Leave Sarah Palin Alone!

I think I just threw up a little bit in my mouth! I still despise the woman for her policies, her racism, her lack of concern for other women and her ignorance but this barrage of negative information leaking from the McCain camp (you know the one who was the top of the ticket) needs to stop. It is beyond lame and only makes it seem like men are attacking women so white women will have something else to complain about. Because life is sooo hard when you get to collectively benefit from white male patriarchy making you the epitome of all womanhood. Not!

We're So Over the Hump Day Election Day Slump

Phew, I don’t know about you but I feel so much lighter. All that campaign fatigue has simply melted away. It’s 5 days until a “New World Order”. The Obamamercial that aired last night was like totally awesome, dude! The man who is sometimes referred to as “Obambi” by some right wing sourpusses did his darndest to spread pixie dust positivity and offered lollipops to every man, woman and child in this country. I’m a believer!! I’ll have a cherry rootbeer please. No wait, I want grape. I like having a purple tongue.

You see, there’s this drink called the Purple Motherf**ker. It has 5 grains of alcohol and uses a Long Island ice tea base but adds caracao. It might be considered a ‘girly’ drink because it’s sweet, but don’t be fooled. It packs a wallop. If you’re not careful you’ll wind up on the floor! Don’t underestimate the potency of a honeyed but powerful thing.

At this point we all might just go into a sugar coma. Don’t fade now people. Eat some protein and drink plenty of water! There’s still work to be done. We have to make sure the gremlins don’t come out at night and take away all our goodies.

I think it’s curtains for Senator McNasty who’s spent the past few weeks not making his case for POTUS, not reaching out to people like me (hard working, possibly tech-savvy but un(der)employed POC who live in the city) and not offering any inspiration whatsoever. Instead he has been throwing rotten pumpkins well in advance of Halloween while ducking under tables, hurling stink bombs, spewing bile and showing his you know what on the regular. Yeah and the Little Engine That Couldn’t (Palin) has been as appetizing as mushy okra. With poop on top. 

All I’ve wondered lately is, “Geez isn’t he tired?” And I’m not talking about the tall big-eared guy. Where does McCain get the energy to encourage all that hate and tell lies with a straight face? Obama’s a socialist and hangs out with terrorists. He’s going to raise your taxes….and did you hear that he ____________ insert whatever horror you can imagine. He’s eeevilll!!! This from the man who never met a sewer he wouldn’t romp in, helped deregulate the industry that has wiped people’s savings out, is BFFs with a man who offered to murder fellow Americans and is totally out of touch with people who look like me.

Is he hooked up to some contraption where he regenerates every night? Does he mix beer with the blood of a virgin and drink it as a tonic? Does that pact with Lucifer expire midnight November 4th? Now wait - this is mere speculation on my part. I have no idea if the Devil even likes John McCain. 

*****

Quote from McGrumpy’s free advertising on CNN via Larry King Live, regarding Palin: “Every time I’m around her I’m uplifted. “ I bet Bill Maher will make that a New Rules on this Friday’s episode of Real Time with a raunchy joke. Watch!

Geez Is This Debate Over Yet?

It's not even half-way through and I am ready to turn it off! I am hearing the SAME talking points I've been hearing for the past few weeks now. McCain is slowly but surely losing it though. He's getting testier by the minute. The CNN peter meter is dropping like a lead stone at everything McCain says. Neither candidate has addressed working class and lower income or homeless people. It's all about Joe the Plumber. McCain has not yet offered any solutions about setting this economy right - though he says his campaign is all about that. He just keeps trying to claim Obama is going to raise taxes, or that he has shady connections. Who is he trying to convince about this? 

It is code word for: He's Black don't vote for him. What does that have to do with YOU John McCain? He had the nerve to say, and I quote "ACORN is destroying the fabric of this country." So the banks and private companies and their shady lending practices and setting up the biggest Ponzi scheme since the tech stock implosion has nothing to do with it? He started off this debate complaining about Secretary Paulson. I'm hearing the man who couldn't distinguish the difference between Shia and Sunni try to diss Joe Biden's credibility in the Senate when Joe has been there longer. This isn't about the American people. This is about his ego and feeding his ambition. Obama is holding his own and by now I've accepted he's not going to go on the attack. He's just going to stay chill and he's not letting McCain walk over him. Sorry McCain but your bulging eyes and that smirk on your face are a dead giveaway. He keeps misrepresenting his own positions and oversimplifying things. Sigh. I wish McCain has been the Maverick he used to be. Instead he is a pathetic shell of his former self and I can't sit by while he tries to pull 3-card Monty with facts and promises. McCain = Worse than Bush.  

Update: 740pm It's a wrap. I didn't see any extra ground covered during the last portion of the debate. The pundits are on offering their jaundiced points of view, because honestly they don't know what they're talking about. I'll update again when the polls come out. I call an Obama win. Even if McCain is seen to be ahead it's not going to turn the tide. 

Update: 810pm McCain you lose AGAIN. 

MSNBC: Obama 85%, McCain 12%

CNN:  Obama 58%, McCain 31%

CBS:  Obama 53%, McCain 22% 

So McCain might want to try to make the next three weeks about "Joe" but let's not forget about Lilly Ledbetter. Let's not forget about a gov't freeze under a McCain administration. Let's not forget about the economy. This isn't a pugilist contest. Or a popularity contest.  If John McCain is not President Bush then what plans does McCain have that are different? Or better?  He has NOT answered that. He claims to be opposed to earmarks yet he signed that $840 Bailout package that had $140B added to it. He talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk...... 

Update 10/16 259pm:  Ok here's a funny video put out by the campaign linking McCain and Bush and the SEIU put one out a few days ago as well.

Beware the Herd Mentality

I watched the documentary Taxi to the Dark Side detailing the approval of torture of detainees (the abducted) by the US military. The Geneva Convention and Habeas Corpus have been thrown out the window. Mass hysteria caused by witnessing the horror of seeing the Towers come down or of seeing people jump from those buildings before its collapse did incite us and conditioned some of us to accept whatever 'solution' was offered just to make it stop. 

The subject of this documentary sickened me and I was reluctant to watch it at all except I know it is my responsibility as a citizen and as a voter to pay attention to what the gov't does. Especially when they claim to do it for my benefit. If others had not been diligent in exposing these atrocities we'd never know how far down the rabbit hole really is. We still don't.

To be clear there are people out there who are dangerous and would be considered terrorists. My question is: which came first, the chicken or the egg? 

The Ku Klux Klan was allowed to terrorize an entire group of people for nearly 100 years unfettered.  Let's just say these people who witnessed, participated in and approved of such treatment and the mentality behind it are seriously lacking in a proper moral compass. 

Now for all the heavy-handed words from gov't officials who've assured us repeatedly every violation was for our good and use of brute force necessary it seems there was something lacking: sound judgement.  It is so easy to treat people like dogs when you see them as one....or less than one in fact.

Which brings us to the latest bit of nastiness on the campaign trail. The McCain brigade has sunk so low he has to reach up for the gutter. There are no circumstances which a candidate for office should allow their supporters to call for harm to come to an opponent. I think McCain forgets that if he'd been treated the way the US treats enemy combatants he might not be here right now. 

He was on World News Tonight and reacted angrily when Charles Gibson asked him about directly confronting Obama instead of being a punk during his Klan rallies. He said he would. I'm looking forward to McCain showing his ass on national television for next week's debate. I hope he does it. Let the people get a glimpse of the real McCain (angry, disrespectful, avoiding eye contact, racist and petty) and imagine how all that negativity would turn off other world leaders. Since he's planning to bomb a zillion countries anyway I suppose it doesn't matter to him.

He knows tying Obama to William Ayers is a gross misappropriation. McCain has plenty of questionable associations and character lapses. This is all he has left because he's on the verge of losing this election. He has to make Obama the 'other'. We see what happens when those with positions of authority (and control of media) accomplish that goal. We also see when it backfires! The lowest road traveled will always appeal to some but most of us chose to aim higher and see the good in people. We've had 8 years of beating up on people and being scared and now we're being robbed of our futures. I know I'm tired of being manipulated - aren't you? It's time for something new. 

2nd Debate Wrap-Up and Why Healthcare Is Paramount

So it was Round 2 of "I Wanna Be President". McCain looked a little cagey. Obama played it cool and even smiled at McCain while he was slamming him. This used to make me yell at my teevee for Obama to 'do something' but I finally get it. When you are confident in your position and in control of your emotions you don't sweat the small stuff. Like being referred to as "that one". That's for us to point out.

McCain also refused to shake Obama's hand at the end of the debate. LAME. LAME. LAME. If you can't even fake graciousness during a lousy debate how in the heck are you supposed to be entrusted with running a country in crisis and on the decline? Let's be clear friends I do not think for one nanosecond any politician cares more about me than I do, but in a choice between these two the choice is ever so clear.

So mine may be a decidedly partisan opinion here but several things stood out:

1.  McCain offers no solutions for Africa(n) nations. You can't stretch the military after all.

2.  McCain wants to freeze all spending - except for buying bad mortgages from banks and defense. So bomb bomb Iran it is - and no help for the actual (former) home owners.

3.  He offers a tax break for healthcare. He claims to be opposed to gov't involvement in healthcare, but he receives heavily subsidized health care from the gov't!!

His plan calls for taxation on employer-provided coverage. If I want to keep what I have I'd end up paying more taxes. But I can choose to use a different provider that's cheaper if I want and there was no discussion about which insurers would be available since it's a free market and they may choose to not carry me. And some people seem to think the Obama plan is 'socialized medicine' without ever defining what that means. 

People without insurance, without jobs that provide insurance and those that use free health clinics would get exactly what under the McCain plan? All that money being spent for triage service instead of real 'care' could be utilized so much more efficiently. 

Tax credits only work for those with an income to justify using one. I need money upfront not a credit for future use!! How is any coverage guaranteed? And remember he voted against the State Children's Health Insurance Plan. How do you deny coverage to children? 

4.  McCain talked about LIEberman way too much. What about his VP? We know Sarah Palin has become the Neo-Cons MILF on a cracker but not one 'shout-out'?

5.  McCain did not specify how many tours of duty he'd require from military personnel to support that 'victory' he touts. Nor did he mention the surge occurred when the US paid off a lot of people.

6.  McCain claimed to have acted responsibly in his military and political career. Huh? Crashing planes, getting captured, Keating 5, voting against the King Holiday, the GI Bill, Ledbetter Fair Pay Act...shall I go on? The cheating, the drinking, more womanizing, the anger issues..geez all that EXPERIENCE just sends chills down my spine. And not in a good way. 

7.  McCain's claim of inherent benevolence should disqualify him from holding any political office ever again. "But the fact is, America is the greatest force for good in the history of the world." John, what have you been smokin'? 

Check out McCain Source for a detailed list of his voting record (NO SPIN) with links! 

For the record I do not agree with every policy of Senator Obama, nor the actions of the Democratic Party. Obama did mention one very important fact: the US cannot keep borrowing money from China. That should be a front page item. Bring it home that this country is BROKE. And why. The fake IRAQ war. 

The mostly Republican support of lobbyists who relaxed all the rules for sound lending principals by the banking industry for a profit. Some Democrats have to share blame but the laws introduced were written by Republicans (see McCain friend Phil Gramm). It takes three times the effort to fix something once it's been messed up than making wise decisions in the first place. Add all that money up and it's about 3 TRILLION. Is that 16 zeros or 20 zeros? I was guessing. Our national debt is now 10 TRILLION so that Iraq bill, the recent bail-out and God knows what else doubled it since the Clinton administration. And somebody wants to argue over nickels and dimes to cover 'unnecessary' gov't spending [and making comprehensive affordable health coverage not just lower priced insurance plans] by ignoring the BIGGEST ONES of them ALL?!!! We've had 26 years of leadership from McCain and what have we the people gained from all of that time and experience and reaching across the aisle? A gold-plated Cadillac.

I'm Not Partisan I Am For Me

So I was watching the first Presidential debate last night and got a major cramp from sending out so many Tweets to my internet friends. Now I found out Current TV and Twitter are combining services for the next debates where your messages may appear onscreen in a live blog format. I love it! 

I was sooo bored that I dozed off for about 8 minutes. I'm sure the 5 glasses of champagne I drank on an empty stomach may have had something to do with that. It was the only cold beverage I had in my fridge. Naw it was debate. Obama was Mr. Cool and McCain was trying to throw dirt to see if anything would stick. Obama obviously put on his insect repellent and scotch guard. The consensus on who scored is of course split, but Obama is given the nod amongst independent voters. Those of us firmly in the trenches on either side don't count right now.

I found myself yelling at the tv for Obama to mention McCain's voting record and throw a hook when Old Man Grumpy said something that was an obvious lie or if you prefer, a misrepresentation.  I also was annoyed with McCain for being generally pissy and not looking at Obama. If he could look at Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and see K-G-B he must certainly see puppy dogs and rainbows when he looks at Obama. 

McCain is approximately 26 years older than Obama. That's the length of time he's been in the Senate. I don't get the experience argument. If I was going to do a comparison I'd look at what McCain did during the same period of time and what legislation he'd supported, introduced and rejected.

Since he's rejected making a national holiday of Martin Luther King's birthday that's something I'd evaluate. He voted for laws that have favored and is currently being advised by those crooks on Wall Street. They managed to implement an elaborate Ponzi scheme, bilk the average American who has not even set foot on Wall Street and then came back for more. 

I don't think every person who works on Wall Street is a crook, nor every CEO flouts the law, but I do think when you've gotten rid of any regulation then it's a free for all until it all comes down. They should not get to borrow money from the gov't at .025% and charge us 8% (or more) AND not pay (hardly any) taxes. Of course they WILL if they CAN, I mean who's gonna voluntarily turn that down?

This fallacy of how the wealth of a few executives who are mostly white, male and from a similar cultural background will somehow fall like manna from heaven onto you and me needs to STOP! Seriously. This is a lie. I'd feel the same way if it was a group of mostly women or people of color - but seriously when do you think that's gonna happen in this country? Individuals, sure but not a core group of people. It would change the power structure and dismantle white supremacy. 

Anyway - weren't people paying attention to the dot.com flop, Enron and Tyco from a few years ago? This had been pre-warned, but so many of us were preoccupied by shiny toys (evil illegals and evil fags coming in the night). In California a big part of our economic shortages come from over-priced housing and defaulted mortgages, but everything was so grossly inflated basing a budget on that was just stupid! And I will keep saying it 'til the cows come home: when Gov. Gray Davis started investigating Enron (it turned out they were intentionally overcharging us for services on behalf of Bush) he got 'recalled' by that fake selection of an Austrian actor. 

And though those of us in Northern CA still kept our wits the rest of the state was a little too star-struck. Where was the discussion about experience then? How does starring in an action movie and being rich make you a great politician? Do you think people in Hollywood tend to have a grip on the reality of the average American? Do you think a man worth more than $100M understands that? It's not as if McCain has ever been poor.

So do you evaluate the time he spent in jail as a POW as a character assessment? Then why not include his cheating on his wife and leaving her after she became disfigured? Besides he was fighting an 'illegal' war that was just as much about dominating a smaller nation as is Iraq. This wasn't a Nelson Mandela imprisonment and fight for justice. 

Maybe if he'd performed better in the Naval academy he wouldn't have gotten captured in the first place. 

I want a President who actually remembers the cost of a gallon of milk because they (ok probably their spouse) bought it. Why? Such a person is more grounded. There are other necessary skill sets like being able to deal with assholes and keep a smile on your face - which I am so NOT inclined to do. I want that person to have some good qualities I don't have. I want them to be life smart. I want them to have compassion. I don't want them to be totally co-opted by corporatists - but I do accept they have to build a relationship with them. They can't get their way all the time and have to be willing to compromise sometimes. 

It dismays me that so many people seem willing to have no standards at all. Or worse are basing their choice on superficial or limited reasons. I have concerns. I know I won't be living in a utopia. Things are a mess - even more than we realize. We have to take responsibility for our part in this. We equate spending and material accumulation with freedom. Yet this has only enslaved us. We're spiritually and civically bankrupt. Our intentions were good but we went off the path a while back. We have an opportunity to get back on track, but making sound decisions are part of that. There is no easy way out either. We have a lot of work to do. Our muscles have atrophied from lack of use. It remains to be seen if we will collectively move towards the path of rebuilding or of further collapse. This time there will be no one to blame but ourselves.

McCain Wants More Deregulation as WAMU Folds

Mr. Cut & Run and his Republican cronies (not all Republicans) are going to stall this bailout for as long as they can until they twist the knife in a little deeper in the backs of the average American. Unless WE stop them.

Now Washington Mutual is going down the tubes. See that bailout was only gonna go but so far.

Bush can't hold back the floodgates of all the ish that's going down now. It couldn't have happened at a better time. It's 40 days and counting to election day. Will we make it until then?

DISTRACTION TACTICS WON’T WORK THIS TIME!

**I predict a landslide come November that’ll leave the idiot squawkers speechless. 

So Bush tried to scare the beejeebus out of us last night with his fake doomsday predictions. “The financial sky is falling!!”, he claimed. Unless the middle class and poor people of this country bail out (a couple of his rich friends and cronies) Wall Street God is gonna send a lightning bolt to strike us dead! 

Now’s the time for you and me to sing, “The Roof Is On Fire”. I see no reason to not let the ‘muthafucka’ burn either. Bush is ‘concerned’ about the credit market and our ability to buy a house or start a business. How lofty a goal! How about paying for medicine and buying food? Or making the rent? Just cut us a check for say $20K and call it even. Screw Wall Street. Screw Republican trickle-down economics. 

It’s good for our elected officials to question the terms of this bailout BS. Apparently the latest demand for $700B is a number Bush made up. That amount is 5 times more than the costs associated with those so-called sub-prime loans being blamed (along with a few homebuyers) for this crisis. Why were the values of homes so overinflated in the first place?

WE DO NOT HAVE TO AGREE TO ANY STRONG-ARM TACTICS, SUBTERFUGE OR A CONTINUATION OF THIS CHARADE. 

Wall Street had enough money to give itself a $120B Bonus Check last year and we’re now supposed to believe they’re bankrupt!! Bush just wants another blank check with no transparency or oversight as a gift to his friends as he leaves office. He ‘promised’ a future repayment to the American people much in the way we can expect the tooth fairy to leave money under our pillows. Ok fine – but how are we gonna collect that debt on top of all the other debts he’s saddled us with?

McCain thought he’d try to pull a fast one and claim to suspend his campaign [he lied and has been busted] to go act Presidential and rescue the economy from his friends for us. The latest polls show him tanking faster than the Titanic (even amongst those hard working whites) so he must have a bad case of the runs! 

He really cares about us you know. He’s a POW. Those 9 houses, 12 cars and a private jet make him just like you and me. I watched a lot of teevee punditry and not one person mentioned that McCain signed these very laws that deregulated the industry in the first place. 

The National Enquirer has blown up the Sarah Palin sex scandal AND she looked stupid and incompetent again in yet another staged ‘interview’. So is it any wonder McLame wants to skip out on Friday’s debate so he can postpone the VP one indefinitely? Remember when he was crying wolf after Obama agreed to just three debates when he’d requested ten? Now he can’t even show up for one?!! WTF!! 

Obama tried to play nice and called McLame to put out a joint statement. Dumb ass! McCain tried to punk him but it totally backfired. Haha! My neck hurts from all the back and forth though. He was in NYC to attend the Clinton Global Initiative – what a coincidence. Bill Clinton says he’s ‘swell’ and not debating Obama is fine by him. Bill is an ass by the way. Did I forget to mention McCain’s a MAVERICK™?

David Letterman must not be drinking the Lame-Ade because he roasted McCain over his sudden cancellation and claim he needed to get back to Washington. He couldn’t be bothered to show up for 412 out of the 643 votes of pending legislation but now he has to ride to the rescue of Americans (his campaign). But not before making a pit stop interview with (Punky Brewster) Katie Couric. 

So to recap, McCain now gets it that the economy sucks and reversed his position of it being ‘fundamentally strong’. He doesn’t want to debate Obama on Friday because all that rescuing takes sooo much time. This is for our own good because Bush knows better. It’s best that we don’t ask any questions. Or expect anything in return. Poor people have not been mentioned at all because everyone can’t afford to buy a house, a lot of us don’t have jobs and are otherwise being ignored. 

 

I hope McCain decides to really take one for the team and keep his campaign fake-'suspended' indefinitely. This is all clearly a burden for him and we should do our part as concerned citizens. GIVE GREAT-GRANDPA SOME WARM MILK AND LET HIM TAKE A NICE LONG NAP. If McLame can’t be bothered to show up for the debate Friday he shouldn’t bother 'reinstating' his campaign at all.

Senator Bernie Sanders laid out a nice case for a reality check that I think everyone should review. Keep It Trill blog has been discussing the not-so-secret covert ops angle with AIG and the money being stolen from us. 

It’s up to us to be informed and take action!

**Speaking of action there’s national rallies to stop this bailout being coordinated by Democracy For America, Move On, USAction, ACORN and others. 

**Also just released that McCain messed up all the progress made today by demanding more deregulation and corporate welfare. 

THIS MAN IS NOT FIT FOR POTUS!!!!

Hope, McSame Or Real Change: What Are These Pols Really Offering?

So with all of the financial upheaval going on lately I don't know what to do. Unemployment in California is the highest it's ever been at 7.7%. As you may (not) know the reported rates are for new cases and isn't added to the existing rate. That 'rate' represents people. Wall Street gets the big bail out and we get a 1 TRILLION bill AND no help for us. That's NINE ZEROS - wait TWELVE ZEROS!!!!!!!

I have to say I am not pleased with the McCain solution for fixing the economy - because he isn't offering one. Tax breaks to rich people does NOTHING to help the average citizen. I am also a little disappointed with Obama's plan because it looks good on paper (and is a good plan) but doesn't call for the complete overhaul that is necessary. Yes I know he isn't going to say it because it will rub the gatekeepers the wrong way. He's not dumb, but neither am I. 

It's been interesting watching the teevee pundits talk about the economy like they have some authority on the subject. There's criticism levied against both plans, but we know McCain's has a snowball's chance in hell of being remotely beneficial for anyone but the 1% top earners.  He just wants a good sound byte. 

 

Any real change is not going to come from a proposal by a politician anyway. A lot of people just want to be told everything will be okay for them so they don't have to take any responsibility. It's inconvenient to choose a lower standard of living when you tie your worth into your possessions. Nobody likes hearing how policies that may benefit us cause harm to others. Complaining is easier than sacrifice and discomfort. 

This is why when I read this I found myself SMH in agreement with a lot. Should the messenger diminish the value of the message? 

Seize the Time!
An essay by Cynthia McKinney
September 19, 2008

We the people must now seize the time! We have always had the capability of determining our own destiny, but for various reasons, the people failed to elect the leaders who provided the correct political will. There was always some corporate or private special interest that stood in the way of the public good. And they always seemed to have the power of the purse to throw around and influence public opinion or our elected officials. The very foundation of the U.S. economy is crumbling underneath our feet. This represents a unique moment in U.S. history and we must now seize the time for self-determination--for health care, education, ecological wisdom, justice, and all the policies that will make a difference in the lives of the people including an end to all wars, including the drug war!

The crisis was staved off for a time for some of our major finance engines when they were able to obtain bridge funding from certain sovereign wealth funds. That option grows increasingly dim as The Federal Reserve is becoming the lender of last resort. This means that the people are becoming the owners of the primary instruments of U.S. capital and finance. This now means that the people have a say in how these instruments are to be used and what their priorities ought to be. The people should now have more say in how their tax dollars are spent and what the priorities of government and the public sector must be. We the people must now set our demands to ensure and promote the public good.

Now, as we ponder the importance of this moment to do good and serve the needs of the people, some politicians have already figured out their answer for us: win or steal the next election, prepare for more war, and leave it to others to try and figure out what to do next. While banks are failing all around us and the U.S. taxpayer is drenched with news of billion-dollar bailouts for *selected* companies, the Congress, which has utterly failed in its twin responsibilities of setting policy and Executive Branch oversight, plans to adjourn instead of setting new policies; lessening the impact of the economic free fall on innocent victims; or stopping war, expansion of war, new war, and occupation.

In a dizzying turn of recent events, we have all witnessed the collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage providers, investment banks Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns, and insurer American International Group (AIG), and other companies. So far, at least eleven banks have filed for bankruptcy this year. The case of the AIG bailout is particularly curious as Merrill Lynch was denied taxpayer largesse. I wonder if AIG was the selected company for bailout because of its relationship to the U.S. intelligence community and what others would discover if AIG's books were opened in an audit. The last person to get close to AIG and its shady operations was Eliott Spitzer.

But some more fundamental issues must be explored here, relating to the underlying assumptions that have guided U.S. political and economic activity, particularly over the last eight years.

The Bush Administration's "anything goes, just don't get caught" attitude has set the tone for what we are witnessing today. To be sure these problems didn't start in January of 2001, but they sure were allowed to accelerate during the George W. Bush Administration. For example, what tone was set when the Administration shipped $12 billion to Paul Bremer's provisional government in Iraq in cash on wooden pallets for Iraq reconstruction? No wonder $9 billion of it was "lost." What I'm constantly reminded of is that the money didn't just vanish, somebody got it. Now it's up to us to find out who!

However, the Administration's blatant disregard for good governance, the rule of law, standards of moral and ethical conduct, and even etiquette, when coupled with a laissez-faire, "go-along-to-get-along" attitude from Congress meant that no holes were barred and no hands were on the deck--a sure prescription for disaster.

In my reading over the course of the last few years, I had to become somewhat conversant with the language of the new economy: bundled mortgages, securitization, SPEs, SIVs, derivatives. But in addition to the old concepts that always seemed to be with us--predatory lending, redlining, no affordable housing amid "the housing bubble,"-- it soon became clear that basically folks had figured out a way to make money off of a ticking time bomb. Kind of like prisons for profit. And even though the Enron scandal was supposed to have cleaned up a lot of this, unfortunately, even Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac regularly engaged in some of these practices and that's why you and I own them today. I believe it is true that the very foundations of the U.S. economy and conventional political behavior have been shaken. Now is not the time for business as usual. And although this is by no ways exhaustive, here are a few things that I think the Democratic-led Congress could work on now instead of adjourning:

1. enactment of a foreclosure moratorium now before the next phase of ARM interest rate increases take effect;
2. elimination of all ARM mortgages and their renegotiation into 30- or 40-year loans;
3. establishment of new mortgage lending practices to end predatory and discriminatory practices;
4. establishment of criteria and construction goals for affordable housing;
5. redefinition of credit and regulation of the credit industry so that discriminatory practices are completely eliminated;
6. full funding for initiatives that eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in home ownership;
7. recognition of shelter as a right according to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights to which the U.S. is a signatory so that no one sleeps on U.S. streets;
8. full funding of a fund designed to cushion the job loss and provide for retraining of those at the bottom of the income scale as the economy transitions;
9. close all tax loopholes and repeal of the Bush tax cuts for the top 1% of income earners;
10. fairly tax corporations, denying federal subsidies to those who relocate jobs overseas repeal NAFTA.

And since the Congress plans to adjourn early and leave these problems to The Federal Reserve, The Federal Reserve should operate in the interests of the U.S. taxpayer and not the interests of the private, international bankers that it currently represents. This, of course means that The Federal Reserve, too, must undergo a fundamental ownership and mission change.

This crisis does not have to be treated as merely a "market correction," or the result of a few rotten apples in an otherwise pristine barrel. This crisis truly represents the opportunity to introduce fundamental changes in the way the U.S. economy and its political stewards operate. Responsible political leadership demands that the pain and suffering being experienced by the innocent today not be revisited upon them or the next generation tomorrow. But sadly, instead of affirmative action being taken in this direction, the Bush Administration ratchets up the drumbeat for war, Republican Party operatives busily remove duly-registered voters from the voter rolls, and our elected leaders in the Congress go home to campaign while leaving all of us to fend for ourselves. For the Administration and the Democrat-led Congress, I declare: MISSION UNACCOMPLISHED. For the public whose moment this is, I say: Power to the People

Ok so I can't find anything 'wrong' with this policy. It's hella radical though. Of course I'm not an economist but you know what? Those so-called 'experts' don't know jack! They know how to leverage assets and inflate their value to sell them off while crossing their fingers behind their backs. "Leave us alone gov't and let us do what we know best." Then when it blows up in their faces they're the first ones with a pout and expecting a hand out. 

The corporate media is going to sleep on this. I also noticed the mention of Spitzer regarding AIG. That little sex scandal took out a good politician - of course he had to know going against large corporations would net him a surplus of enemies and shouldn't have made it so darn easy to be targeted. 

What do you think?

Do They Know Something We Don't?

Who's the "They" I'm referring to? Those 'good ol' boys' religious perpetrating neo-cons that's who.

We know McCain only allowed limited access to his medical reports. What I don't get is why the corporate media has gone along with it. Well, I can guess! We know if it had been Obama this would have been a front page story of how he was playing 3-Card Monty with the public.

While I'd like to give McCain the benefit of the doubt I feel doing so would be to our peril. Which brings me to Palin. What if her puppet masters have seen all of McCain's medical records? They might know something of importance that would've blown his campaign to smithereens and the price of their silence was to put one of their own in the #2 slot.

Since McCain has already admitted his campaign is about anything but the issues what else is left? More smoke and mirrors? I can't wait to find out what secrets and lies have been held close to the vest that are sure to be revealed.

Mark my words - a lot of people will be sighing relief that we managed to dodge yet another bullet.

h/t TheRealMcCain.com 

The Love Of Money - Ah You Know the Rest!

Well, we're going to get the Republican spin and scrub job on the latest Wall Street crash. It's the worst since 9/11. This has been coming for some time. As a voter I'd think all that needs to be discussed right now is the economy and lay it at the feet of those at fault - the Republicans.

It's not just about laws not being followed as if it was an accident of chance. This current administration has been run on secrets and lies and no transparency. There has been no regulation or oversight combined with lobbyists run amuck. This may be an unpopular concept but greed and selfishness left unchecked will destroy this country.

Typically parents want their children to have a legacy that is more productive and prosperous than what they had. If things don't change how will that happen? Now our great-children will be paying off this debt.

John McCain can't even remember how many houses his wife owns. He won't be able to fix this when he refuses to admit to source of the problem. I'm certain the Bush administration is hoping for a major distraction - like a war - to keep people preoccupied again. Here's to hoping people wake up and smell the stench.

Are the Republicans in League with Corporate Media to Steal Another Election?

THE CHARGE:

Gross distortion of the truth and the media cover-up to keep people in the dark.

THE EVIDENCE:

• Bogus charges of 'sexism' for holding Palin accountable like any other politician;
  
• Not speaking to the press or answering any questions; 
  
• Scheduled ABC interview where questions have already been pre-selected and she can skip the ones she wants to; 
  
• NBC removal of Keith Olberman and Chris Matthews from election anchor chairs; 
• All of her Alaskan shenanigans: trying to fire her brother-in-law, billing rape survivors for evidence kits;
• The attack on Obama as a community organizer ignoring the history of activism as basis for this founding of this country and every major subsequent beneficial policy change that has occurred.    

Not including the major structural upheavals going on as we speak. If this is going to come down to tit for tat, ideas against ideals cultural war then LOOK at the state of this country after 8 years of free reign (of terror).

• Gas prices at $4 and rising.
  
• Bank and financial institutional failures.
  
• Mortgage Industry collapse.
  
• Food price increase of 20-40%.
  
• Jobs....where are they? 
  

Do you call this progress?

Even if you agree with some of the Republican party platform I wonder how you can ignore their lack of boundaries, standards, ethics, consistency, double-speak, oversight and accountability. Not that the Democrats can claim any moral fortitude either but come on. You can't legislate morality and tell people how to live. This is the 21st century. God is tired of being used as the excuse for hating on and killing people.

 

McCain is so ambitious. He had the opportunity to select a running mate who was at least a wee bit more reasonable, but oh no, he decided to take the road paved with good intentions. You know where that road leads cuz those Republicans are all so in touch with God and stuff. They know more than everybody. At least that's the impression given by the almost exclusively white and male mouthpieces. Where are the reasonable people? Not in the news.

This is 2004 subterfuge all over again. Except instead of gay marriage the wedge issue this time is the white mom next door. She could be married, has children and may work outside the home. She's overwhelmingly hetero. She seems innocuous. You'd invite her in your home for coffee and set up play dates with your children. The image is very powerful. The picture is as cute as a button. If you open it and peel back the layers you'd get a different view though. This woman is not your friend if you've chosen a different life for yourself or if any misfortunes out of your control have you on a another path. 

This was a brilliantly diabolical move on the Republican's part, but it only shows how far down the rabbit hole they've gone.  The press has had the same opportunity to vet these candidates as they did with Obama but so far have failed to do so. They cave in every conceivable way and have been doing so for nearly a decade. For example, do you think the Republicans would have gotten away with trying to impeach former President Clinton over a sex scandal when the main agitators were all cheating on their wives at the same time? There were plenty of media insiders who knew what was going on and they did nothing! If we'd had the blogosphere we'd have busted the whole sham wide open. 

You can't vote for McCain and hope that he will do a better job than Bush when he's just rubber-stamping the same failed policies. Even worse is how he's tied himself to the most extreme members of his party to get much-needed support. He has already shown us how he will govern if elected President. Allow me to repeat: HE HAS ALREADY SHOWN US HOW HE WILL GOVERN IF ELECTED PRESIDENT. He'd sell us out in a heartbeat!!!!!

McCain is not fit to be President Of The United States. The end. 

THE VERDICT:

GUILTY!!!

While You Were Sleeping More Financial Institutes Went Bust!

**Update 1130am Washington Mututal CEO gets the axe...but still has a golden parachute.

While we're all being intentionally distracted by the latest celebrity scandals, disasters and bogus political intrigues there have been a record number of banks and finance companies gone kaplooey. We're not just talking about Bear Stearns and Countrywide, but upwards of 100 institutions are being bailed out by the Feds. Now we can add Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the list. The banks have tended to be smaller institutions servicing local areas, but make no mistake the national banks are on very shaky ground as well. They're just trying to hide it, partially to prevent a panic and mostly to keep people in the dark about how bad things really are. 

Can you imagine how many people would be taking it to the streets but for misinformation and willful ignorance? Do you think people would be sitting by discussing the parenting choices of an inferior candidate if the lead story on the news covered the things that really affect us? Depending on whether the Dems or Repubs win this election certain things will continue to be withheld until after the current administration is out. Then it's all gonna come out, people will be mad and expect pixie dust to fall from the sky to wave away all that has gone wrong. If Obama does win do NOT expect a quick solution to problems that have been festering for years. Just like in the X Files, the truth is out there. The solutions are available but that will require certain sacrifices from people. Why should my nieces' and nephew's generation and their future children have to pay for our mistakes and our debts? 

If you notice trends in mergers it has a lot to do with consolidating shrinking revenues. The days of Wall Street are over. Or are they? Those smaller banks are often the only banks in a convenient vicinity to the areas they serve. If you live in a small town and your local bank goes under - even if it's FDIC insured and you only have $5 in your checking account because you're living paycheck to paycheck where will you go for your banking needs? What if you don't have direct deposit and need to cash a check? Those other places charge you a 3% fee - or three times that if it's a personal check. 

My sister has a position working with an elderly population. Some of them lived through the Great Depression. Some have expressed their concerns for the immediate future as they feel a sense of recurring history and looming collapse. It is why some of them, who may have been staunch Republicans in their younger years plan to vote for the Democratic ticket this time around. They don't trust their political party has their best interests in mind anymore or a plan to stem the financial hemorrhaging. I imagine a lot of people feel as they do lately. It's a sad irony how Fannie Mae, a shining example of the Roosevelt's New Deal, has been laid to waste.

As horrible as it must have been, the Great Depression was an equalizer of sorts where the formerly wealthy shared a similar plight with those who had had less. So everyone had an vested interest in restoring balance and hopefully prosperity to the citizens of this nation. There was no pretense about the situation. There was no borrowing money and encouragement to go shopping. When some complain about "illegal aliens" they fail to understand trade policies and lack of oversight for companies that can lead to wiping out the economy of a village, town, city, state or country. I'm fairly certain a lot of people would prefer to stay in their country of origin if not for the lack of food, safety and opportunity to survive and thrive. 

When your farm has been wiped out due to the NAFTA or similar agreement it's not really fair trade. Another farmer in another country gets paid a flat fee to grow a crop whether they meet their minimum or have a surplus and can flood the market without impunity. The leader of another country that refuses to sign such an agreement is labeled uncooperative, not willing to negotiate or worse a dictator unless they agree to do what the other country wants. Hmmm, sounds like such a leader may be in fact looking out for their citizens. 

When you live in a 'developing' country isn't that just a nice way of saying your land had been occupied by a more powerful country and isn't anymore? They took everything they could get their hands on and left it barren - or you managed to fight them off long enough that they retreat. Only they're just biding their time to fund an opposition party with people they're paying off to bring 'independence' to the people. Or you've negotiated a 'fee' to pay them, but it's so high they're planning on keeping you in debt so you can't rebuild or feed your people. Then more fighting starts and the cycle never ends. The World Bank and the IMF are your frenemies. Only this isn't a quirky little tv show about four women of privilege. 

Even in the US it's not all about a McMansion, Hummer and partying like a rock star. Housing prices far outstrip income. There is no bigger population without places to live that exists today. Salaries do not rise with inflation. We have the privilege of 'choice' according to one political party. Yes, but too often it's a 'choice' to eat or pay for medicine, to work when you're sick or lose your job, to not feel safe enough to walk down a street where a group of men congregate when you're a young woman or to hope it's all been a crazy dream that you will certainly wake from. We'd be much more content with less materialistic pursuits by the way. 

One glaring omission from the Republican convention was any mention of George Bush, his administration's mistakes and McCain's policy agendas for resolving them. See not mentioning this is akin to sticking your head in the sand. Saying you'll be forceful and use your personality to affect change is equal to sticking your finger in the air and waiting for wind. Not to mention how his own record of voting against the GI Bill, equal pay and health care for children is all I need to know why he is NOT FIT FOR POTUS! Now if Bloomberg had run that'd be another story. 

Those that believe candidate Obama to be lacking in experience clearly haven't bothered to check his voting records for they'd find he has in fact sponsored hundreds of bills related to easing poverty, negotiating with foreign countries, funding education and lots and lots of things we like. Just to recap: he's a politician not a civil rights leader. 

McCain urged us to put country first. Let's really try to look past wedge issues and personal agendas. Don't fund companies that break the law. Send a message to the political party whose agendas caused more harm than good as well as the individual politicians from both parties that rubber stamped them.   

The most important thing we can do is become engaged politically, improve the conditions of our neighborhoods and affect policy change. 

I really think our best option for taking McCain's advice is to not vote for him. He can't be a maverick when he's compromised his positions so thoroughly.  He can't be a change agent by co-opting his opponent's message either.

It's our choice and I sincerely hope there are enough of us who will come together to bring about real change.

John McCain is a Windbag

Update 346am:

Yes the speech was that bad. 

“I don’t work for a party,” he said. 

“I don’t work for a special interest. 

I don’t work for myself. 

I work for you.” 

Wow....what a liar! Don't fall for the bs.

******

Ok I don't even have to listen to the entire speech to guess what he's gonna say. If you are in that $5M and above bracket you are safe from any fall-out, but the rest of us will be in trouble.

1. I am a POW

2. I like war

3. Sarah Palin is my kinda gal

4. Barack Obama is bad

5. I really want to win so vote for me

After he's done we can analyze what - if anything - he actually says about POLICY. How can he though when he's voted against every conceivable law that would actually help people.

We can always vote for Paris.

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die  

Schadenfreude or Comeuppance?

One means pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others. One means punishment or retribution one deserves. Flip side of the same coin? For all the crap Obama has received since he started winning primaries (once he took Iowa he was always ahead) it's time the opposition gets a taste of their own medicine. The Rethugs are like the school yard bully who runs to cry for mommy when the smaller kid stands up to them and kicks their butt.

John McCain refused an interview with CNN in response to this exchange between his lying mouthpiece Tucker Bounds and reporter Campbell Brown who for once was being impartial and asking questions - you know - what a reporter is supposed to do. I will remind people what he said before , ".... Selecting the vice presidential nominee is the most important decision a presidential candidate can make ....". I may write this in every post until November 4th even if I'm writing about the Season premiere of Prison Break. That was way more entertaining than watching the Rethug Convention.





The choice of Gov. Palin is akin to an appearance on the Jerry Springer show. Again, I personally don't make any judgements of the Palin children just the lack of judgement of McCain in choosing a candidate who clearly does not hold a candle to Sen. Joe Biden. I am now even thinking Obama made a good call by picking him. I'd trust Biden's judgement in a time of need over Palin's any day. This is just the tip of the iceberg I got from a quick internet search.

- Ties to disgraced former lobbyist Jack Ambramoff
- Ties to an Alaskan secession group
- Illegal attempts to fire her brother-in-law
- Questions surrounding the birth of Trig still unanswered
- $27M in Earmarks set aside
- Reduced funding to Covenant House which has a homeless teen pregnancy program

There is some speculation amongst us liberal bloggers - that's a dirty word to the Rethugs right now - that Palin is a Trojan Horse candidate and McCain will pull a bait and switch on the public. He really wants Lieberman but the religious fakesters said, "No, no no!" Who knows. Who cares. This is a joke - except it's not. This is the election which is 9 weeks away. McCain wants to distract us by talking about lifestyle choices instead of issues. If we talk about abortion will we stop thinking about the price of gas? Are we that easily led astray? I don't think so. Not this time. Too much is at stake to fall for such duplicity again. At least I hope so.

The Republican National Convention continued it's snoozefest tonight. I think there were as many as 20 Black people in attendance, coincidentally the same number who attended NetRoots Nation. It's not that Black people couldn't attend if they wanted to though....but you know...where's the incentive? There was also a Bridget McCain sighting but that may have been a mirage.

Hypocrisy for $500 Please

Republican Vice Presidential Nominee and current Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's 17 y.o. unmarried daughter Bristol has been revealed to be pregnant. Shotgun wedding anyone? How often do those marriages work out in the long run? This isn't about a teenager getting pregnant. Life throws us many curveballs and unexpected events do not have to derail our purpose in life. Bristol is one of the luckier teens in this situation in that her family has enough money to not be financially burdened by this and adequate health insurance and emotional support. At least in public. So why do I care? Because according to Mama Palin having an abortion is out of the question - under any circumstance including rape. Let's not forget that Fake News had the gall to refer to Mrs. Michelle Obama as a baby mama less than 3 months ago.

So who's the baby mama now!

Remember when a member of the Obama VP vetting team had to get rid of one of the vetters due to a favorable loan rate he'd received? This was the response from the McCain campaign:

"Jim Johnson's resignation raises serious questions about Barack Obama's judgment. Selecting the vice presidential nominee is the most important decision a presidential candidate can make and one even Barack Obama has said will 'signal how I want to operate my presidency.' By entrusting this process to a man who has now been forced to step down because of questionable loans, the American people have reason to question the judgment of a candidate who has shown he will only make the right call when under pressure from the news media. America can't afford a president who flip-flops on key questions in the course of 24 hours. That's not change we can believe in." —McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds

Remember Bill O'Reilly trashing the Spears family when Britney's little sis announced her pregnancy? He referred to it as a morality failure on the mother's part for not teaching some to her daughter AND she was setting a poor example. So what's good for one mom applies to the other then, heh?

Why are people of color held to a completely different set of standards and are automatically thought to be loose and lacking morality? If this had been one of the Obama daughters would there be this public call for 'family privacy'? Nooooooooo.

Obama told his supporters to stand down in attacking Palin and her children. I agree on personal attacks, but when you as a candidate put yourself smack dab in the middle of the culture wars and claim to be SUPERIOR then you have the right to be evaluated. I recall a verse from the Bible - you know that religious text these spiritual perpetrators who wouldn't know Jesus if he walked up and smacked them on the head claim to be intimately acquainted with:

John 8:1-11 New Living Translation

Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

“No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”


Then there's all those Republicans that say being gay is an abomination, enact legislation opposing gay marriage and get busted for having sex with male prostitutes or trolling public spaces for sex.

NOLA residents dodged a bullet as Hurricane Gustav passed through and was reclassified as a much less deadly tropical storm. Yet those levees are barely holding. Have the Republicans learned anything in the three years since Katrina? NOPE! Bush and McCain were enjoying cake on a landing strip and Condi Rice was shoe shopping and saw Spamalot while people were dying.

In order to deflect attention at the funeral, er Republican National Convention and the lack of attendance by, well Republicans, Bush & Cheney claim they wanted to stay close to the White House in case they needed to react quickly to a crisis. Yeah....right. There won't be any kudos for the lame duck unqualified appointee of FEMA this time!

If there is one reason why the Republicans should be relegated to a fringe element of politics FOREVER it is the lack of response and total disdain from the Federal Government to its poorest citizens during and after Katrina. I know Republicans have such disdain for it they'd prefer to abolish the Federal Gov't and replace it with their own policies. Except...isn't that pretty much what they've done...and FAILED MISERABLY AT IT!!!!??

Innocent people were targeted in masse and jailed without charge or legal counsel for months and years. People have been tortured and murdered. How many said, "It wasn't me that did it". As horrible an administration it has been it's the people in this country who really need to make a long, hard and detailed examination of themselves, their thoughts and motivations for putting this administration within reach to steal the election in the first place. Then once Bush got in office and started messing it up where was the outcry? And by the way we'll be seeing more bank failures and bailouts in the coming months once Bush's reign of terror ends. Is stopping gay marriage more important than your company shipping your job to China?

Zen philosophy has us all interconnected. We are the sum of many parts. If half of our body is diseased we will not survive. When will we take equal responsibility for each other? If children don't have drinking water in another country you must look into the policies of your own much wealthier country to question why. It isn't about throwing money at a problem - it's about getting to the real source and fixing it. I may have many questions about the validity of religious texts in the way they were interpreted to follow the social mores of the time but I come back to this verse time and again to remind me of what's most important:

Mark 12:28-31 New Living Translation

One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

So here we have this election. It's so much more than choosing a political party. If we are to believe the polls this race is very close. How can that be? Certainly it isn't due to the belief in the superiority of McCain's candidacy that is fueling this closeness. Funny I don't remember the country being in such dire straits a few terms ago. This is about those who wish to maintain white male patriarchy and they're gonna take us all down with them if we let them.

Do you see the forest for the trees?

****

Update: Democracy Now reporter Amy Goodman and several other producers and journalists have been strong-armed and jailed trying to report from the RNC. She was accused of being a rioter and has since been released. When white women get attacked you know the ish has hit the fan! Now I don't know if people realize all the Rethugs doing recon at the DNC last week, fanning the PUMA flames and taking notes and they weren't arrested. Do we really want 4-8 more years of this?

It's already up on YouTube.