Wake Up America!

I have no more patience for it. I listened to a story on PBS about Colorado women who are still "undecided".
Seriously?
This is a tough decision?
After 2846 days of the Bush regime, how on god's green earth can anyone not have a clue as to needing to make a major change away from the direction of this regime?
Do they live in caves? Not have access to any information whatsoever? I will volunteer to help those undecided voters get informed. Let's begin with a speech from a Congressional insider.

This is such a fantastic speech, it deserves to be replayed, on the eve of this election.

Here is a quick summary:
The country is in ruins.
We have color coded terrorism fear charts. We have a patriot act that alleges we must give up rights in order to maintain our freedom We are out of sync with the rest of the world community on environmental responsibility, and one of the biggest consumers. We are headed into the 6th year of 2 wars, costing us $567 billion, and over a million lives lost. Our government spent time debating if torture of prisoners was acceptable, and to what degree. The right for those "detainees" in Guantanamo Bay prison to have a trial (Habeas Corpus) was denied. Prisoners being held for 5 or more years, without even knowing if they are guilty of any crime. That kind of activity is similar to Communist countries, where no promise of a fair, or speedy trial exists. There has been so much corruption, indictments and illegal activity in the republican party, most of us can't even keep track. As much as a lengthy diatribe about all of the atrocities of the Bush administration need to be documented, I want to look back enough to remember how much we have deteriorated. How this once great nation, which was respected,and an honored member of the global community, has fallen. The preemptive invasion & soon to be 6 year illegal occupation of a sovereign nation has been a disaster. The shockingly awful takeover or Iraq was not to liberate the people from a brutal dictator, and a looming threat of a mushroom cloud of weapons of mass destruction, so much as it was getting a foot in the door of the world's 2nd largest oil reserve & a place to operate in the middle east. Even though it is not much in the headlines during this election season, to this day we are still fully engaged in the blood for oil campaign.
I for one would really like to see a full disclosure of how the entire Bush family personally profited from this war. Not only are We engaged in a war based on lies, but there is another layer of lies- the manipulation of the information- having embedded press, their information must be cleared by the military/government before it is approved for release. We get sanitized, manipulated "reports" from Iraq. Those journalists who have tried to report independently, have been kidnapped, killed and injured. 135 journalists have been killed since the March 2003 US invasion of Iraq- more than any other war in history- 128 of them, non-embedded journalists. I think it is safe the notion of installing democracy at gunpoint is a grand failure.
Quagmire accomplished. Staying the course, now that we have all the facts, is absurd.

Our nation is in distress, and it has permeated all levels- social, moral, environmental, financial, we are in serious trouble. In fact, in this topsy-turvy administration, when just about everything that can go wrong has gone wrong, I find it strange that all it takes for some people to be confused, is some ad that says Obama is an "extreme liberal"- pardon me for stating the obvious here.... but is the extreme right wing program we have been stuck in for 8 long years working for us?
I would use the phrases "needing to bridge the gap", or " cross that bridge when you get to it", but under this administration, bridges are collapsing, and or headed to nowhere (Palin/Alaska reference).

Enough Already!

Wake up America!

Ultimate Deadbeat

I am NOT making this up. I heard this story on the local news tonight.
An economy in crisis is hitting one of the places you'd least expect -- the cemetery.

Twin Oaks Cemetery near Corvallis, Oregon, is under foreclosure.

The cemetery property owner had no comment.

I've never heard of such a thing--

Do they evict the "residents"???

McCain: DENIED

Big kudos to the three dozen call center employees in Indiana who walked off the job rather than read an incendiary McCain campaign script attacking Barack Obama.

TPM Reports:

"Nina Williams, a stay-at-home mom in Lake County, Indiana, tells us that her daughter recently called her from her job at the center, upset that she had been asked to read a script attacking Obama for being "dangerously weak on crime," "coddling criminals," and for voting against "protecting children from danger."

Williams' daughter told her that up to 40 of her co-workers had refused to read the script, and had left the call center after supervisors told them that they would have to either read the call or leave, Williams says. The call center is called Americall, and it's located in Hobart, IN.

"They walked out," Williams says of her daughter and her co-workers, adding that they weren't fired but willingly sacrificed pay rather than read the lines. "They were told by supervisors, `If you all leave, you're not gonna get paid for the rest of the day."

"People thought the script was nasty and they didn't want to read it."

"We were asked to read something saying [Obama and Democrats] were against protecting children from danger," this worker said. "I wouldn't do it. A lot of people left. They thought it was disgusting."

The script coincided with this robo-slime call running in other states, but because robocalling is illegal in Indiana it was being read by call center workers."


Having worked in call centers myself, I know the pay scale is low. So that makes the action of these "employees with ethics" all the more admirable. They had a line they would not cross & the McCaine campaign was willing to pay them to cross it. I hope this story gets the press coverage it deserves. Indiana voters can vote early this year, I hope the workers decided to use the time to go cast their votes. In any case they walked off the job with their dignity and integrity intact ~ thank you Americall workers, for disconnecting the lies.

remembering

Last year, around this time, my Aunt Gloria Passed away. Our families had been very close, and I flew back to be with family, and pay my respects to her. This photo was in one of the last e mails she sent me, so it is special to me. Aunt Gloria had a great sense of humor, and I miss her. She lived to the ripe old age of 85.
She played the piano~ this music tribute is for her....

The Vet who did not Vet

I love the ending!

If I only had a brain, election edition

Says it all.....

Voting Tips & Project Video your Vote

PBS & You Tube have launched project VIDEO YOUR VOTE

They are asking people to video document your voting experience.

Hold your democracy accountable!

They also had this clip about Voting do's & don'ts

* Do NOT take a provisional ballot if the electronic machines are down for a while because your vote may or may not be counted.

• If you have been purged off the voter registration, insist on filling out a provisional ballot.



“But wait - are you really allowed to take video at the polls???”

Most states do allow you to film at your polling place. However, there are some states that expressly prohibit videotaping and others that have strict rules about how close you can tape near a polling place. For the most up-to-date information on your area, visit http://www.citmedialaw.org/…
In any location, basic rules of decency apply (don’t film others without their consent, and don’t campaign for any particular candidate), but documenting your experience at the polling place in most places is as much a right as voting itself.
We encourage participants to think creatively - the videos don’t necessarily have to be taken at the polling place, they just need to be related to the topic of voting.

Real Americans

            Meet Joe-the-Plumber & Jane-six-pack ~ Supporting Obama!

Hat tip to Enigma for posting the "Yes We Carve" website. 

Palin, piling on the blunders..... (again)

        Palin sporting a Democratic Donkey Vote Scarf!

Palin stumped when asked to explain her preconditions for meeting foreign leaders - interview on NBC

Gov. Sarah Palin has attacked Sen. Barack Obama for being “so off base in his proclamation that he would meet with some of these leaders around our world who would seek to destroy America and that, and without preconditions being met.” When asked by NBC’s Brian Williams what are some of those preconditions she envisions, Palin was stumped:

WILLIAMS: Governor Palin, yesterday you tied this notion of an early test to the new president. Would this notion of precondition –

PALIN: Right.

WILLIAMS: — that you both have been hammering the Obama campaign on. What — first of all, what in your mind is a precondition?

PALIN: You have to have some diplomatic strategy going into a meeting with someone like Ahmadinejad or Kim Jong-il, one of these dictators that would seek to destroy America or her allies. It is so naive and so dangerous for a presidential candidate to just proclaim that they would be willing to sit down with a– a leader like Ahmadinejad and just talk about the problems, the issues that are facing them. So that — that’s — that’s some ill-preparedness right there.

It is painfully obvious Palin has been instructed to stick to the talking points, and do not deviate. Why bother doing interviews, if she is just going to parrot the talking points, even if the talking point does not actually answer the question? But it's good for all the country to see that while the McCain Palin team has embraced the negative, and chides Obama for saying he would meet with world leaders, they come up blank when asked what their plan is.  Their plan is to slam Obama for his plan. It seems clear to me as well, that Palin is so unstable, she is not allowed to campaign on her own, or even do solo interviews anymore.  John McCain babysits Palin ~ that's got to instill confidence in the republican party & our nation. 

The sad underbelly of this election

Well said Michael Moore & I second the motion. I'm ready for all that garbage to be hauled off to where it belongs-- in the dump.
Let us cut the crap, and look at who is doing the pork barrel spending before she even sets foot in to be Queen of the Senate.
I am going to post Powell's interview here as well, because he said what needed to be said & coming from him, made it even more powerful. I've listened to it a few times now & it is historic, and relevant. Give it another listening to.
Thanks to Enigma for posting the photo Powell referred to . The picture speaks 1000 words.

Done!

I fulfilled my patriotic duty & hand delivered my ballot today ~ I voted!

I want the Revolution to begin! There should be nothing close about this election. Good God! How bad do things have to get before people embrace change? Really, I hope for a resounding landslide win for Obama.

It feels like a relief actually, I don't need to hear anymore from the candidates, especially coming on the heels of the irresponsible spending spree of RNC money. Which really only proves you can put fancy clothes on a candidate, but it will NOT make them smarter. Enough!

Enough of all of it! The prejudice, lies, hatemongering, slander, human rights abuses, environmental irresponsibility, wars for profit, ignoring the needs of the masses, and all the other abuses of power and money. Enough!!!!

Oregonians had quite the task this year, having to endure a hot Senate race, looking to replace one Republican Gordon Smith. His ads have been nasty and flooded the airwaves for months. Gordon, you lost me when you did the grandstand speech about how you could no longer support an illegal and immoral war, and proceeded to fund every additional billion of dollars Bush asked for war. No Sir! You need to step down.
We also had two volumes of ballot measures. Volume One: 155 pages, Volume Two: 45 pages.
Thankfully, the League of Women Voters & another Progressive paper narrowed it down.
The fricking ballot was so big it requires a 59 cent stamp. At first the county said ballots with insufficient postage would be returned.... but the next day they announced they would cover the cost. Voters can hand deliver their ballots as well.

Anyway~ I am voting for the Revolution..... for That One.... for a different direction.

I have always contended, when the question of experience surfaced with Obama, if Experience is what we have in the White House right now, I'll take inexperience any day.
But I don't believe Obama lacks in all the things that matter. A calm disposition. An intelligent mind. A conviction that things can not be done the same way, that we must do things differently. Education in foreign affairs (Political Science) , and the Constitution. He understands the value of education, and how funding it is good for the Country. Obama is our best hope to turn the tides on the worst period and presidency in American history.

Now it's time for you & me--- Got a Revolution?

Paying (for) the Piper, Bristol & Willow too!

Sarah Palin has charged the state of Alaska, $21,012 for her three daughters' 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office in December 2006. She also has charged the state for hotel rooms for the girls.

In October 2007, Palin brought daughter Bristol along on a trip to New York for a women's leadership conference. Plane tickets from Anchorage to La Guardia Airport for $1,385.11 were billed to the state, records show, and mother and daughter shared a room for four nights at the $707.29-per-night Essex House hotel, which overlooks Central Park.

In February 2007, the three girls flew from Juneau to Anchorage on Alaska Airlines. Palin charged the state for the $519.30 round-trip ticket for each girl, and noted on the expense form that the daughters accompanied her to "open the start of the Iron Dog race."

The children and their mother then watched as Todd Palin and other racers started the competition, which Todd won that year. Palin later had the relevant expense forms changed to describe the girls' business as "First Family official starter for the start of the Iron Dog race."

The state is already reviewing nearly $17,000 in per diem payments to Palin for more than 300 nights she slept at her own home, 40 miles from her satellite office in Anchorage.

Tony Knowles, a Democratic former governor of Alaska who lost to Palin in a 2006 bid to reclaim the job, said he never charged the state for his three children's commercial flights and did not claim their travel as official state business. Knowles, who was governor from 1994 to 2002, is the only other recent Alaska governor who had school-age children while in office.

"There was no valid reason for the children to be along on state business," said Knowles, a supporter of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. "I cannot recall any instance during my eight years as governor where it would have been appropriate to claim they performed state business."

Worse~ Palin would sometimes be invited to a function, she would call and ask if she could bring her child along. The organizer of an American Heart Association luncheon on February 15 in Fairbanks said Palin asked to bring daughter Piper to the event, and the organizer said she was surprised when Palin showed up with daughters Willow and Bristol as well.
The three Palin daughters shared a room separate from their mother at the Princess Lodge in Fairbanks for two nights, at a cost to the state of $129 per night. ~ CNN Reports

               Mommy, what does "embezzle" mean???

So Ms. Palin is puttin' on the Ritz~ and sendin' the bill to the State of Alaska.
Makin' due with $700-a-night hotels for 4 days?

What is the phrase I am trying to think of............ PORK BARREL MAVERICK?

Wow! Palin has discovered a fricking Gold Rush bonanza, billing the State for her kids travel & hotels, livin' high on the hog.

Troopergate revealed Abuse of Power. Now we have Abuse of funds.
Will "fancy pagent walking" save her ass this time?

Gotcha journalism ~ or Abuse of Power? You decide

Caption This!

Clearing the Air about Ayers

William Ayers, is a past member of the Weatherman ~ a Vietnam era radical group. Ayers, in the here and now is a distinguished professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago. John McCain's camp has accused Obama of "palling around with terrorists", citing a 1995 meet-the-candidate coffee gathering, that Ayers hosted at his home for Obama when he was running for Illinois State Senate. The two also served together on a Chicago school reform group and a charity board.
Ayres & his wife were considered fugitives for years, until they surrendered in 1980 and charges against him were dropped because of government misconduct, which included FBI break-ins, wiretaps and opening of mail.
"He gives of himself greatly to his students. He gives of his time, his energies, his committment,", said Pamela Quiroz, an associate professor who works in the college of education with Ayers. "He is just a superb individual."
Quiroz is among more than 3,200 people, mostly academics, who have signed an online petition protesting the "demonization" of Ayers during the campaign. (Source Register Guard).

Ayers is quoted as saying: " "We weren't terrorists," Ayers told an interviewer for the Chicago Tribune in 2001. "The reason we weren't terrorists is because we did not commit random acts of terror against people. Terrorism was what was being practiced in the countryside of Vietnam by the United States."

In a letter to the editor in the Chicago Tribune, Ayers wrote, "I condemn all forms of terrorism — individual, group and official". He also condemned the September 11 terrorist attacks in that letter. "Today we are witnessing crimes against humanity on our own shores on an unthinkable scale, and I fear that we may soon see more innocent people in other parts of the world dying in response."

Views on his past expressed since 2001
Ayers was asked in a January 2004 interview, "How do you feel about what you did? Would you do it again under similar circumstances?" He replied: "I've thought about this a lot. Being almost 60, it's impossible to not have lots and lots of regrets about lots and lots of things, but the question of did we do something that was horrendous, awful? ... I don't think so. I think what we did was to respond to a situation that was unconscionable." On September 9, 2008, journalist Jake Tapper reported on the comic strip in Ayers' blog explaining the soundbite: "The one thing I don't regret is opposing the war in Vietnam with every ounce of my being.... When I say, 'We didn't do enough,' a lot of people rush to think, 'That must mean, "We didn't bomb enough shit."' But that's not the point at all. It's not a tactical statement, it's an obvious political and ethical statement. In this context, 'we' means 'everyone.'

Ayers is a passionate activist, he was involved in The Weathermen, which were initially part of the Revolutionary Youth Movement (RYM) within the SDS, Students for a democratic society. Their founding document called for the establishment of a "white fighting force" to be allied with the "Black Liberation Movement" and other "anti-colonial" movements, to achieve "the destruction of US imperialism and the achievement of a classless world."

Ayers later worked with Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley in shaping the city's school reform program, and was one of three co-authors of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge grant proposal that in 1995 won $49.2 million over five years for public school reform. In 1997 The City of Chicago awarded him its Citizen of the Year award for his work on the project. Since 1999 he has served on the board of directors of the Woods Fund of Chicago, an anti-poverty, philanthropic foundation established as the Woods Charitable Fund in 1941.

Ayers is the author of many books, including

• Teaching for Social Justice: A Democracy and Education Reader
• Refusing Racism: White Allies and the Struggle for Civil Rights
• Teaching the Personal and the Political: Essays on Hope and Justice
• Teaching Toward Freedom: Moral Commitment and Ethical Action in the Classroom 

This is just another aspect that needed to be vetted. Yes, Ayers was a radical activist back in the radical 60's anti Vietnam war era. Apparently the government broke it's own rules, and was not able to prosecute him for those actions. But that is not the end of the story. Ayers went on to refine his passion into teaching, and is still teaching to this day. He raised his own two children, and a third child of another activist who was jailed. The child, is a Rhodes scholar. I just thought it would be good to tell the whole story.

So Obama is palling around with Community Organizers & a distinguished College Professor!

Apparently a few American citizens are ok with that.......

Oh Shit!

A vote for Obama is a vote for McCain?
Trouble with the damned electronic touch screen voting machines.

The Charleston Gazette reports


At least three early voters in Jackson County, West Virginia, had a hard time voting for candidates they want to win.

Virginia Matheney and Calvin Thomas said touch-screen machines in the county clerk's office in Ripley kept switching their votes from Democratic to Republican candidates.

"When I touched the screen for Barack Obama, the check mark moved from his box to the box indicating a vote for John McCain," said Matheney, who lives in Kenna.

When she reported the problem, she said, the poll worker in charge "responded that everything was all right. It was just that the screen was sensitive and I was touching the screen too hard. She instructed me to use only my fingernail."

Even after she began using her fingernail, Matheney said, the problem persisted.

When she tried to vote for candidates running for two open seats on the Supreme Court, the electronic machine canceled her second vote twice.

Whale of a problem with Palin

Whales are beautiful creatures, that require a healthy ocean habitat to survive.

On Friday, the federal government placed the Beluga whales in Alaska's Cook Inlet under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, concluding that a decade long recovery program has failed to insure their survival.
The findings of NOAA'S National Marine Fisheries Service conflict with claims by Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin, who has questioned scientific evidence that the beluga whale population in the waters near Anchorage continue to decline. Palin argued in December 2007 that the whales were recovering, that delayed the decision. Another review showed no increase of the numbers.

Subsistence hunting took a toll on the Cook Inlet beluga population, which numbered as many as 1300 in the 1970s, but now stands at 375. In August 2007, the Palin administration submitted 95 pages of data and comments to try to keep the whales off the list.

The Cook Inlet beluga whale population declined by 50% between 1994 and 1998. The whale recovery has been hindered by development & a range of industrial activities- including those related to oil and gas exploration. The INterior department has proposed making oil leases available in the Cook Inlet as early as next year, saying the waters have $1.38 billion worth of resources. Protection of the Beluga Whale and the Polar Bear means protecting their habitat.

Palin's request stalled the listing of the whale for 10 months. Palin filed a lawsuit on behalf of the State of Alaska against the Interior Department to fight the listing of the Polar Bear as threatened in May of 2008.

In the meantime, energy companies have paid billions for the right to explore for oil and natural gas in polar bear & beluga whale habitat.

Brendan Cummings, the oceans program director for the Center for Biological Diversity, which is challenging the rule in court on the grounds that it is illegal, said Thursday that the lawsuit brought by industry is another attempt to "make the polar bear's protections more meaningless than they already are."

The polar bear case includes the federal government's first consideration of climate change as a factor in making a listing determination under the ESA.

The decision means that before federal agencies can issue a variety of commercial permits, they must consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service to determine if there are potential harmful effects on the whales, or the Interior Department protections in the case of Polar Bears. That has the potential to affect major Alaska projects, including an expansion of the Port of Anchorage, additional offshore oil and gas drilling, a proposed $600m bridge connecting Anchorage to Palin's hometown of Wasilla, and a massive coal mine 45 miles south of Anchorage.

“I am especially concerned,” the governor said in a written statement in August 2007, when her administration submitted documents to fight the listing, “that an unnecessary federal listing and designation of critical habitat would do serious long-term damage to the vibrant economy of the Cook Inlet area.”

OK~ just to recap, not too hard to connect the dots here. It's quite obvious wildlife and oil don't mix. Even the Republican led Interior department could no longer suppress the scientific facts about the 2 species, but Palin has the dollar signs in her eyes- she is blinded by big oil. For the Whale & the Polar bear, Drill Baby Drill equals, Kill Baby Kill ~ not one species, but two

Vetting Emporium

The saga of Joe the plumber....

About Joe-the-plumber

On Thursday, he revealed to the media assembled outside his home that he wasn't a licensed plumber. He said he works for a small plumbing company that does residential work. Because he works for someone else, he doesn't need a license, he said.

But Wurzelbacher still would need to be a licensed apprentice or journeyman to work in Toledo, and he's not, said David Golis, manager and residential building official for the Toledo Division of Building Inspection.
Ohio State officials said all plumbers doing commercial work in the State must be licensed.

BUSTED!

State and local records show Wurzelbacher has no license, although his employer does. Golis said there are no records of inspectors citing Wurzelbacher for unlicensed work in Toledo.

NOT YET ANYWAY....

Wurzelbacher, 34, also said he doesn't have a good plan put together on how he would buy Newell Plumbing and Heating in nearby Toledo.

He said the business consists of owner Al Newell and him. Wurzelbacher said he's worked there for six years and that the two have talked about his taking it over at some point.

"There's a lot I've got to learn," he said.

Wurzelbacher also owes the state of Ohio $1,182.98 in personal income tax, according to Lucas County Court of Common Pleas records.

OK-- HE WANTS TO BUY OUT THE COMPANY, BUT IS NOT A LICENSED PLUMBER, AND IS IN ARREARS $1,182 FROM AS FAR BACK AS JAN 2007???

In January 2007, Ohio's Department of Taxation filed a claim on his property until he pays the debt, according to the records. The lien remains active.

AND YET HE STILL SUPPORTS THE REPUBLICANS!

Wurzelbacher, who voted in the Republican primary and indicated he backed McCain, was cited by the GOP presidential candidate as an example of someone who wants to buy a plumbing business but would be hurt by Obama's tax plans. Wurzelbacher said he was surprised that his name was mentioned so many other times. ~ CBS news reports.

Oh Shit! Joe-the-Plumber, mentioned 1/2 dozen times in the national debate, is now busted for not having a license!
Thanks a lot McCain! The guy owes back taxes & could be fined for not having proper credentials to do his job!
McCain announced he'd like Joe-the-plumber to come speak at his rallies.

In McCain's tradition of shoddy vetting, it turns out Joe-the-plumber's actual first name is Sam.
Sam Joseph Wurzelbacher. All that noise at the debate, and McCain got it wrong. Sam-the-unlicensed, back-tax owing plumber.
To date though, we've heard more from Joe/Sam than we have from Palin.

By the way...So today, Joe, who said he makes much less than $250,000, reluctantly admitted Obama would lower his taxes.

What are you voting for?

The final debate is over. We've heard all the points and counterpoints. I am not even going to scrutinize each line item and response. I feel like we've heard it all already. For me, it comes down the clear differences between the candidates, and the very different paths they would take us down. I want to be a responsible person. I want to work towards a peaceful planet. I want to be a caretaker of the earth. Our habitat can't be squandered, because unlike a financial mess many generations from now will potentially dig out of, a reckless planetary stewardship may not be reversible. I do not want the Polar Bear to go extinct under my watch. I think offshore drilling is a disaster, and we need to get off the carbon based fuel for power anyway. I think Nuclear Power plants are a death sentence. I think illegal wars are not only irresponsible and immoral, but the king of pork barrel spending. I want education honored and funded. We need serious and viable health care funded. I want the Constitution upheld as the law of the land. I want to be in compliance with International laws. I don;t want my country declaring they can interpret as they like, something as important as the Geneva Conventions. I want Women's rights preserved and protected. I want a leader that embraces true diplomacy and is not fixed on having enemies and wars, divisions and hatred. I want to feel like my country has leadership that is undoubtedly humane. I want high level officials who are accountable and follow the laws. I want thoughtful leadership based on common sense and a gathering of the brightest in their fields to forge best solutions to our serious problems. Politicians are human, and humans can be misinformed, unaware and make mistakes, but, in the end, you really have to ask yourself ~ What is it you are voting for? It is the direction and big picture we need to consider, and base our decisions upon.


Don't curse the darkness, Light a candle


In closing I want to say the Poverty Blogswarm posts of 10/15 on Siren's Chronicles were moving, and thought provoking. I'd like to add one more perspective to poverty. I can see in the high office of the U.S. Government, there are many who have great monetary wealth, but are impoverished. They are bankrupt of compassion, and humanity. They have commanded others to commit the most vile human rights violations. They had premeditated an illegal occupation causing massive loss of life and untold suffering. This kind of poverty of the soul is deceptive, because it wears the mask of civility. But it robs humanity of core necessities, like human dignity. The ethics and mindset that allows people to do such unthinkable deeds, is a poverty that is malignant. I can only hope our country can recover from this poverty of our collective souls.

Poverty

Click on the photo to enlarge

This photo, posted by Dusty on the Siren's Chronicles blog , made me gasp this morning.
Today, the Siren's site is dedicated to the topic of Poverty, participating in the Blogswarm.
Please go there and read some of the excellent posts on this topic. Click on the different Daily featured 1-2-3.... to see the different posts on poverty. Itr is a difficult topic, but we as a society must address it together, to find a solution.

I am heading to the hills for a mental health break day & will be back for the debate. Then I will probably need another mental health break!!!

Fireside Chat

Fun VP Debate Highlights

Women Against Sarah Palin

Yesterday I ran a post featuring a glimpse into the world of the blog that is "Women 4 Palin".
It was not a happy place to be. So today I am going to cross over into the Woman Against Sarah Palin blog & share some clips from a much different perspective. An interesting observation about this blog, is the revolt & disgust with Palin extend "across the aisle", Republicans, Independents & Democrats alike have express profound discontent with Palin as Vice President. they have chosen a woman who does not support Women's rights, with an ineptitude never before seen. The following is a sampling from their blog post contributors:


• Are we supposed to be so blind that we don't realize that the Republicans are running the foulest campaign I have seen in my lifetime as a distraction to the fact that both McCain and Palin are just not right for the Oval Office?

• As Mark Twain said, "Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it."

• I feel disrespected as a woman by the arrogance of the GOP! Their nomination of Sarah Palin is an absolute slap in the face.
Every time I watch her speak, batting her eyelashes and smiling amiably as she simultaneously embarrasses herself and her party with her obvious disregard for facts or knowledge, I am appalled! The women of this country have worked far to hard to gain the equality I am SO proud to now enjoy as a woman for us too throw it all away. I never thought that I would be basing my first vote, something that I honestly have waited a long time for, on the inadequacies of a vice-presidential candidate rather than the capabilities of a presidential candidate.

• What Mrs Palin's mudslinging strategy does is show us that because she has so little to offer, she has to resort to the lowest tactics of all to win the race. She can't tell us why she is fit, because she's not fit. She can't tell us about her excellent ideas for the economy, immigration, crime, world peace, etc, because she has none. Her only option to win this race is to kneecap the other guy. I only hope that my compatriots will see through the lies spewed forth by Mrs Palin. McCain deserves to lose for his misjudgment in adding this woman to his ticket.

• We must recognize, however, that this candidate is at a special risk because there are many in our society who are not ready to accept this monumental change. For Sarah Palin and John McCain to stoke these hatreds at their political rallies is unconscionable.

• This type of smear campaign goes beyond being a bad leader, it really overturns the rock of ignorance that unfortunately still exists in this country.

• She is not experienced enough or knowledgeable enough to address the economic and social disasters that have to be redressed in order for the United States to regain their footing on the world stage... Women are ready and able to lead this country. It simply isn't Sarah.

• With the economic situation, the fact that we are at war, etc., makes this choice almost an act of treason.

• My cringe reflex is exhausted.

• If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself.

Go there yourself, there are several pages of older posts, from the full political spectrum.
Frankly, after visiting the other Palin supportive blog, it was refreshing to return to rational thought, and good sound reasoning. this blog is not one sided, blinded by faith or one spectrum of any particular party. Enjoy!

NOW Supports Obama

National Organization for Women Supports Obama
National Organization for Women PAC Endorses Obama-Biden
STATEMENT OF KIM GANDY
Chair, National Organization for Women Political Action Committee (NOW PAC)

It is with great enthusiasm that I announce today, on behalf of the nation's oldest and largest women's rights organization, that the National Organization for Women Political Action Committee (NOW PAC) proudly endorses Sen. Barack Obama for President of the United States.

It is no coincidence that I am joined in this announcement by so many allied organizations that collectively represent a broad and diverse cross-section of U.S. women. From teachers to social workers, from business owners to college students, women in this country are lining up behind the candidate who is out there every day standing up -- clearly and consistently -- for women. Women of all ages, races and ethnicities are coming together in support of Sen. Obama and his pledge to fulfill this country's promise of equal opportunity for our daughters as well as our sons.

Although it is very unusual for us to endorse in a presidential election, this is an unprecedented candidate and an unprecedented time for our country. The NOW PAC reviewed Sen. Obama's record and public statements on issues that disproportionately affect the women of this nation, and I spoke with him at length about his commitment to women's equality. For example:

On pay equity. Sen. Obama is a co-sponsor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation to end wage discrimination against women.

On reproductive rights. Sen. Obama is a co-sponsor of the Prevention First Act, to strengthen access to contraception and reproductive health care, and prevent unwanted pregnancies. He strongly supports Roe v. Wade and will oppose any efforts to overturn it.

On violence against women. Sen. Obama supports the continued reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act -- of which Sen. Joe Biden is the chief sponsor -- as well as the Security and Financial Empowerment (SAFE) Act, which is legislation to provide legal, medical and financial support to victims of domestic violence.

On the Supreme Court. Sen. Obama opposed the nominations of George Bush's extreme right-wing nominees to the Supreme Court, who have consistently ruled against women's rights,

For more than a decade, Barack Obama has said "yes" to women's rights, while John McCain has consistently said "no" - NO to pay equity, NO to contraceptive access and reproductive rights, NO to appointing Supreme Court judges who will uphold women's rights and civil rights, NO to funding shelters and other anti-violence programs, and NO to supporting working moms and dads with policies that support work/life balance.

NOW supported Sen. Hillary Clinton in the primary, and now we join with her in saying "NO" -- No Way, No How, No McCain! And we proudly stand arm-in-arm with her in putting our hopes and our dreams, our hard work and our hard-earned money, behind the next President of the United States -- Barack Obama, and his running mate, longtime friend and ally of women, Sen. Joe Biden.

Typo my ass

This ballot went out to 300 residents in Rensselaer County, New York. Republican officials were apologetic. “We have three different staff members who proof these things and somehow the typo got by us,” said Republican Commissioner Larry Bugbee. “We really apologize.” On Row 1A, Barack Obama’s name is spelled Barack Osama — a name bearing an unfortunate resemblance to terror mastermind Osama bin Laden - but further down on the Working Families line it is spelled correctly. The Obama camp took the controversy in stride. “We’re glad officials are working to correct this error and we assume it won’t happen again,” Obama spokesman Blake Zeff said. McDonough said the absentee ballots with the error went out to voters in Brunswick, Nassau, Sand Lake, Schaghticoke and Schodack. Three voters called to report the error. By day’s end, officials decided to issue new ballots to all 300 voters. They realized some people might cross out the misspelling and write in the correct spelling. “Election law is quite clear that any corrections done on a ballot will nullify the vote, so to be safe, we re-issued them,” McDonough said. One Sand Lake resident who caught the misspelling, and who asked to be anonymous, was skeptical. “It’s a little suspicious and at least grossly incompetent,” the voter said. (Times Union reported). THREE proofreaders missed this error? Seriously?

I can’t take another stolen election. There are reports of voters names being wrongfully purged off registration lists. Voters will not know about it until they go to vote, and their names have vanished off the roster, and it’s too late to do anything about it. Ironically this happens in known democratic strongholds.

100 day countdown

Two of a kind

We are down to the last 100 days of the Bush Regime.
Hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Toning it down

McCain must have had some words from authorities to tone down the angry mob rhetoric. It was never OK to invoke the hatred of terrorist innuendos, that made the crowds fierce and threatening, vicious and vengeful.
Like this guy, with his NOBAMA /NO SOCIALISM sign. Sir, have you been paying attention at all in the last few weeks? Because seven hundred billion dollars just flew out of the U. S. Treasury for Socialized bailout money for Corporate Welfare. Sir, that ship has already sailed, and trust me when I say, you will not find that money in your 401k quarterly statement. Please note it is under the Bush as Decider regime that this economic failure has occurred.

ZERO DOLLAR FOR ZERO SENSE

Artist Laura Gilbert, a full time artist based in New York created "The Zero Dollar". She was handing out 10,000 free Zero dollar bill art pieces (as seen below), smaller than a regular sized bill, and both front & back on one page. Gilbert stood across from the New York Stock Exchange handing out the bills.


Another group of street theater enthusiasts, the "Billionaires for the Bailout" -- yes, the same folks who brought us "Billionaires for Bush" -- dressed in tuxes and tails and shouted satiric thank-yous to taxpayers for handing over $700 billion. ("Thank you for covering our assets!" was a recurring line.) Nearby, a person wearing a massive, papier-mache head of Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. danced to the tune of "Money (That's What I Want)" while confederates held aloft a sign that read "US Treasury Under New Management: Goldman Sachs." ~WaPo reports.

I love street theater, and *Think Art*. Who knows where this bailout business will end, really, but Bankruptcy and Depression come to mind. It's no mystery who will be left with the short end of the stick. Ooops! Your 401k retirement savings just disappeared, at the same time Social Security money will follow the same hocus pocus disappearing act.

And while we are covering New York & economic news.....


Talk about a *Sign of the Times*, the National Debt Clock in Times Square has reached it's limit.

The New York Post reports:

If you think the national debt is bad, the people who own the National Debt Clock are even more pessimistic: They're planning on reformatting their Times Square-area ticker so it can keep track of a debt 100 times bigger than the current $10 trillion.

With the national debt now at $10.2 trillion, the late Seymour Durst's legendary National Debt Clock has run out of space. To fix it, the Durst Organization plans to add places for two extra digits next year, a spokesman said.

The digital dollar sign now on the clock will be switched to a number one - the "1" in $10 trillion - until the sign can be redone.

Would someone please send a memo to Bush, letting him know this is not the way to forge a legacy?

Voting for positive change

I wish we could fast forward to election day. I see this great picture of a loving family, who has already made so many sacrifices to try to help this country. I have a great deal of respect for the Obama family, willing to take on a leadership role in the post Bush era. Let's face it, our country is at an all time low, on every front. But in election season, as politicians become desperate, and they do not have a solid record of their own to promote, they resort to the low road, and baseless attacks. The photo shown above is not the profile of someone who "pals around with domestic terrorists". It is absurd.

While these desperate politicians try to play the fear and slander cards, who can help but notice the lack of interviews that are on topic and focused are kept to a historic minimum. Specifically, Palin's interviews have been a disaster. She fails in this format, because she can't answer the questions. We can't have leaders who only have lists of talking points as their base of knowledge, running the country. That is absurd, and dangerous.

John McCain has sold his soul to try to be president, by trading off long standing values, like no torture, and strict compliance with the Geneva Conventions. A person who was a prisoner of war would be most likely demand solid rules of engagement, with special regard to prisoners or detainees of war. That is a fundamental, moral trade off that is not acceptable.

How could he? Along with the lifelong promotion of deregulation, at a time when the economy is in a historic, catastrophic, major meltdown- how does he defend his position? More absurdity, and more dangerous.

It's too bad we have to endure this final gasp. We need positive change. We need to take a sharp turn away from the course we have been mired in for eight long years.
As a voter, I want answers, dignity, and honesty.

The stakes are too high for anything less.



Let Freedom Ring ~ MLK Tribute

This Sheriffs' Got Soul

CNN reports:

A Chicago, Illinois Sheriff, Thomas J. Dart said Wednesday he is suspending foreclosure evictions in Cook County, which had been on track to reach a record number of evictions, many because of mortgage foreclosures.Sheriff Thomas J. Dart of Cook County, Illinois, says proper eviction procedures aren't always been followed.

He said many of the evictions involve renters who are paying their rent on time but are being thrown out because the landlord has fallen behind on mortgage payments.

Mortgage companies are supposed to identify a building's occupants before asking for an eviction, but sheriff's deputies routinely find that the mortgage companies have not done so, he said.

"These mortgage companies only see pieces of paper, not people, and don't care who's in the building," Dart said. "They simply want their money and don't care who gets hurt along the way."

"On top of it all, they want taxpayers to fund their investigative work for them. We're not going to do their jobs for them anymore. We're just not going to evict innocent tenants. It stops today."

Dart said he wants the judiciary or the state Legislature to establish protections for those most harmed by the mortgage crisis.

In 1999, Cook County had 12,935 mortgage foreclosure cases; in 2006, 18,916 cases were filed and last year, 32,269 were filed. This year's total is expected to exceed 43,000.

"The people we're interacting with are, many times, oblivious to the financial straits their landlord might be in," Dart said. "They are the innocent victims here and they are the ones all of us must step up and find some way to protect."

The Illinois Bankers Association opposed the plan, saying that Dart "was elected to uphold the law and to fulfill the legal duties of his office, which include serving eviction notices."

The association said Dart could be found in contempt of court for ignoring court eviction orders.

"The reality is that by ignoring the law and his legal responsibilities, he is carrying out 'vigilantism' at the highest level of an elected official," it said. "The Illinois banking industry is working hard to help troubled homeowners in many ways, but Sheriff Dart's declaration of 'marshal law' should not be tolerated."

Interesting how they are trying to charge HIM with declaring Marshal Law, when they are not following the procedures they are supposed to .
This Sheriff is doing the right thing. I hope we have MORE law officers who realize the people getting foreclosed/evicted are victims of this system.... which leads us to the next blog post...

Getting Soaked

Situated high on a bluff overlooking the majestic Pacific Ocean, stands a landmark resort of legendary proportions. Located midway between Los Angeles and San Diego, the Tuscan-inspired St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach is devoted to the pursuit of service and elegance with a seamless blend of comfort, scandal and technology.
The St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach provides business travelers with extensive services to bilk the taxpayers. 

The St. Regis Identity: The St. Regis is more than a Hotel; it is familiar surroundings for exceptional scams. The St. Regis is the premier venue for the leading social, economic and political communities in which it exists. The hallmark of every St. Regis is that each guest experience is both anticipated and personalized. Conduct your business in luxurious surroundings or retreat from a hectic Federal Treasury bailout schedule, to the comfort of your guestroom, living in the lap of luxury.

We the People, just footed a bailout of insurance giant AIG at the cost of $85 billion dollars. In light of overall market turmoil, former CEO Robert Willumstad said, "I don't believe AIG could have done anything differently."

AIG held an executive retreat at the St. Regis exclusive resort days after the bailout. Receipts and invoices in evidence show some $443,000 for rooms, meals, including $23,00 for spa services. 70 top producers were given this luxury resort perk that averaged out about $6285 per person.  

But wait! There's more!!! AIG came back & asked for an additional $38 BILLION.

So now, to date the Federal Reserve has bailed out AIG to the tune of $122 Billion.

The press has not sought out comments from the residents of the nearby Tent City in Los Angeles. These people are living the reality of foreclosed mortgages. I wonder if they could have made good use of the $122 billion to bail them out?

Post Debate Update

We know he can say it, "my friends", but who is he talking about exactly?




Talk about the economy all you want, and praise the workers-- but Brother- can you spare a job?



The Town Hall "Debate" was a yawner. I am ready to vote.....
What did you think about it?

ERASE HATE

Today is the 10 year anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, was beaten, robbed and left tied to a wooden fence post outside Laramie, Wyoming; he died five days later. His death helped awaken the nation to the persecution of homosexuals and their victimization as objects of hate crimes.
Matthew did not die in vein, his tragic death shined light on the need for support and unity.

Click here to go to the Matthew Shepard Foundation site.

The ERASE HATE SUPPORT PAGE

Either you learn from history or you don't

Keating 5 Documentary from the Obama campaign.

Extreme Makeover!!!

Wow! BIG HAT TIP to Dusty~ of Siren's Chronicles & It's my right to be left of the Center, for her art-techno talents in giving this blog an Extreme makeover. It all started with me trying to get art centered in my header.
Let's just say some blogger templates suck.

Anyway, I may play further with colors & layouts, but it was her talent, patience & skills that got me light years ahead in this project--AND prevented me from throwing things out the window! Smart girl that she is-- this is a photo of a bridge.. to *somewhere*. The Golden Gate Bridge.

Hi$toric $pending

After approving a historic $700 billion bailout, Congress has adjourned until Jan 2009.
In all their scrambling to put together the bailout, they missed the most obvious step-- fire the guy who was supposed to be overseeing this mess. Hank Paulson kept his job?

In my workplace, all you have to do to get fired, is have 7 incidents. Unexcused absences, late more than 8 minutes. They do not care what the reason is- if the bus was late, or you did not know to file official leave paperwork- they have fired good workers, top producers, award winning people- because this corporate mandate is hard & fast & not negotiable.
You meet this criteria or you lose your job.

In the Government, however, a worker can say everything is "sound" and functional, but one fine day come running, saying it has all fallen apart, we need $700 billion to keep the economy together, and he wants total legal immunity to do so.
This guy KEEPS his job?

The National debt has now soared to $10 TRILLION dollars, and the debt numbers are whizzing by even faster than before. (See the National Debt counter on the sidebar)

We don't just carry the debt, but also the interest on the debt.

The estimated population of the United States is 304,843,286
so each citizen's share of this debt is $33,303.39.

The National Debt has continued to increase an average of
$3.08 billion per day since September 28, 2007!

Couric & Co reports:
The National debt has grown by more than $5 trillion during George W. Bush’s presidency.

It’s the biggest debt increase under any president in U.S history.

On the day President Bush took office, the national debt stood at $5.727 trillion. The latest number from the Treasury Department shows the national debt now stands at more than $10,203 trillion.

But the government is taking no chances. Buried deep in the hundred pages of bailout legislation is a provision that would raise the statutory ceiling on the national debt to $11.315 trillion. It’ll be the 7th time the debt limit has been raised during this administration. In fact it was just two months ago, on July 30, that President Bush signed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act, which contained a provision raising the debt ceiling to $10.615 trillion.

A national debt at $10.4 trillion – amounts to 69.3 percent of the gross domestic product – the standard measure of the size of the economy.

Today, OMB press secretary Corinne Hirsch, renewed the oft-made government argument that reporters should focus on just that part of the national debt that is held by the public – now about $5.6 trillion and not include that portion billed as “intra-governmental holdings” – money the government owes itself – especially the Social Security and Medicare trust funds.

Of course, the government doesn’t have that money either. It’s been spent.

President Bush made that point himself on April 5, 2005, when he paid a visit to the offices of the Bureau of the Public Debt in Parkersburg, W.Va.

He was shown a white file cabinet with keypad locks on each of its four drawers in which the Social Security Trust Fund is stored. On that day, there was no cash – as he noted in a speech later in the day.

“There is no 'trust fund,' just IOUs that I saw firsthand, that future generations will pay – will pay for either in higher taxes, or reduced benefits, or cuts to other critical government programs."

The government didn’t have the money it owed itself back then – and still doesn’t.

A couple of weeks after he took office, President Bush addressed the Republican Congressional Retreat in Williamsburg and declared that his budget “pays down the national debt.”

In recent years, President Bush almost never mentions the national debt. "

John McCain & Sarah Palin don't mention the National Debt either. They do talk about budget cuts and slashing "pork barrel spending", but they don't clarify what they consider to be this excessive spending. They want us to trust they will "Maverick" their way through it.

John McCain has publicly stated, he does not know much about the economy, and he is a long time advocate of deregulation.

No candidate should be allowed to skate on such a topic of importance, because things can go bad, in the wink of an eye.

Breaking the back of the working class

John Lennon~ Working Class Hero

We the People are now some kind of working class hero, working not to contribute to the greater good, but to shore up the gamblers of Wall Street. We are bailing out people, some of whom make over $500,000 a year.
We are rescuing them.
We are told we are rescuing ourselves. And who amongst us feels any sense of trust in what George Bush says or does?

So how do we know this "catastrophe" is not just some other ulterior motive of some other scheme? I can't help but notice the banks gobbling up other banks would otherwise be subject to anti trust rules & reviews, but are now seen as the sky-is-falling saviors.

We have every right to have doubts and fears, not about the ones Bush is telling us, but about the other questions and details he is NOT telling us. Right after the House approved the $700 billion dollar bailout, Bush was quick to say, this won't totally solve the problem- as if to deliver the omen that he'd be back asking for more. Time will tell just how many other places fail in the Wall Street world of finance. After all, it is being handled by a hand picked Bush regime appointee.

Meanwhile we go to work, earning meager wages, making a tiny fraction of what these high finance CEO's make, to make sure they stay wealthy & solvent, while breaking the back of the working class. Working Class heros.