Please Go Vote Tuesday!

McCain uses baseball to try to score against Obama

I'm so very tired of John McCain and his bullshit. Seriously.

What is McCain's latest reason you shouldn't vote for Barack Obama? Baseball.

From BBC News:

Speaking in Pennsylvania, Mr McCain said: "Now, I'm not dumb enough to get mixed up in a World Series between two swing states.

"But I think I may have detected a little pattern with Senator Obama. It's pretty simple really. When he's campaigning in Philadelphia, he roots for the Phillies, and when he's campaigning in Tampa Bay, he 'shows love' to the Rays.

"It's kind of like the way he campaigns on tax cuts, but then votes for tax increases after he's elected."

What did Obama actually say?

"I've said from the beginning that I am a unity candidate, bringing people together. So when you see a White Sox fan showing love to the Rays - and the Rays showing some love back - you know we are on to something right here."

Seriously, that's exactly what McCain was referring to. So not only is McCain a liar, he pathetic. Maybe he thinks talking about baseball, America's favorite sport, will win him some votes. I doubt it.

McCain's strategy is becoming more and more like a disgruntled child who isn't getting what he wants.

Republicans spend $50,000 on Palin's appearance

As November's election nears, the McCain campaign just seems to be sinking lower and lower.

According to Politico, the Republicans have spent $49,425.74 on Palin's clothes, hair, and makeup. Most of that was spent at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.

From Crooks and Liars:

Our good friend John Aravosis over at AmericaBlog did some research and found that the RNC spent more on clothes in two months for Palin than the average American houshold spends in 80 years. Out of touch much?

Yes, they are out of touch. They're also hypocrites. They've spent so much time calling Barack Obama an elitist, that there's little chance of the American people finding out about this (combined with the already prevalent knowledge of McCain's myriad houses, cars, and private jet).

Why Palin is Not a Fiscal Conservative

In case you missed it, Sarah Palin left the city of Wasilla with over $20 million dollars in debt. I think we can safely say we don't need a vice president with that hanging over her head.

Joe the Plumber and Why Rich People SHOULD Pay Taxes

At last night's debate, Joe the Plumber came up quite a bit. In case you don't know, Joe Wurzelbacher is a plumber that wants to buy a business that makes over $250,000 a year, or something along those lines. He spoke to Obama at a rally and said that he was worried that Obama's tax plans would affect him. Joe also made an appearance on Fox (Faux) News and called Obama's plan a threat to the American Dream and said he was a socialist since he wanted to "distribute" wealth. Here's the video:



According to Joe, he's just an average, middle-class American, and this tax increase on people making over $250,000 a year infuriates him. Considering that the average middle-class family's annual income is around $42,000, I think it's safe to say that this "average Joe" is quite a bit more well off than most of us. (Another topic of interest may be Joe's connections with the Keating Family)

This may be a view that becomes controversial to many, but I'll share it nonetheless. Generally, people are selfish, especially when it comes to money. They hoard and spend, and purchase outrageously expensive cars and houses to prove to their peers that they're rich and successful. On the other side, you've got families who are being kicked out of their homes, can't afford to eat, and are working multiple jobs and still not making it. I want heavy taxes on the rich, so it can be used to aid those people who don't have the education or time to get better jobs. The money that would be collected through Obama's tax plan would result in better healthcare, better education, and better opportunities for people at the bottom. Success doesn't come from how much wealth you acquire, it comes from leaving a lasting benefit to society as a whole. I make less than $20,000 a year and am putting myself through college, but I don't complain about taxes taken out of my paycheck. I know the money can be used to help better the lives of people who haven't had the same opportunity as I (although the issue of where tax money goes, such as funding unnecessary and deadly wars, is a topic for another post).

The only people complaining about Obama's tax plans are people who fall into that specific bracket. Everyone else sees it as fair. Bush's tax cuts to the rich is one of the reasons he's so lacking in respect. You can't tax poor people and let all the rich folks reap the benefits and get off clean. It's time our government evens it out a bit, for the benefit of all.

The McCain-Palin Mob

Great job to the director of this video. It shows how unstable and politically uneducated some of McCain's supporters really are. The highlight's gotta be the blonde haired lady that is obviously mentally unstable. After all, according to her Sarah Palin has "Ten times more experience than Palin." Plus, she keeps shouting his name. Some more highlights:

One man says "I think he's a one-man terrorist cell"

When asked if Obama's a terrorist, one woman says "He's got the bloodlines. Just think about the name."

When asked if she knows Sarah Palin better than Barack Obama, she answers "There's more interviews with Sarah Palin than Barack that I've seen in the news"

Make sure you watch this. It's priceless.

Seriously? Up in arms over facial hair and pores?

I've said time and time again that Fox (Faux) News is a joke, but here's something else to add to the arsenal. Their latest target: Newsweek for not retouching a photo of Sarah Palin on the cover. Here's a closeup:
According to Fox (Faux) News, this is a "slap in the face" that shows Palin's "unwanted facial hair, pores, [and] wrinkles." Why can't the treat her like Barack Obama and practically put a halo around his head, as the host suggests.

According to one of their guests, the problem isn't just the un-retouched photo, it's that the headline reads "One of the Folks (and That's the Problem)". Instead of saying the obvious, that the point of the headline is to suggest that Sarah Palin is seriously lacking in any meaningful political experience, the good people over at Fox (Faux) News believes Newsweek is making a demeaning statement about the way she looks. Because ordinary people are ugly, or something to that effect.

One of the three people discussing the cover (I believe it was the one who was about to throw a tantrum) made the statement that this photo "highlights every imperfection that every human being has." Great point! I guess it never occured to them that the picture makes her look more real, maybe even more accessible to the American people at-large. It obviously hasn't occured to them since the same woman thinks that "any woman that sees this cover would be shocked and horrified," probably because women don't want to look real, but like ridicoulously smooth-skinned dolls. It seems like Fox (Faux) News is more concerned with making sure women are airbrushed to be unreal representations of men's "dream woman" than to do their job, which is supposed to be NEWS.

But if they reported on real news, they won't have time to talk about such a liberal elitist magazine that insults the "folks" in America. Julia Piscitelli from American University summed it up best - "What's wrong with showing women the way they actually look?"

Have a look at the discussion:

Is Obama "Too Risky"

From BBC News:

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain has ratcheted up his assault on his Democratic rival's character, with a new advert branding him "too risky".

The ad accuses Barack Obama of hiding ties to Bill Ayers, an ex-member of former militant group, the Weathermen.

The McCain campaign is probably getting a bit worried about new polls that say Obama is increasing his support, so he and Palin are trying to attack him with crazy claims that he's a terrorist, or at least supports terrorism. Just to clear things up, Obama is not a close friend to Ayers and have not "worked together for years" as the McCain campaign claims. Not only has Obama denied this, people outside of Obama's campaign has acknowledged that the accusations made by McCain/Palin are false.

Of course, I'm sure the truth won't reach everyone. I have an acquantice here at school that is still convinced that Barack Obama is an Islamic terrorist. She also believes this when he misspoke and said there were 58 states, that he was confusing the United States with some 58 terrorist groups he's a part of, or something to that affect.

In conclusion: If you believe in truth, vote Obama for president. If you religiously watch Fox (Faux) News and think Obama is a terrorist planted here when he was a child and is going to somehow destroy this country, vote for McCain. There's obviously no point in arguing with someone so ridicoulous.

Thousands Removed From Voting Rolls

A serious issue that could have significant impacts on the upcoming presidential election has arisen in at least six states and possibly more, including Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada, and North Carolina. According to the New York Times, thousands of voters have been taken off voting rolls or simply not allowed to register to vote. The numbers here are not small. For example: "In Colorado, some 37,000 people were removed from the rolls in the three weeks after July 21. During that time, about 5,100 people moved out of the state and about 2,400 died." That leaves 29,500 people who have been removed for no apparent reason, except for the states that are removing people because "they have failed to vote in two consecutive federal elections." I doubt all those people are convicted felons.

It is against federal law to remove voters unless they die, move, or are deemed unfit to vote (such as when someone is convicted of a federal crime). It is also illegal to use social security information to check people's voter registrations, but some states have been doing just that.

"For every voter added to the rolls in the past two months in some states, election officials have removed two, a review of the records shows." Thousands of people are going to show up to their polling placed come November 4th, and are going to be upset that they have been removed from the rolls and will not be able to cast their vote. Especially for the many people who are newly registered so they can have a say in this monumental election year, this is a fabulous way to disengage people from the political process and fuel apathy.

This newest information just adds to the already existing list of voting issues, such as easily hacked and paper-trail-less electronic voting machines and ballots like those in Florida in 2000 that were not clear to many voters. Something needs to fundamentally change in this country's election process. In a democracy such as ours, voting is the primary way in which the citizenry have a say in how the government is run and what issues are important to them. There is already too much apathy in America due to political scandals that have been occurring since Nixon resigned, and the sense that our leaders are so estranged from the people that nothing we do matters on the national scale. For every person that is removed from the voting rolls or decides not to vote because she believes her opinion doesn't matter or won't count, we move farther away from a real democracy and closer to authoritarianism. No one wants that.

It is past the time to talk about this issue. We need to change. We need to insure that people's votes will count, we need to give people the information they need to register without making it hard or confusing, we need to give people more than the standard two choices come election time. We need to save our country and our freedom.

Saturday Night Live's Debate

Canada's Green Candidate

The Green Party of Canada is making news today. Their candidate for prime minister, Elizabeth May, is going to participate in a major debate. Unlike America, Canada has a parliamentary system, which means there is more than two parties in power. However, the Green Party has not had great national-level success there. Things may turn around a bit after people are introduced to May and the Green Party.

The question we need to be asking in America is why we are still sticking with the only allowing the two major political parties participate in our debates.

Good lucky Elizabeth!

Get Ready For Election 2008!

It's a shame that voter turnout is so low. Mainly because voting is the best way to voice your opinion, punish leaders who are not doing their jobs, and reward those that are. Apathy helps no one. Stop thinking that politics don't matter. Sure, there needs to be a hell of a lot of reform, but it does still matters. Your vote can send a powerful message to Washington about what you want done in the next four years. So if you're registered to vote, please go vote on November 5th.

If you are not registered to vote, Rock the Vote has a list of registration deadlines for every state. You can also register to vote on this site. It only takes a minute, so fill out the form.

Not sure who to vote for?
Barack Obama - Joe Biden
John McCain - Sarah Palin
Cynthia McKinney - Rosa Clemente
Bob Barr - Wayne Root

Fox Attacks Obama Like Kerry

Candidate: Donald K. Allen

Donald K. Allen is a little-known independent candidate in the run for the 2008 presidency. A veterinarian who's been involved with the military, he has a lot of strong views about this country and how he plans to improve it. His ideal America: "My vision of America is a Christian nation with English as the national language, strong in defending our beliefs and steadfast in our moral convictions."

He also feels that not being a politician will allow him to speak more clearly to the American people. "Perhaps not being a politician is a good thing today."

Government/Military
Allen wants to reform Congress. He says there needs to be term limits to "instill new growth" in both the House and Senate, and riders (what he calls "earmarks") need to be made illegal. He also promotes a Presidential line-item veto. National referendums on issues that matter to everyone is also in his plans. Overall, he plans to take away some of the power that Congress has accumulated.

He supports the FairTax system (no federal income tax - higher sales taxes) since he believes there are too many people who work under the table.

"Everyone should go through some form of compulsory national service in his or her life." He wants to give everyone the chance to experience something akin to military/national service. One aspect of this could be reestablishing the New Deal program, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

As for war, "...we should give our generals free hand (short of nukes) to do whatever it takes to totally subdue the enemy and its whole populace." He says that, in order to win a war, there needs to be "total unconditional surrender of the entire population or face total destruction," as in the cases of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Holding the entire population responsible is something he believes in strongly, as you'll soon see with his attitude towards the Middle East.

Iraq conflict/Middle East
Allen believes that bringing the troops home will lead to us fighting the same war in Americca, and that "proposing [bringing them home] is only a ploy to appeal to some of our ill-informed voters." George Bush inspires him because of his "determination to 'stay the course' and his strong faith in God." He also feels that there is no reason to think this is a war on oil. After all, how would it be so if it gas prices were still above $3 a gallon?

According to Allen, radical Islamists are the biggest threat to America. He also blames all of Islam: "Roughly 98 percent of Muslims claim that theirs is a peaceful religion, and that the radical 2 percent are murderous villains. What, then, prevents the 98 percent from eliminating that 2 percent themselves? Is it passive acceptance of the radicals, or unspoken support of their actions?" He believes that Islam is doomed to violence.

He shows little sympathy to Muslims who are not terrorists. "...as President I would guarantee to the Muslim world that if any of their faith were responsible for the detonation of a nuclear device in this country, they could immediately expect a similar fate for two significant cities." Also, he suggests using "pig fat as a lubricant on all US military bullets."

Immigration/Mexico
Mexico is helping illegal immigration. Allen wants to finish the massive fence on the border. He feels that our economy rests on the back of cheap immigrant workers doing the "dirty" jobs here in America, but that all immigrants need to be documented and tracked at all times.

One interesting bit that Allen proposed is to pay unhappy American citizens $25,000 to "leave and never return." He put emphasis on the "never return" part, which leads me to believe that he means not even being able to come back to see loved ones. According to Allen, it would "probably save billions in future support for these malcontents." However, due to Mexico's help of illegal immigration, Americans leaving would not be able to relocate to Mexico or Central America.

Social issues/Civil liberties/Rights/Freedoms/Environment
Believes that racial profiling is necessary to protect America. "...keep your eyes wide open for young Middle Eastern men and women. What is really wrong with that?" He doesn't say whether this applies to all people of Middle Eastern origin or to foreigners visiting the USA.

Donald Allen is against the separation of church and state, and believes organizations like the ACLU is akin to the communists in the east and that they are trying to "obliterate any reference to God." Because America was founded on Christian principles, we should go back to that. All that we're protected against in the Constitution is the freedom to practice our own religions and protection from the government declaring a state religion, not the abolition of Christianity.

Claims that there aren't any real infringements on civil rights because unless someone is doing something wrong it's not a big deal.

Personally believes abortion to be "one of the most horrible things mankind does to itself." Believes that many women are irresponsible and abortion is being used as a form of birth control, although he understands that there are cases of rape or health where abortion might be necessary. Also believes that if a woman seeks a second abortion, "she is in serious need of sex education and responsibility, maybe even psychological intervention. I can understand one 'accident,' but the second is pure stupidity."

His plan for healthcare involves a "loser pays" system in which the loser of a lawsuit would pay the costs of both sides, making people unwilling to sue doctors/hospitals. People also need to learn to take care of minor illnesses themselves at home. He would also require pharmaceutical companies to charge Americans the same price as they do people in other countries, and would try to establish "one world price."

War on Drugs: All elected officials, teachers, doctors, and health care workers should have drug testing. Sellers would face very harsh sentencing and the names of buyers would be published. "Our drug users should move to Holland."

Allen feels that minorities should stay out of the picture so as not to give the majority a "culture shock," at least in the case of sexuality. "I much preferred the days when [homosexuality] wasn't constantly thrown in your face."

He would ask teachers what they think can be done to improve our educational system. He's also concocted a program which would allow anyone entrance to college. This system would consist of students initially paying tuition, and at the end of the semester they would be reimbursed until the graduated.

Repeatedly makes a case against liberals and the liberal media. "Much of our news media has become a political arm of the opposition party, and it only publicizes that which serves their agenda to discredit the reigning administration." He blames the liberal media for making "other nations view us as 'heavy-handed' and arbitrary."

He also plans to ban puppy mills because the conditions are terrible, but says nothing about the conditions of animals in factory farming.

He's a proponent of independence from foreign oil, and would be willing to offer a $1 billion prize to whomever could make that happen. "They cycles of global colling and warming occur without our approval, and virtually nothing can be done to change or alter these trends." However, he thinks something can be done to diminish pollution levels.
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Electability (on a scale of 0-5): 0. I can't see a single way this man will be elected.

My Analysis: I couldn't get past the prejudice surrounding the Middle East and racial profiling. Also, his view that some women use abortion as birth control is demeaning to all women. I had a few questions to ask him, but since there wasn't an email contact on his site, I'll post them here:

1. You say that it's ok for racial profiling for "young Middle Eastern men and women" because otherwise it's a waste of time and money and that it wouldn't take away their civil liberties because they aren't American citizens. What about American citizens who are of Middle Eastern origin? Wouldn't they be hurt by such a policy?

2. You're against puppy mills because of the treatment of the dogs, but how do you feel about animal agriculture (factory farming)? One can argue that these animals are kept in much worse conditions than dogs in puppy mills, with many animals kept in close spaces to one another for example.

3. You say that all Muslims are accountable for actions of any of their members. Does this also apply to Christians that blow up abortion clinics? Should we bomb two of their churches?

Further Information:
Official campaign site

Previous profile:
Steve Adams

Candidate: Steve Adams

Every presidential race is full of names we’ve never heard of. Even though these people realize that it’s a difficult position to win, they still feel as though they’ll be the one to beat the odds. Stephen Adams, a Kentucky software designer, is one of those people.

Adams is running as an Independent candidate, under the motto “Common Sense for Uncommon Times”. So far he has 502 supporters, according to his campaign site. The information I’ve gathered below have come from his official campaign site, his YouTube posts, and email correspondence.

Military
Adams believes America should have a “strong, but limited” military. Our top priority will be protecting America, although when it’s needed, wars should be fought with “overwhelming force, multiple options, [and a] clear exit strategy”. Secrecy needs to be increased, meaning journalism/photographs would have to be limited. When asked about a draft, Adams responded that there is no need for one right now. I also asked him whether or not women would be included (since for one reason or another people think this a controversial issue), and they would drafted alongside the men.

As for the war we’re in now, and one that we might be thrown into before 2008, Adams feels that we need to leave Iraq now, handing control to the Iraqis. “Take away that protection and the Iraqi people must step up and deal with threats to their nations instead of fighting amongst themselves.” With Iran, if they really are trying to obtain nuclear weapons, we have the right to invade, although he favors “air strikes and covert operations” to an all-out military strike. Iran and North Korea should never be able to develop WMDs, as they’re a threat to us and other nations.

Our veterans deserve our "highest respect and support", and adequate funding needs to come from a balanced budget to provide our troops with everything they need, from military protection to care for wounded soldiers.

Government
Adams supports a FairTax system in place of income tax, a plan that uses sale tax for government funding. He plans to reduce government spending across the board.

He supports line item vetoes, as he feels that most bills include riders that can change the outcome of the bill’s passage. Line item vetoes are the only way to stop riders.

Gerrymandering isn’t a word you usually hear thrown around in big election campaigns, but Adams plans to eliminate it.

Separation of church and state should remain in place, as it’s part of the US Constitution.

The Electoral College needs to be eliminated as it’s outdated and was created as a “safeguard against the common man”.

Illegal aliens should never be tolerated, and no amnesty should ever be made. Borders need to be as secure as possible. He’ll employ fences, better technology, and increased manpower to achieve this. Also, by using a FairTax system, illegal immigrants will be taxed.

I asked Adams about two laws that are important to me personally, AETA (the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act) and the US PATRIOT Act. He feels that most of AETA is redundant as most aspects of it are already in place, and that the judicial branch will take care of the parts of the PATRIOT Act that are unconstitutional.

Social/Equality/Environment
Marriage should be between a man and a woman. He feels that morality should not play a part in the argument surrounding same-sex marriage. His main reason against same-sex marriage is confusion; some states endorse it, some don’t, creating legal problems. It’s also trouble for companies, as some give benefits to same-sex spouses and some do not. When I asked him whether or not he thought nationwide legalization would be an acceptable option, he said that he was personally against it but would consider it “for the good of the country”.

Healthcare should not be in the government’s hand due to their poor handling of everything else. A free market medical institution will naturally improve healthcare. Medicare and Medicaid should remain in place.

Adams is very strongly pro-life. The only time abortion should be an option is in life threatening emergencies. He believes that the “right to someone’s life is greater than that of someone’s choice”, even in cases of incest or rape.

Children are being taught to take tests, not to learn. He says that he doesn’t have all the answers at the moment, but implies that something needs to be changed in the US education system.

He supports capital punishment, as he feels that some people will never be able to be rehabilitated and as long as they’re alive they are a threat to others.

We need to end America’s dependence on foreign oil, and instead support alternative energy, decreasing international threats from the Middle East and increasing sustainability. He favors the use of electric cars over those run by ethanol.

Favors “reasonable gun control”, such as background checks and waiting periods.

Adams feels that the person most fit for a job should be the one to receive it. He does not support Affirmative Action, but wants any employment discrimination needs to be ended immediately. He says that affirmative action isn’t always effective in ending work-place discrimination, as it can still be a huge factor in determining who gets the job.

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Electability (on a scale of 0-5): 0. Many people may agree with his policies, but seeing as Adams will have to rely mostly on write-in votes, his chances for the US presidency are slim.

My Analysis I feel as though he’s given everything a lot of thought, but he doesn’t always have a clear solution to problems. He's also lacking political experience. No matter how informed a candidate is, many people feel more comfortable with an experienced politician.

Further Information:

Official campaign site

Official Blog

YouTube profile