[I am the one who deleted the report of the Katrina Anniversary as I see my Democrat friends have come though and the original version now appears in the highest rated posts.  Following is another one that was bumped off this morning by the Republican spammer, who by the way, continues with the long posts. I guess they can dish it out but they can't take it.]

In a previous post this morning I mentioned three huge things that the Republicans have going against them.  Their luck has gone from bad to worse this year, in spite of all the help they are getting from the mainstream media. [If Obama had pulled half the crap and gaffes that McCain has pulled, he would have alreay been crucified and hung out to dry.]  I think the best mascot for the Republicans this year is a character from the comic strip Li'l Abner.

JOE BTFSPLK

". . .According to Capp, btfsplk is a rude sound.  During public lectures by Al Capp, he demonstrated this phatic sound by closing his lips, leaving his tongue sticking out, and them blowing out air, which is also called a raspberry or Bronx Cheer . . ."

GO TO WIKI TO SEE A CARTOON OF JOE BTFSPLK.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Btfsplk

We can only hope that the Democratic Party is smart enough this time to not disregard the voice of Labor and pass any trade agreement which labor actively opposes such as the Colombia Free Trade Agreement.  That's what they did in 1993 with NAFTA, and they lost both houses of Congress to the Republicans.  Let's hope that this year is different. The Democratic Party cannot win without Labor.

Next week, the presidential race will kick into high gear as the 2008 Democratic National Convention begins in Denver. The union movement will take the lead in defining the race and making sure Barack Obama can win this fall. Of the more than 4,200 delegates at the convention, a quarter will be active and retired union members. From rank-and-file workers to national leaders, the full spectrum of the union movement will be represented.

The week kicks off Sunday, when hundreds of union delegates and local labor activists will gather for a caucus and rally. Members attending the convention from any union are invited, as are local union activists and their families in Colorado. Some 2,000 people are expected to attend the labor caucus and rally.

National labor leaders will charge up delegates for the convention and a hard-fought election season. They’ll discuss the Labor 2008 grassroots political program and key issues in the election, including the Employee Free Choice Act.

SOURCE AND MORE:
http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/08/20/unions-take-the-lead-at-democratic-national-convention/

   
 

In just 10 days, the nation's largest political event will be held right in SAFER's backyard. We need your help to take advantage of it.

About 15,000 members of the media from around the world are expected to descend on Denver next week for the 2008 Democratic National Convention. As the international spotlight is being cast on the Mile High City, SAFER will be doing everything possible to draw attention to its message, the vast progress we have made in the convention's host city, and the growing support for marijuana policy reform around the country.

Things got rolling last week with a column from SAFER Executive Director Mason Tvert featured in the Denver Post, discussing the upcoming convention and the hypocrisy in how marijuana and alcohol are treated in this country. However, to implement the rest of our DNC plans...

We NEED Your Help!

Please click here or visit http://www.SAFERchoice.org/donate today and make a tax-deductible donation to help SAFER create the materials we need to get our message out during the DNC.

Would you give $5 to see a story in the New York Times that highlights how marijuana is SAFER than alcohol? An interview on MSNBC? A segment on the Daily Show?

For every $5 you donate, SAFER will be able to hand a member of the media a professional-appearing folder emblazoned with "How to Have a SAFER 2008 DNC." Each folder will include:
Tips on how to have a SAFER DNC, highlighting the host city's status as the first in the nation to remove all legal penalties for the private use and possession of marijuana by adults.An envelope addressed to the City of Denver for those media members who get cited by police for making the SAFER choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol to enhance their convention experience. We hope to draw attention to the recent change in city policy that made citations for marijuana possession a simple mail-in fine (much like a traffic ticket) rather than a mandatory court appearance. Of course we will mention that this this a good start, but does not go nearly far enough.A time-line, fact sheet and news clippings, detailing the progress of efforts to reform marijuana laws in Denver, across Colorado, at the federal level, and in other cities and states around the country.Information regarding the relative safety of marijuana compared to alcohol, explaining why it makes absolutely no sense to punish adults for simply making the SAFER choice and push them toward using the more harmful of the two.
These folders will provide the media with everything they need to cover our issue during the convention, plus it will allow them to do so whenever is convenient for them, as there will be tons of other events and issues with whom we'll be competing for attention.

SAFER is powered by its supporters, and any amount you can donate will greatly increase our chances of generating some positive news coverage.  So please visit our Web site today and make a tax-deductible donation of $5, $20, $50 or more, and be sure to forward this message on to others.
 
Volunteer in Denver During the DNC!

Along with needing help putting together the folders mentioned above, we need volunteers to represent SAFER at information booths at various demonstrations and events surrounding the DNC. If you can help us put together folders next week, or help distribute literature and Know-Your-Rights information and sign up new supporters during the convention, please contact SAFER Outreach Director Anne Catto at anne@saferchoice.org or 303-861-0033.

Other Marijuana Reform Events During the DNC
(These events are NOT sponsored by or affiliated with SAFER)

Thursday, Aug. 21 - THC National Convention
Conference: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Music/Comedy: 6 p.m.-Midnight
(Oriental Theater, Map)

Friday, Aug. 22 - March Against the Prohibition of Marijuana
Meet: 1:45 p.m. March Begins: 2 p.m.
(Meeting at Lincoln Park)

Thursday, Aug. 28 - Citizens for Safe Access Medical Marijuana Parade
Meet: 12:30 p.m. Parade Begins: 1:15 p.m.
(Staging at Lincoln Park, Map of parade route)

Are you going to be at mile high?

Denver 08

The Democratic National Convention, coming to Denver Aug. 25-28, 2008, is already shaping up to be one of the biggest events in the Mile High City’s 150-year history.

Only One More Week To Go

I am NOT promoting them.  BUT I do think that it is stupid to not be aware of what is going on in the Ron Paul camp.  The more I learn, the more I am absolutely convinced that they will splinter the Republican Party this year.  They may take a few Democrats with them too, but not nearly as many as those from the ranks of the Republicans. I believe they will finish off the Republican Party.

I guess if Matt disagrees, he can censor my post. But just because mainstream media and the GOP want to keep their heads stuck in the sand like Ostriches over this, does not mean that we Democrats have to be so stupid.

As I mentioned earlier, the Paulites moved from the Williams arena to the Target Center--the largest auditorium in the MPLS area and instead of a one-day venue, they have increased it to a three day venue.

Today was it for me.  I have lost heart in this election.  That is the only way I can think to put it.  I've always said that I will vote Democrat and I will and that has not changed nor will it--as at least for this election, the Democrat is our best hope.

However, prior to today, as I've said many times, I am for Obama as my third choice after Kucinich and Edwards, and that Hillary was my fourth and last choice.

Hillary was my last choice as a Democrat because she voted to authorize the war in Iraq, September 6, 2006, she voted for cluster bombs, she voted for the Kyle-Lieberman amendment and Bill Clinton is her husband.  As a candidate against the Republicans, I think the Democrats will have a huge struggle to win if she is the choice.  Bill Clinton has so much stuff and so many people from so many weird places that he has taken money from in the last 8 years that there would be no end to the Republican heckling and abuse of the Clintons.  No way have the Clintons been vetted over the past 8 years.

BUT that being said, prior to today, I really wanted Obama to win.  I really saw him as hope for a new day, a different path.  After today, I see things differently.  It's not that I see Hillary in some great white light (:-)  It's that whereas before I saw a little daylight between the two of them, now I see none.

It's somewhat of a peaceful place to be. I no longer have to worry about what if Hillary finds some way to go backstage and finagle the delegates to vote for her and take away the nomination from Obama.  I don't give a damn.  Which ever one of them claws their way to the nomination--that will be the one I vote for.

McCain?  are you kidding?  That jackass is such a coward that he did not even show up to vote on what is likely to go down as one of the most important and far reaching pieces of legislation that will be brought before our Congress in this century.  I certainly don't want four more years of someone who is not accountable in the White House.

Anyway.  I'm disappointed and sad, but hey--I guess that's what they mean when they say "it's politics."

Register to vote, and send Voltage to play at the Democratic National Convention.  
We have songs that are perfect for the event already written,
and I am already the number one democrat at the DNC.

Fighting For Puerto Rico’s Soldiers and Veterans: During a conversation with the family of a Puerto Rican soldier who had fought in Iraq, Hillary promised that “[w]hen I’m president, we will begin ending the war in Iraq, and you won’t have to worry about [your son] going back…Our veterans deserve a commander in chief who will take care of them, and I will.”