Saturday, November 29, 2008

Did you know......

> My heart go out to the people of India who have gone through horrific terrorist attacks over the last few days. The Indian soldiers, firefighters, special forces, police, and regular people worked hard to reduce the disaster. I will remember their nation in my prayers.

> I've learned that the homeless population has greatly increased in Columbus, Ohio. According to an article in the Columbus Dispatch, more and more homeless have taken to living in small communties along the banks of the Olentangy River.

> We went shopping yesterday, but we were very, very cautious about what were purchased and how much we spent.

> I really enjoy watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It is a tradition in our household.

> Doesn't it seem like President Bush has already left the White House? If you haven't seen Rachel Maddow's Lame Duck Watch, you've missed a great segment.

> President Bush will be granting pardons to many people on his way out of office. Don't you wonder how many of his good old boys will get away with breaking the law?

> In case anyone cares, I really like the Rosie special. It was fun watching and a nice change from the regular TV programs.

> Rick Astley was a surprise performer in the Macy's parade.

> I'm sick of cleaning, cooking, serving, and eating turkey---at least for a year.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Does the Bush Administration Care?

Here is some frightening news about baby formula (Washington Post):
....Melamine Found in U.S. Infant Formula» The FDA said Tuesday that it had discovered the toxic chemical melamine in infant formula made by an American manufacturer... meanwhile, former FDA officials, members of Congress, watchdog groups and various government reports say the FDA desperately needs an infusion of strong leadership, money, technology and personnel -- and perhaps a major restructuring....

Did you notice there is no mention of a manufacturer? Is the administration more interested in protecting business instead of babies?

Breibart has an article from the AP that names the baby formula---

...According to FDA data for tests of 77 infant formula samples, a trace concentration of melamine was detected in one product—Mead Johnson's Infant Formula Powder, Enfamil LIPIL with Iron. An FDA spreadsheet shows two tests were conducted on the Enfamil, with readings of 0.137 and 0.14 parts per million.

Three tests of Nestle's Good Start Supreme Infant Formula with Iron detected an average of 0.247 parts per million of cyanuric acid, a melamine byproduct....

So far, there have been no recalls. The Bush administration has cut back on the FDA. It would rather protect businesses instead of babies.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Sad Facts About Chambliss

The runoff election in Georgia will have Republican Saxby Chambliss facing Democrat James "Jim" Martin.

Chambliss has a shameful record on veterans' issues. Even though Chambliss says he supports the troops, he has voted repeatedly against our troops and vets. Do you need examples?

Mainstream Populist Democrats
:

....Chambliss Voted Against the New GI Bill for Veterans of the Wars in Iraq & Afghanistan. According to the IAVA, Saxby Chambliss voted against the new GI Bill for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. (The Post-9/11 GI Bill: Fair Education Benefits for Veterans second vote.) The emergency supplemental funding for the Iraq War, to which the GI Bill was attached, bounced from the House to the Senate twice while legislators ironed out differences between the House and Senate versions of the legislation. In the second round of emergency supplemental voting on the Senate side, a new “transferability” provision had been added to the GI Bill at the behest of the Bush Administration. The new provision offers current service members who agree to remain in the military for ten years the opportunity to transfer their GI Bill benefit to their spouse or children. In a procedural vote to waive a Senate budgetary rule and bring the supplemental with the GI Bill to the floor, the GI Bill advanced by a margin of 77-21. For more information about this legislation, please see House votes 330 and 432 in the House Vote Descriptions, and Senate votes 137 and 162 in this section. [ http://www.iava.org; Senate Vote #161, 6/26/08; http://www.veteranreportcard.org/reportcard.pdf]....

....Chambliss Has Opposed Vets’ Program Funding At Least 23 Times in the Senate Alone. Since joining the Senate in 2003, Chambliss has voted against increased funding for veterans’ health care programs at least 23 times. [Vote 161, 6/26/08; Vote 114, 3/23/07 ; Vote 172, 5/17/07; Vote 222, 8/2/06; Vote 67, 3/16/06; Vote 63, 3/16/06; Vote 41, 3/14/06; Vote 15, 2/13/06; Vote 7, 2/2/06; Vote 343, 11/17/05; Vote 251, 10/5/05; Vote 114, 4/28/05; Vote 89, 4/12/05; Vote 90, 4/12/05; Vote 55, 3/16/05; Vote 145, 6/23/04; Vote 48, 3/11/04; Vote 40, 3/10/04; Vote 34, 3/9/04; Vote 379, 10/14/03; Vote 83, 3/25/03; Vote 81, 3/25/03; Vote 74, 3/21/03]
Chambliss Voted Against Additional Funding to Research Traumatic Brain Injury—thee “Signature Wound” of the Iraq War.....

Jim Martin's Facebook page has more details on the Chambliss record.

VoteVets has this You Tube video on the Chambliss vote against body armor for our troops:

Just Enough Politics

> With the Republicans still recovering from one of the largest election losses in modern times, you might think that they'd start to rethink their leadership. Perhaps, they'd even try to have a more inclusive group of people in charge to get the attention and support of more voters. Well, you were wrong.

According to a posting at MyDD, Kenneth Blackwell is considering running for RNC chair. That is terrific news for Democrats. Blackwell, who is politically to the right of Attila the Hun, is the former Ohio Secretary of State who "delivered" Ohio for George W. Bush.

> Does President Bush have a bit of "senior-itis"? "Senior-itis" is that malady when high school seniors abandon any interest in school. President Bush seems to have lost interest in governing. He just wants to end his term in office and return to clearing the brush in Texas. His interests now just center on granting pardons and issuing executive orders (which I hope a President Obama will overturn.).

> It looks like many Americans and world leaders are looking forward to the inauguration of President Obama. Even right-leaning U.S. News and World Report has positive things to says about Obama's economic agenda:

President-elect Barack Obama is getting largely positive media coverage on the issue of the economy, as did his new economic team, which is being cast as a group of highly capable, centrist economists. The Washington Post says Obama "is assembling a deeply experienced team of top economic advisers whose key members firmly believe limited government spending combined with free markets can create lasting prosperity." CNN's The Situation Room reported "Obama's pick of Timothy Geithner to be Treasury Secretary is highly celebrated." All three networks led their broadcasts with Obama's announcement. ABC World News reported Obama "may not yet be officially on the job, but he's on the case. And so is his brand new team...."


I think that President Obama will do a lot to help this country.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Important Matters

> The Ohio State Buckeyes beat Michigan yesterday. In case you didn't know, Ohio State has beat Michigan for 5 straight years. OH-IO!!!!! We'll certainly miss those seniors who played their last game.

> I don't know if you can feel the great anticipation for the Obama administration, but I can. People are very excited about the inauguration. With so many people planning to go to Washington, DC in January, hotel rooms are scarce. Residents of the area are offering rooms and whole houses for rent, according to a story in the Frederick News-Post Online.

> We are still waiting for that re-count in the Franken-Coleman race. Hopefully, we'll hear some good news soon.

> Here is a story about one gutsy teacher in Philadelphia (Philly.com):
A 12-year-old Philadelphia student has been suspended and charged with attempted rape after a 24-year-old teacher at the Beeber Middle School said she was attacked, authorities said.
The teacher - recognized by officials for her professionalism and poise during a stressful and highly unusual situation - was back in the classroom teaching yesterday....
...The teacher, who has not been identified, gained control and took the seventh grader to the principal's office, where administrators called police, Jordan said....

She is one amazing teacher.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Bush and the Ohio GOP

>Have you noticed that some cable news channels have nothing to talk about recently? Don't you think they should be talking about how Bush's "free market economy" has ruined this country? With so many people out of work, the stock market reaching new lows, and companies shutting down, Bush's administration will be right on par with Herbert Hoover's.

>I fully agree with Nancy Pelosi---- until the American automakers show lawmakers a plan, Congress will not provide any bailout money. The CEO's show up at the hearings in Washington, DC after flying in their own private jets. How can they ask for money to save their companies when they continue to live the high rolling lifestyle?

>The Other Paper has a very interesting article about the Ohio GOP and its future:

For the last decade, the Republicans in Ohio have traded an economic and fiscal message for a social one. The trumpeting of abortion and same-sex marriage rhetoric has turned off young voters, middle-class voters and Independent voters, and the party has suffered as a result. Or at least, that’s what incoming Ohio GOP chairman Kevin Dewine said two days after the state of Ohio handed his party a landslide loss.

Blame it on a moment of weakness. It was just one time and everybody experiments. And anyway, just because you say something socially moderate doesn’t make you a social moderate.....

“We have lost an entire generation of young voters,” Dewine told reporters. The party has wandered away from its roots of fiscal conservatism and has been fixated on “distracting social issues,” he said. In order to become attractive again, the party needs to build beyond its traditional base.....

Wow. DeWine admits that the Ohio GOP has "...lost an entire generation of voters..." and it makes me feel so good. The Ohio Republican Party reminds me of people just so out of step with the way real Americans live their lives. If the young Obama campaign volunteers are an indication of the future of the Democratic Party, the Ohio GOP may end up going the way of the Shakers.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Want to Know What I Think?

---I would have kicked Sen. Joe Lieberman out of the Democratic caucus. I'm not a member of the Democratic caucus and, therefore, no one asked my opinion.

---If I were a big shot at MSNBC, I'd send Chris Matthews to charm school. Matthews is the rudest interviewer on MSNBC-TV. Recently, with talk that Hillary Clinton being nominated as U.S. Secretary of State, Matthews has been even more ridiculous.

---I think that Sen. Chuck Hagel should declare himself a Democrat or at least vote with the Dems in the Senate.

--- Do you know why Republicans are against any loans for the Big Three automakers? Republicans intensely dislike the unions that are part of the auto industry. The unions, historically, have always supported the Democrats and now the GOP have decided to pay back the unions for their lack of support. Personally, I think that the auto industry should be provided with some loans, with certain restrictions:
1. Reduce and reorganize the various car companies. Cut out duplicate models.
2. Find a way to get rid of the SUV's and encourage smaller, more gas efficient autos.
3. Reward auto employees with ideas that reduce waste, improve productivity, and costs.
4. Eliminate all bonuses for executives until loans are repaid and a profit is made.
5. Eliminate all executive travel and all perks.
6. Provide complete transparency and government oversight so that we can view what and how the automakers have spent their money in the past.

---I heard Sarah Palin has been offered millions of dollars to write a book. Give me a break! Palin has already worn out the welcome mat for many people. I wouldn't offer her ten cents to write a book. You'll see her book reduced for quick sale tables at books stores.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Horses Saved --- For Now

The heartless people over at the Bureau of Land Management were fully prepared to start killing thousands of wild horses because they were too expensive to feed. (Of course, those $500 bottles of wine President Bush served at his economic summit certainly would have fed many horses.) The wild horses have been saved from slaughter. Washington Post:

....Madeleine Pickens, wife of billionaire T. Boone Pickens, made known her intentions to adopt not just the doomed wild horses but most or all of the 30,000 horses and burros kept in federal holding pens. Lifelong animal lovers, the Pickenses just a few years ago led the fight to close the last horse slaughterhouse in the United States.

Madeleine Pickens is looking for land in the West that would be an appropriate home for the horses....

...About 33,000 horses still roam wild on federal lands in 10 Western states. About half of those are in Nevada. The federal agency believes the range can accommodate only about 27,000 horses, and each year government-hired cowboys round up 7,000 to 13,000 horses and take them to holding pens in several states...

Thank you Madeleine Pickens!


You Betcha!

* Last night Barack and Michelle Obama appeared on 60 Minutes on CBS. I watched the entire interview and afterwards I felt good that such smart, nice people moving in the White House in 64 days.

* Jennifer Brunner, Ohio Secretary of State, should be applauded for her hard work during this election year. Despite the non-stop attacks by the Ohio GOP, Brunner protected voters and ballots from those who tried to deny many their rights.

* Republican Sen. John Kyl plans to filibuster any Supreme Court nominee that he deems "too liberal" (Bizjourals). Here we go with more Republican obstructionists.

* On Stephanie Miller's radio show this morning, there was a sound bite in which Newt Gingrich said that Gays go against traditional family values. Gingrich is definitely an expert in "family values" given his two divorces and three marriages. I guess he has forgotten about that check cashing scandal and those ethics problems he had while he was serving in the House of Representatives. If you are really interested in Newt Gingrich's "family values," you absolutely must read the Salon article that has it all.

* I think that before we give billions of dollars to the U.S. automakers, we need to ask them to cut back on their executive bonus packages.

* OMG! OMG! Run for cover. Sarah Palin might get a multi-million dollar book deal. I definitely do not plan to read it or buy it.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Republicans Trying to Throw Out Ballots in Ohio's 15th

Looks like Republicans are up to their dirty tricks again in Ohio.

Dispatch:

A new lawsuit has been filed against Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner arguing that she is telling the Franklin County Board of Elections to count provisional ballots that state law says should be rejected.....
.....The lawsuit was filed by two Franklin County voters on behalf of the campaign of Republican Steve Stivers, who leads Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy in the 15th District race by less than 400 votes with thousands of provisional ballots outstanding....

Isn't it amazing? Stivers, who was way behind in the polls before the election, is trying to use a lawsuit to win his way to Congress. Stivers, his supporters, and the Republican party will do anything they can to win, even if it means stealing the election by throwing out ballots.

Call Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy's office and ask how you can help her.

Update: ProgressOhio has even more on the lawsuit as well as links to the filings.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Seriously

* I'm tired of hearing about Sarah Palin. Matt Lauer's interview with Palin has forced me to change the channel every single time Palin talks.

* Last night on David Letterman, Don Rickles tried (unsuccessfully, I might add) to make a joke about Barack Obama. There were a lot of groans in the audience. I had to change the channel. Rickles and his humor are out of date.

* No one has asked me what to do with Sen. Joe Lieberman and if he can caucus with the Dems. I think Lieberman was blatantly disloyal to the caucus. He spoke openly and disparaged their reputations and that of candidate Obama. If I had a vote, he'd be out the door of the caucus.

* I sincerely hope that Obama will be able to get our troops out of Iraq. By the way, did you know that Saxby Chambliss voted against funding for body armour for our troops? Vote Vets has the details.

* Let the Obama family decide on their own about the proper school for their daughters. Given their abilities and security matters, this is their family's decision. The dog? They need to choose their own puppy. They are the ones that will live with it.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

In Honor of Veterans' Day

I thank you for your service. I hope that one day soon, all our troops will be home.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Monday's Notes

>>> If you want to keep an eye on the Al Franken vote count in Minnesota, visit the Minnesota Secretary of State's site here. At this point, slimy Coleman is only ahead by 200 votes.

> President-elect Barack Obama will visit the White House today.

> Change is happening in the U.S. Senate. Honolulu Star Bulletin:

HAVING native son Barack Obama on the doorstep of the White House has already raised Hawaii's profile on the nation's political stage. Now, with U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye taking the helm of the powerful Appropriations Committee, the state farthest from the U.S. capital -- and arguably the minds of most Americans -- stands to gain a lot more influence than before.

Moreover, if Hawaii's other senator, Daniel Akaka, becomes the new chairman of the Homeland Security panel the islands could hold bigger sway in Washington.

Inouye assumes the chairmanship long held by West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd, who at age 90 voluntarily relinquished the post in advance of a reorganization of the Senate later this month.....

> Now that the Republicans have lost the White House, some GOP politicians are already getting their sights on 2012. Mike Huckabee (fried squirrel gourmand) and Bobb Jindal (creationist education advocate), are planning to spend some of their future time in Iowa.

Saturday, November 08, 2008

John Boehner is Wrong!!!!

Republican Rep. John Boehner has been spouting off at the mouth again. Boehner apparently doesn't realize that his party lost, and lost big.

Detroit News:
....House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, issued a statement arguing that any stimulus plan should be built around tax cuts, rather than new spending, and calling on Obama to "govern from the center."
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
:
...America is still a center-right country. This election was neither a referendum in favor of the left’s approach to key issues nor a mandate for big government....

Barack Obama won by a landslide. Boehner has it all wrong. The American voter has rejected the Republicans, the Boehners, their big government with massive deficits, and two wars. Mr. Boehner needs to realize that America is now center or center-left now. We've had enough Republican obstructionists, Republican scandals (Do you need a list?), and the Republican failures. It is time to move on for change. America has spoken.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

The Transition

President-elect Barack Obama is already getting his staff together. There is a website that has been put up by the Obama-Biden team. Besides general information, the agenda, and a blog, Americans are encouraged to "Share Ideas" with the President-elect. If you are looking for a job with the administration, you may apply for a job online.

This is all very impressive. I think the fact that the Obama campaign used the internet and text messaging to communicate shows that they are definitely way ahead of anything the Republicans did.

Here in Ohio, the Republicans are blaming each other for their losses. While Republican chairman, Kevin DeWine, gave daily rants and complaints about Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, the Obama campaign and Ohio Democrats spent their time getting out the vote. It seems to me that DeWine was so determined to destroy Brunner, that he forgot to work for his political party. On the Channel 10 news, Kevin DeWine was lamenting the fact that the GOP needs to work on attracting young people. Really? It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the Republican Party is made up of almost entirely of whites and men. Who wants to hang out with a crowd like that?

Congratulations to Jennifer Brunner in winning the court fights against the GOP and in conducting fair a free elections.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Still Smiling

Yes, I am still smiling about the Obama election. This was a tremendous victory and something of a landslide (although Republicans would never admit it). According to CNN, President George W. Bush won 286 electoral votes in 2004. President-elect Barack Obama has 364 electoral votes (CNN). In 2004, Bush declared that he had won a mandate. Unfortunately for Bush, Obama won a bigger mandate because 364>286. (Note: Obama won North Carolina and I've added those 15 electoral votes to his total.)

>I was doing some channel surfing and I notices two very sad faces, William Bennett and Joe Scarborough. They were certainly in sour moods.

>The Senate race in Minnesota is not over. There will be an automatic recount and I sincerely hope that Al Franken wins it.

>I think that Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner did a great job with the Ohio elections. Despite the fact that the Republicans sued her, and even took her to the U.S. Supreme Court, Brunner won, got the job done in Ohio and votes were actually counted. The Republicans will start to launch attacks very soon because they want to own the office of Ohio Secretary of State. We should flood newspapers with letters to editors to congratulate Brunner on a successful election.

>Republicans are mystified by how Barack Obama won so many states. The Obama campaign worked 7 days per week and covered every inch of the states. In Ohio, there were 90 Obama campaign offices staffed with lots and lots of enthusiastic volunteers. The Obama GOTV (get out the vote) program was astounding and the best I've ever seen.

Obama!!!

This is by far one of the most exciting campaigns. I worked as a volunteer on the Obama-Biden Ohio Campaign for Change. My volunteer experience goes all the way back to McGovern when I was a college student. However, nothing compares with the organization and "boots on the ground" that the Obama campaign put together. It was amazing.

Now that President-elect Barack Obama will begin his transition to the White House, let us continue working together to support him and his administration.

Yes we can! Yes we did!

Monday, November 03, 2008

Get Out There And Vote!!!

I'll be working at the polls on Tuesday. Don't fret if the lines are long, bring a newspaper, puzzle book, or a book to pass the time. This day has been a long time coming and we can't give up when we are so close. Just remember-

VOTE OBAMA!
VOTE DEMOCRATIC!


Vote for change!!!!!


Big Rally in Columbus Today!!!!!

Special Rally Today, Monday, November 3rd:

To support Barack Obama for President,
Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, & Diddy
will appear today at Mayme Moore Park
867 Mt. Vernon Avenue
in Columbus.

Doors open at 5:30pm.

Free and open to the public! For more info: OH.BarackObama.com/mjbligeohio


To RSVP for the event----- http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/jayzohio

Saturday, November 01, 2008

Obama in Columbus on Sunday!

Sen. Barack Obama will be in Columbus at the Ohio Statehouse on Sunday (gates open at 11am). Be there!

>> The Republicans are throwing lies and insults at Sen. Obama. Today, Republican Rep. John Boehner called Sen. Obama a "...chickensh*t..." (Sources: Toledo Blade, Washington Post, Miami Student.) Boehner should be ashamed of himself.

What are the Republicans offering voters this year? More of the same.

Do you want to see what you'd save under the Obama Tax Cut? Check it out here>>>>>>> ObamaTaxCut. You'll be very surprised at how much more you'll get with Obama than McCain.