Morning class. It is Monday and the fun begins again...take out pencil and paper and prepare for the newest quiz.
In American history, who were the Gold Democrats?
Google awaits...this one should be simple enough. Good luck and good clicking...
It is Sunday and now all the news you cannot use.
1--Taxpayer is footing the bill to bail out a corporation of speculators. Ought to sit well with those in foreclosure.
2--Founder of popeye's Fried Chicken dies.
3--Tibetans still pissed
4--VA offers families of those killed at VT a $100,000 not to sue.
5--3 more teachers in Tampa caught with sexual asignations with students. 10 in 2 yrs.
6--More crazies at schools with guns
7--Woman had to remove nipple rings before she could fly.......she had huge tits...go figure.
That is it all the news that gives you the blues........
What a magnificent con job this is! It is to help save energy and to assist people with more time for family activities. Do you buy this?
One of the people that I most admire said this and it is true, there is no principles in politics with the exception of getting elected.
There are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no party of principle.
Alexis de Tocqueville
I would agree somewhat with him, but the men of principle seldom get elected. And the parties are more concerned with beating each other in the elections than making life better for the people. Sad!
I am posting this on several of my many blogs. I just want to try and help the movement as much as I can. Since the media is ignoring this silent protest, I thought I would try and get it out there a bit.
The World Wildlife Fund said millions of people in the United States and around the globe will turn off or dim their lights Saturday in support of Earth Hour.
The event, designed as a statement about climate change, will roll through 14 time zones at 8 p.m. Saturday night, starting in Christchurch, New Zealand, and wrapping up in San Francisco.
Some of the tallest buildings in the United States, including the John Hancock Building in Chicago and the Bank of America Plaza in Atlanta, will turn off their lights. The Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks will turn off select non-essential lighting on the exterior of their stadiums and arenas and McDonald's will turn off its golden arches in the Chicago area, WWF said in a release.
Help them as much as possible, there is already enough people ignoring the fact that the planet is DYING!
2008-03-20 Greens warn that election of Obama, Clinton, or McCain will not reverse the meltdown touched off by the subprime mortgage crisis
Read for yourself. Lots of good points to ponder before you vote this Fall. Do yourself a favor and learn the issues, especially this issue.
Word!
Obama Casts Wide Blame for Financial Crisis and Proposes Homeowner Aid - New York Times
If you want to watch the vid of his speech there is a link within the NYT article. read or watch the speech then make up your mind.
Obama: Fix market regulation - USATODAY.com
I was gonna comment on the Obama speech but instead I would prefer that people read it for themselves. Their is a link to the speech in this article. Please read it and tell me what you think.
STOP IT! Stop pretending that the news is fair and balanced. Stop saying that Obama has gotten a free ride. Just stop!
I am so disgusted with the media, broadcast media that is, I will read newspapers for awhile until they shut up. Why? They are doing all in their power to keep Clinton in the race. They make sure that everything they say will be a sound bite that goes to those blue collar workers that make up a good portion of the electorate. An attempt to influence.
Look at guest they have on to talk about the Dems. Harold Washington, Jr--here is great one, he gave up his Dem soul when he joined and spouts the DLC line. And when progressives like Rachel Maddo, etc are on as a panel member they are usually shouted down by one of the media reps so that the progressive line is seldom heard in its entirety.
You want more? Alrighty then, how about an out right lie that gets no or little coverage. a lie committed by a candidate and then take a look at comments from some preacher that is not the candidate. Which do you remember? I bet it is that darn pesky preacher. And when will members of the church in question be asked about him? Not those that stop by now and then, but real life members. They will not, it would bring an end to this story and the media does not want that.
Congrats voters! You are being played! How does it feel?
Clinton: Wright would not have been my pastor - CNN.com
Ok if this was a spontaneous question, why is she working from notes. Watch her comments and watch her eyes.
One third of the US debt that the taxpayers will cover and is a slow drain on the treasury, the Iraq War. That money spent, what has it accomplished for the country? Ok, some veiled crap about the security of the country. But if our aging bridges, highways, etc start killing people then where was the secure that the war was promising the country?
We as a country are spending $10 billion a month on the war. In my state and local city is getting their share of federal funds from HUD, it will amount to $171,000. Now I ask what will that amount do to help a city that is fighting crime, drugs, etc? That small amount of funds will buy a couple of stop signs and a sidewalk, at best, while the city continues to slowly deteriorate.
I know my area is not alone and as long as we have these sanctimonious a/holes running the country it will continue. I am not convinced that the Big 3 candidates will change this situation at all. I mean if a small city in my area is being screwed I can imagine how the large cities are being pumped.
Makes me proud to be an American!
Oh good, 4000 deaths and the Prez has this to say, "One day people will look back at this moment in history and say thank God there were courageous people willing to serve because they laid the foundations for peace for generations to come [and] I have vowed in the past and I will vow so long as I am president to make sure that those lives were not lost in vain,"
Just who has the deaths benefited? The Iraqis? Do not think so! The US? Well, yes, there it is, the answer. Who has gotten rich off the invasion? Halleburton, Blackwater, and others within the military-industrial complex.
On the tube when Cheney was ask about the opposition to the war by the American people, he said "SO". Now there is the real answer to why the war continues. The elites want it, so be it.
Language is being used by the WH to control the situation and the attitudes toward the war. What? Take surge for instance, a surge is a limited influx of something with an end to come. Like a surge of power, it ends. Want another? How about regime change? Instead of what it was an invasion. Again? It is called a war, but it is an occupation. Check history! You people are allowing these people dance you around like a cheap WHORE. Don't think so? Then why are all returning dead taboo to the media? Why are all services for the dead taboo to the media? Ok, family privacy, is a good call and in most cases legit. News of this would swing the support away from the bullsh*t that they have been cramming up your ass for 5 years.
Wake up people!
Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign said she "misspoke" last week when saying she had landed under sniper fire during a trip to Bosnia as first lady in March 1996. But Obama plagiarized parts of one of his speeches. Thinking........and let me get this straight...the media is giving Obama a free ride....is that about it?
Misspoke......is the Clinton-ese for LIED? She is got her facts wrong....I have been in sniper fire...there is NO way to confuse it with anything else.
She was on a good will trip to a dangerous country, no doubt about that....but she landed in a high secure area... so please.....CALL A LIE A LIE!
Hopefully, my readers are watching the elections that have been going on for the past couple of months. The media seems to be assisting in the split of the electorate into a division among the voters.
It is Monday and it is Class, the question today is:
What is the devotion to a geographical region to the prejudice of the unity of the country called?
Not an easy one, but it is not that difficult if you have been reading and learning. I have touched on this in my lectures.
Good luck and good day!
This one is from the war in Iraq.
Death Toll: 4000
Are you people happy now? Must we lose the 53,000+ of the Vietnam War before you see the horror of this situation?
Guess the media is all consumed with remarks from pastors and others that they are letting their brand of spin take over. Not nearly as much bullsh*t news as normal.
1--Lots of regional news not much real news
2--More weather, more flooding, more....but at least no Calif. fires.
3--McCartney/Mills divorce settlemnent--she gets about $48 million
4--"2001" author dies
5--More cops being stupid on camera--is there an IQ tests for being a cop?
6--Another 20-something female killed
7--Princess Di still still dead.
With all the bullsh*t about the Dems and their campaigns, your Congress has been able to get relief from the heat they had been taking before the primaries. They are still a do nothing bunch of wealthy individuals that do not want to buck the White House.
They voted for a war, then they continue to support it with funds and they will allow more torture and they will allow more domestic spying on Americans and then they will allow more kids to go unfunded in health care. Now where is the voting on the mandate they said they has when they took control in 2007?
Please explain to me their function as of your last Civics class
(LONG PAUSE FOR EFFECT)
Now that the fantasy is out of the way, let us move on to reality. The truth is that this legislature exists as public relations gesture toward the people to make it appear that here is democratic participation of the people, but without ant substantial power. The people voted a majority of Dems into the Congress, and how has that worked out? Voting is a powerful mechanism, but it is only a trade off for the political elite to remain in control. All it accomplishes is to legitimize the whole process of a government controlled by the elite over the will of the masses.
Howard Zinn said it best, "voting is easy and marginally useful, but it is a poor substitute for democracy, which requires direct action by the citizens". Never a truer bunch of words have been spoken. But the American voter does not want to be involved beyond every four years. They want someone to tell them what is best for them. Nothing will be accomplished for the people of the country until that thinking is eliminated and that is my job.
Worldpress.org - World in Cartoons
See how the world views the international situation.
Some of our founding fathers were not as "democratic" as they are taught in school. This quote is from William Penn, the father of Pennsylvania and a minor founding father.
"Let the people think they govern and they will be governed"
Gee sounds like the system were have now. If you vote every 4 yrs then you are somehow governing yourself. You are not, you are giving control to someone who is not there in your behalf.
I am sooooo sick of listening to the media pundits say that they love Obama, but keep the race issue in the forefront. I hear these sanctimonious a/holes say that he has to move beyond the race thing. really? Then shut the f*ck up! The media is the one doing the dance of death on the race issue. They say that Obama needs to talk about the economy or the war or......but they WILL NOT let the conversation move past the race issue.
STOP IT! Try doing the right thing, for once.....I realize that they are controlled by the corporate state, but do not tell me they cannot be more fair in their reporting.
I am sick of the crap they try to force feed me. maybe i am the only one, if so...I am the smartest SOB on the planet.
The MSM has been spending all its free time keeping the race issues before the voters, especially those in Pennsylvania, where blue collar workers are blaming all ills on racial programs. BTW, the media will elect your next president. Don't think so, then keep an eye on all the elections, especially the general and you will see who they want to be president.
Since McCain is pretty much getting a free ride right now, I thought I would point out some of his economic positions. 1) He wants to restore consumer confidence--but never says how he will accomplish it. 2) Wants to eliminate the AMT and says it will give working class families $2700 extra a year--that would pay one mortgage note--where is the help there? 3) Reduce corporate tax--more profits, but will not create that many jobs--so where is the help here? 4) Make tax cuts permanent--a flip-flop from his original position when he opposed them. 5) supports the bail out of the mortgage industry--where will this help the home owner? 6) Limit earmarks--now this is the only one that I can see as a good thing.
If McCain is your choice then you are either wealthy or just plain STUPID!
WORD!
His call for change and unity cannot be beat by McCain. Why? The media wants it. The MSM is doing everything in their power to keep the pastor thing and the race issue in the forefront of people's minds. His speech should have put all this bullsh*t to rest. But the Media does not want it to go away. Clinton is their candidate and they will keep the race thing going. They have almost totally ignored the Hillary scheds that has been released and how they will show that her experience will be very limited when she was 1st lady.
Pundits like Scarborough, Tucker and especially FOX News that will not let this story die, because as long as they keep it running the more they can dwindle Obama's support. Something that is wanted and is being done by the MSM.
So if Obama is the Dem nominee and he loses to McCain in the general, you can thank the media for the defeat. Are you proud of the media now?
Yesterday was the 5th anniversary of the Iraq War, now there is something to celebrate. 5 yrs, almost 4000 dead, many thousands wounded and maimed and a 1/2 a trillion bucks spent. Take a moment and think about that. Now that you have, what have we gained from this waste of money and treasure? Are we safer? According to the Pres we are, but then he has been in never never land for 5 yrs.
Now Bush is using our fear of higher gas prices to motivate the people. He know says that we must stay in Iraq to prevent al Qaeda from taking over the oil fields and using that cash to create market chaos and to fund their activities. I can smell the fear rising now!
Many protesters took to the streets yesterday as a nationwide protest to the war. A valiant effort, but will it be effective? NO! I WILL NOT! When half the American people still believe that Saddam was so how responsible for 9/11. Sad indictment of the mentality of the American people.
Looks promising for Michigan. There are reports now that a resolution to the problem of the past election in Michigan is very close. Hopefully this will be a solution that everyone cab agree to and the delegates can be seated.
Onto Florida, now here is a cluster f*ck. After a couple of days of reporting different possibilities for the this situation the news has broke--a do over for Florida is all but completely dead. Mail in vote--dead, Re-vote--dead, caucus--dead and a privately funded do-over is dead. All options available have been rejexted. Hope is slipping away for the people of Florida.
What can be done? First Dean should get off his fat ass and call the two campaigns and tell them to send a rep to a meeting and then they go behind closed doors and bang out a solution. Or some statesman within the Party should take the initiative and bring the two sides together and find a solution to this problem. Someone like Al Gore. we cannot use the elder statesman, Bill, because of his ties to the candidate, so someone needs to step up and take control. If not then Florida should be left out of the mix at the convention. It was their decision to move the primary and they were aware of the consequences.
Obama calls for racial healing -- chicagotribune.com
This is a link to the vid of his speech, I suggest that you listen to one of the most dynamic, and inspiring speeches you will EVER hear.
Yes, what is next? Well Obama made his speech to shut the critics the hell up, all but one, MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, but he does have a point about the blue collar worker that has been manipulated like a cheap whore over the years, and they may be taken a back by the speech. But if they get their news from FOX or ABC or MSNBC then they are not getting the whole speech. I as them to either listen to it or read before they snap off their hemorrhoids by their asses slamming shut.
But that was yesterday and now I want to talk about today, what can Clinton do to try and take the media's attention off Obama and return it to her. Thinking.....thinking....she has released her papers to the press. Tax returns and such, that should give a little rest from the Obama speech.
But she may still be in the background, the speech was way too inspiring to be replaced by a ba-zillion pages of crap the Clinton's want you to know.
Transcript of Obama's speech on race - Barack Obama News- msnbc.com
He will go down as the best public speaking politician in history. Read and weep!
I was gonna be clever with my analysis of the Obama speech, but I decided that it would be better if people heard the whole thing.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23691239#23691239
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23690567/
Like I said I wanted to have an in-depth analysis of the speech today. But I cannot--It was brilliant. One of the best speeches I have ever heard and I am old and I have heard a lot of them. Read and understand.
Good! Maybe now we can shut the hell up and move on to issues. MSM has been making damn sure that The Rev. Wright comment has had many days to play in the minds of the voter. I guess if you are a Clinton supporter, you are getting your money"s worth out of NOTHING!
Today Obama will make a national speech, similar to the one that Romney had to make, it is just silly that anyone has to make a speech at all that does not pertain to the election. I do not care about Mitt's religion and I sure do not give shit about what a preacher has to say. They are playing to the band. Nothing about this has anything to do with being elected president.
Are the minds of the American voter so fried that they will be influenced by such shenanigans by the campaigns? Of course they are! And to the point of being idiots! Sorry, I did take away from idiots with that statement. These easily influenced robots are beyond ignorant and are approaching STUPID!
Recently, I heard Pres. Bush say that it was not the governments job to bail out speculators......thinking.....the bail out of Bear-Sterns is bailing out speculators. I guess he meant small speculators not the large corporations that speculate. Ask yourself, how many small businesses would the government bail out of financial trouble? That is an easy one to answer---NONE!
The free market is not working in the financial sector, it needs massive transfusion of government money. So please stop using the term, "FREE MARKET"! It is not free. Especially to the taxpayer. So it is somehow okay to use tax money to bail out corporations, but not to help Aunt Lucy with her medical problems. Where is that a country for the people?
Your vote in November, as it is shaking out, will present little relief from these governmental tactics. Don't worry. Be happy.
That is right--IT IS BACK!
It is Monday and everyone is in dread of the week so I thought I would crap on your parade. HA HA HA!
Gerrit Smith ran for president of the US of A. What year and what party was this?
Good luck and you may begin when you so desire. I am looking forward to the answers.
Whe you are finished put the answers on my desk and silently leave.
What a piece of work! get the American people to pay for a trip to Iraq as a campaign ad. Let me see. it is Sens. McCain, Graham and Liebermann, all are part of the McCain Repub campaign. And the media is buying into this ploy by saying that they are all part of the Senate Armed Forces Committee. Where are the Dems on that committee? This is a campaign stop, people.
If this was not about his running for President then ALL members of the committee should be there. This is an attempt to give the American people the Repub side of the war and not the truth, the whole truth.
If this was a fact finding mission everyone should be there at the same time and get the same info. This is the perfect time for McCain to go to Iraq, the Dems are up to their butts in accusations and campaigning.
Just another way they will dupe the voter. Sad part is they will buy it hook, line and sinker.
With all the bantering back and forth by the two campaigns on he said, she said, there was not much reporting on trivial bullsh*t. But I did find a few worthless pieces of crap out there.
I need booze
To watch this worthless news
That I cannot possibly use.
1--more studenst skilled, more car crashes, more fires, and more plane crashes---YAWN!
2--NY Gov is a "john" for a $4000 hooker, oh sorry, escort. For that kind of money the bitch had better be able to whistle Dixie with her genitals.
3--Some guy in India setting world record for longest ear hair. I cannot make this shit up!
4--Glligan's Island Mary Ann gets busted in Idaho for mary jane--you go girl--bless her heart
5--US military commander in Iraq resigns, because he does not agree on Iran--their is some with guts after all.
6--Woman spends 24 months on toilet---what?--that is right she was there everyday for 2 yrs. Masybe should not eat so much peanut butter.
That is it for the worthless crap being reported on the MSM. Did yoiu get your money's worth out of that?
Have A Day!
It has been 40 years since the cruelty of the My Lai massacre. Many will not remember the name until they are reminded by someone whi does. The media will let this go and it will be remembered officially by few with the exception of the Vietnamese people.
March 16, 1968
Charlie Company landed following a short artillery and helicopter gunship preparation. The soldiers found no enemy fighters in the village on the morning of March 16. Many suspected there were NLF troops in the village, hiding underground in the homes of their elderly parents or their wives. The U.S. soldiers, one platoon of which was led by Second Lieutenant William Calley, went in shooting at "suspected enemy position". After the first civilians were killed and wounded by the indiscriminate fire, the soldiers soon began attacking anything that moved, humans and animals alike, with firearms, grenades and bayonets. The scale of the massacre only spiraled as it progressed, the brutality increasing with each killing.
The report concluded that the Task Force commander responsible for the operation, Col. Frank Barker, had failed to "make clear any distinctions between combatants and noncombatants in their orders and instructions." The result, it stated, was that he had "conveyed an understanding that only the enemy remained" in My Lai.
The report asserted, however, that there was no higher command responsibility for what happened in My Lai. It concluded that the policy guidance from Gen. William Westmoreland, the commander of all U.S. forces in Vietnam, was "consistent in adhering to the humane standard of protecting the civilians within the combat zone."
Look at what each acandidate says about this issue or that, then go check the facts. Too often it is pandering to the voter.
This week's quote is from Aldous Husxley
"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored"
Bush and even the Dems seem to not realize this. They all make statements or ignore the facts. I say, check ALL facts you are given then make up your mind.
The voter will be bombarded with lots of doublespeak about "Free Trade". But what is it and is it really free?
This is a subject that is tossed around by just about anybody that wants their mug on TV. What are free markets? Since I am not an economic expert, I will give you a simple definition: Free markets are basically, the economic markets that are free of intervention, by the government or such. I guess the Law of Supply and demand would be a good anology--supply low -prices high and vice versa.
Sounds good, but the free markets that Adam Smith envisioned were a great idea, never worked! About the only places this actually may work is the stock exchange, some retailing and an ever dwindling small manufacturing sector. Oh yeah, it seems to work best in the Drug Trade.
Multinationals, companies that deal in the world capitalist system, have turned the idea of free market into a pipedream. They obey none of the laws of national governments or the market strategy.
These multinationals have a tendency to fixed prices and make nonesense of the idea that there is a free market. These seem to gravitate to the third world, why? The five easy freedoms, they are: no corporate income tax, no import duties, no property taxes no excise taxes and finally monetary and political incentives like weak or no unions and another thing is, most of the countries in the third world are desperate for foreign capital.
Basically, what I am saying is, THERE ARE NO FREE MARKETS--it is an illusion. Even the Stock market is not a free market, for trading is controlled by computers, say a bad slide starts and after a prescribed amoun of time, the computer kicks in ans suspends trading until the following day and will continue until the market stabilizes.
What to do? What to do? Grin and bear it! That is unless you have a better approach; the multinationals are here to stay and they will control the entire world, if they already do not. Wars? They benefit the multnationals! Peace? Benefits the multinationals not
You are looking at the control of everything by the corporations--The fact is that most of the world is already control by them and the small part that is not controlled is in their sights and only time will tell when that small part will fall.
This is a re-post from a now defunct blog of mine.
VOTER BEWARE!
I have given voting a lot of thought lately and my views have not changed over the years. I wanted to reassess my stand to see if that maybe something positive had happened and that I might be mistakened. I am Not!
With the general election approaching, ever so slowly, you would not realize it by the tap dancing candidates are doing. You would swear, if you just woke up that it was 2008 and the first of the primaries are long days away. Unfortunately, for your sensibilties it is a year away.
For decades we have been told that if you do not vote, then you have nothing to bitch about. Or that it is your civic duty to vote. We have been taught from the very first Civics class that it is all important to participate in the system. Do you agree? What has your paricipation accomplished? Do you truly feel that you are part of the system? Do you feel that you have gotten your money's worth out of the slugs you have help put into office?
People need to ask themselves these questions, but only if they are willing to take a hard look at their own participation. If you vote, what do you vote for? The Party? Or possibly the person? How many really give two shakes in hell about the issues?
Alrighty then, with all that said let us take a look at the institution called voting.
Voting is a strong ideological tool. Having a majority of the adults vote in any given election is giving a legitimacy to the system that supposedly derives its power from those very people. The problem is that the people are not being represented, they are justifying the ruling elites who reinforce their legitimacy by claiming to be held to the highest standards. Basically, what most of these slimes are saying is that they through their representation are contributing to the material well being of the people. And for most Americans that is all they are looking for, is their material well being. That is one of the major contributors that lead to the War On Terror.
The candidates that the American people are given as their future leaders are all popped from the same mold. Makes no difference on party affiliation; they are wealthy, self-serving and manical. And these are the people that we have to choose from at election time.
So you want proof? Look at the present administration; it is arrogant, self-serving and above all unconcerned with the will of the people. But yet it was returned for a second tour in power. Why? It played heavily on the fears of the people, which in turn, proved to be the best emotional issue to secure leadership through the mandate called votes.
The ordeal of voting is an illusion created by those in power, that tghere is actually a struggle for the positions in which the people decide the outcome. The only thing the American voter decides is which wealthy elitist will lead them. The entire system is programed so that only the wealthy elite can enter into the system and have the chance of leadership. It is acceptable because the voter, from childhood, has been lead to believe that is the way it must be. By the way, politics in the US is a monopoly, that only the wealthy can play.
Remember, voting does not determine policy, it only legitimizes those who actually control the state apparatus.
Voting is an illusion of popular rule, by the people, which is legitimized by popular elections. In other words, it is a scam, that the American people participate in freely and it is so well entrenched that they assume they have the power. They do not! All you need to do is just look at the last 20 yrs of politics--where were they ever in control?
CHUQ
24/03/07
Clinton's tepid response to Ferraro is shameful - Countdown with Keith Olbermann- msnbc.com
This is Olbermann's special comment. I am vindicated. TOLD YOU SO!
Before I start my diatribe I would like to point out hat all my ranting about the damage being done to the Democrat Party has been vindicated. Last night on Keith Oldermann's show on MSNBC, Keith made the same points that I have been making for about a month. He also sees the Dem Party is all but pulling the plug on a win in November. Please check out my previous post his comments are there. God! I love my job!
Onto the new majority. In the beginning there was a "silent majority' and then there was the "moral majority" and now there is the "invisible majority". What the hell is that, Professor? The middle class. They are all but completely invisible to the candidates. Yeah, yeah, they are mentioned from time to time when it is politically prudent, but what do any of the candidates offer as a solution to the problems of the working class?
Do not hurt yourself, the answer is NOTHING! Most of their plans are to help business and not the workers. Another form of trickle down bullsh*t. That somehow if business is making money, everybody will. It is bullsh*t! How has that worked in the past? It has not worked in the past.
The workers are virtually invisible to everyone in the political arena. The media concentrates on the markets, while Average Joe is struggling to make a living. The problem is that no one is watching the backs of the workers. sure there is some form of pandering and the worker believes the crap and nothing changes.
I regret that the "invisible majority" will remain so, until the worker finally realizes they are being screwed daily by their representatives and maybe then they will demand to be heard. If not then they will continue to struggle and continue to be invisible to those in power.
Yesterday Mississippi, for the first time in a long time, was playing a major role in the nomination process. I went to two polling sites to take an informal exit poll. It was not easy, many people did not want to talk to anyone on the outside.
My voting site is in a neighborhood that is mostly white and military. So the the voter turn out in my station was moderate, because most of the people already have their nominee, McCain. Then I went to North side of the city to a voting station within a black neighborhood and the turn out was amazing. There were people waiting in lines to vote. Energized like never before in recent memory.
Final results were: Obama 61%--Clinton 37% Most blacks voted for Obama and the whites went with Clinton. Goes to show that there is still some residual bigotry left behind. The turn out statewide was heavy. Rain was the story of the morning but it did not deter voters, especially Obama voters.
I asked people questions like why did you vote for your candidate? The answers were not what I had thought. Most said that they voted because of the economy. Then there were a few that cited the war and health care. Gender and race were not mentioned, but that does not play because it appears to be the driving motivation.
All in all I was surprised at the vote. I knew Obama would win but the Clinton's have had a special relationship with the blacks in Mississippi and that did not matter; they went for Obama. I think the only explanation is that Clinton and the attacks on Obama is not playing well in the black community.
All in all, Mississippi was a bit of a surprise, an interesting turn and now Mississippi has made a difference. They should be pleased.
The quote this week is from LBJ in 1965. I quote it because it is as true today as it was then. It explains the whole not ready for president argument.
"A president's hardest task is not doing what is right, but rather to know what is right."
Well said and is good advice.
Today is Mississippi's day in the spotlight. Thanx to the prolonged nomination process the state finally gets its turn in the barrel. Obama will likely win since 70% of registered Dems are black. Bill tried to head off the rush to Obama by hinting that he would be considered as a veep. Bill is counting on his past clout to help his wife. I do not think it will be effective.
Only time will tell if Mississippi will be a player in the drama that will be the Democratic Convention. I will be trying to do an independent exit poll and will post my findings.
Hopefully people realize that if the state votes for Obama does not mean it will vote Dem in November. McCain will probably take the state in the general. Blacks could change that formula, but that would mean that they must stay engaged in the process. we will see with today's vote and the turn out just how successful the effort will be.
Seems that the Iraq War has taken a backseat to the economy. Everything about the economy is beginning to suck. housing, wages, fuel, food all continues to sky rocket upwards. So it is only natural that it would become the most important issue in the presidential campaign.
A recent exit poll in Ohio showed that Clinton was favored on the economy and that is where the votes were cast. But why is she favored? Is it her policies? If so, someone give me specifics, for all I have heard are vaguely general. I hear both candidates tell me about a woman that is about to lose her house, or the man that cannot support his family, or the family being crushed by health care cost. All is good, but I want their names and want to see what they really said. I do not like bovine fecal matter and I feel there is a wealth of it in this election.
Clinton is favored on the economy, again Why? Is her policies that much better. or could it be that the voter is just remembering how good the economy was under Bill? If this is the fact, then Hil is running on Bill's record not hers.
Anytime someone wants to disagree with me, be my guest but give me specifics.
Still the campaigns are the news that is reported, but every now and then some worthless crap sneaks in.
Most I repeat
Tis news
That no one may use
And it is not complete
Until one has the booze!
1--Discussion on whether a contestant on "Am. Idol" has fake hair.
2--Larry king dances on camera with Janet Jackson--OMG! absolutely no rhythm!
3--Bush dances again on camera--can someone please stop this maddness!
4--Brett Favre retires--sad!
5--yet another plane crash, yet more missing or dead young women, more school lock downs
6--More crappy weather
and a partridge in a pear tree. time for a nap!
And it speaks for Obama, now he has an edge in Mississippi because most of the registered Dems are black, which could play into the Obama strategy. His problem is now that Wyoming was the last caucus, where Obama always did well. Now he must fight for the popular vote with Clinton.
That could prove to be a disaster because of this report:
The Clinton campaign has publicly admitted that the only way they can still win this election is by tearing Barack Obama down. They have called their attacks the "kitchen sink strategy," and Senator Clinton herself has referred to it as "the fun part" of the campaign. The result has been a constant barrage of attacks about Senator Obama's record that they know full well aren't true. And yet they repeat them, over and over again, day after day, in an attempt to deceive the American people just so that they can win this election.
Does the Clinton campaign realize they are destroying the party with this stuff? They are breaking rules of the game, especially the one about not saying anything too negative about your party opponent. Plus Clinton has basically told voters that if she is not the nominee then they should vote for McCain.
The DLC is losing its grip on the party and they would rather destroy it than lose its influence.
The woman has my vote--she is highly qualified and intelligent. Personally, I would have kept her on and found a way to shut the Clinton camp up.
Samantha Power is the Anna Lindh Professor of Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy, based at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, where she was the founding executive director [1998-2002]. She is the recent author of Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vieira de Mello and the Fight to Save the World (Penguin Press, 2008), a biography of the UN envoy killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2003. Her book "A Problem from Hell": America and the Age of Genocide (New Republic Books) was awarded the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction, the 2003 National Book Critics Circle Award for general nonfiction, and the Council on Foreign Relations' Arthur Ross Prize for the best book in U.S. foreign policy. Power's New Yorker article on the horrors in Darfur, Sudan, won the 2005 National Magazine Award for best reporting. In 2007, Power became a foreign policy columnist at Time magazine. From 1993 to 1996 she covered the wars in the former Yugoslavia as a reporter for the U.S. News and World Report, the Boston Globe, and The New Republic. She remains a working journalist, reporting from such places as Burundi, East Timor, Kosovo, Rwanda, Sudan, and Zimbabwe, and contributing to the Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker and The New York Review of Books. Power is the editor, with Graham Allison, of Realizing Human Rights: Moving from Inspiration to Impact. A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School, she moved to the United States from Ireland at the age of nine. She spent 2005 to 2006 working in the office of Senator Barack Obama.
Recently, Samantha Power, an Obama adviser has resigned for comments that she made to a Scottish paper. Now I am pissed! She resigned to save Obama face, that is noble, but where were all these calls for resignations from the Clinton a/holes that were pushing the idea of Obama as a drug dealer. There was outrage but where was the resignations of Penn and the morons?
For weeks Clinton has been whining about the media giving Obama a free ride. What total bulllshit! The Clintons are getting there way everywhere looks like the fix is in. look Power resigns thanks to the media. Schuster gets time off. Matthews is not allowed to say the obvious and he goes on air and gravels at the feet of the political GODS! screw them. I am sick of the sanctimonious bullshit from the Clintons. No one in this country owes these people anything!
Obama is being played. Hopefully Power is still an adviser but behind the scenes. She gets my vote as the best person of the week. She told the truth and it bit her in the butt and she took the heat. My kinda woman. If I ever run for office I will look her up, I prefer people that do not play the PC bs. Now Obama is in a conundrum --voters do not like a loser.....voters do not like a weak candidate....voters do not like negativity.....where he puts his faith now will determine his future.
I wish Ms Power all the luck and if I ever run for office I will contact her. I like her style of straight talk, it is refreshing and honest. Keep up the good work. And thank you.
It is 4 or 5 days since Clinton ran her now infamous 3 a.m. phone call ad and we are still talking and bitching about it. The media is playing it for all it is worth it makes good copy. But the real story here is that it is gonna be used again when it is needed.
She lauds her experience over an over and over, it was not working, but once the idea of "fear" is injected into it and then it plays like the star spangled banner.
Clinton keeps saying that she has the experience to make the hard decisions in an emergency. First, what experience did she earn from being first lady? I mean a sudden change in menu is not that same of an emergency. I mean voting for a war without all the info is definitely not what is needed in the White House. So what experience does she have handling that type of emergency?
Now if Obama's people were sharper they would have him in an ad up to the point where she answers the phone then freezer frame and then.......say the Obama was doing what ANY prudent president would do. He calls his advisers, gets opinions and then makes the decision on what action to take.
The final line should be....A good president gets all the info before he makes his decision. A bad president makes a snap decision before considering the consequences. You know like Iraq, the early years.
Alrighty then, its on sucka! The media battle that is commencing in the media between Clinton and Obama will be the best thing that could happen for McCain. All the negativity on the Dem side will draw media attention away from McCain. Such as his flip-flopping on torture, or the lobbyist in his campaig, or the selling of his prin ciples just to gain more Repub support. And that his campaign really is nothing more than a continuation of the Bush years.
Plus the in-fighting of the Dems will turn off some voters and that could strengthen McCain's appeal ti independents. It is only a matter of time before the negativity drives a wedge between the two camps that may prove to be a defeatist approach.
McCain is not that far behind either Clinton or Obama in the national polls. This in-fighting can only harm the Dems. Think about it, the party of the people, a black man and a woman, at each others throats will be repugnant to some. The party that fought for civil rights and woman's rights in the middle of a battle between the sexes and the races.
The only winner of this battle will be McCain. and once again the Democrats will have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Something they are excelling at. It is just pathetic!
There will be a sort of lull in election stuff until the Pennsylvania battlefield. It will be Gettysburg all over again. The real fight will be for the Super delegates. Lots of maneuvering in the background will be the rule of the day. As it stands today looks like Obama will have the delegate count and Clinton will have the vote. Each candidate will be trying to fill their resume out so as to impress the Supers. Their surrogates will be dancing with the devil to gain more Super delegates.
Now there is another fight that will fought. Those are the delegates from Michigan and Florida. The Clinton people want the to seat the candidates, but they were not official votes because both states moved their primary/caucus dates without clearance from the DNC. Of course, Clinton one both of those contests, she was the only one on the ballot in one state and won the other on name recognition.
This fight will be another good fight. Howard Dean, chairman of the DNC, has said, "Out of respect for the presidential campaigns and the states that did not violate party rules, we are not going to change the rules in the middle of the game." This will be fascinating to watch. why? The wrong decision and the Dem party will implode. And in a way never seen before, not even with the 1968 convention.
The news will be daily and the fight will be daily and it will be amazing to see how these two problems will be handled.
It is that time of the month when I rate the US Congress on their actions or inactions. With all the election stuff going on it was a short month for our legislators.
Jan.08--1 step backwards.
Feb. 08
economic stimulus package--forward
to outlaw waterboarding and other torture--forward
FISA bill pass--backward
Steroid hearings--backward
With the rating system I use, step forward, step backward and no step; Feb 08 the Congress accomplish nothing it was rated at a stand still. For the year they are moving backwards which is not what they were sent to Washington to do. can you now understand why their approval rating is about 20%?
Last night was a sad occasion indeed. First, John McCain finally got enough delegates to have this coronation as the Repub nominee. It is now official! It is a shame that the man of principles and independence, is selling all that out just so he can be the flagship of the Repub party.
Next! The Huck-ster is gone! ans with him will go his background at speeches, Chuck Norris. A sad, sad day! No more fried squirrel stories. No more humor on the stump. No more bass playing on the campaign trail. No more Huckabee to kick around.
I guess he decided that he would never catch Romney in delegate count and it was time to let McCain have his days in the sun. Now the GOP can concentrate on the Dems and their message. This should give them plenty of time to formulate a plan to campaign against whoever the Dem nominee is for this Fall.
I can smell the dirty, sleazy campaign ads as we speak. If you are interested in the Fall election i would suggest that you keep a bottle of Febreze next to the TV.
It is official now...McCain sweeps the primaries in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island now he has over 1200 delegates and now he is official...the Repub nominee.
the Dems were not so lucky. Clinton wins Ohio, Texas and Rhode island; Obama wins only Vermont. So the fight goes on...Clinton is not out and Obama still has the delegate lead. This will make Mississippi and Wyoming in the mix, both of them are in the Obama camp. Clinton will press on to Pennsylvania. she will use that to say to the delegates that she won the big states, population wise, and Obama cannot. but Obama will have the delegate lead. It is a nuthouse to keep up with.
It will be a media break for about 7 weeks, when Penn votes. They can throw all their fluff in for awhile. Howard Dean has got to now come up with a plan for the delegates from Mich and Fla. This is the most pressing thing on the agenda for now. The DNC has its back to the wall and most find an answer.
The best analysis of the nite was Rachel maddoe on MSNBC when she said that Obama should call clinton to congratulate her and see how many times the phone rings.
The race is basically a tie.....onto the rest of the contests and see who has the best resume for the delegates. Mississippi and wyoming are next--Good luck.
Recently Clinton or one of her surrogates, who really cares, has accused Obama of "plagiarism" for using a quote from a friends political speech. She made a big deal out of it in the last debate and she pushed it as far as she could. Did it help her? hell no!
She still taunts her audiences with the experience thing. that she would be ready to go--on day one--a really irritating term--why does she continue to use this tact, it has not played well in the last 11 contests but yet there it is--experience--yet again. anyway, I digress, on MSNBC's Morning Joe, they were discussing her experience and Obama's lack there of. Joe Scarborough used the analog of if one was needing a surgeon, would you pick one with 35 yrs experience or the one with a year or less. I mean i do not always agree with Joe, but he had a good point.
But wait! yesterday on a stump speech in Ohio, Clinton used the very same analogy with the very same years of experience. Almost word for word.....now is that the same "plagiarism" that Obama was accused of recently? Since Joe seems to be in the Clinton camp, I doubt that it will be brought up.
BTW, my take on that whole experience thing was would you pick a doc with 35 yrs experience that had been sued 10 times for malpractice or the young doc just out of med school? Personally, I want the one that has not sewed his ring up in some poor patient. Just a thought!
Today are the primaries for Ohio, Texas, Vermont and Rhode Island. It wiill be an interesting and long day for political junkies like me. But before that I need to address the possiblity of yet another conflict that could get ugly for the US.
well, Professor where are we talking about this time? South American, most notable the anger between Colombia and Ecuador. It seems that the army of Colombia crossed the border to go after the leftist organization, FARC and di d kill one of its commanders. There is protest flying all over Washington and the UN. Now Chavez of Venezuela who is an ally of Ecuador, has sent roops and equipment to their border with Colombia.
Now we have a stand off between those who align with Chavez and those who align with the US. This could get really ugly, if not handled properly. Considering there are US troops in Colombia helping that country fight the war on drugs, which is yet another sore spot in the region.
Since Bush has his head up his butt, the possibility of this escalating into a full blown war is a great possibility. You asked for it--you got it!
May I see a show hands of the people that recall the "Daisy" ad of the 1964 presidential general election? (Pause for effect) No one , now why does that not surprise me?
Back in 1964 Johnson ran an ad with a small girl and a daisy and the count down to a mushroom cloud. Suggesting that it we elected Goldwater we would be chancing nuclear war. Pretty good ad and scared the be-jesus out of the voter. Fear, a powerful motivator.
This political cycle Clinton has run her version of the "Daisy" ad. This one, I am sure that most people are aware of, thanks to the MSM. Hers has the "red" ringing to indicate a emergency. And then it goes into her experience and who you would want to answer the phone. Fear? I do not think so this time. She keeps trying to force the voter into voting for her because she has experience. But it has not worked in 11 straight contest. Will it work this time? So I guess one could make a case for it being a possible fear card ad.
But no one sees it the way I do. The phone rings five times and then goes to voice mail. Does nayone besides me see a hole in this? Ok times up! If she is so damn experienced should it not be answered promptly and not have to go to voice mail? It maybe just me. But that does not say "experience" to me. But then I am capable of observing beyond the BS that most people fall for.
It is Monday and there has been no one show up for class, but what the hell, I continue on.
Today's quiz is about the early days of the Republic.
When did the US levy its first federal tax, give date and what it was all about and the outcome of the tax?
I guess this could be an essay question...HA! take pencil and paper and you may begin. please remain silent, I am working on a hangover. Good luck!
In the beginning there was war. Then the war turned to gloom in the economy and now this election season is all about the economy. But why is that?
Gas prices up
Food prices up
Housing down 9%
Consumer confidence down
Wholesale inflation up 1%
Retail sales sluggish at best
Economic growth up a dismal .6%
Then there is oil which is closing above 100 a barrel even as high as $102.59 a barrel
Here is the one to watch---GOLD--it is approaching $1000 an ounce--this is an indicator of inflation approaching.
With all this sh*tty news the "money" shows on the tube tell us that the economy is weak but still dynamic. What the hell does that mean? That means that speculation is good. Millionaires making billions in the speculation markets. But the average Joe is sitting a table going over his bills deciding who will be paid this month and who will just have to wait.
None of that tells me that this a dynamic economy, even though it may be a bit weak for now.
Now people will go and vote first in the primaries and then the general election. I suggest they check out each candidate and see if they truly have a position on the economy that will help the average working family out of the economic mess that this administration has put them in.
If you buy into the snow job that corporate tax cuts will create more jobs, then my friend you are delusional and will most likely make a disastrous choice for president. Just remember when you and your children are eating cat food that your vote was the reason why you are in so deep that there may not be a light waiting at the end of the tunnel.
Peace!
OMG! This guy wants media attention than Nader! and I call Nader a media whore. What does that say for Bloomberg? Here is a guy who is not sure what side of the political spectrum he wants to sit on. He has been a Democrat and a republican and now an Independent. He left out the green Party and libertarian. Give him time he will come around, no doubt.
First he was not running for pres, then he was and now he is not. Sounds like this guy would make the perfect replacement for Bush. The only thing he is sure of is he has more money than God and can do whatever he wants.
Bloomberg is now saying that he will nor seek the presidency, but that he will work for an independent approach to government and that he will push a bi-partisan approach to solving the problems of the US.
Ok, cool, but what does that mean? Who will he put his wealth behind? Who will help him make more money and get more media attention? Those are the only questions that need to be asked and need to be answered.
Recently at a press conference, Pres. Bush has challenged the allies of the US to send more assistance to Afghanistan. Actually he is asking for more combat troops. The resurgent Taleban is becoming a major problem for the country. The US cannot send too many more combat troops to the country; they are needed in Iraq. There is some success there and he needs to keepp the pressure on. His legacy is at stake and that is far more important than fighting the people that actually gave us 9/11.
But the question now is, just how receptive will the allies be to sending more troops to Afghanistan? Everyone of our allies is having war problems . I think his calls will fall on deaf ears. Bush is hanging himself slowly with a rope of his own making. Could not happen to a better person.
The primaries draw near the sniping becomes intense. One of the newest is Clinton going after Obama for something that he wrote in one of his books where he says the he is a blank canvas for those around him to project onto. Clinton found fault with this saying that he is an empty vessel and she is a full one with all the knowledge and experience needed....for day one! (BTW, I suggest that that term be quickly eliminated from the vocabulary......it is annoying as much as 24/7 is).
I did not see her comments as something good. It sound like she was saying that her ideas were the only good ideas and that it will always be done her way. That she will do what she wants and that there would be NO input but hers.
Hillary-----Hillary the experience thing has not worked in the past and it is not playing well now. Finding fault with hope and change is not working. Making the whole campaign about YOU is not working. The people are looking for more than you experience. Your experience just keeps you looking like part of the problem not part of the solution.
And now you are trying to find a "Daisy Ad" from the 1964 campaign. Please stop! You are not looking presidential. You are looking desperate and that you will say and do anything to win. You appear that you are what it is all about, not the people and their concerns. Please stop!
I have bitched about the media and its lame attempts at educating the populace. The following quote is by actress Tallulah Bankhead, at least she saw the absurdity of the media.Television could perform a great service in mass education, but there's no indication its sponsors have anything like this on their minds.
- Tallulah Bankhead
