http://www.fundable.com/groupactions/groupaction.2...

Please check this out!! and if you can give $10, it would be greatly appreciated!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNBXbDGg3vU

A song for all you self professed insomniacs.

here's a VERY VERY VERY rough version of my latest...

hope you likey.

Johnny Johnson was a friend of mine
6 years old in 69
His daddy worked in the back of the shop
Fixing cars for my grandpa
Me and Johnny loved to help
Fetching tools from off the shelf
The smell of grease and his daddy's smokes
Washing our hands with lava soap

When Johnny came to my house to play
All the other children stayed away
All the other mothers only frowned
On the brown skinned boy from colored town

Johnny lived across the tracks
In a row of worn out shacks
Where the pickings were mighty slim
For other folks that looked like him
Me and Johnny went to school
Found out fast it wasn't cool
For girls and boys like us to play
Teachers were like moms that way

But Johnny came to my house to play
All the other children stayed away
All the other mothers only frowned
On the brown skinned boy from colored town

I wish the ending to this song
Was we stayed friends our whole life long
I'd call him up on November 4
And say we don't have to hide no more

last night i dreamed my status update. rather i was contemplating in my dream what my status was going to be. it involved politics and religion and the combination of the two. and i realized when i woke up this morning how much this is on my mind...

figured i'd take a stab at voicing it. not to sway anyone on either side (what you believe is your business..) .just to state where i am...

i grew up baptist. i grew up baptist because my dad was baptist and more importantly because my grandmother was baptist. that was the only exposure i had. it's not as if i was taken to a religious smorgasbord and asked to look at all the different possibilities and even taste a few before deciding, "oh yes, baptist tastes best to me...:it was more like going to a hot dog stand where you buy a hot dog because hot dogs are what is for sale. and i like hot dogs okay, so i never complained or had a reason to...and i grew up republican (although i have to say honestly that i never put much thought into that part until later) for the very same reasons. and i always assumed that the two went hand in hand.

it's just that one day, due to my particular set of life circumstances i began to venture outside my box. my baptist box. i ventured as far as a bible church. not far you might think, but to my grandmother and some of my baptist friends, it was a BIG DEAL. i spent several years there before moving on to a "seekers" church. i have to say, i really liked it there. i like that they were appealing to ALL people. to folks who had never been to church as well as to folks that had been wounded by church somehow in their past. i spent quite a few years there. very involved. led bible studies, spoke at womens retreats, even led the sermon in the services one sunday (actually one saturday and sunday - as they had too many people to just have one service and had 3 instead - one on saturday night and two on sunday morning). and in theory, i loved it.

it's just that when my life circumstances got hard, outside of a very tiny core group of friends, what i felt from most of the folks there was a lot of judgement instead of a lot of love. and where i was feeling a lot of love was from a motley crew of musicians who barely knew me, who believed in anything and everything and nothing at all. people don't seem to understand that when someone is hurting or hungry, they don't need a bible verse. they don't even need to hear that you're praying for them, they need to hear that you'll listen to them over a cup of coffee. that you'll give them a tissue to dry their tears or just sit with them silently when they're scared or give them a piece of bread to calm their grumbling stomach.

my tiny core group of friends in the church, the ones that really KNEW me, did this for me. my other friends tended to avoid me as if i had a disease they might catch or worse yet, gossip about my circumstances in circles small enough that it inevitably got back to me, but then to my face, tell me they were praying for me and offer me a bible verse that might help. so i sought solace in my small group of friends and in the gypsy musicians that didn't seem to care what i believed but loved me and laughed with me and cried with me and offered me food and warmth and shelter. much like jesus might have.

and it was hard for me to justify. why was it that the people that seemed most like jesus were the people that didn't even necessarily believe in jesus? it was a sobering lesson for me to learn. and it made me think a lot about my own behavior. and it made me cringe to think of all the times i had shared a bible verse with someone and then walked away without asking how i might really be of service to them. it made me want to live differently. it made me want to talk less and act more.

so i retreated. into the world of music. into the world of songs and songwriting. into the world of sorting things out for myself and relying less and less on what people thought of me. or thought in general. i began listening to that still small voice in me. and i emerged different. but also the same.

i still believe in the words of jesus. i just believe that there are many ways of acting those words out and that even in the world of believers, no one is ever going to agree completely on what the MOST right way is. and does that really matter? why does being the MOST right matter? isn't LOVE the bottom line? for me, when love is the bottom line, fear leaves the picture. blame leaves the picture. shame leaves the picture. jesus was all about the love. the rest is minor details...

i wrote a song two summers ago that felt like one of the most personally powerful i'd ever written.

for the god whose name i used to know

i'm still praying
i know you're listening to me
but i'm not staying
the way i used to be
it was easy
when i knew your name
i still see you
but you don't look the same

friends are crying
i think you're smiling with me
i'm not dying
just learning to be free
i'm no longer
shackled to my shame
i grow stronger
when i fear the flame

raised my fists and busted through the sky
you rained down and said "you are love as much as i"
as much as i

i'm still praying
i know you're listening to me
_____________


that's where i stand. i look for places in my world, in my life, in the lives of my kids and the people that i come in contact with to be love.

if i make it to a church on sunday (and i say A church because as a traveling musician, you're never in the same spot often enough for it be just one), but if i don't make it, it doesn't make me love any less or make me LOVED any less.

how this relates to my politics? i look for, in a candidate, the same things i look for in myself. someone who seems honest, and sincere and caring about the poor, the sick, and needy and the hurting. someone who doesn't stir up hate and fear. someone who realizes that there is more than one way to look at a situation. someone who doesn't expect me to sign on just because they claim a certain title, or use certain buzz words (whether they ACT or vote on them or not) that are supposed to be important to people that love jesus.

for me, that candidate is barack obama. for you, that candidate might be someone else. but i don't feel the need to apologize or to deny my choice for fear of not agreeing...

voting is such a privilege in our country. don't take it lightly. vote your heart. vote your convictions. vote love.

wish i had written this one too...click click click

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQdmrFrM5lE

Thought this might be of interest to you:

Presidential Policies on the Arts -
Obama Has One, McCain Doesn't

Although history will judge the United States on the quality
of our artistic expression, there has been almost no discussion of
arts policy in the mainstream coverage of the current presidential
campaign. When future generations look back, will the U.S. be
honored for its cultural achievements? How will the candidates> ensure that the U.S. is an enduring inspiration to the world?

There are substantial differences between the two candidates
on this issue. Barack Obama has assembled a National Arts Policy
Committee of 33 arts leaders (approximately half are women), and
with their help he has drafted a two-page platform in support of
the arts. (See http://www.barackob ama.com/pdf/ issues/
additional/Obama_ FactSheet_ Arts.pdf) The Democratic platform
includes a plank that echoes Obama's views.

Text of the Arts Plank in the Democratic Platform

"Investment in the arts is an investment in our creativity and
cultural heritage, in our diversity, in our communities, and in our
humanity. We support art in schools and increased public funding
for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment
for the Humanities. We support the cultural exchange of artists around the world, spreading democracy and renewing America's status as a cultural and artistic center."

From page 43 of the Democratic platform at:
http:// www.workinglife. org/storage/ users/4/4/ images/111/ 2008%20democrati c%20
platform%20080808. pdf)

In stark contrast, neither John McCain's website nor the
Republican platform lists the arts as an issue. Even in the section
of their platform that deals with education, the Republicans stress
a "back to basics" approach and do not mention the arts. (See
http://platform. gop.com/2008Plat form.pdf )

Obama Promises More Money, More Favorable Laws

Obama promises to increase the budget of the National
Endowment for the Arts, which has dropped from its peak of $175
million in 1992 to $125 million now. He specifically mentions that
he will increase federal funding for arts education and for
"cultural diplomacy" programs which would send U.S. artists to
other countries as "cultural ambassadors. "
Obama states that he will advocate for legislative changes to
streamline the visa process (which has been very restricted since
9/11) to make it easier for artists and students to visit the U.S.,
and he supports a change in the federal tax code that would give
artists a break by letting them deduct the fair market value of
their work (instead of just the costs of their materials) when they
donate their works to charity.

An Artist Corps in the Schools

One of Obama's most interesting ideas is his plan to form an
"Artist Corps" of young artists trained to work in low-income
schools and their communities. Programs like this that create jobs
for artists have often been the most effective forms of arts
subsidy in the U.S.

For instance, in 1935 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
launched the Works Progress Administration in response to the
massive unemployment during the Great Depression. The WPA
philosophy was to put people back to work in jobs that would serve
the public and enhance the workers' skills and self-esteem.
Although the program only lasted until 1942, it employed up to
40,000 artists a year and provided training to many who became the
most distinguished artists of their generation.

Like many other citizens, U.S. artists are struggling to make
ends meet as a result of rapidly increasing prices for the basic
living expenses of housing, food, transportation, and health care.
Both candidates claim that their programs will help all Americans
address these issues, however the Republican policies over the past
8 years have made these problems worse. Obama's arts policy
recognizes that finding affordable health care is a particular
problem for many artists since they often work independently and
are not eligible for employer-funded health programs.

McCain Has A Record of Voting Against the Arts

Although the Arts Action Fund has been working since the New
Hampshire primaries in 2007 to obtain statements from each of the
candidates about their arts policies, the McCain campaign has not
addressed this issue. (For links to the arts policies of each
candidate, see http://www.artsacti onfund.org/ artsvote/ 001.asp .)

Therefore, the only way to deduce McCain's attitude towards
the arts is to review his voting record in the Senate, which
reveals that he has voted to reduce arts funding twice. (See
http://artsusa. www.capwiz. com/artsusa/ keyvotes. xc/?lvl=C)

In 1999 he was one of 16 senators who supported the Smith-
Ashcroft amendment which would have eliminated funding for the
National Endowment for the Arts. (The amendment failed.) Then in
2000 he was one of 27 senators who voted to reduce the National
Endowment for the Arts budget by $7.3 million. (This amendment also
failed.)

Given this voting record it seems unlikely that McCain will
lead any efforts to increase arts funding. However, prior to the
Reagan years, Republicans were more supportive of the arts. In
fact, the largest growth in the National Endowment for the Arts
budget was during the Nixon adminstration when the agency was under
the leadership of Nancy Hanks. Some Republicans remain interested
in the arts. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who tried
unsuccessfully for this year's presidential nomination, is a strong
advocate of arts education, and Republican legislators now comprise
39% of the Senate Cultural Caucus and 20% of the House Arts Caucus.
See http://www.artsacti onfund.org/ pdf/special_ reports/2006/
congressional_ report_card. pdf



Recommended Resources on Arts Policy Issues

* Americans for the Arts
Americans for the Arts (http://www.american sforthearts. org/) is a
501(c)(3) non-profit arts service organization that maintains an
extensive database of information about the arts and arts policy in
the U.S. They are the parent organization of a separate 501(c)(4)
lobbying organization called the Arts Action Fund
(www.artsactionfund .org).

The Arts Action Fund has created a brief on arts issues for
legislators (see http://www.artsacti onfund.org/ pdf/artsvote/
ArtsVoteIssueBrief. pdf) and they have launched the ArtsVote 2008
campaign, (http://www.artsacti onfund.org/ artsvote). They have
issued report cards on Congressional arts voting records, and they
are organizing voters to put pressure on candidates to support arts-
friendly legislation.

* Webster's World of Cultural Democracy

Don Adams and Arlene Goldbard, two arts consultants who have been
studying cultural policy for three decades, have done some of the
most perceptive writing on U.S. cultural policy that we have found.
Their well-written essays are extremely helpful in understanding
our current policies and imagining alternatives. Our personal
favorites are their essays on the history of U.S. cultural policy
(http://www.wwcd. org/policy/ US/UShistory. html), New Deal cultural
programs (http://www.wwcd. org/policy/ US/newdeal. html), and Arlene
Goldbard's wonderful 14 point call to action (http://www.wwcd. org/
issues/14pts. html).

>Can We Afford More Art?

The National Endowment for the Arts is the federal agency charged
with "bringing the arts to all Americans," but it seems unlikely
that they will succeed since their current budget of $125 million
represents only 42 cents per citizen per year.

We often hear that there is not enough money for the arts because
funds are needed for social services, education, or health care.
But the truth is that 42% of the $2 trillion federal budget goes to
the military.

Since our 2007 military expenses were $874 billion, our arts budget
of $125 million represents about one hour and 12 minutes of our
annual military spending. What could we create with even one full
day of peace where we could pay for artists instead of soldiers?

According to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, if
you had an expense account that let you spend $1 million dollars
per day, it would take 2,391 years to spend $872.6 billion, the
cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars so far.
armscontrolcenter. org

For more facts and analysis of the federal budget, check out the
National Priorities Project. They have many excellent charts that
will help you understand how your tax dollars are being spent.
nationalpriorities. org

..


McCains Brain - video powered by Metacafe

okay i know it's rank...but anything to make me laugh after the GOP debaucle...

..

Read this if you have any doubt...

ATTACKS, PRAISE STRETCH TRUTH AT GOP CONVENTION

By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer Wed Sep 3, 11:48 PM ET

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her Republican supporters held back little Wednesday as they issued dismissive attacks on Barack Obama and flattering praise on her credentials to be vice president. In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.
ADVERTISEMENT

Some examples:

PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."

THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."

PALIN: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate."

THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.

PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars."

THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.

Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.

He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.

MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.

THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.

MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC.

THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.

FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States."

THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.

FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY: "We need change, all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin."

THE FACTS: A Back-to-the-Future moment. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats have been in charge of the House and Senate.