Political Satire.

A few weeks ago I met someone who is going to run for the U.S. Senate against Chuck Grassley. He advised me to find out more about his politics to check out his web site. So I did. I quickly found out it is full of hilarious political satire. Classical funny stuff. The interesting and scary thing is a lot of this attitude and ideas on his site would likely work today. Check out the site;
Sky Damon

By the way his name is not really Sky Damon, it is Randall and he lives in Des Moines. A really funny and charismatic person. I enjoyed meeting and talking with him. He has a great sense of humor.

Reinstating this blog.

After a period of time when this blog was deactivated I am reactivating it. I will continue to post my political view of things along with my opinion. My opinion may be found offensive by some. For those that can not deal with that then I ask that you leave this blog and not return. Some people just need to grow a thicker skin. What this blog will not have in it is threats or foul language. I am capable of getting my point across with out posting garbage like that. One thing I will not tolerate from those who leave comments is threats or foul language. If it happens you will be turned in to the authorities. Keep in mind I have the ability to track your IP address, so do you really want to risk it? Yes it has happened in the past by some people. To leave a comment you have to be a google member nad have a username. I observe the right to decide whether or not to allow the comments to be posted and if they are I observe the right to remove any comments as I see fit. Comment moderation will be turned on.

Oh my! How the closet racists are coming out.

Ever since Barack Obama was elected to be the next President of the United States I have heard a lot of people making rather vulgar and cruel racist remarks about the color of his skin and ethnicity. Some of these people, most of whom I work with, I would never have expected to hear words like this coming out of their mouths. Most of it is in the form of racist jokes, which I do not find funny at all. Some of it is not told as a joke but rather a blantant and cruel statment about his race. I ignore it and take no part in it. If someone tries to engage me in conversation about it I politley say I find this type of attitude and your remarks offensive and want no part in discussing it. The jokes I ignore and walk away and do not laugh at. My wife has heard people she knows, mostly co-workers, make similar statements and jokes.

It has gotten do bad I am debating whether or not to talk with my supervisor about it to have the word put out it is to stop. My company has a zero tolerance policy on jokes and comments that are racist in nature. Thing is I am not African American. These jokes and comments do not apply to me. It is kind of hard for a white person to be offended by jokes and comments about black people. I am not sure if I would be able to do anything about it. Also if the word is put out it is likely rumors will circulate as to who complained about it and I could be alienated from my co-workers. For the most part I like these people and I have to work with them. They know I like and voted for Obama. It will not be hard for them to put 2 and 2 together as most of them are either republican or they have not let on who they voted for.

I guess I'll have to do some hard thinking over the rest of the weekend and do the right thing.

I am just amazed at the closet racists coming out though. I never thought it would be this bad and maybe I was naive in thinking that as a country Americans have moved on beyond this sort of thing. I guess some of us still have some improving to do.

She was right.

Back when Hillary Clinton was still campaigning against Barack Obama and all of the othe Democrats my wife made a prediction. She predicted America will put an African American in the White House before we put a woman in the White House. When the Presidential race came down to the final 2 and their running mates her prediction held true. American elected Barack Obama as the first African American President, instead of john mccain and his running mate, sarah palin.

OBAMA/BIDEN and the DEMOCRATS WON!!!

If you don't know by now that Barack Obama and Joe Biden has won the Presidency/Vice Presidency then you are living under a rock. The Democrats have also won control of Washington D.C. Last night on the 10:00 pm news it was announced that Barack Obama is going to be the 44th President of the United States. The news report stated mccain called and conceded, admitting defeat.

My wife and I had the results online form msnbc.com, it updated every 2 min. that way we could watch other things on TV and go into the den to check the results at the commercial breaks. We knew once Obama won California, with their 55 Electoral College Votes there was no way mccain would have been able to catch up and win.

The first of the 2 to speak was mccain, from Phoenix, Az. The crowd of republicans were very quiet, most looked very pissed off, some were in tears, whole others had a complete and utter look of disbelief on their faces. mccain gave a very honorab le and eloquent speech and urged his feloow republicans to support Barack Obama for the next 4 years. He encouraged unity in the time to come. As he spoke the crowd was very quiet until he mentioned this, then the crowd booed. Talk about a bunch of sore losers. mccain lost with honor, for that I have some respect for him. To the people who booed last night I say get over it! The right man for the job won. Did you really expect mccain was going to win after your boy, george bush, has done what he did over the last 8 years in the White House?

I have been readng through a lot of discussion forums and online newspaper articles where people can comment on the subject of the article lately Some of the discussion forums are political, most are not, all of the online news articles are. On the discussion forums that are not, the talk, as can be expected, has turned political. This morning when I was reading through some of them I have seen clear evidence of utter anger toward Obama winning. The same with the online news articles I have read. I am shocked at some of the vulgarities stated against Obama and the Democratic Party. There is also some evidence of people elluding to wishing harm on Obama as well as what could be considered threats by some toward him. People who are doing this need to realize something. Despite their feelings and despite the freedom of speech, people do not have a free pass to state threats or anything that could be considered a threat. The freedom of speech is not an absolute, never has been, never will be. These angry people also need to realize the Secret Service, FBI and other law enforcement bodies are closely watching and monitoring these comments on news articles and trhings posted in discussion forums.

Now the time of change and hope for a better America and future of our way of life is here. It is time for all Americans to unite as one to make this happen.

Congratulations Barack Obama and Joe Biden for your victory! I hope you both do what you have promised. I am one American who expects you to deliver on what you said you are going to do.

Here are some news articles:
Obama sweeps to victory as first black president
Obama's near-flawless run from start to finish

Woman refuses Halloween treats to kids.

The woman in this video is incompetent. There is no other way to describe it. Refusing treats to kids on Halloween because of their parents political beliefs. How foolish can one person be? I wonder what she does on Christmas if people she gives gifts to voted for Barack Obama. I bet she does not give gifts to those who supported and voted for Obama despite the spirit of the Holiday Season. She obviously knows nothing about the spirit of Halloween either.

Video:

I Voted Today

I voted today. As I stated I rode my bike to my polling place on the way to work this morning. I cast my vote for Democratic Ticket, the judges, the non-partisan state and county offices as well as an amendment to the state constitution. So I did my civic duty and exercised my Democratic rights under the law. Have you? If not, and you're legally allowed to vote then you should go do so.

Update: Going to ride bike to the polling place.

I changed my mind about riding bike to the polling place. I am still going to ride to my polling location to vote. What I changed my mind about it is when. I was going to ride to the polling location after work. Instead I am going to ride to my polling location before work. If I rode after work I would get there between 7:30 and 8 pm. THe polls in Iowa close at 9 pm. What I do not know is if I vote after work and the lines are really long at my polling location and 9 pm rolls around and I am still in line whether or not I will get to vote. I am not going to take that chance so I will vote before work. After all I want to make sure my vote counts against the republicans and for the Democrats.

Going to ride bike to the polling place.

The place I vote at is literally right down the street from where I live. The polls close at 9:00 pm Central Standard Time.

I am off work at 7:00 pm. Tuesday is going to be a very nice day. When it is nice enough I always commute to and from work on my bike. I usually leave work between 7 and 7:30 pm and get home between 7:30 and 8 pm when I ride bike. On election night I am going to make a political statement at my polling place. I am going to ride bike to the polling place and cast my vote for straight Democratic ticket, then ride home.

In other words I am going to make a political statement using my bicycle. I can't wait to exercise my right's under the law with doing this.

National General Election Results

This is the results of Election Night on how the nation voted for President and Vice President. I certianly hope to see more blue states then red, which means Barack Obama and Joe Biden has won.

The republicans at your service.

Last night on the news it was announced that a company I used to work for is going to cut 1,200 jobs by the end of 2008, I have not worked at this company for over a year now and left on my own. The facility I used to work at employees about 400 to 450 people, Right now it is unknown whether or not any of those jobs will be lost. This company has already started restructuring their management. The director and several other managers at the office I worked at have either been transferred or lost their jobs. This company has a very good union. It is not known what if any affect the union will have over the pending job losses or if the occupational employees will lose their jobs. This company also employs over 20,000 people, 1,200 is not a lot compared to 20,000 but that does not mean the people at the facility where I used to work will keep their jobs. The reason for this is very poor 3rd quarter earnings. The reason that happened is the crappy economy. The reason for the crappy economy is the republican White House.

On a somewhat good note it was announced another company I used to work at is going to add an additional 700 new jobs. I left this company on my own as well this past June. This company is contracted by other companies to do tech. support, sales, customer service and order support, etc. This company is headquartered in Texas, a republican state and where our current idiot of a President is from. These 700 new jobs are only going to pay $9.00 to $9.50 an hour. I stated in a previous blog post about tax breaks given to large corporations and these large corporations add new jobs under the guise they are using the freed up money from the tax breaks to do so. The problem is the new jobs do not pay squat, not enough to make a good living and provide for your family. $9.00 to $9.50 an hour? I mean come on! Who are they fooling?! Sure the 700 new jobs will add to the income tax base for this area. But the price of goods has not gotten any lower so it is still just as expensive to put food on the table and provide for a family as it was over a year ago, if not more expensive.

The reason companies are farming out work to companies that are contracted to do it is because it is cheaper. The contracted companies, while adding more jobs, pay lower wages and the benefits are not that great either, if they exist at all. If those 400 to 450 lose their jobs, which are higher paying and with excellent benefits, where do you think they are going to go? Probably over to the company that does the contract work, with much lower wages and crappy benefits compared to what they used to do.

The republicans at your service.

Tax Cut Facts

Barack Obama and Joe Biden have set up a calculator that shows, if the correct figures are entered, how much of a tax savings Americans would have if and when Obama/Biden are elected into office.

I used it to figure out how much mine and my wife's would be. We do not have kids. Our figure was at about $1670 with Obama/Biden and $0 with mccain/palin in office. I then figured in if my wife and I did have kids. The amount was the same $1670 with Obama/Biden in office and with mccain/palin it was a measly $645.

With mccain/palin a couple, like my wife and I have to pop out a couple of kids. Why?! Why do people like my wife and I who either choose to not have children or can not have children have to continue to suffer under the suppression of the republicans?! Why are they forcing good hard working American's like my wife and I to have children just to get a tax break?

mccain and palin and all of you other republicans out there, pay attention! Good hard working American people are sick and tired of your suppression and being forced to do things we either can not do or do not want to do to get a tax break. Enough is enough! It is time to get you out office and someone in who will do what is right and needed for the millions of Americans who need the help and let the select few and wealthy pay through the nose for a change.

Here is the calculator:


Here is the web site:
Obama-Biden Tax Calculator

I will vote for those on the list, not against.

This past Legislative Session Iowa passed a smoking ban. People can no longer smoke in any public place or bar that serves food. Iowa has never been a cleaner place to breath. I am for the ban. My wife and I frequent more restaurant's now that used to allow smoking but are no longer allowed to.

Now there is a group who has launched a web site with the list of names of Iowa law makers who voted in favor of the ban with the hope that if they are up for re-election people will vote against them in the coming election.

Here is the story:
Smoking ban opposition group launches Web site

If I could ask mccain and palin questions.

If I could ask john mccain and sarah palin questions first and foremost I would NOT address them by their titles, Senator or Governor, nor would I address them as Mr. or Mrs. I would call them by their first names, john and sarah. To me they do not deserve the respect of being called by their titles or Mr. or Mrs.

The questions would go something like this.

1. john and sarah, you have done nothing but tell American why we should not vote for Barack Obama or Joe Biden, but you have NOT shown America why we should vote for you. So why should America vote for you?
2. john and sarah, Senator Obama and Senator Biden have both shown what their plans are if they are elected, from a tax plan to the war in Iraq. You have yet to show America what your plan is if you are elected, no one has a clue as to what you're going to do about the economy or taxes or the war. So what is your plan for America in the next 4 years if you're elected?
3. john and sarah, you have gone back on your word regarding the negative ads, why?

mccain can't get his facts straight.

mccain is misreading 7 year old comments about Barack Obama. Typical for mccain and the republicans. First they are running out of new lies to say against Obama so they have to resort to 7 year old information. Second they are misreading it, thus proving their ignorance yet again.

Here is the story about mccain showing his ignorance:
FACT CHECK: McCain misreads 2001 Obama interview

"Joe the Plumber" is wrong.

The so called "Joe the Plumber" is wrong. Obama would not make the U.S. a socialist state. Anyone who makes that comment does not know the definition of Socialism and are ignorant to what it means.

To help educate those who choose to remain ignorant here is the definition: Socialism

If anyone thinks for one moment Barack Obama would turn this country into a socialist state is simply dead wrong. Anyone who makes such a foolish statement is ignorant of what socialism really is.

This country will still remain a Democracy. For the ignorant who choose to remain uneducated about the definition of Democracy, here it is: Democracy

I encourage the ignorant and uneducated to compare the 2 definitions and really think about it long and hard before you make a comment stating Barack Obama will turn this country into a socialist state.

I am one American who is sick and tired of paying for the republicans mistakes. I am sick of the big business republicans giving all of the tax breaks to the wealthy and those that make more then $250,000 a year. It is time they feel the pinch just as those of us that do not make that much money do. The republicans did this so the employers would raise our wages. The problem is there was no guarantee that employers would raise wages or provide better benefits, etc. It was never required. Employers had a choice to do so, most choose not to. Instead they take the money saved or given back to them with the tax breaks and spend it on other things that have no benefit to the Americans who are struggling to make ends meet. Employers claim they spent the money on improved working conditions or added on to their business and created more jobs. To that I say big deal. Those newley created jobs are not high paying and though more people may be working there is still a struggle to make ends meet. It also means more hard working Americans making crappy wages paying higher taxes which continue to benefit only the republicans and the wealthy.

One of the biggest ways the republicans have pissed me off over the last 8 years is by continueing the tax breaks on the wealthy. Then the wealthy business owners do not pass the money and savings onto their employers by raising wages and in fact laying people off. The business owners are then stating they are improving things with their employees by adding on more jobs, but still at a low wage, to low to really live, or they add improvments to factories when they way they were doing htings was just fine. They do all of this under the guise of helping the little guy, their employees.

I must call B.S. on this one.

The guy in this AP article, the so called "Joe the Plumber", is claiming if Obama is elected he will turn this country into a Socialist State. He is wrong. The reason he thinks this, is because if he buys the plumbing business, which according to the story is what he is thinking of doing, he will then be making over $250,000 a year and will be paying higher taxes under Obama's plan. As he should, along with everyone else who makes more then $250,000 a year. So this particular "Joe the Plumber" has a choice. He can either not buy the business and avoid paying more taxes under Obama's plan for making $250,000 a year. He can not buy the business and benefit under Obama's plan just like everyone else will. His 3rd choice is he can vote and hope for mcCain to be elected. If mccain is elected things will not change for the better unless you are a business man. "Joe" will then buy the plumbing business and benefit from the tax breaks while his employees will suffer, if he has any. If mccain is elected and "Joe" does not buy the business he will continue to suffer along with the rest of us while his boss continues to make out like a bandit.

Along with the republicans the wealthy, and those making $250,000 a year need to pay attention. We are tired of your political and business preactices. It is time the little guy, people like me, stop suffering while you benefit. It is time you pay higher taxes, it is time for CHANGE.

AP story:
Joe the Plumber says Obama would make US socialist








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How I am going to vote.

I think I have made it very clear I am a Democrat, butI have not made it clear how I am going to vote. I am very proud to say I am voting straight Democratic Ticket at the coming election. I think I have made my reasons for this clear in past postings here. But here is a summary of them.

Over the last 8 years the republicans have:
1. Illegally stole the election in 2000.
2. Put the U.S. into a war we never should have been involved in which has caused countless lives and damaged several others.
3. Caused fuel proces to sky rocket. When the current idiot in the White House took office gas was below $2.00 a gallon. Now it is over $2.00 a gallon and has been since early 2000.
4. The economy is in shambles. This started in 2001 and has now reached it's all time low.
5. More Americans have lost their jobs, gone through job changes had their homes foreclosed on since 2000 then during any other time in U.S. history since 1980

So republicans listen up and pay attention. My one vote is going to cancel one of yours. My wife's vote, who is also voting straight Democratic Ticket will put us Democrats one up on you republicans.

Early Voting

Iowa and I think other states are offering early voting for this election. This is not the same as absentee voting, it is in addition to. Anyone that can legally vote and who wishes to take advantage of this can.

I am not going to. One reason is tradition. When it comes to voting I am a firm believer on going to the polls on the day of to cast my vote. I have never had to use absentee voting, but would if I had to. Another reason is there is something about it I do not trust. It is a brand new thing for Iowa. Even though Iowa will cast and have more electoral college vots for Obama I think with the early voting option the republicans will try to steal the election.

It was not because of an early voting option but the republicans stole the election 8 years ago in Florida. It was because not all counties had the modern voting machines and abilities as others. A lot of counties were still using the old punch card voting method. Because of this it caused a whol fiasco that allowed the republican party to steal the election. There are still many people who think the Democratic candidate would have won had it been done fairly like it should have been. So who's to say something similar will not happen with the early voting option during this Presidential Race. The republicans will stop at nothing to win after all, they have proved that time and again.

Here is a recent news story of Iowa Governor Chet Culver casting his early vote:
Culver to cast his vote today

Racism is still alive.

There is still a sad truth to America. That is racism is still alive. Just because you don't hear about it as much as you used to on the news doesn't mean it went away.

Recently 2 racists were caught and their plot to assassinate Barack Obama was stopped. In the AP article about them it state their attorney is investigating the charges against them. Unless he can perform miracles they are going to prison for what I hope is the rest of their lives. I hope these 2 are charged with hate crimes. They deserve nothing less. Obama was to be their last victim, they were planning on killing at least 100 more african americans before Obama.

I am sure there are some republicans who, even though they claim they are not racist, wished these 2 had not been caught and had been able to carry out their plan.

I know of one who works in my office who I heard making such comments about Obama being assassinated and that she, in a way, hopes it happens and because of this she feels/felt he should drop out of the race for his own safety and protection. This person is a staunch republican who will stop at nothing for the republicans to win and believes what ever people like pro-republican supporters, such as certain radio and TV talk show hosts has to say about Obama and the Democratic Party.

Apparently some people can not get past their own hate toward others because of differances.

AP story: Feds disrupt alleged plot targeting Obama

Return to Sender

For some reason I have been getting mail from the republican party, even though I am a Democrat. When ever I get mail from them I always write RETURN TO SENDER!!! I AM A DEMOCRAT, STOP SENDING ME YOUR PROPAGANDA AND LIES!!! The republican party knows I'm a Democrat, if they don't they need to do their homework a little better to figure it out. I do not fault the post office or the mail carrier for this, they are only doing their jobs. I make sure the mail is taken by my mail carrier or I take it to the post office to have it sent back to the republican party. If I receive anymore I am going to take it to the republican part office here in my city and drop it off. I am getting tired of this garbage being sent to me. It is getting as bad as the publishers clearing house crap I used to get.

Now I do not mind receiving mail from the Democratic Party. I am a Democrat and gladly welcome anything they send. I may not always read it but have no problem receiving it.

The republican idiots need to get a clue and stop sending me this crap full of their lies!

Update: Yes the calls should stop, the republican party is breaking the law.

I contacted the Chairman and Commissioners of the FCC explaining what the republican party is doing and asked what they can do to stop this. I did this after looking through the FCC web site for an online complaint form. There is one, but not for these types of solicitor calls. I hope something is done to the republican party to stop this, I also hope they are fined big time for violation the law.

Yes the calls should stop, the republican party is breaking the law.

I am getting really tired of the robo-calls from the republican party. I do not want them calling me, I do not care for what they have to say, I am a Democrat and the calls really need to stop.

I have the automated message on my phone line that says any type of a call from a solicitor is not welcome and they are to add my number to their do not call list. While these types of calls are not trying to sell me something I would have to pay money for they are trying to sell me on an idea. Even though these calls are from a political party they are still soliciting type calls. Per FCC laws, rules and regulations if the soliciting party does not stop these calls per the message I have on my phone line they can be fined up to $10,000 for each instance after the first time they hear the automated message if they do not comply. I have lost count of how many times they have not complied.

There are 2 ways I know where the calls are coming from. One is my Caller ID. The other is even though I have the automated message stating I do not accept these types of calls and because the robo-calls are automatically generated if they are long enough, and these are, after my message plays and the republican robo call continues and the remainder of it ends on my voice mail.

My phone number is also non-listed/non-published. The way the robo-calls are made though is the system that is used to dial out is programmed to dial blocks of numbers. For example it will start dialing 712-255-0000, then 712-255-0001 and so on and so forth, eventually getting to my number. When it completes an actual call it stores that number in a memory bank as a good viable number so it can continue to call in the future.

I have contacted the republican party and asked that this be stopped. It is still going on. I am going to find out who I report this to at the FCC and have the responsible party fined for breaking the law.

Another thing that pisses me off about this is the republican party knows or at least should know I am a registered Democrat.

And yes I would do this even if it were the Democratic Party calling. But they are not the ones breaking the law.

Here is a link to a recent story about this:
Dem leader wants McCain 'robo calls' stopped in Iowa

Another example of palin and the republican party being hypocrites.

Vice Presidential candidate sarah palin is, yet again, being a hypocrite. She states as a country we need to do more to rid our addiction to foreign oil, natural gas and other fossil fuels. That is all fine well and good, not to mention true, we do need to do this. She is being hypocritical about it though when she advocates for , supports and allows a company in her state, Alaska to export natural gas to foreign countries. In this AP story it clearly says the United States imported 771 billion cubic feet of natural gas last year from Trinidad and Tobago, Algeria, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria and Qatar. It also says Alaska is expected to export 100 billion cubic feet to Asia over the next two years. While it is comparing the 771 billion cubic feet from last year to the 100 billion cubic feet over the next 2 years I think it is fair to say the United States will import just as much if not more over the next 2 years from those same countries.

Now do the math and subtract the 100 billion cubic feet from the 771 billion cubic feet if the 100 billion is not exported and you get 661 billion cubic feet that the U.S. only needs to import. Granted this is not 100% of what this country imports but it's a good start if we were to keep the natural gas in the U.S.

So if palin is promoting the reduction of importing fossil fuels from other countries why is she at the same time still promoting the exporting of the fuels? Also keep in mind the republicans have no plan of any kind for alternative fuels or energy use. The Democrats at least have one, even if it is not a good one.

AP story:
Palin backs shipping Alaskan LNG to Japan

Another view on politics.

Here is another view on politics and how things will continue if we have another 4 years of republicans in the white house.

A little boy goes to his dad and asks, "What is Politics?"
Dad says, "Well son, let me try to explain it this way:
I am the head of the family, so call me the President.
Your mother is the administrator of the money, so we call her the Government.
We are here to take care of your needs, so we will call you the People.
The nanny, we will consider her the Working Class.
And your baby brother, we will call him the Future.
Now think about that and see if it makes sense."
So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what Dad has said.
Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him.
He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper.
So the little boy goes to his parents' room and finds his mother asleep.
Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny's room. Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny.
He gives up and goes back to bed.
The next morning, the little boy says to his father, "Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now."
The father says, "Good, son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about."
The little boy replies,
"The President is screwing the Working Class while the Government is sound asleep. The People are being ignored and the Future is in deep sh*t."

Another reason palin should not be in the White House or the republicans

Most if not everyone knows by now about sarah palin's abuse of power with trying to have an Alaska State Trooper fired because of a divorce between him and her sister. As a result the man that she tried to have fire the tropper, palin's former brother-in-law, former Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan was fired from his job. palin fired says he was fired because of policy differences. But in reality he was fired for refusing to fire her former brother-in-law. This has come to be known as Troopergate. In other words palin abused her poer as governor of Alaska and violated state law that is supposed to prevent this. Monegan's case was taken before a panel and it was determined he was fired for the legitmate policy reasons as originally stated. He has never contested this and his firing was lawful in this context. But he did question palin's other reaons behind it. It has now been officially declared she abused her power.

Do American's really want this kind of a person in the White House. Let's face it folks she abused her power as governor. While it may be hard for her to do so as VP she can still abuse the power that the American's who vote for her could potentially give her. We also need to face the fact that mccain is not in the best of health he could very likely die in office which would really open the door for palin to abuse the power of the Presidency.

I recall saying something about Hillary Clinton being of the mind "I am woman hear me roar". I take that back about her. sarah palin has that chip on her shoulder. I think she firmly believes in that statement and does have that attitude. I have said it before and I'll say it again. She is the last person we need in the White House.

Here is a recent AP story about the Walter Monegan:
Ousted safety commissioner: Palin image damaged

High School Drop Out = Dead Beat Dad

To me any boy, and that is exactly what levi johnston the guy who knocked Bristol Palin is, just a boy, not a man, who drops out of high school after he gets a girl pregnant is going to be nothing more then a dead beat dad and a loser. I don't care if he dropped out to be an apprentice at an oil company. It was my understanding you either had to be in high school or at least a high school graduate. They must do things different in Alaska. This loser is now a drop out and will not graduate. So far sarah palin has not said anything about this boy doing this. What kind of a mother is she to allow her daughter to be associated with a soon to be dead beat dad and a loser high school drop out? Never mind, I think we already know what kind of a mother she is because she did not teach her daughter right from wrong and to wait on sex or getting pregnant before she got married. So never mind on that one.

Kudos to this boy for wanting to be involved in so much and for wanting to involve his child after it is born. Wanting to be involved and actually doing are 2 different things. Of course he will have all kinds of time on his hands because he dropped out of high school. Sure he may be joining an oil company as an apprentice, but shouldn't he be concentrating on more important things? Like staying in high school and at least graduating? This way he can be there to take care of his coming child and bristol and maybe even consider going to college. In the mean time provided he finishes high school he will need to get a job, perhaps at an oil company as an apprentice so he can support his new family. Unless he expects sarah palin to do so. If he does he had better to be willing to relinquish all control over his child's life to her family. Even as only a governor, palin seems to think she is pretty powerful, after all she likes to abuse her power. This boy had better get his priorities straight if he is to have any kind of influence on his child.

sarah palin is not a good mother. After all her daughter managed to get knocked up because she did not raise bristol right and now it seems she is condoning the father of her pending grand child to be a loser high school drop out and a dead beat dad. This tells me she is not fit to be a mother, a governor or a vice president. I feel sorry for the republicans and this is yet one more reason I am for the Democrats in this election. palin is a very poor example for the women, families and young girls in this country. This is the last thing this country needs in the White House.

Here is an AP story on johnston:
Johnston speaks on Bristol Palin, Obama and baby

Cyclists do need to take the lead ourselves

Government, whether republican party controlled or Democratic Party is not going to do this for us. Cyclists need to take the lead and be responsible for advocating for the bicycle as a alternative and viable method of transportation. The government is here to help us make it happen but they are not going to do it for us. We need to and are taking it to them to make it happen.

It has already gotten off to a good start. In the recent bail out package the Bicycle Commuter Act was passed as a part of it. It will allow employers to reimburse their employees up to $20.00 a month for using their bike to commute to and from work. This would never have happened had it not been for the efforts of the League of American Bicyclists, or LAB. This has been 7 years in the making. Though the LAB and cyclists would rather the commuter act not be a part of a bail out package such as this we are still glad it has finally been passed.

Myself and most other cyclists are not saying the bicycle is the ONLY method or mode of alternative trasnportation or it is the ONLY answer to eliminating this country's dependency and addiction to fossil fuels. But we are saying it is one of the most viable alternative methods and modes of transportation.

Through no fault of his own the author of the bikeiowa.com article I am going to post a link to must have missed what Senator Obama said early in his campaign. In fact there was even a bikeiowa.com article about it. Obama stated early in his campaign he explicitly encourages other forms of transportation. Here is the link to my previous blog post about this: Barack Obama explecitly encourages other forms of transportation., and here is the bikeiowa.com story on it: Bicyclists for Obama?.

Granted neither Obama or mccain has said anything about altrenative forms of transportation at their National Conventions. But at least Obama has talked about it at some point during his campaign. I have yet to see or hear about mccain doing so. Instead mccain wants to dril, dril, drill as he has said numerous times during his campaign. No wonder SUV owners love him so much and hate Obama. Obama is encouraging more people to ride bike on the roadways. I am sure SUV owners see this as us getting in their way of their road even though we have a legal right to be there.

The author is wrong is saying the neither presidential candidate will suggest Americans ride their bicycles. Obama has already said as much.

The author is correct is syaing we can not wait for the Federal Govt. to fire a magic bullet. Like I said we have to take the lead on this ourselves. I will also say we have to continue wiuth what we have already started and see it through.

While the bicycle is one of the unmentionables when it comes to alternative transportation and energy savings it is a viable method and should not be so unmentionable.

When Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters said on PBS that projects like bike paths and trails "are really not transportation", she could not have been more wrong. I use a trail every day I commute to and from work. It is the easiest and fastest way for me to get to and from work on my bike. My wife and I work about 3 blocks apart and the trail goes right by her office before turning to head toward the building I work in. When we leave at the same time I often times beat her to where her office is. Of course morst intelligent people know she was quoting from the bush administration play book. I mean let's face it the current 2 idiots in the White House right now are oil men. It stands to reason they would surround themselves with people who back their oil way of life. This just perpetuates America's addiction to fossil fuels and more so to foreign oil.

As I said advocates have worked hard to make the bicycle a viable method of transportation. Here are some of the ways, positive or negative, passivly or in your face, that we have done that. Critical Mass, joining advocacy organizations, participating in organized events that raise money or awarness for cyclists rights, or just simpoly legally riding on a public roadway amongst traffic obeying every traffic law, etc. Some of these work better then others, some of them piss motorists off to no end.

While cyclists have been marginalized in this presidential election as we have been in the last dozen or so because we have no cadre of highly paid lobbyists hobnobbing in D.C. working for our interests this lack of interest has still prompted a political response. Some cyclists have joined committies or coalitions at local and state levels where the powers that be are more receptive to bicyclists. This is what I mean by we need to lead the way ourselves and helping the govt. help us.

I will close this by saying I personally wished the paths of cycling/cyclists and politics had nerver crossed, and/or that they had never crossed in the manner they currently have but I do understand the current need for the 2 to be invloved with one another. This had never happened until 8 years ago when bush took office. Things were working great for cyclists. Because of him and his big business and big oil ideals cyclists are in the mess that we are like a lot of other things in this country. I will say this for him if he has done a good job at anything it is really screwing this county up for a lot of the people living here.

Here is the bikeiowa.com article:
No top-down bicycle politics

of the people by the people for the people

Almost 150 years ago a great President, Abraham Lincoln said something in the Gettysburg Address. He said

that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

He said this on November 19, 1863.

Ever since then almost all American Presidents have more or less held what was said on that day by Lincoln to be true.

Except one!

His name is George W. Bush. Our current idiot President.

I never thought I would see the day when a President would claim the government to be his government. That is exactly what Bush recently did. He made a bold statement regarding the current economic crisis issue, using the term his government.

Where does he get off making such a claim? I think he forgot the government is for the people, by the people & most importantly of the people. I know he doesn't care because he is almost at the end of his term in office. Usually statement from him do not bother me this much, but this one did. I have thought him to be a dictator for a long time. Now I am convinced that he is, in fact I have no doubt in my mind at all that he is. Making a claim the government is his. I think he forgot what country he is in & what his job description is.

This also does not bode well for hs party either. It makes people think the next guy in line in his part for President will be the same way. I know I do.

A turning point in the History of America.

Whether anyone likes to admit it or not the upcoming General Election in November is going to be a turning point in American History.

One of 2 things are going to happen.

The are America will elect the first African American as President, or elect the first woman as Vice President.

Which ever way we decide to vote this is going to be a history maker for this country. We, as registered voters are going to be the ones who make this history happen right before our eyes. I don't know about thge rest of you but that makes feel very proud to be a part of this. I hope you feel the same way.

palin's daughter

Everyone in the United States knows, or should know by now that Vice Presidential candidate sarah palin's 17 year old daughter is pregnant. In other words her unmarried minor daughter could not keep her legs closed & got herself knocked up. If you don't know this you've been living in a hole or under a rock.

sarah palin is pro life & a staunch conservative. She has made it clear her daughter has decided to keep the baby & her & the father are going to marry after she completes high school.

First of course she is going to keep the baby, in most states, I am sure Alaska is one of them, a minor girl, under the age of 18 can not get an abortion with out parental consent. sarah palin will never give that consent. It is unknown if that has even been discussed between her & her daughter but I can imagine the argument if it was. Her daughter already rebelled against her parents by getting knocked up. What's to say there was not an argument & an even greater attempt from her daughter at rebellion against her parents about how her daughter feels about abortion or about being pro-choice vs. pro-life. Her daughter could very well be pro-choice. But that would not site well with the conservative sect in this country & will never be revealed. Maybe her daughter is putting on a show in support of her mother as the V.P. candidate, despite her true feelings about pro-life vs. pro-choice. If that is the case I feel really sorry for her.

I have asked several republicans about how they feel about palin's daghuter being knocked up. Most of them have told me they are not bothered by it because it is the way things are in America right now. In other words they are accepting it & making this totally invalid & piss poor excuse for palin & her daughter. They are saying because of the way things are in America, with unwed, knocked up teenage girls, it is ok for the daughter of the republican V.P. candidate to be pregnant. These people are also the type that want 4 more years of the last 8 years. So that explains why they think it is ok that unwed teenage girls are pregnant. Go figure.

If the republicans are elected, & I pray to God everyday they are not, what is this going to say to the teenage girls in America? What will it say to their parents? Well I'll tell what it will say & mean. It will say & mean it is ok for unwed teenage girls to open their legs for any guy who wants sex, get themselves knocked up in the process & the parents will not be able to do anything about it. Do we really potential leaders of this country or a political party setting this kind of example for our teenage youth? I say no we don't!

What I'd like to know is where was sarah palin when her daughter was screwing around with the guy who got her pregnant? Why wasn't she there to prevent this? Why wasn't she a better mother & teach her daughter this kind of thing is not acceptable? The reason is she thought & felt her political career was more important. She put her political ambitions above her family. Yet she says her family is first. BULLSHIT!!! If her family was first her daugher would never have ended up pregnant.

I can say this, if I were republican, I'm glad I'm not, but if I were I would switch party's & become a Democrat. I hope because of this republicans are switching party's. When it is all said and done & Obama/Biden win I think we should thank the republican party for helping us to win in part because of mccain's choice in running mates who has a knocked up minor child.

A blunt, in your face Political Statement against fossil fuels.

I just bought a t-shirt & am proudly wearing it, that says "GAS SUXXS RIDE A BIKE". The word SUXXS alludes to the Exxon Oil Company. I bought the shirt at Scheels All Sports in Sioux City. While my shirt is red, there is also one in white. There are also similar shirts that allude to BP. They come in green, white & black. This to me is a political statement for republicans to pay attention to. Stop wanting to drill for more fossil fuels & start favoring alternative fuel sources. The technology is here now. Start the conversion over to it. Better yet, RIDE A BIKE!

Here is the photo:

This is why I do not like republicans.

Read the info. in this blog post on my bicycling blog & you'll understand why I do not like republicans, am a Democrat & support most Democrat policies.

I do not understand why republicans can not see the benefits.

Is America too close minded to elect a black President?

Yes I am talking about Barack Obama & the speculation that Colin Powell as a VP.

Are the citizens of the United States of America too close minded to elect a black President? I think in some cases yes, too many of the people in this country still are. This is not including the racist & hate groups, they are a entity all their own. But they no doubt add to this problem of being closed minded & not trusting of someone else not of their same skin color.

I think a lot of those that are not part of a hate group or racist organization are still too closed minded to elect a black President. In some ways these people are or could be considered closet racists. There is no other way to put it.

The interesting thing is this is the 21st century. I'd think by now most of America hasgrown beyond this sort of thing.

I do not see color of skin or gender when choosing who I support for public office. I look at their merits, what they have done & what I think they will do once elected.

Please tell me what you think. I am going to open up the comments for this blog so anyone can post one. All I ask is some sort of name with your comments or I will not publish it.

Colin Powell for VP?

I just saw on the news that Barack Obama & Colin Powell met in private for an hour. No one is sure what they talked about but there is already speculation about Powell being Obama's running mate for VP.

I just love how the news perpetuates this crap. Why do they always jump to conclusions about this? All this does is fuel the fire & stir the pot. I know with the news media if it bleeds it leads. But enough is enough with the media needs to stop chasing rating like this.

The War is to blame for the Economy, the republicans are to blame for the War.

Yes, the war is directly linked to the bad economy & recession. If the republicans deny that then they are idiots. They are the morons who caused this mess. They should be the ones to fix it. Problem is they won't. Why? Because they deny what is going on. The ones who are not up for re-election or are not running don't give a damn. The others are just waiting to see what happens after the General Election.

They are probably waiting to see which party will be strongest in the House & Senate. I can almost guarantee you if there is a stronger Democratic Party in either or both the republicans will try to say they were against thw war which weakened the economy but were too afraid to say anything. If the republicans are stronger they will side with the party by-line of their brethren.

I have a feeling though with everyone being angry & bitter at the current situation in this country the Democrats will be in the White House, the House & Senate.

The war is to blame for the bad economy & the republicans are to blame for the war.
Story:
Democrat Blames Iraq for Weak Economy

Obama visits the Little 500.

Barack Obama was in Bloomington, Indiana this past Friday & visited the Women's Little 500 Bicycle Race. The Little 500, a real event, was the partial inspiration for the movie Breaking Away, one of this blog author's personal favorites. I think it is cool he made this impromptu campaign stop. No doubt he is very busy but it is great when he can do things like this.

Story:
Obama 'Breaks Away' in Indiana

Damn Right it's Creaky. mccain is going to accept public funds.

So far Barack Obama has not used any public money for his campaign. He is making good on his promise not to, so far. It is unclear if he will have to for the General Election.

In my opinion for the time being he will not, at least not until he has to. If he does I certainly will not blame him for doing so & commend him for holding out until the last minute when he will need the money most.

His likely opponent, john mccain has already announced he will accept public funds for his General Election campaign. This comes as no surprise. Another text book example of the republicans sticking it to the American tax payer.

If Obama is the Democratic Nominee he & mccain are to meet to discuss the influence of outside groups on the election.

My opinion is Obama will ask mccain to play fair. More then likely mccain, being cut from the same cloth as gwb, will try to pull the same shit that happened with the Florida fiasco & attempt to steal the election for the republicans. Or he'll do something else dirty, rotten, unethical, but legal, to win. We'll see what happens.

Story:
Obama: Public Finance System 'Creaky'

America should have given him more time to clearing brush by clearing bush out.

There was a recent fund raiser for the republican party. I guess it is an annual event at the ranch next to gwb's in Texas. Must be nice that all the wealthy & well to do show up for this. This is the epitomy of republicans flaunting what they have & proving yet again they are for big business & the wealthy, etc. They could give a shit less about the working class in this country.

I wonder how much of that money will go where it needs to. I don't mean to some idiot republicans campaign. I mean to the working class who are hurting the most & hwo could use it the most. Putting ot toward the campaign of a gop member who will say he or she will help the working class is a waste of time. Likely though it will go toward a gop member who is in favor of the war.

Like I said American should have given nim more time to clear brush by clearing bush out of office. We should have done that 4 years ago.

Story:
Bush Raises Cash for GOP

Yes, we are angry & bitter.

Angry & bitter because of what has happened & continues to happen in Washington D.C. Angry & bitter at the way gwb & his cohorts have run this country. Angry & bitter at being in volved in a war for the past 5 out of 8 years gwb has bene in office. We are tried of it & it is time for a change. This is why I think mccain does not have a snowballs chance in hell of winning. The American people are angry & bitter at the republican party. They see mcacain as a continuation of what has happened over the past 8 yrs.

Barack Obama says some are angry & bitter. I would venture to say a lot more then some are.

Story:
Obama Says Some Voters Are Angry, Bitter

They're dropping like flies.

Another clinton campaig member, this time a high level one has left the campaign. The reason is he recently visited Columbia, yes that Columbia, to help promote a trade agreement with the U.S.

clinton has strongly disagreed with such a trade agreement. As a result another of her campaign bits the dust. This is not the first, nor will it probably be the last. This does not bode well for her.

Story:
Trade Flap Ousts Top Clinton Strategist