The Balad of John and Sarah

Just when you thought it might once again be safe to think in America, Janis Ian (well known free thinker, songwriter, and lesbian) has signed on to sing the GOP's election jingle.*

Janis Ian sings ...

The Balad of John and Sarah

You got Ma Rainey talkin’ ‘bout a jelly roll

Chuck Berry workin’ on a mojo

Bessie Smith singin’ Bull Dagger Blues

Elvis twitching on the evening news

Danger, danger, can’t you see

that sex should stay a mystery

so ban that music, yessirree

That’s what America means to me

We gonna ban Walt Whitman, and Jean Cocteau

All the queers will have to go

Mr. Tennessee Williams, Plato too

You got to give J. Edgar Hoover his due

Danger, danger, can’t you see

They’re in your local library

so ban those authors, yessirree

That’s what America means to me, yeah

We gonna ban all the dagos, the wops and the kikes

Gonna ban all the chinks and the towelhead types

Ban all the wetbacks, ban all the fags

Wrap it up tight in the American flag

Danger, danger, can’t you see

it’s dangerous when they are free

so ban those lazy refugees

That’s what America means to me

I watched the news last night at nine

Saw a head blown off somebody’s spine

The women moaned and the children screamed

Doesn’t anybody else think that’s obscene?

It ought to be a felony

to practice such stupidity

but it’s my right, as you can see

That’s what America means to me, yeah

*Yes, I am kidding, but I'm a little creeped out.

Nothing is Too Low for the McCain Campaign

Recently I heard a report by NPR. The overarching topic was "Is America Ready for a Black President?" and one of the people interviewed said that he didn't have a problem with a black president, but that Barack Obama wasn't "the right black man".

Why not? Is Obama too "uppity"? Too well spoken? Too well educated? I have to wonder why the GOP fears educated voters. Who would this guy have considered the "right" black man to be president? It seems to me that honkies (and I am one) haven't done particularly well when it comes to running this country. What's wrong with giving an educated black man who can easily think his way out of a paper bag a chance? We've tried stupidity for the past 8 years. Might it not be reasonable to give intelligence a try? Just this once? Instead of electing the guy you might be happy to have a beer with, might it not make sense to elect the guy who has the smarts to solve some of the nation's problems?

The GOP is actively spreading lies about Obama, but that's typical for the party of Nixon, the party of dirty tricks. What's both surprising and disheartening is that John McCain is now using the same tactics he decried in 2000 when George W. Bush used them against McCain. Lies. Whisper campaigns. Half truths.

Maybe you've heard about "Snopes", the urban legend people. I don't know whether the Snopes folks are Republicans or Democrats. Or maybe independents. I do know that I trust them to investigate claims and report the truth.

So I encourage you to consider ...

• "50 Lies by Barack Obama" (GOP LIE): http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/50lies.asp
• "Barack Obama is not a US citizen" (GOP LIE): http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/citizen.asp
• "Obama is a Muslim" (GOP LIE): http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp
• "Hugo Chavez is funding Obama's campaign" (GOP LIE): http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/chavez.asp
  

If you visit Snopes and type "Obama" into the search box, you'll get at least 66 hits. At least 60 of those hits indicate that the scurrilous comments are FALSE. Lies. Untruths. If John McCain can't win fair and square, it seems that he's willing to use unethical (might one say "immoral"?) tactics.

Try the same thing with the word "McCain" and you'll get 37 hits. Surprisingly (Really? Does this surprise you?) most of them are TRUE.

• E-mail lists facts about Senator John McCain's wife, Cindy McCain. (true)
• Article recounts details of Senator John McCain's divorce from his first wife, Carol. (true)
• E-mail describes the military pedigrees of Senator John McCain's sons. (true)
• Article by Karl Rove describes Senator John McCain. (undetermined)
• Does John McCain not qualify as a natural-born citizen of the U.S. because he was born in Panama? (undetermined)
• Did John McCain once say that 'the Democratic Party is a fine party, and I have no problems with it.' (true)
• Did John McCain say he would define the income level that divides the middle class from the rich as $5 million? (true)
  

The difference is that most of the reports circulating about John McCain are true while most of the reports circulating about Barack Obama are false.

Does this tell you anything?