ThinkFast: June 6, 2008
ThinkFast: June 6, 2008
According to Department of Labor data released today, the unemployment rate rose from 5.0 to 5.5 percent in May, which is higher than the expected 0.1 percent jobless rate increase.
In “the most explicit threat yet against Iran” from a member of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s government, Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz told a newspaper yesterday that Israel “will attack” Iran if it “continues with its program for developing nuclear weapons.” He added that such an attack would be “unavoidable.” Mofaz’s comments were cited as helping to drive the price of oil above $130 a barrel.
“The Justice Department’s ethics office is reviewing a decision in 2002 by department officials to send a Canadian citizen to Syria, where he was tortured.” The review, which began in in March 2007, is examining the role of department lawyers in sending Maher Arar to Syria, which the State Department lists as a country known to torture.
During yesterday’s arraignment of five detainees at a Guantanamo military court, “security officials cut the sound fed to reporters” in the press center when the judge asked a detainee why he was on psychotropic drugs. “It was one of half a dozen times” a security consultant cut the sound “when detainees appeared to be discussing what several of them said had been years of torture.”
On the trail today: Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) is taking the weekend off. He said he’s looking forward to “a date” tonight with his wife, Michelle. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will take an airboat ride around the Everglades today. Yesterday, he said, “I am committed to the preservation of the Everglades” despite his record of opposing such action.
“In the wake of fierce pushback from the White House,” Scott McClellan’s brother, Mark McClellan, a former Bush administration official, said Scott “really believes what he’s saying.” “He worked long and hard on that book — I have respect for Scott’s beliefs. This is what he wanted to do,” he said.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates forced the Air Force’s senior civilian official and its highest-ranking general to resign yesterday “following an official inquiry into the mishandling of nuclear weapons and components, an episode that Mr. Gates called an indication of systemic problems in the Air Force.”
Blackwater Worldwide has opened a new training facility in San Diego, CA. The company has been targeted by protesters who objected to the facility, and last month, Blackwater sued “because city officials refused to issue final occupancy documents without a vote by the planning commission.”
Record numbers of Americans are “raiding their retirement savings as the economy has soured, threatening their long-term financial security to make their mortgage payments, pay medical bills, and cope with rising food and fuel costs.” At Fidelity Investments, the nation’s largest retirement plan administrator, “the number of people making hardship withdrawals rose 17 percent last year.”
And finally: Swing ‘em home…
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
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US Seeks The Go-Ahead For Nevada Nuclear Dump
The federal government applied for a license Tuesday to build a long-planned dump for the nation’s radioactive waste in Nevada, but state officials vowed a renewed effort to block it, saying Washington has “lost track of reality.” The Yucca Mountain repository, located 16 miles from the California border, would eventually store 70,000 metric tons of waste that has been accumulating since the first reactors went online.
And the amount of waste will grow at an increasing rate in future decades: In the last year, utilities have launched a nuclear power renaissance, announcing plans for 15 new commercial reactors. The application “will further encourage the expansion of nuclear power in the United States.”
The license application was filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which has up to four years to act. If everything goes unfettered, Bodman said, Yucca Mountain could be open for business by 2020 at a cost of about $70 billion. Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency is years behind schedule in issuing a health standard for radioactive leakage from the dump. A previous standard was ruled illegal by a federal appeals court.
The dump has become one of the biggest geographic disputes in modern U.S. history, pitting Nevada against a nuclear power industry centered in the East.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/06/05/9431/
Not only is this alarming, but the fact that they are building 15 new commercial reactors is even scarier. This goes back to a post I did about the Liebermann-Warner Bill “Climate Security Act” (S-2191). In that bill it is estimated that throughout various incentives in the bill $500 billion could go to nuclear power. This bill “would be the most historic incentive for nuclear in the history of the US.” Which means; that this dump would be filled in about 24 months or less. If that doesn’t send chills down your spine, I don’t know what will. The L-W Bill will be debated this month.
A footnote: The Yucca Mountains technically do not belong to the US government. It belongs to the Western Shoshone Nation. Organization of American States (OAS) human-rights commission reaffirmed land-rights use of the Western Shoshone Indian tribe, rejecting the U.S. government’s claim the Danns live on public land. It was the first time both councils charged the U.S. government with violating human rights, and the case will be heard by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
The Treaty of Peace and Friendship signed in 1863 between the U.S. government and Western Shoshone tribe included the use of 43,000 square miles of territory extending north from the deserts of Southern California, across much of Nevada, and into South central Idaho, and East into Utah. In July 2004: President George W Bush signed HR884 / PL 108-270 into law which distributes 15 cents per acre to the Western Shoshone Nation. The land is marked for gold extraction, nuclear testing and to expand Yucca Mountain for a nuclear waste repository. He stole their land.. The Western Shoshone have not withdrawn a penny of the money.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:02 amDear (me),
I wanted to drop you a quick note about a major policy change here at the Democratic Party.
As we move toward the general election, the Democratic Party has to be the Party of ordinary Americans, not Washington lobbyists and special interests. So, as of this morning, if you’re a federal lobbyist, or if you control political action committee donations, we won’t be accepting your contribution.
This is an unprecedented move for a political party to make — one that has sent shockwaves through Washington and has turned the debate on clean campaigns upside down. We’ve unilaterally agreed to shut lobbyists out of the process, and are we’re relying on people just like you.
Just imagine what hundreds of thousands of Americans donating $20, $30, or $50 at a time can accomplish together. Imagine the signal that it sends to anyone who looks at John McCain’s political machine and the special interest money it needs to fuel every move it makes.
I’ve written before about guys like Charlie Black and Rick Davis, lobbyists who are at the highest levels of McCain’s campaign. But they’re just the start — John McCain and the RNC suck up lobbyist money millions of dollars at a time.
In May, McCain had his best fundraising month of the campaign, and it was directly because he refuses to shut special interests out.
But we did, and we need your help. This is an example of the kind of White House Barack Obama would run.
I’ll be in touch later about our plans for the general election, but I wanted to let you know about our policy change right away.
Thanks,
Howard Dean
June 6th, 2008 at 9:04 amMuch more on Maher Arar from Scott Horton here:
http://harpers.org/archive/2008/06/hbc-90003043
June 6th, 2008 at 9:05 amObama puts own stamp on party over funding
Barack Obama has moved swiftly to put his stamp on the Democratic party, announcing on day two of his status as presidential nominee that the central party will abide by the same rules on accepting money from lobbyists as his own campaign.
The move signalled that Obama intends to impose a new approach to politics, and that he wants to be seen to be doing so. A central theme running through his bid for the Democratic nomination is that he will sweep aside the chummy relationship between politicians and lobbyists and free himself from the grip of special interests.
Under the new rules, the Democratic National Committee, which raises central funds for the presidential campaign, will take on board Obama’s existing ban on donations from lobbyists who do business with the government as well as from political action committees – private interest groups set up to raise money in order to influence the outcome of elections.
Apart from highlighting Obama’s determination to be a decisive party leader, the imposition of tighter funding rules allows him a clear line of attack against his opponent, John McCain. The Republican has been beset with troubles over lobbying, despite his reputation as a scourge of special interests having initiated legislation in 2002 to clean up political campaign finance. McCain’s advisers are prominent lobbyists.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/06/barackobama.johnmccain
This was a great speech he did last night. I hope he truly sticks to this. It’s about time that it is the will and the voice of the people being heard. Not about how much a lobbyist is paying for their agenda’s to move forward. This reform was long overdue, Thanks Obama for taking action right away.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:05 amMofaz’s comments were cited as helping to drive the price of oil above $130 a barrel.
GREAT! So when you see the gas pumps showing $4.25 a gallon, you know who to thank.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:05 amEconomic news doesn’t seem to be good today — unemployment increasing even more than expected, and more and more people are raiding their retirement savings just to get by.
Of course the White House will probably spin this as “economic indicators are increasing”…
June 6th, 2008 at 9:05 am#s 2 & 3 above, the reason I donated $25 to Obama yesterday.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:06 amMy first contribution in a very long time. Felt good.
Or maybe 2 & 4…Too early…
June 6th, 2008 at 9:07 amAccording to Department of Labor data released today, the unemployment rate rose from 5.0 to 5.5 percent in May, which is higher that the expected 0.1 percent jobless rate increase.
0.5% equals 1.5 million people (based on the current population of 300 million). Even if we cut that in half to exclude children and seniors, it’s still 75,000 people in one month. And Heir Bush – John McSame refuse to call it a Recession.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:08 amThese neocon Jews are pathetic and fearmongering, or are they pandering to the SHRUB for some help in Iran or are they already in this together?????????????
June 6th, 2008 at 9:10 amIt’s solar power’s time to shine
The dirty little secret of the energy biz these days is that exploration executives don’t want to see $130 oil, $12 natural gas or $4 gasoline any more than we do. For they fear two words that strike terror into the hearts of oilmen everywhere: demand destruction. On the consumer side, we can just look at the report out of General Motors on Tuesday that shows sales of its macho, gas-guzzling trucks were down 37.5% in May compared with a year ago. Now that is what I call demand destruction.
Nothing typifies the renewed focus on renewable-energy sources more than solar energy, as authentic, large projects are just now getting under way in California, Nevada and Texas. This makes sense, as the U.S. Southwest is our Saudi Arabia of sunshine — meaning it has the greatest need for cooling as well as the best stretches of open desert land for collecting, concentrating and distributing rays. Florida Power, it turns out, happens to be one of the country’s leaders in developing solar thermal energy, as well as wind farms.
If you build a natural-gas or coal plant to help you generate electricity for customers, he said, you are a “price taker” in that you have to accept the world-market cost of natural gas, over which you have no control. In contrast, if you build a wind or solar thermal farm, you are exposed to the cost of steel and labor at the time of construction, but you are never exposed to an increase in the cost of wind or sun.
The problem with solar up until now has been an inability to guarantee a base load, or steady amount of electricity, at all times. But new tweaks of technology from companies such as well-financed Silicon Valley startup Ausra have changed that. Its Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector uses some trippy “molten salt” and an ingenious heat storage system to store sunlight for up to 20 hours.
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/SuperModels/ItsSolarPowersTimeToShine.aspx?page=2
“Between 1996 and 2005, U.S. utilities built 250 natural-gas-fired plants, now producing a quarter of the nation’s total.” Now we can start building pollution-free solar thermal. I’m so glad that the prices have finally tipped the balance towards solar and wind power. Plus this country has added 150 coal burning plants over the last years, which has used strip mining in the W-Va. Appalachian Center. This mountain top removal process has buried more than 1,200 miles of previously free-flowing streams and caused the loss of more than 1 million acres of the world’s most productive hardwood forests. That is a million acres of forest we won’t get back for many generations to come.
Even the industry giants like Google and BP have invested $115 million into BrightSource Energy of Oakland, California who is one of the largest companies in Solar Thermal Energy. The wave to a cleaner and brighter future through solar and wind power.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:10 amRUCerious Says: #s 2 & 3 above, the reason I donated $25 to Obama yesterday. My first contribution in a very long time. Felt good.
I plan to contribute as well – something I have never done before because I have never had the chance to vote for someone I believed could really make this kind of a difference.
Elections in my lifetime have usually been a choice between the lesser of two evils. November 4th will be a nice change.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:13 am#7 RUCerious Says:
#s 2 & 3 above, the reason I donated $25 to Obama yesterday. My first contribution in a very long time. Felt good.
After watching that speech, I did the same thing also. The last campaign I donated to was Kucinich. I agree it felt great that it is going in a positive direction. If Obama keeps this up, he may be our modern day JFK.
Good day RUC!
June 6th, 2008 at 9:13 amIn “the most explicit threat yet against Iran” from a member of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s government, Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz told a newspaper yesterday that Israel “will attack” Iran
Whats the matter. Did Bush tell Olmert that we wouldn’t do Israel’s dirty work for them? I doubt it, but who knows.
So Israel will launch a “pre-emptive” attack on Iran, Iran will retaliate and then we will have to get involved to protect Israel even though they started the fight.
I am damn sick and tired of Israel.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:15 amI am disallusioned with Obama, too:
(from Antiwar.com — Justin Raimondo):]
June 6, 2008
Obama Capitulates
– to the Israel lobby
by Justin Raimondo
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s visit to the U.S. is part of a concerted effort, by the Israeli government and its American lobbyists, to convince U.S. lawmakers – and, most of all, President George W. Bush – that the time to attack Iran is now. The Israeli newspaper Yediot Achronot reports that Olmert will tell Bush “time is running out” on diplomacy and that he’d better launch an attack.
In his speech to the AIPAC conference, Olmert’s message was harsh and unrelenting: Iran, he said, “must be stopped by all possible means” from acquiring a nuclear capability. Yes, sanctions must be tightened, but these are only “initial steps”: what’s needed, he averred, are “more drastic and robust measures” – and that can only mean one thing.
Israel would rather not act alone, but Olmert signaled that he was willing to do so if pushed: “”Israel will not tolerate the possibility of a nuclear Iran, and neither should any other country in the free world,” he declared, in what was clearly a threat of unilateral action. Citing Israel’s record in regard to Iraq in the eighties and Syria last year, Tim Butcher warned in the Telegraph: “The speech shortens the odds significantly on military action against Iran’s nuclear program.”
The U.S. would almost certainly be drawn into the conflict if Israel carried out its threat, and Olmert knows that. So does Bush, who, in any case, may not need much persuading. After all, in his speech to the Israeli parliament last month, the President declared:
“Permitting the world’s leading sponsor of terror to possess the world’s deadliest weapons would be an unforgivable betrayal for future generations. For the sake of peace, the world must not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
For the sake of peace, we must make war: a familiar refrain that echoes down through the years, mocking the living and the dead.
The clock is ticking, and time is running out for the War Party: they must get in their licks before the most pro-Israel president, ever, leaves office. As Butcher writes: “Among Israeli supporters of military action against Iran there is concern something must be done before Mr. Bush’s end of office next January as Mr. Bush is perceived as closer to Israel than any potential successor.”
Pre-Order this Book
Don’t look to Barack Obama for deliverance from this looming conflict. In his speech to AIPAC, he clearly signed on to the Lobby’s latest project, departing from his prepared text to declare:
“I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Everything in my power. Everything.”
“Everything” includes murdering tens of thousands of Iranians, mostly civilians – driving the price of oil up above $300 a barrel and destroying the US economy – and involving us in a war that will make the Iraq conflict look like a Sunday school picnic. And for what?
The irony, of course, is that Iran is nowhere near obtaining nuclear weapons, as the President’s own intelligence agencies recently informed him: but no matter. That’s a small obstacle to those who disdain “the reality-based community,” and see themselves as Making History while the rest of us watch, helpless and aghast. As Ha’aretz recently reported
“Olmert will try to convince Bush to set aside the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran’s nuclear program in favor of data presented by Israel, and determine the administration’s policy on Iran accordingly.”
The coming war with Iran has nothing to do with “weapons of mass destruction” – no more than the invasion of Iraq ever did. It’s all about preserving Israeli hegemony in the Middle East by wiping any and all recalcitrant Arab-Muslim states off the map. First Iraq, then Iran – and Syria will have its turn soon enough, along with poor prostrate Lebanon, once the jewel of the eastern Mediterranean and now an economic and political basket case.
It is almost certain we will be at war with Iran before a new President is inaugurated: now that Obama has capitulated to the Lobby, nothing but Divine Providence can stop it.
God help us all.
I have to say I was wrong – dead wrong – about Obama. In my eagerness to find a bright spot in a rapidly darkening world, I grasped on to his alluring rhetoric and his at-times trenchant critique of the Bush foreign policy, like a sinking man holding on to a life-jacket. But looking for hope in all the wrong places doesn’t create opportunities for peace – it only prolongs our illusions. We must face the prospect of a much more terrible conflict than we have ever known, and look it squarely in the face, without flinching or looking for false messiahs. I know many of you are disappointed, and some of you are now exclaiming “I told you so!” All that we can do now is hope, and pray, that our country – and the Iranian people – will somehow survive the coming catastrophe.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:16 amLooks like I’ll be sending a check to Obama this weekend, too.
How refreshing!
A politician willing to fund his campaign on donations from real people, not overpaid, furtive lobbyists who are just money launderers with narrow objectives, is long overdue.
Meanwhile, Grampy McSame’s campaign is owned by lobbyists.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:17 am“The Justice Department’s ethics office is reviewing a decision in 2002 by department officials to send a Canadian citizen to Syria, where he was tortured.”
That’s pretty amazing. We consider Syria our enemy except when we want to use them to torture someone for us. Sickening.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:17 amFreedom Rebel Says: It’s solar power’s time to shine
And Jimmy Carter was trying to get us to start this process in the 1970’s. As usual, prescient people are often ridiculed and ignored, until after the fact.
I had some of my students use non-traditional power sources on their projects, and it was amazing how much I learned that if the United States began today to develop green renewable energy (solar, wind, kinetic and geothermal) within our own borders we could be oil-free in a decade. Imagine being oil-free, and unattached to the Middle East!
June 6th, 2008 at 9:18 amIsrael will attack Iran
With “friends” like these, who needs enemies?
June 6th, 2008 at 9:19 amAnger at British and American diplomats held in Zimbabwe
Britain’s troubled relations with Zimbabwe took a turn for the worse yesterday after Robert Mugabe’s security forces detained and harassed UK and US diplomats as they were monitoring violence against opposition activists. Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Britain, Gabriel Machinga, was summoned to the Foreign Office to explain why the diplomats, who were travelling in two separate convoys, had been stopped at roadblocks north of the capital, Harare.
“It gives us a window into the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans, because this sort of intimidation is something that is suffered daily, especially by those who are working with opposition groups,” he said in a statement. “It’s a window into lives that in some cases are marked by brutal intimidation, by torture and, in 53 cases that have been documented over the last few weeks, by death.”
But the US ambassador, James McGee, said in a CNN interview that the convoy carrying American officials had been stopped by Zimbabwean “war veterans who threatened to burn our people alive in the car if they did not leave the vehicles”. In Washington, the state department called the detention and harassment of the US diplomats “absolutely outrageous” and indicative of the “repression and violence” Zimbabwe’s government is willing to use against its own people.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/06/zimbabwe.usa
They were trying to frighten the diplomats, so that they would stay out of certain areas of the country. This way they could not witness the torture and the cruelty that was happening on a daily basis.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:19 amIt was one of half a dozen times” a security consultant cut the sound “when detainees appeared to be discussing what several of them said had been years of torture.”
God, talk about a kangaroo court.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:19 amYesterday, he said, “I am committed to the preservation of the Everglades” despite his record of opposing such action.
Ok, the general election has begun. Does this mean that the MSM is going to start exposing McCain for all his flip flops and hypocrisies?
June 6th, 2008 at 9:20 amThe unemployment rate change from 5 to 5.5 percent is the largest spike since 1986. This is probably the most troublesome sign that I have seen over the past six months.
It is especially worrisome because the government’s economic indicators always seem to be massaged and prone to correction in subsequent months in order to manage bad news. The fact that they’re putting this number out there at this point is a very bad sign. It will be a bad day in the market today.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:21 amImagine if all of Obama’s 17,000,000+ primary voters each gave $10. That would be $170M in Obama’s campaign warchest.
I’ve never contributed to a political campaign before. Should I give to the DNC or directly on Obama’s website?
June 6th, 2008 at 9:21 am“He worked long and hard on that book — I have respect for Scott’s beliefs. This is what he wanted to do,” he said.
I believe McClellan is truly looking for redemption. I heard last night on Countdown that Scott ran into Richard Clark recently and asked his forgiveness.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:22 amKay,
I found that AIPAC speech disconcerting, as well. But I have to believe Obama is smart enough to know that if he had delivered an anti-Israel or ‘non-cooperative’ message, his campaign would have suffered greatly.
What’s the alternative? McCain? I don’t think so.
Let’s hope an attack on Iran is forestalled until the general election. If not, we’ll see what scope of leadership Obama has within him sooner than we thought.
Keep in mind, Hillary said much the same to AIPAC…
June 6th, 2008 at 9:22 amFreedom Rebel Says
June 6th, 2008 at 9:13 am
If Obama keeps this up, he may be our modern day JFK.
______________________________________________
OMG, I hope not. But I know what you meant.
I also feel there are many parallels between JFK and Obama (and JFK’s daughter Carolina thinks so, too). The optimism, the belief in America, the ability to inspire and motivate others, etc., not to mention the ability to do the job without being a puppet to special interests.
I only hesitate to state the obvious comparison because the ONE area where we don’t want any parallels to JFK is that we want Obama to finish his term and finish a second one. Safely. The alternative is too awful to contemplate.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:23 am#18 unbelievable Says:
Freedom Rebel Says: It’s solar power’s time to shine
And Jimmy Carter was trying to get us to start this process in the 1970’s. As usual, prescient people are often ridiculed and ignored, until after the fact.
I had some of my students use non-traditional power sources on their projects, and it was amazing how much I learned that if the United States began today to develop green renewable energy (solar, wind, kinetic and geothermal) within our own borders we could be oil-free in a decade. Imagine being oil-free, and unattached to the Middle East!
You are absolutely right. I agree they ridiculed Carter bigtime for that.
What has always been my biggest problem understanding why they would stick to oil and coal. They are the dirtiest and the price we pay in lives and money is not worth it. The wind and the sun (solar) are free. Hopefully, we will see an even bigger push and just maybe in the next decade we will be oil-free like you said. Good day unbelievable!!
June 6th, 2008 at 9:24 amRUCerious Says:
Mofaz’s comments were cited as helping to drive the price of oil above $130 a barrel.
GREAT! So when you see the gas pumps showing $4.25 a gallon, you know who to thank.
Yes sir, I do. The Bush Crime Family and the Republican party who enabled them.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:25 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says: Ok, the general election has begun. Does this mean that the MSM is going to start exposing McCain for all his flip flops and hypocrisies?
Nope. But, Obama will, and they will cover that because we know what a good brawl does for their “entertainment value” ratings.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:25 amI am damn sick and tired of Israel.
But, McCain,Hillary and Obama all love Isreal. The source of our reckless foreign policy has been because this country continues to pander to the Israeli lobby.
That’s what 9/11 was all about: an outpouring of love for Israel. Because of our continued hate of “Islamofascism”– we are on a course of perpetual war. The reason this Congress keeps funding these wars is because of the investments of certain Congressmen (and women)– We are all living in a Military Economy. I’m afraid Barack in his speech the other day showed how he has cowed to the Israeli Lobby. While our country’s infrastructure continues to crumble, the economy continues to tank, Gas prices are soaring etc. : you can bet your bottom dollar the Military will thrive.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:26 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says
June 6th, 2008 at 9:22 am
I believe McClellan is truly looking for redemption. I heard last night on Countdown that Scott ran into Richard Clark recently and asked his forgiveness.
____________________________________________
He did, indeed. And both Clark and McClellan have noted that the talking points Scotty used to smear Clark are the exact same ones that are now being used to smear Scotty. It’s like there’s a box of talking points at the White House marked “Open In Case of Defecting Loyalists”, because they use the same ones over and over.
As far as seeking redemption goes, it may take awhile (as it often does), but if McClellan keeps doggedly at it, he’ll get it from all but the most diehard skeptics.
George Wallace spent the last years of his life apologizing to the African-American community for his actions against them. He wasn’t forgiven the first time he apologized. But he kept at it. Scott probably will, too.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:29 amMarine Training in Indy Stirs Concern
It seems city government and the Marines worked out a deal for house to house fighting training unbeknown to many citizens.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080605/NEWS/80605055
June 6th, 2008 at 9:29 amMcWars Says:
I’ve never contributed to a political campaign before. Should I give to the DNC or directly on Obama’s website?
I am giving to both. I was sending Obama $50 a month. I am now going to send Obama $25 and the DNC $25. Don’t forget that the DNC helps out candidates running for the Senate and the House. They need our help too. It’s looking really good that we can seriously increase our majority in the house and possibly end up with a filibuster proof majority in the Senate.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:29 amI truly believe this October’s surprise will be an attack on Iran. Cheney is working overtime right now. I can just see him with his Diet Sprite and a big fat chocolate cake sitting in his bunker percolating his PNACian Plan for 9/11: The Sequel.
And guess what folks:
President Obama and VP Clinton will be carrying the Torch for Anti-Islamofascism.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:30 amFreedom Rebel Says: What has always been my biggest problem understanding why they would stick to oil and coal. They are the dirtiest and the price we pay in lives and money is not worth it. The wind and the sun (solar) are free. Hopefully, we will see an even bigger push and just maybe in the next decade we will be oil-free like you said. Good day unbelievable!!
I truly hope we are standing at the cusp of a future that values lives (not just human) above profits. Karl Marx was another prescient, albeit idealistic man, and we know what he predicted would arise out of the ruins of Captitalism :D LOL.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:30 ammisshusseinmolly Says:
I only hesitate to state the obvious comparison because the ONE area where we don’t want any parallels to JFK is that we want Obama to finish his term and finish a second one. Safely. The alternative is too awful to contemplate.
I would also not like to see parallels such as intervention in SE Asia. Or stupidity like the Cuban embargo.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:31 am#27 misshusseinmolly Says:
Freedom Rebel Says
June 6th, 2008 at 9:13 am
If Obama keeps this up, he may be our modern day JFK.
______________________________________________
OMG, I hope not. But I know what you meant.
I also feel there are many parallels between JFK and Obama (and JFK’s daughter Carolina thinks so, too). The optimism, the belief in America, the ability to inspire and motivate others, etc., not to mention the ability to do the job without being a puppet to special interests.
I only hesitate to state the obvious comparison because the ONE area where we don’t want any parallels to JFK is that we want Obama to finish his term and finish a second one. Safely. The alternative is too awful to contemplate.
You are right, I meant the inspiring part. He inspired us as a country, which Obama is doing just that. I look at the old films and see many similarities between the two. Their speeches motivate us, they give us hope for a brighter future.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:32 amBut, McCain,Hillary and Obama all love Isreal. The source of our reckless foreign policy has been because this country continues to pander to the Israeli lobby.
I’m not so sure about Obama. He said what he had to say at the conference because he would be in trouble if the Jewish community turned on him. But I think that his attitude towards Israel will be very sensible once he takes office. I can truly see him helping to negotiate a true and just peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. That is one of his great strengths, bringing people together for a common good.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:33 amMcCain has flip-flopped again. He now believes that wiretaps without warrants are LEGAL under Article II of the Constitution.
In an interview about his views on the limits of executive power with The Boston Globe six months ago, Mr. McCain strongly suggested that if he became the next commander in chief, he would consider himself obligated to obey a statute restricting what he did in national security matters.
Mr. McCain was asked whether he believed that the president had constitutional power to conduct surveillance on American soil for national security purposes without a warrant, regardless of federal statutes.
He replied: “There are some areas where the statutes don’t apply, such as in the surveillance of overseas communications. Where they do apply, however, I think that presidents have the obligation to obey and enforce laws that are passed by Congress and signed into law by the president, no matter what the situation is.”
Following up, the interviewer asked whether Mr. McCain was saying a statute trumped a president’s powers as commander in chief when it came to a surveillance law. “I don’t think the president has the right to disobey any law,” Mr. McCain replied.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:34 amhttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/us/politics/06mccain.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says
June 6th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Ok, the general election has begun. Does this mean that the MSM is going to start exposing McCain for all his flip flops and hypocrisies?
_____________________________________________
Can we hold Tim Russert’s feet to the fire and make him live up to his promises?
June 6th, 2008 at 9:34 amCorrect me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t Israel have nuclear weapons? If so, isn’t it kind of ludicrous for them to think others shouldn’t have them? I am against anyone having nuclear weapons at the ready, to use or threaten to use, as a way to further their agenda. As stated by others, I’m damn sick of Israel and their macho neocon posturing. They appear to be a part of the problem, not a part of the solution.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:35 amI wish I could really believe that Obama will bring the “change” that this country desperately needs. (And the world).
I just don’t know.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:35 amObama will not be perfect, and he will make mistakes – but I think that starting with someone who has integrity and good judgment will win out in the long run over what we’ve endured since January 2001.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:35 amShipping a prisoner off to a country known to commit torture is a violation of international law. Yet impeachment is off the table, meaning Congress is complicit in violating international law by refusing to hold the Executive Branch accountable.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:36 amI think I’ll vote for Cynthia McKinney:
she’s the only one that wants to shine a light on that sunny,
June 6th, 2008 at 9:37 amTuesday September morning almost seven years ago.
The issue with Israel is its leadership. We should understand this because it is the same problem we have had for the past eight years. The saber-rattling warmongers have been whipped into a frenzy while the general population yearns for a different path and a peaceful solution.
I can think of several countries that could be added to this list — such as Iran, Palestinian territories, etc. This is why we will be well-served to be done with GDumbya and Darth Cheney . . . and why Johnny McNumbNuts should never be elected.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:37 amToday’s Orwellian bush-suck republican punchline (ht:boingboing.net):
wait for it…….waaaait for iiiit…
*insert anticlimax sound effect here*
June 6th, 2008 at 9:37 amExit Stage Left Says: Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t Israel have nuclear weapons? If so, isn’t it kind of ludicrous for them to think others shouldn’t have them? I am against anyone having nuclear weapons at the ready, to use or threaten to use, as a way to further their agenda. As stated by others, I’m damn sick of Israel and their macho neocon posturing. They appear to be a part of the problem, not a part of the solution.
You’re not wrong. Puts them in the same hypocritical category with our country who has 3000 active nuclear warheads… I say, if you are anti-nukes, then get rid of yours FIRST. Live by example.
I think Israel exploits its relationship with the US a little too often.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:39 amThanks, Bilbo. I should give to both. It’s a very small investment compared to the improvement possible through this candidate. I applaud your monthly premiums to Obama; in November the country can file a claim because of generous people like you!
June 6th, 2008 at 9:41 amAdministering psychotropic drugs to prisoners without their consent is yet another violation of international law. We can’t have testimony about that going public, can we? Not only that, but under the Military Commission’s Act of 2006, such testimony can be barred as a “State Secret.” I’m surprised the judge even asked.
But let’s make sure we get these trials out there, get a steady stream of convictions, a steady stream of “confessions,” and a steady stream of executions leading up to the November election.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:41 amIt’s so weird, 18 years ago, when I worked at Harvard Law School — I waited on Barack Obama while he was a student.
strange.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:44 amThis is true.
McWars Says:
I’ve never contributed to a political campaign before. Should I give to the DNC or directly on Obama’s website?
I have contributed directly to the Edwards campaign while he was still running, and to the Obama campaign after Edwards dropped out. I refuse to give to the DNC or the DCCC, despite all the mailings I have received soliciting contributions. I will not send money to any organization that will help fund the re-election efforts of the chicken-shit members of the Democratic Congress. If I feel strongly about a particular candidate, I will contribute directly to them. It would sicken me to know that my money was helping someone like Pelosi.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:44 amIsrael’s nukes were the elephant in the room during Barack Obama’s pandering speech to AIPAC. Even though blacks and Jews worked together in America to expand civil rights, compare the list of political heavyweights attending the NAACP vs. AIPAC meeting.
Last year Nancy Pelosi virtually capitulated onstage regarding Congressional approval for an attack on Iran. This year Barack gave the lobby what it wanted to hear. It was a get elected speech, sucking up at its best.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:48 amWow Kay, you waited for Barack? What was the hold up?
June 6th, 2008 at 9:50 amwhat do you mean, what was the hold up?
June 6th, 2008 at 9:51 amBriseadh na Faire Says:
“The Justice Department’s ethics office is reviewing a decision in 2002 by department officials to send a Canadian citizen to Syria, where he was tortured.” The review, which began in in March 2007, is examining the role of department lawyers in sending Maher Arar to Syria, which the State Department lists as a country known to torture.
Shipping a prisoner off to a country known to commit torture is a violation of international law. Yet impeachment is off the table, meaning Congress is complicit in violating international law by refusing to hold the Executive Branch accountable.
I agree they are complicit. Congress should be ashamed of themselves for not only this crime but for violating their obligation to uphold the Constitution. All of the ones that have done such a disservice to this country, will hopefully lose their jobs come November. Hopefully, Pelosi is one of them. Good day Briseadh na Faire !!
June 6th, 2008 at 9:51 amHell, if you talk to wingnuts, they’re still ridiculing Jimmy Carter, Nobel prize and all.
They just can’t take seriously someone who devotes his life to peace, the poor and the general welfare of others. Y’know, the stuff of the real Jesus Christ.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:54 amThis should disappoint John McCain:
Hamas hits out at Obama
Gaza City – The Islamist Hamas movement that rules the Gaza Strip slammed a speech by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Wednesday, saying it confirmed US “hostility” to Arabs and Muslims.
“We consider the statements of Obama to be further evidence of the hostility of the American administration to Arabs and Muslims,” Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri told AFP.
Obama did however say he would push for a negotiated settlement to the decades-old conflict if he is elected to the White House in November.
Abu Zuhri said Obama’s statements on Jerusalem “confirm the consensus of the two American political parties on unlimited aid to the (Israeli) occupation at the expense of Palestinians and Arabs”.
The speech, he said, “destroys any hope for change in American policies toward the Arab-Israeli conflict”.
Obama also reiterated that he will not negotiate with Hamas – which won parliamentary elections in 2006 and seized total power in the Gaza Strip in June 2007 – until it recognises Israel and renounces violence.
“We must isolate Hamas unless and until they renounce terrorism, recognise Israel’s right to exist, and abide by past agreements. There is no room at the negotiating table for terrorist organisations.”
In May Obama’s Republican opponent John McCain said Hamas would welcome an Obama presidency, charges the Democratic candidate denied as “offensive” and “disappointing”.
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/US_Elections_2008/0,,2-10-2339_2334905,00.html
June 6th, 2008 at 9:56 am#
Kay Says:
what do you mean, what was the hold up?
Play on words Kay! You waited on him, for what? LOL good one McWars.
Hopefully Barack will serve us well – we are waiting.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:56 amI guess I am slow on the uptake -or- I need more coffee!!
June 6th, 2008 at 9:58 amMofaz’s comments were cited as helping to drive the price of oil above $130 a barrel.
yea… check his stock portfolio…
June 6th, 2008 at 10:00 amMcCain To Snub Bush’s Fundraising Dinner
On the same day that a CBS News poll found that 64 percent of Americans think Sen. John McCain is the same or even more conservative than President Bush, news has leaked that McCain will be “snubbing” Bush at an upcoming fundraiser.
“McCain will not attend President Bush’s fundraising dinner for congressional candidates,” The Hill reported, “in another indication that the GOP nominee is distancing himself from the man he wants to replace.”
But a look at McCain’s public schedule finds that the presumptive GOP nominee has no other public events scheduled for the day of the Bush event.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/05/mccain-to-snub-bushs-fund_n_105570.html
June 6th, 2008 at 10:00 amMcCain’s new campaign slogan:
“I(ran) so far away from Bush”
June 6th, 2008 at 10:03 am#64:
I know it’s lame. Just trying to have some fun this morning.
June 6th, 2008 at 10:06 amBlackwater Worldwide has opened a new training facility
in a recent FAST, this was noted, and that this “training facility” was for NAVY personel…
what did the navy do before blackwater???
this privitization is gonna kill the USA…
June 6th, 2008 at 10:06 amOn the subject of Israel’s nuclear reprocessing and weapons facility, I am extremely fond of this animation from Israeli TV which shows with cut-aways the exact nature of the underground facilities at Dimona. Note, there is an incomplete version of this on YouTube as well, but this is the complete version:
June 6th, 2008 at 10:09 amhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf39qkvwOhU
And finally: Swing ‘em home…
um… who do those guys think they are fooling…
and those pointy framed shades? give ‘em back to your sister, dude…
June 6th, 2008 at 10:10 amDuring yesterday’s arraignment of five detainees at a Guantanamo military court, “security officials cut the sound fed to reporters” in the press center when the judge asked a detainee why he was on psychotropic drugs. “It was one of half a dozen times” a security consultant cut the sound “when detainees appeared to be discussing what several of them said had been years of torture.”
So our boys down at Gitmo are taking cues from Billo now? Great. All I can think of is people wearing US uniforms standing in front of a guy who has clearly been tortured saying with an Officer Barbrady voice: “OOO-Kay people, move along, nothing to see here.”
June 6th, 2008 at 10:11 amWhen are we going to haul off Bush,Cheney,Rumsfeld,Rove,Rice,Wolfowitz, Myers etc. off to Gitmo???!!!???
It’s about time!
June 6th, 2008 at 10:16 amMcWars Says:
I’ve never contributed to a political campaign before. Should I give to the DNC or directly on Obama’s website?
both, if you can… the DNC will go towards the down-ticket candidates also…
that news about NO lobbyists and pacs was so amazing, coming so early in the game… brought on a huge smile!
June 6th, 2008 at 10:17 amI like the Jobs and Growth signs behind Shrimpy. Just put the word ‘No’ in front of each and that about sums it up…
June 6th, 2008 at 10:18 am#72:
The only growth in evidence has been a cancer on this Great Country since Bush stole the 1st election.
Then the Cancer grew on 9/11.
June 6th, 2008 at 10:21 amUntil the Truth about 9/11 is revealed we will continue down a dark,dark road.
i was about to ask “Kay” what she planned to do this election…
then i geet to this:
“I think I’ll vote for Cynthia McKinney”
oh… ok… kay’s gonna vote mcSAME…
June 6th, 2008 at 10:24 amIsn’t it my right to vote for who I want –
like it’s your right?
Who knows. Maybe I will vote for Obama.
June 6th, 2008 at 10:25 ammaybe this new group can help…
J Street is the political arm of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement.
J Street was founded to promote meaningful American leadership to end the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israel conflicts peacefully and diplomatically. We support a new direction for American policy in the Middle East and a broad public and policy debate about the U.S. role in the region.
J Street represents Americans, primarily but not exclusively Jewish, who support Israel and its desire for security as the Jewish homeland, as well as the right of the Palestinians to a sovereign state of their own – two states living side-by-side in peace and security. We believe ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is in the best interests of Israel, the United States, the Palestinians, and the region as a whole.
June 6th, 2008 at 10:30 am[...]
http://www.jstreet.org./about/about-us
I thought ESL’s post was passionate (and probably true), but I’ll give confidence to both organizations anyway and go along with Katy’s and Bilbo’s advice.
Katy, this is the way we’ll take back our country — a government funded for the people and by the people. This is indeed very exciting! It’s about time running for office became an affordable prospect for your everyday upstanding American!
June 6th, 2008 at 10:36 amYes, Kay…you CAN vote for whoever you want. That’s what a democracy is about. The reasons for voting one way or another are also your own. Although I think it would be a tremendous mistake for ANYONE to vote for McLame, if you think he would advance your interests, you go right ahead.
June 6th, 2008 at 10:36 amI never said anywhere I was going to vote for McLame?!?
All I said was that I was thinking of voting for Cynthia McKinney.
How can you and Katy twist things around & say I’m voting for McBomb?
That’s not fair.
June 6th, 2008 at 10:38 amAfter watching 7,000 AIPAC supporters cheerleading for war with Iran over several days, it’s refreshing to know their’s a more reasonable Jewish voice. The American Jewish Committee, at least some of its major leaders like ex-Pentagon CFO Dov Zacheim, are as hawkish as those at AIPAC.
http://arisfreedomswitch.blogspot.com/2008/06/freedom-to-exercise-hard-power.html
June 6th, 2008 at 10:39 amThis is what I stand for, too:
Cynthia McKinney: a brief resumeWed, 12/05/2007 – 17:58 — admin A former six-term Member of Congress from Georgia, Cynthia McKinney proved herself a courageous voice for the voiceless, unafraid to speak truth to power. Cynthia’s Power to the People Committee is working to put Cynthia on fifty-one ballot lines!
Cynthia:
* Consistently opposed funding for bloated military and secret intelligence budgets;
* Introduced Articles of Impeachment for George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Condoleezza Rice;
* Introduced, championed, and passed in the U.S. House the Arms Trade Code of Conduct, prohibiting the sale of arms to known human rights abusers;
June 6th, 2008 at 10:40 amMaybe I’m on the wrong website. If people are going to misinterprete what I say.
June 6th, 2008 at 10:43 amkay – you’ll throw away your vote, essentially handing it to mcSAME…
June 6th, 2008 at 10:52 amOh OK Wise One.
I bow to your feet.
I will vote Obama.
I will vote Obama.
I will vote Obama.
I am one of the Sheeple.
I am one of the Sheeple.
I am one of the Sheeple.
I have no mind of my own.
June 6th, 2008 at 10:57 amThat may be true, objectively speaking, but subjectively speaking McKinney is a good choice. She has more virtues, or merits, or whatever old fashioned word you want to use, in her little finger, than the rest of them have in their entire bodies.
As for JStreet, well, Katy, beware of the facade of moderation. JStreet could be described not too inaccurately as a belated attempt to protect Olmert and Livni’s Kadima Party from destruction at the hands of the Likud, which pretty much owns AIPAC.
June 6th, 2008 at 10:59 amMaybe ThinkProgress is even too conservative, for me.
June 6th, 2008 at 10:59 amHave I outgrown TP?
Kay, vote for who you want. Just vote…that’s all.
June 6th, 2008 at 11:01 amthanks, Zooey.
:)
from Kay Hussein
June 6th, 2008 at 11:02 amI have not missed an election since I was legally able to.
June 6th, 2008 at 11:03 amKay,
Was Obama the most progressive candidate in the running for either party? No.
Is Obama the most progressive candidate still standing? Yes.
I hate to channel Rumsfield or compromise principles, but at this point for the preservation of our country we all have to do everything we can to ensure that McCain does not get the opportunity to continue to eff up our country.
June 6th, 2008 at 11:09 am“Sometimes you get what you need — not what you want”
June 6th, 2008 at 11:14 amMofaz’s comments were cited as helping to drive the price of oil above $130 a barrel.
Explain to me again why Israel is considered a US ally? Please spare me the BS about it being a “democracy.”
June 6th, 2008 at 11:20 amThere is apparently a proposal in the Canadian parliment to protect asylum seekers from the reach of the Bush Adiministration. This may be in retalitation of the rendition case of Mahar Arar. When it takes a year to get nowhere in the bush justice department, well someone elsewhere must act.
June 6th, 2008 at 11:30 amMay those soldiers who need such protection get it.
Kay Says:
Isn’t it my right to vote for who I want –
like it’s your right?
Kay – three words for you:
SUPREME. COURT. JUSTICES.
Think about it. ;o)
~ A
June 6th, 2008 at 11:31 amRowan Berkeley Says:
As for JStreet, well, Katy, beware of the facade of moderation.
beware. of EVERYthing. thanks for the warning…
i’m not jewish… know little about all things jewish…
but when sam seder, who IS jewish, interviewed one of the reps from jstreet, and was impressed enough with their message to have them on his show, i figured it was worth passing along the information.
i figure it’s an attempt to solve a problem, if just another voice, and worth the small effort it took here…
surely SOMEone can benefit….
June 6th, 2008 at 11:31 amKay, your vote should go to whomever you think represents your best interests.
My only problem with voting for McKinney, is that I really don’t want a Republican administration for a really long time.
When Obama spoke at the CC I teach part time at last year, he touched something in me that hadn’t been felt in a long time.
I wasn’t enamored of his AIPAC speech either, but in a two party system I’m going to choose to vote for him because I think he’ll be good for the country. As Bilbo pointed out, he can’t afford to alienate the Jewish vote and win.
Yes, he’s a politician. So are Cynthia, Ralph, McIIIrd.
Keep up the good posting, it’s not a RedState here…
June 6th, 2008 at 11:34 amkay – i really don’t mean to offend or hurt your feelings.
the subject of 3rd party voting is a touchy one for me…
and, you either just woke up, or, and you sound more like this,
you are a poser…
yes, you go ahead and vote for whoever you please… whatever
pleases YOU… ’cause that’s what matters…
or, you can contribute to the common good and help save your country.
.
OVERWHELMING DEMOCRATIC VOTER TURNOUT.
THEY CAN’T STEAL IT IF IT’S NOT CLOSE.
.
Barack Obama is the Democratic presidential candidate.
VOTE DEMOCRATIC
.
June 6th, 2008 at 11:56 amexplain:
you sound more like this,
June 6th, 2008 at 12:00 pmyou are a poser…
stateofthedivision Says:
…
http://arisfreedomswitch.blogspot.com/ 2008/ 06/ freedom-to-exercise-hard-power.html
do you have an opinion about http://www.jstreet.org./ ?
i do notice the site is not very up to date…
it sounded like a good idea…
June 6th, 2008 at 12:01 pmJump right in, new members of the ranks of the unemployed! The water’s foul, dangerous, and bitterly cold! You’ll learn how to live on one meal a day, cut your own hair, and pull your own teeth. What fun! After you’ve enjoyed about three years of it, as I have, you’ll realize that no one gives a f*%k–especially not your government (unless, of course, you aren’t able to pay your taxes on the piddly unemployment you get for the first few months. Then they’ll notice you).
America, America, Repubs piddle thy grace on thee…
June 6th, 2008 at 12:04 pmkay – pardon me, but, maybe english is not your first language?
i need to know…
because you sound to me like “a poser”… someone who pretends…
i’m sorry if i offended you.
June 6th, 2008 at 12:05 pmKaty,
You are so insulting. I do not pretend to be anything.
June 6th, 2008 at 12:10 pmJust like you cannot pretend to be a nice person.
sure. ok.
June 6th, 2008 at 12:23 pmKaty,
I don’t know much about JStreet. Rowan provided some insights. He made it sound like the Freedom’s Watch for Ehud Olmert/Tzipi Livni and their Kadima Party.
I looked at their Press Releases and they only have three, all from April or May 2008.
http://www.jstreet.org./page/press-releases
From that it could be a new group or it’s just getting active. With possible elections in Israel, due to Prime Minister Olmert’s unpopularity and ethical problems, JStreet could mobilize more American money for the right candidates. They do have a donations button!
June 6th, 2008 at 12:23 pmKay Says:
thanks, Zooey.
:)
from Kay Hussein
I’m curious as to why you would call yourself “Kay Hussein” when you are obviously down on Obama as evidenced by your mocking post in #84.
I agree with Zooey, vote for whomever you want. But don’t mock us for who we are supporting.
Some people, including myself, think that voting for Cynthia McKinney is a vote for McCain. Think what this country would be like if all those people who voted for Nader in 2000 had voted for Gore instead.
June 6th, 2008 at 12:26 pmI repeat:
Oh OK Wise One.
I bow to your feet.
I will vote Obama.
I will vote Obama.
I will vote Obama.
I am one of the Sheeple.
I am one of the Sheeple.
I am one of the Sheeple.
I have no mind of my own.
June 6th, 2008 at 12:30 pmKay Says:
“Sometimes you get what you need — not what you want”
I’m unclear on what you are saying here. Are you saying that we need another 4 years of Republican rule?
June 6th, 2008 at 12:31 pmI’m unclear of why I am here.
June 6th, 2008 at 12:33 pmKay Says:
I repeat:
Oh OK Wise One.
I bow to your feet.
I will vote Obama.
I will vote Obama.
I will vote Obama.
I am one of the Sheeple.
I am one of the Sheeple.
I am one of the Sheeple.
I have no mind of my own.
And repeating that does what? As far as I am concerned, you are venturing into troll territory. I used to have some respect for you as a poster. I no longer do.
June 6th, 2008 at 12:33 pmKay Says:
I’m unclear of why I am here.
So are we since you seem to have morphed into a troll. Feel free to leave.
June 6th, 2008 at 12:34 pmLook, I do support Obama and I probably will vote for him. I was just entertaining the idea of voting for Cynthia McKinney.
June 6th, 2008 at 12:39 pmI meant no offence, seriously, about the Hussein remark. Please, believe me. And about repeating the “I will vote” thing was just plain retarded, I admit it. But, I do take serious offence to being called a poser.
Kay Says:
But, I do take serious offence to being called a poser.
Then perhaps you should stop acting like one.
June 6th, 2008 at 12:42 pmI’m outta here.
June 6th, 2008 at 12:43 pmKaty, compared with the Likud, Kadima IS moderate. It’s all relative. I posted several useful articles from the so-called Israel Policy Center (a small, relatively progressive Washington DC think tank headed by M J Rosenberg) on my blog just now, that I think give an accurate round-up of the situation. Just click my name.
June 6th, 2008 at 12:47 pmI’m back.
I took a walk.
And having a little time to reflect, I am going to vote for Obama. Although, I would like to vote for Cynthia McKinney –I really have to vote for who will most likely keep McCain out of the White House.
I am sorry about my behaviour before. But, I will never apologize for believing that until this country faces it’s darkest secrets: 9/11 — we will continue with this reckless foreign policy where Israel is armed and coddled.
Until there is a light exposing the Truth about 9/11 and we move away from a Military Economy: our infrastructure will continue to crumble, our economy will continue to crumble, our Constitution and Bill of Rights will continue to be trampled upon, our Moral standing in the world will continue to erode (see: secret prisons), our men and women will continue to come home after putting themselves in harms way and find that they’ve been abandoned (see: Walter Reed Hospital)
Our senior citizens will continue to have to choose between a whole dose of medicaion or not eating, gas prices will continue to rise because there is no regulation from our government, hard working Americans will continue to lose their homes because this government does not care…
I just hope Mr. Obama can heal this nation and as he does the world will heal from the life-sucking policies of George Bush
June 6th, 2008 at 1:31 pmII.
#102:
June 6th, 2008 at 1:35 pmkay – pardon me, but, maybe english is not your first language?
i need to know
Pretty good for someone who’s English is apparently not my first language.
Here’s a story for those who think they don’t know Obama – maybe they can relate.
After appearing here, Obama … is looking forward to “a date” tonight with his wife, Michelle, a round of golf on Saturday (”the best I can do is the low 80s,” Obama said) and a bike ride with his children on Sunday…
On Saturday night, Obama will face a challenge familiar to many American parents: Eight 7-year-olds are due at his house for a birthday sleepover in honor of his daughter, Sasha.
“These kids are planning to make pizza so who knows what our kitchen will look like,” Obama said. “They shouldn’t call these sleepovers. They should call them wake-overs.”
June 6th, 2008 at 3:39 pmKay, I am late to the thread today and I can’t stay long. I am happy to see you will join us to vote for Obama.
June 6th, 2008 at 3:43 pmI accept your ideals and principles, but unfortunately, we have to face the reality of the system and a vote for someone outside of the system will simply aid McCain. We can’t afford that. Not economically. Not internationally. And certain not in regard to the Supreme Court.
Over the next few years the strong likelihood is that a justice will be named to the SCOTUS — we need a level headed Democrat to nominate a level-headed person — McCain would bring in another Scalia, Thomas, Roberts or Alito.
That would seal the fate in the demise of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as we have known it for 200 years.