DNC Cable Talking Heads Complain There's No Red Meat While They Ignore Covering It

At last nights Democratic convention Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill gave a fairly hard nosed speech that contained several direct slaps at the Republicans and John McCain's policies while at the same time pointing out how her and Obama personal stories are very much a reflection of the American Dream.

But do you think the talking heads at CNN and the other TV networks even noticed. They were too busy talking about how the Democrats were making a mistake by not using the TV time to attack McCain. These so call experts are mainly concerned with what is in their own infotainment echo chamber of influence, soap opera and feeding their egos. It's always soap opera and talking points over any facts with these nitwits.

Obama Often Fails to Personify Voter Anger And Frustration In Stump Speech And Advertising

If I were Barack Obama I would fire the people who write my ads and get some new people who are capable of writing ads that better reflect voter's anger and frustration with the current state of the nation.

Barack Obama’s stump speech is articulate and folksy. It’s filled with statistics about how middle class income has dropped significantly under Bush and what we need to do and why we need to finally become energy independent. It shows Obama’s significant grasp of the domestic and foreign policy issues of the day. His style is friendly and colloquial and mimics a conversation one would have with a neighbor over the backyard fence.

But what the stump speech contains in facts and figures and personal charm it lacks in real anger and frustration about the current state that we find our nation. Most people are mad as hell and want someone to take to task those in power responsible for the criminal negligence, warmongering, misuse of the military and massive government incompetence on all levels of the last eight years.

Barack Obama is a nice guy and has prided his campaign on taking the highroad. He seldom wheels a big stick approach when dealing with McCain or Republican attacks. He apparently believes that the American people will give him credit for this in he end and this will, along with the usual reasons, help elect him President. But I have my serious doubts about that.

As Democrats we have to ask ourselves if we had enough of this weak and ineffective crap already in the Congress from the likes of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Harry Reid. Both of them should be replaced when the next Congress opens for their lack of courage, passion and anger in dealing with the Bush and Republican agenda since gaining a slim majority in 2006. But that's another story.

I don’t know about you, but I’m mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore. This is the feeling in ones bones that Obama needs to possess and inject out on the campaign trial. No more playing Mister Nice Guy. I want Obama to be my champion and I want him to mirror my frustration and anger with what has happened to this country under Bush/Cheney and company for the last eight years. I believe that if Obama has a problem closing the deal with the American people it is because he comes across as a well-meaning overly polite egghead sometimes.

If you’ve noticed the use of anger, as a political tool, is something the Republicans have down pat. When attacked they always respond with indignation and anger to any attack. Yes, it is usually false indignation, but Democrats need to realize it works with Joe six pack voters out there. Playing the articulate intelligent wuss won’t work with independent working class voters, and Obama seems to be unable to relate to or translate into his speeches the real anger that we are all feeling.

There is a old labor movement story in the Northwest about a union lawyer named Vandeveer who had a working man come to him with a problem. Seems an unscrupulous sort had cheated the man of his money. Vandeveer ask the man what he like him to do. “Well frankly, if I had my way I like to punch the guy in the nose”, the man said. The story goes on to tell how Vandeveer immediately left his office when to the scoundrel's location and punch the man in the nose.

I think Obama needs to reflect our anger and comtempt with the current government as directly as Vandeveer did in his situation if he expects to win the presidency.

Daily Show Billboard Greets Republicans In Twin Cities

This daily show billboard greets Republicans....

McCain's Claim Of Early Opposition To Conduct Of War Is Total Bullshit

Here's the proof in McCain's own words. This extensive collection of McCain soundbites from prior to the begining of the Iraq War through this year prove he was a early fanatical promoter of the war and of Bush and neocon warmoungers.

Then after starting his run for the white house he suddenly changed his tune because it became politically impossible to defend. He then began to claim that he alone was the first one to criticize the president's policies and those of Donald Rumsfeld. He now claims that he questioned the strategy all along. This video appears to prove it's all just more of a phony McCain bullshit narrative.

Fellow Citizens Where Is Our Passion?

I'm a little frustrated....

Flash, 70 days to the election. Wake up out there folks! Your country, as you know it is slowly slipping away. Put down the bottle of Vicadin or Valium and get your ass up off the IKEA sofa bed and pull your Liberal head out of your ass. This is a full body contact death cage match election, or worse.

In November of 2007 I was sitting in my kitchen on Vashon Island here in Washington State contemplating the state of our nation. It wasn’t good then and it's probably worse now. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan raged, economic crisis, energy crisis, mortgage crisis, unprecedented and widespread federal government corruption and incompetence, Iran, the Supreme Court one vote from overturning Rowe v Wade, the slow and methodical destruction of constitutional protections, Gitmo, torture, the environment, the economic destruction of the middle class and where the fuck is Osama Bin Laden anyway?

Enough, like many I'd had enough already.

I don't think I'm overly jingoistic or a flag waiver but I simply had enough. I love my country. I decided to do something about it and set out to volunteer with the Obama campaign here in Washington State and later in Texas, Oregon, and Montana and many other states if you count phone banks. I traveled thousands of miles over several months and spend thousands of dollars touting Obama.

As we all trudged through the primary it was a mental battle to keep the faith that we would reach the ultimate prize of winning the nomination for Obama. That mission has been partially (except for the actual nomination process) accomplished and except for a few dead ended Hillary supporters still out there, who's explanation for not supporting Obama vs McCain are beyond question pure delusion or explained by accepting the fact that they were shills for the Republican Party from the get go. The future of this country is more important then any of their personal hurt feelings.

Now just a few days before the national convention and the polls are tightening. If you believe the CNN and MSNBC gibberish it's because McCain's BS based personal attacks on Obama have worked. He's inexperienced or he's and elitist. I believe it's plain old racism to blame for the lack of progress. How these tactics work or in fact if they have worked is certainly open to question. But one should surely not be over confident that an Obama win in November is a done deal. Given the state of news reporting by the MSM it's a wonder we have any country at all. Where have these people been for the last two decades? The fact is Americans get little in the way of truth about ANYTHING these days because of the corporate control of and political influence over the modern press.

Who knows? If John McCain and his ilk are allowed to continue on the path that has brought us to the brink of a national meltdown we may not be able to settle this question peacefully at the ballot box in the future. It maybe necessary to fight for our rights and what we believe in a more fundamental and basic way with our hands.

So there’s an easy way and there’s a hard way. We can’t continue on the same cynical path we are on and see a repeat of the election of 2004, or we get ready to man the barricades later.

Where is your passion for your country Dear Liberals? What are you willing to do to make sure Barack Obama gets elected in November? Instead of listening to the brain dead nasal whinny voice of CNN’s Campbell Brown regurgitated the William Ayers connection to Obama story every night we should be in full attack mode. Pull out all the stops on McCain. This is a bear knuckle fight for the soul and the future, even perhaps the very existence of this country as we have known it. Nothing should be left on table including:

• The Keating Five
• McCain's basic disconnect with anything working class or middle class
  
• The phony media echo chamber POW mass war hero worship circus of bullshit
• The phony Cindy McCain Barbie Doll resume mentality
• His ties to lobbyists and influence peddlers
• The 8 houses
• Five million per year is not rich comment
• I don’t torture but I torture.
• His Senate attendance record
• His vote against the New GI Bill and his record of NOT supporting the troops
• His cheating on his first wife
• I was born with a silver spoon in your mouth because my Grandfather and Father were Naval admirals
• The womanizing party boy
  
• His age
• His anger management problem
• His mental fitness to have his hand on the button
• Because he was born in the canal zone is he really eligible to run for President?
• The truth of what his role or his staff's role was in Georgia and his subsequent saber rattling
• McCain as a warmonger and mindset ultimately involves the use of military force
  
• Reinstating the draft
• Iraq
• Afghanistan
• Iran

General Clark was right. Getting shot down over Vietnam doesn't make you qualified to be President. I would think not getting shot down would probably be more desirable on one's resume. My bother and many other fine servicemen fought in Viet Nam, and were wounded or captured, but it doesn’t make them qualified to be the president of the United States. Not saying that my brother wouldn't make a good president because morally he's twice the man John McCain ever will be, but really now.

Liberals and the Obama Campaign need to learn to a certain degree to get down in the dirt with the low information voters and start to talk to them in the language of slash and burn politics that the Republican know they understand. If we’re not willing to do this we will probably lose the election. Liberals must stop the appearance or actual condesending behavior and morally superior attitude they often project on independant and low information voters. It's wrong and often separates their support for ideas that all of us share in common.

Don’t worry we’ll be able to live with ourselves in the morning. Because. if we win, we will have the power to transform the country instead of forever being on the outside looking in again with no power to change a thing.

Finally, we need to all vote the Democratic ticket and get at least 20 other people we know to vote who maybe won't otherwise. We need to remind ourselves that the mothers milk of politics is cash and make a contribution to the National and State Democratic Party and to the Obama and Gregoire in Washington campaigns. We need to become volunteers for our State and National candidates within our Legislative and Congressional districts.

Goofy Demographics Could Determine Election

Sadly this isn't too far from the truth if your familiar with the crap the cable channels shovel on a daily basis. This Onion spoof ironically points out that it's no wonder that we haven't elected a progressive president in this country lately. It amazes me that people are still actually willing to swallow the Viet Nam war hero bowl of warm bullshit that McCain is feeding them. God help us all if we miss the chance to make progress this election cycle.



Latest Poll Reveals 430 New Demographics That Will Decide Election

Dino Rossi Maybe AntiChrist Obama Off Hook?

Developing... WA gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi maybe the Antichrist after all? Based on Rossi promise to repeal ban on online gambling laws if elected, and this satanic Eastern WA Dino cult headquarters and devil worshiping hideout, many so called experts are saying that evidence is mounting that it's Rossi. Who do you think it is? Second place choice probably Booth Gardner for pushing "let's get rid of old people now plug pulling initiative". Catholic church and Pope take personal interest in defeating right to not live anymore law. Simply ask yourself would Jesus pull the plug? We think not! Tomorrow, anonymous sources claims that Joe Lieberman carries mark of the beast on his buttocks and/or maybe Jewish Republican.

Know Your Facts About McCain Ads False Claims

If character assassination doesn't work just lie. Here are the facts from the Obama campaign on the claims made in John McCain's misleading ads. Tell your friends.

Bush Promises Naval Aid to Georgia But Fails to Tell Pentagon Or Turkey

Another "hell of a job Brownie moment"? Bush's promise to send American naval ships to the aid of Georgia apparently were made before the Pentagon or Turkey, an American ally that controls access to the Black Sea, were consulted according to a McClathey newspapers report.

"WASHINGTON — President Bush Wednesday promised that U.S. naval forces would deliver humanitarian aid to war-torn Georgia before his administration had received approval from Turkey, which controls naval access to the Black Sea, or the Pentagon had planned a seaborne operation, U.S. officials said Thursday.

As of late Thursday, Ankara, a NATO ally, hadn't cleared any U.S. naval vessels to steam to Georgia through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, the narrow straits that connect the Mediterranean and the Black Seas, the officials said. Under the 1936 Montreaux Convention, countries must notify Turkey before sending warships through the straits.

Pentagon officials told McClatchy that they were increasingly dubious that any U.S. Navy vessels would join the aid operation, in large part because the U.S.-based hospital ships likely to go, the USNS Comfort and the USNS Mercy, would take weeks to arrive.

"The president was writing checks to the Georgians without knowing what he had in the bank," said a senior administration official."

Are Clinton Deadenders Really Planted Republican Shills?

Two Clinton dead-enders appeared on Hardball yesterday. It's simply unbelievable to me that any progressive minded person, especially a woman, would vote for John McCain if given the choice of McCain and Obama, even if your feelings were somehow dashed by Clinton losing the primary.

Obama as of late, in the spirit of inclusion, is allowing Clinton and her supporters to conduct a sort of sideshow at the Denver convention to get in touch with that group's inner child. This includes placing Clinton's name in nomination and lots of other post modern feminist activities and events where wearing and article of pink clothing will be probably be mandatory.

"Obama also allowed Hillary supporters to insert an absurd statement into the platform suggesting that media sexism spurred her loss and that “demeaning portrayals of women ... dampen the dreams of our daughters.” This, even though postmortems, including the new raft of campaign memos leaked by Clintonistas to The Atlantic — another move that undercuts Obama — finger Hillary’s horrendous management skills.

Besides the crashing egos and screeching factions working at cross purposes, Joshua Green writes in the magazine, Hillary’s “hesitancy and habit of avoiding hard choices exacted a price that eventually sank her chances at the presidency.”

It would have been better to put this language in the platform: “A woman who wildly mismanages and bankrupts a quarter-of-a-billion-dollar campaign operation, and then blames sexism in society, will dampen the dreams of our daughters". Mareen Dowd NYT

Hardball host David Shuster did a credible job of putting the two hardcore brain dead Clinton axe grinders feet to the fire. One of the questions he raised with PUMA founder Dara Murphy (who acting like she's high on qualudes and/or Obama somehow didn't respond to her let's flirt message over at Match.com) was that she had contributed money to the Republican Party and John McCain in the past.

It maybe unproductive to actually give this story more attention then it deserves, but the video shows what boneheads these Clinton die-hard types really are. In a way I found their performance a cross between comical and desperately pathetic. It also would make a great SNL segment with Amy Poehler as Murphy and Will Farrell as the guy guest. I sincerely doubt that they were every really Democrats to begin with, something that if true, would explain their real motivation is to make trouble for the Democrats at the convention and this fall.

Christian Asshole's Video Ask You To Pray For Rain For Obama Speech

Simple minded Christians everywhere were being asked to pray for storms and rain in Denver the night of Barack Obama's acceptance speech. But then they figured out it wasn't very Christian to wish that bad things happen to other people.

The conservative Christian group Focus on the Family now apparently has had second thoughts after asking what would Jesus do in the same situation and has pulled this video from it's website. These dumb-shits ought to be ashamed of themselves. Focus on the family has not officially endorsed a candidate but the cult's leader James Dobson says he prefers John McCain.

By the way I'm praying that a bolt of lightning hits this dweeb directly in the balls.

Hey Gear Heads John McCain Really Doesn't Care About Roaring Harleys?

I'm a motorcycle rider who frankly wonders why any freethinking biker would have anything to do with John McCain or his rightwing politics. His pandering to my fellow bikers in Sturgis, SD last week apparently didn't involve any straight talk about how he has opposed efforts to get the government to buy American made motorcycles like those made by Harley Davidson. The Obama campaign's new radio ad points out that McCain's vehement oppositon to buy American programs has hurt companies like HD.

Bush’s Preemptive War Policy In Iraq Blocks US Moral Authority to Stop Russian Invasion Of Georgia

Should of thought of that before you fundamentally changed America’s longstanding policy not to preemptively start wars George, but now your screwed because of your self-centered war making policies. The Republican warmongers like Bush, Cheney and, yes John McCain, didn’t really comprehend or understand the eventual blowback that they could face when they preemptively invaded Iraq in 2003.

The gruesome photos above of the aftermath of the Russian invasion of the disputed territory controlled by Georgia and the rest of that nation speaks of the horror of war and civilians caught up in it. It's the type of photo you'd probably hardly ever see shown by American MSM. It too real for them and doesn't fit their all American fantasy based bullshit narrative.

How can Bush now demand that Russia not preemtively invade Georgia? The answer is he can’t. His moral authority meter is on zero. This plus the fact that Bush and company wouldn't know diplomacy if it hit them in the ass, paints a bleak picture for the people and democracy in Georgia and ending this war quickly.

Can't depend on the UN either because those folks are just a bunch of "for-ners" who are probably French or Commies and want to take American power away with their fancy international laws, courts and force Americans to make soccer the national sport.

Jesus!

Affordable Homes Made From Recycled Material

These Tiny Texas Houses are just that - small, portable houses that are made with 95% salvaged and recycled building materials.

These tiny houses are a project developed by Discovery Architectural Antiques who have a massive 130,000 square foot showroom filled with salvaged materials. Each house will be unique by virtue of the fact they are not mass produced, and created according to the reclaimed materials available at the time.

The new elements in the houses will, of course, be the electrics and plumbing to comply with modern building standards.

As if they were not eco-friendly enough, you can also opt for grey and black water recycling systems for water conservation and solar power systems for energy conversation.

You can go to their showroom and mix and match from the thousands of pieces they have available to create your own masterpiece, or send them a photo of a house you will like a miniature copy of.

Starting from just $32,000 for an 8’x16’ it has to be one of the best ways to recycle with style at an affordable price.

No two Tiny Texas Houses will ever be exactly alike but instead, each will be a unique piece of House Art.

Via: Trend Hunters Magazine

Ford Should Dump Singer And Racist Lynching Advocate Toby Keith

Ford Motor Company should take action to dump country singer Toby Keith as spokesman for their popular Ford Trucks.

First of all I love country music so it not that or that most of his macho tough guy persona, redneck and chauvinist music sucks. Or that he represents most of what's wrong with American men. It’s because Keith is a racist and apparent lynching advocate. It's funny that the red flags didn't go up at Ford earlier given the jingoistic white trailer trash crap that Keith is known to advocate.

Keith new hit record is entitled “Beer for My Horses”. Its lyrics are clearly racist and inflammatory to African Americans and others. Here a sample:

“Grand pappy told my pappy back in my day, son A man had to answer for the wicked that he'd done Take all the rope in Texas Find a tall oak tree, round up all of them bad boys Hang them high in the street For all the people to see”…..

Max Blumenthal of the Huffington Post has written extensively about Keith’s propensity to spew out his racism in his songs and in public, including recently on the Glen Beck show when he was asked about the success of Barack Obama.

"I think the black people would say he don't talk, act or carry himself as a black person. What does that even mean?" the audibly shocked Beck replied. "Well, I don't know what that means," Keith drawled, "but I think that that's what they would say. Even though the black society would pull for him I still think that they think in the back of their mind that the only reason he is in [the general election] is because he talks, acts and carries himself as a Caucasian."

So what the hell is the main sponsor of this bigot Ford Trucks doing to stop this? Apparently nothing. Ford has a deal to underwrite Keith's current “Biggest and Baddest” concert mega tour. If you been around rednecks especially in the south you quickly understand why. During my recent visit to rural Texas I found that it didn’t matter if you lived on a compost pile, because more often than not there's a late model Ford pickup parked in the yard.

When the popular country trio the Dixie Chicks were critical of George Bush in 2003 because of the Iraq war it prompted Keith to branded them “Saddams’s Angels”. Keith helped fire the redneck and right wing backlash against the Chicks that cumulated in such things as CD burning parties, Chicks concert cancellations and blacklisting by the music industry throughout the South and elsewhere.

The feud still continues till this day, in spite of attempts to mend fences, based on the recent cancellation of a joint engagement by the Chicks and Keith that was scheduled to bring attention to global warming. Something I sure Keith's fan base is not that captivated with. The Dixie Chicks wrote a hit song about the ordeal "not willing to make nice".

I think it's time we tell the Ford Motor Company what we think about their sponsorship of this xenophobic and pro lynching bigot. I suggest you contact Ford and demand they rethink their sponsorship of Keith. I composed a letter your welcome to cut and paste into their contact us email template and forward under your name.

Dear Ford Motor Company:

I would like to bring to your attention that I will not be buying any Ford Motor Company products, including any Ford Trucks until you end your relationship with country singer Toby Keith.

Keith has demonstrated that he is a racist and a bigot by writing and performing songs like “Beer For My Horses” that appear to support public lynching. He also stated during a nationally syndicated radio program that Barack Obama success was only because “he talks, acts and carries himself as a Caucasian.” Adding, “I think the black people would say he don't talk, act or carry himself as a black person”.

If the Ford Motor Company stands for equality and against racism, race bating and public lynching it needs to stop supporting people who do. I hope you will take action to
end your business relationship with Mr. Keith as soon as possible.

Sincerely,
artistdogboy

Inside The Koran National Geographic Special

Inside the Koran a National Geographic Special documentary Wednesday August 4th 6pm on NGC. Check your local listings for alternative viewing times.

Powerade Olympic Marketing Features Nude Atheletes

This advertising campaign appears to be a very tasteful and bold marketing ploy for Powerade, which is a Coca-cola owned company. Powerade is the official sports drink of the Beijing Olympics. But mature ads like this would never fly here in puritan conservative America so this campaign is British based.

MIT Breakthrough Discovery Of New Way To Store Solar Energy

In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing energy for use when the sun doesn’t shine.

via:Informed Comment

Why Americans Know Little About The Rest Of The World

I saw this video from Alisa Miller of Public Radio International over at AmericaBlog and thought it was worth posting again just in case you missed it. It answers the question of why the United States is a nation of international retards.

Seattle Times Braindead Headline Of The Month

"Rich are not so different when economy is down"

Okay and pigs may fly out my ass! AP writer Mark Jewell in today's Seattle Times points out that the rich have to cut back on luxury items and other filthy rich pastimes. It's a freaking hilarious read. Ironically the rich and their Republican buddies are to blame for the last eight years of endless war and bad economic policy.

"Many are asking their personal shoppers and private-jet providers to seek the best deals rather than over-the-top extravagances." Meanwhile some retired grandma has to go hungry in order to pay her energy bill. This is such a total bullshit story. Come on Mr. Jewell there are people dying out here.

McCain's Negative Attacks Create Flood Of Obama Campaign Contributions And Volunteers

Obama Campaign Manager David Plouffe's video message talks about how recent McCain negative, and I might add just plain stupid, attack ads have actually help increase campaign contributions to the Obama campaign. Over 200,000 contributions this week and 100,000 made yesterday alone, one-third were first time contributors and the negativity has apparently increased the number of volunteers showing up at Obama's field offices across the country.

Conservative Republican Banker Says Iraq War Reason For Economic Crisis

Instead of talking about race cards being played and Britney Spears John McCain should be force to talk about what a prominent Republican banker says is wrong with our economy. Mainly the Iraq War. But warmonger McCain will never do it, because he's all caught up in honor and victory and surrender and that type of rightwing jingoistic American political horseshit.

Richard Vague is a conservative businessman disgusted with the party he has belonged to for a very long time. He was the Founding CEO of the former First USA Bank which ran at the time the largest credit card operation in the United States. He later started a group called AmericanRespect.com, promoting American internationalism and trying to get the American government to demonstrate respect for other peoples and nations abroad.

Another Apparent Army Cover Up Of Rape and Murder In Iraq

If your not pissed after watching this piece your brain dead. This is a must watch video from the Young Turks. Comentator Cenk Uygur goes ballistic about the apparent cover up of a rape and murder of LeVena Johnson a US Army PFC station in Iraq. The Army has officially classified her death as a suicide.

This apparent cover-up is something every American should be furious about. Uygur also correctly points out that this type of government misconduct would of been at the top of the news cycle and on the front page of most newspapers at one time in America. Now all we get is the Vip stakes and whether Obama is just like Britney and Paris. Bullshit!

McCain's $500 Shoes

MCCain's $500 Ferragamo shoes, something that every working class guy can totally relate to...

Paul Allen's Broken Promise Comes Home To Roost No Real Grass For MLS Sounders

Next year the new Seattle Sounders will take the field as a new MLS franchise. The main problem the MLS has is that the Sounders and several other MLS teams still find themselves playing on artificial turf. This makes the MLS brand a form of phony American soccer.

We all know that REAL soccer is played on real grass not artificial turf.

Many don't remember that as part of the effort to get voters to approve the Seahawks Stadium Paul Allen made a promise that the field would be acceptable for soccer as well as NFL football. Meaning that it would be maintained as a real GRASS field. This promise later was forgotten when push came to shove and the NFL team's coaching staff and the powers to be apparently nixed the idea.

I supported the stadium myself with my vote in part because of this now broken promise made by Allen. As ususal there was little objection from Seattle fans who can't tell real grass from the phony stuff most of the time. Here we qoute from a CNN Sports Illustrated Grant Wahl article on the subject from August 2001, titled: Fasco in Seattle...

"The conventional wisdom has always been that if soccer ever gets big in the U.S., it will do so despite, not because of, the folks who run U.S. Soccer. Further evidence comes courtesy of former U.S. secretary general Hank Steinbrecher, who is almost single-handedly torpedoing efforts to bring world-class soccer to Seattle.

Quick background: In order to help secure public funds for the new Seahawks stadium under construction, the group building the stadium (led by team owner Paul Allen ) pitched it as a football/soccer facility that would have soccer dimensions and be able to house a possible MLS team and future U.S. national team games. "Wonderful!" said the Seattle community, which has its share of soccer fans and voted to help support the project, which was promised to have a grass field.

Now, however, Seahawks coach/GM Mike Holmgren wants to install FieldTurf, the new-age artificial turf that wouldn't get torn up by football games and the ever-present Seattle rain. One problem: Even though FIFA has approved FieldTurf for all soccer events except the World Cup finals, sources say there's no chance that U.S. Soccer will play World Cup qualifiers on the fake stuff.

Enter Steinbrecher, the first-class bloviator who recently sang the praises of FieldTurf for the Seattle stadium. "In my opinion," Steinbrecher told The Seattle Times, "FieldTurf is better than all but the top 10 percent of the grass fields in the world." Well, guess what? Steinbrecher is a paid consultant for the folks who bring you FieldTurf! So now, as Steinbrecher lines his pockets, the football people in Seattle can say, "Look, even the soccer people support FieldTurf!"

But what will Seattle soccer fans get in return for their financial support? No national team games (using a temporary grass field over the carpet would be expensive, impractical and possibly dangerous) and no MLS team (the last thing the league wants to do is pay exorbitant rent to play in another giant NFL stadium on fake turf).

The best solution for a possible MLS expansion team in Seattle would be to modify cozy Memorial Stadium near KeyArena: Install a grass field, expand the partially roofed digs to 20,000 seats and kick out the weekly high school football games -- to, say, the new Seahawks stadium, where the FieldTurf will undoubtedly be able to withstand the wear and tear.

And, oh, yes, it would help to find an MLS investor in the area willing to cough up $15 million or so (plus a few more million to modify Memorial Stadium, since the Seattle voters surely won't be hoodwinked again). Maybe Steinbrecher would be willing to contribute some of his hard-earned cash?"

To me and others nothing looks and feels more inauthentic then watching MLS soccer played on artificial turf fields with the NFL football lines still vaguely showing through. Also professional soccer players complain of injuries and other factors related to play on this phony grass that make it regrettable. Until the MLS eliminates artificial turf fields they are not going to be accepted as being legitimate by true soccer fans here and around the world. Ask any normal soccer fan from another country about the MLS and this often is one of the things their first to point out.

This Is Your Brain On Hope

New MoveOn.org ad takes comical look at hope in the future.

Yummy Yummy What Fast Food Really Looks LIke

This Flickr photo stream is frightening and hilarious at the same time. Makes you want to super size your eating habits. Thanks to Frightening Fast Food Flickr group. Ladies and gentlemen the Wendy's 3x classic triple (bypass).

God Please Spare Us From Another Unsophisticated Inarticulate Malaprop Of A Presidency

Shouldn't being able to speak properly be a basic requirement for being elected president?

I ‘m sick of US Presidents who can’t speak proper English or are so scattered, old, burnout or phony they can’t get their facts straight most of the time. I don’t mind the occasional mistake, but I can’t take it when it's a daily occurrence Ala Bush and McCain.

We need a president that can actually articulate his positions on the issues and affairs of the day in such a way that he is clearly understood. I’d venture a guess that Obama would be winning big if a the poll were taken of English professors.

You’d think that one of the top requirements of the presidency would be to be able to communicate your ideas, apparently not so much in low information voter America.

McCain so far has shown he’s in the same bush league as our un-scholarly current president when it comes to simply talking. Aren’t you sick of the American president looking like a total buffoon on the world stage? If not, you should cast your vote for McCain because one thing he will continue is the same Bush habit of making a complete ass of himself in public ever chance he gets, and at 72 years of age it’s probably going to get worse.

We put up with eight years of the bumbling of George W. Bush misspeak and now they offer us another halfwit speaker in the form of McCain. I want my president to be articulate and well read, not some one who acts like Charlie McCarthy being manipulated by a drunk Edgar Bergen.

Come on America! It time we had a elitist for our president not some nitwit who supposedly if fun to drink a beer with at the corner bar. This able to have a beer with nonsense is the height of stupidity as a barometer of anything meaningful. Most of the people I drank beer with at the corner bar were a bunch of low information slackers or drunks. Guess that says something about me too. It okay if you like low information slackers and drunks once in a while but not as the leader of the free world.

If I go to the circus or a show I want to see someone do something extraordinary that for a moment separates him or her, and me by observing it, from the mundane. I don’t want the same old mediocrity in that or in politics. This American propensity to settle for the banal is impeding our progress as a nation and people.

I think being able to speak properly would be a baseline qualification don’t you?

Hearings On Don't Ask Don't Tell Debunk Fears By Homophobic Nitwit

Freshman Representative Patrick Murphy, a former military officer himself, did an excellent job dealing with the disturbing views of homophobic witness and anti-military extremist Elaine Donnelly testifying before the House Armed Services Committee yesterday. Vote Vets points out that one's sexual orientation has nothing to do with performance on the battlefield or anyplace else in the military.

Obama Makes Clear That Real Front Against Terrorism Is In Afghanistan

Obama in Jordan yesterday made the point that the real war against terrorists is not in Iraq. Something that John McCain and many Americans have a hard time grasping. So let's roll the tape.

Mariners Insipid Play Reflects Candyass Front Office Failure

Do you dream of a winning Mariner team? If you do you should write a letter to your local newspaper or to principle Mariner owner Hiroshi Yamauchi via Nintendo calling for the heads of candy ass club CEO Howard Lincoln and president Chuck Armstrong. They've succeeded in turning Seattle back into a losing farm team for the better teams in baseball who more often then not seem to be able to take our rejects and cast offs and turn them into productive players.

These two men are personally responsible for the Mariners return to permanent mediocrity. In my mind the main reason is because of Armstrong and Lincoln’s phony dip shit family values centered Disney style feel good all over management style and personal statement that seems to permeate everything Mariner including their play on the field. It's a turn off to real baseball types who know how to win and may consider coming here except for the fact they have to answer to Lincoln and Armstrong if they did.

It may look good to Seattle’s uninformed, latte swilling, shiskaberry sucking, let's do the wave because we don't know the difference between football and baseball fans, but its main result is to produce recurring seasons of teams with losing records. These two have been behind the hiring of a line of weak yes men managers and the similar disposed and the recently fired GM Bill Bavasi. Bavasi is responsible for a number of on field personnel decisions over the last several seasons that have proved to be mistakes or simply inept. It wasn’t because money wasn’t available to woo winning players to come here, the club has one of the highest payrolls in major league baseball.

Yamauchi should replace these two anal retentives with someone who knows something about winning baseball games. In case you haven’t noticed Lincoln and Armstrong spend most of their time on their number one priority, trying to keep couples from kissing, or doing much else that fans like to do at baseball games like wearing tee shirts that indicate that the visiting team SUCKS or simply being at the ballpark to have a good time and blow off some steam. I’m sick of them hiring these ass licking field managers who feel warm all over even after a 100 lose seasons.

Last night for example I watched as Mariner Pitcher Jarrod Washburn once again demonstrated his yearly propensity for failing to get past the 6th inning and getting shelled in the process only to have the lap dog Fox Sports Northwest commentators during the post game wrap-up talk about what a fine outing he had by lasting 5 innings and losing the game. This, a demonstration of habit those dependent on the Mariners for their lively-hood have of trying to turn a sows ear of a baseball team into a silk purse. Washburn’s record slipped to 4 wins and 9 loses. He, like the highly paid and recently release slugger Richie Sexson, pitchers Migel Batista and Carlos Silva indicate the total lack of competence Mariner upper management had when it hired GM Bavasi who's mainly responsible for bringing these millstones around the franchise's neck unproductive players here in the first place.

I'm not even going to start on what I think about no hit strike out prone Willie Bloomquist being a everyday player except to say he'd be riding the pines or released if he were associated with any real major league baseball team. How many years of mediocrity does it take before you know?

Bavasi didn't begin to rebuild the team in the classic sense when he got here from within the organization by using the farm system's young players, but instead used these prospects as trade bait to go for so called established players who's worth was questionable. He also brought in several veteran players through free agency who turn out to be busts for the most part, 15.5 million dollar Sexson being the main example, or he'd cut loose productive players because they didn't meet the Lincoln Armstrong arbitrary code of personal moral cleanliness and godliness or they did things like chew tobacco in front of kids.

Then there’s Casper Milk Toast managers like the now deposed Bob Melvin, Mike Hargrove and John McLaren who couldn’t get the high paid prima donnas players to produce wins on the field. Bavasi modes operandi was to bring in washed up players just past their prime and expecting them to produce numbers they hadn’t achieved any time lately. Lincoln and Armstrong liked these weak minded managers because they were the opposite of Lou Piniella who'd rather punch someone in the nose then lose a baseball game. Something he may of done to them had he stayed any longer.

As far as the permanent replacement for Bavasi, one former American League executive, asking for anonymity, told me recently, "If Lincoln and Armstrong are there, whoever the GM is won't matter." Art Thiel Seattle PI

True baseball MEN like former Manager "sweet" Lou Piniella and GM Pat Gillick had enough of the interfering and goodie two shoes management style of Lincoln and Armstrong and bolted for greener pastures by the time the end of the 2003 season had rolled around. They took a record of several playoff appearances and a record breaking 116 win season with them plus any chance the Mariner had to be successful on the field in the immediate future because of the phony leadership by Lincoln and Armstrong. Both Piniella and Gillick have gone on to be the part of successful and competitive pennant contending operations with the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies respectfully.

Piniella, besides being a brilliant baseball mind, more importantly reflected the true workingman blue collar honest no nonsense values and passion that successful baseball managers usually have as part of their overall makeup and was sort of the antithesis to the (excuse me) pussies that Lincoln and Armstrong represent. Lincoln and Armstrong saw Piniella as a threat and a risk to their squeaky clean ideas about life and baseball. Piniella’s entertaining volcanic on field outbursts and tell it like it is style scared the shit out of these two squares. Unfortunately for Seattle Piniella style also produced winning baseball teams. Piniella remains well loved and deeply missed by most knowledgeable baseball fans who give a shit and screw that dumb ass pansy ass Moose too.

If Seattle Had Approved The 1968 Rapid Transit Bond Issue It Be Paid Off This Year Cost Less And Been Better Then The One We Still Haven't Built Yet

Sorry you wannabe hipsters, but it's true. Nothing that even looks like a long term capital improvement to our infrastructure or a quality of life improvement can ever get passed in the lame backwater town of Seattle or the Puget Sound region.

Blame the process on the chicken heartened back-boneless gagle of PC bloggers and blowhards who rather posture and talk endlessly about the system's freaking carbon score than build anything. Most of these nitwits intercity pols are more concerned about making sure they look good or get re-elected. Even our supposedly backwater friends in Stinktown (Tacoma) and Portland are way ahead of us on this issue.

Name me one politician in this state who's got the political juice and where with all to get something done. Fuck the special Seattle propensity of involving everyone in god's green earth in the endless egocentric talk it through PROCESS process. I've prayed for a REAL big city politician to come on the scene for years who's not afraid to DO SOMETHING and get voted out of office if the people don't like it. The current price of gas crisis only puts more emphasis on how the region got caught with it collective people moving pants down. The only good thing about the pain at the pump is it may force the nitwit population of obstructionist's hand, so they'd actually HAVE to ACT.

"The Forward Thrust package in 1968 would have given the area a system of amazing scope. It would have been completed in 1985 and fully paid off in 2008. It would have been heavy rail, largely in subways, with two prongs north, two prongs south, and two prongs on the Eastside. Unlike Portland's system, which is largely on the street, this system would have been separated from traffic and much faster. It probably would have done a fair amount toward shaping dense neighborhoods and concentrating urban growth. All this at one quarter the local cost of a completed (much smaller and slower) Sound Transit system."

I remember voting for the rapid transit system in 1968 before most of the present day nitwitlalapalooza blogger bunch even had heard of the personal computer. For Christ sake these cheap penny wise and dollar short assholes around here would probably have a heart attack if they had to compare the proposed cost then to the inflated cost it be today for the same system. But let's go to the video so that I can suffer once again from rapid transit envy.

Number one in the world of rapid transit is apparently Singapore, and their mostly Buddhists. They beat you with a stick in the public square if you throw your gum on the ground. I'll take a Buddhist over a surrender monkey WASP any day of the week I guess. Buddhist never surrender because they hardly ever start useless wars that they have to later end up surrendering for like Pops McCain likes to point out all the time.

Carl Rove Should Be In Jail

I tell my friends that there will be no real justice in this country until Carl Rove, Bush, Cheney et al are prosecuted and put in jail. How can you put a man in jail for shoplifting and at the same time not prosecute these thugs for the heinous war crimes and abuses of power they have conducted. Are we not a nation of laws?

Happy Burn the House Down And Scare The Bejesus Out Of the Dog Day

Item from the West Seattle Blog or the blog that never every sleeps.... Turn on the game have a few drinks and start a bonfire in the front yard next to the barbecue. What the hell could be wrong with that? Reminds me of the time I was in Spain on Saint Joan's Day. If you don't want to blow off any M80's but would like to feel like you have just watch this video.

The Catalans pretty much all come to a central location in the nearest town, like a soccer field, start a civic bonfire and begin to set off their extensive personal stash of fireworks and small bombs and fire making related goodies. The tradition is centuries old and includes that you must also jump through the fire inorder to symbolize getting rid of the old and starting over with the new. Sounds like something we could use here in America badly.

But, in Catalonia it seems no one every gets hurt at these celebrations or has their extremities blown off. Only here in the land of the retards and the home of the not so free anymore can one blow the shit out of themselves once a year or burn down their or their neighbor's house. Here is the quote from the post at West Seattle Blog.

10:53 pm Fire crews are busy too; Engine 37 (from 35th SW) just went to an illegal burn call at California/Willow south of Morgan Junction, reportedly “guys drinking and having a bonfire in the front yard.”

Is The Red Blue Divide Fading Away.. Are You An Equinox Voter?

Over at votemaster there was this interesting observation on a columm pollster John Zogby has written at Huffington post about his ideas on the changing make up of the electorate.

"Pollster John Zogby wrote a column about how the red/blue divide is fading away. He says the key new groups are the Spring-forward and Fall-back voters, which he names the Equinox voters. The Spring forwards are people who are doing well in the new information and service economy. They are well educated, making good money, and located in New England, New York, Maryland, Virginia, Colorado, the West Coast, and other areas. People like this used to be (Rockefeller) Republicans but now they are solidly Democratic. The Fall back-ers are blue-collar workers in the rust belt and elsewhere who have seen their manufacturing jobs vanish and their lives get worse. The old American dream of having your children do better than you seems a distant reach for them. They used to be the core of the Democratic coalition, but in recent years they are becoming more and more Republican, largely on cultural issues like abortion (due to Richard Nixon's Southern strategy and Karl Rove's genius). We are likely to see this theme a lot in the coming year".

John McCain's Flip Flopper 101 Video

All, or nearly all, or John McCain's flip flops are contained in this video. It hard to keep up. But we try.

Oil Companies Begining Plan To Extract Profits From Iraq Oil Fields

How ironic is it now that George Bush has less then six months left in office that his oil company buddies are going to start to enjoy their share of the spoils of the war in the form of oil profits from Iraqi oil. But as we all know it was never really about blood for oil.

Euro Cup Final Conjures Up Bad Memories For Holocaust Survivors

Euro 2008 comes to a close on Sunday night in Vienna, and it's Germany against Spain in the final. But the stadium where the final will be held brings up other memories for holocaust survivors.

United Farm Workers Union Takes Aim At Trader Joe's

Attention all upwardly mobile hipsters and and otherwise smug wine connoisseurs shopping at Trader Joe's. The United Farm Workers Union has targeted Trader Joe's and supplier Charles Shaw Wines for what it feels is a history of not providing proper working conditons for farm workers and the use of labor contractors to avoid responsibility when workers are injured of die on the job. The Company's wines are sold at Trader Joes under the Two Buck Chuck label. Trader Joe's considers Charles Shaw Wines one of it's valued suppliers.

The Farm Workers Union feels the Charles Shaw operation is responsible for the death of seventeen year old Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez from heat exposure at their California vinyard. The Union initiated the campaign against Trader Joe's because it feels that the company has not taken the responsibility or action to encourage it's so called valued suppliers like Charles Shaw to improve conditions for farm workers. If you'd like to send a fax to Trader Joe's telling them to take responsibility and action instead of making excuses you can do so here.

AFL-CIO Working Families 2008 Website Impressive

The AFL-CIO's Working Families 2008 website is very impressive, especially the John McCain revealed and the meet Barack Obama cyber book pages. The site contains tons of information, videos and links on both candidates aimed at the working person's perspective. The AFL-CIO has officially endorsed Obama and created the website to engaged union members and working class Americans in the election.

Pride Week Video Attempts to Introduce Obama to GLBT Community

In honor of Pride Week in Seattle Jen Hauseman (who happens to be an Obama National Delegate) and Jake Standish, co-directors of Seattle Pride, had the idea of creating a video to introduce Barack Obama to the LGBT community. This short video, created by Jody Rogers, highlights some of Barack's past speeches with an emphasis on Obama's commitment and bold support of the GLBT community.

Somebody Tell Dr. Dobson That People Have Been Making Up Stuff In The Bible For Awhile Now!

So I guess Barack Obama can make it up too. At least The Great Black Hope’s interpretation points out that nothing in the Bible should actually be taken literally. And I need not remind you Dr. Dobson that your truth is not my truth. What you believe is for sure not what I believe. I’m sick of theses so called religious authorities like you thinking they have somehow cornered the ultimate truth market. Organized religion usually gets it wrong and when they do the bodies invariably start to pile up.

This interference by religious groups and individuals also has reared it ugly head with Muslims whining publicly about what they claim is inattention from Obama. This SHOULD be a country where pandering to any religion by candidates for the highest office is not one of the determining factors in deciding who is qualified to be President. Hasn't making everything presidential into a religious litmus test gotten us in enough trouble already?

Most Americans actually born here and others coming here after living in actual or near theocracies need to understand the basic principle of the separation of church and state. This information apparently has been removed from the text books by religious nuts cases who have infiltrated our government institutions.

I believe in God but why and how I worship is no ones business or should it be some sort of test of my standing as a citizen ever.

Signs Of Fremont

Sign seen on upper Fremont Ave.

FISA Immunity Impeachment Expose Colluding Compromised Democrats

Democratic Party leaders in Congress including but not limited to Harry Reid, Chuck Shumer, Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer continue to sell out to the President and his gang of corporate criminals who further threaten our constitutional rights and the rule of law.

They are now heavily compromised by their early awareness and collusion and decision to look the other way when Bush administration policies began ignoring the law and the constitution in the fear ridden period after 9/11 and in the run up to the war with Iraq.

These backbone lacking phonies were more then happy to jump on the bandwagon when they were afraid they be branded obstructionist or peaceniks if they stood up to Bush on illegal wiretapping, extraordinary rendition, or opposing the war.

Instead of standing up to guard our rights, calling for more evidence before going to war or fighting the abuses, they simple went along with what the President wanted, ruled by fear they'd lose their precious seats in Congress. Simply put, they were not doing the job they were elected to do of protecting the constitution or citizens from these abuses of power.

Because of this early collusion and approval of Bush wrongdoing they have been rendered impotent and in jeopardy of being exposed themselves as the slimy whimps who when along to get along that they actually represent.

This is the main reason Democrats like Hoyer and Reid continue to push the so called compromise FISA bill that includes telecom immunity and are also not eager to proceed on the impeachment of the President even though the evidence for impeachment is overwhelming. By ignoring impeachment or continuing the efforts to grant telecom immunity they actually insulate themselves from the truth coming out of their personal involvement and collusion with Bush policies.

So we're faced with another sad day if your a Democrat, watching these Judases sell us out for the thirty pieces of telecom immunity or the continued funding of the Iraq war without tying it to a date to withdraw.

Even though Bush continues to have one of the lowest sustained unfavorable ratings of any president ever these Democrats continue to refuse to stand up to his bad policies, violation of our rights, illegal war or the protection of telecom illegal activities.

What the hell are they good for anyway?

Politicians like these should be run from office and replaced by candidates who are more concerned with protecting us from the abuse of power then just being reelected. Not only do we need a change in the White House we need to remove these do nothings from leadership roles in the Congress and replace them with Democrats who are not in collusion with a corporate driven Republican agenda.

Gonzo Trailer The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

Here it is kiddies. The trailer for the upcoming Hunter S. Thompson trailer

Experts Say Getting Rid Of The Enron Loophold Could Reduce Gas Prices As Much As 25%

What the hell is going on here? If getting rid of this legal loophole would reduce gas prices from $4.50 a gallon to $3.40 why isn't our hair on fire demanding action?

Am I missing something here? Experts say that the elimination of so called Eron loophold would reduce crude oil and gas prices by as much as 25%. The loophole allows for the lack of regulation of gas and old traders who then are free to speculate on oil futures in a way that forces up the price and brings them more profit. Keith Olbermann report last night left me ready to upchuck my dinner.

Whoops: Apparently congress did pass legislation to remove the Eron loophole as part of the recent farm bill. So the question now is when do we see the reduction in price?

General Who Investigated Guantanamo Abuse Says Bush Officials Commtted War Crimes

This last weekend I attended the WA State Democratic Convention in Spokane. While there I had the opportunity to meet James Yee the former US Army Chaplain sent to Guantanamo to administer to Muslim prisoners who, after being accused of collaboration with the enemy, ended up becoming a prisoner himself. Yee, a Washington resident, was in Spokane having been elected an Obama pledged National Delegate from Washington's 9th Congressional District to the August Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Yee accuses the US Government of torture and violation of the Geneva Convention in their treatment of prisoners in Cuba. You can find out more about Yee and his experience while at Guantanamo in depth and in his own words here.

Yee is passionate about getting the true story of what happened at Guantanamo out. It is shocking to know what the Bush administration did in our name to the prisoners held at Guantanamo and other black sites. They continue to this day to deny responsibility for their crimes and recently attacked the Supreme Court decision that restores certain constitutional rights to the prisoners in Cuba. A decision. by the way, that presumptive Republican nominee John McCain called "one of the worst decisions in the history of the court". Making one wonder if McCain actually read or understands the decision, being that he was a war prisoner himself.

There are now two excellent reports that go farther, and accuse the Bush administration of war crimes. Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, who's now retired, new report found that U.S. personnel tortured and abused detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, using beatings, electrical shocks, sexual humiliation and other cruel practices. McClatchy also has has excellent in depth series that includes interviews with many former prisoners who were tortured but subsequently release after it was determined they were innocent or, in some cases actually working to support American efforts.

Both these reports add credence that Bush, Cheney and their cronies may one day have to face the consequences for their abuses of power and arrogance in putting themselves above the law.

Photos From WA State Democratic Convention

Here are the photos taken at the WA State Democratic Convention last weekend in Spokane. The WSD presidential election year convention business didn't provided many surprises. The principle activity being the election of at large and party leader delegates to the National Convention. Over 400 candidates were completing for 17 at large and 4 alternate delegate spots at the Denver convention.

Please feel free to download or use the photos. It be nice if you'd give artistdogboy a photo credit if you publish a photo. Better yet upload or email some of your own pictures to added to the album. I was to busy running for delegate myself to take as many pictures as I would of liked. You can find the icons to prompt you if you download, email or upload at the top of the web page at the album website.

Congratulations to the winners. The quality of the pool of candidates for National Delgate this year was simply amazing and it boggles the mind when you consider that nearly all of these wonderful people are pretty much dedicated to and at the disposal of the Obama campaign through this election and beyond.

Mayor Nickels Asks Democrats To Send Him To Denver

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels was selected on Sunday in Spokane to attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver this August as an Obama pledged delegate. His selection was made by the WA State Democratic Delegate Selection Committee comprised of the 51 delegates who were previously elected at the Congressional District caucuses held on May 17th.

Nickels had to compete for one of the 10 PLEO (party leader elected official) delegate spots allotted. The video is part of Nickels speech requesting he be made a delegate. The Obama campaign's proposed slate of PLEO candidates in effect recommended that Nickels be added.

Surrender Monkey Iraqis May Tell US Not To Let Surge Hit It In The Ass

Funny thing about democracy. Iraqi Prime Minister al Maliki yesterday indicated he may ask US forces to leave the country. Apparently the current negotiations between the US and Iraq on a long term status of forces agreement have reached an impasse.

Somebody better tell John McCain that the center piece of his Iraq policy, long term American presence, may not be what the puppet government of Iraq and it's allies had in mind. In other developments Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr indicated he is forming a new force to fight US military presence. "We will not stop resisting the occupation until liberation or martyrdom" Al Sadr told his 60,000 strong militia.

via: informed comment

I've Decided I'm Voting Republican

All the reasons why I'm voting Republican this time..



hat tip: J.F.

Photo Of The Day

This is a photo of a popular taqueria in one of Chicago's most heavily populated Hispanic neighborhoods. This and other indications help debunk the presumptions that Hispanic voters will not vote for Obama.

via FiveThirtyEight

O'Reilly Makes People of Irish Decent Look Bad Again

Us people of Irish decent have enough trouble trying to explain the bad name we've gotten from such things as the Irish Uprising and the troubles in the North of Ireland or starting the labor movement or drinking to much. But now we have to try and explain what went wrong when people see this blowhard Irish guy on FOX News too?

Euro2008 Widget For You Soccer Fans

Hey soccer fans here a link to a widget for the latest Euro2008 matches and standings.

Election 2008 Really About Optimism Versus Pessimism

John McCain often will go on about how America is a can do country that has always overcome it’s trials and troubles by hard work and optimism striving ever onward to a better future. Yet his campaign, one could argue, actually represent a fear laden and predominantly pessimistic view about the future. The problem is neither he nor his handlers see it that way or recognize the negative themes they really are spelling out to the American people.

The difference between Obama and McCain is that the can do optimism Obama is talking about is the real deal and the kind McCain is pushing is mostly a presidential campaign's attempt at high minded oratory.

Many Americans don’t get it either and continue to support McCain’s fail ideas instead of the more genuine and real form of optimism that Barack Obama has been talking about since he got in the race. It will be Obama's job to make Americans see the difference between what's really optimistic and what is just more of the same old campaign BS being shoveled down their throats. It's the past versus the future versus fear and pessimism versus real optimism and change.

There are two excellent articles that reinforce this argument for pessimism versus optimism. Frank Rich’s piece in the New York Times and Amy Sullivan story in Time magazine where she looks at the fact that Clinton really didn’t attracted all the women that some think she should have and the reasons why.

Icon Added For Quickview Status Of Eleciton Races

Today we added an icon from Electoral Vote Predictor's website to artistdogboy. You will find it located top left showing the Electoral College, Senate and House totals based on the State to State current polls. Click on the icon to enlarge and also to be taken to their excellent website where you can find tons of current polling and other data.

McCain's Catastrophic Event Mindset

McCain talks compassion but when it comes to doing something substantive about insurance rates in hurricane states it's the same old Republican every man and woman for themselves. Unless, of course, your a corporation.

Photo Of The Day

Exuberant Obama supporter can't withhold her history making joy, from Britian's The Sun.

What is Hillary Fighting For?

I'm all for being kind to Hillary and Bill and recognizing their accomplishments. But most people who are living in the present know that her behavior the last few days has been pretty awful. Her self-importance did not prevent her from impinging on Obama's historic accomplishment and moment on Tuesday night.

I'm not saying she necessarily had to concede then and there. She may claim she'd be ready at 3am if she were in the White House, but she demonstrated she didn't have much of a grasp of what was actually happening at 8pm EST Tuesday night. It was not so much an affront to Obama personally, as a affront to the Democrat party's moment to shine a bright light on it's nominee and his message.

Instead we were subjected to another distracting days of our lives news cycle soap opera episode staring Hillary, Bill and Chelsea when the spotlight should of been focused on Obama and the real drama of his historic accomplishment.

On election night she ask for voters to go to her website and write her a note to tell her what they wanted her to do. You can imagine what I filled in and submitted on the somewhat misleading rah-rah message form above. But it was something along the lines of it's not really about you or your husband's overblown egos anymore. Mainly. I suppose, this is a ploy to raise money so us poor sap working people can pay off the millionaire Clinton's campaign debts that they ran up because of her continuing mismanagement of her own campaign.

If you feel sorry for them write them a check but note that a portion of your money will also be going to the likes of corporate sleazeball Mark Penn. Who has demonstrated by his actions he doesn't really give a shit about you or your family.

The way the form is set up you have to wonder what exactly is meant by "everything we are fighting for". What the hell exactly are they fighting for? Apparently the destruction of the chances for the Democrats to win in November and the resulting appointment of a sufficient number of conservative Supreme Court Justices to overturn Roe v Wade.

It's tone effectively works to split her supporters from the the rest of the party and perpetuate the erroneous believe that somehow someone has had their vote not counted or been had by the vague and unseen sexism or media forces of evil who spend 24/7 thinking up ways to keep women like them in their place. Clinton does more to harm the equality of women by continuing to use gender bias and the media as an excuse for her personal shortcomings as a candidate. When she started the campaign she didn't want to be shown any favoritism because she was a female , but by the end it was subliminally part of her frequent excuse for why she was being misconstrued as a candidate.

The way that Clinton has handled the end of the campaign is tacky and far from graceful or magnanimous. From what I can gather from press reports she now will suspend her campaign on Saturday but still wants the option to have her name placed in nomination. So don't be surprised if her announcement stops short somehow of fully supporting Obama or turns out to be another Clintonian drama filled self-centered departure from reality.

The Clintons seem to continue to be in denial about just what has happened apparently hoping Obama will somehow be hit by lightning or worse. How the Republicans will use all this ambivalence by Clinton towards Obama remains to be seen. If something did happen with Obama I be more inclined to nominate someone like Joe Biden if I were a delegate to the convention. I couldn't deal with four more years of the Clinton's dysfunctional drama school of the absurd.

Yes We Can Heal This Nation, Yes We Can Repair This World

photo by: Denise McKenzie Great Falls, Montana May 31. 2008

Is this really the day that we have longed for so long? The presumptive nomination of Barack Obama at hand? The cynics vanquished, the pundits proven wrong, the chorus of pandering play it safe super-delegates finally jumping on the bandwagon.

The improbable has happened. The dream has come true for many of us.

The hours, days and months of work by a countless unnamed army of volunteers who slept on floors in many far away places awakening to go forth to caucus, phone, canvass, register voters, and organize. Much of the work, sweat, tears, doubts, and primary setbacks, behind us and our major goal of fundamentally changing this nation now coming into bright focus.

Now the fight can be focused on the real opponent, the Republican Party and John McCain and the policies and ideas they represent. We must work for unity. We must set aside inter party improprieties of the past and we must rededicate ourselves to winning the ultimate prize of the white house and the congress. For all of us, no matter what candidate we supported, it is a time for open-mindedness and hard work.