But...It's TRUE!!

When Bill O'Reilly, responding to a stated fact, exclaimed,

"But it's TRUE!" to Frank Luntz, on last night's show, Luntz replied,

"Yes it is, but it doesn't MATTER that it's true; what MATTERS is PERCEPTION."

And that should end today's post. Purely and simply, like it or not, the truth has long been cast aside, thrown under the bus and disregarded as little more than an occasional annoyance by political strategists and main stream media. The evidence is overwhelmingly clear and incontrovertible. Today as I trolled cable news [kicking and screaming--it is painful to watch and fruitless for information gathering purposes unless the info I want concerns which network's telling which lies and for whom] for Bailout info, I was, as usual, appalled as I saw channel after channel give voice to some of the biggest whoppers I have seen--and that's saying something!

For example, I SAW John McCain and even, god help me, George Bush stating that Fannie and Freddie needed oversight to prevent an economic disaster in 2005; youtube.com/watch?v=cMnSp4qEXNM , youtube.com/watch?v=_ROOriYvJM4 I SAW Barney Frank, Democrat par excellence, at the same time, state unequivocably that NOTHING should be done about it, youtube.com/watch?v=H5tZc8oH I SAW the Democratic Black Caucus speaking strongly against any kind of oversight or preventive measures youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs . And I SAW Bill Clinton saying that these Democrats refused all Republican attempts to reel these agencies in. And yet, today, I heard main stream media taking every opportunity to blame it all on the Republicans. Now, let me be the first to remind you that I am a life long Democrat of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt persuasion. Never mind "Reagan Democrat"--for the life of me I still cannot begin to fathom just exactly what that is; having survived the Reagan era [just barely], I can tell you that I never knew a Democrat who supported him or his cockamamy ideas. But I do know what FDR stood for, and what, as the head of the Democratic Party, he tried in instill in that party, and the miracles he accomplished getting our country back on track after the crash of '29. He was supremely unpopular with conservatives, beloved by many and served an incredible three terms as POTUS. And he accomplished all of it without, Joe Biden's assertions notwithstanding, television. Print media in the 1930s, and even the '40's, '50s and '60s still pretty much respected and adhered to journalism's Professional Standards, and TV was too nascient in its early years to have gone astray. It has only been over the last twenty years that main stream media has followed itself down the darkest path there is: that of self delusion about its importance and its obligation to report the truth objectively. The saddest part about this decline was twofold. The technology itself held the potential to inform an electorate as never before, but instead devolved into the basest of tools for those with the most money to assert their influence, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week by having paid, self proclaimed pundits and pollsters supplant news casters.

Instead of Ed Murrow, we have an actor named Keith reading a script, trying to sound as he thought Murrow might have sounded when he read the news. Instead of Walter Cronkite, we have Frank Luntz telling us that the truth matters no more: it's all about PERCEPTION. And that is the most devastating aspect of all. Luntz is right, and he's about the only one telling the truth now.

"This is really getting out of control." MOHAMED OSMAN ADEN, Somali diplomat, after pirates took ship full of military weaponry

Ah, the beauty of the understatment! My temptation is to let the day pass with tribute to Paul Newman resting at the top of the heap, but news continues to pile up so fast that the currency of currency trumps even hero worship. Besides, it is my firm belief that Paul would prefer seeing our efforts at restoring democracy to the singing of his many praises. 1st Debate: How utterly predictable and even amusing that the first comment Obamameister Plouffe could muster in his after action con call was the fact that McCain didn't say, "middle class." It brings to mind the ancient child's game, "Giant Steps," wherein if a player forgot to say, "Mother, May I?", they were penalized. But this is not a childhood game, and the Obama camp's desperation is clearly mounting as McCain swept last night's debate across the board with witty civility, solid solutions and concrete answers to Obama's dithering, hedging digressions ['Yeah...what HE said', from I-Agree-With-You-John Obama]. This, by the way, was no surprise; Obama's inability to function beyond reading the words "Hope" and "Change" off a teleprompter has become legend, as has his failure to ennunciate any real solutions to anything, perhaps out of fear he will be held accountable when he waffles on a vote he can't avoid. But worst of all is the fact that he is tied, lock stock and barrel with Bill Ayres & Co. to ACORN, http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=3416 the entity that has received so much attention for voter registration fraud, and which is now marked for a $140 Billion allocation in the proposed bailout; and with his first choice for VP, Jim Johnson of Fannie May, Goldman Sachs & Lehman fame, Franklin Raines of Fannie Mae and Lehman Bros, who resigned due to "accounting irregularities", from all of whom Obama accepted 49 times more money than Mccain. [Pick of the Week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5tZc8oH--o] Who else is betting he'll show up for THAT vote and, for that Change he loves to tout, instead of his customary "Present" vote, will push the button for Bailouts-R-US, while McCain toils steadily in Washington this weekend, working for something other than a plan to aggrandize corrupt "nonprofits" and Wall Street alike.

Rest In Peace, My Friend, and Leave Us With Words & Actions To Live By

Today brings the news of the passing of one of our greatest American heros. Paul Newman epitomized the American Ideal in every way, but his model of humility, activism and philanthropy have been a beacon of hope to many of us for generations. His sublime talent for acting craft never prevented him for exploring the many other aspects of himself and humanity, and never blocked his way to an ever-expanding growth and interest in the world as a whole. Paul Newman was a power of example in how to embrace many paths on our journey through this world and, on the way, to put something back.

“We are such spendthrifts with our lives,” he once said.

“The trick of living is to slip on and off the planet with the least fuss you can muster. I’m not running for sainthood. I just happen to think that in life we need to be a little like the farmer, who puts back into the soil what he takes out.”

To list even partially his myriad contributions would take volumes, but perhaps it is just as well to leave this tribute in as simple terms as possible, for that is the way he would like it. He never let his accomplishments interfere with his ability to see himself clearly--an attribute that, these days, so few have and so many need.

And so, I bid you goodbye, dear friend of the Universe. Your stay was brief, your accomplishments long and many. May we all allow ourselves a moment to memorialize you as we continue on our journey in your footsteps, to make the world a better place.

Emperor's New Clothes...Continued

Yes, it appears that the economy is endangered. This should be no surprise, however. Hillary Clinton and John McCain expressed concern and urged Congress to take action to prevent the disaster last year. And yet-- all one hears from mainstream media is a twisted cacophony of spin, complete with misquotes and misinformation.

Despite his current protestations to the contrary, Democrat Barney Frank is shown stating in 2006 that he wasn't worried about Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac. Today he is worried. Where were the democrats...I mean BESIDES Hillary Clinton?
http://www.taxfoundation.org/blog/show/23617.html
There are quotes from 2006 where John McCain, a REPUBLICAN, said that he has been worried for years about Fannie & Freddie and he thought they needed regulation:
on May 26, 2006, he said:

"Mr. President, this week Fannie Mae’s regulator reported that the company’s quarterly reports of profit growth over the past few years were “illusions deliberately and systematically created” by the company’s senior management, which resulted in a $10.6 billion accounting scandal.
The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight’s report goes on to say that Fannie Mae employees deliberately and intentionally manipulated financial reports to hit earnings targets in order to trigger bonuses for senior executives. In the case of Franklin Raines, Fannie Mae’s former chief executive officer, OFHEO’s report shows that over half of Mr. Raines’ compensation for the 6 years through 2003 was directly tied to meeting earnings targets. The report of financial misconduct at Fannie Mae echoes the deeply troubling $5 billion profit restatement at Freddie Mac. The OFHEO report also states that Fannie Mae used its political power to lobby Congress in an effort to interfere with the regulator’s examination of the company’s accounting problems. This report comes some weeks after Freddie Mac paid a record $3.8 million fine in a settlement with the Federal Election Commission and restated lobbying disclosure reports from 2004 to 2005. These are entities that have demonstrated over and over again that they are deeply in need of reform. For years I have been concerned about the regulatory structure that governs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac...."

So, who has been on top of this for years and whose legislation has been blocked by a DEM Congress...??

We need to get the word out there!!!!

"Mortgage Meltdown Timeline"
http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html

Just a few of the more appalling standouts from the past few days...As many of you know, ACORN is the group where Obama did his "community service." The Democrats want 20% of the profit of the bailout dollars to go to ACORN!!! We have to clean house over the next few years and vote all of the current legislators out - it doesn't matter what party they are in. ACORN is worse than Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, both of whom have significantly questionnable ties to Barack Obama.

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/26/the-democratic-acorn-bailout/

ACORN just received $4 billion of our tax dollars in July...Why and Who Knew?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121745181676698197.html

McCain said there never was a deal (even though Dodd says there was and McCain screwed it up). McCain asks Obama to show him a list of yes votes to prove it!

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20080925\ACQDJON200809251939DOWJONESDJONLINE000948.htm&SourceCode=&mypage=newsheadlines&title=McCain%20Says%20There%20'Never%20Was%20A%20Deal'%20On%20Wall%20Street%20Bailout

Reid playing more games with our future: Three days ago Reid said there would be no vote without McCain. Now he refuses to hold a vote tonight if McCain is there...

http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/early-line/2008/sep/25/reid-no-votes-friday-night-avoid-excuses/

Great article from Arab News - an offshore perspective...

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7&section=0&article=114017&d=26&m=9&y=2008

Biden caught in a lie...

http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/

And, certainly last but not at all least, we have Barack Obama admitting on his own website that he held Kenyan citizenship at one time... http://fightthesmears.com/articles/5/birthcertificate while Philip Berg, Esq., has filed suit in federal court in Pennsylvania to enjoin him from running for POTUS on the grounds that he does not meet citizenship requirements as set out by the U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 1. http://www.obamacrimes.com/index.php/component/content/article/1-main/16-for-the-detail-oriented

Shadow Play: The Man...and the Economy...Who Wasn't There

Today John McCain suspended his campaign in order to return to Washington to address what is purportedly the worst financial crisis in our history, while Obama stubbornly refused to agree to a postponement of Friday's debate [this after months of dodging debates and town hall meetings]. It finally took an order from the POTUS, summoning him to Washington to attend a meeting about the dire straits in which Wall Street has put us.

As so often happens in a rich news climate, today provided such a rich array of sage observations that I find myself compelled to pay homage to some of them here.

Andy Martin noted that the timing of this crisis of faith is enough to make one wonder whether Obama's Wall Street benefactors manufactured the meltdown on the eve of the election to help elect their man. Why a crisis now? The dire NINJA mortgage situation has been going on for a long time, and in fact, it was Hillary Clinton who attempted to effect a solution a year ago. What of the cash Obama received from Wall Streeters, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae? This entire campaign should turn on exposing Obama as the man who was Wall Street's favorite before the "collapse," and is still the man Wall Street wants to win. Why has Wall Street been so consistently behind Obama? Only those Wall Street banks who funded 60% of his campaign can answer that.

Tony Blankley wrote that "mainstream media have gone over the line and are now straight-out propagandists for the Obama campaign. While they have been liberal and blinkered in their worldview for decades, in 2007-08, for the first time, the major media consciously are covering one candidate for president and consciously are knifing the other. This is no longer journalism; it is simply propaganda.

Worse, however, than the unfair, distorted reporting and image projecting are the shocking gaps in Obama's life that are not reported at all. The major media simply have not reported on Obama's two years at New York's Columbia University, where, among other things, he lived a mere quarter-mile from former terrorist Bill Ayers... " and the National Journal's Stuart Taylor wrote, 'The media can no longer be trusted to provide accurate and fair campaign reporting and analysis' ."

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/09/the_man_who_never_was.html

The sum total of this is that the American public finds itself again between the proverbial rock and hard place: starved for real information about their candidates, they can find little more than a host of media propaganda machines in the tank for Obama, despite glaring gaps in his history, judgment and positions; feeling the squeeze of economic meltdown, they can find neither hard information on it nor even determine the position of the Democratic presidential candidate, until the current Republican President is forced to collar him and drag him, kicking and screaming, back to Washington to serve his constituency, perhaps for the first time since he took office as a United States Senator.

Denver Disaster: Coerced Unity is the Worst

If ever there was a reason not to vote Democrat this year, this would be it:

Reading Marc Rubin's interview, "Denver After Action Report," http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/09/21/holding-the-dnc%E2%80%99s-feet-to-the-fire-an-interview-with-marc-rubin-of-the-denver-group/ [co- founder with Heidi Li Feldman of Denver Group and Democrats for Principle Before Party http://tdg.typepad.com/democrats_for_principle_b/ ] brought it all back to me, and should remind us all how vital it is that we not forget the truth about this heartbreaking Denver Debacle. At the risk of sounding hackneyed, I would implore everyone to remember George Santayana's admonition that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it--and never was it more applicable than in this election year. Just Say No Deal's soon to be released "Delegate Terror" compelled me to share my experience in Denver as it related to Obama fear and intimidation tactics, and, further, to dedicate today's entry to Denver and all those brave citizens who came and spoke out against them.

Some of my notes from the logs I kept about The Denver Disgrace while I was there:

I spoke with various delegates, primarily women from 'swing states' who reported countless incidents of attempts by Obama Team individuals, state chairs and, worst of all, even other delegates to strong arm, intimidate, threaten and bully them into supporting Obama instead of their pledged delegate, Hillary Clinton. Several of them were crying as they recounted their experiences and the fear they felt as a result. Wall Street Journal Reporter, James Taranto witnessed and recounted just one of the many verbally brutal attempts by Obama supporters, this one a delegate, which took place in the streets of Denver on August 26, 2008. http://s.wsj.net/article/SB121972716996172197.html

Among delegates who were the victims of intimidation tactics, only Cynthia Schwartz of Washington State was willing to be interviewed. As a blogger and media consultant in Denver, I kept an incident report log after repeated occurrences of fear and intimidation tactics were brought to my attention from both delegates and attendees, and some of the victims' statements were filmed by Brad Mays, our filmmaker in residence at PUMA HQ on Delaware Avenue.

Since neither Obama nor Clinton had the requisite number of votes [270] to secure nomination, and there were 160 undeclared, it appears clear that Clinton would have been the distinct winner had the convention been allowed to progress honestly, according to DNC rules and tradition, without rule breaking and bully tactics. Indeed, she won 13 of the largest electoral states by a landslide as well as by the largest popular vote in history. Therefore, the only logical conclusion is that Obama and the DNC colluded to game and cheat the DNC's own rules in order to ensure his selection as the Democratic nominee, contrary to the will of their own electorate. This being the case, it is only further logical to follow the advice of Tom In Paine, one of our most knowledgeable and prolific bloggers, and work as hard as we possibly can to insure an Obama defeat in November.

HOW A MASSIVE OBAMA DEFEAT BECOMES A MASSIVE DEMOCRATIC VICTORY.

The best thing that can happen for the country and the Democratic Party this November is a massive defeat of Barack Obama.

http://tominpaine.blogspot.com/2008/09/how-massive-obama-defeat-becomes.html

If, for some reason, the facts above have failed to move our readers, note below extensive data on just one of the Obama smear campaign tactics, gathered and reported by Rusty Shackleford of the Jawa Report
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194057.php and http://www.theminorityreportblog.com/story/simpson316/2008/09/22/jawa_report_uncovers_obama_ties_to_smear_campaign

As always, the caveat remains: ignore Main Stream Media and do your own DD!

Salt of the Earth & the Fellowship of All

Through my weeks- long, multistate meanderings East from Denver to my daily travels in New York, one thing that continues to impress me is not how different we all are, but how much alike. Regardless of culture, creed or color, 99% of us want and indeed, need the same things. Although we may differ from time to time on exactly how to effect our ideals, most of agree that, as Maslow's hierarchy of needs pyramid http://www.businessballs.com/maslow.htm dictates, our priorities lie in meeting our basic needs for physical survival, and move upward toward love, family, community, and self actualization, all of which we need to become fully rounded, content individuals.

Among the questions most often asked about my Convention Odyssey, one of the most frequent has been, "Whom did you meet?" So moved have I been about the brilliant cross section of Americans whose acquaintance I have been blessed to make that I always forget that the actual meaning of that question is, "What FAMOUS people did you meet?" So, I start talking about the many different people whose paths I was lucky enough to cross, who have inspired me with their bravery and heartfulness in meeting the challenges of life, including the many who sacrificed much just to get to Denver and stand for their beliefs, to fight for the Democracy we once knew in America. And then I realize that the question meant the recognizable names...the ones that just skim the surface of my consciousness because they are the same as the rest of us except that their names are perhaps better known. It is difficult for me to separate the famous from the "un"- famous, because to me, those I most admire [and whose secrets of success I want to know!] are those who get up every day and fight the battle of survival...whether famous or not...the "working poor" families and single parent homes without health care...those kids who have "aged out" of foster care and now must make their way in the world with few if any skills...minimum wage workers...people trying to finish [or start!] their education...our warriors heading to the Middle East for the 2nd, 3rd and even 4th time...for THEY are my heroes! I am in awe of all of them, rich or poor, famous or infamous, most of them all just want to get along, and they are my fellow Americans.

Extremism, on the other hand,both left and right, is but a different side of the same coin. Neither respects the rights of others except insofar as they can be employed to buffer their own cause. In that, extremists, both left and right share more in common with one another than with the majority in the middle, with no room for true caring for others outside their small sphere.

The majority of people do not fall into either of these extremists' categories, and as such are only useful to them as potential converts, which they will never be, because of their centrism. We can be grateful for that and live in the hope that a balanced and caring centrism can once again inform government that includes us all.

What Now and What's Next?

Summer is SO not here any longer in the Northeast--cool nights, brisk days and dying plants provide the backdrop and, perhaps a metaphor for the '08 presidential election campaign, now in full swing. In an attempt to circumvent some of the mendacity that main stream media continues to hurl at us, I find solace in the vast army of brilliant bloggers who manage to integrate news, truth and the true pulse of Centrist America. Today finds me greatly moved by Petunia Politik's deeply resonant assessment, which describes my feelings, and doubtless those of most of us, to a fault:

"I sit here appalled and sickened, as I have felt through much of this fraudulent election cycle. However, this transcends and trumps every other scurrilous and despicable act of the man we MUST STOP from entering the oval office." http://www.nypost.com/seven/09152008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/obama_tried_to_stall_gis_iraq_withdrawal_129150.htm

Petunia Politik http://thepetuniapolitikposts.blogspot.com/2008/09/obama-attempts-to-conspire-with-iraqi.html

So...what are we going to do about it and what have we done so far? Well, in just just ten weeks, we formed the PUMA coalition, reperesenting over 230 groups who stood up and Just Said NO DEAL to the DNC and its hand selected nominee [you know...the one who LOST the primary race]. We blogged, conferenced, mobilized, organized and made our presence known far and wide as we lobbied for Hillary Clinton to be the Democratic nominee. We signed petitions and got her into the nomination process in Denver over strenuous objection from DNC leaders while receiving worldwide attention in the news. We championed the 88th anniversary of women's right to vote and made it clear that, like those brave suffragettes before us, we would not just be quiet and get in line. We created a vast network of unity from incredibly diverse backgrounds that far surpassed that which remained in the shreds of a Democratic party torn asunder by DNC refusal to listen to its electorate, and we continue to grow ever larger as we commit to our long term goals of media and election reform.

We are now in Phase III of our commitment to these goals: We actively continue our work, and, in addition to all of the above, dedicate ourselves to the following ongoing solutions:

Solution: Support Heidi Li Feldman and Marc Rubin in the new reform initiative, Democrats for Principle Before Party http://tdg.typepad.comdemocrats_for_principle_b/

Solution: Continue to Get The Word Out - talk, write, reply, interview

Solution: VOTE against DNC outrage by supporting a candidate other than the DNC's selected nominee AND lobby to remove Dean, Brazile and Pelosi by visiting

http://tdg.typepad.com/heidi_lis_potpourri/2008/09/want-to-fix-the-broken-democratic-party-steps-you-can-take-now.html

Go forth and prosper, all! Take Back Our Party! Follow the lead of the courageous, forward thinking and brilliant Lynn Forest de Rothschild and send a clear message that we will NOT be suppressed by the DNC--Support John McCain!

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience is to
remain silent. --Thomas Jefferson

Suffrage is the pivotal right. --Susan B. Anthony

Res Ipsa Loquitur - The Thing Speaks For Itself, or, Read It And Weep

Today brings a such plethora of poignant, salient pieces from so many contributers that I have decided to dedicate this post to them, for their words and reportage convey far better than I the situation we now face as a result of the DNC's and Obama camp's primary perfidy. While extreme sadness at this state of affairs is inevitable, we can also take hope from the truths contained herein, and the courage of those who voice them, and I am reminded that, although lying and cheating may sometimes appear to have prevailed, a fudged result is never for real, nor for long. A timeline of sorts, formed from soldiers in the PUMA Movement, follows.

Let the record show that Senator Clinton led in the popular vote, and that there was only a separation of 47 pledged delegates, even with all the caucus fraud and manipulation. http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P08/D.phtml

Votes:

Clinton: 17,857,446

Obama: 17,584,649

Pledged delegates
Obama: 1,747
Clinton: 1,730

"Too many have worked too hard for too long to have this historic vote shoved under the rug."
--Karen Murphy, Alegre's Corner

"...there are widespread reports and investigations of fraudulent voting irregularities in several states. In the Texas caucuses there was massive voter fraud and voter intimidation. In Oregon there were dead people voting. In Los Angeles, gang members were hired to walk neighborhoods and threaten people to vote for Obama. In some southern states there is an investigation of votes being sold for $20.00, or in some cases, for drugs. These problems affect the results of voting in all states, Florida included, i.e. see website http://www.lynettelong.com/caucusfraud/

"The foregoing fraud was seen by countries all over the world. I am alarmed that a rigged roll call and nomination was allowed to happen in the USA. Our soldiers are dying all over the world for democracy and to give others the privilege to cast an honest vote. Former Pres. Jimmy Carter goes to many countries to monitor elections for fraud, yet he did nothing to stop what was going on in our own country. Jimmy Carter endorsed Obama. No Party should be above the law and as a citizen I expect you to do your job. If it is not your job, then whose job is it?
The spending of our state tax dollars to allow a private club such as the DNC to pick their own candidate in violation of even their own rules, and run that candidate on our state ballots is outrageous. . I assure you, I intend to work to amend our state laws so that from now on the DNC will not be allowed access to our state ballots without the requisite fees and petitions that the other political parties... must pay and supply, unless they return to holding fair elections based upon votes of citizens."--Lady Hawke, Fax to FL Attorney General Bill McCollum

"...throughout the nomination process, the Obama campaign did everything possible to curtail the free speech of those who opposed him. Whether it was as simple as harassing supporters at the local metro, or as brazen as intimidating delegates at state conventions and threatening members of the Black Caucus---opposition to Barack Obama put people at risk—to be taunted, insulted and harassed in a way I've never before experienced in a political campaign."
--Paulie Abeles

" Would you be suprized if Obama loses GE? NO, he never won the primary!" --M.Sabori

On the Denver Convention: "...it appeared to me that many other states were subject to this arm twisting stuff also, and I wanted to share what happened to MS...I'm leaving out the part about how I was threatened with assault by a MS Obama delegate/atty. who told me after an interview with a reporter from the the Congressional Quarterly that I was not entitled to my opinions and she wanted us to go outside so she could whip my @ss (Monday night)."

--Kelly Jacobs, MS delegate

"That we all had to work so hard and basically beg for fairness and transparency is a sad commentary on the Presidential selection process. That we were even moderately influential is some consolation, but cold comfort. As an E[lection] W[atch]er wrote: "without the EW, the DNC would not have had to work so hard to rig the results..." --Ricki Lieberman

"We EWs knew that Clinton was far more Electable than BHO, and we know it still to be true..." --Aaron Baxter

"The Democratic Party has made a fatal mistake in nominating Barack Obama to be President of the United States. Now they will do everything fair and foul to foist that mistake on the American People. They will hack voting machines in key states, they will lie cheat and steal, and they will launch the same misogynistic attacks against Palin that they did against you while Obama maintains plausible deniability. No doubt, [Hillary] will do what [she] can to prevent this but it is not in [her] hands. Rather it is in the hands of people like Axelrod who are devoid of moral scruples and in the primary we saw the lengths to which they would go to disenfranchise voters... and if they fail then they will try to make [her] a scapegoat...we are thinking Democrats—not yellow dogs. The party of Barack Obama is no place for centrist democrats. When Howard Dean calls the Republican Party the white peoples party, when the Chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party tells black voters to not support white candidates, when Obama himself claims that people who live in small town America are bitter, cling to guns and religion, and when former Democratic Chairman Don Fowler hopes a hurricane will hit New Orleans during the Republican Convention, something is clearly amiss.. But the Obama cancer is metastasizing throughout the party." --Bill Boe

"Strategy involved G.O.P. crossover voting to take out Clinton, marketing newcomer Obama, stripping battleground delegates, threatening violence at the convention, and (if necessary) declaring martial law to prevent November's general election. Meanwhile, revelations about the Illinois senator's ties to Chicago political fixer Antoin Rezko and Iraqi war profiteers are downplayed by the press. For their part, Democratic Party leaders have circumvented the official nominating process, declaring Obama the nominee by breaking their own rules and allowing superdelegates to "vote" before the convention." http://www.thecityedition.com/Pages/Archive/Winter08/2008Election.html --Rosemary Regello

[Note: If you read only ONE link today, make it THIS one].

"On television, Obama's spectacle might have looked like The Ten Commandments, but inside the stadium it felt like Night of the Living Dead... The crowd, of course, cheered mechanically at tag lines...But its mood was sour. The air carried the acrid smell of defeat...the crowd took shallow breaths. [author's note: The three who donned Nobama tee shirts and walked determinedly around the podium when he began to speak were copiously ignored by the press despite the furor they caused in the stadium]. It is conceivable that Barack Obama, if elected, will destroy himself before he destroys the country. Hatred is a toxic diet even for someone with as strong a stomach as Obama ... Both Obama and the American public should be very careful of what they wish for. As the horrible example of Obama's father shows, there is nothing worse for an embittered outsider manipulating the system from within than to achieve his goals.By all rights, the Democrats should win this election. They will lose, I predict, because of the flawed character of their candidate." http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/JI03Aa02.html
--Spengler

"Orange is the symbolic color of the Ukrainian Revolutionaries who protested the "selection" of the President in a rigged election. There was massive corruption, voter intimidation and direct electoral fraud. In the end the Orange Revolution was successful. There was a re-vote that was watched by world observers (that's what we needed here!) and Yushchenko became the President. I guess only "rigged" elections in foreign countries get world outcry."
--Puget Sound Island Girl

And So: The conventions are over. The DNC and the Obama camp have, for the moment, gotten what they want, despite hard campaigning for the actual winner of the primaries and strenuous objection to voter and caucus fraud. However, this appears to be quite the pyrrhic victory indeed. Once again, the Democratic party has demonstrated its keen ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by insisting on the selection of an inexperienced, unqualified and, apparently, rather lawless individual who, it has recently come to light, has rather clearly violated the Logan Act on several occasions, most notably in negotiating in July with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebarito demand that they stop negotiations with the Bush Administration to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq in the hope that he can continue attacking the Bush Administration for not imposing a timetable for withdrawal.

http://partisanreport.com/blog/2008/09/16/mccain-responds-to-obama-over-possible-interference-with-iraqi-government-and-us-troop-withdrawl/

And, if voter fraud and violation of the Logan Act weren't, on their own, sufficient reason to prevent his takeover of the Oval Office, this should seal the deal, so to speak:

"Every story that surfaces concerning Senator Obama reeks with the stench of the long-corrupt Chicago political machine. Obama is part of this machine; his rise to power was due to this machine, and like the Chicago power brokers he is nothing more than a say anything, do anything candidate who once elected will break all campaign promises, act only to increase his own political power and then expect the long-term memory loss that the public has to kick-in by election day...From aggregating information contained within FEC disclosures you can begin to form a picture of where the large contributions are coming from. According to The Center For Responsive Politics, of the 20 largest sources of campaign contributions to the Obama Campaign, 11 were Investment Banks or International Law firms directly tied to the financial industry." For a comprehensive list of specific donors, click link http://politicallydrunk.blogspot.com/2008/09/obamas-sub-prime-buddies-lehman.html
One can only hope that somehow, some way, there is a power in the Universe that will prevent him from taking control of the White House, because thus far, our tattered electoral system has been unable to prevent it.

Rumors Abound, The Truth Will Out and the Main Stream Media Stumbles On

It is a Monday in Mid September and the campaign for the General Election is well under way. Try as they might, Main Stream Media has been unable to help the Obama camp seal the deal--in fact, to the contrary, all they seem to have able to accomplish thus far is to almost completely lose credibility for both Obama and themselves. Matthews and Olberman have been demoted as anchors, the weekend buzz of truth and rumor has gone viral, and the wheels of the Obama bus are rapidly teetering off their axles, about to bring it crashing down on all those he has thrown beneath it.

Rumor, purportedly from DNC insiders, claims that on or about October 5th, Biden will suddenly step down for "health reasons," and be replaced by...are you ready for this?...none other than HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON. Indeed, Biden recently stated that he thought Hillary would have been the better choice. Pollsters and analysts are getting letters from Democrats 'suddenly'[??] questioning the wisdom of DNC leadership's having forced their will by insisting that Obama be placed into waters far over his head as their presidential selectee...his polls are taking nose dives http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/polltracker/2008/09/latest-statebystate-general-el-52.html all over the country, and today's NY Daily News predicts the possiblity that McCain could win the State of NY; Rasmussen's daily tracking poll
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/daily_presidential_tracking_poll indicates that, despite former assertions that a 2008 Democratic win should be a shoe in, such is not the case with Obama at the top of the ticket.

Well...don't blame the 18 Million who clearly stated otherwise. They wanted Hillary--voted for her in record numbers-- and DNC leadership refused to listen. They even refused to respond courteously to the millions of Democrats who beseeched them to choose the winning candidate, replying to their pleas with rude, sometimes coarse language and/or threats ['Don't send me this crap'... 'call my office tomorrow and you'll see what happens to you' --Donna Brazile; 'take me off your list or I will report you to your server for spamming', --Susan Turnbull; 'we are sick and tired of you...' --Alice Germand and Don Fowler]

The Truth Will Out. And it has finally outed Barack Obama and the DNC for the hypocritical shams that they are. [To wit: It is not OK for a Republican mother to work: she should stay home with her kids. Only Democratic women are allowed to be working mothers]. It now remains to be seen whether they can still pull it out by continuing the tactics of fraud and corruption we witnessed along the primary path with the busing of school children and homeless to vote in the Indiana and Iowa primaries and the infamous Texas Caucus Fraud maneuvres. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOqe-JPLKfw As the leaves continue to turn, we watch for Truth to triumph and hope for the best.

The Gibson Edit...and the Rest of the Story

The Constitution grants special protections to "the Press" because a free and open exchange of ideas is essential to our form of government. This also gives "the Press" the responsibility of being watchdog to the government.

When the press become politicized and biased toward a particular view, they stop objectively reporting, present only one side of the issue, and become merely an extension of and advocate for the side they favor rather than the independent reporter mandated by the Professional Journalists Code of Ethics, http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp below:

• Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible.
• Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.
• Never distort the content of news photos or video. Image enhancement for technical clarity is always permissible. Label montages and photo illustrations.
• Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others.
• Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant
• Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.
• Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.

Clearly, the sin of ommission--be it in the form of editing out contextual material, as ABC's Charlie Gibson did, or simply neglecting to state a clarification or fact-- is no less than the sin of commission. Both dodge and taint the truth. Sadly, this is an example that, far from being the exception, has now become the rule in current day news reading. Instead of Edward R. Murrow, we have a Keith Olberman who merely plays Ed on TV, reading his prompter with passion but no information. Several weeks ago, when annienyc engaged him in what she expected would be an intelligent discourse on the Democratic candidates, she learned that, much to her surprise, he was clueless as to any facts about either candidate. Thus we have edited tape instead of insightful interview and commentary, or, barring that, Chris Matthews talks about his tingling leg.

This sad substitution for journalism must stop. Journalists need to replace prompter readers and pundits who have no idea what they are talking about. But most of all, we need to replace propaganda mongers with objective reporters once again. Our Democracy depends on it.

The Continued Cry for Truth: Main Stream Media-- Business As Usual

IN March of this year, during the primaries, I became so outraged at the depths to which Main Stream Media had plunged into bias and misogyny that, in addition to campaigning for Hillary Clinton, I began to work actively on media reform. Tired of the endless stream of "babble from Babel", of the outright lies, half truths, ommissions, innuendo, lewd, sexist remarks and sometimes even violent references to and about Hillary [and thus ALL women] perpetrated by news readers of BOTH genders--note, I do not characterize these offenders as journalists--many of us began to push back at these outrages, contacting network heads, producers, perpetrators and advertisers, and boycotting same. It got to the point where FOX, the network once most maligned for Republican bias, was the only place one could hope to obtain even a scintilla of balanced reportage.

IN the months since, we have seen incremental change in response to our outcry: a few random wrist slaps for some of the most blatant offenders, coupled with an apology here and there [if they do it and apologize, does that make it all right to continue to offend??], and, finally, this week, word that BOTH Olberman and Matthews have been demoted from anchor posts to mere commentary slots for fall election coverage. A step in the right direction, to be sure, but a more complete demotion would have been more to my liking, given the frequency and outrageousness of their offenses.

AND THEN came Charlie Gibson's interview with Sarah Palin: Regardless of whether one agrees with a candidate's ideology, one cannot have an informed electorate unless media is willing to report truthfully and objectively. Call me crazy--I have always supported the view that in order to HAVE a Democracy [even if it is only a representational democracy] an informed electorate, accorded human rights, is the imperative. However, objectivity be damned, Charlie sat, leaning slightly forward, above Governor Palin, glasses perched low on nose as he peered, frowning menacingly down through them at her. It was disconcertingly clear that this was more an inquisition than an interview, but still I thought that perhaps we would get some real information from Governor Palin.

NOW mind you, I am a lifelong Democrat, [or at least I was until the DNC and the Obama camp used caucus, voter and delegate fraud and intimidation to select the candidate who LOST the primary] and, as such, disagree with much of Governor Palin's ideology. However, when I read the ENTIRE transcript http://marklevinshow.com/gibson-interview/
of that Gibson interview, including the PARTS EDITED OUT, I was once again reminded that we, the American people who are trying to learn about our candidates, continue to be deprived of the truth in reporting that our Democracy requires to function. During the primaries, as now, the American public has been denied their right not only to free speech, but their right to be informed. Countless incidents of caucus fraud, voter fraud and delegate intimidation went unreported, and, indeed, even the assassination of Arkansas State Democratic Chair Bob Gwatney went virtually unnoticed. Most people to whom I mentioned it were shocked to learn that it had happened, so unreported was that heinous crime.

AND SO IT GOES. The trauma of the Denver convention is passed, though definitely not forgotten; the DNC has rejected its most popular candidate in favor of one selected by a few of its waning leaders, one who is LEAST likely to win in November; and the Republican candidate has chosen a women to run as his VP. Never mind whether you agree with their ideology; Obama changes positions [and perhaps vp choices, if one accords any credence to rumors??!] with abandon, so we really do not know WHAT he stands for...McCain the Maverick [castigated by the Republican Far Right] has at least stepped up to the plate for equality with his choice. And all that remains now is to continue to expose media bias and try as best we can to educate the public on the facts about both candidates in the hope that they will have a vote that counts.

The Changing Seasons

We came to Denver in Summer and arrived home in Fall: a new season has burst forth with returns to school, a Republican Vice Presidential candidate and the not unsymbolic turning of leaves. Our unexpected, but exhilarating detour North to the Republican convention brought new revelations as we spoke to RNC members, media, candidates and People In The Street in every state along I-70 and north from Denver to New York.

And now, Phase Two of the battle begins, in which the parties vie finally for the prize of POTUS. Already, battle lines have solidified along issues of ideology vs. feminism and human rights, apparently trumping, for the moment, issues of war, financial and national security and energy. As we begin to get our bearings and gear up for the general election in 55 days, I refer our readers to some particularly salient observations, made recently in the face of all the accusations, coming from right and left, decrying one another. In the quiet of the eye of the storm, these writers best describe the issues I regard as the most important, for without them, we have no democracy at all. I bid you to read these links. If you do nothing else of substance today, read these links and take them to heart, for they hold the truths that matter most.

http://tdg.typepad.com/heidi_lis_potpourri/2008/09/surely-the-dncc-jests.html

http://hireheels.com/blog/2008/09/09/ricky-lieberman%E2%80%99s-convention-post-mortem-part-deux/

http://www.lynettelong.com/my_weblog/2008/09/the-x-factor.html?cid=129961450#comments

http://www.nowewont.org/

And, for a bit of solid information as to WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED in Denver http://ladyboomernyc.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/null-and-void-democrats-roll-call-in-retrospect/ and, resultantly, how best to count your vote, please visit annienyc's wizened and wise entry on states' voting status: http://annienyc.blogspot.com/

Godspeed, human rights...godspeed First Amendment...and godspeed to those who dare to speak out against tyranny of every sort.

August 24th, 2008 at 3:22 pm, on the now famed 300 Petition to put HRC into nomination: "Who knew the biggest fight would be the restoration of [our] democracy and the biggest impediment would be the DNC itself?!" http://hireheels.com/blog/2008/08/24/the-300-petition-that-roared/

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent. --Thomas Jefferson

"Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in. When you stumble, keep faith. When you're knocked down, get right back up. And never listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on." --Hillary Clinton

"Facts need testimony to be remembered and trustworthy witnesses to be established in order to find a secure dwelling place in the domain of human affairs." --Hannah Arendt, Lying in Politics

Turning Left To Go Right--The World Turned Upside Down

Upon hearing the news that Sarah Palin had been chosen as John McCain's running mate and learning of the spate of vicious sexist attacks upon her, Thelma, Louise and Princess Laia veered suddenly left and north to head to the Republican Convention in Minneapolis. In our last episode, we had arrived safely thereon and were making plans to be interviewed and attend Governor Palin's speech scheduled for Wednesday, September 3.

Today finds us mulling over the events of last night, and all the permutations therein. It was a first for this writer: attending a Republican convention was the last thing I ever thought I would be doing. Amidst frantic phone calls from family asking whether I had lost my mind, I marched forth with my stalwart sisters to make our stand for feminism, women's rights, and human rights.

Irrespective of candidates' ideologies, it is our position that sexist smears, comments and accusations cannot be tolerated, at any time or any place. To continue to allow this kind of thing to perpetuate is to keep all people enslaved. As Hillary says, "Women's Rights Are Human Rights."

We were met at the skybox most graciously by two lovely RNC officials and were immediately struck by the contrast between the two conventions. Just having come from Denver, we had experienced and witnessed a great deal of unpleasantness--delegate intimidation, aggressive Obamabots, hostile and arrogant DNC officials were the rule rather than the exception, and at times the only friends we felt present were the Denver police, the foreign press and the residents, all of whom were terrific.

On the other hand, the officials and attendees here in St. Paul have been nothing but open, welcoming and enthusiastic about our presence. Regardless of whether one agrees with Sarah Palin's policies, one has to respect her right to voice them without fear of her family or herself being maligned.

The utter disrespect and sexism that has emerged, once again, toward a woman running for office in the United States is unacceptable. When Joe Biden lost a wife and child in a car crash years ago, no one suggested to him that he quit his job to stay home and take care of his children; no one has suggested that he is a poor parent because his daughter was arrested for obstructing justice--in fact, no one even REPORTED the incident, which occurred years ago, until NOW!

And so it goes. It will not stop until we MAKE it stop. Call us what you will--we will not stop until equality is a reality, not just something Democrats feel they can apply only to themselves or those of whom they approve. Equality is for EVERYone...all races, religions, creeds, genders, and yes...even political parties. Even Republicans have the right to be free from sexist, personal assaults upon themselves and their families. If one is maligned, we are all vulnerable.

Princess Laia Kidnapped By Thelma & Louise

As the title suggests, events have taken on a surreal, movie-like quality as we have moved from the Debacle In Denver to the Meet Up in Minnesota. As I travelled East with two Feminist Patriots, we learned of McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate, illustrating the fact that it is the Republican party, NOT the Democratic party, who has demonstrated a willingness to embrace women politically. Immediately we veered North from Terra Haute to express our position on women's and human rights when the hue and cry went up, among Democrats and Feminists alike, about how unfit, in their esteemed opinion, Sarah Palin was to run as a vice presidential nominee. Instead of embracing the idea that at last a woman had been chosen to run in a major election, all they could do was attack her for her personal choices and her ideological positons: she is an unfit mother because she works; it is her fault that she gave birth to a Down Syndrome baby; she is a bad mother because her daughter is pregnant. If anyone ever dared to say this about the working women whom the Democrats claim to represent, the fury of feminists and Democrats countrywide would raise a clamor heretofore unknown--when it is levelled against someone in the public eye--a governor, a working mother and fighter of corruption, runnin for office on a Reppublican ticket, these champions of human rights suddenly feel that it is acceptable to exhibit this hypocrisy.

Where is the integrity here? Where is the consistency? Where is the fight for human and women's rights? We have seen Hillary eliminated due to sexism. If we allow Palin to be bounced on that basis also, NO party will nominate a woman for president or vice president since they will be seen as detrimental to a campaign, irrespective of the issues they espouse.

This is NOT about the issues. This is about women's and human rights, without which we HAVE no chance for Democracy. As Hillary so wisely stated, "Women's Rights Are Human Rights."