Ghost Whisperer - Don't Read If You Haven't Seen Last Night's Episode!

Spoiler Alert: This article discusses the Ghost Whisperer episode from last night (November 7th). If you don't want to know what happens, stop reading now.

To the writers of Ghost Whisperer: You guys suck - big time!

One, you killed off Jim. Why would you do that? The whole premise of the show is someone who talks to ghosts with a lovely understanding husband. You've taken away the best part of the whole show. Jim can't hang around as a ghost.

And,two, that sixth sense, "look at me" nonsense when he died was just stupid. You couldn't write it any better than that? Aren't you supposed to be professionals? He's going to be all right, but the nurse mentions the one thing that could go wrong and it does. Dumb, Dumb, and Dumb. He deserved better than that.

And, three, what a shitty thing to do to the characters. Not only has Melinda lost her husband, but if I remember Jim's family history, his mother is now burying a second son. Haven't these people lost enough? Which brings me to point four.

Four: No baby? Melinda now goes through life without a piece of her husband -- the love of her life? No baby. Yeah, that's the way it happens in real life, spouses lose their partners all the time and are left with nothing but memories, but I don't watch TV to see real life, I watch TV to see things that'll never happen to me. So, not having Melinda pregnant is just stupid and dumb. Plus, you've lost the coolness of her passing her gift to her child. And, don't try putting Melinda with some other guy, because I can't see that happening.

Now, Cheryl tells me we have to watch the next episode, so I will, but pretty much -- you've lost a fan.

Jerks.

God Bless

Least of these My brethren...

"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holyangels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'

"Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'
"Then they also will answer Him,saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

For those of you who voted in AR, CA and Florida to deny gay people the right to marry and adopt, you are the ones on the left. For you had the opportunity to give to your fellow human being the rights, freedoms, acceptance and equality that you enjoy and you chose to turn your back and under some misguided idea chose not to give. I feel sorry for you; for you have not been paying attention to Jesus's words and message. You're lost and wandering in a desert of hatred and fear. I can only pray for two things: 1) you see the error of your ways and ask God for forgiveness and 2) if you do not do the first, that God has mercy on your souls.

For my gay brothers and sisters, we have lost a few battles, but we have not lost the war. Growing up, I was told that there wouldn't be a black President and just look at where we are today. There is hope for if we lose hope, we've lost it all. We will prevail in our quest to be treated equally to our fellow Americans. For Jesus said: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

We may not have our equality here on Earth, but in the eyes of Jesus we are loved and in Heaven our reward will be great.

God Bless

The Morning After

I didn't stay up last night to watch Obama's speech, but I did watch McCain's. I thought he gave an eloquent and well thought out speech. I like John McCain, even if I disagree with him. His speech last night reminded me of why I like John McCain.

There are three reasons I didn't vote for John McCain:

1. He said he didn't believe in gay people adopting children. People who think that are too narrow minded -- yes, Arkansas, I'm speaking to you -- to be able to think clearly.

2. His healthcare plan.

3. Sarah Palin.

Here's what I'm hoping will now happen to the Republican Party while they're at home licking their wounds. Maybe, they'll try to get back to the Republican Party of Lincoln and Roosevelt. Maybe, they'll come back even stronger and with fiscal responsibility on their lips. I love it when an uninformed moron says to me that Democrats are tax and spend while we have the highest deficit ever.

Obama has a long way to go to help fix our broken America. We didn't allow our nation to be torn to pieces overnight and we won't be able to fix it that way, either.

I like the way McCain said he's going to work with Obama. I like that he said we're all Americans, because that's what is important. If we all work together, we can build this great lady back to the shining nation she once was.

God Bless

I Voted -- Did You?

I leaped out of bed this morning because today is election day! This is the most important day of any American's life. This is the day we join together to decide who will make the government decisions for ourselves. Anyone who has been following my blog will not be surprised to find out that I voted for Obama. I wasn't surprised that the line was long. Nor, was I surprised at how friendly everyone was.

What actually surprised me is that there were two positions in Racine -- Register of Deeds and Country Treasurer -- that only had a Republican running.

Are these the only two people qualified in all of Racine County for the positions?

Next time, a Democrat needs to step up to the plate and run. What good is an election if no one ran against you? And, does anyone know what happens when the voter votes straight party and that party doesn't have a candidate?

God Bless

Another False Accusation

I have a question. With less than a week to go before the election is the McCain/Palin ticket so desparate to win that they will have Palin say anything that pops into that pretty little head of hers?

Now, she's accusing Obama of being friends with a professor that has PLO ties, which both Obama and the professor denies. According to CNN.com , the professor said "I am not speaking to the media at this time, and certainly not until this idiot wind passes."

Are they just throwing crap and hoping something sticks?

What it comes down to is what I think will happen with Obama.

Under the current administration (and McCain has voted with the current administration 90% of the time), we haven't put any money into our own infrastructure. We've been too busy rebuilding Iraq's (and not doing a very good job of it). We haven't made America safer. Think about it -- the children of Iraq who have lost mothers and fathers will be adults. And, what will they know? They will know that America bombed their country and then didn't rebuild. They will here that we're evil and some of them will grow up to become terrorists. So, just how did we make America safer in the last eight years?

I'm hoping with Obama that he will seek ways to build a good relationship with the Iraqis as we withdraw our troops.

And, as all things do, it comes down to money for me. John McCain is proposing to tax the healthcare benefits provided by my employer to the tune of costing me and in the end, I will end up paying an extra $821.84 per year. Under Obama -- if he's true to his word -- he's proposing a tax break to the tune of around $600.00 per year.

Which one would you chose?

God Bless

California Family, Friends and Readers...

I received the following email today.  I'm passing it on to all of you.  We can't accept a swipe at tolerance in our great nation.  We need to find equality.  Gay people bleed like you do, we pray to the same God and we have the same wishes for our children.  If you live in California or know someone who does, please encourage them to vote NO on Proposition 8.  It's a tossup right now -- don't let the fear and hatemongers win.

God Bless

Dear ACLU Supporter,

I'm angry and heartsick about what may happen in California on November 4th.

In the most personal way possible, I'm writing to ask you for a favor: help us ensure that gay couples all across California keep their fundamental right to marriage -- the basic right to be treated just like anybody else.

I hope you will forgive the indulgence when I speak from the heart and tell you my personal story.

You see, I grew up in a loving and supportive household, where my family believed I could be anything I chose -- anything except being an openly gay man. Neither of my parents finished high school, and yet, they believed I could accomplish all I set out to do as I went off to Princeton University and Stanford Law School.

They got me through the toughest of times, scrimped and saved, and always believed that failure wasn't in the cards for me. They had more faith in me than I often had in myself. Whenever my parents visited me at Princeton, my Dad would slip a $20 bill in my pocket when my Mom wasn't looking. I never had the courage to tell him that the $20 wouldn't go very far towards my bills, books and tuition. But, it was his support and belief in me that sustained me more than the tens of thousands of dollars I received in scholarships.

When I finished college, they were hugely proud of my -- and their -- accomplishments. That was until I told them I was gay and wanted to live life as an openly gay man.

Though I always knew I was gay, I didn't come out to them for many years, as I was afraid of losing the love and support that had allowed me to succeed against all odds. When I did tell them, they cried and even shouted. I ended up leaving their home that night to spend a sleepless night on a friend's sofa. We were all heartbroken.

When my Mom and I spoke later, my Mom said, "But, Antonio (that's the name she uses with me), hasn't your life been hard enough? People will hurt you and hate you because of this." She, of course, was right -- as gay and lesbian people didn't only suffer discrimination from working class, Puerto Rican Catholics, but from the broader society. She felt that I had escaped the public housing projects in the Bronx, only to suffer another prejudice -- one that might be harder to beat -- as the law wasn't on my side. At the time, it felt like her own homophobia. Now I see there was also a mother's love and a real desire to protect her son. She was not wrong at a very fundamental level. She knew that treating gay and lesbian people like second class citizens -- people who may be worthy of "tolerance, " as Sarah Palin asserts, but not of equality -- was and still is the last socially-acceptable prejudice.

Even before I came out to them, I struggled to accept myself as a gay man. I didn't want to lose the love of my family, and I wanted a family of my own -- however I defined it. I ultimately chose to find my own way in life as a gay man. This wasn't as easy as it sounds even though it was the mid-1980s. I watched loved ones and friends die of AIDS. I was convinced I would never see my 40th birthday, much less find a partner whom I could marry.

As years passed, my Mom, Dad and I came to a peace, and they came to love and respect me for who I am. They even came to defend my right to live with equality and dignity -- often fighting against the homophobia they heard among their family and friends and in church.

The right to be equal citizens and to marry whomever we wish -- unimaginable to me when I first came out -- is now ours to lose in California unless we stand up for what's right. All of us must fight against what's wrong. In my 43 short years of life, I have seen gay and lesbian people go from pariahs and objects of legally-sanctioned discrimination to being on the cusp of full equality. The unimaginable comes true in our America if we make it happen. But, it requires effort and struggle.

One of the things I love about the ACLU is that it's an organization that understands we are all in this together. We recognize that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Given what's at stake in the outcome of this election, I am personally appealing to you for help to fight the forces of intolerance from carrying the day in California next Tuesday.

If you have friends and family in California, please contact them right now, and ask them to vote NO on Proposition 8. You can send them a message here.

We need to make sure people keep in mind that gay people are part of every family and every community -- that like everyone else, gay people want the same rights to commit to their partners, to take care of each other and to take responsibility for each other. We shouldn't deny that, and we shouldn't write discrimination into any constitution in any state. Certainly, we can't let that happen in California after the highest court in the state granted gay and lesbian people their full equality.

Unfortunately, due to a vicious, deceitful $30 million advertising blitz, the supporters of Prop 8 may be within days of taking that fundamental right away.

To stop the forces of discrimination from succeeding, we have to win over conflicted voters who aren't sure they're ready for gay marriage but who are also uncomfortable going into a voting booth and stripping away people's rights. With the ACLU contributing time, energy and millions of dollars to the effort, we're working hard to reach those key voters before next Tuesday.

If you have friends and family in California, please contact them right now, and ask them to vote NO on Proposition 8. Share this email with them. Call them. Direct them to our website for more information.

Don't let other young people grow up to be afraid to be who they are because of the discrimination and prejudice they might face. Let them see a future that the generation before them couldn't even dream of -- a future as full and equal citizens of the greatest democracy on earth.

As Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." As we strive to defeat Prop 8 and the injustice it represents, the ACLU is trying to make that arc a little shorter.

On behalf of my Mom and family, and on behalf of all the people who will never face legally-sanctioned discrimination, I thank you for being part of this struggle and for doing everything you can to help.

It is a privilege and honor to have you as allies in this fight for dignity and equality.

With enormous appreciation,

Anthony D. Romero
Executive Director
ACLU

P.S. All the polls show that the vote on Prop 8 could go either way. By making just a few calls or sending just a few emails, you could help make the difference. Please, don't let this fundamental right be taken away. Send an eCard to everyone you know in California.

Palin and the GOP

There's a lot of talk about Sarah Palin's role in the GOP.  Some people believe she was bad for John McCain's campaign and some people believe that she has tapped into the GOP's base -- anti-gay, pro-gun, right wing Christian believers.  I think Palin's days in the GOP are numbered.  When people aren't sure whether or not they can keep their homes, they suddenly don't give a rat's ass about gays getting married.  When people are worried about putting food on their tables, they don't much care about being able to buy Uzis at gun shows.

That's where the GOP is now.  If McCain loses this election, the GOP is going to need to do some heavy rebuilding.  This election is proving that the GOP can't count on the gun, anti-gay crowd to get them elected.  If the GOP not only loses the Presidential election, but loses the ability to fillibust in the Senate; they'll really have to go back to the drawing board.

In the last eight years -- and possibily even before -- the GOP's base didn't care what happened as long as the politician was pro-gun, anti-gay and right wing Christian.  Start a war in Iraq, fine by us -- just don't let those queers get married.  Give tax breaks to the rich, but keep spending like there's no tomorrow -- you got it, just let me buy my assault rifle.

I left the GOP behind a long time ago.  Had I been able to vote, I would've voted for Reagan -- both times.  I made Alex P. Keaton look like a liberal back in those days.  But, I've had to leave my beloved party behind because more and more they've lost sight of what makes a great Republican.  They've forgotten that it was Lincoln who freed the slaves.  Theodore Roosevelt was progressive. 

Maybe, if the GOP gets back to the idea of a better government -- one that supports rights for all Americans and doesn't believe in subsidies to large businesses, maybe the Republican party can survive.  When that day happens, the anti-Conservative Conservatives will have to fall by the wayside.  There won't be any room for Sarah Palin in the mix.

If they don't dump the far right ideas, the Republican Party won't survive.

And that would be a sad day indeed.

God Bless

Give a Little Love

Earlier today, I wrote a nice little piece on the economy but when I went to publish it, something went wrong and I received an error message.  Since I was short on time, I decided not to rewrite the piece.  Just a little while ago, I checked my email and saw that the obituary for a co-worker's brother was in my inbox.  I thought of my own younger brothers and cried.  I can't imagine the loss my co-worker must be feeling.  Then, I saw again Jennifer Hudson's face plastered on the front page of CNN regarding the losses in her family.  I can't imagine the sorrow the Hudson family must be feeling.

And, I thought, I'm not going to post anything on my website today about the economy or the election.  I'm going to steal that title from the Judd's song -- Give a Little Love.

So, here's what I want all of you to do today -- Give a Little Love to someone you know.  If you don't know anyone, give a little love to a stranger.  Smile at someone -- give a word of encouragement -- hold a door open -- tell a joke -- hug your wife, husband, son, daughter, grandchild and, heck, if you're close to them, hug your neighbor.

Life is so precious and so fleeting and we all (me included) spend so much of it fighting with each other.  The thought of spending even one day on earth without my brothers being here saddens to me to no end.  (and, yes, Scott, I would miss you.)  We should take one day at a time.

Does that mean I won't be complaining tomorrow -- no, that's not even possible -- but for a little while today, I'm going to look for the joy and I suggest you do too.

God Bless

Sarah's a bad pick...

If you can't see the video, here's Cafferty's blog location.

Sarah, don't lie to the American Public...

According to Sarah Palin, McCain will balance the budget by the end of his first term.  No, no he won't.  With Iraq costing us $10 billion per month, how is he going to do that?  When he claims he's going to give tax breaks?  With the interest on our loans costing $100 million a year?  When we still owe money from WWII, just how is he going to balance the budget? 

Is he going to cut payouts?  Is he going to hurt the American Public during hard economic times?

The truth is that if McCain becomes President, he won't balance the budget by the end of his first term.

God Bless

At five Colleges, Palin never learned the roles of the Vice President? Even I did that much!

Did Palin NOT take a politics or history class during her time at those five colleges? How could she think this? The Vice President doesn't "get in there" and make any good policy. I'm sure Vice Presidents have acted on the President's behalf to work with Senators, but I don't think in the way she mentioned. And, I do know that the Vice President is President of the Senate, but that doesn't mean much besides the tie breaker vote.

Just what the heck did she study at University of Hawaii-Hilo (although the school has no record of her), Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu, North Idaho College, Matanuska-Susitna Community College and University of Idaho? I know she has a degree in journalism, but I would think a journalism major would have to know the role of the Vice President of the United States of America. But, then, I've never taken journalism classes, so maybe I'm wrong.

See video below (Sorry, Zeta, no transcript available):

God Bless

Attended 5 colleges and now she's running for Vice President

This is to all the Palin supporters out there. All those people who think she'd make a heckva Vice President and a terrific President.

I want you to think about what I'm about to say long and hard. Sarah Palin attended five different colleges before finally sticking to one and graduating in 1987 -- two years after she should've. I attended five different colleges before finally sticking to one and graduating in 2006 -- 17 years after I should've.

Would you want me to be the President of the United States? Or, even Vice President?

I didn't think so.

As much as this pains me to say, statistically speaking, John McCain has a 20.93% chance of not finishing out his term. We have had 9 Presidents in US history to not finish their terms -- 4 were assassinated (Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy), 4 died in office (Harrison, Taylor, Harding and FDR) and one resigned (Nixon). We've only had 43 men sitting in that oval office chair. ((9/43)*100 = 20.93%)

So, would you feel the same if she was going to be President? If McCain is elected, she has a 1 in 5 chance of being our 45th President. Did anyone else feel a chill go down their back at the thought of President Palin?

Further, as much as she's just like us -- you betcha -- she isn't. How many of us have five children? How many of us read whatever someone else puts in front of us? How many of us have a family income of $250,000 per year?

I'm betting not many.

Now, let's move on to a some things that're bugging me about Joe the Plumber. I've heard two rumors that I can't get the truth on: One, I hear he isn't a licensed plumber -- is that true? Two, I heard that he owes back taxes -- is that true?

But, the major thing that bugging me is that Joe the Plumber said that he's thinking of buying a company that makes $250,000 a year. Obama said Joe's taxes will go up, but I don't think he heard him right. Obama said that taxes will go up on people who earn $250,000 a year, not businesses. Plus, I thought Obama's tax plan wouldn't raise taxes on small businesses that earn $250,000 a year.

So, those "I'm Joe the Plumber" ads the Republican Party are running are full of crap. They're twisting Obama's words. Plus, sorry, if you're making $250,000 a year -- you have plenty and can afford to pay taxes. I could go on about that thought, but that's a post for another day.

God Bless

Homecoming Queen Redux

Last Thursday, I posted a video from CNN showing a girl with Down Syndrome being crowned Homecoming Queen for her high school. However; I neglected to post what was going on in the video -- as a stone-age reader pointed out -- so I'm just posting this to let you know what was in the video. They did a little interview with the young lady, her mother and some of her friends.

It melted my cold, cold cynical heart and made me cry.

God Bless

The Palin Factor?

I found this quote on CNN.com today in an article entitled "Could Palin factor save McCain?". I thought I'd just pass it along to see if everyone else feels the way I do about it.

Here's the quote:

"'It may well be that there is ... a group of people out there now who find it politically incorrect to be for Sarah Palin in public, but they're going to vote for her in the privacy of the voting booth,' said David Gergen, a CNN senior political analyst."

Here's my question and I think it is reasonable...Why is it politically incorrect to be a Palin supporter?

I mean, she's for guns, she's a woman, she's a hockey mom, she hates gays (supporting an anti-gay amendment means you hate gays, let's not pretend it doesn't) and she's a very right wing Christian.

What's so politically incorrect?

Here's my take: I'm supporting Obama. When asked, I say I'm supporting Obama. Was I happy about his choice of Biden, no, honestly, I wasn't, but hey, I've looked up Biden and I think he's an okay guy. But, in the end, I'm voting for Obama. Now, do I think he made a good choice with Biden. Sure, I trust that Biden could carry out the office of the President if, God forbid, Obama can't. But, let me make this clear, I'm not voting for Joe Biden. I'm casting my vote for Barack Obama.

Now, this Palin factor the article mentions confuses me, because she's not running for President -- in case people have to be reminded, John McCain is running for President. Now, do I think she's a good choice, HELL NO. Do I think he should've picked someone else? HELL YEAH! Do I think if McCain can't finish out his term that she could. NO FREAKING WAY! God help us all if that happens. Still, I know some people disagree with me and think she'd be a great VP and, if needed - oh, God FORBID -- she'd be a great President. I just don't understand where David Gergen thinks these people are.

But then, I've never understood dishonest people.

God Bless

Stimulus Package

Economists are calling on Washington to create yet another stimulus package. Bush previously said, "No" to the idea, but something has changed his mind and now he wants one.

Well, I can't imagine this being a good idea. Let's just put our deficit even higher. Our government all ready owes everyone and their brother money. The bailout has cost every American citizen $3,100 and now, they want to pass a $150 billion bill. How is this going to help? Maybe, we just need the economy to suck for a while. It'll come back, let's just sit, wait and see what happens.

If anything should pass, it should be to give states enough money to cover unemployment. I heard that Wisconsin is running out of money. Also, it should be to help the 7.5% of Americans who are or will be unemployed find training in other fields.

Side note: My mother keeps insisting the economy is chugging along and everything is fine. One of the things she says proves this is our unemployment rate. Right now, it's lower than 7.5% and it is lower than it was in the seventies, so things are okay. Well, I don't know a lot about the seventies, but I know now if you're unemployed and not on the unemployment roll, you're not being counted. If you are still employed, but looking for a full time job, you're counted as unemployed. If you took a job way below where you were before, you're not being counted, but you're not making your full pre-firing, pre-laid off wage. None of these are good for the economy. Another thing that isn't good was the high gas prices.

Now, if they are going to send sums home to people, let's send more than a lousy $600.00 per individual. Cheryl and I normally spend more than $1800 on Christmas between gifts, wrapping paper, Christmas Eve dinner and charitable donations, but not this year. We're cutting way back this year. We haven't been able to put money into our savings accounts like previous years due to various reasons -- the least of which included the high gas prices -- and we're going to need to use the Christmas fund to pay our home taxes. Now, I'm not complaining, we both have jobs, things are just tighter than normal. We'll get through it, just as many of Americans will.

But, the only way for the economy to bounce back is we need to put money into it. So, here's my suggestion -- partially stolen from Lewis Black -- let's build something, anything. Let's put money into our intrastucture. Let's improve our roads, let's update our railroads. If we're going to spend $150 billion dollars, let's use it to create jobs. How about create an energy company, solely owned by the government, that will research fossil fuel alternatives? What about a company that will invent a better running car? Something, anything that will create jobs. And, let's take a look at the hardest hit areas of the nations and put in training centers. Let's train our unemployed and underemployed for different jobs. Not only would we employ people as trainers, but we'll make our un and under employed citizens ready for the next jobs in their lives.

How can we pay for this?

Well, let's stop substizing oil companies and large farms (not family farms, the big guys) and I'm sure there's other things as well. Let's rollback the tax breaks on the upper 1%. We all know taxes have to be raised, so let's just get it over with. Hell, I'd chip in a little more in taxes to pay for something that benefits all.

But, it'll never happen.

So, if they do pass the stimulus, I hope it's enough money so we can buy some really nice Christmas presents.

God Bless

Sarah Palin

This is an open letter to Sarah "Pro-American" Palin:

"Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told a fundraiser in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Thursday night:
"We believe that the best of America is in the small towns that we get to visit, and in the wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard-working, very patriotic, very pro-America areas of this great nation," she said. "*

Dear Sarah,

Hi, I'm not from small town America, but that doesn't mean that I'm not pro-American. I don't believe we should've started a war in Iraq, but that doesn't mean I don't support our troops and it doesn't mean I don't love my country.

I believe that a woman should have the right to choose -- if only to prevent back alley abortions that do no good for anyone. And, I'm pro-American.

I believe that assault weapons are not needed by anyone, but law enforcement and military and I'm pro-American.

I've never been in a beauty contest and I'm pro-American.

I don't hunt and I'm pro-American.

I am the daughter, granddaughter and cousin of war veterans and I'm pro-American.

Real America isn't just in the small towns of America. Real America exists everywhere in our 50 states -- you do know there are 50 states, Sarah, right? It isn't all just Alaska.

The rest of the country should be insulted by your remarks.

God Bless, Sarah, you're going to need it.

* - taken from CNN.com.

Protesters and Veterans

I saw on YouTube and on another blog that Palin tried to quiet down "protesters" only to be told they were supporters wanting her to speak louder. Also, turns out that the "protesters" were calling out "Sarah." I saw a couple of versions of the YouTube video and Palin doesn't look happy. Now, a lot of people of making a big deal that Palin was so goofy that she can't tell supporters from protesters, but in what will probably be the only time I ever defend her, I don't think it's fair. Palin is being protested everywhere, I'm gathering, and if you or I were in the same position, we might make the same mistake. Since people sitting behind her appeared to understand what the crowd was yelling and Palin didn't, it is quite possible that she just can't hear as well as other people can.

Anyway, while I understand why Palin felt the need to "punish" the protesters, I don't understand why she said what she said. From what I can gather, she was at a regular campaign stop. She wasn't at a Veteran's Rally, yet she said, "I would hope at least that those protesters have the courage and the honor of thanking our veterans for giving them the right to protest."

What's that all about?

I love my country and I support my troops, so why is it if I protest someone running for President somehow I need to thank a Vet? I don't get it. Is Palin saying by protesting her someone it is a slap in the face to a veteran?

Now, I've never served in the military -- as far as I know -- neither has Palin. If I was being protested, I wouldn't make a remark like that. Yes, I know, her son is going to Iraq, well, so are a lot of mothers' sons. Some of those mothers are not going to vote for McCain/Palin. Some of those mothers might even stand out in the sun and protest McCain and/or Palin.

Should those mothers thank a Vet?

And, then, I wonder, when was the last time Sarah Palin actually walked up to a man or woman in uniform and thanked them? I can tell you the last time I did. October 4th -- I ran into an Army SGT in Mitchell International Airport. I'm sure he thought I was a little nuts, but I thanked him for his service. When I saw him later waiting for a ride, I offered him one.

When was the last time she shook a Veteran's hand and thanked them for fighting in Vietnam or whatever war they fought in? I can tell you the last time I did. Well, I didn't shake his hand, I gave him a hug. It was September 19th (actually, early morning on the 20th). We walked out of the Last Chance Saloon at the same time and I gave him a hug.

Now, handshakes and hugs aren't really enough to thank our Vets for the service they gave our country, but it is better than nothing.

I just find it so offensive when someone makes the uneducated assumption that people who protest somehow don't care or don't honor our Veterans.

I can understand Palin's mistake in not hearing the crowd yell, "Sarah!" and realizing it was for her and not against her. But, I can't understand how she can equate protesters to someone who is truly un-American and doesn't support our troops.

God Bless

PS. In case you think I'm being too hard on her -- I didn't blog about how wrong her remark was -- The military DEFENDS our rights, they don't GIVE us our rights.

Homecoming Queen

Just when I think we can write off the human race as being greedy and horrible, something like this happens and my faith in humanity is renewed.

God Bless

St. Bridget Hispanic Ministry

I'll make this simple. Follow the below steps.

1. Read the article on CNN.com.
2. Get out your checkbook.
3. Write out a check to:St. Bridget Hispanic Ministry
4. Put said check in an envelope.
5. Address envelope to:
   St. Bridget Hispanic Ministry
   PO Box 369
   Postville, IA 52162
6. Put envelope in the Mail.
7. Go to sleep tonight knowing you've done something good for someone else.
8. Have pleasant dreams.

God Bless

PS. Any amount is a help, even if all you can spare is $5.00 -- it's something.

Oh, side note to anyone who is sending money to Focus on the Family -- send it to St. Bridget, you'll do more good.

To Straight California From Gay Wisconsin

I received in my mailbox an email from the Human Rights Campaign. According to the email, the anti-gay marriage ban is now winning by a 47 to 42 margin. Apparently, the Nazi groups such as Focus on the Family are blasting ads that convinced voters equal rights for all is somehow a bad thing.

Well, my fellow Americans, don't believe the crap. Gays haven't ruined traditional marriage -- how could we when we can't legally get married.

Further if these groups were the Christians they proclaim to be, they would be out helping their fellow man and not demeaning him.

It has never been easy to be a gay Christian, but groups like this disgust me in ways you can't even imagine. To be close to God is one of the most magical parts of life possible. I feel His hand in my life when I hear my grandsons' laughter, watch the sunrise or snuggle with my wife as we fall asleep. To vote Yes on Proposition 8 is to let the anti-Christ win.

Please, please, please don't let that happen. We blew it here in Wisconsin, please don't blow it in your own state.

God Bless and protect me from your "followers"

CNN Hero of the Year

Make History?

I just saw the most distrubing McCain/Palin ad on CNN. The premise compared women receiving the vote is the same history as a vote for McCain/Palin and -- in case you missed the connection -- a picture of the beauty queen waving is there. So, I guess this post is for my fellow women.

McCain/Palin are against Roe v Wade -- they want it reversed. A vote for them is almost a guarntee that it will. Afterall, the next President will get to replace at least one Supreme Court justice and possibly five.

McCain/Palin are against stem cell research.

McCain/Palin are against gay marriage and equal rights for all. They claim they're for equal rights, but that's a bald face lie. No gay marriage means someone doesn't have equal rights Period, end of story, game over.

McCain/Palin is NOT a vote for History and how dare they even claim to be. We've had a white man and a white woman running on the same ticket, so the history's been made.

A vote for history would be a vote for Obama.

God Bless

Doesn't the Army have a Heart?

Read this article on CNN.com...I'll wait.

Done? Okay.

How could the Army not allow this SGT to bring home that beautiful dog? (Did you see the picture?)

Write your Congressman or Congresswoman.

Bring Ratchet to the United States. It can't possibly cost that much.

God Bless

Bush Wants to Work during Last 100 Days

"Bush: 'Lot of work to do' in last 100 days" says the headline on CNN.com.  No, President Bush, you've done enough.  Just go take another vacation and we'll let the big boys handle the issues.

I read the headline to Cheryl this morning and she says, "He's worried about his legacy."  What an understatement!  But, she is hitting it on the head.  When future generations judge Bush the Seconds reign of error, they will not be kind.  Gas prices more that doubled under Bush.  The economy is tanking.  A war in Iraq where he declared Mission Accomplished and yet, our men and women are still there fighting.  Now, we have $700 billion dollars added to our rising deficit.  To pay it off every man, woman and child will need to send $3100 to the Federal Government.  I don't happen to have that lying around to just send, do you?

Bush talked about an ownership nation, but he didn't mean the rich owned up -- he just meant the poor and middle class are on their own.

Now, he really wants to do something in his last hundred days.

Don't, Mr. President.  You've done enough.

God Bless

Merit Pay For Teachers

Merit pay is thrown around quite a bit.  In the Corporate world, it is used as an excuse to not give all employees the same and equal raise.  Supposedly, you "earn" your raise.  Now, with the exception of one position I've held in the past 12 years, I have always received a review that entitled me to either the top raise or close to the top raise.  Here's the kicker, because of where I was on the pay scale, I earned the top percentage, but received much lower because giving me the raise I earned would place me over the pay scale for my position.  (this was not at the one previously position where I didn't "earn" it.)  I've seen some people who might've deserved the best raise not get it because their manager was limited to how much he/she could give out.  Merit pay is an imperfect system and usually only works for the corporation.

Now, I've heard talk that they want teachers to receive Merit pay and I wonder, how is that going to work?  How does someone from the outside judge whether or not a teacher deserves a raise?  Nowadays, parents throw fits and fall into them if their little Johnny is flunked, but if Johnny can't read, shouldn't he flunk?  Parents forced a nine year old's baseball team to fold because their kids couldn't hit the pitches thrown by him. 

How would you base the Merit pay?  On how many students the teacher passed or on how many flunked?  If you hated a teacher enough, couldn't you blow your standardized test?  I never tried on them, why should any other kid?  (I used to just choose any answer because I truly didn't care except on history and English.  I always liked the reading parts.)

Our teachers are teaching in classrooms that are improperly funded and overcrowded.  Quite frankly, if just one kid in the room can read, I'm surprised. 

I don't know what the answer should be to weed out the bad teachers and keep the truly good ones, but I can tell you Merit pay isn't going to help.

God Bless

Who the HELL is Joe Six Pack?

I'm really getting mad about the news coverage, the bailout, personal things in my life, crappy health insurance, etc.  I'm getting so mad that Cheryl would like me to start taking pills, but frankly, I'd rather be mad than have no feelings.

What I'm mad about today is this notion that Sarah Palin represents Joe Six Pack.  According to this week's Newsweek, she seems to think that her being picked as a contender for VP means that Joe Six Pack will have representation in the White House.  So, if this is the case, who the HELL is Joe Six Pack?

You see, I always thought Joe Six Pack was the common man - like my dad.  He served his country, works hard, earns a decent (but not an abundant) salary, goes to Boy Scout meetings with his sons and is proud of his daughter and on Sunday afternoons, he sits down with a big bowl of popcorn and watches the Bears play.  God willing and the creek don't rise, he gets to retire.  To me, that's Joe Six Pack and that's my dad.

But, Palin in her short skirts and college education isn't Joe Six Pack.  She and her husband made $249,000 last year.  My dad never made that much.  Palin flips flops on the issues such as the bridge to nowhere and her now "pro-gay rights" stance she took in the VP debate.  My dad's never flip flopped on any issue in his life -- even when his daughter was yelling at him that he's wrong.

So, is it me?  Am I wrong about Joe Six Pack?  He isn't like my dad?  Because, if I'm right, than Palin's wrong -- she doesn't represent Joe Six Pack.  And, if I'm wrong and she doesn't represent Joe Six Pack, than who the HELL is Joe Six Pack?

God Bless

Email I received...

From last Thursday until very early Saturday morning, I was in the Big Apple.  I wasn't there for fun, but I would like to say that everyone is really nice in New York.  I knew this from my last visit in 1994.  On Saturday, I returned and attended a co-worker's wedding reception -- very nice.  Sunday, I went to Cederberg with friends.  All in all it was a very busy four days and I didn't have a lot of time for blogging or emailing.  I did read the comments on my blog post regarding Sarah Palin and I'll be responding to those as soon as I can.

However; I found the following in my email box and I wanted to pass it on.  I haven't had a chance to check it out, but if you do, please let me know what you thought.  (Clicking the link will open a new window.)


In the face of a campaign promising to descend even further into the
mud, I present a political movement that voters of all political
affiliations can get behind:

I Poop and I Vote.

Check it out at http://www.ipoopandivote.com!

Because America needs a changing!

Downloadable posters and graphics are available at IPoopandIVote.com.
Please help me spread the word-and actually raise the level of discourse
in this campaign!

Dave Praeger
I Poop and I Vote
http://www.ipoopandivote.com

Also, I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I have become addicted to this video on youtube.  I'm including it here.

I could sleep for a week and I still would feel tired!

God Bless!

Sarah Palin Pisses Me Off!!!

There are two women on this planet who piss me off more than anyone else.  One I know and can't even stand the sound of her voice and the other I don't know, but I still can't stand the sound of her voice.  And, it is the second of these two women I'd like to discuss today.

Who is the second woman?  Come on, you've guessed it -- Sarah -- I'm a Bitch -- Palin.

I can't stand her.  Everytime she opens her mouth it's like someone is dragging their nails across a chalk board.  She stands for everything I'm totally against.  She lies about being pro-life, she did a shitty job raising her daughter (if she did a good job her daughter wouldn't have gotten pregnant out of wedlock) and she thinks that by being from our 3rd smallest state that means she knows something.

And, then, I hear in a CNN video where she makes a crack about how she's excited to meet Joe Biden because she's been listening to his speeches since 2nd grade.  No, no you haven't.  Joe Biden was elected to the Senate in 1972 when Palin should've been in 3rd grade.  And, oh, am I being to hard.  That's too damn bad because when it comes to women in public, we have to be smarter than everyone else.  We have to try harder than men and I'm not cutting her any slack.  Plus, I'm betting that she DIDN'T listen to any of his speeches.

And, I saw a headline that she won't tell anyone what newspapers and magazines she's reading.  Now, I don't really care about what anyone is reading, but if you asked me what I'm reading, I'd gladly tell you, so it makes me wonder -- what does she have to hide?  Why can't she tell us?  She answered she's read all of them.  Now, I'm not really sure just how many newspapers and magazines there are in the country, but I can bet a woman with FIVE kids isn't reading ALL OF THEM!  I have no children in the home and I barely make it all the way through TIME, Newsweek and US News & World Report. If US News hadn't switched to bi-weekly format, I'd never get done.

So, she can't name ONE newspaper or magazine, she claims that she gets her news from various sources AND she goes on to say Alaska isn't a foreign country.  I knew that last part.  I'm glad to see she does too.

I'm betting the woman reads Better Homes and Gardens (1-year) and Guns & Ammo.

See the video for yourself below.  Watch how Bay Buchanan tries to defend Palin.  It's pretty funny.  If the video doesn't appear below, click here.

Wait, it gets better.  She doesn't know what the morning after pill is. 

I don't want this woman a heartbeat away from the Presidency.  I don't want this woman representing me to foreign heads of state.  I don't want this woman to represent me as a member of Generation X and I sure the hell don't want this woman  representing me as an American Woman.

God Bless us everyone -- we need it.

Failout - Strong Language follows...

We all know I'm against the bailout.  That said, let the finger pointing begin...

Bush wants the bailout and 140 Democrats were willing to give it to him.  Only 63 Republicans agreed with our commander and chief.  <sigh>  The Republican Party has found it's balls at the wrong time for some people (well, except for the pussy who didn't put in a vote at all).  The Dow dropped over 600 points at the sound of the failure.

But, what I find most humorous is that Barney Frank blames the Republicans and Rep John Boehner blames Nancy Pelosi.  She gave some speech and the Republican Party balked and said we're taking home our ball and we're not playing. 

Yeah, that's helping us right now, fellows.  I disagreed with the bailout because there wasn't enough protection for the taxpayers.  I don't want to pay 700 billion dollars to bailout financial institutions.  You want to spend 700 billion dollars, how about putting that money aside and let homeowners who need a little help borrow the money from the government.  Let's say everyone who owns a home and is in an ARM can refinance their homes to get out from under that ARM.  That should save some homeowners.  But, if you have chosen to not pay for your home and there isn't a reason, such as job loss or medical illness, you just lose your damn home.  If you've lost your job, you can borrow from the government, if not, too bad.  If you need retraining because you've lost your job and your skillset isn't able to get you a new one, let's loan you the money with which you can go to school.

But, instead, the Republicans did not follow through on their promise and they want to blame it on a speech.  Well, see if that helps you in the next election, fellows.  You've let down a lot of Americans.  I'm in the minority on this bailout.  You've screwed yourselves.

One last thought:  We are not going to save our economy by balancing it on the back of home values, which is what we've been doing the last couple of years.  We spend 10 billion a month in Iraq -- that's 120 billion dollars a year.  Think of how well our economy might be running if that money had been spent here.

God Bless

PS.  Note to GOP:  Hope you don't need a new home loan.

Baseball

You're probably wondering why I've been so quiet with all that's going on.  The answer is I'm working and haven't had time to do much of anything else.

Except, I did one thing last night that I highly recommend.  I went to a baseball game. 

I should say that I was a New York Yankee fan when I was a teenager.  My late grandfather was a Cubs fan and we'd sometimes bond over those games.  I remember sitting at the Robinsons' house and watching Billy Buckner play for the Cubs.  Outside of this, I really don't know a lot about baseball.  I don't follow the sport.  I only know the Cubs clinched because Brian told me so.

That said, I love and I mean LOVE, to go to the stadium and watch a game.  The Brewers have never lost a game when I've been sitting in the stands.  (And, yes, Brewer organization, I would accept season tickets if you'd like to send them to me).  Baseball games are the absolute best.  From that long walk in (at least at Miller Park) to the seventh inning stretch to the long walk out -- I love it all!  No where in the world do you ever become instant friends and family members with strangers as you do at a Baseball game.  I've been to professional football games and it doesn't happen there like it does at a Baseball game.

When you're at a baseball game, you can yell anything and I have.  When you're at a baseball game, you really feel like you're a part in what's going on down there at home plate.  When you're at a game, you really believe they can hear you.  You do the wave, you sing Take me out to the Ballgame, you eat a hot dog with stadium sauce and grilled onions, drink beer (or in my case, soda) and for those 9, 10 or more innings, everything is right with the world.  We're at peace, gas prices aren't outrageous and the financial markets are secure.  Your team gets a guy on second base and it all starts to come together.  The bases are loaded, there's two outs, Ryan Braun comes up to bat and you just know this is going to be good.  When that ball goes up in the air, you hold your breath with everyone else and when it comes down in the stands -- you scream with everyone else.  Maybe, since you've never been in the stadium when a player hits a grand slam, you might just tear up a little.

And, the place erupts and the joy carries you to your car and all the way home.

And, life is good.

God Bless

Good Guys

Maybe, I'm just feeling sorry for myself today because I received some bad news yesterday, but I'm a little pissed off.  I'm really tired of doing the right thing - repeatedly - and not getting anywhere, aren't you?

Seriously, the head of Lehman Brothers will walk away with $400 million dollars, while his staff will walk away with unemployment.  Try paying the rent with unemployment.

Congress is arguing over these bailouts not because the taxpayers will pay for them, but because they want to send the executives in charge away with their golden parachutes!  Are they kidding?!?

I'm beginning to believe that the only time the good guys win is in the movies -- and sometimes, they don't even win there.

I'm losing hope, which pretty much was the only thing going for me.  I watch a co-worker who should be fired just do whatever every single freaking day of the week, while I bust my ass doing a good job and I think WTF.  I hear about people getting away with murder at their jobs or I hear about how someone received too much back in change and they laugh about it, instead of running back to the store to give back what wasn't theirs in the first place.  Meanwhile, good Americans are busting their butts doing a good job and living paycheck to paycheck.  Where's our golden parachute?  Where's the light at the end of our tunnel? 

Fourteen years ago, I was involved in a car accident.  It was completely the other person's fault.  She received the ticket and I received a damaged kidney (that has since healed) and my back hurt -- also completely healed now.  I didn't sue.  Due to a billing error the hospital made, my insurance company didn't even collect on my whole medical bill.  My settlement was a lousy $3,000.  But, I didn't want to be greedy, I didn't want to do the wrong thing.  I didn't want to waste the court's time.  I'm fine, she's fine.  My car was fixed, etc.  I had friends who said I was stupid -- you don't get rewarded for being good -- and I was wasting my chance for some easy money.  What was I thinking?

Today, if I got into that same accident, I'd probably sue, because I'm pissed off and mad.  But then, I couldn't possibly look myself in the mirror and know that I did the right thing.

I'm really, really tired of doing the right thing.

I'd say God Bless, but today I'm not sure He's listening.  I don't think He's here with a helping hand for America.  I think -- and I blame the haters in this nation (you know who you are) -- He's deserted us.

$700 Billion Bailout - No strings attached!

What is wrong with George W. Bush?  What is wrong with all of Congress?  We should just hand $700 billion over to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and trust that he will use it wisely to bailout the failing Wall Street firms.  And, not only are we expected to hand it over, but we can't ask for an expense report to see how it has been used.  The amount comes to over $2,000 per taxpayer.  If you want to help the American economy, why don't you send the $2,000 to every taxpayer?  Every single one of us could put it to good use.

Nope, they want us to get screwed and no one is buying us dinner first.

I feel so cheap.

On top of that, my grandchildren's grandchildren will end up paying it back.

According to a MoveOn email I received, Obama has a better idea and I think we should do what he says.

No blank check. We must insist on independent accountability and oversight.

Main Street, not just Wall Street. We need an emergency economic plan to help working families-a plan that would help folks cope with rising gas and food prices, create infrastructure jobs, etc.

Help homeowners stay in their homes. We cannot have a plan for Wall Street banks that does not help homeowners stay in their homes and help distressed communities.

Taxpayers should be protected. This should not be a handout to Wall Street.

Rescue requires mutual responsibility. Institutions that benefit from taxpayer help must help protect American homeowners and the American economy. We cannot underwrite continued irresponsibility.

Build a regulatory structure for the 21st Century. We should commit ourselves to new rules of the road for the 21st Century economy.

A global response. The United States must lead, but we must also insist that other nations, who have a huge stake in the outcome, join us in helping to secure the financial markets.

But, he's only one voice and we're just screwed.

God Bless

An Nation of Underachievers

The school Distict in Dallas, TX has changed its grading policy and it is a sad day for education in America if the rest of the nation follows. (see article) Now, let me tell you why this is a bad idea.

When I was in school, I was a lousy student. I couldn't sit still - rarely stopped talking - and was nothing but a headache for my teachers. On the flipside of this, I was a nice kid who didn't get into any real trouble, but I did spend my fair share of time in the Principal's office. Flash forward thirty years and it turns out I'm ADHD, but that's no excuse for my poor performance. Yet, I was never held back. I didn't flunk classes and I was always passed along -- to be the next teacher's problem. This went on for all of grade school and junior high.

Then, I reached high school. For a reason I don't understand, I decided I wanted to take Russian History my freshman year with Miss Willis. Wow, that was a huge slap in the face. I didn't do my homework, I scored poorly on my exams and guess what -- I flunked.

Flunked! Who dare flunk me?

A teacher and a very good teacher. Miss Willis taught me a lesson I haven't forgotten in the twenty plus years since I sat my butt in her class. If you don't try, you won't pass. If you don't pass, you don't learn. If you don't learn, you won't get ahead.

Now, I'm not going to lie and say that I've been the world's greatest student since then. I do all right. I graduated in the top half of my high school class and I've gone on to obtain a college degree. And, I've failed or succeeded because of choices I made. If I studied hard enough, I passed. (Even in Math, which is my worse subject. I worked my butt off to get that C+!)

In Dallas, they always want the student to have a second chance. That isn't teaching their students the life lesson they're going to need in life. It certainly wouldn't have flown in Miss Willis' Russian History class.

So, Miss Willis, who taught history at Waukegan East High School between 1981 and 1985, I don't know where you are, but thanks for flunking me. It's served me well in the 27 years I've lived since then.

God Bless

Sorry, Cheryl, I love Brad Pitt...

That headline certainly got your attention, didn't it? So, let me explain...

Brad Pitt just gave $100,000 to Californians Against Eliminating Basic Rights -- a group who is fighting the anti-gay Proposition 8 in California. According to the People.com article , the man of dreams said, "Because no one has the right to deny another their life even though they disagree with it, because everyone has the right to live the life they so desire if it doesn't harm another and because discrimination has no place in America, my vote will be for equality and against Proposition 8."

Be still my heart.

Of course some anti-human being group made a statement that Brad Pitt isn't an example of a good marriage, but those people are just haters. He seems like a pretty darn good family man to me. He supports Angelina, he's a good father and he puts his money where his heart and mouth are. Sounds like an upstanding young man to me. (The fact that he's hunky is just a bonus.)

If you live in California, please vote against Proposition 8. Our country was built on freedom not discrimination -- actually, that isn't true. Our country was built that white male landowners were free, but times have changed.

God Bless

PS. Dear Angelina, you don't have to worry. I'm sure Brad and I will probably never meet and I'll never have the chance to sweep him off his feet. :-) Although, I'm sure this old, overweight lesbian probably could. :-D

Let Them Fail...

I believe that when things go bad, you pull yourself up by your boot straps and you take care of it yourself. For the most part (if I ignore my twenties), I've followed this my whole life. Even while I was still in college and hadn't completed my degree, I worked to pay off my student loans.

Now, I'm sorry the people who work for these financial companies are going to lose their jobs, but let the companies fail. By bailing out AIG, we're sending the wrong message to companies. Take big risks and if you're large enough, the government will bail you out so you don't lose your shirt. Well, maybe, they should lose their shirts. The government wouldn't be bailing me out if I overextended on my credit cards, took out a second mortgage on my house (that's what an equity line is no matter what they tell you) and racked up huge bills. No one would be walking around to hand me money, so why should my tax dollars be used to bail out a company that put too much money into subprime mortgages?

When are we going to say enough is enough?

God Bless

I just saw it on CNN.com: Palin staff won't testify in trooper probe, AG says

Powered by See story below. I could blog on this and just link to the story, but what could I add? She's just started gaining national attention and all ready she's taking a page out of the we have nothing to show you Bush playbook. She claims she welcomes the investigation and she has nothing to hide, but she won't cooperate and neither will her staff. Anyone that wants to vote for McCain after he picked this beauty queen must have rocks in their head! Click the following to access the sent link: Palin staff won't testify in trooper probe, AG says - CNN.com* Get your EMAIL THIS Browser Button and use it to email content from any Web site. Click here for more information. *This article can also be accessed if you copy and paste the entire address below into your web browser. http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/17/palin.investigation/index.html

Confusion -- Thanks Walter!

I received this in an email and it hits the nail right on the head, so I'm posting it here. BTW, if you wrote it, please contact me. I think we have a lot in common. In the interest of full disclosure, I cleaned up some spelling and grammar mistakes and I added a couple of notes.

I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight.....

· If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "Exotic, different."

· Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers yours is the quintessential American story.

· If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.

· Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

· Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.

· Attend 5 different small colleges graduating, you're well-grounded.

· If you spend 3 years as a community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.

· If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people (where less than 1,500 actually voted in the election), 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive and next in line behind a man in his eighth decade.

· If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.

· If you cheated on your first wife with a rich, pretty heiress, and then left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a true Christian.

· If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

· If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with neither option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.

· If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.

· If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

OK, much clearer now.

Bill O'Reilly

I don't always agree with Bill O'Reilly and most of the time I think he's a jerk (but I love watching his visits on the View). I'm going to push this aside. I found the below quote on Time magazine's website. If Bill O'Reilly has to come to the Obama's aid, you know the media has NOT been unkind to the GOP. But don't tell them that. They are so out of touch with America that they don't know good coverage when they see/hear/read it.*

For anyone to say that Barack Obama consciously compared Mrs. Palin to a pig is unfair.

• BILL O'REILLY,
• Fox anchor, blasting the McCain campaign and the media for insinuating that the Democrat's use of the phrase "lipstick on a pig" referred to the Republican vice-presidential nominee

God Bless

* But, after watching the GOP destroy this nation for the last eight years, I wouldn't really expect them to do anything more than whine that they're being unfairly treated.

Wall Street and De-Regulation...

Let me start by saying that I'm not that knowledgeable about de-regulation. I'm not sure who started it and I'm not sure why when things started to go south, why no one stepped in and stopped it.

Here's what I do know about de-regulation, the cable companies were de-regulated 12 years ago. The idea was that with more competion, we'd pay less for our cable service.

Well, that never happened. I pay more for cable (although, I do admit this does include phone and broadband) then I ever have. Even if I take out the fees for the phone and broadband, I'm paying a lot of dough.

And, competition? I haven't seen any. Our competition choice is Time Warner or satillite. So, I pay more, get less and I'm not better off, but the cable companies are. How is that a good thing for consumers?

So, when we de-regulated Wall Street and now it crashes, why is anyone upset or surprised?

I think I'm missing something here I will have to research more indepth than I really have th etime to do so.

God Bless

Hey You...

Yeah, you. The one reading my blog who still hasn't decided how to vote in November. Or, you -- the guy on the couch, who is going to vote for the third party candidate. This blog is for you, so pay attention.
DON'T VOTE FOR MCCAIN Period. End of Sentence.
First, don't vote for McCain if just to keep that Palin out of the West Wing. Can you imagine her with her backwards ideas visiting heads of state in other countries? Sure, she looks nice, but then she'd open her mouth and that would be it.
Second, take a good look around, are you really happy about the state of our country? The economy is in the toliet. Seriously, in the toliet. Not that you'd ever hear how bad it really is from anyone in the GOP. Those guys want you to really, truly believe that everything's okay. But, I did the math and I double checked my figures. My salary in 12 years has more than doubled and I'm still living paycheck to paycheck and just barely keeping my head above water.
Third, McCain has just chosen a great story to be his running mate. A mother of five? A hockey mom. Someone who rose from City Council to Mayor to Governor of the State. Damn, that is a great story, but she's isn't an honest Vice Presidential Candidate. She truly does not belong a heartbeat away from the Presidency.
Finally, we need to take back this nation from those who want to see our freedoms restricted and I never thought this would ever be the case, but it's the Republicans who are trying to restrict our freedoms. Can you say the Patriot Act, boys and girls? In the past sixteen years, the Republican Party has grown from the party of small government to the party of intolerant, uneducated masses. A vote for the McCain/Palin ticket will only strengthen the right wing Christians' hold and make it that much harder for real change to happen in this country. The party of God, guns and gays do not care if you can feed your children or if your small business survives in these hard economic times. They care that they can slam God down your child's throat -- whether you want them to or not. They care that anyone can purchase a weapon and can fill that weapon with armor piercing bullets (and the only thing an armor piercing bullet is for is killing a cop). They care that gays are punished for being born and have no rights whatsoever in this country.
A vote for McCain/Palin is a vote for the end of progress. And, if that happens, God help us all.

God Bless

Poor, Poor Pitiful Me...

I want to write about how the Republicans are full of it when they say their open because five of them have gotten together to sue to stop an investigation into Sarah Palin. First, we're not supposed to ask her hard questions and now, we can't even make sure she's honest. Oh, and don't get me started on the BS the right wing people are feeding this nation on how the media picks on her. She is nothing more than a beauty queen hoping to look smart by wearing glasses. Well, you can put glasses on a dog, it doesn't make it smart and it annoys the dog.

Anyway, I'm in pain and lots of it. Six of the fillings that have been in my mouth were deteriating, so my dentist said we need to replace them. On top of that, I had a new cavitiy that needed to be filled. So, this morning I went to the dentist to have them all done and my mouth hurts. It hurts too much to do much of anything, so I can't even bring myself to blog about the news today.

Maybe, I'll feel better tomorrow.

God Bless

FL.Republicans want special Treatment for Pallin

Don't look for Sarah Palin or, for that matter, any Presidential candidate on the Oprah couch. Oprah came out and said she wasn't going to use her show as a platform.

However; the Florida Federation of Republican Women doesn't like that idea. They think that Oprah should interview Palin and they're doing something about it. They're calling for boycotts for Oprah's show and Oprah's magazine.

What they're really doing is creating a mountain out of a molehill. They're creating a smoke screen that makes it look like the media isn't helping out Palin. They know they can't win the election on issues, so they make this an Oprah vs Palin debate, which will distract women for at least a couple of days.

Don't fall for it. Oprah said she isn't going to use her show and she isn't. I applaud her for leaving her show out of it.

Besides, what do the FFRW think they'll gain if Oprah did interview Palin? When Oprah took the gloves off and asked the really hard questions, how will they complain the media is sexist and picking on her?

Below is the video from CNN.

God Bless

PS. To sbaldwinus at YouTube, this is an example of the media playing nice with Palin. This wouldn't be worth mentioning if the battle was McCain vs Oprah or Oprah vs Anyone else on the planet. And, what happens when the media reports on this? The headline on CNN is "Oprah boycotted for Palin interview snub", but if you watch the video, you find it isn't a snub. But, a lot of people will just read the headline and move on.