We got up this morning early and voted. I felt like crap, but as I told my SO, "nothing in heaven or hell could keep me from voting today." The line was about 90 minutes long, but it was a beautiful fall morning--looks like the weather is on our side, too!
YES WE CAN!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Tomorrow The World Changes
It's been a long two years of presidential campaigns, but finally the quadrennial event of American politics is upon us. For me, it's been a time of elation, frustration, irritation, and astonishment. Tomorrow we may elect the first African-American to the office of President, an event I doubted I'd see so early in my lifetime, if at all. Even more, tomorrow is the first day of the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning, for America and for the world.
We have come to a crossroads as a country, species and planet. Things must change from the course they've taken the last eight years, or our country, and, I firmly believe, our species will not survive. We are faced with monumental challenges on every front: the economy, terrorism, racism, global warming, depletion of natural resources, a growing divide between rich and poor, worldwide environmental pollution, nuclear proliferation, and yes, even species extinction. We can no longer take anything for granted: not our jobs, our health, our finances, our neighbors, our safety, nor our future. Events have overtaken human resistance and ignorance to the point that we now face global climate change, changes that would certainly affect all our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren; and ultimately, the continuation of the human species on this planet.
More immediately, an ill-advised and duplicitous war has sapped our resources, our blood and our treasure. Our leaders have lied to us about every facet of their plans, activities, and goals. Our image around the world has changed from being "the shining city on a hill", from the global unity and support we received after 9/11, to the hatred and scorn with which America is viewed by most of the world. Our economy once led the world; now we are the world's greatest debtor nation. Our Chinese bankers have financed our two wars, and sold us cubic miles of plastic crap to offer in our stores, in return. Over a billion Muslims around the world wonder if we are starting a new Crusade, and our homegrown Christian Taliban spreads ignorance and fear in the hearts of uninformed Americans. We argue about gay marriage while neglecting the welfare of our children, and we fight over offshore drilling for oil even when it's crystal clear that Americans have to begin giving up the petroleum habit. We continue to fight about the issues of the Sixties while the Twenty-First century is waiting for us to truly begin living in it.
This election will produce the first truly American president of the Twenty-First century. We have an opportunity to begin addressing our manyfold problems while there's still time to begin fixing them; or we can turn away from the future, and leave it to the BRICs to build that future for themselves, and our children to suffer living in it. Time has run out: the global changes that began four decades ago are accelerating, and we may have passed the point of no return for some things. Our nation can either begin to repair our economy, our reputation, our earth, sea, and sky, and our hearts, or we can continue to descend into darkness. We need to begin repairing the damage at home and abroad; we need to begin building the true new world order; an order not of dominance, but of compassion. And we need to start now.
There is only one choice in this election, only one man running for president this election year who can help us find the path to the world of our dreams, and not to our nightmares. And tomorrow, I will proudly vote for him: Barack Obama.
We have come to a crossroads as a country, species and planet. Things must change from the course they've taken the last eight years, or our country, and, I firmly believe, our species will not survive. We are faced with monumental challenges on every front: the economy, terrorism, racism, global warming, depletion of natural resources, a growing divide between rich and poor, worldwide environmental pollution, nuclear proliferation, and yes, even species extinction. We can no longer take anything for granted: not our jobs, our health, our finances, our neighbors, our safety, nor our future. Events have overtaken human resistance and ignorance to the point that we now face global climate change, changes that would certainly affect all our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren; and ultimately, the continuation of the human species on this planet.
More immediately, an ill-advised and duplicitous war has sapped our resources, our blood and our treasure. Our leaders have lied to us about every facet of their plans, activities, and goals. Our image around the world has changed from being "the shining city on a hill", from the global unity and support we received after 9/11, to the hatred and scorn with which America is viewed by most of the world. Our economy once led the world; now we are the world's greatest debtor nation. Our Chinese bankers have financed our two wars, and sold us cubic miles of plastic crap to offer in our stores, in return. Over a billion Muslims around the world wonder if we are starting a new Crusade, and our homegrown Christian Taliban spreads ignorance and fear in the hearts of uninformed Americans. We argue about gay marriage while neglecting the welfare of our children, and we fight over offshore drilling for oil even when it's crystal clear that Americans have to begin giving up the petroleum habit. We continue to fight about the issues of the Sixties while the Twenty-First century is waiting for us to truly begin living in it.
This election will produce the first truly American president of the Twenty-First century. We have an opportunity to begin addressing our manyfold problems while there's still time to begin fixing them; or we can turn away from the future, and leave it to the BRICs to build that future for themselves, and our children to suffer living in it. Time has run out: the global changes that began four decades ago are accelerating, and we may have passed the point of no return for some things. Our nation can either begin to repair our economy, our reputation, our earth, sea, and sky, and our hearts, or we can continue to descend into darkness. We need to begin repairing the damage at home and abroad; we need to begin building the true new world order; an order not of dominance, but of compassion. And we need to start now.
There is only one choice in this election, only one man running for president this election year who can help us find the path to the world of our dreams, and not to our nightmares. And tomorrow, I will proudly vote for him: Barack Obama.
Monday, November 3, 2008
A Few Comments Before The Comments Of The Night Before
Sarah Palin's pet Personnel Board released a report clearing her of all wrongdoing in the Troopergate matter. Yeah, and monkeys will fly out of my butt. Funny how the people who all owe their jobs to her find her innocent.
Also, Palin today--today, the day before the election!--released a one-and-a-half page summary of her medical records, instead of a full medical report, as she had promised. Yet somehow, Mark Halperin at Time thinks that's a full medical report. As Josh Marshall said, "it's fitting that the McCain-Palin campaign ends with a couple of politically motivated pretend nods to transparency." This doesn't answer any of my questions about Trig Palin's birth records. I still think that kid is her daughter's.
Lastly, I agree with Arianna Huffington: "where's the WiFi"? My SO and I plan to have at least three computers running all Tuesday night. To hell with CNN, give me HuffPost, TPM Election Central, and Kos! Give me fivethirtyeight.com, Politico, and Ta-Nehisi Coates! Give me the Twin Cities Daily Liberal, MNPost.com, and MNPublius! This year the intertubes have been the place for fast and complete information, and TV just the place where they tell the story to everyone else. Go broadband!
Also, Palin today--today, the day before the election!--released a one-and-a-half page summary of her medical records, instead of a full medical report, as she had promised. Yet somehow, Mark Halperin at Time thinks that's a full medical report. As Josh Marshall said, "it's fitting that the McCain-Palin campaign ends with a couple of politically motivated pretend nods to transparency." This doesn't answer any of my questions about Trig Palin's birth records. I still think that kid is her daughter's.
Lastly, I agree with Arianna Huffington: "where's the WiFi"? My SO and I plan to have at least three computers running all Tuesday night. To hell with CNN, give me HuffPost, TPM Election Central, and Kos! Give me fivethirtyeight.com, Politico, and Ta-Nehisi Coates! Give me the Twin Cities Daily Liberal, MNPost.com, and MNPublius! This year the intertubes have been the place for fast and complete information, and TV just the place where they tell the story to everyone else. Go broadband!
Madelyn Dunham, Barack Obama's Grandmother, Dies At 86
Madelyn Dunham, Barack Obama's grandmother, lost her battle with cancer today. She was 86 years old, and one day shy of seeing her grandson elected President of the United States.
The Washington Post:
I wish she could have seen her grandson win the presidency tomorrow. My condolences to Sen. Obama and his family.
"While we live, let us love, for there is so little time."
The Washington Post:
The campaign released a statement from Obama and his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng this afternoon:
"It is with great sadness that we announce that our grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died peacefully after a battle with cancer. She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility. She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances. She was proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and left this world with the knowledge that her impact on all of us was meaningful and enduring. Our debt to her is beyond measure.
"Our family wants to thank all of those who sent flowers, cards, well-wishes, and prayers during this difficult time. It brought our grandmother and us great comfort. Our grandmother was a private woman, and we will respect her wish for a small private ceremony to be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you make a donation to any worthy organization in search of a cure for cancer."
I wish she could have seen her grandson win the presidency tomorrow. My condolences to Sen. Obama and his family.
"While we live, let us love, for there is so little time."
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Second Suit Filed Against Coleman
Several sources today have reported on a second suit against my favorite corrupt Republican senator, Norm Coleman. The StarTribune reported that a second lawsuit has been filed against Norm Coleman supporter Nasser Kazeminy, again alleging that money was illegally funneled from a Texas company to Norm, through bogus salary payments to his wife, Laurie. This suit, according to court documents, names
News of the second suit was picked up by Politico, which states that "a group of minority investors in Deep Marine Technology are making allegations against Kazeminy and Coleman nearly identical to the lawsuit filed in Houston last week. Politico's article goes on to identify what it calls "the money quote":
Whether or not the StarTribune is in the tank for Coleman isn't the point, though. What's important is that we've got another suit against Norm making the same allegations--that Coleman illegally received money from Kazeminy. Stay tuned for more.
News of the second suit was picked up by Politico, which states that "a group of minority investors in Deep Marine Technology are making allegations against Kazeminy and Coleman nearly identical to the lawsuit filed in Houston last week. Politico's article goes on to identify what it calls "the money quote":
The second suit, brought by FLI Deep Marine LLC and Bressner Partners LTD, attributes its allegations to a "confidential source.''Interestingly, the story reads differently on the StarTribune's website when comparing last night to today. MNPublius, covering this story, cited this paragraph from the StarTribune on this second suit:
According to the lawsuit, the source was told by Kazeminy in 2007 that "we have to get some money to Sen. Coleman'' because the senator "needs the money.''
The lawsuit is very similar to one filed earlier in the week in Houston by McKim. Both actions allege that Kazeminy told executives at Deep Marine that he wanted to provide financial assistance to the Colemans through an insurance consulting arrangement between Deep Marine and Hays Companies. But the second suit cites a “confidential source.” Kazeminy is a longtime friend and campaign contributor to Coleman.However, when you go the story on the Strib's website, those paragraphs are mysteriously deleted. Fortunately, on the Pioneer Press's website, their coverage of this story reiterates the Strib's report, and repeats the information that McKim is named as a defendant in the second suit.
…in a new wrinkle, Deep Marine’s former CEO, McKim, is named as a co-defendant with Kazeminy and several other individuals who were in positions of authority at the company.
Whether or not the StarTribune is in the tank for Coleman isn't the point, though. What's important is that we've got another suit against Norm making the same allegations--that Coleman illegally received money from Kazeminy. Stay tuned for more.
They're Still Available! Call 1-800-GOP-GTFO
John Scalzi's "The Whatever Blog" has a list of names and occupations that McCain and Palin haven't used yet. Some of them are:
1. Brad the Milkman
2. Sid the Deli Owner
3. Bryan the Surly Indie Music Store Clerk
4. Kim the Overnight Wal-Mart Stocker
5. Hakeem the Halal Butcher
6. Aloysius the Chicken Sexer
7. Carol the Humorless, Cavity-Probing TSA Agent
8. Klaus the Eurotrash A&R Man
9. Craig the Porn Reviewer
10. Markos the Blogger
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
