50 State Policy Brings Democracy Cells To 'Red-State', N.D.

This is wonderful news, TSP, which is why I promoted it to the thread head.

I fully believe that the 50 state policy since 2004 will make a big difference.

WOO HOO!!!!!!

And you, DCP, deserve major kudos for putting up with this "little church lady" who looks conservative but is a pistol.

THANK YOU.

Good for You TSP, way to go from Down Under.
Have a ball.

McCain - Unfit To Lead (final version)

Fox News: 12 Year Old Girl Tells the Truth about Georgia

BUSHED! 2008 08 12

Love TSP's story and it's the kind of story they like over at the Obama blog!! & it's so timely because the smears are getting deep (& the campaign is fighting back hard, plus JK, who should know!) & on top of that, we need to really go for a good electoral count, because that's not what matters, not the "horse race" national counts the media keeps pushing. We need to take some new states, hope that most of the corrupt Secretaries of State in swing states have been banished, & then hope for a miracle!!

I meant the electoral count IS what matters.

270 - that's what we need!

TSP, I am glad they liked the painting, that is very cool.

You are not a leader? Guess what? You are now.

Rossi, that video of that 12 year old is almost hillarious. Sheppard looks like he is going to freak out.

Rossi, that video of that 12 year old is almost hillarious. Sheppard looks like he is going to freak out.

That is what I thought, he tried to cut them off and the woman said as much.

Audio Contradicts FAA Account of "No Emergency"

By BRIAN ROSS, JOSEPH RHEE, and ERIC LONGABARDI
August 14, 2008—

The incident involving Sen. Barack Obama's campaign plane last month was much more serious than the airline or the Federal Aviation Administration said, according to FAA control tower tapes obtained by ABC News.

http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=5581453

How to Stop the Smears Against Obama

Tell the media that when it comes to news on Obama, don’t trust FOX
59,520 signers
Fox is a Republican mouthpiece, not a legitimate news organization. Real news organizations must reject Fox's smears of Barack Obama and get the real facts out.

Sign the Petition
http://foxattacks.com/virus/?utm_source=rgemail

O.K.

Here's the thing, guys. I had several people understanding what the last 8 years has done to our country. Remember my hairdresser who said
last year "Everything you said was going to happen, is happening."

Well, as much as people hate what has happened in the past eight years, they are having a very hard time with racial prejudice (it's the demographics), and an even harder time with the smear emails. I have already spent a couple of entire days answering smear emails that I got from my brother. Know what the biggest concern is? That Obama is a Muslim, and related concerns re the same. I just can't believe that that little instrument Rove uses in Bill Perkins and that so-called "religious" group he supposedly represents "American Family" is still at it, swiftboating Obama as bad as they did Kerry, and, I am sorry to say, but the folks I have talked to ARE BUYING IT.

I can jump up and down, send ten emails telling the truth, and they are still "leery".

Becky, who is here for the campaign, has just moved here from back east. She gave me the website to Obama's campaign, and said there is a place on that website where you can get all the information you need to combat the smears.
I will post that website URL here later this morning.

I just can't bear the thought that "they" can get away with sliming another decent man after all the wrong things they have done. I KNOW HOW ROVE WON RURAL AMERICA. He sent slimey messages from that Bill Perkins guy who "appears" to be someone speaking for the religious right to every church member in rural America (whose names he got from clergy across the nation). His "headquarters" are really
a front for a Republican P.R. Firm. I know, I checked him out thoroughly in '04.

I know we're up against a big machine. But I also want you to know that the Obama campaign is organized and doing it's best to get out to fifty states. If there is any hope for this election at all, we have to go for it. I so hope we can take them (polls show it in a dead heat, and it shouldn't be a DEAD HEAT between Obama and McCain this close to the election.)

I know many are disheartened and some are burnt out. But I never got MY chance, and if this is one of the last things I get to do for America and our kids, I am doing it.

Now I've got to stay focused and go get 'em while realizing that I don't control the world or universe.

Thanks for your nice thoughts. I am just so grateful I finally get a chance to help.

Roo,

I sent you an email but it came back. Do you have a new email addy?

I agree we need to fight back, it's those slimy attack ads. IMO, I don't think we can just keep being real nice. We need some surrogates who can tell it like it really is, and we need to stop being so DARNED nice. That's what killed us in '04.

WHAT WE NEED, IS our own 502(c)3 organization, who can get ahold of their own "church list" across the nation, and send our own "religious"
positives by email to the churched in this nation, which is VERY MUCH a part of rural American life. And it adds up, as we saw in '04.

Slugbug,

I wanted to comment on your mom getting married.
So cute!! I hope they are very happy. "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get".

Good for them.

And all that hooey about McCain saying "I am going to run a clean campaign" may have disarmed some Dems. He has his surrogates left over from Rover who are doing a number on our candidate.

I think we need to send rebuttals on the slimey emails, and go for the jugular.

Hasn't McCain had an AFFAIR, or TWO? Are we just going to sit on that?

"I can jump up and down, send ten emails telling the truth, and they are still "leery"."

Me, too, TSP, the ' But Obama is a Muslim" I am getting it alot and from the weirdest places.

But you don't have to jump up and down. Just calmly look at them and say 'You understand that is not true and someone lied to you, right?'

And if they play dumb after that, there is no reason not to flat out treat them as a LIAR. If they are told the truth and still continue, then there is no longer any reason to pretend they deserve the benefit of the doubt.

I had a few friends ask afterwords, 'Are you mad at me?' And I told them, "No I am mad at whoever lied to you and got you to run around believing it and repeating it yourself'.

Do not treat them as 'victims' who are caught in 'smears'. Educate them and then let them know they can either deal with the facts OR they are LIARS who are spreading LIES and their so called 'ignorance' is no damn excuse to pretend that LYING is not a MORAL CRIME.

Trust me, you start hitting them head on, they will shut the hell up. I know it works, and it works VERY WELL VERY FAST.

Ummm, and yes, you may lose some friends or family members, the ones who insist on being 'leery'.

But that is THEIR choice.

Time to seperate the wheat from the chaff. The jugular is a good place to start.

Hey Ally, you remember my 'unscientific poll' where I was asking those around me had they ever seen a political protest sign or demonstration in Louisiana, ever?

I told yall about it here and asked 'Isn't that like, China, or something?' And you said 'It is more like North Korea'. And I thought about that one really hard.

Well, my apprentice Cedric was here last night and we got to talking about North Korea. He is really young and I told him 'You don't understand, I can not tell you how bad it is, you have to see for yourself'. So we started looking up smuggled footage.

I found a 41 minute program that used a lot of smuggled footage to explain the situation. And it was so wierd, because watching those dissedents putting up anti kim posters, I had to leave the room because I was doing the same thing in 2004. I mean, the way they had look outs and the way they acted putting them up, I realized I had instinctively acted in the same way putting up anti bush posters here. It was so weird watching them I had to get up and walk out.

Do you know my 'poll', I have had a 100% negative response. Not ONE SINGLE PERSON I have asked has ever seen a protest sign or demonstration here. Not even the very old ones. 100% negative.

By the time that video was over, Cedric laid his head down on the desk and cried like a baby.

TSP and all,

This may have been posted already, but just in case...I received this from the Kerry folks this week - a way to fight the smears - from the one who knows:
-snip-

"We're launching a new website that empowers you to fight back across the country in ways no campaign has attempted. It's called TruthFightsBack.com, and we can use all the help you can give.

By signing up, you'll stay on top of what the rightwing is doing and help fight for the truth. And you can report smears when you see them to keep us on track on what the smear machine is up to at every moment. You will be our eyes and ears.

We know the game, we've learned some things, and we have a fired up movement of activists like no party has had in decades, all networked together with great Internet tools.

So sign up to help. This is a massive undertaking, so we need your help to pull it off:

TruthFightsBack.com

You can't just play defense against smears, pointing out how they aren't true. You've got to play offense, too, exposing the whole cynical game for what it is: an attempt to keep us from talking about the real issues and ultimately changing our country for the better.

The Republicans have nothing to run on, no ideas to push, no solutions for America. They'll run a campaign of laughable gimmicks and outright distortions and lies. But we can fight back with the truth - and the truth can win this time.

Let's do it.

Thats:
http://www.truthfightsback.com/

And TSP - that's so great about you and the Obama campaign!!!

I'm sure you'll do great, and I bet there are quite a few others like you in your town, who will feel empowered by you!

Go get 'em, sister!

Oh, to have been present for this

http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/0808/Oh_to_have_been_present_for_this.html?showall

Obama camp fights back:

As promised, Barack Obama's campaign is hitting back hard against smear author Jerome Corsi's New York Times best-selling book The Obama Nation.

In an exhaustive 41-page PDF document entitled Unfit for Publication -- a riff on Corsi's 2004 Unfit for Command, which targeted John Kerry -- the campaign documents every false claim they have been able to find in Corsi's current tome. No matter how small the error, including the year the Obamas married, the campaign has taken time to correct the record.

Full story:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/14/obama-campaign-punches-ba_n_119031.html

From todays "Tell Me He Didn't Just Say That With A Straight Face" file...

GORI, Georgia (AP) - President Bush demanded that Russia get out of Georgia, saying the people there have cast their lot with the free world and “we will not cast them aside.” Speaking in Washington, he said that “bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century.”

more on...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26216434/

McCreepy is McScaring me! Please, someone make him stop!

This in not just McCrazy, this is McFreakingInsane! Please tell me other countries are not watching this.

It only seems unreal when you think about it.

Uh oh, what'd Old McDunno say now?

Christy,

If the campaign has come to our state, it HAS to be in your state by now, or coming soon.

Carol,

Thanks for the info. The ONLY ACCURATE WAY to get these people to listen is to hit them with the facts, I agree. What we need is their email list, because Rove got the names, addresses, and phone numbers of most churched people in '04 (no matter WHAT their denomination). I can send truth to my relatives and friends, but I don't have the original list Rover got in the past 10 years, and we need to knock them out at the core. Systemically.

I absolutely did spend one entire Saturday going rumor by rumor and meeting each with truth and fact, and not only did I mail it off to my brother, but to every addy on HIS list.
(Would I do THAT?)

I got ONE snotty email back that said, "Oh, since you like the truth so much, how do you like this one?" with another smear email attached. I wrote back and said "Puhleeze, you have got to be kidding me that you actually believe this stuff? You are playing at politics like it was pre-school or kindergarten. Here's the truth, here's more to support what I have said, here's urls and more proof, please educate yourself." I never heard from that person again, ever. My own brother knows not to send me any smear emails about Obama.

But, I'm telling you, those (mutha's) work. I won't even post what people I know are running around saying. It's like a creepy silent virus that is running through everyone's email accounts.

Christy, I agree, we need to combat the lies with the truth, and not baby these people. We don't want to alienate them, either.

One of the best moments I have had in the past 8 years is when my aunt was over to visit a couple of days ago. I told her Obama for America was coming to town. She flinched and looked at me, I looked at her, and I said "Let's NOT EVEN go there, there's NO SENSE IN IT."

What I am mostly getting though is that people think they know because of the smear-mails, but most are still open to hear the other side.

This. Is. War. Without physical weapons of any kind. It is a war of the mind and psyche of the American voter.

I mean, we are sitting ducks if we just sit there while they send all these lies out about Obama. I KNOW McCain is NOT SQUEAKY CLEAN. He had an affair with twenty something Cindy while his first wife was coping with the effects of an automobile accident. Then he lied about the timing of it. Are we going to fight, or smile while they take another one away from us?

If we can't win this thing after the last 8 miserable years and with an old codger who HAS BEEN RUMOURED TO HAVE SLEPT WITH A LOBBIEST IN 2000, then our people are dumber than even I thought. Or the system is. just. crooked.

My dad said he just voted the primary in Nevada, and he said they are using NEW computers, where you mark the paper with a pencil, you don't poke the chad, and it prints out a hard copy of a receipt for you proving how you voted. (Yeah, I know.)

Okay, for finishers of this post, I am breaking out into song with the last song from Les Miserables, then I'm going back to work.

We just can't. lose. to. THAT.

Monkey,

Yes, he just said THAT. He also said last week from China "We need to understand that China is a BIG IMPORTANT COUNTRY." Ya think, ? And, now, why is that, do you suppose, partner?

Christy get online and notify the campaign your neck of the woods needs some attention. I'll bet you'll get it.

I mean this is awesome to watch - the bees coming out from their hive at the right moment in history.

I know, I still need to post that anti-Obama attack web addy. I need to call Becky and get it again, it got filed away in the excitement.

TSP

Wonderful work and report... even though, again, the Rovian tactics must be stopped at all costs.

When I head over to Seoul next month, I will risk jail and deportation in order to speak out against the Moonies (as well as the current right-wing government) and their undue influence in US Republican politics. Without Moon and the South Korean right-wingers, Karl Rove and the Reagan-Bush wing of the Republican Party (which also includes Texas Governor Rick Perry and Kansas Senator Sam Brownback) would not have happened.

Christy

Thanks for your thoughts. When I head over to Seoul next month, I will also try to visit a few Buddhist temples - and gauge their frustrations with the current right-wing Christian regime cracking down on them. I've checked websites of the nation's most important temples - and they are all highly critical of the government. At least their democracy is strong enough to allow these criticisms to be spread out in a public way.

Carol

That post about truthfightsback.com seems to be from none other than John Kerry himself. I got an email from his mailing list with the exact same message.

I hope that the wisdom Kerry learned the hard way in 2004 will translate into victory for Obama in 2008.

Monkey, what hasn't he said to scare the McJeebies out of me?

We are ALL Georgians now? When the hell did that happen?

And TSP

"We don't want to alienate them, either."

No one is alienating them, they are isolating THEMSELVES by choosing to believe lies over truths that are as obvious as the day is long. They simply isolate themselves further with every lie they repeat.

It is one thing for us to say 'You Suck! Get out of here!'

That is not what we are saying at all. We are saying 'STOP FREAKING LYING!'.

If that is too much to handle for them then they can go and stay gone. And they will go too, all the while claiming what a nitpicker you are because you prefer facts over lies. In their minds, they will be YOUR victims.

Time to laugh in their faces and not care how they feel about it.

This is war, it is a battle of truth against lies. It is about darkness, and light. It IS a battle that pits good against evil, and by GOD I am ready to kick evils ass!

I am sick of the lies and games. Everybody is.

But now maybe people are finally so sick of it, politically correct politeness is a thing of the past.

Good riddance I say! The truth is rude as it gets and nothing else matters.

Good WILL win. They WILL be stopped. But only when we step up and stop them.

If they don't like it, then they can put up their fists or leave.

That is the only two options they ever should have been given.

This little poll makes no difference to you, but it pleases me. It will actually make no difference to Tasmania or the world. But still it pleases me. It means more of my neighbours are bright enough to realise that McCain's a disaster looking for a place to detonate. Yes, the poll was taken a very long time ago - but I just saw it - and voted. I don't always read the local paper online.

Q: Have Democrats made the right choice in selecting Barack Obama?
Yes
(64.4%)
No
(35.6%)
Total Votes: 3625
Poll Date: 4/06/2008

Christy,

Our strategy is to not waste time on "know it all Republicans", because you can never wrestle with a pig. You'll only make the pig mad, and get yourself dirty. It's a COMPLETE waste of time and resources.

My boss is another one who is adamant she won't vote for Obama. Once again, demographics and prejudices. I just smile and say nothing and go to my next task. In some way they almost seem like they WANT you to fight with them on it. When you smile big and walk away they feel less important, I think.

Ally said:

When I head over to Seoul next month, I will risk jail and deportation in order to speak out against the Moonies (as well as the current right-wing government) and their undue influence in US Republican politics.

Watch your back, Ally. Those prisons can get pretty creepy, and I don't want anything untoward to happen to you.

This one's for Matt C. This past weekend my girlfriend and I were doing a test together to see if we were right brain dominant or left brain dominant.

We learned that most of us expect all others to see life from "our window", when, because of personality, genes, past experiences, nature etc. each of us has our own unique window. What a breakthrough that was for us! That should help people get along alot better, because once people learn that everyone and their opinion is valuable, and that you don't have to see it the same or handle it the same, doesn't mean it isn't very real to YOU. Then I remembered your Yin and Yang teachings and how you said everything is set up that opposites attract, thus bringing balance to the world. We
were pretty excited about it.

Got a new computer at work. A real hum-dinger.
When the computer tech was done with his work I asked him if he has decided who he is going to vote for for President. He said "Dem all the way". We high fived each other, and he said he and his significant other are coming to the house party on the 28th.

To you who have hosted them and attended them, what are snacks, and is it okay to serve liquor?

Becky from OFA is coming out and spending the night with me tomorrow night. She has a house party to go to at some Dem's house at a farm nearby called "The Pumpkin Patch", where many will meet to rally for the upcoming local elections.

I am excited because I think I will meet new people that live in this area.

Now, y'all, puhleeze post! I feel like I am talking to myself and I do that enough as it is.

Hi TSP.

Sounds like Dems are going to come out of the woodwork for you. Now you won't feel so alone up there.

I think beer or wine is up to you or them. Ask, maybe?

Just don't let them drink and drive. (Or don't let them drink and then vote.)

But this is my point TSP.

True. Don't argue with a pig.

Instead. Kill the pig and have a barbeque.

The hardest part about being totally honest is accepting that it will make you 'seem' mean.

But what is actually MORE 'mean' ? A lying pig or your mean feelings about their lies? Do not let them make YOU the bad guy when they are the lying pig.

I say, kill the pig. Hard to argue when you are being roasted on a spit.

They expect you to be polite and walk away, they encourage you to adhere to those standards. But the lying pigs have ZERO intention of following those same rules. Because lying pigs have a funny way of always being hypocrits too.

They are SO SURE you will 'be polite', they almost never see the hammer poised to strike them right between the eyes as soon as they exibit pig behavior.

Ummmm. Barbeque.

"The hardest part about being totally honest is accepting that it will make you 'seem' mean."

The lying pigs understand this about human nature. No one wants to be an asshole.

Except assholes.

This is exactly why you will be less than completely honest even with those you love.

Instead of saying 'My, you look AWFUL!', which is what you really think, you will instead say 'Oh you look so good today! Much better than yesterday!'

It is an honorable lie, if lies can be considered honorable at all. However it is still a lie, and as long as you are willing to disregard the truth in favor of a 'polite' response, you are still involved in allowing the lie to stand. It becomes a habit.

Think of how much better our conversations would be if we all evolved passed the 'polite response' when it is not merited. We would suddenly be dealing head on the the bare core of issues we so far are 'afraid' to speak of.

Like VIETNAM! For example.

When someone lies, call them a liar. Their lies are NOT your problem. Your problem is there is a liar in front of you and if you let him, he will lie to you at every turn without once ever expecting to be confronted on it.

Call him a liar, and be done with it. The fact they lied is their trouble to deal with, NOT YOURS.

And that is exactly how to keep from arguing with a lying pig and skewer him on a spit.

Just got this email, if anyone wants to ring

Hello Kangaroo,

I'll almost never send you two emails in a day, but there's one thing I just found out. Jerome Corsi is going to be on C-SPAN's Washington Journal tomorrow morning from about 8:30 ET to 9:15 ET. And Washington Journal takes phone calls.

Yes, this is your chance to call in and ask Jerome Corsi anything you'd like!

I'd suggest going to the smear page for the Corsi book on TruthFightsBack.com, and clicking on the link to the Barack Obama campaign's PDF of all the inaccuracies in Corsi's book, plus some details on his past. Find something that you think is important, and pound Mr. Corsi on it. He'll try to come up with another explanation for what he wrote, but don't let him get away with it.

And let everyone watching Washington Journal know what you think about politics like this, and what you think the real issues of this campaign should be.

If we make our voices heard at every opportunity, let everyone know we won't stand for politics like this, we'll turn this around.

Thanks again! Sorry for the second email.

Brian Young

TruthFightsBack.com

PS: Here are the call-in numbers:
Democrats:
(202) 737-0002
Republicans:
(202) 737-0001
Independents:
(202) 628-0205
Outside U.S.:
(202) 628-0184

Hate to be Barney Bummer, but I woke up this morning with that same sick, sinking feeling about the electorate that I had in '00 & '04 (and ever since).

Still not the sharpest knives in the drawer.

Christy

Not allowing lies takes courage.

Truth is sacred.

Obama had more than twice as much money roll in last month and reached 200,000 donors and 6:1 more than McCain for regular military.

The trick is to register and register and register voters and I am heading to Hempfest once again to do just that.

Tonight is the full roster of Air America speakers and an after-party! I will try to cover that too.

slugbug--can't wait for your updates.

And thank you for registering people.

Monkey--I had the same dream as you did. Woke up with the same thoughts too.

WOW Slug, must be nice to live in an area where you can get involved as much as you do. I personally think you should have taken me with you to the Hempfest.

I am pretty much relying on Becky and her regional manager to tell me what to do when. Our voters don't have to register. Different, huh!?!

I am hoping my house is overflowing with supporters on the 28th. I have invited some that say they will be here, a couple that say they will see, plus I have a pack of women friends here that will be here big time, and they will probably even join in the campaign before it's over.

Barney Bummer said:

They're not the sharpest knives in the drawer.

Just like the rabbit getting cooked in the pot slowly. They don't even know what's hitting them.

Yesterday I had a conversation with a guy who said "I love my country. My country is going to hell, and I can't do anything about it. What this country needs is a revolution."

I said "There isn't going to be any revolution", and he got really upset and frustrated. I didn't have the heart to tell him the revolution might have already taken place without our firing one shot. And our side lost..

So then I gave him the "yes we can" pep talk and told him we can't just give up.

I think we should be able to take McCain. I mean, he still pivots when he turns to talk to a different camera and teleprompter.

Where is our offense? People need to know how McCain voted with Bush 95% of the time. Had an affair on the wife who raised his kids alone while he sat in Vietnam, with a younger and wealthy woman who he married very shortly after his divorce was final. It's proveable. Why aren't we using it? He was rumoured too to have had a liason with a lobbyist during his 2000 campagin, so much so that his advisers had to step in and tell them to "cool it".

He has commercials running up here in this red state that say "McCain, the original Maverick."

Come on, Obama team!!! Get those surrogates and expose the truth! He isn't playing a clean game like he promised anyway.

From,

Debbie Downer

Christy,

You still crack me up. What un-nerves some of them is just "okay, fine", and keep on going.
They then wonder if they were good enough for you to take the time to talk to.

Here's the way I look at it, for me. (Finally!)

I know truth from my window. There is no reason for me to disrespect those who disagree. It's my responsibility to be ready with the truth if they want to seek it, but I'm not responsible for any more than being available and dependable to help and get out the word. I don't HAVE to make them "see it" and agree with me. I just have to be available, informed, and articulate when they do come.

I share the anguish people feel when they hear someone say something about Obama (or Dems) that is totally false. You're standing at a bar, or swaying in a subway, and you overhear some falsehood being repeated. Or someone says something false or misleading to your face.

In our individualistic culture, it's easy enough to tell yourself that you shouldn't say anything, that speaking up will generate more trouble than it's worth, etc.

But looking around the world as a whole, how much more trouble could we possibly be in, short of the outbreak of nuclear war?

The trick is figuring out where to begin. Chances are good that the people you're reacting to have not been paying much attention, if any, to what's happening in the world. Before offering any refutations, I like trying to find out a bit more about the context in which the false info is embedded. Then you have a better chance of figuring out where the best place to start is. Listen for the metaphors the person uses, and think about how to best mesh your ideas with the person's pre-existing metaphoric landscape.
(George Lakoff has written about attending to metaphors, but you don't have to read his books to know that different people interpret the same information in different ways.)

The goal is to meet the other person as much as possible on that person's turf, not your own. People are very sensitive to, and put off by, the slightest traces of smugness and self-righteousness. There's a reason why the "walk a mile in my shoes" expression has been around for so long.

As for bar-b-que, I love a roasted pig as much as anyone. I had one at my wedding, and I sometimes talk of getting married again to justify calling "Smokin' Joe" to bring his slow-cooker on up from southern Maryland.

But everything I've ever read about non-violence and conflict resolution tells me that while the thought of roasting one's opponents may be delicious in the mind, nothing good has ever come from pursuing such strategies in the real world.

Slugbug is over at the "Hemp", everyone else is enjoying the summer weather.

They are not the sharpest knives in the drawer.

They are not the sharpest tools in the shed.

Their elevators don't go all the way to the top.

They are three bricks shy of a load.

They are two cards short of a deck.

Richard,

I just wish I knew how to do that better.

The "Listen for the metaphors the person uses, and think about how to best mesh your ideas with the person's pre-existing metaphoric landscape."

Eek. Up until last weekend I didn't know we each see things out of an individual window unique to us.

NO WONDER THE WORLD IS IN SUCH A MESS.

I'm being honest, Richard. I don't know what that looks like. Can you provide some scenarios? Practice runs?

The timing in the universe is coming around when after four years of study and knowing, I am going to be used to actually talk to people about the facts vs. the lies.

Richard, there are so many lies that one would literally have to carry a binder of anti-smear print-offs with one.

I wish I could work in the email center where I just sit and shoot off emails all day to the churched and all the people they sent emails to.

I found an excellent letter that induces guilt at a site called PublicChristian.com. The guy there wrote an excellent article on how wrong it is to smear and lie about someone if you are not sure it is 100% true.

I'm open to any and all suggestions....

Debbie D

I can't resist posting this link.

The chicks are lovin' this Obama thread at DU

Somethin' tells me that those pics of Obama bodysurfing are gonna end up in some McCain surrogate ad with some dumbass line like "Obama's decisions float with the tide" or something akin to the Kerry windsurfing stupidity that somehow stuck to the dense electorate.

Will the the Repubs serve purple Kool-Aid at their convention this year or serve fried chicken? I hear they ran out of Band-Aids while helping all the current vets.

HERE HERE RICHARD!

"In our individualistic culture, it's easy enough to tell yourself that you shouldn't say anything, that speaking up will generate more trouble than it's worth, etc.

But looking around the world as a whole, how much more trouble could we possibly be in, short of the outbreak of nuclear war? "

Hell yes, Brotherman! The truth is rude. But rudeness in itself is not harmful. The lies these people are telling has killed over a million people and ruined too many lives and carreers to count.

But as for how do you know where to start... This is the thing.

Just like with me in the store the other day, when the guy standing 3 feet from me wanted to make a derogatory remark about Mexicans speaking english.

If you are in public, and you are willing to thoughtlessly say such things literally within arms reach of strangers, then they have just given you the opening. They have no choice but to also allow your opinion to be heard even if they believe you will just shut up and let them go on.

There is no need to assert the context because a lie is a lie. There is only three stages of inquiry needed.

1. You realize that is completely false, right?

2. Now that you know it is false, will you correct the record please?

3. If you continue to use demonstrably false assertions, then I have no choice but to believe you are deliberately lying.

No need to wait for an invite, because if they did not want to be challenged then they should keep their lies to themselves.

It is one thing to lie in private and whisper it, it is quite another for you to not only bring those lies into the public forum, but right into my line of sight or hearing.

TSP, as far as "I know truth from my window. There is no reason for me to disrespect those who disagree. "

You and I had a serious conversation about a religious issue we disagreed on. And look what happened. We discussed it as adults, explored our beliefs, and history and art, and we each left, disagreeing yet closer than ever.

This is not a matter of 'disagreement' and if it was, compromise is always good.

However, we are talking about the lies of lying pigs. This is not about 'disagreeing' about the truth, there is only one set of facts. I can disagree with someone all day long, but it is not until I catch them lying to me that I think about shutting them up.

When they stand 3 feet away from me and LIE LIE LIE, it is they who are disrespecting ME. And everyone else exposed to it.

It is not only disrespectful, but it is a flat out insult to the intellegence of everyone who knows better.

But it is the truth tellers who feel they will be 'disrespectful' for stopping it. You know why you feel that way? Because we have been trained for years to politely stand by as lying pigs lie about the most important issues we could ever imagine.

Like Vietnam. If I tell the truth, I am an UnAmerican asshole. If I repeat the lies, I am ACCEPTABLE.

WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG.

I'd rather be called an unamerican asshole than repeat these lies that killed millions for NOTHING.

For the lies of warmongering warprofiteers.

It does not get more rude or offensive than THAT.

Our rude backlash is but a fraction of the problem, but without it, THEY GET AWAY WITH IT.

ALL OF IT.

Speaking of liars, now we know where mcmumbles gets it from. HIS MOTHER is also a liar.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate John McCain's divorce was amicable enough that he and his ex-wife jointly brought a lawsuit 10 years later to recover damages for lost mementos, but it wasn't amicable enough to prevent McCain's mother from suing his ex-wife to get back some personal property.

Both lawsuits were settled out of court decades ago and before they went to trial, but records of them are kept in the archives of the city courthouse in Alexandria.

Curiously, although the records clearly list the plaintiffs, McCain's campaign says that the Arizona senator didn't know about or authorize the 1990 lawsuit with his ex-wife, Carol, and that his mother's 1980 lawsuit was filed "unintentionally." And McCain's 96-year-old mother, Roberta, says she never sued Carol.

But others involved dispute those assertions.

In the 1980 lawsuit, filed shortly after John and Carol McCain divorced, Roberta sued Carol to reclaim some personal property,including paintings, a needlepoint screen and a pair of earrings. A
settlement was reached in 1981.

But in a brief telephone interview, Roberta denied filing the lawsuit.

"I have never heard of what you're talking about. … I will put my hand on a Bible," she said, to attest that she had never sued Carol.

Roberta's denial prompted laughter from the ex-daughter-in-law.

"Yes, she sued me," Carol said in a brief phone interview.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/08/16/roberta-mccain-denies-lawsuit-against-sons-ex-wife/

How in the hell do you 'unintentionally' SUE SOMEONE...?

HAHAHA!

In his e-mail, Bounds said McCain "had no knowledge of the suit: He did not authorize the suit or participate in its filing."

But the lawyer who represented the McCains said she did indeed speak to McCain and get his permission to sue on his behalf.

Can I be frank?

Everyone knows he's a liar. They know the swifties were liars. They knew they were lying when they said JK flip-flopped. They knew they were lying when they questioned the purple hearts.

So what I'm saying is that nobody seems to care about right and wrong anymore. They rationalize it by saying, "Oh..they all do it." Or they make up another excuse.

Of course there are areas of grey and not just black and white, but it's like everything else in the past 12 years...truth, justice, honesty, government for THE PEOPLE just doesn't matter anymore.

If it did not matter, then why lie about it?

People still care about right and wrong.

These last years, the information is so controlled and dumbed down no one knows the full truth anymore.

I really believe it is a mistake to call our own people 'stupid'.

Our people are not stupid. When our people have the full set of facts and the freedom to process them, our people are among the most clever ever.

But something very strange has happened here. They did not...they did NOT 'fall asleep', they were hypnotized. The lying pigs did it to all of us.

If it did not matter, then they would not bother with the lies anymore.

Call them on their lies, and see how fast they care when being called a liar.

Will it start a fight? That is possible.

The only comfort I can give you is to remind you that this is a battle of truth vs. lies, and it is worth fighting for.

Not only should we fight, but if we don't fight back against these lies, if we lose, then we have lost our country, our freedom, and our future FOREVER.

Can you actually envision a future where mumbles mccrazy wins? Me either, it is such a dark vision I refuse to explore it to its logical conclusions.

In Denver, police are preparing what a local political organizer calls a 'concentration camp,' laying in wait for mass arrests anticipated during the upcoming Democratic National Convention.

On Wednesday, a Denver CBS affiliate sent a news crew to crash the police department's improvised detention facility, found in a warehouse owned by the city on the north-east side of town.

"This is a building filled with metal holding cells," described reporter Rick Sallinger, introducing the segment. "We showed up at the facility unannounced today, the doors were wide open, and we managed to shoot for several minutes until a Denver sheriff's captain asked us to leave."

Footage of the warehouse revels tall, chain-link fence capped by barbed wire, and segmented pens each bearing an identifying letter at about shoulder height.

The news crew was not invited, nor welcome. Cpt. Frank Gale of the Denver Sheriff's Department called the facility "a secured area," and worried that information related to the site would be used "by people who are potentially trying to be disruptive."

"Each of these fenced in areas is about five yards by five yards," said Sallinger. "There's a lock on the door. How long those arrested will be kept here is not known. A sign on the wall reads, 'Warning! Electric stun devices used in this facility.'"

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/News_crew_crashes_Denvers_DNC_massdetention_0815.html

We old Kerry folks mention him a lot around here. Since most of you don't live in MA and can't vote here, you probably haven't seen his latest ad. Enjoy!

Dang.

If only.

Hi Y'All,

Becky came, we ate a dinner of home made tacos, and had a really nice, long, visit.

She understands me a little better, and I her.
She is totally dedicated to this campaign and this election.

She is a class act, that's for certain.

We watched MSNBC together while Pastor Rick Warren was questioning McCain and Obama individually. I yelled at the tv a couple of times, and told Becky I promise I won't act like that when we are having a house meeting.
You don't even WANT to know......

McCain made reference to his divorce and remarriage tonight. Seems he knows they are going to get him on that one. He played the prisoner of war card to the hilt. He played the patriot and patriotic theme to the hilt. He played the pro-life candidate to the hilt while mentioning that his wife Cindy had just gotten back from a trip with some Evangelical pastor. He played the Supreme Court card to the hilt. He sat there with a straight face and if I hadn't known better he might have been in robes and sandals with a halo.

Becky said it was hard to watch. I was smarting off (I couldn't help mahself)while he was giving his stump speech and sound bites. The crowd gobbled it up. Course it was held in Rick Warren's mega church, so most of them were probably church members I would think.

St. McCain. Who would have thought.

Becky is all tucked in, safe and sound. She has another big day tomorrow.

This campaign has it's act together, big time.

If it weren't for the lies. And the peeps are dumb, they see the world from "their" window, and their window likes buzz words like pro-life, conservative judges, America being the greatest land there is, etc.

Rick Warren had the congregation, or crowd, stand up and applaud each candidate.

One guy in the crowd had on a shirt that looked like it was made out of a flag.

Mercy.

Christy,

Yes, we did have a discussion about a religious issue that we disagree on. But the important thing to remember about that conversation is:

We were both very respectful toward one another.
We talked out the issues, and I think we went away much closer to each other, but also with new ideas and new thoughts in our heads to chew on. That discussion was absolutely beautiful. We met on the common grounds that we have, and differed on the ones where we differ, but we did it gently and lovingly. You absolutely taught me some things I did not know, about St. Nicholas and the meeting to decide which doctrine the "church" was going to adopt and keep. Hopefully you learned something you didn't know from me.

In '04, I was arguing with my relatives about voting Dem vs. Republican. I have talked to them ALOT this past four years, and every time I had a chance I put in a good word for the Dems and told the flat truth about Bush and the Bush Presidency and administration.

I stand on the truth. But when my boss is telling me she won't vote for Obama and why, I just smile and stay on task. Why? Because if you like and need your job you never threaten your superiors. I am not going to tell her she's a liar, or that she's prejudiced or uneducated or dumb. We go on trips together to the city, and we have talked about politics on a couple of those trips. So she knows how I feel and why I feel that way.

What I have come to learn is that both with religion and politics, IT DOESN'T MATTER if they believe me. I have a purpose, and I fulfill it. I did my part. I can't control anyone but me. (Darn.)

I just won't fight about it - any of it, religion or politics, any more. But, that is my view from my window of just being tired of contention. Doesn't mean I wimped out. I am independent and adamant. Just not wasting my time on them.

I understand that the things you have been through have made you stronger than steel, and fiesty too (I like fiesty). You have had to relate that way because for you, in your circumstances, it works better for you, and on at least one occasion, it probably was survival instinct on your part.

You tell 'em like you want to tell 'em. Coming from you it's probably very effective.

I already told mine several times. They almost think it is cute to disagree with me and they act put off because I think for myself, and believe in my ability to analyze and put two and two together. If James Dobson tells them to vote for McCain, they will do it.

As for me, I am enjoying my freedom. I am out of their snare, and the mainline church I am attending now is being led by a WOMAN pastor with two master's degrees who talks about social issues tying in with faith. I have made good friends, and I don't miss those relatives at all.

Perhaps we need to demand evidence for the lies that are told rather than demand evidence for the truth only. If that's not a lie, prove it!

TSP, it was a beautiful disagreement. And I agree I learned so much from the exchange.

What I am talking about doing is not automatically about provoking a fight. It is about playing defense by going on offense.

For an example, my mother was trying to mediate an argument between me and my brother about politics. She was here and said all the insulting things she could to let me know what my problem was.

According to her I just 'did not want to hear opinions other than my own'.

I got angry. I looked her right in the face and told her 'This is not about OPINION, this is about matters of reality and fact. And I will be damned if I am constantly insulted by people who were WRONG ABOUT EVERYTHING.'

And she started blinking real hard. And then I reminded her that for the last 8 years I have been 99.9% RIGHT about everything and I am damn sick of being called names, bullied and insulted by people who are NEVER RIGHT.

People who can NEVER back up what they say, I am suppossed to listen to THAT? I told her 'No thank you Lady!'

Before she left, I could see that it worked and I have been shown respect ever since then. No, not by my brother who is an ignorant ass, but by my mother who was constantly pointing out how even though I was 'right' I should just quit trying to be so damn right.

Why, because it is the 'polite' way to deal with it. Make myself less right so he will look less wrong.

Screw polite. I am not giving credibility to those who have consistantly shown nothing credible.

My mother now actually stands up to my brother for me, which is amazing considering he is her favorite. And none of that would have happened if I had not stood up for myself to her.

Yes, I understand dealing with your boss is different. But like I said, it is not about trying to provoke a fight. It is about saying, 'Hey...you realize that is not true...right?'

How are we suppossed to have a 'good faith disagreement' with people who are not even dealing with REALITY?

The answer is you can't. Not even if you love them.

From NBC's Abby Livingston and Mark Murray

On the eve of tomorrow night's presidential forum at Rick Warren's church in California, a pro-Obama religious group announced today that will air a TV ad during the forum's broadcast that emphasizes Obama's faith, his family, and his marriage.

The group, called the Matthew 25 Network, has placed an emphasis on social justice and it’s founder, Mara Vanderslice, was John Kerry's religious outreach director in 2004.

On a conference call unveiling the ad, Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell -- who appears in the ad and officiated Jenna Bush's wedding -- said: "I think it's important for us to just celebrate the fact that Sen. Obama is an outstanding, fabulous family man... I really wanna stand from the highest rooftop and say, 'He's a wonderful husband and a great dad.' His daughters adore him, and in times like these, when the institution of marriage is obviously under attack, for us to have a person running for the highest office in the land who has such a sterling reputation as a family man, I think this speaks volumes."

"You can determine a lot about a person's character by how he or she treats his family," Kirbyjon added. "And I'm glad that Sen. Obama is running for president. I think he would be a fabulous president. He has stood by families. I think he'll stand by families here in this country, and that's a great thing."

When a reporter pressed Caldwell whether he was alluding to McCain and his previous divorce, Caldwell replied, "Well, I don't know a lot about John McCain's family history. I do know that, however, as recently as last week, I think it was, the senator made a comment in South Dakota regarding his wife entering some Buffalo Chips contest, which is a topless deal -- if she were to enter she would probably win it. And my personal opinion and based on my understanding of the Christian faith, that's not, N-O-T, the type of expression that a presidential candidate or anyone, for that matter who espouses the Christian faith ought to make. so I ... don't know if that's perfect case in point, but it sure does help to juxtapose the DNA of Sen. Obama, if you would, versus the DNA of Sen. McCain."

more...
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/08/15/1269267.aspx

It was not only beautiful, it was probably the best religious conversation I have ever had.

Most people simply do not discuss what we did, it really is quite taboo, and if they do, it is rarely with such respect or consideration for the exchange of ideas. So much history!

Every religious discussion should be like that. I think of our exchange all the time.

You are going to make a great leader TSP. I think you RULE!

Russia: Troop Pullback From Georgia To Begin Monday

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/17/russia-troop-pullback-fro_n_119390.html

Wow, all those war mongers who were so sure the Cold War was gearing back up, were wrong?

You can only be 100% wrong 100% of the time, on purpose.

Did McCain Help Bait Russia into Georgia?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-lauria/did-mccain-help-bait-russ_b_119395.html

We are in serious trouble.

Frank Rich just tore McMumbles a new one!!!

MUST READ!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/opinion/17rich.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

"Most Americans still don’t know, as Marshall writes, that on the campaign trail “McCain frequently forgets key elements of policies, gets countries’ names wrong, forgets things he’s said only hours or days before and is frequently just confused.” Most Americans still don’t know it is precisely for this reason that the McCain campaign has now shut down the press’s previously unfettered access to the candidate on the Straight Talk Express. "

Aly,

Register your visit with US Embassy when you arrive in S. Korea. The consul general is Julia Stanley, as these things go she is pretty good. If anything occurs you will at least have paper trail following until you leave.
S. Korea is one of the busiest embassies in the world, but would be worth it if your going to get arrested.

The current president of S. Korea is corrupt, and trying to crush dissent. The beef protests expanded to admin Policies. He reacted by crackdown on buddism and anything not Christian Fundamentalist.
He picked the wrong horse ( bush ) in the global race and is beginning to realize it. His regime is cracking down hard on public demonstrations, and now going after protestors with hard core reaction. S. Korea is turning into a version of Bush on steroids. Hopefully he is gone soon.

Good luck, and fight the good fight.

Ready? Aim. FIRE! HAHAHA!

Did McCain ad lift 'cross in the dirt' story from Russian novelist?

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Did_McCain_ad_lift_cross_in_0817.html

He plagiarized... a POW story?!

HAHAHAHAHA!!!

We Registered Hundreds at Hempfest

http://www.silencedmajority.blogs.com

So I did meet Rachel Maddow! see http://www.silencedmajority.blogs.com for more detail about the event & I made the videos.
That's Ron Reagan Jr., & Stephanie Miller. We did also party with Sam Seder & Mike Malloy. I'm not really an Air America person but I happened onto this and it was fun.

I'm not a big Roseann fan, but this is how it's done...

Access Hollywood

LOS ANGELES - Roseanne Barr is using her personal Web site to slam Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Jolie's father, Jon Voight.

Calling Jolie Voight’s “evil spawn” and Pitt “vacuous,” Roseanne’s attack seems to be directed at the actress and her family members over their opinions regarding presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama.

Roseanne’s post starts out as a rant against an opinion piece Voight wrote against Obama for the Washington Times in July.

“God forbid, we live to see Mr. Obama president, we will live through a socialist era that America has not seen before, and our country will be weakened in every way,” Voight wrote.

He also suggested Obama grew up “with the teaching of very angry, militant white and black people.”

Roseanne lashed out at Voight’s opinion calling him a “frightened little girl in a pink ballet tutu, who acts like Obama just wandered in from the rain forest with a bone thru his nose and a communist pamphlet in his loincloth.”

Last week, Jolie released a statement noting that she had not yet chosen to endorse either Obama or his opponent, Sen. John McCain, but reports suggested following her February trip to Iraq that she sided with McCain.

“I am waiting to see the commitments they will make on issues like international justice, refugees and how to address the needs of children in crisis around the world,” she said.

As for Jolie, Roseanne blogged that the actress — who has adopted three children from around the world, including the African nation of Ethiopia — shocked her by not endorsing Obama.

“Miss Jolie says she likes McCain too and hasn’t decided who to endorse ... huh?” Roseanne wrote. “Aren’t you supposed to be somewhat enlightened, or do you not know that the African daughter you hold in every picture had parents who suffered and died because of the Republican party’s worldwide economic assault on Africa over the last few decades since Reagan?”

Roseanne also took aim at the charitable nature of Jolie and Pitt.

“Angelina Jolie and her vacuous hubby Brad Pitt make about forty million dollars a year in violent psychopathic movies and give away three of it to starving children trying to look as if they give a crap about humanity as they spit out more dunces that will consume more than their fair share and wreck the earth even more,” Roseanne wrote.

more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26267206/

Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency

I think Roseanne may be stating what is not popular but is probably quite true.

Slugbug is hobnobbing with the "celebrities".

I like Rachel Maddow, I watch her almost every evening. Her elevator goes to the top.

Great pictures!!!

Becky is kind of talking about the plan to work herself out of a job and I'm thinking on asking her to just get us started on a stronger footing here before she does that. I have been inviting people to the house party on the 28th.

Monkey, that is a GREAT article about the Rev. Kirbyjohn Caldwell. I know who I'm sending that to..............

Am I the only one who watched "St. John McCain" Saturday night? I rewatched part of Obama's segment this morning, and tonight after work I am having company and we are going to watch the entire tape again. I think Obama did good, but McCain was SOOOOOoooooo smarmy. My personal opinion is that he is a very big phoney, but he came across as sincere. Eeeek.