Kevin Langley for Maurice River Township Committee

Congratulations Kevin!

Well Fought, Well Run, and Well Done!

Vote Totals

Kevin Langley 464, Glenn Ewan 374, Penny Wells 243

I am writing this post in support of Kevin Langley for Township Committee in Maurice River Township. Politically speaking, I am a strong progressive, while Kevin is as staunch a conservative Republican, with an "old-right" bent as I have known. So why am I supporting his candidacy? The decision was easy. I've known Kevin for 10 years. During that time I have known him to be of true character and strength with a first rate intelligence. Spending time with him you learn his passion for politics and his desire to make things better for our community. A day doesn't go by that he's not coming up with a way to make things better for the working men and women who live here. In a nutshell, the reason that I support him is to improve and, more importanly, preserve, the high quality of life that we enjoy here.

Kevin's love and knowledge of history is second to none. He enjoys debating my liberal ideas about local government and pointing out how he might do it better if given the chance. In other words, he has a vision of what he wants this community to look like and how he wants us to get there. I haven't heard the other candidates express that. Let's give Kevin that chance.

One of his opponents appears to have tried to muddy the waters concerning Kevin's qualifications and earned place on the Republican ticket with innuendo about who backs whom; and yes a little smokey backroom local politics have played a part in this election. But know this, Kevin is as qualified as either opponent and he won the Republican primary with more votes than his third party opponent. The bottom line is the facts are the facts, Kevin is the duly elected Republican Primary Candidate running in this election.

I know he is running to make a difference. I know he is running to make Maurice River Township a better place to live through lowering taxes not just for the rich, but for everybody. I trust him to represent me on the left as much as he would someone on the right, and to give every issue before him as township committeeman, a thorough review before making a decision.

Vote for Kevin Langley for Township Committee.

A Bit of Comedy to Brighten Your Day!

You don't want Levi as your enemy!

Passing health care reform...and more with our super-majority

What if we passed a bill with the 60 non filibuster vote? Would it give us the balls to move forward with our ideas?  Would the democrats feel emboldened? Would they actually get the mettle, the moxie, to believe that we could actually achieve something with our super-majority? The implications for the future could be mind-boggling. Why not do to the republicans what they did to us the last 8 years???  President Obama needs to be more than non-committal, he needs to lead.

"But skepticism from the White House isn't the only hurdle that remains. While a host of Democrats, including the administration, publicly praised Reid for standing by an opt-out public option, internal whip counts indicate that there are approximately 57 votes for the proposal. Convincing the remaining three caucus members that the bill should be allowed to get an up-or-down vote remains an uphill lift. Having a president that is non-committal in the process makes it even harder. Meanwhile, the likelihood that the proposal will not have a single Republican member's support removes the bipartisan cover that some conservative Democrats are demanding."

Still, the emergence of the opt-out option and its ultimate embrace by Reid has provided a major boost to health care reform and breathed new life into the prospects of a government-run insurance alternative.
We can do it!

"I think there has been a big change in momentum since the late summer and a growing belief in the caucus that this is a reasonable compromise," said Merkley. "We think it is going to sell itself."

Read the whole story here.

Quote of the Day

"Medicaid, he noted, has an opt-out provision, but not one state has opted out.  Public health insurance, in other words, is too popular for states to opt out."

Senator Lamar Alexander, a Republican leader from Tennessee, said on the Senate floor Monday, in advance of leader Reid's announcement, (on including the opt-out provision in the Senate version of health care reform)  that the opt-out provision isn't to be taken seriously.

Long Live Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

My favorite Justice on the Supreme Court is Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  The Supreme Court lists her bio:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice, was born in Brooklyn, New York, March 15, 1933. She married Martin D. Ginsburg in 1954, and has a daughter, Jane, and a son, James. She received her B.A. from Cornell University, attended Harvard Law School, andreceived her LL.B. from Columbia Law School. She served as a law clerk to the Honorable Edmund L. Palmieri, Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, from 1959–1961. From 1961–1963, she was a research associate and then associate director of the Columbia Law School Project on International Procedure. She was a Professor of Law at Rutgers University School of Law from 1963–1972, and ColumbiaLaw School from 1972–1980, and a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behav-ioral Sciences in Stanford, California from 1977–1978. In 1971, she was instrumental inlaunching the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, and served asthe ACLU’s General Counsel from 1973–1980, and on the National Board of Directors from1974–1980. She was appointed a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1980. President Clinton nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and she took her seat August 10, 1993.

Over the years, her opinions and dissents give the impression of being intellectually superior, knowledgable of the law, and honest.  I agree with many of her decisions.  I respect the fact that she was the second woman to serve on the court after Sandra Day O'Connor.  O'Connor retired in 2005 leaving Ginsburg the lone woman on the court. 

A very interesting interview in the New York Times about the place of woman on the court asked, "What's it been like being the only woman on the court after Justice O'Connor retired?"  Ginsburg replied "It’s almost like being back in law school in 1956, when there were 9 of us in a class of over 500, so that meant most sections had just 2 women, and you felt that every eye was on you. Every time you went to answer a question, you were answering for your entire sex. It may not have been true, but certainly you felt that way. You were different and the object of curiosity." 
When asked if she felt that way this time around from her male colleagues? (on the court)  "My basic concern about being all alone was the public got the wrong perception of the court. It just doesn’t look right in the year 2009."

On June 12th of this year in a speech to the 2nd Circuit Judicial Conference Justice Ginsburg said "I was cheered by the President’s nomination of Second Circuit Judge Sonia Sotomayor as the next Associate Justice. The nominee will bring to the Supreme Court, as she did to the District Court and the Court of Appeals, a wealth of experience in the law and in life. I am glad no longer to be the lone woman on the Court, and look forward to a new colleague well equipped to handle the challenges our work presents."

The Daily Beast called Ginsburg "Feminism's Last Line of Defense."  They point to her work as co-director of the ACLU's Women's Rights Project. "Ginsburg was a central figure in a string of cases in which various kinds of sex discrimination were ruled unconstitutional. She was famously clever in choosing cases in which discriminatory laws hurt men—one of her cases involved a widower father who couldn’t collect social security benefits available to widowed mothers, another challenged an Oklahoma law that let women buy low-alcohol beer at age 18, while men had to be 21. Presented with victimized men, justices had a way of suddenly comprehending the perniciousness of sexism. Her work resulted in many of the protections later generations of women would take for granted."

So, she was important for women.  She has been important for men.  She has been important for the freedom's we hold and the civil liberties we cherish, as Americans.

Before leaving on a flight to London a short time ago, Justice Ginsburg collapsed because she was taking over the counter medicine mixed with prescription medicine.  I was concerned, very concerned.  She was taken to the hospital, never made the flight to London, but released the next day.  I was happy, very happy.  Justice Ginsburg said in the interview with the Times that she was looking forward to moving into the chambers that retiring Justice David Souter is vacating.  A good sign!

Here's hoping new Justice Sotomayor is everything we've hoped for, and that Justice Ginsburg serves for many years to come.

New England Patriots Blast Tennessee Titans 59-0

New England Patriots Blast Tennessee Titans 59-0 in Snowy Foxboro!

After a hard loss last week to the Denver Broncos in Denver, New England sought to redeem themselves this week in their game against the Titans.  I've been uncomfortable since week 2's loss against the Jets.  That was a loss that shouldn't have happened. 

Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker addresses the media during his postgame press conference at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, October 18, 2009:

Q:  Did it feel good to get a chance to connect with Tom Brady for two touchdowns)

"Yeah, absolutely, having number 12 in there and kind of back to his old self. He kind of showed it tonight and, under the conditions, he played really well and the whole offense was able to come together and make some plays."

Tom Brady in his news conference:
Q: Home field advantage in the snow?  Any particular reason?

We're kind of a team in the Northeast - football conditions, you've got to go out and play in them and I think it's just a big benefit to practice in them, so it was fun to see the way we preformed out there. Hopefully that really helps us to go into next week.

Q: When you were on the sideline in the second half and you looked up and saw almost a high school football score, were you surprised or shaking your head?

"You know, not really. You'd think we would have been like that, but we've won a lot of big games around here. We've played well on offense for a long time, and I don't think it really shakes anybody up when you go out there and do that. I think we were just excited that we finally(my emphasis)  played well and put together 60 minutes of football. I think we've had some good halves. We've had some good three quarters, but today we put together four pretty good quarters."

There was satisfaction in the Patriots' locker room Sunday evening following the rout over the Titans. From a record-setting passing attack to Seau's return to Maroney's TD run to the unexpected snow storm, the players are talking about it...and satisfied.

Personally, I'm thrilled with the win. I think that the 59-zip score which ties the record back in the 70's, and Brady's 5 TD's in the 2nd quarter which sets an NFL record are meaningful. After the first couple of weeks with a kind of wishy-washy performance, the Pat's present themselves to be back on track.   Only time will tell and I am not making any predictions at this point.  (unlike after week 1)  My thought today is that it is good to put a little fear in other teams, a little forboding, that if they, like the Titans find themselves in a mess, and are struggling to find a first down, the Pat's will stomp.  Fear is a good thing in the NFL for your opponents to have against you; it helps the medicine go down smoother.

Go Patriots @Wembley Stadium, London, against the Buc's next Sunday!

Quote of the Day

Too funny Republican!
Stepfanie Velez-Gentry: Nookie Parties Sex-Toys Seller Running For New Jersey Legislature: "She should be a Demo.... I don't get it she's a repug? We are more fun than them!"

To explain the laugh, the comment is made from a democrat feigning surprise that a republican can have such a biz going against the basic republican tentets of chastity and sexual repression.

Turn Goldman Anger Into Government Action

National strikes are a good idea and sometimes work. The problem might be though, that our country is too big for national strikes to be effective, or that we do not have enough unions to organize said strikes.

One need only look to France to see how strikes influence government. For example, if the government decides to change a law that the people want, or the government decides to make a law that the people do not want, the people strike. Pretty soon, the sides talk and a compromise is reached.

Here, that seems absurd because one side seems to never want to compromise on anything. Having said that, on both sides it seems more to be about gathering power and money, and less about the doing something for the good of the people.
About Goldman Sachs
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Star Ledger Endorses Daggett over Corzine and Christie

October 10, 2009, 5:00PM

Photo by Ed Murray/ The Star-Ledger
Independent Gubernatorial candidate Chris Daggett at the Star-Ledger editorial board meeting on Friday.

The Star-Ledger today endorses independent candidate Chris Daggett and recommends his election as the next governor of New Jersey.

"The newspaper’s decision is less a rejection of Gov. Jon Corzine and Republican Chris Christie than a repudiation of the parties they represent, both of which have forfeited any claim to the trust and confidence of the people of New Jersey. They share responsibility for the state’s current plight.
Only by breaking the hold of the Democratic and Republican mandarins on the governor’s office and putting a rein on their power will the state have any hope for the kind of change needed to halt its downward economic, political and ethical spiral."
They say Christie has no game plan and Corzine has not been an effective leader.  True in both cases.  Perhaps it suggests that people ponder the idea of voting 3rd party this time.

Are You Serious?

Now that's really funny.
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire: "Quote of the Day
'Well, it was a different time.'

-- House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), in an interview on Fox News, on why Republicans, when they were in control, didn't allow members 24 hours to read bills before they came to the House floor."

The Woman from Wasilla, Too Wacko for New Jersey?

UPDATE, John McCain on Sarah Palin:

"Look, whenever there's a political campaign -- and I've been involved in them for many, many years -- there's always tensions within. You know, when you -- how -- with a high-pressure situation, there's always tensions that develop within campaigns. And there were clearly tensions between Steve Schmidt and people in the Palin camp.

There's -- there are fundamental facts, though, that cannot be denied. When we selected or asked Sarah Palin to be my running mate, it energized our party. We were ahead in the polls, until the stock market crashed. And she still is a formidable force in the Republican Party. And I have great affection for her.
Will Sarah and I -- did we always agree on everything in the past? Will we in the future? No. But look let's let a thousand flowers bloom. Let's come up with a winning combination the next time. We -- and -- and let's -- let's all go through the process, rather than condemning anybody's chances. And I'm happy to say we have some great people out there, and Sarah is one of them."

First, he lost me when not fighting back hard enough in regards to the attacks on him and his adopted child during the South Carolina primary coming from Karl Rove and George Bush; Secondly, when he embraced and asked for forgiveness from the unChrist-like acting mainstream, homophobic evangelical preachers on the right; Thirdly and lastly, when he picked the woman from Wasilla to lead our country as vice president.  My thoughts are it was a partisan slap in the face to all God-fearing, true Americans.  Sarah Palin - Great Person?

Jonathan Martin has a good piece in POLITICO.com about Sarah Palin and her support for GOP Gubernatorial candidates.  Specifically,  New Jersey where he says that when asked if they had invited Palin, Chris Christie spokeswoman Maria Comella's one word answer was "No." When pressed as to why, Comella said that Christie wanted to focus on Gov. Jon Corzine.
Hmmm.  We know that Palin is terrifically popular with the Republican base.  During the campagin last fall she routinely outdrew John McCain in crowds and intensity.  Remember the chants "Go Sarah Go!" and "Drill Baby Drill!"?  Why would candidate Christie not want her help here in Cumberland County and the rest of the state?
Could it be that the New Jersey Republican party fears she would draw the wrong kind of attention?  Would the most popular Republican in the last election alienate voters?  "Privately, Republican aides fret that a Palin appearance with their candidate could offend swing voters who are turned off by the polarizing Alaskan."  "A prominent rally with Palin could easily send the independents to the Democratic candidate, and at the same time, she could motivate the Democratic Party base to turn out at a higher rate," explained University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato.
“Why would they want to embrace a national message that goes backward as opposed to forward?” asked veteran GOP strategist Chris LaCivita, referring to last year’s presidential campaign. “She could be more of a liability than a positive. That’s not a criticism about her persona, but just the dynamics of these races.”
In New Jersey — where President Barack Obama won by 15 percentage points last year — it’s not even a close call.
“I don’t think Palin is ever going to fix her problem,” said veteran Democratic strategist Jim Jordan. “She has created her own image. And she’s just anathema to swing voters and a figure of ridicule.”
Jordan predicted that in much of the country, Palin would become much like Hillary Clinton was in that 1993 race.  “I can’t imagine a year from now that she’s invited to that many places,” he said. “And if she is, she’ll be that classic character where people will try to sneak her in and out for a fundraiser. They’ll do everything they can to avoid being photographed with her.”
Sounds to me more like Dick Cheney and George Bush in the 2006 election.  Several local Republican sources say "If she appeared with Christie, "She'd do more damage than good."  Pretty tough stuff coming from people on her side of the isle thought by some to be a candidate for president for the Republicans in the next election. 
The woman from Wasilla too wacko for New Jersey?  When will they get a leader that can represent all people, and not just the fringe elements of their party?
Read more.

Geoffrey R. Stone: Profiles in Courage: JFK and Barack Obama

The great JFK speech on civil rights given on June 11, 1963, that should be given by President Obama in his address to the national meeting of the Human Rights Campagin this Saturday. Read the speech. It is what it is.
Geoffrey R. Stone: Profiles in Courage: JFK and Barack Obama: "This is one country. It has become one country because all of us and all the people who came here had an equal chance to develop their talents. We cannot say to some of our fellow citizens that you can't have some of the most fundamental right of human beings. I think we owe them and we owe ourselves a better country than that.
Therefore, I'm asking for your help in making it easier for us to move ahead and to provide the kind of equality of treatment which we would want ourselves; to give a chance for every person to be a full and respected citizen of this great nation."

Gore Vidal

When I repeat the following two paragraphs in my blog, especially the part about the Republican party, does that make me a left-wing wacko? Or perhaps a Gore Vidal sympathizer? Or right? Mr. Vidal always gets you going.  Incredible interview and recommended reading.
Johann Hari: Obama Is "Incompetent" and the U.S. Is a "Madhouse": An Exclusive Interview With Gore Vidal: "I was like everyone else when Obama was elected - optimistic. Everything we had been saying about racial integration was vindicated, but he's incompetent. He will be defeated for re-election. It's a pity because he's the first intellectual president we've had in many years, but he can't hack it. He's not up to it. He's overwhelmed. And who wouldn't be? The United States is a madhouse. The country should be put away - and we're being told to go away. Nothing makes any sense.
The President 'wants to be liked by everybody, and he thought all he had to do was talk reason. But remember - the Republican Party is not a political party. It's a mindset, like Hitler Youth. It's full of hatred. You're not going to get them aboard. Don't even try. The only way to handle them is to terrify them. He's too delicate for that.'"

Thought Provoking Quote Today

Op-Ed Columnist - The Politics of Spite - NYTimes.com:
From Paul Krugman:

"How did one of our great political parties become so ruthless, so willing to embrace scorched-earth tactics even if so doing undermines the ability of any future administration to govern?
The key point is that ever since the Reagan years, the Republican Party has been dominated by radicals — ideologues and/or apparatchiks who, at a fundamental level, do not accept anyone else’s right to govern."

Sheppard Smith Challenges Senator on Public Option

I'm sure this is appearing on many blogs at this point, but I also have to include it because it came from the "fair and balanced" network. One of the few people at Fox that I can watch.

Posted originally on politicususa.com but picked up at huffingtonpost.
Fox News's Shepard Smith Goes After Sen. John Barrasso On Public Option:

His quote:

"SMITH: Over the last ten years health care costs in America have skyrocketed. Regular folks cannot afford it. So, they tax the system by not getting preventative medicine. They go to the emergency room in the last case and we all wind up paying for it. As the costs have gone up, the insurance industry's profits, on average, have gone up more than 350%. And it is the insurance companies which have paid, and who have contributed to Senators and Congressmen on both sides of the aisle to the point where now we cannot get what all concerned on Capitol Hill seem to believe and more 60% of Americans say they would support, which is a public option. This has been an enormous win for the health-care industry, that is an unquestioned fact. But I wonder, what happens to the American people when we come out with legislation now which requires everyone to have health care insurance -- or many more people -- but does not give a public option? Therefore millions more people will have to buy insurance from the very corporations that are overcharging us, and whose profits have gone up 350 percent in the last ten years. It seems like we the people are the ones getting the shaft here."

Smith is exactly right.

The St. Louis Rush

The worst team in football today got a bid to purchase from one of the worst people in America. Rush Limbaugh is part of a group bidding for ownership of the St. Louis Rams football team, it has been confirmed.

Rush Limbaugh In Bid For St. Louis Rams: "Limbaugh had a brief stint as an NFL commentator for ESPN in 2003, but was forced to resign after controversial comments about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb.  Hmmm.  Money talks.  Sorry St. Louis

Levi's Nuts

Not so bad.  Getting his fifteen minutes, probably two minutes more than Sarah should have gotten!

Gourmet Magazine C'est Fini :(

Gourmet magazine to stop publishing -- latimes.com: "Reached at her office, Gourmet editor in chief Ruth Reichl was stunned. 'Like everyone else, I found out this morning,' she said. 'I can't talk about it now, it's too raw. I've got to pack up my office.'"
Say it ain't so! It was one of my favorite  magazines over the years. The best of the best, not pretentious, just great. As a chef I personally got lots of ideas and receipes for my restaurant from them. 
So sorry to see you go!

A Note about Posts

When looking for inspiration and ideas to write a blog post about I often remember a conversation I've had with others about a topic, or maybe a television show I've seen or newspaper article I've read.  I formulate ideas in my head, sometimes scribbling a few "post points" on a scrap piece of paper, then commit them to the "new post box" in blogger and publish.  Taking this route often leads to more personal and honest writing.
Another route, and the easiest way to find post subjects is to surf the net for stories that I'm interested in and use the other poster's work as an inspiration for my own thoughts, quoting a few paragraphs from them, elaborating on the bigger picture and sending a link back to the original.
There are reasons for using both methods for my blog.  If I want my readers to know where I'm coming from on a particular point with all the reasoning behind it I choose the former.  If I just want to point out a story that I think my readers should know, I choose the latter.
Another consideration with publishing posts is size.  If I choose to write a full essay about a topic and put it all on my home page, often without pics or vids, it becomes a daunting task for the reader.  It may appear boring and it certainly appears to be too long to read in a couple of minutes.  An option to make it easier might be to include two or three paragraphs on the main page with a break link that people can click for the rest of the story if they are interested.  I haven't gone there yet but it is in my mind.
Sometimes after I've published my post hours, or even days later, I change my mind about some of the content.  It's usually easy to edit and add or change words but sometimes it's not. 
Case in point:  Take my recent post about the Rio/Chicago Olympics.  I wrote a story with the relevant points I wanted to make.  I then downloaded a copy of the olympic rings, opened it in paint, and added the words "No No Chi Cago!"  Hours later I came across the video of the crazy Republicans clapping for glee when Obama lost his bid.  I edited the post to include the video which I thought proved my point.  At the time I was feeling a little unkindness against them and added my comment "Fucking Wackos"  The next morning I realized that I did not really want to sound so negative and tried to remove my comment.  No such luck. 
After taking the post back to the edit box and removing those words, then trying to repost it, I was told that there was an error in the html code for the video and it could not post with my editing out of those words.  I had not touched the html code and there was nothing I could do but remove the video, which I thought added a lot to the story, or leave it.  I decided to leave it. 
Now, when people read it they might get the impression that I was madder and more partisan than I really was. 
Such are the trials and tribulations of a newbie blogger!
Finally, there is no spell check in the new post editor.  There used to be but they upgraded it and took it out.  Now, it's left to the poster to make sure every word is spelled correctly.  So I apologize in advance if you find one :)

View from your Window

Croatia, last summer

Make Love to Ya Zombie - South Park

I admit it, South Park is the funniest cartoon I have ever seen.  I love it.  The characters are so real, yet so fake.  The kids feed on every emotion that we feel.  If you've never seen it, watch some more episodes on The Comdey Channel on Wednesday nights.  If you're a fan, enjoy!

Alternative to the Internal Combustion Engine

For those of us who thought it would never happen:

The Toyota Prius

Nissan's Leaf Pure EV

Chevy Volt Interior

Maybe the times, they are-a-changin', see more

Treasonous? Jim DeMint, James InHofe, Eric Cantor, Mark Kirk Speak Out

Too harsh a word?  I'll let you decide:

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) boasted in June that he told Chinese officials not to trust America's budget numbers. "One of the messages I had -- because we need to build trust and confidence in our number one creditor," said Kirk, "is that the budget numbers that the US government had put forward should not be believed." Since then, he has declared his candidacy for U.S. Senate.

Read the short post at TPM

When an elected official goes to a foreign country and declares that the administration of the US is not credible, which all four of these leaders have done, what else would you call it?

While I think these 4 generally fit the description, I think of them more as losers than anything else.  And you didn't like the Dixie Chicks for saying they were embarrased by George Bush?

OK, it has been pointed out that using the word "treason" is a bit hyperbolic.  Fair enough.  How about "Jack-Ass, wannabe traitors?"  OK, no treason, no traitor, how about "Anti-American, Anti-Constitution leaders from the opposition?"  OK OK, How about "Dumb leaders that the other side elected who have no clue, and are rile up their base with nonsense and lies?"  Got It.

Bill Frist on Health Bill: I’d Vote For It

UPDATE:  Frist walks back his words.

Frist Walks Back Support Of Dem Health Care Reform TPM LiveWire: "On MSNBC this morning, Frist -- who's a doctor with a new book out -- said the 'Obama bill' is 'not quite there' and doesn't do enough to 'reorient our system around value, around outcomes, around performance.'"

While Frist didn't come out and explicitly say he no longer supports the Baucus bill -- which he'd originally said he'd vote for were he still in the Senate -- MSNBC seemed to read that message in Frist's comments. At one point during this morning's interview, the chyron read, "Fmr. GOP Majority Leader Frist Now Says He Won't Support Bill."

Were he still in the Senate, "I would end up voting for it," he said. "As leader, I would take heat for it. ... That's what leadership is all about."
Bill Frist on Health Bill: I’d Vote For It - Swampland - TIME.com: "Bill Frist on Health Bill: I'd Vote For It"
I don't believe him, I think he's lying. Curious reading.

Chicago Looses Bid to Bring Olympics in 2016

UPDATE AFTER THE POST:

Fuckin' Sicko's

No-Go for Chicago
I think it's really sad when people can't even support the President and Chicago in their bid to win the 2016 Olympics for our country. Turns out President & Mrs.Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and others went to Copenhagen to represent Chicago and the US in a bid for the games. I guess the president and other leaders thought that by going, they might persuade the Olympic Selection Committee to choose Chicago.
Obviously they weren't persuasive enough because Rio De Janeiro was chosen. I've been to Rio, I like Rio, but I would have preferred Chicago. I'm a citizen of the US, not Brazil.
I do have concerns about taxpayer money from city, state, and federal governments being used for the Olympics. Case in point, often when a new NFL or MLB stadium is proposed for a city, public money and reduced taxes are used as an incentive to build. It is wrong in that case and it should be wrong in the Olympics case. On the other hand often there is enough private investment and corporate sponsorship to get things done.
If you look at two recent cities I think you'll find Atlanta struggled to pay the bills, while Salt Lake City thrived. (Thanks in part to Mitt Romney - He did do something good!)
Anyway, what got me going was once again the attitude coming from the right. Erick Erickson of Red State.com said

"Hahahahaha, I thought the world would love us more now that Bush was gone. I thought if we whored ourselves out to our enemies, great things would happen. Apparently not. So Obama's pimped us to every two bit thug and dictator in the world, made promises to half the Olympic committee, and they did not even kiss him."

Then Michelle Malkin blogged that

"This changed Obama's motto of "Yes We Can" to "No You Can't."

Rush Limbaugh chimed

"It's the worst day of his presidency," adding that Obama "has failed" and the entire episode was an illustration of Obama's "Mars-sized ego."

Do you want to guess what will be the top story on The Glenn Beck Show, Bill O'Reilly, and all of Fox News the next 24 hours?
It brings me to the point that if conservatives cannot get behind the president on something like this, is there anything that they will support? Do they truly care nothing about the country, but only to be the party of no, no, no and only work to bring down this administration and completely silence anyone who agrees with him?
Again, I think it's sad if we cannot agree to be Americans first and partisans second, rather than the other way around.

Pliny the Younger - The First Blogger?

For the history of blogging, Sullivan starts in Princeton and gets pointed to Rome. Old reference indeed. Anyone got anything else?

"The first to suggest a nominee is Joseph Felcone, an antiquarian bookseller in Princeton N.J.. In his most recent catalogue of books for sale, he lists under the headline “The First Blogger?” a book by Plinius Caecilius Secundus, Gaius, better known to all of us as Pliny the Younger, a consul of the Roman empire. The book (a 1518 edition of which, lightly dampstained on a few leaves, is offered for 1400 depreciating U.S. smackers) is titled “Epistolarum libri X. Panegyricus”. We all recognize “epistle” as a letter; according to the Oxford English Dictionary, panegyricus is a “public eulogy”.

Link to his blog

My comment on The Daily Beast

Send Joe Wilson Home - Page 1 - The Daily Beast: "genmanager
I guess I should blame myself for believing that people commenting on blogs, myself included, are open-minded and honest. When I hear cultists (those who really are not conservative and don't even know what the republican party stands for, but who are blindly led by Limbaugh and Beck, who are also not conservative or republican, but greedy - I cringe.

You call legitimate voices of your party like Mr. McKinnon a prostitute, and Former Secretary of State, Former Chairman of the Joint Cheifs of Staff Colin Powell a rino in order to make a point that they are not towing the line of 'death to all democrats, we will not negotiate on anything, and we will stoop to the lowest level of discourse to indoctrinate and pull more unthinking people into your fold'.

You appear petty and scared. You have lost all common sense. You want to kick out those in your party who may agree with you 90% of the time, but who call a foul when a foul is committed.

The democrats are in a slighlty similar situation. It's hard, but we are trying to accomodate those in our party who have differing viewpoints. We're not really trying to kick them out.

Difference is, we won the last two elections, you didn't."

Another View

James Moore: The Lies of Texas Are Upon You: "I am afraid to admit this but I believe it may be too late to avoid violence. Even among my well educated right wing friends (yes, there are a few...but they are strangely able to consistently deceive themselves....but that is another discussion), they seem to believe and even hope for violence. We have a national party unwilling to compromise. We have a national party that believes it is acceptable to mislead the public with outright lies. We have a national party that wants the failure of this president more than they want the success of the nation. We have a national party that seeks only to destroy and not to build. We have a national party driving us to civil war.
Just to prove my point, ask yourself if you believe there is any hope for unity. Without unity, we fail."

A Civil War Letter

When you look at all the hate, vitriol, war-mongering, and just bad-mouthing that's going around, you wonder when, and if it can end and in what shape this great nation of ours will be in.
What will happen if we get attacked by terrorists again? Will we fight each other over who's to blame and who's ideologically right? Dick Cheney has already said that it will be Obama's fault because he has tried to discontinue torture and close Guantanamo Bay. That's like a call to action for the right, and sounds like treason to the left. It's insane talk from a maniac. At times the country does seem like it's at the boiling point.
After reading the letter below from the civil war I pause to think of the good in people and still have hope that we can get past the unrest and crazyness of today and still work together for a better tomorrow. But I really don't know how. There's a lot of crap going on.


Near Platte City July 4th/1861

"Dear Father,

I received your letter some time since and now take my seat to have a chat with you. And do you believe I asked what day of the month it was here a true American asking what day of the month it is on that day which every person ought to love, isn't it to bad. Today is a beautiful day. I expect it will be celebrated by the people of the North but it is very doubtful as to the patriotic sourtheners celebrating it. How sad, how very sad that our country, our own loved Country should be so ruined. I am sad and unhappy to see this fearful time. I must tell you that I am no secessionest, no oh no, nor is Uncle John nor Uncle Jimmie Craven but there are so many secessionests around here. I think if we remain as we are I see nothing, nothing but ruin before us. I have some faint hopes though that this great difficulty may be settled. I do not put my trust in large armies, north or south but in him who presides over the destinies of nations. Let our fervent earnest prayer be to him that our nation may arise to its former happiness and prosperity that this people may again be united in heart and hand."

I hope the people in this country realize what the consequences are going to be, if we continue down this path.

Moon River - Andy Williams

I came across this and found out Andy's involved with some wacky politics on the right, but I still love the song. "My Huckleberry friend, Moon River and Me"

Fun Facts about Health Care

Health Care: American's Love Single-Payer Healthcare,they just don't know they have it! And that's not what Obama is proposing. Don't be fooled.

President Obama is proposing one government health insurance plan for those under 65 to go along with the private ones. But Medicare is actually single-payer, government-run health insurance for people over 65. According to the Harris poll it is tied for third place in popularity of government programs:
The National Park Service: 85%
Crime-fighting and prevention services: 77%
Medicare: 76%
Social Security: 76%
Medicaid has 71% support. The Republicans call a lot of things socialist, but socialism is when the government owns big business and industry. When the government owns the highways that's not socialism. The government owns and runs a lot of things: schools, the military, police, the court system, the post office. If that was socialism we would have been socialists since the country was founded. The Republicans are just defending big insurance companies by using the socialist smear to frighten people."

Senator Lindsey Graham Talks Truth

"Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R-S.C.) offered unusually blunt assessments of the fringe elements of his party and conservative media on Thursday, calling the popular and bombastic Fox News host Glenn Beck a "cynic" whose show was antithetical to American values."

"Only in America can you make that much money crying," Graham said of Beck. "Glenn Beck is not aligned with any party. He is aligned with cynicism and there has always been a market for cynics. But we became a great nation not because we are a nation of cynics. We became a great nation because we are a nation of believers."

More about President Obama, the birthers, and the media, click the link after watching the vid.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/01/sen-graham-calls-beck-a-c_n_306434.html

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Op-Ed Columnist - Where Did ‘We’ Go? - NYTimes.com

A column in the New York Times from Thomas Friedman. Read the short post:

Op-Ed
Columnist - Where Did ‘We’ Go? - NYTimes.com: "The American political system
was, as the saying goes, “designed by geniuses so it could be run by idiots.”
But a cocktail of political and technological trends have converged in the last
decade that are making it possible for the idiots of all political stripes to
overwhelm and paralyze the genius of our system."