Rediscover Joy

My friend, Ed, a link to the world of the conservative, sent me this video, from his uncle, the ultra conservative, as a reminder to pause for a while among all the hectic activities this time of year and not lose yourself in the activities of shopping, cooking, stress and fatigue. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have. Even the conservatives are supporting change! Be sure to turn up the volume on your speakers and ENJOY!

Click here:  FINDING JOY

A Great Day!

It was a great Christmas day with presents, cooking, good conversation, and playing in the snow. The meteorologists tell us that in Western Washington we have a 7% chance of a White Christmas and that there have only been 10 Christmases since 1891 with more than one inch of snow. Here on South Pass Road at about the 535 foot level we have 26 or so inches of snow on the ground -- not sure if it was a record breaker, but it sure was beautiful. Our guests enjoyed skiing, sledding and making angels in the snow.

Not my usual post, but.....

I just had to tell you about two things I learned today from Customer Service 800 numbers:

1. Six full graham crackers make one cup of graham cracker crumbs;

2. You can keep home-made mashed potatoes on warm in a Rival Crock Pot for 2 - 3 hours.

I searched the Internet for this information and could not find a thing! But the customer service folks at Kraft and Rival had the information at their fingertips -- and they assured me that these were not the most unusual questions they have ever received.

I made my Mother's recipe for Christmas Pudding and it called for 18 crushed graham crackers, but only had the already crushed kind. And I hate the last minute kitchen chaos with the mashing the potatoes, scooping the stuffing and stirring the gravy all at the same time!! 

I'm way ahead with dinner prep this year!!!

Torture Creates Terrorists

On November 30, 2008, the Washington Post published an article by Matthew Alexander, a pseudonym for a military officer who led an interrogation team in Iraq in 2006. In the article Alexander talks about "the deeply flawed, ineffective and un-American way the U.S. Military conducts interrogations in Iraq."

Alexander is a 14-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force serving as a pilot, counterintelligence agent, and an interrogator. In Iraq in February of 2006, he was part of a team trying to locate Zarqawi. He found that the Army was conducting interrogations according to the Guantanamo Bay model, which he defines as the methods outlined in the U.S. Army Field Manual, but often bending and breaking the rules. He said, "These interrogations were based on fear and control; they often resulted in torture and abuse."

Matthew Alexander refused to use those techniques and taught his team another approach that built rapport with suspects, was culturally sensitive, and used "good old-fashioned brainpower to tease out information." Their efforts were successful and led to the death of Zarqawi.

Despite Alexander's team's success, the military continued to use the old methods -- cruelty, hatred and fear. Alexander knows the justification that says, "we need the rough stuff for the truly hard cases...." Yet he recounts an incident in which his new techniques prompted one captive to say, "I thought you would torture me, and when you didn't, I decided that everything I was told about Americans was wrong. That's why I decided to cooperate."

Perhaps the most emotionally wrenching and intellectually compelling statement made by Matthew Alexander was this one:

Torture and abuse are against my moral fabric. The cliche still bears repeating: Such outrages are inconsistent with American principles. And then there's the pragmatic side: Torture and abuse cost American lives.

I cried as he went on to show how the torture created more terrorists with a stronger will who killed more American soldiers. And I couldn't help but place the blame directly at the feet of Cheney and Bush. Here is a military man who figured out a better way, a more morally correct way, to gather information and at the same time to reach out to the enemy in a humane way.

But out leaders, both civilian and military, were too set on their course, too ignorant, too calloused, too devoid of morals and ethics, to even listen to Matthew Alexander, to even consider a better way, to rise above evil and seek a more just way. Alexander says that "at least half of our losses and casualties in that country have come at the hands of foreigners who joined the fray because of our program of detainee abuse." He rightly calls the torture and abuses a stain on our national honor.

Damn you Dick Cheney! Damn you George W. Bush! 

I call on the next administration to charge Cheney and Bush with the war crimes that they have committed. That is the only way to restore our national honor, to reinstate moral and ethical treatment for all and to reset our course based on our founding principles.

"Enough to make a Jackal puke"

In an interview with Jonathan Karl of ABC News, Dick Cheney, in all his arrogance, has admitted to two major crimes: 

1.  Lying to the American people - no matter what the intelligence may or may not have shown, he would have still declared war on Iraq - Cheney said, "This was a bad actor, and the country's better off, the world's better off, with Saddam gone, and I think we made the right decision, in spite of the original NIE (National Intelligence Estimate) was off in some of its major judgments." 

We went to war simply because Dick Cheney wanted to.

Dan Kennedy of the UK Guardian wrote, "For Dick Cheney, the cause of so much suffering, to assert with such smug certitude that it was all for the best is enough to make a jackal puke." I couldn't have said it any better.

2.  Authorizing war crimes of torture. In the ABC interview Cheney admitted that he was directly involved in approving the use of torture by the CIA. In talking about Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who was waterboarded over 100 times, Cheney said he was involved in the approval and added, "So it's been a remarkably successful effort. I think the results speak for themselves." The reporter even pushed him a bit by asking if in hindsight did he think the tactics go too far. Cheney replied, "I don't." And again Karl asked if the tactic of waterboarding, which we no longer use, was appropriate to use with KSM. And again Cheney replied,"I do."

There you have it folks -- if Cheney is not charged with the crime of torture of prisoners of war, then we are indeed no better than the terrorists that we denounce.

Cheney and his cronies will say that waterboarding isn't really torture and isn't a punishable offense. But check out the history of waterboarding that NPR reported in a story they did on torture and war crimes in November of 2007 during the Mukasey nomination hearings. In that piece they cite legal cases from World War II, The Vietnam War, and a 1983 case involving a Texas sheriff. The perpetrators of the waterboarding torture in all three cases were found guilty and sentenced accordingly.

Why should Cheney remain above the law? He must be charged and tried just like the others. 

If Cheney is not held accountable, where will it end? 

45 days, 14 hours and counting.....

I always thought I knew what a "natural born citizen" was -- until today. Our Constitution says that a president must be a "natural born citizen." I thought that "natural born citizen" meant someone with at least one parent of U.S. citizenship, no matter where that person was born, as long as they did not hold citizenship in any other country. Today, after listening to various legal experts and reading a variety of news sources on the internet, I am amending my previous understanding so that now I believe that a "natural born citizen" is one born in a U.S. state or territory with at least one parent a U.S. citizen.

But even with that new bit of information, I'm absolutely amazed that the United States Supreme Court may actually decide to hear a case regarding Barack Obama's citizenship. The Chicago Tribune reported today about at least 10-15 court cases trying to challenge Barack Obama's citizenship status in order to prevent him from being inaugurated in January, even though the state of Hawaii has certified the legitimacy of his birth certificate on file in that state and both Media Matters and FactCheck.org have established the facts in this case.

It is all a bunch of malarkey being perpetuated by the extreme right, by those who see an Obama presidency as some sort of threat to their beliefs. The only possible threat he holds for them is that their far-right, evangelical religious fanaticism will not be shoved down the throats of the rest of us who happen to be the majority of U.S. citizens.

If the Supreme Court is arrogant enough to agree to hear this case, it only shows us just how far afield at least two branches of the government have veered under soon-to-be ex-president Bush.

The Inauguration of Barack Obama can't happen soon enough!

Religion, Rhetoric and Why Doesn't She Just Go Home!

It has been a while since my last posting. I really do have several excuses -- post-election euphoria and bronchitis. The euphoria continues and I finally got some meds for the bronchitis!

There are three issues currently bothering me; hence the title: Religion, Rhetoric and Why Doesn't She Just Go Home!

Religion

I just finished reading Ken Follett's World Without End, the sequel to his The Pillars of the Earth. Both are historical fiction set in the 1100's to 1400's with a major theme of religion, politics and power in England. Great stories that once again give us an historic perspective of unethical and immoral religious power at its worst -- the use of religion to control common people. Now you are asking yourself, "So what's her point?"

The point is -- it still happens today. Aren't we slow learners! The Associated Press has reported on a catholic priest in South Carolina who told parishioners that if they voted for Barack Hussein Obama (yep! he used the full name!) they can't receive communion because he is the "most radical pro-abortion politician...," and voting for him "constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil." Holy Shit! Whatever happened to separation of church and state? Why should his parish (or any other for that matter) be tax exempt? Secondly, what an idiot! He doesn't know the difference between pro-abortion and pro-choice! President-elect Obama is pro-choice. He has never said that he would push, force or compel anyone to have an abortion. Don't like abortion? Don't have one! Priests can abuse children for years and the church keeps it hush-hush and pays off victims. But women make their own choices? Never! What hypocrisy! Isn't it time to quit clinging to religion?

Rhetoric

Wow! I can't believe how naive I've been. I used to think that Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity were just idiots that a few bigots listened to. Then someone told me about Media Matters for America. I had no idea just how many radio programs are broadcast every day in the country that preach hate and intolerance, tell lies and swear they are true.... and millions of people listen to them every day and take it all in as "gospel truth." These are gun-toting, religion-clinging, "I'm patriotic and you're not," kind of folks. Katie Couric should have skipped the question about what newspapers Palin reads and instead asked her what radio programs she listens to!

Media Matters for America has documented a nationwide network of conservative radio hosts engaged in an all-out effort to foster hate and suspicion of Barack Obama. But these same radio hosts also lash out at women, the LGBT community, the poor, minorities, progressives and even autistic children. Since I usually only listen to NPR or CBC2, I had no idea how bad it was out there on talk radio. The Media Matters website documents hundreds of these programs that are indeed shocking. I'll do additional blogs on this issue over the next few weeks, but here are just a few:

Dennis Miller: "Women on the left hate" Palin "because to me...it appears that she has a great sex life."

Chris Baker: Called Obama a "little bitch" who "won't even stand up to "smoking-hot" Palin.

Chris Baker: "I don't think homeless people should vote;" "I'm not that excited about women voting."

Bill Cunningham: on Democratic women -- "A lot of women who are single are vulnerable; they need like a daddy government to keep an eye on them."

Jim Quinn: Called NOW the "National Organization for Whores" and said that Philadelphia Daily News columnist, Fatimah Ali, should "get an American name."

Why Doesn't She Just Go Home!

Just when you think that the election is over and you'll never have to listen to another speech by Sarah Palin -- she's baaacckkk! So now she says that she will run for president in 2012 if god tells her to. "Hey, Sarah, this is like, you know, god speaking to you, just DON'T DO IT! You betch ya!" Poor Sarah just doesn't know when to call it quits. She has given more press conferences and interviews since the election than she ever thought of giving before the election! 

Actually, part of me feels sorry for her. I don't think she understands how very badly she was used by John McCain and the RNC. Instead, she believes that she really is equal to Hillary Clinton. Yikes! 

Oh, What a Night!

.... and it's a great day to be an American!

Now the really hard stuff begins. The November 4th editorial in the New York Times, "So Little Time, So Much Damage," says it all -- we still have 76 days to go with Bush in office. The editorial lists all of the important areas where the Bush administration could still make last minute policy changes that would potentially wreck havoc on us for years to come. Here's a list of the areas and their major points of vulnerability:

Civil Liberties:

Mukasy put through new guidelines last month that give FBI agents the authority to investigate without any probable cause, lie, and intimidate. In an even more upsetting decision, The Homeland Security Department's Office of Legal Counsel used the most convoluted, misuse of logical thinking to justify ignoring the law that requires the department's privacy officer to account annually for any activity that could affect our privacy. The Times classic comment on this one was, "Orwell couldn't have done better."

The Environment:

We have seen most of these changes in the news, but not widely disputed. The administration is busy weakening regulations on clean air and clean water and endangered species protection.

Abortion Rights:

Leavitt, secretary of health and human services, is expected to announce very soon some rule changes that further limit access to abortion, contraceptives and even to information about reproductive health care options. Unbelievable!! Furthermore, they want to extend the existing law, the so-called right to refuse, that allows medical personnel to refuse to participate in an abortion, to a very wide-range of health care areas: abortion referrals, unbiased counseling, birth control pills, emergency contraception, etc. 

IRS:

In September the IRS restored tax breaks for banks that take big losses on bad loans inherited through acquisitions. The Times learned that some banks are planning to use their bailout funds for mergers and acquisitions that will take advantage of the new tax subsidy. So not only do they benefit from bailout funds, but they compound their good fortune with a major tax subsidy!!!

The problem is that some of these last minute, in-your-face, Bush administration "got cha's" will take years to dismantle and a constant diversion of resources to uncover. 

So don't fall for the "nice words" uttered by Bush this AM and assume that he is now "just a lame duck" -- he and his administration will continue for the next 76 days to be a plague upon us.

D Day

When Michele made her daily call to us at 8:00 AM, she called this "D Day." That is an apt name for today; or we could call it "anxiety day," "End of the Polls Day,"  "The End," or "The Beginning." For me it is an anxiety-filled, stay-glued-to-MSNBC and CNN, vote day and those that are STILL undecided probably aren't going to vote anyway!

If you have listened to James Carville recently, you know that he is very optimistic that Barack Obama will be President Obama at the end of the day. 

This morning Nate Silver at fivethirtyeight.com posted the following results:

Electoral Vote      Obama  348.6          McCain  189.4

Win Percentage    Obama  98.9%         McCain  1.1 %

Popular Vote         Obama  52.3%          McCain   46.2%

Senate                     Dems  57.1                Repos   40.9

And, by the way, Nate says to ignore exit polls -- they are notoriously unreliable.

And finally, my husband Jerry predicts Obama will have over 340 electoral votes!

It's a great day to be a Democrat!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good

I just read a wonderful article in the Christian Science Monitor today that gave me goosebumps,  a lump in my throat, and tears on my cheeks:  "My Wife Made Me Canvas for Obama; Here's What I Learned" by Jonathan Curley.

First, the catchy title caught my eye. Then the tone of the article took over. Jonathan Curley is a self-professed conservative banker, a white guy who voted for both Bushes. He was upset when Bill Clinton was elected, but says that in the end he wished Bill could have another term. He really endeared himself to me with his response to his wife who asked him to spend a morning canvassing for Obama. He said, "But I did, of course, what most middle-aged married men do: what I was told."

I got the goosebumps when he talked about he and his wife knocking on doors in a predominately Black neighborhood and the overwhelmingly positive response they received.

And I got the lump in my throat when he wrote, "I learned in just those three hours that this election is not about what we think of as the big things.... I've learned that this election is about the heart of America. It's about the young people who are losing hope and the old people who have been forgotten. It's about those who have worked all their lives and never fully realized the promise of America, but see that promise for their grandchildren in Barack Obama."

And the tears started to roll down my cheeks as I read his last paragraph: "My wife and I went out last weekend to knock on more doors, But this time, not because it was her idea. I don't know what it's going to do the for Obama campaign, but it's doing a lot for me."

The Bad

The bad side of this final week of campaigning has to do with winning at all costs -- voter intimidation. I came across another article today, 'Tis the season for tricking voters," from the Associated Press, that talks about the use of confusing emails, disturbing phone calls and insinuating fliers to keep people from voting through intimidation or misinformation.

If you read my earlier blogs, you already know about the situation in New Mexico. But here are some more --

In Philadelphia, fliers have circulated in predominately Black neighborhoods warning that voters could be arrested at the polls if they had unpaid parking tickets or criminal convictions.

In Virginia, bogus fliers that looked real with the commonwealth seal and all said that because of the anticipated high voter turn out there would be two elections. Republicans should vote on Tuesday and Democrats on Wednesday!

In Pennsylvania, emails were received linking Obama to the Holocaust. According to the AP, the email was sent by a group calling itself Republican Federal Committee and said, "Jewish Americans cannot afford to make the wrong decision on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Many of our ancestors ignored the warning signs in the 1930's and 1940's and made a tragic mistake."

Additionally, intimidating leaflets were taped to benches at Drexel University in PA; phone calls to Latino voters in Nevada from so-called Obama supporters ready to take their vote, right then and there, by phone. It is not that this never happened before, but this time, according to those interviewed, it is much more widespread.

The Ugly

This is really ugly; it is in the category of "so upsetting I didn't know whether to spit or to cry." But, believe it or not, the ending lifts you back up again.

Zorn Redeems Himself

Remember last week when I was upset that the Chicago Tribune blogger, Eric Zorn, moved away from reasons why Obama would win to 08 reasons why McCain could win? Well, he has redeemed himself with his posting on October 30th -- Counterpoint: 8 reasons Obama will win.

1.  Obama's supporters are more energized. 

2.  Obama has a superior ground game.

3.  Obama has a superior air game.

4.  McCain has lost his brand.

5.  Sarah Palin is turning out to be the disasta' from Alaska.

6.  Obama hasn't lost his cool.

7.  McCain hasn't been able to fight the Bush head winds.

8.  Obama has been lucky.

Zorn's explanations, evidence and eloquence regarding each of these reasons are right on! Reading his blog certainly helped to restore my optimistic hope for a double digit win!

Voter Intimidation is Real -- Please Take ACTION

I mentioned it the other day, but now we need action. The Department of Justice MUST investigate voter intimidation in New Mexico.

The Problem:  Private investigators associated with GOP lawyers have been showing up at the doors of poor and Latino voters asking them intimidating questions and insinuating that they don't have the right to vote.

Who is Affected:  New Mexican voters in good standing who have every right to go vote on Election Day, but who may not show up at the polls if they have been frightened in their own homes.

The Solution:  

1.  E-mail Attorney General Mukasey -- the Department of Justice is charged with stopping voter suppression and protecting every American's right to vote. A spokesman for the DOJ's civil rights division has said that they are "looking into" this problem, but that's not good enough. We need a serious investigation worthy of these insidious tactics.

2.  Pass this message to every voter you know -- with only days left till the election, we need to make sure that as many New Mexico voters as possible are educated about this problem so that if intimidators show up at any home, they'll know the right thing to do: Shut the doors in their faces.

3.  Click here to send an email to the Department of Justice.

I just took action on this crucial issue -- I hope that you will too.

I Feel Good!

I FEEL GOOD

James Brown

Whoa-oa-oa! I feel good, I knew that I would, now

I feel good, I knew that I would, now

So good, so good, I got you

Whoa! I feel nice, like sugar and spice

I feel nice, like sugar and spice

So nice, so nice, I got Obama

(sax, two licks to bridge)

This is a favorite song of mine -- always makes me feel up and energized. And that's how I feel about the campaign today. All indicators are GO!!

Val reminded me to check out fivethirtyeight.com and I love what Nate Silver shows with his awesome statistical analysis --

Electoral Vote --          Obama   348.2       McCain   189.8

Win Percentage --       Obama     96.2%     McCain   3.8%

Popular Vote --            Obama     52.1%     McCain   46.5%

Senate seats held --     Dems       57            Repos      41

Not quite the double digits that I'm still hoping for, but I'LL TAKE IT!

Mitchell Bard, a blogger for Huffington Post, said yesterday that "Obama Is Dominating in the Polls, but Four Things Keep Me Awake at Night." I guess I'm not the only one with anxiety issues! His four "hold-your-breath" potential problems are close races, voter fraud, an October or November surprise, and "More that Just the Bradley Effect" or straight out racism. I agree that any of these, and more than likely some of each, will effect the outcome, but hopefully a big lead will mitigate any of these effects. 

CNN reported just today that Barack Obama has made substantial gains in many key states, including Arizona!!

And aside from the numbers, on the human side, 30 to 40 call center workers in Indiana courageously walked off the job taking the ethical "high road" rather than read a McCain Script attacking Obama. The McCain campaign is using call centers in states that prohibit robo calls.

It's a great day to be a Democrat!!

Down, Again!

Well, all it took was a few minutes of TV this morning and checking out a few news articles and blogs to dash my hopes again and bring on the fear. The polls today show another narrowing of Obama's lead. Who are these people that respond to the polls? They never call me! Did you get a call? 

Then I checked my email and saw this message from MoveOn:  "Dear MoveOn member, I don't mean to ruin your day, but we can still lose ....." Well, that did it -- instant despondency! 

Then I checked the online news sources that I look at almost every day. The headline of the Zorn blog at chicagotribune.com caught my eye: "08 reasons Barack Obama might lose next Tuesday." I thought, "Oh, no! This is the guy who wrote "08 reasons Obama will run" in January 05 and "08 reasons Obama will win" in January 2007. Why is he losing faith now??" So I had to read this new article.

Zorn lists these 8 reasons Obama might lose:

1.  "Bittergate"

His reference here is to Obama's statement about small town Americans clinging to their guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them. While I happen to believe that statement is thoughtfully accurate, I guess gun-toting, evangelical religious racists didn't like it. Too bad.

2.  He's played too much defense.

Zorn's point here is a bit convoluted -- he says that Barack didn't attack McCain's (this is too funny -- I just accidentally typed then corrected this spelling of McCain's -- McCaint's!!!) character and judgment and had to answer the relentless attacks on his character and judgment by McCain.

3.  He was more dismissive than responsive to festering issues.

I think this has been a real Catch 22 in this campaign. It is a narrow path between "he doth protest too much" and "he's hiding something."

4.  He left points on the table.

Zorn regrets that Obama did not capitalize on McCain's association with Renzi and G.Gordon Liddy. Well, maybe he should have, but I like the idea that Obama did not stoop to McCain's level.

5.  Biden's blunder.

We all know that Joe sometimes engages his mouth before his brain. And we also know that his statement about an inevitable crisis test was taken out of context by the McCain campaign. But you got to love Joe and I think he redeemed himself in his interview with a local Florida TV station. Check it out --

6.  The economy now looks more like a chronic woe than an urgent crisis.

Zorn thinks this may give McCain an edge -- I don't think so...

7.  Smoke

With all the rumors, insinuations, guilt by association going around, some people may think "where there is smoke, there's fire." But I know if you ask any trained fire fighter, there can be lots of smoke without any flame.

8.  He's African-American

Duh..... so? I really think people should start changing how they phrase one's ancestry. For example, I'm not German-American. I'm an American of German descent. Barack Obama is not an African-American. He is an American of African descent. Isn't it about time we get it straight? That's Country First -- American first.

Anyway, Zorn left a cliff hanger when he said that on Thursday he will tell us 08 reasons why Obama will win anyway!

Whew, now I can go do the laundry.

HOPE

I received an email from Val after my last blog entry and lo and behold -- HOPE -- enjoy!

Lies, Intimidation, and Racism

A little over one week to go... and I'm fluctuating between unabashed optimism and abject depression almost on an hourly basis.  I want to be positive, and in my heart of hearts I really do believe, that Barack Obama will be our next President. But then I watch TV or read the news on the Internet, or receive an email and the worry sets in again. I know that this week will be filled with lies, intimidation and racism coming from the McCain / Palin campaign. Some cases in point --

LIES -- McCain continues to misrepresent (lie) and misspeak (lie) about Obama's tax plan. It is amazing to me that he continues to do so even though he was corrected in two debates and all the major fact-finding groups have determined that he is wrong about Obama's plan. In the meantime, McCain's plan is full of holes -- the same philosophy of economics that the Republicans have always espoused -- and it hasn't worked! 

My best guess is that we are going to continue hearing this for the next week and probably even bigger whoppers. My fear is that people will begin to actually believe this bullshit because they have heard it so often. My hope is that my fellow citizens aren't that stupid to fall for a bunch of lies.

INTIMIDATION -- Lest you think that voter intimidation only happens in struggling democracies (oh, maybe that is us!), be sure to follow some of the stories like the one reported in New Mexico this past week. A Republican attorney, Pat Rogers, claimed that 10 voters were fraudulent. Project Vote working with ACORN charged that the voters were eligible to vote and further charged that the visit to two of the voters  by a private investigator constituted voter intimidation. It seems that this Pat Rogers also filed claims of voter fraud in 2004 and 2006 and he was one of the New Mexico GOP activists (named in the report on the firing of U.S. attorneys) who complained to the Department of Justice about then-U.S. Attorney David Iglesias. Pat Rogers also hired the private investigator, Al Romero, to pay visits to the voters. Here is what Romero told one of those he visited. "You have to realize we're just trying to protect the people, we just want to make sure that she's a legitimate voter and if she votes and she's not supposed to, then it's illegal." The granddaughter of another voter said, "He tried to tell me to tell her to be careful when she's voting. He was trying to tell me stuff to scare her from voting." It is interesting to note that the voters in question were both Hispanic and both over 65 years of age. 

My best guess is that we will see more of this type of intimidation before the election and all kinds of voter fraud accusations during and after the election. My fear is that voter fraud could be a reality that steals the election away and that voter intimidation will actually work to keep people away from the polls and voting. My hope is that people vote despite the intimidation and fear and that Obama wins by a landslide (I want double digits!) and people turn out in record numbers to vote for him.

RACISM -- This is a really tough one. Very few people will admit to being racist, but there is so much evidence to the contrary. Take for example the white woman on the NPR series about York, PA voters and racism who said she wasn't a racist but feared that if Obama were elected the blacks would get back at whites by making them move off the sidewalk to let Blacks pass and she was afraid that blacks would riot. She said this to a black NPR commentator in a room with 15 people -- black, white and Hispanic. But of course she discounted those in the room who were black and said it was "those out on the street." I had to listen to that twice to absorb it all! No wonder my friend Sue who lives in the city of York is scared about this election! I lived in the suburbs of York for nine years before moving to Washington state -- believe me when I say that racism is alive and flourishing in York, PA -- both in the city and the county named York. My daughter Michele told me about an election - racism piece on Chicago Public Radio's This American Life aired on Saturday, October 25th. I searched online for it, but noticed that they only post on Mondays. So I'll be adding some thoughts and that URL on the 27th or 28th. I talked to my brother Greg in Western PA yesterday and he is amazed at the role that race is playing in the election. He said there are many code words and phrases like "can't trust him," "not like us," and "he's different." But there are also the blatant comments like "I'm not convinced he isn't a Muslim." We have that same sort of talk here in Washington, too. 

My best guess is that we are far from moving beyond racism in this country despite all the hard work, education and soul searching and it will effect this election. We have already seen and heard the effects of the McCain/Palin rhetoric like "He doesn't see America the way we do." My worst fear is that McCain and Palin will ratchet up that rhetoric and whip the stupid side of the Republican Party into near hysteria with ideas of conspiracy, treason, violence and killing. My best hope is that we have made sufficient strides in the areas of tolerance, inclusiveness, and fairness to counter any racism residue.

So... my goal this next 8 or 9 days is to stay on the hopeful side and not give in to the fears and negative dialogue... But then that nagging little voice whispers, "what if he doesn't win?"

Top Ten Reasons I voted for Obama

I mailed my ballot in last week just 24 hours after it arrived in my mailbox. I just couldn't wait any longer to vote for Barack Obama. I've waited for almost two years to cast that ballot! Here are my Top 10 Reasons for Voting for Obama:

10.  He is a uniter; not a divider.

9.    He is intelligent, knowledgeable and a critical thinker; not a reactionary.

8.    He is a calm, cool and collected decision-maker; not prone to overreacting, anger and scattered attention.

7.    He is an excellent speaker capable of easily explaining the most complex concepts; not a talker who can't say what he means and just talks in pat phrases and platitudes.

6.    He is consistent in his philosophy, his approach and his policies; not one who tries to change his image and his message depending on the latest polls.

5.    He is a leader; not a panderer.

4.    He is patriotic, steadfast and loyal; not a maverick.

3.    His family values show by his actions; he doesn't just talk a good game.

2.    He is young, energetic and inspiring; not past his prime in both mental and physical health.

1.    He is hope, he is change we can believe in, and he is real; not the same old thing.

I voted for Barack Obama for my granddaughters and for their grandchildren because their future depends on this election. Please cast your ballot for Obama in order to guarantee a future life with liberty and the pursuit of happiness, with freedom, compassion and justice for all -- for all of our grandchildren!

Dear Red States

Not sure who originally wrote this, but obviously a liberal Californian.  I saw it forwarded to a Democratic discussion site by Sharon C. --

Dear Red States,

We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us.

In case you aren't aware, that includes Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California.

To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states.

We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get Elliot Spitzer. You get Ken Lay. We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood. We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom. We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss.

We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama. We get two-thirds of the tax revenue; you get to make the red states pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.

Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq, and hope that the WMDs turn up, but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country's fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners), 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U. S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools, plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech, and MIT.

With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U. S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.

We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red States believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals than we lefties.

By the way, we're taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico.

Peace out,

Blue States

The Power of Hate

Several people have emailed information to me regarding the surging "hate" rhetoric in political venues. They opened my eyes to just how deep the hate goes and it is frightening. 

The first was a link to a video of a commentary on conservative talk show hosts and writers who fire up conservatives to hate (and worse) liberals. I've never listened to these folks personally, so I had no idea how far they actually go on their talk shows and books. Disturbing, to say the least.

The second one was even more disturbing with clips from Palin's fundamentalist church in Wasilla and footage from supposed christian church camps that sound like Taliban schools.

I'm hoping these are just isolated things, not widespread, and will just go away after the election. But I'm afraid that this fundamentalism does exist in our country and in other countries too. When did people stop thinking for themselves? When did we stop thinking critically? When did it become okay to hate as long as it is done in the name of religion? or under the cloak of christian doctrine? And when will it end....

International View

It is very interesting to take a look at foreign media to check out what they are observing about U.S. politics. My friend Sue sent me an article from the UK Guardian about Sarah Palin. Of course the Brits haven't fallen for her hokie syntax and nasty barbs either! But the main point of the article, "Flirting Her Way to Victory," by Michelle Goldenberg was how Palin has lowered the standard for women in politics. Palin was taken to task for her winks and anti-feminism stance. 

When I went looking for the article online at the Guardian, I figured I could just do a search of the Guardian website on "Sarah+Palin." Whoa!! There were more negative articles and commentaries on Palin in this British paper than in the Bellingham Herald, Oil City Derrick and York Daily Record combined!! The rest of the world has her figured out -- anti-feminist, theocratic, uninformed, lying, out-of-her-league, fake. And yet in this country people flock to her rallies, profess their undying love, and feel good about her because "she's one of us." Scary, isn't it?

For a look at an Arab view of the racism in this campaign, check out the editorial, "Enough is Enough," in the Mid-East Times.

I found another interesting website that lets the world vote on the U.S. presidential election and gives instant results. If you had travel plans to tour Macedonia, I think you should consider canceling them!!

Lastly, Kent (who loves maps!) sent me a great interactive map that shows you CAN see Russia from Alaska, sort of.

Sarah, Sarah, Sarah

Just when you think you have heard it all about Palin and she couldn't look any worse -- along comes the Troopergate report and the wildlife reports!

The report specifically said that, although what she did was not illegal, Palin abused the power of her office. Then Palin says that the report absolves her of illegal and unethical behavior!! Since when is abuse of power not unethical?? Is she nuts??? Doesn't speak well of her so-called "deep religious faith!" Holier-than-thou Sarah has one set of ethics for others and no ethics for herself -- all in the name of the lord! What hypocrisy!

On top of that a new video by the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund tells us about her cruelty to wild animals in Alaska. I'm no biblical scholar, but I think I remember something about treatment of animals -- those of you more familiar with that text will need to correct me if I'm wrong.

Palin is not just a Post Turtle -- she's a pathetic excuse for leadership, ethics, morality, decency and feminism. Let's send her back to Alaska -- they elected her governor -- let them deal with her.

Which Team Do You Want?

The following posting by Karl on the Whatcom County Democratic Discussion Board struck a chord with me. I have edited out parts of the lengthy article, but have not altered content.

"I got the piece below on choosing the right team to lead us from a friend. When you think about it, we are hiring a team to lead our country at a very difficult time.... It will take a team with all the intelligence, knowledge and good judgment we can hire to address our country's problems. And race must not play a part, not even a subtle influence on this important decision....

Here is what my friend sent:  Hiring the best team for the White House

What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review? 

What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class? 

What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said 'I do' to? 

What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife and children for a younger rich woman?

What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?

What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5 who were involved in a large saving and loan scandal?

What if McCain was an intelligent, charismatic, eloquent speaker?

If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are? This is what subtle racism does. And most of us in American society have been conditioned to some extent by subtle racism. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes negative qualities in the white candidate while minimizing similar positive qualities in the black candidate....

Educational Background:

Obama:  Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with specialization in International Relations

Obama:  Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Biden:  University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science

Biden:  Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

McCain:  United States Naval Academy with class rank 894 out of 899

Palin:  Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester

Palin:  North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study

Palin:  University of Idaho -- 2 semesters - Journalism

Palin:  Matanuska-Susitna College -- 1 semester

Palin:  University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

NOW, WHICH TEAM ARE YOU GOING TO HIRE?"

Dirty Politics

It has been a while since my last posting. I have plenty of excuses ranging from visiting relatives to canvassing the neighborhood for Obama to no time to post! But in reality I just haven't been able to focus on a clear, concise topic for posting. Until today. Dirty politics.

I'm sick and tired of McPalin's lies, innuendos, rabble rousing, abuse of power, lame-brained ideas and not-so-subtle racism. Clearly, they believe that the end justifies the means and will stoop to any depth to get elected. 

I don't buy that they didn't hear people at their rallies shouting "kill him" and "off with his head." At the very least they should have addressed this outrageous behavior when they heard about it later!  Sure looks like they want to incite this sort of behavior. Makes me very fearful for the Obama family.

Then there is the issue of Palin found guilty of abuse of power regarding the firing of her ex-brother-in-law's boss. I certainly don't want a vice president who carries out personal vendettas using the power of the executive branch!

And of course I'm appalled by all the hog wash about Obama's relationship with Ayers. Speaking of relationships and guilty by association-- what about Palin and "First Dude's" relationship to the Alaskan Independence Party??? Obama and Ayers were both board members for an Annenberg Educational organization, run by the Annenberg's -- major contributors to the McCain campaign and staunch Republicans!! The Alaskan Independence Party calls for Alaska to secede from the US!! Anyone see a major difference here? 

But what bothers me the most about this use of "dirty politics" by McPalin, is the subtle racism that they use and the blatant racism that their followers show. When McCain is introduced and the person making the introduction refers to Senator Barack Obama as Barack Hussein Obama -- that is subtle racism. Of course that is Senator Obama's full name, but the context in which they use his full name is designed to tie him to the Arab world and to terrorism. In a town hall meeting recently conducted by McCain, a woman in the audience referred to Obama as an Arab. McCain then used the opportunity to back down from his previous rhetoric by saying they shouldn't fear Obama if he is elected. That statement was uttered in the manner you would comfort a small child in the face of impending disaster! Moreover, it gave him the way out from fulfilling his promise to another town hall groupie that he would confront Obama about all the accusations that McCain and Palin have said in the past two weeks. The extreme conservatives were disappointed that McCain didn't use all the anti-Obama stump speech rhetoric at the second debate. They want him to do so at the third debate. But it now looks like he is trying to back out of doing so. Bottom-line is that McCain on the stump will do anything, say anything to please his constituents and to avoid any depth on the real issues. McCain in the debates will continue to come up with half-cocked ideas for fixing the world just so he sounds like he knows what he is doing.

Every time McCain says that Obama is not a leader, not honest, lacks character, untrustworthy, is a terrorist, guilty by association, etc., it makes McCain look worse and does not diminish Obama one iota! The people who show up at McCain's rallies will vote for McCain no matter what. It is the independent voters and the undecided voters who have distanced themselves from McCain because of his failure to grasp the importance of the issues at hand and because of McCain's desperate, transparent mud-slinging.

Last, but certainly foremost in my mind, is the ugly racism that has begun to spew forth in the wake of McPalin's negativity. There were two incidents in Bellingham this week of very blatant racist items and pamphlets being sold / distributed to people attending political events. The fact that one individual was never challenged by anyone in attendance and the other sold his "branded product" for over an hour before organizers sent him away, does not speak well of the citizens of Whatcom County. But it isn't just Whatcom County. I understand this same sort of think is happening across the country. Last week at a christian college in Oregon, a life-sized cardboard cutout of Obama was found hung from a tree. 

Obama had it right when he talked about fearful people clinging to their guns and their religion. I would have added the word "ignorant," meaning lacking knowledge, not capable of critical thinking, to that description. And I blame McCain and Palin for their own ignorance of the harm they are inflicting on our country by promoting hatred and vengeance -- they are truly a throw back to some of the worst days of our country's history.

The First Presidential Debate

I thought the first presidential debate was an awesome victory for Barack Obama. Barack was poised, articulate, looked at McCain when speaking to him, and all in all was very "presidential." McCain on the other hand seemed discombobbled at times, had too many military examples and analogies, hardly looked senatorial let alone presidential, and NEVER looked at Barack!! Furthermore, what were his handlers thinking when they put that skinny stripped tie on him?? On HDTV the stripes ran together and blinked like a neon sign!

Both candidates made some errors according to factcheck.org. Here is a short summary of some of their factual mistakes --

1. Obama said McCain adviser Henry Kissinger backs talks (not to be confused with backtalk or talks back) with Iran without preconditions, but McCain disputed that. The fact is that Kissinger did recently call for "high level" talks and said that he didn't believe we should make conditions. After the debate the McCain folks issued a statement quoting Kissinger saying he didn't favor president-level talks with Iran. (I personally liked the part when Obama said that preconditions usually meant agree with us then we will talk to you! He made a very good distinction between preconditions and preparation.)

2. McCain and Obama contradicted each other on what Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mullen said about troop withdrawals. Mullen did say a timeline could be dangerous, but was not specifically talking about Obama's plan as McCain said he was. (In my mind, this is a good example of the kind of change McCain is good at -- if reality is against you, change the reality!)

3.  McCain said that earmarks had tripled in the last five years when in fact they have sharply decrease! (Well, there goes that bogus campaign issue!)

4. Obama said Iraq has a $79 billion surplus. It once was that high, but currently less than $60 billion. (I'm not sure the difference between 79 and 60 is all that great when you are talking billions!! Same point holds true -- they should be paying us to keep the peace for them rather than the American people footing the bill!)

5.  McCain claimed that the US pays $700 billion a year for oil to hostile nations. Actually, imports run about $536 billion and a third of it comes from Canada, Mexico and the UK!!! (Whoa, now that was a really, really big whopper! That's the liar, liar, pants on fire kind.)

6. Obama said 95% of people would see a tax cut under his proposal. Factcheck.org says it will be 81%. (Not sure where the discrepancy lies.... I need to look into this one.)

7.  Obama said under McCain's health care plan employers would be taxed on the value of health benefits provided to workers. Actually not employers, but WORKERS would be taxed! (How bad is that!!)

8.  McCain claimed Obama would hand the health care system over to the federal government. Actually Obama would expand some government programs, but would allow people to keep their current plans or chose private ones.

9. McCain claimed Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower had crafted a letter of resignation from the Army to be sent in case the 1944 D-Day landing at Normandy turned out to be a failure. Ike prepared a letter taking responsibility, but he didn't mention resigning. (Another military history example, but he fucked it up!! Military History -- that must have been one of the courses at the Naval Academy that McCain failed!)

The full article with analysis, images, citations is available at Factcheck's website.

PPPPPP and Palin is a Post Turtle

When I was a high school principal, I had this small sign on my desk -- "PPPPPP" as my personal mantra (but obviously didn't tell anyone what it meant) That little sign meant "Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance." That should be the guiding principle for McCain and Company! Palin's interview by Katie Couric gave tons of material to SNL, MSNBC, every comic in the world and me -- all because McCain failed to do prior planning before announcing Palin as his running mate.

Now PPPPPP takes on a new meaning -- Palin's Piss-Poor Performing Postturtle Pose -- need an explanation? If you like Vermont humor, you're going to love this one. My son Kent, who lives in VT, sent this one to me. Here goes.....

While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75-year old farmer whose hand was caught in a gate while working his herd, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Sarah Palin and her bid to be a heartbeat away from being President. The old farmer said, "well, ya know, Palin is a post turtle."

Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a post turtle was. The old farmer said, "When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a post turtle."

The farmer saw a puzzled look on the doctor's face, so he continued to explain. "You know she didn't get up there by herself, she doesn't belong up there, she doesn't know what to do while she is up there, and you just wonder what kind of dumb ass put her up there to begin with."

Paying Taxes

I don't like paying taxes anymore than the next person, but I pay them because it is my civic duty to do so.

There is an ad on television that comes on almost every evening around news time and my blood pressure rises each time! It shows well-dressed, smiling couples bragging about how much a company called Associated Tax Relief has saved them on their taxes by battling the IRS. The people readily admit that they owed the tax and brag about how little they actually paid. For example, one couple said they owed $ 114,624 but thanks to Associated Tax Relief, they paid only $20,688. That's only 19 cents on the dollar!

I call it cheating and morally irresponsible -- they call it "tax relief."

So I went to the company's website, clicked on the contact tab which opened a contact sheet. I filled in my name, email address, my "problem" (drop down list -- income taxes, estate taxes, payroll taxes, etc. -- I checked "other"), and entered the following comment:

I am outraged that your media advertising glories "beating the system" and not paying 100% of tax owed. It is a shame that people are able to negotiate their way out of paying their fair share. The people in your ads appear proud of not paying their taxes -- what a sad commentary on their moral values and lack of civic responsibility. Please consider using less offensive advertising. People should feel ashamed of this situation, not proud.

If you would like to see the ads and comment on this practice, go to their website.

John McCain, Maverick

So just what is a "maverick" anyway? I love dictionaries and I love to look up a word, then look up one of its synonyms, then another one of those, and so on. Today I started with "maverick" and look where I ended up!!

Maverick, unbranded, unorthodox, non-conformist, unusual, non-traditional, unacceptable, contrary, oppositional, unfavorable, careless, to assail, detached, outsider, resistant, resists authority, unconventional, repugnant, insane, crazy, psychotic, inclined to disagree, unexpected, undesirable, opposite, counter to, conflicting, not common, without thought, moving forcefully, moving rapidly, without care, stubborn, pettish, to do as one wants without regard for consequences, unreasonable, illogical, insipid, weak, prone to change or fail, sudden mood changes, irregular, inconstant, unpredictable, impetuous, rash, impatient, fly-off-the-handle, outlier, unthoughtful, willful, irrational, wishy-washy, unstable, off center, changeable, lacking guiding principles, gut reaction, flounder, outside the norm, rebel, running wild, flip-flop, my way the only way, isolated decision-maker, loner, John McCain.

Sarah's Lack of Intellect

I read an excellent article at Newsweek.com by Sam Harris a few days ago and another one by Goldie Taylor published as an opinion piece by EbonyJet.com. Both writers talked about Sarah Palin and how unfit she is to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency.

Sam Harris, an avowed atheist, did not attack Palin on religious grounds, but rather on her lack of "intellectual preparation" for the number 2 position in the United States Government. Harris states that there is no indication that Sarah Palin even sees a "role for careful analysis or a deep understanding of world events when it comes to deciding the fate of a nation."

Harris declares that the problem with all this lack of intellectualism is that half the population thinks it is great to have the gal next door lead the country. Scary thought, isn't it? So just what are those folks thinking? Why do we demand high standards, education and training in other sectors -- teachers, engineers, scientists, accountants, and on and on -- but when it comes to leading this nation we are willing to settle for any average or below average citizen from Texas, Alaska or any of the other 48 states? 

I highly recommend Sam Harris' article as a thoughtful look at "mediocre" in politics.

The blog that became an opinion piece on EbonyJet.com, brought me to tears. Goldy Taylor not only told her personal story of challenge and triumph, but did so in the context of the feminist movement. She very pointedly shows why a vote for any ticket with Sarah Palin on it will be a step backward. Sarah Palin is anti-feminism and doesn't even get it. Goldy Taylor clearly outlines the issues that by all indications Palin, by her silence, knows nothing about -- inner city problems, HIV/AIDS, Hurricane Katrina, the infant mortality rate in Appalachia, and more.

Taylor quotes a recent Gloria Steinem article in the Los Angeles Times that clearly defines feminism: "Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. It's about making life more fair for women everywhere. It's not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that. It's about baking a new pie." Both Taylor and Steinem deplore the political tactic by the Republicans that women will vote for any woman on a ticket, regardless of who she is. 

But the metaphor used by Taylor that evoked such an emotional response in me, was that of a brick layer. Taylor talks of being able to walk on the bricks laid by other women before her and she vows to vote for "people who lay bricks for people like me" regardless of gender, theology or experience . That bricklayer, she says, is Barack Obama.

(Special thanks to my son-in-law for introducing me to Sam Harris by way of his book, The End of Faith, and to Erica for forwarding an email via Michele with Goldy Taylor's work.) 

The Longest Week in Politics

It has been a long week since my last entry, partly because my satellite receiver is on the blink (for the second time in 9 months -- dial up is lookin' good!) and partly because of all the shenanigans being employed by McCain. As he continues to spout that he is a maverick, McCain can't seem to figure out where he stands on anything! First he is against bailing out AIG; then he is for it. First the "fundamentals of the economy are sound"; then he declares it such a crisis that he must suspend his campaign, can't debate, and must flying into Washington like superman to the rescue! 

McCain does actually find himself in a tough spot -- don't look like a Republican (people may think you're like Dubya) and don't sound like Obama (just take his ideas and mix the key words around a bit and act like you know what you're talking about).

His brand of Maverick is not what I want in a President. His judgement and decisions would fuel any crisis rather than solve it. Let's face it, folks. John McCain has NO IDEAS of his own -- he has NO LEADERSHIP ability in or out of a crisis -- he has NO DECISION MAKING ability, only off the cuff pronouncements.

John McCain's brand of Maverick brought us Sarah Palin; lies and deception; double-talk, not straight-talk; and a campaign led by the biggest lobbyists in the world! They have even succeeded in out doing Karl Rove when it comes to dirty politics. How dare he and his campaign strategists refuse to speak to the media, refuse to answer questions, refuse to give the American public any details to any so-called plan they have.

John McCain is first and foremost an opportunist -- taking any course that will promote his candidacy at any cost. He is using a real financial crisis to attempt to save his sorry butt. Worse than that, I believe that the main reason he wants to postpone the debate until October 2nd is to push back the date for the vice presidential debate because Sarah hasn't had enough time to memorize the script! What a bunch of losers!

Anyone giving odds on whether or not McCain will show up in Mississippi Friday night??

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

Yes, I'm talking about you, Sarah Palin, damned conservative saint -- 

who lies about the bridge to nowhere, 

lies about pork, 

lies about funding for special needs children, 

lies about overseeing 20% of America's oil production,

lies about attempts to censor books,

lies about troopergate,

lies about your foreign travel,

lies about your tanning bed,

lies about your "open, transparent" governing,

lies about everything.

Yes, I'm talking about you, Sarah Palin, pit bull, barracuda --

firing people who tell you the truth and hiring high school pals,

revenge-seeker,

holier than thou,

absentee mother,

never go anywhere without "First Dude" looking over your shoulder,

(why isn't he home with the children??),

anti-feminist throw-back,

hillbilly version of a Stepford Wife!

Do you honestly believe that if you tell a lie a bazillion times it becomes a truth?

Do you honestly believe that you know  better than the scientists who have studied global warming for decades?

Do you honestly oppose abortion even in cases of rape and incest?

Do you honestly believe that you and "first dude" are above the law and can ignore subpoenas?

Do you honestly believe that since Russia is close to Alaska you have foreign policy experience?

Then, how in the name of hell can you possibly believe that you could ever represent me?

Ping-Pong McCain

Picture a game of ping pong. On the right of the screen is Senator John McCain, the old Republican. On the left of the screen is Presidential-candidate John McCain, the old, new Republican. Ping -- the ball starts on the right with "Deregulate Now!" Pong -- the ball goes to the left and changes to "Regulate Immediately!" 

Ping -- Straight Talk / Pong -- Smoke and Mirrors 

Ping -- 90% Bush  / Pong -- Politics of Change

Ping -- Drill, Baby, Drill  /  Responsible Use of Energy

Ping -- No Equal Pay  /  Pong -- I have a woman on my ticket!

Ping -- Economic Principles are Strong  / Pong -- Obama has no economic plan

Ping -- Negative ads and rhetoric / Pong -- Democrats waging a negative campaign

 

Are you dizzy yet? Can't keep up with McCain's flip-flops? Reminds me of the quote, "I really didn't say everything I said." But really that wasn't John McCain, nor Sarah Palin. That was Yogi Berra!

Then there are the Pings with no Pongs:

Health Care -- just use the Emergency Room

Reproductive Rights -- Just say no

Poverty -- just get a job

Education -- just put sanctions on all public schools

Foreign Policy-- let's just put Spain in Central America and not talk to them

What part of Republican don't people get? 

McCain is a Republican who is trying to cross-dress as an Independent!! A vote for McCain/Palin )or is it (Palin/McCain??) is a vote for more of the same bull shit we have had for the past eight years!

Wake up, people! 

Service to Our Country

The first draft of my blog on Monday was titled "McCain's Service." In subsequent drafts I changed it to "McCain's Military Service." I wanted to be sure to specify just what service I meant. Ever since then my thoughts keep coming back to service: different kinds of service, the value of various types of service, and the many ways people serve our country and our citizens. In the process of clarifying my thoughts on the topic, I had several conversations with my son in Vermont regarding his service in the Peace Corps and I also thought about a book I recently read.

The work of the Peace Corps and similar volunteer organizations is a public service that not only benefits the countries they serve, but our country as well. There have been a total of 190,000 Peace Corps volunteers to date and currently 8079 volunteers are serving in 74 countries. These volunteers are working in agriculture, education, medicine, construction, small business, etc., with great results. And, by the way, with a current budget of only $330.8 million dollars. Less than a day of military warfare in Iraq??

I also thought about the work of Greg Mortenson that he describes in his book,"Three Cups of Tea." Since 1993 he has built over 58 schools serving over 24,000 students in Afganistan and Pakistan using no government money, yet gaining the trust of thousands of families in rural areas of those countries. His projects have been funded by American citizens. Greg believes that if you want to have a positive impact on a culture, educate the girls. His humanitarian service is of great value to our country and the world.

In my conversations with my son about his work in the Peace Corps, I asked him, "What did you leave behind in Paraguay?" He talked about the development work -- new latrines, wells, fruit trees, beekeepers, erosion control, reforestation, an understanding of agricultural chemicals, etc. Then he paused a moment and said, "But you know what, I think the most important thing I left behind is letting people know that gringos are just people, too. We are not Baywatch, Miami Vice, MASH, or any other old, dubbed show. We are just people. We are not Bush I or II, or Clinton, or any other government figurehead. We are just people who laugh, love and care. People that you can become great friends with."

Then I asked what he gained from his experience and he said, "Besides the obvious stuff like second and third languages, I gained perspective -- what it is really like to live poor in a third world country; what really makes one happy; needs vs. wants; looking at things from the perspective of another culture. Things like that." Then he added with a smile, "Finally, I gained my wife!" (also a former Peace Corp volunteer in Paraguay)

Later that evening Kent sent me the following email:

Mom,

I forgot to remind you about when I arrived in Paraguay. It was 2 months after the coup that rid the country of Alfredo Stroesner who had been president since the 1950's. He was a huge pal of the US because he hated communism despite gross human rights issues and a series of fixed "elections." Then Jimmy Carter put sanctions on Paraguay for human rights abuses. Reagan continued the sanctions and the Peace Corps remained. People feared the Policia Capital and many fled to Argentina. Lots of these people lived in my village of Caazapa. The general who took over after the coup unbelievably agreed to hold elections. The elections were interesting to watch. Many didn't know how to vote. Many were afraid. Some asked if I was voting! People died so that they could finally vote in a fair election. Meanwhile, how many people vote in the US each election? I don't think I have ever missed voting in my country since that first election in Paraguay.

Kent

Service to our country, service for our country. Have you seen Barack Obama's plan for service? Expand the Peace Corps and Americorps; connect senior citizens to volunteer opportunities; require service learning for students, and more. It's a plan that will serve our country and our citizens and help to restore our position of respect in the world community -- please read it and tell others about it. And please remember that our greatest service to our country and to ourselves is to VOTE!

McCain's Military Service

For many months now, every time Senator McCain is asked a question, no matter what the topic, somehow it comes back to, "I was a prisoner of war for five and a half years." To be perfectly clear, I have a deep and loving respect for those who serve our country in the military. Many close relatives and friends served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and around the globe -- some gave their lives and some were disabled. I honor their service and the service of John McCain.

But those people I know who served have not used that honorable service for their personal gain. They have not hidden short-comings behind their service record. They have not sought pity nor fame by using their injuries.  John McCain has done all that and more.

John McCain was one of over 600 prisoners of war in Vietnam. He was a prisoner for not the longest nor the shortest length of time. He was not tortured any more or any less than the other prisoners of war. He did not suffer any more or any less than the other prisoners of war. All prisoners of war depended on each other and supported each other -- not just John McCain.

Granted, any prisoner of war is a hero -- whether they survive or perish, whether they come home broken or intact, whether they talk about it or not. Those who have experienced being a prisoner of war did not chose to do so, but in the face of what they had to endure, they showed persistence, resourcefulness, and courage. And many more war veterans who were not actual prisoners of war found themselves, nonetheless, imprisoned by the war upon their return.

On the sole basis of being a prisoner of war, John McCain would have us to believe that he is qualified to be President of the United States of America and is "ready to serve." If that is the case, then we have 599 other prisoners of the Vietnamese War who also qualify and are ready to serve. Since his service record is what is promoted as his qualification to lead the country, then we ought to take a closer look at that service: graduated near the bottom of his class at the Naval Academy, was lucky to graduate at all, was even luckier to have an Admiral for a father.

Many veterans, including my husband, a Vietnam veteran, are appalled by McCain's shameless use of his service to promote himself. Phillip Butler, a fellow officer and POW, says it best in his open letter. Jimmy Carter, who rarely denounces anyone, says that McCain is "milking" his service record.

Get off it, McCain. When you think you're looking good, you're looking bad! Your calculatedly soft-spoken, declarations about your service and POW status dishonor you and other service men and women who fought for this country and never used that service to garner power.

Tina Fey for VP

I'm proposing Tina Fey for VP on the Republican ticket! Good parody requires a degree of intelligence that Sarah Palin doesn't have. Just think -- Tina Fey can act like Sarah Palin (and therefore still appeal to the non-critical thinking people, the soap opera folks), but she's smarter! Can't get much better than that on a Republican ticket -- somebody with smarts!

Palin: Pit Bull or Pig?

Much has been written this week about Sarah Palin -- her lack of credentials, her well-documented lying, her pathetic interview with Charles Gibson, her shallow knowledge base, her dysfunctional family, her vengeful, calculating personality and her big-g god and guns philosophy. This whole phenomena of people going ga-ga over her has me totally baffled. I can't imagine why people want this woman to lead our country as she surely would lead wimpy McCain around by the nose! The media tells us that her popularity is because people can identify her, she is the woman next door. Oh, spare me! What about those of us who want something a little more dignified for a leader? Someone with real credentials, intelligence, compassion, ethics, experience and dignity? Palin has none of that.

Thank the small-g gods that her nomination is beginning to implode -- it is easy to track her lies and her strange world view and the media is on to her:  the bridge to nowhere and other earmarks; her bullying tactics; her non-trip to Iraq; her secretive budget process in Alaska; her firing of people she can't bully and hiring of high school chums she can control; her eBay sale; her support of Alaskan secessionists; and on and on. 

I'm reminded of one of my favorite JFK quotes: 

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie: 

deliberate, continued, and dishonest; 

but the myth: 

persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic.

I'm bothered by all the McCain/Palin lies, but I'm even more troubled by the myths they (and their promoters) have perpetuated. The myths about themselves: reform mavericks, Country First, family values, we are just like you, experienced, ready to lead, have the answers, etc. They are persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. Myths aren't true, but they are very difficult to debunk.

Even worse are the myths the McCain/Palin ticket has promoted about Barack Obama: that he is a Muslim, an elitist, a sexist, not ready to lead, promotes comprehensive sex education for kindergarten students, will raise your taxes, etc. Again the myths aren't true, but they are persistent and persuasive and don't ever seem to go away.

Our only hope lies in the belief that the majority of voting citizens are smart, intelligent and able to think critically about the issues in this election. Anyone want to give me odds on this one? 

This is the most important election in my lifetime -- and I'm old! Isn't it time we set the bar higher? Set our sights on hope, peace and opportunity, rather than on ignorance, fear and despair? 

The Politicizing of 9/11

Even after seven years, I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard about the first airplane flying into the Twin Towers in New York City. I'll probably never forget it. It was the day we began to understand that some people in the world really did hate us beyond just the usual "ugly American" stuff, but that most of the world was grieving with us. Why we were (and still are) hated by the people represented by the terrorist groups has been slower to creep into our understanding and denied by many citizens and in many ways by our government as well. Our government's reaction to 9/11 has done nothing to  improve our safety nor our standing in the world, but probably has done much harm in both areas.  They have failed to understand that the Muslims are not to blame, the people of Afghanistan and Iraq and Iran are not to blame. Our wars against Afghanistan and Iraq have not brought those responsible for 9/11 to justice at all. They have only served to strengthen the resolve of the terrorists. Power yielded without social  responsibility, compassion and foresight is immoral, unethical and just plain wrong.

On top of that, for the Republican Party to use Guilliani's speech and the images of 9/11 in their campaign convention to continue feeding the fears of the American people is also immoral, unethical and just plain wrong.

I didn't hear much buzz about it during or after the convention and began to think that I was just being over-emotional about it all -- until I heard Keith Olbermann last evening. His comments should be heard loud and clear by every American. The McCain campaign with its Rovarian play book should be ashamed. McCain has dishonored himself and negated his service to our country.

On this day of national mourning -- I say, "Enough, Enough, Enough!" No more politics of fear.

Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R - Georgia

You may wonder why someone from the state of Washington is writing about a Congressman from Georgia. It's because I think everyone, everywhere should be aware of this man and others like him. Rep. Westmoreland was interviewed after Palin's acceptance speech and was asked to compare her to Michele Obama. (Dumb question, but....) In response Westmoreland called the Obama's "uppity." The reporter asked him to clarify -- did you use the word, "uppity?" Westmoreland responded, "Yeah, uppity." 

Well, as you can imagine there was quite an uproar, but it was mostly confined to the internet and places like the LA Times and NY Times -- not in your average American newspapers, nothing in the Bellingham Herald and probably not in the Oil City Derrick or the York Daily Record. 

So the next day, Westmoreland issued a statement saying that he didn't know that "uppity" was a common derogatory term used to describe blacks seeking equal treatment!!!! 

Can you believe that??? Here is a man born in Georgia in 1950 and raised in the segregated South and he claims he didn't know???

Does he think the American people are stupid enough to believe that?? Oh, right, he's a Republican. 

(His Republican buddies probably think that his only mistake was using the real word rather than the Republican-approved code word -- elitist.)

Friedman on the Environment

I have always admired Thomas Friedman (author of "The World Is Flat") and often read his column in the NY Times. His column from September 3, 2008, was excellent. Here is my short synopsis of "And Then There Was One" --

Friedman writes to an audience of "back-to-school" college students who may be voting for the first time and where there is no bigger issue than the environment. He says that at one time he thought that we would have two "green" candidates for president, but "that view is no longer operative --" due to the following:

• Sarah Palin wants to drill in ANWR
• She doesn't believe that people played any part in climate change
• McCain didn't vote on 8 bills to extend tax credits for wind/solar power
• He supports lowering the gas tax ("a reckless giveaway")
• He misleads people to think that drilling now = lower gas prices now

Friedman quotes Carl Pope of the Sierra Club: "Back in June, the 

Republican Party had a round-up. One of the unbranded cattle -- 

a wizened old maverick name John McCain -- finally got roped. 

Then they branded him with a big 'Lazy O' -- George Bush's brand, 

where the O stands for oil. No more maverick."

Welcome

I must credit my son Kent for spurring me out of the cut and paste dark ages and into a blog. I'm not really sure just what this blog will ultimately become, but I'll take his advice and use it for now to give you bullet points on the news of the day that I deem important.

I actually hate bullet points, even though I know that sometimes it's the only thing busy people read now. I prefer the "whole enchilada," the entire article. But I guess that's not how I'll get folks to listen. So, here goes, Kent. Just what you asked for ---