Stolen Yard Signs

One issue that has gotten a lot of press this election year is the stolen yard sign issue. I'm pretty sure that petty, childish people will always use this tactic to get "revenge" for the opposing views of their neighbors, but it seems to have been happening with increasing frequency lately. This was actually an issue on the Opinion page of the Waco Trib this morning. Bill Whitaker mentioned that a huge McCain-Palin signs was stolen from the McLennan County Republican Headquarters, until the party chairman, M.A. Taylor "complained mightily to the press." The sign was returned.



Anyway, I definitely don't condone stealing yard signs or bumper stickers. I live in a solidly Republican area, and I am just waiting for the day when I walk out to my car and see my two Obama stickers and my "So, the Dixie Chicks were right after all" sticker gone. So, while I may grumble at people who display Republican stuff, I would never infringe on someone's right to free speech that way.



Not everyone thinks this way. There have been numerous examples of people stealing signs during this election. There are videos on YouTube, stories on the news, and stories that I have heard from friends and others. I even talked to someone today who confessed to removing a McCain sticker from an old lady's car.



Shannon Bennett, from Austin, found an interesting way to deal with this problem. After having Obama yard signs stolen, Bennett took 12 cans of spray paint and made her entire lawn into an Obama sign, saying, "They might think it's extreme, but I think it's extreme to come into my yard and take something that belongs to me, so I wanted to express myself."


Here is the result:

Ah, indignation and spray paint are a nice combination.

Quotes of the Week

Liz Carpenter, former press secretary to Lady Bird Johnson and Hillary supporter, in the Dallas Morning News:

"Hillary has made scores of speeches supporting Mr. Obama. If she can get over her loss, so can we. Any Democrat who considers supporting John McCain must count the cost of such a vote: Four more years of Bush policies, the continuation of the war in Iraq, expanded tax cuts for the rich, no progress in health care reform, right-wing Supreme Court justices and a vice president who is profoundly unprepared to be president. Sarah Palin is against everything the women's movement stands for: She may be female in gender, but she's a good old boy at heart."

Maureen Dowd's screenplay, "The Maverick Wears Prada," in the New York Times, about the Republican wardrobe scandal. In the end, Palin goes AWOL, and McCain doesn't want to find her, saying:

"For my End of Days, I'd prefer to finish the race with Lieberman."

Arnold Garcia in the Austin American-Statesman, on Palin and McCain's claims that they are average people:

"Maybe we ought to be asking ourselves this question: Do you want the people who are only "average" running the country? Do you really want that cigarette-sucking loudmouth on the next stool running health policy? Or that "average" slug in the next cubicle running foreign policy? Don't you want people making the big decisions to be above average?"

Rachel Maddow, responding to state senator senator Kit Bond (R- Missouri) who said this at a Sarah Palin rally: "(Obama) said,...I want judges who have a heart, have an empathy for the teenage mom, the minority, the gay, the disabled.'"

"A couple things, first, a Republican complaining about mistreatment of the Constitution after these last eight years? It's kind of like Colonel Sanders arguing for chicken rights. Second, if a judge has empathy, that's not legal? And third, forgive me here but, the gay? Senator Kit Bond warning us off of compassion for the gay? You know it's not catching, right? It's not like the measles."

John McCain, coming to the realization the Joe the Plumber may have stood him up:

"Joe`s with us today.
Joe, where are you?
Where is Joe? Is Joe here with us today?
Joe, I thought you were here today.
All right. Well, you`re all Joe the plumbers, so all of you stand up and say..."

Kay Hagan (D- North Carolina) gives Elizabeth Dole (R- North Carolina) a biblical bitch slap, after Dole put out an ad that seems to suggest that Hagan said that there was no God:

"Sure, politics is a tough business, but I approved this message because my campaign is about creating jobs and fixing our economy, not bearing false witness against fellow Christians."

Michael Goldfarb, a McCain aide, failing miserably at the guilt by association game. Check out part of the transcript:

Sanchez: Now, is the -- I need to parse this out as best I can from you, Michael. The fact that John McCain's organization gave $448,000 to this group that was founded by Mr. Khalidi, is there no reason for some to be critical of as well just as some might be critical of Barack Obama for being at a meeting with some girl read a poem for example?
Goldfarb: Look. You are missing the point again, Rick. The point is that Barack Obama has a long track record of being around anti-Semitic and anti-Israel and anti-American rhetoric.
Sanchez: Can you name one other person besides Khalidi who he hangs around that is anti-Semitic?
Goldfarb: Yes, he pals around with William Ayers.
Sanchez: No, no, the question I asked you is that can you name one other person who he hangs around with who is anti-Semitic? Because that is what you said.
Goldfarb: Look, we know there are people who Barack Obama has been in hot water--
Sanchez: Michael, I asked you the name one person. One.
Goldfarb: Rick --
Sanchez: You said he hangs around with people who are anti-Semitic. Okay. Khalidi and name other people that we all know about?
Goldfarb: And Rick, we both know who number two is.
Sanchez: Who? Would you tell us?
Goldfarb: No, Rick, I think we all know who we are talking about here.
Sanchez: Somebody who is anti-Semitic that he hangs around with.
Goldfarb: I think we all know who we are talking about.
Sanchez: Say it.
Goldfarb: I think we all know who we're talking about, Rick.
Sanchez: Well, you say that his policies differ from Barack Obama and many other people, and either way, we have the leave it at that.

Dear Joe the Plumber,

You have had your fifteen minutes, now please shut the hell up.

You have implied that Barack Obama is anti-American, and you are the one that started this whole socialism thing. Now, I see a picture of you in the paper this morning, standing in front of a row of U.S. flags agreeing that a vote for Obama is a vote for the death of Israel.

I was one of the people who thought that it was unfair that you were attacked because of the attention that McCain gave you during the last debate. I didn't think it was fair that your background was investigated and personal information about was published in newspapers and on the Internet.

Now the gloves are off, Joe.

You don't agree with Obama, fine. But please stop throwing out these buzzwords for hateful, ignorant people to latch on to. You sparked the "Obama is a socialist trend" and now people who have no concept of what socialism even is are practically calling for his head. This is the kind of behavior that prevailed when good old Joe McCarthy was running the show, and I thought we were past that. Apparently not.

Now you are an expert on Israel? Wow, the Republican Party must do one hell of a job of teaching foreign policy. Did you have the same teacher as Sarah Palin? Can you see Israel from Ohio?

Anyway, while I originally thought that it was a low blow to go after you, Joe, I am going to suggest that you are anti-American. Here's why:

You apparently don't pay your taxes. It is our obligation as Americans to pay taxes, why should you be any different? Furthermore, why should you be concerned about Obama's tax plans if you aren't going to pay them anyway?

You're not even real. Your real name is Samuel Wurzelbacher. You're not a licensed plumber. "Joe the Plumber" is a character that John McCain invented to win votes (kind of like Sarah Palin). You were used by the Republican Party and are now making an ass of yourself by playing along (kind of like Sarah Palin). When this election is over, you will be chewed up and spit out by the same people who made you famous (kind of like Sarah Palin).

You're bald. Maybe you're a skinhead. Are you a Nazi, Mr. Wurzlebacher? Are you secretly hoping that Obama's impending win will doom the nation of Israel? Are you anti-Semitic, Joe?

No? Well, you have to admit that these allegations of being anti-American are inflammatory and don't paint a very pretty picture of you, Joe. They are probably also false. But, for an uninformed person reading this, this might sound plausible. This is what you (and others, many others) have done to Senator Obama. By planting the seeds of fear in ignorant minds, you have helped create an unstable, distrustful environment in America. Come on, Joe, we've had enough of that. It's time to come together.

You are in the public eye now. Don't be like every other ignorant jackass that only spews talking points and knows nothing of the facts (once again, kind of like Sarah Palin). If you disagree with Obama, that's great. That's what makes America so wonderful: we can have respectful and informed disagreements without having to provoke fear or incite violence.

Sincerely,

Everyone who is tired of listening to ignorant, empty words.




***UPDATE*** Okay, I was only joking that Joe is a skinhead, but apparently I am out of touch with what people are talking about, because there is a ton of stuff out there that he is a "raging skinhead plumber." This is likely just due to his bald head, but I still stand by my intial request that he shut the hell up.

McCain Gets Picked On

According to the Center for Media and Public Affairs, Jay Leno and Dave Letterman have made fun of McCain or Palin 475 times since September 1, compared to 69 times for Obama and Biden. Some feel that this is unfair, and provides further evidence that the "liberal media" is a threat. They think that late-night TV hosts should pick on both candidates equally. McCain and Palin supporters really can't see what's so funny.

Really?

Just look at the way the candidates carry themselves. Obama seems to glide across a stage, and we all know how eloquent he is. McCain shuffles a bit, and appears disoriented at times. Let's just face it, he's old. Even McCain jokes about his age. I'm sorry, but old people are funny.

How about when McCain jokingly called that kid a "little jerk?" Am I the only person who envisions him on his front porch, in his robe, shaking his fist, screaming at kids to get the hell off his damn lawn?

What about the fact that he skipped past many seemingly qualified candidates to select Sarah Palin, a caricature of a real person, as his running mate?

Speaking of Sarah Palin, I could literally go on all day, but I'll just give you a few reasons why she is such a great target. Let's start with the whole being able to see Russia from her house thing.

Then there's the accent. One common fact that we have learned from both the Clinton and Bush presidencies, it's that regional accents get a lot of play on Saturday Night Live.

The interviews. Sure, she's done better recently, but those first two interviews with Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric were priceless.

The Bridge to Nowhere. "I said 'thanks, but no thanks' to the bridge to nowhere." No, you didn't! Even after this Palin claim was widely accepted to be false, she hammered it home. That kind of cluelessness, or outright deceitfulness, is pretty funny, although she probably could have taught Bill Clinton a thing or two about sticking to his lie.

The guns. There's a reason that all of the animals in Wasilla, Alaska run like the wind when Palin comes home: because she will hunt them down and kill them. Check out Betty White calling Palin "one crazy bitch," after noting that Palin is shooting down all of McCain's messenger pigeons, thus disrupting campaign communications.

There are many more things that I could list, but you get the idea. Most of these jokes are all in good fun, of course, but I think comedy is an outlet. I think a lot of people feel that the country has been run by a gang of bullies for the last eight years, so why not pick on those who have picked on us? Maybe the Republican Party has been targeted as the primary butt of the joke for a reason: they deserve it.

I don't think I have heard a better explanation of this as the one Wanda Sykes gave on the Tonight Show when describing the differences in the Democratic and Republican conventions. Here's what she said:

"Well, you know, I watched the convention. You know, watching
the Democratic Convention, it felt like America. You know, it
looked like America. It was hopeful and it was positive and, you know, everybody
holding hands. And then I watched the Republican Convention. It was like
watching a meeting in Dr. Evil's lair."

I think the argument here is that the Republicans are out of touch with the people, and for this, they have been laughed at...continually. I, for one, do not feel guilty about this at all, and if by some chance, the fact that McCain and Palin have been picked on more is what causes them to lose, so be it. They brought it upon themselves.

Things Keep Getting Nasty

On Monday, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Representative Pete Sessions spoke to a crowd of 100,000 supporters in Dallas on Monday. Wait, that was Obama in Colorado. Ok, Hutchison and Sessions spoke to a crowd of 100 supporters in Dallas on Monday. According to the Dallas Morning News, things got ugly when one man holding a "Rick Noriega for U.S. Senate" sign yelled "Change!" continuously during Hutchison's speech.

Alright, this must have been annoying, but this is America, and technically, the Constitution and Bill of Rights still apply (despite Bush's best efforts). We do still have freedom of speech.

However, three elderly Republicans took it upon themselves to shut this guy up. One man spit in his face while screaming for him to go to hell. One lady yelled "shut up, shut up, shut up," while another attempted to take his sign. Sessions repotedly asked the man, "Aren't you glad your mommy and daddy take care of you? You couldn't hold a job if you had to."

How old are you Congressman, three?

First of all, I hope Sessions was not implying that the man must be unable to hold down a job based on his attendance at the rally. If that's the case, then he also just insulted the thousands, um, hundreds, ok, dozens of Republicans that were there to support him. Unfortunately, since the protester declined to give his name, we may never know if he is capable of staying employed, or not.

Also, while I can sympathize with not wanting to hear someone shouting remarks at a political rally that you disagree with, getting physical is not the answer. I realize that three geriatric Republicans are not going to do much damage, but the fact is, there are going to be times in life when people disagree with each other. Sometimes we just have to keep our mouths shut (and our hand to ourselves) and accept our differences.

At this point in the campaign, I find it highly unlikely that any informed voter will change his or her mind. They've looked at the issues, decided where they stand, and picked a candidate. Most of our differences now are based on our fundamental beliefs. I would be just as unlikely to vote for a conservative Republican as my grandmother would be to vote for a liberal Democrat but, for God's sake, we would never get into a fist fight over it.

I'm not saying that we cannot continue to engage in political debates (even heated ones), but incidents like the one that happened in Dallas do nothing but cause stress and raise blood pressure. Republicans have already been blamed for most of the country's problems. Do they really want to be responsible for the health problems and hypertension of our senior citizens? Chill out, people.

Can We Get to 60?

The U.S. Senate is currently composed of 49 Republicans and 49 Democrats, with two Independents that caucus with the Democrats. This gives the Democrats a slight 51-49 majority. In order to get things done, and be able to stop a Republican filibuster, we need 60 Senate seats (okay, you've heard all this before). So, with 5 Republicans retiring, and 18 up for re-election, there is a possibility that this will happen. However, there are several crucial races that the Democrats must win to reach this magic number.

Here are all of the Senate seats up for election this year:

Current Senator: Lamar Alexander (R- Tennessee)
Who's running: Bob Tuke (D)
Prediction: Alexander.

Current Senator: Wayne Allard (R-Colorado) Allard is retiring after this term.
Who's running: Bob Schaffer (R) and Mark Udall (D)
Prediction: Udall.

Current Senator: John Barasso (R- Wyoming)
Who's running: Nick Carter (D)
Prediction: Barasso.

Current Senator: Max Baucus (D- Montana)
Who's running: Bob Kelleher (R)
Prediction: Baucus.

Current Senator: Joe Biden (D- Delaware)
Who's running: Christine O'Donnell
Prediction: Biden. Even if (when) Obama takes the White House, and Biden becomes VP, a sucessor will be appointed by the governor.

Current Senator: Saxby Chambliss (R- Georgia)
Who's running: Jim Martin (D)
Prediction: Martin. This one is close, however, and probably leaning Republican, but a win will help the Democrats to reach the magic number.

Current Senator: Thad Cochran (R- Mississippi)
Who's running: Erik R. Fleming (D)
Prediction: Cochran.

Current Senator: Norm Coleman (R- Minnesota)
Who's running: Al Franken (D), and a lot of other people.
Prediction: Franken. This one is going to be a nailbiter. The polls have gone back and forth, but I am going to be optimistic, because we need this one.

Current Senator: Susan M. Collins (R- Maine)
Who's running: Tom Allen (D)
Prediction: Collins.

Current Senator: John Cornyn (R- Texas)
Who's running: Rick Noriega (D)
Prediction: Cornyn. As much as I would like to see Texas go blue, I think Cornyn's going to pull this one off.

Current Senator: Larry Craig (R- Idaho) Craig is retiring this year, due to his "wide stance."
Who's running: Jim Risch (R) and Larry LaRocco (D)
Prediction: Risch.

Current Senator: Elizabeth Dole (R- North Carolina)
Who's running: Kay Hagan (D)
Prediction: Hagan. This is going to be one to watch. The polls are showing what looks like a dead heat, and the media has reported that Elizabeth Dole is "running scared."

Current Senator: Pete V. Domenici (R - New Mexico) Domenici is retiring after this term.
Who's running: Steve Pearce (R) and Tom Udall (D)
Prediction: Udall.

Current Senator: Dick Durbin (D- Illinois)
Who's running: Steve Sauerberg (R)
Prediction: Durbin.

Current Senator: Michael B. Enzi (R- Wyoming)
Who's running: Chris Rothfuss (D)
Prediction: Enzi.

Current Senator: Lindsey Graham (R- South Carolina)
Who's running: Bob Conley (D)
Prediction: Graham.

Current Senator: Chuck Hagel (R- Nevada) Hagel is retiring after this term.
Who's running: Mike Johanns (R) and Scott Kleeb (D)
Prediction: Johanns.

Current Senator: Tom Harkin (D- Iowa)
Who's running: Christopher Reed (R)
Prediction: Harkin.

Current Senator: Jim Inhofe (R- Oklahoma)
Who's running: Andrew Rice (D)
Prediction: Inhofe.

Current Senator: Tim Johnson (D- South Dakota)
Who's running: Joel Dykstra (R)
Prediction: Johnson.

Current Senator: John Kerry (D- Massachusetts)
Who's running: Jeff Beatty (R)
Prediction: Kerry.

Current Senator: Mary Landrieu (D- Louisiana)
Who's running: John N. Kennedy (R)
Prediction: Landrieu. This one will be close, however. Kennedy was recruited by Karl Rove to run against Landrieu, so there's no telling what might happen.

Current Senator: Frank R. Lautenberg (D- New Jersey)
Who's running: Dick Zimmer (R)
Prediction: Lautenberg.

Current Senator: Carl Levin (D- Michigan)
Who's running: Jack Hoogendyk (R)
Prediction: Levin.

Current Senator: Mitch McConnell (R- Kentucky)
Who's running: Bruce Lunsford (D)
Prediction: McConnell. This one may be close, however.

Current Senator: Mark L. Pryor- (D- Arkansas)
Who's running: Rebekah Kennedy (Green Party)
Prediction: Pryor. Since there is no Republican running against Pryor, I'd say his odds are pretty good, even in Arkansas.

Current Senator: Jack Reed (D- Rhode Island)
Who's running: Robert Tingle (R)
Prediction: Reed.

Current Senator: Pat Roberts (R- Kansas)
Who's running: Jim Slattery (D)
Prediction: Roberts.

Current Senator: Jay Rockefeller (D- West Virginia)
Who's running: Jay Wolfe (R)
Prediction: Rockefeller.

Current Senator: Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama)
Who's running: Vivian Davis Figures (D)
Prediction: Sessions.

Current Senator: Gordon H. Smith (R- Oregon)
Who's running: Jeff Merkley (D)
Prediction: Merkley. This is another one to watch, and will be close. Once again, I am going be be optimistic, and call it for the Democrats.

Current Senator: Ted Stevens (R-Alaska)
Who's running: Mark Begich (D)
Prediction: Begich. With the whole being-convicted-of-a-felony thing going against him, there is no way that Stevens should win re-election. However, Democrats have blown it before...

Current Senator: John E. Sununu (R-New Hampshire)
Who's running: Jeanne Shaheen (D)
Prediction: Shaheen. This is another close one, but Shaheen seems to have a slight advantage in recent polls.

Current Senator: John Warner- (R- Virginia) Warner is retiring after this term.
Who's running: Jim Gilmore (R) and Mark Warner (D)
Prediction: Mark Warner. It looks like the Republicans have given up on this one.

Current Senator: Roger Wicker (R- Mississippi)
Who's running: Ronnie Musgrove (D)
Prediction: Musgrove. This one seems to be another toss-up, but as always, I am an eternal optimist.

If all of the Democratic incumbents keep their seats, which they should, and they gain the seats held by Stevens, Allard, Sununu, Domenici, and John Warner, they will have 56 seats (if I have done my math correctly). This number should be easily attainable, but there is also the possibility of winning the seats held by Coleman, Wicker, Dole, Smith, and possibly even Chambliss. This brings us to 61, which would is probably a little far-fetched, but would be nice. I'm not a political analyst, so check out these sites for more information:

Senate.gov
Wikipedia
CQ Politics
The Cook Political Report
The Rothenberg Political Report

Ted Stevens Found Guilty

Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens was found guilty on seven counts of corruption Monday. He says he'll appeal, maintains his innocence, blah, blah, blah.

What does this mean?

For starters, the odds that he will win re-election have...let's just say, decreased. A felony conviction, even with the political climate of the last eight years is generally frowned upon. I will be writing more about the Senate races, along with the significance of the magic number 60, in the next day or so. However, one thing that bothers me is that Stevens is even allowed to continue to be a U.S. Senator.

Convicted felons are not allowed to vote. It should follow, logically, that they wouldn't be allowed to hold elected office. Impeached presidents aren't. However, unless a two-thirds majority votes to expel a senator convicted of a felony, he or she is allowed to keep their seat.

This being said, I don't think Ted Stevens will win re-election. But, if he does, let this be a lesson to you, kiddies: It doesn't matter if you commit a felony, you can still be a U.S. senator.

Dear Republicans...

Listen guys, I really don't want you to win this election. I think you have had your turn, and you screwed things up big time. But, do you know that you haven't lost yet? With all of the buzz about Sarah Palin "going rogue," anonymous members of the McCain campaign have been coming out of the woodwork pointing fingers. Can't you at least wait until the election is over until you start the blame game?

I'm not going to complain, because every pointed finger and every accusation is a nail in your coffin. However, you guys are really starting to plan for the loss. Here is what one McCain aide (who is said to be a former member of Mitt Romney's campaign) said:

"Sarah Palin is a lightweight, she won't be the first, not even the third, person people will think of when it comes to 2012. The only serious candidate ready to challenge to lead the Republican Party is Mitt Romney. He's in charge on November 5th."

Okay, even when things are going badly, I think it is best to maintain a positive appearance. The above quote is just one example of how you guys have abandoned hopes of winning this race. However, when the day is done, I am still a strong Obama supporter who chuckles just a little bit every time I see something like this. If you guys want to hand it over to us, that's great. The Democrats have been laughed at in recent years for the uncanny knack for blowing elections, but it looks like the tides are turning.

Thanks for doing all the work for us,

Tiff

P.S.: Since you're throwing in the towel, did you really have to put the Jeremiah Wright ads back on the air up north? It's just making you look silly.

Electing Texas Judges

The two highest courts in Texas the Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals are currently controlled by Republicans. Controlled is nowhere near a strong enough word to describe the Republican dominance of Texas courts.

The Supreme Court is composed of nine justices, currently, all of whom are Republicans. They are:

Wallace Jefferson, Chief Justice
Don R. Willett
Harriet O'Neill
David M. Medina
Paul W. Green
Nathan Hecht
Dale Wainwright
Phil Johnson
Scott A. Brister

The Court of Criminal Appeals is also composed entirely of Republican judges. They are:

Sharon Keller, Presiding Judge
Lawrence Meyers
Tom Price
Paul Womack
Cheryl Johnson
Michael E. Keasler
Barbara Parker Hervey
Charles Holcomb
Cathy Cochran

OK, I may secretly wish that all elected officials were Democrats, but, in reality, that wouldn't be fair. An all Democrat Congress, Senate, White House, and judiciary may serve my interests, but many citizens would be left out. While, I don't agree with most Republican/conservative beliefs, I still feel that all members of society should have a voice.

So, how fair is it that 18 out of 18 of the highest judges in the state are all members of the same party? How fair is it that these judges vote unanimously a good part of the time? I think that issues that are important enough to be brought before these courts of last resort deserves to be viewed from a more diverse perspective. There are four worthy Democrats running for election to Texas's two highest courts this year.

Susan Strawn, Jim Jordan, Sam Houston, Linda Reyna Yanez

Let's start with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which deals with criminal matters. There has been quite a bit of controversy recently surrounding this court. The biggest scandal was the execution of Michael Richard, who was denied a last-minute appeal by Presiding Judge, Sharon Keller because it came in after 5 o'clock. Apparently, even in matters of life and death, closing time is closing time. I'm not going to get into whether the Richard was guilty or innocent, or whether the death penalty is right or wrong, but when there is even an inkling of doubt about anything surrounding a death penalty case, I don't think it is too much to ask that a judge stay at the office a little bit late.

This year's election for the Court of Criminal Appeals really doesn't offer much hope for the prospect of immediate change. There is only one candidate that seems to have potential to bring about this change. Susan Strawn, who is running for Place 3, has been endorsed by the Austin American Statesman, The Dallas Morning News, the Houston Chronicle, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

When asked about the Michael Richard case, Strawn said, "I would have accepted the appeal. One of the principles of our justice system is that the courts are open 24/7. There may be sanctions for unexcused late or frivolous appeals, but these sanctions should fall on the lawyers, not the defendant."

Strawn is running against Tom Price, who is more moderate than many of the right-wing judges on the court, but seems to have a reputation more for his absences than what he has done as a judge.

The two other spots up for election are Place 4, which is currently held by Paul Womack, and Place 9, held by Cathy Cochran. J.R. Molina, a perennial candidate is running against Womack, but has not been endorsed by any major Texas news service. He has been mostly unavailable for interviews and really hasn't campaigned much. According to the Austin American-Statesman, neither man is "fit to hold office." There is no Democrat running against Cochran; her lone challenger is William Strange III, a Libertarian.

Now for the Supreme Court. The three Democrats trying to gain a spot on the all-Republican Supreme Court are Jim Jordan for Chief Justice, Sam Houston for Place 7, and Linda Reyna Yanez for Place 8.

Wallace Jefferson, the current Chief Justice, has done a respectable jobs by almost all accounts. In Place 7, Dale Wainwright has also done his job adequately, with the exception that he is slow and backlogged. In Place 8, Phil Johnson also seems to be doing a good enough job.

However, it is unacceptable that the Texas Supreme Court is so willing to overturn the verdict of juries. They have sided with the defendant 87 percent of the time. This has often benefitted big businesses who, after the Supreme Court rulings, get out of having to pay large settlements.

The Democratic challengers all have solid backgrounds in the judicial system. Despite the argument that judges should not be selected because of their political party affiliations, this is how Texas does it, and this, I admit, is how I am voting this year. All of the candidates seem to be equal besides their party affiliations. If there was a candidate on the Democratic side that was completely unfit to hold office (as J.R. Molina has been said to be) I would not recommend that person. However all three Democrats are good choices, and the need to balance the Texas Supreme Court is valid.

Sam Houston has been endorsed by The Dallas Morning News, the Austin American-Statesman, and the Waco Tribune Herald. Linda Yanez has been endorsed by the Houston Chronicle and the Waco Tribune Herald.

Another issue, which will likely not be changed anytime soon, is whether judges should be elected at all. Many voters know very little about the records of the judges that they are voting for, and vote with their party. It has been suggested by some (including Wallace Jefferson) that the legislature appoint judges, and then the voters decide whether to keep them. Another suggestion (supported by Sam Houston) is that judicial elections be held separately from the general election. Strangely enough, it seems that current member of the Republican high courts do not think that there is anything wrong with the system that put them there.

I am not an expert on legal matters, but Texas Courts have been entirely too one-sided for entirely too long. It is time to bring some diversity to the courts and let the Democrats play.

John McCain's Top Ten Mistakes

The Dallas Morning News printed "McCain's 10 worst ideas" (from foreignpolicy.com) today. Here they are:

Creating a League of Democracies- This could undermine the U.N., according to Thomas Carothers in the July/August issue of Foreign Policy)

Calling for a gas-tax holiday- This would potentially increase demand, which would raise the price of gas, and wouldn't really save us that much money.

Flip-flopping on immigration- McCain was once (to quote Tina Fey as Sarah Palin) pretty "mavericky" on the issue. Now, he sticks to the typical Republican line, "securing borders first," without actually addressing the causes of illegal immigration.

Supporting abstinence-only education and the global gag rule- Okay, people, your kids are having sex. There, I said it. There is no reason that they should suffer for the rest of their lives because they were never taught how to be safe.

Drilling our way out of the oil crisis- One, haven't we destroyed the environment enough? Two, the oil that we drill for today will not make its way to our gas tanks anywhere in the immediate future. By the time that happens, we should have those flying cars that they have been promising us forever.

Balancing the budget through victory in the war on terror- McCain is against setting a timetable for getting out of Iraq, and once said that we would be there for 100 years, if need be. So, it's kinda hard to understand how we are going to save money here.

Making the Bush tax cuts permanent- This is something he has flip-flopped on, as well, saying in 2004, that he did not support the Bush tax cuts "because of the disproportional amount that went to the wealthiest Americans."

Calling for 45 nuclear power plants- This is another plan that will not really have an impact in the immediate future. Sure, we need to be looking toward the future, but there are other avenues to explore.

Backing cap-and-trade without a 100 percent auction- McCain's plan could lead to some businesses getting "sweetheart deals."

Requiring a three-fifths majority to raise taxes- This has not had great results at the state level, so probably wouldn't work federally.


So, these are McCain's 10 worst ideas? I agree that these are all bad ideas, but I think I can do better. Did they really not mention Sarah Palin? With all due respect to the writers at Foreign Policy and their serious journalism, here is my (humorous) take on some of McCain's worst ideas.

Hugging Bush. Seriously, Senator McCain, have you never heard of a side hug?



Using Joe the Plumber's name in vain. Okay, Joe may or may not have been recruited by the Republicans to ask the question heard 'round the world. That's not really important. Joe, if in fact that is his real name (which, as has been recently revealed, is not), has had all of his dirty laundry aired to the public. We know all of his secrets. He's not a licensed plumber, he owes back taxes, and he feels pretty when he puts on his wife's nightie. Who cares? Shouldn't we be worrying about the important things, like the fact that our economy is falling to pieces?

Referring to Obama as "That One." Besides being condescending, this remark pissed a lot of people off. McCain probably did not mean to be insulting, but this reflects poorly on his people skills. I would prefer a president that can be confrontational without being childish.

Blowing off Letterman. Is it just me, or did Letterman absolutely lay the smackdown on McCain? I know that most people laughed at Letterman's reaction to McCain canceling his initial appearance on the show, but check out the transcript. He interrogated McCain about Sarah Palin, McCain's negative campaigning tactics, and much more. Here's part of it:

DL: No, no. I’m just getting started! Now she’s (Sarah Palin) also, she’s the one, I think who says that Barack Obama pals around with terrorists. Has she in fact said that at rallies?
JM: I don’t…yes. And he did. And refused to acknowledge the fact.
DL: Who did he pal around with?
JM: William Ayers who said on 9/11 that he wished that he’d bombed more. OK? His wife was on the Top 10 of FBI’s Most Wanted.
DL: But this all took place…when he was active, Barack Obama was eight years old.
JM: Eight years old. And Mr. Ayers in 2001, September 11, 2001, said, “I wished I had bombed more.” It’s an unrep—
DL: But what is that relationship?
JM: It’s all we need to know. Senator Clinton said, “We need to know about the relationship.” First he said he was just a guy in the neighborhood. And so it’s a matter of trusting the word of someone.
DL: I know. I know.
JM: That’s all.
DL: But you will also admit that we cannot really control who we interact with in our lives 100%.
JM: How long we interact with them and how we interact with them…But the point in this campaign is the economy, the economy and the economy.
DL: But did you not have a relationship with Gordon Liddy?
JM: I met him, you know, I mean…
DL: Didn’t you attend a fund raiser at his house?
JM: Gordon Liddy’s?
DL: How about that Tina Fey?
JM: I know Gordon Liddy. He paid his debt. He went to prison, he paid his debt, as people do. I’m not in any way embarrassed to know Gordon Liddy. And his son, who is also a good friend and supporter of mine.
DL: But you understand that the same case could be made of your relationship with him as being made with William Ayers.
JM: Everything about any relationship that I’ve had I will make completely open and give a complete accounting of. Senator Obama said that he was a guy who lived in the neighborhood. OK, it was more than that.
DL: They served on a committee at one point.
JM: Yes, that gave $230,000 to ACORN which is now involved in what may be one of the great voter frauds in history. It could be. We need to know.
DL: Are they double dating? Are they going to dinner? What are they doing? Are they driving cross country?
JM: Maybe going to Denny’s. Who knows? The Grand Slam…
DL: Now she said “pals around with terrorists.” OK, so alright. Let’s say we give her William Ayers. He was eight and William Ayers was 29. But they palled around.
JM: There’s millions of word said in the campaign. Come on!
DL: But that’s where we live. In politics, isn’t it?
JM: Millions of words. Yes indeed. Look, let’s…

Drum roll, please...

Sarah Palin! If you have read anything that I have posted here, you know how I feel about this woman. She is horrifyingly unqualified and is just a pretty face recruited to reel in uneducated voters. I'm not going to go on and on about Palin (right now), but even McCain has to question his decision for her to be his running-mate when he sees how she is dragging his numbers down.

Honestly, I wanted to list Sarah Palin as every one of McCain's mistakes, but I felt it might be a bit redundant. After all, people vote mostly for the person at the top of the ticket, and the race is between McCain and Obama. The point is, McCain has made mistakes, as has Obama, and I choose to make fun of McCain. See? This is democracy in action, or maybe perhaps its just boredom in action...

Republicans for Obama

Several high-profile Republicans (or maybe recovering Republicans) have endorsed Obama in the past few weeks and months. Perhaps the two biggest surprises recently have been the endorsements of Former Bush Secretary of State, Colin Powell and Former Bush Press Secretary, and son of Carole Keeton Strayhorn (former Republican Texas State Comptroller who ran against her party in the 2006 gubernatorial election) Scott McLellan. These Obama Republicans have often been dubbed "Obamacans" by some. Republicans for Obama includes a comprehensive lists of some of the most important Republican and conservative endorsements. This list includes Powell, McLellan, and several other elected officials, government officials, and columnists, along with their reasons for supporting Obama.

There is the occasional apology to the Republican Party.

Richard Riordan (former mayor of L.A.) said, "I'm still a Republican, but I still will always vote for the person who I think will do the best job."

However, for the most part, the prevaling theme seems to be that Obama is a unifier who will work with both parties toward the common goal of improving our nation.

Michael Smerconish (columnist for the Philadelphia Enquirer) said, "...an Obama presidency holds the greatest chance for unifying us here at home and restoring our prestige around the globe."

Susan Eisenhower (Ike's granddaughter) said, "Given Obama's support among young people, I believe that he will be most invested in defending the interests of these rising generations and, therefore, the long-term interests of this nation as a whole."


Some others cite McCain's "temperament," and lack of judgment, especially in selecting Sarah Palin to be his nominee for VP. Others believe that McCain will be an extension of the disaster that has been the Bush administration.

Whatever the reason, there are some Republicans switching teams. Democrats flocking to the polls to vote for Reagan in the 80s were part of the reason that Reagan had such success. I don't think that Republicans will come out in droves for Obama, but having a few high-profile party members come out for Obama helps to eliminate fear, in the minds of some voters, that Obama is an unthinkable choice.

I was attacked by an old white guy in a suit.

Ok, so I was at the ATM the other night, and an investment banker who had apparently lost everything robbed me at knifepoint. And, if that wasn't bad enough, as he was leaving he turned back and saw the Obama sticker on the back of my car. Ummm, then he said something like, "You're gonna be McCain's now," and punched me in the face. Or the back of the head. Okay, he punched me in the back of the head, and as I was lying facedown on the pavement, he carved a "J" into my cheek. Wait, he punched me in the face, and carved a "J" into the back of my head, or my cheek. Maybe I wasn't at the ATM at all. Okay, so I was leaving work the other night when a crazy old man carved Sarah Palin's initials into my forehead, stole my car, kidnapped me and took me to Alaska...so I could see Russia. I swear.

Wait, maybe that didn't happen.

However, Ashley Todd, a McCain volunteer from Texas (why are all the crazies from Texas?) claimed that she was mugged at knifepoint in Pittsburgh while at the ATM. The attacker, a tall black man with patent leather shoes, stole Todd's money, and was leaving the scene when he saw that she had a McCain sticker on her car. Apparently, this angered the assailant so badly that he punched Todd in the back of the head, and carved a "B" on her cheek. After refusing medical attention, Todd received quite a bit of attention. For starters, she received calls from McCain and Palin themselves, wishing her a speedy recovery. Also, she received lots of attention from law enforcement when some of the details of her story didn't quite make sense.

As of yesterday, the media and police are saying that the whole story is false. Todd carved the "B" on her own face, and according to The Smoking Gun, she posted the message, "Stubbornly searching for a bank of america to avoid ATM fees" to Twitter right before the attack. And shortly after, she mentioned that she had been on the "wrong side of Pittsburgh." I suppose that she thought this would set the scence for a made-up mugging...

So this girl is crazy and her story is fake, and a little comical. Still, this just underscores the point that some of us have been making all along, that most attacks on Obama from McCain supporters (not McCain himself) are based on race and fear, and not his politics. Think about it. I'm sure that there are some people who believed that this "attack" actually happened. Maybe Ashley Todd thinks that if some people believe that she was attacked by a rabid Obama supporter, that they will be afraid of similar attacks.

My God, if Obama is elected, maybe people like the guy with the knife and patent leather shoes will run the government. I bet this attacker was a Muslim, as well.

Anyway, I didn't really get mugged by an old white guy in a suit, but maybe, just maybe, if enough people believe that I did, I will get a call from Obama...

With all the buzz about what Palin's been wearing...

Ah, Sarah Palin, you make it too easy.

Here's a picture (from jezebel.com) of Palin wearing a donkey-emblazoned scarf at a recent rally.

So, while some Palin-supporters are arguing that someone gave the scarf to her at the rally, and while I agree that this Republican fashion faux pas is not as important as her views on how to be an executive, this is just one more strike against Sarah Palin.

Have we not learned our lesson from Bush?

Sure, some of these little mistakes are cute or funny on the campaign trail, but what happens if Sarah Palin has to step up and be president? Do we want another four years of mispronunciations (it's nu-cle-ar, for God's sake) and "misunderestimations?"

I am warning you, Sarah Palin is George W. Bush with a Yankee accent.

Rolling Stone Interview with Barack Obama

The latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine features a half-hour interview with Obama about "how George W. Bush screwed up, why John McCain turned ugly, and what he's learned from Bill Clinton." The interview captures both Obama's enthusiasm and exhaustion, and, of course, outlines Obama's plans for Iraq, the economy and the White House.

Here are some of the highlights.

RS: The campaign has taken a nasty turn in the past few weeks. Has it changed your opinion of McCain personally, the way he's run his campaign?
Obama: I just think he wants to win. And I think he's decided that the environment's not a good one for Republicans, so he's going to do what he thinks is necessary. I am surprised that he would hire people who are aonnected to the same kind of destructive politics that bush directed at him in 2000.
RS: Were you disturbed by the disdain he exhibited toward you during the first debate?
Obama: No. I think that's a sign that we must be doing pretty well.

RS: Is there anything you feel you can learn from him (Bill Clinton), as a candidate and as a person?
Obama: Oh, I've already learned a lot from him...Bill Clinton did a lot to make Democrats seem like they were in touch with the ordinary aspirations of a great number of Americans. That, I think, stopped the hemorrhaging of independent voters and Reagan Democrats into the Republican Party, and gave us the space and the opportunity to start reaching out to them. So I'm still in debt to Bill Clinton for what he accomplished.

If you're in the White House and could install any one play toy--bowling alley, water polo--what would it be?

Obama: Basketball court. If we can get an indoor basketball court, I'd be happy.

Obama on education: One of the ironic things about the war in Iraq, as well as this Treasury rescue plan, is that it reminds us that when we feel a sense of urgency about something, we spend an awful lot of money. And the amount of money required to educate every child and send them to college pales in comparison to the amount of money that we're spending on things that could have been avoided had we made better decisions.

Obama on being underestimated: No point in having them see you coming.

Random interview quotes: GQ says I'm pretty well-dressed, but Michelle scoffs at this because she sees patches on my pants.

...this is going to be a transistional moment for the United States. We have these moments periodically. Obviously, I wish that the Bush administration had not run things into the ground so bad, but no matter what, we would have had some big decisions to make (at the beginning of his potential presidency).

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While there is really nothing new in this interview, and while it probably won't change any minds, it's still a good read. The interview took place on Barack and Michelle Obama's 16th anniversary, and Obama jokes about the present that he got for his wife, saying that she may or may not like it. Plus, Obama's admission to owning a worn-out pair of shoes and patched pants provides a nice contrast to the extravagant Republican wardrobe.

Also, as a broke and struggling college student, I enjoyed reading more about his plans for education, which include a $4,000 tuition credit in exchange for 100 hours of community service. I think this is a fair exchange, and will provide young people with a more balanced college experience.

Evolution and the Texas SBOE

This year, as in previous years, there is a debate raging over evolution vs. creation, which to some, myself included, boils down to whether we choose to enfore the separation of church and state. Science curriculum is about to undergo a major change, and the current practice of teaching the "strengths and weaknesses" of scientific theories may not stand. This method, while providing education about theories like evolution, also opens the door for the study of the supernatural. Since schools ultimately have to meet standards set by the government, the separation of church and state applies here. This is not to say that schools should cold and godless places for children, but the rights of religious minorites should be protected. Much of the debate surrounding this year's election of the State Board of Education reflects this.

According to The League of Women Voters part of the SBOE's job is to "establish goals for the public school system and adopts and promotes four-year plans for meeting those goals." Oh, and they don't get paid for it. So, this seems to be a thankless job that doesn't pay the bills, and sometimes involves controversial decisions. Here are the candidates in this year's race:

District 2: composed of Aransas, Calhoun, Cameron, Goliad, Hidalgo, Jackson, Kennedy, Kleberg, Matagorda, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Victoria, Wharton, and Willacy counties.

Peter Johnston (R)- supports discussing "strengths and weaknesses" of any theory, and said "let the fittest theory survive." So, has hope that evolution might be disproven.
Mary Helen Berlanga (D)- according to Texas Monthly, once called fellow board member, Don McLeroy "criminally insane." Read more about McLeroy later. She might be right. Says in the LWV Voter Guide," The most pressing issue is how the board is being run by a majority of individuals with a very narrow social conservative agenda."

District 6: composed of Harris county.

Terri Leo (R)- one of the more conservative members of the current board.
Mary Ann Bryan (L)-A true Libertarian, wants all of the decisions to be left to individual schools, saying about the evolution issue, " it's terrible that the State Board of Education even has to consider this question."

District 7: composed of Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Harris, and Jefferson counties.

David Bradley (R)
Laura Ewing (D)- Has a well organized website, good and rational ideas, and seems the complete opposite of her opponent, David Bradley, who seems like a total nutjob.
Richard Johnson (L)

District 8: composed of Angelina, Bowie, Cass, Gregg, Hardin, Harrison, Jasper, Liberty, Marion, Montgomery, Morris, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Panola, Polk, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Smith, Trinity, and Tyler counties.

Barbara Cargill (R)- East Texas conservative who will probably be reelected. It doesn't look like her opponent is putting up much of a fight. Supports the "strengths and weaknesses" method of teaching evolution.
Kim Stroman (L)

District 11: composed of Ellis, Johnson, Parker, and Tarrant counties.

Patricia Hardy (R)- She seems to be a swing vote on the board. Hardy is a Republican, but not a rabid conservative.
Bruce Beckman (L)- Says that, in addition to supporting the separation of church and state, he also supports the separation of "science and state." This sounds nice; why not keep the government out of science classrooms, but do we really want to keep science out of the government? Isn't that what George W. Bush has done? Let's destroy the environment, deny global warming, and pretend that the earth is 6,000 years old. That idea works both ways.

District 13: composed of Dallas and Tarrant counties.

Cindy Werner (R)- Supports teaching the "strengths and weaknesses" of scientific theories. Hate to keep bringing this up, but this seems to be the Republican State Board of Ed member's equivalent of pleading the fifth.
Mavis Best Knight (D)- Supports sex education, lowering the drop-out rate, is against teaching Intelligent Design, and basically opposes most of what the conservative "bloc" supports. In short, she sounds like a perfectly rational person.

District 14: composed of Archer, Bell, Bosque, Clay, Comanche, Cooke, Coryell, Denton, Eastland, Erath, Grayson, Hamilton, Hill, Hood, Jack, Lampasas, McLennan, Mills, Montague, Palo Pinto, Somervell, Stephens, Wichita, Wise, and Young counties.

Gail Lowe (R)- Blah, blah, blah, strengths and weaknesses...more on her later...
Edra Bogle (D)- What a cool lady! I would like to meet Edra Bogle. First of all, she actually provides examples for the evolution question, saying that the evidence is everywhere, from fossils to drug-resistant bacteria. She mentions that U.S. students trail the international community in science scores, and that we need to catch up to stay competitive. Is against "teaching to the test," and has a strong educational background. Led the way, as a chair of a local PFLAG chapter, to pass an anti-bullying and anti-discrimination policy at local schools.
Here's a quote from her website:

"Do we want to be like those “scientists” of the Renaissance who rejected heliocentrism—the belief that the earth goes around the sun? What would our understanding of the universe be like if we still taught that the earth is fixed in place at the center of everything, and that the planets and stars revolve around it? Copernicus developed mathematical reasons refuting this belief in the early 1500’s, but was forced to recant. Over a century later Galileo was held under house arrest by the Inquisition for advocating Copernican theory, in spite of the evidence supplied by better telescopes. Not until well along into the 1700’s was the overwhelming evidence that the earth revolves around the sun accepted."

I wish I could vote for her.

John Shuey (L)- He calls evolution the "single most important scientific discovery ever," and seems to have some good ideas, but, if I lived 20 miles to the south, my vote would solidly be for Bogle.

This is the race that is getting the most attention in my area. I am actually not voting for this one, since apparently the District that my county falls under is not being contested this year. However, there have been several letters to the editor that I have noticed about Gail Lowe and her views about evolution.

Here is what she had to say on the topic:

"Evolution continues to be a prevailing theory in science. For almost 20 years Texas has required high school biology students to learn about evolution and the strengths and limitations of this theory. I support that position."--from the LWV Voter Guide

Hmmm. She doesn't seem to be a cheerleader for evolution, but she isn't arguing against it, at least not here. Let's take a closer look.

The SBOE is currently composed of 15 members, 10 Republicans and 5 Democrats, and some of them are running for reelection in this year's race. They are:

District 1: Rene Nunez (D)
District 2: Mary Helen Berlanga (D)
District 3: Rick Agosto (D)
District 4: Lawrence A. Allen, Jr. (D)
District 5: Ken Mercer (R)
District 6: Terri Leo (R)
District 7: David Bradley (R)
District 8: Barbara Cargill (R)
District 9: Don McLeroy (R)
District 10: Cynthia Noland Dunbar (R)
District 11: Patricia Hardy (R)
District 12: Geraldine Miller (R)
District 13: Mavis Best Knight (D)
District 14: Gail Lowe (R)
District 15: Bob Craig (R)

It was mentioned in the Dallas Morning News that there is a "seven-member bloc from the far right" already in place on the board. The election of one more social conservative has some worried that we will begin to see evolution being replaced by creationism in schools, abstinence-only education, and so on. Is this a valid concern?

A little research seems to show that the seven right-wingers are:

• Don McLeroy. His argument for teaching creationism in schools is that "what can stop science is an irrefutable preconception. Anytime you attempt to limit possible explanations in science, it is then that you get your science stopper." So since anything is possible in science, by his reasoning, we could teach any creation story in science classes. Why not teach the Hindu story of creation or a Native American story? The answer is that, while believers of these faiths have...well, faith, there is nothing scientific to study here. Why should we assume that everyone has faith in the Christian story of creation? There are countless creation stories out there, and until we have empirical evidence to support any of them, they shouldn't be taught in science classes.
• Gail Lowe. Her website doesn't offer much substance, but says that she is for traditional values, and so on. So, here are some of her achievements. She was named "Conservative of the Year" by the Lampasas County Conservative Club, a "nonpartisan" organization, which I'm sure is just loaded with Democrats and she supports the First Amendment, but believes that it is not a school's "duty" to teach religion, but also supports elective Bible courses. She does not seem to support the teaching of any other religious text.
• Cynthia Noland Dunbar
• Barbara Cargill
• Terri Leo
• David Bradley. One of his more childish displays was to rip a book apart and "reject" it.
• Ken Mercer

Texas Monthly recently posted a quiz about the SBOE that you can check out here. Check out a few sample questions and answers.

In March the board debated creating a book list of more than 150 literary works that would be recommended for the classroom. After some critics noted the small number of works by authors from different cultures, McLeroy told the San Antonio Express-News, “You really don’t want Chinese books with a bunch of crazy Chinese words in them. Why should you take a child’s time trying to learn a word that they’ll never ever use again?” Which of the following Chinese words or phrases did McLeroy admit could be useful for a child to learn?

A. Chow mein.

B. Kung Fu Panda.

C. Adios, mofo.

D. Ni hao ma? (How are you?)

Why did former Republican board member Cynthia Thornton, who did not run for reelection in 2006, request and receive extra security from the armed Capitol guards at board meetings?

A. She had received death threats from the radical pro-evolution group the Darwinners.

B. A socially conservative Republican member had physically threatened her for not voting in a bloc.

C. She was concerned that the crowds of angry protesters who frequently attend the board meetings were likely to riot.

D. She had become convinced that a gorilla was stalking her.

I did not originally intend for this post to be so long; I just wanted to give a rundown of what I thought was one of the more boring races in this election. However, I found that the races for the SBOE are quite interesting. As a biology major, the evolution issue is near and dear to my heart, and I hope that we will elect board members who will defend it.

Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama

General Colin Powell, Bush's former Secretary of State and a moderate Republican, officially endorsed Barack Obama on Meet the Press Sunday morning. Here is part of what he said:

"So, when I look at all of this and I think back to my Army career, we've got two individuals, either one of them could be a good president. But which is the president that we need now? Which is the individual that serves the needs of the nation for the next period of time? And I come to the conclusion that because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America, because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities--and we have to take that into account--as well as his substance--he has both style and substance--he has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president. I think he is a transformational figure. He is a new generation coming into the world--onto the world stage, onto the American stage, and for that reason I'll be voting for Senator Barack Obama."

Read the entire transcript here.

This news has started a tidal wave of discussion from both sides. Most Obama supporters (myself included) are excited about this endorsement, while many McCain supporters view it as a loss. This endorsement has brought about some controversy, however.

One article states that Powell's support of Obama actually hurts the Democrats because Powell's views are too conservative to help Obama out. I actually think that being endorsed by a Republican, and a former member of the Bush administration, is a huge testimony to Obama's ability to reach across party lines and attract a wide variety of support.

At the other end of the spectrum, there is Rush Limbaugh. I don't usually pay attention to Rush because I know it will only piss me off, but here is what he said:

"Okay. Transformational figure, that term is being thrown around as though messianic, all kinds of great new things, this change and so forth. Transformational can be bad as well. Why is Palin not transformational? Why is it only Obama? That proves, for the rest of you in the media, if you didn't hear it the first time, Powell, nomination of Obama is about race, R-A-C-E, it is about race, and you can quote me."

I'm not even going to go into that. Rush Limbaugh is just a jackass.

All in all, I do not believe that Powell's support of Obama is a "game-changer," as they say, but I don't think it hurts Obama. Colin Powell is a true war hero and patriot. I think he, like many others, acted on false information in initially going along with invading Iraq, but he has, in my eyes, redeemed himself. He was seemingly the lone opponent of the war in the first place, and tried to talk Bush out of going to war, but he was simply outnumbered. He has been called "The Reluctant Warrior" because of his preference of diplomacy over military action. In fact, his "test" for military involvement, known by some as the "Powell Doctrine," includes questions as to whether all other non-violent measures have been considered, whether there is a valid exit strategy, and whether military action is supported by the American people and the international community.

While some are saying that Powell's conservative views are more of a liability for Obama, my opinion is that he is just barely a Republican. My understanding is that Powell, a career military man, was a reluctant politician. He had to choose a party, and he chose the GOP. However, unlike most of his fellow Republicans, he is pro-choice, in favor of gun control, and supports rights for detainees. During his time as a member of the Bush administration, he often tangled with Cheney and Rumsfeld. Finally, in a move that makes me want to high five the old soldier, Powell repotedly called the neoconservatives in the Bush administration a bunch of "fucking crazies." He expressed concern in yesterday's interview that the Republican party was moving too far to the right, and that McCain's pick of Sarah Palin as his vice president was evidence of that.

For those of you who are tired of this election being about race and religion (think of all the "Obama's a Muslim" concerns) here is what General Powell had to say:

"I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, "He's a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists." This is not the way we should be doing it in America. I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery, and she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards--Purple Heart, Bronze Star--showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death. He was 20 years old. And then, at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross, it didn't have the Star of David, it had crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, and he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he can go serve his country, and he gave his life. Now, we have got to stop polarizing ourself in this way. And John McCain is as nondiscriminatory as anyone I know. But I'm troubled about the fact that, within the party, we have these kinds of expressions."

So with all the buzz about the buzz surrounding the Powell endorsement, some are wondering if there is a spot in an Obama administration for the general. Obama said this morning that he would have a role in the administration. I think that serving under Obama would be the ultimate redemption for Colin Powell and the chance to make things right in Iraq.

So you think you know who's running for president?

I picked up a copy of the League of Women Voters Guide to the ’08 General Election today. My first surprise was that there are some men in the League of Women Voters. That’s not really important, just interesting. Anyway, I always knew there were write-in candidates in presidential elections, but no one really pays that much attention to them. So, although, I have made up my mind (Go Obama!), I thought I would do some research on the write-ins and the Libertarian on the ticket. Here they are:

Bob Barr (Libertarian)

VP: Wayne Allyn Root

My understanding of the Libertarian Party is that they support minimal government and strong civil liberties. So they are kinda like socially liberal Republicans, or maybe fiscally conservative Democrats, or…something like that. So, when I’m reading about Bob Barr, this year’s Libertarian nominee, I’m wondering why he isn’t just a conservative Republican. This is the guy who was a leader in the Clinton impeachment. Oral sex could technically be considered a civil liberty, and yet, Barr led the way in trying to oust Clinton. He has also voted to outlaw medical marijuana, voted FOR the Patriot Act, FOR the Defense of Marriage Act, FOR the Iraq War, and FOR banning certain religious practices in the military. Most of these things he has come to regret. Here’s an interesting tidbit: Barr appeared in the movie Borat.

Ralph Nader (Independent/Independent-Ecology Party/Peace & Freedom Party/Natural Law Party)

VP: Matt Gonzales

Honestly, I really don’t have a strong opinion about Ralph Nader. I think the good and the bad cancel each other out. All of the “good” stuff that he advocates, alternative energy, conservation, safety in the workplace, disability rights, clean drinking water, women’s rights, and the list goes on, can’t help me get over the perception that he somehow stole the Presidency from the Democrats in 2000. I was way too young to get it then, but looking back, and thinking about how differently things might have been had Gore won Florida, makes me a little angry. I know every analyst says that Bush would have won anyway, but still…It seems that Ralph Nader is a good guy that stands up for those who often can’t stand up for themselves, but let’s hope that he doesn’t get too many of Obama’s votes...

Brian Moore (Socialist Party USA)

VP: Stewart Alexander

Before reading about this party, I wasn’t sure that Socialism was even a valid political party in the U.S. Basically, Brian Moore is antiwar, supports socialized medicine, boosting the employment rate, and providing housing for all citizens. Moore comes from a humanitarian background, working in the Peace Corps in his youth. The former Democrat has called for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney. The problems with Socialism include poorer quality healthcare, even if it is more affordable, and a drop in “morale” in workers. The argument is that if everyone is guaranteed their slice of the pie, why work for it? A classless society seems nice on paper, but it doesn’t really work. We do have a problem with the rich getting richer while the poor struggle, and Obama did use the phrase “spread the wealth around,” but he’s not a Socialist. Obama wants to stop giving tax breaks to the rich. In a Socialist society, there would be no rich at all. Even for a broke college student like me, I don’t think that putting an end to the American Dream is the answer.

Alan Keyes (Independent/American Independent Party/America’s Independent Party)

VP: Wiley Drake

Where to start? Keyes has run three times for president, in 1996, 2000, and 2008. Needless to say, he hasn’t won yet. He also ran for the U.S. Senate in Illinois, despite never having lived in the state, and despite criticizing Hillary Clinton for doing just about the same thing when she ran for the Senate as a New Yorker. He lost the Senate race, by a landslide, by an up-and-coming politician named…Barack Obama. The Obama-Keyes race got pretty ugly, according to Obama in The Audacity of Hope, so maybe Keyes is out for a little revenge in 08? But then again, maybe not. Anyway, dude’s a little bit crazy, and has seen his share of controversy in his political career. Finally, something that’s not relevant, only ironic: like all good conservatives, he has a lesbian daughter that he has reportedly disowned.

Cynthia McKinney (Green Party)

VP: Rosa Clemente

Cynthia McKinney takes a lot of interesting positions. To me, it seems that she has constantly teetered on the edge of insanity during her congressional career. For instance, she has proposed that details regarding the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. be made available to the public. Okay, this makes sense. People should be able to learn more about the death of a historical and inspirational figure…I can see that. Then, however, she goes through the same motions for Tupac Shakur. Maybe she was trying to make the point that we invest too much time worrying about celebrities, or maybe she was trying to suggest that Tupac isn’t dead. After all, new music from him surfaces all the time, but I just think that with all of the things we have going on, the war, the economy, whatever, don’t we have better things to worry about? She, like Brian Moore, has introduced articles to impeach Bush and Cheney, and she did the same for Condoleezza Rice.

Jonathan Allen (Independent/HeartQuake)

Can’t find too many specifics on this guy, other than that he is a businessman, who believes that his candidacy is a breath of fresh air from the broken two-party system that we currently have and that, if voters really want change, they should vote for him. I don’t think there is anything wrong with running for president just for the hell of it…unless you actually win. Then people have to listen to you stumble through speeches for eight long years wondering if all Texans are retarded, and watch an ill-conceived war unfold that never should have happened. Then I have a problem with it.

Chuck Baldwin (Constitution Party)

VP: Darrell L. Castle

Without knowing anything about this guy, or the Constitution Party, I was thinking that someone who represents a party with the word “Constitution” in its name might have some good ideas. I was wrong. It seems that Baldwin is against most of the “good” things that we associate with our Constitution (remember when it was more than a “goddamned piece of paper?”). Here are some things and people that this candidate opposes:

• abortion
• women in the military
• Barack Obama
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Abraham Lincoln (according to Baldwin, he is one of the two worst presidents in history, alongside Woodrow Wilson.)

Okay, so he sounds like your average conservative. And a racist. But here are some more people that he is against:

• George W. Bush (too liberal)
• Dick Cheney
• John McCain
• Sarah Palin
• Jerry Falwell (doesn’t it seem like Falwell would be right up his alley?)
• Mike Huckabee.

So, what does he like? Apparently, racial profiling and the Confederacy. This guy sounds quite unpleasant…The more I read about him, the more I like Sarah Palin (gasp!) Oh, and he’s a Baptist minister. I wonder how many of his parishioners are convinced that they are going straight to hell?

Thaddeus Hill (Madisonian Federalist Party)

I’m not even sure this guy has a website, or a MySpace, or anything, but why not run for president anyway? I can almost hear the drunken conversation at the frat party now... "What the hell? It’ll be fun! And Madisonian Federalism sounds smart, so let’s go for it!!!" I wonder if someone has to do a shot everytime the economy is mentioned?

Some other “notable” candidates that are either on the ballot or are qualified write-ins in other states are:

Charles Jay (Boston Tea Party/Personal Choice Party)
Ran in 2004 with a female porn star, strongly advocates gambling. Although most of his campaign seems to be a joke, he is an advocate of getting young people involved in the political process. That’s respectable enough.

Jack Grimes (United Fascist Union)
I am hoping to God that this is meant to be satirical…Hopefully, if this guy was serious he could at least afford his own domain name.

Jonathon “The Impaler” Sharkey (Vampire, Witches, and Pagan Party)
This one’s pretty self-explanatory.

Gene Amondson (Prohibition Party)
I didn’t really even have to look this one up to know that I don’t like it. His website does have video of him being interviewed by Jon Stewart, which should be pretty funny, but, at least to me, prohibition is nothing to joke about.

Cris Ericson (Marijuana Party)
This is super-self-explanatory.

So, while I fully support Barack Obama, and encourage you to do the same, this is just to let you know that there are options. While they range from amusing to horrifying, isn’t is great that, as Americans, we are free to run for the highest political office in the land under almost any platform that we choose? I think that says a lot about us a nation. Also, no matter how stupid the rest of the world considers us, we should hold our heads high knowing that, at least this time, one of these idiots will (most likely) not be elected.


League of Women Voters
List of Independent, Third Party, and Write-In Candidates
And, of course, Wikipedia

This is the first of what will probably be many rants during the next few weeks...

**Disclaimer: For those of you that are tired of hearing me bitch about politics (specifically about Republicans), please do yourself a favor, and don't read this. I don't really care if you read it anyway, but I just need to blow off some steam. This way is better than telling the first person that I see at work, or school, or whatever, and risking offending someone.**

I have seen several things in the past few days that have really pissed me off. Here they are.

1.) Blatant Racism Directed Towards Barack Obama

The late Barbara Jordan once said, "One thing is clear to me: We, as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves." That was 1994.

Fast forward to 2008. A man holds a monkey doll with an Obama sticker at a McCain rally. Another man screams "kill him" when Obama's name is mentioned. At another rally, a woman insists that Obama is an "Arab," despite McCain's half-hearted attempts to convince her otherwise. At Sarah Palin's speaking events, things are getting even nastier and, apparently, speaking out against racism is not something that she has rehearsed.

I am not suggesting that McCain himself is a racist, but by taking his campaign negative, abandoning the issues, and questioning not only Obama's character, but seemingly his very essence, McCain has basically invited the crazies and the racists to come out of the woodwork. It is probably for the best that the congresswoman is no longer around to see how little progress we have made.

2.) Sarah Palin Shutting Down a Protester

At one of Palin's rallies the other day, some guy yelled out something, probably about the war in Iraq. She responded by saying something like, "Bless your heart, my son is fighting in Iraq for your right to protest."

Okay, let me first say that I support our troops 100%. That is precisely the reason that I would like to see them out of Iraq. We are not fighting for our saftey, or for our rights; we are fighting because Bush wanted to fight.

I hear people say that our soldiers are dying in Iraq so we can have free speech, or so that we can listen to dirty music, or whatever conservatives are complaining about at the moment, and this is a great soundbite in support of the war. But think about it critically for a moment. Iraq did not attack us on 9/11. Plus, and this is what gets me the most, our right to free speech was granted in 1791 when the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution. Freedom of speech is not something that we are fighting to obtain; we already have it, and it has been around a long time.* Has Sarah Palin never heard of the 1960s? Or the 1970s?

While I admire her son (and Joe Biden's son) and every other person who has chosen to serve in the armed forces, I would rather see them home. They are fighting because people who have had everything handed to them their entire lives decided that they would fight. It's not about free speech or any other American ideal.

*Proof: an anti-war poem written in 1933, "The Unknown Soldier" by Billy Rose. Part of it goes: "I wonder if the kings, who planned it all/ Are really satisfied?/ They played their game of checkers/ And eleven million died."
I guess history really does repeat itself.

3.) Shut Up and Sing

I watched "Shut Up and Sing," a documentary about the aftermath of Natalie Maines's (of the Dixie Chicks) comment that she was ashamed that President Bush was from Texas. First off, this happened in 2003, when his approval ratings were sky high. People went crazy. They burned Dixie Chicks CDs, held protests, and made death threats. One old hillbilly made a remark to the effect of "Free speech is great as long as you don't criticize the government." That's what the Nazis said.

Anyway, Bush is doing so great in the public opinion arena lately, so the Dixie Chicks have mostly been forgiven. But I am still appalled that people freaked out so much. I hate to say this, but their fans (probably about the same demographic as NASCAR fans) are ignorant. I am from the South, but many Southerners make my skin crawl. True, I have a bit of an accent, but I don't think like a Texan at all. I have to question the intelligence and overall competence of a person who, in 2008, is still afraid of those who are different from themselves. Speaking of that...keep reading.

4.) Rebel Flags...Everywhere

If I never see a confederate flag again, I would be just fine. People who wear them, have them over the gun rack in their truck, or have tattoos of them say that it's not a racist thing, it's a historical reminder of the South. Ok, you ignorant hick, what was the Civil War about? Southerners thought they had the right to own people and use them as workhorses. Oh, that is something to be proud of. I want someone to explain to me exactly what Southern pride is, and why it has nothing to do with racism because I don't buy it. So you like country music, ride horses, and have a Texas drawl? Okay, but why must you revive a symbol that should have died a long time ago?

Oh, and by the way, the South probably isn't gonna rise again...Someone told me that the other day, and I wondered what that meant. I hear it all the time, and I know where it comes from, but really, the only literal meaning that I can take from that is that Southerners want to own slaves again. That's really the only thing that they lost in the Civil War and haven't gotten back...
Ignorant, inbred rednecks...

5.) Sarah Palin...In General

Okay, she's pretty. She's a hockey mom, with 75 children, that can see Russia from her house. Good for her. She is also barely literate and completely incompetent. You people are afraid of Obama? Imagine life with Sarah Palin in the White House. Imagine Dick Cheney, only not as smart, and continually winking at you as she screws you over. If anything were to happen, and McCain was unable to lead, this woman would be our PRESIDENT. I don't think that people realize that. Most people think that the VP is unimportant...until they have to step up and lead. Sarah Palin's looks or parental status do not qualify her to be the leader of the free world.
We can't take another four years of this...we would have the same president with a different accent.

Ok, I'm done and I feel much better, until I have to watch Fox "news" at the gym, or read an editorial that pisses me off. In that case, as Sarah Palin would say with a wink, I'll get back to ya!

My first post!!!

Ok, I have recently realized that my MySpace was getting to be a bit too politically charged lately. With all of the excitement surrounding the presidential race, and what is turning into a vice-presidential race, I realize that I might have gone overboard with the political ranting blogs. I'm sorry (not really, but it sounds nice).

I have decided to put all of my thoughts about the upcoming election here instead of on my MySpace blog. This is where I will post all of my daily thoughts on current events. I will continue to post any major exciting (or depressing) news on MySpace, but I am going to put all of the boring stuff that no one really cares about here. Enjoy!