Alameda County Democrats

USA is in recession | PERIOD

Percy H Florez — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:42:29 EST

To many times this year I said the economy is in CONTRACTION.
On March 27 I published one post with the following name: It looks like the Titanic's History! The Economy
Everywhere outside the inner circles of Washington are talking about the economy is in recession, economists around the country are talking with data in hand and statistical methods and models, sustaining the economy is in recession.
But only the lurid government of George W Bush and his political puppets of both parties won’t to acknowledge this irrefutable reality.
One main principle in economy is the fact first and foremost recognize the crisis in the exactly magnitude where is it, with this data you can structure a plan capable to reverse this economics behaviors, otherwise any false analyze could worsened the crisis.
At this point here is is the majuscule irresponsibility of the government and the political statement of both parties, when they do not want to recognize the economy is in recession. As Germany did few weeks ago.
Now the National Bureau of Economic Research is recognizing the economy is in recession.
Yes the economy is in recession heading very fast to the worst depression ever, as a consequences of this stupid behaviors of not admit the reality and try to hidden the true of the crisis.
Nothing could be very worst than the lack of admit the realities in economic terms.
These entire politicians in charge are sinking this country in to the most catastrophic economic downturn; they are playing and buying time instead made structural correction to the economy.
They irresponsible bailout and send billion of inorganic and unproductive money to the markets.
All are accomplices of this charade of print inorganic money and send it to the market in the most regretfully method of bailing out institutions who are per se out of business.
Here is now the new reality, banks are failing, big manufactures are failing, small businesses are failing, the construction industry is failing long time ago,
Means, two of the biggest employers of this country are failing (Construction & Smalls business).
Yes, if you think the automakers or the business associates with the markets are the biggest employers you are dead wrong and this is exactly this politician of the status want to sell in order to continue putting inorganic money at the expense of the taxpayer.
These actions now are compromising at least the next two generation of Americans and they are going to pay huge for this government irresponsibility.
No one can assume this crisis is going to be resolved by any means in the next ten or fifteen years if “only if” the next administration took the necessary structural steps of corrections.
In terms of UNDO this economic crisis: “the fail of one year represent 10 years of setting back”
With this equation, President Elect Barack Obama has to deal. He has no choice! And there are not excuses about the world are in crisis or so on.
Yes, the world is in crisis, and this crisis is the failure of this ECONOMIC MODEL.
The new realignment if underway, now depend of each government how to handle the situation to prevail or to fail.

Percy H Florez

Your Tax Dollars at Work in the Middle East: Palestinians Forced from East Jerusalem Homes by Israeli Settlers Despite US Protests

Mark C. Eades — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:04:44 EST

On the night of Nov. 22, a group of Israeli settlers descended on the Jerusalem home of Palestinian resident Fatima al-Daoudi while the owner was away visiting relatives, changing the locks on the gates and putting a metal sheet over an open-air porch built in by the al-Daoudi family in 1948. Although an eviction order was obtained by the al-Daoudi family and the settlers removed, the order was only temporary and the settlers are expected to return, eventually to stay as the al-Daoudi family is forced to seek housing elsewhere. Residents of the same house since 1930, the al-Daoudi family now faces the prospect of joining the many other Palestinian residents of Jerusalem who, like those in the neighboring West Bank, have been turned into homeless refugees by expanding Israeli settlements (PNN).

Despite US and international protests, a similar fate recently befell the family of Mohammed al-Kurd and his wife Fawzieh, residents of their East Jerusalem home since 1956. Evicted in a pre-dawn raid by Israeli police, the al-Kurd family was forced to move into a tent on private land rented from a Palestinian neighbor while Israeli settlers moved into their home of more than fifty years. Israeli harassment against the family continued, however, including repeated demolition of the tent in which they had been forced to live despite its location on private Palestinian land. To make matters worse, Mr. al-Kurd suffered from complications related to diabetes, of which he finally passed away on Nov. 23. As Mrs. al-Kurd, her children, and her grandchildren mourn Mr. al-Kurd's death, the family's future remains in question (PNN, BBC, AFP, Haaretz, AIC).

As Haaretz reported prior to the al-Kurds' eviction from their home, the US filed an official protest with Israel for acts against Palestinians including the eviction of the al-Kurd family and harassment of Palestinian residents by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. The US complaint was obviously ignored. Such complaints from US officials including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have grown more frequent in recent months according to a separate Haaretz report, drawing the ire of some Israeli officials, who suggest the US is meddling in local affairs that are none of its business. Despite overriding US concern for Israeli interests and massive US aid to Israel, it would seem that the Israelis have little regard for US and international opinion on the human rights of Palestinians. Billions of your tax dollars go to Israel each year, yet even the most restrained US complaints against settlement expansion and abuse of Palestinians go ignored by those who are supposedly America's best friends and a beacon of democracy in the Middle East. Meanwhile, anger toward both Israel and America festers throughout the Arab world.

President-elect Obama has told us that "the time for change has come." Has the time come for this long, sad state of affairs to change?

Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com

RED ALERT | something stinking is behind the MARCH (LA MARCHA) on DAY ONE

Percy H Florez — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:48:28 EST

Since the last weekend just am participating in the fiercest battle against those groups who are trying to organize a big Rally on day ONE against Barack Obama in the issue about immigration.

The list serve of many Hispanic groups in the Barack Obama web site is flooding profusely in message about this MARCH!
The organizer has nothing to say about it.

Suspicious:

I just am wondering why suddenly too many born American citizen are behind this March and are pushing our community to do so.
The answer for many Hispanic people in this group is prudence and organization before doing something like that. 85 percent or more of the participants in this discussion are Hispanic people talking and pressing for measure and organization, the others (few) are in favor of the MARCH and these unknowns born American citizens are vehemently pushing for the MARCH against BARACK OBAMA.

My questions are:

Why this MARCH on day ONE?
Why this fellow Americans are very interesting in this action against Obama?

Why they are pushing our community to do something like that on day ONE?

Who they are?

Why this March against a government who don’t address the immigration issue at this time and the Hispanic community don’t know exactly wish one is the real position of the new administration?

Why the RUSH of this organizer for this so called “LA MARCHA”

Who’s behind scene?

It’s something planned by the groups anti immigrants like the MINUTEMAN group?

Or it’s something planned by THE REPUBLICANS?
After all the only beneficiary of the negative consequences of this extemporary pressure against the new administration in our community could be the Republican Party and the anti immigrants groups, like the MINUTEMAN!

Percy H Florez

Democrats: Help Defeat Saxby Chambliss and Build Senate Majority

Mark C. Eades — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:56:51 EST

After our stunning Election Day sweep of the White House and Congress, Democrats still have one remaining opportunity to finish 2008 with a win. Even as Senate races pending recounts in Minnesota and Alaska hang in the balance favoring Democrats, one Senate runoff in Georgia remains offering Democrats the possibility of a 60% majority in the upper house of Congress. Recent polls show the Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss (pictured on left) holding a narrow lead over Democratic challenger Jim Martin (pictured on right) with just two weeks to go until the Dec. 2 runoff.

Chambliss remains infamous for his attacks on Democratic opponent Max Cleland in 2002, including an ad showing pictures of disabled Vietnam veteran Cleland along with pictures of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, suggesting dishonestly that Cleland would allow terrorists like those who struck America on 9/11 to strike America again. Chambliss' GOP colleague John McCain called the ad "reprehensible" and "worse than disgraceful" for its attack on the patriotism of a man who lost three limbs fighting for the United States in Vietnam. Ever ready to flip on previously-held principles, however, McCain appears to have forgiven Chambliss for his attack on McCain's fellow Vietnam veteran, and is currently campaigning for Chambliss in Georgia. A noted chicken-hawk, Chambliss avoided service in Vietnam with five student deferments and a medical deferment for a "football knee."

Chambliss is also infamous for his remark, shortly following the 9/11 attacks, that Georgia ought to "arrest every Muslim that crosses the state line."

This year, Chambliss took to race-baiting in the effort to stem a Democratic tide in Georgia that threatened both to unseat Chambliss himself and to deliver the state's electoral votes for Barack Obama. As in other Deep South states, Democratic voters in Georgia are largely African American while white voters tend strongly to vote Republican. Unlike in other regions of the United States this year, white voters in the Deep South broke even more strongly Republican this year than in previous years, owing to racial antipathy toward Obama. Meanwhile, African American voters in Georgia turned out in massive numbers for Obama, producing an electoral result strongly divided along racial lines, and holding McCain's ultimate Georgia victory to a relatively narrow 5.2 percentage points.

Fearing the loss both of his own Senate seat and of his state to the Democrats owing to heavy African American voter turnout, Chambliss not-so-subtly warned his conservative white base of this on more than one occasion as a way of getting them to the polls. In one instance during early voting in Georgia featuring huge African American turnout as expected, Politico quotes Chambliss telling his white supporters that "the other folks are voting" as a warning that they too had better get out and vote. In another instance, Chambliss told the New York Times that the "rush to the polls by African-Americans" in Georgia "has also got our side energized, [because] they see what is happening." Finally, after failing on Nov. 4 to reach the 50% majority required under Georgia law to avoid a runoff, Chambliss again referred in a Fox News interview to the "high percentage of minority vote" this year and the the fact that "we weren’t able to get enough of our folks out on Election Day."

Saxby Chambliss is a liar, a bigot, and a disgrace. In 2001, he openly suggested collective punishment of Muslims for the 9/11 attacks. In 2002, he won his Senate seat by shamefully attacking the patriotism of a disabled veteran in a time of fear shortly following 9/11. This year, he used race-baiting in the attempt to save his own Senate seat and keep Georgia in the Republican column. His Democratic challenger, Jim Martin, is a Vietnam veteran, an accomplished legal scholar, and served for 18 years as a Georgia state legislator. Readers are encouraged to visit Jim Martin's campaign website, to contribute there or at Act Blue to Martin's campaign, to spread the word to other Democrats, and to contact Georgia voters on Martin's behalf.

Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com

BAILOUT the VETERAN’S ADMINISTRATION (VA) | URGENTLY |

Percy H Florez — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:12:36 EST

On Wednesday I receive one of the most heartbreak emails ever. A Heart Break E-mail and I posted the entirely email as it, as a proof of what is happen in the VETERNAS ADMINISTRATION (VA).

VA literally is broken in his finances and the bureaucracy in this department follow a steady course, those facts are the principals cause of dissatisfaction for many VETERANS who are rightfully entitle to receive the assistance they deserve from the VA.

This soldiers practically are begging to the VA for solutions, THE ONLY THINK THEY WANT is receive a respectfully treatment, They want his payments on time and the necessary medical assistance they need, They want to be loved by his country as they much loved it.

Not enough was the discovering of the disastrous mistreatment they suffer in the Walter Reid Hospital, they receive promises and some improvement, just the necessary actions to calm down the media, but the really true is nobody is talking about the continue injustice this proudly HEROS receiving every single day from the VA.

If there is some institution in this country need a BAILOUT is the VA, they has the great responsibility of taking care of all VETERANS?

Of course at this point there are not EXTRAORDINARY session of the CONGRESSMAN favoring any solution in this mess of the VA, NOT special declarations of the Speaker of the House, or the Majority Leader calling for immediate and expedite solutions of the SOLDIERS problems dealing with the VA, as they did easily in FAVOR of the corrupted institutions in wall street.........NO, there are NOT prefabricated NEWS CONFERENCE voicing for a quickly and smart solutions for the VETERANS ADMINISTRATION , there are NOT RUSH to solve his problems, NO pressure to the people and fancy explanations to secure VOTES.

At the end of the day nothing is going to happen, may be they think …….. THEY ARE TOO LITTLE AND TOO POOR.

It’s incredible and hard to believe, these two young soldiers practically begin for money because the VA unwariness’.

I can't visualize how this kind of differences could happen in this country?

Lawmakers know what happen in the VETERAN ADMINISTRATION, this is nothing new, this problem coming from years before. But always they couldn't find out the right solution, only promises and long time lapses and debates, until something special come out trough the media like this issue of the Walter Reid. I just wondering if someone of these busy lawmakers of Washington are going to read this: A Heart Break E-mail.

Why does the Congress ISSUE a rush and fair “BAILOUT” to the VETERANS ADMINISTRATION (VA) solving definitively and permanently all the PROEBLEMS THEY SURELLY HAS, as a real signal of gratitude for all what this soldiers did, after all is his responsibility's to do so.

Just am calling for some justice and sensibility to the attention of the President-Elected Barack Obama, I do not expect nothing being solve by the Bush Administration.

Just am calling to the leaders of the Congress for an EQUAL TREATMENT for these citizens, who with his WATCHS and exposures in dangerous way are granting the LIBERTY AND SECURITY of his countryman and them as congressmen’s they fully enjoyed.

This proudly man’s and women’s of the United States Armed Forces, HERO’S of the past and present wars, deserved nothing less than EQUAL TREATMENT, quickly and expedites solutions for the VETRANS ADMINISTRATION (VA), as others entitlements or institutions recently receive from the United State Congress.

Percy H Florez

If President-Elect Barack Obama.....

Percy H Florez — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:08:52 EST

Succumb to the immense pressure of the lobbyist companies in favor of the automakers he probably loose the great opportunity he has now to reshape the country and all this mess in to successfully and productive economy.

When I see Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and all this lawmakers make pressure in favor of this incense policy instead have measure due to the big failure of the previous bailout they craft in the most irresponsible act of congress since the great depression. I have not doubt how much power this industries have.

In conclusion is time for real change instead throwing the money to the trash using this money for companies who already are dead because they fail to be competitive and productive.

I am not against these companies, I like the GMC Subaru, but in terms of competitiveness they are out of the market; they can’t compete in any way with his close competitors like Toyota or Honda. These two foreign automakers as an example invest a lot of money in this country, building lines of production that send to the market products made by Americans hard workers full of competitiveness among of quality and price.

By the way I just heard today this automaker from Detroit who are begin for government bailout using the taxpayer money, have a huge investment in the markets; they are bankers too, and they profited for a lot in this business, then now this is one of the reasons they are in troubles. They want easy money and they playing hard in the game of taking risk instead of made real changes in his line of production and adequate his products according to the new reality.

I just wondered if the new administration can resist such behavior and temptation instead made structural correction to the economy.

I hope Barack Obama don't loose the great opportunity he receive clearly form the people of this country and don't defraud the next generation of Americans who are watching very close what his going to do.

It's about time, let's see what happens

Percy H Florez

Defeated Republicans Lick Their Wounds and Debate Comeback Strategy

Mark C. Eades — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:21:13 EST

Still reeling from the punishing defeat handed to them by victorious Democrats on Election Day, Republicans are licking their wounds and debating their strategy for a comeback. As Democrats and progressives celebrate our hard-won victory, we should also be keeping an eye on our vanquished opponents and preparing to remain on the offensive against them, whatever comeback road they attempt to pursue. For the sake of the future, we cannot allow a repeat of 1980, 1994, or 2000.

Most observers see two major possibilities for the GOP. One is that the party could stick with its rural, white, ultra-conservative base and become the party of the far right, thus alienating moderates, independents, and swing voters, many of whom would likely migrate to the Democratic Party and join the ranks of conservative-leaning "Blue Dogs" like Virginia senator Jim Webb. The other possibility is that the GOP could move toward a more moderate and less ideological, center-right position that could make it more attractive to independents and swing voters but at the same time would tend to alienate the conservative base. Neither is an exceedingly attractive option for the GOP, since either would likely result in the loss of one or another key Republican voting block. The electoral success of Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II depended upon a united Republican coalition of social conservatives, fiscal conservatives, defense hawks, and "Reagan Democrats." That coalition has now fallen apart.

I personally hope the Republicans will take the former choice, stick with their demented base, and become a far-right fringe party doomed to increasing irrelevance as old bigots die off and their children discard the prejudices, fears, and hatreds of the past. This is what may well happen if far-right blowhards like Rush Limbaugh have their way, warning their shell-shocked followers now against a moderate takeover of the GOP led by once-and-future-maverick John McCain and other hands-across-the-aisle types, whose ranks will seek to purge the party of "real conservatives" like Sarah Palin and those who identify with her. Never exceedingly popular among those on the far right, McCain is already being branded a defeatist and a traitor by the Limbaugh-Palin crowd, who are incensed by the attacks on Palin now coming from within the McCain camp itself, and who increasingly regret that McCain was ever nominated even as they are in his debt for giving them "their Sarah." Meanwhile, angry dittoheads at RedState.com have launched a bitter assault on Palin's Republican critics called "Operation Leper," and appear poised to advocate for Palin as a presidential candidate for 2012 and/or 2016. Perhaps we will see a full-fledged Palin faction form within the Republican Party in opposition to the forces of Republican moderation, leading to an all-out faction fight and perhaps even a split in the party. I sincerely hope so.

If, on the other hand, the Republicans choose the path of moderation, returning perhaps to the GOP of Eisenhower and Goldwater, our work could be a little more difficult. This possibility highlights the importance of maintaining the center-to-left coalition that enabled us to win in 2006 and 2008 just as their center-to-right coalition enabled Republicans to win in 1980, 1994, and 2000, as it raises the risk of swing voters swinging back to the Republican side if they are not happy with the job Democrats are doing in Washington. Those of us such as myself who are on the Left of the Democratic Party will have to balance our expectation of having a place at the table with the realization that the rest of the country isn't with us just yet. At least in the near term, the Obama administration and the Democratic Congress will have to govern more-or-less from the center, and at the same time will have to prove that they are more capable of governing the country effectively than their opponents. Given the dominance of the far-right in today's GOP and its dependence on the conservative base, however, owing in part to the fact that so many moderate Republicans have either left the party or been voted out of office, I wonder how realistic or likely a route this second option actually is. I could be wrong, but I suspect hopefully that our opponents will remain in the funk they are currently in for quite some time to come.

Whatever course they may ulimately choose to take, our task as Democrats is to stop any GOP comeback dead in its tracks before it even starts. Democrats must remain on the offensive and must remain focused on solidifying and building our congressional majority in 2010, re-electing President Obama in 2012, and putting another Democrat in the White House in 2016. We must aggressively go after not only Republican congressional seats but also state and local offices nationwide. Grassroots Democratic organizing, voter registration, fundraising, and media activism are key to this, as is maintaining a strong center-to-left coalition through effective, balanced governance. We must demonstrate to the Republicans that they are dealing with a new, much tougher, much more aggressive and effective Democratic Party: a Democratic Party that won't be so easy to kick around as in the past, a Democratic Party whose days of whining about mean old swiftboating Republicans are over.

If we are to avoid a repeat of the last eight years or something even worse, no Republican comeback can ever be allowed to happen.

Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com

The Name's of The Fallen / Part 18 / Total Count as a today @ 6:03 PM 11/6/2008 4192 Soldiers are Dead / Names In Reverse order from: 4177 to 4192

Percy H Florez — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:04:58 EST

The Name's of The Fallen / Part 18 / Total Count as a today @ 6:03 PM 11/6/2008 4192 Soldiers are Dead / Names In Reverse order from: 4177 to 4192

4192 29-Oct-08 Private 1st Class Bradley S. Coleman 24 Martinsville VA
4191 29-Oct-08 Sergeant Scott J Metcalf 36 Framingham MA
4190 24-Oct-08 Private 1st Class Cody J Eggleston 21 Eugene OR
4189 23-Oct-08 Staff Sergeant Brian P Hause 29 Stoystown PA
4188 19-Oct-08 Lance Corporal Stacy A Dryden 22 North Canton OH
4187 16-Oct-08 Specialist Heath K Pickard 21 Palestine TX
4186 15-Oct-08 Specialist Justin A Saint 22 Albertville AL
4185 14-Oct-08 Specialist Christopher A McCraw 23 Columbia MS
4184 07-Oct-08 Sergeant Michael K Clark 24 Sacramento CA
4183 12-Oct-08 Specialist Geoffrey G Johnson 28 Lubbock TX
4182 11-Oct-08 Sergeant Reuben M Fernandez III 22 Abeline TX
4181 05-Oct-08 Colonel Michael R Stahlman 45 Chevy Chase MD
4180 05-Oct-08 Sergeant William P Rudd 27 Madisonville KY
4179 02-Oct-08 Private 1st Class Tavarus D Setzler 23 Jacksinville FL
4178 30-Sep-08 Private 1st Class Christopher A Bartkiewicz 25 Dunfermline IL

Total Count as a today @ 6:03 PM 11/6/2008 : : 4192 soldiers are dead
More Information please visit our data base: : The Name's of the Fallen
Or you can visit the DoD web site: : US DoD News Release

S T O P T H E W A R

Stop the War & Bring Troops Home

Percy H Florez

Only the Beginning: Obama's Historic Victory and the Road Ahead

Mark C. Eades — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:40:54 EST

For Democrats, Barack Obama's stunning victory last night over John McCain brought a seemingly endless and often bitter presidential campaign battle to a welcome end. Obama's victory came as cause for relief and for celebration, as did Democratic gains in the Senate and the House of Representatives. When our first African American president takes office in January, Democrats will enjoy a position of authority in Washington we have not held since a brief period from 1992 to 1994. Many progressives are saying now that the era of conservative dominance in America beginning with the rise of the "New Right" in the 1970s and the Reagan victory in 1980 has now come at last to an end, that the long Republican nightmare is over, and I too am hopeful that this is so. While we celebrate and look ahead to the Obama Era, however, we should also remember that just as power can be won so it can also be lost, as it was in 1980, 1994, and 2000.

Each end is also a beginning; and so the end of Campaign 2008 and the end of Republican rule is also the beginning of something, but of what? Are we at the doorstep of a bold new progressive age that begins with Obama and extends into infinity, or of another brief Democratic reign to end again with a bitter Republican resurgence? Now that we have successfully driven the Republicans from power, how do we keep them from coming back, as we know we must if we are to avoid a repeat of the past eight years? A Republican resurgence would be a disaster, not only for Democrats and progressives, but for America and the world. The Karl Roves and Dick Cheneys of the world are not going anywhere. They will simply retreat to their think tanks and begin cooking up plans to retake power, just as they did during the Clinton years. Their success must be prevented by any and all means at our disposal.

While progressives will surely have a place at the table in the new administration, we cannot expect that the Left will or should dominate the Obama agenda at least in the near term. I would consider myself to be well on the Left of the Democratic Party, and I'm happy that progressives will have a voice in the new administration, but I feel pretty certain that Obama will have to govern more-or-less from the center if he is to avoid creating a whole new generation of "Reagan Democrats." I am hopeful that it may now be possible for progressives not simply to move the government to the left but to actually move the country to the left, and to create a new progressive America free of the politics of Reagan and Bush. In order for this to happen, however, Democrats in Washington will first have to prove themselves capable of governing the country effectively and satisfactorily in the eyes of their constituents. Once conservative-leaning, "soft" Democrats see that liberals aren't so bad after all, they will be much more likely to elect Democrats to Congress in 2010, to re-elect President Obama in 2012, to put another Democrat in the White House in 2016, and to listen to progressive ideas in the meantime with an open mind. While Democrats in Washington focus on effective governance, they and Democratic activists including us in the netroots must also focus on maintaining the gains we have made and on making further gains in election cycles to come. We cannot afford a repeat of 1980, 1994, or 2000.

Meanwhile, a whole new generation of first-time Democratic voters has been brought into the electorate, and this new Democratic base must be maintained and built at a grassroots level. Because of a far less reliable base of Democratic voters in previous elections, a hardcore Republican base of social conservatives, neo-cons, bigots, and xenophobes was allowed to dominate American politics for the better part of thirty years. This can never be allowed to happen again. Republicans who cannot be persuaded to go Democratic must be isolated and outvoted. In the immediate term, this means building a broad new Democratic base that includes centrists and even moderate conservatives in addition to progressives and the Left: not an easy task. The brilliant success of the Obama campaign in doing precisely that, however, can be credited in great part to Obama's experience as a community organizer in Chicago - experience that will serve the Democratic Party's organizing efforts well in the years to come.

Indeed if anyone is up the difficult tasks which surely lie ahead, I think it is our new president-elect. Throughout his campaign, he has shown himself to be a steady, focused, and disciplined political leader: not bad traits if one wishes to be an effective and successful president. More importantly, Obama possesses clear vision and a spirit of idealism that could not contrast more with the cynicism of the era that has just ended. He also possesses a strong, committed base of grassroots support that is ready for the battles to come. I for one look forward with hope and confidence to the road ahead.

Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com

Barack Obama | President

Percy H Florez — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:24:55 EST

Congratulation to everybody
God Bless America

Percy H Florez

Voting for McCain in 2008 is Like Voting for Nixon in 1960

Mark C. Eades — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:31:03 EST

If like me you are not old enough to have voted in 1960, or if you are old enough and voted for John F. Kennedy as you should have, try and imagine how it would feel if you had voted for Richard Nixon instead.

Imagine watching Kennedy's rise, in life and in death, to take his place among America's greatest presidents, knowing that you could have voted for him but didn't; and imagine then watching Nixon's descent to take his place among the worst, knowing that you voted for him perhaps not just once but two or even three times.

Imagine watching the secret bombing of Cambodia revealed, watching the sad tale of Watergate unfold, and watching Nixon's resignation in disgrace. Imagine looking back from the vantage point of 1974 and thinking of how you might have voted differently in 1960, of how at that pivotal point in time you made an unwise decision and ended up on the wrong side of history.

Now imagine how things might have been if lots more people had made the same mistake as you in 1960 and John F. Kennedy, one of America's greatest presidents, had never been elected. Imagine a world without President Kennedy.

Then, if you can bear repeating such a tragic error in judgment, go ahead and vote for John McCain.

Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com

Meeting Barack Obama in Nevada: Henderson Rally, Nov. 1

Mark C. Eades — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 17:26:31 EST

Four days before Election Day 2008, I drove with a friend from my home in the San Francisco Bay Area to Henderson, Nevada, just outside Las Vegas, for a rally with Barack Obama. We arrived in Las Vegas on the Friday night preceding the Saturday morning event, which also happened to be Halloween. With little else to do before driving out to Henderson to take our places among the first in line for the Obama rally, we did what any other visitor does on a Friday night in Vegas: We went to the Strip. This was of course a strange prelude to the Saturday morning event, as apolitical a beginning to a political weekend as I can imagine. Surprisingly, among the crowds of revelers along the Strip in almost any kind of costume one can imagine, I didn't see a single Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden, or Sarah Palin. As always, Vegas seemed to occupy a world entirely its own.

Once we tired of the Strip, we drove the few miles out to Henderson on the southern edge of metropolitan Las Vegas and located the rally site, a local high school football stadium. By two or three o'clock in the morning, dedicated Obama supporters were already taking their places in line at the gate, and we soon took our places among them. I personally had never "camped out" for any kind of event, be it a political rally, rock concert, or movie premiere, but at this event I had no intention of being any further from the front than I had to be. Our diligence paid off, and once the gates were opened we and other early arrivals were able to take places along the rope line in front of a crowd that grew to number around 15,000 (see BarackObama.com, Las Vegas Review-Journal; photos available also at Flickr).

Obama's 25-minute speech contained many of the same points he has made throughout his campaign, but lacked nothing in excitement for being what one might describe as a "standard Obama stump speech" with a little extra dose of urgency just three days before Election Day. Introduced by Nevada's own Senate majority leader Harry Reid, Obama arrived at the podium to wild applause and screams of support, the energy all positive. I couldn't help but take wonder at how the overwhelmingly positive atmosphere at this event contrasted the ugly rage, bitterness, and hate we have all seen on video from McCain/Palin rallies. The one time booing started at the mention of John McCain, Obama reminded the crowd as at other rallies recently, "You don't need to boo. You just need to vote."

In his speech Obama reminded his supporters that the election has yet to be won: "Don't believe for a second this election is over. Don't think for a minute that power concedes. We have to work like our future depends on it in these last few days, because it does. But I know this, Nevada: The time for change has come." As he spoke, the tiny silhouettes of police and/or Secret Service lookouts could be seen atop buildings and other high points around the rally site, just in case anyone should wish to harm the Democratic nominee. Secret Service agents also patrolled the crowd and shared the open space between Obama's stage and the rope line with news photographers taking rapid-fire shots both of Obama up at the podium and of the cheering crowd. A helicopter circled over the rally site, too high to tell whether it was a news helicopter or police.

For us and others at the front of the crowd, the climax of the event came at the close of Obama's speech, as he began to make his way along the rope line to depart. Surrounded by Secret Service agents and rapid-firing news photographers, Obama moved along the rope line shaking hands, kissing babies, and thanking his supporters. The Secret Service agents pushed back against the metal barriers as the crowd surged forward to get a glimpse of Obama or shake his hand. My friend and I suddenly found ourselves with little room to move or even breathe as Obama approached and the crowd pressed in around us, holding their hands out in hopes of getting a handshake with the man they hope will be the next President of United States. We both did get handshakes with Obama when he finally arrived at our place along the rope line, and when my turn came I looked into Obama's face and told him the first thing I could think of to say: "You are going to be a great president." Obama looked back at me and said in all sincerity, "Thank you." Then he was gone.

Finally, as Obama moved away from us along the rope line shaking more hands and kissing more babies, we got a chance also to shake hands with Harry Reid. Having previously shaken hands with Ted Kennedy at an Obama event in Oakland just before the California primary, I can now say with pride that I have shaken hands with three of the people Republicans most love to hate in the world. One of those hands, I hope, will soon be holding the keys to the White House.

Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com

Palling Around with Harmless History Professors: John McCain and Rashid Khalidi

Mark C. Eades — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:06:47 EDT

Following the failure of their "Bill Ayres Strategy" to cause major problems for Barack Obama, John McCain and Sarah Palin have stumbled upon a new bogeyman from Obama's past to sow suspicion in voters' minds: Rashid Khalidi, a Middle East history professor at Columbia University, whose ties to the Middle East and the Palestinian exile community include no evidence whatsoever of terrorist activity or support. The McCain/Palin campaign has decided, however, that Khalidi is a shadowy figure with suspicious ties to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and with whom Barack Obama has a suspicious relationship because the two apparently attended a dinner together and said nice things about each other. I guess that means Obama has been "palling around with terrorists" again.

What John McCain seems to have forgotten, however (in addition to the number of homes he owns), is that he has far deeper ties to Khalidi than Obama has. While he served as chairman of the International Republican Institute (IRI) during the 1990s, McCain distributed several grants to the Palestinian research center co-founded by Khalidi, including one worth nearly half a million dollars. A 1998 tax filing for the IRI shows a $448,873 grant to Khalidi's Center for Palestine Research and Studies for work in the West Bank (see grant number 5180, "West Bank: CPRS," on page 14 of this PDF.) The relationship between McCain and Khalidi extends back as far as 1993, when McCain joined the IRI as chairman in January. The IRI helped fund several research projects by Khalidi's organization in the Palestinian Territories that year, including over 30 public opinion polls and a study of "sociopolitical attitudes" among Palestinians. Khalidi's organization has also received financial support from the American Academy for Arts and Sciences, the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the National Foundation for Democracy, none of which are known for funding terrorist organizations (see Huffington Post, Chicago Tribune, MSNBC).

Rashid Khalidi's only offense is that he has published opinions on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict with which strong supporters of Israel might disagree, and with which Barack Obama has in fact expressed disagreement. The right to express opinions with which other people might disagree is guaranteed by the US Constitution, and is a cornerstone of modern higher education - a fact John McCain seems to have forgotten, just as he forgot how many homes he he owns and how many grants he issued to Khalidi's organization back in the '90s.

How many more times must we listen to John McCain and Sarah Palin make sad, desperate attempts to pin other people's words and deeds on Barack Obama? Simply knowing someone doesn't make you responsible for whatever that person might have said or done in the past. Neither Bill Ayres nor Rashid Khalidi are advising Obama, serving on his campaign, or likely to serve in his administration. End of story.

Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com

Stopping GOP Voter Suppression and Election Theft

Mark C. Eades — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:44:03 EDT

The threat of GOP voter suppression and election theft is as great as ever this election year, and perhaps even greater as Republicans grow desperate to head off what appears likely to be a crushing defeat on Nov. 4. While Republicans hurl baseless accusations of voter fraud at Democrats and progressives who seek to build turnout, the fact remains that it is the GOP which has repeatedly sought to suppress voting in order to win elections. Republicans have used and continue to use a variety of methods to disenfranchise likely Democratic voters, including disqualification, deception, and intimidation.

Methods of voter suppression used by Republicans and the threat they pose this election year were recently discussed by Andrew Gumbel at The Nation as well as by Peter Rothberg. Meanwhile, Roberto Lovato discusses what we can all do to protect our votes on Election Day and after. The Brennan Center for Justice documents and reports incidents of voter suppression nationwide for public information. Reports on voter suppression activities have also recently appeared in the New York Times and at CNN.

The Election Protection coalition (1-866-OUR-VOTE) is a nonpartisan organization formed to ensure that all voters have an equal opportunity to participate in the political process. Through their website and voter hotline Election Protection provides live, up-to-the-minute information and advice on voting conditions nationwide as well as taking reports of irregularities from voters. No Voter Left Behind (NVLB) is a Democratic organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to fight GOP efforts at voter suppression and election theft. NVLB also provides extensive information on GOP voter suppression methods and on how Democrats can protect their votes as well as taking reports of irregularities. In addition to offering direct assistance to voters, Election Protection and NVLB seek donors and volunteers to support their efforts.

Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com

Republican Voter Deception: Democrats Told to Vote Nov. 5 (Virginia, California)

Mark C. Eades — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:52:06 EDT

Republicans are once again playing one of the oldest tricks in the book to try and stop Democrats from voting on Election Day. In at least two states, according to reports from Virginia and California, Republicans have attempted to convince Democrats that they should vote on Nov. 5 instead of Nov. 4 due to heavy turnout expected.

In fact, Election Day for all voters everywhere regardless of party affiliation remains Nov. 4.

In Hampton Roads, Virginia, a phony State Board of Elections flier has been distributed advising that, due to heavy turnout expected this year, Republicans are to vote on Nov. 4 and Democrats on Nov. 5. The flier, dated Oct. 24, features the state board logo and state seal, and indicates that an emergency session of the Virginia General Assembly has adopted emergency voting regulations designating separate voting days for Republican and Democratic voters to ease the load on local voting precincts.

The Virginia elections board has stated that the flier is a forgery, and state police are investigating (Virginian-Pilot).

Meanwhile, in Bakersfield, California, conservative radio host Jaz McKay of station KNZR likewise recently told listeners that Democrats should vote Nov. 5 instead of Nov. 4 because of expected heavy turnout. Asked by the county elections chief to stop misleading voters, McKay claimed it was a joke (see Bakersfield Californian).

These are but two cases of this particular trick that I have come across, but it has been tried many times before in many places, and I don't doubt that it will turn up again somewhere between now and Election Day.

Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com

President Sarah Palin: Our Greatest Fear (New Ad by Danny Elfman)

Mark C. Eades — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:55:24 EDT

Hollywood composer Danny Elfman (famous for "The Simpsons" theme and scores to Tim Burton films) has produced a new ad for the last week of the presidential race revealing his greatest fear: a President Sarah Palin. Focusing on the possibility that John McCain might not even finish his first term as president if elected due to age and health concerns, Elfman eerily morphs a slow-motion image of McCain speaking into an image of Palin succeeding him. Here is the transcript.

"These are troubled times in a volatile world. With unprecedented crises at home and abroad, we need sound judgment and a steady hand to lead the most powerful nation on Earth. John McCain's age and continuing battle with cancer makes the liklihood of him not completing his term higher than any president in American history. President Sarah Palin. Think about it."

Elfman is seeking support to air the ad in swing states during the final days before the election. Readers are encouraged to visit OurGreatestFear.org, watch the ad, contribute if possible, and pass it on.

Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com

Racism and Hate at McCain/Palin Rally in Pottsville, Pennsylvania

Mark C. Eades — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:39:34 EDT

A new video posted to Youtube shows McCain/Palin supporters spewing racism and hate at peaceful pro-Obama demonstrators outside a McCain/Palin rally Oct. 27 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. One older gentleman early in the video shouts "Bomb Obama!" at the videographer and Obama supporters. Asked by the videographer what that means, the man says, "Get rid of him," then gestures indicating this means assassinating Obama. A younger man holding a "Democrats for McCain" sign says, when asked why he supports McCain, "I'd never vote for a black man." Another young man declares, "I do not want a black man running my country." Among women at the rally, one says she is against Obama because "his associations and his judgment are not American," repeating the Obama-as-foreigner meme. Another older gentleman also repeats this idea, insisting that Obama was born in Kenya, not the United States, and asking for his birth certificate (ample proof exists that Obama was born in the US state of Hawaii). Other rallygoers shout various combinations of "Barack Hussein Obama" in addition to the usual charges that Obama is a "terrorist" and a "baby killer." If we needed more proof that racism and hate are indeed running rampant in the grassroots Republican ranks, this is it. The video is credited to the Pennsylvania progressive organization Keystone Progress.

Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com

Ted Stevens, Sarah Palin, and the Republican Culture of Corruption

Mark C. Eades — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:55:53 EDT

The last thing Republicans needed a week before Election Day was yet another high-profile GOP scandal coming to fruition and reminding voters of the "culture of corruption" they voted to end just two years ago. This is exactly what Republicans got yesterday, however, when Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska was convicted on federal corruption charges. Following more than a decade of Republican rule on Capitol Hill, the GOP scandals of 2005-2006 would be greatly to blame for the loss of the House and Senate to Democrats in Nov. 2006. As he now joins Tom DeLay, Bob Ney, and Randy "Duke" Cunningham in the Republican gallery of disgraced lawmakers, Ted Stevens may contribute greatly in turn to the Republican defeat of 2008.

The likely loss of Stevens' Senate seat to a Democrat and the shadow his conviction may cast over other congressional GOP campaigns are not the only worries this latest scandal presents for Republicans as Election Day approaches. Stevens is also a problem for the Republican presidential campaign, owing in particular to his ties to Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin. However she might seek to distance herself from her fellow Alaskan now, Palin shares an extensive history with Stevens in Alaska politics, including a stint for Palin as director of an independent 527 group organized by Stevens. Palin's relationship with Stevens is detailed in a video from the Anchorage Daily News including a joint news conference with the two from July 2008 and Stevens' endorsement of Palin for governor in 2006.

Between 2003 and 2005, Palin served as one of three directors of "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Sevice, Inc.," a 527 group authorized to raise unlimited funds from corporate donors and designed according to the Washington Post "to serve as a political boot camp for Republican women in the state." While perfectly legal, Palin's service in Stevens' group does conflict somewhat with her presidential running mate John McCain's official position that 527s should be abolished and with the McCain/Palin claim to be maverick reformers (see also Rolling Stone, Think Progress).

Following Palin's service with his 527 group, Stevens endorsed Palin in her run for governor of Alaska in 2006, while both Stevens and Palin were supporting the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere" project that Palin now disavows. Stevens' endorsement for Palin is preserved in a video which Palin removed from her gubernatorial campaign website shortly following her pick as McCain's vice-presidential running mate, but which may still be viewed at Youtube and in the Anchorage Daily News video on Stevens and Palin.

Previously, as mayor of tiny Wasilla, Alaska, between 1996 and 2002, Palin hired a Washington lobbying firm headed by Steven W. Silver, a former chief of staff to Ted Stevens. Silver's firm helped secure $27 million in congressional earmarks for Wasilla during Palin's tenure as mayor - a hefty sum for a town of only 7000 residents, and a further contradiction to Palin's claim of being a maverick reformer (Washington Post).

Palin is also associated with the Alaska-based oil pipeline company VECO Corporation and its former CEO, Bill Allen, who has pled guilty to bribing Alaska legislators including Ted Stevens' son Ben. Remodeling work organized by VECO on Ted Stevens' home is among the more than $250,000 in gifts and services Stevens has now been convicted of accepting from wealthy friends in exchange for political favors. When Sarah Palin ran for Lieutenant Governor of Alaska in 2002, she received $5,000 from VECO officials and/or their wives, including $500 directly from Bill Allen, accounting for 10% of her campaign fund (Anchorage Daily News).

So it looks like Sarah Palin has some "palling around" problems of her own with convicted felons to explain. This is, of course, in addition to Troopergate, the untaxed per diems Governor Palin recieved while at home with her family, and vacation travel for her kids billed to the taxpayers of Alaska, which voters must think about between now and next Tuesday. Do we really want Sarah Palin's Alaska coming to Washington?

Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com

This plan should be considered on Capitol Hill to reduce Crime and Domestic violence

Democrat in Chicago, IL — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:59:39 EDT

Crime Reducttion Act

Gun Shops and Liquor Stores

Gun shops and liquor stores need to be closed in neighborhoods and communities throughout the United States. This plan will help reduce crime and violence in the United States. Liquor should only be sold in liquor stores.

Curfews

Curfews need to be set in the Spring to 5PM. Curfews need to be set in the summer to 7PM. Curfews need to be set in the fall and winter at 4PM. The curfews need to be activated for individuals under the age of twenty-one.

Law Enforcement

It needs to be more law enforcement and police officers on the streets in all communities and neighborhoods for the next ten years and more. I support providing $350 million in funding for law enforcement and police officers for over ten years. I do not banning assault weapons. Law enforcement and police officers need to be placed at more elementary, high schools and college campuses. Law enforcement needs to play a serious role for preventing and solving crimes. I believe thugs, drug dealers, hoolums and crackheads belong and need to be in jail and off the streets permanently. Also, rapists, robbers, murderers and burglars need to be in jail or given capital punishment.

Economic Security

Law enforcement and police officers need to start patrolling the streets in communities, educational institutions and public places immediately. More security need to be provided at educational institutions, supermarkets, strip and mega malls, office buildings, train stations, convenient stores, banks and financial institutions, restaurants and retail sores. I support approximately 50,000 police officers on the streets in each congressional district to keep neighborhoods and communities safer from crimes.

Healthcare plan that should be considered by Capitol Hill Democrats and Republicans

Democrat in Chicago, IL — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:33:02 EDT

Healthcare Act

Presription Drugs

I support negotiations for prescription drug costs in the United States. Democrats in Congress need to lower costs of prescription drugs. The Democratic Party need to reduce and freeze the costs for prescription drugs for over ten years.

Medicare, Medicaid and Hospital Bills

Democrats in congress need to lower costs of Medicare, Medicaid and hospital bills by seventy-five percent in the United States to provide more affordable and quality healthcare for every man woman and child. I support Health and Human Service funding of $118 million for over ten years minus wasteful earmarks to keep the healthcare industry fully-funded. Hospital bills need to be reduced by fifty percent for over ten years. Also, Democrars need to eliminate co-payments for doctor visits permanently. The United States need more affordable HMO and PPO healthcare for all Americans and senior citizens. PPO and EPO healthcare need to be reduced by fifty percent for every man, woman and child in the United States.