People Get Ready

Beware the Ides of March and Republican voter theft. Don't wait until November 4th to vote people. Let's look back at 2000 and 2004 shall we. 

1.  The lines may be long and you might be cut off. 

2.  Some voting places may suddenly not be available. 

3.  The police may block the roads leading to your specific one. 

4.  Your name may be removed from the voter roll. 

5.  Someone might challenge you for wearing an Obama pin. 

6.  You might be refused because of an error in how your name was listed.

These are just some of the ways an election can be stolen. Don't be lulled into complacency either. The corporate media reporting of poll numbers that favor Obama is not an accident. Don't start celebrating a 'win' just yet. He still has to cross that finish line. Our votes will put him there (if you are so inclined to do so). 

All I have to say is this: if the opposition candidates would rely on their message and had a strong platform then tampering with votes should not be necessary. On the other hand some people are only interested in maintaining a status quo and making their friends rich at the expense of everybody else and will do whatever they think will tilt the results their way. 

The Brennan Center for Justice is an excellent resource. Also Vote for Change. Make sure you are registered and able to vote. The earlier the better!! Like healthcare, it is a right not a privilege. We must be diligent and actively engaged.

Our battle has only just begun. This country is broke. According to the former Comptroller General (did you know we even had one?) the real national debt is close to $50 TRILLION. I just did a quick search and found a wiki entry that has it listed at $59.1 TRILLION. That breaks down to more than $516K per person.  Our greed is going to keep us in beggar status unless we change our spending ways. We will not really be free until we end our dependence on oil and driving big cars. We need to cut back on our use of electricity and maybe lay off the bottled water while we're at it. Are there really that many fresh springs in the world to support our designer water habit? 

Think about this for a moment: we buy water. There are people who are suffering the effects of drought and have to walk 20 miles for water or drink contaminated water. This is in addition to the water we use and pay for that's provided by our local municipality. So we pay twice. Then let's take into account other wasteful spending by the gov't and fraud. How can we wonder why we are in so much debt? 

So we need to examine our motivations and actions as well as monitoring those that don't have the country's best interests at heart. Get out and vote and take it from there.

Idiot Rethug Wind-Up Doll Gets the Smack-Down

I was watching this week's episode of Real Time with Bill Maher and had the opportunity to get my biggest laugh of the week. Watch and decide for yourself.

I'd like to be impartial and journalistic but Stephen Moore is a first-class tool. He's on the Editorial board of the Wall Street Journal. He's joined the ranks of other paid journalists whose integrity and impartiality is non-existent. Kinda like Ron Fournier of the Associated Press. The thing that kills me about these very partisan participants of punditry is that they use the same rule book whereby they: 1. Talk really loud  2. Act very aggressive  3. Attack, attack, attack  4. LIE (on tv, in print, via radio) 5. And laugh about it. People like him don't give a damn about the struggles and want to diminish the triumphs of the 'little people'. 

We're just a talking point for them while they do their media blitz and cash their checks. It is hard for me to see the vast hardships that (some) white men in this country have endured to make tool of the week a legit voice for the so-called oppressed (white person) Republican. All these Black and Brown (and Asian and Native) peoples running around the country bringing havoc and mayhem. How dare they want to own a home, have a career, earn an equal wage, not be taken advantage of and hold someone accountable. How dare they expect the law to be applied with sense and equality!! Don't they know their place?

Note to all of you squawkers: if you actually believe this crap you spew I've got a rocket to Mars with your name on it. If you want to debate a topic or give your point of view remember that it is your opinion not a fact! And you need to stop talking over people and allow for an actual discussion. Otherwise you're just being bullish. And spewing bull****!!! I'm sure there's another McCain (Klan) rally for you to attend before November.

For the record ACORN stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.  It is the nation's largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families, working together for social justice and stronger communities. In order words, it helps people who are not necessarily middle class (and definitely not rich) invest in themselves and their communities by addressing fair lending practices, health care, paid sick days and other matters of importance. Poor people don't have lobbyists. 

Neither candidate has made a concerted effort as of late to address poverty in their campaign speeches, the debates or while stumping but since John McCain claims you need a $5M net worth to be considered rich I'd go with the other guy for being a little more in touch. You know the one that doesn't have their supporters acting like people who belong on the FBI's Most Wanted list. 

The end.

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. 

Fun With Future First Lady Michelle Robinson Obama

I must confess my support of the husband came from my identification with the wife. So I understand why some women are so drawn to Sarah Palin. (I don't understand the lack of critical thinking and reasons for that support but oh well). There was that kerfluffle over those that misquoted this brilliant woman and fierce mama bear but I understood exactly what she meant. She is the Enjoli woman personified. And so much more. She did not come from wealth. She will be able to grow and become a more seasoned leader as she travels the world. She is not unlike many other women (and specifically women of color), but we have not seen a woman like her on a national level under these particular circumstances. She is the product of a loving family and uses sound judgement. I want to be like her when I grow up! 

This is from the Larry King interview taped on October 8, 2008. She is so calm, so poised, so gracious I am in awe. Team Obama has their message on point as usual, but in light of the latest gutter tactics from Mr. Grumpy, Alaskan Barbie and even the Rodeo Queen it is a wonder to behold. We are in the final leg folks!!! Let's keep our eyes on the prize! 

Watch her dodge being tripped up and baited by Larry. I could feel my brain cells multiplying and a sense of peace with every passing moment. Enjoy! 

Michelle Obama Rules!:



Larry tries to bait Michelle:



Obama is Supportive of Women:



Michelle dismisses the Bradley Effect and Larry should know better!:



Michelle Discusses her Sheros:

Ayn Rand Speaks - Will Anybody Listen?

I have started to wonder if Eliot Spitzer was really brought down because of a sex scandal or due to his investigations of companies with ties to the Bush administration. Specifically the relationship between the gov't and AIG. Despite the news reports of their partying ways the Federal Reserve is going to kick in another $37.5 BILLION. Somebody really likes them!

I mean I thought it was rather convenient and stupid quite frankly for the former Governor to get caught with his pants down, if only because it's been done so many times. I wondered why it required a removal from office. He wasn't teh President after all. And he looks like an insect. Sometimes. 

It's just he was very passionate about exposing corruption. So sexual extra curricular activities seemed so blase. It was a young pretty woman we're talking about not a young pretty man. Now that would've been a real scandal. He had to know people were gunning for him. Oh, I know that isn't a real deterrent. It didn't stop John Edwards from running for POTUS and it won't stop whoever comes next. I just got the impression he was somehow different. Smarter than that. 

Perhaps he got in the the way of an AIPAC agenda as well. His being a Jew didn't protect him from their retaliation. All he lost was his post. He still has his family, his health and financial means. He might be able to run for office again - unless that was the sacrifice he made. I don't know.

It's just rare to find politicians who rage against the machine. They are usually completely co-opted, chased out of office or completely written off as crazy like Cynthia McKinney. Oh yeah...some are murdered too, but I wasn't trying to go there.  

I wonder how many of us really want to know all the stuff that goes on? Look at how Martial Law was threatened if the politicians didn't support the Bailout vote. 

This really isn't something we should let go of. Come on now a few hundred thousand people protesting armed with cameras and some media coverage? Sometimes you really have to put yourself on the line when it really counts. Or I am being incredibly naive? 

I read Atlas Shrugged 3 years ago for the first time. It was the longest book I've ever read for 'pleasure' and it seemed so long because you have to think while you're reading. It requires your utmost attention and I usually deploy skimming techniques. Not with this book! Ms. Rand was ahead of her time. Listen to her message to Conservatives and see if any of this rings a bell.

If you've read the book you know about those that decided to leave society as it imploded on itself. I have no doubt that there could be a real secret society of dissenters but it might be a very exclusive party. It would have to be the most clever rave invite ever. No hunting for notes and eggs with messages written on them to lead you down the road and over the hill. Oooh maybe it's like the Amazing Race but your prize is that you get to live to fight another day. Can you even hide land nowadays with so many spy satellites?

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.

Preoccupied By Economic Manipulation & Political Theatrics We Might Miss WWIII

This is a scene out of a Spaghetti Western. The firing squad has formed and is closing in on its target. Ready. Aim. You know the rest.

As the USA spirals downward lets just say a few world leaders are probably snickering under their breath and wondering why it took so long. If Osama bin Laden was the real culprit behind the 9/11 collapse, he may have fired the shot, but we (I should say they) stood in front of the bullet. Cuz I didn't have anything to do with this mess. I didn't vote for Bush and I have written many scathing letters of condemnation to the Democrats who've enabled and actively supported his policies. This is not a summer blockbuster where Will Smith saves the day - unless he's playing a newly elected Obama (wink) empowered by non-warmongering politicians in the House and Senate. We can hope!! Ding Dong the Wicked Witch Is Dead!! Indeed.

The 63rd General Assembly of the United Nations met last week in New York. I highly recommend people take a few moments to read through the speeches and I believe there's video posted on Youtube as well. How prescient that Heads of State were here to witness the Fall of the Empire. This is a plot straight out of Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones and a revisiting of past historical events.

Observers believe that Palpatine's rise to power is very similar to that of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany; as Chancellor of Germany, the latter was granted "emergency powers", as was Chancellor Palpatine. Comparisons have been made to Octavian — who became Augustus, the first emperor of Rome — and to Napoleon Bonaparte, who rose to power in France from 1796 to 1799. Octavian was responsible for the deaths of several hundred political opponents well before he was granted tribunician powers; Bonaparte was appointed First Consul for life (and later Emperor) by the French Consulate after a failed attempt on his life and the subsequent coup of 18 Brumaire in 1799. Some have drawn parallels to the American Civil War, likening the Separatists to the Confederate States of America; the official name of the Separatist group is the "Confederacy of Independent Systems". The name of the government Army, the "Grand Army of the Republic", is the same in both Star Wars and the American Civil War, and both Palpatine and Lincoln took extensive warmaking powers and suspended many civil rights. 

But hold up!!! How does this apply to what's going on today? Aside from the Patriot Act and FISA shredding our all-hallowed but selectively followed Constitution? Well the US has been planning for has a naval blockade of Iran. Congress barely defeated HCR 362 with the intention of slowing the Bush Neo-Con doctrine of annihilation - phew. (Update 10/8 I got it wrong I thought it has passed). Without UN approval such an action would be viewed as an unofficial declaration of war. 

Here's the kicker:

Congress “demands that the President initiate an international effort to immediately and dramatically increase the economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran to verifiably suspend its nuclear enrichment activities by . . . prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran; and prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran’s nuclear program . . .”

Why would any member of Congress (or Senate) give Bush the benefit of the doubt about ANYTHING is behind my grasp of reality. Doesn't Dr. Phil say the greatest indicator of future behavior is looking at past behavior? And he's a tv hack pop psycho(logist)! He has a point here though. Not since the Cuban Missile Crisis has the US engaged in a blockade of a sovereign nation. We know how well that turned out! 

Here's Bob Woodward's take on Iran in a discussion last Friday with Bill Maher.

The corporate media is not discussing it - surprise surprise. Israeli newspapers are busting a nut over this and ready to go, though so expect this to come up again. Hopefully an Obama administration will bring a truly concerted effort at peace. If McCain gets in by hook or by crook all bets are off. Israel is allowed to have as many nukes as they want without question. Why can't other countries? I wonder how different the world would be today had Cuba gotten its nuclear weapons from Russia? I bet the US would've been a whole lot nicer! 

What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Both govt's are being heavily influenced by a few power-mad individuals who want to be rid of anyone who doesn't agree with their agenda. Meanwhile the people (you know us) want peace. Don't cut off people's water supply or bulldoze them. Maybe the next person won't feel so desperate that they have to blow themselves up and take as many 'enemies' with them as they can. In case anyone's still falling for the Georgia is a victim of Russia okey doke know this: their airfields will be used in a strike against Iran. Fun times for all, huh? 

I have never understood how a person who's been violated would turn around and treat other people just as horribly, but we can find many examples of the walking wounded who are willing to harm some in retaliation for things another person did to them. Certain Black men in this country see fit to prey on Black women and children without batting an eye for example. These individuals usually aren't able to form gov'ts and receive billions in financial and military aid, however. Sometimes they are allowed to have a platform in the media though to wage a cultural war instead. We can no longer make excuses for such a violation.

I am all for doing internal work on our mindsets and motivations. We should confront our traumas and take personal responsibility for future choices. This is an ongoing effort we can utilize and maintain. We've got some serious, dangerous and expensive actions going on right now that our gov't is doing behind our backs but in plain sight for those of us willing to do a little digging. 

Who benefits from this? Does starting a war with Iran (0r Venezuela) mean you and I will be safer - or does it mean a reign of fire of contempt will flow freely from the rest of the world? Is China going to loan the gov't money for this? How does the McCain plan for an additional $400B in Corporate Welfare help put our economy back together? This country is BROKE. BROKEDY-BROKE!! Will the dollar be worth 10 cents by the year 2012? Do you think I'm joking about this? 

I'd much rather write about my day in the park with my dog or how great a deal I got on the copper cookware I received while in France but I may never get to do those things if these violence obsessed greedy liars take over the world and all of our freedom with it.

And in case you think that is bad enough I'd like to know why Bush has recalled combat troops from Iraq to patrol the US with a pending election to be held in November? Was this how the Bailout got passed? Do you think this will be covered in the Presidential debate tonight? It should be!!! 

I still believe in the power of good over evil, but knowledge is power.