We Cassandras foresaw in 2002 (and went on public record) that just one of the major reasons why the US and UK must not invade Iraq was precisely because that would risk not one, but two more "Vietnams" ("Can't stay, can't leave" situations) - one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.
If McCain, claiming to be the "experienced" presidential candidate, didn't see that obvious risk (although many of us life-long diplomatic and military experts were shouting about it) then his "experience" is so stymied by bad judgement that it counts for nothing.
As for Afghanistan, leaving it as G W Bush's unfinished business, to go into the Iraq maelstrom, alienated that wide 2002 international backing on whose money and support any hope of giving Afghanistan a chance to recover from the Soviet and Taliban years, was lost.
For what Afghanistan needed while the Taliban were quiescent licking their wounds was a realistic world-backed development plan to rebuild, continue the Taliban's no opium policy, and make Afghanistan a reasonably none- too-poor society - much as I saw it in 1970.
Yes - I'm afraid it's too late now. But then as Sweden's brilliant Count Oxenstierna told his would-be diplomat son in 1648 - "Do you not realise, my son, with what little wisdom the world is governed?" Especially with the Bush/Blair team in charge!
Obama, though, has the pragmatism, high intelligence, and common sense to work hard to mitigate the catastrophic folly of President G.W.Bush. He's the only one who could possibly handle this double "Vietnam" challenge.
For more on the current US electoral situation see our www.dipconsult.eu
Terry Bankert
http://dumpmyspouse.com Read More »
SNAP! "White Shift" for Obama in Virginia,
North Carolina, and Florida
Obama on the way to a standing room only speech to thousands at
George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia Image cc
A 900,000 Vote Shift to Obama
(Wash. DC) An amazing political and social event is under way in three critical swing states. Virginia and North Carolina show a major shift by white voters benefiting Sen. Barack Obama. Florida whites are also moving but at a somewhat slower rate. The total number of white votes shifting from McCain to Obama is around 900,000 currently. That number will vary depending on turnout and campaign events. The exact size of the vote shift is important but it's not nearly as significant as the "white shift" phenomena.
Read More »
Since Obama worked and spent a lot of his political life in Chicago do you think he drinks Old Style? I am sure he has at least tried it, but like many people from Chicago do you think he has developed a taste for it? I wonder if he plans to bring the beer with him to the White House and spread it nation wide. That way everyone could enjoy an Old Style and watch the Cubs (I know he isn't a White Sox fan). I've had it before and it's not that bad a beer, although it is a little generic. Just a thought, but I bet Obama is an Old Style man, it really is the beer of the common/everyday man.
When the primary season started I, honestly, did not care much about the candidates that my party put forth. Now it's not that I personally dislike any of the candidates, but when it's an election cycle I think about winning. From the beggining Clinton and Obama showed to be the strongest of the bunch but I argued that because Hillary was Hillary and a woman Obama was black. I felt that neither because of these issues could win. Does that make me racist or sexist? Those that know me know that I am neither, but I try to think logically about politics and I felt that race and sex would trump the issues.
Now the photo that Genia at SisterTalk posted today shows how race is an issue.
Read the shirt and the bumper speaker.
When it comes down to it the Republican party tries to dismiss any reference to things like this that Obama and Democrats are just playing the "race card". Republicans play to these types of voters and we will have to wait to see if race plays an issue in the election. We will not know until Nov. 4th. Will the white majority let race trump the issues? I hope not because Obama has clearly shown that he is the best bet for turning our country around.
Ultimately why should it matter if a white or black man fix our economic problems and our foreign relations? It doesn't and Obama has shown he has the right plans and the right people around him that surrounded Bill Clinton when we had a surplus.
Associated Press
NEW YORK - A newspaper report Thursday said tens of thousands of eligible voters have been removed from rolls or blocked from registering in at least six swing states, but election officials quickly lined up to defend their registration procedures and said they had done nothing wrong.
The New York Times based its findings on reviews of state records and Social Security data, and said it had identified apparent problems in Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina.
The Times said voters appear to have been purged by mistake and not because of any intentional violations by election officials or coordinated efforts by any party. It says that some states are improperly using Social Security data to verify new voters' registration applications, and that others might have broken rules that govern removing voters from the rolls within 90 days of a federal election. Read More »
My story begins 12 years ago on a wood porch, overlooking an Indiana sky.
"Rebuke the devil and all his works! Cast the spirit of Jezebel out of you!", my mother screamed at me.
This is how I was introduced to God. My mother was in mortal combat with my soul. I had to sit, terrified that I would go to hell, promising that I would accept God into my life and that I would no longer go down the destructive path of my former days. At 14. The week before, I had gotten in trouble for smoking on school campus. My best friends proceeded to tell my mother that I had also been smoking pot that day, before class. I was still not used to my mothers fairly recent alliance with Jesus.
I sat, with tears streaming down my face, next to my mother, and a gentleman that was a deacon at her new church. A church that had people rolling on the ground and jumping in the air for Christ...not the Presbyterian and Methodist influence that my grandmothers had introduced me to at a young age....but something quite....different.
And thus it began. I started my 10th grade year at a Christian highschool (it was either that or an all girls school). The 25 people in my class were very welcoming. They even said "hello" to me. I finished my highschool career with out one real acquaintance from the three years I spent there. It always struck me that out of 25 people in our graduating class, how 3 girls were pregnant. Seemed a strange ratio at the time. And not at all conducive to the strong conservative viewpoints of the baptist minister that ran the school.
I thought that I was right for assuming that now, since God was on my side, I was supposed to walk in his ways. I did. I tried. I wanted to. But, the question always came back to me-"Why am I the only one that cares?"
I moved out of my parents house and moved in with two older girls. One in college, and one teaching 10th grade English. I went to school, I worked 60 hrs a week, and I went to church 2 times a week. I also still wasn't a true enough Christian, in my parents eyes. I tried to shrug this off, and foraged my way through my new adulthood with my still rooted values of "do good, think good, be good". I voted for Bush in 2000 (at the behest of the church), and in 2004 (at the behest of myself...I thought we needed a "real man" in the office, not some liberal French guy), and thought I finally understood my values and opinions.
Until I met my husband. At first, I thought he was a liberal hottie. I knew he was intelligent, but my Bush loyalties ran deep. I would run to Bush's' defense every time it was brought up. Political values were not the biggest part of our relationship, and we married last October. That November, though, my eye was drawn to several members of the democratic party that were vying for the presidency in 2008.
"Why do these people speak to my situation????", my head screamed. The more I watched, the more the Bush facade crumbled around me.
It was then I realized-I wasn't following my own ideals. I was following the ideals of that terrifed 14 year old on the porch of her parents house.
Slowly, but surely, I started realizing that my values, morals, and beliefs were not solely tied to "Christian", or "Non-Christian". Those arguments didn't even hold water now. I was an adult, with adult responsibilities. I realized that my whole set of core values was false. I did not put enough faith into my own ideals, so I leeched off of a scary moment in my life that "brought me around".
I felt free. I felt hope. I felt pride in myself...for the first time in my life.
I know that a certain amount of sneaky underhanded-ness comes with any person elected into official office. (Thank you, Doug) But, I am tired of trying to please my parents, my church and my false sense of "belonging". I know that Mr.Obama and I do not agree on everything...he is not me. Nor do I want Jennifer to run for the presidency. She is not smart enough. She has not been enough places, met enough people, or done enough for her country that this great man has done. I don't want to look at a candidate and see a mirror image. I want to look at the future president and see hope..life..the bright future for our (not yet born) children.
And with some humbleness, I finally found out who "Jennifer" is....
She is a proud democrat.
We're in a depression. More evidence from Wave 3 TV news here in Louisville.
I would add to that the fact that the number of people at the closest "Dare to Care" food bank (free, "fresh" food) has increased from about 30-40 a year ago to over 80 today and gradually clmbing.
McCain will simply make things worse even IF (and it's a big if) he doesn't start more wars we can't win.
Obama must win and carry a lot of Democratic congressional reps with him.
YES. Did you know State & Federal Election Law works:
1. Registrations are due 30 days before an election.
2. Federal Law requires that all registrations are verified to have the correct name and I.D. # (SSN or State ID) on them.
3. If a voter registration doesn't verify, then no vote can be made.
4. Deceased and multiple voter registrations are cleaned from systems.
THE SYSTEM WORKS
Contrary to some things in the media as of late, a voter registration for a 13 year old would never make it past the system. They wouldn't be able to vote.
Why are all these new stories spinning?
Because of a fake "consumers advocate" organization, called the Consumers Rights League.
Consumers Rights League is the same "consumers advocate" organization that lobbied for deregulation of banks:
- to give loans to the poor for "community reinvestment"
- work against a Bill that would force credit card companies to have a set merchant interest rate (Visa was also against this)
- AND NOW they are lobbying against ACORN even though ACORN's voter registrations don't increase election fraud (false voting).
WHY? Because they are protecting the interests of predatory lending institutions and want Republicans in office. Democrats will cause more regulation. They in no way work for the best interests of the citizens. They work for banks. Just go to their website & look at their past reports that want greater deregulation in the name of "consumers" (listed down right side of their website). www.ConsumersRightsLeague.org
The Consumers Rights League has gotten the news out about ACORN, which Republican media grabbed onto because it's beneficial to them... to block poor, black votes (Democrat votes). They've made the public be afraid that election fraud is going on. They've made it sound like targeting groups for voter registrations is illegal, but it's not. Both parties do it. Both parties have 3rd party voter registration companies too, that submit many incorrect registrations.
CRL just got into the business of "voter protection" when they collaborated with Senate Republicans to testify at a September 24, 2008 Congressional hearing on the 2008 General Election. During that hearing two Republican Senators asked many questions about ACORN. All four Election officials that testified, said that ACORN and 3rd party voter drive groups were more of a blessing then a curse. They said they saw nothing out of the ordinary with ACORN's "fraudulent registrations". They were normal for voter drive groups. The other panel of organizations were there to protect voter rights... which included the DOJ and consumer advocates for the Military, foreclosed homeowners, new citizens, and minorities. Then there was Jim Terry from CRL. He was the odd one out. He was only there against ACORN. After that hearing (where officials said ACORN was an asset to the community) Congress ordered an FBI investigation on them. It's a terrible story of voter suppression. Just listen to the Hearing for yourself, then try to figure out from it why ACORN is being attacked (ACORN topics are discussed at hour 1:00:00 and 1:30:00). http://cha.house.gov/view_hea...
Terry committed perjury several times. So now what?
The Consumers Rights League just popped up out of nowhere. I called them. There is only one person running this "non-profit, non-partisan, educational organization", Jim Terry.
A week ago, Terry submitted written testimony against ACORN. You can see it on their website here: http://www.consumersrightsleague.org/uploadedfiles/JamesTerryACORN9-24.pdf
Practically the whole document substantiates its findings with news articles, no actual court cases. My research is showing that many of these articles don't exist or refer to cases that were shown to have a low-level employee filling out voter registrations to show paid-time work, but Prosecutors of these cases point out that there was obviously NO INTENT TO CAST A VOTE with these.
One of Terry's citations in his written testimony:
10 Ervin, Keith. �Felony charges filed against 7 in state�s biggest case of voter-registration fraud.� Seattle Times. July 26, 2007.
Statement from the Prosecuting Attorney on the case:
��Indeed, a joint federal and state investigation has determined that this scheme was not intended to permit illegal voting." http://www.metrokc.gov/proatty/news/2007/Voter%20Registration%20Statement.htm
Jim Terry is the one credited for "exposing ACORN" and his "findings" are the primary source of quotes against ACORN. He's been quoted throughout the news & even interviewed on FOX News.
This is a Republican posing as a Consumer Advocate organization, setup to smear ACORN (and subsequently Obama). Read More »
Election 2008: The Difficulty Stealing It This Time
New 2008 Democratic Primary Voters Are The
Key to Election Protection
Michael Collins
"Scoop" Independent News
(Wash. DC) There's one major obstacle blocking a theft of the 2008 presidential election. It's highly significant and challenges even the most devious minds. That obstacle is "net new" Democratic primary voters in 2008. "Net new" Democratic primary voters represent the difference between primary turnout in 2004 and 2008. More on that in a moment.
Read More »
QUEEN’S COMMENTS on: “If the shoe fits, wear it.”
I continue to get validation for my homilies about the Republican newspeak strategy again and again: Look to what they are claiming that others are doing and you can rest assured that the shoe most likely does not fit their opponent nearly as neatly as it fits them.
Amazing, isn’t it the nerve (stupidity?) of Sarah Palin to try to make Obama into a terrorist because of the remote connection between Barack Obama and terrorist from the ‘60’s? (William Ayers is a man who committed his crime when Obama was 8 years old, a man who had lived a life of 30 years as a decent citizen before Obama ever met him.) Yet, Sarah Palin has much closer connections to a terrorist organization.
For you see, Joe Vogler, the founder of the group of which Todd Palin was a member from 1995 to 2002, had planned to appear before the United Nations to denounce United States “tyranny” before the entire world and to demand Alaska’s freedom. The Alaska secessionist had persuaded the government of Iran to sponsor his anti-American harangue. Yes, Iran.
Here is the interesting story regarding Sarah Palin’s involvement with this terrorist group. It was written by David Talbot and recently appeared in Salon. It is legitimate and easily verifiable by many sources. It might explain why Ms Palin decided to pull back on her attacks of Obama and his association with William Ayers.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/10/07/palins_unamerican/
The Queen has also posted a few items on this topic as well. Here is one link:
Forget the kitchen sink and throw the bathroom toilet at them:
Poll numbers indicate that the Obama/Biden campaign has handily won its third of four presidential and vice-presidential debates. A CNN/Research Corporation poll showed 54% of viewers thought Obama performed better in the debate while 30% thought McCain performed better, up significantly in CNN polling from Obama's 51% to 38% win over McCain in the first presidential debate Sept. 26. Meanwhile, a CBS News poll of uncommitted voters shows Obama won 40% to McCain's 26% with 34% saying the debate was a draw, a similar result to the Sept. 26 CBS poll (Obama 39%, McCain 24%). A Media Curves poll shows independent voters favoring Obama in the debate 52% to 34%, down somewhat from the Sept. 26 Media Curves poll (Obama 61%, McCain 39%) but still a sizeable lead for Obama. As the Huffington Post reports, state focus groups by NBC News in Pennsylvania, Survey USA in Washington, and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner in Nevada likewise broke decisively for Obama (PA 60%-40%, WA 54%-29%, NV 38%-30%). Even a Fox News focus group showed a clear majority of raised hands for Obama, a result that reporters at Fox seemed to have a little trouble processing. With three debates down and only one to go as Election Day rapidly approaches, it would seem that McCain's hopes for a "game changer" are growing dim indeed.
Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com
The deadlines have passed in many states for voters to register to vote, but I'm feeling pretty confident for Obama and Joe Biden. I have no solid evidence to back up any of my opinions just like noone else does, but I really believe that Obama will be our next president. I'm in a blue state so I might be a little biased, but I don't even think it's going to be a close race. Unless I'm understating the population that's racially biased against Obama, thinking he's a muslim, or is just not going to vote for a democrat ever, I think I've got fairly good reasons to believe he'll be the man. I realize there's a whole other view of this, but there's just so many things happening recently that make me believe this.
Here's why I think he's the man...
We can't forget about the rallies back in early 2008 when he was bringing 30,000 people compared to his opponents with only a couple thousand in attendance. I would assume this translates to bigger polling numbers for Obama... even if not so dramatic.
He has overcome many many media attacks starting starting back over a year ago when Fox News misquoted his name as a terrorist's name. There have been countless attacks since which he has only rebounded even stronger every time. I can't say this about the other side. Bouncing back is a great thing to have in a leader. Inspiring hope after failing is what our country deep down inside I believe is looking for after the financial mess and all the previous garbage we've went through.
Obama has created memes like "Obamaniac" which haven't been duplicated by any of the running opposition.
Interestingly, if you do a search on google for "Obama sucks" (with quotes), he has twice as many pages featuring that phrase compared to mccain. Palin has 3x as many as Joe biden does. I'm taking this as a pure measure of popularity. Obama wins this one.
If you look at crowd sourced websites that sell t-shirts and posters, they have been taken over by Obama merchandise. Palin and McCain are popular too, but if you look at the designs, they're almost all negative. Again, a larger number of designs for Obama. He's got 54,000 compared to McCain with 30,000.
Youtube has the same type of statistics going for it as well. Obama has 478,000 videos which completely trumps McCain's 278,000.
If these numbers stay this drastically different at the voting booths, it will be an easy win for Obama. Like I said... I don't think it will be that simple but there's something to be said about these large sweeping differences.
Do you know that Paulson made over $36,000,000 annually as his normal salary? Now... Why in the world would any logical person decide to leave Goldman Sachs making that kind of money? He could have easily suggested someone who could contact him for suggestions and have continued to receive his salary and avoid any direct conflict of interest. He started CEO in 1999 and ended (supposedly in 2006) and reported the maximum level on the report of over $50,000,000 4 different times. (according to the PDF reporting documents on the opensecrets.org website. Other groups like "Omega Advisors, Inc. Multimarket Hedgefund" that pays interest, dividends and Capital Gains, has many real estate service investments in areas of the Country that showed the highest number of fraudulent loaning. Some of the assets that could be bought are homes in Indiana valued at $80,000 but had been assessed (yes they have assessment service investments as well) at well over $300,000. Our economic policies are flawed, and it is nothing more than an ancient embezzling scheme that always seems to find its way into every civilized nation. Funny how wherever we invoke war... it's in the few places around the globe that doesn't support the Goldman-Sachs/JP Morgan banking system.
The truth of the matter is, nationally based corporations are contrary to a stable economy. If you pay for a service in your state, that company needs to be based and have all of their service support within that state. (I'd even go as far as saying in that county.) The goal of each state should be to keep as much of the money spent by their residents inside the state. To have support in another state only drains more and more money from the local economy. Read More »
Also, how many freaking times did McCain say my friends?! I know that was a throw back to Reagan, but he said it at the start and end of every freakin' sentence. It just creeped me out and made him look like more of a creepy old man.
QUEEN’S BLESSING: “bless their hearts” they keep trying, “gosh darn it!”
KEEP THIS REPONSE IN CASE YOU HAVE REPUBLICAN FRIENDS WHO SEND YOU CLAPTRAP EMAILS ABOUT OBAMA AND FRANK RAINES--THEIR LASTEST DESPERATE ATTEMPT.
I just got an email from a friend expaining how the current financial meltdown is entirely the fault of the Democrats and Freddy Mac and Fanny Mae and Barack Obama “whose chief financial advisor is Franklin Raines. . .” [Franklin Raines not only is not Obama’s chief financial advisor, he has never been a member of Obama’s campaign staff. Barack estimates that he and Raines have talked for maybe five minutes in their lives, and Frank Raines himself even released a statement saying that he is not an advisor to Barack Obama “nor have I provided his campaign with advice on housing or economic mattters. The non-partisan fact-check website Snopes.com looked into these smears and the conclusions about Barack and the Fannie Mae executives should not be surprising: “None of them has (or apparently ever had) ongoing roles with the campaign as chief economic advisors.”
Republicans wish. However this is 2008, not 2000 or even 2004. That was then and this is now. Democrats are slinging the Republicans filthy mud right back at them before it even barely touches the wall. You can tell how desperate the Republicans are by how often they change the pile of crap they are throwing. Ayers only lasted about 24 hours. Then they figured out THAT wad ended up in a dead-end alley, now they have turned to the topic of Freddy Mac and Fanny Mae and Frank Raines.
Read More »
Leaked: Homer To Vote For Obama
http://www.wjno.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=244038&article=4338967
In an episode of 'The Simpsons' slated to run November 2, Homer Simpson will vote for Barack Obama.
As Homer tries to vote for Obama, a machine changes the vote to McCain and proceeds to kill him.
By News Video
Thursday, October 2, 2008
1:20 Video at link