Gays get blamed again!

Pam Spaulding on her blog Pams House Blend, found this article which shifts the blame back to Gays and gay marriage for everything that goes wrong in the world...including the current financial crises. Corporate greed has nothing to do with it I'm sure. Might be something Sarah Palin should jump on right away once they let her loose to the press.

Christian fundamentalists are suggesting gays and lesbians are to blame for Wall Street's woes, a frequently made charge in the wake of national calamities.
In a September 25th blog post titled 'The Nation Will Right Itself If It Fixes Sex', Christian Civil League of Maine Executive Director Michael Heath writes that the financial crisis facing Wall Street is a symptom of America's sinful sexual culture, including the acceptance of gay unions.

"Our crisis is a symptom, not the cause," writes Michael Heath. "I am not saying I know whether this financial crisis is God's judgment or not. It is not for me to know that definitively."

Heath has a list of issues that he wants Maine's politicians to address to get right with God and, ostensibly, financially strengthen the state in some manner.
1. Put Maine on record as being against abortion the nanosecond the Supreme Court releases the Roe shackle.
2. Defund the Family Planning Association of Maine.
3. Amend Maine's Constitution to define Marriage.
4. Eliminate domestic partnerships and ignore pleas to create civil unions.
5. Unleash Maine's private sector to make Maine energy independent.
6. End discrimination against private religious schools and homeschools.
If we did that in 2009 I think God would crack a smile.

Sarah Palin Disney trailer

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

We knew it would have to happen sooner or later.

Remembering Matthew Shepard

Hundreds of people marched in Chicago to remember the 10th anniversary of when Matthew Shepard was beaten and left to die on October 12, 1998. Judy Shepard was in Laramie, Wyo at the dedication of a memorial bench for Matthew.

California Candidate quits Republican Party

Republican congressional candidate Jeff Taylor said Thursday he is quitting the Republican Party because it has turned away from the family and small-government values he admires. He decided he needs to focus his attention on prop 8 right now ...his main core issue.

Palin on SNL once again

I got to thinking after watching Tina Fey in the role of Gov. Sarah Palin last night on Saturday Night Live that maybe she could stand in for Mrs. Palin for the debate with Joe Biden on Thursday evening. I have a feeling the REAL Mrs. Palin might feel alot more comfortable not being there and having to answer tough questions that might remind her too much of the hard questions they ask contestants at a beauty pageant. Tina Fey does say that after Nov. 5th, according to this article in eFluxMedia, she won't have to play the roll of Sarah Palin again after Nov. 5th.

McCains Meltdown

My friends, my friends, oh...look at that shiny object over there. Does McCain think that we can't see thru the smoke and mirrors as to what all his antics are about? He may not be savy enough to use the computer to keep up with whats going on, but anyone who is seriously interested in the truth knows how to find it. Poor John is desperate and doing all he can to try to save his sagging poll numbers with his "country first" ploy. I found this article McCain's Suspension Bridge to Nowhere by Frank Rich at the New York Times to be most illuminating. The plot thickens and gets even dirtier as we are told in the Washington Posts article How McCain Stirred a Simmering Pot. Now we know why McCain couldn't look Obama in the eye at the debate and seemed to be seething the whole evening.

Who won tonights debate?

I have been reading some of the McCain backers claiming victory in tonights debate. Were they watching the same debate that we were? McCain looked nervous, irritated, agitated, uneasy and it looked like he was wishing he had stayed in Washington for the photo ops while he got in the way of progress for solving the financial progress. I think he was planning on coming to the debate telling a story of the stunning victory about how he solved the crises and averted the country from going bankrupt. I am reading how the big concern for his party is the VP debate next week. I may be out of town and might possibly miss it, but I'm sure it will be on u-tube for years to come. If Palin has a problem with an interview with Katie Couric...well, it should be fun to watch.

Missing in action

He may or may not be found in Mississippi at the presidential debate this evening.

Huh?

Watch CBS Videos Online
I guess this is supposed to make us feel alot better. I guess we can see why she has been kept locked up away from the press. Can't wait to see her in a debate.

Is the wrong person in Washington?

When Sarah Palins' paster Muthee anointed her in Wasilla, he said
"The second area whereby God wants us, wants to penetrate in our society is in the economic area. The Bible says that the wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous. It's high time that we have top Christian businessmen, businesswomen, bankers, you know, who are men and women of integrity running the economics of our nations. That's what we are waiting for. That's part and parcel of transformation. If you look at the -- you know -- if you look at the Israelites, that's how they work. And that's how they are, even today."
John McCain felt he had to rush to Washington to save America from its economic crises. There is a crises, no doubt, but is his presence there really going to solve the situation? It feels more like an opportunity for him to avoid his personal crises of debating Obama in Mississippi on Friday. He pissed off Letterman last night by calling an hour before he was to appear on his show to supposedly run back to Washington but had time to pop into CBS for an interview with Katie Curic. He is also pissing off people in Mississippi who have been looking forward to this debate and have invested 5 million bucks into security and a staging area...but hey, he can just sell one of his homes and pay them back, right? Good thing Letterman could count on Keith Olberman to step in and take McCains place on short notice. He would have called on Sarah Palin, but as everyone knows ... even though she's ready to step in and take over as president, she's not able to handle an interview yet...although, in the above video it appears as if she has been annointed by her old church in Wassilla to save the world. Is McCain starting to remind us of a few characters we read about as children? The boy who cried wolf or Chicken Little who proclaimed the sky is falling? Anyone remember the emperors new clothes? He had to cancel out on the start of the Republican convention because he had to be in the South to stop hurrican Gustov, although hurrican Ike didn't seem to stop him from campaigning and it caused much more damage. He cancelled Letterman only to show up on Curics show. He wants to cancel his first debate to sit for a photo op in Washington, as if they can't handle the situation without his presence. I say, let the debate go on without him (which they said it would do anyway) and give the full time for Obama to tell how he is going to run the country when he is elected president in Nov. as maverick McCain gets on his high horse to ride off into the sunset smoking a Cuban cigar.

McCain postpones Friday Debate

We all need to multi-task almost daily. How can he run a country if he can't even run a campaign? Damn, I have a headache and need a nap.

SLACKER UPRISING

Michael Moore is letting you download the full version of his new film SLACKER UPRISING FREE online right now. Unfortunately because I have a mac I haven't been able to play it yet, but I will keep working on it until I figure it out. For everyone else who has a pc, let me know what you think if you watch it.

New News? Old news!

Sounds like old news to me...I mean, really? Didn't everyone already know Clay was gay ...or suspect it anyway way back when he was on Idol. Well, I guess if you're going to formally come out, you may as well do it in People magazine magazine. Steve and I came out in People magazine back in 1996. We didn't get our picture on the cover, we just had a small one column pic and short article in a sidebar...a small part of a feature article titled HAPPY FAMILIES ARE NOT ALL ALIKE (p.50). If you happen to save old issues, it was the one with Tom Cruise on the cover. Our article was on pg.56 and titled TWO GAY FATHERS AND TWO STRAIGHT DAUGHTERS.

Everything old is new again

If one looks back at some of the old political campaign ads, one might think things havent really changed all that much over the years. Just new names and faces. it might be fun viewing just to compare. I must admit, they were a lot tamer back then, even though the message was the same.

GOT MILK?

For those of you who weren't around in 1978 as I was and didn't live thru the incredible time of Harvy Milk, you must see this movie when it comes out on November 26th. it was an amazing story. I'm not sure if this film covers the riots which took place in San Fransico later, so I would recommend you also see The Times of Harvey Milk after seeing the new film. LGBTQ folk today often aren't familiar with the struggles we went thru not so very long ago and need to be informed about gay history.

Domestic partner registry in Dane County

Fair Wisconsin just announced that early this morning, the Dane County Board of Supervisors in Madison, WI voted 25-9 to create a countywide domestic partner registry and to require that county contractors offer the same health and other benefits to domestic partners of their employees, as they offer to spouses.

Ordinance Amendment 13, introduced by Supervisors Chuck Erickson and Kyle Richmond and Board Chair Scott McDonell, makes Dane County the first county in Wisconsin to enact such an ordinance. This ordinance covers all qualified domestic partners, but is particularly important to many lesbian and gay couples who could not otherwise obtain health coverage for their loved one.

This ordinance sends a strong signal because it moves our state in the right direction in recognizing the need for legal protections of all families.

Fair Wisconsin strongly supported the passage of this fair-minded legislation. In addition to covering the domestic partner of employees of county contractors, it also provides the governmental registration required by many other employers who already offer domestic partner coverage (Madison's registry applies to Madison residents only).

In addition to health benefits, the ordinance also covers any other plan, program or policy offered as part of the employer's total compensation package, including bereavement leave, family medical leave, sick leave, disability insurance, life insurance, membership discounts, moving expenses, pension and retirement benefits and travel benefits. An employer also has the option to provide a "cash equivalent" if it is practically unable to provide the actual benefit.

Episcopal Church defrocks dissident bishop

read the Reuters report from this evening.

Is Palin worthy of the womans vote?

If I were a woman and I was voting for Sarah Palin for vice president I would think twice before I cast my vote after reading this one. If being anti-choice didn't do it for me, this would. I can only imagine the trauma a woman goes thru after being raped, but while she was mayor of Wasilla, she decided the police needed to eliminate purchasing forensic rape kits to save the Wasilla taxpayers $5,000 to $14,000 a year. Can you imagine being a rape victim and after being raped once, being raped again by the city to pay for the test to prove it.

The Rain in Spain confuses McCain

Sen. John McCain answers a question during a Town Hall meeting in Grand Rapids, Mich., Wednesday.
Where is Spain, John McCain?

Republican Presidential John McCain showed some confusion Wednesday night about the identity of the Prime Minister of Spain and exactly where that country of 40 million people is located.
In an interview with a Florida affiliate of Spain's Union Radio, McCain was asked, if elected president, would he invite Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to the White House.

"I would be willing to meet with those leaders who are friends and want to work with us in a cooperative fashion," McCain said. He then mentioned Mexican President Calderon, who he said "is fighting a very tough fight against the drug cartels."
When the reporter repeated that he was talking about Spain, McCain responded: "I know the issues, I know the leaders."
Asked again if he would invite Zapatero, McCain shot back:

"All I can tell you is that I have a clear record of working with leaders in the Hemisphere that are friends with us and standing up to those who are not and that's judged on the basis of the importance of our relationship with Latin America and the entire region."

It's ok John, I'm older and sometimes forget things too...but oh, yah, I'm not running for president.

No Communion for you!!!

From the Religious News Blog.

News of a Catholic priest denying Communion to a prominent legal scholar because he endorsed Sen. Barack Obama has radiated through the media this week. NPR did a piece, Catholic News Service covered it , and the Washington Post's E.J. Dionne put his two cents in.

Douglas Kmiec, a fervent opponent of abortion who worked in Pres. Reagan's justice department and served as dean of Catholic University's law school, came out for Obama despite the senator's support for abortion rights.

News of Catholic bishops threatening to deny the sacrament of Communion to Catholic politicians who support legalized abortion is almost old hat by now. Just last month, Kansas City, Kansas Archbishop Joseph Naumann told Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius not to take Communion until she repented of her pro-choice ways.

But it's unusual -- if not unprecedented -- for a priest to deny the Eucharist to a private citizen because of his political leanings.

At an April Mass for Catholic businessmen in California Kmiec was confronted by a priest and denied Communion. (Kmiec has not named the priest; a spokesman for Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony says the priest was "wrong" to deny Kmiec Communion, according to NPR.)

Kmiec told NPR that his wife fled in tears; he decried the use "of faith as a weapon." The point of Communion is community, he said, and the denial was hostile to that idea.

Canon 915 of church law states that Catholics "who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to Communion."

I guess the question is: When is supporting pro-choice pols obstinately persisting in that category of sin?

More on this story can be found in this article by Steve Waldman on beliefnet.

They DO have a strategy!

I thought that the Republicans didn't have a plan on what to do to solve the world situation and then I found this...way to go!!!
Gotta run and make another contribution to Obama...oh yeah, got to remember to get my passport renewed also, just in case.
Sorry, I was in a hurry when I posted this and actually missed the REST of the story about this guy. It gets even better.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press can't help but chortle about the young outspoken GOP lawyer who thought he was gettin' lucky at the GOP convention but ended up gettin' robbed.

Another choice

Just remember there are other choices on the ballot...just when you thought the ad campaigns couldn't get any stranger...

Hockey Moms for Truth

A little satire to start your day. Here's one smart hockey player's response to the video on u-tube: "you guys suck my mom dose not know the difrenc and i play hockey (in KANSAS!!!) GO PAYLIN!!!!!".

I've Got A Secret!

Will the REAL Sarah Palin PLEASE stand up?

Music director fired for openly gay life

CRAIG SCHREINER - State Journal
Charles Philyaw, left, and his partner, James Mulder-Philyaw, relax on the front porch of their Madison home near a statue of the Virgin Mary. Philyaw says he was fired as director of music liturgy at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Verona after five parishioners raised concerns about his openly gay life.

This article was in this mornings Wisconsin State Journal newspaper about a couple of our friends who joined us with Soulforce a few years ago in Colorado Springs to confront James Dobson and Focus on the Family on his anti-gay teachings. Our prayers are with them.

Verona church music director fired for openly gay life
DOUG ERICKSON
derickson@madison.com
After decades of honing his musical skills, Charles Philyaw landed his dream job in 2004 as the full-time director of music liturgy at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Verona.

The church, with 1,643 adult members, was more than just a place to work for Philyaw. He and his partner, James Mulder-Philyaw, joined the parish and participated fully in the religious community.

‘A liar lies to the people….’

By Jay Bookman | Sunday, September 14, 2008, 01:41 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A liar looks ’em in the eye
And lies to a woman,
Lies to a man, a pal, a child, a fool.
And he is an old liar; we know him many years back.

A liar lies to nations.
A liar lies to the people.
A liar takes the blood of the people
And drinks this blood with a laugh and a lie,
A laugh in his neck,
A lie in his mouth.
And this liar is an old one; we know him many years….

— Carl Sandburg

Mavericks

According to Wikipedia, A maverick is a person who shows independence of thought or action; a non-conformist or rebel.

I feel sorry and pray for all the folks effected by the devastation and destruction caused by Ike in Galvaston, Houston, southern Texas and Louisiana. I understand why some people take a stand and defy authorities when told they are under a mandetory evacuation. They have ridden out hurricanes before. They don't want to leave their possessions behind for looters to grab up. They want to be a part of history. However...weren't they all following the satelite and storm track data on the weather channel as I was? I was scared way up here in Wisconsin and it wasn't even heading for us. I also understand that it may be hard for everyone to just drop everything and leave town...not knowing if Ike would really hit them directly or if it would turn in another direction and miss them. But, given the warnings of possibly facing certain death if it hit them... I would rather get the hell out of town and return saying "well...that wasn't as bad as they said it might be" than to stay and see firsthand what did happen. People were warned that they might not be able to get help if they were stranded, yet 911 calls were coming in for help after Ike hit anyway. Nobody knows just how many people are still stranded in the rubble yet, but my guess is that when the next hurricain is heading their way, maybe a few more will heed the warnings when given and get out of town.

Ike. What will we find the morning after?

Ike hasn't even hit full force yet, but around 8:25 ET at least two beach houses have collapsed in Quintana, in Brazoria County. Homes all along the coast have been inundated, and at least one flooded home caught fire.

What can be done when people refuse to leave when a mandetory evacuation is ordered? Of course it seems like it may be exciting to have stories to tell once it is over, if one survives. Residents had been warned that staying should write their social security numbers on their arms because they will most certainly be dead once Ike finally hits.

Pets left behind to fend for themselves long before Ike actually arrives.
Scholars & Rogues is using twitter for current updates of what is happening from people using the web, phones or IM's.
What happenened to all the lessons we said we learned from Katrina? I am afraid what we are going to find in the morning when Ike hits full force. Let us all remember to say our prayers tonight to whomever we pray to.

Last night at Obama headquarters....

After all the lies, smears and lipstick this last week, I really needed this.

Palin Censorship?

ABC investigates.

Soulforce 2008 Equality Ride Route

Soulforce has announced its Equality Ride Route for this fall of 2008. 17 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and straight young adults will bring a message of inclusion to 15 schools which discriminate because of sexual orientation throughout the South.

LGBT for OBAMA

I just read on InterstateQ website that activists Terry Bean and our friend Jake Reitan from Soulforce Q and the Soulforce Equality Ride started a LGBT Blog for Obama. Other contributors include Pam Spaulding from Pams House Blend and Andrew Sullivan.

Small town values

Joe's response to the convention

It's what we DIDN'T hear!!!

I can't make you love me

I needed a little break from politickin' (although this song might still be fitting right now). I have always loved Sam Harris, but I've never seen him so emotional while recording before. I have been a fan since he sang "Over the Rainbow" on Starsearch back in 1985).

Sarah Palin shows compassion

And, not to be disrespectful, but Rush calls her "Alaska's Babe Governor. So whats not to like about her. Oh yeah, maybe we need to start taking a closer look at her actual political record now. You might want to check out what former classmate and homemaker, Anne Kilkenny, had to say about Governor Palins political history.

Sarah Palin-Worse than Bush for the Environment

To learn the whole story, go to GrizzlyBay.org.

Was Sarah sent from God to save us?

Jim Wilson/The New York Times
WASILLA, Alaska — Shortly after taking office as governor in 2006, Sarah Palin sent an e-mail message to Paul E. Riley, her former pastor in the Assembly of God Church, which her family began attending when she was a youth. She needed spiritual advice in how to do her new job, said Mr. Riley, who is 78 and retired from the church.

Larry Kroon, pastor of Wasilla Bible Church, said most members were socially conservative because of their analysis of the Bible.
“She asked for a biblical example of people who were great leaders and what was the secret of their leadership,” Mr. Riley said.

He wrote back that she should read again from the Old Testament the story of Esther, a beauty queen who became a real one, gaining the king’s ear to avert the slaughter of the Jews and vanquish their enemies. When Esther is called to serve, God grants her a strength she never knew she had.

Mr. Riley said he thought Ms. Palin had lived out the advice as governor, and would now do so again as the Republican Party’s vice-presidential nominee.

Roves double speak

Taking on Washington

I'm not good at speech's!

BBC news views US media on McCains acceptance speech last evening.

Several commentators note that the speech was somewhat flat, especially compared to rival Barack Obama's Democratic convention finale last week and to his own running-mate Sarah Palin's speech on Wednesday night.

"If you didn't know that John McCain was a Republican, you might think he was running against the Republicans… John McCain is a maverick who has now done what mavericks almost never do: Win. And now he must lead a party while maintaining his independence from it."

"In the end, tonight's speech merely confirmed what many of us knew [all] along: McCain just doesn't have good answers to our troubled economy," says Jonathan Cohn in the New Republic's Plank blog.
"I don't know whether the voters will care about this, but I do know they should."

Sarah's on a mission

Sarah has the right to worship where she pleases, but when She and John McCain's campaign is plans to head first to Colorado Springs to meet with James Dobson after the convention, I think we can see where the Republican party is going here.

This is totally different from the hockey mom speech last night.

What about Hannah, Ike and Josephine?

The Republican convention was put on hold the first day because Senator McCain and his VP pick felt the need to go to Jackson, MS to keep watch as Gustav approched New Orleans. Maybe this is what helped to steer Gustav a little further West when it hit landfall and saved the city from further devastation. I'm really glad it did, as we all held our breath and prayed for the families in that area. Although NO didn't get the direct hit, there were many others who did have signifcant damage and we hope this time, they will all be helped quickly. It did make me wonder however, if this was all a political stunt on McCains part as the medias focus was going to be to be on the hurricane, and not on the convention. Do you think as Hannah heads towards the East coast followed by Ike, now a category 4 and Josephine close behind, McCain will feel the need to put his campaigning on hold as he sits in the command center to keep watch on what happens in the East also? We all know that what happened following Katrina is what helped to sink Bush's ratings along with 80% of New Orleans.

Palin's speech - fact check

Its good to see someones keeping score here. Although Sarah Palin seemingly hit a home run with her speech last night in St Paul...and showed America she is a Great hockey mom and signed up for the PTA, a mother of a special needs baby (which was passed around like a sack of potatoes during her speech), and told us how she ready to take on big government...she's not beholdin to anyone, she seemed to have a few problems keeping some of her facts straight. Then again, on her behalf, she did have a republican speechwriter helping her and we all know how distortion of the facts plays well in their book. Below are some of the facts made in her speech.

I (Political Animal) Factchecking Palin

I thought Palin's speech was quite good: well-written, well delivered. And, as I said earlier, I think she's a genuinely engaging person, and comes across very well. There were just a couple of problems. One, which I have seen people notice, but which I suspect won't be a big deal for a lot of voters, is that it had very little substance. The other, which the commenters I saw on TV for some reason neglected to mention, was that she told a lot of lies. A few that stood out for me, or that I spotted in my quick run-through of some blogs:
Palin: "To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House."


Sarah Palin might have changed her mind on this one recently. However, a comment here notes that Palin actually slashed funding for schools for special needs kids by 62%. Budgets: FY 2007 (pre-Palin), 2008, 2009 (all pdfs).
Palin: "As for my running mate, you can be certain that wherever he goes, and whoever is listening, John McCain is the same man."


Steve's list of McCain flip-flops is here. See for yourself whether constancy is, in fact, John McCain's middle name.
Palin: "I told the Congress "thanks, but no thanks," for that Bridge to Nowhere. If our state wanted a bridge, we'd build it ourselves."


Just to reiterate what others have said: Congress' requirement that funds be spent on that bridge (aka the 'earmark') were removed before Sarah Palin became governor. She was therefore in no position to tell Congress anything about the bridge, one way or the other. During her campaign, she said she supported funding for the bridge. Brad Plumer, citing the Anchorage Dialy News via Nexis:
"5. Would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges?

Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now--while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist."


Later, she accepted the money -- now not restricted by an earmark -- and used it for other infrastructure projects. Here's her statement about why she wasn't building the bridge (also via Plumer.) Decide for yourselves what role a principled opposition to earmark funding plays in it. Hint: here's what residents of Ketchikan AK said when they heard her recent remarks:
"In the city Ketchikan, the planned site of the so-called "Bridge to Nowhere," political leaders of both parties said the claim was false and a betrayal of their community, because she had supported the bridge and the earmark for it secured by Alaska's Congressional delegation during her run for governor. (..)

"People are learning that she pandered to us by saying, I'm for this' ... and then when she found it was politically advantageous for her nationally, abruptly she starts using the very term that she said was insulting," Weinstein said."

Palin: "But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform - not even in the state senate."


Ha, ha, ha. I gave a rundown of Obama's accomplishments in the Senate here. They include the Lugar-Obama bill on nonproliferation, and an ethics reform package that the Washington Post called "the strongest ethics legislation to emerge from Congress yet." Ruth Marcus summarizes his record on reform:
"He helped pass a far-reaching ethics and campaign finance bill in the Illinois state Senate and made the issue a priority on arriving in Washington. Much to the displeasure of his colleagues, Obama promoted an outside commission to handle Senate ethics complaints. He co-authored the lobbying reform bill awaiting President Bush's signature and pushed -- again to the dismay of some colleagues -- to include a provision requiring lawmakers to report the names of their lobbyist-bundlers. He has co-sponsored bills to overhaul the presidential public financing system and public financing of Senate campaigns."


Not a single major law or reform, indeed.

And I wasn't aware that writing memoirs was something to be ashamed of. Obama has, in fact, written only one. McCain (with Mark Salter) has written at least two.
Palin: "America needs more energy ... our opponent is against producing it."


No -- he plans to develop a lot more energy than John McCain does. It's just that a lot of it is renewable, not carbon-based. Moreover, Obama hasn't skipped the last eight votes on renewable energy.
Palin: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes ... raise payroll taxes ... raise investment income taxes ... raise the death tax ... raise business taxes ... and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars. My sister Heather and her husband have just built a service station that's now opened for business - like millions of others who run small businesses. How are they going to be any better off if taxes go up?"


Well, it all depends whose taxes go up, doesn't it? If Heather and her husband make less than $250,000, their taxes will not go up. Most Americans will pay less in taxes under Obama's plan than under McCain's. So they might well be better off.

Those are just the falsehoods that leapt to mind. I'm sure there are others.

Whether or not Sarah Palin's engaging personality matters more than the fact that she tells lies depends a lot on the media, and whether they allow her to say that she opposed the Bridge to Nowhere, or that Obama has neer authored a major law or reform, without calling her on it. I hope they do. But I'm not holding my breath.

A POW's description of McCain

Filmmaker Robert Greenwald and Brave New PAC produced the following short film featuring Dr. Butler available on YouTube today.

Sarah Palin on Hunting

This video is disturbing if you love wild animals and feel that hunting them down by plane is wrong.

I'm just sick

It looks like after watching America's Got Talent for weeks and weeks
just to see the Kinsey Sicks, which they kept showing small video clips of in their commercials,
I see on Kinsey's website that their audition wasn't broadcast...however it is posted on "hulu" website,
so here it is for all of us who missed it.

Democracy Now Journalist arrested at RNC

This is America. We don't jail journalists here!!!

Jailing journalists is unacceptable in a democracy. But that's exactly what is happening at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.

Award winning journalist and host of "Democracy Now" Amy Goodman was arrested by St. Paul police while covering a protest outside the Republican National Convention. Though clearly identified as press, Goodman was charged with "obstruction of a legal process and interference with a 'peace officer.'" Two of her producers were arrested for "suspicion of felony riot."

Goodman and her producers were released last night. (An AP photographer was also arrested and released). But the charges are still pending.

This story has been virtually ignored by the mainstream press. The cable channels are providing extensive coverage of events related to the Republican National Convention, but there has been a virtual news blackout on the arrest of Amy Goodman and the Democracy Now team.

Americans deserve to know that journalists are being jailed for trying to do their jobs. E-mail CNN President Jonathan Klein and NBC News President Steve Capus today (NBC News controls MSNBC) to demand coverage of this brutally important story.
http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/dont_arrest_journalists/?r=1376&id=796-610173-G33f0Sx

Convention Blues

The Republican non-convention got off to a great start on Monday ...not INSIDE, but in the streets where approx. 300 protestors where taken to jail. Most of these were breakaway groups from the large peaceful anti-war group which marched to the convention center. Many were charged with felony charges, as it isn't just the St. Paul police in charge here, but FBI agents handling the show.

Another man Burned

I have wanted for years to head to the desert in Nevada for a week to experience the Burning Man festival which is a radical self-expression of art, music and nudity. Then there's the playing with fire, which most of us were probably told by our mothers never to do. 49,599 people attended this year, but due to a huge desert dust storm, many left early before the 40-foot wooden man effigy was torched. US Bureau of Land Management said the crowd stood at 36,260 at noon on Sunday after thousands headed home early.

oh well, maybe next year.

Gustav: McCain and Palin to the Rescue

As we all sit and wait to see what happens in New Orleans sometime tomorrow, John McCain and his VP pick are at command headquarters in Jackson, MS to lend a hand as soon as its needed. This is a comfort for everyone in the South right now, I'm sure. Also not bad for the news and photo ops to show how they put "Country First". Its really good to see, considering the report below from Bob Geiger who reminds us about Senator McCains compassion after Katrina in 2005. Maybe its the age thing and he has just forgotten or perhaps this is just a convenient way to avoid a convention no one seemed to be really looking forward to anyway.

McCain To Katrina Victims In 2005: You're On Your Own
It doesn’t really come as a surprise to those of us who have watched John McCain over the years that he's about to make a campaign stop in New Orleans after Hurricane Gustav hits this week. After all, he's been exploiting the troops for years, what's a few hurricane victims after that?

What does seem odd is that McCain thinks Gulf Coast residents will forget how he, George W. Bush and the then-Republican Congress turned their backs on them so many times in the months after Katrina thundered ashore in 2005.

Sure, McCain was big on rote sympathy right after the disaster, saying on September 1, 2005 "American citizens have proven time and again how generous and selfless a people we are, and now we have an opportunity to come to the aid of those in need." A week later he stridently said "Our work to help the victims of this national tragedy has just begun, and Congress must do all that is necessary to fund essential relief and recovery efforts and help those in need."

It must be nice to have staffers writing that stuff for you.

Too bad he spent the months to follow leading the Republican charge against every Senate bill that would have actually helped Katrina victims or mandated investigations on how the Bush administration could have blown disaster response so thoroughly.

Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden jumped immediately to the aid of hurricane victims in the week after the 2005 disaster, authoring S.Amdt. 1661 "…to provide emergency funding for victims of Hurricane Katrina."

Biden's legislation would have provided many things including money to purchase
interoperable communications equipment to help first-responders dealing with the disaster, $10 million "to find, unite, and transport children impacted by Hurricane Katrina to their parents, legal guardian, or next of kin" and funding to assist victims of domestic violence in affected areas.

"The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina has revealed the best and the worst about our great Nation. It has revealed a great economic divide that exists among our citizens, while it demonstrated as well the capacity of the majority of our citizens to be compassionate and even heroic during times of great need," said Biden in arguing for his bill. "It also exposed the demons of some who will use any opportunity to prey on the weak."

"The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has reported that over 1,000 children have been displaced by this storm -- that means they are not with their parents or guardians -- and in this amendment we provide $10 million for that effort," Biden continued. "We also provide $9 million to support domestic violence victims impacted by the storms. We all heard of the reports of sexual assaults in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and we will support those victims who have not been moved to new shelters."

But with John McCain's help, the Republican-led Senate shot down the funding on a 41-56 vote with McCain voting against, while Biden and Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama voted for the funding.

When Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) proposed the creation of a Congressional Commission to "examine the Federal, State, and local response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina.. and make immediate corrective measures to improve such responses in the future," John McCain was once again exactly where George W. Bush wanted him to be: On the "nay" side of a straight party-line vote (44-54) that killed that legislation.

And lest you think it was McCain taking a stand against what might become a Democratic witch hunt on the failures of his bosses in the White House, the bill called for a wholly bipartisan panel, stating specifically of the 10-member group that "not more than 5 members of the Commission shall be from the same political party."

Unlike McCain, Barack Obama was one of the cosponsors of that bill and both he and Biden voted for immediate oversight on the bungled Katrina response.

But that's not all.

As the Democratic minority tried throughout the fall of 2005 to get help for people in Louisiana and Mississippi, the Republicans wanted no part of it and despite his post-Katrina pledge to "do all that is necessary to fund essential relief and recovery efforts and help those in need," John McCain was right there to shoot down every initiative that would have helped, including the following Democratic-sponsored bills:

So when John McCain makes his grand exploitation trip to Louisiana later this week -- and especially if he follows that stunt by making his convention speech from there -- keep in mind that no matter what words of resolve or sympathy he throws at the latest hurricane victims, he voted down every chance he had to actually provide help and oversight the last time this happened.

The best McCain can hope voters assume is that he simply didn’t care. The worst -- and probably closer to the truth -- is that he was just doing what he was told.
http://bobgeiger.blogspot.com/