This is STILL America, Kid!

http://www.wbaltv.com/video/17854209/

An electrical engineer in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, frustrated with having McCain-Palin campaign signs stolen from his own property, rigged a low-voltage electric pet fence to his signs. Caught on video is a 9-year-old sneaking up with an Obama sign, obviously to replace the homeowner's McCain sign, only to get a "jolting" (if mildly so) surprise!

The kid's mom says he "knows better" but she thought the zap was a bit extreme.

What's really extreme is that a homeowner needs to resort to such measures. This IS STILL AMERICA where the First Amendment applies to everyone -- even those with whom we disagree!

A homeowner at the end of my street has a HUGE McCain-Palin sign in his front yard -- about 4'x8' -- and while I admit to an occasional fantasy of spraypainting it or ripping it down under cover of night, I'm telling you I would be the first one to call the cops if I witnessed anyone actually attempting to damage or remove it.

I have a friend I've known since sixth grade and even back then she used to say, "I may not agree with what you say, but I'd defend with my life your right to say it." I should send her over to have a talk with the kid from the video.

Are You in the 95%?

Obama makes it easy to find out how much your tax CUT will be under his plan. See for yourself.

Oh, how we'd love to hear the (real) answers to these!

Thanks to our kind benefactor for sending us these proposed debate questions from The Washington Post's Richard Cohen. We think you'll agree, it would be stunningly interesting to hear the answers.

A Few Debate Questions
By Richard Cohen
Tuesday, October 14, 2008; A17

With the final presidential debate scheduled for Wednesday and the previous two having revealed absolutely nothing about the candidates, I have taken it upon myself to suggest some questions for CBS's Bob Schieffer, who will do the moderating chores. I assure you that the candidates have not seen the questions in advance; nor, when the time comes, will they want to answer them. I flipped a coin and Barack Obama goes first.

Senator Obama, you are sooooooooo cool. Can you tell us, please, the last time you lost your temper and what about? You have two minutes.

Senator McCain, I'd like to ask you why you've attacked Senator Obama for associating with the former domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, even though you have befriended G. Gordon Liddy, who was jailed for what amounts to subversion of the Constitution. Liddy also once told his radio listeners to deal with agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms by shooting them -- "a head shot," he recommended. What's the difference between Liddy and Ayers? Take as much time as you want.

Senator Obama, did you ever tell Bill Ayers to his face that what he did was wrong?

Senator McCain, I have a question regarding Sarah Palin: How could you?

Senator Obama, in 2007, your former church and its then-minister honored the Reverend Louis Farrakhan, an anti-Semite. Why didn't you say something in protest? Have you ever heard the Latin dictum "Qui tacet consentire videtur," silence is consent?

Senator McCain, what lessons should we have learned from the Iraq war? Should it have been fought? Should we have stuck to Afghanistan? What are our limits as a great power?

Senator Obama, if your plan for troop withdrawal in Iraq had been adopted, the U.S. troops would now be almost out of the country. That being the case, what do you think we'd have there now? Civil war? A peaceful country? An Islamic republic next door in Jordan?

Senator McCain, do you ever wake up in the middle of the night and wonder if history will forgive you for Sarah Palin?

Senator Obama, do you ever wake up in the middle of night for anything?

Senator McCain, with the situation in Afghanistan worsening, why don't we switch our troops right away from Iraq, which didn't attack us, to the country from where Osama bin Laden and his Taliban supporters did?

Senator Obama, given the problems facing our country -- a worldwide financial crisis; a looming recession; the prospect of nukes in Iran and North Korea; and Pakistan, which already has nukes, coming apart -- isn't it reckless of you to think that, at your young age, with your limited experience, you can manage it all?

Senator McCain, virtually the same question to you. But in your case, given your age, isn't this all too much?

Senator Obama, have you ever been in therapy? If so, how did it make you feel?

Senator McCain, in May you allowed a restricted number of reporters to review your medical records for a limited amount of time. Some people think you're hiding something. Are you? If not, why not make all the records public?

Senator Obama, we all know that lobbyists are not the problem in Washington; it's the incessant need of politicians to raise campaign funds. Yet you broke your pledge to accept public financing for your campaign. By doing that, didn't you contribute to this problem? And a follow-up: If you broke your word on this, how can we be sure you won't break your word again?

Senator McCain, reportedly you have been told to avoid looking at Senator Obama during debates because he infuriates you and you could lose your temper. Is this because of Obama's age or his manner or something else entirely?

Senator Obama, what's a credit-default swap?

Senator McCain, can you explain short-selling?

Senator Obama, is Senator McCain right?

Senator McCain, you are 72 and have had skin cancer several times. Given that -- not to mention the usual exigencies of life -- how could you pick a running mate who is so dismally qualified for the presidency? And please, for the sake of your own reputation, not to mention your mortal soul, don't say anything about the Alaska National Guard.

Senator Obama and Senator McCain, you both favor NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia. Please tell us how you would explain to an American soldier why he or she would have to fight for either country. Please explain why defending Georgia is in our national interest.

Gentlemen, that's it for now. Over to you, Bob.

cohenr@washpost.com

McCain Should Have Picked Rosanne Cash Instead

Rosanne Cash (daughter of the late Johnny Cash) makes an excellent case for why she is more qualified for the veep position that the woman from Wasilla.

Check it out here:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20081027/cash

Why Are McCain Supporters SO Mad?

The stories are popping up everywhere. McCain supporters are boiling over with anger at their rallies -- so much so that they're even booing their own candidate when he's not as vitriolic as they want him to be. They say they're mad because McCain isn't "fighting" Obama as hard as they would like to see, that he isn't pressing the issue of Obama's past relationships with his former pastor and with William Ayers. They say they're mad because ACORN is supposedly using fraudulent means to register voters.

Does all that fully explain the depth of their rage? Does it explain McCain having to take the mic away from an old lady in Minnesota because she began babbling about disliking Obama because "he's an Arab"? Does it explain McCainites yelling "socialist" or "liar" or "terrorist" at the mention of Obama's name? Reports describe "...boos, middle fingers turned up and thumbs turned down..." McCain, obviously concerned about the level of nastiness among the mob, insisted that his fellow Senator should be disagreed with but still treated respectfully, only to have the crowd turn on him with their jeers and boos.

There have been shouts of "traitor," "treason" and "off with his [Obama's] head." The Secret Service has even investigated an instance in which someone in Palin's crowd in Clearwater, Fla., shouted "kill him," meaning Obama.

These are serious sentiments, people. Maybe it's just me and all the years I spent in small towns in the south, but I don't think these are merely expressions of "frustration." When people start yelling stuff like this in public, it's time to take notice. And just one more thing -- again, I have to owe this to my southern background -- but when you look at a crowd of McCain-Palin supporters, do you see anyone of color? They are the whitest crowds of people I've seen since I went to a square-dance at a VFW hall in South Carolina as a teenager.

McCain is trying to play nice, on one hand, appearing to try to calm the riled crowd. On the other hand, he and Sarah have been busy working their supporters to a froth with their own claims against Obama's character and questioning his allegiance to America. It was Palin who accused Obama publicly of "palling around with terrorists." McCain's ads have shown that he is more than willing to take the lowest road to the highest office. Do you think maybe no one ever told John McCain or Sarah Palin that if you stir sh*t, it stinks?

Joan Walsh, Editor in Chief at Salon.com, makes an excellent point about the parallel downward slide of the economy, McCain's ratings in the polls, and McCain's integrity. Check out her video at the end of this posting.

Sources:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/09/AR2008100903169.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14479.html
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/10/angry-anti-obama-taunts-grip-mccain-palin-events/?page=2
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/10/AR2008101002895.html?nav=hcmoduletmv

More Insight About Prima Donna Palin

Check these articles and blog postings about Sarah:

Palin's Imaginary Washington
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/06/AR2008100602635.html

PR Consultant Helped Palin Grab the Spotlight
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/09/AR2008100903429.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

A Question for Sarah Palin
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/08/AR2008100802928.html?sub=AR

Palin GUILTY as charged!

A bipartisan Alaska legislative panel has released its report after investigations found that Sarah Palin abused her power as governor by 1.) Trying to have her former brother-in-law (a state trooper) fired and 2.) Subsequently firing the State Public Safety Commissioner after he refused to do her bidding against the trooper.

Read the story for yourself at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081011/ap_on_el_pr/palin_troopergate

Listen up, Feds!

SNL does Biden vs. Palin

Speaks for Itself

A Real Maverick Plan!

So, McCain wants the government to buy up the bad mortgages. See what some experts have to say about it in this Politico article titled, "Critics call McCain housing plan 'half-baked'."
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14430.html

Obama's "Closing Argument"?

USA TODAY reports that Obama has purchased a half-hour block of commercial time on CBS and NBC for October 29 - just six days before Election Day - during "prime time" at 8 p.m.

Follow & compare candidates' ads at USA TODAY's Ad-Tracker:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/ad-tracker.htm

Train Metaphor

I received this in an email:

Busy Busy

This is a global air traffic simulation over a period of 24 hours:




It made me think of Professor Swaim - not just because of his jet setting ways.

Thank you, Joe, for saying so!

I could use up a fair amount of time and space explaining why I am disgusted, not just as a registered Republican, but especially as a female voter. Suffice it to say that my level of disgust and embarrassment -- which has been rising consistently for the past eight years -- has reached the level of no return. I have no intention of trying to do battle with the numbskulls Joe Conason refers to in his piece on Slate; for me, I believe the time has come to abandon a party that can't see past the tip of its own nose. Yeah, I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it any more!

Rather than attempt to restate what has already been so concisely expressed, I will simply refer you to Conason's article:

http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2008/10/04/dumb/index.html?source=rss&aim=/opinion/conason

Jumping in Heels

I guess when you wear such fabulous heels, you gotta keep the bar low so you don't trip and fall flat on your face. Well, at least "Joe Six-Pack" has something to cheer about for a while. Maybe it'll keep his mind off the possibility of losing his job or not being able to get a credit card to buy more stuff from the big box store.