Posts with the tag honesty

Demand more!

David W. Kent — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:59:51 EDT

Fellow Democrats, we need to demand more from those whom we elect to represent us, those whom we contribute to, those whom we more or less “employ.” Why is it that the republicans march in lock step? I understand they are on the wrong side of most logical issues. We Democrats are certainly on the side of good, respect, honesty, and moral correctness. Don’t you think this? Should we not march with strength and pride? Should we expect, demand, insist, and plea our case for nothing less than excellent performance? I am sounding firm because I feel we need to. I will not accept “one bill a year” performance. We need to CHANGE our nations direction today. We need to pass legislation each and every month. Big Bills, Big Changes, Big Time!

The Obvious and Predictable

Steve the carpenter — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 23:35:37 EDT

When President Obama addressed congress last concerning the amount of (what was to me) obvious attempts to cause him problems, you could see John McCain laughing and waving at him as if to say, "See, there you go, you wanted the job, now you deal with this! HaHa! His childish waving and laughing was what we can expect from the Bush/Rove type liars and what I realise is present in Arizona. Every Arizonan I speak to, (and I live here, grew up in the same school district with Cindy Hensley, John McCain's present wife, when she was in grammar school and high school) has a story to tell about one of either Senator Kyle or Representitive Shaddeg. The story is always how these men helped someone with their personal life by using their influence and authority in the way it was intended, to help the state's citizens when some government Bureaucracy was trying to do something wrong to that person. Sometimes it has to do with people who aren't doing their job properly, sometimes it is some new person trying to read the rules that congress wrote incorrectly. I.E. one state law in Arizona was written to say, "...if the prospective clients expenses excede their income, then, they are inelligible for help." It was a typo, obviously. If someone's expenses did NOT excede their income, why would they need help? It also tells them to throw away a person's documents when they are given to them for recording after making copies. Tell me why you would throw away someone's birth certificate, car registration, etc. It was meant to say, when a person gets a letter from an authority or landlord to verify that they have a residence, then, don't let them use the same letter twice. Some new people in the state DES office have thrown away legal documents belonging to the client since they are not smart enough not to ask if it doesn't make sense.

I am not going to go into my extent of knowledge of the laws concerning family assistance but they are legislated and written poorly and then given the discretion of the control freaks in offices here who may or may not be a person who thinks their job is to deny everyone they possibly can for help. Some of those people think if you happened to have a car nicer than theirs, it is up to you to eat your car if you lose your job, since their own car buying choice is greatly lacking. Some laws are left up to interpretation. In some D.E.S. offices there is blatant racial discrimination. There are minorities running the offices who believe that all white people are somehow able to find some rich uncle who will give them millions if they lose their job so they don't need help. If a white person goes into some of those offices they aren't asked what they want, they are told to take a number and sit down. After waiting half a day to get their number called, they go to the window and find out they could have just asked for an application and been given it, but the rude people at the desk like treating them like second class citizens. That is Arizona. We have the worst job statistics since anyone who is selling education here lists it as a job, then they say, "Oh, well, if you want that job, let me sign you up for our school and maybe you can then find a job like that on your own." They say we have jobs when we don't because some jobs won't hire but one kind of people. I tried to do farm labor. The MYTH that only Mexican Illegal Aliens want those jobs is a complete lie. The farm bosses who hire won't hire you if you aren't an illegal alien since they can get away with cheating those people over and over by stealing their pay. You or I would go to the police, the small claims court, or the state labor department, but, illegals can't do that. That is why they are the only ones they will hire. Just let's say, this is part of what they call the new global economy. It entails the new form of American Slave Labor.

Health care needs to be taken care of but John McCain and his leg dragger crew are fast at work making themselves into the anchor connected to whatever legislation the president needs t send up the channel for things running smoothely. They think it is funny that they stall legislation to act like a three year old. We should be standing on his front lawn next time he does that and asking him who he thinks he is. The tea party people are a fabrication developed by some people who say that they "report news" but are owned by the same propagandists who also owns and operates Al Jazeera English which is the other Fair and Balanced fake news show which supports Islam. If you don't think Fox News and Al Jazeera are the same thing, then look at their articles and see if they don't all go the same way. Al Jazeera uses the terms "fair and balanced" and "the axis of evil". Does that sound familiar?

The same liars who fed you all that previous baloney are in charge of both stations. If you don't find that scary then, you aren't paying attention. Some day the people who hurt the non-wealthy of our planet will be recognised but probably not in this decade, since there are so many American Liars who are bound and determined to ruin the United States for selfish political reasons, just so they can say they "won". When we are completely bankrupt, having to make concessions to Red China, the communists who we already owe money to, then, they can say, "See, we made Obama fail." Just like the same people who advised George Bush to ruin our economy, are the same ones in charge of the teaparty revolt, it would seem that most people would wise up, but so much for common sense.

Honor In Office

Larry Gordon — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:20:00 EDT

Jerrrol LeBaron, a resident of Los Angeles, has created Honor In Office for those Americans who want laws passed to make our representatives in Congress read bills before they are allowed to vote on them. This group calls for honesty, integrity, common sense, and a focus that the members of Congress work for the People, and not use their office to further their own interests.

A higher standard for our members of Congress is demanded. Ethics have to be central to all those who aspire to represent the American people.

Passing bills in the dead of night before other members of Congress can object is not the American way. It is amateurish, and does not have the professional stance Americans want from their representatives at the highest levels of government.

Barack Obama's Official Fathers Day Proclamation

Jill 4 Obama — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:58:02 EDT

« What Obama just said and meant about Iran and democratic protests | Main

Barack Obama's Official Fathers Day Proclamation

A PROCLAMATION FOR FATHER'S DAY, 2009, By President Barack Obama

The journey of fatherhood provides unique and lasting joys. Cradling a baby in his arms, a father experiences the miracle of life and an unbreakable bond. Fathers imagine a world of possibilities awaiting their children and contemplate the privilege of helping them reach that expanse of opportunity.

As kids grow and mature, they look to their dad for a special kind of love and support. Providing these necessities can bring great happiness.

Fatherhood also brings great responsibilities. Fathers have an obligation to help rear the children they bring into the world. Children deserve this care, and families need each father's active participation.
Fathers must help teach right from wrong and instill in their kids the values that sustain them for a lifetime.

As they encounter new and challenging experiences, children need guidance and counsel. Fathers need to talk with their kids to help them through difficult times. Parents must also help their children make the right choices by serving as strong role models. Honest and hard-working fathers are an irreplaceable influence upon their children.

Communities must do more to counsel fathers. Family and friends, and faith-based and community organizations, can speak directly with men about the sacrifices and rewards of having a child. These groups can support men as they take on the great challenges of child-rearing.

Through honest and open dialogue, more men can choose to become model parents and know the wonders of fatherhood.

On Father's Day, we pay tribute to the loving and caring fathers who are strengthening their families and country.

We also honor those surrogate fathers who raise, mentor, or care for someone else's child. Thousands of young children benefit from the influence of great men, and we salute their willingness to give and continue giving.

We also express special gratitude to fathers who serve in the United States Armed Forces for the sacrifices they and their families make every day.

All of these individuals are making great contributions, and children across the country are better off for their care.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, in accordance with a joint resolution of the Congress approved April 24, 1972, as amended (36 U.S.C. 109), do hereby proclaim June 21, 2009, as Father's Day.

I direct the appropriate officials of the Government to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on this day. I urge all Americans to express their love, respect, and admiration to their fathers, and I call upon all citizens to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

/s/ BARACK OBAMA

WHO IS THAT GUY BARACK OBAMA? HE IS US.

Alex Karoub — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 18:27:43 EST

..... Contact: http://Alex.Karoub@gmail.com

(orig. posted 11/7/08)

We have made historic headway by together pointing our nation in the right directions. After decades, we have America focused on the issues of fundamental importance. Now, each of us acting in concert can together move our country to lead the world to the fruitfulness of moral goodness. I have no doubts about my abilities and the abilities of fellow Americans to work smart and hard to achieve these goals.

Barack Obama has the visions, leadership, and integrity for us to correct and redirect our country to once again lead the world for the fruitions of good. Let's closely listen, learn, and move forward based on that which we know deep inside is good and which we can validate with our hearts.

I hope that those who had but a few reasons to support Obama, look further into the other issues more deeply. I found the more I explored, studied, and listened to Obama the more I found us in agreement. The couple of issues that I did not have depth of knowledge of, quickly became obvious in need. This was unusual for me since I have always refused to be any kind of a follower, and still am not. I find Obama to be a deep thinker who is articulate and inspirational; and, of most fundamental importance, Obama makes excellent moral sense.

Hopefully, our country has learned lessons from the past of mistakenly following leadership blindly, as was done with Nixon and Bush. There are leaders who are simply in it for themselves and will cater to individuals or groups in order to grab for their own benefit. Corrupt and bad leaders hide at all levels. This is especially true in city government as well as county and state government. The corrupt deals of politicians need to be exposed, and those responsible need to be weeded out in the coming local elections. Others need to be investigated by law enforcement and be prosecuted for illegal dealings; for deals they often make for their hidden personal agendas. Let’s look at the bad experiences of the past as bitter medicines, let’s eliminate the need for such bad medicine in the future. Let us use what we know is good to go forward.

I believe we have chosen wisely, not by greed and not by misguided retaliatory anger. I believe this time our country has chosen with open eyes, with each of us listening and examining our choice of leadership closely, driven and validated by our hearts.

I hope we can continue to make our efforts even more inclusive (in many more ways than I touch on here). Far right republicans will be stubborn to change, but we will need to include them to change if we are to succeed. Sure a few more will leave our country, but that is not the American way. No, we really don't need their false fronts of power, money, insider knowledge, or other trappings that they have taught many to 'respect?'. Let's recruit as many as we can, that's the American way, evolving and changing together as one nation. Try to be understanding as we move forward; by better understanding each as individuals and people with various desires and needs we will find ways to reach out with friendship and have them join our causes of good.

Be on the lookout, and root out bad leadership in government and business. Do not be intimidated by those who use the false fronts of power and give a false sense of security in order to lead. Be extra leery of those who say or imply ‘Trust me’; those who give a sense that they somehow omnipotently know better. No longer will Americans be dazzled by phony displays of brilliance or baffled by baloney. There are government aristocrats and business leaders who still believe in the old adage of: “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, then baffle em with bullshit”. We can embrace complexity by demanding true, fundamental, and understandable explanations. We can root out falsehoods by not accepting double speak. We as Americans know how to grow ourselves by first believing in ourselves. Don’t be a follower. Don’t be a follower of followers.

However, when we find leaders who are good; a leader that thinks, speaks, and acts from their heart; one that is honest, has integrity, and leads by sincere examples; then we need to in a big way, join them, support them, and promote their causes of good. From much research, investigation, and scrutiny, I believe Barack Obama is such a person. I hope we search for and find many more who are similar, who we can add to service at all levels of government. We need to add/replace leaders in business with ones that have honesty, integrity, and show quality in leadership. We need more people in leadership roles who are moral, like Barack Obama.

Remember, we are not fighting a battle, we are the artisans and sculptors of the future for ourselves and generations to come. Rarely do societies have opportunities to make such dramatic moves forward as we now have in this opportunity of today. Take pride and practice in being inclusive as we stride forward. In moving forward, create opportunity not only for yourself, but also for all. Hope is a wonderful thing to behold; but without opportunity, hope can become but a dream never achievable. We can, will, and must, create opportunity.

In the coming year I hope that we do not lose our spiritedness, but instead continue to build and make headway. I hope we all continue our campaign for change in government and business. We will succeed in moving forward once again, it will take much effort and good oversight on the part of each of us. We will make great strides in the months and years ahead in order to achieve the fruitions of good. Let's keep our enthusiasm progressing through these coming toughest of times. Let us use the light of goodness and love to motivate us with historic momentum.

I have chosen Barack Obama because he best represents my deepest beliefs in America. Please take time to read the issues that Barack Obama has published on this website. Also, give your attention to see how he leads us to move our nation forward in the time ahead. Most importantly, be part of America's great future, participate in the greatness that together we will make. Participate!

We will each and all flourish, if we think, speak, and act, by using the love in our hearts.

Your reply is welcome. Contact: Alex.Karoub@gmail.com

For a Clean Judiciary & Legal System.

K Ashalata — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:26:45 EST

The story of parasites and leeches thriving on the earnings of a single woman like me. The sucking of blood money by these parasite and leeches in human form.

I had joined the clerical cadre of the State Bank Of Hyderabad in 1986. Since then my whole life has turned turbulent.

Ever since my mother and two aunts deaths in 1988-89, there have been a series of exploitations. Understandable that all face personal turmoils in life but my employers the SBH are discriminatory towards me. Always recovering parts of salary and denying me the entitlements. While they all enjoy enticing perks, heavy increments, and now pay hike during recession world over. Deliberately causing problems to my pet or me so as to temporarily incapacitate and get an opportunity to exploit.

The following is a Petition drafted to portray the truth about my service with the SBH. I deserve a stabilized and secure job as a bank employee alike others. I am not aspiring for promotions and huge perks given to Bank Officials. I do approve discrimination on the basis of gender, caste or racism.

http://www.doxtop.com/Browse/2852f51b/petition.aspx

I am sincere and hard working. I have observed that many do arrive late to the Office, indulge in tea breaks, or lunch cum chit chats , many go out on errands during office hours on their own vehicles or many do attend social functions during office hours. Yes! all of us enjoy the liberties of working in administrative offices as seniors with turbulent personal lives but then why pick only on me to discriminate without full pay. I have turned into a laughing stock with the perpetual recoveries imposed from my salaries over some flimsy or whimsical pretexts or fake exaggerated allegations. One of the flimsy reasons is that I commute in hired three wheelers. But nobody had questioned me in the past about commuting long distances in buses. The parking area shows several cars owned by bank employees both officials and clerical cadres. There are also the sub staff having own vehicles and own huge lands and houses. Many Bank Officials educate their children abroad and many are employed in foreign countries. Most of them squander money over alchol or pleasurable entertainments or maintain more than one wife. I simply fail to understand the shameless sexual and monetary exploitation of a single woman like me.

Unlike most of my colleagues I am still surviving in a rented apartment. Though I hold a property share along with my father and brother I am not able to utilize the space because they are hostile. There are these vultures who are so greedy for money waiting for a chance to grab an opportunity to cheat or dupe or petty thugs in the form of traders, shopkeepers, or similar others.

The links are the articles from newspapers:

http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCH/2009/02/21/ArticleHtmls/21_02_2009_011_002.shtml?Mode=0

What is a budget and how is it allocated?

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOI&BaseHref=TOIH/2009/02/22&PageLabel=6&EntityId=Ar00601&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T

All it takes is signatures of bankers, auditors, government officials along with traders to spin a yarn.

Just like cleaner and greener world environment, there should be honest and clean citizens without duping honest and hard working persons like me. Clean Judiciary System.

What Obama's inauguration means to me!

mrcsmitty — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:40:31 EST

This inauguration to me means that we have hope for an Honest Government ! That ideas and Facts will be real and not just based on what the highest bidder wants to be fact. That trampling our "lesser" citizens to fill certain pockets with wealth by lies and greed will stop! That ruining our great planet with petroleum products and chemicals only because of bias studies and greed will come to an end! That thousands of Law Enforcement and Border Guards can stop losing their lives over lies and greed! That thousands of Innocent-Honest-Hard Working Americans won't have their Lives and Families ruined by unfair laws funded by lies and greed! That America will be what our Founding Fathers intended it to be, FREE! That our Economy can Flourish with Savings from our bias War on our own people if it were to stop! That Millions of Jobs can be created and sick could have natural relief! That we can end our current failed wars on our people and stop the injustice! That prohibition on our rights will end! That prohibition will end! I know we can do it! YES WE CAN!!! We can be back to an America that's government is OF the people, BY the people, FOR the people and not OVER the people! YES WE CAN!!!

US Policy on Cuba - Change for Honesty, Peace and Respect

Alain Gonzalez — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 13:14:46 EST

US Policy on Cuba - Change for Honesty, Peace and Respect

Barack Obama embodies what the world admires from the US. With the foreign policy on Cuba, the President and the new Congress have the opportunity to change the relationship between neighbors based on universal tenets of Honesty, Peace and Respect.

This letter intends to provide a rational, non-political recommendation to elevate the US foreign policy on Cuba in the eyes of the world from a current position of isolation. At the same time, this will resolve the 50-year conflict and facilitate the reconciliation of the cuban people. As human beings, we are response-able, we have the ability to choose our response to the reality that happens to us, rather than just react instinctively to it, letting those events shape us, dominate us. We can choose a truly rational response if we use our imagination to remove ourselves from this conflict.

Honesty

Cuban national hero, Jose Marti, revered on both sides of the political conflict, represents the ideals of independence of the cuban people. Marti not only fought for Cuba’s independence from Spain, but also warned against US intervention in Cuba. Marti lived in and admired the US, but he fought for Cuba’s independence, period.
Independence is what is truly instilled in the cuban people, as much as it is in the american people.
Unfortunately, the US did intervene in Cuba at the end of the independence war against Spain, occupied Cuba for several years, and still today, after more than a century, occupies a portion of the Cuban territory in Guantanamo. An honest position for the US would be to return Guantanamo to Cuba.
Guantanamo is not a political issue, it is an issue of honesty for the US.

Peace

The embargo is reminiscent of the cold war. The cold war is over and Cuba does not represent a risk to the US national security. The focus should not be in the past, where US companies, cuban people and government have all lost a great deal from the expropriations and the embargo. The focus should be in a future of opportunity and peace for two neighboring nations.
An embargo is not a policy justifiable for political differences. Today, it would be difficult to imagine any nation, let alone the US, a beacon of freedom in the world, to initiate an embargo against another nation based on political differences. It would be a violation of the sovereignty of that nation. As a principle, the embargo should not exist for political reasons. Thus, any political discussion or condition associated to the embargo, is not legitimate. Even the lofty goal of freeing political prisoners should not be put as a condition to end the embargo, only because it is a political issue.
Today, the embargo is not a political issue, it is an issue of honesty for the US.

Respect

Any long term relationship should be based on mutual respect. Obama should not only unilaterally eliminate all the restrictions on travel and remittances, as he has promised to do, but as a principled position based on honesty, should also return Guantanamo to Cuba and call for Congress to end the embargo. There is no need to negotiate these changes with the Cuban government because honesty is not negotiable.

Let freedom speak for itself, and let us cubans decide our own destiny.

Abandon the Retirees and save todays workers ?

Richard Owl Mirror — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 01:28:41 EST

The Rationale for allowing the US Auto Industry to fail ~ Can it be applied the US Federal Government?

Republicans Kill $14B Rescue Plan in effort to dismantle UAW Union

Within the above article is a discussion and a point of view I find interesting and wish to explore how people feel about it and it's implications.

Stu P., "The only way the Big 3 can compete with Toyota, etc. would be to get out from under the massive pension and related obligations to retired and soon-to-be-retired UAW workers."

Richard, Given the plight of the economy and the Debt incurred by the American Taxpayer, should the US Government rescind the benefits of US Service men and women? Revoke the health benefits and retirement of the millions of individuals in order to make the Federal Government a more financially viable entity ?

Let's start with those costly Survivor benefits
http://www.militarytimes.com/benefits/family_resources/online_hbml06_payandbenefits_otherbenefits1/

Then we can move on to money for housing and Education benefits.
http://www.militarytimes.com/benefits/

Imagine a leaner Federal Government without Military Veteran OBLIGATIONS to burden them.
http://www.militarytimes.com/benefits/health/

~@~

Given the tremendous debt out government is carrying and which the American citizen is libel to repay w/interest, I'm wondering if these Senate Republicans would be prepared to rescind the benefits to each and every Military veteran in an effort to trim the wasteful spending by our Government?

If it works for GM, Ford and Chrysler, wouldn't it also translate into a cost-savings effort by the Federal Government?

I really think these Senate Republicans are on to something, throw out any promises of care for services rendered and allow the former employees to fend for themselves.

After all those 300,000+ Auto Retirees are most likely service members from WWII, Korea, Veitnam who are drawing these Federal Benefits as well as Pensions from working their entire lives in the factories. If America is willing to toss them under the bus, why not go the whole way and assist the Federal Government in relieving itself of this burden?

Tad W. said, That's brilliant! When can we start?!

I'm afraid this measure would be met with resistance, calling it unjust because they earned the rewards of Health and Retirement benefits by their service.
I just wonder why those same people can't apply this measure to the Retirement costs burdening the Big 3?

I don't know the financial answers to these problems but, our entire social fabric was paved by people such as these 300,000+ retirees. People who fought in World War Two, returned and went to work creating the US Middle Class. Others remained behind and worked in those factories building the needed equipment for the war Effort, then continued working their whole life, retiring with dignity and financial security.
They were the pioneers of citizen involvement of the Stock Market. Their pension funds built the vast wealth which makes up the majority of investments.

Why are some so willing to throw them under the bus ?

I find it shameful and appalling. Republicans Kill $14B Rescue Plan in effort to dismantle UAW Union

Failed Bailout Batters Asian Stock Markets
Auto Bailout Bust Fuels Wall St. Anxiety
New Unemployment Claims Reach 26-Year High
White House May Ride To Detroit's Rescue

"The current weakened state of the economy is such that it could not withstand a body blow like a disorderly bankruptcy in the auto industry," White House press secretary Dana Perino said.

The Senate's rejection of the $14 billion rescue plan and further evidence of a deepening global recession made world stock markets plunge. U.S. stock index futures pointed to a big sell-off later on Wall Street. The Dow Jones industrial average was projected to drop 278 points, or 3.2 percent, to 8,292, while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index was forecast to fall 33.80 points, or 3.9 percent, to 840.70.

"This is a colossal failure in leadership," Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero said on The Early Show. "It puts the economy closer to the cliff and I think we see that already in the reaction."

"I find it highly ironic to have Congress people lecturing the UAW about cutting their wages," Bernero told the The Early Show. "Why don't we put Congress people and senators on merit pay and see what they would be making. What has their productivity been? Give me a break."
Am I to understand that the approximate "332,000 retirees whose health care is covered by generous benefits negotiated since the end of World War II. " should simply lose those benefits in order to afford the current workers retain their jobs? Eliminating those benefits, would GM be competitive? Is that the solution. Kick all 332,000 retirees to the curb and tell them the promises made are null and void ? Imagine the effect on our economy when these 81,000 active UAW workers and 332,000 retirees default on their mortgages and file bankruptcy ? Add to that all the small businesses that depend on the local economy that these 81,000 active UAW workers and 332,000 retirees and their extended families frequent?
Those who believe they will be untouched by the failure of these three companies are in for a rude awakening. When the supply chain fails, those companies also supply Toyota, Honda and the others. Will Toyota, Honda have a supply problem leading to worker lay-offs in Alabama too ? Given the plight of the economy and the Debt incurred by the American Taxpayer, should the US Government recind the benefits of US Service men and women? Revoke the health benefits and retirement of the millions of individuals in order to make the Federal Government a more financially viable entity ?

Let's start with those costly Survivor benefits

Then we can move on to More money for housing and Education benefits.
http://www.militarytimes.com/benefits/

Imagine a leaner Federal Government without Military Veteran OBLIGATIONS to burden them.
http://www.militarytimes.com/benefits/health/ I think we need to cut off all benefits for every veteran.
After all, they got paid while they were employed, why should the Federal Gov. continue paying them after they quit or retired ?The Federal Government is the largest employer in this Nation, it too operates in a huge and ever expanding deficit. If We, the people were to eliminate this OBLIGATION, wouldn't OUR Company function better? Do US autoworkers really make $70 or more per hour in wages and benefits ?

Contrary to an often-repeated myth, UAW members at GM, Ford and Chrysler are not paid $73 an hour. The truth is, wages for UAW members range from about $14 per hour for newly hired workers to $28 per hour for assemblers. The $73 an hour figure is outdated and inaccurate. It includes not only the costs of health care, pensions and other compensation for current workers, but also includes the costs of pensions and health care for all of the retired workers, spread out over the active workforce. Obviously, active workers do not receive any of this compensation, so it is simply not accurate to describe it as part of their "earnings." Here's a very Partial list of media e-mail addresses.
Use it to contact the media.
http://www.opednews.com/mediacontact.htm

America - Together (post election)

Alex Karoub — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 17:44:40 EST

..... Contact: http://Alex.Karoub@gmail.com

WHO IS THAT GUY BARACK OBAMA? HE IS US.

We have made historic headway by together pointing our nation in the right directions. After decades, we have America focused on the issues of fundamental importance. Now, each of us acting in concert can together move our country to lead the world to the fruitfulness of moral goodness. I have no doubts about my abilities and the abilities of fellow Americans to work smart and hard to achieve these goals.

Barack Obama has the visions, leadership, and integrity for us to correct and redirect our country to once again lead the world for the fruitions of good. Let's closely listen, learn, and move forward based on that which we know deep inside is good and which we can validate with our hearts.

I hope that those who had but a few reasons to support Obama, look further into the other issues more deeply. I found the more I explored, studied, and listened to Obama the more I found us in agreement. The couple of issues that I did not have depth of knowledge of, quickly became obvious in need. This was unusual for me since I have always refused to be any kind of a follower, and still am not. I find Obama to be a deep thinker who is articulate and inspirational; and, of most fundamental importance, Obama makes excellent moral sense.

Hopefully, our country has learned lessons from the past of mistakenly following leadership blindly, as was done with Nixon and Bush. There are leaders who are simply in it for themselves and will cater to individuals or groups in order to grab for their own benefit. Corrupt and bad leaders hide at all levels. This is especially true in city government as well as county and state government. The corrupt deals of politicians need to be exposed, and those responsible need to be weeded out in the coming local elections. Others need to be investigated by law enforcement and be prosecuted for illegal dealings; for deals they often make for their hidden personal agendas. Let’s look at the bad experiences of the past as bitter medicines, let’s eliminate the need for such bad medicine in the future. Let us use what we know is good to go forward.

I believe we have chosen wisely, not by greed and not by misguided retaliatory anger. I believe this time our country has chosen with open eyes, with each of us listening and examining our choice of leadership closely, driven and validated by our hearts.

I hope we can continue to make our efforts even more inclusive (in many more ways than I touch on here). Far right republicans will be stubborn to change, but we will need to include them to change if we are to succeed. Sure a few more will leave our country, but that is not the American way. No, we really don't need their false fronts of power, money, insider knowledge, or other trappings that they have taught many to 'respect?'. Let's recruit as many as we can, that's the American way, evolving and changing together as one nation. Try to be understanding as we move forward; by better understanding each as individuals and people with various desires and needs we will find ways to reach out with friendship and have them join our causes of good.

Be on the lookout, and root out bad leadership in government and business. Do not be intimidated by those who use the false fronts of power and give a false sense of security in order to lead. Be extra leery of those who say or imply ‘Trust me’; those who give a sense that they somehow omnipotently know better. No longer will Americans be dazzled by phony displays of brilliance or baffled by baloney. There are government aristocrats and business leaders who still believe in the old adage of: “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, then baffle em with bullshit”. We can embrace complexity by demanding true, fundamental, and understandable explanations. We can root out falsehoods by not accepting double speak. We as Americans know how to grow ourselves by first believing in ourselves. Don’t be a follower. Don’t be a follower of followers.

However, when we find leaders who are good; a leader that thinks, speaks, and acts from their heart; one that is honest, has integrity, and leads by sincere examples; then we need to in a big way, join them, support them, and promote their causes of good. From much research, investigation, and scrutiny, I believe Barack Obama is such a person. I hope we search for and find many more who are similar, who we can add to service at all levels of government. We need to add/replace leaders in business with ones that have honesty, integrity, and show quality in leadership. We need more people in leadership roles who are moral, like Barack Obama.

Remember, we are not fighting a battle, we are the artisans and sculptors of the future for ourselves and generations to come. Rarely do societies have opportunities to make such dramatic moves forward as we now have in this opportunity of today. Take pride and practice in being inclusive as we stride forward. In moving forward, create opportunity not only for yourself, but also for all. Hope is a wonderful thing to behold; but without opportunity, hope can become but a dream never achievable. We can, will, and must, create opportunity.

In the coming year I hope that we do not lose our spiritedness, but instead continue to build and make headway. I hope we all continue our campaign for change in government and business. We will succeed in moving forward once again, it will take much effort and good oversight on the part of each of us. We will make great strides in the months and years ahead in order to achieve the fruitions of good. Let's keep our enthusiasm progressing through these coming toughest of times. Let us use the light of goodness and love to motivate us with historic momentum.

I have chosen Barack Obama because he best represents my deepest beliefs in America. Please take time to read the issues that Barack Obama has published on this website. Also, give your attention to see how he leads us to move our nation forward in the time ahead. Most importantly, be part of America's great future, participate in the greatness that together we will make. Participate!

We will each and all flourish, if we think, speak, and act, by using the love in our hearts.

Your reply is welcome. Contact: Alex.Karoub@gmail.com

I CHANGE MY MIND

L. Dampeer — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:04:27 EST

I've been online reading blogs for years, yet this is my first. I am so inspired by President Obama and Family that I can't keep quiet any longer. I've honestly been given hope, inspiration and change. THANK YOU!

To Whom It May Concern:

For years i've been on my way back to school to futher my career. I've had plenty to say that was meaningful and from the bottom of my heart. Afraid to walk in the shoes of the person I truely want to be... the person I am. Haven't embraced the extremely artistic portion of myself... my passion. Its crazy how i've taken so much from myself, and pretended not to be as intellectual, and beautiful as I am inside and out. I thought to myself that I didnt want to be intimidating. Didn't say it if I thought it would hurt your feelings. It's fine... I am ok with who and where I am.

What the ____! What really have I been thinking...

Will you work for Hope?

Chris from Lilburn, GA — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:17:43 EST

I am 45 years old. I can remember being taught about fallout shelters in grade school, of what to do during a nuclear attack. I remember the fear even we children felt... how at times when we looked up at the night sky, it wasn't to see the stars, but rather, to wonder what it would be like to see the bombs falling. Our world seemed built on fear, as daily the newscasters covered the latest rounds of bull-chested huffing between us and the Soviets... we all sensed the hair-trigger we lived under, how our world might end because of the pride, the temper, or the paranoia of a tiny handful of men.

I also remember the things that gave us hope in that time of darkness: the space program encouraged us to work together... to have hope... to think that their might be a future after all, so what did we want it to be like? I remember my Dad calling me into the living room to watch, live, our first steps on the moon. The sight filled me with such joy: not just for the accomplishment it was (and in the face of those who'd said "Impossible!"), but more importantly, because it was a very powerful symbol of Hope.

Then came Watergate, and the turning of the Viet Nam war. Up until that time, while we had, indeed, had many dishonorable presidents, none had ever accumulated such widespread public scandal. The nation's attitude toward presidents, and politics in general, changed at that time.

I've watched over the years as this attitude continued to grow... and the attitude was, "In general, politicians are crooks and liars and power-hungry people." Soon, things that had been unthinkable were common practice, especially in the media: they went from portraying Gerald Ford as a clumsy buffoon, to worse things... to the point that, in the realm of political coverage, our media became nothing more than National Enquirer reporters: All the Scandals, All the Time.

People began picking apart political figures in the most minute detail, and fanning the flames of infamy over every little fault and flaw they could find. We, ourselves, with our hunger for gossip and scandal, fed the beast. We gave them ratings, we gave them reactions... and the beast fed us in turn, digging ever deeper, turning minor flaws into major scandals, taking the focus away from what a political figure actually did in office, and turning it toward what they ate, how they dressed, who they screwed, what tv they watch, their latest hemorrhoid.

And as this grew, fewer and fewer people of honor and ability wanted to run, much less hold office, under this microscopic scrutiny of themselves, their families, their daily lives, their past personal mistakes. Frankly, we grew abusive, we became gossip bottom feeders... and we got what was coming to us: a political system that grew more corrupt by the hour, one that "dumbed us down" and took pains to make us feel powerless. We consumed propeganda like candy, and rejected the few honest facts out there like they were brussel sprouts.

Corporate lobbyists saw the opportunity for a much grander playing field, and seized it. They ran with the ball, helping to feed the idea that we can do nothing to change things, that "they" are too big, too powerful, that the system is "too corrupt," that all of us are "the little guy."

Tonight, November 4, 2008, marks a change in all that. Somehow, an honorable, responsible, dedicated, honest, and capable person decided to do his part to do something about what our country's politics have become... and by some miracle and a lot of hard work, he won. But as President-Elect Obama stated in his acceptance speech [paraphrased]: The real work is now beginning. This election didn't change or fix anything that's wrong with this country---it merely gave us the opening in that once-locked doorway, to do so.

It will not happen overnight. We have a long haul ahead of us. He will make mistakes. So will we. My question is, will we, as a people and as individuals, do what he is committed to doing? Will we see where we are going wrong, acknowledge it, and step onto a different path to try to fix our errors? Will we become responsible human beings? Will we carry into tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, the knowledge that we CAN create change, we CAN make a difference... or will we act like children who, once they get their treat, stop doing the good work and good behavior with which they earned it? Will we go back to believing we can't make a difference, that what we say or do doesn't matter, that the opposition is too big and too powerful? Will we eagerly seek out, discuss at watercoolers and online, whatever personal details the media drag into the public light on Obama and his family as if they were the most important thing in the world? Will we continue dismissing the rest of the world as "unimportant"? Will we CARE? Will we WORK? Will we take RESPONSIBILITY for our own parts in what has happened, and in what NEEDS to happen? Will we continue to carp at each other while the house burns down... or will we reach out to one another and try to put out the fire TOGETHER?

Obama has opened the door. He stands there, holding it open for us... but it's up to US to walk through it, and keep walking, no matter how hard the struggle may be.

Will YOU?

Time to trun it oN!

Frank — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 11:15:17 EDT

We are in great Position to put the person this country needs in the whitehouse, but it will not be easy we have to keep working GET OUT THE VOTE! This campaign has the greatest supporters in the world,simply amazing from every part of this country, and Senator Obama is going to represent that diversity and UNITY of our nation, he wlll always work tirelessly for the American people, and he will always be honest with the American people about what we are facing. These are hard times, and Obama knows it, he understands, he gets it. He is going to have a lot, alot to handed to him; two wars that have a lot of problems, the economy, homes being lost, jobs, the debt! yeah and we need jobs and clean energy too. its a lot, it is, and you know, I know, we all know, that senator Obama is the right person to take on this challenge with us! these things have been lagging and brewing under the neglect and ideology of the past 8 years so It will be hard, but Obama is up to the task, he is ready, willing, and able to lead us through the trouble, to take it on and to change politics, and use his smarts, his heart, and his love for this country to make America strong!

Now lets get the VOTE OUT!

Something stinks about the AIG bailout

Dr. Jeffrey Kargel — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:47:49 EDT

Today's New York Times article "Where did the cash go?" about the $123 billion bailout of AIG really points out the lack of transparency that has been so troublesome during this financial crisis and leading up to it, and the Bush Administration's bailout efforts, their no-bid contracting over the years, their whole way of doing business. In the AIG case one must rely on faith that the people involved are doing the right thing. Americans have no such faith in this Administration or the financiers who are in bed with the government. I am as skeptical as anybody can be. I'll pay what it takes to get America moving again, to get a positive type of growth occurring. I simply don't trust this Administration.

It reminds me of when I was a kid, I'd go to the beach on the Northeast River (Maryland) and sometimes smell a rotten fish. To anybody who has smelled a month-dead catfish, you know what I mean. Sometimes my Irish Setter had rolled in it (who can figure what smells good to dogs); sometimes the foul odor just permeated the air. Sometimes it wasn't until I stepped (barefoot) directly on a rotten spine of the culprit that I knew exactly where the trouble was. So much better was to see the trouble first, and I could then take care of it on my own terms. Unfortunately, most often I just knew there was a stink, I knew there was trouble, I knew that life would be better if I could identify the source of the problem before stepping on it, but I just couldn't find it by a casual look around.

We need to scour the beaches, look under the tree trunks, let no stone be unturned, and then root out this economic stink. When Barack Obama leads us, if the elections go that way, I look forward to some fresh air, transparency, and honesty. Then we can enjoy.

Lies, Distortions, and Misrpresentations

Breeze Bryson — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 21:39:06 EDT

I think what I dislike most about Sarah Palin and John McCain is the ease with which they mislead or outright lie to their audiences. Surely, they and their advisors know the truth about various issues that are being discussed in the television and print media and Online. Still, you will hear them say in their rallies, as I did just now with Sarah Palin in Iowa, that Obama voted to raise taxes for people making $40,000 a year and that he wants to take away your hard earned money and "dole" it out to those who don't pay taxes. (Leaving out the fact that those who earn so little that they don't pay income taxes, still have to pay property taxes and sales taxes on necessities, including gas for their cars and taxes and fees on their phones.) Notice the verb 'dole' being used to suggest welfare.

In her closing set of repetitive questions on do you want a politician or a leader, she asked, "Do you want a politician who won't disavow a group that has committed voter registration fraud or do you want a leader who won't tolerate it?" She knows that this question implies that Obama supports voter fraud and that the average voter may not know the difference between voter registration fraud (which doesn't affect the vote) and voter fraud which does. She hopes that most people will not know that McCain has praised (quite deservedly) the ACORN group for its efforts to register voters who have been neglected in the past. She does exactly what has given politicians a bad name. She distorts the facts. She omits needed information for discovering the truth. And, worst of all, she lies! McCain does it, too.

The polls suggest that voters are catching on to their antics. What I have to wonder, though, is why so little has been made of the verdict that she 'abused the power of her office' in Alaska. I also wonder why newspeople don't clarify McCain's frequent boasting that she is "the most popular governor in the United States" which suggests that all governors were compared with each other, as in a beauty contest, and she won the most votes from American citizens of all states. He should be reminded that by recent polls her popularity has gone down from 80% to 68% in Alaska, which by now must put her below the popularity rating of other governors in their states and that she no doubt achieved the high rating because she mandated that some of the huge revenues from the oil companies be divided among Alaska's citizens. So, everyone gets a personal check each year instead of that money being used to pay for needed improvements in Alaska. Then, those improvements become 'earmarks' for the budget of the whole country.

From accusing Obama of saying he wanted to 'attack' Pakistan, inferring that saying he would meet with leaders of foreign countries without preconditions meant he would not make careful preparations before such meetings, suggesting that he gave into Putin after the Russia/Georgia conflict just because he first suggested that both sides should show restraint, insisting that Obama's plan for removing the troups from Iraq would not be done carefully and with consideration of concurrent conditions in that country, to saying he has not worked across the aisle in the Senate are just a few of the bits of disinformation that McCain and Palin include in their interviews and rallies across this nation. (May I never have a reason for such a long sentence again!}

Perhaps, we should all get the e-mail addresses of our newspeople and demand that they make these things clear as they use OUR airwaves to inform us. One more thing to work on!!! I must add that there are a few places we can get honest information: Air America and Pacifica Radio, C-SPAN, PBS with Bill Moyers, and frequently on MSNBC with Keith Olbermann and Rachael Maddow.

To answer Governor Palin's question: I want leaders that tell the truth when they know it and admit it when they have made mistakes or have been wrong. It's not an either or situation.

Now, back to my calls for the Obama campaign!

I'm Breeze Bryson and I approve this message! 10/25/08

John McCain is Dishonest

Ivan Richmond — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 15:23:49 EDT

John McCain has been running a character assassination campaign against Barack Obama. He's been playing a con game to try to shift around Bill Ayers and Barack Obama to try to somehow associate Obama with Ayer's militant anti-war activities during the Vietnam War (which happened when Obama was a kid), just because Obama, along with countless respectable citizens, both Democrats and Republicans, served on the board of directors of a non-profit organization that Ayers, now a respected Professor of Education, happened also to be on.

John McCain has been playing a shell and pea game trying to make people associate Obama with certain bad apples in an organization called ACORN who were trying to make false voter registrations. The truth is that ACORN is a bipartisan get-out-the-vote organization and they were the ones who blew the whistle on their these bad apples as soon as they found out they were doing it. What that means is that all they want to do is just register as many people to vote as they can, but they leave the decisions up to those people. The problem is that some of the people they hired to get the vote out (and, as you can imagine they hire thousands of people), want to cheat to make money, so they'd fill out phony voter registration forms. This goes totally against what ACORN is trying to do. This link explains it:

http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=17855

It's true that the Obama supports ACORN, because, as a good, honest, upstanding citizen who supports Democracy, he wants everyone who's eligible to vote to be registered and vote, regarldess of whether they vote for him, for McCain, for Ralph Nader, or for someone else. That's Democracy at it's finest. He and ACORN are both blameless in this regretable act by a few bad apples.

But, McCain didn't stop his smear games there. He's authorized robocalls and mailings to people all over America saying nasty, hateful things about Barack Obama. These robocalls and mailings try to make him out to be a terrorist or claim that he's a Muslim. The truth is that Obama's a Christian. The truth is that Barack Obama's an upstanding citizen who cares about protecting America from terrorists.

What you can do.

Contact eveyone you know and tell them this. Stop dishonest character assassination attempts this elections season. Write letters to the editors of your local newspapers (you may even be able to do this online, just go to google.com, search for your newspaper's name and you may be surprised to find that they're online and you can send a letter to the editor over the internet right now). Do whatever you can to get the word out about this dishonesty from the McCain camp.

One reason I'm voting for Obama is because I think he's simply more honest than McCain. McCain just seems like an oily con artist to me.

If you'd like to donate to my grassroots campaign for Barack Obama, click the link below:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/ivanrichmond

Diversions

Vince from Muskogee, OK — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:50:11 EDT

There are many things I am concerned about Sen Obama. Examine this...when asked about several different incidents at several different times, he smiled, looked at the cameras and said he would like to rise above the frey and talk about the issues. Well I have recently found it hard not to gigle a bit when I hear him say that. You see, the reason is clear why he wants to talk about "issues" at that moment. It would be much scarier for him to talk about those incidents than just about anything. I just ask that Obama supporters have the courage to research Obamas past dealings, associations, beleifs and simply compare what he said six months ago with what he says now. This is a snake oil salesman. The problem is that if you buy this snake oil you will be out a lot more than the cost of the snake oil. If there is anyone who does not know of the dishonesty of this man, just ask or research yourself. I realize that when you are dying of thirst you'll drink from a mudhole but this country is going to get sick from this drink.

An open letter to John McCain

DANVNVET — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 18:10:11 EDT

Dear Senator McCain

I too am a Vietnam Veteran and I like more than 50 million Americans watched your heroic story and how you came to be the man you are today. There is no question of your courage under fire nor your unbelievable endurance. I watched with awe when you told of how in spite of knowing that you would be beaten you still would not sacrifice your Honor by being released ahead of others who had been there longer. Most of those who have never served under fire do not understand the need for Honor in our fighting forces. Honor is the glue that binds us one to another that makes us look out for each other. Without a Code of Honor it would be everyone for themselves. Without Honor our military would fall into anarchy. When one member violates the Military Code of Conduct we all suffer. That is why the code says that prisoners must be released in the same order as captured.
I cried when you told of being broken by the brutal beating. And when you told of how the prisoner in the next cell forgave you and said that no one of us can do it alone. And like 50 million other Americans forgave you too. It must have been an awful beating to get you to violate that same Code of Honor you took the beating for. But I did not hear you admit that you signed a confession saying that we, our troops were "black criminals" and targeted civilians. The same Code of Honor makes it wrong to take an early release also forbids us from signing anything against America and our fighting troops.
We all know that the Vietnam war was not lost on the battlefields and bases of Vietnam but in the streets of America. How many new recruits do you think joined William Ayers' Weather Underground when the news reported that a Naval Pilot, the son of the Admiral in charge of the entire SEA fleets said that we targeted schools and hospital? While 8,000,000 of us came home to the scorn of disdain of the nation in part because of you. Did you ever ask yourself if you should apologize to those of us who felt pain of your dishonorable act? While You came home as a hero the bus the rest of us came home to cries of "Murders". When I arrived from 18 months fighting for my country hundreds of angry communist lead protesters rushed our bus. I tried to convince my wife returning home with me that they were just glad we are home. But even Hien, whose english was poor knew what FU and the middle finger meant.
Without Honor our military will deteriorate and victory will elude us. There is no one promise that we make when we swear to death before dishonor more important than another. How can You expect our brave troops to follow you into battle knowing that when it came to where the rubber hit the road you traded honor for life. The Code of Honor begins with, "I am an American fighting man I am prepared to give my life for my country". Many have called me cruel for even bring this up. They say you deserve our honor for what You went through. You and I know that honor is doing the right thing for the right reason regardless of personal pain.
Your friend was not totally right when he said that no one could stand alone because there is a time when s/he has listened to the generals, admirals and advisers the Commander in Chief must stand alone.

Honesty: Vital for America, vital for McCain, vital for Obama

Dr. Jeffrey Kargel — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:57:19 EDT

As we see the light at the end of this miserable dank cave of misleadership we've been through this past eight years, it's hard to say what has been the worst of an all-around very bad experience. In trying to find the common thread that links most of the most-miserable aspects of the Bush Regime's course, I'd have to say that it was a fundamental lack of honesty. The weapons of mass destruction issue is Exhibit #1, but the same brash disdain for the truth is what has set the Bush Regime apart from all other American Administrations in my lifetime, and that would include Johnson and Nixon. Bush's dishonorable service so far eclipses zippergate and Watergate, because those systematic upheavals of the truth pertained to relatively narrow segments of leadership. That I can say that Watergate was a narrow evasion of truth may shock some, but by comparison to Bush's misgovernance, there simply is no comparison.

Bush's misperformance has stripped any would-be/might-be leader of any flexibility to distort the truth. This has been evident in CNN's live tracking of audience responses to John McCain's and occasionally Barack Obama's debate-night stretching of the truth or telling of misleading half-truths. I don't know how long this public intolerance of lies and cynical manipulation will last, but with any luck it will be a long time.

I have to say, there have been some amazing positive moments in this campaign. Possibly the lowest was followed immediately by the noblest. The town hall meeting held by John McCain a few days ago featured the worst and the best. In response to an ignorant evil-minded blogster's manipulative story-telling (see front-page New York Times article today), a woman repeated (and somewhat further twisted) the blogster's story and assumed out loud that Barack Obama is an Arab, something that obviously unnerved her. Combined with Sarah Palin's ignorant charges that Barack Obama pals with terrorists, I can see why a non-inquiring mind could be shocked and frightened, as this woman clearly was. John McCain immediately recognized that he and Sarah Palin and their behind-the-scenes master manipulators had taken the fun and games of campaigning to an unseemly and libelous new low of lies and distortion. John McCain immediately, without any hesitation, corrected the woman and re-assured her and the world that we have nothing to fear from a President Obama, "a decent family man."

People make mistakes, and some people take the incredibly difficult and high-minded path of correcting them. John McCain did so in the best way he possibly could have (short of not having allowed the campaign to veer so off course in the first place). That was John McCain's day. He has had others, largely unnoticed. We all know his heroic story of being shot down over Hanoi, pulled out of the water, and then being held captive and under torture as a POW. A story by MSNBC (http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/10/13/1516279.aspx) shows that John McCain has been able to turn the other cheek and do good to people who did incredibly bad things to him (and to tell the story of some who did some kind things as well).

I point these things out because every man and woman and child is tempted into lies and distortions of the truth under various circumstances. During the heat of political campaigns there can be a tendency to overlook the truth telling and honorable events in an opponent's life and campaign, and emphasize the lies and misleading half-truths. I was pleased with Barack Obama's acknowledgement of the service to truth that McCain provided that day. In my blog, I have not hesitated to point out the serious shortcomings of John McCain and especially Sarah Palin. But neither can I overlook the positives. That he has taken the high road some days doesn't get him off the hook for the low road taken quite often, and it also does not allow me to neglect to remind Barack Obama also that America needs honesty in the White House; so far, so good, but it is never often enough to hold our leaders' feet to the fire. They may tire of it, but it will make them better senators and Presidents and make America a better nation.

Donations, Privacy versus Accountability.

Ravan — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:56:03 EDT

I read this morning that there are some phoney donors in the online donations. All I can say is "Please, people, don't do that." It is a matter of law and accountability.

Now, I think the tracking needs to be worked on - after all, they can just trace the credit card. For online donations, that is the real source, IMO.

If I gave as "Ravan Asteris", the credit card it came from would still be under my legal name. However, I have not given anything as Ravan Asteris - only under my real name and real address.

I understand why, in this climate of demonization of the opposition, some people may not want their real names associated with their donations, especially since they then become a matter of public record, and are mapped online. However, not doing it by the rules can cause worse problems.

I actually wrestled with my need for privacy versus the importance of the campaign for several months before I broke down and contributed - under my legal name. Yes, it's now public record, but it records my support publically, too.

Many people prefer to use a pseudonym online. I do because there are some real nutjobs on the internet, and I am not a mainstream, everyone agrees with me, type of person. I have been stalked as a result of my online writings, and only my habit of pseudonymity has kept it in check.

However, when it is a matter of a business transaction, where money changes hands via check or credit card, I use my legal name. This includes political contributions, which are regulated by law to assure accountability.

Yes, it's tempting to fill in baloney on an online donor form - who's gonna know, right? Well, I tell you, the opposition is gonna know, and will use even the tiniest irregularity against your candidate. Don't play games with contributions, even if it seems that it's easy to be anonymous. It only hurts in the long run.

Why Barack Obama and Joe Biden Have My Vote

Robin Z — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:54:18 EDT

Nice work, Senator McCain. You can't give the American people a straight answer about what you'll do to improve this country, yet you'll do whatever you can to smear your opponents as a way to try to win the election.

We were all expecting it, I suppose. But the saddest part is that in the next four weeks until Election Day the American people are going to get dragged along with you through the mud, millions of dollars will be spent, and the Obama/Biden ticket will win anyway.

America is tired of the same old politics. We desperately want to see a brighter future where our leaders are truly interested in making the country a better place for all its citizens, not just an elite few. Enough of the pandering, enough of the deceit, enough of the negative campaigning.

I am continually reminded that you are an American hero and you served our nation with great honor and distinction during the Viet Nam war. That does NOT make you qualified to become our next president. I am truly disturbed by the campaign you have run. I will not vote for you.

It would take a perfect world for any politician to be able to deliver on all their promises. But where you must start is with HONESTY, INTEGRITY, and VISION. A vision that includes an economy that works and isn't broken. Job opportunity. Affordable housing. Affordable college education. Better cost of living. Affordable and dignified retirement. Promise for the next generation.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden have this vision, which is why they have my vote. I don't have a clue what you would do to improve this country, despite months of watching your campaign. You've been all about showing us your glossy tactics to win, but unfortunately I have seen little substance beneath the showmanship.

Please do America a favor and don't take the remaining four weeks of this campaign into the gutter. We need hope and security from our leaders, not more of the same tired politics.

No Shirt, No Shoes, No Vote? ~ Will Dress Code Affect Your Right To Vote?

Richard Owl Mirror — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 01:53:36 EDT

No Shirt, No Shoes, No Vote? ~ Will Dress Code Affect Your Right To Vote?

(CBS/AP) In Pennsylvania, two Pittsburgh-area elections officials are suing to permit a dress code at polling places, after a Pennsylvania Department of State memo advised counties last month that voters' attire doesn't matter.

In Virginia, where backers of both Barack Obama and John McCain are pushing for registration of college students in this battleground state, many students were wrongly advised by officials that registering could adversely affect their parents' taxes.

In Michigan, campaign officials are suing to prevent lists of foreclosed homes being used to prevent voters from voting at their local precinct.

And in Ohio, a legal skirmish over same-day registration and voting has not prevented hundreds from casting absentee ballots a month before Election Day, even though they do not plan on bring out of state come November 4.

Across the country, voter registration leading up to a highly-anticipated presidential election has been up, but so are concerns that bureaucracy, misreadings of election law, or just plain stupid mistakes may cost many Americans their right to exercise their vote.

continued . . .

~@~

Interestingly, the four states mentioned are states that Senator Obama is leading in the Polls.

Pennsylvania, Virginia, Michigan and Ohio

Pennsylvanian Sue Nace thought election volunteers were joking last spring when they told her she would have to remove her T-shirt to vote in the U.S. presidential primary.
But it was no laughing matter to the poll workers-turned-fashion police, who said Nace's Barack Obama shirt was inappropriate electioneering - and made her cover the writing before casting a ballot.
At least four states - Maine, Montana, Vermont and Kansas- explicitly prohibit wearing campaign buttons, stickers and badges inside polling places, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures and state officials.

In Kentucky, elections officials last month told poll workers they should admit voters decked out in campaign apparel, after e-mails circulated warning that Obama supporters would be turned away if they wore shirts and pins.

Sorry, You've Been De-Registered

To obtain an absentee ballot, an absentee application form may be submitted. Because of a printing error on an application form sent out by the McCain campaign in several states, thousands of voters who requested absentees were rejected if the voter failed to check a box that needn't have been on the form in the first place.
http://www.canivote.org/
http://www.votersunite.org/info/RegInfo.asp

Lost Your House, Lost Your Vote?

Michigan election officials say they will remind local clerks that home foreclosure lists are not sufficient to challenge voting status.
State elections director Chris Thomas said foreclosure lists alone aren't enough to contest a voter's residence. A person whose home is in the foreclosure process still could be living at the address on the foreclosure list.
The notice could ease an ongoing flap about disputed allegations of possible challenges to Michigan voters in Macomb County, considered a possible key area in the presidential contest between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.
The Obama campaign filed a lawsuit to prevent the Michigan GOP from using foreclosure lists as a residency challenge.
Marion County GOP Chairman Tom John told the Indianapolis Star that while his party has no plans to pursue such challenges, he wouldn't rule it out.
"I think it would be a solid basis for asking someone to vote provisionally," John said.

Old Enough To Vote, But Not Here?

In late August, a notice by a Montgomery County election official aimed at clarifying the voter registration process for Virginia Tech students actually mislead potential voters, creating a firestorm. It read in part,

"The Code of Virginia states that a student must declare a legal residence in order to register. A legal residence can be either a student's permanent address from home or their current college residence. By making Montgomery County your permanent residence, you have declared your independence from your parents and can no longer be claimed as a dependent on their income tax filings."

The statement also warned that students could lose their scholarships as the result of an address change.

After the IRS disputed the tax claims, the official released another notice which clarified some aspects but still caused concern that students would not be allowed to vote, in part because of the vagaries of declaring an "abode" and a "domicile."

~@~

Who in their right mind, anywhere in the United States could vote for a candidate who will resort to such tactics as trying to keep citizens from voting through deception? I hope you will pass along these tips to inform people who might be affected as well as letting voters know the lengths the Republican Party and John McCain are willing to go in preventing them from their Constitutional Right to Vote.

http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/news.php

http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/states.php

http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/topics.php

Congratulations Joe Biden!

Robin Z — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:26:46 EDT

Thank you for your honesty and professionalism in tonight's debate. What I saw was one extremely smart man debating a character actress who's not all that great at memorizing her lines.

It's stunning our political process has come to this.

You and Barack are running your campaign for the White House with the utmost integrity, while we see nothing of the sort from the other side, who mirror George W. Bush in every way, from mimicking his failed policies to his penchant for lying to the American people.

Thank you for caring so much about the American people, and working so hard on our behalf.

We look forward to seeing you and Barack on Inauguration Day!

call for intellectual honesty

Unknown user — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:27:30 EDT

I realize this is a political hot potatoe because so many people profess a faith of some kind in the United States and throughout the world.

That said, there is a growing number of people calling for intellectual honesty. Being intellectually honest means you do not hold sacred cows, you allow all claims to be open to scrutiny. The overwhelming majority of the scientific and academic communities do not hold the Bible to be a source of anything further than myth and philosophical ideal. It is not a historical, factual account of history. It is not the basis for science. They hold that God is not an actual being. God is imaginary.

I am calling on our world leaders to stop pacifying us, telling us what they think we want to hear, and instead they need to stand up and publicly state that God is imaginary. God has no place in government. Religious superstitions and beliefs have no place in public office. They may be a source of comfort to some, but they are not real, and should be viewed as myths worthy of some ideological lessons but not historical fact or a basis for science.

Evolution happened. The earth is Billions of years old. God is imaginary. Please show the courage of integrity and truth, and dont be so afraid to tell it like it is.

"Imagine all the people living for today."

Thank You
Ryan Cameron.

Change we Need

Michelle — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:50:45 EDT

Americans are seeing first hand how Barack Obama has run his campaign using his knowledge as a community organizer and getting the grass roots of every day Americans to get involved in electing a President who will bring change in Washington and along with Joe Biden will get things done for the Middle Class.

Barack Obama for President!

Obama/Biden 08

PALIN SAYS BIDEN TOO OLD

Madera Strong - Team Co-ordinator For City of Madera — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:27:14 EDT

McCain better watch out - Palin stated yesterday that Biden was too old...."I've been hearing about him since I was in second grade." Crowd laughs

Palin is now in dangerous territory. The AARP and Boomers do not appreciate negative speech about older Americans. McCain is older than Biden - so it comes back to haunt the McCain/Palin ticket. Biden as the Vice Presidential candidate has a wealth of knowledge and can help and advise President Obama on successful implementation of his platform.

OBAMA HAS ALWAYS TREATED McCAIN WITH RESPECT AND HAS NEVER MADE JOKES ABOUT McCAIN'S AGE. OBAMA IS A GENTLEMAN WITH INTEGRITY AND RESPECT FOR ALL AMERICANS, YOUNG, OLD, AND IN-BETWEEN.

PLEASE VOTE FOR OBAMA

E-Verify program @ the U.S. Dept of Homeland Security and it's effects on immigrants and refugees

Richard Owl Mirror — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 13:35:09 EDT

~@~ National Security Debate ~@~

There are many facets which make up National Security and Immigration, I would like to focus on the E-Verify program @ the U.S. Dept of Homeland Security and it's effects on immigrants and refugees.

E-Verify (formerly the Basic Pilot/Employment Eligibility Verification Program) is an online system operated jointly by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration (SSA). Participating employers can check the work status of new hires online by comparing information from an employee's I-9 form against SSA and Department of Homeland Security databases. More than 69,000 employers are enrolled in the program, with over 4 million queries run so far in fiscal year 2008.

E-Verify is free and voluntary, and is the best means available for determining employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers.

~@~

Employment Eligibility Verification and Antidiscrimination Protections

NILC Advocacy and Services
Since 1979, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) has been dedicated to protecting and promoting the rights of low income immigrants and their family members. In the past 20 years, NILC has earned a national reputation as a leading expert on immigration, public benefits, and employment laws affecting immigrants and refugees. Our extensive knowledge of the complex interplay between immigrants' legal status and their rights under U.S. laws is an essential resource for legal aid programs, community groups, and social service agencies across the country.

WHAT WE DO
Policy Analysis & Advocacy.
Impact Litigation.
Building Coalitions & Capacity.
Technical Assistance.
Trainings and Conferences.
Publications.

NILC's Website.
Our website contains NILC memos and analyses, articles from our newsletters indexed by topic, community education materials, and links to key organizational and government web sites.

http://www.nilc.org/immsemplymnt/ircaempverif/

~@~

http://www.cato.org/videohighlights/index.php?highlight_id=84

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10X7BO6uvPo
Fact-checking Glenn Beck

~@~

Immigration of individual human-beings across imaginary borders has occurred throughout mankind's existence. Hunters and Gatherers crosses into competitors fields and farms. Industrious human-beings create commerce opportunities, which in turn demands the employ of a workforce. I believe my description is an example of a basic human right.

This function within any society should not be impeded yet, it must be managed due to National Security concerns. It is obvious that the one requirement necessary to manage such a function is the ability to identify all individuals who are within our National borders. With the advent of technology, this task has become easier. The core problem with implementing such a program so it functions efficiently is cooperation by all parties.

I do not believe the millions of people who cross over our border, under extremely dangerous conditions are all criminals. It's simply the method of least resistance due to the rules for application of entry to our country is impossible for most to comply.

I have advocated that using technology such as an Identification card which can be produced as easily as we obtain our drivers licenses, preferably one-day service which would be valid for a 6-month employment stay could relieve this problem.

This identification card could also be used as the holders Employment ID card at their place of employment. As easily as an ATM card, the user slides it when they are clocking in and again when clocking out at the end of the day. This way, the government can verify constant employment and be alerted if the individual is not complying with the agreement for obtaining the entry card.

Most immigrants come to America to work as seasonal workers, therefore I believe a 6 month time-frame would be an agreement those seeking entry would voluntarily comply with. Cooperation is the key to success.

I believe granting honest, hard-working people the opportunity to purchase this entry card for $183 plus a background check, would relieve much of the problem of illegal immigration. Employers would be more able to be in 100% compliance with the Immigration laws because they need only opt-in to using the Immigration Time Clock system. Naturally there would be penalties for non-compliance yet, I believe companies would welcome such a solution as a safeguard against improperly being accused for hiring illegal workers. Perhaps we could also collect $1.00 for every hour worked by a migrant worker rather than them paying into Social Security. This money could be designated towards a specified program or budgetary need.

~@~

What have the candidates said about resolving the National Security implications of Immigration ?

http://www.barackobama.com/ vs. http://www.johnmccain.com

Let's be clear: John McCain is offering nothing of substance

Richard Owl Mirror — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 13:16:15 EDT

Senator Obama will strive to provide tax cuts for the middle class, affordable health care, and a new energy economy that creates millions of jobs. He will seek to end the war in Iraq responsibly, focus on defeating al Qaeda and the Taliban, and restore America's standing in the world.

Senator John McCain offered no solutions for the challenges Americans are facing in their daily lives. Nothing but more of the same failed Bush policies at home and abroad that he has supported more than 90% of the time in the Senate.

An example of how failed a Leadership role John McCain would bring to the Presidency is Obama's assertion that McCain "said the other day that he would not meet potentially with the prime minister of Spain, because he -- you know, he wasn't sure whether they were aligned with us," a reference to McCain's repeated refusal -- during an interview with Radio Caracol WSUA 1260 AM in Miami -- to say that as president, he would refuse to meet with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. As evidence of the truth for this claim, McCain foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann reportedly wrote that "there is no doubt Senator McCain knew exactly to whom the question referred" and that McCain in fact "refused to commit to a White House meeting with President Zapatero in this interview." Indeed, during the debate, McCain did not assert that he "misspoke" during the Radio Caracol interview, but rather responded to Obama by saying, "I'm not going to set the White House visitors schedule before I'm president of the United States."

Questions exist, whether McCain forgot which country Zapatero leads, got confused about Spain's geographic relationship to Latin America, or confused Zapatero with the Zapatista rebels from Mexico. In either instance, this incident reveals a danger of possible confrontation could explode due to his complete lack of understanding World Leaders and events.

During the debate Obama said, "Senator McCain mentioned Henry Kissinger, who's one of his advisers, who, along with five recent secretaries of state, just said that we should meet with Iran -- guess what -- without precondition. This is one of your own advisers," and, "When we talk about preconditions -- and Henry Kissinger did say we should have contacts without preconditions -- the idea is that we do not expect to solve every problem before we initiate talks." During the debate, McCain repeatedly purported to correct Obama by saying Kissinger would not support presidential-level talks with Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Each time, Obama made clear that was not his contention -- that, instead, he was accurately saying Kissenger supported talks between the United States and Iran at levels below the president.

Was John McCain simply confused or was he attempting to provide a misdirection because Senator Obama clearly showed how Senator McCain doesn't even understand what his own Advisors are advising ?

Obama's comments during the debate accurately reflected Kissinger's comments during a September 15 forum. Kissinger said, "Well, I am in favor of negotiating with Iran. And one utility of negotiation is to put before Iran our vision of a Middle East, of a stable Middle East, and our notion on nuclear proliferation at a high enough level so that they have to study it. And, therefore, I actually preferred doing it at the secretary of state level so that we -- we know we're dealing with authentic -- with authentic proposals." Asked by CNN's Frank Sesno, "To put at a very high level right out of the box?" Kissinger responded:

Initially, yes. And I always believed that the best way to begin a negotiation is to tell the other side exactly what you have in mind and what you are -- what the outcome is that you're trying to achieve so that they have something that they can react to.
Now, the permanent members of the Security Council, plus Japan and Germany, have all said nuclear weapons in Iran are unacceptable. They've never explained what they mean by this. So if we go into a negotiation, we ought to have a clear understanding of what is it we're trying to prevent. What is it going to do if we can't achieve what we're talking about?
But I do not believe that we can make conditions for the opening of negotiations. We ought, however, to be very clear about the content of negotiations and work it out with other countries and with our own government.

One final observation I have regarding John McCain

McCain Suspends Campaign to Work on Wall St Plan

The Arizona senator announced he would suspend his campaign, pull television advertising, halt fundraising and return to Washington on Thursday to try to help negotiations over a stalled $700 billion bailout plan for Wall Street.

"We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet until this crisis is resolved," McCain said, urging Obama to join him.

~@~

I believe Senator John McCain made a strategic blunder in his forcefully and public move in going to Washington DC for discussions on the Financial crisis. John McCain used Bluster to place his actions into the limelight and boxed himself in to a retraction. I believe if he had true concerns as a servant of the people, he could have silently traveled of his own accord to Washington DC and offer his assistance toward solving a problem, then not having acheived his objective, simply call and cancel his participation in the debate at the last moment.

This shows me a lack of thoughtful planning and leads me to view his actions as reckless. It's akin to someone going out publically and making sure their neighbors see them praying to God or announcing they have performed good works, all the while seeking the approval of those witnesses alone.

A senior McCain adviser made clear McCain would not attend a Friday debate unless a congressional rescue deal was sealed.

"If the package is reached and the country is saved, there will be a debate," the aide said. "But if there's no deal, how can you get on a plane . . . for a debate?"

Is this the type of Leadership America wants or deserves ? I think not !

Let's be clear: John McCain is offering nothing of substance in his political rhetoric, same as his running to Washington even though he had nothing of substance to add in resolving the crisis.

He is what my Grandfather would call a Flim-Flam Man

LEHRER: Afghanistan, Senator McCain?

MCCAIN: First of all, I won't repeat the mistake that I regret enormously, and that is, after we were able to help the Afghan freedom fighters and drive the Russians out of Afghanistan, we basically washed our hands of the region.

And the result over time was the Taliban, al Qaeda, and a lot of the difficulties we are facing today. So we can't ignore those lessons of history.

The Geneva accords of 1988, which ultimately led to the withdrawal of the Soviet forces in early 1989, left the Afghan government in ruins.

Senator John McCain said he would not repeat the mistake made by Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush ? I thought both of these Leaders were his Hero's and mentors ?

Have you folks heard the latest news out of Alaska ?

September 26, 2008
Palin should step down, conservative commentator says

(CNN) – Prominent conservative columnist Kathleen Parker, an early supporter of Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin, said Friday recent interviews have shown the Alaska governor is "out of her league" and should leave the GOP presidential ticket for the good of the party.

The criticism in Parker's Friday column is the latest in a recent string of negative assessments toward the McCain-Palin candidacy from prominent conservatives.

It was fun while it lasted," Parker writes. "Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who is clearly out of her league."

~@~

McCains claim of taking out Bin Ladin

**Senator McCain said it most concisely in June.***

"Look," he said. "I know the area. I've been there. I know wars. I know how to win wars. And I know how to improve our capabilities so that we will capture Osama bin Laden. Or put it this way, bring him to justice. We will do it. I know how to do it." Sen. McCain seems to be quite serious, that he and he alone, not the CIA, nor the U.S. Military, nor the current President can capture bin Laden. Thus we must take him at his word that this is no mere ludicrous campaign boast. We must assume Sen. McCain truly believes he is capable of doing this, and has been capable of doing this, since last January. "We will capture Osama bin Laden. We will do it. I know how to do it."

If John McCain knows how to accomplish this task, why hasn't he told anyone how to implement his plan of action NOW rather than waiting until he is elected Commander in Chief ?
Does he simply want all the Glory and Praise for himself ?

Sticking to the Facts: The Burden of Integrity

William from Matthews, NC — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:25:05 EDT

I am a big fan of fact-checking. Skepticism has served me well and I am quite persistent in my attempts to instill a healthy inclination toward incredulity in my two young daughters. Some of my favorite websites, especially during election season, are Snopes.com, FactCheck.org, and Politifact.com. These and others do a fine job of wading through campaign rhetoric and analyzing claims with an academic discipline that includes actually referencing sources of information and quoting those sources in full context.

The Daily Show is good at fact-checking. John Stewart is quick to classify his show as a comedy not a news program, but I am consistently impressed by the quality of research that goes into many of the sketches. The ones that especially get me riled up are those that juxtapose video of politicians, pundits, or advisors making statements that blatantly contradict statements they made just a while ago. Don’t these people realize that they are being continuously recorded? I wish the real news shows were as diligent in questioning and then validating the words of our politicians and then confronting them with these “inconsistencies”.

One of the primary reasons I support Barack Obama over John McCain is that he has done a pretty good job of keeping himself and his words off of sites like FactCheck.org and out of The Daily Show episodes.

Something About Morality

Mary — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:40:48 EDT

Yes, I've been gone for some time and working so many hours in order to live. Having listened to some family and other people who pose the issues of morality and republican party vs. morality and democratic party I wanted to just mention a few thoughts. I often hear that the Republican's represent the "moral" group, but how is it moral to vote against women earning the same income as men? I worked eight day's this week and two of those day's I worked for 12 hour shifts. Now I don't mind working, and since I'm a widow I must work in order to pay my bills. I earn about $900.00 to $1,000.00 a month, my work is honest hard work and when it's all said and done I'll pay the same taxes that any man would pay to the government. The difference is that Republican's voted every bill down that would give women the right to earn the same pay as a man. How is that moral? I hear people say that Republican's protect against abortions. Well, how will these mother's who have no husband's and work for less pay afford to take care of the unaborted children when the Republican party doesn't support them earning equal pay? How is that moral and does it cause any woman who is alone to believe that she has the income to take care of that unborn child? What about women who's husband's abandon them and their children for another woman? How does that abandoned wife and mother support her children if the father is delinquent in paying for the children and helping her out? It happens, it's not moral, and that mother rely's upon government and law to secure some kind of monitary way to continue to live.

I see two key issues that morality groups always pick as support for the Republican party. Gay marriage and anti-abortion. And yet! The Republican party has protected the rights of the wealthy giving them the largest tax breaks. They support selfish gain and inequality in paying some people and women what they are due and yet they expect to get their income tax from everyone. They have allowed insurances companies and home mortgage companies rob people blind. People are losing their life long dream, their homes and the republican party hasn't stopped this greedy trend. Everyone is paying more for gasoline than ever before and the republican party has defended the large oil corporations and given them tax breaks. McCain's latest visit to Tampa had people shouting "Drill baby drill" and hoping for oil wells off our coast. Forget for a moment the environmental problems and just ask yourself "Who will gain from those Oil rigs?". Believe me it won't be the state of Florida and it's residents. Gasoline prices won't drop for us as the oil companies will find yet another reason for raising the prices. The only way Florida could gain is if they forced the Oil corporations that drill off the coast to make the State of Florida shareholders and demand 10% of all monitary gains from that likely 8 to 10 billion a year those oil company owners will make.

The one thing I note is that the Republican always illudes to the most obvious of moral issues and yet they are NO MORE MORAL than the democratic party. They are humans, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.", they lie, they have stollen from poor eldery people and deprived them of their right to have full benefits, they lie to veterans of war and have denied them benefits, they deny women the right to be paid as thought their work was as valuable as any man, they take from the poor and give to the rich, they do not give to those in need. All those things fall in the realm of immorality. They are no more moral than anyone and they dupe most people who wish to be moral with two issues. To support them is to support another kind of immorality, the kind that the pharasees had. Religiousity doesn't equate with morality at all. They may appear religious, they may claim to support religious issues, but they are neither moral or right. When I see how many wrongs they have supported and continue to support vs. the two things that the Democratic party support then I wonder how it is that people who claim to be moral can continue to support the Republican party.

I guess you could if you can agree that greed is okay, that denying widows and orphans is right, that taking food and medicine from war veterans, eldery people and single mothers/fathers is right, that not paying the laborer what is due them and taxing them the same as the laborer who earns much more is right. I guess you could agree that they are moral if you can accept that taking programs that support mothers with infants and children away is okay. You see, in the end they will lure you in with promises of keeping gay's from marrying and women from aborting children. Gay people will still live together regardless and women will get secret abortions just like they've done for generations. How do people who claim to be moral support a party that deny's women the mean's to live and support themselves and their children? Is that moral?

Apologies to everyone for not being around so much but people such as myself don't get the luxury like the McCain's or Sarah Palin who has a husband. I am neither wealthy or come from a wealthy family. What I am though is an honest hard working woman who does indeed live an ethical moral life and it disgust me that people can be led by the nose to the slaughterhouse by liars who claim to live moral lives while in truth the Republican party do nothing of the kind. They just learned that all they have to do is bring up those two issues and church people jump hook, line and sinker while overlooking the immorality that the Republican's continue to generate. Nuff said and I have to go to bed since tomorrow is yet another day that this old woman will pull herself up early and stand for 8+ hours at work but get paid less then the men and be taxed the same. So how is that moral?

Open Letter re: Rigorous Honesty

AndyOrr — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:48:01 EDT

Open Letter My Obama Campaign:

I am a dedicated Democrat and have been a committed supporter of Senator Obama since his speech after the Iowa primary. I believe Obama represents legitimate hope that we, as a nation, can get this country back on course.

I also HOPE that you will continue to help end the abusive nature of political campaigns by leading by example. I expect you to run a more honest and honorable campaign. This means I expect you to present "the facts, just the facts" in campaign commercials and public statemnents. This means I expect statements about our positions and those of our opposition to be factual or reasonable interpretations of the facts.

I feel sick at my stomach whenever Factcheck.org or similar non-partisan" groups report that some of our statements are factually inaccutate and/or misleading. I want to trust that what you are telling the public, which includes ME, is an honest description or interpretation of the facts. and when mistakes are made, intentional or not, promptly admit it and correct it!

I want you to attack the banalities and deceptions of the McCain-Palin campaign. I want you to fight for what we are for and against with the intense "urgency of now." I want your/our campaign to wield truth and hope as weapons against the corruptions of our political status quo. But, by God, I also expect you to do it with facts and with honesty.

As a stakeholder in your campaign I am asking you to remain true to our stated values and goals Please vet any future commercials and statements with a "will this pass a Factcheck.org test" BEFORE you spend my/our money on a commercial or public events, and please remove or correct any current public claims that do not pass a Factcheck.org threshhold.

With deep respect, kindest regards, and HOPE,

Anderson (Andy) Orr, Raleigh NC

Smart Simple Strategy

Deborah Simmel — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 01:36:06 EDT

"Honor comes from honesty." Huffington Post blogger analyzes a winning strategy, artfully articulated by Senator Claire McCaskill. A skillful dismantling of McCain's attack ads on ABC's This Week.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-romm/obama-nails-the-winning-m_b_126479.html

McCain Computer Illiterate Ad

rwordplay — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:12:14 EDT

Just a note to say I like the ad and think it's very smart and supports the notion that Obama is the candidate of the 21st Century. Most of the scenarios work well, except the clinking of Champagne glasses. The image is a bad cliche, the kind of non-meaning words and images we should avoid.

Tax breaks for corporations are not an unqualified "evil." In fact, we advocate it, for new green industries and for businesses willing to invest in depressed areas. Let's not go back in time and represent corporations as "Dallas."

When we regress in this way, we become as condescending (re: elitist) as the McCain camp describes us.
Let's try to be as honest as possible and pretending to be anti-corporations is just plain dishonest.

script CHANGE ok, please

Kasha B. — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:08:39 EDT

Streamlining: Words are important, they say we are the only species with this ability--->2 communicate. i personally think this is the arrogance of the homo sapien species, obviously whales communicate...b u t i digress

please consider that folks are MOST unwilling to believe in politicians---generally with very good reason, (at least wary) and looking for signs of sincerity... therefore i ask you-->Are we calling them to inquire about their well being?

we are, however, in need of a few minutes of their time.. I will ask if they have a few moments to discuss this absolutely critical race where every vote counts.

honesty is just one of the human factors the obamas offer...

along with respect for all

that would include respect for folks time---i will also not be telling them i am with the NC campaign, that is strikingly obvious; this is after all a national campaign is it not?

This Is It...

Lawrence Freiberg — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:44:54 EDT

"Make no mistake where you are..." 4Such a time as this. Tax and spend - maybe a trillion when its all said and done.

Now imagine a giant vacuum cleaner sucking up billions of dollars above the USA. Half a trill and counting!

Now The Elite is someone who can't remember how many homes they have... When you have so much disinformation, and lies, remember its all here to serve the Elite and The United Corporations of America.

Thank You Barack for answering the critical call at such a time as this.
Apathy, get thee behind us all!
Men are calling good evil (at their con) and evil good (like "gov get out ofour way")
What she meant was dereg everything until no government or people stand in the way of their corps!
Barack asked "Do they think were stupid?"
Were not...
But waking up the sleepy is hard when they are lullibyed to sleep by fear, dumbing down, God, Flag and Country as if the dems don't hold these things sacred, the real ones.

Rise up, be counted, REALLY VOTE, this far, no further!

Let's Rock 4 Barack!

Sarah Palin is not the point of the Sarah Palin selection.

Mark from Nacogdoches, TX — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:23:18 EDT

To frame these comments, I am a conservative Christian, pro-life, lifetime Republican, that applauds some aspects of McCain's choice of Sarah Palin for a running mate, such as the selection of a woman for his ticket. I admire Sarah Palin as a person, American, politician, and as a Christian. However, her selection, and more specifically, the national response to it, leaves be baffled. And the issues it points to seem to me to run deeper than party lines.

Since a list of the specifics of why Sarah Palin may or may not be ready (maybe now? maybe someday? who knows?) to step into the office of the vice-president is getting the attention (for the most part) it deserves, that is not my point in this letter. My point is that her selection at a very deep level is very, very funny and no one is laughing.

The word "joke" might be too strong a word in some senses to describe the situation, but in other ways it is not. In response to a decision that many see as impulsive and questionable there should be a certain skepticism by everyone considering the selection, accompanied by both in-depth, wide-breadth analysis and a healthy dose of insightful, deep-reaching humor. Republicans should be cracking jokes to relieve stress, independents should be snickering at the system, and Democrats should be laughing their heads off, at least quietly.

Instead, it seems we are a nation holding our collective breath, fearful that we will upset the balance, afraid of unexpected consequences, and afraid of being insensitive and politically incorrect. We seem stunned. It seems as if we were passengers in a bus that veered off the road, and we are wandering around, dazed and a bit in shock, wondering what we should do and what happens next.

Sarah Palin is NOT a joke, but in some ways her selection at this point of her career, the manner in which it was made, and our response to it, is funny. Her selection would not be getting the reaction from the media it is getting, if it were not already after-the-fact, if it had not been a surprise, and if it weren't for a number of intangibles inherent in our political, media, and popular cultures. Doctors, police, and teachers have been using humor as a snapshot diagnostic tool to get a quick sense of the internal state of their patients (subjects, students) for a long time. When they don’t get the joke, it usually means something might be wrong inside. Whether she is a good choice or not, we are not laughing and something may be very wrong about that.

The current media response is as if McCain had decided to give his acceptance speech without pants on, and the media began the debate about the ramifications of this new turn in men's fashions, without considering anything disturbing and without considering anything potentially seriously wrong behind the decision. The Candidate’s New Clothes. It's as if the media is saying, "Well, he says there is an invisible, six-foot rabbit on the barstool beside him, and he is a nice guy. I am going to interview the rabbit."

As one thought experiment, consider if McCain had made an obviously unsound choice for his running mate. (Of course there is no way to provide an example without offending someone, so pick your own.) What factors would still be in play in shaping the country‘s response? People would still have the emotional and tangible commitments and investments into their choices and would be driven to support the choice. The party would still be tempted to support the choice, since a poor choice in and of itself would hurt the chances of getting a Republican elected and furthering the cause. The media would still be pressured to make the most of the choice, if for no other reason than their inherent commitment to spectacle and drama. The moment the election is not a close race, media loses a lot of viewers. The media would also be pressured to take an approach in their presentation of the facts dictated by legal and social issues that would be criticized in a purely academic setting. I believe that if McCain had chosen Scooby Doo to be his running mate, there would have been, at least for a moment, a lot of different pressures from a lot of different directions to respond to his choice in the same way we did to his choice of Sarah Palin.

After her selection, many (most? all?) of the major voices in Republican Party stood up and with fierce loyalty declared into the microphones how good a pick she was, regardless of what they might have been saying off-camera and behind closed doors. After the shock wears off (especially after the election) there will rise a chorus of voices (large or small, depending on the outcome of the election) within the party bitter and critical of the choice. However, it is as if we are pretending for the moment that no such reaction is possible, now or later. Do we seriously believe that all of these leaders believe what they are saying about how wonderful a choice she is? How could they believe it as much as it is being put forth that they do? Former contenders for the office have had to humble themselves to the point of incredulity to hail her selection.

There is so much being said at the moment because it has to be said for political expediency. So many people are parroting lines that they were explicitly trained to say by the party machinery. Verbal solidarity is essential to our hopes as a party for victory. It has become more important than actually believing what we say. As a Republican I feel like the party slogan has been replaced in one quick moment with, "Party loyalty first." Country, truth, honesty, etc. after.

Many people are genuine in their support and enthusiasm for Sarah Palin. And from many perspectives she probably deserves respect. But for some our words at the moment in the context of her selection have nothing to do with what we really believe. That points to a problem. Even though our spoken rhetoric continues, many Republican’s eye’s glazed over with the announcement of Sarah Palin.

Again, Sarah Palin is not the issue. Her choice for the ticket and the thinking behind it is not the issue. The response of the party and the voters and the media is the issue. The response of our culture and the country as a whole is the issue. For the most part, we are not responding with an honest look at ourselves. Archie Bunker used to be a parody of the human tendency toward an absence of honest introspection. To a large extent, the discomfort Archie made us feel is missing today. At what point did a biased pride in "my opinion, right or wrong" replace our more noble goal of intellectual integrity and right for right’s sake?

My point is beyond the specifics of this case. In fact my point boils down to the skewed, blind eyes with which the specifics are being treated. The Sarah Palin pick is trivial. The McCain vs. Obama question is a lot less important than the question, "What has happened to the process by which we select our leaders and what does the process (and the way media covers it) say about who we are as a nation and what values we stand for?"

This issue could easily be broadened to cover more events, on both sides of the political divide. It struck me during both conventions that conventions used to be about selecting a ticket. There was not even a hint this time that conventions were not run by the presumptive candidates, before their selection and confirmation BY the convention. The voices of dissention seemed to have little if any meaningful impact on the process of any kind. Have the conventions become just really expensive commercials? Are they obsolete? If so, the issue is again the huge discrepancy between the reality of events, the issues, and the process and the rhetoric and perception of what is actually happening. What are we, as voters and citizens, and the media talking about and what could and should we be talking about? (That is not a rhetorical question. That is the point.)

My vote in 2008? It is just one vote, but it is a vote the Republicans have had for thirty years. At least to some extent I like all the people involved at this point of the election, so there is still room for debate. I may vote for the McCain and Palin ticket. I have moved towards Obama since Sarah Palin was selected. But I hope by far, more than anything else, that in November I will vote for honesty.

I have always thought being a one-issue voter was a very bad idea, but this election has shown me above others that honesty is the single most important, essential ingredient for the freedom we all talk about all the time. No matter what other glass ceilings may exist in our society, honesty is the upper limit to every value we espouse, and the upper limit to the goodness of every action that we take as a nation. I am not sure which candidate will get my vote, but to the best of my ability I will be voting for whomever I feel is being the most honest with themselves, their followers, and with the public. I guess I will be voting for the best "candid-ate."

There is a song that talks about it taking time to turn the Titanic around. Since both parties are holding up change as the major goal for this election, maybe our key to hope for a change in course for our country is that simple. If everyone just takes an honest look at themselves, their own beliefs, the issues, the candidates, opens up more to honest discussions and differences of opinion, and casts an honest vote, maybe, just maybe, we can avoid some of the ice flows in the cold waters ahead.

Regardless of party or religion, gender or race, my prayer for all of us come November is courage, honor, integrity, and honesty.

Still baffled,

Mark Miller

What is Unity?

PrayersForAmerica — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:27:29 EDT

By Julie Redstone

Unity cannot claim to be true to its origins and meaning if it allows even one other to be held as less worthy than the rest.

___________________

Today, in America, the call to unity has become louder and more vocal, emblazoned upon the banner of current presidential politics, and awakening within the heart a feeling of hope and of striving. Unity moves with the new vibration of spiritual light that is arriving. But what is unity?

There are many people hungry today for a vision of the world in which people do not hurt each other, in which anger and indifference no longer take the toll in human life and in human pain that they presently do, and in which conflicts between people, groups, parties, cultures, and nations can be resolved peacefully, without recourse to violence, force, or denial of the right to respect that each human being must be accorded.

This vision of unity is awakening in the hearts of people everywhere. It is a hunger for cooperation instead of enmity; for brotherhood instead of separation; for compassion instead of indifference; and for the perception of a world in which the human family includes all persons, no matter what their political, social, or sexual orientation, and no matter how reprehensible we feel their behavior to be.

For this vision to become real, the heart must find a way of remaining in a state of love, and of extending compassion even to those with whom we disagree vehemently – even to those who are our adversaries, recognizing in their opposition, the underlying causes of desperation, outrage, and helplessness, rather than evil. As our hearts become more expansive, we do not need to expand our acceptance of wrongdoing, for justice must still hold all people accountable for their actions, no matter how they feel. And individuals, while forgiven for their feelings, cannot be excused for their behavior where it impinges on others.

Despite such behavior, the heart and soul of all beings must be recognized. It must be recognized and it must be honored, no matter how culpable the outer behavior of another, no matter how painful to the heart. Unity can only be inclusive for all or it is not unity, but only a new and more subtle form of prejudice which cannot find respect or accord equality to all.

Within America, ‘unity’ cannot tolerate disdain toward those who disagree with us while we maintain a position of superiority and relegate others to an inferior position.

Unity cannot claim to love all, while denouncing those who are skeptical or disillusioned, or who seek a different goal.

Unity cannot sanction prejudice of any kind, and must be firmly rooted in an honest appraisal of the means, both subtle and obvious, by which people are treated unequally.

Unity cannot speak with a voice of sarcasm, derision, innuendo, ridicule, meanness, backbiting, or disrespect toward others, even while others may pursue such a course.

In a word, unity cannot claim to be true to its origins and meaning if it allows even one other to be held as less worthy than the rest.

For this to be realized as part of a political system, national ethic, or personal creed, it is necessary to stop justifying our anger and to stop acting out of fear. These are not simple things to do, however. They are deep and profound adjustments of the psyche that require us to place love in the supreme moral position within our hearts, allowing no other motive, feeling, or response to compete with it.

For this to take place, we must feel strongly the pricelessness of each human life and each human heart, and must seek to honor and uphold each.

Furthermore, we must seek to go beyond the words we use which may articulate the ideals we cherish, to a more honest appraisal of the tone of voice we use and the feelings we display. This self-scrutiny must take place both in public and in private, within individuals and within nations, to determine whether we are just speaking of unity or practicing it as well.

This movement toward unity may not happen all at once. It may not happen without difficulty as the counterforces which create special interests and selfish motives continue to seek their day in the sun. But it will happen, it must happen, because the time for unity’s expression is now, and we are witnessing, even amongst the division and discord that still cover our interactions with others, the birth of a new way of being in the world and of a new life for the heart. This new life is infusing the deeper layers of consciousness of many people in many places, and will one day make itself visible as the dominant ethic that governs a free society and the dominant motive that governs each human heart.

For today, we participate in this transition by examining the motives of our own heart, and by allowing ourselves to notice where we have set another apart from the rest – apart from our compassion and forgiveness. When we reclaim our own hearts and allow them to beat to the new vibration of unity with greater purity, we simultaneously elevate our own consciousness, and contribute to the advent of greater peace in the world around us.

* * *

From Light Omega Newsletter August 30, 2008

What the Palin pick tells us about McCain: he lacks integrity

Christian Grostic — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:28:45 EDT

I'm not going to jump conclusions about Sarah Palin. It bothers me that so many people have already made up their minds about every qualification of someone 99% of them hadn't heard of three days ago, based on nothing more than which party she's affiliated with.

What bothers me very much, though, is that it tells us John McCain's primary attacks on Senator Obama's - his “readiness to lead” - are based on no principle at all, save that he thought it would help him win. It's the worst part of politics, if you ask me, and I hate that it's so blatant here and that we're apparently willing to put up with it.

A good article on the subject: http://www.slate.com/id/2199029/

A Man of Vision.

Curtis — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 23:14:03 EDT

I went to hear Barack Obama speak in Lynchburg, VA. There I met some of the staff and volunteers from the Farmville office. We chatted in the afternoon sun as we stood in line to get into the high school. It was an exciting time and it was good to share it with folks who really care about making a difference in people’s lives. Inside the gymnasium, the crowd was buzzing with excitement. Chants broke out from time to time, "Obama, Obama....." even though it was more than an hour to the time that Barack was scheduled to speak. Even the man who brought out the podium was given cheers. After the formalities Barack and Jim Webb came out, and the crowd erupted into thunderous cheers and applause. After Jim Webb’s speech Barack had the podium removed and sat on the stage on a simple stool. The crowd erupted into applause and cheers time and time again.

What struck me about him was his honesty and a clarity of thought that is rare to find in people. Yes, he is right on all the issues, but clearly that is not enough. Lots of people are right on the issues. But when he expresses them we begin to see the reality of them. The solidity of his thoughts and the expression of his surety of reaching his goals is palpable. Barack Obama will ask of America that we should give our very best to the next generation. No other leader for the last two generations has ever had such high expectations for the American people. No other leader has a vision of a world that is as achievable and as necessary as Barack Obama..

Barack’s World is a world where we achieve the greatness that is the promise of America. A world where people live up to the dreams they can achieve. A world where we attempt the impossible and forge it into a new standard of life.

Dream to achieve. Dare to be bold. Work for the future. Elect Barack Obama.

To those who praised Jerome Corsi recent book "Obama Nation", I have a question for you

Richard Owl Mirror — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:34:00 EDT

I wrote an article elsewhere called: To those who praised Jerome Corsi recent book "Obama Nation", I have a question for you

At this time, I'm unable to repost it here because I can't seem to get embedded video to work properly and, this post is based entirely on video-preserved testimony. I hope you will take the time to click the provided link and review the contents of this most important QUESTION.

I believe it provides a conundrum for Republican supporters. If they lend creedence to Jerome Corsi with regards to his publication: OBAMA NATION, then they must be forced to lend creedence to what We've been saying all along about President Bush and VP Cheney.

Take a look, decide for yourself the merits of my argument and then carry the message forward.

Our Campaign's Speeches & Ads: Be More Honestly Factual

Philip Steven Knight — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:09:00 EDT

Below is a note I sent to the campaign on the eve of Barack's nomination speech in Denver. It will probably will get lost in the magnitude of feedback this site gets.

But perhaps others will resonate with its respectfully simple suggestion.

_____________

100% for Obama/Biden But... Let's Keep It Honest Too. One Example with Solution.

I understand the need to emphasize certain things about one side or the other, pros and cons, etc. but it always disappoints me when exaggeration or omissions show up in ads or speeches. Regardless which campaign does it.

And especially mine (ours :)

So here is a recent example where the truth could have been included without excluding the point:

Biden made the point that McCain voted "95%" of the time with Bush. Only partially true: that applied for one year out of the last 8. The fact is that he went as low as +/- 77%.

Biden could have said that he had voted an average of more than 85% (or whatever the exact average is).

I check Politifacts and Factcheck and other sources, so do other.

Why I am sensitive to (and/or pontificating on) this?

Not only because I am like most voters, but I also did some spec speech work for Kerry in 2004. And my father wrote speeches for Democratic Senator and Presidential candidate Estes Kefauver in the 50s.

Kefauver was a very honest man and probably not "political" enough and this may have been one of the reasons he didn't win.

But this is 2008 and an historic moment for all of us.
Elegance and power, honesty and persuasion, humility and conviction -- NONE of these are mutually exclusive.

Applying those more IS part of the change we can believe in.

Joe and Barack have strong moral, ethical and honor centers within them. PLEASE find a way to be more accurate yet still be effective in all future speeches and ads.

Sincerely,

Philip S. Knight

U.S. "Losing" Afghanistan? ~ The difference between Obama and McCain

Richard Owl Mirror — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 11:38:02 EDT

101 GIs Killed; U.S. "Losing" Afghanistan?

Taliban insurgents once derided as a ragtag rabble unable to match U.S. troops have transformed into a fighting force - one advanced enough to mount massive conventional attacks and claim American lives at a record pace.

The U.S. military suffered its 101st death of the year in Afghanistan last week when Sgt. 1st Class David J. Todd Jr., a 36-year-old from Marrero, La., died of gunfire wounds while helping train Afghan police in the northwest. The total number of U.S. dead last year - 111 - was a record itself and is likely to be surpassed.

Top U.S. generals, European presidents and analysts say the blame lies to the east, in militant sanctuaries in neighboring Pakistan. As long as those areas remain havens where fighters arm, train, recruit and plot increasingly sophisticated ambushes, the Afghan war will continue to sour.

"The U.S. is now losing the war against the Taliban," Anthony Cordesman, of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, wrote in a report Thursday. A resurgent al Qaeda, which was harbored by the Taliban in the years before the Sept. 11 attacks, could soon follow, Cordesman warned.

Continued . . .

Afghanistan ~ Pakistan

~@~

Afghan/Pakistan is central front war on terror

~@~

Joe Biden on Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan (Part 1)

Joe Biden on Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan (Part 2)

~@~

McCain = War

McCain "Bush on steroids"

Pat Buchanan:"McCain will make Cheney look like Gandhi"

McCain Thinks Iraq Borders Pakistan

McCain: Bringing Troops Home "Not Too Important"

Countdown: McCain-"Not too Important" when Troops Come Home

John McCain on Pakistan and Iran

John McCain Iraq War Argument ~@~ In this video, Sen McCain says the majority of citizens are wrong to be demanding an end to the war in Iraq. Then goes on to say, a President doesn't need to follow those wishes, opting to weather the wrath until voted out of office.

That is an important statement when broken down and comprehended outside the flow of his speech.

Primary responsibility @ .45 second mark thru 1.45

He has told the American people beforehand, that he will do as he sees fit regardless if that matches the will of the people.

McCain's POW Defense: Devaluing Our Service and His Own

A vote for Senator John McCain is a vote for sustained and expanding conflict from the moment he becomes President and Commander in Chief until the day, four years later he vacates the office. Make no mistake, Sen McCain is not seeking the Presidency of the United States! He is seeking the role of Commander in Chief.

McCain: A History of Being Wrong About Al Qaeda, Iraq and Iran

John McCain Has Consistently Neglected Afghanistan

The American people must ask themselves, do they truly intend to elect an eager War time Commander in Chief ? A War time Commander in Chief who doesn't fully comprehend any of the facts yet, rules by gut instinct and a spine of steel once a decision is made ? The American electorate must be aware of the awesome responsibility their vote has on this nations future.

Personally, I prefer to elect a President who, when necessary, wields the power of the Commander in Chief. I want a full time President who is willing and able to lead this nation, not a Commander in Chief who delegates the running of this nation into the hands of his friends.

Senator John McCain is a One Trick Pony, he desires, even covets the position and authority of the Commander in Chief.

Foreign Policy expert Brzezinski discusses his support of Barack Obama

Al Gore Endorses Barack Obama in Detroit, MI

Kennedy Endorsements of Barack Obama

Barack Obama: Judgement to Lead

~@~

Vote wisely and propose the same to your friends and families.

Why retired Generals and Admirals support Barack Obama

It's a matter of temperament !

OK let's dispel this smear about the Obama~Biden ticket by McCain

Richard Owl Mirror — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 14:01:27 EDT

The McCain campaign is citing Sen Obama's minimal foreign policy experience and claiming his selection of Sen Joe Biden shows Obama isn't ready to become President.

Bush~Cheney was just such a match-up.

United States presidential election, 2000

"Governor Bush told former Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney to head up a commission to help select a running mate for him, ..." He eventually decided on himself since he could not find anyone better qualified.

" Cheney was selected to be the Secretary of Defense during the presidency of George H.W. Bush, a position he held for all but two months of Bush's term. During this time, Cheney oversaw the 1991 Operation Desert Storm, among other actions.

On July 25, 2000, Bush surprised some observers by asking the Halliburton corporation's chief executive officer Dick Cheney, a former White House Chief of Staff, U.S. Representative, and Secretary of Defense, to be his Vice Presidential running mate. "

Meanwhile; the only government experience Bush had was in, "He served as the forty-sixth Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being inaugurated as President on January 20, 2001." Well, that and the time he helped his Daddy campaign.

George W. Bush was certainly not a great foreign traveler prior to his election as president, but he had made at least brief trips to many parts of the world (including Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America).

It is for this precise reason, George Bush selected "the Halliburton corporation's chief executive officer Dick Cheney, a former White House Chief of Staff, U.S. Representative, and Secretary of Defense, to be his Vice Presidential running mate. "

Look where that decision has gotten US; "President Bush has been criticized internationally and targeted by the global anti-war and anti-globalization campaigns, particularly for his administration's foreign policy. During the Bush presidency, attitudes towards the United States and the American people have become less favorable around the world. In 2006, a majority of respondents in 18 of 21 countries surveyed around the world were found to hold an unfavorable opinion of Bush. Respondents indicated that they judged his administration as negative for world security. "

Barack Obama has plenty of experience, in truth, the question shouldn't be based solely on previous positions held but, on possession of Wisdom and Judgement.

Every Captain needs a steady rudder, able to maintain a proper course while the Captain makes decisions for the welfare of his crew.

Barack Obama is 'the leader of our generation' and is this nations only hope of a prosperous and secure future. His vision and foresight, coupled with his innate Wisdom is exactly what this and future generations need.

"In 2006, a majority of respondents in 18 of 21 countries surveyed around the world were found to hold an unfavorable opinion of Bush. Respondents indicated that they judged his administration as negative for world security."

Why on earth would the American People elect more of the same ?

Meet Barack ~ He went on to earn his law degree from Harvard in 1991, where he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. Soon after, he returned to Chicago to practice as a civil rights lawyer and teach constitutional law.

~@~

Meet Joe ~ Since 1991, Biden has been an adjunct professor at the Widener University School of Law, where he teaches a seminar on constitutional law.

Did McCain Fake His Christmas Story?

Johnathan from South Glastonbury, CT — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:51:44 EDT

Wow. This is a blockbuster. It is almost like the Sniper Fire Story from Hillary Clinton.

I don't know if it is true, but it seems true.

It seems that McCain copied Christmas story about a guard drawing a cross in the sand with a (stick or sandal -- the story differs) from someone who he admired, Russian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn who wrote "The Gulag Archipelago".

Just a refresher, here is the commercial he made in December 2007.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WTu7drLfRc

Here is a link to the story that brought this to my attention.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/17/122230/161/239/569299

McCain returned from Vietnam in 1973. This Russian author's work was published in the US in 1973, but according to John McCain was finished in 1968. Moreover, McCain wrote a 17 page story in US News & World reports in 1973 that did not mention this story at all. When you read this article, you will see that McCain is writing with great depth and detail about his experience. It's amazing that the story of the guard who so helped him make it through is somehow not mentioned.

Here is the link to the article written by John McCain in US News & World Reports in 1973:

http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/2008/01/28/john-mccain-prisoner-of-war-a-first-person-account.html?PageNr=1

However, many years later McCain, who is a big fan of Alexander Solzhenitsyn and who he wrote about in his book "The Hard Call: The Art of Great Decisions" incorporates many of the facts Solzhenitsyn cross story for his own. McCain's book is excerpted in an article in the NY Sun Times.

Here is the link to the Article in the NY Sun Times where McCain praises Solzhenitsyn and dates when his work was complete.

http://www.nysun.com/opinion/solzhenitsyn-at-work/83117/

This is not the first time that McCain contradicts his prior story about what happened in Vietnam. Remember, McCain not to long ago went to Pennsylvania and told a crowd that he gave the names of the starting defensive line Pittsburgh Steelers when pressed for names of other soliders by the Vietnamese, when in his memoirs he stated that it was the offensive line Green Bay Packers. (Oddly enough, in his 17 page article with all of the detail that he gives regarding his experience and stating that he only gives his name, rank, and serial number immediately after his capture, he doesn’t mention the Green Bay Packers story either.)

Here is the video where he changes his story regarding the Green Bay Packers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERMiC7_tHmQ

It's one thing to exaggerate about the giving info to the Vietnamese how strong you were in facing torture. It's another thing to lie about your Christian experience to get an advantage for political gain. To lie about God is reprehensible. If this is true, we need to pray for this man. This is not honorable. And he needs to repent and confess his lies.

Well, we need to pray for him whether it's true or not, but it might be a different prayer.

My Support!

Jim — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:55:32 EDT

I remember when I was just a young man at The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN. An election was going to be held and it had Bill Clinton on the ticket. I remember walking around campus and seeing the College Replublicans and their booths, but nothing for Clinton. I went to the admin. office and asked only to find out that the college Democrats had not had any affiliation in years. I started researching, and slowly started this going. I went to local Democratic offices to get bumper stickers and pins (only to find out I would have to pay for them in advance). I was upset b/c I didn't have money. I took a small class and learned how to register people to vote. I kept going to the local Democratic office and showed them overything I had done. They then loaned me stickers and pins with the promise I would pay them around 80% back. We sold a lot of merchandise; but even better, we registered over 3,000 students within several months. My biggest memories was meeting Hillary Clinton twice. She was so kind! I also met Tipper Gore, Al Gore (2x) and then got to see Bill Clinton because someone had sent my name in and I got an offical invitation to the inauguration. As a college student, like I said, I didn't have any money. However, I got a friend of mine and we drove to Washington, D.C. for the inauguration! It was SOOOOOO cold! We saw the concert on the plaza with James Earl Jones, Michael Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, Diana Ross, etc. etc. etc. Then the day I got to see Bill accept being the President of the United States was huge for me. I remember crying. That was a long time ago! George W. stole an election and we have all had to pay for it for 8 years now! I will do EVERYTHING that I can possibly do to see Barack become our next President! When I saw him speak at the convention 4 years ago, I knew he was a man of power! I am a middle aged white male that has more respect, commitment and compassion for Barack Obama than any other candidate that I have ever known! I'm here to help! Let me know what I can do!!!!!

Operation Chaos

BRGHTSD1 HOPE & COURAGE — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 22:46:58 EDT

So I've been gone a while and as I return, I'm told that limbaughish goonies are posting as if they are disappointed Democrats and former Obama-loyalist who have now determined that McCain won't be a bad alternative since they're so solidly progressive that they're disappointed in the Senator.

What a laugh!

IF we were the types who watched Hannity, O'Reilly and listened to Limbaugh instead of doing our own research and trusting our own assessment of the candidates...that might be possible.

IF we weren't so very certain that this is the time that we have to choose another way, since the practices of the last 30 years of a Republican lead House and Senate for the most part and the disaster that has been the Bush/Cheney Administration for this country and the world.

IF we were simply TOO DARNED STUPID to understand the urgency of this situation...we might just fall for it.

May I make a suggestion for those of you on the STRAIGHT TALK bandwagon...how about you utilize straight talk...say you are who you are and why you are supporting McCain and then perhaps we can have something that is new...reasonable discourse without falsehoods, character assassination...debate, based on different view points in how to solve the things we all agree need address.

HOW ABOUT IT??? What do you think? Are you up for it?

THAT'S JUST ONE OF THE CHANGES WE'RE ALL LOOKING FORWARD TO.

Thanks!

Obama Not Flip-Flopping - by Lynette McGrath

Jill 4 Obama — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:15:33 EDT

OBAMA NOT FLIP-FLOPPING
by Lynette McGrath

In all of the right-wing and left-wing chatter about Obama having shifted his position on a number of issues since he began his campaign for the presidency, I think we've lost sight of who Obama is, what his history tells us, and what he himself has told us.

What was clear from the moment of Obama's speech to the Democratic Convention in Boston in 2004, was that he was ready to lead a new movement that would unite Americans, speak to them all, lessen paralyzing partisan divisions, negotiate across the aisle-Democrats and Republicans together, and forge a new way of making decisions that would be inclusive. His legislative history and his comments throughout the primary campaign tell us that he favors a pragmatic compromise system of doing politics. He also sees himself as an appropriate embodiment of this message, emphasizing the way he himself unifies the diversity of black and white, Ghanian and American, humble origins and personal success.

I believe that progressives downplayed this message of unity and compromise and made Obama into something he never was. They thought the message of change was about a far-left progressivism that would ride over the right because that's what they themselves wanted and needed, after years of being battered by the right-wing agenda. But change is not necessarily about revolution. Obama has always been about inclusion, which isn't possible if only the progressive agenda is pushed. Now progressives are disappointed that their image is not being acted out. I remember being with friends during the primary who were talking Obama up as a left-wing progressive and thinking that wasn't quite what I heard him offering. Yet I felt happy with his candidacy because he seemed to me to be talking about the sensible compromise politics I understand from British ways of doing political business. It's a method that, when it works, gets things done to benefit the greatest possible number, but not all, and usually not those on either end of the spectrum.

Obama's commitment to the idea of unity, of valuing all and including all, is fundamental to his message and goal. He is not a liberal ideologue. He is a liberal open to compromise. He is also a sensible, rational, responsible leader who takes care to work out pragmatic solutions to difficult problems. Unlike George Bush and even Bill Clinton, who packaged his speeches as simply as possible and whose vocabulary count in his public speeches was even less than Reagan's or either Bush's, Obama acknowledges and takes account of nuance and the subtleties embedded in complicated issues. "What I don't do when I'm campaigning is to try to press a lot of hot buttons and use a lot of cheap applause buttons, because I want people to get a sense of how I think about this process," said Obama. "I think that one of the problems with political speeches is that we all know what folks want to hear. We know who the conventional, stereotypical enemies are on any given issue, and we have a tendency, I think, to play up to that. And I actually think that we're in this moment in history right now where honesty, admitting complexity is a good thing."

Psychologists tell us that when people first fall in love they go through a process called cathexis, in which the lover makes the beloved into something he or she wants and needs the other to be. After a period of time, both lover and beloved begin to see each other as they really are. This is what is happening with liberal progressives and Obama now. A relationship reality check is going on. It is not that Obama is "flip-flopping," but that liberal progressives are coming to see him for who he is-a grownup, thoughtful, non ideological politician who offers Americans a balanced, inclusive, and cooperative political future.

In his speech to the 2004 convention, Obama said,

"Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America, there's the United States of America. . . . We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America." And "[W]e are connected as one people. If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there's a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandmother. If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It's that fundamental belief, "I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's' keeper," that makes this country work. It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. "E pluribus unum. Out of many, one."

Christopher Wills, 6/25/2008 6:00:10 PMBookmark and Share, looking back on Obama's history in the Illinois legislature, writes that, "As an Illinois legislator, Barack Obama fought to expand aid to the poor-and backed legislation to withhold welfare from parents abusing drugs. He opposed making it easier to impose the death penalty on gang members, and supported it for people who kill volunteers in community policing programs. He consistently supported gun control. He also voted to let retired police and military personnel carry concealed weapons.

Just how liberal was he?

In all, Obama's record from nearly eight years in the Illinois Senate suggests someone who believes strongly that government can make life better for people, whether by offering financial help, banning dangerous guns or providing health care.

But Obama, now the Democratic candidate for president, was no ideologue. He often cooperated with Republican lawmakers, co-sponsoring their legislation and working with them on compromises. "People on both sides of the aisle would find him to be someone who would reach across to find out why people think the way they do," said William Mahar, a former Republican state senator. "He wouldn't talk just to people who agreed with him."

On Iraq, from the beginning, Obama has said that we need to be "as careful getting out as we were careless getting in." He told George Stephanopolous in a "This Week" interview in May, 2007 that he could support a war-funding bill that includes benchmarks but lacks a timetable for withdrawal.
Obama has emphasized his support for withdrawing American troops from Iraq, but also says his policy would need to accommodate to the ongoing situation in Iraq.
"I think we have some moral and humanitarian responsibilities to the Iraqi people," says Obama. "And that has to be factored in. I can't anticipate what Iraq will look like a year from now, because so much depends on how we carry out this phased redeployment and how effective we are when it comes to diplomacy."

In his health care program, Obama also hews to a workable middle ground. Rather than mandating universal health coverage and trying probably futilely to mandate coverage for all, he will set up a new, subsidized, government-operated insurance plan for people who aren't covered by their employers or Medicare. He acknowledges the difficulty and expense in potentially criminalizing young healthy people who refuse to sign up for health insurance.

His economic policy is also a compromise between the classical economic theories of Keynes and Friedman. On the whole, he seems to accept a theory that allows the free market system to operate freely as long as it continues to correct itself, but the government will intervene when it fails to do so. All credit card and mortgage issuers, and other financial services firms, will be forced to disclose all their charges clearly, fully, and in plain language. Firms that don't issue 401 K plans for their employees would be required to open a direct deposit retirement account for their workers, with an opt-out clause. For the first $1000 in savings that an employee contributed, the government would provide a $500 tax credit.
Further reading from Karen McCool:

he has had a long history of working across the aisle (compromise) ... here's a rundown of his bipartisan legislation (oct 06)
http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2006/10/barack_obama.html

Obama takes bipartisan approach (Jan 08)
http://dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/2008/jan/17/obama-takes-bipartisan-approach-people/

Obama calls for bipartisan approachto health care (Nov 07)
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/459705/barack_obama_calls_for_bipartisan_approach.html?cat=5

Here's a good article on his history in chicago politics... and his "collaborative" approach
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0417/p01s07-uspo.html?page=2

and you have to read this one...from Fox news no less:
Obama's state senate years show bipartisan record
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/06/25/obamas-state-senate-years-show-bipartisan-record/

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0707/5171.html
excerpt (Jul 2007)

Here's an interesting one from Feb 06

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1158975,00.html

Obama Not Flip-Flopping - by Lynette McGrath

Jill 4 Obama — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:41:31 EDT

What is a democrat?

Unknown user — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:49:20 EDT

What do democrats stand for?

Regarding Iraq

Kaye — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 02:53:36 EDT

The media is all over Obama's comments today regarding his stance on pulling the troops out of Iraq. Over the course of the last year, I've paid very close attention to what Senator Obama has said regarding pulling out of Iraq. And yes, he has said he will pull the troops out in 16 months, at a rate of one or two troops per month. But he has also stated continuously that the rate of pullout per month would depend upon the conditions on the ground. Maybe some people failed to hear that specificity.

While we all want the troops to leave Iraq a quickly as possible and to invest our main efforts against the real target enemies, Al Qaeda, leaving Iraq too abruptly may cause security problems for our own forces. In addition, to paraphrase Colin Powell, we broke the store, it's up to us to fix it. Imagine if you will that your kids and their friends enter your house and proceed to make a big mess. They break your furnishings and destroy your household. Would you hold them unaccountable or would you want them to fix the mess they've created? Is this mess really any different?

That said it does not in any way relieve or eliminate the responsibility of the Iraqi government to fix or eliminate the problems existing within their own country. To my thinking as long as we continue to take the primary responsibility for their security, they will continue to prolong the need to take care of themselves and work out their own problems. Imagine your own family or workplace. If you're always there to solve the problems, what need is there of the participants to solve the problems for themselves. All they have to do is to continue to play innocent, blame the other, and complain about the other. They have no need to solve their own problems. After all, they have you to do that for them. We must force the Iraqi government to take care of the people of Iraq and the country. We cannot fix their problems. Only they can do that.

We've given them five years to solve their problems, and we cannot continue to be their buffer forever. Leaving responsibly is our only choice. But leaving responsibly means we do it in a way that protects our military men and women. I'm old enough to remember the evacuation of Saigon. I don't want that same kind of chaos again.

But unlike Sen. McCain, I do not believe we need to stay in Iraq forever if needed to insure we win. McCain, I believe, is still caught in the Vietnam era. I suspect that he sees Iraq in terms of Vietnam: the US has to indisputably win, as in WWII, or we've lost. It's a psychological problem for Sen. McCain, perhaps because he was a prisoner of war. Unfortunately, Sen. McCain, like many military men, cannot accept anything but an all out, declared victory that vindicates for all time, past, present and future, the US military.

This is not a slam on Sen. McCain. I grew up in a military family. My father was Master Sergeant, Flight Engineer in the Air Force for over 20 years. My ex-husband was stationed in 'Nam as a radio operator with the Army. I know the military. I understand the military. I love the fact that I'm a military brat. I've always loved the guys and gals proudly serving in our Armed Forces. When I was a small kid, those GIs treated my brothers and me as their own kid brothers and sister. They watched out for us and took care of us. They made sure we were safe and even let us win at poker. They were the best of the best. I love them dearly. And I am extraordinarily proud of each and every person serving in uniform today. As a matter of fact, my experience has been that those serving in uniform are the best citizens we have, and certainly the senior officers are among the most intelligent and most well educated we have. Nevertheless, Sen. McCain, I believe, has allowed his own deep-seated feelings over what finally occurred in Vietnam color his views on Iraq. To put it simply, it's an "honor" thing with him: the honor of the US military forces as the best and only undefeated military, after Vietnam, must be vindicated. Unfortunately, he is wrong. This is not Vietnam. And if he had taken the time and effort to learn the totality of the Vietnam conflict, perhaps he would not now be so adamant about our military forces staying in Iraq forever until total peace as occurred at the end of WWII.

Regardless of the McCain campaign's message today, I believe Sen. Obama has not changed his views on Iraq. Obama is a pragmatic man. He will do what appears to be the right thing for the time in which a decision is necessary. I believe that like Pres. Kennedy he will face with a stern force those challenges that require sternness and he will negotiate peace whenever possible. One thing I learned from my Air Force Dad was to stand up for what you believed was right, even if it meant armed conflict, but always be willing to talk and negotiate before putting anyone, including GIs, in harms way. This is the kind of person we need in the White House, one who will face the challenges of the future, including Iraq, and will not shy away from what is right for the US. Obama does not bring with him the psychological failures of Vietnam. He does not bring with him the sense of failing and loss that Vietnam caused amongst so many of his compatriots. He can see clearly what is necessary for the US and respond pragmatically to what needs to be done. He can reason out the outcomes of any decision and choose a path that best protects all our very young people in uniform while forcing the Iraqi government to stand on it's own two feet and defend itself and solve its own internal secular problems.

We cannot fix Iraq. Only Iraq can do that. But we can announce to Iraq that it must solve its own problems for itself and that we will not stay there forever to enable an inept government incapable of or unwilling to bring together its own people. No Civil War can be solved by a third party military. Just read history.

So, back to my main point: Obama has not changed his position on Iraq. He has always stated that he will move the troops out of Iraq within 16 months, but that he will rely upon the commanders in the field to assist him in making the decision as to how many troops are removed at any specific time.

Obama has not flip-flopped as the McCain campaign has decreed. This flip-flop claim is yet another Republican scare tactic…a tactic at which they are past masters. The Republicans are relying upon Americans to not remember what Obama has always said. They are relying upon your lack of memory, your laziness in not learning the facts for yourself, and in your inability to think about what is in your own self-interest if they apply enough fear tactics.

I refuse to submit to their fear tactics. I refuse to follow blindly what anyone says. I choose to think for myself. I've waited fifty years, since JFK and RFK, for a presidential candidate to inspire me as much Obama has. I believe he has the right stuff for this moment in history. And I believe that, more than nearly any president in recent history, he will tell us the truth.

oh FISA, dear FISA

litmus — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:49:02 EDT

as disappointing as some of obama's recent moves to the middle have been, none is as galling as the decision to support the FISA bill currently in the senate. i understand the political expedience of shoring up against that faux "he's not tough on national security" argument the idiots across the aisle are determined to gin up should obama vote against the bill. i get it.. i really do.

but i just wish that the one candidate we have who represents even a modicum of honesty and integrity (and obama clearly has more than that) would just stand up and tell it like it is. bush broke the law and has been spying on us. with the help of the telecom companies. who have, in turn, given lots of money to elected representatives to keep their mouths shut. and the american people deserve to find out exactly what has transpired over the past seven years. period. paragraph.

no bill gets passed until bush is out of office and the facts can be brought into the sunlight. that's it. no compromise. skip the speeches on patriotism and the mild smackdowns of truthtellers like wes clark. save the discussion of faith-based initiatives for another day. stand up (and bring russ feingold with you) and tell us that truth and honesty still mean something. anything. even in a quixotic situation that, may they burn in hell for it, democrats have enabled.

barring the unlikely scenario of the above unfolding, olbermann seems to have taken in at least some of glenn greenwald's points and internalized them into a pretty compelling if/then/else statement. you can see it here:

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

(cross-posted with linky-dinks at www.bigmicroscope.com)

When I first heard O'Bama speak, I knew...

Amy Lenzo — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:41:27 EDT

When I first heard O'Bama speak, I knew politics could be different, that a politician could tell the truth and be heard. Every time I hear Barak O'Bama speak, or read something he's written, I respect him more.

By being exactly who he is, a fresh and clear voice for compassionate justice and an advocate of wise action, he has already cultivated new ground in politics as we've come to know it. He is exactly the kind of leader we have been needing to begin to heal the injuries of the past and step forward into our collective future/s together.

His focus on the collective spirit and individual responsibility that's going to be necessary to re-build our civic infrastructure is exactly right. He's a new kind of leader, and I'm thrilled to see how ready so many of us seem to be for him and his ideas.

I hope he will be able to negotiate the delicate web of political power wisely, in a way that doesn't subvert his values and manages to bring about a new alignment of purpose and vision to the power structure in America. A vision that sees a collective "we" in place of the "us and them" of our recent history, and begins to look at what is good for all of us, not just those of us with money and influence. I like that he sees beyond America, and cares about our neighbors' good, and the good of all beings. He's the president I want for a country I want to be proud of, to feel a part of.

As an American who has lived abroad for many years, I am tired of having to defend the good in my fellow countrymen and women when it is so little apparent in our public actions and the representation of the world's media. I don't want to have to be ashamed of my nationality, nor do I want to have to turn my back on it because its public policys are so out of whack with my own. I long for an America I can stand behind, a collective impulse for good that I can stand beside.

With O'Bama, I feel we have a chance to make that much-needed change.

It's a marvelous night for a moondance ...

Martin Edwin "Mick" from Churchton, MD — Sat, 31 May 2008 23:50:53 EDT

And why not celebrate?

"Corruptio optimi quae est pessima" (the corruption of the best is the worst).

And the Democrats, with today's decisions by the DNC rules committee, have just put 15 years of that behind them ...

Obama-Webb, '08!!!

If Hillary said...."YES, YES, YES!!"............

Candy Barr 4 Obama! — Sun, 11 May 2008 00:38:05 EDT

To a question posed to her by her boy Stephanopolos if Senator Obama could beat Sen. McCain in the general election, then why is she now saying..."no, no, no?" Did she do her usual 'pandering' in front of millions of television viewers by saying YES when she actually meant NO? Hillary Clinton is intent on being more devisive in the days ahead. She and her political pundits continue to recite that Senator Obama cannot win the presidency because he can't attain the "white vote", "working class", "non-college graduates", "college graduates", "post graduates" and "hispanic vote"....etc. So tell me oh great political geniuses-----how do you suppose Senator Obama has won MORE than double the states than Senator Clinton if he didn't have a good portion of these voters? How and why do you suppose he is leading in total delegates, total pledged delegates, total SUPER delegates, and the total popular vote? I don't buy this crap about Senator Obama not winning the "white working class" voters. What makes YOU the superior race anyway? According to you Senator Clinton, you don't pay much attention to polls yet lately you've been taking them as gospel. Polls are meaningless when only a scant few are polled. Prime example is FOX NEWS. On all of their nightly shows they conduct a poll that can be found on their website. Now tell me, aren't the only ones who take your polls your viewers and the rightwing loonies?? How can you get a "fair and balanced" poll from that?

Because of the Clinton's thirst for power, chronic bout of narcissism and inability to handle losing, Hillary Clinton will do more damage to the democratic party and especially the human races that make up this country than in the time it took them to come into the entire political scene some 30 plus years ago.

Unlike the Clinton's, the american people....ie.....black, white, asian, hispanic etc. don't have to commit fraud or lie to their fellow man to get ahead in the world. We are ALL working-class americans who want so much to believe that we can start anew instead of the politics of old. We desparately need a new beginning and I believe in my heart of hearts that Senator Obama will lead us there. He's the only one who has shown true honesty in this campaign. Remember that!

New Published Letter on Gas Tax debate

Craig from Dalton, MA — Fri, 09 May 2008 07:31:52 EDT

Obama trusts common man

Published in Berkshire Eagle Letters
Article Last Updated: 05/05/2008 10:03:21 AM EDT

Monday, May 05

For elitism and the truth, this past week has seen a great example. Hillary Clinton and John McCain offer voters a torn Band-Aid in a gasoline tax rollback that depends on and presumes that the average American voter is plug stupid. Barack Obama, in stark contrast says, "You guys who want change; let's start right here. This gas tax rebate gimmick is simple pandering and serves no positive economic purpose for the country you love and wish to set on the right road again."

Obama trusts the intelligence of the voters, blue collar Catholics included, to have plenty of good old American common sense to sniff out pandering politics. Only Obama trusts the melting pot cast of Americans. That is 180 degrees from the yammerings that he is elitist.

CRAIG A. JOHNSON
Dalton

In online comments in the Berkshire Eagle about this Letter, several commentors made it clear that they did not like Barry Hussein Obama. However, when I queried these hostile folks by name as to did they think Obama's position was principled, correct and non-pandering they did not push back on the merits. Interesting.

2nd Memo to Senator Clinton

ZapDuff — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:47:12 EDT

Senator Clinton...

I am saddened you have neither the wisdom nor decency to be as honorable as your opponent. While you will undoubtedly come up with some new metrics to justify staying in the campaign, I think you are ignoring the other metrics you SHOULD consider... and graciously end this waste of focus and other resources for a campaign that can not succeed. Senator Obama is far too much the refined gentleman to bluntly confront you with reality. I am not.

Combat and Composure

Chinni — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:16:10 EDT

Combat and Composure

by David Brooks May 6 08

..This contrast between combat and composure defines the Democratic race. The implicit Clinton argument is that politics is an inherently nasty business. Human nature, as she said Sunday, means that progress comes only through conquest. You’d better elect a leader who can intimidate. You’d better elect someone who has given herself permission to be brutal.

Obama’s campaign grows out of the longstanding reform tradition. His implicit argument is that politics doesn’t have to be this way. Dishonesty and brutality aren’t inevitable; they’re what gets in the way. Obama’s friend and supporter Cass Sunstein described the Obama ideal in The New Republic: “Obama believes that real change usually requires consensus, learning and accommodation.” ..

Podsnack 4 North Carolina & Indiana

Madama Ambi — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:51:13 EDT

Voicemails I've received recently from supporters of Barack Obama...a little valentine from 5 voters to North Carolina and Indiana...

Click here to listen...4:07 min.

Bill and Hillary as examples for youth ...

Martin Edwin "Mick" from Churchton, MD — Sat, 03 May 2008 03:31:01 EDT

Has anyone stopped to think--with Hillary posing slamming drinks back with "the boys"--what message she is sending to young people, ie., you have to drink to be popular?

And what "intern-friendly" Bill back in the White House would do to efforts to promote abstinence, or even responsible sex, among teenagers?

When you want to teach your children the importance of honesty, does it become any easier when the occupants in the White House are known as "Full Metal Jacket" Hillary and "The Dear Hunter" Bill?

RFK said politics is an "honorable adventure."

It is time that we help Barack restore that view to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Is Rev. Wright worse than Bosnia Lie or McCain 100 year war?

LuAnn in Indiana — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:56:39 EDT

I, as I am sure most of you, are sick and tired of the MSM talking about Rev. Wright. Yes, the things he said were terrible and unforgivable. Barack has denounced, disagreed, and disowned him.

What more do people want Barack to do? Why aren't they making Hillary apologize over and over for her out and out lie about sniper fire? Why is no one making Sen. McCain explain, why the tax cuts he so venametly disapproved of are now okay?

What is wrong with this whole picture? Is it fair to crucify a good man for not wanting to "trash" his minister who lead him to Christ? I am looking at this through an entirely different perspective. Until Rev. Wright came out and actually critizided Barack personally, I feel Barack felt he owed this man some sort of loyalty.

Didn't anyone else feel this way? I felt the entire time Barack disapproved of what was said but was also so torn over turning on this man who had taught him to forgive and to "do unto others". Barack seems to be exactly the kind of person or friend I would want and would be proud to call my friend. Most politicians will do anything, whether it be "trash" or destroy a fellow opponent or just throw them to the wolves.

Barack is one of those rare, if not only almost extinct politicians who has not only great character, but believes in loyalty. Loyalty among politicians is something we rarely witness. I think his loyalty says a great deal about his personality in general.

He is a man of great principal and I think that is the reason he does not jump from day to day to coincide with the polls. In the end, this unfortunately may be his downfall, however I would like to see and believe that more people admire a man of great character and would want someone of his stature in the White House. We have just had an adulter and a liar in there and I think an honest man with not only good judgement but great character would be a great change.

The United States of America has lost a lot of our popularity all over the world and we need someone in the White House who will lift us all up and will be able to repair all of the damage that the "Bush Regime" has caused us.

I may be one of those people who believes in "the Audacity of Hope", but I pray I am not alone. Surely there are others of you out there who want to be able to believe and trust our President.

I am putting all of my faith in "Hope" and in "Truth". If others out there do the same, then we all will be addressing Senator Obama as President Obama. I am sorry to say , but both Hillary and McCain have proven to me over and over again that they will follow the polls which ever way they go.

Is that really what we want of our next President. This is one of the most important elections of our lifetimes. Would it not be better to have a man in the White House who will not only think long and hard before he makes a decison and speaks than to have someone who reads the papers to check the polls before making a decision?

It's a Real Difference, America

UpsideDown — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:26:01 EDT

I heard what Obama had to say about Hillary and McCain’s promise to lower gas prices and it made me think about when my family and I were in the U.S. over the Christmas holidays. We rented a Prius and every time we filled up, I smiled. This car gets about the same m.p.g. as my Vespa. Now just solve all the battery issues, recharge with renewable energy sources, eliminate fossil fuels entirely and we’re on to something.

Here in Brazil there is no such thing as hybrid technology. It’s because like most things here, the fix is in. Newer cars are flex-fuel, which means they run on either gas or ethanol. At around three bucks a gallon ethanol is cheaper than gas at five. To a large extent. profits and taxes are fuel based, and there are no doubt disincentives in place preventing car manufacturers from either increasing mileage or using batteries. Someday a politician will come along and things might change, but in the U.S. that politician has already come along. All we need to do is elect him.

There, the fix is in too - though they're are a lot more fixers who compete - and rarely does a day pass that I think no way are my fellow Americans electing this guy. I get gloomy. Isn’t politics mostly about fooling the fools? A good person in office has to make do with crappy legislation and lie about its worth to the electorate, who “can’t handle the truth.” This, I believe is what Obama is running against. He’s running for good and truthful government, something that Hillary and McCain want him to do because they believe that America isn’t ready for it.

They think it makes Obama an easy target. Oh, McCain likes the way it sounds, even naming a bus after the idea, but can’t bring himself to pay the political price to actually do it. Hillary though has never been in the game, and for her small incremental improvements are the best that can be hoped for. Look at the polls and react is not a bad policy, as long as leadership isn’t required to inform the people they’re eating horseshit and being told it’s filet mignon.

I too want something done about obscene oil company profits (along with many other unfair things that America has learned to live with.) I do not want to vote for someone who tells us that these profits are “windfall.” Windfall is the unexpected, and oil companies and their lobbyists have carefully plotted for such profits for decades. Subsidies, mergers, price fixing, and dare we say war? To oil companies does Afghanistan mean much more than a pipeline? Does Iraq mean more than an experiment to gain influence gone bad? This is the kind of crap that must stop.

Can Obama sell it? Yes, we can!

Clinton's Endearing Fictions

Chip Roberson in Sonoma, CA — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:05:28 EDT

On the heals of Tom Hayden's great article in The Nation, titled "Why Hillary Clinton Makes My Wife Scream", another insightful article into Hillary Clinton and her "appeal" to some people comes along. This article is by Steve Chapman of The Tribune Co. and it is titled "Clinton's Endearing Fictions". You can find Chapman's article at Real Clear Politics:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/04/clintons_endearing_fictions.html

Rendell and Farrakhan

Steven — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:01:27 EDT

OK, so let us get a bit of the rank hypocrisy of Clinton's attacks on Obama on the table shall we? In the last (hopefully) Democratic debate, Clinton went hard at Obama for his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright's, praise of Louis Farrakhan, trying to create a suspicion of guilt by association. This game is despicable, but can be effective if you don't care about the truth of your assertions or their relative importance (win at any cost)--AND if you do not have similar problems. But for Clinton, there do seem to be similar problems. It turns out, as reported by the Huffington Post, that her star backer in Pennsylvania, Ed Rendell, spoke with FULSOME praise of Farrakhan back in 1997. Here is the story:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/21/ed-rendell-clinton-surrog_n_97784.html

So does this mean that Clinton should renounce Ed Rendell?

The answer should be that it would be asinine of her to do so, given that Ed Rendell is such a good and popular politician, but, in this instance, clearly not perfect or completely averse to playing the political game (in this case in Philadelphia).

However:that I can even pose this question shows the stupidity of Clinton's whole campaign to this point.

If you read this and have any chance to influence Pennsylvanians to vote for Obama today, you might want to point out that the initial scaremongering about Farrakhan by Clinton is just that, demagogic scaremongering, and nothing that she herself believes. It is just "politics" but of the worst, most hypocritical type, as is so much of her campaign so far. That is the sort of politics Obama is against, and the fact that he stands the best chance in a generation to change the fetid political culture of this country is one of the main reasons I am such a strong supporter.

Go Obama!

Check out this 'Movie': Baracky

Sharon from Minnesota — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:10:22 EDT

Have you seen this great 'Movie' called Baracky. It's the rave all over the blogosphere.

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

I've watched about 20 times. It's rich. Pass it around.

Obama shows trust and respect for voting public: Hillary not so much

Craig from Dalton, MA — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:20:14 EDT

Obama has embarked on a profound sociological and political gamble. He gambles by offering the electorate a deep respect by quietly and firmly telling truths. His campaign, to a degree unparalleled in normal campaigning, constantly and repetitively gambles that voters of all stripes, indeed, can handle the truth. It must be at times agony to watch the 'gotcha' spin from opponents and the press while waiting to see if the American citizenry can make intelligent decisions faced with a cacophony of spin.

So far the voters have proved Obama's respect for them to be well placed. They have showed their common sense by ignoring mindless spin battles and continuing to vote increases in Obama's winning lead primary numbers.

Hillary has made herself into the politician's worst nightmare, a caricature of the pandering politician. This week I am against trade deals says she as she enters a post-industrial state. This week I am a bird hunter she advertises. Last week I was a policy wonk and before that Mrs. Experience and whoops I find myself in rural hinterlands so fetch me a shot and a beer.

What happens when a politician tells the truth?

mary4change — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:24:12 EDT

I almost entitled this the "Audacity of Honesty". It takes courage to be honest as a politician. It is not the way politics is done and certainly creates an opening for attack from those who practice politics-as-usual. What attracts so many of us to Obama is his truthfulness. We are so accustomed to politicians side-stepping questions, distorting the truth, twisting their opponents words, that it is almost a shock when someone is honest. It breaks all the usual rules. It blasts open the entrenched patterns that need to be uprooted. I remember in an early debate when Hillary said she knows how things are done, she knows how the system works. I now realize that it is her willingness to work the system the old way that is turning people away from her. We are ready for a change.

Yesterday while making calls to PA, I reached a woman who was a strong Clinton supporter until about a month ago. She said she became appalled with what is happening with the Clinton campaign. "It bothers me when people tell the truth and get knocked in the head" was how she put it. A few days ago, when she heard Hillary talking about the people of PA not being bitter, she found it to be incredibly patronizing.

So many of us are no longer willing to tolerate politics as usual. It seems that people are increasingly able to see through the usual political tricks. Times are changing. People long for more transparency, to be able to tell the truth. When I grew up, everything was hidden under a nicey-nice exterior. Problems couldn't be solved because they couldn't even be spoken. It reminds me of a powerful phrase I heard at a seminar on grief -- "What's unmentionable is unmanageable". We need to be able to talk about what is actually happening, what we are actually feeling. We need to be able to expose our problems to be viewed in the light of day.

This is a time when what was hidden is surfacing. This is a time for telling the truth. Thanks to Barach for leading the way for this truth-telling in politics!

Word Abuse

Kellas Campbell — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:06:58 EDT

Anything else you misuse, be it an appliance or a dog, ends up either
electrocuting you or eating your face off the second you pass out; but
what do words do when the Clintons misuse them?

"It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is."

After that, any self-respecting word would've gone home to its mother
("You'd never see me twice in the same sentence of that sort," said
the word known as 'calliper'). But 'is' not only did not vacate the
sentence, it helped put up the barricades. And, like girlfriends of
perverts who swear they knew nothing, saw nothing, words defend the
Clintons and deny the abuse. Worse, they say they deserve it: how
else could Hillary get away with mocking Obama's speeches as being
"just words?" What else does she expect to find in a speech?
Rapeseed oil? But, that only shows how much words are suffering the
"Kick me!" syndrome. (I don't even know if that's a real
syndrome...which just proves my point.)

According to Clinton, she speaks "millions of words" a day -- she
can't be expected to pay attention to them all! I mean, do we expect
a mother to watch over her children if she has more than, say, four?
Of course not. It'd be impossible to do that and hold down a job at
the same time...or barring that, a husband. And Hillary's not just
holding down a job, she's running for president!

Hillary says her "misstatements" prove "she is a human being like everyone
else." Just remember, "everyone else" includes that French lady whose
starving dogs ate her face off after she OD'd. (Of course, she
apparently looks quite nice now with her new face....)

Why Do I Support Sen. Barack Obama...

Unknown user — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:10:04 EDT

Why Do I support Sen. Barack Obama?

Try I read this blog - it's called Atlas Shrugs at http://atlasshrugs.com. It's all about the War on Terror by Pamela Geller, who has been rumored to be a potential Vice Presidential nominee for John McCain. Yes, John McCain just might hire Pamela Geller to be one melanoma attack away from the football. No, not a NFL football - a nuclear one. Might want to read the blog, especially as her view on foriegn policy is, and I quote, STFU Already and Start Bombing. Is this what we really need in the White House - somebody who needs Novocain for their trigger finger even more than George Walker Bush and Donald Rumsfeld right next to a President McCain or possibly Commander-in-Chief herself? I can only imagine my taxdollars going up in smoke in Pyongyang, Tehran, Damascus and other far away lands at $1 million a Tomahawk and $25,000 a J-DAM while Americans are losing their homes to foreclosures and can't afford the commute while Katrina victims rot in FEMA hell (http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=1244). Maybe, just maybe, one of those shock and awe ego trips will happen to avenge Tibet, but I doubt it...

At least Senator Obama preaches peace. Senator Obama believes in things I just find so worthwhile to the cause of peace, I wonder why he hasn't gotten the Nobel Peace Prize. Especially compared to the Republican warmongers that he'll be up against (provided Hillary is not a thief grand royale).

McCain too abrasive for presidency? Scrap between Obama and McCain

j f n — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 15:18:05 EDT

Two years ago in the Senate's 109th Congress McCain and Obama collaborated to address the issue of ethics reform legislation. After a bi-partisan meeting organizaed by McCain, OBama sent the senator a follow-up letter sharing with him an opportunity to join with Democrats who were already actively engaged in the process. Senator Obama found himself caught up in a duel of the pen in which McCain questioned Obama's disinterested intentions in ethics reform saying in a letter to Obama that, "I have been around long enough to appreciate that in politics the public interest isn't always a priority for every one of us". Obama diffused the situation as well as can be expected, expressing that he felt the bi-partisan investigation committee McCain was suggesting would only stall the process to ehtics reform and that the Democratic caucus had already made strides to creating a bill in that regard, still inviting McCAin to assist in a joint party initiative by cosponsoring the bill.

It appears the bill in question (S. 2180 Honest Leadership Act) expired without even being put to a vote---without Senator McCain's cosponsorship. (Click 'show cosponsors. The information was updated January of 2007. Ample time for the Senator to offer his support.)

It appears to me that perhaps McCain may not the unifying quality of leadership that will make him an effective leader. To be honest, he has gained the nomination by default. Before he ran out of money Mitt Romney shouted loudly that McCain was not a fit Republican. With his candidacy's financial halt and with Huckabee and Paul as the only other alternatives Romney quickly changed his story. Now the conservatives are rallying around a figure they barely agree with on the grounds that 'he's better than the Democrats'. They fail to consider what is best for effective government and what is best for the people. They seem interested only in party politics; politics of ' I'm "Right" and I'm right. This is exactly the kind of politics the Obama campaign is attempting to bring to an end. And that is exactly what the American people deserve.

The exchange between the senators is copied below for your perusal.

The Honorable Barack Obama
United States Senate
SH-713
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Obama:

    I would like to apologize to you for assuming that your private assurances to me regarding your desire to cooperate in our efforts to negotiate bipartisan lobbying reform legislation were sincere. When you approached me and insisted that despite your leadership's preference to use the issue to gain a political advantage in the 2006 elections, you were personally committed to achieving a result that would reflect credit on the entire Senate and offer the country a better example of political leadership, I concluded your professed concern for the institution and the public interest was genuine and admirable. Thank you for disabusing me of such notions with your letter to me dated February 2, 2006, which explained your decision to withdraw from our bipartisan discussions. I'm embarrassed to admit that after all these years in politics I failed to interpret your previous assurances as typical rhetorical gloss routinely used in politics to make self-interested partisan posturing appear more noble. Again, sorry for the confusion, but please be assured I won't make the same mistake again.

    As you know, the Majority Leader has asked Chairman Collins to hold hearings and mark up a bill for floor consideration in early March. I fully support such timely action and I am confident that, together with Senator Lieberman, the Committee on Governmental Affairs will report out a meaningful, bipartisan bill.

    You commented in your letter about my "interest in creating a task force to further study" this issue, as if to suggest I support delaying the consideration of much-needed reforms rather than allowing the committees of jurisdiction to hold hearings on the matter. Nothing could be further from the truth. The timely findings of a bipartisan working group could be very helpful to the committee in formulating legislation that will be reported to the full Senate. Since you are new to the Senate, you may not be aware of the fact that I have always supported fully the regular committee and legislative process in the Senate, and routinely urge Committee Chairmen to hold hearings on important issues. In fact, I urged Senator Collins to schedule a hearing upon the Senate's return in January.

    Furthermore, I have consistently maintained that any lobbying reform proposal be bipartisan. The bill Senators Joe Lieberman and Bill Nelson and I have introduced is evidence of that commitment as is my insistence that members of both parties be included in meetings to develop the legislation that will ultimately be considered on the Senate floor. As I explained in a recent letter to Senator Reid, and have publicly said many times, the American people do not see this as just a Republican problem or just a Democratic problem. They see it as yet another run-of-the-mill Washington scandal, and they expect it will generate just another round of partisan gamesmanship and posturing. Senator Lieberman and I, and many other members of this body, hope to exceed the public's low expectations. We view this as an opportunity to bring transparency and accountability to the Congress, and, most importantly, to show the public that both parties will work together to address our failings.

    As I noted, I initially believed you shared that goal. But I understand how important the opportunity to lead your party's effort to exploit this issue must seem to a freshman Senator, and I hold no hard feelings over your earlier disingenuousness. Again, I have been around long enough to appreciate that in politics the public interest isn't always a priority for every one of us. Good luck to you, Senator.

Sincerely,

John McCain
United States Senate

February 6, 2006

The Honorable John McCain
United States Senate
241 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear John:

    During my short time in the U.S. Senate, one of the aspects about this institution that I have come to value most is the collegiality and the willingness to put aside partisan differences to work on issues that help the American people. It was in this spirit that I approached you to work on ethics reform, and it was in this spirit that I agreed to attend your bipartisan meeting last week. I appreciated then - and still do appreciate - your willingness to reach out to me and several other Democrats.

    For this reason, I am puzzled by your response to my recent letter. Last Wednesday morning, you called to invite me to your meeting that afternoon. I changed my schedule so I could attend the meeting. Afterwards, you thanked me several times for attending the meeting, and we left pledging to work together.

    As you will recall, I told everyone present at the meeting that my caucus insisted that the consideration of any ethics reform proposal go through the regular committee process. You didn't indicate any opposition to this position at the time, and I wrote the letter to reiterate this point, as well as the fact that I thought S. 2180 should be the basis for a bipartisan solution.

    I confess that I have no idea what has prompted your response. But let me assure you that I am not interested in typical partisan rhetoric or posturing. The fact that you have now questioned my sincerity and my desire to put aside politics for the public interest is regrettable but does not in any way diminish my deep respect for you nor my willingness to find a bipartisan solution to this problem.

Sincerely,
Barack Obama
United States Senator

The Measure of Leadership and Experience in the American Experiment

The Pollitikat — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 09:10:19 EDT

What a week. I find myself trying to organize the scrambled thoughts of Jeremiah Wright, passport gate, Obama’s speech on “racial tensions”, and Hillary calling out of Obama on the Michigan and Florida primaries. There was John McCain confusing Al Qaeda with Shiites, Bill Clinton saying that John McCain and Hillary are the two candidates who love America, and Bill Richardson’s endorsement. It was a very stimulating week.

On every news channel, every program, every reporter was questioning why Obama was a part of this church or had anything to do with Rev. Wright. Obama went on the talk programs; he offered an explanation and apology. I did not have confidence in Obama’s first statement, I felt they gave new fodder to the opposition but I understand why Obama felt the need to say something, the media hyped the country to new heights of hysteria (which resembled the days leading up to the Iraqi war). Obama’s comments on that evening was an attempt to quell the anxieties felt by the public for various reasons and blunt the media barrage making the sale on the idea that Obama was going to be a “black radical”. I was looking for a courageous person to step forward take control of the conversation and offer direction to the nation. Someone had to move the country beyond the clichés and stereotypes, and speak honestly to the American people. We needed a leader.

On Tuesday a Leader came forward. Leadership gave a speech in the City of Brotherly Love. In a classy and historic fashion Barack Obama addressed the differences in our cultural politics. Gripes that inhibited our ability to genuinely discuss social and economic issues, creating a situation where election after election Americans routinely vote against their interest and send the same politicians to Washington who has been bought off by the corporations and interest groups.

True leadership is facing tough critique and learning from it, it is standing out and standing up when it would be much easier just to go along. It is speaking truth, when truth could be dangerous. We know great leaders and something they share is opposing establishment when no one else dared. Any candidate could have come forward and show leadership. John could have seized the moment and attempt to bring the nation together, and refocus on subjects of common interests. Hillary Clinton could have come forward and commanded this subject, spoke to the color divide and try to unite. That would have surely gained her points with the African American Community but also she would look like a leader. Any one of the candidates could have made this moment their moment and bring the country together moving us away from the hysterics of the main stream media. The only person who chose to step forward was Barack Obama. Alone, he faced the bright lights in a city where the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence sealing in it many freedoms being eroded by the Bush Administration, in a state he is predicted to lose.

The speech, I think did what it was designed to do, examine the subject of race and start an honest dialogue. The speech made me revisit a question I ponder from time to time, this description of “race”. Should we label ourselves in terms of “race”? Race to me implies competition and unless we believe that we are in competition with the other color groups, then “race” seems contrary to American ideals. If we believe we are different races we will never be able to solve the common issues. By defining ourselves as “races” don’t we concede that one “race” should seek dominance, wouldn’t natural law come into play and one “race” has no choice but to subjugate the other for its own survival? Aren’t we one race? By saying that we are of different “races” to me is like saying there are drastic differences between us, as if each color group offers a contrast as stark as between the Bull and the Feline. They share many things (two eyes, tail, etc) but those are two groups that can never really come together, is the difference between us that striking? To say we are different races for me plays into the color divide. It dictates that power should be responsive to skin color, implying we are fundamentally different. I don’t think we are. We are one race. Why should people continue the entangled complicated dance of division by “race” never coming close enough to touch the real problems that permeate American Society?

Obama had the courage to speak to the American people on the longest standing and most controversial issue in American history. He did it with great insight and wisdom, speaking for all Americans, exhibiting understanding of the sensitivity of the subject matter. He seemed sincere, authentic and knowledgeable. Obama reiterated that we needed to bring the public back in public service by holding our elected officials accountable and not be distracted by the petty arguments of the interest groups and the media.

I feel like I don’t have to force myself to support Obama as I have had to do in previous elections. With Obama I feel the public is getting a real advocate for the people and not a puppet for the lobbyists. There is no way of knowing for certain what an Obama presidency will be like, but I am convinced he can handle not only any crisis that may come about during his presidency, but the everyday “crisis” that faces the average Americans: Healthcare, childcare, employment, fair wages and working conditions, affordable housing, decent schools and a good education, safe and clean streets, affordable consumer market.

Obama has run a superb and consistent campaign, from the logo to the website, the discipline, fundraising, organization, and strategy. He has carried the same message to every state, the same message when he was high in the polls and when he was low in the polls. It is the same message of unity, justice, and opportunity for all. A message of optimism and hope while not shying away from the reality that America has a diverse consciousness.

States that did not have significance in previous primaries are now having their voices and votes count because of this candidacy. Obama didn’t just take advantage of the “black vote” as many politicians have in the past, nor did he disregard the so called “blue collar-rural” voter because the media and the opposition infer that segment of the voting public too ignorant and prejudice to vote for Obama. He didn’t leave out the Latino voter because they did not vote for him, nor did he ignore the female vote because his opponent may have an inherent advantage with that voting block. Obama is speaking to all people and for all Americans, showing we are all part of the American story. Also important is Obama showed enlightened vision; a blueprint for healing and moving forward, out of the darkness of the Bush Administration and the politics of ethnic and gender division, fear, and corruption. Barack showed that he can be and will be a president for all the peoples of America, elevating both our standards and our standing in the world. The events of the past weeks confirm that Barack Obama has the experience and judgment to be the next President. In this great experiment, let this man lead.

(See my previous post “We Need Moses”)

Fight Hard to get Obama elected

Daryl Peck — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:19:35 EDT

Why is such a great man having to fight to save his name over something a pastor said. If we as a country are going to change our minds and not vote for a man that will actually do what he says based on what a preacher said that is sad. Now people are going to vote for Hillary, a woman who makes choices based on emotion and anger and a power play. People of the USA, open your eyes, listen, Obama is real, the first real politician I have ever believed in. Go with truth, go with Obama!!!!

New stories on "2008 Politics

omega — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:03:34 EDT

New stories on "2008 Politics: Smears,Dirty Tricks & Hardball Politics
at www.tenntimes.org

CONTRIBUTORS
Who Owns the Candidates?

EXPERIENCE
Experience - What Kind and How Much?
The Experience Factor
Who has it - and does it matter to voters?

DIRTY TRICKS
The Politics of Fear
"One of Clinton's laws of politics is, if one candidate is trying to scare you, and the other
one is trying to make you think, if one candidate's appealing to your fears, and the other
one's appealing to your hopes. You better vote for the person who wants you to think and
hope." - Bill Clinton

   Hillary Clinton - Dirty Tricks
   A Catalog of Hillary's Alleged Dirty Tricks
   Was Clinton backer behind John Edwards adultery rumors?
   The National Enquirer 'Murder' Smear Against Obama
   Clinton - The Plagiarism Story Part 1
   Hillary - The 'Race Card' Part 1
   Hillary - The 'Race Card' Part 2
   Is Obama Muslim or Christian? Part 1
   Obama Muslim or Christian? Pt 2 - The Media Smears
   Obama - The Sinclair Tapes Part 1
   Obama - The Sinclair Tapes Part 2
   Obama - The Sinclair Tapes Part 3
   Obama - The Sinclair Tapes Part 4
   Obama - The Sinclair Tapes Part 5
   Obama - The Sinclair Tapes Part 6
   Obama - The Sinclair Tapes Part 7
   Hillary Also Victimized by Dirty Tricks
   Clinton 'agents' planting rumors
   How Hillary's Rotweilers Attack Their Opponents
   Obama - The New Ken Starr?
   The 3 AM TV Ad

FITNESS
Whose Finger Do You Want on the Trigger?

ISSUES
The Issues: Where the Candidates Stand
Hillary Clinton - John McCain - Barack Obama - Ron Paul - Ignored Issues

MEDIA
Is the Media Playing Favorites?
How the Media Makes or Breaks a Candidate
Do the Tabloids Really Affect Elections?

Chatting with the guy from Illinois with the funny name

Dawn in Superstition Springs — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:55:30 EDT

Way back in 2004, I was working for a union. Part of my job was to create and manage a handful of websites. One of the websites was an online election center where we graded the policy positions of candidates running for state and national offices. We sent out probably 5,000 emails to candidates, and when they responded, I copy/pasted them into the database and gave them a grade. Usually some staffer sent us some boilerplate text that they didn't even bother to customize to our questions or our audience.

Once in a while, though, someone would call. Usually it was some crackpot who had no resources, no staff, no money, and no chance of winning whichever office he was running for (I say he only because I don't remember any of the crackpots being women).

One day, a guy in Illinois running for U.S. Senate called. Based on the fact that he picked up the phone to call me, I assumed he didn't have enough resources to hire any staff that could call me or send me an email. I assumed (like the fool I am) that he was a nobody on a fast train going nowhere. I was basing this assumption, of course, on the fact that everyone else who called was definitely on a fast train to nowhere.

Thoughts on being positive while under attack

DocMobley — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:13:19 EDT

Sometimes in life you have to stop ignorance, fear-mongering, hate-mongering, racism, sexism etc. in its tracks. The best way to challenge ignorance is with knowledge, the best way to challenge fear-mongering is with hope, the best way to challenge hate-mongers is with love (Obama Love), the best way to challenge liars is to expose them, and the best way to fight against all these monsters is to "denounce and reject" them every God-given opportunity you get!

Obama in 08

Why McCain wold'nt be a good president

Chirs for Obama — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:16:01 EDT

John McCain said he knows nothing about the economy, but that 's not to say that he has no plans for the economy.He wants to cut taxes for corpations(the wealty). He said it tis not terrible that workers are jobless(ofcorse, not terrble for the CEO's of corpations that are profitinglike Exonm,obile ,wich lobbie him).and he dinied that the U.S is in a resson.His plans for the envoriment is to create nuclear power plants( they won't be harmful to the envoirtment ,but if they explode they could kill us).As for the Iraq war he wants to leave the troops there for a 100 years(definitly not the withdral in 2009 that Obama wants). He has experence in starting wars, and he gave autorizon to attack the Iran Revolition Gaurd.His experence includes being involved in scandals( an affair with a lobbiest) wile being on the etics commity.He also lied on his campain finacing. He wants students to "compete" for a good education;rather than giving a world class education to all children.We don't want McCain, a man without integrety , to be our president. He relys on burcratic endorsements rather than the American people to help him win. If polliticans handpicked the next president(like in Russia) there would be no democracy. Obama will provide geniune national sucrity by rudceing the number of terroist by pulling out, and by using mony for common sence things like schools.McCain's version of national sucurity requires noting less than putting troops in Iraq(wich undermines both the U.S and the Iraqi national sucrity. The choice is (Obama)one who works for the people or one who works for corpations and the wealthy (McCain). One who is honest(Obama) and one who is'nt (McCain). One that preaches responsiblity(McCain) and one who is responsible(Obama).

Integrity

awakenings76 — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:31:26 EST

I have read the St. Louis for Obama postings everyday for months now, but never posted, until now. I read a few things I found discouraging, and I decided to put my unsolicited 2 cents in :)

I have never been very politically involoved or very politic savvy. American politics have typically left me feeling discouraged and apathetic. But, this election has been different. I saw something in Obama that reminded me of myself...faith and hope in what we could be.

The Clintons have gotten pretty nasty to the point that their desperation is hard for me to watch. It makes me uncomfortable because I feel badly that she would humiliate herself in this way, and really just throw integrity out the window. I sincerely pray for Obama and this movement to maintain their integrity. I don't care how many "kitchen sinks" Hillary finds to pull out, I would be hurt and disappointed in the Obama movement if we felt justified to fight fire with mud-slinging fire. Somewhere in me I have to believe integrity and fairness will be enough. If not, I don't know why I have been so excited by this election.

There is no change letting another candidate strike up fear in us by these dirty tactics to the point we feel "we have" to retaliate in a similar fashion in order to win the nomination or the presidency. Honestly, as sad as it might make me, I wouldn't want Obama to win if it meant campaigning like that. If I want politics as usual I can vote for Clinton or McCain.

Naive? Maybe. But, at least I would know I stood behind something that had the guts to honestly stand up and say I have to much integrity to win at any cost.

If you talk the talk, can you walk the walk?

Patrick — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 10:21:13 EST

Columnist David Brooks, who is generally more conservative than I am, so I sometimes find it difficult to get through his columns, does, in this instance write in a way that is 100% spot on. Playing by Clinton Rules

His thesis is that Obama's vision, the main thing that he's articulated that we see at the top of the page, "I'm asking you to believe..." his whole idea of a new politics, a positive politics not subject to the negativity and fear has been embraced by some of us, but the Clinton/Rove strategy of negative campaigning is what actually works with the wider goup of people. In the end, negativity and fear carry the day over hope and optimism. Thus we have been so sadly conditioned to respond to fear and negativity over the last few years that we don't remember how to believe in anything else anymore. Ronald Reagan, for whatever policy faults he may have had, did at least one good thing, he got us to believe in ourselves again, in the dark days of the Cold War and in the long night of the Iranian hostage crisis. Obama has similar potential.

Brooks continues that as long as Obama is true to this vision, he does offer something unique and challenging to the established order. But, (and you knew there had to be one), the more Obama falls into confronting the Clintons with the same Rove-ian negativity, the more he looks more like the Clinton's and the McCain's - just another politician who says one thing, and does another.

It might be only more of a dim awareness in the memory of Americans that character and consistency still mean more than opportunism and taking a "low blow" to get an advantage, but somewhere back there I have to believe that we still value the person who, if he is going to "talk the talk," he'd better be damn sure he's able and willing to "walk the walk." That's been the success of the Gandhi's, Martin Luther King Jr's, George Washington's, Abraham Lincoln's of the world. That's why the number of these are few. Far too many will soldier on for a time, only to be worn down to compromise their standard, and then lose the game.

No one ever promised that this would be easy. That Barack Obama had gotten this far is a miracle of a sorts in its own right. He's finding a wellspring of frustration and real yearning for change that has been heretofore untapped. The question is, as Mr. Brooks challenges is - do we get there on our terms, on our values, or HAS the larger reality of the Roves and Clintons become so ingrained, so inevitable, that this too shall pass like the hope and promise of what might have been the Bobby Kennedy campaign and presidency? We have defined the high moral road. Now we have to show how taking it and staying on it really will work. It becomes a challenge for all of us!

Looking for Answers

Debra from Oelwein, IA — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 07:28:55 EST

I have several questions concerning the behaviors of those driving recent events. The news media has not seen fit to ask these questions and I find it disturbing.

Why didn't Hillary read the report before voting for the war? To me, that's the most important question she needs to answer and goes directly to the 3 a.m. claim that she's experienced and qualified. Not reading the report before voting on an issue that has caused the death of thousands of Americans seems a blatant disservice to our country.

Did McCain read the report before voting?

Florida's governor said he moved up the primary date to give Florida an equal voice. He said the decision was democracy in action. How is that an equal voice or democratic when it disregards all the states it jumped ahead of? No one asked him why, then, in the name of fairness, wouldn't all the states move up their primary dates? And, if Florida knew (and by forging ahead accepted) the consequences, why, after the fact, cry foul unless the whole thing was intented for the purpose of a recount?

Would there be such a cry if Hillary had lost Florida? Does she wield such power? Or is she and the Republicans "using" each other and the people of Florida and Michigan to get what they want?

Why didn't Clinton remove her name from Michigan's ballot when the other candidates did so? Is there any indication that she had a hand in orchestrating this whole event? Or saw a chance to exploit it and acted on that?

Why did the news media rush to appease Clinton when she began whining about favoritism? Why not treat her like they did Gingrich with the "Cry Baby Newt" headlines? Is it because she's a woman and they fear being accused of "hitting a girl"?

Why doesn't the media keep hammering at her blatant distortion of facts? Why, in admiration, do they perceive it as "brilliant" campaigning tactics when it should be considered offensive and immoral? Why isn't the "moral" majority weighing in on this? Is it because, for the moment at least, it serves their purposes?

Why doesn't the media insist on transperancy? Are the corporations that own the various stations charting the course and/or pulling the strings?

Everything Clinton has said and done since Texas and Ohio has seemed all about Hillary's willful ambitions instead of about what best serves the people. And, if she is strong-arming events now, while we are still in election process, what would her years in office be like? And why doesn't anyone ask her why the citizenry of the United States could ever trust someone who (for any reason) finds it acceptable to distort fact to get what they want? If she truly loved the people, she would have been deliriously happy that so many were responding to the democratic agenda. So much so that she could not have kept herself from throwing her hat into that ring. She certainly wouldn't want to disenchant, disenfranchise or disillusion those millions of first-time voters, or any of the Independent and Republican voters who were responding to the Obama message. She is, quite literally, telling us we don't matter -- at least not nearly as much -- as her own ambitions. She reminds me of the sibling that grabs the toy out of your hands and cries, "Mine!"

I do not understand why there is not outrage from her own constituents when we, the people, are told that this is well within the rules of the "game" and that this is just the "nature of the beast". If she can turn on your neighbor -- when it suits her, she can also turn on you.

Integrity matters. Truth matters. We, the people, matter. Without integrity and honesty, we are flagrantly reminded that politicians and elected officials either do not believe that, or are not willing to live by that. Those two should be the first qualifications for office. Any less than that, we should have the right to fire such holders of office immediately. We should also be able to file suit against anyone in service to the American people (including the Supreme Court) for intentionally misleading, outright distorting, covering up the truth, or strong-arming the populace to complete or satisfy their own (or their party's) agendas.

We should also be able to file charges against corporations or lobbyists who "pay" elected officials to serve them instead of serving the United States as a Whole -- one nation, indivisible. We use to call such attempts and behaviors "bribery." Which, of course, is punishable, by law.

Michigan and Florida

Venkatesh — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 21:47:56 EST

By now, I'm sure everyone's heard about Sen. Clinton petitiioning the Democratic Party leadership to allow the delegates from MI and FL to be seated at the convention.

Here are my questions to Sen. Clinton.

Are you so desperate to get to the White House that you are willing to blatantly change the rules in the middle of the contest?
Isn't that cheating?
And, if you cannot even be truthful to your own conscience, then how can we expect you to be truthful to the people of this country?
Would you be raising this issue if Sen. Obama had won MI and FL?

Sen. Obama has to be careful though not to antagonize the people of MI and FL. They are both crucial states for a Democrat to win if he/she is to become President. The messaging from Sen. Obama's camp has to be very carefully worded so as to make it an issue about rules of the game rather than a MI or FL issue, which of course is how the Clinton camp will make it sound. At least, Howard Dean seems to be fair about this.

Redoing the primaries in MI and FL is not really an option. It is too late in the year. Already, the Democrats are at risk of losing valuable time against Sen. McCain due to the drawn out primary race (if only someone would knock some sense into Sen. Clinton and make her see that Sen. Obama's win is inevitable). Plus, the party does not have the funding to conduct them again.

The other option and IMHO the way to go would be for Sen. Obama to really deliver a knockout punch in Pennsylvania so that this whole discussion becomes moot and Sen. Clinton can go work on her campaign to become Senate majority leader. See you in 2016 Hillary! I'll surely vote for you then, I promise ;-)

As I listen to Senator Obama

Turned Republican — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:56:59 EST

I am reminded of speeches from past campaigns. Campaigns before Watergate, before the Bush's and the Clinton's took the over the White House.

His passion, his dedication and his honesty.... Better than anyone else I see!

Posting to the 'Friends for Obama' blog

Kirk Wattles — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:13:29 EST

'Friends for Obama' is mainly for Quakers/Friends. It's meant to provide a forum to discuss Quaker-related issues and concerns, and a springboard for Friends looking for ways to engage in the Obama campaign.

I'd like to invite members of this group to post to this blog about:

how the Obama campaign relates to our Quaker faith and practice
how Friends in your area are involved in the campaign
how Quaker testimonies may contribute in the national dialogue that gets stirred up during Presidential campaigns.

Anyone here who isn't actually a Friend (or an attender at a Quaker meeting) is certainly welcome to post to the blog as well, speaking directly to Friends and the others here who are interested in the Quaker perspective.

POSTING TO THE BLOG

Figuring out how to post entries to the 'Friends for Obama' blog may be a little confusing. By contrast, posting emails is much simpler. (On the group's front page, under LISTSERV, there's an explicit invitation to "Send a message to the whole group at FriendsforObama@groups.barackobama.com.")

To post to the blog, you have to go in a roundabout way, via your own personal "My Blog."

When you "Write a Blog Post," you have a chance to post it to any or all of the groups you belong to. But note, there's a line on that page saying, "In addition to appearing in your blog, your post will also appear in any group blogs that you select here. Only select groups that are relevant to the theme or topic of this post."

If you intend to post your thoughts to this blog, check the box for 'Friends for Obama.' And in that entry, please address yourself directly to this group, i.e., to the interests of Friends and others who may be interested in our particular persuasion.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I live in Philadelphia, PA, and because I started the 'Friends for Obama' group, it shows up high in the list for people near me looking for groups closest to their zip code. I don't know if that's the only reason, but the group does have a fair number of people in the wider Philadelphia area.

Depending what happens tomorrow March 4th, Pennsylvania may become a key 'battleground,' or the nomination may be decided before our primary comes our way on April 22nd. For the next 6-7 weeks, we may see increased participation in the 'Friends for Obama' group by people interested in the Pennsylvania primary. People in other parts of the country may see more of what's happening in this state. But either way, and assuming that Obama wins the nomination, of course, I hope that this group will again serve Friends and others interested, during the national campaign this fall.

There's a new sheriff in town...

David Berger — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 03:42:46 EST

Yes, it's a corny old adage, but you know what? it's an adage that used sum up the hopes and prayers of Americans who suffered at the hand of corrupt and dishonest 'good ole boy' networks of politicians in the pockets of 'special interests.'

That old adage sort of sums up my hopes and prayers for the greatest democracy in the world, that we get a new sheriff in the White House. One who isn't behooved to sinister power brokers, one who can speak his mind without fear of offending or biting the hand that feeds him, one who carries the beliefs of the only special interest that matters, the people of the United States of America.

It's time we had a President in the White House that we can all, all be genuinely proud of, not one who we constantly have to make excuses for. Barack Obama has shaken the roots of the country by daring to stand up and show that there can be a better way. He started from behind, a long way behind. The money and resources of his opponents didn't scare him off. Neither did the 'ole boy networks' of the Clintons. In the face of overwhelming odds Barack Obama has given us the clearest demonstration of his qualifications to lead the county by the way his campaign has united Americans, not divided them.

This is my first post on this blog, forgive me if it's already been said by someone else. This comes from my heart not from a 'talking points' sheet. I have a 6th grader in public school, and I'm tired of him coming home dejected and demoralized because the person he should look up to, constantly lets him down.

Now you tell me what I can do to help our country get the kind of President we deserve.

Awareness vs. Arrogance

The French supporter — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:16:51 EST

As Benjamin Franklin said it best "Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn." No other living or dead politician of my time, either here or in others countries I lived in, can lift me up, make me move, make my heart dance and my blood flow through my brain other than Barack Obama. Yes words are not that important, but only when they come from the mouths of a dull and uninspiring individual that only wants power and don't really know how to connect with the heart.

So far, only anger, frustration and hate have been demonstrated by Barack's opponents and that my friends shows excatly the kind of poeple they are. The kind of leaders they want to be! No! No! and No! to those who wants my vote and forget about me soon after they are elected. Barack has already helped me change the things that were not working in my life, all that just by remaining who he is, by speaking from his heart by being the strong leader he is from the inside and out. The world will welcome him and America will get out of its self imposed prison when he is THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, THE PRESIDENT OF ALL OF US!!!!

In the wake of Rove

Nathan Earl Robison — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:36:12 EST

One of the most satisfying events of my political life has been witnessing the failure of Karl Rove's vision of installing a "durable Republican majority" in (and by) the last half of George Bush's administration.

Not because it is by default a victory for the Democratic party.

Mr. Rove is the face of the most cynical philosophy since Machiavelli - predicated on the assumption that voter blocs (human beings) can be chosen like produce in a secret recipe that magically becomes steak a la carte; then the power they represent can be used to whatever end the empowered wants at the time (war, gross expansion of executive power, exploitation of loopholes (or even lack of loopholes) in US law, the use of government funds for partisan purposes, etc ad nauseum).

But the country (human beings) has sufficient collective wisdom to see through it; not all of us, but enough of those courted shamelessly can pierce the careful construct, the (almost) opaque web, like NY defensive linemen through the New England offensive front...even in the midst of their self-congratulation. Voters can be fooled, but individuals do not like to be lied to, do not like to be used, and most of all do not like to be condescended to.

And the raw power of Mr. Obama's message: not just what he has said in the debates, but in his extraordinary prose, his and Mrs. Obama's simple dignity and bearing... this power is:

- their own. What they have made of themselves.

- our own. What a country of people with fundamentally good will can do with a legitimate aim for that good will.

- Rove's. The contrast beetween the deceipt, secrecy and self-protection; the selling of a product in which most of the ingredients are markered out before release; the vision limited to two-year chunks of power mongering...and the PROMISE - no, Mr. Obama and we, the people will define in retrospect what that promise is to be in the next 9 years - the FACT of Mr. Obama's honest writing and career, which lay out in detail and eloquence both a bold, inviting and, most importantly, transparent agenda, but also the soul of an individual. To so bravely write and publish on his race, family and struggles...and then to succeed beyond any poll....

To be honest with us. And then to succeed. This is the antithesis (should be in the dictionary to help define the word) of the Rove machinations.

I would give up my career, move my family, stand in the snow for days if I thought these acts would help Mr. Obama precisely because the prospect of a person who made his own case, with his own mind, with his own moral standing; this prospect offers us the very SUSTENANCE FOR THE STARVED IDEAL OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Today is Super Tuesday; the glare and the cackle of modern media are at their peak.

May our collective wisdom, our collective appreciation for a transformative moment that transcends policy and experience and will define our country by its better angels once again, for our good and that of the world; may these prevail. This I pray.

Experience

Robyn — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:53:40 EST

I FIND IT REFRESHING THAT OBAMA IS NOT AS EXPERIENCED IN POLITICAL (ABANDON YOUR PRINCIPLES) VOMIT AS HILARY IS.

WE DON'T NEED THAT GARBAGE ANYWAYS. WHAT WE NEED IS SOMEONE WHOSE PRINCIPLES ARE AS SOLID AS AN ICEBERG (STEVEN COVEY "7 HABITS...").

WHO IS STILL CLOSE TO THE PEOPLE, AND THE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE. REAL PEOPLE WITH REAL PROBLEMS.

HONESTY IS NOT ALWAYS EASY. BUT IT IS BEST. YOU AND I WILL LIVE THIS LIFE WITH THE FACT THAT ALL OUR ACTIONS WILL HAVE REACTIONS. OUR ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENSES.

SHOULDN'T OUR LEADERS BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE ALSO. OTHERWISE THEY WILL START TO LIE AND CHEAT AND WORK THEIR POWER IN THEIR OWN FAVOR BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER TO ANYONE OR BE PUNISHED FOR THE WRONGS THEY MADE AGAINST US....

OH WAIT...IT'S ALREADY HAPPENING.

COME ON OBAMA. HELP US FIND OUR WAY BACK TO TRUTH.

Vote for Questions for Tonights Debate

Manda — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 11:31:47 EST

Politico.com is accepting questions for tonight's debate. I encourage everyone to go and submit a question. This is a very important debate before Super Tuesday. The question I submitted can be found under Most Recent and it was # 20 but that could have changed. If you like the question, please vote for it so it can be asked. The question I submitted is below. Please take the time to vote for questions and please submit your questions.

The link to vote for the questions is http://dyn.politico.com/debate/democrats/VoteForQuestion.cfm#

and let me know what question(s) that you submitted and voted for.

Thanks everyone!

-Manda

Senator Clinton:

In recent days, you have called for the Florida and Michigan delegates to be seated at the DNC Convention this August. This is despite the fact that you pledged not to campaign in Florida and were aware of the sanctions placed on these states by the DNC. Your decision to hold a fake victory party reminds me of the fake press event held by FEMA this summer. Although no one wants to see the voices of the citizens of Florida and Michigan stifled, how am I supposed to vote for you and trust that you will follow through on your campaign promises, when it appears to some that you only follow through when it is politically convenient for you? Tell me how this shows leadership ability?

Leaders and their word...

Paul from Washington, DC — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:48:22 EST

During the 1988 Republican National Convention, George H. Bush pledged that he would not institute new taxes. In 1990, Bush raised taxes and alienated his base, resulting in part, in his defeat in the 1992 Presidential election to Bill Clinton.

Senator Hillary Clinton, along with Senator Obama and John Edwards agreed with the Democratic National Committee that Florida and Michigan would not receive any delegates for the national convention because of scheduling disputes. The Democratic candidates agreed not to campaign in Florida and Michigan.

Reeling from losses in Iowa and South Carolina, Senator Clinton skirted the meaning and spirit of the Democratic Party’s sanction on those states. She spun the results as victories, recently arguing that Florida’s delegates should be seated at the convention later this year.

Throughout the primaries, Senator Clinton demonstrated an inveterate inclination to straddle the boundaries of propriety and truthfulness. Surely the voters on Super Duper Tuesday will have to ask: can we trust her?

My case for Barack Obama

Danny Leroux — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 03:57:33 EST

It’s time to write the diary it feels like I’ve waited a lifetime to write.

This story requires an introduction and an explanation, and there’s no better place to start than the beginning. I grew up fascinated with the presidency, reading every book I could get my hands on and memorizing my “President’s Cards”, which are essentially the least sexy trading cards on this earth. Despite idolizing Bill Clinton, it always seemed like there was something missing that I had seen in both the deeds and the perceptions from the Lincoln’s, Kennedy’s, and Roosevelt’s of the past. Like most youth, I became more cynical and eventually took the step which inevitably leads to losing faith in the process: becoming a Political Science major. Between that and George W Bush, it’s amazing there is any faith left.

For many reasons, Senator Barack Hussein Obama is the human embodiment of why that hope can (and should) be able to soar. Not only is he the best candidate in this election, he is the Democrat most likely to win the White House and actually make the changes that America so desperately needs.

Do You Always Say "Yes" When You Really Want to Say "No"?

Ms CYPRAH — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 20:16:14 EST

The two main reasons why we might say 'yes' when we want to say 'no' are a lack of confidence and a desire for approval.

When we lack confidence we are deprived of the willpower to be assertive, to be consistent and to actually seek what we want because we fear the consequences of what saying 'no' might bring. We don't want to 'hurt' or 'upset' anyone so we hurt ourselves instead. We are not strong enough to stand up for our own rights and so allow others to dictate the pace, regardless of how unhappy or uncomfortable we might feel.

Honesty

EMS — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:19:11 EST

Everytime I here him speak I feel inspired. He is going to be great. I was in SC when he won and the energy was electric. When he speaks of our world view he seems to have a plan to build us back up.

Integrity

Joe Taylor — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 11:29:55 EST

When I watch the primary election results there are inevitably exit polls that show the economy, the war in Iraq, or healthcare as the driver of voter decisions.

Is there no catagory for integrity? That's what the primary driver of my vote is, and I'll bet there are plenty of others like me.

My first political Blog, Joy!

Sean — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 21:54:14 EST

To those who are apparently threatened in some way by Obama’s “holier-than-thou attitude”, maybe they should consider the source. Fact is, he’s got more power with his so called “under-developed and weak” plans than anyone on this blog will ever or has ever had. So therefore, who are YOU in fact to judge his campaign tactics?

This is a guy who is playing by the rules of decency in a contest that is known for its indecency. He isn’t mudslinging, he is merely defending himself by means of a verbal “judo-throw” as it were; using an opponent’s offensive momentum against them. For a tactic that is supposedly futile, it seems to be working for him. Essentially, you call him weak because he won’t sell out to the conventional norm of dishonest politics. Anyone with a true sense of justice and goodwill would in fact vote for a well meaning and apparently honest candidate than someone who has been a proven manipulator of the truth. Nothing irks an honest person more than to have their honest ideas twisted so badly that they come out sounding the opposite of their intended function.

To me, a straight-forward effort with an instinctive plan is infinitely better than an equally vague plan made by a person who is so obviously in it for personal gain. I say equally vague in an admission that yes, Obama could be more specific, but then, how truly specific can anyone who has never personally held the office be? There are far too many unknowns, even for a “veteran” politician like Clinton. Veteran in this case simply means “morally incapacitated” to me.

Hello, and welcome!

Erin Foley-Machnik — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 19:45:31 EST

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I had not made my mind up as to who I was going to vote for in this election; when I listened to Obama speak, I heard him speak from the heart. I did not hear him throw a bunch of rhetoric and words that are designed to fool the American people. I heard him speak the truth. I heard him speak for the middle-class, the class of American's whom have been forgotten about.

That is my family. A hard working family who is struggling because of high healthcare costs, outragious gas prices and housing that is simply not affordable.

My family is one of the lucky ones some would say, we have health insurance, a plan that is considered great by most standards. Yeah, it was great when I found myself having to have emergency surgery on my back. My 'great' insurance place paid for a lot of the medical attention that I needed. Until the co-pays killed us. Thousands of dollars in co-pays we are responsible for, and we simply can not afford it.

It has often been said that the only way out of poverty is through education. Ok, but education is not affordable, I am struggling to to complete my BA degree so I can have a higher paying job, the job I worked prior to my surgery I am not able to do. I can not afford to take the few classes left to finish because of my co-pays.

I am one of many people in the same situation, my husband and I have worked all our lives only to have everything gone because of todays economy.

I firmly believe that Obama will work for us, and the others who have found themselves not able to afford something that we all deserve and work for. Obama is the only candidate who truly knows what we need and the only candidate whom I TRUST to pull through for the average American.

Obama's statement on Reagan

playmaster08 — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 14:36:56 EST

Since the national, editoralising media, FOX, CNN, and MSNBC, has forgot that all good reporting starts with questions rather than a comentary and answers, I’ll ask the questions. Does any Democrate, regardless of race or gender, really feel that Obama’s praise of Reagan’s vision of change for the country is appropriate? Especially when comparing it to Bill Clinton’s vision, or as Obama feels lack of. Should there be a compairison between their years of service fighting for civil rights, education, and health care for the poor? And do you feel that Obama should contrast Reagan’s visionary presidency policies to those of Bill Clinton’s visionary policies when it comes to things like the economy, balanced budget, and tax surplus, and how they affected the black and low income voters of South Carolina? Do you think it was a thoughtless means of appealing to the white concervative independent voters of South Carolina? Do you think it was politically motivated or fair he would use Nixon, possibly the most disliked President in modern history, in the same breath as Clinton? And finally, do you think Obama can have it both ways in South Carolina, appealing to the conservative independent voters, and the less fortunate, low income voters? Don't be to quick to look at me as a Hillary voter, I am undecided.

AMERICA: THE CHOICE OF OBAMA IS YOURS!

ODEH ODEH — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 14:24:59 EST

PART I: THE NEVADA DEBATE OUTCOME

How many of us took time to watch the Democratic Party debate on January 15th in Nevada? Without wasting your time and energy, please allow me to kindly review some of the very crucial moments and what I may considered the turning point specifically for the Democratic Party and America in general.

In my own opinion and I strongly believe yours too, honesty, accountability and answerability are qualities that should never be compromised either by an individual, a group or the American people. The truth should be held as sacred and indispensable for the transformation of this country from the centuries of darkness to the freshness and newness of the tomorrow Obama is promising us, as a nation and a people who share unity in diversity.

When the three candidates were asked this question; “What is your weakness” by the moderator, I become more intently interested in a debate that so far only try to diffuse the tension generated by the Hilary Clintons and associates bring racism to the forefront of the campaign. To me, this question is really the turning point in this debate. The simple reason being that, the response from the aspirants will clearly, without reasonable doubt manifest to the American people what a lot of you and me have been trying to tell the American people; HOW TRUTHFUL AND HONEST ARE THE CANDIDATES TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE?

Hilary Clinton in response to the above question did not in anyway even try to address the question, rather and typically too, she coined a lot of political terms and deceptive words in avoiding the question. By and large, her response means nothing and does not seek to address the issue. This approach was not unusual, but rather intimate to her character and attitude when confronted with reality.

John Edward also did not address the relevance of the question, since the response was not focused on his weakness, but rather an attempt to justify his accountability.

America, what about Obama’s response? Yes what about his response? Here is why I strongly believe we ought to begin to focus on how best as a nation and people of diverse background to handle Sen. Obama, otherwise, history may not shade an unblemished light on us. True to his belief and personal conviction, Obama gave a simple and very honest answer to the question, turning the spotlight on him, rather than attempt to use political terms maneuvering. His answer to the best of my understanding was that he is not the typical office person, who is bothered with the day to day scheduling and timing of meetings. Well immediately sequel to the debate, Hilary attempts to use Obama’s words against him, by suggesting that, Obama can dream and envision a better USA, but does not have the management skill to lead America!

America, do you believe in Hilary’s assertion or assumption about Obama?

The reality of the debate is that, these three noble candidates, at least in terms of being the remaining Presidential aspirants, were asked to tell the American people the truth about themselves. Two lied and only one told the truth. Now, if you lie against somebody, of course you can be counsel and late beg for forgiveness.

However, how do you lie to yourself and thing you will be saved? The worst a man can do is to live a life of self deceit about his or her weakness or shortcomings.

By not telling the American people who you really are can only portend to one major thing; lack of faith in yourself and distrust of the American people’s power to understand and in some cases forgive.

Obama strongly believe in the power of knowledge and wisdom and he has continued to exemplify these virtues in his every day to day life. He is not afraid to tell the American people he was previously on a path to destruction, but got saved. As the saying goes, problem shared is half solved.

America, this is the 21st century and we cannot afford to backslide into the century of darkness, hatred, lynching and slavery. The era where there was too much pain, division and when evil is at times considered a good thing, as long as it involves minorities.

Summarily, in my opinion, America need a honest leader, one who identify with everyday challenges, understand what it is to be disadvantaged and not be judged by your color or appearance and above all, such an individual must have faith in the people and in God, in order to move the country forward.

God bless USA

God bless Obama

PLEASE READ THE PART II FOR THE COMPLETION OF THE ARTICLE “AMERICA THE CHOICE IS YOUR”

Without Conscience: Understanding Psychopaths in Politics

Benjamin Vos, Nashville — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 20:52:16 EST

Dr. Robert Hare, one of the leading authorities in the world on psychopathy and professor emeritus of psychology at the University of British Columbia (Canada), has written a fascinating study called Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us. The book opens with the following statement:

"Psychopaths are social predators who charm, manipulate, and ruthlessly plow their way through life, leaving a broad trail of broken hearts, shattered expectations, and empty wallets. Completely lacking in conscience and in feelings for others, they selfishly take what they want and do as they please, violating social norms and expectations without the slightest sense of guilt or regret. Their bewildered victims desperately ask, "Who are these people?" "What makes them the way they are?" "How can we protect ourselves?"

The key symptoms of psychopathy are listed as follows:

glib and superficial
egocentric and grandiose
lack of remorse or guilt
lack of empathy
deceitful and manipulative
shallow emotions
impulsive
poor behavior controls
need for excitement
lack of responsibility
early behavior problems
adult antisocial behavior

It seems that, in the wake of 8 years of the Clintons (Whitewater, Ken Starr, Monica Lewinsky, Linda Tripp, vast right-wing conspiracy, questions about what "is" means) and then 8 years of GW Bush (Enron, Weapons of Mass Destruction, pre-emptive war in Iraq, axis of evil, Abu Ghraib), the United States is fearful that our next president will fool us again.

Dr. Hare warns us, "Many people are impulsive, or glib, or cold and unfeeling, or antisocial, but that does not mean they are psychopaths."

What can we do to ensure that we don't get hurt again?

Here are Dr. Hare's suggestions:

Know what you are dealing with
Try not to be influenced by "props" (smile, fast talk, body language, political power)
Don't wear "blinkers" (be aware of flattery, feigned concern and kindness, and phony stories)
Keep your guard up in high-risk situations
Know your own weak spots
Obtain professional advice
Don't blame yourself if you are fooled
Be aware of who the victim is (don't allow the psychopath to play the victim)
Recognize that you are not alone
Be careful about power struggles
Set firm ground rules
Don't expect dramatic changes or improvements in behavior
Cut your losses rather than holding on
Stay close to your support system

I think it's important for all of us to look beyond the surface, the feigned tears, the changes in stories, the deceptions, and the apparent lack of conscience in some of our political candidates. Ultimately, this presidential election is a matter of trust.

Will we trust that someone who lied and deceived us in the past will tell us the truth now? Will you allow yourself to be fooled again and again because you're hoping the situation will change? Or will you pay attention to the warning signs and act accordingly?

Our political landscape is filled with psychopathy. From Nixon to Reagan to Clinton to Bush, we've seen time after time where the public was deliberately misled in order to cover up the secret ambitions of our political leaders and the powerbrokers in Washington and across the country. But Barack Obama has openly told his personal story, and he's included the parts of himself that most politicians would prefer to cover up. It's all out there for you to see.

So keep your guard up. Be suspicious of all our political leaders. And if you don't feel confident that you can trust the candidate, then please don't make the mistake of voting for them anyway.

NH Wrap-Up: Honesty Out Of Fashion?

Mark Wiznitzer — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:18:15 EST

Dedicated Followers of Fashion

This diary is about Honesty. But it is also about Fashion. For these are two aspects of the campaign in NH that struck me after leaving the Granite State and in preparing for the upcoming Nevada caucus (which is probably the most problematic contest in the long primary season and subject of my next post, but you can always check Las Vegas Diary: High Stakes Game in Nevada Desert to get the idea).

Although the Democratic presidential contest has not been entirely dominated by fashion and style, it has had an impact on the race.

Some early examples include:

-- the cost of John Edwards haircuts (at odds with his new populist image),

-- Hillary Clinton's cleavage in Senate committee meetings (evidence of persistent sexism), and

-- Barack Obama's tie-less look (run alongside photos of similarly-attired Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, while Howard Wolfson declaimed Obama's readiness to talk to Holocaust deniers).

Of course, these details distract us from the more painful issues consistently dominating canvassing New Hampshire voters. Like how to get out of Iraq, where our soldiers are being blown up, while al Qaeda regroups in Pakistan. Or health care. Or education, taxes, loss-of-jobs and the environment. But fashion is what you are likely to get from a media and in a culture obsessed with the antics of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears. So don't hold it against Barack Obama for allowing himself to grace the cover of the September GQ, when becoming known by the public was his number one challenge.

The Situation Room

Ja(red) Jasper — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 12:57:20 EST

If you don't want to inhale or not inhale, don't put yourself in that situation to be tempted or somehow grow more incorruptible (whatever that means, we are human and make mistakes).

Family and Friends

Eric Bueling — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 02:29:58 EST

In Montana, people are so far spread out where there is enough room for just about everyone to do thier own thing and be relatively unbothered by almost everyone else around them. I feel like "unbothering" the people around us wont cut it this time around.

In the past weeks and months I've been really challenging what the people closest to me believe about what may or may not happen with regards to our next president. I am constantly engaged by people in this state who are scared of voting for Barack because they heard he was Muslim, or because he is black. While its true he is black, he is not Muslim, but even if he were I try to challenge those fears in people. When I challenge my friends, family, and coworkers on those kinds of comments, I almost always get some form of "uhhh... I dunno." Its amazing to me how easy it is to change those ignorant points of view by talking to them about all the good things Barack can do.

In truth, Barck is bright, has good values, cares about other people, is a good speaker, and isn't afraid to go head to head with the most senior officials in Washington. I think most Montanans can identify with the importance of all these things; thats true in my experience anyway.

Don't get me wrong, not every talk I've had has been rosy, and I've offended plenty. But after enough tries and some truly honest and candid conversation about all that Barack has the potential to do... the people I know seem to be coming around. I just wanted to share my experience in the conversations I've had with party-line republicans and encourage everyone to try challenging those closest to them. Its one more way of making our one Montana vote count.

Thanks.

Eric