open

Immediately.

Immediately.

It is kind of hypocrite for Palin to accuse Barack of palling with terrorists. I guess for republicans the way to attack an opponent is to accuse him or her of things that they do themselves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnEO4eIp2eQ

Eagles are mean! They are predators. And yet, the eagle is the national symbol of our country. No wonder we are the way we are as a country!

Our founding fathers chose the bald eagle as our national symbol in 1782. Then, they systematically overran the lands and killed the people who inhabited America. Then, they took part of Mexico. Then, they took Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico...then Iraq...next Iran...

It's all the eagle's fault.

If its digital makeover comes out a success, Air America Media just might be a factor in the presidential election -- of 2012, that is.

The media firm has hired its first chief digital officer and plans to launch a small vertical ad network with like-minded left-leaning publications. But gaining ground in an increasingly crowded online political field could make this year's presidential race look like a cakewalk.

Four years ago Air America launched in the hopes beating conservatives at their own terrestrial talk radio game. Today another do-or-die presidential election is in full force, and although terrestrial talk radio still matters, online audio and video has grown by leaps and bounds in terms of adoption and influence. While Air America was struggling through ownership changes and a bankruptcy in 2006, competitors like The Huffington Post and Politico have grabbed the audience it could have built.

Under a new owner, and with promotional juice from air personalities like Rachel Maddow -- also a talking head on MSNBC -- the liberal media outfit is putting its resources behind becoming a global media brand with a focus on digital multimedia and old-school radio.

[snip]

Bassik most recently has served as VP of interactive marketing for political direct marketing firm MSHC Partners. Friedlander takes over for Sam Seder, an original Air America host who now can be seen live every afternoon on AirAmerica.com chattering about current events with co-pundit Marc Maron.

"Maron v. Seder" could act as a trial run for other Air America shows, which will all be available on video in the future, according to Bassik. Ads on the site today are limited to display units from advertisers such as Angie's List and on-air health and beauty product advertisers, in addition to some served by Google's ad network. The company intends to offer pre-, mid-, and post-roll audio and video spots. Sponsorships and premium subscriptions are also in its revenue plans.

More here:
http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3631117

H/T to LTRadio
http://ltradio.blogspot.com/2008/10/weekend-reading-and-updates.html

...of Paul Wolfowitz Rachel was playing while talking about him tonight?

He was putting a comb in his mouth and loading it with spit before combing his hair.

...they really ARE Mayberry Machiavellis! LOL!

Lets hope ASAP.

They also show that disgusting scene in
Michael Moores movie Faren-height 911.
Disgusting PIG (Paul Wolfowitz)

Did you catch the story On Rachel Maddow about the contractor `pals' of Palin's husband who `helped' him build a house at the same time they built Sarah's sports complex?

Mafia kickback much up there in Wassilla, Sarah??

Losing Everything
I'm just listening to John McCain be interviewed on CNN complaining about the coverage of the ugliness of his recent rallies and his own campaign's campaign of character assassination of Barack Obama. Apparently all the criticism is outrageous and out of bounds and 'not what America's about'. Watching makes me actually wonder whether he doesn't realize he's simply lost all credibility on this issue.

--Josh Marshall

McCain Adviser: McCain Likely To Confront Obama About Ayers At Debate
By Greg Sargent - October 13, 2008, 6:15PM
On Fox News this afternoon, senior McCain adviser Tucker Bounds did an unusual thing: He telegraphed a punch that he claimed John McCain is likely to throw at Wednesday's debate, asserting that it's likely that McCain will confront Barack Obama over William Ayers.

"Well, so much of a debate is determined by the moderator and the questions that are posed to the candidates," Bounds said, when asked if McCain would be going after Obama on his associations. "I expect that it could come up. And I expect John McCain will ask Barack Obama to speak truthfully about his relationship with friend and unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers."

We'll believe that when we see it. It's unlikely that Bounds would alert the Obama camp in advance to an attack as potentially important and newsmaking as this one could be. And as much as McCain's supporters would love him to confront Obama about Ayers, it could cut against McCain if Obama effectively counters by wondering aloud why McCain wants to talk about something that happened when Obama was in shortpants when we have a massive economic crisis on our hands.

In other words, how such a moment would play is entirely unpredictable and probably too risky, though McCain and his team may decide they have nothing to lose but McCain's honor.

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/10/mccain_adviser_m...

Rachel was fucking brilliant tonight!

and is still beating Olbermann pretty handily, I might add...

She's onto something really big!

the TRUTH!

Who would have thought Americans were ready for the truth?!

Obama is going to take our guns away...

After what he said about our soldiers I don't know if I can vote for him...
=
gets tiring knocking on doors -- alone.

~`~`~`~`~`~
Jamesbennett

Judge: GOP's voter purge a 'violation of federal law'
Stephen C. Webster

The American Civil Liberties Union is trumpeting a judge's decision in Michigan which brings to a halt the practice of eliminating voters from rolls if their mailing address is found to be invalid.

Recently, the GOP chairman in Macomb County, Michigan, detailed a plan to use a list of foreclosed homes to challenge voters. His pronouncement drew an immediate backlash, with predictions that the plan would "backfire."

It has.

The suit, filed by ACLU national and ACLU of Michigan, along with the Advancement Project, aimed to protect voters whose registration cards were returned to government offices by post as 'undeliverable.' Judge Stephen J. Murphy of the U.S. District Court of Michigan's Eastern District concluded that the program of eliminating these voters from rolls is in violation of federal law.

The voter purge program, better known to elections integrity experts as 'voter caging,' is a long-storied GOP tactic employed against minority, student and low-income voters. In September, the Obama campaign filed a lawsuit in Michigan challenging the illegal tactic.

"You essentially send a first-class letter to a hoursehold where you suspect that that person no longer lives there but where they're still registered to vote," explained Allen Raymond, a convicted GOP elections fraudster who spent time in prison after the discovery of a phone-jamming scheme during the 2002 elections. "That letter comes back. ... Somebody [at the local polling place] then challenges that vote if that person comes in to vote."

"This is a very significant ruling for Michigan voters," said Matthew Lund, the ACLU cooperating attorney and a partner at Pepper Hamilton LLP who argued the case, in a release. "The court recognized – and repeated several times – that the state of Michigan is conducting unlawful voter purges that clearly violate the National Voter Registration Act. Michigan voters who were removed from the voting rolls for no reason other than failure to receive their ID card in the mail will now be allowed to vote in November.”

"More than 1,400 voters in that category have been disqualified so far in 2008," reports the Associated Press. "The judge says it's unclear how many cancellations actually are wrong but it's a violation of federal law. Murphy says those people shouldn't be prevented from voting if they can produce more proof of residency at the polls."

"This program has a very detrimental impact in minority, low-income and student communities across Michigan," claims an ACLU advisory. "These communities tend to be more transient and to live in multi-family housing."

“This is a major victory for Michigan voters and the integrity of our democratic process,” said Meredith Bell-Platts, staff counsel with the ACLU Voting Rights Project, in a release. “Today’s decision brings us one step closer to restoring confidence in a electoral system that has been poisoned by illegal disfranchisement policies. As a result of the judge’s decision, fewer Michigan voters will be illegally purged and wrongly disfranchised – and that’s good for everyone.”

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/GOP_voter_purge_declared_illegal_in_1013.h...

no msnbc here on basic cable

heard hannity for a few moments this am, just one station. Surfing the am dial there are so few stations and a number are in Navajo : )
=
night need to find a hotel.

~`~`~`~`~`~
Jamesbennett

It's the eagle's fault!
Submitted by Annette on Mon, 10/13/2008 - 9:39pm.
-----
If Ben Franklin had his way, it would have been a turkey.

...which would have made a patriotic Thanksgiving kinda problematic.

viv48

Just finished writing e-mail to Rachel congratulating her on her show. John Fund is a real asshole. The nerve of him to criticize Rachel after all he and his cronies have done to this country. I guess he couldn't stand watching Wolfowitz sucking on is comb.

my abuser used beat the crap out of me and then dump me in the tube with ice water naked for ten whole fuking years

do you fucking hear me??
that was soothing the pain to him

but you are meaning to kill the pain
right???

kill it
right???

up top

It can't be good for the candidate when other politicians, major pundits, and party thinkers and elders are offering up a chorus of major campaign advice three weeks before the election...

...not lost on the public, BTW...

was a bath full of ice blocks
meant to say that

sprayed the water from the tap in my face
tortured me like yourll do now

just wanted to throw that out there

still want me????????????????????????????????????????/

still??
than i am sure that YOU are out of YOUR mind not ME

love you to darling

I can't believe that vile image of Wolfowitz didn't stick in my head from watching Fahrenheit!

Submitted by 60th Street on Mon, 10/13/2008 - 10:49pm.
I can't believe that vile image of Wolfowitz didn't stick in my head from watching Fahrenheit!
----------
Neocreem.

A little dab'll do ya.

Well, he's old, so it'll have to sink in a bit ...

Give him a week, after everyone's gone home, and he's sitting in his living room of House Number 4 with all the lights off, asking the hired help: 'Where are all my friends?"

ALL he wanted from me was
submission

Same reason why i get tortured here

All i gotta do is submit

once i do that
all cable, telephones and computers will work out just fine

guess who ended up submitting though
i took it up ma arse for as long as i could

so you see zeek told you i a different
to a point

you dont have to leave the room now
something new i noticed about yourll
its either yourll dont want to be around me or something

it really does not matter anymore anyway
i am tired of figureing things out anyway

...so wrong

This has been another episode of: "Things you don't want to find out about someone after the wedding".

whatever man, i have tried and tried expressing my self for too long for fucking too long and you still dont say a fucking word what you want

maybe being who i am is really hard for you to understand coz i damn sure dont understand what you want me to say

when i say it you dont understand
when you say i dont understand neither
maybe we are just not compatible (how do you spell that)?
maybe we should just say good bye for real

go ahead
i am at a point of exhaustion (spelling Lucille)
you have had fun at my expense for way too long
go ahead
if you are asking me now if it hurts
sure..it really does a lot

but if it seems to make you happy go ahead zeek
go ahead

The God That Failed: The 30-Year Lie of the Market Cult
new
Submitted by dada on Mon, 10/13/2008 - 10:29am.
When they wanted a trillion dollars -- or three trillion dollars -- to wage a war of aggression in Iraq, they found it. Now, when they want trillions of dollars to save the speculators, fraudsters and profiteers of greed in the global market, they suddenly have it.

Who then can believe that these governments could not have found the money for good schools, health care, and all the rest, that they could not have enhanced the well-being and livelihood of millions of ordinary citizens, and helped create a more just and equitable and stable world -- if they had wanted to?

This is one of the main facts that ordinary citizens around the world should take away from this crisis: the money to maintain, secure and improve the lives of their families and communities was always there -- but their governments, and their political parties, made a deliberate, unforced choice not to use it for the common good. Instead, they subjugated the well-being of the world to the dictates of an extremist cult. A cult of greed and privilege, that preached iron discipline to the poor and the middle-class, but released the rich and powerful from all restrictions, and all responsibility for their actions.

This should be a constant -- and galvanizing -- thought in the minds of the public in the months and years to come. Remember what you could have had, and how it was denied you by the lies and delusions of a powerful elite and their bought-off factotums in government. Remember the trillions of dollars that suddenly appeared when the wheeler-dealers needed money to cover their own greed and stupidity.

Let these thoughts guide you as you weigh the promises and actions of politicians and candidates, and as you assess the "expert analysis" on economic and domestic policy offered by the corporate media and the corporate-bankrolled think tanks and academics.

And above all, let these thoughts be foremost in your mind when you hear -- as you certainly will hear, when (and if) the markets are finally stabilized (at whatever gigantic cost in human suffering) -- the adherents of the market cult emerge once more and call for "deregulation" and "untying the hands of business" and all the other ritual incantations of their false and savage fundamentalist faith.

For although the market cult has suffered a cataclysmic defeat in the last few weeks, it is by no means dead. It has 30 years of entrenchment in power to fall back on. And the leader of every major political party in the West has spent their entire political career within the cult's confines. It has been the atmosphere they breathed, it has been the sole ladder by which they have climbed to prominence. They will be loath to abandon it, once the immediate crisis is past; most will not be able to.

So remember well the lessons of this new October crash: The money to make a better life, to serve the common good, has always been there. But it has been kept from you by deceit, by dogma, by greed, and by the ambition of those who have sold their souls, and betrayed their brothers and sisters, their fellow human creatures, for the sake of privilege and power.

http://www.chris-floyd.com/component/content/article/3/1627-the-god-that...

------------------------------------------

This great post brings to mind what I've recently been studying about the growth of powerful entities like the Roman Empire and Islam before the European Renaissance, and one thing that is never addressed head on is the role of SLAVERY in the economic pattern of their growth. Even U.S. history skims over the role of indentured servants and slavery as the key to rapid growth as well as the establishment of class structure.

It's important to put it in the forefront of our minds now, because the ruling classes and reactionary Dominionist Christianists seek to reestablish overt slavery.

And covert slavery? That is what is happening to us when we are dominated by indebtedness so great we slip back and back and never get ahead. This happened in ancient Rome. Indeed a populist demand in ancient Rome was debt relief, even DEBT AMNESTY -- a demand that the ancient oligarchy resisted. The unregulated usury of The Bush Years is so unfair -- especially clear now as the usurers are "bailed out", and the indebted populace is plunged into further debt to pay for the bail-out -- that today we may consider it only logical to resurrect the debt amnesty demand!

Yes...we are slaves

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r6-o1lpJHU

we're going to try to find a different way to live than this rat-race...again I was especially happy to not have children with which to be concerned...But no way am I going to work like this for lo so many more years in order to hoard some imaginary safety net for retirement...First off I want to get a very good garden growing...We started too large with too much to water..now we are down to a couple favorites..but I would like something in the middle...so I can buy even less from a store....

?

TUESDAY OCT 14, 8PM

Brava Theater (2781 24th St San Francisco)

Join Cindy For Congress at Our Town Hall Discussion With a Panel of Media Reform Experts, For a Conversation On How the Corporate Press is Affecting the Elections.
Moderated by KPFA Host Dennis Bernstein.

Hear from Special Guest Roseanne Barr Talk about her Experience as a Progressive Radio Show Host On Mainstream Air Waves.

Cindy Sheehan for Congress Campaign

www.cindyforcongress.org

That's a good idea about gardening. it is really sensible to grow your own organic staples. Potatoes are easy to grow and the store well for the winter.

Submitted by nora on Mon, 10/13/2008 - 11:44pm.
...And covert slavery?...
------
If I was a covert slave, would I still have to do stuff? I mean, being undercover and all...

May I have him please... ? ;)

Yeah we're going to be a commune of two... and there are no leaders...so we're going to be an anarchic commune....

:)

How's everything going with you?

John McCain's Cancer

McCain's stage IIA melanoma has been under reported by the press. McCain has never come clean on the subject. John McCain's health is the most underreported and underappreciated risk factor in a potential McCain presidency. McCain's biggest health risk is aggravated by his age. The respective 5- and 10-year survival rates for a stage IIA melanoma for a 72 year-old man are 79% and 64%. If the melanoma is in stage IIIB, which is what the possible satellite metastases suggest, the 5- and 10-year rates are 53% and 38%, respectively (McCain is now eight years into that projection). Over 2,300 doctors have signed an open letter entitled "John McCain's Health Records Must Be Released." That includes dozens of oncologists and melanoma specialists. John McCain's full medical records, remain locked away. The McCain campaign did invited 20 chosen reporters to speed-read through his medical history for three hours. There has been no release of John McCain's medical records, only a media stunt. There are two conflicting reports from 2000 of the status of McCain's melanoma: one from the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, and one from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.The Mayo Clinic doctors concluded eight years ago that the lesion on McCain's temple was a stage IIA melanoma. The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology determined that the same lesion was possibly two distinct melanomas, which would indicate an incidence of metastases, which implies a significantly more advanced stage of cancer.

Iraqi government fuels 'war for oil' theories by putting reserves up for biggest ever sale

The Iraqi government is offering for sale 40 billion barrels of oil in London Monday. BP, Shell and ExxonMobil are all expected to make offers to Iraqi oil minister, Hussein al-Shahristani. Access is being given to eight fields, representing 40% of Iraq’s reserves. Two smaller agreements have already been signed with Shell and the China National Petroleum Corporation, but Monday's sale will ignite arguments over whether the overthrow of Saddam Hussein was a "war for oil" that will now be consummated by western multinationals seizing control of strategic Iraqi reserves.. Gregg Muttitt, from the UK-based social and ecological justice group Platform, says he is alarmed that the Iraqi government is pushing ahead with its plans without the support of many Iraqis. "Most of the terms of what is being offered have not been disclosed.” Adding: “There is no precedent for proven oil reserves of this magnitude being offered up for sale.”

[What? Fun is not a purpose anymore?]

Quaker Snack Bars

has created Birthday Party with a Purpose Kits in partnership with Kids Care Clubs. Kids Care Clubs are a program of the HandsOn Network whose mission is to, "develop compassion and to inspire a spirit of volunteering in elementary and middle school age youth."

According to their site, the kits contain:

• How-To-Guide: Step-by-step instructions for planning and hosting your child’s party.
• "Kids Doing Good!" T-Shirt gift for the birthday boy or girl.
• Goodness Bags (qty 10), including "Kids Doing Good!" wristbands, temporary tattoos, and activity booklets.
• Achievement Certificates (qty 10).

To get a kit you have to mail in UPC codes from 4 Quaker Chewy® Granola Bars or Quaker® Granola Bites boxes. The details are available at www.QuakerKidsDoingGood.com.
I liked a couple party ideas from their site:

• A treasure hunt where everything the guests find is donated to a children's hospital.
• A green themed party where guests can plant seeds to take home and grow.

Here are more ideas from the blogosphere:
...

No Money For Clean Up As Mexican Drug Cartels Ravage US National Parks and Forests
For over a decade Mexican drug cartels have been engaged in a multi billion dollar marijuana growing operations within US borders. From California to Kentucky, these industrial level operations are causing massive environmental damage in our national parks and forests. The operations are complex and dangerous, putting hikers at risk of running across armed gang members protecting the crop. Most of the growers are illegal immigrants, smuggled across the border specifically for the job. Federal officials say that millions of dollars are spent every year to find and uproot the marijuana fields but that no money is budgeted to clean up the environmental mess left behind. As of now, the only cleanup is done by volunteers. On Tuesday, the nonprofit High Sierra Trail Crew plans to take 30 people deep into California's Sequoia National Forest to carry out miles of irrigation pipe, tons of human garbage, propane canisters, and bags and bottles of herbicides and banned pesticides. Officials say that the health dangers to marijuana users is another obvious problem. Agent Patrick Foy of the California Department of Fish and Game estimated that 1.5 pounds of fertilizers and pesticides is used for every 11.5 plants. According to Foy, what this means to consumers is that they are smoking heavy-duty pesticides from Mexico along with their pot whenever they light up.

Northeast Speaking Tour

http://www.pslweb.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=10177

"Economic Crisis & Endless War:
Causes, Questions & Solutions"

Friday, October 17
New York City, New York
Panel: "Socialists Confront the 2008 Elections and the Wall Street Bailout"
7:00 pm
311 West 43 St., btwn 8 & 9 Ave. in NYC
For information: campaign2008@votepsl.org or 202-543-4900
Calendar Oct. 18

Saturday, October 18
Brooklyn, New York
Campaign Rally
12:00 noon
Fulton Mall in Brooklyn, NY
For information: nyc@votepsl.org or 212-694-8762

Philadelphia

Calendar Oct. 19

Sunday, October 19
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Panel: "Election 2008: What are the alternatives?"
2:00 pm - 4:30 pm
1906 Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia
Auditorium of the Ethical Society Building
For information: campaign2008@votepsl.org or 202-543-4900

New England

Calendar Oct. 24

Friday, October 24
Hartford, Connecticut
7:00 pm
Metropolitan Community Church
155 Wyllys St.
Hartford, Connecticut
For information: ct@votepsl.org or 203-416-8365
Download flyer
Calendar Oct. 25

Saturday, October 25
Brattleboro, Vermont
1:00 pm
Brooks Memorial Library
The Public Meeting Room
224 Main Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301
For information: campaign2008@votepsl.org or 202-543-4900
Download flyer

Saturday, October 25
Boston, Massachusetts
6:00 PM
Freedom House
13 Crawford St., Grove Hall
# 14, 19, 23, 25, 28, 44, 45 Bus to Blue Hill Ave. & Warren St.
For information: boston@VotePSL.org or 857-334-5084
Calendar Oct. 26

Sunday, October 26
Providence, Rhode Island
4:00 PM
Brooklyn Coffee House
209 Douglas Ave., Prov.
Take # 50 Bus to Mansfield St. or # 55 Bus to Fillmore St.
By car, exit 23 on I-95
For information: boston@VotePSL.org or 857-334-5084

New York City

Calendar Nov. 1 Saturday, November 1

Eugene Puryear's and Gloria La Riva's final stop on the campaign trail will be in New York City. Details of the event will be announced soon.

For more information: 212-694-8762, nyc@votepsl.org

The first homes in Brad Pitt's Make It Right rebuilding project are complete, and some three years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, 68-year-old grandmother Gloria Guy was on hand to give the actor a big hug.

While the Make It Right homes boast more contemporary designs than the Creole cottages and shotgun-style homes typical of New Orleans, planners said they hoped the new homes with their solar panels and energy-saving appliances will catch on in the city as New Orleans continues to rebuild.

"I've waited a long time for my neighbors to start coming home."
- Gertrude LeBlanc, Lower 9th Ward resident

http://www.bigfootnessie08.com/

Zimbabwe-Style

Private investment advisor Martin Hennecke warned Monday the endless printing of money to bail out collapsing banks would lead to hyperinflation and destruction of the dollar, euro and sterling. Noting that panic gold buying was taking place, Hennecke said gold prices would explode and that relatively modest overall price rises in gold were partly a result of “manipulation, as central bankers and politicians don’t want you to panic … and go into gold.” Hennecke dismissed new rescue plans as merely new taxpayer-funded money being thrown at the problem, which will lead to accelerated inflation. Hennecke said: “The world’s leading rating agency Standard and Poor has predicted that all the major western governments are heading towards default on their sovereign bonds,” adding:“Most investors are saying cash is the safest thing but …cash is one of the highest risk investments if this inflation accelerates.” Last month, before the $700 billion bailout package, Hennecke warned that the U.S. and Europe were heading for depression and that the U.S. would eventually be forced to declare national bankruptcy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/weekinreview/12leonhardt.html?hp

Debt could ultimately unseat the United States as the world’s "superpower".

>>so we're going to be an anarchic commune....

that sounds like fun. as as long as you keep it small the commune should work fine.

one of the two classes... I know that both sites have a link called Quizzes on the left side, but in one class, each Quiz is linked in the Syllabus, which is where the weekly assignments are linked as well..

I even took the class tutorial. And yet, the Quizzes for the other class are not in the Syllabus and somehow I missed realizing that that they are linked separately in the Quiz link. Both classes say in the weekly announcement that 'such and such # Quiz is available to take..

Anyway..after emailing the two teachers for a month or so periodically, as my scores weren't showing in the Student Progress part for either class..one started showing scores this weekend and the other still hadn't...

THEN the teacher emails me to say "I have no records of you taking the Quiz's for the one class....THEN I realize I haven't been taking them because they weren't linked in the same place as the other class...

So now they offer me 1/2 score for each one if I do them by Sunday.. Before I heard back from them after I explained what I think happened, I actually did all 8 weeks (minus last week, which I found somehow and still didn't notice what had been happening) this afternoon during my lunch and breaks..

So now I will get a B or C....and that makes me very very very mad...I was a screw off in 9-11 grade and I swore I would get A's if I did college again..So now i have to retake this class..

Sucky day man...

___

.♡. - .☮.

By Nicholas Thompson October 12, 2008 | 9:15:00 PMCategories: Telecom

What do Barack Obama and John McCain say, and what have they done, about policies that matter to Wired.com? Here are descriptions and analysis on five issues:

1. Broadband
2. H1B issues
3. Investment in green tech
4. Net neutrality
5. Spectrum

Except for green tech, none of these issues has played a big role in the campaign so far, and none will likely come up in Wednesday's third and final debate. But they are all still quite important. And there are many other technology issues that matter, beyond these five. For more, read this report -- or, better yet, scroll down and use the Reddit tools to submit your own topics, grade the candidates, and vote on other reader submissions.

Broadband The Issue: The United States is becoming a tortoise in a world of hares. One of the world’s most Wired nations a decade ago, we now lag behind most of our peers. In France, broadband access is half the price and four times as fast. The main cause for the debacle is a lack of competition in telecommunications. Most communities have, at best, one cable choice and one DSL choice. This situation came about through the mass consolidation of the industry, and through the non-enforcement and then repudiation of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which mandated that entrenched telecom companies lease their lines into people’s homes to smaller companies.

McCain’s Position: As argued here and here, McCain has consistently been on the wrong side of this issue. As Senate Commerce Chair, he supported the mass consolidation in the industry. He also consistently voted the wrong way on whether entrenched competitors should be forced to lease their lines. The one point in his favor is his support of the Community Broadband Bill which would help cities offer wireless Internet, even when the local companies try to crush them.

Obama’s Position: Obama wasn’t around for the major votes on this issue. And while he is advised by all the right people, he hasn’t come out with a specific plan to open up the industry. His big proposal is to take money currently used to subsidize rural phone use and, instead, use it to subsidize rural broadband use. This could be helpful. But if the markets aren’t made competitive beforehand, it could also end up as little more than another subsidy to the same giant companies that have served us so poorly. Grades:

McCain: D
Obama: B

Posted by Bibliofuture

It’s hard not to watch the news on the financial markets and the presidential campaign. But how much is too much? Story in the NYT.

live and learn, I am surprised they won't let you make them up.

too bad.

before I realized, because some scores were also missing from the other class...live and learn -yes..

Hey so your funny valentine Sarah Silverman is on Letterman RIGHT NOW...

"May I touch your knee?"

"Leave in Under God, Add air quotes."

She rules...

?

...

Sarah's stripey, witchy-poo socks with boots (I think) look too cute...

Gavin Newsom, the SF Mayor appear to be a gay man.

These commercials are relentless and ridiculous and being heard all the fucking time on radio and tv for Yes on 8 - did I mention that a patron said they went to their physical therapist's office and she had made up glossy Yes on 8 cards for her office front desk?!

*sigh*

(says the little girl)

...one of the tactics...

♡

Kristol returns fire on McCain campaign’s attacks: ‘Nice young kids…spinning implausibly.’
Right-wing pundit Bill Kristol was attacked today by the McCain campaign after declaring that John McCain is waging a “pathetic campaign” and should “fire” his staff. Spokesperson Nancy Pfotenhauer said Kristol had “bought into the Obama campaign’s party line,” while Tucker Bounds said, “I know Bill Kristol is an intelligent guy, I just don’t think what he had to say was very intelligent.” This afternoon on Fox News, Kristol fired back:

Is John McCain the best messenger for his campaign? Why isn’t he on this show? Why do we have Tucker Bounds and a bunch of nice young kids who are spokesmen out there spinning implausibly on behalf of the McCain campaign? McCain is better than his campaign.

Watch it: at link.

Later in the interview, Kristol said if McCain fired his staff, it would “send the same signal Bush sent when he replaced Rumsfeld…and won the war.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/13/kristol-returns-fire/

Record 90 percent of voters say country is seriously off track.By Satyam Khanna on Oct 13th, 2008 at 4:00 pm Record 90 percent of voters say country is seriously off track.
According to a new ABC poll, 90 percent of registered voters say the country is going in the wrong direction. Only 23 percent approve of President Bush:

Given the global economic crisis, a record 90 percent of registered voters say the country is seriously off on the wrong track, the most since this question first was asked in 1973. At 23 percent, Bush’s job approval rating has fallen below Nixon’s lowest; it’s a point away from the lowest in 70 years of polling, set by Harry Truman in early 1952. Bush’s disapproval, meanwhile, is at an all-time record — 73 percent. … Reflecting these economic worries, just 44 percent of Americans are confident they’ll have enough money to carry them through retirement.

In August, a USA Today/Gallup poll found that 80 percent of the electorate said the country is headed in the wrong direction.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/13/record-90-percent-of-voters-say-coun...

Palin says McCain will end ‘abuses of power’ in Washington.
On Saturday, one day after Gov. Sarah Palin was cited by an official state investigation for unethically and unlawfully abusing her power, Sen. John McCain said he would end “abuses [of power]” in Washington as president. In another bout of irony, Palin today echoed McCain:

See as a senator, John has confronted the corrupt ways of Washington. And the wasteful spending. And the abuses of power. As president, he’s going to end those once and for all.

Watch it: at link

From the Troopergate report:

For the reasons explained in section IV of this report, I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 2952.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/13/palin-abuse-of-power/

Palin says McCain will end
Submitted by toniD on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 4:12am.
Palin says McCain will end ‘abuses of power’ in Washington.

*******

Jeebus,what a Loser !

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

For some time, I've notice that the swelling on McCain's left cheek is subsiding. At first I thought of some type of surgery. But McCain has remained in the public eye. So the surgery idea is probably incorrect. Now the whole left cheek is lumpy. It looks rally bad. Counterpunch recently posted a article on this. Here are a couple of excerpts:

-----------

An official in the National Institutes of Health, well known to our reader, has confided to her that in an informal conversation with a doctor in a California hospital the NIH official had learned that there had been a metastasis of McCain’s melanoma, and that this had come to light in a checkup in the past few weeks

Attempting to confirm this intelligence, CounterPunch contacted four physicians, none of whom want to be identified. Two remarked the subsidence of swelling in McCain’s left jaw in recent months. A UC San Francisco cancer specialist said, “It looked to me like he had something going on in his left jaw for a long time, and then it appeared much less puffy in the last few months. My theory was that he had gotten some radiation therapy. It was way pooched out compared to what it is now. He used to not show his left side on camera. And then he appeared to be going head-on. So my guess was that he had had some radiation.”

con't
http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn10122008.html

Did anyone watch Jon Stewart last night... here's a link to the full episode...

in the last 30 seconds, the "moment of zen", watching cindy mccain behind palin is freaking priceless.....

I haven't asked in quite a while, but how is the healing process going? Has the pain finally subsided? Are you ready for the spike heels yet?

5 AM here.

good stuff up bloggie, thanks

all the election stuff is revealing is'nt it?

sheesh! what a train wreck. best thing out of it is the number of USians waking up.

It's good to see you.

MMRules - she also needs to look up the word "Truthful"

If you haven't entered People For the American Way's McPalin Haiku Hysteria contest, this is your last chance.

A haiku is an unrhymed verse/poetry form of Japanese origin having three lines containing usually five, seven and five syllables respectively. Intended to convey a vivid impression poetically in only seventeen syllables, haikus have traditionally focused on nature -- but our goal is to spread a very important election year message.

This away

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

And,just about The Whole Rethug Party !

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

Shit - the warm weather we had was nice. I know we got a few left somewhere,
its just a matter of when.

Hope ya all are well today.

bloggerworld

It is so humid today, it's hard to breath.

Joseph Stiglitz is on c-span right now. He said Bush's tax cuts helped to get us into this mess. He's really going after the Bush Admin and the repubs.

c-span 2 has Paulson and Bernanke discussing the "rescue".

edna, my left knee is doing well. However, the right knee is really bad. I had scheduled to have the right knee replaced on Nov. 7th but just yesterday changed the date to Jan. 9th. I need to save some money again for 2-3 months off work. I'll never be able to wear Stilleto heels again, nor do I want to. But I'd like to be able to dance again. Or walk without pain.

..wonders why she just got kicked off the ticket?!?!?!?

</bluerootsradio>

and a good mornin to ya.

just surfing this AM.

i usually try to get to all the links and read the articles.

had turkey day yesterday here in canada.

national voting day today provincial and national.

sent in three Haiku when you first mentioned it last month!

mornin to ya!

mornin ladies, best to y'all!

still gonna shut er down?

Talk about humidity... I started to get a sinus headache Sunday...
thats my gauge to know if its going to rain - usually in 24 to 48 hours.
I hate when that happens (sinus headaches)

toniD - I'm glad that your not having your surgery on Nov. 7th, that is my
b-day. That is a good day! :) I hope your feeling better soon.

I haven't listened - cause I thought you did shut down ??????
Me confused <<<<

Paulson not sure $250 billion bailout is worth executive pay limits
Chris in Paris · 10/14/2008 05:45:00 AM ET · Link
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Now wait a minute. This is a pretty important point here and Lord Paulson is completely wrong. Paulson appears to be suggesting that Wall Street did everyone a favor by graciously accepting taxpayer money, so no, there's no link between the $250 billion and executive compensation. Maybe Congress can quit their ridiculous TV stunts that Waxman loves so much and instead address issues like this and assert their damned authority. (I say this as a person who likes Waxman, but hate the made-for-TV dramas. I don't think I'm alone in this sentiment either.) Congress needs to quit acting like a secondary player in this and step up, now. Also, if I hear one more Wall Street pundit tell me about how neutral Paulson has been when the evidence says the contrary, I'm going to scream.
Treasury officials have argued privately that banks aided this way should be exempt from the toughest executive pay restrictions in the rescue legislation passed by Congress.

Some lawmakers disagree.

"Restrictions on executive compensation will ensure that taxpayer money is not wasted enriching the same people whose poor decision-making created this crisis," Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote to Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. yesterday. "It is imperative that these restrictions, including limitations on the incentives for executives to take excessive risks and the elimination of golden parachutes, should apply to any capital injection program."

Exempting the banks in the program is "not in the spirit of the thing," said Rep. Spencer Bachus, (R-Ala.), ranking member of the Financial Services Committee.
Here we go...two Senators from opposite sides agree. Great. Let's see some action then.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/13/AR200810...

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is recovering steadily from surgery to remove gallstones but will not leave hospital until later in the week, doctors said on Monday.

The 73-year-old had the keyhole procedure in New Delhi on Friday after he was admitted to hospital with abdominal pain.

The Dalai Lama's spokesman Tenzin Taklha had said he would be released on Tuesday, but on Monday a doctor at the Sir Ganga Ram hospital told AFP it would be Wednesday or Thursday.

"We want to be absolutely certain about his health," the doctor said, adding the Dalai Lama was "recovering steadily."

Taklha said the Tibetan spiritual leader was "absolutely fine" but would remain in hospital for at least another two days.

The Dalai Lama set up base in Dharamshala after fleeing from his Tibetan homeland in China in 1959 following a failed anti-Chinese uprising.

After his release from hospital, the 1989 Nobel peace prize winner will remain in the Indian capital for a week for post-surgery examination, doctors said.

http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Dalai_Lama_s_discharge_from_hospita_1013200...

I think you should keep the show also. You just got us all into it and listening. And I think you did a great job.

I'd have it open and listening while I blogged.

Holy Campaign Mess Batman!
Incompedent Campaign Indicates McCain Isn't Capable Leader
____________________________________

Obama Widens Lead in Four Key States

By Chris Cillizza
washingtonpost.com
Tuesday, October 14, 2008; 6:32 AM

Barack Obama widened his lead considerably over John McCain in four key battleground states during the past three weeks, providing further evidence that the economic crisis has greatly enhanced the Democrat's advantage with just 21 days left before Election Day.

Obama holds double-digit margins over McCain in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin and carries a nine-point advantage over his Republican rival in Colorado, according to polling conducted by Quinnipiac University for washingtonpost.com and the Wall Street Journal.

Obama's ascendancy in these key states mirrors his growing lead in national polling. The latest Washington Post/ABC News survey put Obama at 53 percent to McCain's 43 percent, while the daily Gallup tracking poll showed Obama holding a similar lead of 51 percent to 41 percent on Monday.

The latest polling confirms that the financial crisis and stock market crash that has gripped Wall Street and Washington over the past month has increased the importance of economic matters to voters -- particularly in the industrial Midwest -- and accrued almost exclusively to Obama's benefit.

In Michigan, more than six in ten voters said the economy was the "single most important issue" in deciding their vote. Among likely voters, Obama increased his lead over McCain from a four-point edge in a late September Quinnipiac poll to a whopping 16-point lead in the most recent survey.
ad_icon

Obama's 54 percent to 38 percent lead in Michigan helps to explain why McCain decided to pull down his ads and pull out the majority of his campaign staff from the Wolverine State last week -- choosing to fight, instead, in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Maine.

The data was similar in Wisconsin and Minnesota where Obama gained 10 points and nine points, respectively, in his margin over McCain since the September Quinnipiac poll; the Illinois senator led McCain in Wisconsin 54 percent to 37 percent, and held a 51 percent to 40 percent edge in Minnesota...

STORY CONTINUES:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/14/AR200810...

-

Isn't this the guy who stood by Gates????? & pretty much got
him nominated - or am I confusing him with some other
Re-pub-lick-thug???

I'd have it open and listening while I blogged.

Obama Widens Lead in Four Key States - thank god... people are
finally getting it.
This whole mess that these criminals have got us in - is gonna
take awhile to get out of.

i sure hope so. it seems like the wingnuts are everywhere now and spreading like weeds. the terrorist muslim meme are getting traction in the less educated parts of amerka.

Deregulation has worked so well for Wall Street, John McCain wrote recently, that we should use the same approach to fix our healthcare system. In the September/October issue of Contingencies, the magazine of the American Academy of Actuaries, the Republican presidential candidate asserts, "Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation."
McCain was writing just before Wall Street collapsed, and he obviously did not think Americans needed to be insured against the failure of a deregulated financial sector. Likewise, he was not concerned that the 53 percent of Americans who get insurance from their employers need protection from the risk of losing it. In fact, he's hoping they will lose their employer coverage, betting they'll be better off on their own in a deregulated market.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20081027/feder

How're you doing? and b-gurl?

Hope everything is getting better for you. These aren't easy times.

creating an environment that is VERY dangerous.

Asian markets jump, Tokyo up 14%
Chris in Paris · 10/14/2008 03:27:00 AM ET · Link
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This run may not last (nor will it cure the long term problems in the economy) but if nothing else, it's good to see that the global markets are retrieving some of the recent losses. Europe unexpectedly kicked this off after the UK launched its rescue plan followed by EU leaders over the weekend. The European investment of $2.7 trillion is much greater than the $700 billion (or even $1.8 trillion, as has been discussed) which is a strong change in Europe from only a week ago.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/27169195

Dr. Doom is still saying this bailout will fail, claiming that we are still over-leveraged and others are calling this a "dead cat bounce" (something that occurs after the market capitulates) but for now, let's just breath a bit easier that our retirement plans inched back ever-so-slightly.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/27171452

TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran on Sunday predicted that OPEC would cut oil output at its November meeting in Vienna, the state-run television news website reported.

"OPEC will probably seek a cut in its production at the November meeting in order to balance supply and demand," Iran's OPEC representative Mohammad Ali Khatibi was quoted as saying.

"No one is expecting an increase in production at the upcoming meeting. It is clear everyone thinks of a decrease in production and that the market needs to be managed," said Khatibi, whose country is the cartel's second-largest producer.

On Thursday, OPEC announced it would hold an emergency meeting in Vienna on November 18, as member countries fret over the effects of the global financial crisis on crude prices.

The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries' next regular meeting is scheduled for December 17 in Oran, Algeria.

And on Saturday, the cartel called for tougher regulations to reduce the impact of speculative investment in the oil market that it blames for the huge volatility in crude prices.

Oil peaked at a record high above 147 dollars in July but has since plunged back below 80 dollars a barrel as the financial crisis rocking markets slows economic growth and demand for energy.

Iran has said that a price under 100 dollars per barrel was "unsuitable."

Yeah... for how long??

President Bush announced this morning that the Treasury Department will “invest up to $250 billion in banks, receiving an equity stake in return.” Under the proposal, which is similar to those initiated by European governments on Monday, the U.S. will “also guarantee new debt issued by banks for three years” in order to encourage banks to resume lending to one another and to customers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/business/economy/15bailout.html?hp