failed run for the governor's mansion in 1986. But the AIP's fortunes shifted suddenly four years later when Vogler convinced Richard Nixon's former interior secretary, Wally Hickel, to run for governor under his party's banner. Hickel coasted to victory, outflanking a moderate Republican and a centrist Democrat. An archconservative Republican running under the AIP candidate, Jack Coghill, was elected lieutenant governor.

Hickel's subsequent failure as governor to press for a vote on Alaskan independence rankled Old Joe. With sponsorship from the Islamic Republic of Iran, Vogler was scheduled to present his case for Alaskan secession before the United Nations General Assembly in the late spring of 1993. But before he could, Old Joe's long, strange political career ended tragically that May when he was murdered by a fellow secessionist.

Hickel rejoined the Republican Party the year after Vogler's death and didn't run for reelection. Lt. Gov. Coghill's campaign to succeed him as the AIP candidate for governor ended in disaster; he peeled away just enough votes from the Republican, Jim Campbell, to throw the gubernatorial election to Democrat Tony Knowles.

Despite the disaster, Coghill hung on as AIP chairman for three more years. When he was asked to resign in 1997, Mark Chryson replaced him. Chryson pursued a dual policy of cozying up to secessionist and right-wing groups in Alaska and elsewhere while also attempting to replicate the AIP's success with Hickel in infiltrating the mainstream.

Unlike some radical right-wingers, Chryson doesn't put forward his ideas freighted with anger or paranoia. And in a state where defense of gun and property rights often takes on a real religious fervor, Chryson was able to present himself as a typical Alaskan.

He rose through party ranks by reducing the AIP's platform to a single page that "90 percent of Alaskans could agree with." This meant scrubbing the old platform of what Chryson called "racist language" while accommodating the state's growing Christian right movement by emphasizing the AIP's commitment to the "traditional family."

"The AIP is very family-oriented," Chryson explained. "We're for the traditional family -- daddy, mommy, kids -- because we all know that it was Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. And we don't care if Heather has two mommies. That's not a traditional family."

Chryson further streamlined the AIP's platform by softening its secessionist language. Instead of calling for immediate separation from the United States, the platform now demands a vote on independence.

Yet Chryson maintains that his party remains committed to full independence. "The Alaskan Independence Party has got links to almost every independence-minded movement in the world," Chryson exclaimed. "And Alaska is not the only place that's about separation. There's at least 30 different states that are talking about some type of separation from the United States."

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/10/10/palin_chryson/index.html

The Palin's Association With Radical Group AIP!

La Susa — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:39:47 EDT

Full Story http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr/alaskan-independence-part_b_133261.html

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Posted October 9, 2008 | 11:28 AM (EST) Alaskan Independence Party: The Last Refuge of a Scoundrel

AIP's creation was inspired by the rabidly violent anti-Americanism of its founding father Joe Vogler, "I'm an Alaskan, not an American," reads a favorite Vogler quote on AIP's current website, "I've got no use for America or her damned institutions." According to Vogler AIP's central purpose was to drive Alaska's secession from the United States. Alaska, says current Chairwoman Lynette Clark, "should be an independent nation."

Vogler was murdered in 1993 during an illegal sale of plastic explosives that went bad. The prior year, he had renounced his allegiance to the United States explaining that, "The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government." He cursed the stars and stripes, promising, "I won't be buried under their damned flag...when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home." Palin has never denounced Vogler or his detestable anti-Americanism.

Palin's husband Todd remained an AIP party member from 1995 to 2002. Sarah can be described in McCarthy-era palaver as a "fellow traveler." While retaining her Republican registration, she attended the AIP's 1994 convention where the party called for a draft constitution to secede from the United States and create an independent nation of Alaska. The McCain Campaign has reluctantly acknowledged that she also attended AIP's 2000 Convention. She apparently found the experience so inspiring that she agreed to give a keynote address at the AIP's 2006 convention and she recorded a video greeting for this year's 2008 convention. In other words, this is not something that happened when she was eight!

So when Palin accuses Barack of "not seeing the same America as you and me," maybe she is referring to an America without Alaska. In any case, isn't it time the media start giving equal time to Palin's buddy list of anti-American bombers and other radical associates?

Sarah Palin

In 2004, America's malleable mainstream media allowed itself to be manipulated by artful Republican operatives into devoting weeks of broadcast attention and drums of ink to unfairly desecrating John ... In 2004, America's malleable mainstream media allowed itself to be manipulated by artful Republican operatives into devoting weeks of broadcast attention and drums of ink to unfairly desecrating John ...

Full Story http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr/alaskan-independence-part_b_133261.html

Blogger Comment--RICK SANCHEZ DOES INDEPTH INTERVIEW WITH SALON ON PALIN'S CONNECTION TO THE AIP. PLEASE FOLKS, LISTEN TO THIS IN FULL.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MODT4y90k90

McCain Threatens Legal Action For Oct.14, 08 Rick Sanchez Report!

La Susa — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:13:35 EDT

Oct. 14, 2008 Rick Sanchez reported on the Palin and AIP anti-American radical group connection. McCain threatens Legal Action!

A Must See Video You-Tube Rick Sanchez Report

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/14/151519/61/145/630389

Who is Todd Palin?

La Susa — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:44:23 EDT

Why is the McCain Camp hiding from the media, CNN? What do they have to hide? While they attempt to smear Obama with "associations"; I never hear Sen. Obama join a radical political party that wanted to destroy the US Government. Rev Wright was rebuking America for her actions, not trying to kill her! There is a very big differance! Have we heard anything from the Palin's and their associations with this radical dangerous political party?

See Rick Sanchez on CNN tonight about "Who is Tod Palin?" and the AIP! It's shocking!

CNN's Rick Sanchez A Must See Tonight! Alaka Independent Party-Who is Todd Palin?

La Susa — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:47:52 EDT

I could not belive what I was hearing when this aired! This Alaka Independent Party AIP is similar to other malitia's. No wonder Sarah Palin lowered poroperty tax while mayor, and increaced sales tax, no wonder she is so pro gun... People may say what is the relavance? I say some Christian women do exactly what their husband tell them to do, because it is written in the Holy Bible "wives be submissive to your husbands", this is why it is so important to know who Todd Palin is.

Sorry folks I can't find the transcript link, but hope it will be up soon!

Spread the truth

BlueCat — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:24:43 EDT

ACORN's success in registering millions of low-income and minority voters has made it "something of a right-wing bogeyman." Though ACORN believes that the right to vote is not, and should never be, a partisan issue, attacks from groups threatened by our historic success continue to come, motivated by partisan politics and often perpetuated by the media without full investigation of the facts. As a result, there have been a few recent stories about investigations of former ACORN workers for turning in incomplete, erroneous, or fraudulent voter registration applications. Predictably, partisan forces have tried to use these isolated incidents to incite fear of the "bogeyman" of "widespread voter fraud."So lets take this opportunity to set the record straight and tell you a few facts to show how these incidents really exemplify everything that ACORN is doing right:

Fact: ACORN has implemented the most sophisticated quality-control system in the voter engagement field, but in almost every state we are required to turn in ALL completed applications, even the ones we know to be problematic.

Fact: ACORN flags incomplete, problem, or suspicious cards when we turn them in, but these warnings are often ignored by election officials. Often these same officials then come back weeks or months later and accuse us of deliberately turning in phony cards.

Fact: Our canvassers are paid by the hour, not by the card, so there is NO incentive for them to falsify cards. ACORN has a zero-tolerance policy for deliberately falsifying registrations, and in the relatively rare cases where our internal quality controls have identified this happening we have fired the workers involved and turned them in to election officials and law-enforcement.

Fact: No charges have ever been brought against ACORN itself. Convictions against individual former ACORN workers have been accomplished with our full cooperation, using the evidence obtained through our quality control and verification processes.

Fact: Voter fraud by individuals is extremely rare, and incredibly difficult. There has never been a single proven case of anyone, anywhere, casting an illegal vote as a result of a phony voter registration. Even if someone wanted to influence the election this way, it would not work.

Fact: Most election officials have recognized ACORN's good work and praised our quality control systems. Even in the cities where election officials have complained about ACORN, the applications in question represent less than 1% of the thousands and thousands of registrations ACORN has collected.

Fact: Our accusers not only fail to provide any evidence, they fail to suggest a motive: there is virtually no chance anyone would be able to vote fraudulently, so there is no reason to deliberately submit phony registrations. ACORN is committed to ensuring that the greatest possible numbers of people are registered and allowed to vote, so there is also NO incentive to "disrupt the system" with phony cards.

Fact: Similar accusations were made, and attacks launched, against ACORN and other voter registration organizations in 2004 and 2006. These attacks were not only groundless, they have since been exposed as part of the U.S. Attorneygate scandal and revealed to be part of a systematic partisan agenda of voter suppression.

These are the facts, and the truth is that a relatively small group of political operatives are trying to orchestrate hysteria about "voter fraud" and manufacture public outrage that they can use to further suppress the votes of millions of low-income and minority Americans.

These tactics are nothing new, and history has shown that they will come to nothing. We'll continue to weather the storm, as we've done for years, and we'll continue to share the truth about our work and express pride about our accomplishments.
Most importantly, we want to assure you that this good work continues, unabated and undeterred. ACORN will not be intimidated, we will not be provoked, and in this important moment in history we will not allow anyone to distract us from these vital efforts to empower our constituencies and our communities to speak for themselves. If the partisan political machines are afraid of low-income and minority voters, they're going to have to do a lot better than coming after ACORN.

After all, there are now at least 1.3 million more of them, and they will not be silenced. They're taking an interest, and taking a stand, and they'll be taking their concerns to the voting booth in November.

And ACORN will be here, to make sure that the voices of these Americans are heard, on Election Day and for every day to come.

FactCheck.org- McCain Ad Lies Again "About Being Liberal?"

La Susa — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:12:00 EDT

'Lying' About Being Liberal?October 13, 2008A McCain-Palin ad twists Obama's words.SummaryA McCain-Palin ad claims Obama was rated the "most liberal" U.S. senator, which was true only for 2007 but not for his entire Senate career. He was rated 10th and 16th in his two previous years.

The ad also misquotes Obama. It says he defended himself against the "most liberal" rating by saying "they're not telling the truth" and "folks are lying." Actually, Obama said McCain and Palin weren't truthful about the "Bridge to Nowhere," and he was correct. And his "folks are lying" remark referred to anti-abortion groups that accuse him of favoring "infanticide" because of votes he cast in the Illinois state Senate.

After twisting Obama's words, the ad accuses him of being "not presidential."AnalysisThe McCain-Palin ad "Folks" was released Oct. 8 to run nationally.

McCain-Palin 2008
TV Ad: "Folks"

Announcer: Who is Barack Obama? The National Journal says he's the Senate's most liberal.

How extreme. But when pressed, how does he defend himself?

Obama: They're not telling the truth.

I hate to say that people are lying, but here's a situation where folks are lying.

Announcer: Mr. Obama, we all know the truth.

Obama: Folks are lying.

Announcer: Not presidential.

McCain: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.Not Telling the Truth

An announcer asserts of Sen. Barack Obama, "the National Journal says he's the Senate's most liberal." The ad then says Obama defended himself by saying, "They're not telling the truth ... [F]olks are lying." The announcer says Obama's response is "not presidential."

The ad is misleading regarding the "most liberal" claim, and simply false in the way it twists Obama's own words.

It is true that the National Journal rated Obama "the most liberal senator" in 2007, based on 99 votes in the Senate that year. But in his previous two years, Obama was rated 10th and 16th most liberal. So his career voting record is far from "most liberal." The McCain ad is misleading about that.

And it is downright false when it implies that Obama accused the McCain campaign of lying about the "most liberal" rating. He did not. He accused Sen. John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin of "not telling the truth" about the so-called Bridge to Nowhere, and he accused independent, anti-abortion groups of "lying" when they accused him of favoring "infanticide." The ad takes Obama's words completely out of their context.

Bridge to Nowhere

The first comment from Obama quoted in the ad comes from an interview that the senator did for MSNBC's "Countdown" with Keith Olbermann that aired Sept. 8. He was discussing a new ad from the McCain-Palin campaign that claimed Palin "stopped the 'Bridge to Nowhere.' " After video of the ad "Original Mavericks" played on screen, Olbermann noted that Palin had actually supported the project at first, before canceling it long after it became a target of criticism by McCain and others. Here's the exchange:
Keith Olbermann, MSNBC's "Countdown" (Sept. 8): What are Senator McCain and Governor Palin doing in this new commercial, do you think?

Obama: They’re not telling the truth. You know, I mean, it’s — I think we’ve all gotten accustomed to being able to spin things in politics. But when you’ve got somebody who was for a project being presented as being against it, then that, you know, stretches the bounds of spin into new areas.
We agree with Obama about that ad. We called it "old bunk" in an item on the FactCheck Wire on Sept. 9. Palin's misleading claim about the bridge is something we've noted on more than one occasion.

"Infanticide"

The second Obama quote comes from an interview that he did with David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network, and it was not directed at either the McCain campaign or the National Journal. Obama was attempting to clarify his position on "born alive" legislation in Illinois. This is how that part of the conversation went:

David Brody, CBN News (Aug. 16): Real quick, the born alive infant protection act. I gotta tell you that's the one thing I get a lot of emails about and it's just not just from Evangelicals, it about Catholics, Protestants, main — they're trying to understand it because there was some literature put out by the National Right to Life Committee. And they're basically saying they felt like you misrepresented your position on that bill.

Obama: Let me clarify this right now.

Brody: Because it's getting a lot of play.

Obama: Well and because they have not been telling the truth. And I hate to say that people are lying, but here's a situation where folks are lying. I have said repeatedly that I would have been completely in, fully in support of the federal bill that everybody supported — which was to say — that you should provide assistance to any infant that was born — even if it was as a consequence of an induced abortion.

For the record, we wrote about the back and forth between the National Right to Life Committee and Obama, regarding his votes against "born alive" legislation during his time in the Illinois state Senate. More Misrepresentation

The McCain-Palin press release announcing the TV spot is wrong, too. It claims that "the ad highlights Barack Obama's defense of his extreme liberal voting record by accusing others of lying," which is untrue. Obama and his campaign have disputed the National Journal's 2007 rating by saying that he missed too many votes while campaigning for the rating to be representative, and that some of the votes (particularly one in favor of stricter ethics rules) should not properly be seen as either liberal or conservative. But he has never said the Journal was "lying" or "not telling the truth."

For the record, the National Journal did not offer a rating of McCain's votes for 2007, because he missed more than half the votes that would have figured into the rating, even more than Obama missed.

by D'Angelo Gore

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/lying_about_being_liberal.html

www.factcheck.org

A non partisan group!

Anyone Remember Bush's "National Homeownership Month, 2006"

La Susa — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:07:37 EDT

National Homeownership Month, 2006
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

White House News

Owning a home is an important part of the American dream. During National Homeownership Month, we raise awareness of homeownership and encourage more Americans to consider the benefits of owning their own home.

Nearly 70 percent of Americans enjoy the satisfaction of owning their own home, and my Administration continues to promote an ownership society where the promise of America reaches all our citizens. The American Dream Downpayment Act of 2003 is helping thousands of low to moderate income and minority families with downpayment and closing costs, which represent the greatest barrier to homeownership. Since 2002, when I announced our goal to help 5.5 million minorities become homeowners by the end of this decade, the rate of minority homeownership has climbed above 50 percent, and more than 2.5 million minority families have become new homeowners. My Administration will continue to provide counseling and assistance for new homebuyers and expand homeownership opportunities for all Americans.

During National Homeownership Month and throughout the year, we applaud the men and women who work to achieve the dream of homeownership, and we are grateful for those who provide counseling, lending, real estate, construction, and other services to these individuals. The hard work, financial discipline, and personal responsibility of our country's homeowners help transform neighborhoods throughout our Nation and reflect the best qualities of America.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim June 2006 as National Homeownership Month. I call upon the people of the United States to join me in building a more hopeful society and recognizing the importance of expanding the ownership of homes across our great Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirtieth.

GEORGE W. BUSH

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/05/20060524-6.html

McCain TV Ad Oct. 10 Lies!!!!! About Bill Ayers...

La Susa — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 10:57:12 EDT

From Factcheck.org "He Lied" About Bill Ayers?October 10, 2008McCain cranks out some false and misleading attacks on Obama's connection to a 1960s radical.AnalysisSen. John McCain has dialed up his attacks on Sen. Barack Obama's past association with former Weather Underground activist Bill Ayers. He released a 30-second TV spot Oct. 10 claiming Obama "lied" about Ayers. A day earlier he announced a 90-second Internet ad claiming that Obama and Ayers "ran a radical education foundation together" and suggesting Obama was being untruthful.

McCain-Palin Ad
"Ambition"

Announcer: Obama's blind ambition. When convenient, he worked with terrorist Bill Ayers. When discovered, he lied.

Obama. Blind ambition. Bad judgment.Congressional liberals fought for risky sub-prime loans.

Congressional liberals fought against more regulation. Then, the housing market collapsed costing you billions.

In crisis, we need leadership, not bad judgment.

McCain: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.
Groundless, False, Dubious

We find McCain's accusation that Obama "lied" to be groundless. It is true that recently released records show half a dozen or so more meetings between the two men than were previously known, but Obama never denied working with Ayers.

Other claims are seriously misleading. The education project described in the Web ad, far from being "radical," had the support of the Republican governor and was run by a board that included prominent local leaders, including one Republican who has donated $1,500 to McCain's campaign this year. The project is described by Education Week as reflecting "mainstream thinking" about school reform.

Despite the newly released records, there's still no evidence of a deep or strong "friendship" with Ayers, a former radical anti-war protester whose actions in the 1960s and '70s Obama has called "detestable" and "despicable."

Even the description of Ayers as a "terrorist" is a matter of interpretation. Setting off bombs can fairly be described as terrorism even when they are intended to cause only property damage, which is what Ayers has admitted doing in his youth. But for nearly three decades since, Ayers has lived the relatively quiet life of an educator. It would be correct to call him a "former terrorist," and an "unapologetic" one at that. But if McCain means the word "terrorist" to invoke images of 9/11, he's being misleading; Ayers is no Osama bin Laden now, and never was.

McCain-Palin Web Ad
"Ayers"

Announcer: Barack Obama and domestic terrorist Bill Ayers. Friends. They've worked together for years.

But Obama tries to hide it. Why?
Obama launched his political career in Ayers' living room. Ayers and Obama ran a radical "education" foundation, together.

They wrote the foundation's by-laws, together. Obama was the foundation's first chairman. Reports say they "distributed more than $100 million to ideological allies with no discernible improvement in education."

When their relationship became an issue, Obama just responded, "This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood."

That's it?

We know Bill Ayers ran the "violent left wing activist group" called Weather Underground. We know Ayers' wife was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list. We know they bombed the Capitol. The Pentagon. A judge's home.

We know Ayers said, "I don't regret setting bombs. .... I feel we didn't do enough." But Obama's friendship with terrorist Ayers isn't the issue.

The issue is Barack Obama's judgment and candor. When Obama just says, "This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood." Americans say, "Where's the truth, Barack?"

Barack Obama. Too risky for America.

McCain: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.
Who's Misleading?

McCain is not accurate when he says – as he does in the Web ad – "When their relationship became an issue, Obama just responded, 'This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood.' " McCain is using the same line in personal appearances, too. He said on Oct. 9 at a campaign rally in Waukesha, Wis.:

McCain: Look, we don't care about an old washed-up terrorist and his wife, who still, at least on Sept. 11, 2001, said he still wanted to bomb more. ... The point is, Senator Obama said he was just a guy in the neighborhood. We need to know that's not true.

Obama never said Ayers was "just" a guy in the neighborhood. The quote is from a Democratic primary debate on April 16 in Philadelphia, and Obama actually was more forthcoming than McCain lets on. Obama specifically acknowledged working together with Ayers on a charitable board, and didn't deny getting some early political support from him. Here's the exchange:

ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, April 16: An early organizing meeting for your state senate campaign was held at his house, and your campaign has said you are friendly. Can you explain that relationship for the voters, and explain to Democrats why it won't be a problem?

Obama: George, but this is an example of what I'm talking about.

This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who's a professor of English in Chicago, who I know and who I have not received some official endorsement from. He's not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis.

And the notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values, doesn't make much sense, George.

Sen. Hillary Clinton then said, "I also believe that Senator Obama served on a board with Mr. Ayers for a period of time, the Woods Foundation," and predicted that "this is an issue that certainly Republicans will be raising."

Obama responded, "President Clinton pardoned or commuted the sentences of two members of the Weather Underground, which I think is a slightly more significant act than me ... serving on a board with somebody for actions that he did 40 years ago."

We wrote back then that Clinton had gone too far by suggesting that "people died" as a result of Ayers' actions. And nothing Obama said then has since been shown to be false. It is true that he did not bring up his work with Ayers on a second project, the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, where Obama was board chairman and Ayers was an early organizer, and where the two were together for half a dozen or so meetings. But neither Clinton nor Stephanopoulos asked him about that project. McCain could fairly accuse Obama of not volunteering the information, but it is false to claim he "lied."

"Pal Around"

The first to begin using the new line of attack against Obama was McCain's running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, after a lengthy article appeared Oct. 3 in the New York Times about Obama and Ayers:

Palin, Oct. 5: Our opponents see America as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who would bomb their own country.

She's repeated the charge again and again at different campaign stops since then, citing the Times. What the Times article actually says, however, is this: "[T]he two men do not appear to have been close. Nor has Mr. Obama ever expressed sympathy for the radical views and actions of Mr. Ayers." The Times says its review of documents and interviews with key players "suggest" that Obama "has played down his contacts with Ayers," but describes their paths as having crossed "sporadically" since their first meeting in 1995.

And far from palling around with Ayers, the two haven't spoken by phone or exchanged e-mail messages since Obama came to the Senate in January 2005, according to an Obama spokesman. He said the two last saw each other more than a year ago, when they accidentally met on the street in their Hyde Park neighborhood.

Obama addressed Palin's claim on Oct. 8, when questioned by ABC News' Charlie Gibson:

Obama, Oct. 8: This is a guy who engaged in some despicable acts 40 years ago when I was eight years old. By the time I met him, 10 or 15 years ago, he was a college professor of education at the University of Illinois. ... And the notion that somehow he has been involved in my campaign, that he is an adviser of mine, that ... I've 'palled around with a terrorist', all these statements are made simply to try to score cheap political points.

Stormy Weather, UndergroundBill Ayers' notoriety dates from the radical, anti-Vietnam War group he helped to start in 1969, splintering off from the activist Students for a Democratic Society. The members of the new group, the Weather Underground, favored shows of violence to further their cause. On March 6, 1970, though, three of them blew themselves up in a Greenwich Village townhouse during a bomb-making session gone badly awry. Ayers and his fellow Weathermen, as they were called, soon dropped out of sight.
Barack Obama, who was born Aug. 4, 1961, was 8 years old at the time.The Weather Underground continued setting off bombs, including one in a men's lavatory in the Capitol building in 1971 and another in a women's restroom in the Pentagon in 1972. Nobody was killed, due to evacuation warnings the Weathermen sent out in advance.

After the Vietnam War ended, the group's activities petered out. In 1980 Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, another member, surfaced and turned themselves in to police. Because of illegal federal wiretaps, pending charges against Ayers for allegedly inciting a riot and conspiring to bomb government sites had been dropped. Dohrn pleaded guilty to separate charges of aggravated battery and jumping bail; she was fined $1,500 and given three years' probation. Ayers and Dohrn, who had had two children together while in hiding, married in 1982.

Several other Weather Underground alums, including Kathy Boudin, along with some members of a group calling itself the Black Liberation Army, were involved in a bungled 1981 robbery of a Brinks truck in Nanuet, N.Y., in which a security guard and two policemen were killed. Ayers and Dohrn have never been publicly tied to the incident, which took place after they had turned themselves in. Dohrn was jailed for seven months for refusing to provide a handwriting sample to the grand jury investigating it.

Dohrn is now a clinical associate professor of law at Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago. Ayers is a professor of education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Locally, Ayers' radical past hasn't been much of an issue. Chicago Sun-Times columnist Lynn Sweet wrote last spring that it "was no big deal, or any deal, to any local political reporters or to the editorial boards of the Sun-Times or [Chicago] Tribune." Ayers was named a Chicago citizen of the year in 1997 for his efforts in the field of education.

In Chicago, Ayers is seen less as a "terrorist" and more as a prodigal son of the local establishment. His father was a prominent corporate executive and civic leader. Thomas G. Ayers was president and chief executive of Commonwealth Edison, the electric utility that lights Chicago and northern Illinois. There is a residence hall named for him at Northwestern University, where he was a trustee for 30 years. Bill's brother John Ayers, according to Education Week, headed a school-reform group called the Leadership for Quality Education, which represented business leaders’ interest in schools. John is now a senior associate of the Chicago-based National Association of Charter School Authorizers.

Despite the fairly mainstream life he lives now, though, Bill Ayers' image took a hit with an article that appeared in the New York Times on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Ayers was quoted in the lead paragraph as saying, ''I don't regret setting bombs'' and "I feel we didn't do enough." The interview had been conducted earlier, in connection with the publication of Ayers' memoir of his years as a fugitive. But when the quotes appeared on the same day thousands died at the World Trade Center and elsewhere, they enraged his critics.

Ayers called the story a deliberate distortion of his views. In a response on his blog, Ayers wrote:

Ayers: My memoir is from start to finish a condemnation of terrorism, of the indiscriminate murder of human beings, whether driven by fanaticism or official policy. ...
I said I had a thousand regrets, but no regrets for opposing the war with every ounce of my strength.

That's hardly an apology, referring as it does to the U.S. role in the Vietnam War as "terrorism." Ayers has maintained a public silence since then, refusing all requests for interviews.

Even so, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley had kind words for him recently:

Daley (New York Times, Oct. 3, 2008): He’s done a lot of good in this city and nationally. ... This is 2008. People make mistakes. You judge a person by his whole life.

FactCheck.org and the “Annenberg Challenge”

Contrary to suggestions we've seen in some conservative blogs, there is no connection between the Chicago Annenberg Challenge and FactCheck.org, save for the fact that both received funding from the Annenberg Foundation. The foundation supports a wide variety of charitable causes – a total of 5,200 grants during its first 15 years of operation. It was founded in 1989 by Walter H. Annenberg, a newspaper and magazine publisher who died in 2002.

FactCheck.org is funded by, and is a project of, the Annenberg Public Policy Center, which was established by the Annenberg Foundation with a $20 million endowment in 1993. The Annenberg Foundation also made additional grants to support our work. We also receive funding from the Flora Family Foundation to help support our educational offshoot, FactCheckED.org. We receive no other outside funding.

FactCheck.org came into being in late 2003. Director Brooks Jackson states: "Our mission is to be as neutral and nonpartisan as humanly possible. Annenberg supports that, and nobody at the Annenberg Foundation has ever tried to influence anything we've written."

For the record, the Annenberg Foundation's president and chairman is Leonore Annenberg, the founder's widow. Public records show she's given $2,300 to the McCain campaign, which announced on Oct. 8, that she has endorsed him for president.
We Have Contact!

According to an Obama spokesman, the two men first met in 1995, when Obama was tapped to chair the board of the newly formed Chicago Annenberg Challenge. Ayers had been instrumental in creating the organization, which was to dispense grants for projects that would improve Chicago's schools.
The Challenge was one of 18 projects supported by a $500 million grant announced at a White House ceremony Dec. 18, 1993, by the Annenberg Foundation, founded four years earlier by Philadelphia publisher Walter Annenberg. It was the largest single gift ever made to public education in America. The Chicago project received a $49.2 million grant in 1995, and officials administering the grant funds at Brown University announced at the time that the Chicago proposal was developed through discussions among “a broad-based coalition of local school council members, teachers, principals, school reform groups, union representatives and central office staff” convened by three educators – one of whom was Ayers. Mayor Richard M. Daley, a Democrat, and Gov. Jim Edgar, a Republican, took part in a ceremony announcing the grant.

There are other connections between Obama and Ayers: The same year the two men met through the Annenberg Challenge, Ayers hosted a meet-and-greet coffee for Obama, who was running for state Senate and who lived three blocks away from him. Obama and Ayers also were on the board of an antipoverty charity, the Woods Fund of Chicago, where their service overlapped from 2000 to 2002. And Ayers contributed $200 to Obama's campaign for the Illinois state Senate on March 2, 2001.

In addition, Obama told the Chicago Tribune in 1997 that a book Ayers wrote about the juvenile court system was "a searing and timely account." This is sometimes billed by Obama's critics as a "book review." Actually, a reporter simply asked three Chicagoans for a sentence about whatever they were reading at the time.

The Annenberg Challenge connection has drawn the most attention recently, though, mainly because of articles written by Stanley Kurtz, a conservative contributor to the National Review, the publication founded by the late William F. Buckley. Kurtz first suggested on Aug. 18 that there was a "cover-up in the making" when he was unable to gain access to 132 boxes of project records housed at the University of Illinois. Records were released nine days later, along with all records held by the Annenberg Foundation itself.

The Chicago Tribune, after examining the records, said they showed Ayers and Obama "attended board meetings, retreats and at least one news conference together as the education program got under way." It also said Obama and Ayers "continued to attend meetings together during the 1995-2001 operation of the program." The story played on page 2. According to the New York Times, the documents show the two attended just six board meetings together, Obama as chairman and Ayers to inform the board on grantees and other issues. (In a press release, the McCain campaign puts the number of meetings at seven, five of them in 1995, one in 1996 and one in 1997.) Ayers was an "ex officio" member of the board for the first year of the project.

United Press International summed up the reaction to the contents of the group's archives with a story headlined "No 'smoking gun' in Obama relationship":

UPI, Aug. 27: Reporters reviewing records in Chicago have so far found nothing startling in documents linking Sen. Barack Obama to 1960s radical William Ayers.

Where news reporters found little of note, though, Kurtz – the conservative writer who initially suggested a "cover-up" – cast it differently. After combing through the Annenberg records, he published an article in the opinion pages of The Wall Street Journal saying he found that Obama and Ayers acted as "partners" and together "poured more than $100 million into the hands of community organizers and radical education activists." He said money went to groups that "focused more on political consciousness, Afrocentricity and bilingualism than traditional education." A "Radical" Foundation? Hardly.

What Kurtz – and McCain in his Web ad – considers "radical," other observers see differently, however. Veteran education reporter Dakarai I. Aarons, writing in Education Week, says the Chicago Annenberg Challenge actually "reflected mainstream thinking among education reformers" and had bipartisan support:

Education Week (Oct. 8): The context for the Chicago proposal to the Annenberg Foundation was the 1988 decentralization of the city’s public schools by the Republican-controlled Illinois legislature, a response to frustration over years of teachers’ strikes, low achievement, and bureaucratic failure. ... The proposal was backed by letters of support to the Annenberg Foundation from Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar, a Republican, local education school deans, the superintendent of the Chicago public schools, and the heads of local foundations.

Among the mainstream Chicago luminaries on Obama's board was Arnold R. Weber, a former president of Northwestern University, who in 1971 was appointed by Republican President Richard Nixon as executive director of the Cost of Living Council and who later was tapped by Republican President Ronald Reagan to serve on an emergency labor board. More recently, Weber has given $1,500 to John McCain's presidential campaign this year.

Others on Obama's supposedly "radical" board included Stanley Ikenberry, a former president of the University of Illinois system; Ray Romero, a vice president of Ameritech; Susan Crown, a philanthropist; Handy Lindsey, the president of the Field Foundation of Illinois; and Wanda White, the executive director of the Community Workshop for Economic Development.

Kurtz originally claimed that Ayers somehow was responsible for installing Obama as head of the board, speculating in his "cover-up" article that Obama "almost certainly received the job at the behest of Bill Ayers." But after days of poring over the records, he failed to produce any evidence of that in his Wall Street Journal article. To the contrary, Ayers was not involved in the choice, according to Deborah Leff, then president of the Joyce Foundation. She told the Times, and confirmed to FactCheck.org, that she recommended Obama for the position to Patricia Graham of the Spencer Foundation. Graham told us that she asked Obama if he'd become chairman; he accepted, provided Graham would be vice-chair. The bipartisan board of directors, which did not include Ayers, elected Obama chairman, and he served in that capacity from 1995 to 1999, awarding grants for projects and raising matching funds. Ayers headed up a separate arm of the group, working with grant recipients. According to another board member, Ayers "was not significantly involved with the challenge after Obama was appointed." One possible reason had little to do with Obama himself, but instead was related to cautions about conflicts of interest; the group was funding some of Ayers' own alternative school projects.

In any case, the Chicago Annenberg Challenge failed to bring about improvement in students' test scores, classroom behavior or social competence. An independent consortium of educators concluded in 2003 that “Annenberg schools did not achieve an overall effect on student outcomes” compared with schools that received no support from the project. Education Week quoted some project supporters as saying it succeeded in raising interest in helping failing schools.

Conclusion

Voters may differ in how they see Ayers, or how they see Obama’s interactions with him. We’re making no judgment calls on those matters. What we object to are the McCain-Palin campaign’s attempts to sway voters – in ads and on the stump – with false and misleading statements about the relationship, which was never very close. Obama never “lied” about this, just as he never bragged about it. The foundation they both worked with was hardly “radical.” And Ayers is more than a former "terrorist," he’s also a well-known figure in the field of education.

– by Viveca Novak and Brooks Jackson

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/he_lied_about_bill_ayers.html

www.factcheck.org

Way Too Funny!

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:06:05 EDT

Check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DIc8jdra0o

Another McCain-Palin TV add lies "Analysis"

La Susa — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:51:25 EDT

AnalysisThe McCain-Palin campaign released the ad, titled "Dangerous," and said it would be televised nationally. It recycles a misleading, 14-month-old charge that Sen. Barack Obama disrespected U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan by accusing them of "just air-raiding villages and killing civilians." It also misrepresents votes in favor of withdrawing troops from Iraq as being votes "increasing the risk on their lives."

McCain-Palin 2008 Ad:
"Dangerous"

Narrator: Who is Barack Obama? He says our troops in Afghanistan are...

Obama: ...just air-raiding villages and killing civilians.

Narrator: How dishonorable.

Congressional liberals voted repeatedly to cut off funding to our active troops. Increasing the risk on their lives.

How dangerous.

Obama and congressional liberals. Too risky for America.

McCain: I'm John McCain and I approved this message.Dishonorable?

The ad asks, "Who is Barack Obama," then calls him "dishonorable" for supposedly saying that U.S. troops in Afghanistan are "just air-raiding villages and killing civilians."

Gov. Sarah Palin raised a similar charge during the October 2 vice presidential debate. The intervening weekend hasn't made the claim any more substantive. What Obama said – more than a year ago at an August 2007 campaign stop – was a criticism of administration military strategy and not a criticism of "our troops":

Obama (August 2007): We’ve got to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we’re not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there.

At the time, then-Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney attacked Obama for the remark. But Obama was on solid ground. As The Associated Press concluded: "As of Aug. 1 [2007], the AP count shows that while militants killed 231 civilians in attacks in 2007, Western forces killed 286. Another 20 were killed in crossfire that can't be attributed to one party." Even President Bush admitted that there were too many civilian casualties, saying: "The president [Afghan president Hamid Karzai] rightly expressed his concerns about civilian casualty. And I assured him that we share those concerns."

But 2008 has seen little improvement. According to the New York Times, of the 1,445 civilians killed in Afghanistan so far this year, "slightly more than half" are attributed to insurgents. On September 17, Defense Secretary Robert Gates apologized for civilian casualties, explaining that "while no military has ever done more to prevent civilian casualties, it is clear that we have to work even harder." That same day, Gen. David D. McKiernan, the senior U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, told reporters that increased reliance upon air power was to blame for the rise in civilian casualties.

Was Obama "dishonorable" to say what he did? That's pretty strong language. We note that the Obama campaign routinely describes McCain's campaign as "dishonorable," for running ads like this one. We'll leave it to readers to sort out who's honorable and who's not. The way candidates loosely throw around such emotionally loaded terms, however, sometimes reminds us of Lewis Carroll's Humpty Dumpty, who tells Alice, "When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less."

Risky?

The McCain ad goes on say that "congressional liberals voted repeatedly to cut off funding for our active troops." It concludes: "Obama and congressional liberals: Too risky for America."

The McCain-Palin campaign sent reporters a set of "ad facts" to back up its claims. Those "facts" list five different votes that supposedly "cut off funding for the troops in combat." Actually, they all were votes in favor of bringing the troops home and ending combat.

The votes in question (S. Amdt. 3875, S.Amdt. 3164, S.Amdt. 2924, S.Amdt. 1098 and H.R. 2237) all set a deadline for completing the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. The legislation also stipulated that funding for the Iraq war would end after a specified period for withdrawal (with exceptions made for "targeted operations" aimed at al Qaeda, security for Americans remaining in Iraq, training of Iraqi Security Forces, and, in all but one version, "training, equipment, or other material to members of the United States Armed Forces to ensure, maintain, or improve their safety and security").

The ad claims that these votes would have been "increasing the risk on their lives," but in fact they were actually votes for winding down the Iraq war. Funding for active duty combat troops in Iraq would have been cut off only if the president failed to comply. It's also worth noting that Obama wasn't present for two of these votes, and one was a House vote.

The McCain campaign's "ad facts" also point to a single troop-funding bill that Obama voted against in 2007. As we've written before, Obama first voted for a version of the bill that included a timetable for withdrawal. President Bush vetoed the bill. Obama then voted against a version that did not contain withdrawal language. And for the record, McCain himself voted against the troop-funding bill when it contained withdrawal language.

–by Joe Millerhttp://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/dishonorable.html www.factcheck.org

McCain's Lies Again!

La Susa — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:34:01 EDT

The Return of the Oil Slick

McCain recycled a misleading claim from Sen. Hillary Clinton’s primary campaign,
charging Obama with voting to give “billions” to oil companies:

McCain: By the way, my friends, I know you grow a little weary with this back-and-forth. It was an energy bill on the floor of the Senate loaded down with goodies, billions for the oil companies, and it was sponsored by Bush and Cheney. You know who voted for it? You might never know. That one. You know who voted against it? Me.

McCain is referring to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which Obama did in fact vote for. Clinton raised this same charge against Obama during the Democratic primaries. It was misleading then and it’s equally misleading now.

In fact, according to a Congressional Research Service report, more tax breaks were taken away from oil companies than were given. Overall, the act resulted in a small net tax increase on the oil industry:

Congressional Research Service: The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT05, P.L. 109-58) included several oil and gas tax incentives, providing about $2.6 billion of tax cuts for the oil and gas industry. In addition, EPACT05 provided for $2.9 billion of tax increases on the oil and gas industry, for a net tax increase on the industry of nearly $300 million over 11 years.

As we said last year, the bill did contain $14.3 billion in tax breaks, but most of those went to electric utilities, and nuclear, and also to alternative fuels research
and subsidies for energy-efficient cars, homes and buildings – not to the oil industry.

–by Brooks Jackson, Viveca Novak, Lori Robertson, Joe Miller, Jessica Henig and Justin Bank

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/factchecking_debate_no_2.html

www.factcheck.org

McCain's Lies Again!

La Susa — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:33:55 EDT

The Return of the Oil Slick

McCain recycled a misleading claim from Sen. Hillary Clinton’s primary campaign,
charging Obama with voting to give “billions” to oil companies:

McCain: By the way, my friends, I know you grow a little weary with this back-and-forth. It was an energy bill on the floor of the Senate loaded down with goodies, billions for the oil companies, and it was sponsored by Bush and Cheney. You know who voted for it? You might never know. That one. You know who voted against it? Me.

Congressional Research Service: The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT05, P.L. 109-58) included several oil and gas tax incentives, providing about $2.6 billion of tax cuts for the oil and gas industry. In addition, EPACT05 provided for $2.9 billion of tax increases on the oil and gas industry, for a net tax increase on the industry of nearly $300 million over 11 years.

www.factcheck.org

I am interfering again...

Claire — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:31:37 EDT

My dear American friends,

I can't vote because I am not an American citizen, but I can spread this message around. Please Dear American Friends, do vote for Barack Obama, only him can heal the scars of your country, only him can heal the wounds of this world. He will be the right President for your country and he will be a great world moral leader.

If people don't want to vote for Barack Obama because of his color, they have to remember we all are colored people.
If people don't want to vote for Barack Obama because they think he does not have a program, they have to read "Change we can believe in". Barack Obama's plans are so clearly explained in this book. Barack Obama is suggesting realistic solutions about all the issues we are concerned with.
If people don't want to vote for Barack Obama because they don't trust him, because they are suspicious about him, they have to read "Dreams from my Father", Barack Obama says who he is and what he is so candidly.
People have to stop believing the smears sent by those who don't like him and who don't want to talk about the economy...

I hope I am not being too intrusive. My dear American friends, I send you my strongest and warmest support and encouragements,

With love,

Claire

What Debate?????

La Susa — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:17:52 EDT

The definition of "DEBATE" IS to discuss opposing reasons; argue; to take part in a formal discussion ... To consider something; deliberate. To engage in argument by discussing opposing points.

Each candidate was allowed 2 minets to answer complex questions; with NO EXTENSIVE REBUTTALS! "REBUTTAL" definition "An attempt to contradict or disprove an argument by offering a counter argument or ...

Perhaps the American lauguage has changed, where "DEBATE" now means "TWO MINET SOUND-BITES"! Im disgused to say the least, this is the most important Election we have had in years, and yet it seems the media wants to treat it as though it were a circus, piling on as many as questions as possible, while McCain throws in his lieing out of context attacks on Obama! And Obama is cornered with no choice but to try to answer the questions and defend himself against McCain ALL IN 2 MINETS!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Palin Tape

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:49:41 EDT

The Palin Tape

SHE KILL ANIMALS

Sarah Palin IS Experienced!

Bush, McCain and Palin Doctrine

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 08:50:04 EDT

Bull Moose Maverick
Palin Studying Up

Off-Track Vetting

Palin Rorschach Test

Romney Won't Hunt

Palin Doctrine

Lyrics: Yo Sarah Palin, i'm calling you out.

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 08:39:32 EDT

Sarah Palin - Save the Wolves

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=qHCcunc7SHo

Save The Wolves: http://www.defendersactionfund.org

Proof: http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/wildli...

Lyrics: Yo Sarah Palin, i'm calling you out.

You authorized the slaughter of wolves in alaska, and if you messing wit them, you me, they my dawgs, wut! wut!

When i'm at home watchin discoveree
I see them wolves in Alaska running free
I get this feeling like that could be me
back in the pack you my name is Puggy - G
These wolves ain't got nobody to protect them
they all alone in this world you want to wreck them
So how could you do it sarah does it make you feel bigger
when you pull the trigger.

Sarah Palin, your worse than Michael Vick, you really make me sick.
Ain't got no love for a Canine Killer.

And my heart goes out
to all the cute wolves that we now without
hunting them down in a low flying plain
they die a slow death as they cry in pain
you offered $150 bucks for the leg of a wolf
is that the price of life, is that what it's worth?

Ain't got no love for a Canine Killer.
Ain't got no luuuuuuv

You're a cold blooded killer and thats a fact
you signed the papers to bust a cap
now you got blood on your hands
will you ever understand? thats not the way of this land

Sarah Palin, your worse than Michael Vick, you really make me sick.
Ain't got no love for a Canine Killer.
Ain't got no luuuuuuv!

http://www.defendersactionfund.org

I interfere...

Claire — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 02:28:54 EDT

My dear American friends,I am a French citizen, I can't vote and I can't donate, but may I interfere in your campaign?May I strongly encourage you to register to vote, and, to vote for Barack Obama on November 4th...Do you have friends or acquaintances around you who say they won't vote for Barack Obama because of his color? Please, remind them this:
We all are colored people, some of us are just darker or lighter than others. White is the color of snow, I have not seen people that color, have you?
We all have the same father, therefore, we all are brothers and sisters. Let us be our sisters keepers, let us be our brothers keepers as Barack Obama suggested.Barack Obama is an honest man, he is uncorrupted and he is sincerely concerned about people, he is inspired and inspiring. He suggests realistic solutions, he is so full of good sense. I strongly encourage you to read his last book : "Change we can believe in". Barack Obama has such positive, logical and human plans for your country. If people tell you "we don't know Barack Obama's program" they won't have any excuse, we get it all in this great book.Only Barack Obama can heal the scars of his country, only Barack Obama can heal the wounds of the world. He will be a good President, he will be a great world moral leader too.My dear American friends, I don't want to be intrusive, I just want to send you my strongest and warmest support and encouragements,With love,Claire

Obama - Best Person for the Job

Dawn in Arizona — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:32:54 EDT

Why is there so much resistance to the Wall Street Bailout? The name does not help! but really it is the fact that we can no longer believe anything the Bush Administration says!! If baby Bush had shut up - perhaps it would have been an easier thing to do - Also..there is the fact that the future is unclear and that all that money may not save us! Why can't this "plan" be explained? Why is it so unclear? What America needs is jobs - like Obama says "building from the bottom up" - not bailing out the Big Fat cats(that part is my words).

Why not have an expensive plan to get American jobs going - throw that money at American small business - let them expand.?

The rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer is not a great way to go.

Add to all this that we are the only industrialized country in the whole without universal health care and put it all together.

What do you think?

John Teel- Engineer & Wildlife Advocate - Alaska

Susan Federighi — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 04:32:32 EDT

By JOHN TEEL Special to the Courier & Press Tuesday, September 16, 2008 I shudder at the thought of Sarah Palin as vice president because I live in Alaska and know how violently misaligned Alaskan culture is with the rest of the United States. Not only is there an entire country physically separating Alaska from the United States, but there is a cultural divide just as wide. Palin governs a culture stuck in the 19th century.

Although she has an 80 percent approval rating as governor, keep in mind that most Alaskans are very different from most people in the United States. Nearly everyone in Alaska owns several guns, enjoys trophy hunting, and thinks we should drill for oil anywhere and everywhere. In Alaska many people still use outhouses, rarely bathe or comb their hair, and it's normal not to have electricity and running water. Does this sound like you and your family? If New York City had the population density of Alaska, there would be one person living on Manhattan Island. Alaska is like no other state, and in most regards it's a foreign country with a foreign culture. Alaska was colonized by greedy people who wanted to get rich fast through the consumption of natural resources (minerals, wildlife and oil).

Little has changed in a hundred years, and every industry in Alaska still exploits the land, sea or wildlife. Natural resource extraction is the backbone of Alaska, and it runs through every aspect of Alaskan life. Palin represents the modern face of these pioneer day interests.

Let me highlight some of Palin's atrocities occurring right now in Alaska: Palin offered a bounty of $150 for each right front leg of freshly killed wolves; Palin supports aerial hunting of wolves and bears, even though Alaskans voted twice to ban it; Palin used $400,000 of state money to fund a media campaign supporting aerial hunting; Palin is a champion for big oil and supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; Palin believes man-made global warming is a farce; and Palin opposes listing polar bears as an endangered species and is suing the federal government over it because she thinks it will limit her oil exploitation. The list of her atrocities to the natural world goes on and on.

It is not just a vehement disregard for the environment that makes Palin's policies so horrific. Palin believes that creationism should be taught in public schools; Palin opposes abortion even in cases of rape and incest; and Palin is currently under investigation in Alaska for abuse of power. If Palin ever becomes president, we can kiss the natural world goodbye, along with the freedom we treasure so much in this country. Palin is bad for the planet and bad for America.

John Teel of Homer, Alaska, is a native of Evansville. He is an engineer and wildlife advocate. For more information, visit his Web site, GrizzlyBay.org.

POLICTICAL CLOTHING AT POLLING PLACES

♥Lynn♥ who is now seeing CHANGE in Politics and USA — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:45:05 EDT

This information is very important and we all need to share it.

I received an e-mail stating not to wear any Obama gear at the polls as you will be turned away. I decided to check into this further and in some states there are regulations but you CAN NOT BE TURNED AWAY. Here’s the e-mail spreading around:

E-MAIL BEING SENT:

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE ADVISE EVERYONE YOU KNOW THAT THEY
A BSOLUTELY CAN NOT GO TO THE POLLS WEARING ANY OBAMA SHIRTS, PINS, OR HATS, IT IS AGAINST THE LAW AND WILL BE GROUNDS TO HAVE THE POLLING OFFICIALS TO TURN YOU AWAY.

THAT IS CONSIDERED CAMPAIGNING AND NO ONE CAN CAMPAIGN WITHIN
AMOUNT OF 100 FEET TO THE POLLS. THEY ARE BANKING ON US BEING EXCITED AND NOT BE AWARE OF THIS LONG STANDING LAW THAT YOU CAN BET WILL BE ENFORCED THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THEY ARE BANKING THAT IF YOU ARE TURNED AWAY YOU WILL NOT GO HOME
AND CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES. PLEASE JUST DON'T WEAR OBAMA GEAR OF
ANY SORTS TO THE POLLS!!

PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION, OH AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE ALREADY AWARE THIS WAS NOT MEANT TO INSULT YOUR INTELLIGENCE.

Here's what I have found:

Each state has different regulations and in some states you are not allowed to wear campaign gear so please check your state's regulations (See below) by contacting your Secretary of State. You can not be turned away but may be asked to take the button/sticker/hat off or put a jacket on to cover the T-shirt. I live in California and wore my Obama for President pin during the primaries and nothing was said to me. A voter wearing a t-shirt saying "Vote for X" that shouts "vote for X" or places his T-shirt in the sightline of voters asking support for "X" is obviously electioneering and will be asked to refrain from the conduct at once, and if they continue will be removed.
If you are not sure of the regulations, then I suggest not wearing any campaign gear or at least be prepared to remove it if asked. We can not afford to lose this race. Now the banking crisis is happening and we need Obama/Biden in the White House.

2006- Ten States have regulations explicityly prohibiting the wearing of buttons to the polls - Delaware, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Vermont. Since the date is 2006 I would suggest you check into it further.

http://law.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4685&context=expresso

Here’s some resources to check it out:

http://fightthesmears.com/articles/19/tshirtrumor

snopes.com: Passive Electioneering

GOP seeks ban on political clothing at polling placesBy Mario F. Cattabiani INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20080918_GOP_seeks_ban_on_political_clothing_at_polling_places.html?text=reg&c=y

"Bail Out"

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:43:39 EDT

Bad things are going to happen, with or without the "bail out." They are throwing the politics of fear at us once again.

Bush wants another blank check, just like Iraq ... You see where that got us!

Now, they're conceding "Limited executive compensation." What does that mean? The people who raped our financial system will walk away with only $1,000,000, instead of $10,000,000? That'll hurt! OUCH! Poor CEO's!

And, despite all of this, today the Fed gave (something like) $30,000,000 to 4 countrys who are not exactly hurting (Australia & Finland among them).

Now McShame is going to swoop in & save us all. He has to do something. His #'s are getting worse. So, he'll try to play hero & hope he lands at the right place at the right time so he can once again take the credit for something he didn't do.

Nausaeting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look Who is Endorsing Obama!

Dawn in Arizona — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:39:22 EDT

September 23, 2008The Critters Say Paws Up to Obama-Biden, Too!

Even the nation's animals apparently think the tall, skinny dude from Illinois would be better for them than the ticket with that drown-the-polar-bears, helicopter-hunting, global warming denier.

In an unprecedented move, the Humane Society Legislative Fund has endorsed Senator Obama for President. The HSLF, whose board is bi-partisan, has never before endorsed a presidential ticket. As noted in their endorsement announcement, the organization:

"... evaluates candidates based on a single criterion: where they stand on animal protection policies. We don't make decisions based on party affiliation, or any other social issue, or even how many pets they have. We care about their views and actions on the major policy debates relating to animal welfare. The HSLF board of directors has voted unanimously to endorse Barack Obama for President. The Obama-Biden ticket is the better choice on animal protection, and we urge all voters who care about the humane treatment of animals, no matter what their party affiliation, to vote for them.

The group's statement in support of Obama and Biden is quite an interesting read and I encourage all animal lovers to take a look at the full document. As noted in excerpts of the press release after the jump, Obama and Biden both have been staunch defenders of animal life while McCain has been lukewarm to these issues at best and his vp choice is "so extreme that she has perhaps done more harm to animals than any other current governor in the United States."

Personally, I have many, many reasons why I support Senators Obama and Biden, but until the Humane Society made this endorsement, I did not know of the Senators' admirable (and consistent) support of animal protection efforts. I love 'em even more for this and URGE you to share their record with your undecided friends, relatives and oh... just anybody you encounter between now and Nov. 4.

Continue reading "The Critters Say Paws Up to Obama-Biden, Too!" »

Humane Society Fund endorses Obama/Biden

Jeanne — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:26:37 EDT

For the first time ever, the Humane Society Fund endorses a candidate for President! Please send this along to your friends who love animals. Below is most of the text of the endorsement. You can view their entire statement at the Fund’s blog : http://hslf.typepad.com/political_animal/

*********************************
Humane Society Legislative Fund Endorses Obama-Biden

One of the guiding principles of the Humane Society Legislative Fund is that we evaluate candidates based on a single criterion: where they stand on animal protection policies. We don’t make decisions based on party affiliation, or any other social issue, or even how many pets they have. We care about their views and actions on the major policy debates relating to animal welfare.

I’m proud to announce today that the HSLF board of directors—which is comprised of both Democrats and Republicans—has voted unanimously to endorse Barack Obama for President. The Obama-Biden ticket is the better choice on animal protection, and we urge all voters who care about the humane treatment of animals, no matter what their party affiliation, to vote for them.

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has been a solid supporter of animal protection at both the state and federal levels. As an Illinois state senator, he backed at least a dozen animal protection laws, including those to strengthen the penalties for animal cruelty, to help animal shelters, to promote spaying and neutering, and to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption. In the U.S. Senate, he has consistently co-sponsored multiple bills to combat animal fighting and horse slaughter, and has supported efforts to increase funding for adequate enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, and federal laws to combat animal fighting and puppy mills.

In his response to the HSLF questionnaire, he pledged support for nearly every animal protection bill currently pending in Congress, and said he will work with executive agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior to make their policies more humane. He wrote of the important role animals play in our lives, as companions in our homes, as wildlife in their own environments, and as service animals working with law enforcement and assisting persons with disabilities.

Importantly, Obama’s running mate, Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) has been a stalwart friend of animal welfare advocates in the Senate, and has received high marks year after year on the Humane Scorecard. Biden has not only supported animal protection legislation during his career, but has also led the fight on important issues. He was the co-author with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) in the 108th Congress on legislation to ban the netting of dolphins by commercial tuna fishermen. He was the lead author of a bill in the 107th Congress to prohibit trophy hunting of captive exotic mammals in fenced enclosures, and he successfully passed the bill through the Senate Judiciary Committee.

On the Republican ticket, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has also supported some animal protection bills in Congress, but has been inattentive or opposed to others. He has voted for and co-sponsored legislation to stop horse slaughter, and voted to eliminate a $2 million subsidy for the luxury fur coat industry. But he has largely been absent on other issues, and has failed to co-sponsor a large number of priority bills or sign onto animal protection letters that have had broad support in the Senate.

The McCain campaign did not fill out the HSLF presidential questionnaire, and has also not issued any public statements on animal welfare issues. He was silent during the downed animal scandal and beef recall, which played out during a high-point in the primary fight. Yet he did speak at the NRA convention earlier this year, and is the keynote speaker this weekend in Columbus, Ohio, at the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance rally—an extremist organization that defends the trophy hunting of threatened polar bears and captive shooting of tame animals inside fenced pens.

While McCain’s positions on animal protection have been lukewarm, his choice of running mate cemented our decision to oppose his ticket. Gov. Sarah Palin’s (R-Alaska) retrograde policies on animal welfare and conservation have led to an all-out war on Alaska’s wolves and other creatures. Her record is so extreme that she has perhaps done more harm to animals than any other current governor in the United States.

Palin engineered a campaign of shooting predators from airplanes and helicopters, in order to artificially boost the populations of moose and caribou for trophy hunters. She offered a $150 bounty for the left foreleg of each dead wolf as an economic incentive for pilots and aerial gunners to kill more of the animals, even though Alaska voters had twice approved a ban on the practice. This year, the issue was up again for a vote of the people, and Palin led the fight against it—in fact, she helped to spend $400,000 of public funds to defeat the initiative.

What’s more, when the Bush Administration announced its decision to list the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, Palin filed a lawsuit to reverse that decision. She said it’s the “wrong move” to protect polar bears, even though their habitat is shrinking and ice floes are vanishing due to global warming.

The choice for animals is especially clear now that Palin is in the mix. If Palin is put in a position to succeed McCain, it could mean rolling back decades of progress on animal issues.

Voters who care about protecting wildlife from inhumane and unsporting abuses, enforcing the laws that combat large-scale cruelties like dogfighting and puppy mills, providing humane treatment of animals in agriculture, and addressing other challenges that face animals in our nation, must become active over the next six weeks to elect a president and vice president who share our values. Please spread the word, and tell friends and family members that an honest assessment of the records of the two presidential tickets leads to the inescapable conclusion that Obama-Biden is the choice for humane-minded voters.

STOP THE MOST BRUTAL OF HUNTS- STOP THE SEAL HUNT

Susan Federighi — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:12:30 EDT

If you are having problems reading this email, please click here to view it as a webpage.International Fund for Animal Welfare | September 19, 2008A

Better World for Animals and People

Let your local candidates know you oppose the seal hunt

Dear Susan,

The October 14th federal election is fast approaching and IFAW is working hard to raise the issue of Canada's commercial seal hunt with candidates.

We need you to help us get the seal hunt on the political agenda

Please contact your candidates, let them know you oppose Canada’s commercial seal hunt, and ask them where they stand on this important issue.

Visit www.sealmyvote.ca to find out how you can:

Contact your local candidates and ask them their views on Canada’s commercial seal hunt;
Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper;
Volunteer to help in our election campaign;
Receive additional information on Canada’s commercial seal hunt.

The majority of Canadians oppose the commercial seal hunt*. Let your local candidates know you’re one of them!

Make sure your voice is heard on election day October 14th!

Together we can stop this cruel, needless and wasteful hunt. Please visit www.sealmyvote.ca today and find out how you can help.

Thank you so much for your continued support.

Yours sincerely,

Olivier Bonnet
Director, IFAW Canada

* Environics poll for IFAW, 2008.

This message was sent to sfed147@aol.com

All gifts to IFAW represent a contribution to IFAW's entire mission. Donations will be used where they are most needed to help animals.

Worried about Donating online?
I used to be too ... so I made sure our online system is safe, secure, and state-of-the-art. It also eliminates check-processing costs, so more money goes directly to saving animals. But if you prefer to donate by phone or mail, simply click here for address information.

IFAW is planning to raise an estimated amount of CAN$2.5 million this year on fund-raising campaigns. It will cost our organization an estimated CAN$407,500. The money raised will support IFAW's international animal-welfare campaigns. For further information, please contact the Canadian Supporter Relations Manager at 1-888-500-4329 ext. 241. Our address is 1 Nicholas Street, Suite 612, Ottawa, ON K1N 7B7.

NOTE: To make sure you continue to receive further emails from IFAW, please add olivier@ifaw1.org to your email address book. If you use a spam filter program, please assign this address a status of safe or trusted. If you have an AOL, Hotmail, MSN or Yahoo email address, this is particularly important as we receive many bounce backs from these email addresses.

Remove yourself from all mailings from IFAW Canada (English).

IFAW 2008
www.ifaw.org
Suite 612, 1 Nicholas Street • Ottawa, ON K1N 7B7 • Canada

Vote Now: Is Palin Qualified?

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:21:14 EDT

PBS has a poll that asks: Is Sarah Palin qualified
> You don't have to give your name or email address in
> order to vote.
> It's very simple.
> Here's the link:
>
>
>    http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html

To Those who are Posting Snide Remarks About Obama

La Susa — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 18:40:34 EDT

To those of you who are posting snide remarks about Presidencial Nominee Sen. Barack Obama, just a reminder the Administrator has you IP addresses.

Signs---Free Downloads!!!

La Susa — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 12:33:30 EDT

I ran across some people who have had signs stolen or cannot get any through the online store.

If one's local Obama office dosn't have any signs, or one's sign was stolen, go to the "MEDIA" link above and click on "DOWNLOADS" there one will find free downloads!

To weatherproof slide image inside a plastic sheet protector and glue to cardboard or wood, and then one can use wire to secure to fence or staple to posts.

Ive placed some of my downloads inside my windows of car and home.

!!!!!!GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!!!!!!!

STOP THE SENSELESS DRILLING! Insist on Renewable Clean Energy, SAVE THE POLAR BEARS, amimals and marine life!

Susan Federighi — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 10:50:04 EDT

These senators are from my district. Please look on the websites of your senators and congressmen and women to make those calls. It will just take a few mintues and let the Defender's of Wildlife know you called.and what the response was. Somewhere in the pristine wilderness of AK, the polar bear are living and are unaware that decisions are being made that will put them in even more peril. The pollution, and increased global warming, the inevitable spills, the devastation to the habitat of so may species, instead of concentrating on clean renewable energy, is barbaric. Please stop the drilling that won't even be enough for a bandaid on our ever increasing dependence on oil. Say no to oil. Say no to Sarah Palin! Say thanks, but no thanks to more drilling. Don't buy the adds that big oil companies have paid for to dupe America. They have lied that this is a sane solution.. Save our wilderness, our coastlines, and our endangered, indigenous and MAGNIFICENT ANIMALS. JUST TAKE A COUPLE OF MINUTES. These animals are there. Don't let them disappear. Our children don't deserve the blatant disregard for nature that will leave destruction as a legacy. PLEASE HELP!Susan Federighi

From: actionfund@defenders.org
To: sfed147@aol.com
Sent: 9/9/2008 3:14:49 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time
Subj: Showdown This Week: Big Oil vs. Polar Bears and American Families

If Big Oil Wins, We All Lose
More dirty drilling means more pollution, less innovation and widespread destruction of habitat that animals like polar bears and dolphins need to survive.
Fast Facts
According to the federal Energy Information Administration, offshore drilling would not have a significant impact oil prices before 2030.
At peak production -- 20 years from now -- drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would reduce the price of a gallon of gas by less than 4 pennies.
Dear Susan,
All summer, we’ve fought together to promote sound energy solutions and protect our wildlife from Big Oil. Now it all comes down to this.
Congress is expected to begin voting as soon as this week on energy legislation -- and finally decide between a forward-looking energy policy that helps American families and protects our polar bears dolphins and other wildlife or more dirty drilling and giveaways to Big Oil.
Even if you have already called your Representative or Senators on this issue, please call their Washington, DC offices today at one of the numbers below:
Rep. Lynn C. Woolsey - (202) 225-5161 - http://www.woolsey.house.gov/contactemailform.asp

Sen. Barbara Boxer - (202) 224-3553 - http://boxer.senate.gov/contact/email/policy.cfm
Sen. Dianne Feinstein - (202) 224-3841 - http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs.EmailMe

Once you are connected, just deliver this simple message:
“My name is Susan Federighi and I’m calling from San Rafael because I’m tired of policies that benefit Big Oil but not me. America needs independence from Big Oil and faster, cheaper, better solutions to our energy crisis than drilling.
Please oppose efforts to open more of our natural areas to drilling and support policies that promote energy efficiency, clean, renewable energy and real relief for American families hardest hit by energy prices.”
Help us coordinate our campaign for responsible energy choices. Please let us know that you called your Representative and/or Senators.
We have energy solutions today that can help our economy, our wildlife and our planet, but we need your voice to make sure that’s the path Congress takes. But Republican leaders in Congress and Big Oil’s lobbyists have held America’s energy future hostage for months. Democrats want to pass:
Consumer rebates and other common-sense strategies that would help American families save money at the pump and on home energy costs.
The extension of tax credits to help spur business innovations in clean, affordable and sustainable American energy sources;
Federal investment in clean, renewable energy to reduce dependence on foreign oil.
Legislation to fix out-of-control speculation in the oil markets that has caused energy prices to skyrocket.
The elimination of billions of dollars in tax breaks for Big Oil, even as oil companies post obscene profits.
Renewal of utilities standards for clean energy to help wean America off of foreign oil.
Instead, the Republican leadership has screamed “Drill, baby, drill!” to whoever will listen while Big Oil has poured tens of millions of dollars into a public relations campaign designed to bamboozle Americans into industrializing our coasts and sacrificing our wild places.
Big Oil Republicans have hijacked the legislative process. No bill advances unless it has drilling. Now we need your voice to break the gridlock and put America on the path to true energy independence -- independence from BIG OIL!
Here are the facts, according to the Bush/Cheney Administration’s own analysts at the Department of Energy: Neither offshore drilling nor drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will have a significant impact on the prices that Americans pay for energy in the next decade.
But more dirty drilling would decimate vital habitat for imperiled polar bears, sea turtles, dolphins and other wildlife. It will increase carbon emissions that contribute to global warming and other pollution. It will fuel America’s dangerous and unsustainable dependence on fossil fuels.
And it will mean lining the pockets of oil company executives whose companies are already swimming in obscene profits.
Say no to this energy scam. Call your elected officials now at the phone numbers below and tell Congress to stop letting Big Oil dictate America’s energy future:
Rep. Lynn C. Woolsey - (202) 225-5161 - http://www.woolsey.house.gov/contactemailform.asp

Sen. Barbara Boxer - (202) 224-3553 - http://boxer.senate.gov/contact/email/policy.cfm
Sen. Dianne Feinstein - (202) 224-3841 - http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs.EmailMe

You can also encourage your friends and family to make the call, and don’t forget to let us know that you called, and what kind of response you got. Remember, every voice counts -- not just Big Oil’s and their lobbyists!
With Respect,

Rodger Schlickeisen
President
Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund

P.S. Last week, our sister organization Defenders of Wildlife took on the Bush/Cheney Administration’s own plan for more destructive drilling, mobilizing nearly 34,000 wildlife activists in just 5 days.
With your help, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund can send a powerful message to Congress, too! Please call now to stop Big Oil and their allies on Capitol Hill…

Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Donate Now | Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund Home

© Copyright 2008, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund
This message was sent to sfed147@aol.com.

Please do not respond to this message.
Click here to update your information or unsubscribe.
Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund provides a powerful voice in Washington to Americans who value our conservation heritage. Through grassroots lobbying, issue advocacy and political campaigns, the Action Fund champions those laws and lawmakers that protect wildlife and wild places while working against those that do them harm.
Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund can be contacted at:
1130 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Paid for by Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund at http://www.defendersactionfund.org/ and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

We are Being Bombarded by Abortion Adds in NM

La Susa — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 20:00:01 EDT

We in New Mexico are being bombarded (like every hour on the hour) by a bunch of Anit-Abortion Anti-Obama Adds that I don't understand!!!!! And havn't seen any of the Obama adds in opposition to these yet. I don't know what they mean by Abortion and born alive?

All I do know is that when abortions were illegal women would either use coat hangers to try to abort it themselves, go to Mexico to have it done in an alley there, Clorox and a host of other very dangerous things, or bring the baby to term and throw the poor child away if they did not want anyone to even know about the pregnancy, or give their babies up for aboption.

Today having a baby at 15, 20, or 35 is an ordeal as we had not seen in the past. Now Fathers are required by law to pay child support, to the extent that if they don't their wages are garnished, Drivers Licences taken away, even incarceration. Many fathers cannot afford to legally work!!!!! When one cannot survive on minimume wage as it is, how can poor fathers be required to pay, when realistically they CAN'T!! As result this is forsing many to get into illegal buisness....... Then they get arrested, and we the tax payer pays for their incarceration time/couts/lawers etc. It's one way the rich keep poor folk down.......

Then there are the wacos male and female who instead of paying childsupport would rather murder the children!!!! Children are now but a comodity, not plain children any more. Tensions about Money and child support useto be unheard of, but whao now it's all parents can talk about. I feel children deserve better than that, for they are far more than money!

McCain's Absentee Ballot Vote Fraud

La Susa — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:28:48 EDT

This is from a post to the DoctorsforObama group...

The story is all over Progressive Talk Radio today about the McCain campaign sending absentee ballot applications to registered democrats or people that have donated to Obama's campaign. These ballots are deliberately misleading and have postage paid return addresses that are for an election clerk that is outside of your city or town. What this will end up doing is either having your vote not counted, or if you return one of these, they will cite you for election fraud, saying that you already voted absentee. These ballots are only being sent out in 'purple states' and this is a big deal.. This is called voter caging, and is a huge problem. The McCain campaign is stealing this election as we speak. Please get this information out to as many people as you can ,and tell anyone you know who has received one of these ballots that they need to contact their city election clerk or the supervisor of elections immediately. Also call the local media and let them know what is going on. The main stre am media is never going to cover this so we have to depend on our ground campaign to get the word out to our voters.

Sen. Obaba's 2007 Speach on Econimics

La Susa — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:38:13 EDT

http://www.barackobama.com/2007/09/17/remarks_of_senator_barack_obam_24.php

"We saw it during the Enron and WorldCom scandals when major public companies artificially pumped up their earnings, disguised their losses and otherwise engaged in accounting fraud to make their profits look better - a practice that ultimately led investors to question the balance sheets of all companies.

And we cannot help but see some reflections of these practices when we look at the subprime mortgage fiasco today.

Subprime lending started off as a good idea - helping Americans buy homes who couldn't previously afford to. Financial institutions created new financial instruments that could securitize these loans, slice them into finer and finer risk categories and spread them out among investors around the country and around the world.

In theory, this should have allowed mortgage lending to be less risky and more diversified. But as certain lenders and brokers began to see how much money could be made, they began to lower their standards. Some appraisers began inflating their estimates to get the deals done. Some borrowers started claiming income they didn't have just to qualify for the loans, and some were engaging in irresponsible speculation. But many borrowers were tricked into glossing over the fine print. And ratings agencies began rating bundles of different kinds of these loans as low-risk even though they were very high-risk.

Most everyone knew that some of these deals were just too good to be true, but all that money flowing in made it tempting to look the other way and ignore the unscrupulous practice of some bad actors

And yet, time and again we were warned this could happen. Ned Gramlich, the former Fed governor who sadly passed away two weeks ago, wrote an entire book predicting this very situation. Repeated calls for better disclosure and stronger oversight were met with millions in mortgage industry lobbying. Far too many continued to put their own short-term gain ahead of what they knew the long-term consequences would be when those rates exploded.

Those consequences are now clear: nearly 2.5 million homeowners could lose their homes. Millions more who had nothing to do with this could see the value of their own home decline - with some estimates projecting a cost of nearly $164 billion, primarily in lost home equity. The projected cost to investors is nearly $150 billion worldwide. And the impact on the housing market and wider economy has been so great that some economists are now predicting a possible recession - a prediction all of us hope does not come to pass.

There are a number of lessons that we must learn from this going forward. We know that much of this could have been avoided if the market operated with more honesty and accountability. We also know we would have been far better off if there were greater transparency and more information had been available to the American people.

To that extent, I believe there are a few steps we should take to prevent future crises of this kind and restore some measure of public trust in the market:

First, we need more disclosure and accountability in the housing market. To ensure that potential homeowners aren't tricked into purchasing loans they can't afford, I've proposed updating the current mortgage rules to establish a federal definition of mortgage fraud and enact tough penalties against lenders who knowingly act in bad faith. I've also proposed a Home Score system that would create a simplified, standardized metric for home mortgages, sort of like the APR. This would empower Americans to make smart decisions by allowing prospective buyers to easily compare various mortgage products so they can find out whether they can afford the payments. And I believe we should finally enact the meaningful mortgage disclosure laws that the mortgage industry has been lobbying against for far too long.

Second, I believe that if we hope to restore trust in the markets, we must be able to trust the judgment of our rating agencies. The failure of government to exercise adequate oversight over the rating agencies will cost investors and public pension funds billions of dollars - losses we have not yet fully recognized. We cannot let the public trust be lost by a conflict of interest between the rating agencies and the people they're rating. As Arthur Levitt recently reminded us, this happened when rating agencies continued to give a rosy outlook for Enron despite its impending bankruptcy. And of course we saw it this year when subprime mortgage loans continued to receive strong ratings despite repeated warnings of the instability of the mortgages and the impending slowdown of the housing market.

Here's the real danger - if the public comes to view this like the accounting analyses of Enron, the markets will be ravished by a crisis in confidence. We must take steps to avoid that at all costs, and that is why I believe there should be an immediate investigation of the relationship and business practices of rating agencies and their clients.

The third thing we need to do is look at other areas in the market where a lack of transparency could lead to similar problems. Many of the people who hold these subprime mortgages are now shifting their debt to credit cards, and if they do not understand the commitments they're taking on, or are subjected to predatory practices, this could fester into a second crisis down the road. That's why I'm proposing a five-star credit card rating system to inform consumers about the level of risk involved in every credit card they sign up for, including how easily the company can change the interest rate. If more Americans were armed with this kind of information before they purchased risky mortgage loans, the current crisis might not have happened. Now that so many are in debt, we shouldn't let the same lax standards create another.

Finally, while it's not my place to comment on the actions of the Fed, I have heard many of you say that you hope for a sizable rate cut tomorrow to soothe the market turmoil."

Sen. Barack Obama 2007

Reprint Post by -Marie from Claremore, OK-

La Susa — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:08:46 EDT

The real Sarah PalinBy Marie from Claremore, OK - Sep 16th, 2008 at 5:53 pm EDT

THIS INFORMATION WAS COPIED FROM DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE

www.DEFENDERSACTIONFUND.ORG/PALIN

Sarah Palin and the Environment
Governor Sarah Palin has an extreme anti-conservation record on issues ranging from global warming, energy and drilling to wildlife and habitat protection.

Aerial hunting of wolves and bears

Governor Palin is an active promoter of Alaska's aerial hunting program whereby wolves and bears are shot from the air or chased by airplanes to the point of exhaustion before the pilot lands the plane and a gunner shoots the animals point blank.

Palin offered a $150 bounty for wolves to entice hunters to kill more wolves in certain parts of the state, with hunters having to present a wolf's foreleg to collect the bounty.

She actively opposed a ballot measure campaign seeking to end the aerial hunting of wolves by private hunters and approved a $400,000 state-funded campaign aimed at swaying people's votes on the issue.

She also introduced legislation to make it easier to kill wolves and bears and which would have also removed the aerial hunting initiative from the ballot and block the ability of citizens to vote on the issue.

The Board of Game, which she appoints, has approved the killing of black bear sows with cubs as part of the program and expanded the aerial control programs.

The media is currently looking into reports that state officials implementing one of the aerial wolf killing programs illegally killed five-week old wolf pups just outside their dens.

Global Warming

As recently as August 2008, Governor Palin questioned whether man-made fossil fuel emissions are responsible for global warming, defying worldwide scientific consensus (Newsmax 8/29/08). And her drill-drill-drill approach to energy issues will do nothing to ease the causes of global warming, promote the use of clean, renewable energy sources, or break our addiction to foreign oil.

Endangered Species

Palin has repeatedly opposed the listing of endangered animals under the Endangered Species List despite overwhelming scientific evidence that such listings are warranted.

Polar Bear

The U.S. Geological Survey predicts that loss of summer sea ice - crucial habitat for polar bears - could lead to the demise of two-thirds of the world's polar bears by mid-century, including all of Alaska's polar bears. The Bush administration has proposed listing the polar bears as threatened under the ESA to help protect polar bear habitat from threats such as oil and gas development.

Governor Palin has actively opposed the listing of the polar bear despite the fact that Alaska's top marine mammal biologists agreed with the federal scientists who believed the bear should be listed. She wrote the Secretary of Interior urging him not to list the bear on the ground it might hurt the state's oil- and gas-dependent economy. After the bear was listed, she recently filed suit seeking to overturn the listing of polar bears.

Beluga Whales

Alaska's Cook Inlet beluga whales are a unique group of white whales whose numbers have dramatically declined in the past two decades due to pressures ranging from pollution to increased ship traffic. Governor Palin opposes the listing of the Cook Inlet beluga whales, citing the listing as a threat to oil and gas development, despite their genetic uniqueness and the fact that their numbers have decreased from 1,300 in the 1980s to about 350 today.

Drilling

Palin is a strong supporter of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a vital wilderness area. It is home to hundreds of thousands of caribou who use the refuge as a calving ground, more than one million migratory birds, and countless other wildlife. It's the most important onshore denning habitat for female polar bears. Senator McCain himself has repeatedly voted to protect this pristine wilderness area. Palin is also a supporter of drilling in Bristol Bay and other offshore sites despite the risks to sensitive marine wildlife in the area, including the endangered polar bear and Beluga whale.

Clean Water and Pebble Mine

Governor Palin actively campaigned against a state ballot measure this summer aimed at protecting Alaska's Bristol Bay. The mining industry seeks to develop a gold and copper mine in the area that would pollute the Bay's headwaters and threaten the spawning grounds for the largest remaining wild salmon run. The initiative would have prevented large-scale mining operations from dumping waste materials into salmon watersheds."

Cindy McCain : rodeo queen of Arizona

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 11:12:46 EDT

Cindy Hensley was named Junior Rodeo Queen of Arizona in 1968
She grew up in affluence, vacationing at a beach house on Coronado Island near San Diego and becoming a rodeo beauty queen.
http://www.coxwashington.com/news/content/reporters/stories/2008/02/24/CINDY_MCCAIN24_COX.html

The Truth About Sarah Palin

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:31:49 EDT

Barbarians for Sarah Palin! (original unedited photo)

Sarah Palin Supports the Aerial Hunting of Wolves

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T85cOGc8L0

ALASKAN WOLFS - AERIAL HUNTING - STOP!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G2pb1VeEgg

Sarah Palin Champions Barbaric Aerial Hunting of Wolves

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

The Truth About Sarah Palin
http://www.grizzlybay.org/SarahPalinInfoPage.htm

Sarah Palin proudly displaying a grizzly bear her father killed

Republican Party (US) No Friend to Animals

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 09:17:01 EDT

http://images.ocregister.com/newsimages/opinion/2008/09/08_0908web4_large.jpg

John McCain has just announced his choice for the Republican VP slot: Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who is no friend to animals. In 2007, Palin announced a $150 bounty for wolves. Why? Because wolves prey on moose and caribou, two favorite targets for hunters in Alaska. So Palin instituted a program to encourage hunters to kill wolves so that there would be more moose and caribou for hunters to kill. A lawsuit by Defenders of Wildlife resulted in the Alaska Superior Court ruling that the state Department of Fish and Game did not have the authority to institute a bounty program. A state program to shoot wolves and bears from the air continues, and on August 26, 2008, Ballot Measure 2, which would have stopped the aerial gunning of predators, was defeated by state voters.

Palin is also a hunter and a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association.

In addition, Palin has sued the Bush administration to delist polar bears under the Endangered Species Act because the protection of polar bears interferes with drilling for oil and gas. Palin even penned an op-ed for the New York Times, explaining her scientific arguments against protecting polar bears. Isn't it funny how her op-ed doesn't mention drilling for oil?

Needless to say, from an animal rights standpoint, Sarah Palin would be a disastrous VP.

More Reading:

http://animalrights.about.com/b/2008/08/29/mccains-vp-pick-sarah-palin-no-friend-to-animals.htm

Defender's of Wildlife Action Fund - NO TO PALIN!

Susan Federighi — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:51:59 EDT

Dear Susan,

We’re getting the word out to voters about Governor Sarah Palin’s barbaric record on killing America’s wildlife, especially her active promotion of the brutal aerial hunting of wolves and bears.

Since Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund released our hard-hitting video on her support for the wolf slaughter last week…

Nearly 450,000 potential voters have read our email!
More than 68,000 potential voters have viewed the video on YouTube, with many more spread the word by re-posting the video on their websites and blogs and forwarding it to friends.
CNN and other news outlets have picked up the story, running clips from Defenders of Wildlife Action fund and our sister organization Defenders of Wildlife.

To reach hundreds of thousands of swing voters who will help decide this election, we’ve created a powerful new television spot detailing Governor Palin’s efforts to kill wolves and bears. But we can only run it with your financial help today.

Click here to watch our new television ad on Governor Palin’s support for aerial hunting and help us run it on television stations starting in Ohio, one of the handful of swing states that will decide the election.

Warning: This television ad -- like the governor’s support for this brutal practice -- is disturbing.

Susan, running a television ad during an election year is expensive. We need to raise $100,000 by September 17th to run this ad and support our work to provide a voice for endangered wildlife.

We’ve had hundreds of calls and emails from our supporters urging us to get the word out on Governor Palin’s bounty proposal to reward wolf killers with a $150 check and her support for aerial hunting of wolves and bears. Please donate $40 or whatever you can afford today to help us raise the funds we need to get the word out.

We have plenty of work to do.

As governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin has proposed paying a $150 bounty for the foreleg of each dead wolf. The aerial hunting program she champions has already killed nearly 800 wolves. She’s opposed efforts to save America’s polar bears from extinction. She’s fought against efforts to save some of the world’s most endangered beluga whales.

At nearly every opportunity, Governor Palin has sided with Big Oil, mining companies, wealthy trophy hunters and other entrenched special interests in support of policies that would greatly harm the wild animals we treasure.

American voters deserve to know the truth about Governor Sarah Palin’s record that’s killing our wildlife. Please donate today to help us run our new ad in Ohio next week, a key swing state.

With the election less than 50 days away, we don’t have much time to help voters learn about the real Sarah Palin. Please donate $40 or whatever you can afford today to help us spread the word.

With Gratitude,

Rodger Schlickeisen
President
Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund

P.S. We don’t have much time to get our Palin ad on the air. Please make a secure contribution online today or call 1-800-425-4632 to make your contribution by phone.

This message was sent to sfed147@aol.com.

Please do not respond to this message.
Click here to update your information or unsubscribe.

Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund provides a powerful voice in Washington to Americans who value our conservation heritage. Through grassroots lobbying, issue advocacy and political campaigns, the Action Fund champions those laws and lawmakers that protect wildlife and wild places while working against those that do them harm.

Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund can be contacted at:
1130 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036

$10 million Donated in One Day!

Jennifer — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:56:07 EDT

I just read on CNN that the Obama Campaign raised $10 million dollars after Palin's speech. That is absolutely amazing! The McCain Camp only raised $1 million dollars after her speech! And after reading all the comments, there were tears in my eyes. More people going to donate, more people getting fired up, more people fighting back against the hate and lies the republicans spew constantly. It feels like change is coming.

You can tell the republicans are scared. The rare negative comment that made it onto CNN usually went something like, "Money doesn't win elections, votes do, and McCain is leading in the polls." I don't know what fantasy world they're living in. Every poll I've seen has Obama leading. Every poll I've seen shows Obama leading in key states, in toss up states. Wake up and smell what the Barack is cooking! (haha that was funny)

Lets all continue to donate! Lets show the republicans that they've done nothing but encourged us all to donate more to make sure Obama is elected the next president of the USA!

How I feel About Palin!

Late To The Party: Toni — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:45:03 EDT

This is about the issues. Hilary Rosen expressed what I feel about Palin. John McCain would make a terrible president.
Toni

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

By Hilary RosenCNN Contributor

Editor's note: CNN contributor Hilary Rosen is the political director and Washington editor at large of HuffingtonPost.com, which describes itself as an Internet newspaper and focuses on politics from a liberal point of view. A longtime Democratic adviser, Rosen is a former CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America and supported Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.

Hilary Rosen says she empathizes with Sarah Palin's personal choices but opposes her political views.

(CNN) -- Warning! This pundit isn't feeling the same way as many of my colleagues about Sarah Palin. She is being attacked for her lack of experience for the job and for whether she should be putting her family first instead of her career.

This just isn't that unusual in my book. And the more it goes on, the more uncomfortable I feel with that message.

Let's reflect. In her acceptance speech, we saw a woman who was compelling, charming and aggressively partisan. She succeeded in demonstrating that she is a regular mom who came to government to make a difference.

And she had that crowd in the convention hall eating out of her hands. Celebrity? It will be hard for the Republicans to attack Sen. Barack Obama for his celebrity now that they have one of their own.

A superstar of the radical right was made Wednesday night. And she may also have made some headway with those who buy her folksiness without knowing the extreme nature of her actual policy views. Read the transcript of Palin's speech

So where does this leave us as Democrats in making the case against Sarah Palin and her running mate for president? What is the choice now for the American people? There is a really strong case to be made against the McCain/Palin ticket and Democrats need to make it the right way, right away.

I am a woman who someone took a chance on several years ago when they gave me a job that had only previously been done by old white guys. Experience? How do you get any if no one takes a chance on you? And the decision to take a chance can be instinctive, as John McCain said.

And what about the argument that she is a negligent mother who will be distracted from her important role? I am a mother who constantly feels the pressure from others about whether I am fit to be a parent, whether I put my kids first often enough and whether my children get enough of my attention. Who has the right to judge my family?

My grandmother always said, "You can't tell time on someone else's clock." Judgments about people's personal lives are better left unsaid and unrealized.

So why then do I think that Sarah Palin would be a terrible vice president? Because I also think that John McCain would be a terrible president.

I don't care about how Sarah Palin or John McCain take care of their families. I care about how their policy choices affect my family and millions of other Americans.

McCain and Palin get their health insurance paid for by the government (hers in Alaska and his in Washington). Yet they oppose giving the nearly 46 million uninsured Americans the same access to affordable health care.

John McCain's kids don't have to worry about paying for college. Yet he has opposed every single education support program to help others.

McCain and Palin say they will stand up to oil companies. Yet the only energy policy they support gives millions of dollars in tax breaks to oil companies to do more drilling and he has opposed every piece of federal legislation to explore alternative fuel sources.

McCain and Palin say they will revamp how Washington does business. Yet his campaign is filled with lobbyists and she has cooperated with Sen. Ted Stevens in funneling federal money for useless projects in Alaska for years. And McCain and Palin have no solutions for Americans worrying about their jobs in a fragile economy.

McCain and Palin want us to leave their families alone. Yet they want to make rules for our families by eliminating our right to make our own choices over abortion, eliminate our access to family planning education or domestic partner benefits, and our freedom from discrimination.

They want to control what our kids learn in school about sex and about science. In short, through the policies they promote and the judges they support, they want the government to have more control over our private lives than at any time in history.

McCain and Palin now say their campaign is about change, too. Yet the only real change they have proposed is a change from a suit to a skirt in the vice president's office and one man fighting a misplaced war for another in the Oval Office.

That seems to me to be the right reason to oppose them in November. It's not the process or the people, it's what they represent. This unconventional choice of a vice presidential nominee by John McCain won't result in a win in November, because McCain and Palin are the wrong choice for the country.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer and me too.

Palin Business shit Down/Current t.v.

Dawn in Arizona — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:22:42 EDT

Palin business shut down by state

The WaPo is now reporting that Sarah Palin and her husband were part owners of a business that was shut down by the state for noncompliance with state regulations:

State records show the business ran into trouble with Alaska's division of corporations business and professional licensing after Palin became governor of the state in 2006.

A Feb. 11, 2007 letter to the governor's business partner advises that the car wash had "not filed its biennial report and/or paid its biennial fees," which were more than a year overdue. The warning letter was written on state letterhead, which carried Palin's name at the top, next to the state seal.

On April 3, 2007, the state went further and issued a "certificate of involuntary dissolution" because of the car wash's failure to file its report and pay state licensing fees.

How can this woman be trusted to run the U.S. government if she can't even run a carwash in Anchorage with plenty of help? The WaPo is now reporting that Sarah Palin and her husband were part owners of a business that was shut down by the state for noncompl...

Where Do the Veep Candidates Stand on Animals?

BarbaraM — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 22:51:17 EDT

Important article for animal advocates from the Humane Society of the US:

Where Do the Veep Candidates Stand on Animals?

"As of today, the contrast could not be more clear: While Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) has been a leader in the Senate to protect marine mammals and exotic wildlife, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) has denied the threats facing polar bears and has led her state's efforts to gun down wolves from airplanes and helicopters.

McCain announced this morning that the GOP ticket now includes Gov. Palin, who is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association and, despite her youth and good looks, is a throwback on animal issues. Having her one heartbeat from the presidency should strike fear into any animal advocate in the nation. The Palin Administration has waged an all-out war on Alaska's predators to artificially boost the populations of moose and caribou for trophy hunters, and has tried to pass legislation making it easier for state officials to gun down wolves and bears from the sky."

Please send this artcle to everyone you know who cares about animal advocacy. Thanks!

We must get to work NOW!

Late To The Party: Toni — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 15:34:21 EDT

The below was written by one of mybarackobama group members: dmbfan1999@gmail.com. He expresses my sentiments exactly! We must get to work. Right Now!

__________________________________________________________________________________

Fellow O/B supporters, when we look at Sarah Palin we see an inexperienced politician who has no business being in this national race. We see someone who will be easily manipulated by the neo-cons to further their "war on terror" and funnel billions more tax dollars into the pockets of the military industrial complex and big oil companies.

When right-wing, conservative Evangelicals look at Ms. Palin, they see a gift from God.

Yes, we see through the cheap, transparent, manipulative Rove-esque tactics, and post our rants online as blogs and nytimes.comcomments. But this running mate was not chosen for us. It was chosen to solidify the conservative base, who is not reading blogs and sending emails. They are sitting in church and chatting with their fellow church-goer about how McCain has made such a wonderful choice in picking his veep. Not only does she talk the talk about being pro-life, she walks the walk by giving birth to a baby with Down Syndrome. Not only is she a charmer and a looker, but if we vote for her she will be the first woman Vice-President. We can be apart of history.

Therefore, do not read the blogs and internet postings and think it is a good gauge of the national consciousness on this choice. The people whom this was aimed at and are rejoicing over this pick are NOT online blogging and emailing.

So, in the end it comes down to what do we as Obama/ Biden supporters do to take this country in a new and better direction.

Well, we can sit and bang out email after email about how Palin wants to shoot wolves from helicopters. We can blog about how she is in favor of teaching the creation story along side the theory of evolution in our public schools. We can even try to start rumors about how her four month old baby might not even be hers, but is actually her seventeen year old daughter's.

Obama/ Biden supporters you are wasting your time! Not only are you "preaching to the choir" (sorry, i could not think of another metaphor), but your message is not being read by the other side. Besides even if they did read it, they would look you in the face and say, "Well, God put us in charge of the animals, and their numbers need to be thinned out for the new oil pipeline going through Alaska. And why not teach creationism in schools, both sides need to be represented. And abortion is murder."

Therefore, we need to mobilize and TAKE ACTION like never before. Here is a list of things we can do in order to help elect Barack Obama.

1. Donate money. Remember, Obama is not taking public financing so we are responsible for fueling his campaign with the resources he needs to take our message into those battleground states.

2. Phonebanking. During the primaries i did some phonebanking and i cannot express to you how rewarding of an experience this is. At first it seems daunting, but in the end chatting with potential voters about our message of hope, peace and change is very gratifying.

3. Canvassing. Going door to door to chat with potential voters and show your enthusiasm for the Obama/ Biden ticket is satisfying, and also demonstrates that this is a national movement, not empty rhetoric.

4. Write letters to local newspapers. Not the .com newspaper, but the ones that used to be (maybe still do) sitting at your front door in the morning. This is the medium through which social conservatives receive their news and information. Do NOT express outrage, but our message of hope, peace and change.

5. Stay away from moral issues. When discussing Obama/ Biden, stay away from these moral issues and focus on how McCain does not get it. That he is out of touch. That he has been wrong time and time again. That Obama/ Biden get it. Have excellent judgement and intellect and can lead this country in a new and better direction.

6. Ignore Palin. The best thing we can do is to ignore her. The only reason she was brought on to the ticket was to energize the conservative base. Those individuals vote with their gut, (with emotion) over moral issues. There is no amount of convincing we can do in order to change their minds on these issues. If we are lucky, the harsh continuous light of the national media on Ms. Palin will cause a gaffe or misstep on her part.

My Fellow Obama/ Biden supporters i implore you, do not underestimate these social conservatives. Rove has said before, that he wanted to (and has for the last eight years) establish a permanent Republican majority. This is how he has done it. Ladies and gentlemen, they will succeed again. If you do not believe me, go back and analyze the results of the last two general elections. More women than men vote.

That is unless, we get out from in front of our laptops (only after donating $5 to the campaign) and get our message of hope, peace and change out to the American people.

I encourage replies (and forwarding of this email), to my comments above, but also include action items, and ideas on what we can DO to elect Barack Obama as President and Joe Biden as Vice-President of the United States of America.

__________________________________________________________________________________

The above was written by one of mybarackobama group members: dmbfan1999@gmail.com. He expresses my sentiments exactly! We must get to work. Right Now!

Hope & Change Site

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:28:57 EDT

blog@barackobama.com - Tell HQ to post this one!

Here is our submission for the Hope & Change Site: (the kitty in the picture is no longer with us)

Submit your own here:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/photos1

McCain & the lack of American Jobs

Dawn in Arizona — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:36:21 EDT

Here in Arizona where McCain has ruled for far to long - our jobs have, with a steady pace, gone away. Arizona has always been, since I moved here after college,been one of the biggest new housing markets in the U.S. So how could jobs vanish? He should try the TRUTH. The roofing/landscaping/plumbing/sheet rocking/and so on for new homes have been given to illegal workers who the companies wanted(wanted) to keep illegal. Why? (you know this is going to be about money!) An undocumented worker has no rights - they are paid off the books and get No Rights. If they are hurt on site they are told "to bad". Try looking up The Keating 5 land deals McCain got unto - from the top down large companies have made a tremendous amount of money on the backs of Mexican workers streaming into Arizona....and McCain never once tryed to stop this! Americans who wanted the same jobs, contractors that had played by the rules, were licensed by the state could not get contracts - only the ones who kept costs very low with illegal workers. Still to this day WalMart has for janitorial staff at night nothing but illegal people, every so often they go in and bust one store. Yesterday the Maricopa County Sheriffs office raided a exptremely large landscaping business. This is also a Human Rights issue as the people with familys who just want a job must bend to no insurance, no workmans compensation. McCain has helped to ruin the Arizona job market with greed - do not let him ruin the American economy further! Fired Up! Dawn in Arizona

Another WonderfuL Convention Night: GO to a Acceptance Party

Late To The Party: Toni — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:08:54 EDT

Hello. Hello.The bags under my eyes are big enough to put two SUV’s in but that is not going to stop me from staying up very late again tonight. As a Hillary supporter working hard for Barack, I hope that the last two days were enough to put all that hateful and nasty talk away. Joe Biden gave a great speech. He hit them and he hit them hard.Who do the Republicans have that can match the status and the drawing power of the Clintons. Only Barack exceeds their draw and he is with us. W, W’s dad? Nope, not them. They do have Ronald Regan but he is dead so I don’t think he’ll be giving a speech but you never know what the Republicans might do. I hope that everyone is going to share our moment tonight with another supporter. I have had people over every convention night and we have really enjoyed the banter and the party. It was very nice to share and to hear our various opinions of the speeches and the convention. Keep working.