That's How I See It

My Predictions

2008-11-05T21:39:00.002-05:00

Thus far I have been wrong with one prediction and that was the Congressional 11 race. Perhaps I let my cynicism talk too much there.

My prediction for North Carolina is looking good, it has yet to be called but Obama leads.

The Oregon senate race is yet to be called but Merkley is ahead and heavy Democratic districts are what is left to be counted.

Alaska has yet to be called, but convicted felon Ted Stevens is leading.

We have a recount in Minnesota which may not be called until December at the latest.

And we have a runoff in Georgia for senate.

Voted

2008-11-04T07:39:00.002-05:00

I showed up at the polls around 6:50 this morning. I was the eight person in line. I looked behind my and there were around 15 people waiting this morning.

It went smoothly for myself and it seemed to have gone smoothly for everyone else once the doors opened.

I voted for Barack Obama for President.

Now comes the waiting game.

Election Night Predictions

2008-10-30T20:53:00.002-04:00

With only 5 days to go until the election I have decided to make my predictions now.

Pennsylvania District 10- Carney vs. Hackett

I believe that this will be called very early on. Chris Carney will defeat Chris Hackett by at the very minimum 9 points. Hackett is down in polling and he has not really gotten anywhere. There are still many Mesuer folks who won't back Hackett due to the bitter primary fight.

Predicted Winner: Chris Carney (D)

Pennslyvania District 11- Kanjorski vs. Barletta

Early on I was considering voting for Lou Barletta because I frankly do not like Paul Kanjorski. However; Barletta failed to rise above being a one issue candidate. I know there will be people who disagree with me on this, but that's my opinion of him. I don't believe he is a bad guy. I just believe he needs to not hammer that one issue. I actually, to a degree, agree with him. We need stricter crackdowns on illegal immigration. Penalising businesses that use illegal labor is a great way to start. But I digress. I believe that Barletta will win by a slim margin within 3-5 points. I do believe that Kanjorski has a chance, but it will be very slim if Kanjo wins. In that scenario it will be in the margin if 2-3%. No matter what this race is getting called later. I believe this is the last race of Kanjorski's career. He will either lose the general election or he will lose the next primary.

Predicted Winner: Lou Barletta (R)

Electoral Vote: Pennsylvania- Barack Obama vs. John McCain

I believe that it will take about 90 minutes for the state of Pennsylvania to be decided after our polls close. Turnout will be tremendous in our state particullary in the Pittsburg and Philadelphia areas. I don't believe that John McCain will be able to pull an upset win in Pennsylvania. I do not want to come off as overconfident or cocky, but based off my analysis of the election in our state and state polling, I believe it is safe to say that Barack Obama will carry Pennsylvania with a margin of at least 4%.

Predicted Winner: Barack Obama (D)

General Election: Barack Obama vs John McCain

The election will be called by 12 am. At the earliest, and I don't see it this happening, it will be called at 11 PM. The winner will be Barack Obama. It may be possible for John McCain to pull an upset, but I do not see this occur. Barack will win the popular vote by at least 3%. His margin in the electoral college will be great. Barack Obama will win all of the Kerry states, no doubt. I believe Barack Obama willd definitly win the following states.

Virginia-13 electoral votes
Colordao- 9 electoral votes
New Mexico- 5 electoral votes
Iowa- 7 electoral votes
Nevada- 5 electoral votes
North Carolina- 15 electoral votes
Florida- 27 electoral votes
Ohio- 20 electoral votes

That would give him a total of 353 electoral vote to 185.

I believe that Barack has the chance at pulling upsets in Georgia, Arizona, Montana, North Dakota, Indiana, West Virginia, and Missouri

My prediction is based off of current electoral and national polling. In addition I am basing my prediction off of analysis of what is being reported about early voting. In the key states such as Colorado and Florida, the early voting turnout is seemingly positive for the Democrats.

We will see the largest number of voters turnout in American history. That is without a doubt.

Predicted Winner: Barack Obama (D)

The Senate

I am going to do a brief rundown for my predictions of the Senate races. I will only include the toss-up seats and open seats. Those candidate who are crusing to re-election are not gonna be counted.

Virginia: Marker Warner (D) will win
North Carolina: Kay Hagan (D) will unseat Liddy Dole (R)
New Hampshire: Jean Shaheen (D) will unseat John Sununu (R)
Oregon: Jeff Merkley (D) will unseat Gordon Smith (R)
Minnesota: Al Franken (D) will unseat Norm Coleman (R)
Alaska: Mark Begich (D) will unseat Ted Stevens (R)
Mississippi: Roger Wicker (R) will defeat challenger Ronnie Musgrove (D)
Kentucky: Mitch McConnell (R) will barely defeat challenger Bruce Lunsford (D)
Colorado: Mark Udall (D) will defeat Bob Schaffer (R)
New Mexico: Tom Udall (D) will defeat Steve Pearce (R)

The great upset of the night will be Jim Martin (D) defeating the despicable Saxby Chambliss (R) in Georgia

The Democrats will achieve the fillibuster proof majority.

They will have exactly 60 Senators.

That's How I See It

Another Conspiracy Theory Bites the Dust

2008-10-26T13:33:00.003-04:00

U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick on Friday night rejected the suit by attorney Philip J. Berg, who alleged that Obama was not a U.S. citizen and therefore ineligible for the presidency.

This was one of the many conspiracy theories that have been circulating about Barack Obama. Thankfully the judge had the reason to see that this claim was nothing more than complete horseshit.

Berg claimed that Obama is either a citizen of his father's native Kenya or became a citizen of Indonesia after he moved there as a boy.

Obviously this had as much backing as the BS claims that Obama is a Muslim and the only dark and seedy lies that the Right Wing have been spreading.

With regards to the Muslim rumor, and Colin Powell said it well, so what if he was a Muslim? What would that matter? How would it be any different than him being a Jew, a Buddhist, etc. The vicious lies that Obama is a Muslim amount nothing more to racism. It is fear-mongering on part of the Right Wing. Since the Far Right's agenda has little to no appeal to Americans now, they have to resort to more lies and deciet than usual to scare Americans.

The Right Wing thinks you're dumb.

Don't let them fool you.

That's How I See It.

This Is Just Absurd

2008-10-16T10:49:00.002-04:00

Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin on Wednesday rejected the idea that she has launched negative attacks against Barack Obama.

Oh really?

Associating him with terrorists isn't a negative attack? Slamming his views on abortion isn't a negative attack?

She is quite honestly full of it. The McCain/Palin campaign has been disgustingly negative.

And you know why?

Because short of vile hatred and deceit they have nothing to offer the American people. They realize they cannot win this election based off of the economy. So they go for the negativity and the mud slinging.

They obviously are so cynical that they believe that Americans will fall for this.

Guess what.

They are not.

Palin and McCain have tried the Ayers attack and it is not working.

Know why?

Because the issue of Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers will not fix the economy. It will not end he Iraq war. It will not help the millions of Americans who are hurt by this economy are not going to be helped.

From a CNN Poll:

Obama's connection to William Ayers matters to you...

Great Deal 23
Somewhat 14
Not Much 11
Not At All 51

That 23% is also about the same number of who President Bush is still doing a good job.

Go figure!!!

That's How I See It!

Very Clever Video

2008-10-14T20:05:00.000-04:00

This political ad from MoveOn.org is very clever and funny!

McCain Volunteers Vandalize My Bumper Sticker

2008-10-10T11:58:00.005-04:00

Yesterday a volunteer from the McCain campaign wrecked my Obama '08 bumper sticker on my car.

There was at least one McCain volunteer in our neighborhood yesterday around noon. My mother had just gotten home from work around 12:30. She came in, furiously, and said "Go look what they did to your car, because this better be a joke."

That's what I found. My bumper sticker was half way torn off and a McCain/Palin pamphlet was placed under it. This person actually went about 5-10 feet into my yard to do this crap.

I went around my block and bumper stickers were placed on all of my neighbor's porches. Including my own.

My father and I drove around the area looking for the guy, I asked around and the folks in the neighborhood who saw him say that he was around in a ten minute time span.

No luck so we did go to the Police. They couldn't really do much since we had no ID on the person who did this. But the officer we spoke to told us to call 9/11 if we see another trespasser like this on our property. We will and I am keeping my eye out.

I went to the Luzerne County Republican Headquarters on the Square to voice my complaint. They were nice, but tried to convince me that it must have been some prankster in my neighborhood. That is bull. I know and understand that the McCain campaign itself does not condone such actions, but this could not have been anyone else but an individual with immediate access to those pamphlets. Not a pamphlet was missing from a home on my street or immediate area.

Whoever did this was a McCain volunteer with those pamphlets.

I did get a replacement for my bumpersticker.

But these actions do not speak positively at all. The actions of this individual does represent the McCain campaign.

We all know what a fit there would be if an Obama volunteer had done this.

Stay Classy John McCain...

2008-10-08T01:22:00.001-04:00

This moment totally and utterly disgusted me. John McCain has no respect or class.

OJ Found Guilty

2008-10-04T10:46:00.002-04:00

O.J. Simpson was found guilty of armed robbery and kidnapping here late Friday, 13 years to the day after the American football legend was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend.

He faces 15 years up to life in prison.

Like a good number of people I do believe that he got away with murder. At least now he will not be a free man.

I remember thirteen years ago when he was acquitted. I was six years old. It was my birthday. I remember playing with a Matchbox car set that my parents gave me for my birthday. My mom was watching the trial on TV. I still remember when they came out and acquitted him. I still recall how upset my mother was. She immediately got on the phone with either my dad or my grandmother and was talking about how wrong this all was.

And just a few hours ago when we all found out that he was found guilty on multiple charges of kidnapping and armed robbery, we all breathed a sigh of relief.

VP Debate

2008-10-02T11:05:00.003-04:00

Tonight at nine PM is the Vice-Presidential debate. Based off of Palin's embarrassing interviews with Katie Couric I cannot help but speculate that Palin will perform poorly. She is clearly out of her league.

Now there is this big hullabaloo over Gwen Ifill's book. It is a pro-Obama book, but it is generally about modern black politicians in general. The book is expected to be released in early 2009. The earliest results for info on this book based off of internet searches has been in July.

I am just shocked, but not surprised, that the right-wing is having a hissy-fit now over this. They had to have known. Of course they try and raise this issue only about twenty four hours before the debate. Deep down they know Palin will embarass herself and the Republican ticket.

My question is, what can Gwen Ifill possibly do to impede the debate? Not allow Palin to answer? She is going to be asking both Biden and Palin the same questions. Gwen Ifill's credibility should not be questioned in this instance. Like I said seeing that information on this book has been avaible has been out since July I find it hard to believe that the McCain campaign didn't come across this. Then again just look at the great job they did in vetting Palin.

This is the latest embarassing take from Palin's interviews with Katie Couric.

Someone as conservative as she is should be able to name one of the many Supreme Court cases that deal with seperation of church and state. Especially the ones that deal with the unconstitionatlity of school prayer.

I can certainly name one Supreme Court that I disagree with.

Gore v. Bush!

Paul Newman 1925-2008

2008-09-27T10:21:00.002-04:00

Legendary actor Paul Newman died of lung cancer at his home at the age of 83. In the summer it was reported that his health was failing and in June it was widely reported that he had been suffering from lung cancer.

He was nominated 9 times for Best Leading Actor or Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards. He won in 1987 for Best Actor in a Leading Role in the film The Color of Money.

Joe Biden Coming To Wilkes-Barre

2008-09-23T10:28:00.002-04:00

Joe Biden will be in Wilkes-Barre Thursday.

Info:

Nesbitt Park
180 Market Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA

Thursday, September 25th
Doors Open: 1:00 p.m.
Program Begins: 2:30 p.m.

"Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate Joe Biden will be holding a Community Gathering this Thursday, September 25 at Nesbitt Park in Wilkes-Barre. Doors open at 1:00 PM, and the park is located in Wilkes-Barre on the west bank of the Susquehanna River at the foot of the Market Street Bridge. Tickets will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis and can be picked up at 211 S. Main Street (Melone Architects) from 1:00 PM-9:00 PM on Tuesday and from 9:00 AM-9:00 PM on Wednesday. However, those without tickets will also be admitted as space permits so feel free to bring along any friends or family members even if they don't have tickets."

Obama in Duryea

2008-09-05T17:41:00.002-04:00

http://www.cspan.org/

If you scroll down to the Recent Program section there is a link to watch the video of Barack's speech in Duryea. It was a private event. People in attendance where volunteers, elected officials, and plant workers. I lead the Pledge of Allegiance for the event and sat in the front row to the left side. At the very end of the video you can see me when Barack comes over to shake our hands. I'm wearing a yellow dress shirt and at the end I face towards the camera because I am talking to the gentleman next to me. It was a fantastic speech and I felt he did well.

It is something else to standing next to someone like Barack Obama who can be the next president and especially to have shook his hand twice.

On the personal side I apologize for the lack of attention to my blog and the others. Don't worry will try to comment and post as much as I can. College is going very well, but it is also very demanding. I haven't had the time to update as regularly as I would like. I will do my best to have at least one new update for the week. Ideally every few days. I hope everyone else is doing well.

Palin For VP- Sexist, Hypocrtical, and Wrong

2008-08-29T15:06:00.004-04:00

Republicans have been attacking Barack Obama for being inexperienced. They have stated that Obama has not had the experienced needed to be president. That is why they argue that McCain is the far better choice. He has been in politics for a long time.

But he picks Sarah Palin today for Vice-President.

Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska.

Sarah Palin who has virtually no political experience.

She served on city council for two terms in Wasilla and she was later mayor. The town's population, depending on what news service you prefer places the population between 5,000 and 9,000 people.

This guy I know, who has been a Republican for a long time and who has been utterly and soundly convinced that Barack Obama cannot win told me this yesterday upon the announcement.

"You just won this election," he said. He was extremely angry at McCain and disappointed. Later that night as we talked politics he was doing his best to accept Sarah Palin as VP.

Sarah Palin who, if elected alongside John McCain, would be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

McCain has been attacking Obama on Iraq endlessly. McCain has been championing himself as the politician who knows what is right for the conflict. Yet he picks a Vice-President who a year ago had this to say about Iraq.

"I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq," she said.

John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin is clearly sexist and politically transparent. He only selected her to appeal to women. Mainly to appeal to the PUMA's (Who I contend are not real Democrats anyway, they are put sore losers and they act like pathetic children) and disgruntled Hillary supporters. Anyone who supported Hillary who votes for McCain because of Palin is directly insulting Hillary Clinton and feminism. Sarah Palin is a great candidate for McCain based on conservative issues. She is a creationist and is strongly opposed to abortion. Hillary would shudder if this woman was a heartbeat away from the presidency.

The selection is sexist because John McCain is using Sarah Palin's being a woman to get votes. He is using her gender for a political purpose. If that is not sexist then I don't know what is. He is clearly exploiting her for political gain.

Palin is also facing an ethics investigation.

It is a scandal..."involving the firing of a state police chief and his reluctance to fire an Alaska state trooper, Palin's former brother-in-law who has been involved in a bitter custody fight with her younger sister."

Let's just look at it one last time. The GOP cannot attack Obama for being inexperienced anymore. Obama has served longer in government on a statewide and national scale than Palin. She is also younger than Obama by 3 years. There goes the age argument as well. And if need be Obama's Vice-President nom Joe Biden would be able to lead us if something happens to Obama. I highly doubt that Palin has the ability to lead the country. I have confidence that Biden can take over the office and execute it well.

I do not see this helping McCain in the long run. He already had the PUMA's and the so-called Democrats who would back a warmonger, an anti-feminist, anti-gay, anti-working class candidate such as John McCain. He already had these people.

That's how I see it.

One of the Best Speeches From Last Night

2008-08-27T08:18:00.001-04:00

I may be a little biased with this, but I felt Rep. Dennis Kucinich gave one of the best speeches last night at the DNC. Enjoy. He probably had all this energy built up for the past few months!

Joe Biden Confirmed?

2008-08-23T00:52:00.002-04:00

All major news media is reporting now at 12:47 AM that Joe Biden has been asked by Sen. Obama to be his running mate and has accepted.

The official announcement is expected to come via text message around 7 am or 8 am in the morning.

Obama and the vice-president nominee will be at a rally tomorrow in Chicago, Illinois where Obama kicked off his presidential campaign.

Obama/Biden?

We shall see tomorrow morning.

But for right now, it seems Biden is the pick.

How Many Houses Do YOU Own?

2008-08-21T10:33:00.003-04:00

John McCain has made his latest gaffe.

He was unsure of how many homes he had. How many homes do YOU own?

"I think — I'll have my staff get to you," McCain told Politico in Las Cruces, N.M. "It's condominiums where — I'll have them get to you."

According to his staff the McCains owns at least four homes. They are located in Arizona, California, and Virginia.

Truth is that he actually owns seven.

Who is the real elitist now? Both Obama and McCain are far wealthy than you or I.

But one of them can't keep track of how many homes he owns.

And that's John McCain. The real elitist.

McCain tried to save himself from the comment he made about people who make $5 million a year as rich.

McCain had this to say.

“I define rich in other ways besides income,” he said. “Some people are wealthy and rich in their lives and their children and their ability to educate them. Others are poor if they’re billionaires.”

So what are you going to do John? Send out the Hallmark Team to judge each family and how "rich" they are in their lives? I'm sure that is going to save Middle America the money they need in tax dollars.

That's how I see it.

Times Leader Voter Panel

2008-08-21T00:13:00.002-04:00

In the Sunday paper the Times Leader had a piece about local people becoming a part of the Time Leader's Voter Panel. The Panel would discuss issues important during the election and the election itself. I applied and I'm a part of that panel.

So I'll be in the Times Leader along with about ten other individuals I believe as their Voter Panel.

How Rich is Rich for John McCain?

2008-08-19T11:24:00.002-04:00

How about 5 million dollars?

During the forum at Saddleback Church, McCain was asked, "Where do you move from middle class to rich?"

McCain quipped "If you're just talking about income, how about five million?"

The DNC has jumped on this line and issued a great ad attacking him for being out of touch with the average American.

"The video points out that only 1 in 1,000 Americans make $5 million or more a year. Democrats say that McCain's plan to make President Bush's tax cuts permanent would give his own family a tax cut of $370,000, while giving the average middle class family only $319 in savings."

How many multi-millionaires do you know? McCain favoring the rich is no surprise here. So who is the elite one now? I seem to think that the man who favors such large tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and the one who doesn't sympathize with middle and lower America as the out of touch elitist.

And that man is John McCain.

A Blog From the Convention

2008-08-18T13:51:00.003-04:00

Rita Boyle, the sole Obama delegate to the Democratic National Convention, has set up a blog to keep us all informed of her time in Denver.

It was back in January that I met Rita and the other early Obama volunteers. It has been quite an experience for us all being involved in the political process like we were.

I encourage everyone to take a look at Rita's blog. It will be great to have someone locally connected providing us with insight straight from the Democratic National Convention.

Good luck Rita!

Rita's Blog

Will McCain Pick a Pro-Choice VP?

2008-08-17T23:13:00.004-04:00

Also would he select a socially liberal VP?

Two men that are speculated to be on his shortlist are former PA Governor Tom Ridge and Senator Joe Lieberman.

They are both pro-choice candidates. Joe Lieberman has scored high on ratings by pro-choice groups.

In 2006 he voted 100% with the interest Planned Parenthood. In 2005 he supported the interests of NARAL Pro-Choice America 75% of the time.

There is no doubt that a pro-choice VP will cause a rift with the more conservative base of the GOP.

However Tom Ridge doesn't agree with that.

“I think that would be up to, first of all, to John to decide whether he wants a pro-choice running mate; then we would have to see how the Republican Party would rally around it,” Ridge said. “At the end of the day, I think the Republican Party will be comfortable with whatever choice John makes.”

McCain now says he is against abortion rights. He didn't take the hardline stance he has now back in the 2000 primaries.

On one hand a pro-choice VP would attract centrist voters. Perhaps even a candidate who has socially liberal positions on certain issues like Sen. Lieberman would attract some liberals.

On LGBT issues Lieberman tends to take a liberal approach.

In 2004 he scored 88/100 by the Human Rights Campaign who are one of the largest LGBT civil rights groups in the country.

He also voted no on the constitutional amendment to ban marriage.

In 2004 Lieberman had this to say

"Although I am opposed to gay marriage, I have also long believed that states have the right to adopt for themselves laws that allow same-sex unions," his statement read. "I will oppose any attempts by the right wing to change the Constitution in response to today's ruling, which would be unnecessary and divisive."

On the issues of guns he received an F from Gun Owners of America in 2007. In 2006 based off of lifetime ratings the NRA gave him an F too.

How would the conservative base of the party feel about someone who has voted on hot button issues liberally?

I don't believe that many conservatives would be okay with Lieberman. I believe he would be a good choice for McCain, but it would infuriate the hard conservative base to know someone who has voted liberally on gay, gun, and abortion hearts is a heartbeat away from the presidency.

In my research for my blog I could not find where Tom Ridge stood on such issues.

A pro-choice candidate alone would be unacceptable for many Republicans. Especially for the evangelical and deeply religious voters that vote Republican.

Who will John McCain select as his VP? I will have a poll posted with the most likely candidates.

Back Home

2008-08-17T00:18:00.001-04:00

I'm back home from vacation. I hope everyone had fun back in the Valley. I know I had fun on vacation. Here's to the rest of the weekend!

I Should Be Back Sometime Today

2008-08-16T11:51:00.000-04:00

Hopefully...

Enjoy Damien Rice with his song "Woman Like A Man"

Some profanity in the song.

A Triple Dose of Tom Waits

2008-08-15T01:49:00.000-04:00

For all you Tom Waits fanatics out there. One of the best song-writers of all time.

I Don't Want to Grow Up

Downtown Train

Waltzing Matilda

The Great Bruce Springsteen

2008-08-14T10:39:00.002-04:00

Here is my favorite Springsteen song. Jungleland.

For Real- Okkervil River

2008-08-13T01:47:00.000-04:00

One of the best bands around. Here is some Okkervil River.

Daft Punk From Alive 2007

2008-08-12T10:38:00.000-04:00

Who can resist the urge to dance?

Freedom- Richie Havens

2008-08-11T10:04:00.000-04:00

Enjoy Freedom by Rich Havens. Performed at Woodstock.

As I Sat Sadly By Her Side- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

2008-08-10T10:00:00.000-04:00

Day two of vacation.

Enjoy As I Sat Sadly By Her Side by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song- The Flaming Lips

2008-08-09T10:00:00.001-04:00

First day of vacation. Here is the music video for The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song by The Flaming Lips.

Vacation

2008-08-08T16:16:00.000-04:00

Tonight I'm leaving for South Carolina. I'll be gone until the 16th. I scheduled some cool music videos to be posted while I'm away. I hope that everyone has a safe week. Take care everybody!

Me and Sen. Bob Casey

2008-08-08T00:52:00.002-04:00

There I am with Sen. Bob Casey. He was a very friend guy. He spent about 20 minutes shaking hands and talking to people after his speech. I was nervous so I just introduced myself and asked for a picture.

Later in the night my closest friend stopped by and I told her that I got to meet Sen. Casey. She said to me "You probably gave him about 30 policy ideas he should consider". I laughed. Now I wish I wasn't so nervous. I would've loved to have chatted with Sen. Casey for a minute or two.

Pictures from the Opening

2008-08-08T00:17:00.019-04:00

Senator Casey takes the small raised platform.

Maryanne Petrilla and Eddie Day Pashinksi

Eddie Day Pashinski and Bob Casey

Sen. Bob Casey arrives (Above).

Eddie Day Pashinski is the gentleman in the suit (Above)

Maryanne Petrilla is on the right (Above)

Opening of the Wilkes-Barre Campaign Office

2008-08-07T23:32:00.004-04:00

I went tonight. I showed up around 6:45 and the office was already packed. It only grew as the time went past 7 PM. Many local politicians showed up. I recognized most, but there were some that I did not.

Rep. Eddie Day Pashinksi
County Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla

There was also a representative from Paul Kanjorski and a representative for Mayor Tom Leighton.

Senator Bob Casey showed up and he gave a speech. The enthusiasm for Sen. Casey for encompassing and fantastic, but the mention of Sen. Obama's name drew thunderous applause and cheering.

The passion and the enthusiasm in the crowd was immense. With people inside the office and people outside chatting there must have been anywhere from 50-80 people at the peak of the event.

The diverse crowd's passion and integrity is a clear indication that Pennsylvania will be a hard fought campaign. We will do our best to succeed in our home state. I am confident we will see Pennsylvania go blue again.

This has been a historical year for America. We had a Mexican-American, a woman, and a black American amongst the candidates for president. For the first time in our history it became clear that one of the nominees for a major party in the USA was going to be a woman or a black America.

Those of us involved in the campaigns of Bill Richardson, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama have been part of a major moment in history. Those of us involved in the campaign of Barack Obama are playing our part in a historic moment. Nobody will remember us in the history books. Maybe we will forget each other years from now. But we will never forget that moment when we made history.

And we cannot wait to say "President Obama".

We have 88 days to go until Election Day. Let's get to work.

Yes we can and yes we will.

Musharraf faces impeachment

2008-08-07T12:00:00.003-04:00

Pakistan's ruling coalition today formally announced moves to begin impeachment proceedings against the country's president, Pervez Musharraf.

I say good riddance to him. I hope they dispose of this man. Most likely he was involved in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

Factions within the Pakistan intelligence service might have been behind the assassination of the country's opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, sources within MI5 told Scotland on Sunday last night.

Of course he and his government have done little to stop Al-Qaida.

The US last month complained that "rotten" elements in the Pakistani intelligence service were aiding the Taliban. While the new civilian government tried to comply with US demands by bringing the intelligence service under its remit, the military and Musharraf blocked this.

Musharraf's advisers said he was prepared to "use his constitutional powers" to stop impeachment. Under powers he gave himself, Musharraf can dismiss the parliament - which should, in theory, be followed by fresh elections.

However impeachment is still uncertain.

The coalition may have the numbers required for impeachment, but it is tight. It would need a two-thirds majority in a joint sitting of both houses of parliament. The upper house, the senate, still has Musharraf supporters making up half its numbers. In the lower house, the coalition easily prevails.

Too bad that we won't see Bush and Cheney impeached.

Grand Opening of Obama Headquarters

2008-08-05T11:44:00.001-04:00

This is the Grand Opening of the Wilkes-Barre Obama Headquarters. Come meet the fantastic organizers, men and woman, locals and from across the country, who will be the driving force behind the election here in North Eastern Pennsylvania. These are people you want to meet. We have an awesome office with plenty of room to work out of and volunteer in. There will be a volunteer meeting on Tuesday, August 5th at 7:00 p.m. and the office will be open from 9:00 a.m. till 9:00 p.m. from then on. Please stop by and show your support and meet the folks that are working for a better America.

Time and Info:
Date:
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Time:
7PM-10PM
Street:
238 Kidder Street
City:
Wilkes-Barre

And We Still Don't Have It Here

2008-08-04T11:10:00.006-04:00

Unions in Wal-Mart that is. However they have them now in China.

The first Wal-Mart trade union in China was formed after the company bowed to government demands for organized labor in its stores, The New York Times reported Friday.

There are unions of some form at Wal-Marts in other nations. The clear exception is the United States.

It is widely reported that Wal-Mart mistreats their employees.

As I reported a few days ago Wal-Mart came under fire for warning employees of an Obama victory. Wal-Mart is afraid of the Employee Free Choice Act being passed. It may allow unionization in American Wal-Marts.

As soon as Wal-Mart managers see a potential union, they are supposed to call a hotline, prompting a visit from a special team from Wal-Mart headquarters, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Here is a video clip from the documentary "Wal-Mart :The High Cost of Low Prices"

Another Bankrupt Business

2008-08-04T11:06:00.000-04:00

Reading-based department store chain Boscov's Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this morning and put itself up for sale, Reuters news agency is reporting.

The Daily Show- Obama's Quest

2008-08-02T15:32:00.000-04:00

Very funny video about Obama's quest as well as McCain's. There is a funny joke about Wilkes-Barre in the video too.

Wal-Mart Getting Too Political?

2008-08-01T14:22:00.002-04:00

That is what the Wall Street Journal is reporting. Wal-Mart seems to be crossing a legal line in an apparent attempt to tell employees how to vote.

In recent weeks, thousands of Wal-Mart store managers and department heads have been summoned to mandatory meetings at which the retailer stresses the downside for workers if stores were to be unionized.

At the meeting department supervisors and store managers were warning employees of a Democratic victory in November. Especially if Barack Obama became president.

The Wal-Mart human-resources managers who run the meetings don't specifically tell attendees how to vote in November's election, but make it clear that voting for Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama would be tantamount to inviting unions in, according to Wal-Mart employees who attended gatherings in Maryland, Missouri and other states.

Wal-Mart denies telling employees how to vote, but some of the people who attended the meetings see otherwise.

"The meeting leader said, 'I am not telling you how to vote, but if the Democrats win, this bill will pass and you won't have a vote on whether you want a union,'" said a Wal-Mart customer-service supervisor from Missouri. "I am not a stupid person. They were telling me how to vote," she said.

Wal-Mart is afraid of the Employee Free Choice Act getting passed and becoming law.

The Free Choice, or "card check," legislation would let unions form if more than 50% of workers simply sign a card saying they want to join. It is far easier for unions to get workers to sign cards because the organizers can approach workers repeatedly, over a period of weeks or months, until the union garners enough support.

And of course what Wal-Mart is doing may be illegal.

Federal election rules permit companies to advocate for specific political candidates to its executives, stockholders and salaried managers, but not to hourly employees. While store managers are on salary, department supervisors are hourly workers.

What Wal-Mart is doing is wrong. It is clear that they are encouraging their employees to vote for Republican candidates in November. They do not want their stores to unionize so easily and thus they are trying to scare employees to vote against candidates who supporting legislatoion such as the Free Choice Act.

Chalk up another reason not to like Wal-Mart.

AC/DC in Wilkes-Barre?

2008-07-31T11:26:00.004-04:00

Fans of the Australian hard rock band should be excited. An extensive 18 month world wide tour is gonna happen and it is not kicking off in Australia. The first stop on AC/DC's tour of the world will be in our very own Wilkes-Barre according to billboard.com

No information on tickets, location, or the date and time have been announced. It is safe to assume that the concert will be at the Arena.

And here is the video for Highway to Hell with the late Bon Scott.

Sen. Ted Stevens Indicted

2008-07-29T13:22:00.005-04:00

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sen. Ted Stevens from Alaska, the longest serving U.S. Republican senator ever, was indicted on Tuesday on seven counts of making false statements, according to a federal grand jury indictment.

From May 1999 to August 2007, prosecutors said Stevens concealed "his continuing receipt of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of things of value from a private corporation." The indictment released Tuesday said the items included: home improvements to his vacation him in Alaska, including a new first floor, garage, wraparound deck, plumbing, electrical wiring; as well as car exchanges, a Viking gas grill, furniture and tools.

Ted Stevens gained internet infamy for his comments against net neutrality. The Daily Show lampooned a speech he made in the Senate where he called the internet a "series of tubes".

Net Neutrality is "is the principle that data packets on the Internet should be moved impartially, without regard to content, destination or source".

Stevens is up for election and the Democrats are eying his seat up. He has maintained a narrow lead according to Rasmussen Reports. Stevens lead only by about 2% since April. The latest poll of 7/17 shows his opponent Mark Begich with a 9% lead.

Because of Stevens age and the scandal he is involved in, I see it unlikely that he will be reelected. I am confident that the Democrats will be able to take this seat.

Free Obama Buttons

2008-07-26T22:23:00.002-04:00

Moveon.org is giving away free Obama buttons. They were also giving away free Obama bumper stickers, but I cannot find the link to that.

Free Obama Button

What I Overheard At the McCain Townhall

2008-07-26T12:09:00.003-04:00

After John McCain left the stage to go down in the pit to shake some hands my grandfather and I tried to get up there. My grandfather, who supports McCain, wanted to try and get in there. While we were trying to get through the crowd I overheard a conversation between two people. I need to stress that what I'm reporting is not a direct quote. It is a paraphrase. I do not explicit remember what was said, but I remember the substance of what was said.

"He knows nothing about economics. He knew nothing about economic theory."

I thought the man was speaking about John McCain. I figured it was someone who wasn't won over. Soon I found out that it wasn't about McCain.

"You shouldn't ask a stupid question like that. We should really screen the people that come in here that are going to ask questions and waste time asking stupid ones."

I turned around and they were two young men in their 20s. They also had around their necks credentials identifying them as John McCain volunteers.

The "stupid question" was from a man who asked a question to McCain concerning the gas tax holiday. It was the only economic question asked. Others were about the war, education, the draft, and Israel.

It is rather shameful for two of McCain's volunteers to be openly insulting questioners. Maybe the McCain campaign should screen their volunteers for class and respect.

Some of the people who went to the McCain townhall were utterly disrespectful people. From the shouting of insults and "get a job" to protesters, to this volunteer's arrogant disparaging remarks about a person who asked a question.

Stay classy GOP.

Guess What?

2008-07-24T14:10:00.002-04:00

Remember back in the primaries a lot of pundits were saying that Obama was going to have problems with Latinos?

They went as far as suggesting that the Superdelegates should back Clinton because she was winning over the Latinos.

We know that the real reason why Obama was having trouble with Latinos was his poor recognition amongst them. Latinos that were polled also indicated that Bill Clinton was another factor in their voting for Hillary Clinton.

After he became the nominee pundits were quick to point out that Obama needed the Latino vote. That is true, but I remember some of them acting like they were going to flock over to John McCain. I've had two discussions with two guys I know who both said that Latinos were not going to vote for Barack Obama because he is black. Do people still believe racial stereotypes like that? I guess Italians still hate the Irish.

I don't know about you, but I have seen an increase in racism in this area. This is not one of the most tolerant areas. I have heard things about blacks that I didn't expect to hear.

Do people really believe that Barack Obama will "turn over the country to the blacks and turn against whites because of past racism"? I have heard that belief too many times around here.

Well it turns out that Latinos are overwhelmingly backing Barack Obama.

Obama's approval rating with registered Latino voters, the nationwide Pew Hispanic Center poll found, is at 66 percent versus 23 percent favoring McCain.

Obama's "strong showing in this survey represents a sharp reversal in his fortunes from the primaries, when Obama lost the Latino vote to Hillary Clinton by a margin of nearly 2-to-1," according to Pew Hispanic Center associate director Mark Hugo Lopez.

If this trend continues and solidifies McCain will have a problem in states where Latinos make up a strong makeup of the voters.

America has see a lot of talk about race with this election and we have seen a lot of race baiting. I only hope that in the future we get better about race relations.

I was talking to another guy I know who told me Obama can't win the election because everyone voted for him because he is black.

Amazing we can't just get through huh?

The 50th Post Spectacular!

2008-07-23T22:26:00.005-04:00

This is my 50th post on my little blog. About time right? I'd just like to share a candid picture that was snapped today of me and my father at the F.M. Kirby Center while we waited for McCain to get onstage.
If any of you read The Weekender, last year he was voted one of the sexiest men in N.E.P.A. Just a nice little fact I like to toss out here and there. =)

Help Dennis Out With the Fight

2008-07-23T20:52:00.003-04:00

Sign this petition and show your support in the effort to impeach George W. Bush. Honestly he should have been impeached along with Cheney along time ago.

Friday is the day that Rep. Kucinich gets a chance to present his case to the Judiciary Committee.

After insisting that a full-scale impeachment of the president would distract from the work of Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi bowed to political reality this week and the House voted 238-180 to send one of Rep. Dennis Kucinich's articles of impeachment -- this one charging Bush with lying to the American public about the causes for the war in Iraq -- to the committee.

Congress will probably not proceed with impeachment, but that should not deter any of us that want to see Bush impeached. Kucinich is an American hero for standing up for progressive causes in Congress. I'm proud to have probably been one of the few people in NEPA to have his "Kucinich 2008" bumper sticker on their car. He was my first choice for president, although he was a long shot.

And here is a picture of his wife so that everyone can be happy.

The Protesters

2008-07-23T16:09:00.001-04:00

I believe the last one is of Kurt Shotko. He was shouting somethings. The shuffling McCain crowd responded by telling the protesters to "get a job".

Mr. McCain Goes to Wilkes-Barre Pictures

2008-07-23T12:28:00.025-04:00

The last one is of Chris Hackett and Sen. Lisa Baker.

Time For a Music Video

2008-07-23T00:07:00.002-04:00

Great song by The Hold Steady who I just discovered a few weeks ago. It is off of "Boys and Girls in America" which is a great album. I got their newest album "Stay Positive", but haven't gotten a chance to listen to it yet. So here is "Stuck Between Stations".

John McCain Tomorrow

2008-07-22T22:17:00.002-04:00

I will be going to see the Senator speak tomorrow with my grandfather. He will be voting for McCain in the Fall, and he is looking forward to the townhall meeting tomorrow. I like to keep an open mind and I wouldn't pass an opportunity to see a sitting Senator of such prestige as John McCain.

So we'll see how it goes. I'd like to ask him a question. I have a few I'm thinking of. My mother told me that my grandfather has a question as well. If he does I'll keep my hand down so he has a better chance of addressing the Senator.

I'll be taking my digital camera, and hopefully I'll get some good pictures. I'll post them tomorrow as well as a take on the event.

John McCain Is Coming...For Free

2008-07-18T18:54:00.000-04:00

Upset that you can't get into the invite only and $250 plate luncheon with John McCain? No worries, he will be at the F.M. Kirby Center Wednesday at 10 am. The doors will open at 8am. There are no details available as to how long it is expected to be or anything else.

Link

"I was against gay adoptions before I was kinda for them"

2008-07-16T13:17:00.000-04:00

Two days ago John McCain in an interview came out against gay adoption explicitly.

"I think that we've proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don't believe in gay adoption," McCain said in reply to a reporter's query.

Asked if those adopting should be a "traditional couple," McCain answered, "Yes."

Florida is the only state in the Union that outlaws gay adoption. There are over 100,000 children in foster care in the United States awaiting adoption.

The idea that gay adoption would be detrimental to children is not supported at all by major medical and psychological organizations. "The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association and the National Association of Social Workers, among other groups, have expressed support for gay adoptions."

Likewise polling shows a change in American attitude towards gay adoption.

"A 2006 poll by the Pew Research Center found a near-even split on the issue; a 2007 poll by CNN and Opinion Research Corp. said 57 percent of respondents felt gays should have the right to adopt, while 40 percent said they shouldn't."

Now after backlash from the gay and lesbian community John McCain is slightly changing his tune.

"'John McCain could have been clearer in the interview in stating that his position on gay adoption is that it is a state issue. ... He was not endorsing any federal legislation,; a campaign statement said."

The statement also added this

"However, as an adoptive father himself, McCain believes children deserve loving and caring home environments, and he recognizes that there are many abandoned children who have yet to find homes. John McCain believes that in those situations that caring parental figures are better for the child than the alternative."

What a straight-talker. You say something to pander to your conservative base and then you backtrack to make yourself sound less of a bigot.

Besides an issue like this just further drives home the media-driven myth that John McCain is a maverick. Maybe he was honestly one back in 2000 and before, but not now. A real maverick in the Republican party would've supported gay adoption.

If John McCain and other conservatives believe that having a gay or lesbian parentage would harm a child, I wonder how they feel about religious radicals and fundamentalists raising children. Is not the radical and hateful indoctrination of a child at the very least child abuse? What if someone came out and said "Radical religious fundamentalists should not raise kids because indoctrination would harm the child's growth and social abilities?". There'd be an outrage.

You can defend almost anything by calling it religious. But just being a homosexual? Gosh, you're going to turn that adoptive child into the next Boy George!

Ridiculous.

Utterly Tasteless

2008-07-15T16:52:00.000-04:00

There are three billboards that carry this message in Orlando, Florida. It was put up by Business man Michael Meehan. On the website that the billboard advertises there is a promotion for Meehan's song and music video about why people should not vote for Democrats or liberals.

Naturally a lot of residents are offended. They find it tasteless and exploitative.

"'Just looking at it, I'm not thinking about Democrat or Republican, I'm thinking about the twin towers and all the people killed,' resident Mary Anderson told Eyewitness News.

'This is a blatant exploitation of that terrible tragedy for political and, perhaps even worse, personal gain,' said Bill Robinson, Orange County Democratic Party Chair.

In addition to Orange County Democrats calling for the billboards to be taken down, the local Republican Party is joining in as well calling it 'inappropriate'."

While Meehan certainly has a right to blame whoever he wants for the tragedy of 9/11, there is no denying that these billboards are offensive, tasteless, and are exploiting the 9/11 attacks. It is a disgusting move by Mike Meehan to do this. Especially if it is to help sell his anti-Democratic song for $5 dollars a copy. He has a right to free speech and I'll defend his right to do this, but it is still absolutly horrible of anyone to use the imagery of 9/11 for gain, profit, or exploitation.

That's how I see it.

The Redskins Keep Their Name...For Now

2008-07-14T13:38:00.000-04:00

The Washington Redskins scored a legal victory in the continuing battle over their name. The ruling didn't decide whether or not the name is offensive. Instead the ruling came on a technicality that the plaintiffs waited too long to bring their suit against the team.

"U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly made a similar finding in 2003, but the Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2005 that one of the plaintiffs at that time was only one years old when Washington registered “Redskins” as a trademark in 1993. The Appeals Court said the District Court should review its finding in that light.

The District Court found no reason to change it’s findings, noting that the plaintiff in question waited eight years after his 18th birthday to file the suit. However, the court did not rule on the “appropriateness of the imagery,” but on the timeliness of the suit itself."

Hopefully this is the end of the battle. I understand why the Native Americans would bring suit, but I don't believe that the name should be removed. It is not being used in an offensive manner. Maybe I'm a little biased because the Redskins are my team, but we always cannot avoid offending someone. No matter what someone is gonna get offended, and sometimes they have to live with it.

Bisexual Animals

2008-07-13T21:47:00.000-04:00

I found a very fascinating article on www.sciam.com. It is about the sexuality of various animal species and how homosexuality plays into their societies as well as ours. A very good read, especially for those who call homosexuality "unnatural". It occurs in over 1,500 species of animals in varying degrees. Just remember, humans are animals too.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=bisexual-species

Jesus Is A Sharpshooter

2008-07-13T21:41:00.000-04:00

This church must be desperate for attendance when they are giving out free guns to get teens to show up for Mass. I can certainly think of better things to offer to get teens to show up, but since it is Oklahoma I guess guns is not a dumb idea.

Windsor Hills Baptist had planned to give away a semiautomatic assault rifle until one of the event's organizers was unable to attend.The church’s youth pastor, Bob Ross, said it’s a way of trying to encourage young people to attend the event. The church expected hundreds of teenagers from as far away as Canada.

They were going to give away one $800 gun to a contest winner. The pastor who was to give the gun away was unable to attend due to an injury. They will give away the gun next year. After the press caught wind of the gun giveaway a controversy naturally came about.

To me it seems hypocritical for a religion to give out a weapon as an incentive. It seems to be in bad taste to do something like this.

Some State News...

2008-07-10T17:29:00.000-04:00

HARRISBURG - A state grand jury probe of illegal practices in the Pennsylvania Legislature resulted today in criminal charges against a sitting lawmaker, former legislative leader and current and former staffers of the House Democratic caucus.

"State Attorney General Tom Corbett announced charges against 12 individuals, including former House Minority Whip Michael Veon, Rep. Sean Ramaley, D-Beaver, and Michael Manzo, former chief of staff to House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, D-Greene."

Does this really surprise anyone?

Atheist Soldier Sues Army Over Discrimination

2008-07-09T13:38:00.000-04:00

Army Spc. Jeremy Hall is an atheist, formerly a Baptist, and is suing the Department of Defense, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and others.

His reason?

Discrimination.

"In the suit, Hall claims his rights to religious freedom under the First Amendment were violated and suggests that the United States military has become a Christian organization."

According to Hall there were several instances where fellow personnel discriminated against him because of his atheism.

"Two years ago on Thanksgiving Day, after refusing to pray at his table, Hall said he was told to go sit somewhere else. In another incident, when he was nearly killed during an attack on his Humvee, he said another soldier asked him, 'Do you believe in Jesus now?'"

Clearly these two instances are uncalled for. These two incidents certainly harassed Hall. If these events are true, they are unacceptable.

Hall is also claiming that because of his atheism he lost out on getting promoted. Hall is quoted as saying

"I was told because I can't put my personal beliefs aside and pray with troops I wouldn't make a good leader,"

Yet it seems that the military is fine with the personal religious beliefs of officers being promoted via prayer and as an influencing factor in promotions.

Hall is not alone in this suit.

"Michael Weinstein, a retired senior Air Force officer and founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, is suing along with Hall. Weinstein said he's been contacted by more than 8,000 members of the military, almost all of them complaining of pressure to embrace evangelical Christianity."

Religious discrimination of any form is illegal.

The Pentagon maintain that these instances of evangelizing are rare.

According to this article from a year ago, discrimination against atheists in the military is viewed as acceptable.

"Now the Army National Guard is telling its unit level Equal Opportunity representatives that it is OK to discriminate against atheists. They are using my formal EO complaint as a training scenario in which a Lieutenant files a formal EO co mplaint against a general officer for claiming that there are no atheists in foxholes."

Atheists are one of the most discriminated and most distrusted minority groups in America. A poll found that a majority of Americans would not consider voting for an atheist. Women, Muslims, blacks, and gays were more likely to be elected than an atheist.

I have personally experienced such discrimination and most of it stems from ignorance about atheism. It is not a belief in nothing. Most atheists believe in an ethical reasoning of some sort. Myself, I consider myself a Humanist when it comes to ethics and morality. I do have beliefs. I simply reject the notion of a higher power. That is what atheism is. However; in America and other places, atheism is seen as a dangerous way to live.

Maybe one day we can all get along.

Like We Needed A Survey

2008-07-07T21:02:00.000-04:00

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress should repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" law because the presence of gays in the military is unlikely to undermine the ability to fight and win, according to a new study released by a California-based research center.

Getting rid of DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell) would be the right step towards equality in the military. The notion that having open gays will deter the ability of the armed forces is plain silly.

The study is not just a bunch of liberals either grasping at straws.

"The study was conducted by four retired military officers, including the three-star Air Force lieutenant general who in early 1993 was tasked with implementing President Clinton's policy that the military stop questioning recruits on their sexual orientation."

"To support its contention, the panel points to the British and Israeli militaries, where it says gay people serve openly without hurting the effectiveness of combat operations."

There we now have a comprehensive study to back up efforts to repeal the law.

As Barry Goldwater allegedly once said

"You don't have to be straight to be in the military; you just have to be able to shoot straight."

The Fourth of July

2008-07-05T16:12:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July. I didn't get a chance to see the fireworks this year in Kirby Park although I went last year and it was a great site.

Instead this year it was a family cookout. Food was great as always.

My job this year was setting off the fireworks for the kids. I love fireworks, but next year I need to make sure I go on the trip to get the fireworks. My brother and dad didn't get many good ones.

Enjoy the weekend everybody!

The Buzz About WALL-E

2008-07-02T13:56:00.001-04:00

It is being hailed as a masterpiece, one of the greatest sci/fi films of all time, and perhaps the best CGI movie ever made.

As of posting it has a weighted ranking of 9.1/10 on www.imdb.com where it ranks #6 amongst the 250 Greatest Movies of All Time, as rated by users of The Internet Movie Database. It is ranked higher than movies like Schindler's List and Star Wars.

Is it that good?

If I could I'd give it a 12/10.

It is is a remarkably excellent film. The film is visually gorgeous. The scene where WALL-E attaches himself to a space ship that is going through space is the most majestic scene in the film, and one of the most beautiful in a movie that I have seen. I love how they also incorporated live action into the movie.

The film is mostly without any dialogue. For the first thrity minutes or so there is virtually no dialogue and most of the dialgoue does not occur until the last twenty minutes or so. Even then it is sparse.

The film is a message film, but I don't believe it is a political message. It is a human message. This is a science fiction film. A lot of media that is sci/fi whether it be a movie, book, or comic often has a message. I dare say a warning. It takes an issue and makes it a hyperboyle. In WALL-E the hyperboyle is obesity, consumerism, and not caring about the earth. The movie is NOT saying anything about global warming or alternative fuels. It is telling us that we need to be more human and not lose the things that make us human.

Of course some commenators make take issue with that and turn it political. Some already are if you look at some more far-right movie reviews. They seem to do this with any movie that has something in it that can be contrived as political and it is often a pathetic attempt at film analysis. I remember that Bill O'Reilly had some talking heads on when Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith came out. There was one talking head that claimed Lucas was making a political statement in the scene where Yoda and Palpatine duel in the Senate.

Aside from all that, WALL-E is an amazing cinematic experience. The humor is intelligent and tight with jokes for everyone. I am so glad that there was no cheap low-brow humor in it. No crotch jokes, no jokes about farts or other bodily functions. I cringe at how stupid humor can be in movies. Not that there's anything wrong with a good bathroom joke. They just have become so overdone, that most aren't even funny.

The soundtrack is amazing as well. It is haunting, moving, and exciting. Stay for the end credits. They are wonderfully animated and you get to hear an awesome new song that Peter Gabriel did for the end credits. I love Peter Gabriel and was excited when I heard he did a song for the movie. Here's the song brought to you by YouTube.

I plan on seeing WALL-E again. Mostly because it is such a great movie.

And also because he is so god damn cute.

Are They That Afraid of Him?

2008-07-01T23:03:00.001-04:00

Why is the GOP afraid of Bob Barr? Should they be?

After all he is just the Libertarian nominee and they don't get anywhere on the national scale, especially in a presidential run.

If any early polling is an indication yes.

If Bob Barr is attracting the Ron Paul voters as he says he is...then yes.

According to a poll done by InsiderAdvantage, Barr is polling at 6%.

No chance at winning, but just take a look what it does to McCain and Obama.

McCain 44%
Obama 43%

If that poll is any indication, Georgia may be a state that the GOP has to defend. The demographics make it a possibility for Obama with its high black population and a high number of young voters.

In 2004 Georiga went 57-41 for Bush.

I haven't come across any other state polls, but the polls show every indication that Barr is getting votes that McCain is failing to get which helps Obama.

Apparently this may have caused a GOP Senator to confront Barr and tell him to quit.

Barr said a GOP senator recently approached him to ask that he drop his White House bid, a request that has come from more than one Republican since he received the Libertarian Party nomination in May. The senator’s plea fell on deaf ears. (Barr would not reveal the lawmaker’s identity).

“What they say is, ‘It’s not that we disagree with what you’re doing, Barr. It’s not that we don’t understand. We do understand, and we actually agree with what you’re saying, but we don’t want to vote against a Republican because that might help the Democrat,’ ” Barr said of the talks he has had with those who want him to quit.

Bob Barr is claiming that he is attracting Ron Paul voters and it should not be surprising that he is. Bob Barr and Paul are essentially on the same platform of Libertarianism.

Say what you want about Ron Paul supporters, but they can raise a lot of money for Bob Barr and that will be a benefit for not only Barr, but for Obama as well.

If McCain cannot win over these Republicans and independents who are going to go Barr, then he is going to have some tight electoral battles where he shouldn't.

We'll see how this one goes.

Melissa Etheridge

2008-06-28T12:05:00.000-04:00

Last night I went and saw Melissa Etheridge at the F.M. Kirby Center. Going in I was not that familiar with Melissa's music. I just knew a few songs. I liked her music enough to not pass up a chance seeing her live.

It started a few minutes past eight and it ended around 11. Wow.

Her performance was absolutely amazing. She played roughly a 3 hour set pretty much straight. The only breaks were for drinking water on stage, talking to the audience, and a few minutes at the end before she put on her encore where she played two extra songs.

The first song was one she said she only wrote to perform live and the other song was an amazing and powerful rendition of "Like The Way I Do". The performance of that song must've been at least seven minutes long.

Her band was excellent as well. I love how for a lot of the songs such as "Like the Way I Do" and "Bring Me Some Water" they would go off into intense jam sessions.

There was so much energy on that stage.

I'd have to say I loved the concert.

Vitter and Craig Back "Pro-Marriage" Amendement

2008-06-27T18:44:00.000-04:00

Once again some Republicans are trying to amend our Constitution to discriminate against homosexuals.

S. J. RES. 43 was introduced June 25th by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS). The bill aims to amend the Constitution to state that marriage "shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman.".

As we know an amendment needs to be ratified by 2/3rds of both Houses. Then it must be ratified by 3/4ths of state legislatures. Long story short, it isn't that easy to amend the Constitution. Numerous amendments are introduced in Congressional sessions and the vast majority are never actually voted on by Congress.

Only 33 in the history of the USA have gotten that 2/3rds in Congress to go to the states for ratification.

Enough with the history lesson. Let's get onto the issue here.

It seems that two of the eight co-sponsors of this bill are Larry Craig (R-ID) and David Vitter (R-LA)

The toe tapper and the man of high priced prostitutes.

Larry Craig was charged with attempting to solicit sex amongst other charges. He plead guilty. His attempts to have his plea reversed have all been denied.

Since the bathroom incident numerous gay men have come out and claimed to have had sexual encounters with Larry Craig.

"The 40-year-old man reported having oral sex with Craig at Washington's Union Station, probably in 2004."

So Craig may be one of those homosexuals that he wants to try and protect marriage from. Well...at the very least he may have engaged in homosexual sex.

David Vitter, father of four and a married man, was named in 2007 as a client of the DC Madam.

Some family man he is.

I just find it humerous that these two men, who are complete hypocrites, are championing a bill like this. Is this their attempt for forgiveness by the right-wing? Is this thier attempt to delude themselves that they are family men because they support legislation like this?

Who knows.

At least four other amendments like this died in Congress over the past few years, and with a Democratic controleld Congress, this is going to get no where.

Gun Ban Struck Down

2008-06-26T12:50:00.001-04:00

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a sweeping ban on handguns in the nation's capital violated the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

The justices voted 5-4 against the ban, with Justice Antonin Scalia writing the opinion for the majority.

At issue in District of Columbia v. Heller was whether Washington's ban violated the right to "keep and bear arms" by preventing individuals -- as opposed to state militias -- from having guns in their homes.

Some may be surprised by this, but I support the ruling. I do believe in a reasonable right to bear arms. What I do not support is a completely unregulated gun industry or completely unregulated gun ownership. We all believe in gun control, but to varying degrees.

I'm sure no reasonable human being would be okay with a three year old owning a gun.

I do not believe that there is a right for a private citizen to own an automatic weapon. I do support bans on automatic weapons. They cannot be used for hunting and they are overkill for self-defense unless you're next door neighbor has a cult armed to the teeth.

I also see the need for regulating gun shows and making sure that background checks are properly done. Guns should not be easy to buy in the sense that it is easy to buy a pair of shows. You shouldn't be allowed to simply go into a store and come out with a gun right after purchase. There is a reasonable need to ensure that guns do not fall into the wrong hands.

But gun bans should not be unreasonable like the DC one. I disagree with how it was illegal to own a handgun in the privacy of your own home.

It is not enough to restrict and keep restricting gun rights to curb gun violence. You need to attack factors that cause crime such as poor education and poverty. If government would focus on rebuilding cities, implement better anti-poverty programs and remove those who abuse such programs, and help strengthen our education system, there should be a drop in crime.

But at the same time, people need to be able to defend themselves. Have gun owners go over a gun safety course, but let the states decide that issue.

I do believe it would be a gross violation of the Constitution to ban firearms that citizens should reasonable own.

That's how I see it.

Some Updates

2008-06-24T11:50:00.000-04:00

I've been really busy the past week with stuff for Wilkes and some other things. Sunday and most of Monday I was at Orientation. It wasn't bad at all. I'm set on majoring in English and working on that for the next four years.

I'll be updating the blog as often as I can. I'm not going away.

We Lost The Funniest Man in the World

2008-06-23T17:53:00.000-04:00

I heard around 8 a.m. this morning that George Carlin died of a heart attack.

I stopped dead in my tracks. I read the message from my father in a text message.

"George Carlin died last night. Heart attack."

Carlin had three previous ones.

I fell in love with his humor about three years ago when I listened to his album "FM&AM" on an old tape cassette of my dad's.

During the summer of that year I bought his book "Brain Droppings."

I read it in a few hours. I could not put it down. I laughed my ass off.

And now it is a sad time for comedy.

I was lucky enough to see him live about a year and a half ago at the Kirby Center. It was a great show, but you could tell that he was getting old and that perhaps his health was not so great. Still he delivered an excellent performance.

I love his albums and I love his books. Sure he did get mean-spirited towards the end of the road, but some of us do get bitter.

Some people called him vulgar or offensive. His humor wasn't light. It wasn't always warm. Carlin made a point in some of his bits to point out how things that are offensive or vulgar can be funny depending on the context of the joke. He was absolutely correct.

One of his funniest routines in my opinion.

Rally at the Square for Universal Healthcare

2008-06-18T13:31:00.000-04:00

That is the advertisement for the rally. The rally is going to take place at noon at Public Square in downtown Wilkes-Barre. There are going to be additional rallies throughout the state.

In addition to protesting insurance companies, the protest is also meant to promote two pieces of single-payer insurance in Pennsylvania. HB 1660 and SB 300.

HB 1660
SB 300

Both pieces of legislation aim to provide comprehensive universal health care to Pennsylvanians.

NEPA Organizing Center to Hold Universal Health Care Rally

The NEPA Organizing Center will kick off our Universal Health Care Campaign on Thursday, June 19th, at noon with a rally at Public Square in Wilkes-Barre.
The rally is part of a coordinated National Day of Protest Against Insurance Companies. Similar rallies will be taking place in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Allentown, and Lancaster. The events are sponsored by Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP/NNOC), Western PA
Coalition for Single-Payer Healthcare (WPaSinglePayer.org), Pennsylvanians United for Single-payer Healthcare, Healthcare4AllPa (Healthcare4allPa.org), Pennsylvania Council of Churches, Physicians for a National Health Program, Healthcare-NOW (HealthCare-NOW.org), and the NEPA Organizing Center.

More info is at their website.

http://nepaorganizingcenter.org

As a supporter of universal health care I may be there at the rally if I can manage. I hope it all goes well tomorrow.

Let's contact our representation in the General Assembly and urge them to support these pieces of legislation.

All You Need Is Love- Victory for Civil Rights

2008-06-16T18:36:00.000-04:00

Today at 5:01 PM PST, 8:01 PM EST, California will open the gates to allow the first legal statewide gay marriages.

There is such a large amount of gay couples expecting to be wed that hundreds of people have been deputized in major cities to officiate at the ceremonies.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome, will officiate at city hall and his first act will be to wed Phyllis Lyon, 84, and Del Martin, 87, a lesbian couple who have been together for 55 years.

Of course there are going to be some nasty elements. The ignorant folks over at the Westboro Baptist Chruch will be protesting with their "God Hates Fags" signs and whatnot.

In addition to the great victory this was for civil rights and freedom, analysts expect that there will be an economic benefit as well.

In a report issued this month, the University of Southern California's Williams Institute estimated that extending marriage to gays and lesbians would boost state revenues by more than $63m.

The study anticipates that about half of the state's 102,000 registered same-sex couples will marry in California in the next three years; it also predicts that more than 60,000 same-sex couples will come from other states to marry.

They will spend some $683m, helping to create more than 2,000 jobs and generating $55m in state and local taxes. Marriage license fees alone will bring in $8.8m.

The California state supreme court's ruling will make the state the second in the Union to have legal gay marriage. Massachusetts is the other state. A voter initiative to amend California's state constitution to ban gay marriage is expected to be on the ballot in November.

I hope it fails. I really do.

Today is certainly a victory for civil rights and freedom in our country. It may not happen all at once, but it is a foot in the door and that is better than nothing at all.

If one where to take a magnifying glass to the arguments against gay marriage, you will find one common rational behind it.

Religion. Religion. Religion.

As we know we live in a secular society with a secular government.

At least that is how it is supposed to work. It gets foggy when you have a president that claims that God speaks to him. It gets foggier when faith and science mix.

I hope that I live to see where across the nation gay marriage is recognized and legal.

The battle for freedom never ends. There are many obstacles in the way, but above all humanity needs to stay strong and fight for each other's rights.

Moments like these make me proud.

Here's to happy marriage for all of the newly weds in California.

Habeas Corpus...Are We Back on the Right Track?

2008-06-13T23:36:00.000-04:00

In a landmark decision the Supreme Court ruled that detainees at Guantanamo Bay had the right to habeas corpus. The prisoners in other words have the Constitutional and legal right to challenge their detentions in a civilian court of law.

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority decision and there is a line in it, which I believe will be oft-quoted in years to come.

“The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times”.

It is only justice that these detainees are given the chance to explore the "Great Writ" and seek to challenge their detention in a court of law.

This seemingly is not going to affect military commission trials says the Attorney General.

Naturally this has really irked the GOP and the President.

Sen. Graham of South Carolina had the audacity and the ignorance to consider drafting a constitutional amendment to "to blunt the effect of this decision.''

What is he going to do? Amend Article One Section 9 of the Constitution and change something in this?

The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it."

Our Constitution is very clear on this. There is no state of rebellion and there is no invasion. It would be exceedingly intellectually shallow to declare that the war on terror constitutes an "Invasion".

I find it sad that politicians, notably on the right, must resort to fear mongering to keep their heads above water.

What is so bad about allowing prisoners to challenge their detention? What is Mr. Bush so afraid of? Is he afraid of the alleged torture?

Detainees at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were shackled to the floor in fetal positions for more than 24 hours at a time, left without food and water, and allowed to defecate on themselves, an FBI agent who said he witnessed such abuse reported in a memo to supervisors, according to documents released yesterday.

Is that what they are afraid? That in a court of justice a detainee would expose the horrid, illegal, and inhumane acts they were subjected to by United States military personnel?

Or is that we detain children at Guantanamo Bay?

The US military has admitted that children aged 16 years and younger are among the detainees being interrogated at its prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Lieutenant Colonel Barry Johnson, a US military spokesman, yesterday said all the teenagers being held were "captured as active combatants against US forces", and described them as "enemy combatants".

These are child soldiers. They are indoctrinated to kill and hate. Sure do we not have a humane side to give at least the children a chance to challenge their detention? Do the children at least have the opportunity to be protected from torture?

We do not even know if they are subjected to the torture that the adult prisoners are.

It is clear from the evidence that this Administration cares not for human rights. They demonize our enemies. They turn them into beasts and monsters. Creatures that under the law have no rights. It is clear that this Administration cares not for the law or for justice. It is clear that this Administration cares not for our own Constitution. The thought of amending it to further restrict a writ that has been held in high legal regard for centuries is dangerous and disturbing.

This was a small victory in a battle to restore our legal and ethical integrity. I can only hope that justice prevails.

Tim Russert 1950-2008

2008-06-13T16:43:00.000-04:00

This was not something I figured I'd post for a very long time.

Tim Russert, host of Meet the Press, has passed away. He was 58. He collapsed while recording voice tracks for Meet the Press. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. As of writing the cause is unknown but it is said to have been a heart attack. He recently returned to the US after a family vacation with his wife and son. They were celebrating his son's college graduation.

I've grown to love Tim's reporting over the primary season. He really shone through.

RIP Tim.

Story

Graduated

2008-06-13T11:55:00.000-04:00

Graduation was Tuesday and it all went well. It feels good to be a high school graduate. I've been really busy the past few days, and I hope to have a new post up tonight sometime.

Who Wants to Get Waterboarded?

2008-06-08T12:37:00.000-04:00

I sure as hell don't.

Nearly 60 House Democrats yesterday urged the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to examine whether top Bush administration officials may have committed crimes in authorizing the use of harsh interrogation tactics against suspected terrorists.

I doubt that this will accomplish anything, but at least some of our elected officials are standing up for what is right.

"We need an impartial criminal investigation," said Conyers, who called the detainee controversy "a truly shameful episode" in U.S. history. "Because these apparent 'enhanced interrogation techniques' were used under cover of Justice Department legal opinions, the need for an outside special prosecutor is obvious."

We all remember and saw the grotesque images from Abu Gharib. Those disgusting and deplorable pictures seemed like they came from some bizarre horror movie. The acts depicted in those images are human and brutal. They seem like something "the enemy" would do, not soldiers of the United States of America.

Sometime in the past few years some of us discovered the term "waterboarding".

It is defined as a form of torture where an individual is immobilized and lays on their back. Their head is inclined in a downward position. Water is board over their face and breathing passages. The victim experiences forced suffocation and inhalation of water. The subject, because their vision is blinded, believes they are being drowned and that death is imminent.

In 1947 the USA prosecuted a Japanese soldier for using waterboarding, amongst other techniques, to torture an American civilian.

"The subject was strapped on a stretcher that was tilted so that his feet were in the air and head near the floor, and small amounts of water were poured over his face, leaving him gasping for air until he agreed to talk."

He was sentenced to 15 years hard labor.

In February of this year both Houses of Congress passed a bill to ban waterboarding. Naturally the President vetoed it.

John McCain, who was tortured, voted AGAINST the ban. He once again caved to right-wing pressure. The so-called maverick lost in 2000 and has fallen victim to the right-wing base of the GOP.

The NY Times in 2007 quotes him as saying of waterboarding

“They should know what it is. It is not a complicated procedure. It is torture.”

McCain also mentioned how the torture practice was used in the Spanish Inquisition and by Pol Pot.

Is torture and illegal wiretapping necessary to ensure our safety?

"Power always has to be kept in check; power exercised in secret, especially under the cloak of national security, is doubly dangerous." - William Proxmire

When did maintaining security at any cost override our American values, our image, and our rights? What was it that differentiated us from the "bad guys"?

I always believed that what made us different was our ability to protect our rights while exercising our powers to protect our people. That what made us different was our ability to respect human rights and fight for them passionately. Perhaps it was even the hope that our leaders were able to respect the checks and balances set by our Constitution to ensure that no branch of government becomes to powerful.

But tell that to Cheney who seems to think that the Vice-Presidency is its own sovereign branch of government.

The Cheney Branch of Government. It is right by the Albert Gonzalez's School of Legal Interpretation.

There has to be a line between civil liberties and security. There needs to be a line between our American values and what is morally and ethically wrong.

Who are supposed to be the bad guys here?

I thought that we were the ones who had the moral high ground.

Maybe I was wrong.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/06/07/ST2008060701260.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0736443620080308
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/04/AR2006100402005.html
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/13/mccain-waterboarding-fail/
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/26/us/politics/26giuliani.html?adxnnl=1&ref=politics&adxnnlx=1212944525-LVBMRWwMU/nA4wCxZjBs6g

Don't Forget Poland!

2008-06-07T23:30:00.000-04:00

One of the funnier moments of the Bush/Kerry debates was when Bush reminded Kerry about Poland's involvement in Iraq.

Well, Poland is getting out of there.

WARSAW - Polish forces will be out of Iraq by the middle of October, Defence Minister Bogdan Klich confirmed in a radio interview Saturday.

Twenty-two Polish soldiers have died in Iraq since 2003, when Poland's then left-wing president deployed a force of 2,600 troops to Diwaniyah region in support of the US-led invasion that year.

Some 1,600 Polish troops are also deployed in Afghanistan, serving with NATO's 36,000-strong International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) which is battling a Taliban-led insurgency.

Some News

2008-06-06T15:06:00.000-04:00

As it has been reported Hillary Clinton will suspend her presidential bid and endorse Barack Obama on Saturday. Obama has formed a team to search for a vice-presidential candidate. It is speculated Hillary would take the same, but there is no word from either camp if she will actually get it yet.

Some polls show most Dems would like her as vice-president, others show the opposite.

I would prefer that she not be on the ticket. I would not go as far and say that I would not vote for the Democratic ticket if she is on it. I would prefer somebody else.

It was widely reported that Obama and Clinton met at Sen. Feinstein's home and had some sort of discussion. There is no information really as to what it was exactly about.

Breaking on CNN right now is some economic news. Oil has settled at a record $138.54 a barrel and economists speculate that it may hit $150 by July 4.

The next couple of days will see not as much activity. I'm getting ready to graduate Coughlin High School on this coming Tuesday. After that I'll be able to update my blog a lot more often.

The Popular Vote At The End of the Day

2008-06-04T12:38:00.000-04:00

At the end of the primary season it does seem that Obama still held a slight lead in the popular vote. I am using all of my numbers from www.realpolitics.com

Michigan will be excluded because the DNC Rules and Bylaws committee decided that the popular vote there will not count because they viewed it as a flawed primary since Edwards and Obama were not on the ballot according to a segment on MSNBC.

Obama: 17, 535, 458
Clinton: 17, 493, 836

Obama has a lead of 41,622

That number excludes Iowa, Maine, Nevada, and Washington. They did not release the popular vote from their caucuses. This is how RCP.com figured these estimations.

"Iowa, Nevada, Washington & Maine Have Not Released Popular Vote Totals. RealClearPolitics has estimated the popular vote totals for Senator Obama and Clinton in these four states. RCP uses the WA Caucus results from February 9 in this estimate because the Caucuses on February 9 were the “official” contest recognized by the DNC to determine delegates to the Democratic convention."

The estimation was based off of the percentage each candidate got in the caucus.

So using these estimations the popular vote stands as so.

Obama: 17, 869, 542
Clinton: 17, 717, 698

Obama has a lead of 151, 844

The only way she leads is if you count Michigan, however doing so is intellectually dishonest. It is assumed that a majority of the uncommitted vote would've gone to Obama if he were on the ballot. We do not know that exact number. At RCP if you add those four caucus states and give Obama the uncommitted vote then he still has a slight lead.

Besides whether you like it or not the popular vote doesn't matter. It doesn't matter in the Democratic nomination process since it is the delegates that matter. It doesn't matter in the general election since the president is selected by the electoral college. There were only four cases in our history where the winner of the popular vote did not become president.

I don't necessarily entirely agree with how the Democrats do their nomination process and I may not entirely agree with the electoral college. However at the end of the day it is delegates that mattered here. Obama got the number he needed. Also from the looks of it, he maintained a slight lead in the popular vote no matter how Clinton tried to spin it.

In a few days, or maybe weeks, we will all be focusing on the big match up. Barack Obama vs. John McCain.

An interesting note of trivia here. This election will give us the first sitting Congressman to become president since JFK.

For the most part on the issues both Obama and Clinton are largely similar. There are some differences. For example their stances on foreign policy. Clinton is more hawkish, Obama is not. I will do a blog later on the issues they share and disagree on so we can see how similar they are. For a Clinton supporter to call Obama a communist or vice versa, it is the pot calling the kettle black.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/democratic_vote_count.html

Obama Has Done It

2008-06-03T22:52:00.000-04:00

Barack Obama has become the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party. Tonight he held his speech at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul Minnesota. It was a very significant and symbolic decision. In September the GOP will nominate John McCain as their candidate for the presidency.

Hillary Clinton declared that she will not make a decision tonight. It is speculated that she will be in talks with her campaign, Obama, and other party leaders to become Vice-President. I expect her to suspend her campaign by the end of the month. After watching her speech, which I thought was her best of the campaign, she did mention unity occasionally. If she was going to take it to Denver, she would've declared it tonight. She had the chance and she had the audience to do so. That audience would not have received her ending the campaign so easily.

Tonight was historic since it marked a black American as the candidate of a major political party in the USA.

John McCain gave a speech, but it was quickly dropped on CNN and MSNBC (Fox was playing it for a bit longer, no idea if they dropped it as well). CNN and MSNBC dropped it to focus on Obama crossing the threshold. It was a bad bad bad idea for McCain to give a speech tonight. He was totally overshadowed.

After the dust settles tomorrow we may see what Clinton's next move is. I firmly believe she will try to get in as VP. I do not know if she will be successful or if she would make the best choice. I do doubt that the party will be severely divided. I believe that the Democratic Party will come together and unify behind their ticket to take back the White House.

As an Obama volunteer I look forward to working on the campaign again. Let's get to it.

Is Tonight the Night?

2008-06-03T20:12:00.000-04:00

Polls will close less than an hour in South Dakota. Polls will close at 10 EST in Montana.

As of writing this Sen. Obama is only 4 delegates away from clinching the nomination. Seeing that it is expected he will gain 15-18 pledged delegates tonight it is safe to say that he will be the presumptive nominee.

But what about Hillary? Is she conceding or not? The AP says so, but her camp denies it. However, what has been reported is this. At her speech tonight she was called some of her top backers and donors to be present. Any campaign staff member who is going home after the speech needs to get their own plane ticket. Her campaign won't pay for them. Additionally the Clinton campaign has asked their staffers to turn in their expense reports by the end of the week.

Perhaps the Clinton campaign wants to keep their conceding a surprise for the speech. Then again maybe she will press on and she certainly has every right to do so.

The AP has declared Obama the unofficial nominee.

Clinton apparently told a group of backers in a conference call that she is open to being Vice-President. Is that the best idea? In my opinion Obama should not pick Clinton, but rather someone who is from her side so to speak. If he does pick her I do believe that it can be a formidable ticket. I do foresee a very ugly smear campaign if they are a ticket.

Is that enough to ease over some Clinton backers? It may be. I believe that it will appeal to some of them, but not all of them. Certainly the more die-hard supporters will not be pleased. Geraldine Ferraro was on Fox and she did say that her being VP alone is not enough. She did not mention, or at least I did not catch anything pertaining to how Obama could win Ferraro over.

Both candidate's speeches tonight are expected to be the best either have given so far in the primary. I'm eagerly awaiting both. In a symbolic move Obama is having his speech Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota where the GOP will nominate John McCain in September.

We cannot deny that the Democratic race this year has been groundbreaking. History was made this season. Major civil rights legislation wasn't signed until the '60s. Women's suffrage on a national scale did not occur until 1920.

Personally I would like the race to wrap up tonight so the Democratic Party can focus on beating the GOP in November. It is still way to early to cast any predictions to how that may go. Obama has issues he needs to overcome as does John McCain.

I have been volunteering for Obama since late January. I was one of the early members of Wilkes-Barre for Obama. I'm very proud of what we have accomplished. I look forward to working on this campaign as a volunteer.

In a few hours we will all see what happens on this historic night. It all started when Obama won his first state January 3rd 2008.

History, as always, is in the making.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/03/election.democrats/index.html

Is ET a Peeping Tom?

2008-06-01T19:14:00.001-04:00

I believe in aliens. The universe is too vast for other intelligent life not to exist. Something is out there definitely. But is this it?

The guy, Jeff Peckman, was originally going to show a video of an alien peering into his bedroom, but he's decided to save it for a documentary film. He is also trying to set up an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission in Denver. Peckman is claiming that credible people in the special effects biz have looked it over and believe that it is no hoax.

Now here is an alleged still from the film. There is no word on if this is actually from it, but most news sites are linking this image including AOL News.

If this is supposed to be the smoking gun then something is wrong. It doesn't look like anything really. To me it looks almost like the Punisher's logo. How anyone can see this as possibly being real is beyond me.

But then again maybe I'm wrong and this video will be the proof all of us alien enthusiasts have been hoping for.

New Tribe Discovered

2008-06-01T17:29:00.000-04:00

Deep in Brazil's jungles, one the world's last remaining uncontacted indigenous tribes has been spotted and photographed for the first time from the air.

It is estimated that there are at least 100 other uncontacted tribes worldwide.

They were discovered by an anti-logging group during a helicopter patrol.

This is all really intersting. There are a few more photos which I'll link from the article.

I just hope that their discovery does not lead to this tribe's way of life being disturbed, but I believe it is likely that will occur.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080530/tribe_found_080530/20080530?hub=SciTech

Here is a picture of a tribe analyzed by the BBC in an attempt to give clues about how this tribe may live.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7427417.stm

A Resolve to Florida and Michigan

2008-05-31T22:39:00.000-04:00

It seems that we may have seen the end to the Florida and Michigan issue. I watched a little bit of it today when both sides made their cases and both Clinton and Obama had some very passionate individuals speak on their behalf. I didn't catch her name, but a black female state senator from Florida made a very passionate and eloquent case for Clinton in regards to Florida. On the opposite side I thought Rep. Wexler did an outstanding job representing the Obama camp as he made his case. Another very eloquent speech.

I did wish that the Chair would've taken action against the Clinton and Obama supporters in the audience who were being disrespectful such as yelling during speeches and booing. It wasn't very appropriate at all.

I think that in the end the DNC made the fairest compromise that they could do.

There was no way that the Clinton camp's Michigan proposal was going to fly. They wanted Clinton with I believe 73 or so delegates. The remaining 55 or so would be uncommitted at the convention.

Sometimes politics is all about compromises. Just as Henry Clay.

So they decided to seat all the delegates, but give them half votes. I am not sure how super delegates are affected by this. They may be included in the numbers I'm going to show, they may not be. The media doesn't really say that right now. If they are, I'm not seeing it anywhere.

Clinton got 105 delegates from Florida and 69 from Michigan. Because the votes are halved, she has a total of 87 votes.

Obama got 67 from Florida and 59 from Michigan leaving him with 63 votes.

So Obama leads Clinton by 178 delegates.

The so-called magic number is now 2117 which means that Obama is now short roughly 64 delegates. There are 291 left which includes the uncommitted superdelegates.

There is the possibility and Clinton backer Harold Ickes suggested that she may appeal this decision to the Credentials Committee. It looks like she may have to wait until Denver to do so. We will have to wait and see.

She certainly has the right to fight this to the convention, but is it the best thing to do? It is expected that a convention battle for an election this contested may leave some damage. Maybe the Dems won't be able to fully unite for the fall. After the convention they have about three months to do this. At least if she concedes in June the Democrats have some healing time. However I nor anybody else really has the right to tell her to quit. We can merely suggest it.

I just hope that this ends well. I do not believe that Clinton has any shot at becoming the nominee. As for November? It is way too early to call anything. McCain may have a head start, but once the ball gets rolling I have a feeling the Democrats will catch up to him. I could be wrong about that. We cannot predict an election now. The Democrats however need to get their nominee and they need to get ready to face the Republicans.

That's how I see it.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/31/dems.delegates/index.html

In the Utterly Stupid Catergory The Winner Is....

2008-05-30T15:38:00.001-04:00

Dunkin' Doughnuts and Michelle Malkin.

I just got a shudder when I put Michelle Malkin into the same sentence with the word "winner".

Today the "Great Big American Threat Brought To You By the Right-Wing" isn't gays, feminists, atheists, liberals, or even Michael Moore.

The threat is....Rachel Ray and her scarf.

Believe it or not these fanatical right-wingers attacked Rachel Ray for wearing in a scarf that seems to resemble a traditional scarf worn by male Arabs.

Dunkin’ Donuts pulled an Internet ad for iced coffee featuring celebrity chef Rachael Ray, after conservative bloggers complained that Ray’s scarf offered symbolic support for Islamic terrorists. The black and white fringed scarf, they said, looks like an Arab keffiyeh, famously worn by former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Malkin said the keffiyeh is "the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad.”

It is my understanding that millions of Arabs wear these, as well as non-Arabs in order to keep cool from the sun and to protect them from sand. Shouldn't we consider the crucifix a "terrorist" symbol due to radicals bombing abortion clinics. What about associating the cross with pedophilia because of pedophiles priests? According to Malkin's logic, we'd be doing just that.

Here is a picture of Ray in the alleged keffiyeh.

And here is Yassir Arafat wearing an actual keffiyeh.

There is no similarity whatsoever. You don't have to be trained in fashion to tell that these are two very different accessories.

It is absolutely shameful that Dunkin' Donuts would cave to the callings of an obtuse blogger such as Malkin. I am sick and tired of these fear-mongers and their thinly veiled racism.

I guess anything relating to Arabic culture is sympathetic to the terrorists. Next we will prevent school kids from reading Ali Baba since it comes from The Book of 1001 Nights. We all know that it is the book of choice terrorists use to read their kids bedtime stories from.

Malkin and the other ignorant bloggers that made this happen should be proud. They made America safer. Thanks to you, Michelle Malkin, America will not have to worry about terrorists using donuts to brainwash and attack our citizens. I salute you!

That's How I See It.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7427206.stm

Gay Marriage and the Sunshine State

2008-05-28T12:23:00.000-04:00

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A majority of registered Californian voters oppose changing the constitution of the most populous U.S. state to bar gays from marrying, according to poll released on Wednesday.

This is the first time that a majority of Californians approve of gay marriage. It is no surprise that the poll found a great generational gap. Those 18-29 overwhelmingly approve at 68% while those 65 and up disapprove by 55%.

http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSN2740828920080528

However there is another recent poll that shows Californians supporting the ban by a very narrow margin.

It appears that a ballot initiative to amend California's state Constitution may end up on the ballot since it has gotten at least 1 million signatures.

I do applaud the decision by the Court and I do hope that this ballot, if it makes it onto the ballot, fails. It seems like more youth are getting involved in politics, and I am confident that enough youth (18-29) will come out and help defeat this.

I am a strong supporter of gay marriage and gay rights. Some may see it as a religious issue. I see it as an issue of human rights.

Honor Killings, Radical Islam, and Religion

2008-05-26T23:01:00.000-04:00

What is perhaps one of the most disturbing "traditions" for a lack of a better term is the honor killing. Up until early last year I had no idea about these. For the unfamiliar let me define a "honor killing".

"The so-called "honour killings" are murders by families on family members who are believed to have brought "shame" on the family name."

It seems that in the media that the focus is on honor killings that are Islamic in nature, but I am sure that any religion that has radicals in it has the capacity to commit an honor killing.

I came across two stories, which I will link, that show two recent example of honor killings.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Police investigating the fatal stabbing of 16-year-old German girl of Afghan origin are searching for her brother on suspicion he carried what media believe may have been an "honor killing".

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL1683776720080516

The article doesn't state why the brother may have killer his sister. I believe it is safe to assume that it was sexual in nature.

Over in Jordan a man was sentenced to ten years in the honor killing of his sister.

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — A man who is suspected of drowning his 22-year-old sister for having an extramarital affair was charged Monday with premeditated murder, a judicial
official said.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iO21varyL1DsYfQjv0iuTIK0EabQD90K8D480

The article mentions how an average of 20 Jordanian women are killed because of honor killings.

I am not sure of prevalent honor killings are in the USA or if any have occurred recently. I did some research and I found an article, but it lead me to a dead link. It seems that recently, in the past few years, a Turkish immigrant was charged with an honor killing.

If you want to read an excellent article on it, here is one from Amnesty International. It states how the UN reports that at least 5,000 women are killed yearly via honor killings. The UN also notes that these crimes are VERY unreported, and understandably so.

http://www.amnestyusa.org/amnestynow/legalizedmurder.html

In some nations it is legal in certain regards such as catching your wife or lover in the act of adultery. In some, even premeditation is allowed.

This final story is not related to honor killings, but I believe it emphasizes the inhumane nature of radical Islam.

LONDON (AFP) — A gay Iranian who says he faces death if forced to return home has won a deportation battle and been granted asylum in Britain, officials said.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iJIcKkNe1yIN93aFeOnE5goO3qAA

Thankfully he was granted asylum. The young Iranian is only 19. He moved to the UK in 2004 after his boyfriend was executed. Sodomy is punishable by death in Iran.

It is an absolutely disgusting example of how radicals use religion to further their inhumane views. It is one thing to disagree about the morality of homosexuality, but it is very different than believing homosexuals should die.

There is a very great line in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice regarding citing religious scripture to justify evil deeds.

"The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose."- Antonio

I'm not intending for a debate about homosexuality, but I believe that most of us being reasonable human beings would agree that it is barbaric to execute homosexuals. We should also be reasonable enough to agree that honor killings are just as barbaric.

I will continue posting any stories about honor killings or other examples of religious radicals attacking human rights.

Throughout history we have seen how radicals can twist and contort religious teachings, how wicked men can use religion as a tool to harm mankind. In the past at the forefront was radical Christianity. Today it seems to be radical Islam.

I don't know what the answer or solution is to this. I am not religious. I am an atheist. I read Buddhism for the philosophy. I don't believe that we can really find a solution. I believe that humanity has an obligation to protect each other from all evils. Whether that evil is found in religion, in business, or in government, we have a duty to maintain a respect for human rights and protection for our fellow citizens.

I do not believe that religion is evil. I believe that man can use religion as a tool for evil purposes. There are some terrible things written in the Bible as well as most holy books. These are examples of man using it as an evil tool.

Just look at the Sermon on the Mount. That, most would agree I assume, is a fine example of a very human friendly passage from the Bible. Compare that with verses that dictate the killing of certain people and you see the difference.

I do not believe that we should be appeasing radical Islam as well. Their reaction over the Danish cartoons was almost unbelievable. Death sentences were imposed on humorists! Some of those cartoons may have been in poor taste, but that is not worth a death sentence. Could you imagine what would happen in America if the Catholics went after George Carlin? I believe that most of us would be ashamed. We should not appease any radical force that disrespects human rights.

Some may say "These are different cultures, respect their beliefs". I respect beliefs that do not impede on human rights, especially beliefs that advocate the killing of others. Especially in the name of "God" or whatever supreme being it is.

I am not suggesting what some conservative Christians in the USA do, which is that there is a war against Islam. I believe that there is a conflict between the philosophies of life and of death.

Back in the 1980s, the author of "The Satanic Verses" had a fatwa imposed against him. Radical Muslims wanted him to die. Salman Rusdhie has had a death sentence imposed over his life because of a book he wrote. A book! He has yet to be harmed, however some of those connected to the novel such as translators have been murdered.

Once radical Christianity was at the forefront of human rights abuse. Look at the Inquisition, how missionaries treated natives, etc. Radical Christianity on a global scale doesn't seem to be significantly violent. There are of course still radical Christian terrorist groups. I believe I have confidence to say that the torch has been passed and radical Islam is the religious threat to peace in today's age. Gone are the days of the Crusaders, today is the day of the militant Muslim.

On the home front it seems that the biggest debate between religious society and secular society is over the place of religion in government, gay rights, and sex and violence on t.v.

Before I close let me clear up any discrepancies and misconceptions.

I am not opposed to peaceful Christians, Muslims etc. I don't see even riled up men such as Pat Robertson as threats to peace, I see these radical evangelicals and the like as threats to progress.

What I do believe are a threat to peace are ANY member of a church, religion, or ideologue who uses their philosophy to further violence against mankind. Whether that radical is a Muslim, a Christian, an Existentialist or even an atheist it does not matter. If you advocate or carry out violence against mankind, you are a threat to peace and prosperity.

I hope that in the end reason triumphs over blind fate and hatred.

That's how I see it.

Shame on You Chris Carney

2008-05-24T23:57:00.000-04:00

Shame on you Chris Carney. I have been following some of his votes and I have to say that I am disappointed. He is nothing more than a Blue Dog. A DINO (Democrat in Name Only).

Let's take a look at some of his votes.

He voted against Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007. It would expand the 1969 federal hate crime laws to include crimes motivated by the victim's actual or percieved gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. The bill would also do the following.

remove the current prerequisite that the victim be engaging in a federally-protected activity, like voting or going to school;
give federal authorities greater ability to engage in hate crimes investigations that local authorities choose not to pursue;
provide $10 million in funding for 2008 and 2009 to help State and local agencies pay for investigating and prosecuting hate crimes;
require the FBI to track statistics on hate crimes against transgendered people (statistics for the other groups are already tracked)

It passed the House 237-180. Carney voted along with 166 Republicans against this. I would like to know why. Only 14 Democrats, including Carney voted against it. I plan on calling his office Tuesday and inquiring. I will post an reply pending if I get one. When he campaigned he said he supported it.

What has me really perturbed about Carney is his support for tele-com immunity. Sadly for us, Carney supports immunity and he supports the extension of Bush's wiretaps.

This is an interesting tidbit from the NRCC. A moment where Hackett and Carney agree.

"Hackett and Carney agree on part of the bill. Both said telecommunications companies that were asked by the White House to engage in wiretapping should be given retroactive immunity, because they were just following federal government orders."

Telecommunications companies should NOT receive any immunity from lawsuits. If they broke the law they should be punished. I believe they did violate our civil liberties by aiding the Bush Administration by helping them carry out illegal surveillance.

He has also continued to vote against troop redeployment.

He is no better than a Republican on these rather important issues. I hope that next election a progressive has the courage to run against him. Carney is only a step backwards. Just because he is a Democrat means we are getting anywhere.

That's how I see it.

Go see Indy

2008-05-23T20:59:00.001-04:00

Last night I saw Indy a second time, and I do recommend seeing the movie at least one other time before making a final opinion. There are some silly/bad moments in it that you will nitpick the first time around, but seeing it a second time you realize how short and brief those moments are. You realize that as a whole it is a great movie.

Is it the best? No, there was no way it could trump Raiders.

Harrison Ford is back and still holds it up as Indy. Shia is surprisingly to me really good in his role. His character is a great sidekick. Cate does a fantastic job as the villain. Karen Allen's Mario could've been put to better use, but it is nice that she is back. John Hurt plays his character very well. Finally, Ray Winstone is seemingly perfect in the portrayal of Mac.

Some may complain about the true nature of the skull, but to me it is totally believable if you can believe Indy can survive riding down a mountain on an inflatable raft or the power of the Ark.

It is a great action movie, and a good Indy movie. Here's my ranking of the films.

Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Last Crusade
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Temple of Doom

Indiana Jones

2008-05-21T20:11:00.000-04:00

Tonight I'll be seeing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. God, that's a long title. I'm hoping I get early enough for good seats since it is a midnight premier. I really hope that it is good.

I will have a review up sometime tomorrow.

"It's not the years honey, it's the mileage"

Sen. Kennedy Has a Malignant Brain Tumor

2008-05-20T13:23:00.000-04:00

Sen. Edward Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor. The hospital treating Kennedy released a statement today saying that the tumor was found during tests after the senator had a seizure Saturday. The tumor is in his left parietal lobe. Full story soon.- Taken from CNN.com

Right now there is no actual article on Sen. Kennedy's condition. I've been flipping through the Big 3 and there are talking heads mentioning how he seemed to be in good condition and was walking. One on MSNBC mentioned how Sen. Kennedy was watching movies with his sons in the hospital.

Let's hope its nothing that the Liberal Lion cannot beat. From what I've been reading and hearing, the standard treatment is radiation, surgery chemotherapy. Survival depends on where exactly it is and other factors. CNN said it is glioma. Hopefully we will know more later.

No matter what your opinion is of Sen. Kennedy, there is no denying that he is an icon for the Democratic party and liberal ideology.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/glioma/

UPDATE-

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080520/ap_on_re_us/kennedy;_ylt=Ak9qo.iBlqTgg8TeM_A88VWs0NUE

There is an updated story by the AP hosted on Yahoo. From what I'm hearing, having a glioma is not a good sign. Apparently it can be fast spreading.

Popular Vote? What Popular Vote?

2008-05-19T20:12:00.000-04:00

It seems that some of Hillary's people claim that she leads in the popular vote. People inside of her campaign have said it and so has she.

“I believe that with your help we will send a message to this country because right now more people have voted for me than have voted for my opponent."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/us/politics/19cnd-clinton.html?partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print

The claim that Clinton leads the popular vote is intellectually dishonest.

I am going to be using numbers from RealClearPolitics.com. It is an excellent site that offers links to op/eds and articles by all viewpoints, both left and right.

If we look at the total popular vote in all states that released their popular vote counts, Obama clearly has a substantial lead.

Obama: 16, 108, 538: 49.3%
Clinton: 15, 512, 424: 47.5%

That is a spread of 596, 114: + 1.8% for Sen. Obama

Now before we get into the issue of Michigan and Florida there is something to remember. Iowa, Nevada, Maine, and Washington appoint delegates via a caucus. There is no official popular vote count in these states for ANY candidates. All that we have are reported delegate equivalents. So what RCP and other news sites do to estimate these totals is take the percentage a candidate got and they take get a popular vote estimate based off of the number of people who caucused.

This is the estimation using IA, ME, WA, and NV.

Obama: 16, 442, 622: 49.3%
Clinton: 15, 736, 286: 47.2%

Spread of:

706,336: + 2.1% for Obama.

Now let's add Florida to the mix. Before we do, remember that all of the Democratic candidates pledged not to campaign there. The Clinton campaign did in September 2007 agree to adhere to the DNC's rules. Check out this video from Meet the Press for more

Let's add Florida into the mix. These results are without IA, WA, ME, and WA.

Obama: 16,684,752: 48.5%
Clinton: 16,383,410: 47.6%

The spread this time is very thin.

301, 342: +.09% for Sen. Obama

If we add those four caucus states the results look like this.

Obama: 17,018,836: 48.5%
Clinton: 16,607,272: 47.3%

Spread of:

411,564: +1.2% for Obama

This is where the intellectual dishonesty really kicks in. Let us add Michigan. Mind you that Sen Obama and Sen. Edwards were NOT on the ballot. These numbers will include Florida as well.

Obama: 16,684,752: 47.6%
Clinton: 16,711,719: 47.7

Spread falls down like this.

26,967: +.08% for Sen. Clinton

A very slim lead however a very unfair and rather cheap way to claim a lead considering your opponent was not even on the ballot. But for the hell of it, let's give Obama all of the uncommitted votes just to see what happens. Uncommitted got 238,168.

Obama: 16, 862, 914
Clinton: 16, 711, 719

Spread: 151, 195 votes

I believe it is safe to say that if his name was on the ballot he still would maintain a very slim lead in the popular vote if Michigan and Florida's popular votes are counted.

But before we go, let's add the caucus state's estimated results into the MI and FL brew.

Obama: 17,018,836:47.7%
Clinton: 16, 935, 581: 47.5%

Spread: 83,255: +.24% for Barack Obama

There we have it. Claims that Clinton has a lead in the popular vote are deceiving and dishonest. Most news sources use this figure for the popular vote count since those four caucas states do not have official results and FL and MI do not count.

Obama: 16, 108, 538: 49.3%
Clinton: 15, 512, 424: 47.5%

That is a spread of 596, 114: + 1.8% for Sen. Obama

If we use the numbers that we know, and the numbers that count Obama has a lead that may not seem large. It seems rather close, but this far into the race it is impossible for Clinton to retake the lead.

All of the campaigns knew the implications of Florida and Michigan. They violated the rules and everyone agreed to adhere to those rules set up by the DNC. Going back on your written word like that is deceitful and opportunist. Like I've said before, I have a feeling that Clinton expected a coronation. Obama didn't have much name recognition and most pundits and people expected this to be Clinton's time. It wasn't and it will not be.

That's how I see it.

Source for the popular vote numbers:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/democratic_vote_count.html

Corbett Blues

2008-05-18T11:57:00.000-04:00

Thanks to a heads up by my father, who is a Corbett listener but not necessarily an agreer, I head about Corbett's so called "Operation Turndown". At first I thought this was just a joke until I realized how serious he was.

The gist is that Corbett, who is a die hard Clinton supporter and a self-proclaimed "Radical Democrat", is saying he will not back Obama in the general election since now it is all but declared that he will be the nominee. Now he certainly has the right not to back Obama. What I have an issue with are the callers who say they will back John McCain in the general election. While I was listening most of these callers happened to be women.

Whoa wait a minute here. John McCain?

The same John McCain who in May of 2007 said he would support overturning Roe v. Wade?
The same John McCain who voted to keep the ban on abortions at military bases?
The same John McCain who has a 0% rating by NARAL?
And the same John McCain who skipped the vote on the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and said

"They need the education and training, particularly since more and more women are heads of their households, as much or more than anybody else. And it’s hard for them to leave their families when they don’t have somebody to take care of them."

The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act would do in short help women seek remedies if they are being paid unfairly.

So I ask these women, do you know what you're getting into if you vote for McCain? Assuming you do not share his values and you are not a DINO, you are selling out your beliefs and values for revenge and out of spite. That is wrong.

I do not believe that we can handle another four years of failed policies and virtually the same Republican policies which have not worked for us.

One of the callers justified voting for McCain because it is safe to assume Democrats will strengthen their majority in Congress. That is fine, but there is one issue that the caller failed to realize. Not all Democrats vote alike. Blue Dogs are more conservative fiscally and may not back more liberal economic policies. Some Democrats are moderate and even conservative on social issues. And not all Democrats are committed to ending the war in Iraq. If Democrats cannot get the support to override vetos then we are not getting anywhere. If Democrats do not get the support to vote against conservative judges, then we are getting no where. It is safer to further Democratic policies if we have a Democrat in the Oval Office.

John McCain is already talking judges. Right now the Supreme Court has a right leaning bias. We need to make sure that the Court is at the very least moderate in their rulings.

We will see what happens.

http://www.ontheissues.org/John_McCain.htm
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/23/mccain-dismisses-equal-pay-legislation-says-women-need-more-training-and-education/
http://www.now.org/press/07-07/07-31.html

That's How I See It

2008-05-18T11:52:00.001-04:00

Inspired by the many bloggers in NEPA, especially by Gort42's blog, I have decided to jump in and share my opinions on what's going on here in our valley and the world. Everybody's got opinions and everybody wants to share them.

Before we get into it let me just give a little background on myself. My name is Tony Thomas and I have no relation whatsoever to Tony Thomas j.r. I needed to get that out of the way before rumors circulate that the Councilman has his own blog of rantings. I am a soon to be graduated high school senior who has been into politics since I was about 12.

Now let's get to it.