Taking Exception With Maegan "la Mamita Mala" Ortiz

There was an event in New York wherein women expressed what it is they want in a presidential candidate, what they want from their government. Some of the things wanted were standard fair, such as affordable childcare...as someone that has no children, never been one to understand why I should have to support affordable childcare with my tax dollars, but that is another post. After listening to several of the You Tube videos from this event, one stuck in my crawl, made me upset enough to take exception to her words. If you Google Maegan"LaMamita Mala" Ortiz, this is what you will find:

Maegan "la Mamita Mala" Ortiz

Maegan is a
Queens born and bred Nuyorican mami, Espanglish poeta, freelance writer, blogger, and all around rabble rouser.

La Mala has traveled between Puerto Rico and New York City her entire life, stopping for a brief time to live in Chile. She's spent many years working on grassroots activist campaigns around such issues as police brutality, racial violence, and radical mamihood.

Her words and opinions have been featured in the Washington
Post, Latina Magazine, The New York Daily News, and National Public Radio.

When she's not blogging here, she's shamelessly exhibiting
herself on her personal blog Mamita Mala, writing for magazines/websites, working on a book or two, and spitting poesia in clubs in NYC, dragging her daughters behind her.

What I found offensive was her speech which is shared below. She is upset about several things, but primary amoung them is the fact that immigration (her code for illegal aliens) was not even mentioned in the three Presidential Debates. She is upset that people in her Native Puerto Rico do not have the right to vote...uhhh, excuse me, but isn't it Puerto Rico that has voted against becoming a state on more than one occassion. She is upset that immigrants (again, seems to be code for illegal aliens) are paying the brunt of the health care crisis, are hurting the most from America's failing economy.

For the record:

1. I think that all LEGAL IMMIGRANTS and citizens of America should be entitled to a helping hand up, should be able to expect the basic liberties America offers in its constitution.

2. If Puerto Ricans want the vote, they should become a state.

Now, some facts. If you broke our laws, and find yourself in prison, you should not be allowed to vote, you sacrificed that priviledge when you committed a crime egregious enough to land you in prison. If you are illegally in America, you do not have a right to work, and in fact are violating the law by doing so. Simply stated, Illegal Aliens ARE CRIMINALS.

Illegal Aliens working in America depress lower and middle class wages by over $230 Billion dollars a year (gleaned from a PEW report). Further, illegal aliens weaken our economy by sending (just to Mexico) over $125 Billion dollars a year back home in remittances. A basic law of economics...if you put a dollar into the economy, it creates six more and conversely if you take a dollar out, you eliminate six. That is a 12/1 turn around, remittances to Mexico are denying the American economy over $1.4 Trillion dollars in much needed fuel.

I don't dispute Maegan's belief that at least half of those uninsured in America are illegal aliens. What I do disagree with, is her seeming belief that we OWE THEM coverage...in fact, hospitals should be allowed to refuse service (even emergency service) to any one that cannot prove they are here in America legally, either as a citizen, legal immigrant, or guest. If our government enforced our Immigration Laws as they now exist, if our government deported those here illegally, American lower and middle class wages would go up, there would be more overtime hours available for those that wanted them, and those uninsured in America would drop to under 5 million as companies would be forced to offer more incentives and benefits to retain their trained work force.

Maegan seemed to paint the immigration reform issue as a Latino issue...it is not. It is true that the majority of those here illegally are of Latino decent (IE, we have 10 percent of Mexico's population living in America illegally), but that does not make the issue of illegal aliens a Latino issue, nor a race issue. It comes down to Law and Order, it comes down to enforcing our laws if we as Americans are going to respect those laws. If you want to live the American Dream, you do not criminally enter the country, and steal your dream from a legal American citizen by under cutting their wages, you do not live your dream by destroying the property values of legal citizens because you think it is OK to live 20-30 to a house so that you can send money back home.

I am all for Immigration...LEGAL IMMIGRATION. Abide by our rules, if you want to become a citizen, learn to read, write and speak English. If you want to be an American, embrace our cultures, rather than thinking you can bring yours too our country and force them onto your neighbors out of rudeness and a sense of arrogance.

Beluga Whale To Kill Sarah Palin's Beloved Second Bridge To Nowhere?

In a story that seems to have gotten lost in shuffle as Americans concentrate on the upcoming Presidential Election, our Federal Government bitch slapped Alaska’s Governor Palin in placing the Beluga Whale on the endangered species list…something that Sarah Palin venomously opposed. She has even filed a lawsuit opposing the Federal Government’s decision to place Polar Bears on this same list.

Interestingly, her opposition to the Polar Bear and now the Beluga Whale being placed on the Endangered Species List are driven by self serving greed on her part. The first decision of placing the Polar Bear on the Endangered Species list could negatively impact her husband’s fishing business, as well as his financial interests in North Slope Oil Drilling (he works as a independent consultant for BP Oil, and broke his promise to quit that job if his wife were elected Governor).

The Beluga Whale being placed on the Endangered Species List threatens Sarah Palin’s own favorite PORK BARREL Project, Alaska’s second bridge to nowhere, the one that would connect Anchorage to the little, small, out of the way town of WASILLA! Let me repeat that… The Beluga Whale being placed on the Endangered Species List threatens Sarah Palin’s own favorite PORK BARREL Project, Alaska’s second bridge to nowhere, the one that would connect Anchorage to the little, small, out of the way town of WASILLA!

Sure we all remember the $350 Million Dollar Bridge to Nowhere, the one that Sarah was for before she was against it. Yet, the press has paid scant attention to the second $600 Million Dollar Bridge to Nowhere project, the bridge that would connect to the small outpost of 7,000 known as Wasilla, Alaska. If you are grabbing your calculators, the Federal Government would be spending about $89,000 per citizen in Wasilla to build this Second Bridge To Nowhere. Thankfully, Friday’s decision on the Beluga Whale’s greatly complicates this bridge project, possibly kills it…which is a good thing, since Sarah Palin’s running mate ferociously opposed the project as far back as 2005.

The listing has the potential to affect major Alaska projects including an expansion of the Port of Anchorage, additional offshore oil and gas drilling, a proposed $600 million bridge connecting Anchorage to Palin's hometown of Wasilla and a massive coal mine 45 miles south of Anchorage.

NOAA list’s some obstacles to recovery of the Beluga Whale which include:

· Beach strandings of beluga whales;
· Continued development within and along upper Cook Inlet and the cumulative effects on important beluga habitat;
· Oil and gas exploration, development, and production;
· Industrial activities that discharge or accidentally spill pollutants;
· Disease;
· Predation by killer whales.

Sarah Palin is already on record as opposing the Beluga Whale’s Endangered Listing, as well as the one declared for Alaska’s declining Polar Bear population, questioning the Scientific Conclusions of some of the world’s foremost Scientific Experts. Her biggest objections to these two listings are financial ones, as these listings hinder oil and natural gas drilling, as well as threatening her Second Bridge to Nowhere Project.

The Department of Interior has proposals that would make new oil leases available in the Cook Inlet with a value estimated at or above $1.38 Billion of new Energy Resources. The decision to put the Beluga Whale and Polar Bears on the Endangered Species List puts these leases in serious jeopardy.

Thanks to a Earmark from Republican Rep. Don Young (who has property interests near the bridge), $42 million dollars has already been wasted studying Sarah Palin’s second bridge to nowhere, which would route traffic across a narrow finger of water known as Knik Arm inlet and towards Wasilla. Meanwhile, banking on Sarah Palin’s pull as Governor of Alaska, as John McCain’s running mate, Wasilla is moving full steam ahead in pushing this Second Bridge to Nowhere forward, in getting the plans approved, and the funds EAR MARKED before the Beluga Whale derails their beloved Pork Barrel Bridge to Wasilla.

John McCain's Shell Game on Oil...Canada Oil Good, Arab Oil Bad!

Good Oil? Bad Oil? It is amazing what you learn when you stumble upon alternative sources of news, such as LinkTV. Back in 2006 when John McCain was making noises about running for the presidency I did some searching into his financial statements. It appeared to my untrained eye that he deliberately GREEN WASHED his stock portfolio by DUMPING a lot of investments in oil companies. The big oil supporter was going GREEN for political expedience, and I was not buying. Now, it seems that John McCain is playing a shell game with American voters when it comes to ending our dependence on Foreign Oil. Let's be specific...John McCain does not want us to end our dependence on OIL, does not care about our environment or Global Warming. Instead, he merely wants us to change the wholesaler we get our oil from. Instead of our oil coming from Arab States, we would get it from Canada!

Dislike Being Ignored By Candidates In Presidential Election

It's Time to Eliminate Electorial College

Compared to say Ohio, Kentucky, Indian, Colorado and Missiouri, New York is a huge state when you look at our population. During the Primary, our own Senator Hillary Clinton was for a long part of it the odds on favorite to get the Democratic nomination. Most powerful politicians come to our state, specifically New York city to raise funds among the UBER RICH. Based on our population, it would seem natural that we would get quite a few opportunities to actually see the presidential candidates up close and personal. That is sadly not true...in fact, if you eliminate portions of Presidential Commercials aired on news channels such as CNN as a part of the 24 hour news cycle.

Now I was born in St. Louis, and spent a great deal of my life in the tri-state area of Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. While living in that area of the US of A, I have been fortunate enough to actually see four Presidents up close and personal. I've met and photographed President Bill Clinton, his wife Hillary and their daughter Chelsea. While helping campaign for Congressman John Hall back in 2006, I was fortunate to shake Bill Clinton's hand. I've photographed the first George Bush, was within eight feet of Ronald Reagan at his campaign train stop at Courthouse Square in Dayton, Ohio...went out of my way to be there, even though I've never voted Republican. My fourth chance meeting with our nation's President occurred in Louisville, Kentucky when I was not quite four years old when destiny saw me fortunate enough to shake the hand of John F. Kennedy.

The only President I've had a chance to see up close and personal but passed on is George W. Bush. I would not cross the street to shake his hand, despise everything about him...which is hard, as I was raised back in a time when you were taught you ALWAYS respected the President out of respect for the office.

I share all this for a simple reason. It illustrates the fundamental flaw in having the electorial college choose our next President. The system as it now exist's allows the candidates for the highest office in the land to ignore us, makes many of us feel taken for granted in the run up to the Presidency. Here in New York we are considered "solidly Blue" and the campaign is being waged in John McCain's once solidly red states, and a hand full of swing states that could go either way. In fact, every invite I have had to participate in MoveOn.org's weekend phone-athon's are events where we call voters IN OTHER STATES. Imagine attending a Get Out The Vote event where the purpose is to motivate people that don't even live in your own state! Why should Senator Obama or even John McCain put his dollars and time into making a huge appearance here? Maybe because we are voters? Maybe because hundreds of thousands of our citizens have made donations to their campaign? Maybe because we as American Citizens deserve that rare and covetted opportunity to see our President or future president?

For far to long now, the Electorial College process of electing our next President has unfairly allowed small states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and others to recieve the lions share of attention in the most important election the United States of America holds. Why should New Hampshire ALWAYS GET TO GO FIRST? Why was it fair for Michigan and Florida to be penalized because they wanted to move their primaries up so that their citizens for a change would get that major influx of attention from the candidates running for the highest office in America? If we are all honest, if the Democratic Party had not bitch slapped both Florida and Michigan for their actions, we could be seeing a completely different Presidential Campaign right now, would be watching Hillary Rodham Clinton hoping to be elected as our next President.

Obama is running as the candidate of change...perhaps as the next President of the United States, his first major change should be to take the necessary steps to eliminate the Electorial College. Sure, it will take a Constitutional Amendement, but the lay of the land suggests that he would have the votes necessary to get such and Amendment through the Congress, and I would place a bet right now that most states would embrace a leveling of the playing field that saw equality for ALL VOTERS and their voices. If we as a nation claim to live in the biggest most successful Democracy in the world, isn't it time that we elect our President though a truely free and open Democratic Election where the candidate with the most votes wins?

Wisconsin GOPstapo Preparing For Voter Intimadation

Just in from Talking Points Memo it seems that the GOP is recruiting Milwaukee veterans, policemen, security personnel, and fireman (any one in a uniform) to intimidate and scare Democratic Voters after from polling centers. They are going to be "poll watchers"...can we say THUGS? Growing up in Rural America, we would call these idiots pecker heads. Not sure why, but sounds like the Wisconsin GOP is trying to round up the world's largest Village People re-enactment.

Like Father Like Daughter...Meghan McCain Makes EMPTY PROMISE

Oh MY GAWD...it is amazing how desparate for attention John McCain's waddling offspring Meghan McCain is. With her Dad falling in the polls, the wheels falling off his campaign Straight Talk Express bus, and his hopes of being President all but gone, she desparately reached out to grab some headlines today before her 15 minutes of fame are gone. Following in her father's footsteps she delivered an empty promise to the citizens of New Hampshire, "If my dad becomes president, and wins New Hampshire I'll get a TATTOO!" Give us a break there Ms. Chubette. That's is like me saying I'll shave my head and get a tattoo of Mickey Mouse if I get to quarterback an NFL football team, and we win the Super Bowl! NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

McCain Daughter Promises NH Tattoo if dad wins!

NASHUA, N.H.—If Sen. John McCain wins the presidency and carries New Hampshire, his daughter promises she'll carry a permanent reminder of the state.

• DISCUSS What would you do if McCain or Obama won?

While campaigning for her dad in Nashua on Thursday, Meghan McCain said if the senator becomes president, and wins in New Hampshire, she'll tattoo the state motto -- "Live Free or Die" -- somewhere on her body.

She said she'd probably put the tattoo on her wrist, as her way of commemorating her father's run for the presidency. McCain's win in the New Hampshire Primary in January revived his faltering campaign.

Was Sarah Palin's House Built By Senator Steven's Contractor?

This is not verified, but I have just heard a rumor that Todd and Sarah's house was built by the same contractor that build Senator Steven's house...if this is true, shouldn't someone be looking into what was, or was not billed to the Palin's? Think I am being mean...keep in mind, that Sarah Palin admitted taking $25,000 in GIFTS in her first year as Governor, including FREE TRAVEL for her daughter. On another note...was it really necessary to spend thousands of tax dollars having the Coast Guard Patrol Sarah Palin's house when she went home for a two day rest? Give us a break.

What If Obama Does Not Win?

As Election Day is racing down upon us, I am cautiously optimistic that Obama will be our next president...but, I am leery. Remember the 2000 Presidential Election that Al Gore won, the one that George W. Bush (with the help of the Supreme Court) stole from us? What about the 2004 Election that some feel was stolen with some odd irregularities in the state of Ohio?

The Republicans are down, but they are not out, and they have a very devious and dark bag of tricks that they are not above pulling out to RIG THIS ELECTION. As example, just look at the Ayars Robo Calls sweeping across must win states. Look at Sarah Palin fanning old prejudices, deliberately encouraging her followers to spew hate speech against Obama. Here in New York absentee ballots went out with the name of Barack Osama instead of Obama. Officials claimed it was an innocent typo....hello, look at the location of the B and S on your keyboard, and it is obvious that it was not an innocent typographical error. Even a official GOP web site put up material calling for the Water Boarding of Obama, comparing him to Osama Bin Laden.

Which begs the question, what will happen if Obama does not win the Presidential Election, what if McCain is elected under a dark cloud of suspicion? Will we see riots in the street? Would our Democracy in its current fragile form fracture and fall apart? Would John McCain have to order our troops into the streets of America and declare Marshall Law in an attempt to restore order. Could we see America as a nation cease to exist as Blue States, tired of the deceit decide to go their own way, and if so, at what cost. Could there be open revolt, even a second civil war within the borders of our nation? Did we not just hear Sarah Palin say she likes to visit the parts of our country that truly believe in America, are Pro American?

Perhaps I have grown to jaded in my waning years, but I am not going to believe in an Obama victory until he is officially pronounced the victor, until he has officially been sworn in and taken office. Something in my gut has me believing that George W. Bush, the Republican Party are going to do something, no matter how vile and repugnant to keep the White House in Republican hands.

Official Republican Message Boards Suggests Waterboarding Obama

For those who watched the finanl debate Wednesday night, we all heard John McCain say he had publically condemned every example of Obama Hate Speech he knew about. First, that is not true...as example, I have already offered the offending online blog entry pairing Obama with a Noose. Well, we now have another one, and it is far worse in that the offending material was on the Official Web Site of the Sacramento County Republican web site! After outrage was expressed, the offending material was taken down, but that is beside the point...the point is that it was put up in the first place. The point is, we have AN OFFICIAL GOP WEB SITE condoning and suggesting the waterboarding of Barack Obama. Where is McCain in publically condemning this horrid act? Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger condemned the act in a public fashion, so where is John McCain's public rebuke?

Sacramento GOP Web site encouraged people to 'waterboard Obama'

Sacramento County Republican leaders Tuesday took down offensive material on their official party Web site that sought to link Sen. Barack Obama to Osama bin Laden and encouraged people to "Waterboard Barack Obama" — material that even offended state GOP leaders.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento County Republican leaders Tuesday took down offensive material on their official party Web site that sought to link Sen. Barack Obama to Osama bin Laden and encouraged people to "Waterboard Barack Obama" — material that even offended state GOP leaders.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has pushed the party to try to broaden its appeal, took issue with the site. "In the governor's view, it's completely and totally inappropriate," said Julie Soderlund, a Schwarzenegger spokeswoman.

Hector Barajas, a California Republican Party spokesman, said Democrats have been playing the race card, but that the local party went too far in this instance.

Fight The NOBAMA Republicans

Don't suppose there are any T-Shirt folks out there that would like to donate a few thousand T-Shirts to me? I'd like to fight the John McCain NOBAMA craze sweeping the Republican Party with our own version of the shirt called the YOBAMA...if you're out there, and willing to donate these shirts, I would like to make them available via my blog. Of course, my readers could also just MAKE THEIR OWN! Let's show those NOBAMA Maniacs we can take their game and turn it around on them! Call me crazy, but the thought of 20,000 Democrats at a Campaign Rally chanting their affirmation of YOBAMA should pretty well SQUELCH the NOBAMA folks out of the news and over to the sidelines.

From Websters Dictionary

Main Entry:

yo

Pronunciation:

\ˈyō\

Function:

interjection

Etymology:

Middle English yo, io, interjection

Date:

15th century

—used especially to call attention, to indicate attentiveness, or to express affirmation

Open Question To Pro Life Sarah Palin

Dear Sarah Palin:

You are on the record as believing the rights of the unborn supercede those of the mother, even in the case of rape and incest. Today on the internet I came across one of the saddest stories I have ever read, and also the perfect example to cite in asking the question, "How can you say a victim of rape should have to give birth to the child created in rape?" A nine year old was impregnated when RAPED by her mother's boy friend. He has been convicted of rape, and faces the possiblity of life in prison. This innocent girl's mother has been convicted for failing to provide proper prenatal care for her daughter.

Nine year old should never be raped. Further, they should not be forced to bring a child into the world, especially not one concieved in rape. Tell me yes or no Mrs. Palin, is it your political and religious belief that a nine year old child who was raped should be denied an abortion?

Idaho Mother Gets 10-Year Sentence After Boyfriend Impregnates 9-Year-Old Daughter

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — An eastern Idaho woman whose boyfriend impregnated her 9-year-old daughter has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Isabel Chasarez, 27, must serve at least one year in prison before she is eligible for parole, 7th District Judge Brent Moss ordered Tuesday at the sentencing hearing.

Chasarez pleaded guilty in August to failing to provide proper prenatal care for her daughter.

Her 38-year-old boyfriend, Guadalupe Gutierrez-Juarez, pleaded guilty to rape in September. He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 28 and faces life in prison.

The girl became pregnant at age 9, sometime between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30 2007, authorities say, and gave birth in April.

The Crash and Burn McCain in Video

Was sitting here thinking tonight, and realized the perfect video for John McCain's Campaign was probably already on You Tube...well, a quick Google Search, and I am pleased to bring you the Moutain Climber!

Charles Keating Screwed Joe Plumber's Grandmother?

Oh MY GAWD!...just breaking news from the Huffington Post...seems that Joe Plumber has direct blood ties to Charles Keating! You could not make this up. Don't quote me on this, but supposedly the story goes something like this...Joe Wurzelbacher is the son of one Robert Wurzelbacker. Robert Wurzelbacker is the son-in-law of Charles Keating of Keating Five Infamy! Which means, Charles Keating screwed Joe's grandmother the same way he screwed John McCain, and caused millions of Americans to lose their life savings and cost U.S. taxpayers $3.4 billion. Oh John...the wicked web you do weave!

Read the story at Huffington Post! Also read the Democratic Underground Story.

National Terrorist Alert News Site Practices Censorship

One of the sites I follow is the National Terrorist Alert News, as it shows you just how stupid and idiotic the Department of Homeland Security actually is, shows you how vulnerable we are as a nation because of the inept actions of almost every dpeartment of our Federal Government sworn to protect us. This is a topic of interest to me, as I live less than three miles from the aging, environmentally dangerous failing nuclear reactors known as Indian Point that gained national notice when it was learned one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center Towers flew right past them in route, could have easily have flown into one of them instead of the Twin Towers.

In the past few days I've left comments on a couple of their stories because I had either covered the topic here on my blog (such as the World Bank's computers being HACKED), or they were stories about such horrid National Security that I could not resist...well, apparently the National Terrorist Alert News has decided to censor any comments that speak negatively of our Nation's security apparatus, as all of my responses have been removed. Not a problem...from here on out, I'll just share their articles here, and post my comments underneath. My first such example is a story about three very high profile radios that have been stolen from West Point.

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/category/incident_reports/

West Point Reports Theft Of Radio Equipment Worth $400K - Reward

Submitted by national on Thursday, 16 October 2008No Comment

Army investigators are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to whoever stole more than $400,000 worth of equipment from a warehouse at West Point.

According to the Army Criminal Investigation Command, the crime occurred between 5 p.m. Sept. 16 and 7 a.m. Sept. 17 in a storage facility near Washington Gate.

The perimeter fence around the warehouse was cut, CID reports said, and the “door to the building, although secured with lock and key, was easy to open with a strenuous pull.”

The stolen goods included 330 Motorola Portable Astro Digital XTS 5000 radios, worth $1,142 each, and about 600 Ni-Cad batteries worth $87 each.

The most interoperable radio of its class, the Motorola XTS 5000 radio is an incredibly versatile Public Safety portable designed for mission-critical APCO Project 25 users. APCO Project 25 is a set of industry standards for digital mobile radio designed primarily for public safety agencies.

Investigators publicized the theft and introduced the reward this week. Anyone with information is asked to call Special Agent Jared Kalmes at 938-7548.

Source

Royce Penstinger said:

Secret Service and Press Not Doing Their Jobs

In a story breaking out into the Blogosphere, seems Dana Milbank of the Washington Post has let the cat out of the bag that the Secret Service is not doing their job. Seems that the Secret Service is so busy keeping reporters in their pen, and away from Sarah Palin that they are failing (deliberately) to get the names of the people hurtling verbal threats in Senator Obama's direction such as "Kill Him". OK, I can buy that, and I can agree that the Secret Service should not keep reporters from interviewing people in the crowd.

Conversely, I would accuse Dana and the rest of the press from failing themselves in their duties. A blogger put together a picture of Obama and a Noose and posted it to the internet with the caption, "The Fucking Solution". Some of us contacted the Secret Service (who apparently is DOING NOTHING), and many more of us have blogged about it. Yet, this egregious assault on humanity, this most viscious of hate speech has been completely ignored by the major media. A noose appears on a college campus, and it is front page news, and makes the six o'clock news, but let some nut job post Obama and a Noose on his blog, and they are fine with that? Or did they leave the story alone because it happened in the heat of an election. Seems to me, that if Dana is going to throw stones in the direction of the Secret Service, he should throw a few at himself as well.

Dana Milbank

Washington Post Columnist
Thursday, October 16, 2008; 1:00 PM

Post columnist Dana Milbank serves as the capital's foremost critic of political theater in his Washington Sketch columns and videos. He was online live Thursday, Oct 16 at 1 p.m. ET to take your questions and comments about the things politicians say -- and the absurd ways they find to say them.

Dana Milbank:

Glad you asked, because I saw this earlier. This is actually about the incident in Scranton, not the one in Clearwater, Fla, that I wrote about here.

I wasn't at the Scranton event, but I have to say the Secret Service is in dangerous territory here. In cooperation with the Palin campaign, they've started preventing reporters from leaving the press section to interview people in the crowd. This is a serious violation of their duty -- protecting the protectee -- and gets into assisting with the political aspirations of the candidate. It also often makes it impossible for reporters to get into the crowd to question the people who say vulgar things. So they prevent reporters from getting near the people doing the shouting, then claim it's unfounded because the reporters can't get close enough to identify the person.

WOW...McCain Just Gave a Heart Wrenching Tribute To Obama

McCain is speaking at a charity event in New York, and it is being carried on CNN...he just gave a very touching tribute to Barack Obama, and I give the man credit for delivering a great speech, and a stunningly unexpected tribute to Obama. Pity that the entire election could not have been waged in the way that his speech was delivered this evening. I don't like McCain as a Presidential candidate as this blog can attest to, but I give him a tip of the hat for his words on this evening.

Did We Have a Terrorist Attack In America Today?

Just found on Fox News...Bomb goes off on hands of St. Louis man...the package was an incendiary device that exploded in the hands of a man that picked it up. The bomb was left in the parking lot of a office/residential building just down the street from a Ritz Carlton. Police are not commenting on why the bomb was left there. Seems to me there are only two reasons it was left there:

A) It was an attempted hit on the man who picked it up.

B) It was a terrorist attack inside the borders of the United States, albiet a poorly planned and executed one.

Seems to me, that the authorities owe us a bit more of an answer than they have given to us so far.

FOXNEWS.COM HOME > U.S.

Package Left in Missouri Parking Spot Explodes in Driver's Hands

Thursday, October 16, 2008

ST. LOUIS — A packaged "incendiary device" exploded in a suburban St. Louis parking garage on Thursday, injuring the man who picked it up, rocking an office high-rise and forcing hundreds of people to evacuate.

The package was sitting near the 69-year-old man's assigned parking spot, but authorities wouldn't say whether he was the intended target. His injuries were not considered life-threatening, said Clayton Police Chief Thomas Byrne.

"He picked up a package sitting next to his car and it exploded," Byrne said, calling the package an "incendiary device" but not elaborating.

"We don't know who set it or why it was there," Byrne said.

The parking garage is shared by office and residential buildings. A Ritz-Carlton Hotel also sits nearby in Clayton, a busy, well-to-do suburb that is the seat of St. Louis County and home to many of the region's biggest law firms, financial offices and other white-collar businesses, as well as posh hotels and restaurants.

The explosion shortly after 11 a.m. rocked the high-rise building, witnesses said. Buildings were evacuated, leaving several hundred people to mingle for hours on a lawn. Full Story

Iraq Troop Deal Should Not Be Considered Until 111th Congress

Seems a new SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) is circulating around on Capital Hill, and Gates is wanting Congress to pass it. Who cares if months of negotiation have brought forth a contract that Gates (and George W. Bush) can live with? Fact of the matter is, this SOFA should not be looked at, considered and voted upon until the 111th Congress, should not be voted on until the NEW PRESIDENT can put his fingerprints on it. Bush is a Dead Duck president with zero clout, Gates is gone when the new administration comes in, and the new President should not have his hands tied by pushing through a deal in the closing hours of a dismal administration that is filled with graft and corruption.

Status of Forces Agreement Being Circulated in U.S. and Iraq Governments

By KAREN RUSSO, LUIS MARTINEZ, KIRIT RADIA and ALI HUSSIEN
BAGHDAD, Oct. 16, 2008

After months of negotiations, the United States and Iraq have produced a draft agreement outlining how U.S. troops will operate in Iraq, and it is being circulated among the executive branches of both the U.S. and Iraqi governments.

Girls walk past a U.S. soldier on a patrol with the Iraqi police in Baghdad's Ameen district October 14, 2008.

(Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters)

Negotiations on the Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA, had been deadlocked for months over disagreements about a timeline for U.S. troop withdrawal and over whether U.S. troops would be subject to Iraqi laws if they commit crimes.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is "comfortable" with the draft agreement, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said, indicating the key hurdle of legal immunity for U.S. troops in Iraq had been overcome -- though he did not reveal details.

However, a senior U.S. official told ABC News the deal would allow for American troops to be tried in Iraqi courts for crimes committed off-base and when not on missions.

The Iraqi government has pressed for lifting the blanket immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts that U.S. forces currently have in Iraq, should they be involved in crimes. Currently, any offenses are dealt with through the military judicial system.

Some Editorial Changes at Washington Scandal

Going to make some changes here at Washington Scandal. First, after an extensive experiment with Adsense, we will be removing them from our blog today. Click through advertising might work for the Advertiser's, but it does not work for bloggers. As example, in October our earnings are barely over $5 despite traffic flow of over 10,000 coming to our little home here on the World Wide Web. From a personal perspective, think it is time that Bloggers actually start getting paid for our words, and no advertisers are better than advertisers who are getting a FREE RIDE. We are willing to place advertisers on our side bar with prepaid banner ads only effective immediately. Contact Royce Penstinger if you would be interested in a banner ad here on Washington Scandal.

Please bear with us as we spruce the space up, and change some of our layout.

Royce Penstinger

Presidential Campaign Is Over...Barack Obama Our Next President

The final debate is over, and all the polls, including the one here on Washington Scandal give a decisive win to Barack Obama. However, that is not why I am officially pronouncing this election officially over. I usually fall asleep with my television on, which means I wake up to the news streaming into my sleepy head as I give my cats a pat on the head and get ready to start my day. This morning I woke up to Sarah Palin spitting out tired sounding, canned sound bites up in Maine. There are barely over two weeks before we finally get to vote, barely over two weeks before we finally get a break from this constant barrage of STUMP NEWS, and Sarah Palin is up in Maine clawing for ONE ELECTORAL VOTE...that's right, stumping for one vote.

Maine is one of only two states (the other being Nebraska) where you can win an electoral vote while losing the state. If you ever needed a clear sign that the fat lady has sung, that John McCain's Campaign is over though the election process marches on, this is it. According to an article in the Denver paper, the McCain Campaign sees an opening in Maine's 2nd Congressional District because of its similarities to Alaska, with its many lakes and its Moose! Enter Sarah Palin and her stump speech there...HELLO, we are talking one Electoral Vote! John McCain does not need one electoral vote, he needs fistfuls of them. When you are taking your number two and sending her off to Maine to chase down one electoral vote, you have officially cried Uncle, telegraphed to America that your Campaign is Toast...can someone pass the Marmalade?

McCain sees an opening in rural Maine

By GLENN ADAMS
Associated Press Writer

BANGOR, Maine (AP) -- Republican John McCain's campaign sees similarities between rugged Alaska and northern Maine's expanse of lakes, forests and coastline, and hopes that running mate Sarah Palin can help navigate the terrain.

The campaign believes the Alaska governor and moose-hunting hockey mom will connect with voters in a region where hunting, fishing and snowmobiling are popular.

McCain can win one electoral vote if he takes Maine's 2nd Congressional District, the biggest district in geographic terms east of the Mississippi, a patchwork of forests and lakes that are blanketed by snow for much of the year.

Focusing on a single district could make sense in Maine, one of only two states - the other is Nebraska - that allow electoral votes to be split. It means that even a statewide loser could grab one of Maine's four electoral votes.

"Certainly the 2nd District is within his sights. He can win this district," said Mark Brewer, political science professor at the University of Maine.

Post Debate Wrap Up

Perhaps because of the racially tinged events of the past few days, I am more than a bit jaded, and no longer have no respect for McCain, and even less for the Republicans who have not been quick to rebuke hate speech. As examples, the Al Austin email that sent out a assassination joke that kills both Michelle and Barack. Where is McCain is rebuking that joke and its sender...especially considering Al Austin is a very high profile Republican operative? The second example of way out of bounds hate speech and racism is the Obama/Noose photograph that was placed up on the internet that the main media folks have avoided like the plague.

First, on Joe Plumber...first, Joe needs to do his homework, as he would not be better off in a John McCain presidency. McCain's tax cuts are identical to George bush's tax cuts that benefit the UBER RICH. Secondly, the Plumbers Union has endorsed Barack Obama for President. Surely they have reviewed borth candidates and their proposals better than Joe has.

Not sure how many paid attention to John McCain's facial expressions, his never ending sting of angry heaves and sighs throughout the debate. It was obvious that John McCain was having a hard time controlling his temper, and he came across as a very mean spirited and out of control candidate.

Watching the red and green lines on CNN, the debate was clearly won by Barack Obama in the eyes of those undecided voters. In early polling results on CNN, again the nodd goes clearly to Barack Obama, even though more Republicans watched the debtes than Democrats.

I thought Obama gave a strong, yet safe performance. That is all he had to do, as it was John McCain that needed to land a knockout blow, and he failed to deliber. In fact, I think that was the source of his anger tonight...he found out early on that he just could not lay a serous punch on the Obama.

Last note, and would love someone to verify this...after the debatge was over, I would sear I heard John McCain use the term Kid while shaking Obama's hand, as in "Nice job Kid." If that is true, that id disgusting on John McCain's part. Simply stated, Obama wins, and John McCain never came close to scoring a GAME CHANGER.

Into the Second Half of Debate!

John McCain is OUT OF CONTROL...are you hearing his heaving and sighing? that man is so ono the edge it is scary!

Obama's energy talking points are SCORING BIG TIME on both the red and green lines!

HE IS OFF THE FREAKING CHARTS.

Onto Health Care....Obama personalizes it right out the door, while McCain heaves again off camera!

Obama speaks facts and intellect, John McCain fumes!

John McCain...health records o line...walk in clinics...we have those for the POOR now, and they are INADEQUATE.

CAREFUL FOLKS...that $5000 is a red herring.

Is John McCain capable of a NEW THOUGHT! He talks JINGLES...Gold PLATED CADILLAC policy...give us a break.

Roe V Wade and the Supreme Court...litmus test question.

John McCain labeled himself a federalist...leaves it up to states.

Both men and women seem to like Obama's Roe V Wades answers based on the red and green lines.

Obama has been off the charts with both men and women in this question!

Last QUESTION...Education...it is FAILING

First, my own thought...take illegal aliens and their children out of our schools till they can speak English at Grade Level.

Obama...reform, and more early education. Recruit new teachers with higher pay...how about MORE RESPECT? Make college affordable.

Again, Obama off the charts with both men and women in the red/green line undecided voter poll.

McCain's solution...charter schools and VOUCHERS....in other words, the same old Bush garbage that does not work.

Troops to Teachers and Teachers America...let us be honest...we do not pay our teachers into to make it worth while for most young adults to consider teaching as a profession.

This debate is OVER, and it is clear that Obama won it hands down! sorry McCain, but you really should pull up stakes in Pa. much like you did today in Wisconsin, and gracefully let the clock run out on Election Day....you have lost the elction, don't lose your reputation too.

McCain spitting ANGER and Venom

John McCain is spitting ANGER....I really want to see him go over a cliff tonight.

Next Topic!

GREAT QUESTION....making both candidates defend their Vice Presidential choices.

Good answer from Obama...brings home Joe Biden's HEART.

John McCain on Sarah...a bunch of creap if you really study her record. I want Obama to GO AFTER HER. McCain calls her a breath of fresh air, meanwhile she was just found guilty of an Abuse of Power, and is still under investigation for it.

Obama just SCORED BIG....under McCain budget freeze, autistic children would suffer.

WOW...just in from twitter: sendchocolate I used to LIKE McCain. I did. But he sold his soul for this office. He is NOTHING now...just a shill who wants to die in the Oval Office

HERE IS A NEWS FLASH....you cannot build 45 Nuclear reactors right away.

Halfway home folks, and McCain's anger is spilling out of my television and onto the living room rug.

OH GOD...McCain is Back on Town Hall Meetings GRIPE

Give us a break...McCain hits on Lewis! What about Al Austin? One of the most influential members of the GOP in Florida sent out a joke today about assassinating both Michele and Barack Obama!

McCain just brought up the campaign financing issue....OLD NEWS

OBAMA is scoring BIG! He did not really go NEGATIVE on this question, which he very well could have.

McCain again goes negative, and also uses sports! He is WHINING.

John McCain is losing it! He just sighed off camera.

John McCain just said he repediated everyone that has gotten out of line....LIAR What about Al Austin, what about the Noose/Obama internet posting?

AYAR's just came up!

OH GIVE ME A BREAK! John McCain, what about your own ties to Acorn?

Spreading Wealth Around

Here is a clue...over 90 percent of the Bush tax cuts went to THE UBER RICH, and so would McCain's tax cuts. WAKE UP Joe The Plumber!

Maybe it is time we spread the wealth around some...it is obvious that the Ronal Reagan, George W. Bush, John McCain trickle down economics has not worked for the lower and middle class.

On deficit reduction...

Obama on subject-he is stickig to his stump speech talking points, so far is not letting McCain rattle him in any fashion.

McCain is AVOIDING the second question by going right to his stump points. Further, his spending freeze is a RED HERRING...he wants to FREEZE Social programs, while allowing the military budget to BLOSSOM.

We are almost 1/3 of the way into this debate, and nothing is new, and John McCain is not even close to a knock out punch. Men in the undecided group (green line) are liking the budget freeze rhetoric. Women are not.

End of second post...boring debate, but Obama is winning.

First Live Debate Post

Everyone has been briefed, the instructions have been delivered, and the debate IS ON!
(Taking a quick gulp of Scotch...) Thought I would get my first John McCain "friends"shot in ahead of schedule.

10 minutes until the live blog at www.twitter.com/thefix

Betting that McCain gets the economy, middleclass and "My Friends" all in his opening sentence.

Bob just said hello, so HERE WE GO!

Wall Street...BAM, right to the ECONOMY.

McCain STILL CANNOT LOOK AT OBAMA...Americans are angry. Is blaming the whole economy problem on Fannie and Freddie, which is bull chit. He wants to buy up bad mortgages at full RETAIL...what about those of us who have been slammed that would get NOTHING in the short term out of such a plan.

Obama...right out with worse financial crisis siince Great Depression. Obama wants to help home owners, but in a different fashion.

So far, NOTHING NEW.

McCain going after Obama via the Ohio Plumber. Promises him he will keep his taxes lowe. Joe needs to do some homework!

The Horses Are Approaching The Starting Gate

Well Folks, time to get your snack trays in place, freshen up your drinks and get ready for the debate. We are down under half and hour, and the candidates are getting their last minute pep talks and instructions.

Things to look for:

1. Can John McCain sit this close to Obama, and still avoid looking at the man?

2. Do a shot every time John McCain says, "My Friends."

3. Does Ayars come up? If so, how does Obama respond to it?

4. In going for a knockout punch, will John McCain lose his temper tonight?

Pre Debate Diatribe

Have been sitting here enjoying a nice Merlot, and listening to the pundits give us their pre debate littany of things each candidate must do to get the BIG W tonight. I really wish they would hire some average Americans as pundits, give us a platform on the nightly news...like that is really going to happen.

Tonight, the debate is simple...John McCain loses unless he scores a KNOCKOUT PUNCH, and yes it is that simple.

I'm livid about the Al Austin news, and would love to see a question posed right out of the gate on his joke, and the race baiting that high up Republicans have been involved in these past few weeks since Palin came on the ticket.

As mentioned earlier today, I would also like the moderator to ask both candidates if they will vacate ALL OF GEORGE BUSH's signing statements on day one. Further, do not want to hear any of those cop out answers like, "I would review them." Real committments.

Anyway, we are about 45 minutes from the start, and looking forward to a good debate. My night would be made if John McCain implodes.

Al Austin of Tampa...is he a BIGOT? a Racist? a LIAR?

Hey Al Austin, got some questions for you.

You were the Tampa-St. Petersburg’s 2008 GOP National Convention Host Committee CHAIRMAN, and you are the CEO of Austin Companies. Do you really expect us as Americans to believe you did not READ a racist bigoted joke before you sent it out to your TOP SECRET inner circle GOP email list? You sir are a FUCKING LIAR.

Further, you sent out a joke that has both Michele and Barack Obama being assassinated! Do you find that FUNNY you sick twisted FUCK?

Tell me Mr. Pillar of the GOP, Mr. Super Republican FUND RAISER and supposedly well respected Tampa Businessman, do you hate BLACK PEOPLE?

YOU NEED TO OWN YOUR SHIT! Stop trying to act like your forwarding of that racist joke was simply a ill fated mistake on your part. Further, what kind of racist sheet wearing friends to you spend time with to have even RECIEVED THAT RACIST JOKE?

Yes, I am PISSED, and find your actions VILE AND DISGUSTING. It is my sincere hope that Tampa and the Business world sees you for what you truly are, holds you accountable for sending such a repugnant racist joke out to your friends in the Republican Party. If the reporter had ANY BALLS, he'd release the names on your inner cirlce email tree, would tell us as a nation who the other two culprits are that also were mailing this joke around in the Grand Old Republican Party. You SIR disgust me!

Al Austin

Tampa, 75, CEO, Austin Cos.

A pioneer developer of the Westshore business district in Tampa, Austin is the finance chairman for the Republican Party of Florida. He's had a leadership role in every Republican presidential campaign in Florida since 1972. A member of the Florida Electoral College in the 2000 election, Austin has achieved "super ranger" status this election cycle, collecting at least $300,000 for the Republican National Committee and another $200,000 for the Bush-Cheney campaign, according to Public Citizen. Austin serves as chairman of the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority and is on the board advising Jeb Bush or military base realignments and closures.

Top GOP Official In Tampa JOKES About Obama Assassination!

Why isn't the media giving more coverage to the blatant racial attacks and race baiting being done on the part of the Republican Party. Earlier this week I shared with you the story of a blogger mocking up a picture of a Noose paired with Obama with the title, "The Fucking Solution". I was outraged. Last night I found an article where Virginia's TOP GOP GUN came right out and compared OBama to Bin Laden! Again, I was outraged.

However, when Al Austin sends out and email to his Republican CRONIES with a joke about Obama being assassinated, and even goes so far as to include Barack Obama's wife in it as well in a double MURDER, another line that should never be crossed HAS BEEN CROSSED. Republican Politicians in this election are showing themselves as RACIST BIGOTS, and the Republican Party either stands with them, or takes a stand against such HATE SPEECH and Bigoted, racist hate aimed at Obama. If there is no public outcry on the part of Republicans, then it does not exist, and the party labels itself as a bunch of back woods, racist bigoted black haters...your call Republicans!

Posted Oct 15, 2008 by William March
Updated Oct 15, 2008 at 05:58 PM

Al Austin, a longtime, high-level Republican fundraiser from Tampa, today sent to his list of political contacts an e-mail containing a joke that refers to the assassination of Barack Obama.

When asked about the e-mail, Austin said it was a mistake and apologized and that he wouldn’t knowingly have circulated it. He said he planned to send an apology and retraction to the same e-mail list.

Al Austin/ Tribune file photo

The joke concerns a group of schoolchildren discussing the definition of “tragedy” as opposed to “great loss” or “accident.” The punch line comes when one child says that if an airplane carrying Obama and his wife, Michelle, “was struck by a ‘friendly fire’ missile and blown to smithereens,” the event might be a tragedy “because it certainly wouldn’t be a great loss, and it probably wouldn’t be an accident either.”

Austin acknowledged sending the e-mail to his list of political contacts but said he forwarded it without fully reading it and didn’t know what it said. That list included at least two reporters.

According to the forwarding history on the e-mail, it had gone through at least two other individuals before being sent to Austin on Tuesday.

Austin, a prominent real estate developer long known as one of the state’s leading Republican campaign fundraisers, has served in recent years as finance chairman for both the national and state Republican parties.

On Eve of Debate it's OFFICIAL...We Are In a Recession

On the eve of the debate tonight, the Federal Reserve has made official what many of us have know now for over a year. America is in a recession! So states the head of the San Francisco branch of the Federal Reserve, Janet Yellen .

This official pronouncement could greatly change the flavor of the debate tonight if the moderator brings it up as a question early on in the debate. This news further makes the point that all other issues including Ayars take at best a second seat to the economy.

Federal Reserve Official: U.S. Economy in Recession

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

NEW YORK — The United States has slipped into recession, the head of the San Francisco branch of the Federal Reserve, the nation's central bank, said Tuesday.

"The recent flow of economic data suggests that the economy was weaker than expected in the third quarter, probably showing essentially no growth at all," said Janet Yellen Tuesday in an address in Palo Alto, California.

"Growth in the fourth quarter appears to be weaker yet, with an outright contraction quite likely," she said. "Indeed, the U.S. economy appears to be in a recession."

Yellen spoke just hours after official data showed the budget deficit tripled in size in the 2007-08 accounting year to $455 billion, or 3.2 percent of gross domestic product.

Her remarks also followed a dramatic period that saw the U.S. government, for the first time since the Great Depression, partially nationalize major banks in its latest move to restore confidence to badly-shaken financial markets.

Economic downturns are a double blow for government budgets because they reduce tax revenue for governments and increase the need for social security spending in the form of unemployment benefits.

Attention Red States-The McCain Bush Economy Is Killing NASCAR

If ever the red states needed a reason to vote AGAINST four more years of George Bush Economic policies, it comes in an article published exclusively on the Bloomberg News Services. Red State Citizens, NASCAR Dad's, racing fans throughout Rural America love racing, flock to NASCAR events all across America's Heartland...well, those events are all made possible, the Race for the NASCAR Championship a reality through corporate sponsorship. Sadly, as the horrific consequences of eight years of McCain supported Bush Economic policies grip our nation, as the failures of trickle down economics decimate our Middle Class, it seems that one of the biggest VICTIMS of George Bush, Cindy and John McCain trickle down economics could be NASCAR, America's number two sport behind only football! Say it isn't so Joe Six Pack America, but sadly it is. Bush's failed economic experiments, the Bush Administrations lies and deciet are finally killing NASCAR as corporate sponsorship shrivels up and dies on the vine. So tell me Joe six pack, tell me NASCAR Dad's and NASCAR Babes, do you really want four more years of a George W. Bush/John McCain Republican Economy? Is voting RED worth losing your Sunday NASCAR over?

Nascar Hits Wall as Financial Crisis Dents Sponsorships Demand

By Gene Laverty

Oct. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Sponsors of Nascar, the No. 2 sport on U.S. television after professional football, are slamming on the brakes because of the world's financial crisis.

General Motors Corp., Chrysler Corp., Sears Holdings Corp. and Chevron Corp. will cut or drop sponsorships next season. Dario Franchitti, the 2007 Indianapolis 500 winner was forced out of the stock-car series by a lack of sponsors.

Teams with family names revered in stock-car racing like Petty, Waltrip and Earnhardt may enter 2009 with unfunded cars. The circuit might even have trouble filling 43-car fields.

``There's maybe 26 teams that have sponsorship for next year, and five or six that have partial,'' said Michael Waltrip, an owner and driver who shored up his finances by selling a stake to Fortress Investment Group LLC founder Robert Kauffman a year ago. Waltrip, 45, faces 2009 with only one of three cars fully sponsored. He said he might have to shut down one team.

Virginia Wrongly Approves Voting Day DRESS CODE

This is bullsheeet! Where does Virginia get off at in establishing a Election Day DRESS CODE in a feeble attempt to save the John McCain Campaign in that state? The GOOD NEWS FOLKS is in the FINE PRINT. You cannot wear buttons, shirts, or hats that promote the election of or defeat of any specific candidate! The ruling is mute on SUPPORTING A PARTICULAR PARTY if you get my drift! Additionally, the ruling is MUTE on wearing socks or shoes that advocate the election of any particular candidate! HEY CONVERSE, how fast can you make up some OBAMA SNEAKERS? HELP IS ON THE WAY!

Va. Voters Told to Leave Their Campaign Clothes at Home on Election Day

By BOB LEWIS Associated Press Writer
RICHMOND, Va. October 14, 2008 (AP)

The Associated Press

Virginia voters won't be allowed to wear clothing featuring John McCain or Barack Obama when they head to the polls on Nov. 4.

Virginia voters won't be allowed to wear clothing featuring John McCain or Barack Obama when they...

Virginia voters won't be allowed to wear clothing featuring John McCain or Barack Obama when they head to the polls on Nov. 4. The State Board of Elections on Tuesday voted to ban clothing and hats as well as buttons and other paraphernalia that directly advocate the election or defeat of a specific candidate or issue.

(Getty Images)
More Photos

The State Board of Elections on Tuesday voted to ban clothing and hats as well as buttons and other paraphernalia that directly advocate the election or defeat of a specific candidate or issue.

The American Civil Liberties Union argued that the ban violates the First Amendment's right to free speech. The board, however, said it has to weigh that against the right to vote free of undue influence or the tension that candidate advocacy might create.

Efforts to enforce a similar ban are headed to court in Pennsylvania. At least four states — Maine, Montana, Vermont and Kansas — prohibit wearing campaign buttons, stickers and badges inside polling places.

Stop Proposition 8 In California! What You Can Do

Earlier this evening I put up a post asking all of you to help DEFEAT Prop 8 out in California. That post has brought some new visitors to Washington Scandal. One of these, feministe.us had a great post which included things you could do TO HELP THE CAUSE. Unless they write back objecting, feel compelled to share their great list here! By the way, at the end of the post they ask for suggestions that have been missed. I have two of them. 1) Ask everyone that has a blog to either link to their post, or copy feminste's post to their own blogs. 2) Ask the Twitter community to help get the workd out by twittering and retweeting the post.

Here’s what all of us can do:

1. Donate, donate, donate. I know it’s election season, and everyone is begging you for money. And there are a lot of worthy causes out there. But if you are able to give, this is probably the most important step that you can take to help the NO on Prop 8 campaign.

2. Spread the word. Write blog posts. Email friends and family. Urge others to donate, too.

3. Email Governor Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger has finally spoken out against Prop 8, but as a very high profile and influential politician, indeed one who is a Republican, he is in an excellent position to do more to actively campaign and dispel the myths that proponents of the initiative are spreading. Tell him so.

And if you’re in California:

4. Vote. And get your friends and family to vote, too.

5. Volunteer. Sign up today. Even if it’s only a couple hours of phone-banking, your effort can make a big difference. Even if you’re not in California, you can still click that link and get info on phone-banking from home! (Thanks Pizza Diavola!)

6. Get visible. Bumper stickers, signs, buttons, whatever — showing people in a visible way that there is strong opposition to Prop 8 has a bigger influence on public opinion than you may think.

7. Write a letter to the editor. NO on Prop 8 has the tools to help you write your letter today. Do it, and remember that even if yours doesn’t get published, the more that get written, the more that will show up in print.

Did I forget something? Let me know and I’ll add it to the post. Now get to work!

Bush's Signing Statement Dictatorship!

Shaking my head here...earlier tonight I posted about two SECRET White House memo's that approved CIA torture of prisoners, even though the Bush White House and administration had denied KNOWLEDGE of the torture. Now in another breaking news story it seems George Bush has used signing statements to declare key components of bills he signed into law as unconstitutional, saying they placed constraints on his Presidential Power!

1. Think the Iraq War is not about oil...one of the areas he had declared unconstitutional would have forbid money from the bill being used TO CONTROL IRAQI OIL!
2. Another section would have required negotiations to have Iraq share in the financial costs of the ongoing war...George Bush claims this would have weakened his powers as Commander and Chief.

In the other bill, he outlawed sections that would have strengthened legal protections against political interference with the internal watchdog officials at each executive agency. (As in INSPECTOR GENERALS!)

Based on this news, based on the fact that George W. Bush has used more signing statements to mutate Congressional Laws than all other presidents put together, I know what the first question in tomorrow night's debate should be. "If you are elected President of the United States, are you willing on your first day in office by executive degree to revoke all of George Bush's signing statements effective immediately?

Bush Declares Exceptions to Sections of Two Bills He Signed Into Law

By CHARLIE SAVAGE

Published: October 14, 2008

WASHINGTON — President Bush asserted on Tuesday that he had the executive power to bypass several parts of two bills: a military authorization act and a measure giving inspectors general greater independence from White House control.

Mr. Bush signed the two measures into law. But he then issued a so-called signing statement in which he instructed the executive branch to view parts of each as unconstitutional constraints on presidential power.

In the authorization bill, Mr. Bush challenged four sections. One forbid the money from being used “to exercise United States control of the oil resources of Iraq”; another required negotiations for an agreement by which Iraq would share some of the costs of the American military operations there.

The sections “purport to impose requirements that could inhibit the president’s ability to carry out his constitutional obligations,” including as commander in chief, Mr. Bush wrote.

In the other bill, he raised concerns about two sections that strengthen legal protections against political interference with the internal watchdog officials at each executive agency.

Bush Adminstration DICK WEED DOG TURDS Approved Torture

Do You Really Want Four More Years of the Same?

In breaking news in the Washington Post, the Bush Administration not only knew about torture, they approved it! We all knew this all along, but this proves it, shows us our fears and beliefs about the corruption within the Bush Administration was not only real, but justified! Congress should be called into Emergency Session, Articles of Impeachment issued against everyone in the Bush Administration associated with this traitorious act. Two secret memo's from the Bush Administration approved the CIA's use of torture, including waterboarding! Curious here...will those soldiers who were IMPRISONED recieve INSTANT PARDONS by George W. Bush? THEY WERE FOLLOWING ORDERS for God's sake...not approving of their actions, not approving of the pictures they took, but this BOMBSHELL shows America that they were telling the truth, that they were following orders from much further up the chain of command. Bush, you are a low life, scum sucking, slithering shit eating sack of camel dung. You are by far the WORST PRESIDENT this nation has ever known. On the Great Day of atonement when you stand naked before God, I will pray to the heavens that your trip to hell is a swift one.

CIA Tactics Endorsed In Secret Memos

Waterboarding Got White House Nod

By Joby Warrick

Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 15, 2008; Page A01

The Bush administration issued a pair of secret memos to the CIA in 2003 and 2004 that explicitly endorsed the agency's use of interrogation techniques such as waterboarding against al-Qaeda suspects -- documents prompted by worries among intelligence officials about a possible backlash if details of the program became public.

The classified memos, which have not been previously disclosed, were requested by then-CIA Director George J. Tenet more than a year after the start of the secret interrogations, according to four administration and intelligence officials familiar with the documents. Although Justice Department lawyers, beginning in 2002, had signed off on the agency's interrogation methods, senior CIA officials were troubled that White House policymakers had never endorsed the program in writing.

Chicken Hawk John McCain Declares War On You Tube!

Mr. Uncomfortable!

We all know that John McCain is no dove. He is the man that wants to take us to war in Iran, the man who wants to leave our troops in Iraq for 100 years. Apparently, he could not wait to get to the White House to declare war on somebody, anybody as he has JUST GONE TO WAR WITH YOU TUBE! Seems he has his wife's panties in a knot over the fact that some of his You Tube propaganda (commercials) have been removed at the request of some news agencies...seems John McCain has been usurping their copyrights, but then he has been doing that with musicians on the Campaign trail for quite some time now. His first volley into the You Tubes camp was a scathing letter to Chad Hurley, chief executive of You Tube. My advice to Chad...have your attornies write John a nice letter offering to look into the issue right after the election...sort of a Todd and Sarah Palin Troopergate approach if you know what I mean.

McCain Fights for Right to Remix on YouTube

By Saul Hansell

Internet issues have taken a back seat in the presidential campaign. But this week, even as John McCain unveiled his new economic plan, he also introduced a new position on copyright law.

Trevor Potter, the general counsel for the McCain-Palin campaign, sent a letter on Monday to Chad Hurley, the chief executive of YouTube, complaining that the video service, now owned by Google, has inappropriately removed McCain commercials from its site.

The commercials incorporated snippets of television news broadcasts. Using provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the news organizations demanded that the commercials be removed from YouTube because they violated the organizations’ copyrights. Full Article

The Last Debate-McCain Has No Choice...Must Go For Knockout Punch

Washington Scandal will again be blogging live during tomorrow nights debate, as well as twittering. You can follow me on twitter @beltwayscandal or watch as my twitter and blog are updated real time here on Washington Scandal. I'd also suggest you turn into C-SPAN which has a fabulous pre-debate web cam. You might also want to twitter @thefix who writes for the Washington Post.

Tomorrow night will only be exciting if McCain trys to deliver a knockout blow, and lets face it, with dwindling poll numbers, and pundits giving Obama the win in the first two debates, John McCain has no choice but to GAMBLE BIG, try to get in close and deliver a devasting knock out blow to Senator Obama...baring that, this election is over. With this reality hanging in the air, with John McCain being a street brawler, the debate could be a wild ride...but don't hold your breath. With all the racial rhetoric at the McCain and Palin rallies this past week, John McCain could knock himself out trying to throw the Ayar's punch. America knows he is not the reformer, which leaves him the economy and his experience as his one two punch. Not powerful weapons with his performance of late, which could see him lose his temper, start flailing wildly at Senator Obama with verbal barbs, and if that happens, we will watch Senator John McCain self destruct on national TV.

Obama should play it safe, but I wish he wouldn't. He has a chance here to knock out McCain, run the deck in the General Election, and move into the White House with a true mandate from the citizens of America. Calm and steady is great, but a good boxer can beat his opponent with well deliver sharp jabs to the gut, until finally out of energy, out of ideas, John McCain will crumble, his presidential bid over as the pundits pick the meat from the carcass of his campaign.

Not A Big Fan of Ellen, But Big Supporter Of Her Right to Get Married

I'm not a big fan of Ellen's...her morning talk show is just not my cup of tea. That being said, I am a big supporter of her right to get/be married, support EQUAL RIGHTS for all citizens of the world. It is simple...a Marriage License is issued by our government, the church HAS NOTHING to do with it. They (the church) bless a marriage in a formal church ceremony, nothing more and nothing less. It is time we stopped arguing over semantics and give all people the right to marry the partner of their own choice, even if that choice is a member of the same sex. If you are a California voter I beg you to do the right thing and VOTE NO on Prop 8 which would deny gay citizens of California their Equal Rights if passed into law.

The Religious Right is spending tens of millions dollars on Proposition 8. Please help stop their Propaganda War by reposting this on your blog, or putting a link to it out to your friends via Twitter.