Surprise!  McCain is a liar...even lying to Letterman.  For shame.

Who knew they were so much like us...

I can't tell if this guy is legit or not...

For my Michigan friends...An update on the Republican voter suppression effort and Obama's response:

Tina Fey & Amy Poehler return to SNL for a night...

I heard a lot about "small town" values from Republicans. Have you heard this story about a small town mayor in Alaska?

A spunky mayor was elected in the town of Wasilla. Her name was Sarah Palin. Things started out well for this young upstart, but, alas, that could not last. The mayor had Very Important Issues to handle and Very Important People to keep happy. What a long To Do list she had! Of course, number one on her list was campaign contributors: The local bars and the NRA. They were not happy with the local police chief one bit. He wanted to change the bars' last call from 5 to 2 am -- What gall! Lucky for them, there was a new mayor in town. Mayor Palin wrote a Very Serious Letter. Who cares about all the drunk driving and accidents? She got that mean old Police Chief fired! (And, while she was at it, Mayor Palin also got the librarian fired...for a little while, anyway. Hooray for power!) No small town would be right without a police chief, so Mayor Palin hired Charlie Fannon. Fannon shared her belief in fiscal conservatism so much. It was great. He supported one way to save the good tax-paying citizens of Wasilla some money: Charging the victims of sexual assault for the cost of the forensic tests used. Even when the Governor signed a law stopping that practice, Police Chief Fannon protested. What dedication! Hooray for money! Well, the story doesn't end just yet, boys and girls. Mayor Palin would become Governor Palin soon enough. And she'd take those small town values with her to the Governor's office, and may one day be elected to the White House. And then we'd all live happily ever after....right?

It's nice to hear the truth once in a while...

That is the 'tag line' for Son of Rambow, the movie Kev & I watched last night.  It was great!  (Thanks for the recommendation, Emmett.)  Watch it and enjoy.


Speaking of make believe, I'm watching VP nominee Sarah Palin speak.  She's not in St. Paul, she's in la-la-land.  Under a McCain/Palin administration, she promises to help solve the energy crisis by drilling for oil and building nuclear plants.  Nothing about actually reducing our dependency on oil or what we'd do with the nuclear waste.  Making fun of American's legal rights now.  Oh, yes, let's get rid of (more of) our civil/legal rights because I'm so weak and scared and I need government to save me.  Oh, and then she chides Obama and states he wants to make government bigger.  She's condescending.  And she said Obama wrote two memoirs, but never wrote one law.  (Not true, by the way.) 

A few notes about the set-up....The close-up shots of Palin are in front of an all-black background.  "Her backdrop is the endless void of the soul.  This is a good start."  I'm watching the crowd shots and have yet to see a non-white face in the crowd.  Although the crowd is much smaller than at the Democratic National Convention.  Also, in certain shots you can see the teleprompter, which is not a big deal, but kind of annoying.  (I never once saw it during Obama's speech.) 

Overall:  Blah.

Barack Obama must be our next President.

I'll watch McCain's speech next week. I do feel an obligation to listen for myself instead of just accepting the conventional "wisdom" spouted by the talking heads. I will give McCain a fair shot at convincing me to vote for him. But it's not looking good for him.

Four years ago, I wasn't thrilled with Kerry. I was actually voting against Bush. I walked my neighborhood to get out the vote, and by the end of Wednesday, Bush had another four years in office. Enter the Stages of Grief.

Denial: No, that can't be right. There was fraud! Voter suppression! There will be a recount.
Anger: I hate the blind, ignorant, and/or selfish people who voted Bush back in.
Bargaining: Okay, look, maybe it won't be so bad. I mean, how much worse can it really get?
Depression: Don't talk to me about politics. I give up on the American government.
Acceptance: Shit. Four more years...


Obama exudes a confidence and calm demeanor. I believe it's genuine. His speech four years ago at the last Democratic National Convention introduced him to the rest of the country. It launched him on the national stage, and he took it from there. It's hard to believe it's already (and that it's only) been four years. After watching Obama's acceptance speech tonight, I am 100% voting for Obama. It wasn't just great platitudes and eloquence. Don't get me wrong -- he was eloquent and he was inspiring -- but there were concrete ideas and a clear vision for our country. It is a country I want to live in, and one that I want to work to achieve. I am 100% voting for Obama.

I can't possibly explain Obama's plan any better than he can. If you are going to vote, I ask you to take some time and watch and listen. Here is part one the whole thing:
(Thank you, Mary!)




(If you want to skip the all the cheering at the beginning, then jump to about 1:55 in).

1.  I'm a bit of a youngster, so it's good to be reminded of why Obama's nomination is historic.  I'm proud today, too. 

2.  Do you have health insurance - Yes or no?  Oh, wait, you can not answer "no" according to one of McCain's health care policy advisers:


Anyone else feel the chill run down their spine after reading his "solution"?

What's the difference between items one and two? 
Raising the bar for America ...vs... New lows.

"No way, no how, no McCain."

No kidding!  Hillary Clinton did a great job at making the case to her die-hard supporters tonight:  Do they want "4 more years of the last 8 years"?  No way -- Then vote Obama!  I am happy she ran for the presidency.  Happier that Obama won, but it was inspiring to see a woman make it that far and bring her issues to the table, especially healthcare.  (Check out Amy's blog on how far women have come.) 

The media plays up the "Democrats in disarray" story because that is the narrative story they're so used to telling.  I don't think it is all malice, but simple laziness.  She asked straight out, "Were you in it just for me?"  Yeah, there will be a few Hillary supporters who may now vote for McCain, but I think that means they aren't really Democrats (or liberal or progressive).  Unity, "with a single purpose" in mind of electing Obama and turning the country back in the right direction.  I read that (a stunning) 80% of the country thinks the country is on the wrong track.  Obama is change; McCain is more of the same.  I've never been a fan or foe of Hillary, but I have to give her respect.  She may not be as eloquent as Obama, but she drove that point home tonight.  I highly recommend watching the whole thing for yourself.  (I found it in 3 parts on youtube.  Part 3 is below...)

I watched Michelle Obama's speech tonight.  In a word:  Impressive.  She really exemplified everything I hope in a First Lady.  She's intelligent, well-spoken, and warm.  I really saw the love for her husband and family and America.  I also heard the tail-end of an interview with Michelle Obama on NPR today.  Michele Norris, the host, stated that she has been characterized as "angry" and asked if she changed herself because of that.  Obama's answer was good  (I'm paraphrasing...):   That she could not change who she was because of what others said about her.  She wanted to be able to look at herself (and to have Barack Obama look at her) at the end of the day and recognize herself.  The characterization of Michelle as "angry" or "militant" upset me.  Is she cast in that light because (some) men don't like the idea of a strong woman?  Because she has her own opinions and speaks her mind?  Because she is more than arm candy or a wallet?   It just rubbed me the wrong way, and reminds me that there still is a different set of expectations for women in the public eye.  (That, and Brian Williams commenting on her clothing choice...WTF?!?) 

A clear look, courtesy of the Washington Post: 


It would be better for my bank account if Obama is the next president.

I went skydiving with the Army Golden Knights.
Bill Murray went skydiving with the Army Golden Knights.
 
(And I'm 99% sure that the guy he jumped with is the same guy I jumped with.  His name is Joe Jones.)

It gives me a rush of adrenaline just watching it.  And it makes me want to jump again. 

In other news, I am spending way too much time in front of the warm glow of the computer screen now that I have this laptop. 

So I finally gave in to my curiosity and watched The Notebook.  It was actually not bad, and not totally schmaltzy as I imagined.  The 'storytelling'/flashback scenes were all right, but it was the ending that did it for me.   

SPOILER ALERT: 

I figured it was their story he was reading, but his patience and tenderness was beautiful.  And when she recognized him and remembered...well, I am not ashamed to admit I was so touched that I cried.  No, sobbed would be a more accurate term.  It was wonderful.  A very satisfying movie overall.