Black and Blue Friday

I plan to not leave my place today. You would think that after a brutal economic year (well, later part of the year) some people would not be enticed by prices ending in .99. 

 I'm sure you all heard about the 34 year old Walmart employee in a suburban NY store who got trampled to death this morning due to the early AM crowds looking for marked down, imported crap from China.   So sad.  Someone wrote me back, "How could someone actually be trampled to death?" Well, with that said, I give you a video from last year's Black Friday @ a Walmart.  Need I say more?  

God Bless America.

Happy Thanksgiving from Sarah Palin

How can this even happen?? The producer and/or camera person must have been a Democrat.  And the jokes go on...

A letter from Sarah Palin!

Wow - What a lovely surprise! I picked up my mail the other day and found a letter from America's most popular Governor (Arnold step aside!) 

 A letter from Sarah Palin!  How appropriate on election day...

Yes, of course, it was your regular run of the mill letter looking for money, but I was still tickled to think that somehow, I ended up on this list.  I read the letter which stressed how the "Republicans reject the Democrats' fearful and pessimistic mentality." And strongly noted that when they are able to get their "message past the liberal mainstream media filter" and directly to voters, that the vast majority of American people agree with their "confident, optimistic view of principled, conservative government and opportunity for all."

Confident? Oh yes... Optimistic and opportunity FOR ALL? Please... 

Too bad they didn't allow Sarah to go 'rogue' and write her own letter. This entry would prove to be much more interesting and humorous.  But then again, there is nothing humorous about this woman in any real position of power... If so, get ready to move backwards.

Please everyone get out and vote today!!  

A friend of mine had this to say:

"I voted early for Obama. I think he's our chance. He'll attract the best and the brightest again. And since one man can't do it, and it can't be done in a year, or a decade, smart people with real human values are what we need. I'm even hopeful that he might usher in an era which will laugh at the Art and Cinema worlds as we know them, and encourage some real work, from the heart, from the interior, from the energy centers. We've been operating from the head too long. Time to delve deeper.

If you think McCain might have something, think about Sarah Palin. It takes a lot of cynicism to imagine that we would fall for her. And he has plenty of that, under an affable, but awkward and repressed exterior.

I urge you to vote for Obama. There may be a better candidate, but he's not running. This is the real world. Let's live in it."

Well said - now get out and vote!

Free coffee if you vote...

Well, I guess whatever it takes it get you in there I guess... 

If you vote, Starbucks buys your coffee

On November 4, 2008, Starbucks will give voters a free tall brewed coffee at participating U.S. stores. 

After voting, voters must go to a Starbucks store, where they’ll be given a tall (12 oz) cup of brewed coffee at no charge (limit one per customer).  Just tell them you voted...

This is an extension of Starbucks commitment to community through Starbucks™ Shared Planet™. It lets us immediately support customers who care about the same things we do and who want to make a difference.

Enjoy!

Help me come up with a caption...

Hey all - 

A la Anderson  360, let's hear who can come up with the best caption for this picture...It's priceless.  Leave a comment with your attempt at a caption and win my respect! (and maybe even win 3 one of a kind Obama buttons) - WOW ! 

Have fun!

Palin as President

Thanks to my friend, Laura, for sharing this with me. Have fun! - but not too much fun...

http://palinaspresident.com/

Say it ain't so Joe

The debate last night was, if anything, an exercise in memorization and cramming.  It was so crucial for the "gotcha" media "attacked" Palin to redeem herself after her last appearances to the public.  Both the Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric interviews were beginning to cause even the most moose-eatin', you go girl! types to waver.  Cram cram cram - key talking points and words- "government back on the side of the people" - "maverick" - "small town folks, like me and my family" -"maverick" - "Washington outsider"-"maverick" - "lower taxes" - "lower taxes" - and oh yeah, "maverick"   

Some pundits are claiming that the most recent television interviews were orchestrated and intended to paint Palin as somewhat uninformed and hesitant.  Supposedly, they think, it was all a ploy (a la Karl Rove?) to get even more people to watch the debate to really see her tank - but wait! by that point, she will have memorized key talking points and names (well sort of, she flubbed the US commander in Afghanistans name).  Palin was reserved and held back in her one on one interviews only to surprise everyone during the debates that she is not that dumb afterall... Dumb, maybe not totally, but fed key lines and phrases for memorization, yes.  Not sure if that so-called strategy worked (or if that is even true) but it did make for not to miss TV.  I felt like I was watching a Nascar race - just waiting for the ultimate crash and burn.

Palin was mediocre.  She made it through the debate.  That's all I can make of it. I'm afraid that her folksy attitude and phrasing - with all of her "heck of a lots," "gosh darn its" might have resonated with the rest of the American public that actually want to have a mooseburger with this woman.  And to that, I have to say, we get what we deserve.  If that's the place where most American's are voting from (their feelings about a person's likability and not their core values and judgement) well then we are lost, doomed - and maybe need to look into that little patch of land in a country that is truly READY for progressive change (or already there).  

And of course, there was that very scary moment - when she agreed with Dick Cheney's idea to increase VP power even more.  Joe Biden succinctly summed up Cheney as "the most dangerous vice president we've  had probably in American history."  All the more reason to think that Cheney and Rove are pulling the strings to this former sportscaster/beauty queen.  

On a note of the debate as a whole, Biden did a much better job of actually answering the questions put forth by the moderator.  I think he did a good job of speaking to the American people - small town and all in between.  He had very real moments in talking about the loss of his wife; in aligning McCain with Bush; and in stripping McCain of his  "maverick" title.   And, he answered the questions.  Even Palin herself said, "I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people."  Um, okay. You are excused - yet again. You are allowed to cut the line - we will allow you to avoid a real answer - because you winked at us, because you 'are like us' because, as Amy Pohler said in her wacky depiction of Katie Couric, "when you are cornered, you seem to get increasingly adorable." 

What a joke that she is painting herself as an agent of change- she and her 72 year old running mate.  She is trying to take the steam out of Obama's engine of looming change.  The decision to place Palin in this role was, ultimately, a smart one.  McCain could not go up against the force of Obama and his decree for change.  So, select someone even younger, even more 'inexperienced' so to say - and gosh darn it, make it a woman... let's throw them totally off.  It will backfire, if not slowly.  And it won't be through horrible media interviews (although they might help).  It will be (hopefully) when the enlightened American (wherever he or she may be hiding) looks at both McCain and Obama, side by side, closes her eyes and thinks about the future - I mean, really thinks about the future.  

If the last 8 years are any indication what a Republican government can do for the "Amercian people" then anyone with any conscience at all, must vote against the Republican machine.  Dressed in Reformers garb won't do the trick - we can see through the disguises.  At least I hope so.  

Please vote on Nov. 4th.  Unless you are voting for McCain, then you can stay home.

Thanks to Michael Moore and his website www.michaelmoore.com for the above picture.  

Finally - Joe Six Pack gets a, burp, voice!

Letterman breaks it down...

Line please!

Please watch all the way through to the end. Her closing comments will make you cringe.

Also, it's proof  that one of John McCain's "first" psuedo-presidential decisions (choosing a VP) was careless, frightening, and overall negligent.

 

Send a Zombie to Congress!

It's about time...

Check out more at www.sendazombietocongress.com

It's like a bad Disney movie...

Matt Damon speaks some sense....

In What Respect, Charlie?

Afterall, Russia is right next door to Alaska.

I am not that worried about this person any more.... what a joke. She had no idea.

Check out the whole video for an even bigger laugh.

A journalist grows some balls

Fired up and ready to go....

On 9/4/08, I went to the opening of the Southern California Barack Obama headquarters in Culver City.  Apparently 150 people RSVP'd on the site for the opening, but many many more showed up - over 500 or so.  It was so crowded inside that they moved us all to some parking lot outside.  There were loads of people, news helicopters circling, a few speakers, one being Gil Garcetti, LA's Attorney General, and oh yeah, a disgruntled woman on her 2nd floor apartment patio trying to hose down supporters.  It was pretty exciting and there was an energy in the air that had everyone motivated, fired up....and well, ready to go... I encourage any of you to check out the Headquarters. They are open every day and looking for folks to do some calling and some campaigning... check it out. 

Southern California Barack Obama Headquarters:

3619 Motor Ave. 2nd Fl.

LA, CA 90034

Still feeling a little fired up, today I spent 3 hours at my local Barack Obama phone bank.  My friend Jonathan kindly invited me to join him in volunteering to call voters in what is being called California's "swing" state-Nevada. We met at a local coffee shop, Cafe Tropical (great Cafe con Leche, by the way).  For anyone else in the Echo Park/Silver Lake area, Cafe Tropical will be hosting a phone bank every Saturday from 1p-4p (up until the election).  Just bring your cell phones. 

Cafe Tropical

2900 Sunset Blvd.

LA, CA 90026

At first it was awkward - I had flashbacks of my own feelings each time someone calls me at home with a 'survey.' - But, I dialed on.  Since it was a Saturday afternoon, most of the people weren't home.  Out of about 30 or 35 phone calls, I think I might have spoken to about 12 people.  Not the best ratio and all the more reason to try to call again.  At  first, I guiltily must admit, I was secretly hoping for answering machines - but then I eased up. Talking to a few supporters, taking a minute to hear the issues that were driving their decisions helped me to solidify and articulate the reasons why I support this candidate.  Out of the people who answered, about 4 were for Obama, 3 were  for McCain, 2 were undecided and 3 or so were the flat out "don't bother me at home" hang up folks.  And frankly, some people said they just didn't feel right talking about it over the phone.  My friend Jonathan had the pleasure of listening  to an anti-corporation spiel by a gentleman who was PRO nothing, for the most part.   

I end up having a conversation with a 67 year old woman, Martha, a McCain supporter.  I ask her what issues helped to form her opinion.  I ask, if she doesn't mind, to explain to me the reasons she is a McCain supporter.  She begins to carry on about Obama's "arrogance."  She says, he's "so full of himself" and it "definitely showed in that speech of his."  "He thinks he's a rock star."  I let her finish and realize that she is a McCain supporter mainly by default - mainly because she has been watching too much TV - and mainly because she hasn't taken the time to get to know this candidate.  Thankfully, she turns it around and asks me to give her one reason why I am a supporter.  I am upfront with her. I tell her I have never really been involved in politics at all.  I mention that I am from a small town and that my parents still live in that small town.

I tell her that one of my (many) reasons for supporting Obama is the plan he laid out to eliminate income taxes for senior citizens making under $50,000 a year.  I explain to her that I think it's unfair that my father is paying more in taxes now, as a retiree, than he did while he was working.  I say, "Not sure of what your upbringing was, but we were straight blue collar middle class."  She chimed in "Oh me too, and I'm retired now."  And I told her that I don't agree that McCain says, hey you can offer up your life to America, but he won't rally a call to the ultra rich/corporations to pay more in taxes.  When the richest man in the world, Warren Buffett, pays less in taxes than one of his secretaries, well then something is completely unbalanced AND unjust.   She told me she wasn't "aware of all that."   When I asked her if she would consider learning a little more about Obama and the direction in which he and Joe Biden want to move our country, she flatly but  kindly tells me "probably not." She says Obama would have to work "real hard" to change ole Martha's mind.

Oh well, if anything, it got me thinking more about my own reasons for wanting to get involved in this campaign.  

                       Jonathan keeps a smile while chatting with a disgruntled McCain supporter.

I do know, that I definitely don't want more of the same....

For events in your area go to www.barackobama.com and search under "Find Events"

You go girl!

Just had to find a forum to vent.  Like many of you, I have been perusing the internet for information - information about this upcoming election, it's candidates - their stances on issues.  I've been spending hours sifting through the plans and documents on candidate websites, looking for any information that will, no doubt, be left out in media reports.  

In doing so, I come across a blog - a pro McCain blog, or should I say, Pro Palin blog.  On the blog, I see this image (to the right) and I can't help but laugh and feel disturbed.  Palin as a 'real life' Rosie type?  Sure she is a woman who holds a job that is mainly held by men - um, so do I (and so do many other women I know)- She is probably too young to really understand the relevance of this poster and to realize that the glass ceiling was cracked by many of her predecessors before her 44 years... Let's not play the gender card here...

I  am just getting to know this woman just like the rest of the world.  From the book censorship, to the "troopergate" scandal to her hometown neighbor Anne Kilkenny's letter (please google Anne Kilkenny) - I can't help but think that much of this country has flipped. Why the adoring fascination?   I am not that dense to support someone just because they, like me, have a vagina.  That would be like supporting someone solely based on their religion, race or hell, their hair color.  Sorry - I don't buy the, "what the hell, get any woman in office just because attitude." Ultimately, it comes down to a person's character, their belief system - who they are at the very core.  I think her real character will unravel in the next 60 days.

The blog I visited was so Pro Palin it was frightening.  It's almost that some of these women turned into dudes- they see a woman in "politics" who doesn't look like a man or George Washington and feel the need to say "You go Girl! This woman knows what she is talking about even though she ain't talking 'bout much. But DAMN, she looks good doing it!"  As Ms. Kilkenny said in her letter, it's like she is "the most popular girl in middle school" and all the ladies (particularly the moms) want to be her best friend and the guys, well, they just think she is a "babe."  Is that what motivates us to rally behind someone? I mean, it can't have anything to do with the empty speech she gave - full of stabs and anger (I say, penalty for high sticking!) - The blogger I read was just glowing after "Palin's speech," amazed at how it spoke to her - and, by golly, this woman is just like me! (well, maybe even worse - and isn't that what a lot of us want? to watch someone who just might be a little worse off than ourselves...)  

I couldn't help but post a remark.  I learned from a Time article that speechwriter Matthew Scully (former Bush speech writer) actually wrote much of the speech BEFORE they even realized who the candidate would be.  After learning that it was Palin, they tossed in some folksy stuff that would appeal to most of the Idiocracy of lots of America. 

 It's sad, really.   

Because ultimately, this is not really about her or her story that really belongs on Lifetime or Jerry Springer, and surely not at the foot of the White House steps.  Let's keep in mind this is about John McCain and his attempt to make us believe that he wants "change."  How can McCain claim to be the harbinger of hope and change? He's been in Washington over two decades, so why now?  The Republicans have held the keys to the White House for 8 years and the control of the Congress for most of it - and wow baby, look at us now.  Perhaps it is just as John Stewart said to Mike Huckabee the other night: "So, you believe that YOUR party is the ONLY party that can correct the damages that YOUR party has done."  

I hope this forum will serve as, if nothing else, a place where I can make sense of some of the screwed up stuff I hear and see on a daily basis.  We are in for a bumpy ride, no doubt.