Shana Tova

May the new year be better than last year.

Bailout Bust, YEAH! Federal Reserve Hand-out, BOO!

I'm glad the bailout was voted down. I really am. Let the bastards that made the mess, wallow in the mess.

Unfortunately, as always, the Bush administration quitely allowed the Federal Reserve to give $630 billion dollars for use in the global banking market. So, what the hell was the purpose of the $700 billion bail out, I wonder? Hmmmmm (scratching head -- didn't they just bail out AIG to the tune of $85 billion?). Much ado about nothing, would be my guess. Not that the financial crisis is made up, just that it should be handled by those that got the markets into trouble, and not bailed out by the American taxpayers. Even though the Federal Reserve is more privately contributed to by the banking industry and managed by the government, there is still a cyclic relationship in this failure of the banking institutions and the bailouts by the Federal Reserve, i.e., banking institutions.

So, if Bush was already going to put in the $630 billlion AND request the $700 billion -- you can do the math. None of this money is or will get the money crises over the hurdle. We, the people, are just going to have to brace ourselves for the first depression of the 21st century.

Fuck The Millenium, Scooter Style

Can't vouch for how long the video stays up, but enjoy while you can.


This is, shall we say, my musical mantra.



House/Techno and all of it's variations, I think, are for those of us that are head bangers, but like disco!

Scooter Rules!

Of course, if you are going to cede the house/techno ground to anyone in this millennium, it would have to go to Scooter!




I turned 50 in 2002, and I was totally freaking out my friends playing this music!

Disco, House Style

I was going to put up the Lady Gaga song, but the YouTube embedding format is "disabled" at the artist's request. Fuck that!

Her song (and video) is cool, for those that are techno disco house addicts. But, come on, original? How about a little Emjay from like 8 years ago!

Cruising The Tattoo Convention

I took my grandson to the tattoo convention here in Los Angeles today. It wasn't like the old ones back in the 1980's and early 1990's, I have to admit. It was just a bunch of booths set up end to end selling overly expensive wares, and probably about a hundred artists doing tatts. I really was not all that impressed, but, given the fact that I have six tatts (four courtesy of the famous Greg James), and my daughter has two, I thought Zaire could use a little look at what tattooing is all about.

While walking around, I found this fun tattoo kit that uses eraseable ink, so I bought it for Zaire. His mother will probably have loads of fun putting on cool tatts -- and not those silly little "lick em and stick em" type usually available for kids.

Then we came across Victor de Los Angeles' booth, and he offered to draw a cool tatt, for free, on Zaire! Who could resist THAT?

Today, Zaire was the coolest kid on the block!

RIP, Paul Newman

My most favorite actor is Paul Newman. I even list him under my favorites on the profile of this blog!


My all time favorite movie of his is Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. I know it was just acting, but the sexuality oozing between Newman and Taylor was almost as good as porn back in that time period. Ok, maybe not for the men (laughing). His film The Long Hot Summer with Joanne Woodward was equally dripping in the sensuality of the time.


Of course, aside from Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid and The Sting, most people were/are not all that familiar with the book of work that Newman acted in. Hud and Hombre rank up there in my top 20 favorite all time movies -- Hud for those incredible scenes of abuse against his co-star, Patricia Neal, and Hombre, just for the way he plays it ever so cool as the white looking guy who is part Apache Indian.


Of course, probably the most famous lines to ever come out of a Paul Newman film is from Cool Hand Luke -- "what we have here is a failure to communicate," but in that movie, the hard boiled egg eating scene is probably my most favorite.


I once had the good fortune to eat lunch at the counter at a place in Beverly Hills were I was working back in the 1970's, and Paul was sitting next to me. We exchanged pleasantries during the lunch, but I could not stop staring into those unbelievable blue eyes of his. In real person, his eyes were so bight baby blue, they just drew you in and drowned you. He was so gracious and unassuming. (I had the same good fortune to sit at the same counter for lunch next to Gene Wilder, who also was the owner of a pair of blue eyes, albeit his were of the more deeper darker shade of blue, not quite the bright and blinding blue of Paul's). This picture clearly shows those eyes.

Paul Newman also impressed me as one of the true mavericks of show business, including the fact that he married a beautiful actress and stayed married to her for his entire life. In Hollywood parlance, that is a rarity, ranking up there with the likes of Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft. (Who can forget that hilarious spoof of Paul and his affection for race car driving in Mel's Silent Movie flick?)

When I woke up this morning and read that he had passed away at age 83, I started crying -- so much so that my poor grandson came to comfort me and he had no clue why I was balling my eyes out. I'm even crying as I write this post.

I know we all have to go, and Paul lived what I believe, according to him, was a full and meaningful life. I know he suffered tragedy with the loss of his son at such an early age. He left us with an abundance of life on screen that will survive. Hell, I even loved his voice in the cartoon classic Cars!

RIP, dear Paul.

Round One Goes To Obama

I've got to give the thumbs up to Obama in tonight's debate. McCain was visibly unprepared, got tongue tied often, and, as usual, had to bring up his POW status. McCain had no concrete proposals, kept sticking to his soundbites (Senator Obama, you simply do not understand ...), and he wouldn't even look Obama in the eye at any time.

In contrast, Obama was on point, mocked McCain appropriately (and rightly) and looked more presidential.

And, since it's such a HUGE issue for Republicans, where the hell was McCain's flag pin?

Quick, There's An Emergency! Cancel The Debates! Where's My Photo Op?

The big news today is not the economy, it's McCain's need to get out of the debate this Friday.

Someone is very afraid, and I'd put my money on the fact that it is NOT Obama!

McCain is tanking in the polls, his Barbie choice can't open her mouth without sounding stupider than Jessica Simpson, and now he wants to "suspend" the campaign? What planet are these people on?

I have to admit the bit on Letterman was terribly funny!

"The debate should take place as scheduled," Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in an interview with NPR to be broadcast this afternoon. "We have to be able to do a couple of things at once. That’s what leadership requires."

"I understand that the candidates are putting together a joint statement at Senator Obama’s suggestion," said Sen. Harry Reid. "But it would not be helpful at this time to have them come back during these negotiations and risk injecting presidential politics into this process or distract important talks about the future of our nation’s economy. If that changes, we will call upon them. We need leadership; not a campaign photo op."

Thre is no leadership with the McCain/Palin ticket. They couldn't lead cow to pasture, or a dog to its food dish, and they most certainly are not capable of leading this country.

NOBODY, And I Mean That As ZERO People Polled Believe The Economy Is Getting Better

No Americans say that the national economy is getting better, 13% say it is staying the same, and 82% say the national economy is getting worse.

H/T to Crooks and Liars for the graphic.

For those that keep insisting that Americans want four more years of the same eight years of pillaging and raping of the American economy, I give you the above poll!

ZERO people believe this country's economy is getting better. That's a big negative - a fat 0 - nada, no one, zippo! And we are supposed to believe that the Republicans are not only going to win the presidential election, but that they will retake Congress? There's not enough hallucinogens available to even remotely buy into this concept.

No Real Debate Here, Move Along, Nothing To See

At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates.

McCain advisers said they had been concerned that a loose format could leave Ms. Palin, a relatively inexperienced debater, at a disadvantage and largely on the defensive.

An inexperienced debater? That's the reasoning? God forbid she should actually have to "know" about the United States, and be on her "toes" to take questions about, oh, I don't know, politics, maybe? Well, that's what is to be expected when Barbie is the vice presidential nominee of the Republican party! How about we just put a string on her back and pull it, and a recording comes out of her mouth? That is the extent of any real debate we will see from this woman, anyway, so why go on with the charade?

"Stupid is as stupid does" should be the slogan for the Republicans this year.

Bye-Bye Yankee Stadium

As we say good-bye to a baseball icon, more from Bill Moyers:

But let’s change the metaphor for a moment and go to our sports desk, because if religion is no longer the soul of capitalism, as Max Weber once taught us it was, we have to venture somewhere else to try to understand the continuing follies of the new gilded age. And so we travel just a few miles north of Wall Street to the House that Ruth Built. Babe Ruth – the Sultan of Swat – who ruled Yankee Stadium and sired generations of princes after him: DiMaggio and Gehrig, Mantle, Maris, Berra and Jackson. Yankee Stadium, as fabled a place to Americans as Ilium was to the ancient Greeks, about to be demolished and replaced next year by a brand new stadium.

On Opening Day in 1923, New York Governor Al Smith threw out the first ball and John Philip Sousa led a big brass band playing his famous marches. It was the Roaring Twenties, when the money flowed liked bootleg whiskey, the pride before the fall. In 1930, the year after the market crashed, as the Great Depression began, Babe Ruth was taking home $80,000 a year, more than the President of the United States, Herbert Hoover. “Why not?” Ruth asked. “I had a better year than he did.”

Yankee star Alex Rodriguez had a better year than both of them. This season, A-Rod is making $28 million, just part of an annual Yankee payroll of $209 million, the richest in baseball. Their owner, George Steinbrenner, is among the Forbes 400, one of the country’s richest tycoons.

But when it came to paying for the new, $1.3 billion pleasure dome, the millionaires on the field and King Midas in his skybox came up with some razzle-dazzle plays to finance their new wealth machine – tax-free bonds, requiring ordinary citizens to subsidize the construction, and hundreds of millions more for new parking garages, a train station and parks that supposedly will replace the ones seized by the city to make room for the new stadium. The Little League games that used to flourish on sandlots just outside the old ballpark have been moved miles away, sent down to the minors on a long road trip.

That’s okay, you may think, there will be plenty of room in the new stadium for the tax-paying public to come root, root, root for the home team – even the Coliseum in ancient Rome had bleachers for the commoners. But, in fact, there will be 5,000 fewer seats in the stands. And while the Yankees reportedly promise that half of what’s left will cost $45 or less, those seats that used to cost $250, right behind the dugout, will now cost you $850. And if you want to be near home plate, you’ll have to cough up $2500 – per game.

Meanwhile there will be more luxury suites and party rooms where fat cats can gather, safely removed from the sweaty masses. Corporations and wealthy individuals will be able to rent the luxury suites for anywhere from $600,000-$850,000 a year – tax deductible – assuming they haven’t filed for bankruptcy this week.

Why aren’t the fans and taxpayers giving the Yankees a Bronx cheer? They did, but city officials rolled over them while making sure local politicians stay in the lineup. The pols are getting their own luxury suite at the new stadium for free – and first shot at buying the best available seats.

The new colossus will cast its majestic shadow across the South Bronx, one of the nation’s poorest neighborhoods. The residents will watch from the outside as suburban drivers avail themselves of 9,000 new or refurbished parking spaces. Never mind all the exhaust, even though in this part of New York City, respiratory disease is already so high they call it “Asthma Alley.”

Not that the well to do in the infield seats will have to hear the wheezing. They’ll have exclusive access to a private club, a private entrance and a private elevator, totems of this gilded age. Let the games begin.

RIP Yankee Stadium.

Another Court Order This Administration Will Simply Ignore

Today, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly dealt a “setback for the Bush administration in its effort to promote a narrow definition of materials that must be safeguarded under by the Presidential Records Act” by ruling that Vice President Cheney must preserve his records. Kollar-Kotelly said that the Bush administration’s legal position “heightens the court’s concern” that some records may not be preserved. The lawsuit, brought by CREW and several historian organizations, was prompted in part by Cheney’s claim that he is not part of the executive branch.

Well, I'm not holding my breath on this. The "black hole" administration will be the Bush legacy. You know, the only administration to officially "lose" e-mails and to declare that the vice president is neither part of the legislative nor the executive branch of the United States government. I'm wondering when American citizens will be lining up for their tattoo of "L" on their foreheads, courtesy of the Bush Administration.

Is It Really Fair That This Country Bails Out CEO's But Not The Rest Of America?

The failed CEO's of Citi, Countrywide, Bear Stearns and Merrill Lynch all walked away from sinking ships with tens and hundreds of dollars. It was all built upon bad business that eventually humbled or completely ruined their respective companies. The US taxpayers have been forced to cover their billions in corporate losses but besides a few embarrassing sessions in front of Congress, they're all just fine. As Nouriel Roubini has said, it's a system of "privatized profits and socialized losses." None of those former CEOs feel an ounce of pain for the economic ruin that is taking down the US economy and eventually the world economy. They are sitting on a gold mine that never should have happened. Even without the gamble, they all could have lived a comfortable retirement but now they are living beyond our wildest dreams.

When is Congress going to step in and re-visit this situation? Forget about blowing hot air for the TV, legal action is necessary. Why should they be able to walk away so easily and pain free? Don't even give me the old "they had a contract" nonsense because lots of contracts exist and plenty of them are revisited in court. The extraordinary acts of nationalizations, bailouts, debt purchases, etc have put us into new ground. Failing to take action will be a failure on behalf of the American public. Surely Congress will bring some accountability to this once in a lifetime event, no? Much like 9/11 when nobody was ever held responsible, I get the feeling we're looking at the same here. What does this say about us as a country that we so easily dismiss such obvious failures?

My sentiments, as well. Anyone that does not see the meltdown we are headed for worldwide, has their head in the sand (but they probably have their hands on their wallets ... ha ha ha).

More from Bill Moyers:

From our offices in Manhattan, we look out on the tall, gleaming skyscrapers that are cathedrals of wealth and power – the Olympus ruled by the gods of finance, the temples of the mighty, the holy of holies, whose priests guard the sacred texts of salvation – the ones containing the secrets of subprime lending and derivatives as mysterious and elusive as the Grail itself.

This last couple of weeks, ordinary mortals below could almost hear the ripcords of golden parachutes being pulled as the divinities on high prepared for soft, safe landings -- all this while tossing their workers like sacrificial lambs into the purgatory of unemployment.

During the last five years of his tenure as CEO of now-bankrupt Lehman Brothers, Richard Fuld’s total take was $354 million. John Thain, the current chairman of Merrill Lynch, taken over this week by Bank of America, has been on the job for just nine months. He pocketed a $15 million signing bonus. His predecessor, Stan O’Neal, retired with a package valued at $161 million, after the company reported an eight billion dollar loss in a single quarter. And remember Bear Stearns Chairman James Cayne? After the company collapsed earlier this year and was up for sale at bargain basement prices, he sold his stake for more than $60 million.

Daniel Mudd and Richard Syron, the former heads of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – aka the gods who failed – are fighting to keep severance packages of close to $24 million combined – on top of the millions in salary each earned last year while slaughtering the golden calf. As it is written in the Gospel According to Me, when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Makin' Whoopie, Rickie Lee Jones' Style

Seems that it is a Rickie Lee Jones night. Enjoy it while it lasts (until the YouTube and internet police pull the video).



(Blushing)



High Five to Dr. John, on the last one!

The Alaska Women Reject Palin Rally

I received an interesting email, along with photographs, from a person in Alaska that attended a rally that opposes Gov. Palin and her policies. The party gave permission to distribute the email and the photographs to show others that as far as many Alaskans go, they do not support Gov. Palin, her views, her actions, or her policies.

The Alaska Women Reject Palin rally was to be held outside on the lawn in front of the Loussac Library in midtown Anchorage. Home made signs were encouraged, and the idea was to make a statement that Sarah Palin does not speak for all Alaska women, or men. I had no idea what to expect.

The rally was organized by a small group of women, talking over coffee. It made me wonder what other things have started with small groups of women talking over coffee. It's probably an impressive list. These women hatched the plan, printed up flyers, posted them around town, and sent notices to local media outlets. One of those media outlets was KBYR radio, home of Eddie Burke, a long-time uber-conservative Anchorage talk show host. Turns out that Eddie Burke not only announced the rally, but called the people who planned to attend the rally 'a bunch of socialist baby-killing maggots,' and read the home phone numbers of the organizers aloud over the air, urging listeners to call and tell them what they thought. The women, of course, received some nasty, harassing and threatening messages.

I felt a bit apprehensive. I'd been disappointed before by the turnout at other rallies. Basically, in Anchorage, if you can get 25 people to show up at an event, it's a success. So, I thought to myself, if we can actually get 100 people there that aren't sent by Eddie Burke, we'll be doing good. A real statement will have been made. I confess, I still had a mental image of 15 demonstrators surrounded by hundreds of menacing 'socialist baby-killing maggot' haters.

It's a good thing I wasn't tailgating when I saw the crowd in front of the library or I would have ended up in somebody's trunk. When I got there, about 20 minutes early, the line of sign wavers stretched the full length of the library grounds, along the edge of the road, 6 or 7 people deep! I could hardly find a place to park. I nabbed one of the last spots in the library lot, and as I got out of the car and started walking, people seemed to join in from every direction, carrying signs.

Never, have I seen anything like it in my 17 and a half years living in Anchorage. The organizers had someone walk the rally with a counter, and they clicked off well over 1400 people (not including the 90 counter-demonstrators). This was the biggest political rally ever, in the history of the state. I was absolutely stunned. The second most amazing thing is how many people honked and gave the thumbs up as they drove by. And even those that didn't honk looked wide-eyed and awe-struck at the huge crowd that was growing by the minute. This just doesn't happen here.

Then, the infamous Eddie Burke showed up. He tried to talk to the media, and was instantly surrounded by a group of 20 people who started shouting O-BA-MA so loud he couldn't be heard. Then passing cars started honking in a rhythmic pattern of 3, like the Obama chant, while the crowd cheered, hooted and waved their signs high.

So, if you've been doing the math… Yes. The Alaska Women Reject Palin rally was significantly bigger than Palin's rally that got all the national media coverage! So take heart, sit back, and enjoy the photo gallery. Feel free to spread the pictures around to anyone who needs to know that Sarah Palin most definitely does not speak for all Alaskans. The citizens of Alaska, who know her best, have things to say.

Here's A bunch of pictures of that rally.

Zaire's Birthday

Great pix of my grandson just before he jumped off the thing!

Today is his official birthday, (6 years old) but he has a big party planned for tomorrow. I took him to Barnsdall Park and then later, we went to a general park.

Rememberance Of The Innocent Who Died Today

Please check out this CNN site that has been dedicated to the memories of all who died that day.

P.S. Word to the still uninformed - Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Here's a list from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection of the Saudis that were flown out of America right after 9/11, despite the grounding of air traffic -- and with the complete support of the Bush Administration.

It was the Saudis that hit us, it was the Saudis that hate us, and it was the Saudis that started the jihad against this country.

Get real, get educated, and vote responsibly this year.

Thank GOD That's Over, I Had To Put Toothpicks In My Eyes To Stay Awake

I liked the sign the camera panned to when McCain spoke that said "McCain Votes Against Vets."

I didn't make it home in time to see anything other than McCain's acceptance speech. But I did read that it was more of the same -- bashing honorable citizens that believe in service to this country, and again, no policy statements or "changes" that the nominee and his running mate propose to help America. In fact, if you listen to the Republicans throughout this convention, other than the mention of the people who experienced the recent hurricane, the whole attitude that America is in a recession, the budget in trillions of dollars of deficit, is just "too depressing" and hence all the "happy talk." Ignoring the economy and the American people flat out to their face during this convention is not exactly going to win the election for you, McCain.

So, protesters are "ground noise and static?"

This is the speech that is going nowhere, just like the bridge to nowhere.

Yawn. I brought marshmallows to throw at the television set, but I don't want to waste them on McCain. His speech is just pablum. The worst acceptance speech I've heard in at least 20 years.

I read earlier today that the McCain campaign is pulling Gov. Palin off the interview circuit, and will only offer her up to do prepared speeches that have no forum for direct questions and answers. I have to think about that for a bit. What are the Republicans afraid of?

I'm not impressed. The man is so disingenuous and transparent. And he looks like shit, too. I don't mean in an "ugly" sort of way, but in a beat down, tired old man, sort of way.

Having to listen to him tell us that he fights for the ordinary people is disgusting. He doesn't even know the price of gas, or the price of a week's worth of groceries for ordinary people, or even the high cost of rent that most of us have to pay. Hell, he doesn't even know how many homes he has, so how can we expect him to actually know what it is to be an ordinary American citizen? And don't get me started on his bullshit about health insurance! He has had his health care provided by the government for most of his adult life! He's NEVER had to experience what the vast majority of uninsured Americans have experienced. He knows ZERO, and I mean ZERO about the average American.

Eight years of the Republican way of running this country has put us in a severe hole that will take years and years and years to get out of. Platitudes by the Republican nominee is not going to do anything. It will be more of the same by McSame.

Gov. Palin told so many lies last night, but her speech was a boon for the Democrats -- they raised $8 million in one day, compared to the $1 million raised by the Republicans. Yeah, she sure boosted the base. I'm sure after tonight, some of those Republican donors will be asking for their money back ! Ha ha ha!

This man couldn't inspire an ant to get out of the way of an anteater.

Actually a great deal of his speech sounded a whole lot like Bush's speech in 2000. Well, except for the constant references to himself as a POW. We all know where that took us. I cannot believe that he spent more time in this speech talking about his POW experience than about issues that are really about Americans. What the fuck does that really have to do with anything? Does America really care? Sure, you did your job, as you were supposed to do. And you were a POW just like thousands of others. Why does this make you different from the rest of the survivors of POW camps? How does this qualify you as a leader? I fail to see the significance. And for God's sake, do we have to hear the details of his capture, his beatings, his final release, told over and over, and over and over, and over and over, every fucking night? Sheesh. It's like that uncle that comes to your Thanksgiving dinner every year and retells the same jokes over the past 20 years, such that you cringe each time he starts to tell them, and all you can do is try to find a way to leave the room!

Well, it's cocktail time. This one's over. McCain doesn't stand a chance.

P.S. Anyone vet his music? Are we absolutely sure the artists approved his use of their songs? Because, we all know that he steals the music (and then gets the cease and desist letters later).

UPDATE I (9/5/08) Well, it didn't take long for Heart and Van Halen to send the Republican National Committee cease and desist letters, for failing to clear their songs "Barracuda" and "Right Now." Typical Republicans. Steal what isn't theirs, but get their panties all up in a bunch if someone else steals from them. Why couldn't they play a Sammy Hagar tune, or a Ted Nugent tune, if they wanted Republicans who sing rock-n-roll? And there are plenty of country singers that are Republican, but don't expect to be able to use Tim McGraw or Faith Hill songs any time soon!

Not Quite The Home Run It Was Billed As

This was no better than last night. Another snoozer.

Huckabee starts to talk about the need for change, but then he drops the ball and doesn't state what McCain will do to make a change! Instead, he jumps track, and says, let me tell you what we "don't want to change." And of course, it's the standard, freedom, security and prosperity, which completely ignores the fact that the past eight years under the Republican rule have made the American citizen less secure, less prosperous, and certainly bereft of our innate freedoms (courtesy of the Patriot Act and FISA legislation). I haven't heard one thing yet during this convention about what McCain is going to do. Just rhetoric.

And more lies. Like the whopper that Sarah Palin got more votes running for mayor than Biden got in the presidential primaries. Um, as Keith Olbermann debunked the claim later ... facts: Biden received more than 30,000 votes in the primaries, and Sarah Palin received 616 votes in her mayoral campaign. Not even close! History is not the strong point of the Republican party. How about the claim that Lincoln was the founder of the Republican party! Google that one, and you come up with the fact that "it was actually founded in 1854 by disaffected members of the Whig party." (Hat Tip again, to Olbermann).

YAWN.

Big applause with the line about not waiting for the "government to rescue me." Hmmmm ... rescue isn't what the Republicans call the pillaging of the United States Treasury. It's called tax breaks for the rich, big business incentives, and war profiteering! Let's call it what it is, baby!

I do find it funny that even the spoon fed press (which whenever it suits the Republicans, is labeled "left wing" but which, in reality, is controlled by the corporate CEO's right leaning beliefs), were caught off mike today (Peggy Noonan, et al.) bashing the Republican vice presidential candidate. Proof positive right there that the media says one thing when the mike is on because they are fed the talking points, but when it is off (or they think that it is off), they speak their minds, and it ain't pretty! There is not a whole lot of enthusiasm for four more years of the same bullshit from the Republican party, despite what the punditry reports to the contrary. PROOF POSITIVE.

Landslide, baby, landslide. Democrats take it all come November.

One thing we all know is that McCain is qualified to be the president because, in case you haven't heard, he was a prisoner of war. I swear, I'm going to barf.

I found it funny that last night's placards read "service" and yet tonight when Giuliani talked about Obama's first real job, in service as a community organizer, the crowd scoffed! Service, apparently to Republicans, is service to big corporate interests, not service to the American community.

"Only at the RNC can people who one night before asked the country to do service for their country then now boo when Giuliani mentions community organizing." H/T to AmericaBlog.

Watching this convention makes me feel the need to take a shower, there's so much bullshit flying around. Fortunately, it's just a feeding frenzy isolated to the room in which the speeches are being made. Trust me, there are not 38 million people watching THIS convention. 55 million registered Republicans vs. 72 million registered Democrats. Now we know just this year, the Republican party has shrunk in size while the Democratic party was registering and voting in the primaries by a margin of between two to one and three to one. That's quite a number, and even if every registered Republican votes the party line, it still won't be enough to elect John McCain.

End of story.

Gov. Palin's speech was supposed to "hit it out of the ballpark" as the media has claimed (yeah, the same media that the Republicans have been bashing since they came down so hard on Gov. Palin's selection as the V.P. nominee) but it was more like a "foul ball." Her speech was also full of lies, which I am sure will be vetted by Think Progress, Media Matters and Fact Check dot Org over the next few hours. Like her claim she opposed the "bridge to nowhere" which has been thoroughly debunked already. And simple lies, like the fact her son is supposed to be deployed to Iraq this coming September 11, which has been debunked by Vote Vets dot Org. Or the lies about Obama, which were many in her speech. But hey, she can read a teleprompter pretty well, and after all, the Republicans have had her holed up for the last five days giving her a crash course on Republican politics and how to talk and act like a vice president!

What has been totally missing from this convention has been any real concrete plan to change the way the government has operated the past eight years. We heard what Obama plans to do, but all the Republicans have to offer us is their belief that because McCain was a prisoner of war, he has the qualities that are needed to "lead." I could give a shit about leading. I want to know what exactly they intend to "lead" us into, or where, or away from. That's probably part and parcel of the Republican problem, because there are no choices coming from that party except "more of the same."

Falling Asleep During The Convention

Well, so far, the Republican convention is a yawner. The only thing I found interesting was the guy who spoke about the non-profit farm assistance organization he founded to help the little farmers who find themselves hit with a disaster and unable to either harvest their crops, plant their crops, or various other farm related issues. Although, it would have been beneficial if it was brought out that the little farmer often experiences these problems because of the corporations that have entered the farming industry, and who have all but wiped out the little farmer, taking up the large subsidies congress gives them (but not the little guys) in the first place!

Tonight was boring, boring, boring, and it did not have any of the rally or punch of the Democratic convention. Perhaps that's because all McCain offers is four more years of the same, and it is pretty hard to inspire anyone to get all excited about four more years of the same.

The Democratic National Convention was about Barack Obama and Joe Biden, who they are, what they do, have done and pledge to do. So far, the Republican National Convention has been silent about McCain, except to constantly comment on the fact he was a prisoner of war. Nothing about what he's done, what Gov. Palin has done, what they do, and what they expect to do! Nothing.

And what was up with all the empty seats? And all the fabulous Republican no-shows? And all the videos of past Republican presidents? This is about THIS election, not about Reagan, not Lincoln ... what about McCain? What about Palin?

There's really nothing to say about the Bush speech. I'm sure FactCheck.org will have the list of all the misstatements made by our resident "commander" in chief!

Sigh. Empty. Boring. Nothing new. Move along, now.

I fell asleep during the Law and Order actor's speech. Ouch!

Lieberman's speech was bullshit. He asks the crowd "what is a Democrat like me doing here?" Joe, I hate to break it to you, but you gave up being a Democrat when you lost the Democratic primary in Connecticut a few years back, and decided to become an Independent. You didn't choose your country first ... you got pissed the Democrats in your state did not choose you, so YOU chose to switch your party affiliation so that YOU could run! You don't even put country first, Joe. You put YOU first, so all the shit coming out of your mouth was nothing more than crap, from the consummate bullshitter that you are.

Overall, I'm bothered that the Republicans used the hurricane to try to convince "America" that they care. The fact of the matter is that most Americans already saw this Republican government in action three years ago when Katrina hit, and Bush and McCain ate cake while New Orleans flooded and 1,600 American citizens died.

And, lastly, as for Gov. Palin, I have a feeling that we can see NO debates between her and Joe Biden. Trust me on that one. I'm even of the belief that McCain could dump her as his running mate in the near future. It will be no contest watching Obama go up against McCain in a debate. If you thought Bush (even WITH his hidden microphone) was dumb during his debates, wait until you watch McCain snooze through the debates with Obama! Gov. Palin doesn't stand a chance against Biden, which is why I'm pretty sure any scheduled debate will be canceled. Hell, they are so afraid of her ignorance, they've refused to let any press speak to her!

Yeah, four more years of the same? I think not.

This Is What You Get When "Barbie" Is Your Running Mate

Q: Are you offended by the phrase "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance? Why or why not?

PALIN: Not on your life. If it was good enough for the founding fathers, its good enough for me and I’ll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance.

Note to new Republican Vice Presidential candidate: The U.S. Congress officially recognized the Pledge as the official national pledge on June 22, 1942. Eisenhower signed the bill that added the words "under God" into law, on Flag Day June 14, 1954.

Let the dumbing down of America continue.