Jacksonville, FL for Barack

FL OFA director in Jacksonville May 2, 2009

Becky Hussein Obama — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:13:47 EDT

(reprinted with permission)

JOIN ORGANIZING FOR AMERICA AND DUVAL COUNTY FOR CHANGE IN OUR COLLABORATIVE EFFORT TO PASS HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION IN WASHINGTON

Duval County For Change is asking every concerned citizen, health care professional, health care advocate, union leaders, union members, AARP, Planned Parenthood, NOW, JCCI, and all advocates striving for health care reform to build a "Health Care Team" in our community as requested by President Obama through Organizing for America.

Join us at our next meeting, Saturday May 2, 1-3 pm at the Deerwood Branch Public Library on Deerwood Park Blvd. John Bivona, Florida director of Organizing for America, will be speaking about OFA's plan for Health Care Teams to be built around the country in a collective duty to achieve health care reform legislation.

In order to realize the change that we all fought so hard for during the election, we must continue to reach out to our neighbors and leaders to involve them in this movement. Collecting pledges, and stories, building a team, and identifying what services, and groups right here in northeast Florida will benefit from health care reform legislation, will allow us to demonstrate the urgent need for leadership and support in Washington for the true need of health care reform.

Our legislators can't ignore personal stories, professional support, a strong coalition of partners speaking in favor of the need for health care reform, and providing specific local services, and groups who will benefit from national health care reform. This effort will demonstrate the need of making this national policy a "local policy." It is our duty as Americans to work together and achieve health care for all and for future generations. Please contact 238-9744 for further details. Also visit www.my.barackobama.com for further information about this movement.

(copied/pasted with permission)

Land Use Referendum

Becky Hussein Obama — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 11:13:58 EDT

Good morning!

An item of interest appeared in today's Florida Times Union that I wanted to share with you. Columnist Ron Littlepage mentioned an organization in his article this morning that you might want to consider supporting. It is Florida Hometown Democracy. http://floridahometowndemocracy.com/

This group is working to put comprehensive land use planning decisions in the hands of voters. Instead of leaving it up to city council, it would be put on the ballot for citizens to determine whether changes would best serve their communities. Here is an excerpt from their website:

What does the Florida Hometown Democracy Petition say?

This amendment, if adopted, will give you, the Florida voter, the right to decide whether your city or county Comprehensive Land Use plan should be changed. Currently, city councils and county commissions make those decisions.

Why is this amendment needed?

Currently, it is just too easy for wealthy developers to obtain comprehensive plan amendments - all they have to do is persuade a majority of a city or county commission to grant a change. Because comprehensive plan amendments determine the destiny of a community for generations to come, it is vital that changes to a comprehensive plan truly reflect the concerns of the voters. This will be accomplished through the Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment.

****I wonder if this referendum could have spared Mayport Village all their recent turmoil with Jaxport. Residents of San Marco opposed to the proposed changes on Hendricks Avenue would surely like to vote on that issue.

Duval County for Change Meeting

Becky Hussein Obama — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:39:56 EST

Please join Duval County For Change at our next meeting to be held on Saturday, March 7, 2009, at the Southeast Library, 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd., from 1pm to 3pm. We will discuss the possibility of hosting a Procession for the Future, the Backbone Campaign's touring parade, designed to organize, inspire, educate, and train more effective progressive activists. In addition, we'll encourage everyone to visit http://www.bidthelandfill.org/ and sign the petition, write letters, and phone the city council in support of putting the landfill contract up for bid. Other issues where letter writing may have an impact will be discussed, and we'll exchange ideas about a website, and future guest speakers.

MAYPORT UPDATE

Becky Hussein Obama — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:12:21 EST

I received permission from Andrew Miller to post this here for those of you who are interested in supporting Mayport Village:Good morning Mayport supporter! Not much has happened since the last Mayport update, but I wanted to check in and let you know about some upcoming events.

1) On Monday, March 2, we will be showing our documentary "One Village, Same Ocean" at the Atlantic Theaters. This time we will have two showings, one at 6:20pm, and one at 7:40pm. Cost of admission has been lowered to $5.00 because we will not be able to provide Mayport shrimp. If you are a resident of Mayport OR if you attended the premier your cost of admission is FREE, so bring along a friend and enjoy the experience again! Before and after the screenings we will have sign-up sheets for more information on the issues, more information about the soon-to-be-released DVDs, and petitions.
2) Next Tuesday, March 3, the Land Use and Zoning Committee has the three ordinances at the heart of this matter on its agenda. Whether the agenda will change before then is anyone's guess, but please be assured that we are keeping an eye on the LUZ's progress. For future reference, if you want to look at upcoming agendas for LUZ or City Council meetings, simply go to this site:
http://citycirc.coj.net/coj/.
3) On Monday, March 9, we will have our third screening of "One Village, Same Ocean." This screening could be pivotal as the City Council might vote on the three big ordinances the very next day, and we would like to show them how this community feels about Mayport, and how it feels about the proposed cruise terminal.
4) We expect a response to our complaint from Jaxport and the City of Jacksonville by March 10, 2009.
5) The City Council will meet to POSSIBLY vote on the three
ordinances Jaxport has proposed. If the Council does vote on the matter then public comment will be allowed.

That is all for now. We are still seeking donations and
contributions. The support we saw at the movie premier was
outstanding, and you all helped us to raise over $2,000! But
litigation is costly, and if the City Council votes to approve the three ordinances we will be fighting THREE lawsuits at once. For more information on how to donate or become a member of the Public Trust for $25.00, please call me at (904) 247-1972 ext. 418, or email me at adm@publictrustlaw.org. Feel free to check out our website too!
www.publictrustlaw.org

Thank you!
Andy

--
Andrew Miller
Executive Director
Public Trust Environmental Legal Institute of Florida
2029 North Third Street
Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
Phone (904) 247-1972 ext. 418
Fax (904) 247-5433

"If only people realized the power of people."
-John Lennon

Duval County For Change

Becky Hussein Obama — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:20:25 EST

Please join Duval County for Change at our next meeting on Saturday, Feb. 21st, from 1-3pm. It will be held at the Univeristy of North Florida, 4567 St. Johns Bluff Rd S., Building 51, 2nd floor, Political Science Confernce Room. Parking is available on any floor except the 1st floor, with a $2.00 parking fee.

We will review topics from the last meeting concerning OFA's outline for the economy and the economic stimulus package. We'll discuss plans for involvement in several local issues, such as the landfill and Mayport. Ideas are welcome and everyone is encouraged to give their input on how to bring positive change to Duval County.

Virtual Brainstorm: How can we help folks with mortgages or electric bills?

Casie — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:33:28 EST

Good morning everybody,

Our group received a request for assistance with mortgage payments and/or electric bills this week. While we don't have any monetary funds at this time, I would like to open up a virtual discussion about how we could solve these issues locally. If you know of existing groups or programs in place to solve these issues, please post them here. If you have ideas about how we ourselves could be of service, please post those as well.

To get you started thinking, I will post some of the ideas folks have come up with so far:

I had one thought, which was that Chris and I could unplug things and turn down the heat, lose the cable tv, etc. and then "adopt" a family to help with their electric bill. Riverside for Change families could decide to participate on a household basis, and maybe single folks could partner up to "adopt" a family. We'd be helping the environment and our neighbors.

Holly put forward that The Jacksonville Urban League has housing counseling programs, for buying homes and for finding subsidized housing. http://www.jaxul.org/

Anybody else have ideas?

Casie Simpson
Riverside for Change

Contact City council asap: $750,000,000 No-bid Waste Management Contract

Casie — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:25:55 EST

Hey everybody,

Max Wood and the Young Democrats have alerted me of the need to contact city council and urge them to vote "no" on the $750,000,000, 35-year no-bid contract to give Trail Ridge over to Waste Management. All you need to do is e-mail cityc@coj.net. Let them know, briefly, that you'd like the Trail Ridge bid to be open, competitive, transparent, and fair. Ask them to vote "no" on the mayor's contract proposal. The e-mail can be as short as a couple of sentences. You can even copy my letter below and change it as you see fit!

Bringing this contract down would establish a mighty precedent: Jacksonville residents will not tolerate any more no-bid contracts.

Example:

Dear City Council Members,

As one of your constituents, I urge you to vote "no" on the no-bid Waste Management contract for Trail Ridge. In these tough economic times, it seems both unethical and irresponsible to approve a $750,000,000 contract without opening the bid to other vendors. Jacksonville residents deserve a competitive, transparent, and fair bidding process for all contracts — especially one of such magnitude.

Thank you,

Casie

Unity

Juli in JAX — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:25:47 EST

Republicans are united.

They say they are standing up for their principles.

They say they are the Party of small government and fiscal responsibility.

Looking back on the past 8 years,

with the increases in the size of government and the federal deficit,

I would have to say they are the Party of Hypocrisy,

or maybe Amnesia.

And what does 'small government' mean?

As Grover Norquist said: "government small enough to drown in a bathtub"

or in New Orleans, as the case may be.

They mean the only thing for which citizens should be taxed is the cost of Defense.

No Public Schools

No Health Care or medical research

No Social Security

No Environmental Protection Agency

No Interstate Highways

No National Parks or Monuments

They believe all of these should be left up to the States to decide

whether they are necessary and how to fund them

In other words, every State with its own policies,

loosely confederated to maintain a common National Defense.

United only in War

Republicans are united against the United States of America

One way they can stand by their principle to shrink the size of government

would be to resign their positions

Now

Today

Will Obama change his decision?

Creatng change in Florida — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:04:06 EST

As a gay man, and supporter of Barack Obama from very early on, I as well as thousands of other gays and lesbians feel deeply insulted and betrayed by the selection of Rick Warren to give the invocation at his innauguration. Obama claims to support the GLBT community, but will invite a divisive and bigotted preacher of hate and fear to speak first in the innauguration ceremony. What kind of message is this to the GLBT community? Will we see a continued diminishing of our rights as we have under the Bush administration? How are we expected to believe in a president with so little regard to one of the strongest voting groups that supported him? It is not too late for the president-elect to change his choice in this matter! I urge all supporters of the GLBT community to speak out, and make your voices heard! Shame on you Barack Obama!

Don Goss, Jacksonville, FL

SAVE MAYPORT FISHING VILLAGE -NO CRUISE SHIPS

Becky Hussein Obama — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:11:35 EST

Dec. 3, 2008, WednesdayThe City Council will be voting next week on whether to okay plans to put a cruise ship terminal at Mayport Village. If any of you have ever spent any time there, you can imagine how this would destroy the place. The residents have been ignored. I don't know how else to help them, so I'm asking that you join me in urging the council to spare this little spot of old Florida. The locals have a website here:
SAVE MAYPORT FISHING VILLAGE A Dec. 3, 2008 article from Jacksonville.com: Mayport cruise terminal plans gain ground | Jacksonville.com I wrote to the council, and Mayor Peyton, stating that the impact of a cruise ship terminal would pose too great a threat on the environment, and that it would be detrimental to the shrimpers, and all that is quaint and lovely about this historic little village. Here are their email addresses:jpeyton@coj.netCC:clay@coj.net, wbishop@coj.net, rclark@coj.net, redman@coj.net, ashad@coj.net, webb@coj.net, gaffney@coj.net, edlee@coj.net, wajones@coj.net, RBrown@coj.net, mjones@coj.net, JRC@coj.net, holt@coj.net, ddavis@coj.net, artg@coj.net, corrigan@coj.net, ronnief@coj.net, joost@coj.net, khyde@coj.net, gloriousj@coj.netPlease help.

Most Unique Obama Memorabilia

Ken from Jacksonville, FL — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:53:33 EST

By far the most unique and clever Obama memorabiia I have seen so far is the Obama Model Airplane.

THE JACKSONVILLE BASED COMPANY IS THE ONLY COMPANY IN THE WORLD currently producing the unique Barack Obama Model Airplane. This model airplane is an exact 1:150 scale replica (12" span by 12" length) of Barack Obama's 2008 campaign airplane. It bears his logo and the inspiring "change we can believe in") messages. Truly the only product that symbolically represents Obama's successful and inspiring “journey” to presidency. The Obama model plane is made of long lasting resin and each model comes with a wooden base stand ready for display.

WWW.OBAMAPLANE.COM

Bush hurries to stick it to us

deanne in florida — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:01:38 EDT

would McCain even try to stop this.... since he is so beholden to his party now?
You get 3 guesses. First 2 don't count.

A Last Push To Deregulate
White House to Ease Many Rules

By R Smith Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 31, 2008; Page A01

The Whitehouse is working to enact a wide array of federal regulations, many of which would weaken government rules aimed at protecting consumers and the environment, before pres bush leaves office in January.

The new rules would be among the most controversial deregulatory steps of the Bush era and could be difficult for his successor to undo. Some would ease or lift constraints on private industry, including power plants, mines and farms.

Those and other regulations would help clear obstacles to some commercial ocean-fishing activities, ease controls on emissions of pollutants that contribute to global warming, relax drinking-water standards and lift a key restriction on mountaintop coal mining.

Once such rules take effect, they typically can be undone only through a laborious new regulatory proceeding, including lengthy periods of public comment, drafting and mandated reanalysis.

"They want these rules to continue to have an impact long after they leave office," said Matthew Madia, a regulatory expert at OMB Watch, a nonprofit group critical of what it calls the Bush administration's penchant for deregulating in areas where industry wants more freedom. He called the coming deluge "a last-minute assault on the public . . . happening on multiple fronts."

White House spokesman Tony Fratto said: "This administration has taken extraordinary measures to avoid rushing regulations at the end of the term. And yes, we'd prefer our regulations stand for a very long time -- they're well reasoned and are being considered with the best interests of the nation in mind."

As many as 90 new regulations are in the works, and at least nine of them are considered "economically significant" because they impose costs or promote societal benefits that exceed $100 million annually. They include new rules governing employees who take family- and medical-related leaves, new standards for preventing or containing oil spills, and a simplified process for settling real estate transactions.

While it remains unclear how much the administration will be able to accomplish in the coming weeks, the last-minute rush appears to involve fewer regulations than Bush's predecessor, Bill Clinton approved at the end of his tenure.

In some cases, Bush's regulations reflect new interpretations of language in federal laws. In other cases, such as several new counterterrorism initiatives, they reflect new executive branch decisions in areas where Congress -- now out of session and focused on the elections -- left the president considerable discretion.

The burst of activity has made this a busy period for lobbyists who fear that industry views will hold less sway after the elections. The doors at the New Executive Office Building have been whirling with corporate officials and advisers pleading for relief or, in many cases, for hastened decision making.

According to the Office of Management and Budgets regulatory calendar, the commercial scallop-fishing industry came in two weeks ago to urge that proposed catch limits be eased, nearly bumping into National Mining Association officials making the case for easing rules meant to keep coal slurry waste out of Appalachian streams. A few days earlier, lawyers for kidney dialysis and biotechnology companies registered their complaints at the OMB about new Medicare reimbursement rules. Lobbyists for customs brokers complained about proposed counterterrorism rules that require the advance reporting of shipping data.

Bush's aides are acutely aware of the political risks of completing their regulatory work too late. On the afternoon of Bush's inauguration, Jan. 20, 2001, his chief of staff issued a government-wide memo that blocked the completion or implementation of regulations drafted in the waning days of the Clinton administration that had not yet taken legal effect.

"Through the end of the Clinton administration, we were working like crazy to get as many regulations out as possible," said Donald R. Arbuckle, who retired in 2006 after 25 years as an OMB official. "Then on Sunday, the day after the inauguration, OMB Director Mitch Daniels called me in and said, 'Let's pull back as many of these as we can.' "

Clinton's appointees wound up paying a heavy price for procrastination. Bush's team was able to withdraw 254 regulations that covered such matters as drug and airline safety, immigration and indoor air pollutants. After further review, many of the proposals were modified to reflect Republican policy ideals or scrapped altogether.

Seeking to avoid falling victim to such partisan tactics, White House Chief of Staff Joshua B. Bolten, in May imposed a Nov. 1 government-wide deadline to finish major new regulations, "except in extraordinary circumstances."

That gives officials just a few more weeks to meet an effective Nov. 20 deadline for the publication of economically significant rules, which take legal effect only after a 60-day congressional comment period. Less important rules take effect after a 30-day period, creating a second deadline of Dec. 20.

OMB spokeswoman Jane Lee said that Bolten's memo was meant to emphasize the importance of "due diligence" in ensuring that late-term regulations are sound. "We will continue to embrace the thorough and high standards of the regulatory review process," she said.

As the deadlines near, the administration has begun to issue regulations of great interest to industry, including, in recent days, a rule that allows natural gas pipelines to operate at higher pressures and new Homeland Security rules that shift passenger security screening responsibilities from airlines to the federal government. The OMB also approved a new limit on airborne emissions of lead this month, acting under a court-imposed deadline.

Many of the rules that could be issued over the next few weeks would ease environmental regulations, according to sources familiar with administration deliberations.

A rule put forward by the National Marine Fisheries Service and now under final review by the OMB would lift a requirement that environmental impact statements be prepared for certain fisheries-management decisions and would give review authority to regional councils dominated by commercial and recreational fishing interests.

An Alaska commercial fishing source, granted anonymity so he could speak candidly about private conversations, said that senior administration officials promised to "get the rule done by the end of this month" and that the outcome would be a big improvement.

Lee Crockett of the Pew Charitable Trusts' Environment Group said the administration has received 194,000 public comments on the rule and protests from 80 members of Congress as well as 160 conservation groups. "This thing is fatally flawed" as well as "wildly unpopular," Crockett said.

Two other rules nearing completion would ease limits on pollution from power plants, a major energy industry goal for the past eight years that is strenuously opposed by Democratic lawmakers and environmental groups.
One rule, being pursued over some opposition within the Environmental Protection Agency, would allow current emissions at a power plant to match the highest levels produced by that plant, overturning a rule that more strictly limits such emission increases. According to the EPA's estimate, it would allow millions of tons of additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually, worsening global warming.
A related regulation would ease limits on emissions from coal-fired power plants near national parks.
A third rule would allow increased emissions from oil refineries, chemical factories and other industrial plants with complex manufacturing operations.
These rules "will force Americans to choke on dirtier air for years to come, unless Congress or the new administration reverses these eleventh-hour abuses," said lawyer John Walke of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

But Scott H. Segal, a Washington lawyer and chief spokesman for the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council, said that "bringing common sense to the Clean Air Act is the best way to enhance energy efficiency and pollution control." He said he is optimistic that the new rule will help keep citizens' lawsuits from obstructing new technologies.

Jonathan Shradar, an EPA spokesman, said that he could not discuss specifics but added that "we strive to protect human health and the environment." Any rule the agency completes, he said, "is more stringent than the previous one."

NOT in MY back yard!

deanne in florida — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:43:48 EDT

NOT in MY back yard!
this could be the 'killer Ad that could put Obama over the top for certain sure.
Just like the one the Republicans used during the last week of 2004, the wolves prowling in the dark and in and out of the trees and brush and circling ever closer to your home, inferring terrorists are lusking and it takes a Republican and GW Bush to save you from them.
Our Ad could be pictures showing a nuclear facility and John McCain in an audio clip stating out loud and in front of everybody, as he did so today in Miami at his wednesday October 29th rally, that he will do the following:
*John McCain Will Put His Administration On Track To Construct 45 New Nuclear Power Plants By 2030 With The Ultimate Goal Of Eventually Constructing 100 New Plants. Nuclear power is a proven, zero-emission source of energy, and it is time we recommit to advancing our use of nuclear power. Currently, nuclear power produces 20% of our power, but the U.S. has not started construction on a new nuclear power plant in over 30 years. China, India and Russia have goals of building a combined total of over 100 new plants and we should be able to do the same. It is also critical that the U.S. be able to build the components for these plants and reactors within our country so that we are not dependent on foreign suppliers with long wait times to move forward with our nuclear plans.

*Excerpt from John McCain's web site on Energy Policies.

ALERT URGENT pass it on to campaign

deanne in florida — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:18:08 EDT

*John McCain Will Put His Administration On Track To Construct 45 New Nuclear Power Plants By 2030 With The Ultimate Goal Of Eventually Constructing 100 New Plants. Nuclear power is a proven, zero-emission source of energy, and it is time we recommit to advancing our use of nuclear power. Currently, nuclear power produces 20% of our power, but the U.S. has not started construction on a new nuclear power plant in over 30 years. China, India and Russia have goals of building a combined total of over 100 new plants and we should be able to do the same. It is also critical that the U.S. be able to build the components for these plants and reactors within our country so that we are not dependent on foreign suppliers with long wait times to move forward with our nuclear plans. * excerpt from McCain's web site about his energy policies.

=============================

The reason we have not built nuclear power plants in 30 years is.... the last time somebody brought it up 30 years ago, everybody in America cried "Not In MY Backyard!"

ditto here. I don't want to have 45 nuclear power plants across the country with the possibility of a Chernoble or in each area of America.

This could be Obama's'killer ad over the weekend... remember the wolves at the door for scaring Americans about terrorist lurking Ad that got the republicans back in office in 2004?

and it's too late for John McCain to stop our Ad, he's already said it forcefully today, wednesday 29th, in his Miami rally in front of God and everybody. Including Charlie Crist.

Florida Early Vote EXTENDED statewide

Kristen Psaki — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:32:42 EDT

Early Voting for the entire state of Florida has just been extended.

Every Early Vote location in Florida will now be every day from 7am-7pm up through November 2.

Please pass along this great news to everyone you know who will be voting in Florida. Click here to find your nearest early vote location.

Here's the release:

GOVERNOR CRIST EXTENDS EARLY VOTING HOURS
~~ ~Ensures maximum number of Floridians can exercise right to vote~ ~~
October 28, 2008
Contact:
GOVERNOR'S PRESS OFFICE(850) 488-5394
TALLAHASSEE - Governor Charlie Crist today signed Executive Order 08-217, extending the hours for early voting during the current General Election. Effective immediately, early voting sites will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., through Friday, October 31, 2008, and for a total of 12 hours between 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 1, and 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 2, 2008.

"I have spoken with the Secretary of State and members of the Florida Legislature and have concluded that it is always the right thing to do to give voters every opportunity to cast a ballot," Governor Crist said. "I have a responsibility to the voters of our state to ensure that the maximum number of citizens can participate in the electoral process, and that every person can exercise the right to vote."

Prior to the 2008 General Election, Florida has seen historic numbers of Floridians registering to vote for the first time. In addition, record numbers of voters have chosen to cast a ballot during early voting.

Early voting began on October 20 and runs through November 2. Current Florida law allows for early voting to be conducted eight hours per day on each weekday, and for a total of eight hours during both weekends during the early voting period. Floridians can contact their county's Supervisor of Elections for dates, times and locations of early voting.

Florida voters can also request absentee ballots to be mailed to them until October 29.

Please see the attached Executive Order 08-217.

STATE OF FLORIDA

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

EXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBER 08-217

WHEREAS, early voting is scheduled to end November 2, 2008; and

WHEREAS, early voting turnout has already reached record levels and is forecast to continue with record turnout. There are only 267 early voting sites throughout the state and long lines have formed at many of the early voting sites; and

WHEREAS, a historic number of Floridians have registered to vote for the first time in this election; and

WHEREAS, new voting equipment is being used in 15 Florida counties;

WHEREAS, as a result of this unique combination of circumstances resulting from the historic voter turnout in this election, there is a possibility that election officials will be unable to conduct an orderly election, and thus residents in our state could be deprived of a meaningful opportunity to vote; and
WHEREAS, because of the existing and continuing possibility of an emergency occurring before or during the regularly scheduled election, and in order to ensure maximum citizen participation in the electoral process, and provide a safe and orderly procedure for persons seeking to exercise their right to vote;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, CHARLIE CRIST, as Governor of Florida, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Article IV, Section 1(a) of the Florida Constitution, by the Florida Elections Emergency Act, and by all other applicable laws, issue the following Executive Order, to take immediate effect:
I hereby declare that, based on the above-described conditions, a state of emergency exists. It is hereby found and declared to be necessary to extend the voting hours during early voting. Accordingly, I order the Supervisors of Elections to open early voting sites from 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. through October 31, 2008 and open early voting sites for a total of twelve (12) hours between 7 a.m. November 1, 2008 and 7 p.m. November 2, 2008.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Florida to be affixed, at Tallahassee, the Capitol, this 28th day of October, 2008.

GOVERNOR
ATTEST:
SECRETARY OF STATE

The New York Times editorial board has endorsed Senator

Betty Hester — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:09:48 EDT

The New York Times editorial board has endorsed Senator
Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States,
stating: "We believe he has the will and the ability to forge
the broad political consensus that is essential to finding
solutions to this nation's problems."

http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na

October 24, 2008
Editorial
Barack Obama for President
Hyperbole is the currency of presidential campaigns, but this year the nation's future truly hangs in the balance.
The United States is battered and drifting after eight years of President Bush's failed leadership. He is saddling his successor with two wars, a scarred global image and a government systematically stripped of its ability to protect and help its citizens — whether they are fleeing a hurricane's floodwaters, searching for affordable health care or struggling to hold on to their homes, jobs, savings and pensions in the midst of a financial crisis that was foretold and preventable.
As tough as the times are, the selection of a new president is easy. After nearly two years of a grueling and ugly campaign, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois has proved that he is the right choice to be the 44th president of the United States.
•
Mr. Obama has met challenge after challenge, growing as a leader and putting real flesh on his early promises of hope and change. He has shown a cool head and sound judgment. We believe he has the will and the ability to forge the broad political consensus that is essential to finding solutions to this nation's problems.
In the same time, Senator John McCain of Arizona has retreated farther and farther to the fringe of American politics, running a campaign on partisan division, class warfare and even hints of racism. His policies and worldview are mired in the past. His choice of a running mate so evidently unfit for the office was a final act of opportunism and bad judgment that eclipsed the accomplishments of 26 years in Congress.
Given the particularly ugly nature of Mr. McCain's campaign, the urge to choose on the basis of raw emotion is strong. But there is a greater value in looking closely at the facts of life in America today and at the prescriptions the candidates offer. The differences are profound.
Mr. McCain offers more of the Republican every-man-for-himself ideology, now lying in shards on Wall Street and in Americans' bank accounts. Mr. Obama has another vision of government's role and responsibilities.
In his convention speech in Denver, Mr. Obama said, "Government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves: protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology."
Since the financial crisis, he has correctly identified the abject failure of government regulation that has brought the markets to the brink of collapse.
The Economy
The American financial system is the victim of decades of Republican deregulatory and anti-tax policies. Those ideas have been proved wrong at an unfathomable price, but Mr. McCain — a self-proclaimed "foot soldier in the Reagan revolution" — is still a believer.
Mr. Obama sees that far-reaching reforms will be needed to protect Americans and American business.
Mr. McCain talks about reform a lot, but his vision is pinched. His answer to any economic question is to eliminate pork-barrel spending — about $18 billion in a $3 trillion budget — cut taxes and wait for unfettered markets to solve the problem.
Mr. Obama is clear that the nation's tax structure must be changed to make it fairer. That means the well-off Americans who have benefited disproportionately from Mr. Bush's tax cuts will have to pay some more. Working Americans, who have seen their standard of living fall and their children's options narrow, will benefit. Mr. Obama wants to raise the minimum wage and tie it to inflation, restore a climate in which workers are able to organize unions if they wish and expand educational opportunities.
Mr. McCain, who once opposed President Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy as fiscally irresponsible, now wants to make them permanent. And while he talks about keeping taxes low for everyone, his proposed cuts would overwhelmingly benefit the top 1 percent of Americans while digging the country into a deeper fiscal hole.
National Security
The American military — its people and equipment — is dangerously overstretched. Mr. Bush has neglected the necessary war in Afghanistan, which now threatens to spiral into defeat. The unnecessary and staggeringly costly war in Iraq must be ended as quickly and responsibly as possible.
While Iraq's leaders insist on a swift drawdown of American troops and a deadline for the end of the occupation, Mr. McCain is still taking about some ill-defined "victory." As a result, he has offered no real plan for extracting American troops and limiting any further damage to Iraq and its neighbors.
Mr. Obama was an early and thoughtful opponent of the war in Iraq, and he has presented a military and diplomatic plan for withdrawing American forces. Mr. Obama also has correctly warned that until the Pentagon starts pulling troops out of Iraq, there will not be enough troops to defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
Mr. McCain, like Mr. Bush, has only belatedly focused on Afghanistan's dangerous unraveling and the threat that neighboring Pakistan may quickly follow.
Mr. Obama would have a learning curve on foreign affairs, but he has already showed sounder judgment than his opponent on these critical issues. His choice of Senator Joseph Biden — who has deep foreign-policy expertise — as his running mate is another sign of that sound judgment. Mr. McCain's long interest in foreign policy and the many dangers this country now faces make his choice of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska more irresponsible.
Both presidential candidates talk about strengthening alliances in Europe and Asia, including NATO, and strongly support Israel. Both candidates talk about repairing America's image in the world. But it seems clear to us that Mr. Obama is far more likely to do that — and not just because the first black president would present a new American face to the world.
Mr. Obama wants to reform the United Nations, while Mr. McCain wants to create a new entity, the League of Democracies — a move that would incite even fiercer anti-American furies around the world.
Unfortunately, Mr. McCain, like Mr. Bush, sees the world as divided into friends (like Georgia) and adversaries (like Russia). He proposed kicking Russia out of the Group of 8 industrialized nations even before the invasion of Georgia. We have no sympathy for Moscow's bullying, but we also have no desire to replay the cold war. The United States must find a way to constrain the Russians' worst impulses, while preserving the ability to work with them on arms control and other vital initiatives.
Both candidates talk tough on terrorism, and neither has ruled out military action to end Iran's nuclear weapons program. But Mr. Obama has called for a serious effort to try to wean Tehran from its nuclear ambitions with more credible diplomatic overtures and tougher sanctions. Mr. McCain's willingness to joke about bombing Iran was frightening.
The Constitution and the Rule of Law
Under Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the justice system and the separation of powers have come under relentless attack. Mr. Bush chose to exploit the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, the moment in which he looked like the president of a unified nation, to try to place himself above the law.
Mr. Bush has arrogated the power to imprison men without charges and browbeat Congress into granting an unfettered authority to spy on Americans. He has created untold numbers of "black" programs, including secret prisons and outsourced torture. The president has issued hundreds, if not thousands, of secret orders. We fear it will take years of forensic research to discover how many basic rights have been violated.
Both candidates have renounced torture and are committed to closing the prison camp in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
But Mr. Obama has gone beyond that, promising to identify and correct Mr. Bush's attacks on the democratic system. Mr. McCain has been silent on the subject.
Mr. McCain improved protections for detainees. But then he helped the White House push through the appalling Military Commissions Act of 2006, which denied detainees the right to a hearing in a real court and put Washington in conflict with the Geneva Conventions, greatly increasing the risk to American troops.
The next president will have the chance to appoint one or more justices to a Supreme Court that is on the brink of being dominated by a radical right wing. Mr. Obama may appoint less liberal judges than some of his followers might like, but Mr. McCain is certain to pick rigid ideologues. He has said he would never appoint a judge who believes in women's reproductive rights.
The Candidates
It will be an enormous challenge just to get the nation back to where it was before Mr. Bush, to begin to mend its image in the world and to restore its self-confidence and its self-respect. Doing all of that, and leading America forward, will require strength of will, character and intellect, sober judgment and a cool, steady hand.
Mr. Obama has those qualities in abundance. Watching him being tested in the campaign has long since erased the reservations that led us to endorse Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic primaries. He has drawn in legions of new voters with powerful messages of hope and possibility and calls for shared sacrifice and social responsibility.
Mr. McCain, whom we chose as the best Republican nominee in the primaries, has spent the last coins of his reputation for principle and sound judgment to placate the limitless demands and narrow vision of the far-right wing. His righteous fury at being driven out of the 2000 primaries on a racist tide aimed at his adopted daughter has been replaced by a zealous embrace of those same win-at-all-costs tactics and tacticians.
He surrendered his standing as an independent thinker in his rush to embrace Mr. Bush's misbegotten tax policies and to abandon his leadership position on climate change and immigration reform.
Mr. McCain could have seized the high ground on energy and the environment. Earlier in his career, he offered the first plausible bill to control America's emissions of greenhouse gases. Now his positions are a caricature of that record: think Ms. Palin leading chants of "drill, baby, drill."
Mr. Obama has endorsed some offshore drilling, but as part of a comprehensive strategy including big investments in new, clean technologies.
•
Mr. Obama has withstood some of the toughest campaign attacks ever mounted against a candidate. He's been called un-American and accused of hiding a secret Islamic faith. The Republicans have linked him to domestic terrorists and questioned his wife's love of her country. Ms. Palin has also questioned millions of Americans' patriotism, calling Republican-leaning states "pro-America."
This politics of fear, division and character assassination helped Mr. Bush drive Mr. McCain from the 2000 Republican primaries and defeat Senator John Kerry in 2004. It has been the dominant theme of his failed presidency.
The nation's problems are simply too grave to be reduced to slashing "robo-calls" and negative ads. This country needs sensible leadership, compassionate leadership, honest leadership and strong leadership. Barack Obama has shown that he has all of those qualities.

Michelle's focus group: Military families

Connie from Memphis, TN — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:49:47 EDT

“The commander in chief doesn’t just need to know how to lead the military, he needs to understand what war does to military families.” --Michelle Obama

Michelle's focus group: Military families

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14733.html

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Once portrayed as unpatriotic, Michelle Obama has quietly carved a niche on the campaign trail as a sounding board for military families, taking up a cause that could define her agenda as first lady.

Every few weeks, Obama meets with military spouses in swing states, where she presents herself as a kindred spirit and Barack Obama as the best choice for their families. She attended the two debates with military family members. And at the Democratic National Convention, she led a day of service on behalf of Blue Star Families for Obama, a two-month old group with the tagline: “Pro-Military, Pro-Obama.”

Obama aides say her work with military families has nothing to do with the controversy created by her February comment suggesting that the presidential campaign made her proud of the United States for the first time. But the effort could be viewed as an exercise in counterprogramming, serving as a rebuttal to criticism from Cindy McCain and others for a comment that Michelle Obama insists was misinterpreted – and the notion that her husband, a Democrat with no military service, cannot peel off voters from John McCain, an ex-Navy pilot and war hero. “Barack and I know that too often it feels like you are alone, on your own,” Obama told military spouses last month in Santa Fe, N.M. “I know you become everything. In a small way, I have experienced that over the course of this campaign, but in no way does it compare to what you are going through.”

Michelle Obama's focus on military families puts her at the leading edge of the Democratic nominee's campaign to reclaim some of the military vote from Republicans – an effort that brought Barack Obama here Sunday for a rally near Fort Bragg, where a military wife introduced him and he touted his endorsement from Colin Powell, the retired four-star general and President George W. Bush's first Secretary of State.

Since the start of the campaign, Michelle Obama says she has focused on three things: keeping life normal for her young daughters, electing her husband, and discussing the work-life balance with women around the country. The spouses of service members captured her attention during a roundtable with working mothers, and she later hosted her first military-focused event in Fayetteville in May, a day before the North Carolina primary.She will hold her seventh military spouses meeting Tuesday in Pensacola, Fla., following similar events in recent months in states heavily impacted by deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, including Virginia, New Mexico and Pennsylvania.

At each roundtable, she sits on stage with several spouses, delivers prepared remarks and opens a discussion. The roundtables draws local media coverage, and she answers questions about her involvement when asked by national reporters, as she did during an interview with CNN at the Democratic convention.

“Mostly I am here to listen and to do a lot of learning and then to transfer that information into the heart and mind of my husband as he moves forth,” Michelle Obama said in Norfolk, Va., in August. “The commander in chief doesn’t just need to know how to lead the military, he needs to understand what war does to military families.”

Her work in this area offers a hint at what could dominate her time in the White House.

“If she becomes first lady, this will be her cause,” said Amanda McBreen, 47, a Marine wife who participated in the Norfolk roundtable and helps coordinate 24 state chapters of Blue Star Families for Obama.Michelle Obama pledged to do so in the Oct. 27 issue of U.S. News and World Report, when she explained what she would do if her husband became president: “I would work daily on the issues closest to my heart: helping working women and families, particularly military families. … I'd continue these conversations with working women and military spouses, and I'd take their stories back to Washington to make sure that the people who run our country know how their policies touch their constituents' lives.”

But Kathy Roth-Douquet, a founder of Blue Star Families and a Marine spouse who supported Hillary Rodham Clinton in the primary, said she wishes more voters knew about Michelle Obama’s work.

“She is probably the most motivating figure in the military family community,” Roth-Douquet, 44, said. “We like Obama, but we love her. She gets what we are getting.”

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

Military Trifecta‏

"Blue Star Familes for Obama" video- http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/harperlee/gGgKG3
McCain's Votng Record On Vets and Troops- http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/harperlee/gGgKGh
"Soldiers Donate 6 times MORE to Obama"- http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/harperlee/gGgKMY

Collin Powell - Obama Transformational Figure

jmarley — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:23:45 EDT

I wrote a posts a while ago about my thoughts of Senator Obama's Transformational Leadership Style. It is very awesome to see a person of History such as Powell mention similar observations and even more powerful, endorsing Senator Obama for his strong leadership style... Please, Vote Early, Vote by Mail and help anyone who needs help getting to the polls, GOD Speed.

-JM

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

General Colin Powell (Retired), Secretary of State 2001-2005, on Meet the
Press:

So when I look at all of this and I think back to my army career, we've got

two individuals. Either one of them could be a good president, but which is

the president that we need now? Which is the individual that serves the

needs of the nation for the next period of time? And I come to the

conclusion that because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive

nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America,

because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities – and we have to take that

into account – as well as his substance – he has both style and substance –

he has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional

president.

I think he is a transformational figure. He is a new generation coming into

the ... onto the world stage and on the American stage and for that reason,

I'll be voting for Senator Barack Obama.

Colin Powell's endorsement adds muscle to conservative chorus for Obama

Barbara — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 16:46:37 EDT

In Ike's Words, why some conservatives like Obama

Colin Powell's endorsement today adds muscle to the growing conservative chorus for Obama.

This post features the endorsements by Susan Eisenhower (Ike's granddaughter) Wick Allison (former publisher of the National Review) and the Chicago Tribune, with their first endorsement of a Democrat since the paper's founding in 1847.

Scroll down the page at MakeFloridaCount.com to find -

resources to counter McCain lies

and The Fight for Florida - why we can't stop now. Encourage your friends in Blue States to use my.barackobama.com to call battleground states.

Be sure to make use of the resources on the left side of the page at MakeFloridaCount.com and MakeOhioCount.org to reach undecided voters.

Yours,

Barbara

Republicans smear their own name brand

deanne in florida — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:40:51 EDT

Republicans need to rethink their campaign tactics and think seriously about what the party will be remembered as and what Americans will come away with after the 2008 presidential election.

By all indications, most Americans who are not in the maniacal right-fringe, like Sean Hannity of Fox News and Rush Limbaugh and followers, are going to come away with a very bad taste in their mouth, regarding the 'Grand Old Party'.

Google AIP sarah and todd palin

deanne in florida — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:17:14 EDT

Todd Palin or 'First Dude', admits or even brags he is an advisor to his wife, Sarah Palin. If Sarah Palin is elected as VP, what effect will Todd Palin have in the whitehouse?

google AIP sarah and todd palin; or follow link below:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20081013/cm_huffpost/133966

as Menachem Rosensaft writes;

We are entitled to know what that role is likely to be. Is Todd Palin going to call government officials from the White House to lobby for or against political allies or enemies? Is he going to summon cabinet members into the Vice President's office to try to get a relative hired or fired? That is, after all, his track record.

Todd Palin also appears to have lobbied Alaska state legislators on issues other than his former brother in law's continued employment. When Republican State Representative Jay Ramras, the chairman of the Alaska House Judiciary Committee, saw the Todd Palin outside the legislative chamber one day last year, "My colleagues told me he was lobbying for the governor's position on oil taxes." This made Ramras uncomfortable. "I think that when the spouse of an elected governor steps away from safe issues that are nonpartisan in nature," he said, "that it is bad for the legislative and executive branches, and Todd Palin would not be an exception to that."

Equally important, if Todd Palin is going to be one of the Vice President's most senior advisors, if not the most senior, he should be made available to the media to answer questions about his political views. The little we know about him is disconcerting.

For seven years, from 1995 until 2002, he was a member of the controversial extreme right-wing Alaska Independence Party. This is a party whose principal goal is a statewide vote on whether Alaska should secede from the United States, and whose founder's nuggets of wisdom, featured prominently on the AIP's website, include "I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions," and "The problem with you John Birchers is that you are too damn liberal!"

What, if anything, did Todd Palin do as a member of the AIP? Did he actively support Alaskan independence, and if so, by what means? The Alaska Independence Party is affiliated with other extremist right wing political groups around the United States, including the Constitution Party (formerly the U.S. Taxpayers' Party) which wants to "restore our government to its Constitutional limits and our law to its Biblical foundations." Does he see himself as "an Alaskan, not an American"? What does he think about American institutions such as, say, the Supreme Court and Congress? Does he, like AIP founder Joe Vogler, consider the John Birch Society to be "too damn liberal"? Earlier this year, AIP Vice Chairman Dexter Carter urged party members to "infiltrate" the two major parties. Come again? Is that why Todd Palin is now a registered Republican?

We know that Sarah Palin has been "palling around" with Todd. We don't know with whom Todd Palin has been, or for that matter may still be, "palling around."

At the very least, both John McCain and Sarah Palin should tell us whether they approve of Todd Palin's past membership in the AIP and whether, if elected, they will allow him to use the apparent authority of the White House to promote a personal agenda.

Menachem Rosensaft is a lawyer in New York City.

AIP and Todd Palin will run McCain's presidency

deanne in florida — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:14:19 EDT

Todd Palin or 'First Dude', admits or even brags he is an advisor to his wife, Sarah Palin. If Sarah Palin is elected as VP, what effect will Todd Palin have in the whitehouse?

google AIP sarah and todd palin; or follow link below:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20081013/cm_huffpost/133966

as Menachem Rosensaft writes;

We know that Sarah Palin has been "palling around" with Todd. We don't know with whom Todd Palin has been, or for that matter may still be, "palling around."

Excited about Obama's 30 min commercial

Ruth — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 20:17:00 EDT

Wow, a sit com length commercial from Obama, to be aired almost right before election. I have to say I am pretty excited about this one, almost like waiting for the fist epiosde of a new show (hopefully this metaphor is a sign of things to come, keep your fingers crossed guys)

Check for more details here: http://kronomy.com/event/2bLnWX5swt/

Ruth

www.Fight4Obama.com

Sarah and Todd's past associations

deanne in florida — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:41:06 EDT

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Alaskan Independence Party: The Last Refuge of a Scoundrel
The Huffington PostOctober 9, 2008
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-f- ... 33261.html

Read More: 2008 Election, Aip, Alaska Independence Party, Bill Ayers, First
Dude, Joe Vogler, John Kerry, Media Coverage Of 2008 Election, Obama Ayers,
Palin Alaska Independence Party, Sarah Palin, Todd Palin, Todd Palin Aip, Todd
Palin Sarah Palin, William Ayers, Politics News

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 Kerry's
genuine Vietnam heroics while obligingly muzzling serious discussion of George
W. Bush's shameful wartime record of evasion and cowardice.

Last week found the American media once again boarding Republican swift boats
against this season's Democratic candidate armed with unfair and hypocritical
attacks artfully designed by GOP strategists to distract attention from the
cataclysmic outcomes of Republican governance. Vice Presidential hopeful Sarah
Palin has taken to faulting Senator Barack Obama for his casual acquaintance
with a respected Illinois educator Bill Ayers, who forty years ago was a member
of the Weathermen, a movement active when Obama was eight and which he has
denounced as "detestable." Palin argues that the relationship proves that Obama
sees "America as being so imperfect that he is palling around with terrorists
who would target their own country."

The Times dedicated a page one article to Obama's relations with Ayers and CNN's
Anderson Cooper obliged Palin by rewarding her reckless accusations about
Obama's patriotism with a major investigative report. Fox, meanwhile, is still
riveting its audience with wall to wall coverage of this pressing irrelevancy.

But if McCarthy-era guilt-by-association is once again a valid political
consideration, Palin, it would seem, has more to lose than Obama. Palin, it
could be argued, following her own logic, thinks so little of America's
perfection that she continues to "pal around" with a man--her husband,
actually--who only recently terminated his seven-year membership in the Alaskan
Independence Party. Putting plunder above patriotism, the members of this
treasonous cabal aim to break our country into pieces and walk away with
Alaska's rich federal oil fields and one-fifth of America's land base--an area
three-fourths the size of the Civil War Confederacy.

AIP's charter commits the party "to the ultimate independence of Alaska," from
the United States which it refers to as "the colonial bureaucracy in
Washington." It proclaims Alaska's 1959 induction as a state "as illegal and in
violation of the United Nations charter and international law."

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?

Comments 794
- + postman606
Black man comes on the national scene 4 yrs ago, heavy scrutiny, still not
enough. White female comes on the scene 5 weeks ago, cooing and winking and
demanding more scrutiny of black man. It's so antebellum.

- + Publicola
More information about Palin and her husband's "palling around" with the
anti-American Alaskan Independence Party here:

http://www.mccainfactcheck.com/facts/11 ... 3213.shtml
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/20 ... index.html
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/ ... secession/

Show your friends and Neighbors this article.

deanne in florida — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:02:21 EDT

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1024927/The-wife-John-McCain-callously-left-behind.html

The article in the link is from Great Britain. Get it? I just found out that some of our most ardent supporters have not heard about the True John McCain. When they asked why is it that no one in the media has brought it up. I said, because as always, you don't talk (bad or negative) about a war hero or a veteran. Politically correct, don't you know. Tell everyone, anyway!

Resources to convince the undecided

Barbara — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 11:22:15 EDT

Need an article or video to convince an undecided voter to vote for Obama/Biden?

MakeFloridaCount.com archives articles, videos and other organizing resources so that people making calls and going door to door can have easy access to the latest material.

Organizers should look carefully at the left hand column of the site for useful resources.   Here's a breakdown of some of what's there.

Character Counts - What to expect from Barack Obama
    * The New Yorker endorsement
    * Press Conference on State of the Economy
    * Chicago Jews on their experience with Obama
    * Obama's speech on race and reaction to Rev. Wright Uproar
    * SFGate - Obama profile
    * NYTimes Obama archive

Character Counts - What to expect from John McCain
    * John McCain's Rage
    * NYTimes - Politics of Attack
    * Keating Economics
    * The Straight Talk Express (exposed)
    * NYTimes - McCain lifelong gambler
    * George Will - Can a dismaying temperment be fixed?
    * Nicholas Kristof - Impulsive, Impetuous, Impatient

New organizing resources are added daily - MakeFloridaCount.com.

In unity.

Barbara Myers

please see extended post for more resources.

"Blue Star Familes for Obama" new video

Connie from Memphis, TN — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:33:15 EDT

Share this new video on behalf of our Blue Star Families. "Blue Star Families" are those with active duty members deployed in active war zones.

Press Release Angie Morgan ~ Communications Director, Blue Star Families for Obama
571-235-4956
amorgan@leadstar.us
www.bsf4o.com
Blue Star Families Launch Video: Why We are Pro-Military, Pro-Obama
Blue Star Families for Obama launched a video today that articulates why Senator Barack Obama can count on military families for their votes on November 4th.
The video features eight military spouses who share their reasons for voting for Sen. Obama over Sen. McCain.
One Blue Star family member shares: McCain claims to work for us. His actions don't always agree. He campaigned against the new GI Bill, Voted against troop safety equipment, against vets health care, has a 20 percent rating from the Disabled American Vets.
Another Blue Star adds: Barack Obama shows he understands today's military. Obama will help reservists and military families, and he's frontlined mental health care, co-sponsored the GI Bill.
As Cindy McCain and Governor Sarah Palin leverage their Blue Star status to parlay votes for Senator John McCain,
BSF4O has been actively educating and informing the military community on why Sen. Obama is the right presidential candidate and would make the best Commander in Chief for our country.
BSF4O is a grassroots organization created by Army and Marine spouses who have a Pro-Military, Pro-Obama message. As a membership organization, BSF4O communicates with thousands of military family members through outreach programs and is active in 24 states.
Never before has the military family community shown their overwhelming support for the Democratic candidate. BSF4O are inspired and impressed by Sen. Obama's voting record and support of Veterans and the military family community. They also believe that Sen. Obama projects the most attractive American values across our country and our globe.
For more information on BSF4O, visit www.bsf4o.com.

http://www.motleymoose.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=385

"Soldiers Donate 6 times MORE to Obama"

Connie from Memphis, TN — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:34:56 EDT

Military donations favor Obama over McCain

WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. soldiers have donated more presidential campaign money to Democrat Barack Obama than to Republican John McCain, a reversal of previous campaigns in which military donations tended to favor GOP White House hopefuls, a nonpartisan group reported Thursday.

Troops serving abroad have given nearly six times as much money to Obama's presidential campaign as they have to McCain's, the Center for Responsive Politics said.

The results also are striking because they favored Obama, who never has served in the military. McCain meanwhile, is a decorated war veteran who spent nearly five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. The Arizona senator graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and had a 22-year career as a naval aviator.

Obama has opposed the war in Iraq and says he would withdraw combat troops within 16 months. McCain has been a steadfast supporter of the war, saying he would withdraw the troops only when conditions on the ground warrant it.

"Obama will work tirelessly to uphold this nation's sacred trust with its veterans, to ensure they are not forgotten after they return home and he will provide our troops with the leadership they deserve, as well as the support they and their families need," Obama spokesman Nick Shapiro said.

McCain's campaign played down the significance of the donations.

"John McCain has been endorsed by more retired admirals and generals than Barack Obama has military donors," McCain spokesman Michael Goldfarb said in a statement.

"We feel confident that many U.S. troops stationed overseas will support John McCain in the election this fall, but we suspect most are too busy doing the important work of defending this country than to make political contributions," Goldfarb said.

Among soldiers serving overseas at the time of their donations, 134 gave a total of $60,642 to Obama while 26 gave a total of $10,665 to McCain.

The report tracked donations of $200 or more. It found that 859 members of the military donated a total of $335,536 to Obama. McCain received $280,513 from 558 military donors.

lighter side... Obama Babies

Lora — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:58:08 EDT

Babies are a WONDERFUL judge of character :-)

http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4e446b794d44557a4f513d3d0d0a&sb=1&campaign=email_receipt_directurl_makeyourown

2nd Debate

Ruth — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:09:51 EDT

Just looking at the debate, I really can't say who I feel performed better. It's all pretty standard from both sides, no earth shattering new policies revealed and no major bloopers besides both sides stretching the facts a little, but that's to be expected in all political debates. What do you guys think?

http://kronomy.com/event/7GKhrYmWFt/

usbattle.com

Fight4Obama.com

McCain throws hissy-fit and picks Palin...

deanne in florida — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:58:31 EDT

September 13, 2008 Op-Ed Columnist
She’s Not Ready By BOB HERBERT
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/13/opini ... rbert.html

While watching the Sarah Palin interview with Charlie Gibson Thursday night, and
the coverage of the Palin phenomenon in general, I’ve gotten the scary feeling,
for the first time in my life, that dimwittedness is not just on the march in
the U.S., but that it might actually prevail.

How is it that this woman could have been selected to be the vice presidential
candidate on a major party ticket? How is it that so much of the mainstream
media has dropped all pretense of seriousness to hop aboard the bandwagon and go
along for the giddy ride?

For those who haven’t noticed, we’re electing a president and vice president,
not selecting a winner on "American Idol."
===============================================================

Reply from: Fly on The Wall

Alright, Mr. Herbert, I am going to tell you how we now have Sarah Palin on the national ticket for John McCain's vice presidential running mate. It came about because........ John McCain threw a hissy-fit.
Seeing the Democrat Barack Obama's nomination party in Denver, McCain couldn't stand it a second longer, and knew he could never compete with his rival on a man to man, one on one, toe to toe basis and screamed; "bring me a woman!" (must have startled some aides for a nano second or two.) "get me a woman on this ticket now!"
Because he knew he couldn't compete otherwise. He has to win to show Cindy, his rich millionairess heiress, that he still has the old fire in the furnace or the ...uh.. the hanging apparatus, and all.

And when they look blankly at McCain, he screams; "and make sure she is young, has kids, babies, whatever, and has something to do with .... with.... get me a woman!"

Palin: Obama a terrorist at 8! We reply: How stupid do you think we are?

Ruth — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:21:49 EDT

Come on, seriously, she expects people to believe Obama is related to terrorism at the age of EIGHT? Guess Palin got no other options besides spreading obvious lies about Obama as a last desperate attempt to drag him down.

See full report here: http://kronomy.com/event/iTmUDKoPnk/

Housing Needed

Ken B. — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:55:50 EDT

I'm moving down to Florida from Maine in late October and I'd like to work with Obama's Jacksonville group the week before the election. Does anyone have an extra couch/bed I could use for about 2 days? Thanks, Ken.

McCain equals pain....

deanne in florida — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:01:51 EDT

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk140/bellamis/punchjudi_5ee.jpg

A Repuglican trick...again...

deanne in florida — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:25:27 EDT

Thursday, in the hours leading to the debate, CNN talking head talked to a friend and advisor of Palin's and the woman (didn't get her name...) told CNN that Palin knew the answers to Couric, during any of the CBS interviews but was in the mode of thinking forward as "she learned to do back when she, herself was a journalist-reporter. Like, you have to think ahead of how the Q&A could be used or distorted .. and so Palin did not give answer to the question -- but she knew it. Sarah always does know what the answer is to the subject, she just is careful..."

Rope-A-Dope. Get it? The Repgulicans have used that trick successfully over the last 8 years, thinks to Rove, especially. Make the candidate appear dumb or --(or, something...) -- and get people roped in to see the debate and then ....

Only problem is, Americans are waking up to this ploy. Americans are not quite as stupid as the Repuglicans want us to be.

Things are looking good for Obama!

Ruth — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:49:03 EDT

See full coverage on Obama’s bipartisan message at http://kronomy.com/event/XCeB4NcMrq/, including pictures, videos and text. “A new survey conducted by Quinnipiac University over the weekend shows Obama leading McCain in Florida 51 percent to 43 percent, in Ohio 50 percent to 42 percent and in Pennsylvania 54 percent to 39 percent. Since 1960, no president has been elected without winning two of those three states.” Things are looking good for Obama!

Again, good message, nice gesture at this turbulent time from both sides. Just wish it didn’t take a financial meltdown to bring this spirit of cooperation around. Drop me a line at my blog, thanks.

Go to Fight4Obama.com, grab his 3D timeline and embed it everywhere. Spread the word of this educational online bumper sticker to your friends! Help Obama win the fight for US presidency!

Phone call from "The Republicans"

deanne in florida — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:03:38 EDT

Today, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008, I am watching Barack Obama give a wonderful speech in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and the phone rings and the caller ID reads that it is The Republicans. Just from curiosity, I push the on button and say hello. The young woman on the other end says "Hi, I wonder if you'd like to help with a survey..."

"I am voting for Obama." I replied strongly. "Oh, well. try to have a nice day..." she said and hung up.

ha ha :-))

Obama responding to Rejected Bailout

Ruth — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:26:02 EDT

See full event here: http://kronomy.com/event/s2aE0odrK9/ .

So Obama responded to the rejection of the bailout plan. I like that he is encouraging people to stay hopeful, and I like that he is encouraging the Congress to actually do their job. But, I am curious about how active a role he is taking in coming up with the next bill. Beyond calling for more regulations, I would like to see him offer some more concrete details of what he thinks THE bill should include.

Go to Fight4Obama.com, grab his 3D timeline and embed it everywhere. Spread the word of this educational online bumper sticker to your friends! Help Obama win the fight for US presidency!

July 19, 2008. And, so it goes....

deanne in florida — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:15:41 EDT

July 19, 2008 politics and economy.

On Thursday, I hear that our government is planning to bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and IndyMac and now, on Friday, I hear Wachovia Bank mentioned. The figure to bail them out was $300 billion. Dollars. Are you getting that?On Bill Moyer's Journal, PBS, tonight, I learn that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are not federal owned institutions, are run by private investors, and foreign investors are able to come in and take advantage of the U.S. crisis. After we ... I mean, our "government" spends $300 billion of our tax dollars to make these gigantic lending institutions flush again, that is. With OUR tax dollars. And with no demands upon the institutions to behave better or to change habits or to stop engaging in un-ethical practices.This week, the JOURNAL presented two different perspectives on our troubled economy. The first came from frustrated citizens of Cleveland grappling with their community’s extraordinarily high rates of foreclosure. Cleveland, Ohio's Cuyahoga County treasurer Jim Rokakis said: back in the old days when there was no sheriff in town people robbed the banks.

"Back in the old days when there was no sheriff in town, people would rob the banks. Well, here we are in the modern day era, and there’s no sheriff in town. The banks were robbing the people... I learned a hard lesson: I learned that the Fed really is there to protect banks, and not to protect the consumers."

these days the banks are robbing the people. ie; when retirees on fixed incomes wanted to re-mortgage their house for repairs for a new roof or plumbing or so on, they got the sub-prime and bad loans instead of the fixed rate loans of the old days.

William Greider, corrrespondent and author, writes for The Nation. says:

We are witnessing a momentous event--the great deflation of Wall Street--and it is far from over. The crash of IndyMac is just the beginning. More banks will fail, so will many more debtors. The crisis has the potential to transform American politics because, first it destroys a generation of ideological bromides about free markets, and, second, because it makes visible the ugly power realities of our deformed democracy. Democrats and Republicans are bipartisan in this crisis because they have colluded all along over thirty years in creating the unregulated financial system and mammoth mega-banks that produced the phony valuations and deceitful assurances. The federal government protects the most powerful interests from the consequences of their plundering. It prescribes 'market justice' for everyone else."

some comments to Bill Moyer's Journal Blog:

I think some of the saddest effects of recent economic problems are not monetary. The human cost is rising as well. Stress, anger, and fatigue are running high. People I talk with down here in Orlando are just exhausted.

As one friend put it, “I have to know everything about everything before I do anything now mostly because if I don’t, they rip me off. I have to know how my car’s cooling system works so I won’t get screwed for an $800 fan switch installation when the problem is most likely a $90 thermostat. I have to be part lawyer, doctor, computer tech, financially analyst. I can’t rely on what anyone actually says anymore.”

So many folks are scrambling and scrambling and scrambling. One lady said she spends an hour in the grocery store just reading labels and ingredients. An elderly neighbor says she spent 2 hours on the internet researching roof shingles for a repair job. Another neighbor is pouring through credit card receipts and statements from 8 months ago to prove to a company that a purchase was made and the item still under warrantee. Another, after hours of research, is fighting with a doctor about why her daughter is prescribed one drug that directly counteracts the effects of another prescribed drug.

And this stress is turning to anger…people are outright meaner and ruder to each other. I saw security people called to a cashier line when a dispute arose over who was there first. It’s a tinder box of reactivity. No one lets anyone finish a sentence. Doors aren’t held anymore. Few people say “please” or “thank you.” Few even say “good-bye” on the telephone anymore.

Comedienne/CBS Commentator Nancy Giles said it best a couple of years ago. She said it came to her when she was pumping her own gasoline one day. “You know, I’m doing a lot more jobs now. Why isn’t there a line on my IRS tax return for ‘wages earned but unpaid?’”

Posted by: songweasel | July 19, 2008 12:17 AM

I'm somewhat amazed (but not surprised) that the same people who, when times are good, talk about the self-correcting nature of the free market (which I believe, but only if everyone is honest and agree to play by the rules), are the first ones to ask for a bailout when things go bad.

Let the banks fail, and I'll bet the next time a sub-prime packaged security is offered there won't be many takers.

Posted by: Eric | July 19, 2008 12:17 AM

I’ve been a fan of Greider for a long time. This was my first opportunity to hear him in person. As when I read his articles, my response is that what he says makes sense. It is too bad that no one (in power, as in Congress) is listening.

The most important point he made is that the private corporations get bailed-out but not bought-out. Why don’t the people of the US own Continental Illinois Bank, all the savings and loans, Chrysler, and Bear Stearns? We paid for them. The only way to stop the exploitation of “too big to fail” is for failed industries to be nationalized.

Posted by: January | July 19, 2008 12:16 AM

Regulators knew this meltdown was going to occur for almost ten years now. It was blatant, obvious, and they did nothing to stop it.

Ten years ago Japan had their meltdown, and it almost took down all of Asia. The experts watched and learned, then turned around to use what they learned to strip the middle class here in America of its assets.

Ten years ago Japan had a major meltdown, recession, and ultimately deflation. The value of homes, everything, had to drop to realistic levels.

Everything that happened to them is happening to us. If you want to understand how bad things are going to get, study what happened to Japan.

After all, that's exactly how the criminals that are stealing your money, destroying your bank, learned how to do it.

Posted by: allyn | July 19, 2008 12:14 AM

What scares me: Greider's prediction -- and my belief -- that Americans have darker days ahead as this ripple of credit woes cripple the US. Greider's fears appear valid about private equity funds buying into US financial institutes.

I hope this is a nightmare...and that I wake to an American Dream.

If Fanny and Freddie are bailed out, more US Treasuries will be sold, possibly doubling the national debt. Thus, ever greater US debt held by China and oil rich countries. What happens when foreign creditors own a controlling majority of US Treasury debt?

What if instead of US private equity funds, it's foreign investment funds that purchase American banks and Wall Street? After all, the combined market value of the US financial market is beginning to look like a bargain.

And there's no rush. As the US implodes, foreign investors can chose at what deflated price they claim the complete package: the US government and Wall Street.

read more if you don't get it yet.... http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/blog/2008/07/facing_economic_troubles.html

Repuglican trick. Again.

deanne in florida — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:36:54 EDT

This thing of McCain's to cancel debate to "save" the economy, is of course another repug trick.

Thank God, our fellow Americans are seeing things truly, and will vote for Obama, no matter the tricks the repugs play around us.

see my website on how Punch and Judy celebrate repuglicans now. http://www.pajamaparty2008.com/

Phishing alert

deanne in florida — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:28:00 EDT

Pay extra attention to the login areas, and page. The imposter page that I got yesterday, Tuesday 9/23, did not have our usual login fields on the right hand side and stupid me, I kept looking and even while thinking it odd, finally saw a login field in a darker color at the top right hand corner, and logged in and then -- got the phishing alert. Guess I'll go change my password, not that that will help anyone else, though. SIGH

ALERT: phishing website.

deanne in florida — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:54:57 EDT

http://www.barackobama.com/index.php

can somebody tell me about this url? When I was thinking I was on our site, I had noticed the pages were slower and most of all, the login page and fields seemed off somehow. Then the browser IE7 sends up a phishing alarm and said I should check the web site and I did and it said it was an imposter. I tried backtracking and think this is the one. Gee, I hate this if we have been hacked and phished and used by the repugs!

Republicans racking up all they can ......

deanne in florida — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:36:55 EDT

"When I'm president, there will be a whole lot more like this, not only here in the Gulf, but also off of our east and west coasts," McCain said in brief remarks to the press. "We need to drill offshore. We need to do it now. If I were president, I would call the members [of congress] back into session and tell them get back to work."

He added, "Senator Obama opposes new drilling. He has said it will not 'solve our problem' and that 'it's not real.' He's wrong, and the American people know it. I hope he'll seize the opportunity to come out and pay a visit like this one and I think it would probably change his mind."

Obama, along with many experts in the field, has argued oil drilling won't reduce gas prices in the short term, although McCain's opponent has said he could support drilling as part of a compromise to pass broader energy legislation.

But McCain touts his support of offshore drilling everywhere, and his visit here was the most striking declaration of that position. The tour was very brief, as officials here spent about a half-hour explaining to him how oil and natural gas are extracted and produced at the rig.

McCain spent more time traveling to the rig than he did on the platform, where he read remarks an aide had prepared for what was essentially a photo-op at sea.

===============================================================

McCain's visit came a day ahead of the Minerals Management Service's lease sale in New Orleans to auction off 18 million acres of the western Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas drilling. The tracts could potentially yield as much as 400 million barrels of oil, but that amount would only meet the nation's oil needs for about 19 days, and it would be at least seven to 10 years until oil started flowing.

Palin is a Bush-Cheney clone

deanne in florida — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:25:00 EDT

Reading this article, we can conclude that Palin is ready for Washington, DC, on day 1.

The New York Times

WASILLA, Alaska – Gov. Sarah Palin lives by the maxim that all politics is local, not to mention personal.

So when there was a vacancy at the state Agriculture Department, she appointed a high school classmate, Franci Havemeister, to the $95,000-a-year directorship. A former real estate agent, Ms. Havemeister cited her childhood love of cows as a qualification for running the roughly $2 million agency.

Ms. Havemeister was one of at least five high school classmates Ms. Palin hired, often at salaries far exceeding their private sector wages.

Ms. Palin walks the national stage as a small-town foe of "good old boys" politics and a champion for ethics reform. And as the Republican vice presidential nominee, she points to her management experience while mocking her Democratic rivals, Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as speechmakers who never have run anything.

An examination of her swift rise and record as mayor of Wasilla and then governor finds that her visceral style and penchant for attacking critics – she sometimes calls local opponents "haters" – often contrasts with her public image.

Throughout her career, she has pursued vendettas, fired officials who crossed her and sometimes blurred the line between government and personal grievance, according to a review of public records and interviews with 60 Republican and Democratic legislators and local officials.

Interviews show that Ms. Palin runs an administration that puts a premium on loyalty and secrecy. The governor and her top officials sometimes use personal e-mail accounts for state business; dozens of e-mail messages obtained by The New York Times show that her staff members studied whether that could allow them to circumvent subpoenas seeking public records.

Jacksonville's Obama Rally on Saturday

Whitney — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 05:32:01 EDT

If one ignored the goofy, "RAISING TAXES IS NOT PATRIOTIC," and "NORTH FLORIDA IS MCCAIN/PALIN COUNTRY" signs trailing behind two lonely planes high above the 20,000 or so Obama supporters at Metropolitan Park yesterday in Jacksonville, the Obama rally was really fantastic. The weather was cloudy but it never rained, so it was surprisingly cool for Jacksonville these last couple of days. Everyone in attendance was all in good spirits, and though eight thousand or so people got stuck on the wrong side of the gates per the fire marshall's limits (we were awfully close to that cutoff point - I'm so glad we made it inside!), it was fantastic. This is my first time seeing Obama in real life, and I was excited to bring one of my friends and coworkers along to share the experience. Also, I realized today that I really like Obama as a guy, not just as a candidate. I had all the respect in the world for John Kerry and all he did for his country four years ago (still do, the dude's a hero), but I finally get to appreciate what Bush supporters have enjoyed for so long: this is a cool guy. I want to hang out with him. He's funny and engaging and seems to have my best interests in heart. Not just because I might vote for him, but because I'm an American.

That sense of Obama as a genuinely funny, smart, and qualified was not lost on my undecided firned after the rally. As he picked up a couple buttons ("...just to prove I was here, of course...") on the way out, he admitted to me that if the election were held today, he'd vote for Obama. Also, he let me know that he wasn't really moved to attend the upcoming Palin rally next month. Does anyone who's been paying attention really need to hear untruths about, "Thanks, but no thanks," the lovely view of Russia from here, and how she never, ever blinks all over again? She's said the same handful of folksy anecdotes and unfounded statements about her readiness enough, hardly changing speaches since she began travelling the country for McCain. My friend? The Republican who's voting for Obama? Doesn't really care to hear it in person.

Maybe he'll watch it on TV. With the sound off.

"Obama Says If He Wins Florida, He Wins the Election"

Connie from Memphis, TN — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 15:16:31 EDT

"Obama Says If He Wins Florida, He Wins the Election"

So...we have to "put the pedal to the metal." We only have until Oct 6 to register our TARGET DEMOGRAPHICS.

Time is our most precious resource right now...we will never get this week again.

If you're not already involved in a registration drive, please contact your field director or precinct captain through your local office; they know the best. target rich places to go. If you can't do that, take the volunteers at your office some food. They rather work than take time out to go get food. While you're there, ask if there's anything else you can do--

46 offices now open- http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/floffices

"Obama Says If He Wins Florida, He Wins the White House"

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/09/20/politics/fromtheroad/entry4462359.shtml

From CBS News:

(MIAMI) - Barack Obama will be campaigning in Florida for the second day in a row today, making up for lost time during the Democratic primary, when the Democrats agreed not to campaign here after the state moved it's primary to January, in violation of party rules.

At a fundraiser here last night, Obama’s pitch to donors included a prediction – if he wins Florida, he will win the election.

“I’ll tell you, we can win this thing without Florida, but boy, it’s a lot easier if we win Florida,” Obama said, adding, “If we win Florida, it is almost impossible for John McCain to win.”

While speaking at the home of supporters, Irene and Chris Korge, Obama also had sharp criticism for both George Bush and John McCain’s response to this week’s financial crisis. Obama accused Bush of being absent, saying that there has been a “vacuum” of leadership from the White House. “Here we have the greatest crisis probably since 9/11 and our president was absent.”

He went on to link McCain to the Bush Administration, charging him with having to borrow ideas from Bush and Karl Rove because he doesn’t have his own.

Clarification

Kristen Psaki — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 14:35:20 EDT

There was a message circulating some of our groups in Florida yesterday that spread incorrect information conerning the the ID needed to vote. We're going to clarify below.

A message from the Florida Campaign for Change chief election lawyer:

I am the Obama-Biden campaign’s chief election lawyer in Florida, and I have received the 'no match no vote' message from several sources. This message is categorically false.
Our reading of the clear statutory language does NOT require that the address on the driver’s license (or other ID) that the voter presents at the polls match the voter’s address in the precinct register. Furthermore, this press release from the Florida Secretary of State definitively ccnfirms:
http://www.dos.state.fl.us/news/communications/pressRelease/pressRelease.cfm?id=330
See the last bullet:
· I.D. required and checked at the polls is used solely to confirm the voter’s identity. Not to verify the voter’s ID number or address. The photograph on the ID is compared to the person standing before the poll worker and the signature on the ID is compared to the signature on record.

Please feel free to email florida@barackobama.com with any questions or concerns.

Obama smart not to reveal his plans....

deanne in florida — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 01:33:59 EDT

Of course, Barack cannot reveal his plans to go forward on the economy crisis. If he did....and whatever Barack Obama says... then hardly one hour later, John MCain will have co-opted Obama's message,

Any idea or words from our guy, Obama, is immediately taken up and grabbed (stolen) by McCain.

And, Obama is aware of this. Today on the campaign trail in Florida, Obama said "everybody knows that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." speaking of his foe, McCain.

But, in this case, Obama cannot afford McCain's form of imitation which in reality is plain old thievery.

Obama is a Christian part two

deanne in florida — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:42:51 EDT

tell everybody when they want to make excuses not to vote for Obama, such as but, he's a muslim...tell them No. That the Democrat Party wants to win too badly, and, that the Democrat Party would not run a muslim for a candidate for president, not in these troubling times. Argue the case that Obama has to be christian, in order to run for president.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/19/AR2008091903589.html

and help Joe Biden as much as you can; as he suggests in the excerpt below;

excerpt from wapol; At the end of a two-day bus trip through Ohio this week, Biden acknowledged in an interview that he and others still have more work to do in selling Obama to those voters before Election Day. He said a lack of familiarity with Obama and false rumors about him were still hampering the Democratic ticket, particularly the untrue e-mail chains suggesting that Obama is a Muslim. The Democratic presidential nominee is a Christian. Everybody likes him, they get out there and they look and they go, 'I like him a lot, but is this guy a Muslim? Does he go to a madrassa?' Biden said. People like him, but they want to be reassured [that] some of the malarkey, the negative stuff they hear about him, is just not true. But, he added, we're still winning, we're still doing well. Biden said what he described as Karl Rove tactics by Republicans have hurt Obama. I think some of the stuff they're trying to say is less racial. What they're trying to say is, this guy is exotic, this guy isn't like you, like the whole thing that he is a celebrity, he is a rock star, he said.

Obama is a Christian

deanne in florida — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:26:42 EDT

He said a lack of familiarity with Obama and false rumors about him were still hampering the Democratic ticket, particularly the untrue e-mail chains suggesting that Obama is a Muslim. The Democratic presidential nominee is a Christian.

"Everybody likes him, they get out there and they look and they go, 'I like him a lot, but is this guy a Muslim? Does he go to a madrassa?' " Biden said. "People like him, but they want to be reassured [that] some of the malarkey, the negative stuff they hear about him, is just not true."

But, he added, "we're still winning, we're still doing well."

Biden said what he described as "Karl Rove tactics" by Republicans have hurt Obama. "I think some of the stuff they're trying to say is less racial. What they're trying to say is, this guy is exotic, this guy isn't like you, like the whole thing that he is a celebrity, he is a rock star," he said.

To all of you who live in Ohio, this is what we are up against. The fact that to this very day, people still believe that Barack Obama is muslim. (....and, not just Ohio....)Trying to think of an effective way to fight this, so far, I have come up with "do you think that a national party like the Democrat Party, would offer a muslim as a candidate for president, in these troubling times?"

McCain's Keating Five

deanne in florida — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:23:07 EDT

In case you missed it....here is a brief synopsis of the Keating Five scandal, or bad action, of which John McCain, R-AZ, was a member and an actor in the now infamous group.

McCain and four other US senators (known to history as the Keating Five) met
with Edwin Gray, then chairman of the FHLBB. McCain had been hesitant to attend
but had reportedly been called a "wimp" behind his back by Keating. The message
to the FHLBB and Gray from the Keating Five was to lay off Lincoln and cool the
investigation. Gray and the FHLBB did not relent but Lincoln stayed in business
until 1989 when it collapsed with the rest of the S&L industry. The life savings
of more than 20,000 elderly investors disappeared with the failure of Lincoln.
Keating went to prison for five years.

Charles Keating was John McCain's pal. They met in 1981 and Keating dumped
$112,000 in the McCain campaign bank accounts between '82 and '87. A year before
McCain met with the FHLBB regulators, his wife Cindy and her father, according
to newspaper reports at the time, invested about $360,000 in one of Keating's
shopping centers. The Arizona Republic reported McCain and his wife and their
babysitter took nine trips on Keating's private jet to the Bahamas to stay at
the S&L liar's decadent Cat Cay resort. The senator didn't pay Keating back for
the plane rides until years later when he was under investigation.

McCain wasn't found guilty of anything but bad judgment, which is an historic
understatement. Republicans, who led deregulation of the S&L industry, delayed
the bailout until after the 1988 election to make sure George H. W. won the
White House. The cost to taxpayers for helping these 747 bad actors in the S&L
industry was finally estimated at $1.4 trillion. If the bailout had begun in
1986 instead of after the presidential election, the cost would have been
contained at $20 billion.

How to check CEOs

BHoov — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:03:38 EDT

To often we hear of another CEO leaving a company because of poor business performance. And they leave with their 200+million dollar severance package. Or the CEO leaves the company suddenly and soon after the facade crumbles and the company soon falls. These now former CEOs just walk out the door with a bag full of cash in hand. Why should they receive record pay as countless employees lose their jobs because of their CEO's greed?

What if Obama or McCain tried to pass legislation requiring a win fall tax of 75%-95% of all income earned(after tax) by the CEO from the company he or she led that is now failing? It should be returned to the company to help sure up the books. And if the company was already bailed out by the U.S. and the CEO is still receiving compensation for their tenure, then 75-95% of all future money be returned to the U.S. government as a win fall tax as well. This would be a great inspiration for CEOs to do the right thing. I know we couldn't make it retro active, but speedy passing of this legislation can at least give a message to the business world, that they will be held accountable for their actions and remind them that it's time to share the wealth with the rest of the company to allow everyone to succeed. 1% of employees should never be able to collect 90% off all payroll for a company. Wishful thinking I must admit.

McCain would spy on ordinary Americans....also..ala Bush

deanne in florida — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:20:20 EDT

If elected president, Senator John McCain would reserve the right to run his own warrantless wiretapping program against Americans, based on the theory that the president's wartime powers trump federal criminal statutes and court oversight, according to a statement released by his campaign Monday.

McCain's new tack towards the Bush administration's theory of executive power comes some 10 days after a McCain surrogate stated, incorrectly it seems, that the senator wanted hearings into telecom companies' cooperation with President Bush's warrantless wiretapping program, before he'd support giving those companies retroactive legal immunity.

As first reported by Threat Level, Chuck Fish, a full-time lawyer for the McCain campaign, also said McCain wanted stricter rules on how the nation's telecoms work with U.S. spy agencies, and expected those companies to apologize for any lawbreaking before winning amnesty.

But Monday, McCain adviser Doug Holtz-Eakin, speaking for the campaign, disavowed those statements, and for the first time cast McCain's views on warrantless wiretapping as identical to Bush's.

Help Obama Fight the Good Fight

deanne in florida — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:39:06 EDT

"I don't care what they say about me. But I love this country too much to let them take over another election with lies and phony outrage and Swift-boat politics. Enough is enough," he said.

Obama's reference was to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, an outside group that in 2004 made unsubstantiated allegations about Democratic nominee John Kerry's decorated military record in Vietnam

Women in Alaska Know Better....

deanne in florida — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:30:06 EDT

"Alaska Women Reject Palin" Rally: UPDATED w/ VIDEO! by frsbdg Sun Sep 14, 2008 at 07:30:42 AM PDT

We begin in Anchorage, Alaska, where a group of average women decided to hold a small rally to let it be known that their Governor, Sarah Palin, does not represent their views on many of the issues that are important in their lives.

They put together a press release and sent it to the Anchorage media outlets. A local right-wing talk show host broadcast the names and phone numbers of the two organizers over the air. They began receiving a series of harassing phone calls for the remainder of that afternoon. The leading TV station picked up the story on Thursday. Alaska Public Radio Network put up some audio.

An anonymous caller contacted the local media on Friday afternoon and told them they were one of the organizers, and the rally had been cancelled. Someone even faxed forged a document saying the Secret Service had cancelled the permit for the rally, even though no permit is required. Some people were putting an awful lot of effort in to making sure no dissent would be heard from Alaska.

Sun Sep 14, 2008 at 07:30:42 AM PDT

Barack Morning Buzz - 9-12-08

Barack Daily Buzz - Victory2008.net — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:46:28 EDT

Barack Morning Buzz - 9-12-08
On to Victory in November

(1) Obama Vows New "Speed and Ferocity"
Mike Allen-Politico
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13396.html

(2) "1982"-New Obama TV Ad Says McCain is Out of Touch
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1185304443/bctid1789003018

(3) Obama Plans Sharper Tone as Party Frets
Adam Nagourney and Jeff Zeleny-New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/us/politics/12obama.html?em

(4) Truce Over, Obama Comes Out Swinging
Sam Youngman-The Hill
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/truce-over-obama-comes-out-swinging-2008-09-12.html

(5) Bill Clinton and Obama Have a Really "Great Conversation"
Andrew Malcolm-Los Angeles Times-Top of the Ticket
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/09/obama-clinton.html

(6) Obama Deploys Clintons as Race Tightens
Agence France Presse-AFP
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iGun42HPqt-3rZUDPxM-sUwROdAg

(7) 9/11 Observances and Obama Meets with Bill Clinton
Ross Simpson-Associated Press Minute
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&q=Barack+Obama&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=news_group&resnum=4&ct=title

(8) Obama and McCain Find Common Ground on National Service
CNNPolitics
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/12/candidates.sept11/index.html?section=cnn_latest

(9) Obama and McCain Keep It Civic
Kate Pickert-TIME
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1840733,00.html

(10) Obama and McCain Praise Service at Columbia University Forum
Associated Press
http://www.mercurynews.com/presidentelect/ci_10441938

(11) The Unbearable Lightness of Republican Hypocrisy
John Nery-Philippine Daily Inquirer
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/mindfeeds/mindfeeds/view/20080911-160012/The-unbearable-lightness-of-Republican-hypocrisy

(12) Obama to Appear on "Saturday Night Live" Again
Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hUJZr2cYsgJCAyRJeKF-6QHPWi0AD934TUAG7

(13) Obama on David Letterman Show-9-10-08
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hf6qd8b65s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZXc5AVHgaE

(14) "Change We Need" Rally with Hillary Clinton in Elyria, Ohio-9-14-08
Lorain County Community College-1005 North Abbe Road
Gates open at 11:30 AM- Event is free and open to public-No tickets required
No bags, signs or banners permitted for security reasons
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/ohlorainhrc

(15) "Change We Need" Rally with Hillary Clinton in Akron, Ohio-9-14-08
Ellet High School Gymnasium-309 Woolf Avenue
Doors open at 2:00 PM-Event begins at 3:30 PM
Event is free and open to public-No tickets required-RSVP strongly encouraged
No bags, signs or banners permitted for security reasons
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/akronchange

Motivated, but have little time to offer?

Becky Hussein Obama — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:52:16 EDT

I’m writing a blog for the first time because I think it’s important to participate, and to encourage others to do the same. This is not the first election I’ve had a keen interest in, but it is the first in which I’ve actively worked to help my chosen candidate. That’s because Barack Obama has not only inspired me, he has motivated me to take part.

I’m only able to devote three hours a day at a voter registration site my partner and I work each Monday and Tuesday. It didn’t seem like we were doing much good at first, only registering 14 people in those three hours one day. I started in early August and have kept a record of the daily totals. So far, the total is 164 registrations. Not bad for a newbie who didn’t think she could do much good. I hope this encourages someone else who has very little time to offer, but wants to help. You will make a difference!

Veterans Give McCain D on Voting Record - Media Gives McCain Free Pass on Lies

Chris Campbell — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:55:48 EDT

John McCain's campaign continues to use the illusion of supporting the troops, when in reality McCain's record is just the opposite. The press has been silent, and unwilling to do a simple fact check. How do you miss 10 out of 14 Senate votes on Iraq and vote against the others and still be a supporter of veterans? Check out this eye-opening video and pass it along.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKSBYO6aiHU

Elizabeth Hasselbeck

Shantrell M. — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:23:53 EDT

First, I would like to start off by saying that I'm a huge female fan of The View and its host. Unfortunately one host in particular, Elizabeth Hasselback, has greatly angered me with her rude and coward remarks towards Barack and Michelle Obama. I'm a 27 year old black female who strongly believe in our rights as U.S. citizens. I understnad that we are entitled to our opinions and unfortunately for Elizabeth, she seems not to know that her remarks/comments are causing her to become unpleasant to listen to.

He's Baaaa....aaacck Karl Rove, that is...

deanne in florida — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:03:01 EDT

Re: the repubs are sending out complaints to the press, about Obama using the lipstick on a pig term to describe the false tripe coming from the McCain camp. Oh give me a break. The McCain campaign can run an ad with 2 blond white women and Obama and say that that's not racist, but humorous. This is bs. Swift was real forthcoming when Andrea Mitchell asked her about Palin's flip flow on the bridge to nowhere. McCain, Rove and company are trying to insulate Palin from any criticism, and the way the mainstream media is timidly reporting on Palin it is working.

Folks watch the Republican attack machine at its worst in the coming months. Karl Rove is back, and these people have no respect or dignity.

Let it sink in and the Palin fans will go home and vote for Obama

deanne in florida — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 22:50:51 EDT

Be patient. Time will take care of Palin. The republicans are already fast at work trying to sweep her troopergate mess under the rug, but, it got out anyhow and now we learn that Sarah Palin belongs - - or did belong up until a few weeks ago, a church that speaks in tongues and says that God approves the suicide bombing of the Israelis. And more. Somehow this is far more chilling than rev. wright ever was.

Thursday Night Meetings in Starke

Kathleen — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 06:43:48 EDT

There will be a meeting at the Bradford County Library every Thursday at 6 this month. Hope to see everyone there.

Please consider donating to the Hurricane Gustav relief effort. The links are on the barackobama.com home page. Even the minimum donation of $10 will be a big benefit to the Red Cross and a chance to show that Obama supporters care about more than just politics.

See you Thursday night! Kathleen

John McCain says, "Drill, drill in the Gulf Coastal waters...."

deanne in florida — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:43:26 EDT

With Hurricane Gustav on course to hit the US Gulf of Mexico coast, the damage it does to the region's oil facilities could be a "worst case scenario".

The stark warning comes from extreme weather impact analyst Jim Roullier, who says Gustav may be more damaging than 2005's Hurricane Katrina.

Output from oil rigs in the US Gulf has already been cut by three-quarters, as staff continue to be evacuated.

The region produces 25% of the US's crude oil and 15% of its natural gas.

About 4,000 offshore oil and gas facilities are located in the US gulf, 100 of which were badly damaged three years ago by Katrina and the follow on Hurricane Rita.

UK oil giants BP and Shell said on Sunday that all of their Gulf of Mexico facilities were being shut down.

"This storm will be more dangerous than Katrina," said Mr Roullier, of Planalytics.

"I think this storm will prove to be a worst case scenario for the production region."

Impact on prices

Forecasters predict that Gustav will hit the central Louisiana coast west of New Orleans by late Monday or early Tuesday.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7590463.stm

Concern about the impact of Gustav is likely to push global oil prices higher when trading resumes on Monday.

Crude prices had increased last week as concern mounted about Gustav, before finishing slightly down on Friday.

US light sweet ended Friday 13 cents lower to $115.46 a barrel, while London's Brent closed down 12 cents to $114.05.

Democrats: Get Out The Vote for real this time.

deanne in florida — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:06:38 EDT

Below is a brief summary of the popular and electoral vote in 2004.

The United States presidential election of 2004 was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004 to elect the president. It was the 55th consecutive quadrennial election for the president and vice president of the United States. Republican candidate George Walker Bush, the President of the United States, defeated Democratic candidate John Forbes Kerry, the junior United States Senator from Massachusetts. Foreign policy was the dominant theme throughout the election campaign, particularly Bush's conduct of the War on Terrorism and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

As in the presidential election in 2000, voting controversies and concerns of irregularities emerged during and after the vote. The winner was not determined until the following day, when Kerry decided not to dispute Bush's win in the state of Ohio. The state held enough electoral votes to determine the winner of the presidency. Both Kerry and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean have stated their opinion that voting in Ohio did not proceed fairly, and that had it done so, the Democratic ticket might have won that state and therefore the election.

Only three states changed allegiance. New Mexico and Iowa voted Democratic in 2000, but voted Republican in 2004. New Hampshire voted Republican in 2000 but voted Democratic in 2004. In the Electoral college, George W. Bush received 286 votes, John Kerry 251 and John Edwards 1.

Popular vote count was Bush: 62,040,610

Kerry: 59,028,444

total winning votes: 3,012,166

Electoral vote: Bush 286 Kerry 251

Facts from article in Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2004

Democrats need to understand that it was the well-timed video of Osama Bin Laden, in which he tells America what to think and who to vote for, in late 2003, just as the primaries began for the race for president, 2004.

Americans were scared into voting for a second term for George Bush, and it was said that a second factor was the conservative base got up off the couch and went out and voted. Where many would say to themselves; "it's alright if I don't make it to the poll booth, I know someone else will be taking up the slack...." that this time on this occasion of the voting year of 2004, that the conservatives and right-leaning moderates and evangelicals were out in force.

Democrats, take note. Get the vote in early and get the voters out in full-force.

I took down my Obama yard sign......

s.h.a.n. — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:10:37 EDT

Not because I don't believe in his ability to lead, because I do.
Not because I don't think he is the right person for the job, because I do.
Not because I'm not ready to finally be visible to my government, because I am.

No...I took down my Obama yard sign because the harassment my girlfriend and I have suffered on a daily basis has escalated from 32 oz Heiniken bottles being chucked into our yard, (with, I'm sure, total ignorance of the irony there), to vandalism of one of our vehicles.

Similar to the style that has been the signature of the current Republican administration, bullying and intimidation have been employed as the course of action against someone (us) who is not perceived as a ready ally. Well, it has worked. I will continue my support of Obama, but I can't commit to being as visible an advocate as I have been up to this point.
I'm mad at myself for caving under this pressure, but I'm more scared than I am angry. The beer bottles have been thrown during the day when no one's home, but my girlfriend's car was vandalized last night...while we were home...while we slept.

Unlike Michelle Obama, I find that I'm STILL waiting for the moment when I can be proud of my country...more specifically, of the people who live in it.

Don't let the networks ruin your night

Marty — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:34:33 EDT

I switched off all the network coverage Monday night, and haven't been back. Too many pundits, too many ads, not enough coverage, they only showed you what THEY deemed important to you.

Tomorrow, watch the entire evening on C-SPAN. No tallking heads, no ads, only the podium, every speech. No, don't let all the morons ruin your night, watch the event and enjoy. They showed EVERY speech, I cannot tell you how much you missed by watching CNN or MSNBC. Personally, I really don't care anymore what they think and their stupid questions, especially having the nerve to bring Giuliani and Romney to the booths to get their 'opinions'.

Take a night off from talking heads who want to tell you what to believe. Stop the madness, and enjoy the moment.

Welcome Joe!

Kristen Psaki — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 08:15:41 EDT

It's official, Barack sent out the email this morning, did you get it?

Friend --
I have some important news that I want to make official.
I've chosen Joe Biden to be my running mate.
Joe and I will appear for the first time as running mates this afternoon in Springfield, Illinois -- the same place this campaign began more than 19 months ago.
I'm excited about hitting the campaign trail with Joe, but the two of us can't do this alone. We need your help to keep building this movement for change.
Please let Joe know that you're glad he's part of our team. Share your personal welcome note and we'll make sure he gets it:
Welcome Joe

Thanks for your support,
Barack

Send Joe a note! Welcome Joe!

Make sure to turn on your TV at 3:00 p.m. to join Obama and Biden in Springfield, Illinois. Or, watch online at http://www.BarackObama.com.

Inexperience as excuse for Hillary supporters

deanne in florida — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:13:13 EDT

The Hillary supporters are tell the news outlets like Hardball, MSNBC, that one reason they will not vote for Obama, is his inexperience.

I would like to ask the Hillary supporters if they truly believe they will be better off with an older, seasoned politician from washington, DC, such as McCain.

do they really, believe that the republican party and John McCain, is going to crreate change for the good of the American people?

26 Golden Olympic Reasons To Donate

Herschel.Corpus.Christi — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:24:22 EDT

How much will you donate per medal, $0.25, $.50, $1.00, $5.00 or HOPEFULLY more? Sign up with a per medal amount. I'll make contact after it’s over.

Going For The Gold……$ The reasons just keep increasing.

26 PLUS Golden Reasons to Donate:

1. For The American Capture of Gold in the Men’s 4X100-meter Free Style Relay.

2. For Mariel Zagunis Capture of Gold in The Women’s Individual Saber.

3. For Michael Phelps Capture of Gold in the Men’s 400-meter Individual Medley.

4. For Natalie Coughlin of Gold in the Women's 100-meter Backstroke.

5. For Michael Phelps Capture of Gold in the Men’s 200-meter Free Style.

6. For Aaron Piersol Capture of Gold in the Men's 100-meter Backstroke.

7. For Walton Eller Capture of Gold in Men’s Double Trap Shooting.

8. For Kristin Armstrong Capture of Gold In Women's Individual Time Trial Cycling.

9. For Michael Phelps Capture of Gold in the Men’s 200meter Butterfly.

10. For The American Capture of Gold in Men's 4 x 200meter Freestyle Relay.

11. For Nastia Luikin Capture of Gold in Women's Individual All-Around Gymnastics.

12. For Rebecca Soni Capture of Gold in Women's 200m Breaststroke.

13. For Ryan Lochte Capture Of Gold in Men's 200m Backstroke.

14. For Michael Phelps Capture of Gold in Men's 400m Individual Medley.

15. For Michael Phelps Capture of Gold in Men’s 100-m butterfly.

16. For Vincent Hancock Capture of Gold in Men’s Skeet.

17. For The American Capture of Gold in the Men’s 4x100 Freestyle Relay.

18. For Venus Williams and Serena Williams Capture of Gold Women’s Doubles.

19. For The American Women Capture of Gold in Women’s Eight Rowing.

20. For Angelo Taylor Capture of Gold Men’s 400 Hurdles.

21. For Stephanie Brown Trafton Capture of Women’s Discus Throw.

22. For The American Team Capture of Gold in Jumping Team Equestrian.

23. For Dawn Harper Capture of Gold in Women’s 100 meter Hurdles.

24. For Shawn Johnson Capture of Gold in Women’s Beam.

25. For Henry Cejudo Capture of Gold in Men’s Freestyle 55 kg Wrestling.

26. For Anna Tunnicliffe Capture of Gold in Laser Radial Sailing.

To Send a President Obama to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.

To send a President Obama to the 2012 Olympics in London, England.

PLEASE DONATE NOW:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/fundraising/44dhg#rsvp

They learned from Vietnam to ban viewing of military coffins

deanne in florida — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:53:39 EDT

The picture shows several workers inside a cargo plane parked at Kuwait International Airport securing 20 flag-draped coffins for the trip back to the United States. Imperial USA president H.W. Bush. Kuwait. remember? .

The civilian cargo worker who took the photo, Tami Silicio, 50, and her husband, David Landry, are now out of work.

William Silva, president of Maytag Aircraft Corporation, says the two were fired for violating "Department of Defense and company policies by working together" to take and publish the photograph.

The firing was first reported Thursday in The Seattle Times, which published the April 7 photo on Sunday.

The Seattle Times says Silicio told them she hoped the picture would portray the care and devotion with which civilian and military crews treat the remains of fallen soldiers.

Look at this picture and think. (Big Oil)

deanne in florida — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:52:43 EDT

we may not be able to get our squeaky little voices heard by Big Oil, but we can vote for Barack Obama and HELP HIM BRING CHANGE.

PBS Journal writer Michael Winship, writes in the post column for Bill Moyers Journal, PBS TV, on Friday, 15th, 2008; In a letter written in 1648, the Swedish statesman, Axel Oxenstierna, chancellor to both King Gustavus Adolphus and Queen Christina, counseled, “Know, my son, with how little wisdom the world is governed.”

The fighting between Russia and the former Soviet republic of Georgia is an unnerving reminder of that, and of how quickly the balance of global power can be tilted from unexpected directions with barely a warning.

Some hawks and neo-cons called for NATO intervention or even suggested we send in Stinger missiles or the 82nd Airborne as a peacekeeping force. President Bush warned, “Russia has invaded a sovereign neighboring state and threatens a democratic government elected by its people. Such an action is unacceptable in the 21st century.”

Perhaps, but the reality of the early 21st century is that, in the short run, at least, the President’s words ring hollow. In spite of past promises of support to Georgia, Russia is key to our efforts in the Middle East and our European allies are dependent on Russia for energy. The invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq have both our military strength and our international credibility stretched perilously thin at a time when oil-rich Russia is reemerging as a superpower. We’ve boxed ourselves in.

It is up to the people to change and to make change

deanne in florida — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:14:19 EDT

We, ourselves have to change and bring change to our countyry. Barack Obama can do it but only if we are solidly behind him like, 2000%.

excerpt by PBS Journal writer Michael Winship In a letter written in 1648, the Swedish statesman, Axel Oxenstierna, chancellor to both King Gustavus Adolphus and Queen Christina, counseled, “Know, my son, with how little wisdom the world is governed.”

It was in that light that I came upon the Oxenstierna quote the other night, while re-reading the late historian Barbara Tuchman’s THE MARCH OF FOLLY, a knowing compendium, from ancient Troy to Vietnam, of the ways in which, given half a chance, those in power will steer their ships of state straight into the rocks. In the first chapter, she also quotes American President John Adams: “While all other sciences have advanced” – you can almost hear him sighing – “government is at a stand; little better practiced now than three or four thousand years ago.”

Andrew J. Bacevich probably would agree with all of the above. The retired Army colonel, a West Point graduate, teaches history and international relations at Boston University. His latest book, THE LIMITS OF POWER: THE END OF AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM, explores our nation’s current predicament, not just on the world stage but here at home as well. He spoke with my colleague Bill Moyers on this week’s edition of the PBS series BILL MOYERS JOURNAL.

Bacevich speaks truth to power, no matter who’s in power, which may be why those of both the left and right are eager to hear his views. Perhaps it’s also because when he challenges American myths and illusions, he does so from a genuine patriotism forged in the fire of his experiences as a soldier in Vietnam and the death a year ago of his son, an Army lieutenant in Iraq. THE LIMITS OF POWER is dedicated to the young man but the senior Bacevich, a man of quiet, solid gravitas, holds his grief privately between himself and his family.

“Our foreign policy is something that is concocted in Washington, D.C., but it reflects the perceptions of our political elite about what we the people want,” he told Moyers. “And what we want, by and large is… this continuing flow of very cheap consumer goods. We want to be able to pump gas into our cars regardless of how big they may happen to be… And we want to be able to do these things without having to think about whether or not the books are balanced at the end of the month, or the end of the fiscal year.”

To that end, he says, “One of the ways we avoid confronting our refusal to balance the books is to rely increasingly on the projection of American military power around the world to try to maintain this dysfunctional system or set of arrangements that have evolved over the last 30 or 40 years.”

“… I think historians a hundred years from now will puzzle over how it could be that the United States of America, the most powerful nation in the world, as far back as the early 1970’s came to recognize that dependence on foreign oil was a problem, posed a threat, compromised our freedom of action. How every President from Richard Nixon down… declared, ‘We’re going to fix the problem.’ [But] none of them did.”

Scholar and author Andrew Bacevich, US army colonel, retired, west point graduate, writes;

“The Congress, especially with regard to matters related to national security policy, has thrust power and authority to the executive branch. We have created an imperial presidency. The Congress no longer is able to articulate a vision of what is the common good. The Congress exists primarily to ensure the reelection of members of Congress... As the Congress has moved to the margins, as the President has moved to the center of our politics, the presidency itself has come to be less effective...

Because of this preoccupation, this fascination with the presidency, the President has become what we have instead of genuine politics, instead of genuine democracy... We look to the next President to fix things and, of course, that lifts all responsibility from me to fix things. So one of the real problems with the imperial presidency is that it has hollowed out our politics and, in many respects, has made our democracy a false one. We’re going through the motions of a democratic political system, but the fabric of democracy really has worn very thin.

”http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/blog/2008/08/the_imperial_presidency.html

We the people must change things in gov.

deanne in florida — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:04:55 EDT

Just as Obama has been saying ....and sometimes is being demonized for, by the opposing party....it is really we, the people, who are in need of change and as the people of the USA, we need to change ourselves and change our country. Here is only a part of a good read from the Bill Moyers Journal, PBS, and every word strikes true into the heart.

PBS Journal writer Michael Winship In a letter written in 1648, the Swedish statesman, Axel Oxenstierna, chancellor to both King Gustavus Adolphus and Queen Christina, counseled, “Know, my son, with how little wisdom the world is governed.”

PBS michael winship

scholar and author Andrew Bacevich US army colonel, retired, west point graduate

Russia and Georgia...

David Royall — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:50:10 EDT

I have been following some of the events in the area of Russia and Georgia.

At this stage many Americans seem to believe that we should unconditionally back Georgia. However, if what is being said about Georgia launching attacks on South Ossetia in the middle of the night is true, and that they indiscrimately bombed civilian targets; we should withhold our unbridled support. There may be some behind the scenes action that need to be addressed. Does it seem strange, to anyone other than myself, that the President of Georgia regularly calls into U.S. news media outlets? He calls our media! Ordinarilly, journalists have to try to contact sitting heads of state; but he contacts U.S. news media personally. I think it is strange. This guy appears to be campaigning for someone.

The international press is saying that the military activity in South Ossetia was an attempt by Bush-Cheney to aid McCain whose only strong suite is war. ( http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/08/15/mccain-rises-to-abbas-defense/ )

I hope Senator Obama does not take the bait. He would be wise to determine who is zoomin' who before he weighs-in too heavily on this highly orchestrated drama.

John McCain in Real Time

deanne in florida — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:22:20 EDT

and this is not even, swiftboating....

When he came home and saw that Carol was not the beauty he left behind, he started running around on her almost right away. Everybody around him knew it.

‘Eventually he met Cindy and she was young and beautiful and very wealthy. At that point McCain just dumped Carol for something he thought was better.

‘This is a guy who makes such a big deal about his character. He has no character. He is a fake. If there was any character in that first marriage, it all belonged to Carol.’

One old friend of the McCains said: ‘Carol always insists she is not bitter, but I think that’s a defence mechanism. She also feels deeply in his debt because in return for her agreement to a divorce, he promised to pay for her medical care for the rest of her life.’

Carol remained resolutely loyal as McCain’s political star rose. She says she agreed to talk to The Mail on Sunday only because she wanted to publicise her support for the man who abandoned her.

Indeed, the old Mercedes that she uses to run errands displays both a disabled badge and a sticker encouraging people to vote for her ex-husband. ‘He’s a good guy,’ she assured us. ‘We are still good friends. He is the best man for president.’

But Ross Perot, who paid her medical bills all those years ago, now believes that both Carol McCain and the American people have been taken in by a man who is unusually slick and cruel – even by the standards of modern politics.

‘McCain is the classic opportunist. He’s always reaching for attention and glory,’ he said.

‘After he came home, Carol walked with a limp. So he threw her over for a poster girl with big money from Arizona. And the rest is history.’

Additional reporting by Paul Henderson in Virginia Beach and William Lowther in Washington Daily Mail Co.

the BTC Pipeline is what is .....

deanne in florida — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:14:15 EDT

....the reason we are playing nice nice. Once again, the Crude has the EU and the US by the cohones...

The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline (sometimes abbreviated as BTC pipeline) -- is a crude oil pipeline that covers 1,768 kilometres (1,099 mi) from the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli oil field in the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. It connects Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan; Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia; and Ceyhan, a port on the south-eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey, hence its name. It is the second longest oil pipeline in the world after the Druzhba pipeline.

The first oil that was pumped from the Baku end of the pipeline on May 10, 2005, reached Ceyhan on May 28, 2006.

The pipeline is owned by a consortium of energy companies led by BP (formerly British Petroleum), the operator of the pipeline. The shareholders of the consortium are:

BP (United Kingdom): 30.1%
State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) (Azerbaijan): 25.00%
Chevron (USA): 8.90%
StatoilHydro (Norway): 8.71%
Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı (TPAO) (Turkey): 6.53%
Eni/Agip (Italy): 5.00%
Total (France): 5.0
Itochu (Japan): 3.4%
Inpex (Japan): 2.50%
ConocoPhillips (USA): 2.50%
Hess Corporation (USA) 2.36%[13]

ooops. not doing so well on energy independence thus far....

deanne in florida — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:32:24 EDT

....Maybe we'd better begin with the planting of sugar cane for fuel, like Brazil has done for the last 27 years or so. Sugar cane yields 7 times higher octane than corn.

Georgia-Russia conflict fuels concerns about energy supplies carried in pipelines to the West

By GEORGE JAHN , Associated Press

Last update: August 11, 2008 - 11:49 AM

VIENNA, Austria - Russia's conflict with Georgia could punish the European Union where it is perhaps most vulnerable: Oil and gas supplies from beyond its eastern frontier.

The EU has been trying to wean itself away from energy dependence on Moscow, which supplies a quarter of its oil and half of its natural gas, by developing routes for Central Asian resources that bypass Russia.

A key to this strategy is a network of energy routes that run through Georgia, notably the Baku Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline that was almost hit by a Russian bombing raid Monday. *(excerpt)

http://www.startribune.com/world/26834594.html?page=1&c=y

And Georgian ports on the Black Sea are a main shipping point of Caspian crude from Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. More than 500,000 barrels leave these ports daily, and plans are afoot to expand capacity by an additional 200,000 barrels a day.

Gas also transits Georgia toward the West.

The Baku-Tblisi Erzurum pipeline connects Azerbaijan to Turkey through Georgia, en route to European consumers. Annual shipments of more than 6.5 billion cubic meters will be nearly tripled once the pipeline is expanded in the coming years.

Georgia also holds enormous symbolic significance in the West's struggle to diversify.

In comments earlier this year, Steve Levine, author of "The Oil and the Glory" called the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline "the first significant break in Russia's previous monopoly control over all oil and natural gas from the Caspian Sea states."

"Now Russia no longer calls the shots with impunity," said Levine. "Azerbaijan and Georgia, for example, rely on this pipeline ... for the political independence they often act out."

Klare traced Georgia's strategic importance to the U.S. and its European allies to a decision by former U.S. President Bill Clinton to choose Georgia as "an alternative pathway for the flow of Caspian oil and gas to the West."

With the struggle over energy sources intensifying over the last decade, that move by the Clinton administration provides essential background to the current conflict, said Klare.

"Georgia has been one of the leading recipients of U.S. military aid ever since," he told The Associated Press. "This, of course, infuriated the Russians and they determined to try to curb Georgia's ties to the West in any way they possibly could."

The Russian weapons of choice, said Klare, were South Ossetia — where the fighting originated — and Abkhazia.

In both of the predominantly ethnic Russian breakaway Georgian regions, the Kremlin established an armed presence — pointing "daggers into the very heart of Georgia's independence," says Klare.

And the fighting could spread into Abkhazia — with worrying implications for Europe, which hopes to expand Georgia's importance as an energy transit route independent of Moscow.

Still to be built, the EU's Nabucco pipeline is meant to transport non-Russian gas and go through territory independent of Moscow, making Georgia an ideal candidate.

An alternative to Georgia would be Armenia. But it, too, has problems with a breakaway region — the ethnic-Armenian Nagorno Karabakh enclave in neighboring Azerbaijan. Simmering tensions there could flare, drawing in Armenia — and Russia, which continues to regard the region as part of its sphere of influence.

"Nagorno Karabakh is as difficult to solve as Abkhazia and South Ossetia," says Klare. "And Russia can mess that one up too."

Tim Cunha update

Marty — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:17:59 EDT

A Message from Tim...
The campaign is revving up ... and people are talking!
And, that's the best promoton of all, word of mouth. We now have volunteers enlisted and working in each county in the district and in almost every precinct, including a number of Republicans. In a couple of weeks, we'll launch the big fall campaign to gain name recognition everywhere--literature, signs, bumper stickers, TV commercials, etc.-- and that takes a lot of money.

Voters are telling me they're most concerned about the failing economy, rising energy prices, healthcare accessibility and cost, and ending the war in Iraq. For too long, the Washington establishment has failed to lead America in resolving these problems.
My message is that I offer a fresh perspective and a new vision of a Congress that sets aside blind allegiance to partisan and ideological agendas and seeks common sense practical solutions that work for the vast majority of Americans.

The problem is Washington and its professional politicians ... it's time for a new 'citizen legislator' to change Washington to work for the people.

Together, we will win!
and from the campaign... Some Upcoming Events

Sunday, August 10 - House Party in Gainesville
Wednesday, August 13 - Alachua County Democratic Party Meeting
Friday, August 15 - Cherrywood Democratic Club (Marion County)
Saturday, August 23 - Theressa (Bradford County) Rally
Saturday, August 23 - "Italian Feed" Fundraiser in Clay County

Volunteers Needed!
The campaign needs the following:

1.   "Poll Greeters" for Primary Election Day (August 26).

2.   Volunteers to hold fundraising house parties.

3.   Phone callers to make follow-up calls, get-out-the-vote calls, and survey calls.

4.   Yard Sign Positions ... place a sign in your lawn to let neighbors know you support Tim.
5.   Large Sign Positions ... Do you know of a property owner on a well-traveled road or highway who will let us put up a large sign? Let us know!

6.   "Rapid Response Team" ... Volunteers interested in being part of a team to respond to public statements by Stearns and his supporters with Letters to the Editor of the local newspapers in Congressional District 6.

Please email Info@TimCunha.com if you have questions or would like to volunteer. You can also contact Janet Messer (Janet@TimCunha.com, 352-466-0602) or Jeff Mathewson (Jeff@TimCunha.com, 352-871-0391 or 954-655-1394), or call the campaign office at 352-373-8404. You can also check our website and contact your local field director or coordinator.

Best bet: contact us at ALL the email addresses, and, if you don't hear back from an email or phone message in 24 hours at the most, PLEASE try again.

Some Recent Endorsements

Buddy McKay, Former 6th District Congressman, Lt. Governor & Governor
Karen Thurman, Former Congresswoman & Current Democratic State Chair
Florida State AFL-CIO

Click here to contribute to the campaign

www.TimCunha.com
______________________________
| Paid for by Tim Cunha For Congress |
Contributions are NOT deductible for tax purposes.

Jacksonville Straw Poll

burndtdan — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:09:25 EDT

Does anyone know what the results looked like? I stopped by and voted, but had to leave before they finished taking votes.

McCain makes fundamental error in economic discussion.

Nick — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:27:53 EDT

McCain at a townhall meeting this morning said something that caught my attention...he said something along the lines of...

"We have to drill for more oil! Obviously if you increase the supply...I mean...obviously if supply goes up price will go down!" *cheers

But I thought about it, and my economics studies and i remembered a fundamental idea of economics that is seen in the below:

B. The Law of Supply
Like the law of demand, the law of supply demonstrates the quantities that will be sold at a certain price. But unlike the law of demand, the supply relationship shows an upward slope. This means that the higher the price, the higher the quantity supplied. Producers supply more at a higher price because selling a higher quantity at a higher price increases revenue.

This is what Obama has been saying all along. There is also a term called Inelastic Demand, which describes an unchanging demand for something regardless of price most of the time because of overall need. Examples are Medicine, and in this case gasoline. We will most likely buy gasoline because we need it.

If Obama capitalizes on these fundamental mishaps it will help ensure himself on better understanding the economy.

Its a fundamental error of thought! Increase supply of oil, price will increase because it is inelastic! People will buy regardless!

Republican John McCain and how he's just like us...NOT.

deanne in florida — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:57:02 EDT

some background on the republicans, grand, little, silver-haired darling;

WASHINGTON (AP) -- On a spring day at a speedway in North Carolina, John McCain posed with his wife, Cindy, and racing star Dale Earnhardt Jr., highlighting the couple's political and business interests in a single snapshot.

Cindy McCain's worth is estimated to be over $100 million. The fortune is not in Sen. John McCain's name.

McCain served as honorary starter of the NASCAR race that weekend in Charlotte, N.C. Earnhardt drove the Budweiser car, painted military camouflage, rather than its trademark red, to honor the troops.

Budweiser, then NASCAR's official beer, is brewed by Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc., whose products have made Cindy McCain and her family a fortune.

The brewer sold toy replicas of its race car to aid the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and publicized its support for the group, on whose board John McCain served and whose chairman later endorsed him. The speedway appearance helped mccaincourt NASCAR voters, and his campaign circulated video of the event over the Internet.

The McCains' marriage has mixed business and politics from the beginning, according to an expansive review by The Associated Press of thousands of pages of campaign, personal finance, real estate and property records nationwide. The paperwork chronicles the McCains' ascent from Arizona newlyweds to political power couple on the national stage.

As heiress to her father's stake in Hensley & Co. of Phoenix, Cindy McCain is an executive whose worth may exceed $100 million. Her beer earnings have afforded the GOP presidential nominee a wealthy lifestyle with a private jet and vacation homes at his disposal, and her connections helped him launch his political career -- even if the millions remain in her name alone. Yet the arm's-length distance between McCain and his wife's assets also has helped shield him from conflict-of-interest problems.

Nearly 30 years before John McCain became the Republican presidential nominee, he worked in public relations at his wife's family company

Within a few years of marrying Cindy Hensley, the daughter of a multimillionaire Anheuser-Busch distributor, John McCain won his first election. He was new to Arizona politics and fundraising in the 1982 House race, and his campaign quickly fell into debt. Personal money -- tens of thousands of dollars in loans to his campaign from McCain bank accounts -- helped him survive.

Anheuser-Busch's political action committee was among McCain's earliest donors. Cindy McCain's father, James Hensley, and other Hensley & Co. executives gave so much the Federal Election Commission ordered McCain to give some of it back. McCain's campaign used Hensley office equipment such as computers and copiers, and Cindy McCain personally paid some of the campaign's bills.

A Review of: Taking Obama Seriously by Anthony Barnett

s.h.a.n. — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:21:52 EDT

This is an extremely insightful and informative article. In it, the author, Anthony Barnett, candidly admits he didn't readily buy into the "hype" that has surrounded Obama since he came on to the political scene, and found it difficult to take the candidate's "fashionable appeal", seriously. However, with Barack's triumph in the Democratic primary, Barnett just had to know, "what are his politics?" Beginning with the unique circumstances of Obama's childhood, Barnett skillfully illustrates that this is a man who is accustomed to forcing and creating new and necessary ways to see the world. My favorite part of this piece was the way Obama's ideas, opinions, and actions were set against a very real backdrop of history, today's global soci-economic climate, and our own domestic situation. Now, I feel I am knowledgable about my candidate, but I came away from this with a clear vision of the revolutionary impact "President Obama" will have on the world and our place in it.

http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/taking_obama_seriously

Cliff Stearns, man of the people?

Marty — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:38:58 EDT

Here is Cliff Stearns' latest vote against the working people of Florida, and the United States.

Recent House Votes Paycheck Fairness Act - Vote Passed (247-178, 9 Not Voting)

The House passed this bill to increase penalties for pay discrimination and protect employees who share salary information.

Rep. Cliff Stearns voted NO......

Cliff Stearns votes against jobs, and your home

Marty — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:05:08 EDT

I received my weekly "MegaVote" email which reported that our friend Stearns had voted against the Foreclosure Prevention Act, the Consumer Energy Supply Act, and the National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act (one of only 55 members of Congress!).

Your Congressman at work

Marty — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:56:48 EDT

Here's what your Congressman, Cliff Stearns, does for YOU

Yesterday, with a vote of 247 to 178, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Paycheck Fairness Act. This bill would update and strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963, closing loopholes and improving the law’s effectiveness.

Cliff Stearns voted NO;

The Real John McCain

deanne in florida — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:38:03 EDT

When he came home and saw that Carol was not the beauty he left behind, he started running around on her almost right away. Everybody around him knew it.

‘Eventually he met Cindy and she was young and beautiful and very wealthy. At that point McCain just dumped Carol for something he thought was better.

‘This is a guy who makes such a big deal about his character. He has no character. He is a fake. If there was any character in that first marriage, it all belonged to Carol.’

Carol remained resolutely loyal as McCain’s political star rose. She says she agreed to talk to The Mail on Sunday only because she wanted to publicise her support for the man who abandoned her.

‘McCain is the classic opportunist. He’s always reaching for attention and glory,’ he said.

‘After he came home, Carol walked with a limp. So he threw her over for a poster girl with big money from Arizona. And the rest is history.’

Additional reporting by Paul Henderson in Virginia Beach and William Lowther in Washington

Daily Mail Co.

You Dig The Truth???

s.h.a.n. — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:03:14 EDT

The majority of the American people rely solely on the biased media, (biased in either direction), as the source of their information on the candidates. As a result, ignorance, parroting, and regurgitation of facts skewed toward perpetuating a flawed perception prevent an accurate debate on the issues.....it also makes those people look REALLY ignorant and incapable of forming a thought or opinion of their own.
As a public service, I would like to introduce everyone to some crazy websites that actually do research and cite sources as they examine policies, rhetoric, positions, and rumors....it's called FACT CHECKING, people.
There are a couple of reliable sites that I like: WWW.FACTCHECK.ORG
WWW.POLITIFACT.COM
**i use politifact the most because of a neat feature called the TRUTH-O-METER. It measures on a scale from True to False and even has a PANTS ON FIRE classification for the most egregious untruths.

ENCOURAGE YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY, CO-WORKERS TO GO TO THEIR CANDIDATE'S WEBSITE, PRINT OUT THIER PROPOSED POLICIES AND PLATFORMS ON THE ISSUES, THEN RUN THE DETAILS THROUGH EITHER OF THESE SITES TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF WHAT THEIR GUY IS PROMISING--THEY CAN ALSO SEE HOW HIS IDEAS COMPARE TO THE OPPOSITION.
IT IS TIME TO STOP BEING TOOLS OF THE ESTABLISHMENT.

The following is an example of POLITIFACT'S work; they may treat Obama and that other guy equally, but I do not. This is article examines the erroneous, inflamatory, devisive and uneducated attacks on Obama's tax plan.

Sen. Obama wants to "enact the single largest tax increase since the Second World War."

John McCain on Tuesday, June 10th, 2008 in Washington, D.C.

.. Two wrongs don't make a right

Sen. Barack Obama will be a record-breaking tax hiker, Sen. John McCain alleged on June 10.

He was speaking to the National Small Business Summit in Washington, D.C. Both he and Obama would bring change, McCain said.

"The question is what kind of change," said the Arizona senator. "Will we go back to the policies of the '60s and '70s that have failed? Or will we go forward? Will we enact the largest single tax increase since the Second World War as my opponent proposes, or will we keep taxes low � low for families and employers?"

That echoed a charge he had leveled a couple months earlier against Obama and then-candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton at Carnegie Mellon University. "By allowing many of the current low tax rates to expire, they would impose � overnight � the single largest tax increase since the Second World War," McCain said.

This claim is dubious from the get-go. Although tax revenue would go up under Obama's tax plan, one could argue that he's actually proposing a tax cut.

Let us explain: President Bush's tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 came with what are called "sunsets," or scheduled expiration dates. Bush has asked Congress several times to make the cuts permanent, but Congress has thus far declined to do so. As the law stands today, the cuts will expire by 2011 and taxes will go back up.

Obama wants to allow some of the cuts � specifically those on incomes over $250,000 � to expire. But he wants to keep the cuts on lower incomes, and reduce taxes even further on some of the lowest earners.

Obama's plan, according to a June 11 analysis by the nonpartisan Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, would generate $2.7-trillion less over 10 years than the government would collect if it allowed Bush's cuts to expire on schedule.

So calling it a tax increase might not be considered fair. There's no disputing that taxes will rise, but the question of who's responsible for that tax increase is another matter entirely. At PolitiFact, we've concluded, as have others, that it's unfair to call Obama's plan a tax increase merely because it doesn't change existing tax law to keep rates low. We think about it this way: The reason taxes will increase is because of tax policy signed into law not by Obama, but by somebody else.

Obama's plan doesn't call for raising taxes.

"It's not accurate," said Leonard Burman, co-director of the center. "He's actually proposing a tax cut."

Still, it's true that tax revenue would go up under Obama's plan. Revenue would be $1.1-trillion more over the next 10 years under Obama's plan than it would be if the government extended Bush's tax cuts. And the effect of Obama's policy on the economy would be that of a tax increase.

So let's indulge McCain for a minute, and call it a tax increase.

Now � how big an increase would it be?

Let's take one particular year, since past tax increases have been measured over one year. And let's pick 2012, since all of Obama's proposed changes to current policy would be phased in by then.

The Tax Policy Center � which is a joint project of the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C., that both liberal and conservative economists consider credible � estimated that under Obama's plan tax revenue in 2012 would be $70.2-billion greater than it would be if Bush's tax cuts were extended. That's just an estimate � the Obama campaign hasn't spelled out every detail of its tax plan � but it's the best one available at this point, several experts said.

So how does a $70.2-billion increase compare to other tax increases since World War II? The best source for information on the sizes of past tax increases, several economists told us, is a paper by Jerry Tempalski of the U.S. Treasury Department, "Revenue Effects of Major Tax Bills," updated in 2006. He said the best way to gauge the size of a tax increase is to compare it to the overall size of the economy, otherwise known as the Gross Domestic Product.

The $70.2-billion increase under a President Obama is .40 percent of the projected GDP for 2012 ($17.5-trillion). That would be just the ninth-largest increase since World War II, not the largest. However, there are other ways to measure the size of tax increases. Tempalski said the second-best way is by its size in dollars, adjusted for inflation. He compared the historical increases by putting them in 1992 dollars. Obama's $70.2-billion increase in 2012 would be $40.5-billion in 1992 dollars, according to the Congressional Budget Office. By that measure, it would be the second-largest increase since World War II. The Revenue and Expenditure Control Act of 1968, passed under Lyndon Johnson to reduce a deficit swelled by the Vietnam War, yielded a tax increase of $55.3-billion in 1992 dollars.

So based on what is known so far about Obama's plan, it would not be the largest since World War II by either of the two best measures. Moreover, Obama's proposal does not constitute a tax increase in the traditional sense, since taxes would be lower under his plan than they would under current law. We find McCain's statement to be False.

Invitation to 6'th Congressional District group

Marty — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:42:35 EDT

This is an invitation to all of you in Western Duval, Clay, Bradford, Alachua, Gilchrist, Marion, Lake and Levy counties in the Florida 6'th Congressional District to come and visit the site, and see who is running here as your next Congressman, Tim Cunha. We are fighting a 20 year incumbent Republican, Cliff Stearns, and, this year, with all your help, we WILL succeed. Check here for local apperances by Tim, events, and his site is completely interactive with this group .

Please, sign in, be a member, and Tim would love to hear from you, what your concerns are, and how we can all work together finally taking back North Florida from yes men in Washington

http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/Florida6thCongressionalDistrictVolunteer

Stay tuned, and thanks

Marty

News from Clay County , Florida, events, etc.

Marty — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:49:57 EDT

"DOLLY'S DEMOCRAT ABOUT TOWN" An Up-To-Date Information Guide for
Important Democratic Happenings in NE Florida ~ If it's happening, you will find it here!

DEMOCRATS LET US ALL STAND TOGETHER
~ I AM PROUD TO BE A DEMOCRAT
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CLAY COUNTY DEMOCRATIC HEADQUARTERS!!!

Clay County DEC is proud to announce that their headquarters is open from now until Election Day.

LOCATION: 868 Blanding Blvd., Suite 124 ~ Orange Park, FL

for more information, contact cherold@claycountydemocrats.net or phone: (904) 272-1680

Stop by and meet and greet your fellow Democrats. Volunteers are gladly accepted.
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RESTORATION OF CIVIL RIGHTS SESSIONS !!!

Do you have the right to VOTE ~ Apply for certain Occupational Licenses? Hold a Public Office? Serve on a Jury?
If you hae a Felony Conviction, your Rights may already be restored!!!

RESTORATION OF CIVIL RIGHTS !!!

September 6th and October 4th, 2008 (Saturday) @ 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Supervisor of Elections, Duval County ~ 5200-2 Norwood Ave., Gateway Location ~ Jax., FL ~ 32208 (904) 630-8424

The followig MUST be verified in Order to Qualify for Initial Eligibility:
1.Sentence, probation, and supervision completed.

2.100% of victim restitution paid.

3.No pending cases on the State or Federal level.

Community Partners: Senator Tony Hill * State Rep. Audrey Gibson * State Rep. Terry Fields * Councilwoman Mia Jones * Jacksonville Branch NAACP * Duval County Supervisor of Elections * D.W. Perkins Bar Ass'n. * First Coast African American Chamber of Commerce * Mad Dads * Blacksonville Community Network.

For more information contact: Sen. Tony Hill ~ 924-1646 ~ Rep. Audrey Gibson ~ 353-2180 ~ Concilwoman Mia Jones ~ 630-1684 ~ Rep. Terry Fields ~ 924-1777 ~ and 1-877-60-RESTORE

For additional information: www.duvalelections.com, Florida Parole Commissin at:https://fpc.state.fl.us/clemency.htm and www.RestoreMyVote.com to determine if your name was previously listed for eligibility.
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ANNUAL 10th LOW COUNTRY BOIL !!!

Nassau County Democrats exciting event will take place:

DATE AND TIME: August 2, 2008 (Saturday) ~ 6:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Kraft Athletic Club/10 Acres ~ Nassau County

The tickets can be purchased at Nassau County Democratic HQ's ~ 8th and Date Streets

TICKETS: $40 in advance ~ $50 at the door.

Ticket information ~ (904) 261-3364 or (904) 879-5163 or www.nassaudems.org

Silent Auction.
Purchase of a ticket benefits the Nassau County Democratic Executive Committee.
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RECEPTION WITH CONGRESSMAN WEXLER; FIRE BREATHING LIBERAL !!!

The Democratic Professionals Council has the distinct honor of being the first to host Congressman Robert Wexler on his book tour. If you watched Congressman Wexler's passionate testimony last month you certainly you won't want to miss this cocktail !!

DATE AND TIME: August 5, 2008 ~ 6:30 p.m.
VENUE LOCATION: Books & Books ~ 265 Aragon Avenue ~ Coral Gables, FL.

PRICE: $20 online, $25 at door

INCLUDES: One beer or glass of wine and a variety of hors d'oeuvres.

RSVP NOW !

You will have the opportunity to talk to Rep. Wexler as well as mingle with other like-minded professionals. As always, the event is not a fundraiser, and the fee charged will cover the cost of the food and beverages provided.
A book signing will follow the cocktail.

Reply to: miami-dade@democraticprofessionalscouncil.org

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ANNUAL HOB NOB AND STRAW VOTE !!!

Party Leaders of Jacksonville,

Every election year the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce invites its members, regional partners and the general public to a pre-election open house event called HobNob. This will be the 11th (eleventh) HobNob the Chamber has hosted and attendance consistently ranges between 1,200 and 1,500 one-on-one with the candidates who will be running in the November general election and to participate in a straw ballot for the presidential race.

You and members of your organization are cordially invited to join the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce for the 2008 Northeast Florida Regional HobNob. This year's HobNob will be held on:

DATE AND TIME: August 7, 2008 ~ 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Metropolitan Park ~ 1410 Gator Bowl Blvd.

For more information, please email: volunteers@duvaldemocrats.org
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HOUSE MEETING ~ OBAMA SUPPORTERS !!!

Please join Mr. & Mrs. Muyumdar for a house meeting. Meet local Obama supporters and learn how you can get involved in the most historic campaign of our lifetime.

DATE AND TIME: August 2, 2008 (Saturday) ~ 6:00 p.m.

LOCATION: Home of Mr. & Mrs. Muyumdar ~ 361 Tavistock Drive ~ St. Augustine, FL ~ 32095

For more information, please email jyotim@comcast.net

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HELP PUTNAM COUNTY DEMOCRATS DO VOTER REGISTRATION !!!

They have several strongly Obama-leaning neighborhoods in the Palatka area, they are short-handed to register all the voters and NEED your help!

Please can you join them for this Voter Registration Drive in Palatka, FL on:

DATE AND TIME: August 9, 2008 (Saturday) @ 12:00 Noon

LOCATION: Putnam County Democratic HQ (Palatka) ~ 700 St Johns Ave. ~ Palatka, FL ~ 32177

A well-organized door-to-door registration drive in Obama-leaning neighborhoods in the City of Palatka, FL
Enter Palatka on Reid St (US 17) to N 7th St. to St Johns Ave. Event site is at the intersection of 7th St. & St Johns Ave.

DURATION: 4 hours

HOST: Brunzy Hardrick

Please meet outside the Putnam County Democratic HQ's just before 12:00 midday.

Contact phone: (386) 846-3188

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FUNDRAISER FOR TIM CUNHA ~ FOR CONGRESS - DISTRICT 6 !!!

An Authentic Italian Feed is planned for Tim Cunha "Congress - District 6" in Clay County at the residence of Dolly and Cecil Simplot on:

DATE AND TIME: August 23, 2008 (Saturday) ~ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm.

LOCATION: 1240 Summerfield Ct. ~ Orange Park, FL ~ 32073

DONATION: $25.00 per person (Larger donations will be accepted)

MENU: Pasta ~ Sausage ~ Meatballs ~ with Italian gravy ~ Ham ~ Bread and rolls ~ Olives and pickles ~ Salad ~ Deviled eggs ~ Delicious desserts ~ Coffee ~ Iced Tea ~ Juice.
This menu is planned by Dolly and her partner in crime Linda Nazworth.

Invitations will be mailed by the end of July 2008.

For more information call Dolly: (904) 264-8108 or email: hotdolly@webtv.net
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DAVE SMITH FOR STATE HOUSE ~ DISTRICT 18 !!!

The Dave Smith Campaign for State House of Representatives District 18 is moving forward in good shape, with your help! Please check his website and find volunteer opportunities and even a $money-making$ opportunity.
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DOUG COURTNEY FOR STATE HOUSE DISTRICT 20 !!!

Join Doug Courtney's Campaign Team for "State House" District 20.

The Future of Florida is in your VOTE!

Jobs, the Economy, Health care, Drug costs, Education, and Taxes. These are tough times, but Doug states we can beat them. We need NEW directions and NEW ideas and someone with the courage to create the solutions. We have a lot to do and not much time. Join Doug's Team and make a difference in the future of Florida Politics.

Doug Courtney for State House District 20 Website is: http://www.doug2008.net/scc2008.html
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IT'S TIME FOR CHANGE IN CONGRESS !!!

Tim Cunha ~ Democrat for Congress ~ 6th District of Florida.

Tim says "Our government is broken. But, all Washington does is cator to radicals & special interest lobbies. All of us in the center-the vast middle majority of Americans-look for practical common sense solutions, for progress not stagnation.

It's time for America to work together. It's time we revitalize our economy, our schools, and our healthcare system; reinforce our borders and our armed forces; reward our veterans; rebuild our infrastructure; reform our tax system; restore our Constitution.

It's time we change from "business as usual" and take bold, creative, courageous steps to return government to the people.

It's time for leaders who encourage us, challenge us, and inspire us to rekindle our hope and renew our faith in America."

Contact for Tim Cunha or make a contribution to:
Tim Cunha For Congress ~ P.O. Box 6546 ~ Ocala, FL. ~ 34478-6546 or email: timcunhaforcongress@gmail.com
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JAY MCGOVERN FOR U.S. CONGRESS !!!

Jay McGovern is pro-citizen. He is not about talk - he is about real results.

McGovern has dedicated his adult life to service in the community and in America's military.

McGovern supports reducing the national debt.

McGovern supports minimizing the tax burden on middle class families.

McGovern is about representing all people!

Since Democratic challenger Jay McGovern entered the race, Crenshaw has been beating the bushes for free press opportunities and grandstanding.

Crenshaw, who voted for nearly every piece of legislation that spent the budget surplus and put America back in debt, recently sent a self-promoting mailer to citizens at taxpayer expense. His mailer attacks Democrats and refers to them as "burdensome".

CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Scott Shine. Email: http://www.jay4congress.com/contribute.aspx
ADDRESS: P.O. Box 41103 ~ Jacksonville, FL ~ 32203.
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VOTE LINDA MYERS FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE !!!

Linda Myers is an experienced and dedicated public servant, prepared to protect and enhance our quality of life.

Linda is "A LEADER WE CAN TRUST".

Linda will do what's right for:
Building Our Economy ~ Promoting Our Schools ~ Preserving Our Values.

Contact for Linda Myers: P.O. Box 2008 ~ Palatka, FL 32178-2008. Phone: (386) 312-9690. or email: www.electlindamyers.com
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SUPPORT LARRY JONES FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE !!!

Larry Jones "Candidate for State Representative District 19" states that he can make a difference for his district. His goal is to reach out and spreading his message to the more than 70,000 voters in District 19.

If you want to be a part of his campaign team please visit his website: www.electlarryjones.com for times and locations.
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DOWN TO BUSINESS ANDY JOHNSON !!!

Streaming on 1320: please try it!
Now Andy's radio show moves to new and improved AM 1320 WBOB, Jacksonville's Best Talk Station, soon with 50,000 watts.

They simulcast on http://www.1320wbob.com 24 hours daily.
Andy's show is 3 p.m.- 6 p.m.

Andy asks you to please tune in through his streaming on the website: http://www.1320wbob.com please.

If ... EVER ... you do tune in to the website and you cannot get on...or you get kicked off...then please complain right away to ANDY or to the contact info on the website.

One reason Andy is asking for this specific help is because the station does not provide sufficient capacity for people to tune in for streaming. He needs people to complain when they are kicked off so they can get more capacity.

FLORIDA'S BEST NEWS TALK RADIO SHOW HOST. He is also most efficacious, and most prescient talk show!

"Never neutral. But always fair."
On-air: (904) 854-1460 till July 29.
On-air: (904) 954-1320 starting on July 30.
Off-air: (904) 568-0769

* * *What's Happening In NE Florida* * *

SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING EVENTS July 29, 2008 (Tuesday) @ 7:00 p.m. - TBT the Beaches Democratic Club will have a Pot Luck Dinner at 6:00 p.m. Meeting at 7:00 p.m.

EVENT LOCATION: Neptune Beach Library ~ Neptune Beach

For more information please contact: Duval County HQ's at: (904) 390-7001

July 31, 2008 (Thursday) @ 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. the Duval County General Meeting will be held:

LOCATION: IBEW Hall ~ 966 Liberty Street ~ Jax.

EVENT: July Meeting

For more information, please call Duval County HQ's, (904)7001.

August 6, 2008 (Wednesday) @ 6:00 p.m. the Ponte Vedra Democratic Club meeting will be held:

LOCATION: Ponte Vedra Branch Library

Guests are welcome. The Ponte Vedra Beach Democratic Club meets the First (1st) Wednesday of each month.

For more information, please call Club President: Chris Awerdick at: (904) 543-9696.

August 6, 2008 (Wednesday) @12:15 p.m. the Downtown DWIN will meet:

LOCATION: The University Club (Riverplace Tower, 1301 Riverplace Blvd.) ~ Jax.

Guest are welcome. The Downtown DWIN meets the First (1st) Wednesday of each month.
For more information, please email: firstcoastdwin@comcast.net

August 6, 2008 (Wednesday) @ 12:00 Noon the Nassau County Democrats will hold its Blue Bag Lunch. They will talk about whatever anyone wants to discuss. No reservations! Bring a friend! Bring your own lunch!

LOCATION: Nassau County Democratic HQ ~ 401 South 8th Street ~ Fernandina Beach, FL

The Blue Bag Lunch will take place every week on Wednesdays of each month at noon. Next dates are: August 13 ~ August 20 ~ August 27.

For more information, please contact: Bernita Dinwiddle, Party Chair ~ email: bernitadinwiddle@alltel.net

August 12, 2008 (Tuesday) @ 6:30 p.m. the Mandarin/Southside Democratic Club meeting will be held at:

LOCATION: Mandarin Library ~ Kori Rd.

Guests are welcome. The meetings are usually held the Second (2nd) Tuesday of each month.

For more information, please contact: Josh Sachs ~ Club President ~ jsachs3@gmail.com

August 14, 2008 (Thursday) @ 6:00 p.m - 7:30 p.m. the Duval County Central Committee Monthly Meeting will be held at:

LOCATION: Duval County HQ's ~ 4811 Beach Blvd., ~ Suite 103 ~ Jax

For more information, please call: Duval County HQ's ~ (904) 390-7001.

August 19, 2008 (Tuesday) @ 7:00 p.m. the Beaches Democratic Club will hold their meeting at:

LOCATION: The Beaches Library ~ 600 N. 3rd. Sreet ~ Neptune Beach.

Guests are welcome. The meetings are usually held on the Third (3rd) Tuesday of each month.

For more information, please contact: Tom Collins~FloridaCollins@aol.com or Lynn Cattin ~ lcattin@bellsouth.net

August 19, 2008 (Tuesday) @ 6:30 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. the DWIN General Meeting will take place at:

LOCATION: Duval County HQ ~ 4811 Beach Blvd. ~ Suite 103 ~ Jax.

For more information, please call Headquarters at: (904) 390-7001

August 19, 2008 @ 7:00 p.m. the Westside Democratic Club will be held at:

LOCATION: County Tag Building ~ Mickler Avenue in Callahan.

Guests are welcome. These meetings are usually held the Third (3rd) Tuesday of each month.

For more information, please call Phil Morton ~ (904) 879-5163.

August 25, 2008 (Monday) @ 7:00 p.m. the Clay County DEC meeting will be held at:

LOCATION: Orange Park Public Library ~ Kingsley and Plainsfield Ave. ~ Orange Park, FL

Guests are welcome: These meetings are usually held the Fourth (4th) Monday of each month at the Orange Park Public Library.

For more information, please call Cary Herold "Chairwoman" at: cherold@claycountydemocrats.net or phone: (904) 272-1680.

August 26, 2008 (Tuesday) @ 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. the Duval County Campaign Committee Meeting will be held at:

LOCATION: Duval County HQ's ~ 4811 Beach Blvd. ~ Suite 103 ~ Jax.

These events will take place every Fourth (4th) Tuesday.

For more information, please call: (904) 390-7001.

September 11, 2008 (Thursday) @ TBD ~ The DWIN Annual Reception will be held:

LOCATION: Duval County DEC HQ's ~ 4811 Beach Blvd., ~ Suite 103 ~ Jax.

EVENT DESCRIPTION: Democratic Women's Information Network.

For more informaton, please call: (904) 390-7001.

Any questions or comments?
If you would like to have your organization or function posted here, email me at hotdolly@webtv.net. Feel free to ask questions and I'll point you in the right direction. "Dolly Simplot" is a registered Democrat in Clay County and dues paid member of the Clay County DEC and also a dues paid member of the Duval County Women's Democratic Club, Inc.

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The Media Gives McCain a Pass on everything

deanne in florida — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:01:56 EDT

Columbus, Ohio.http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/24/america/rig.php: John McCain had splashy plans Thursday intended to steal at least a little attention from Barack Obama's big speech in Berlin. He was to take a helicopter to an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico and meet with Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, who is being mentioned as a possible Republican vice-presidential pick.

But Hurricane Dolly thwarted McCain's plans to raise the issue of offshore oil drilling and the technology that he says has made it safe.

By midday Wednesday, just as blogs were trumpeting McCain's coming campaign stop on the rig, the McCain team canceled the trip and postponed the meeting with Jindal. Asked Wednesday night by Fox News whether he had made a decision on his vice-presidential choice, McCain responded, "No."

The campaign attributed the cancellation to the hurricane, which had just crossed the Texas coast. It did not mention that an oil tanker had just collided with a barge near New Orleans, shutting down a large stretch of the Mississippi River and sending heavy fuel oil into the water.

The accident had nothing to do with the safety of oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, but McCain has highlighted the environmental safety of offshore drilling.

Resource # 11 - New Detailed Grass Roots Guide on Voter Registration

Richard Chamberlain — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:09:21 EDT

Below please find a detailed Grass-Roots "How To Guide" on Voter Registration from the Daily Kos:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/7/23/132922/423/583/555718

You think?

deanne in florida — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:37:50 EDT

British and US companies win Iraq oil contracts

Matthew Weaver http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/30/iraq.oil?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews
guardian.co.uk,
Monday June 30 2008
Article history

The Iraqi government is to award a series of key oil contracts to British and US companies later today, fuelling criticism that the Iraq war was largely about oil.

The successful companies are expected to include Shell, BP, Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Total.

Non-Western companies, notably those in Russia, are expected to lose out.

The technical support contracts will give the companies access to Iraq's vast untapped oil fields. Oil production in Iraq is at its highest level since the invasion in 2003. The Iraqi government wants to increase production by 20%, as the country has an estimated 115bn barrels of crude reserves.

The US state department was involved in drawing up the contracts, the New York Times reported today.

It provided template contracts and suggestions on drafting but were not involved in the decisions, US officials said.

Democratic senators last week lobbied that the awarding of the contracts should be delayed until after the Iraqi parliament passes laws on the distribution of oil revenues.

Frederick Barton, senior adviser at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, told the paper: "We pretend it [oil] is not a centerpiece of our motivation, yet we keep confirming that it is."
Last year Alan Greenspan, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve said: "Everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil."

Iraq news

Winning Hearts and Minds

Juli in JAX — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:03:25 EDT

We have all by now seen the footage and photos of Barack Obama in the Middle East and Germany. and the smiles and hope in the eyes of all who spent time with him. Yet here at home, John McCain has uttered what sounds like an accusation of sedition against Obama, stating it seems as though Obama 'would rather lose the war in order to win the campaign'. I've been perusing the response to this remark, and found the most telling at the VetVoice website:

http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1654

If McCain's remark has angered Iraq and Afghanistan Vets, who in the world is he talking to?

Obama has won the hearts and minds of the people in one of the most conflict-ridden areas of the world. John McCain has alienated all but those who are anxiously awaiting the "End of Days", i e The Rapture. HOPE versus fanatic lust for destruction. Which would YOU choose?

Somebody make a picture of this!

deanne in florida — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:54:13 EDT

I need an artist. I need somebody artful. Surely somebody can make a pic or drawing or youtube clip or something of John McCain standing on the deck of an oil drilling platform (in the Gulf of Mexica, was his campaign's plan.) and show how utter nonsense and remeninscent of Bush on the deck of the aircraft carrier ala 'Mission Accomplished'.

can you?

John McCain was forced to shelve his plans to appear standing on the deck of an oil drilling platform this week, because of bad weather and Hurricane Dolly, according to his campaign. In any event, 'an inconvenient truth' would have been spreading all around him. As the candidate for president, John McCain-R AZ. would have been standing on the deck of the oil drilling platform, a smeary black sludge would likely have been mirroring his face from the oil slick caused by the approximately 450,000 gallons of spilt oil from the tanker and barge colllision.

Oil Tanker, Fuel Barge Collide On MississippiPosted on Wednesday, 23 of July , 2008 at 12:30 pm

NEW ORLEANS—The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a Go Team to investigate the collision of an oil tanker and a fuel barge causing an oil spill on the Mississippi River near New Orleans.

At 1:30 a.m. CDT Wednesday, the Liberian-flagged oil tanker TINTOMARA collided with a U.S.-flagged fuel barge DM932 on the Mississippi River near downtown New Orleans. An estimated 375,000 gallons of oil spilled from the barge into the river. The oil tanker was not damaged. The barge is partially submerged and is being kept in place by tugboats.

No injuries have been reported.

NTSB Marine Safety Investigator Tom Roth-Roffy has been designated as Investigator-in-Charge and will lead a team of six investigators. NTSB chairman Mark V. Rosenker is traveling to New Orleans and will serve as principal
spokesman for the on-scene investigation. 7-23-08

McCain hit by 'An Inconvenient Truth'

deanne in florida — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:44:23 EDT

No injuries have been reported.

One More Time, McCain......

deanne in florida — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:35:10 EDT

Trying to avoid being portrayed as a whiney spoilsport, Senator John McCain, R-AZ broke with his advisers Tuesday and told Katie Couric of CBS News that news coverage of the presidential campaign has been fair and even “fun to watch.”

Yeah, right.

But McCain made one of his toughest charges ever against Senator Barack Obama, D-Ill. saying his opposition to the surge strategy in Iraq meant that he “would rather lose a war than lose a campaign.”

One More time, McCain. We are not supposed to be in Iraq. At all. period. Whether the surge works or worked or helped put down some violence matters not to Americans who are losing their very livelihoods, their savings, their dreams, and most precious, the lives of our young people to a war that never should have been started and never should have been called a war in the first place.

Bottom line, Barack Obama would rather use some common sense and save America.

Banks and politics 101

deanne in florida — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:17:48 EDT

Thursday, I hear that our government is planning to bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and IndyMac and now, on Friday, I hear Wachovia Bank mentioned. The figure to bail them out was $300 billion. Dollars. Are you getting that?

On Bill Moyer's Journal, PBS, tonight, I learn that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are not federal owned institutions, are run by private investors, and foreign investors are able to come in and take advantage of the U.S. crisis. After we ... I mean, our "government" spends $300 billion of our tax dollars to make these gigantic lending institutions flush again, that is. With OUR tax dollars. And with no demands upon the institutions to behave better or to change habits or to stop engaging in un-ethical practices.

This week, the JOURNAL presented two different perspectives on our troubled economy. The first came from frustrated citizens of Cleveland grappling with their community’s extraordinarily high rates of foreclosure. Cleveland, Ohio's Cuyahoga County treasurer Jim Rokakis said: back in the old days when there was no sheriff in town people robbed the banks.

William Greider, corrrespondent and author, writes for The Nation. says:

some comments to Bill Moyer's Journal Blog:

Posted by: songweasel | July 19, 2008 12:17 AM

Let the banks fail, and I'll bet the next time a sub-prime packaged security is offered there won't be many takers.

Posted by: Eric | July 19, 2008 12:17 AM

Posted by: January | July 19, 2008 12:16 AM

Regulators knew this meltdown was going to occur for almost ten years now. It was blatant, obvious, and they did nothing to stop it.

Ten years ago Japan had a major meltdown, recession, and ultimately deflation. The value of homes, everything, had to drop to realistic levels.

Everything that happened to them is happening to us. If you want to understand how bad things are going to get, study what happened to Japan.

After all, that's exactly how the criminals that are stealing your money, destroying your bank, learned how to do it.

Posted by: allyn | July 19, 2008 12:14 AM

I hope this is a nightmare...and that I wake to an American Dream.

And there's no rush. As the US implodes, foreign investors can chose at what deflated price they claim the complete package: the US government and Wall Street.

read more if you don't get it yet.... http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/blog/2008/07/facing_economic_troubles.html

They lie to us. Daily.

deanne in florida — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:19:14 EDT

One more time. Here is an example of the Lies for Profit by the Bush and Republican administration. Maybe YOU knew that we sold American goods to Iran. But, I did not.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain joked yesterday that a reported increase in U.S. cigarette sales to Iran was perhaps a way to do them in. "Maybe that's a way of killing them," Mr. McCain said at sandwich stop in Pittsburgh. Mr. McCain, 71, was responding to a question about an Associated Press study saying that exports to Iran increased 10-fold during the Bush administration, mostly from cigarette sales.

"I meant that as a joke," Mr. McCain quickly added. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee, a former smoker, has warned about the health risks of smoking throughout the campaign.© The Ottawa Citizen 2008

Associated Press study saying that exports to Iran has increased 10-fold during the Bush administration, mostly from cigarette sales. The U.S. also lists sales and exports of bull semen, bras and appliances and other items to Iran. As of this year.

The few news outlets that have mentioned this startling fact, do go on to advise that the hypocrisy of the U.S. is the main reason why other countries are not following Bush's requests for boycotting and placing restrictions on services to Iran.

Jacksonville local action

Juli in JAX — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:57:29 EDT

For the JAX folks, here's a local action event opportunity: The Times Union would like to hear from you. Here's a chance to make our voices heard :

Parks, libraries, police or something else ‹ what should Jacksonville Mayor
John Peyton make priorities in the city's 2008-09 budget?
Peyton will present his version of the city¹s $950 million budget to City
Council on Monday. The Times-Union would like to hear your thoughts on how
the city should spend its money.
Send comments to reporter David Hunt at david.hunt@jacksonville.com.

Thank you.

Wayne Ezell
Reader Advocate
(904) 359-4217
wayne.ezell@jacksonville.com

The forces that Divide US

Juli in JAX — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:51:23 EDT

Rove Democrats

Dems have learned the hard way about the tactics of the Roves of this world. The ones who will distract us from our goals with endless games of gotcha and the perceived need to put out multiple small blazes of interest in false storylines, red herrings all, yet quite time, energy and resource consuming. Some have learned the wrong lessons: Whisper campaigns, turn an opponent’s strengths into their greatest liability, mirror ones own failings as if they were the opponent’s. So very slippery is Rove, sweaty, greasy, slimy, like the old game of catching the greased pig, just as frustratingly elusive. And such a waste of time. Such an awful waste of all that could be channeled into the positive. Wasted energy, Crying foul “We was robbed”. Not fair. Empty Words. False Hope. Adolescent dreamers. Meanwhile….The world is turning, the end of the day is nearing and a new day is dawning. The winds of change are blowing past us all. Some will be left behind in mounds of dust and others will be turning turbines powering the future and some will be wiping the grease off their hands wondering where is that #%*!@ PIG?