I have seen a couple of blogs and several comments on others in the past few days dealing with one aspect or another of HIV/AIDS.

I have lost a cousin and two friends to this disease. I have another friend currently living with HIV.

I was wondering how many people who might see this post had also been personally impacted by someone in their lives contracting this virus.

If you don't mind sharing.

Thank You.

Last question on this and I will not bring it up again.

The original statement by Senator Obama was that he would sit down and have face to face talks (leader to leader)
with our enemies.

Senator Clinton took great exception to this and Senator Obama stuck to his guns (so to speak) and reaffirmed his original statement.

When did it become a diplomatic negotiation?

Yesterday everyone, including myself, was in an uproar about comments President Bush made in Isreal concerning
appeasers and Hitler.

I stated why I believed it was said in a post that in no way attacked Senator Obama.

Many Clinton supporters were upset that the comments were made outside the United States and in Isreal no less.

Every Obama supporter I talked to was outraged at such an attack against Senator Obama.

One thing I failed to notice, something I haven't heard anyone mention on this site...The president did not mention Senator Obama. We all assumed that he was talking about Senator Obama. It is an obvious conclusion, but the truth is, Obama was never mentioned.

My question is this...

Why did everyone from the people on this site, the Obanma campaign, the Clinton campaign and every media pundent simply assume that this was a direct attack against Senator Obama?

What does it say about the current psychology of the campaign that everyone assumed it was directed at Senator Obama when he was never mentioned, or referenced, in the statement?

You can start screaming at me now, but if someone wouldn't mind at least considering the question it would be appreciated.

The California supreme court has overturned a law banning same sex marriage in a landmark ruling that will require the state to extend the same legal recognitions, rights and protections to all people, regardless of orientation, essentially legalizing same sex marriage.

As the last minority to begin to recieve civil rights protections, this is a big victory for the GLTB community and a long time in coming.

This was meant as a little recognition of the real battles that are being fought for freedom right here at home and the people that have yet to be included fully in the American ideal of equality.

You can now go back to savaging each other over trivialities.

Thank You

How's this for a distraction?

During a spirited debate with an Obama supporter the conversation took an unusual twist when we found that our first recognition of common ground was in our mutual experience with...of all things...bird poo.

It led to a post and others joined in with their bird poo confessions.

It was a welcome relief, hillarious and provided an unexpected avenue for us to communicate without fighting.

The post was called...I fell in chicken poo and if you would like to share your experiences it was actually a funny exchange.

I have never posted a link before I will give it a try.

I think we all agree that President Bush is a full fledged idiot and that his policies have been a disaster for the United States and the rest of the world.

He has however been a remarkably effective tool for such puppet masters as Dick Cheney and Carl Rove. Despite his discomfort with the english language, he has delivered their message and managed to be elected twice.

I've just been wondering, how much of the recent Bush attack against Senator Obama was just Bush being an idiot and how much of it is actually the first step in a planned, long term attack meant to define Senator Obama.

The comparison of Senator Obama to appeasers of the Nazi regime by the president of the United States took place in Isreal during a trip celebrating that nations sixty year anniversary. The symbolism was at least interesting.

The speech was extreme, but accomplished several political objectives.

1) It got attention. Many people don't pay much attention to what Bush says anymore, but this got everyones attention, it got press time and it got people talking.

2) It portrayed Senator Obamas position of face to face talks with certain enemies of America as weak, shortsighted and historacly disproven.

3) The more subtle purpose, the long term attack, may have been the fact that regardless of how or why, President Bush has forced us all to think of Hitler and Senator Obama in the same thought and, as I am now, talking about them in the same sentence.

I believe it is a link to the idea already taken root that much of the movement for change has the characteristics of a personality cult. The nazi references may fade away, but I expect to see the republicans subtly, but insistantly reinforce this idea in the American psyche.

I am making no judgments about Senator Obama or his campaign. I am only trying to point out something I believe the party must become aware of before these republican manipulators are successful.

The republicans are very good at this (ask Kerry) and we have no idea which puppet master has his hand up the presidents a## this time.

First, I do not believe that Senator Obama is a bad man.

I see signs that he is a dolting father and a good husband, he certainly has the support and admiration of his family.

I believe he has given much to help the less fortunate and that he has given back to the community in which he grew up.

I believe he is very intelligent and capable of looking beyond himself to the interests of others.

I believe he is running for president because he believes he can make beneficial change.

I believe he would probably make a good neighbor and a reliable friend. He has shown himself to be loyal to the people he values and concerned for the overall well being of society.

I believe all of this about Senator Obama, but I cannot support his candidacy because being a good father and being a dependable friend will not make you a good president.

I have a list of negatives, but I will leave that alone for now.

I just wanted one time to say that I do not believe Senator Obama is evil, I just think he is wrong.

One thing stands between us, one man divides us. We are no longer family. We no longer share a common cause.

What if I can never support this man?

What if I believe associations do matter? What if I have listened to his ministers sermons and I see them as hateful and hurtful? What if I don't believe he didn't know? What if I beleive Senator Obama is not what he claims to be? What if I have heard him lie and evade, then confess when caught? What if I believe his statements if carried forward into policy would harm this nation?
What if I believe the vote has been manipulated? What if I believe the process has been undemocratic? What if I beleive he cannot be elected in the fall? What if I truly believe an Obama nomination would be a mistake?

What if I can never, in good conscience, vote for this man?

Am I still a democrat? Do I still have a home here? Do you still want my support, or am I merely a heretic?

What if he does become the nominee and all of these things I have mentioned will keep me from supporting him? Should I leave now?

What if I have spent my life supporting the democratic cause and now I am not welcome because I will not embrace this one man?

What if?

We are the "old" democrats, the faithful who have stood shoulder to shoulder and together carried forward the democratic cause. We are the dreamers daring to reach beyond what has been and grasp the reality of what surely must be. We are the party, we are the faith, we are democrats. We are the tenders of the flame of freedom, having framed the American concepts of equality, justice and inclusion.

Discarded, disdained, mocked for our clinging to the old ideals, we find ourselves in unfamiliar country, outcast and decried by the "new" democrat, rejected by the political aristocracy.

Why are we still here? Unwelcome in this new place. Our work, our faith, our loyalty to the cause meaning nothing to those who would claim the right to lead without conviction and without the credentials we have earned through years of service.

Why are we still here if we know we cannot join their cause. Why are we still here if the party we have supported now rejects the foundations of our democratic faith? Why are we still here, if we know in the end we will walk away?

Like a marriage doomed to failure, we know, but we still believe. We understand, but we hesitiate to abandon what we have built to those of another faith. We cling to the hope that has seen us through the darkness before and we wait,

We are still here because we built this house, we fought the battles and we bare the scars from hard won freedoms
these new democrats ridicule, devalue and defame.

We are still here because we have never failed the cause of democracy even against impossible odds. We are here because we will not relinquish the standard of freedom until it is snatched from our cold dead hands on the battefield of ideals and there is no longer any hope that we shall once again prevail.

Why are we still here? It could have all been said with these few words....
We are still here because we are democrats and when we leave, if we leave, it will be because we have rejected your new philosophy, because we have rejected your company.....because you have rejected democracy.

My first blog today was about my anger over MSNBC media types describing Clinton supporters as "poor, dumb, whites". Yes that is a quote from Morning Joe.

I never mentioned Senator Obama or his supporters and I didn't blame them, but I was attacked and accused of demeaning Senator Obama by someone claiming to support him, while another said I was one of the most hatefilled people on this site.

Later, an Obama supporter reposted one my blogs called a perfect moment, and I get attacked by a Clinton supporter
calling me weak because the post wasn't insulting and contentious enough.

I am not whining. I am not upset. I am not even complaining.

I have cursed today and I have called one person names and still mean what I said. I'm not innocent and sometimes it's just plain fun to tell a truly stupid person exactly what you think of them.

You can only take so much stupidity before you have to clear the air and there has been a big old stank hanging around here.

I have listened to racists rant about racists, never realizing the are racist. I've read posts about hateful post that were nothing, but hate...you get the point and if you are one of the reasonable people (I am about half the time) you know what I am talking about.

We are surrounded by idiots and they are making it harder for the rest of us to have an actual conversation.

Anyway, I just wanted to throw this out before I went to bed...The people in the middle of the two extremes are going to have to salvage what they can of this party and they had better get started now.

Good night!

Okay, let's not pretend that I don't have a temper, I do and sometimes I enjoy using it. Right now I'm holding back a torrent of spew that would make my earlier diatribes look poetic.

Senator Clintons victory in West Virginia last night was significant for a number of reasons.

First, it provided validation for her determination to move forward with her campaign and displayed the firm support she enjoys from her base.

As long as she is in this, she has our support. Right to the floor of the convention if that is where it has to go.

For the Obama campaign West Virginia displayed a continuing and increasing weakness in the working class white vote. A vote that the party must have to win a general election and a vote that has expressed not simply support for Senator Clinton, but a determined opposition to Senator Obama. More than half of these voters have said they will not vote for Senator Obama in the general election.

These are swing voters. They are not some reserve of democratic votes that will feel they must vote democrat simply because the alternative is republican. They have voted both republican and democrat at different times and they have no moral problems doing so again.

Like it or not, any democratic nominee must win the majority of these votes to become president and Senator Obama has been unable to win them over.

The Edwards enorsement today was important for the Obama campaign. John Edwards waited until the people of his state had voted, he did have a conversation with Hillary Clinton to inform her before it was public and he has decided to vote with the majority of the people in his home state.

The endorsement was used as a political tool to capture the media attention away from last nights defeat. It was effective and it was a smart thing to do, but let's not pretend it wasn't timed for a specific result. Senator Obama is a politician and he is good at political games.
You might see that as an insult, I happen to believe Semator Obama would take it as a compliment. Regardless, it is truth.

I'm not happy about the endorsement, but I really can't find anything to attack about it.

I'm not sure of the eventual impact, but it is better to have it than not. Of course, lets not forget, Elizabeth Edwards has endorsed Senator Clintons healthcare plan ans has not endorsed Senator Obamas.

Emotions are really high right now and I am trying to be diplomatic with both sides (not my nature), but I do have to say that while many in each camp have worked to keep the discussion reasonable today, there have been elements in both camps that I would honestly like to take outside and discuss this with... country style.

They are here to hate and nothing else. You are no help to either candidate, you are probably not democrats and frankly I don't give a damn who you support, you are idiots.

Congratulations to both sides for survivng another whirlwind twenty four hours. Now, let's get back to the election.

With the Edwards endorsement capturing the media attention from Senator Clinton, after a huge win in West Vrginia, the battle moves on.

Here is the risk I see that the Edwards endorsement has presented to the Obama campaign.

If Senator Obama cannot increase his support in the working class white vote after this endorsement, a fatal flaw in his candidacy will be undeniable.

In other words, if Senator Clinton moves forward and tromps him in Kentucky as she did in West Virginia, his inability to gain the support of the largest demographic in the democratic base will be clear. His electability in the general election will become even more of an issue.

It's a big endorsement, it also presents risks to a campaign that does not like to take risks.

The next contests will tell the tale.

The John Edwards endorsement is both a significant political event for the Obama campaign and a political tool
to capture the news cycle after their defeat last night in West Virginia.

Coming out now makes sense as we head to Kentucky where Senator Clinton will once again be victorious. It gives the impression of momentum and may help somewhat with the white vote in Kentucky.

Watch the steele workers. The union has not endorsed and Edwards is their guy.

Don't be discouraged by the gloating from some of Senator Obamas more disrespectful supporters that is sure to accompany the Obama camps celebration. After last night and looking toward Kentucky...they need a party.

The battle continues...on to the convention!

CLINTON '08

Congratulations to the supporters of Senator Obama on the John Edwards endorsemnt.
I can understand your enthusiasm over this and I extend my congratulations.

The battle continues...

I am a forty four year old, gay, white male with little more than a high school education. I am an honorably discharged United States veteran, I earn something less than fifty thousand dollars a year at this point and I am not a person of faith.

Which of these demographics would you use to judge who I am and what my choice in candidates is based on?

I'll sit this one out and listen because I simply don't understand the view point of too many claiming to be democrats right now.

Mike Barnicle... "Moron brigade."

Pat Buchanon... "Poor, dumb, whites."

That's right..."Poor, dumb, whites" is now an acceptable way for MSNBC commentators to describe the honorable people of West Virginia who chose to vote for Hillary Clinton even though all the "smart, white people," keep telling us this race is over.

A round table of talking heads, just now on Morning Joe (MSNBC), had a hearty laugh describing the demographics of Clinton supporters.

"Moron brigade"..."Poor, dumb, whites", I've got an update for all you overeducated, mostly white idiots...keep it up and you will be dealing face to face with a bunch of "ANGRY, DUMB, POOR, WHITE, MORONS".

I believe an apology is in order if anyone would like to contact these people and demand one!

With a resounding victory and a magnificent speech Senator Hillary Clinton put to rest any speculation that she would seek a "graceful" exit from the race.

Her enthusiastic call to her supporters will be met by renewed determination as she has carried our banner to the highest mountain top in West Virginia and proudly declared...

YES WE CAN...BECAUSE WEST VIRGINIA DID !

The battle moves on and we carry forward with one destination, Denver, and the final struggle for the soul of democratic party.

We carry forward to the nomination!

CLINTON '08

I have taken excerpts from responces to the question, "What does it mean to be a democrat", to share with you the voice I heard when I read the comments.
I have not added one word...this is what the people on this site had to say.


"We are all Americans and we should strive to be the kind of Americans that would make other people want to join us...Democrats should always put country over party and realize that progress in such a diverse nation as ours will require increments of compromise...Democrats should strive to invest in the next generation...fight for equality...support and reinforce our social infrastructure-education, health care, senior care...We are American citizens...We have always had poor...but those nations who try to lift the poorest have thrived...because once they rise up the whole United States will be more fair."


Would you like to add your voice?

What does it mean to be a democrat?

Can you tell me what the core values of the democratic philosophy are? What are our goals?

I would like to understand what other people, supporters of both candidates, believe.

What do we share in common? Where do we differ?

I will offer no criticism of anything said, I am trying to understand.

What does it mean to you to be a democrat?

Thank You

Last night I had posted a blog and made sure the significant other had something to eat after work when the dogs started barking and wouldn't stop.

I grabbed a flashlight and went outside. Shep was up the hill having a fit and I could hear the chickens going off.
I went up there and shined the light in the pen and it took a minute to figure out what I was looking at.

One of my Rhode Island reds was dead in the middle of the pen and sitting beside her, the biggest owl I have ever seen in my life. I don't know what kind it was, but it was huge and a soft brown.

It had forced its way through a small gap in the wire at the top of the pen and couldn't get out. I opened the door to the pen and moved the dog back. The owl just sat there looking at me.

Finally I stepped inside the pen and tried to gently coax the bird to leave. The owl didn't take it so gently and began to flap around, slapping me silly until it oriented on the open door and flew back toward the woods.

I tried to duck and cover, but lost my footing and fell face first into a big stinking pile of chicken poo. I came back a little grouchy, Pauls amusement at the whole affair didn't help, so I cleaned up, signed off and went to bed.

This morning I get to have a chicken funeral and make sure all of my pens are owl proof.

Somehow, I thought some of you might enjoy the idea of me face down in a pile of chicken poo, being flogged by an angry owl, so I thought I would share.