This is where I think out loud about Life, the Universe and Everything. I consider life an adventure and this is part of mine whether I'm ranting on politics or taking you on a ramble through Kay's World.
It's early Tuesday and that should tell y'all that my non-existent sleep patterns are still very much the status quo. Sigh.
* I had to take Miss Ruby for a new tire yesterday. The ex recommended a place that is fair and reasonable when I mentioned the need last week. It's kind of nice that we are able to talk to each other. And don't anybody get excited, I am delighted that he seems so happy with his lady and told him that, too.
* Yesterday was the anniversary of the Reverend Martin Luther King's birth. We really have come a long way since then but we still have a long way to go. I swiped this photo of the Tea Party's rally last summer. It stuns, amazes, and saddens me greatly that this 'mentality', to put it kindly, still exists. When are we going to grow up in this country? [Note: Sarah Palin is going to speak at their upcoming convention.]
* I just read Game Change by John Heileman and Mark Halperin. It's about Election 2008 and while not much surprised me, I was impressed by their candor and impartial approach. If it were a novel, I would have thought it a bit over the top but we're living with it. Am I scared? You betcha.
* Y'all know that I think Facebook is pretty useless and had deactivated it a while back. Somehow it got reactivated so I decided to just live with it until I could find a way to get rid of it completely. However, someone tripped my trigger, and decided that I should add people I didn't want to add, I got angry and went to work and found a way to rid myself of it. There really is a way to delete it but they keep it concealed which offends my right to make the decision to leave. Allegedly, it takes up to 14 days for my profile, etc., to be deleted which seems pretty damned stupid to me. Here's a pretty funny video about it. And I am done -- I hope. If not, there will be hell to pay.
Today Barack H. Obama will take the oath of office and become the first American of African-American descent to be President of the United States. It will be a day of great celebration (to the tune of $170 million) with a star-studded cast thay carries on what some pundits called his "rock star" image from his high energy campaign.
Tomorrow his work begins as he faces the monumental task of fixing all the things that have gone awry in our country -- and that's putting it mildly. I know it won't be done overnight and I hope others don't expect it. We the People are going to have to be patient and keep the prayers for him going. I expect he will ask our help as we rebuild this nation when he speaks today. I hope we answer his call as do many did during his campaign. If we all make an effort to help him, we can make the United States the nation that was our Founding Fathers' dream. Yes, we can.
Here's a little fun with what is probably my favorite video from campaign 2008:
Happy Blogging and Happy Inauguration Day!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, the Christmas tree downtown is lit courtesy of Hizzoner da mayor who wanders around with a couple guys clearing the way crowds for him. I miss our former mayor who needed no such thing -- she just turned up at the damnedest places and acted like "just folks" and even remembered everyone's name but I digress . . . At any rate, downtown is all dolled up for the holidays and all the shops were open for our monthly First Friday celebration. The ice skating rink was open, too -- 20 degree temperatures guaranteed that! I had fun despite freezing my asker off and will pay for it later, I'm sure.
* I finally got my sidebar back where it belongs after a LOT of finagling and lessons learned. You'll notice that a few widgets and awards are missing and they will return slowly but surely. There is still a lot of housekeeping to be done here.
* I haven't put up the Blogger "following" widget yet because only having 9 followers is kinda embarrassing and makes me insecure. I was just at a blog that has 155 followers. What am I doing wrong? Actually, it doesn't matter because I love all y'all unconditionally.
* Speaking of the "following" feature, it annoys me greatly when I try to add a Blogger blog and they say I can't add it. Duh?
* BearNaked has a sinful but delicious treat at her place. If I'm gonna get fat, I'm taking y'all along for the ride!!!!
* I'm working on putting together more of the Founding Fathers thoughts on various amendments in the Bill of Rights. Each will appear as I finish it.
* Tonight is symphony night and we have a guest soloist -- a pianist from Moscow who is coming to us with rave reviews! Needless to say, I'm excited!!
* My buddy Chaz over at Dustbury featured a great quote from conservative columnist, Robert Stacy McCain: "At some basic level, politics is about popularity. When the other guys nominate Will Smith and you nominate Mister Magoo, no grand ideological theory or demographic trend is necessary to explain why you got your ass kicked." He was nice -- he didn't mention Caribou Barbie.
* Here's my favorite video for the holiday season. Eartha Kitt is one of my favorite vocalists and that she's now 81 and still going strong gives me hope!
I probably won't be doing much here for the next week or so. Yeah, the groaners will be here as usual but not much else. Yesterday I had to remove myself from my own party because I got hit with a huge panic attack that invited, what Hemingway called, "the Black Dog" to come out of the shadows where he lurks on the fringe of my so-called life. I'm not sure what triggered it: the weather, the endless cold or some such that I'm fighting, the upcoming holiday season or just my life in general. After the gals helped me clean up yesterday, I put myself to bed and stayed there and cried and slept. I didn't go to the victory party.
My phones have been ringing all morning and I haven't answered either. I think I need to do some serious thinking about Life, the Universe and Everything and where and if I fit into any of it. I am, however, going to be writing a couple segments on my other blog: How I Got to Be Me. If y'all choose to read them, you'll see why in addition to the fact that I've been ignoring it far too long.
It was a grey and frigid day in Ohio but the football gods were obviously in Columbus as the Ohio State Buckeyes kicked the you -know-what out of the University of Michigan's Wolverines 42-7. I was particularly proud that the young man in the picture above, Brian Hartline, contributed two touchdowns to the win. He is an an alumni of the suburban high school my children attended. (Actually, I attended it, too, but explaining that is 'way too complicated and irrelevant to this post.) We were whooping and hollering big time all afternoon. And no, beer was not the beverage dujour except to celebrate the win. Coffee was! The food was great and was pretty much what I expected -- isn't it funny how everyone has "signature" dishes they make for various parties? At any rate, we were well-fed and happy and our guys won -- definitely a good day!!! Thanks to all of y'all for your support!
* My blog layout is a mess. I did some updating and now my sidebar is stuck at the bottom of the page. I'm trying all sorts of things to get it back where it belongs. Blogger help, as usual, is helpless as is their support group. Advice and assistance is needed desperately. "Techie" is not a word that applies to me so any and all input/advice would be welcome.
* The turkey slaughter video (I refuse to dignify it by linking it -- if you haven't seen it and are curious, go to YouTube and search for it.) with Sarah Palin was, at best, tacky. How she could be so oblivious to what was going on around her again demonstrated that her thirst for power and attention overrides any sense of propriety or decency she may. This should be a red flag to anyone with a working brain cell left. I think she's like a gory bad accident -- you can't help but look when you drive it. Look for a press conference of her making excuses for herself. And my question is: Why in the hell are we still being bombarded with her? You lost, Sarah!!! The 15 minutes of fame that Andy Warhol promised over!!!! Get over it! And to the press: give it up --she lost the election for McCain!! The majority of your viewers don't like her and are sick of your enchantment with her.
* I think we skipped autumn in Ohio or just got the condensed version because it's snowed and the temperatures are the sort we usually don't see until January. This doesn't bode well for me. I'm definitely a creature of the sun. It's gonna be a longgggggggg winter I'm afraid. So much for global warming, Al!
My dear, dear friend, Naomi Hagen Bloom who is A Little Red Hen wrote some very wise words that I really consider important regarding the election:
". . . been thinking how some of us need to point out, as Biden did last week, that we have to temper our expectations of Obama who will inherit monumental problems."
She is so very right. Obama has won the election but we aren't out of the woods yet, boys and girls. For him to be able to begin to implement the changes that he's proposing, it's going to take a while. First, he'll have to do some major housekeeping, i.e., clean up the messes the current resident of the White House will have left behind and there are many -- very many.
Next, he's going to have to convince Congress and the Senate that what he wants to do will work so they pass the necessary legislation. And of course there's always what I call "the sore loser factor" where some legislators are obstructive out of sheer cussedness because they can.
He also has to figure out a way to bring the country back together. The anger and hatred I saw as McCain gave his concession speech scares the hell outta me. This is not the G.O.P. of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Barry Goldwater --those guys had style, class and intelligence. The ignorance and venom I saw in Election 2008 from these so-called humanoids was at a depth I'd never seen before and I mourn the loss of civility in our society.
And Sarah Palin running around whining is definitely not helping. This is my advice to her: Honey, if you don't have the cojones to play sacrificial lamb, get the hell outta politics. You have been thrown under the bus by the big kids which really shouldn't surprise you given your attitude and delight in inciting hate. If you were a class act, you would shut up, go back to Alaska, do your job, and take care of that special needs baby like a good mother should. Say what you will about Obama, Sarah, he had the class not to stoop to your shoddy at best level.
The bottom line is that somehow, some way we have to put aside our differences and stop the epithets and nastiness and work for what is best for this country. I'm willing -- are you?
It's been a very long and difficult day. I went back to work this morning only because a girl's gotta eat. I still feel like death warmed over. Thank God I see my doctor tomorrow! I also had a meeting tonight and couldn't miss it because it was my turn for refreshments which made the day even longer. Sigh. This girl's a freak about keeping her obligations. I'd forgotten it was election night. I am now a trustee of our neighborhood association. No big deal. It's a no-brainer and since I'm giving up a couple other things, it's okay.
The point is (bet y'all thought I'd never get there) that I'm tired and not of a mind to write here. I did, however, find this video on California's Prop 8. I've said before that I'm not an aficionado of Keith Olbermann but I think he got it right here. I have gay friends who I think would agree.
Charita Goshay was the first black woman hired as a news reporter by our local newspaper. She was also the first black woman to have an op-ed column in our city. Her weekly column is always interesting as she comments on local and national events as well as the foibles and failings of society -- politics, social issues, life in our city, ad infinitum. Her rapier wit and style has hit home with all of us at one time or another. I have had the pleasure of meeting her and have heard her speak on various occasions and she is excellent as well as a really nice person. I email her when I particularly enjoy her column and she always writes back -- her mama raised her well.
I was really looking forward to her Sunday column because I knew she would have something well worth reading to say about Barack Obama's election and I wasn't disappointed. Here's a segment from it:
"Chances are, the wealth didn't "spread" your way last week. I'm betting you still have bills to pay.
Because there always will be forgotten corners of this nation, no matter who is the president. Crime, poverty and discrimination did not vanish Tuesday night.
SO, WHAT ELSE IS NEW?
However, we would be remiss, even naive, to deny that some things have changed.
What's different is, if you're young, gifted and/or black, Obama has all but obliterated your excuses for not trying.
What's changed is, those who have acquired influence and power by peddling the pathology of victimhood should find another line of work, as their words ring increasingly thin. "
Do y'all see why I like her so much? She doesn't tiptoe around -- she cuts right to the chase. Y'all can read the editorial in its entirety here as well as some of her previous columns if you're interested.
Those of you who are my friends in the blogosphere can just ignore this post!
The Kay is pretty damned upset. She wants to know how or why her blog has become a place for conservative hate spewers to post their links. These people. apparently disgruntled racists Republicans, don't appear to (probably too lazy or think they're too good) to have a blog of their own, keep posting links here and I am DONE with that!!!!!!
As an independent, I pride myself on being fair and when I see/hear something that might show a different viewpoint than mine or perhaps give me pause to rethink my position, I post it as I did with the link to Michelle Malkin's blog. Frankly, I think her blog is a trash pit but even a stopped clock is right twice a day and once in a great while she might even post something that could possibly be worthwhile amid the venom. But I digress.
I am announcing that I will no longer allow you to post your hateful links, you idiots. This is MY blog and MY opinions. Get your own blog and post your links there. When I want to see what the hatemongers are up to, I have better sources than you've provided and so do my friends.
The Kay has been off alllllll week. I had wonderful plans for getting caught up on rest and housework and going a-wandering. Robert Burns, the great Scottish poet, wrote: "The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley." I'm neither a mouse nor a man but I'll be damned if my plans haven't gone aft agley. The stuff I've been fighting for over a month decided to kick back into high tilt boogie mode so I've been sleeping a lot and generally feeling lousy. I haven't called the doctor -- my previous trips have been useless. I have an appointment with my regular doctor on Thursday, if I live. I'll spare you the list of my symptoms and just say that they're not fun.
Here are some thoughts that occurred to me during the highly-charged past week -- I hope to get back to the regular rants and rambles soon:
* Christopher Buckley, son of the late, great William F. Buckley, Jr., does a Q&A with readers in a wonderful article in Financial Times regarding where the Republican party should go from here. ('Out of the country.' is not a good answer.) As usual he is witty and articulate and rapier sharp in his answers.
* It didn't take long. The media is already criticizing Michelle Obama's wardrobe and panned the dress she chose for Tuesday night. I would have liked to seen her in something different and here's why: Michelle is about the same height and build as I am; She is tall, short-waisted, and long-legged. Her dress, while lovely, didn't suit her. As I well know -- part of the art of dressing is camouflage. A girl accents the positive and hides the negative. I was surprised because she usually looks great. She isn't a fashionista type so expect to see her in comfortable clothes like the the J. Crew preppy stuff she wore on the campaign trail and the media be damned.
* Did Sarah Palin fall off the planet? It sure looks like the GOP got her out of Dodge right quick! And like rats off a sinking ship, the truth is being told. Here's a video clip from The O'Reilly Factor outing her for what she is. So long Sarah! It's been real and it's been fun but it ain't been real fun!
* Marcia and I headed to First Friday on Friday night (when else?) because she thought maybe if I got out that I'd feel better. We went to lessons in salsa dancing at the church where I work. It was fun but we were pretty hopeless at it and laughed at ourselves a lot. I have trouble dancing anything more than a sedate slow dance since my stroke since one leg doesn't work right. We said we'll try it again but next time we'll have a drink first. It was rainy so it wasn't as much fun as usual and we wandered the galleries and chatted with friends we met. One weird thing: we ran into Marcia's stepbrother-in-law and one of his buddies and will she was talking with him about hubby, his buddy and I talked about stuff as one does when you first meet. Both of us divorced, we talked about that and work, dating, and all the other crap (sorry -- I can't think of a nicer way to say it) and he mentioned that he was forty-one. I said, "Well I'm sixty-one." He said, "Really? You don't look it.", and reached out and touched my face which really disconcerted me. I still can't figure out why he did that. Was he checking for face lift scars? Botox? Sorry -- none of that stuff here. Marcia thought it weird, too. I was glad when we extricated ourselves from those guys.
* Mark Steyn of the National Review, a leading conservative publication, wrote this interesting opinion piece that applies to both Democrats and Republicans and the future of our country. It really got me thinking.
* Neocon Michelle Malkin is muckraking as usual but has a couple disconcerting stories that give me pause. Racism is a two-way street in case no one noticed.
* I had to laugh when Keith Olbermann called Anne Coulter -- the woman I love to hate -- "Coultergeist". Points for creativity, Keith! I usually call her a venomous bitch.
* Let's finish up on a positive note with a sort of funny video from one of my heroes, Jack Cafferty. Some of the comments are priceless!
The Kay's been off all week and I'll tell y'all about it tomorrow. For now here's what I think is one of the best videos Jack Cafferty has ever done. The responses to his question are pretty amazing. Enjoy!!!!
--Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man, Epistle I, 1733
The above quote from one of my favorite poets came to mind this morning as I contemplated Obama's victory. My hopes for this country have been on hold for such a very long time that I have bordered on despair for a very long time. I know -- judging from the blogs and comments I've read this morning -- that there is a euphoria in the hearts of many. I felt some of it myself last night.
I am intensely proud that a young man from humble beginnings, and, in his wife's words, "grew up regular" with the added burden of mixed race heritage could rise to the highest office in the land. Only in America can a story like that happen. Shades of Horatio Alger!!!
I watched his speech with great interest as he displayed his vast oratorical skills and challenged us as Americans to work with him for America in an brilliant, articulate and logical fashion. "Yes. we can." are powerful words and I hope that we all come together to do our individual part to reach the goals he put forth. His candidacy energized us -- for or against -- as a nation and that's a good thing. I hope that people finally understand that voting really is important and definitely makes a difference.
The things he outlined that we can do to rebuild our nation will not come without a certain amount of pain, sacrifice and yes, dissent. Speaking as a person who has survived huge changes and challenges, I am well aware that change is messy, painful, and takes us out of our comfort zone. I also know that it is necessary for our survival.
I fear for him and his family as the nut cases will always be with us. I pray that they are kept safe. There are those who will slander and attack him verbally inciting those less stable to ill-conceived action. And I worry.
I came of age during the strife of the civil rights movement when many gave their lives for this cause. I lost friends and classmates in VietNam and am now seeing my friends' children and grandchildren being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. I'm tired of losing our citizens here and abroad. I am tired of the divisiveness that has permeated our society and eroded our hopes and dreams.
There is not a black America and white America and Latino America
and Asian America -- there is the United States of America.
-- Barack Obama
It's time, my friends, to for us to come together and restore the United States to the glory it deserves. No, we won't blindly accept as gospel everything Obama asks of us -- our Founding Fathers in their infinite wisdom allowed for that in our Constitution. But yes, we can work with him to find solutions we can all live with in harmony. My hope is that we do it. May God bless us all in this endeavor.
Yes, we can.
Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!!
Kay
P.S.: I know this is a bit disjointed but I wrote it off the top and from my heart.
At 11:16 PM Eastern Standard time, John McCain conceded defeat. He did so surprisingly graciously considering the depths to which he and Sarah Palin stooped to smear Barack Obama. I have a thing about dirty campaigning and it upsets me greatly no matter which party commits it. (Which is probably why I prefer not to align myself with either party,) It's the quickest way to lose my vote. However, because I prefer to take the moral high road, I applaud John McCain for his decent and generous concession speech.
I'll address some other thoughts later, but for now, let's just come together and support (please note that I didn't say agree with) the next President of the United States: Barack Obama. May he lead wisely and well! May he fulfill his supporters expectations and surprise the hell out his detractors.
I was all set to write a nastygram about people who have been divisive in their comments and in their blogs with talk about "YOUR" America and "MY" America that grates on the one nerve I have left and is hanging on by a thread for dear life after this long and brutal campaign.
However, I stopped by and visited my conservative friend Hillbilly Willy's blog a bit ago and changed my mind. I figure if a diehard Republican like Willy can remember his convictions and state that he will do as the Bible exhorts us: "pray for and support one's leaders", so can an Independent like lil' old me. And I joined him in this wholeheartedly. Whoever wins today is going to need our prayers and support as he's inheriting a genuine bona fide mess.
Neither of us is a saint. Willy says he'll rant if the new leader messes up as I will holler and stomp my soapbox (if it ever gets back from the shop).
The bottom line is we are all Americans and this is OUR country and it behooves us to come together to make this country a better place. It might sound trite but united we stand and divided we fall. I believe that.
This campaign is has gotten a lot of people involved who had never done so before and keeping that momentum and commitment going would a good thing. If we work together we can accomplish miracles. And if we keep an eye on the people who are supposed to take care of us in Washington, we can accomplish our goals and build a better America.
My prayer is that whoever wins keeps in mind that ALL of us are citizens and deserve the best we can manage in solving the problems we're facing and that a gracious God is good to us!
It's been a tough week on a lot of levels. I'm still not feeling quite up to snuff and The Cold (or whatever) from Hell is still very much with me. Still, I rallied on even working extra hours because we sponsored a retreat/workshop over in Pennsylvania for our Guatemalans. My boss is one of the truly good people I respect so much that I simply can't say "no" to him. That he appreciates my commitment is a bonus. I'm taking the next week off and go wandering a bit and catch up on things. I need it desperately.
* I'm really annoyed at the serious overload of jun . . . er . . . ah . . . campaign advertising that's been overflowing my mailbox. I think several forests were decimated and that bothers me a lot.
* Sarah Palin and her handlers aren't too bright. She was in Erie, PA the other day and commented on the Phillies winning the World Series. She got booed. There are two Major League baseball teams in Pennsylvania. Eastern PA is Phillies country; western PA is the Pittsburgh Pirates' home. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. I thought her people were supposed to get that stuff right. Silly me. She is going to be here to
* I was pretty annoyed and questioned the wisdom of our chairman of the committee I serve on that staged our Meet the Candidates event. She not only asked us to pay her cell phone bill for a month (which totaled $300 and I'm guessing that covered her husband and kids, too and intend to raise hell about it), but she spent $200 on gas cards for members of the committee. Scott and I said we didn't want them. He and I feel that our volunteer work is not a for profit thing. I donate my gas and time and, while I'm far from rich, I have no need to be reimbursed for doing my civic duty. Another person told Scott and I not to give them back but donate them to someone who needs it more than we do. The gas card has been sitting in my desk drawer and grated on me every time I saw it. I am happy to say that's ended because I discovered that a good friend is in dire straits because of someone who she trusted was horribly dishonest and basically stole her income. I remembered the gas card as I was trying to think of how I could help her and I ran it over to her house. She protested and I assured her that it was okay. I'm glad I could help.
* I am, until further notice, boycotting Saturday Night Live. Why? Because they have forced Lorne Michaels, the show's producer and an Obama supporter, to have both McCain and Miss Alaska on the show. What happened to equal time? I really haven't been a fan of SNL since the glory days when the Not Ready for Prime Time Players (Belushi et al) reigned supreme so this isn't a huge sacrifice. However, sometimes a girl has to make a statement.
* I think I finally figured out what the root of my health problem is. It's me. I don't eat properly because I hate cooking for one and I really hate my stove. I took myself out for dinner tonight and actually had a good dinner and felt human. Tomorrow I'm going to go get a little George Foreman grill and and a steamer thingy for veggies as well as a trip to the grocery and start making myself decent meals.
* Sarah Palin is going to speak here this morning at 9 AM. At 9 AM I will be at Mass praying for a win for Barack Obama and all of the people I care about both here in Ohio and out there in the Blogosphere. Need I say more?
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet."
The reason that I thought of this is I noticed a tendency among some Conservative Republicans to always refer to Barack Obama as Barack Hussein Obama in a misguided (at best) attempt to smear him with great emphasis in my not so humble opinion. I am being kind in my thoughts on this because I try very hard not to cuss here and not offend anyone. Cussin' is--again in my not so humble opinion--the quickest way to detract from one's message is and lower oneself to the offending party's shoddy standards.
Think about your own name? Did you choose it? Probably not. Most likely your parents named you. And for better or worse, you're stuck with it. Do you like your name? I don't particularly like either of the names my parents gave me but those are the names I was baptized with and I've lived with for over sixty years. They're not embarrassing or weird -- I just don't like them.
Can you imagine being stuck with Obama's name as cruel as children can be at times? No wonder he was 'Barry' in high school. My dad hated his first name --Marion -- and refused to answer if teachers (or anyone else) called him by it. He preferred his middle name.(Now y'all don't have to wonder how I got so ornery -- the nut didn't fall far from the tree. LOL!) As to Arab names, I know several nice Baptist young men named Rasheed and other similar names who would probably get pretty hostile if you called them an Arab. Parents can get pretty creative in naming kids.
And what does his name have to do with his leadership ability? Playing games with Obama's name makes the person who does it look really awful and it reflects on his party. I'd rather they attack his platform than resort to petty ridicule. The latter means they haven't progressed beyond the playground.
That Obama has obviously come to terms with his names and himself because he has the ability to laugh at himself and I find that admirable. He is who he is and can even laugh about it as seen in his speech at the annual Al Smith Dinner. I hope y'all do, too!
I received this email from Kent McKamy of kentsusdrive -- a New Yorker. As an Ohioan born and bred, I was outraged and went and signed it and shared it with every Ohioan I know. After thinking about it, I realized how far-reaching this could be and that such a thing could affect every state in the Union and every single one of you, gentle bloggers so I decided to post it here.
This year, there are over 600,000 newly registered Ohio voters, but President Bush has asked Attorney General Mukasey to investigate as many as 200,000 of them. Why? Because Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has refused to use an "exact match" standard before adding these voters to the rolls.
What is this "exact match" standard? Basically, it works like this: After you fill out your voter registration card, a local or state employee has to type in your information to add you to the voter rolls, and check to see that you really exist, usually by verifying your driver's license number or Social Security number. And as you can imagine, sometimes there are typos or other disparities when the information gets entered and matched - for example, if your last name is "De la Rosa" and it got entered as "Delarosa", you would fail to meet the exact match standard, and your registration form would be invalid.
Secretary Brunner has refused to use this standard on the grounds that it would erroneously deprive tens or even hundreds of thousands of Ohioans of their right to vote. The Ohio GOP sued her a month ago to try and get the courts to compel her to use the exact match standard, but the Supreme Court ruled that they had no standing to make that case.
Now, President Bush is trying to run around the Supreme Court by getting the Department of Justice to intervene. On Friday, October 24th, Bush reportedly asked Attorney General Mukasey to investigate whether as many as 200,000 voters need to reconfirm their registrations before November 4th - which would almost certainly result in forcing them to vote provisionally.
I just signed a petition urging Attorney General Mukasey not to act on President Bush's sickening request. I hope you will, too.
Please have a look at the link below and take action.
Kudos to Jennifer Brunner for attempting to protect our Constitutional right to vote. What I think of Bush's attempt to undermine it is not fit for print here. I hope y'all are as outraged as I am, please send it along to everyone you know. If this is happening here in Ohio, it could happen anywhere in this country -- maybe even to you or someone you know.
We've been talking politics nonstop for months and perhaps we need a little mental hotfoot from those who have come before us to keep our perspective. Here are some quotes from some very wise -- and sometimes funny -- people y'all may find pertinent as the election approaches. Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!
* I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man's reasoning powers are not above the monkey's. -- Mark Twain
* Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber. -- Plato
* Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is. -- Mahatma Gandhi
* Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it, misdiagnosing it, and then misapplying the wrong remedies. -- Groucho Marx
* In politics stupidity is not a handicap. -- Napoleon Bonaparte
* Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed. -- Mao Tse-tung
* Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first. -- Ronald Reagan
* In our age there is no such thing as 'keeping out of politics.' All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia. -- George Orwell
* Politics and the fate of mankind are shaped by men without ideals and without greatness. Men who have greatness within them don't go in for politics. -- Albert Camus
* The more you observe politics, the more you've got to admit that each party is worse than the other. -- Will Rogers
* All the contact I have had with politics has left me feeling as though I had been drinking out of spittoons. -- Ernest Hemingway
* Politics have no relation to morals. -- Niccolo Machiavelli
Obama spoke to an enthusiastic crowd here in my town: Canton, Ohio. We have been hit very hard by the economy losing over 250,000 jobs in the last decade and have given many of our sons and daughter in the Iraq -- the latest yesterday. We need hope and I think he gave it while challenging us to get to work for change. Here are the videos of his speech in it's entirety.
Our county is considered a bellwether area by the media -- a Dutch television crew has been here for several months covering the election. Four years ago The New York Times sent a reporter here to cover it. Our state is a battleground for politicians. Only twice in Ohio's history have we been wrong. Obviously we are a good cross section of this country in spite being the heart of flyover country. Amazingly, our local newspaper which traditionally endorses the Republican candidate, has endorsed Barack Obama. If that isn't a message, I don't know what is!
Today at approximately 1 p.m. EST, Barack Obama will speak at the Civic Center to a packed house. According to press reports, he will make "an important policy statement" in his speech. I am glued to my radio listening to our local talk radio station which will broadcast Obama's speech. I would have liked to have attended but standing in line for hours doesn't work for these old bones -- and I couldn't wrangle ticket from my contacts.
I'll be reporting on this when I've had a chance to digest it and sort out the hype and hoopla.
It was a longgg day Saturday and difficult on many levels. I'll be kind and spare you thr gory details. Tomorrow will be infinitely better -- it's Trick or Treat day in our city and I'll be putting on my hat and hanging out my 'The Witch is in' sign for the kiddies in the 'hood.
I found a bunch of videos that I'm sure y'all will enjoy.
Here's Michelle Obama speaking in Akron on Friday. I thought she did quite well and really touched the hearts of the crowd.
Meanwhile McCain-Palin gets their story told a la Dr. Seuss. It would be funny if the whole thing weren't so very, very sad.
Colin Powell's intelligent, rational discussion of his endorsement of Obama was the clincher for me! I've always respected him as a man of integrity and honor and he displays it here admirably.
Jack Cafferty asks a pertinent question and gets some interesting answers!
Want to go on record with your vote? Here's how!
I was impressed by the graciousness of Hillary Clinton and that she's hit the road for Obama. She really is quite a lady.
