Shameful approach by the McCain campaign

As the presidential election draws closer, it seems to me that the McCain campaign is getting uglier and uglier.  The truth is elusive, and at this point doesn't matter at all to the McCain people.  There only rallying point has become that Obama is inexperienced, that Obama is a Muslim, that Obama has ties to terrorists, that Obam this and Obama that.  Well, McCain, rather than dwell on Obama, how about telling us about yourself?  How about how you became involved in politics.  How about your ties to Charles Keating?  How about your lack of judgement in picking Sarah Palin as your running mate?  Just the other day I heard Rush gushing about Sarah!  That's enough to send me to the polls twice!  I've seen the TV ad where it is pointed out that the first time there is a crisis it will be the first time Obama occupies the Oval Office under heat.  May I ask, "How many times has John McCain faced a crisis in the Oval Office?"  And worse yet, what shape would our country be in if Sarah Palin sat in that chair?  The woman doesn't even know the contents of the First Amendment.  She recently used the First Amendment as an example of how the media has been critical of her.  Excuse me, Mrs. P., but the First Amendment allows the media to say exactly that.  So you obviously have it backwards. But she has shown a lack of understanding on the level of a grade school student when it comes to the Constitution, current events, foreign relations, the current financial crisis, and on and on. Now she seems to have disappeared as the last few days of the campaign wind down.  Obviously that have decided to shut her up before the other foot disappears down her throat.

While driving to work the other day I noticed a crowd on a major street corner near my work. They were McCain supporters waving their signs and having a great time.  That's fine.  But, one sign read, "Obama kills babies."  That's just obnoxious and reflects the mentality of so many McCain supporters.  Shameful stuff, indeed.

PHANTASTIC!!!

World Series!

2008 World champions!

A great day for Phillies fans the world over!

GO PHILLIES!!!

In anticipation of tonight's continuation of game 5 of the 2008 World Series, there is only one thing to write about...

GO PHILLIES!!!

The $1.99 special

We went to breakfast at a restaurant where the 'seniors' special' was two eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast for $1.99.

'Sounds good,' my wife said. 'But I don't want the eggs.'

'Then, I'll have to charge you two dollars and forty-nine cents because you're ordering a la carte,' the waitress warned her.

'You mean I'd have to pay for not taking the eggs?' my wife asked incredulously.

'YES!!' stated the waitress.

'I'll take the special then.' my wife said.

'How do you want your eggs?' the waitress asked.

'Raw and in the shell,' my wife  replied.

She took the two eggs home and baked a cake.

      

DON'T MESS WITH SENIORS!!!

WE'VE been around the block more than once!  

Selig-ball

What was baseball thinking?  What was Bud Selig thinking?  

Why was game 5 of the World Series even started last night?  It was raining, but not just raining. Pouring rain.  The elements were in control rather than the players.  It was a joke.  How can you have a well played game in front of a big TV audience when sure handed Jimmy Rollins looks up in the sky to catch an easy pop-up and then drops it because of wind and rain?  It's not good baseball, and not good for baseball.  Then came the top of the sixth inning.  On a field that Noah would have recognized, the Rays tied the score.  BJ Upton bravely stole second base.  His slide across the mud soaked infield dirt was a thing of beauty, if you are a duck.  The, after the Rays tied the score, Selig suspends the game.  

The problem I have is that by starting the game, and then suspending it, the Phillies lost their by far best pitcher.  Had the game not started Cole Hamels would have been available to start the game whenever the weather cleared, be it Tuesday or whenever.  Now Hamels is gone.  The only advantage for the Phillies is that they have four at bats, twelve outs, while the Rays will have three at bats, nine outs, to win the game.

The bullpens will be alive from the outset.  Hopefully Selig's brain will be alive, too.

Fox Ball and the World Series

Last night's World Series game started at 10pm Eastern time.  It ended almost four hours later.  Despite the wonderful outcome, it had me thinking about why kids don't play baseball in the inner city any more.  I was born and raised and lived my entire working adult life in Philadelphia, so I belive I qualify to pass some judgement on what is wrong with starting a World Series game at ten o'clock at night.  Kids won't watch it!  Very simple indeed.

When I was a young Phillies fan, going back to ancient history, we all watched the World Series from first pitch to last.  The reason was simple.  The games were on during the day time.  TV did not control the game of baseball the way it does today.  Watching the games on TV brought baseball into your home at a time kids could watch.  Those black and white images were magical. Don Larson pitching a perfect game; would Sandy Koufax pitch on Yom Kippur, 1960 Bill Mazeroski, Mantle and Maris, all in bright sunlight.  As kids we all wanted to be big leaguers. Inner city kids played stick ball, half ball, wall ball, wiffle ball, and hard ball.  If we didn't have enough kids we'd play on half the field.  If there weren't any kids around you'd throw a pimple ball at a box drawn on a wall.  You'd imagine Harry the Horse Anderson at bat, or Willie Puddin Head Jones, or Stosh Lopata.  You would put to memory all their stats from the back of their baseball card.  And rot your teeth from the thick slab of pink gum stuck inside every pack of cards.

Today you don't see groups of kids playing pick up games of baseball.  Even in the best of weather.  You'll see inner city kids playing basketball, or maybe even touch football.  But I can't remember the last time I saw two kids playing step ball or stick ball in the street.

The games at night are for adults.  Certainly an East Coast matchup like the Phillies and Rays will draw die hard baseball fans to watch on TV.  But the casual fans, the kids, won't be up to watch.  

And baseball suffers at the hands of Fox.  Bud Selig pretends to be the commissioner.  The real commissioner is Fox.

More of the Same

From FOX News:

"In an October 23 blog post on FoxNews.com's The Fox Forum, Fox News executive vice president John Moody wrote of the alleged violent attack against McCain campaign volunteer Ashley Todd: "It had to happen. Less than two weeks before we vote for a new president, a white woman says a black man attacked her, then scarred her face, and says there was a political motive for it."

"If the incident turns out to be a hoax, Senator [John] McCain's quest for the presidency is over, forever linked to race-baiting."

From CBS News

(CBS/AP) A John McCain campaign volunteer made up a story of being robbed, pinned to the ground and having the letter "B" scratched on her face in a politically inspired attack, police said Friday. 

Ashley Todd, 20-year-old college student from College Station, Texas, admitted Friday that the story was false, police said. 

I realize that McCain-Palin supporters will blow this off as nothing more than a crazed campaign worker and twenty minutes of fame.  It is much more than that.  It is yet another sad attempt by the McCain people to win this election no matter what it takes.  This is a sad comment on a man who holds himself up as a true America.

AT&T

Today my internet service went down.  I have DSL service from AT&T.  I called them after spending some time trying to solve the problem.  Ron answered my call.  He had a 100% American accent, I knew, and sounded slightly southern.  I figured he was in the states somewhere so I asked his location.  Philippines!  I jokingly asked him about the accent to which he replied that he was born and raised in Texas.  So an American living in the Philippines is working for AT&T on their outsourced customer service.  Who woulda thought.  I wonder how many Americans take these overseas jobs and what the cost saving is for AT&T?

BTW, we spent over one hour working on the problem and he was extremely patient and helpful.  

Wal-Mart makes a move

Wal-Mart recently held a meeting in Beijing during which they discussed plans to improve saftey at their manufacturing locations.  In addition they will insist that factories producing goods for Wal-Mart follow strict safety regulations.  The best news was that they will put into place a way for goods to be tracked back to the location where they were made.  Also, food products will be tightly regulated.  This comes at a time when Wal-Mart and other retailers, plus the Chinese factories, are worried about consumer consumption and a drop off in the global market.

$22,800 on makeup

The New York Times reported that Sarah Palin's makeup artist, Amy Strozzi, was paid $22,800 for two weeks work.  This at a time that "Joe Six-Pack" cannot meet his mortgage payments.  

This is on top of the $150,000 spent on her wardrobe.  

How many other hockey moms can make this claim.  And how can the Republican Party justify this expenditure at a time of economic crisis?

But the McCain-Palin supporters will just brush it off without realizing they are facing more of the same if these two are elected on November 4.

Heeeere's Sarah!!!

She cannot name one newspaper that she reads on a regular basis.

"All of 'em, any of 'em that have been in front of me over all these years." 

She was totally unaware of what was intended for the $700 billion bailout package.

"But ultimately what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the healthcare reform that is needed to help shore up our economy."

She believes that a woman who is raped should not be permitted an abortion.

She believes a girl who is the victim of incest should not be permitted an abortion.

"I believe that no matter what mistakes we make as a society, we cannot condone ending an innocent’s life." 

She thinks that being close to Russia is good enough as foreign policy experience.

"As Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where– where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right over the border."

She promoted aerial hunting of wolves.

She offered a $150 bounty for the leg of killed wolves.

She supports drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and that it is God's will.

“God’s will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built.”

She is suing the federal government to prevent listing the polar bear as an endangered species.

"This month, the secretary of the interior is expected to rule on whether polar bears should be listed under the Endangered Species Act. I strongly believe that adding them to the list is the wrong move at this time."

She has stated that our troops in Iraq are doing "God's work."

"Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God."

"I'm the mayor, I can do whatever I want until the courts tell me I can't.'"

And yesterday she announced to the world that the Vice President of the United States controls the Senate.  And as VP and being in control of the Senate she would "get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes that will make life better for Brandon and his family and his classroom."  This was in response to a question asked by a third grader.  You would think that someone who was elected governor of Alaska, and is a candidate for Vice President of the United States, would have some idea of what is written in the Constitution.  I'm sure she will blame Barak Hussein Obama for her stupid answer, but just in case she wants to know...

The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided.

"As for that VP talk all the time, I'll tell you, I still can't answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does every day?"

America needs a leader

"The American people aren't looking for somebody to divide this country; the American people are looking for someone to lead this country."

Take a look at the ads on TV and the words coming from the candidates and it is not difficult to tell which one I have quoted.  The Republican candidate for president and his running mate have run a shameful campaign of lies and distortions.  Characterizing Obama as a friend of terrorists is shameful. Emphasizing his middle name as though it labels him somehow different is shameful.  Calling him dangerous and risky is shameful. In fact, many of the people I talk to about the upcoming election are voting for Obama not so much because they feel he is the stronger candidate, but because they feel McCain and Palin have been so negative.  And that this negativity would carry over to a McCain presidency.  The Republican candidate has carried on with the Bush tactic of scaring the populace.  Bush was wrong about Iraq and that has cost us dearly.  McCain asserted quite recently that the fundamentals of the economy were strong.  Excuse me?  And perhaps worst of all his choice for VP shows a lack of good judgement on his part.  He and his staff should have thought long and hard about his choice.  The man is 72 years old and in not particularly good health.  He has battled cancer among other ailments.  Does anyone in this country believe that Sarah Palin would be capable of being president?  She seems to be unable to think outside the box that the Republican neo-cons like Karl Rove have built for her. She is unable to make any intelligent remarks and her speeches are nothing more that attacks on Obama.  This does not a VP or president make. The Republican candidates claim that Obama's economic plan would be a disaster for middle class Americans.  Well, McCain, have you noticed who has been in charge for the last eight years? It's been a disaster that you have backed. Obama is calling for higher taxes on only the highest two income brackets, the second being $182,000.  That's hardly middle class.  For that alone the American people should be very careful on election day.

But more than anything else, we need a president to rally around.  I see Obama as a positive role model for the youth of America, much more so than McCain.  And if something terrible should take place, I would much rather hand over the White House keys to Joe Biden than to Sarah Palin.

Collin Powell endorses Barak Obama

Colin Powell has endorsed Barak Obama for president, emphasizing that it the endorsement was not based on race.

He stated that the McCain-Palin campaign was concentrating on the negative and personal attacks against Obama.  In response to the claim that Obama is a Muslim, which he is not, Powell stated...

“The really right answer is what if he is?” Powell said, praising the contributions of millions of Muslim citizens to American society. “I look at these kind of approaches to the campaign, and they trouble me,” Powell said. “Over the last seven weeks, the approach of the Republican Party has become narrower and narrower.”

“I think that [Obama] has a definite way of doing business that will serve us well,” Powell said.

“I don’t believe [Palin] is ready to be president of the United States,” Powell said flatly. By contrast, Obama’s running mate, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, “is ready to be president on day one.”

Socialism in reverse

It is rather ironic that the Republican party and John McCain would label Barak Obama a socialist. What is the irony?  When the government proposes to take over an ailing industry there is a term that can be applied: government socialism in it's classic form.  Now the supposed conservative Republican administration, behind the words of doom from Hank Paulson, is preaching that the Fed take over ailing banks.  The inability of the credit markets to solve their own problems has led to state socialism because only the huge taxpayer base has the resources to solve it.  Karl Marx to the Soviet Union to Henry Paulson.  What happened to private ownership and investing in the stock market and private health care so hailed by the conservative Republican Party? Gone. Collapsed. Now the Republican administration is hot for government takeover.  So first Bush says government takeover of Lehman Brothers would be a "moral hazard." Now Bush and Paulson would have the American taxpayer take on the bad debt of Goldman Sachs, Paulson's former employer from which he extracted a severence pay of, hold on, $700 million. McCain claims that Obama's financial outlook is socialist in nature, yet the present administration has undertaken the biggest socialist investment in the history of mankind...$700 billion worth.  Of course Bush and Paulson would never invoke the word "socialism" but indeed that is exactly what it is.

This is the same president who claimed that America would not become involved in nation building.  Little did Americans know that the nation he would not build is our own.  

How much worse off is every middle class American today that they were eight long years ago?

American unemployment has gone in reverse.  The value of the dollar has gone in reverse. Home values have gone in reverse.  Our reputation abroad has gone in reverse.  Thank you to everyone who voted for Bush in 2000 and repeated the mistake in 2004.  Hoepfully you will not make a third mistake because three strikes and you are out.

This is a form of socialism in reverse.  This moves money from the middle class to the rich.  

Joe the Liar

This interesting bit of news crossed the wires today...

"Joe the Plumber" is Joe Wurzelbacher.  His father is Robert Wurzelbacher, son-in-law of Charles Keating of Keating 5 fame. Wurzelbacher was an executive of American Continental Corporation, the parent company of Charles Keating's Lincoln Savings.  Lincoln Savings was the bank that cost American taxpayers $3.4 billion (see September 20 post for more on Keating-McCain).  The father pleaded guilty to misappropriation of funds and did time in prison.  Nice shout out McCain!  Or maybe it was a different Robert Wurzelbacher.  Jones, Smith, Jackson, Wurzelbacher, an easy mistake right?

Tell enough big lies and maybe you'll be the next president.  Lord knows we've gotten used to liars in the White House.  

Two other points: 1) the supposedly average Joe the Plumber is looking to buy a business for $1.25 million.  He aint' poor.  2) the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters has endorsed Barak Obama, just in case Joe the Plumber doesn't know.  "Obama will help us keep existing jobs and work to develop new, higher paying jobs here in America, reform our health care system, fix our ailing schools and make sure that the pensions of our retirees are safe," the UAPP said.

15 minutes of fame indeed?!@#$

Phillies Win the Pennant!!!

Phillies are 

National

League Champs!

World Series

here we come!

The Chicken

Why did the chicken cross the road?
 

SARAH PALIN - I may not answer the questions the way that the moderator might like to hear them, but the way that I know Joe Sixpack and the hockey moms want to hear it. I can see both sides of the road from my house. But what's important is that we not look backward to where the chicken has been, also to look forward and see that the chicken is a maverick who was bold and a real hero for going against his own flock.
BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken wanted change!
JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

JOE BIDEN: Let me tell you about chickens.  First came the egg, or was it the chicken............................
HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of chicken?
GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.
CHENEY: Where's my gun?
AL GORE: I invented the chicken.
JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.
DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.
BUDDHA: To ask this question is denying your own chickenness.
EMILY DICKINSON:  To die.

GERALDO RIVERA: OK, live it's Geraldo Rivera bringing you the chicken crossing the road.  Uh...
NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.
PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

BILL O'REILLY: Hey chicken, shut up and cross the damn street!
DR. SUESS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.  
LEO DUROCHER: Nice chickens finish last.
ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

ARLEN SPECTER: The chicken crossed the road, took a right turn through the intersection, made a complete 360 in mid air, then landed on the other side!
JOHN LENNON: I am the egg man, I am the chicken, koo koo kachoo
SHAKESPEARE: To cross or not to cross, THAT is the question
BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken 2008, which will not only crossroads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken 2008. This new platform is much more stable and will never crash or need to be rebooted.
STEVE JOBS: iCHICKEN
ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

SAMUEL BECKETT: We are all born chickens.  Some remain so.

HANK PAULSON: So the fox ate all the chickens.  The hen house is empty.  We have to rescue the farmer.  Let's have 700 billion chickens cross the road.  

RICHARD NIXON:  I am not a chicken.

JACK BAUER: Tell the truth chicken, why the hell are you crossing the street and who do you work for or I'll splatter your yolk all over the damn sidewalk!

MULDER: The chickens are out there Scully, you just have to believe!

COLONEL SANDERS: Damn - I missed one.

Think About This One

Think about this one: 

1. Cows 
2..The Constitution 
3. The Ten Commandments   

C O W S   

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow.   

T H E    C O N S T I T U T I O N   

They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq   .... Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it has worked for over 200 years, and we're not using it anymore.   

T H E   1 0    C O M M A N D M E N T S   

The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse is this: 
You cannot post 'Thou Shalt Not Steal,' 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery,' and 'Thou Shall Not Lie' in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians...It creates a hostile work environment. 

Thanks to imadigger!!!

Oh Those Funny Founders!

I bet you didn't know that the Founding Fathers were quite funny.  

Hey, George, nice teeth!  Where'd you get 'em?  Wal-Mart!

Hey, Adams, what year did the War of 1812 start?

Hey, Jefferson, movin' on up yet?

Madison, somebody put you in the dryer too long?

Hamilton, watch out, here comes Burr and he's armed! Booo!

Hey, dudes, what's with the hair!

Best of all...

OY!

I suppose this is meant to be funny.

I wonder how they would have reacted had Joe Lieberman been chosen to run as VP and a church posted a "Vote for the Yid" sign?

I like the message, but the delivery is decidedly NOT funny.

Sarah Palin: Alaska's Darling. Or...

You would think that a newspaper in Alaska would be trumpeting Sarah Palin's run for the VP.  You might be right.  Or...

http://digg.com/politics/Palin_vindicated_Governor_offers_Orwellian_spin

A Response from Senator Nelson

Dear Mr. Kayser:

Thank you for contacting me about the $700 billion to bail out Wall Street. I voted against it because I believed it lacked meaningful relief for homeowners facing foreclosure, and it left taxpayers with the short end of the stick. 

Still, make no mistake: I understand the severity of this financial crisis. The bottom line is that until we stem the record number of home foreclosures, this crisis will continue to worsen. 

That’s why I’ve proposed a three-part plan to address the financial crisis, including help for homeowners.

First, I’m working on legislation to create new ways for homeowners to refinance their mortgages and stay in their homes. My proposal will require Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to retool mortgages that they hold on their books. It will also establish a direct loan facility within the Federal government to require lenders and other financial institutions that benefit from the bailout to refinance or modify mortgages in danger of default or foreclosure. 

Second, I am calling for an investigation into the business practices of major credit rating agencies that helped foster the enormous growth of the mortgage-backed securities industry. Investors relied on and trusted in those credit ratings, and the public deserves to know how these rating agencies concluded that such risky investments could receive high credit ratings. 

And finally, we must better regulate all aspects of the financial markets. Today’s financial crisis results from years of inadequate oversight that has been far too tolerant of excessive risk taking.

Meantime, I’ll continue to press Congress to act quickly to keep people in their homes and put our economy back on track. 

Phillies!

GO Phillies!

The Phillies are up 3 games to 1!

Game 5 on Thursday!

Watch John Cleese discuss Sarah Palin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMyNk8J1c8g

Bring Back Tar and Feathers!

Back in the early days of our country elections were rough. Candidates would hold large drunken parties and use the power of drink to persuade the voters.  Voting was held at county courthouses so candidates had easy access to the voters.  James Madison saw the potential problem with this and refused to get involved in that type of campaigning.  He felt that the elected official would then be tempted to side with legislation that helped his friends rather than all of his constituents.  James Madison, the fourth president and "Father" of our constitution, lost that election.  But clearly he had great foresight into the problems of elections and politicians in general.  What Madison and other founders greatly worried over was money.  They felt that taxing the population would bring large amounts of money under the control of the Federal government and this would lead to corrupt government.  A general tarrif was favored instead. Wouldn't a national sales tax on all goods be more efficient and less prone to excess and cheating than our present system? Wouldn't a tax board comprised of middle class citizens be more efficient and less prone to excess and cheating than the billionaires who currently are in charge?

Why is Hank Paulson telling the Fed and the American people that banks need more money, that Goldman Sachs needs more money? OUR MONEY!  The man was given $700 million upon his departure from Goldman Sachs and now he wants the Fed to bail out that same company?  Hey Hank, how about giving them back that $700 million?

We spend obscene amounts of money in Iraq and Afghanistan. Money we can no longer afford. We need to put that money to good use right here at home where Americans can no longer afford their own homes. What is wrong with this picture.  

In the Revolutionary War era tax collectors and cheaters were tarred and feathered.

I nominate Paulson.  Who's with me!

Enough is Enough

With the presidential election just a few weeks from now, ask yourself the question that Ronald Reagan asked, "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"  In this case it's eight years ago when Bush stole the White House from Al Gore.  The Republicans have had pretty much a free ride since 2001.  This does not excuse the Dems, who are just as much to blame for the state we are in as we head to November.

So, under Republican leadership we hae:

The stock market has collapsed

We are in a no-win war in Iraq

Afghanistan has fallen into a terrible mess

Osama Bin Laden is still on the loose

New Orleans is still in almost total disrepair

Dick Cheney tells us defecits don't matter 

Abu Ghraib

Jack Abramoff

$1.8 billion of Halliburton charges to the US government "disappeared"

Illegal wiretapping

Searches and seizures without warrants

Tom Delay

Alberto Gonzales

Valerie Plame

Guantanamo Bay

Is that enough?  And the weak kneed Dems have done nothin to stem the tide of corrupt ineffectual government.

McKeating and Palter

So the Alaska investigation into "Troopergate" has found that Sarah Palin violated state ethics law by trying to influence the firing of Trooper Mike Wooten. No need to go into the details here. If you are interested in how hubby Todd Palin was involved in the case you can certainly search the internet. And if you want to find out the involvement of John McCain into the Keating 5 case you can also find it on the internet.  And if you want to find out how McCain's wife Cindy continued involvement with Keating from 1987 to 1998 you can also find it on the internet.  

I think it is beyond simple politics when the McCain-Palin team makes a point of Barak Obama's name...Barak Hussein Obama.  HEY, this is America!  There is no excuse for this low life type of campaigning.  I, and hopefully most Americans, are offended by this.  This shows exactly the type of people McCain and Palin are, i.e. ruthless and unbending in their attempt to capture the White House.  It shows contempt for what America is, and the words written at the base of the Statue of Liberty.  If you want to know what those words are you can certainly look it up on the internet. I would hope that Americans pay attention to what type of administration McCain and Palin would bring to the Oval Office. 

Which brings up the Obama-Ayers connection.  Bill Ayers has admitted that he took part in some small scale bombing in protest of US involvement in Vietnam.  That was 40 years ago. Ayers and Obama were on an anti-poverty board in Chicago.  Ayers is today considered an education expert, thus his participation on the board.  The McCain-Palin team has linked the board participation and the bombings in a misleading and deceitful way.  Obama associates with terrorists is a LIE.  First of all, when these "terrorist" acitivities took place Obama was, are you ready, EIGHT YEARS OLD.  But obviously the McCain-Palin team has used their association to imply that Obama is a terrorist.  Barak Hussein Obama is a terrorist.  Shameful tactics.  They have nothing substantial to bring to voters, so they use these lies to attack the other candidate.  

It will be intersting to watch the spin on "Troopergate."  BTW, the McCain-Palin team tried to delay the announcement out of Alaska until after the election.  Is anyone surprised?

Main Street or Wall Street?

The "Bailout"

Hank Paulson says the Fed must pump more money into "the banks."  

Some points to consider:

(1) Goldman Sachs gives Hank Paulson seven hundred million dollars (that's seven zero zero comma zero zero zero comma zero zero zero) in salary and bonuses.

(2) Goldman Sachs lends Hank Paulson to the Treasury (now that he can afford to be a public servant).

(3) As the Secretary of the Treasury, Paulson insists that we give Goldman Sachs a lot of money, in exchange for a lot of crap. (If not, we all die.)

(4) Except it's not Hank Paulson's money, it's ours.

(5) If the crap turns out to be crap, we're stuck with it. (And by the way: if it's not crap, why are they so desperate to unload it?)

(6) In four months, Paulson returns to Goldman Sachs.

(7) Paulson receives salary and bonuses from the money we just gave to Paulson to give to Goldman Sachs to give to Paulson.

(8) It's our money. Or was. But we don't get preferred shares. We don't get a ten percent dividend. We don't even get a free copy of The Warren Buffet Way: Second Edition (Paperback). We get crap.

Amazing stuff.  They would like you to think this is "Main Street" and not Wall Street.  How dumb do they think we are?

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur.  

Thanks to my "old" friend Eileen for this one...

AAADD
KNOW THE SYMPTOMS.....PLEASE READ!

Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder.
Somehow I feel better even though I have it!!
Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. -
Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.
This is how it manifests:
I decide to water my garden.
As I turn on the hose in the driveway,
I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.
As I start toward the garage,
I notice mail on the porch table that
I brought up from the mail box earlier.
I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.
I lay my car keys on the table,
put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table,
and notice that the can is full.
So, I decide to put the bills back
on the table and take out the garbage first.
But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.
I take my check book off the table,
and see that there is only one check left.
My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Pepsi I'd been drinking.
I'm going to look for my checks,
but first I need to push the Pepsi aside
so that I don't accidentally knock it over.
The Pepsi is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator or to keep it cold.
As I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi, a vase of flowers on the counter
catches my eye--they need water.
I put the Pepsi on the counter and
discover my reading glasses that
I've been searching for all morning.
I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote.
Someone left it on the kitchen table.
I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote,
but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.
I pour some water in the flowers,
but quite a bit of it spills on the floor.
So, I set the remote back on the table,
get some towels and wipe up the spill.
Then, I head down the hall trying to
remember what I was planning to do.
At the end of the day:
the car isn't washed
the bills aren't paid
there is a warm can of Pepsi sitting on the counter
the flowers don't have enough water,
there is still only 1 check in my check book,
I can't find the remote,
I can't find my glasses,
and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.
Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,
I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day, and I'm really tired.
I realize this is a serious problem,
and I'll try to get some help for it,
but first I'll check my e-mail....

Do me a favor.
Forward this message to everyone you know, because I don't remember who I've sent it to.

Three Wise Men

Thomas Jefferson's Decalogue, February 25, 1825

1.  Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

2.  Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.

3.  Never spend your money before you have it.

4.  Never buy what you do not want because it is cheap; it will be dear to you.

5.  Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold.

6.  We never repent of eating too little.

7.  Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.

8.  How much pain have cost us the evils which have never happened.

9.  Take things always by their smooth handle.

10. When angry, count ten before you speak; if very angry, an hundred.

Benjamin Franklin's Plan for Moral Perfection (slightly revised)

1.  Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation

2.  Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself

3.  Order: Let all things have their places

4.  Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought, perform without fail what you resolve

5.  Frugality: Waste nothing

6.  Industry: Lose no time

7.  Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit

8.  Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty

9.  Moderation: Avoid extremes

10. Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation

George Washington's Rules of Civility (short version)

1.  Speak not when others speak

2.  Every action in company ought to be with some sign of respect to those present

3.  Use no reproachful language against anyone

4.  Be not hasty to believe flying reports to the disparagement of anyone

5.  Play not the peacock

6.  Be not forward, but friendly and courteous

7.  Think before you speak

8.  Be not apt to relate news if you know not the truth thereof.

9.  Speak no evil of the absent, for it is unjust.

10. Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.

A Bit of Presidential Advice

John Quincy Adams wrote this list and sent it to his father, John Adams:

March 16, 1780 My Work for a Day,

Latin

Explain Cicero, Erasmus, Appendix

Learn greek Racines

Learn Greek Grammar

Geography

Geometry

fractions

Writing

Drawing

His father, the future president, criticized the youngster for his poor penmanship!  John Quincy was 12 at the time he wrote this list!!!  I guess it paid off because John Quincy was our 6th president.

Thomas Jefferson wrote this to his daughter Patsyon November 28, 1783.  

"With respect to the distribution of your time, the following is what I shall approve:

8 to 10, practice music

10 to 1. dance one day and draw another

1 to 2, draw on the day you dance, and write a letter next day

3 to 4, raed French

4 to 5, exercise yourself in music

5 till bed-time, read English, write, etc.

Her father, the future president, wrote this to Patsy when she was 10.

Don't think you are being hard on your kids if you shut the TV off and have them study.  It's good for them and good for your country.

The End Of Civilization

The end of civilization as we know it.  Proof:

1) The Dow dropped under 10,000 despite the $700 billion "bailout."

2) The top grossing film in North America this weekend was "Beverly Hills Chihuahua."

Next: The Dodgers

Go Phillies!!!

I Need An Attorney!!!

No matter who wins this election, the American people are in for it.  Neither candidate can truly claim that taxes will be reduced.  How can the Treasury borrow $700 billion from American taxpayers without a subsequent raise in taxes?  

Under what law, what power, what authority can Congress take this money and hand it to the very people who have screwed this up to begin with?  

I would like to hear from a tax attorney who is willing to file a class action suit against each and every member of Congress who voted for this, pro bono of course.  Every American should be outraged that the treasury is being emptied by those currently in power.  

The Founding Fathers rightly worried that taxes would lead to corruption in government.  

Hank Paulson is head of the US TReasury Department.  His actions have consistently favored the rich and blamed the current economic woes on social security, medical programs, and mortgage loans to those who could not afford them.  Fingers pointed directly at the middle class.  Yet Paulson, and Congress, were live wolves on a sheep to eliminate the estate tax on all but the richest Americans.  

How about reducing tax shelters, tax loopholes, off shore accounts, and strengthen Sarbanes-Oxley?  Nope, instead he and the administration push through $700 billion to buy bad debt from all of Paulson's buddies.  He has claimed that the banks will probably over inflate the value of their holdings, then sell them at over inflated prices.  Won't this bring us right back to where we started?  Then he and the administration will come calling again for more dollars. Only this time it will be the Democrats who get blamed.  And around and around we go, where it stops nobody knows!

Happy Sunday!

The Reverse

I am curious:  What was in the new version of the "bailout" that caused members of the House of Representatives to change their vote practically overnight?  I think American taxpayers are owed an explanation by their representatives, especially those who voted NO then retreated and voted YES.  I am sure they will claim that they did not understand the implication of voting NO.  That's not good enough.  And when the next bailout rolls around they will claim they voted NO, leaving out the fact that they reversed their position and later voted YES.  That's not good enough.  I would also very much like to know what the limitation is on the salary of any CEO of any company seeking funds from the Treasury bailout.  I have yet to see this information.  Anyone?

Get To Know Andrew Clements

Here is a tip for parents.  Get your kids to read ANYTHING by Andrew Clements.  As an educator with over 32 years of experience, I honestly believe that you and your children will not only enjoy his books, but you will appreciate the lessons learned.

Favorites:

No Talking

The Landry News

Frindle

The Report Card

Clements is able to not only convey a message of understanding to children, but also for adults to remember what it is like to be a child.

The Sky Is Falling! The Sky Is Falling!

The "Bailout" should rightly be called "The Robbery."

From the New York Times:

** "Even as policy makers worked on details of a $700 billion bailout 
of the financial industry, Wall Street began looking for ways to 
profit from it.
**"Financial firms were lobbying to have all manner of troubled 
investments covered, not just those related to mortgages.
**"At the same time, investment firms were jockeying to oversee all 
the assets that Treasury plans to take off the books of financial 
institutions, a role that could earn them hundreds of millions of 
dollars a year in fees.
**"Nobody wants to be left out of Treasury's proposal to buy up bad 
assets of financial institutions."

Treasury Secretary Paulson has admitted that the $700 billion figure was pulled out of his head!

Congressmen and Senators admit they don't know how the $700 billion amount was determined.

During TV interviews, which were seen by millions of Americans, Congressmen of BOTH PARTIES admitted that they thought the bill would pass and if they had known it would NOT then they would have voted for it.In other words, they voted against it merely to go on record that they voted NO!! These people are swine and should be removed from office.

We have been told that failed mortgages are at the core of the bailout. The problem is that the number one issue with American families is NOT their mortgage payments. Underlying the the inability to maintain mortgage payments is the inability to maintain health care costs. That is the REAL reason we Americans are in such a financial bind.

This bailout will NOT help even one American pay for health coverage.

This bailout will NOT help Americans pay for gas ot to heat their homes.

This bailout will help the robber barons who control Wall Street.  

The same scare tactics that put us in Iraq are being used to scare us into thinking the sky will fall if we don't buy the bailout.  

Giving $700 billion of American taxpayers money to the same people who caused this mess in the first place is a financial disaster that our children will be stuck with for years to come.  What will they do when the money dries up? 

This is an attempt by the outgoing administration to grab as much from the US Treasury as they can before next January.  Lies and deception have been their main weapon for the last eight years. I don't know about you, but I've had quite enough of the Republicans and the Democrats who have stolen our country.  But since the Republicans have had the White House for 8 years, it's time for a change.

Sarah Six-Pack

"Oh, I think they're just not used to someone coming in from the outside saying you know what? It's time that a normal Joe Six-pack American is finally represented in the position of vice presidency, and I think that that's kind of taken some people off guard, and they're out of sorts, and they're ticked off about it."

Now let's think about what Sarah Palin is saying.

First, Joe Six-pack.  Now I think that the office of VP should be occupied by someone educated, informed and decidedly NOT Joe Six-pack.  It is insulting to all Americans to think that just anyone can take on the responsibilities of being VP.  

Second, it's true that some people are taken off guard.  John McCain is 72 years old.  The VP should be ready at any time to become president.  Yes, I am taken off guard to think that this woman, who can not name one newspaper that she reads, can not name one Supreme Court case, does not know who or what Hamas is, has no knowledge of what the intention of the bailout is, could actually be not only VP but potentially president.

Third, what exactly does she mean by "out of sorts?"  And "ticked off."  Now just from the point of the average American, this is not the type of language I would expect someone trying to become VP to actually use. Maybe she's trying to be downhome in some way, but to me it appears that she is unable to speak intelligently and formally. 

The debate with Joe Biden should be quite interesting.  He should just let her talk.  But Biden's biggest problem is he can't let anyone else talk.  If he shuts up long enough he might just be the emcee of a new comedy show starring Sarah Palin as...Sarah Palin.

Uh, Sarah, Can You Just Answer the QUESTION?

Asked what newspapers and magazines she reads, Palin - a journalism major in college - could not name one publication.

"I've read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media," she said at first. Couric responded, "What, specifically?"

"Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years."

"Can you name a few?"

"I have a vast variety of source where we get our news," Palin said. "Alaska isn't a foreign country, where it's kind of suggested, 'wow, how could you keep in touch with what the rest of Washington, D.C., may be thinking when you live up there in Alaska?' Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America."

Suggestion for a follow up question, "Hey, numbnuts, NAME ONE!  GET IT?"

Or how about, "Do you read the Huffington Post?"

Sarah: "Uh, oh, yes, sure, every day." Couris, "Oh REALLY!"