I Agree with the Republicans

I know that this will come as a great shock to people who feel that I am one of those Demonic Democrats, totally blinded when it comes to common sense and reality, but I agree with the Republicans about one of the decisions Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner handed down.

The McCain campaign sent in a batch of voter registration forms and many of them did not have two check boxes checked:
1) Are you a US citizen? [X]Yes [ ]No
2) Will you be at least 18 years of age on or before the next general election? [X]Yes [ ]No

SOS Brunner wanted to disqualify any registrations that did not have both boxes checked. The Republicans sued. The courts found in favor of the Republicans. The courts were right. If you're trying to register to vote, both of these questions can assumed to be answered in the affirmative.

Brunner's other positions on matters pertaining to this election have also annoyed the Republicans, who took one case all the way to the US Supreme Court, only to have it withdrawn before the justices could throw it out.

And still they are trying to have registrations invalidated when a voter registration doesn't match a driver's license or Social Security record. Doesn't match? What do they mean by that?

• Joseph Lawrence Johnson (voter ID)
• Joseph Lawrence Johnston (driver's license)
  SORRY, PAL: YER OUTTA LUCK (at least according to the GOP)
  

Between 40% and 50% of registrations tested fail by this standard and voters are disenfranchised because somebody missed a "t" or typed an extra "t". Needless to say, Brunner thought the Republicans were being more than a little dishonest in their complaints. And so, surprisingly, did the Republican-dominated US Supreme Court.

For what it's worth, guidance from the Franklin County Board of Elections addresses this issue for this year's election. If a voter shows up with a driver's license on which the photo is clearly that of the person standing there and the only variance is a small difference in the way the name is presented (Elizabeth L. Miller on the poll book and Liz Miller on the driver's license), the person votes a standard ballot.

So I think that's a victory for the good guys. (The "good guys" are not Republicans or Democrats; the "good guys" are truth and justice.)

Half Truths and the Information Sewer

In a previous post, I mentioned someone who had sent a dreadful and gigantic message about the dangers of Barack Obama to a list that I'm associated with. She said that she thought the document "seemed to be documented". It was, if you consider links to Fox News and right-wing nutcase sites to be documentation.

There is a huge difference between "seems to be documented" and "is documented". Just because somebody posted something on a website or in a blog doesn't mean it's true. One of the letter's sources for anti-Obama "proof" was RightSideOfWisconsin.com.

RightSideOfWisconsin.com is registered through GoDaddy.com and here's the record: Administrative Contact: Lohenry, Todd toddlohenry@gmail.com e1evation, llc PO Box 203 Algoma, Wisconsin 54201 United States (920) 486-4798 Fax -- (920) 482-5666

Todd Lohenry? According to his profile on LinkedIn: Former Chairman of Republican Party of Kewaunee County (So would you accept the opinion of John McCain by a former chairman of a county Democratic party as gospel?)

How Half-Truths Work

I could say that John McCain has 6 fingers on each hand, was brainwashed by the Chinese during the time he was supposedly held captive in Viet Nam, that he intentionally crashed his plane to turn it over to the Russians because he was a mole, that his father was a Martian and he had to be born in Panama to avoid US medical records.

I could even create a blog that contained all of those claims. And I could put together some pretty convincing "documents" that would make it appear to be true. And I am certain that some gullible person would find that website and use it as a reason why McCain should not be allowed to get within 100 yards of the White House.

I could do that, but I won't. I won't because I know not a word of it is true. But there are unethical people in this world, people who would gladly lie, cheat, and steal to put forth disinformation (that's an old term from the Soviet era).

The Soviets thought they had perfected disinformation. If you want to see perfection, just examine the Internet, books by Jerome Corsi, Rush Limbaugh's radio program and blogs, and most of what comes out of the Fox News sewer.

Vote Early, but not Often

If you can still vote early or send in an absentee ballot, do it!

Early voting in Ohio has seen 2- and 3-hour waits. At the 4-hour BOE training last weekend, we were told that about 15% of registered voters have voted. If we get the predicted 75% to 80% turnout, that means we'll see about 500,000 voters on election day at 854 precincts in 534 voting locations (I'm responsible for 3 precincts and 18-20 poll workers).

Something new this year: The county board of elections has added a nifty new feature to the 200-page reference manual. It's called an "index".

This year, the Secretary of State's office has also sent poll workers a link to a training site and the BOE handed out a 10-page supplement from the SOS at the weekend training session. Franklin County is being held out as a pretty good model of how to get things done (unlike Cuyahoga County, where there's a lawsuit almost every election).

This year, we've added "greeters", whose job it is to make sure that voters are in the right place. If somebody shows up at the wrong precinct, we hope to identify them and send them to the right precinct without making them wait in line for 2 or 3 hours.

Something tells me there are easier and more efficient ways of earning $107 (before taxes).

Am I Terrified?

A friend noted that those on the right often say they're terrified of Obama and that those of us on the left say that we're terrified of Palin. What's to be terrified about, she wondered.

I don't think I would classify myself as "terrified", so I probably can't answer the question entirely. But I am greatly concerned by the prospect of Palin as president. I think it comes down to her limited education, lack of political experience, anti-science positions, attack-dog positions (which, according to a reporter from one of the Alaska newspapers, may have been forced on her by the McCain campaign), scant knowledge of international situations, and inability to speak a coherent sentence unless it's scripted.

Except for that, I'm fine with her being president.

It seems to me that the right is afraid of the bogeyman, which is something the Republican Party has stressed over the past 8 years with its "we have nothing to offer but fear" campaigns. Those on the left fear a continued slide into mediocrity, or worse.

Educating the Uninformed

For the past several days, I've been having a conversation with an acquaintance. She brought an enormously long "well-researched report" about the dangers of Barack Obama to a list populated by editors. The "well-researched" report turned out to be a letter written by a member of her family, a person who claims to be a journalist. Yet it consisted of third-hand reports of rumors, innuendos, half-truths, and outright lies. Fortunately, she's open to learning and really wants to know the truth. In the most recent exchange, she mentioned Iran and said that she's not sure that John McCain's criticism of Obama for being willing to talk to the Iranians is appropriate.

My response: I'm glad you believe in talking. After all, if you don't talk to those who some think are your enemies, what happens? War. Keep in mind that the "leader" of Iran, has no real power. He is a figurehead. The real power is with religious leaders and they have not said the kinds of things certified nutcase Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said.

Should we talk without conditions? The United States was talking with Nikita Khruschev before and after his shoe-pounding speech at the United Nations in which he threatened to "bury" the United States. NOT talking is deadly. Talking may not resolve the problems between people, but it's better than not talking.

Also bear in mind that after 9/11, Iran actively helped the United States track down some of the bad guys. This information is available in books written by people who were in intelligence agencies at the time.

It may also be worth noting that it was the United States that forced Iran to start a nuclear program, largely at the behest of US manufacturers.

My correspondent sayd that she would feel better if she had proof that Obama had made strong declarations that he will not compromise with Israel's enemies and that he will stand with Israel.

As a matter of fact, Obama did this when he visited Israel in July of this year: One report, with photos is here.

And Harretz.com, in February, wrote "He added that has always been 'a stalwart friend of Israel's' and said he considers Israel to be one of the U.S.' 'most important allies in the region [Mideast]. I think that their security is sacrosanct,' he added." Source: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/958748.html

It really isn't very hard to find the truth, or at least a reasonable approximation. Use Google or Yahoo and then visit the websites of legitimate news organizations, newspapers in the region, and the like. Avoid the loony left and rabid right websites. Read a lot of sources. The Internet makes this easy. You might even consider reading Al Jazeera, which is nowhere near as anti-American as the right-wing nuts claim. There's probably more journalistic integrity at Al Jazeera there than at Fox. Reading it, if nothing else, provides perspective. http://english.aljazeera.net/

All The News That Isn't

You'd think that less than a week before an election, the Washington Post might actually be able to find some news. Yet on October 27, an article stated breathlessly that "Faulty Ballots Sent to Voters: 126 Erroneous Items Mailed in Latest Mistake by D.C. Board."

So the District's board of elections sent incorrect absentee ballots to "as many as 126 District voters." 126. Wow! And there are how many hundreds of thousands of voters in the District?

Have you ever reached for something and picked up the wrong thing? I presume you're human, so the answer is probably yes.

Last election, I received a ballot from my county board of elections for Reynoldsburg 3C instead of Worthington 3C. I called the BOE, reported it, returned the wrong ballot, and voted the new ballot that they sent.

Does the Washington Post also report instances of cars wearing lane markings off the highway? What a non-story!

This Makes Me Sad

I asked my brother-in-law if he supported this statement:

"Liberals hate real Americans that work and accomplish and achieve and believe in God."
--Rep. Robin Hayes (R., N.C.) on Saturday at a rally in North Carolina

Although he's a Bush-McCain-Cheney-Palin Republican, I expected him to repudiate the statement. That wasn't quite what happened.

He replied with an argument that was even more ludicrous than Bill Clinton's "that depends on what 'is', is." It was pure bullshit.

I expected a response such as, "No, that's entirely unacceptable," or "Hayes clearly doesn't speak for me," or maybe an even broader, "No, that's not what the Republican Party is about."

Inistead, he said:

I'm trying to imagine which keywords to concentrate on here:
Liberal ("Democrat", "Socialist", "Marxist", or maybe even "Centrist"?)
hate ("disagree with", "dislike", "can't tolerate", "bent on destroying"?)
real Americans (perhaps as opposed to "illegal immigrants", "non-native legal immigrant descendants" or maybe only those who oppose one's political views?)
work and accomplish and achieve (as opposed to enabled via social welfare paid thru oppressive taxation?)
believe in God (as opposed to "atheists" or "non-Christians"?)

So without knowing more about the beliefs and record of Mr. Hayes, I don't categorically support or disavow the statement.

Yow!

So this is what we're up against. My brother-in-law is a bright guy. He graduated with a double major from (The) Ohio State University. But he's been so brainwashed by the neocons who have taken over the Republican Party that he can't even see the hate speech embodied in "Liberals hate real Americans that work and accomplish and achieve and believe in God."

That sincerely frightens me because I can't even begin to imagine a liberal making such a hate-filled blanket statement about conservatives. If we cannot learn to live together and work together for the common good of the United States of America, then there is no hope for us — any of us, liberal or conservative.

Incidentally, on the subject of "believe in God (as opposed to 'atheists' or 'non-Christians'?)", I feel a response is called for. Non-Christians often are part of a mono-theistic religion; in other words, they and Christians believe in the "one 'true' God", so I'm puzzled by the distinction between atheists and non-Christians. Beyond that, there are other possibilities. "Agnostic" is just one of them and that seems to be where I find myself at this time.

If there's one thing that incenses me, it's for someone to say that his or her religion is the one true way to redemption. That is simply absurd because no one on this planet has any more information about redemption than anyone else. But it seems to me that if there is a God, that being must expect us to treat each other fairly, honestly, and charitably.

If you believe in the kind of God who is just waiting for you to fuck up so that he can say, "Ah, ha! Damn you to Hell, fool!" you believe in a different kind of God from the one that I would believe in if I believed in God.

Wow. WOW. WOW!!!

Spinning furiously on Fox News, John McCain said Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama was "expected", which sounded to me a lot like "well, of course he's supporting Obama; they're both black." Spin it, John. Spin it. Even if I hadn't heard an interview with Powell a week ago in which he said neither race nor long-time familiarity would be a factor in his decision, I wouldn't believe that Powell would let race affect his decision.

Side note: Both McCain and Obama are of the same race, the human race. One has slightly more pigment than the other, but they are members of the same race. But for now we'll overlook that scientific fact.

Powell served the United States in Viet Nam as did John McCain. Powell was Secretary of Defense during the Gulf War and he has proven that he is intelligent, rational, and thoughtful. In saying that he will voter for Barack Obama, Powell called the Illinois senator a transformational figure who has reached out to Americans with an inclusive campaign. Powell also cited Obama'a steadiness, intellectual curiosity, and depth of knowledge as reasons for his decision.

Powell has known McCain for decades and says that the Arizona senator is a good friend. But he said that he's disburbed by the McCain campaign, the selection of Sarah Palin as vice presidential candidate, and the Republican party's xenophobic attitudes.

If William Ayers is really a "washed up old terrorist", Powell wondered why the McCain campaign spends so much time with "robo-calls" that accuse Obama of "palling around with terrorists."

Powell also criticized the selection of Alaska governor Sarah Palin, saying that she is a distinguished woman who should be admired, but that after watching her for 7 weeks, he's certain that he is not ready to be president of the United States, "which is the job of the vice president."

I paid to see Colin Powell speak several years ago. I would have voted for him if he had ever decided to seek the office of president. And today I hope that Republicans and Independents who have considered voting for the McCain/Palin ticket will now reconsider.

Who Ya Gonna Love?

A friend from West (by God) Virginia seems to think that I believe all Dems are faultless and all Republicans are crooks . Wrong. But this does seem to be the GOP's approach.

When a Republican is found with his hand in the cookie jar, the assumption seems to be that it's the godless liberal media persecuting a wonderful family-values guy. The GOP closes ranks behind the guy.

Eventually, things become so bad that something has to be done, so the guy holds a tearful press conference and says he's resigning to spend more time with the family.

Compare this to the Mark Dann story in Ohio. The attorney general was clearly dirty. All (I repeat, ALL) statewide elected Dems told Dann that he had to resign or he would be impeached. Dann tried to negotiate. He wasn't allowed to. Dann is no longer the AG. The little piece of shit has gone back to Youngstown.

We go after the crooks and kick them out on their ass.

The GOP has a president who lied the nation into a war, but who is still president. Chickens do eventually come home to roost.

Cluck. Cluck.

So my friend seems to think that I believe all Dems are good and all Republicans are evil. Not so. Here's how I would rank US presidents and Ohio governors, and you may want to note that I liked several of the Republicans and have a less than stellar opinion of some of the Dems:

PRESIDENTS
(R) Dwight D. Eisenhower: Too bad he lied about the U2.
(D) John F. Kennedy: Cool during the missile crisis.
(D) Lyndon B. Johnson: Domestic, great; international, shitty.
(R) Richard Nixon: Got China right, but he was a crook.
(R) Gerald Ford: Honorable guy, but ineffective.
(D) Jimmy Carter: Anything that could go wrong, went wrong.
(R) Ronald Reagan: Nice persona, but a bastard.
(R) George H. W. Bush: Honorable and intelligent.
(D) Bill Clinton: Fine for the economy, but personally a piece of shit.
(R) George W. Bush: Moron.

OHIO GOVERNORS
(D) Michael DiSalle: A man with a conscience.
(R) Jim Rhodes: With bonds all things are possible in the Wonderful World of Ohio.
(D) John J. Gilligan: Understood the environment if not Ohio politics.
(R) Jim Rhodes: Kill the fucking hippies. (Oh, no, wait. We did that the last time I was in office.)
(D) Dick Celeste: Yeah, he was governor.
(R) George Voinovich: The GOP faithful hated him because he tried to be honest.
(R) Nancy Hollister: Gov for a month (no opinion).
(R) Bob Taft: I liked him, but he's the only criminal governor in Ohio's history.*
(D) Ted Strickland: So far, so good.

*Two WV governors have served sentences, so I guess it's a plus that Taft was only convicted while in office, but never had to serve time. Those who live in West Virginia must take political sport more seriously.

William Barron (D): In 1968, the former governor and several of his top officials were indicted on charges of bribery. All but Barron were found guilty. In 1971, he was again indicted on jury tampering charges associated with the 1968 trial. He was sentenced to prison, fined, and stripped of his law license.

Arch Moore (R): In 1990, Moore was found guilty of mail fraud. He served over two years in federal prison and paid a settlement to the state.

Crooks from both parties. How even-handed!

Bob the Spook versus Joe the Plumber

Bob the Spook is a lot like Joe the Plumber -- he really exists. I've never talked with Joe the Plumber, but I've seen his picture. I have talked with Bob the Spook. I'm not going to identify him as more than just "Bob", though. You'll understand why as you read his account.

Bob, who wrote the following, is a former intelligence officer. Military. He's been on the listening end of wiretaps and the like. He spent some time in the Middle East and now has just retired from a job with a high security rating (nuclear facility in the West). He and I sometimes talk politics because he's a conservative and I'm not. We've also discussed registering to vote, "voter fraud" (a major canard*), and the like.

Here's a message from the second full week of October 2008:

Start Bob the Spook's message

When I turned 21, the voting age at the time, I was away at college. Next trip home, I went to the fire station to register to vote. The fireman pulled a sign from a stack; it was a notice to remove weeds from the property or have it done by the city at the owner's expense. I had to read a few sentences to prove I was literate in the English language. I think still that's a reasonable requirement for voting and citizenship (reading and writing English, I mean, not keeping your yard clear of weeds).

By the time the next election came around, I was off with Uncle Sam's Air Force defending democracy from godless Communism (and, as we found out several years after I retired, successfully). I voted absentee from various nice and not-so-nice places.

After retiring and moving here, I registered to vote. I think the wife and I were in Seattle fooling around on a long weekend. Some scruffily dressed kids were manning a card table and asking people to register to vote. So we did. I don't think we had to declare a party, Washington State had open primaries.

Eventually, we went to vote-by-mail. It's just like absentee voting, but you don't have to be away on election day to do it. One sign-up and I get ballots 3 weeks or so before every election. It was a really nice way to vote when I was working; the lines were really long by the time I could get to the polling place.

I think I've mentioned that I've voted in every presidential election since the LBJ-Goldwater contest. I found myself voting against the guy I liked the least every time except once. Only one guy came up in all those years who had experience that I thought qualified him, that was GHW Bush. And he did a pretty good job. Not perfect, but pretty good. This go-round, the only candidate in the primaries with a resume that impressed me was Richardson; some of his speeches later in the primary season gave me pause. Not sure if he believed all of what he was saying or if he was just trying to establish an identity separate from the other candidates.

This time, looks like I'll be voting for someone whose qualifications are a bit lacking, but I'm willing to settle for integrity and intelligence.

Bob

End Bob the Spook's message

Bob is voting for Obama. So is the very conservative Christopher Buckley, a (now former) columnist for the National Review and son of William F. Buckley. You can read his article here: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-10-10/the-conservative-case-for-obama or http://tinyurl.com/Buckley4Obama

Oh -- and I spotted a car with a Gulf War Vet license plate at the Worthington Community Center on Tuesday. I see the car most days when I go to exercise after work, but this time there was something new on it: An Obama bumper sticker.

*Why "voter fraud" is a major canard:

Lemmie 'splain this in plain English. Let's just assume that ACORN has perpetrated "massive voter fraud", which it hasn't. But let's just assume that just for fun and to get past the "YES, THEY DID!" "NO, THEY DIDN'T!" phase of the conversation. Let's say Mickey Mouse has been registered to vote. When Mickey Mouse shows up to vote, Mickey Mouse will have to produce a photo ID that proves he is Mickey Mouse. Without that, he won't vote. Voter fraud? Hardly.

Let's say William F. Blinn has fraudulently registered 25 times from 25 addresses. When William F. Blinn shows up to vote at 25 precincts (this will be difficult because William F. Blinn will be the lead presiding judge at 3 precincts in Upper Arlington, none of which he is registered to vote at) he will need photo identification that proves he lives at each of the phony address he registered at. Without it, he doesn't cast a vote. To get a driver's license, William F. Blinn would need a Social Security number. Since he has only one of those, William F. Blinn will be able to obtain only one Ohio driver's license (out of state licenses are not accepted at polling places.) Voter fraud? Hardly.

Simply put: Registering is not the same as voting.

"Joe the Plumber"

Turns out that the man who was held up by John McCain as the typical, hard-working American taxpayer isn't really a licensed plumber, and he owes nearly $1,200 in back taxes. He would actually get a tax break under Barack Obama's tax plan and it was the McCain campaign who arranged for him to show up an an Obama event.

What a surprise!

Can it Get Any Stranger?

I'm sure this is "just because that Muslim terrorist is from Chicago", but for the first time in its history, the (far)-right-leaning Chicago Tribune has endorsed the Democratic Party's nominee for president.

Wow! This is historic.

For those who believe that Fox News is the only true source of news, here are reports of Obama endorsements [My comments are in square brackets like this.]:

• The Washington Post emphatically endorsed him Friday as "the right man for a perilous moment."
• The Los Angeles Times said Obama "represents the nation as it is, and as it aspires to be."
• The San Francisco Chronicle also endorsed Obama in its Friday edition, describing him as a "portrait of calmness and deliberation" throughout the financial crisis.
• Not counting the Chicago Tribune, Editor and Publisher has tallied Obama's endorsement haul at 50 and McCain's at 16. The newspapers reach a circulation of 5.8 million for Obama and 1.5 million for McCain.

[But, trying to blunt the clear lead Obama has, Fox said, "The Republican nominee has racked up some prominent endorsements over the past several weeks." And those are ... ]

• The New York Post [about as far right as Fox] in September endorsed McCain, saying "McCain's lifelong record of service to America, his battle-tested courage, unshakeable devotion to principle and clear grasp of the dangers and opportunities now facing the nation stand in dramatic contrast to the tissue-paper-thin resume of his Democratic opponent, freshman Sen. Barack Obama."
• McCain was also endorsed by the Union Leader [probably the most reactionary newspaper in the nation] in New Hampshire, the Boston Herald and the Examiner newspapers in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. [The primary newspaper in Baltimore is the Enquirer, the primary newspaper in Washington is the Post, and the primary newspaper in San Francisco is the Chronicle (mentioned above). OK, so that's 1 for 3, but with a penalty for tying to pass off these 3 papers as worthwile.]
• Obama has picked up the most endorsements in California, including those of the Sacramento and Fresno Bee newspapers, the San Jose Mercury News and the Oakland Tribune. [And, of course, Fox might as well go on, "Californicate is the home of fruits and nuts."]
• Other major endorsements for Obama include those of The Boston Globe, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Toledo Blade, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the Nashville Tennessean.

Thus endeth the Fox News report.

So here's the story from Editor and Publisher as of 17 October 2008 at 18:36:42 (indications in parentheses indicate B=Bush and K=Kerry in 2004). You may note that several papers switched from endorsing the Republican to endorsing the Democrat, but that NO papers switched from endorsing the Democrat to endorsing the Republican.


JOHN McCAIN
16 newspapers total
1,502,163 daily circulation

CALIFORNIA
Napa Valley Register: 16,283
The San Francisco Examiner (B): 80,000

COLORADO
Mountain Valley News (Cedaredge): 2,000
The Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction) (B): 31,349
The Pueblo Chieftain (B): 49,169

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
The Washington DC Examiner (N/A): 100,073

MARYLAND
The Baltimore Examiner (N/A): 50,000

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Herald (B): 182,350
The (Lowell) Sun (B): 44,439

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Foster’s Daily Democrat (B): 22,547
Union Leader (Manchester) (B): 51,782

NEW YORK
New York Post (B): 702,488

OHIO
The (Findlay) Courier (B): 22,319

TEXAS
Amarillo Globe-News (B): 44,764

WASHINGTON
(Spokane) Spokesman-Review (B): 89,779

WEST VIRGINIA
Wheeling News-Register (B): 12,821

BARACK OBAMA
51 newspapers total
6,299,363 daily circulation

ARKANSAS
Arkansas Times (K): 34,000

CALIFORNIA
The Argus (Fremont) (K): 26,749
Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek) (K): 183,086
Daily Review (Hayward) (K): 30,704
The Fresno Bee (K): 150,334
La Opinion (Los Angeles) (K): 114,892
Los Angeles Times (N/A): 773,884
The Modesto Bee (K): 78,001
The Monterey County Herald (K): 28,933
Oakland Tribune (K): 96,535
The (Stockton) Record (B): 57,486
The Sacramento Bee (K): 288,755
San Bernardino Sun (B): 54,315
San Francisco Chronicle (K): 370,345
San Jose Mercury News (K): 234,772
San Mateo County Times (K): 25,982
Santa Cruz Sentinel (K): 23,290
Tri-Valley Herald (B): 29,759

COLORADO
Cortez Journal (K): 6,700
The Durango Herald (K): 8,870
Gunnison Country Times (N/A): 4,000
Ouray County Plaindealer (K): 3,000

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
The Washington Post (K): 673,180

HAWAII
Honolulu Star-Bulletin (K): 64,305

ILLINOIS
Chicago Tribune (B): 541,663

IOWA
The Storm Lake Times (K): 3,200

MASSACHUSETTS
The Boston Globe (K): 350,605
The Standard-Times (New Bedford) (K): 30,306

MICHIGAN
The Muskegon Chronicle (K): 41,114

MISSOURI
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (K): 255,057

NEW MEXICO
Santa Fe New Mexican (K): 25,249

NEW YORK
el Dario La Prensa (): 53,856

NORTH CAROLINA
Asheville Citizen-Times (K): 50,160

OHIO
The (Toledo) Blade (K): 119,901
Dayton Daily News (K): 116,690
The (Canton) Repository (B): 65,789
Springfield News-Sun (K): 24,684

OREGON
Mail Tribune (Medford) (K): 30,349

PENNSYLVANIA
The Express-Times (Easton) (B): 44,561
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (K): 214,374

TENNESSEE
Chattanooga Times (K): 71,716
The Commercial Appeal (Memphis) (K): 146,961
The (Nashville) Tennessean (K): 161,131

TEXAS
The Lufkin Daily News (K): 12,225

VIRGINIA
Falls Church News-Press (K): 30,500

WASHINGTON
The Columbian (B): 44,623
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (K): 129,563
The Seattle Times (K): 220,883

WEST VIRGINIA
The Charleston Gazette (K): 48,061

WISCONSIN
The Capital Times (Madison) (K): 16,335
Wisconsin State Journal (Madison) (B): 87,930

Fear versus Trust

I've been reading Al Gore's book The Assault on Reason and it reads rather like a federal statute for exporting oatmeal, but I did run across one section that I found to be both interesting and worthwhile.

He quoted Ed Muskie:

"There are only two kinds of politics. They're not radical and reactionary or conservative and liberal or even Democratic and Republican. There are only the politics of fear and the politics of trust. One says you are encircled by monstrous dangers. Give us power over your freedom so we may protect you. The other says the world is a baffling and hazardous place, but it can be shaped by the will of men."

Muskie said those words in 1970, on the eve of the midterm election. I'd like to think we're a little wiser now, 38 years later. But once again it's coming down to fear and loathing versus hope and trust.

My God Is Better than Your God!

It's hard to believe that a "man of faith" is spewing this bullshit. He, of course, exhibits a complete misunderstanding of Buddhism, because Buddhists specifically consider Buddha NOT to be a "god". "Buddah" simply means "awake" or "aware". Not that this would matter to a bigot, of course.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (CNN) – A minister delivering the invocation at John McCain’s rally in Davenport, Iowa Saturday told the crowd non-Christian religions around the world were praying for Barack Obama to win the U.S. presidential election.

“There are millions of people around this world praying to their god—whether it’s Hindu, Buddha, Allah—that his opponent wins, for a variety of reasons. And Lord, I pray that you will guard your own reputation, because they’re going to think that their God is bigger than you, if that happens,” said Arnold Conrad, the former pastor of Grace Evangelical Free Church in Davenport.

The remark was made before McCain arrived at the rally but the Republican nominee's campaign quickly put out a statement distancing itself from the remarks.

(NOTE THAT CNN CLEARLY INDICATES THAT McCAIN WASN'T PRESENT AT THE TIME. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE WOULD EXPECT FROM FUX NOOZ HAD THE SITUATION BEEN REVERSED.)

“While we understand the important role that faith plays in informing the votes of Iowans, questions about the religious background of the candidates only serve to distract from the real questions in this race about Barack Obama's judgment, policies and readiness to lead as commander in chief,” said McCain campaign spokesperson Wendy Riemann. This incident comes a day after a Minnesota voter asked Senator McCain if Barack Obama was an Arab at a town hall in Lakeville, Minnesota and just three days after Lehigh GOP County Chairman Bill Platt made a speech at a McCain rally in Pennsylvania where he refered to the Democrat nominee for president as Barack Hussein Obama.

So Maybe You Can "Register" an Underage Voter

But then what? The GOP Sound Machine (Limburger, O'Liely, and the rest of the gang) have been making a big deal out of this "problem". But it's not much of a problem. It's just part of the tpyical sleight-of-hand the GOP likes to employ.

What happens when you show up at a polling place? I can't speak for the rest of the country, but as a poll worker in Ohio I know that the first thing we'll do is ask for your identification. For most people, that's a driver's license. The GOP Sound Machine likes to talk about ACORN and "registered" 13-year-old voters. Apparently a few underage "voters" have been registered here and there. If they show up to vote, will they have a driver's license? Without ID, they won't be allowed to vote.

For the GOP, the party of widespread voter fraud in Florida (2000) and Ohio (2004) to whine about the occasional underage registration seems to be a fine example of the "pot calling the kettle black".

Are the "damnocrats" out to get Palin? The GOP says the are.

Cool story, except for one thing: It ain't true, bubba. (The somewhat pejorative term "bubba" should not be interpreted as being directed at any particular recipient. In any case, it does not refer to the former president, Bill Clinton.)

July 2008 (Palin isn't John McCain's running mate yet. She isn't even on anyone's radar at this point.): Alaska's 14-member Republican-dominated Legislative Council opens an investigation into the governor's motivations in trying to have Trooper Michael Wooten dismissed. The decision was unanimous. For those who aren't familiar with words of more than 2 syllables, that means ever dad gum one of 'em voted to do it.

That same group voted unanimously (ever dad gum one of 'em voted to do it) to release their report amid accusations by the McCain-Palin campaign that the inquiry was a pro-Obama witch hunt designed to affect the Nov. 4 election. The GOP seems to be having a little problem getting it's talking points all in a row.

Investigator Stephen Branchflower says he doesn't understand the supposed motivations for Palin's acts. She said the family was afraid of Wooten, but having him terminated could lead to an act of retaliation. Forcing him out of his job “would not have de-escalated the situation or provided” Ms. Palin or her family with “greater security,” the report stated. And simultaneously (that means "at the same time"), Palin reduced the number of troopers assigned to her security detail. I guess she was really a-feared of him, then, eh, warn't she, bubba?

Branchflower says Palin violated the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act by applying pressure to get Trooper Wooten dismissed.

Just exactly the kind of person we want to have as president if anything happens to John McCain.

The Real Patriots

I mentioned the break-in at Palin's illegal Yahoo account on a recent TechByter Worldwide broadcast and heard from a couple of listeners who thought I was off base. I wasn't in reporting that, but I had previously introduced political comments (inappropriately) into the program, so I apologized.

An additional conversation ensued with a listener. I wrote the following today:

About 30 years ago (so you already know this is going to be a "good ol' days" story), I worked for a radio station where the program director was even further left than I was. This is, by the way, the only radio station I ever worked at where there were more liberals than conservatives on the air. The chief engineer was a super-conservative (Goldwater type) Republican. The program director claimed that the engineer was really "the most liberal guy in the place" and, talking to the engineer, I came to believe that this was the case. He preferred some methods that I didn't, but all three of us mostly wanted the same things for the country. Conservatives and liberals share a lot of values; if extremists at both ends would sit down and shut up, those of us in the middle could start talking to each other reasonably and politely again and get to work on solving the country's problems. I'd really like to see that happen because working together for common goals is the only way we'll accomplish anything.

Who Would YOU Hire?

Let's pretend you're the HR director of a company. Or a country.

With America facing historic debt, multiple war fronts, health care problems, a dollar that's weaker than the Canadian dollar for the first time in decades, an all-time-high prison population, skyrocketing federal spending, a mortgage crisis, bank foreclosures, a credit crisis, and ... well, you know. You have a choice about who we should hire. Here are your choices.

CHOICE 1: A guy who attended Occidental College for 2 years and then obtained a B.A. in political science with a specialization in international relations from Columbia University, followed by a law degree (Juris Doctor, Magna Cum Laude), from Harvard and a guy who earned a B.A. in history and B.A. in political science from the University of Delaware, followed by a law degree (Juris Doctor) from the Syracuse University College of Law.

CHOICE 2: A guy who graduated 894th in his class of 899 at the United States Naval Academy and went on to be shot down over Viet Nam and a woman who attended Hawaii Pacific University for 1 semester, who took "general study" classes at the well known North Idaho College for 2 semesters, then transferred to the University of Idaho for 2 semesters, to Matanuska-Susitna College for 1 semester, and who finally earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Idaho.

Conservatives for Obama

Brigitte Bardot (sex queen from the 1960s, extreme right-wing fanatic, and animal-rights advocate): Sarah Palin is a a "disgrace to women." And, on Palin's comment that she was a pit bull with lipstick, Bardot said: "I know dogs well and I can assure you that no pit bull, no dog, nor any other animal is as dangerous as you are."

William F. Buckley's son, Christopher, is (not surprisingly) a conservative. He knows John McCain and has written for him. He is backing Barack Obama.

Conservative David Brooks, who argued forcefully on moral grounds for American military intervention in Iraq and said that American and British forces would be welcomed as liberators, says that Sarah Palin "represents a fatal cancer to the Republican party." You may know already that Sarah Palin is John McCain's running mate.

Well known conservative Andrew J. Bacevich, in an article for The New Republic magazine says that a conservative revival depends on a US withdrawal from Iraq, which Obama supports. You may have noticed that John McCain vehemently opposes this.

Conservative columnist Thomas Sowell: "A number of friends of mine have commented on an odd phenomenon that they have observed--conservative Republicans they know who are saying that they are going to vote for Barack Obama. It seemed at first to be an isolated fluke, perhaps signifying only that my friends know some strange conservatives. But apparently columnist Robert Novak has encountered the same phenomenon and has coined the term 'Obamacons' to describe the conservatives for Senator Obama."

And what is it about Republicans that they can't stand intelligence, book-larnin', 'n such? Brooks says "The Republicans have alienated whole professions. Lawyers now donate to the Democratic Party over the Republican Party at 4-to-1 rates. With doctors, it's 2-to-1. With tech executives, it's 5-to-1. With investment bankers, it's 2-to-1. It took talent for Republicans to lose the banking community." Of course, there's still Carly Fiorina, the fired former head of Hewlett Packard who disgraced the company. She's still a McCain supporter.

Are you a big fan of Ronnie Ray-Gun, Jack Kemp, or Newt Gingrich? Larry Hunter says he is and he's backing Obama: "Obama promises a humbler engagement with our allies, while promising retaliation against any enemy who dares attack us. That’s what conservatism used to mean - and it’s what George W. Bush promised as a candidate."

Hello, Republican base: Listen to your leaders. Vote Obama.

Excuse Me, Sir, May I Vote, Please?

I'm a poll worker, so I must vote absentee. I filed the request more than a month ago with the board of elections. A week or two later, when I received my assignment from the board, a note that was enclosed acknowledged the previously filed request. No problem.

Today, I received two forms from the board of elections: One said that I hadn't completed the form correctly because my address wasn't on the form (it was because the BOE put it there). The second form acknowledged a request that I had made prior to the primary, but said that I would be required to file it again because of a ruling by the Secretary of State. Hmmmm. Problem.

Some weeks back, my older daughter sent in an absentee ballot request. It was returned because the address the provided isn't the address they have on record for her, yet the Board of Election's website shows the proper address, the same one that was on the request. Granted, she has a common name, but still .... Another problem.

It doesn't take too many instances like this for the average voter to just say, "Fuck it!" and not vote. And that, of course, is exactly what the GOP would like. I get the idea that the GOP would like it if only male land owners with a net worth of at least half a million dollars would be allowed to vote. That would simplify the process a lot.

And for no reason that we can divine, my wife's affiliation was changed from "Democrat" to "unaffiliated". We're still trying to find out why. This change has no effect in the general election, of course, and (because any voter may request any ballot in the primary) it has no effect for primary elections, either.

But still .... Might one call this yet another problem?

Yes, I am in Ohio. Why do you ask?

You Know, We Already Have "Socialized Medicine"

The far-right wing nuts are always crying about "socialized medicine", but this is nothing but a scare tactic, and I suspect that most of them know it. What is health insurance but socialized medicine: People band together, pool their resources, and pay a company to find a reason not to pay their claims when they accidentally get sick and have one.

About 30 years ago, I worked for a radio station where the program director was even further left than I was. This is, by the way, the ONLY radio station I ever worked at where I think there were more liberals than conservatives. The chief engineer was a super-conservative (Goldwater type) Republican. The program director said that the engineer was really the most liberal guy in the place and, talking to him, I came to believe that this was the case. He preferred some methods that I didn't, but all three of us wanted the same thing for the country.

That was back in the day before clowns like Karl Rove thought it would expeditious to accuse your opponent of being weak on whatever your weak point was.

I just want my country back.