Did you register by October 6?

If so, what makes you want to vote in this election?

Is it your first election to vote?

Who are you voting for?

If not, why are you not voting?

But I do remember growing up as one of the only Asian kids in an all-white suburb of Chicago, and learning very deeply the lessons of being the Other. Even though my family was very fortunate and strong, even though my parents were the hardest working people I knew, and provided my brothers and me with every advantage and comfort they could, while instilling in us an appreciation for hard work, intelligence, reason, compassion, and joy in life, the simple fact was they could not protect me from the consequences of being half-Korean in a culture that had no room and very little tolerance for difference.

School was the place where I learned many, many wonderful things, but it was also where I learned in 4th grade that when four 5th graders beat me until I couldn't stand, and then kicked me as I lay in the snow, calling me "gook", and "nip", and "chink", that the beating was nothing compared to the shame of looking up and seeing a crowd of other kids watch and do nothing to help me. The alienation of that moment was a lesson I will never forget.

It was a lesson to be repeated and reinforced in a thousand ways, which I will not recount here, but thankfully my children have never known one day when they were derided, or ignored, or abused because of their heritage. I truly believed this lesson of my childhood has become weaker over time; that the politics of hatred have faded from the national discourse, and we were truly emerging from the long, angry night.

Until now.

This presidential campaign has been the most exciting political event I have ever seen, and I feel deeply fortunate to have been able to witness it. I was impressed by Obama from the very beginning, and I was even excited by the best candidates from both parties. They offered a clear hope for changing the disastrous course the Bush Administration has taken the country.

I had already decided that Barack Obama was by far the best candidate for president, for reasons other, far better writers than I have expressed, but, despite the closeness of the race, I felt there was little I could add to the conversation. However, since John McCain has chosen to revitalize his campain through demagoguery, anger, and specious, hateful, lies, I now have something to say.

Oliver Wendell Holmes said "A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimension." But I have found that the mind can all too easily relax into familar patterns of thought. America has matured and learned many things, but the lessons of compassion and understanding must be continually learned. I may not have understood the larger political issues of my childhood, but I know what I lived through. America has grown, but as a nation we have learned through great pain that fear, anger, and hate remain powerful forces in the world, both abroad and sadly, as the past few days of Republican campaigning have shown, at home. Out of desperation, McCain is grasping at the darkest elements of our nature, and thereby threatens to erase not only Obama's chance to be President, but decades of national growth towards the idea that we are all created equal.

Through condescending and cynical tactics, McCain and Palin have shamelessly tried to manipulate the "Joe Six-Packs" and the "Hockey Mom's" of the nation, to say that they understand "Main Street" America. But as this speech by former United Mine Workers President Richard Trumka, who is now secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO shows, this only serves to draw a false distinction between the "elite" and the "common", to exacerbate and antagonize, and create divisions.

The tactics of fear and hate must not be allowed to regain their sway. We have a chance to take a brilliant step forward as a nation, and given the current political and financial crises we face, we must call upon our highest ideals, our bravest virtues to meet them. I believe one candidate represents our best hope for leading our continued growth as a nation and a society. Please join me, and help elect Barack Obama as our next President.

First, why did we attack Iraq in the first place?  Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attack on the US, al Qaeda, and the Taliban are based in Afghanistan.  That is where we needed to be all along.  These are the enemies that should be avenged and obliterated.  I realize Saddam Hussein was a horrible tyrant, but he never directly attacked us and no WMD's were found in Iraq.  Secondly, why are we still there?  Is it America's job to be the world's police force?  

McCain stated in the first presidential debate that we are "winning the war."  What war?  All that is happening now is fighting between religious factions and Americans are getting in the way.  McCain also wants us to stay in Iraq because to leave now would be to admit defeat.  Defeat?  How can we be defeated in non-war skirmishes amongst religious factions wherein Americans are simply getting in the way?  Leaving Iraq is not defeat, but giving Iraqis freedom to do what they want.

Obama feels that we should phase out the troops which would have everyone out by summer 2010 with the exception of task force to help work on the "humanitarian crisis" of five million Iraqis who are refugees in their own country.  He feels America has a moral obligation and a responsibility to help the Iraqis.

Here's my humble opinion:

The Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds want to fight amongst themselves?  Let them.  They are going to anyway whether American military forces or a "humanitarian task force" are there or not.  Why continue to risk the lives of Americans in a battle that is destined to happen?  Pull out.  Completely.  Stop being the world's police force or diplomatic facilitator.  Do you honestly think if America was having similar problems other countries would come to our rescue?  Bullshit.  Maybe England or Israel to some extent, but anyone else?  Bitch, please.  Each country should take care of itself.  Moral obligation?  How about the moral obligation to take care of the poor, starving victims in our own counry?  We have enough of our own problems to waste time on everyone elses'.

These are just my thoughts.  Feel free to agree or disagree; I shan't be offended!

Kind of like thinking about how the mortgage crisis will be a potential area for disenfranchisement due to the confusion of change of address as a voter.  Sorry, I still happen to think it's total bullshit that when "we" decided to overhaul the voting system in this country we just made it easier to rig and not easier for people to actually vote.

Today during the computer class a fourth grader walked up to me and said, "There's a dead mesquito by my keyboard" and I'm not sure where it came from, but I went with my gut response which was, "Well, for the love of god, don't eat it."  Sometimes you say shit like that and kids realize it's a joke and other times you get responses akin to, "that's a good point, I shouldn't eat that."  Either way, it's sometimes shocking that I still have a job.

Good thing I keep quinine next to my sharpened number two pencils.

1. Bill Ayers is a Professor of English. My main concern here is that Ayers has a massive amount of influence over the "young skulls full of mush" as Rush would say. I was lucky that my college professors (well the majority) did not inflict their politic views upon me or 'punish' me for having and backing my own opinion. Most college students do not have that option. This man is having a significant influence in a dangerous place. Today Ayers serves on a national curriculum committee marching through education.
2. Obama was only 8 years old when Ayers committed terrorist acts against our country. Just a little common sense. If you KNEW that some one was a TERRORIST, because they committed terrorist acts, bombing public buildings etc., and ADMITTED to those acts, why in the world would you consider working with them no matter the situation. Obama is getting away with using the excuse of his age, when in fact it should be another nail in the coffin for the close association between these two individuals.
3. "I assumed that he had been rehabilitated."- I ask you, how do you rehabilitate a terrorist? Answer- YOU DON'T!
4. Obama misled ABC News, dismissing Ayers as "just some guy in my neighborhood." He even claimed at one point that their children all attended the same school. The only problem is that the two sets of children are at least 10 years apart. Obama has known Ayers for at least 13 years and possibly since 1988. Obama returned to Chicago in 1991 to work on voter registration with a project later related to a group mentioned below called ACORN.Ayers arranged for Barack Obama to chair the Chicago Annenberg Challenge (CAC) board. Using that structure, Ayers funneled millions of dollars to friends, relatives, and sympathetic organizations with radical views of social justice. CAC granted money to ACORN, an organization Obama served as an attorney for cases to lower mortgage standards, that Obama later fed earmarks to, that his presidential campaign hired, and that is now under investigation in at least seven states for bogus voter registrations.Obama worked with Ayers three years as chairman, and until 2001 as board member. Ayers still champions radical social and educational views. Speaking before Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Ayers said, "Teaching invites transformations, it urges revolutions small and large. La educacion es revolucion!" The Obama-Ayers professional working relationship allowed Ayers to promote his agenda at the expense of Chicago children’s education. Obama used his position on the CAC board to jump-start his political career, with Ayers and Dohrn hosting Obama’s first campaign party at their home.Obama has changed his story repeatedly, always trying to minimize his relationship with Ayers.
5. Obama says not to worry because Ayers has not endorsed him as a candidate.
6. How has endorsed Obama? "Hamas, the terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip" endorsed Obama for president. In fact "Hamas' political advisor, Ahmed Yousef, told WABC radio station, "We like Mr. Obama and we hope he will win the election.

Folks, I don't know of a better reason to vote for McCain than that!!!!!

Who is the Real Barack Obama?- Bierfeldt, Gonzalez, and Steinhauser

another good blog about this issue, Obama, Ayers, Annenberg, and ACORN: a family affair?

With the collapse of so many financial institutions, banks are afraid of lending money to each other and in turn, this affects businesses and consumers. Companies who were looking to borrow money to expand their operations are putting off such plans, and regular people are finding it harder to get approvals for mortgages and loans. Businesses lucky enough to have cash on hand are not spending it until things calm down.

Canada has not been hit too hard by all this (yet). No Canadian banks have folded, and the Conservative government did act early put a stop to the worst of the shady lending practices. However, about 75% of Canada's net exports goes to the US so if they are going into a recession, this will affect Canadian manufacturing jobs. All of this has made the economy the top focus of Tuesday's Federal election in Canada.

In Canada, we can't vote directly for the Prime Minister, so we have to vote for our MP strategically. The leader of the party with the most seats in Parliament becomes the PM. For the last 3 years we have had a Minority Government led by Conservative Stephen Harper. That means the Conservative party won less than half the seats in Parliament, so to pass any bills they had to work with the 4 other major political parties. This worked out quite well, blunting much of the Conservative social agenda that most Canadians were uncomfortable with.

In my Vancouver Centre riding, the leading candidate is veteran Hedy Fry. I like her. She's a visible minority (from Trinidad and Tobago), has a good voting record, and has consistently supported the needs of the...how can I put this..."highly diverse" Westend community. I am just so underwhelmed by the leader of the Liberal party, Stephan Dion. Also the Liberal Green Plan is too focused on making residential homes energy efficient ($10,000 interest free loans for projects such as retro-fitting homes with energy-saving insulation, or geo-thermal heating/hydro), but ignoring the biggest polluters: large scale industry. I would like to see tax credits and loans, along with stricter regulations and standards, (carrot and stick approach) towards making manufacturing plants more energy efficient. No party is offering that. Everyone is spouting "jobs" and "family."

The next leading candidate, Michael Byers (NDP), has too much of a socialist bent for my tastes. I personally quite like the leader of the NDP party, Jack Layton. However the NDP is pushing for:

• Shut down of the Alberta Oil Sands project (falling oil prices will do that anyway), 
• Proposing a cap-and-trade policy for carbon emissions (capping is fine, but I think trading emissions is idiotic),
• Anti-Carbon Tax (good),
• Proposing taxing the polluters and spending the money on environmental "solutions," while at the same time proposing proposing new jobs in the "Green economy." This makes no sense. Taxing manufacturers will drive up costs, thereby making them uncompetitive and ensure layoffs, and the promised "Green collar" jobs can't be created out of thin air. I'm leaning conservatively in this area. Government should monitor and regulate businesses (they are great at the bureaucracy) and let businesses create jobs as needed.
• Pro-Union. Looking at the example of US automakers, having powerful unions has meant GM, Ford and Chrysler are slower to re-tool or close down old, inefficient factories, and continue making crappy cars. Now there is talk of hi-tech workers unionizing. As a project manager, I sometimes have to resort to fear and intimidation to get even partial fixes to critical bug issues. Unionizing will make software products less buggy?   

The third leading candidate, Lorne Mayencourt, is running for the Conservative party. I'm sure he's a nice enough guy, but I can't vote for him. While a minority Conservative government is fine, I don't want to risk giving Stephen Harper a majority. Why is it that Conservative social views (anti-choice, anti-same-sex marriage, bone headed attitude towards law and order) are so tied to conservative fiscal policy (which I will admist they have done a good job with)?

Finally, fourth in the polls is Adrianne Carr of the Green party. I've given this one a lot of thought. Their leader, Ellizabeth May, won major national recognition by being allowed to participate in the leaders debates. I rather liked her fiesty retorts in the debate, and she's shown the Green Party can be more than a one issue party. I still think the party is too green, both politically and in the environmental sense of the word. The policies they are proposing I think are not broad enough to work in the current economic climate. But mainly I really hate being guilted into "voting for the environment." Something about being faced with liberal guilt triggers something in my brain that wants to go out, shoot a bear, start a fire in a tire yard, and beat up the homeless. Deap seated rebellious issues? Perhaps. But I still can't make myself vote for what I still consider a fringe party.

What I would really like is for Jack Layton to replace Stephane Dion as leader of the Liberal party, so I can vote for Hedy Fry with a clear conscience. 

Comments are allowed, but will be vetted for relevance, and intelligence.

Read the original article by Chris Ferrara here.

Regarding the So-Called Mandatory Vote for McCain

A Response to The Remnant

October 10, 2009

I read Mr. Ferrara's forceful comments regarding the upcoming election and that not voting for McCain/Palin is practically tantamount to committing a sin… for Catholics anyway.

Mr. Ferrara contends that not voting for McCain will only help to seal an Obama victory which will strip us all of rights, condemn the pro-life movement to universal failure and change the course of history forever in the United States.

Yet a man still has his own conscience to contend with.

No one can call McCain pro-life. We can say differently of Palin, but McCain is not a man to be thought of as being in the pro-life camp. His record, actions and his inactions prove this.

Now, to meditate on what abortion is.

Since it is true that no other earthly thing can matter to us if we are condemned to die in the womb, it seems basic that life is the issue. Perhaps Mr. Matt summed that up with his recent title, "It's Abortion, Stupid."

It is true, largely. It is abortion. And John McCain neither thinks, nor believes that.

So in effect, and not to say that either Mr. Ferrara or Mr. Matt like this proposition, we pro-life Catholics in America must lie down and accept abortion in order to have hopes of being rid of abortion at some uncertain date in the future.

So one abortion per year means that an innocent child of God will be torn limb from limb, pulled to pieces and stuffed down a commercial garbage disposal. And not just any child. Perhaps it is the grandchild of a Remnant reader. Perhaps it is my neighbor's child. In any case, that child would be my brother or sister, created by God, in order to be baptized, live a life of service to Our Lord, and then be with Him forever in Heaven. Abortion destroys all of this possibility for this one soul.

May I consent to this eternally tragic murder in order to shore up my hopes that, 1) others are not subjected to this torturous demise and 2) perhaps we will find a way to save that one child someday – perhaps next year or next decade? And yet we will not deal with the price of just one aborted child when we vote for McCain.

McCain supports abortion and embryonic stem cell research. He opposed President Bush's nominees to the Supreme Court. He supports the use of federal tax dollars for abortion and he is a friend to the UN. Need one say more? He is openly supportive of abortion in cases of rape and/or incest.

Mr. Ferrara seriously asks me to override my conscience which is a Catholic conscience, a well informed conscience – in order to hope beyond hope that somehow I am making a good decision when holding my nose and penciling in John McCain as President of the United States? What does the "holding my nose" part imply?

Mr. Ferrara, we don't live in Italy with an inherently faithful Vicar of Christ commanding us to vote one way or another. We aren't pitting a faithful Catholic against a Communist in the upcoming election. And a Catholic must still do what his conscience demands of him. Prove me wrong on this point.

Whether Obama or McCain wins this upcoming election, every reader of this publication and millions of Catholics beyond still have their own eternal salvation to consider first. I know that you agree with this.

Do not presume to tell me how to vote my friend – unless it be to avoid sin. Do not presume to guilt me into overriding my conscience when it comes to the issue of the murders of innocent pre-born children.

By voting my Catholic conscience, I neither sin nor cause what some may see as a less than desirable outcome in the election. I maintain the integrity of my conscience for the purpose that I must consider first – my soul getting to Heaven.

Hell on earth should not prevent any Catholic from doing what he believes he must. Otherwise I would think that he'd abandoned hope, rather than hoped beyond it.

Have you heard a rumor about the Election 2008 process?  Well if so, it could be another myth.  There are many myths floating out there.  Many people have heard different variations of different stories from email, social network sites, word-of-mouth, or other sources of things that may or may not impact their vote on November 4th.  Some of these stories can be quite intimidating so that it would impact someone voting in an election.  Voting is probably the easiest way a person can participate in our democracy.  It is the right and responsibility for an United States citizen to vote.  It is an essential part in the way our country operates, so the rules and regulations of which should be something noted by all.

One of the most prominent myths out there that has been circulating primarily through emails is in the form of a request asking people not to wear any Barack Obama clothing paraphernalia when you go vote on November 4, or the risk being turned away by polling officials, citing it's a form of campaigning and it's illegal to do any campaigning in or near polling place on election day.  This is a touchy issue, depending on who you ask, what state, and what you wear.  Although there's not federal law addressing a "dress code" for voting, there are rules in most states that are set up to prevent overt campaigning or electioneering in or around polling places.  Those states prohibit anyone from distributing, circulating, posting, or exhibiting campaign material anywhere from 10 to 200 feet of polling places.  Sometimes that can include buttons, hats and even shirts, but it is usually intended for signs, posters, fliers, etc.  Ten states (Delaware, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersy, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Vermont explicitly prohibit wearing pins, buttons, stickers, labels, etc.  So in a few states, don't be surprised if you're asked to take it off, but a jacket on or turn inside out. 

Another thing that needs to be cleared up, is quite simple.  This is to those who say, "I don't like either candidate," or "it's not going to matter who I want to be president, my singlevote doesn't matter!"  If you're are using either of those two excuses as a reason not to vote, then you're not well informed on the whole Election Process.  November 4 is called election day.  It isn't called vote for Obama or McCain day.  Even if you don't want to vote for either presidential candidate, there are still plenty of other state and local races to vote on.  It many times it's not only limited to people to vote for, many places have issues, amendments, laws, statues, etc that will be on the ballot.  Some of which could most likely directly affect you.

As far as showing you're ID when you go to vote.  There may be some question as to whether you'll be allowed to vote if your address doesn't match.  Most states don't have a government-issued ID law, but some do.  You may be asked for ID, or you may be asked for a signature, it depends on where you are.  Twenty-four states do require some type of identification, it could be from a photo ID to a utility bill.  Just remember, only United States citizens are allowed to vote in the United States.  Be prepare, especially if you're a first time voter, to prove you're a registered voter and United States citizen.

Not for nothin', but you should check out any myth with local or state election offices.  You shouldn't be afraid, bullied, or intimidated from not going to vote.  Don't find an excuse not to vote.  You'd be surprised at how many businesses and places of employment have specific rules that allows employees to go vote on election day.  You should check with your employer.  Remember...if you don't vote, you can't complain.

I've thought about changing my status to Democrat but that would defeat the true reason I'm an independent.  I wholely believe that if the folks in there aren't doing their job to your liking, then get rid of them come next election.  And if the new folks screw up, too, then out!  And so and so forth until they start taking the VOTER seriously and not the lobbyists or other individuals/companies lining their pockets.  Because let's face it, they're all subject to corruption. Blue, Red, White or Black ... corruption can rear its ugly head anywhere.

So for now, I'm keeping my independent status.  I feel it gives me the freedom I need to vote wisely.

Here is an excerpt from Zinn's article in the Progressive on why he is voting for Obama:

One might assume from the above that I see no difference between McCain and Obama, that I see them as equivalent. Not so. There is a difference, not a significant enough difference for me to have confidence in Obama as President, but just enough for me to vote for Obama and to hope he defeats McCain.

Whoever is President, the crucial factor for change will be how much agitation there is in the country on behalf of change. I am guessing that Obama may be more sensitive than McCain to such turmoil, since it will come from his supporters, from the enthusiasts who will register their disillusionment by taking to the streets. Franklin D. Roosevelt was not a radical, but he was more sensitive to the economic crisis in the country and more susceptible to pressure from the Left than was Herbert Hoover.

Even for the “purest” of radicals, there must be recognition of differences that may mean life or death for thousands. In France at the time of the Algerian War, the election of DeGaulle—hardly an anti-imperialist but more aware of the inevitable decline of empires—was significant in ending that long and brutal occupation.

I have no doubt that by far the wisest, most reliable, with the most integrity, of all recent Presidential candidates is Ralph Nader. But I think it is a waste of his political strength, a puny act, to expend it in the electoral arena, where the result can show only weakness. His power, his intelligence, lies in the mobilization of people outside the ballot box.

So, yes, I will vote for Obama, because the corrupt political system offers me no choice, but only for the moment I pull down the lever in the voting booth.

Before and after that moment I want to use whatever energy I have to push him toward a recognition that he must defy the traditional thinkers and corporate interests surrounding him, and pay homage to the millions of Americans who want real change.

If you'd like to hang out, I'm phonebanking with No on Prop. 8 every Tuesday and No on Prop. 4 every Thursday, and I'm doing precinct walks (dropping off fliers) for Yes on Prop. K on various days/nights every week. I would love some company. Anyone up for precinct drops? It would be good hanging out time, and it'd go much faster with another person. -watches friends flee- Also, I forgot that October was the Month Of Music, so if anyone's interested in coming along to Idomeneo, Boris Godunov, L'Elisir d'Amore, or Joshua Bell, let me know. -watches people run away even more quickly-

Kickass voter registration status tool for San Francisco-registered voters. It lets you check your registration status online.

(my windows look something like that, minus the No on 8 sign, which I haven't picked up yet)

I got mail today!!  I love getting mail.  K always insists on checking our mail and I never have any...so sad.  But I had lots of mail!  I got my absentee ballet today, I'm so excited to vote!  Are you guys all registered, those of you who are old enough?  If not, you should.  I linked an absentee voting site to this.  If you're off at college, you can vote absentee.  And I also got a letter from Em and mailed one back to her. [I sent it to your home address, don't worry.  It's not as long as yours, but it's still pretty long.]

I also got to work in the costume shop yesterday again.  We started sorting through the purses, lots of purses in that storage room.  Hmm....we didn't actually do too much.  Sorry to all of those who were expecting a detailed account of my theatre misadventures.

I've been hanging out with my floor a lot more now that Sven and I have broken up.  To all of you out there who are concerned about how I'm doing, don't be.  I'm actually doing better now then I was before.  We just weren't the right match and I was feeling pressure from him to hang out with his floor, so I was feeling very guilty for not hanging out on my floor, and I've hung out with them all week and decided that they're amazing!  I taught KT and Ang how to knit and got them hooked on it, so my mission in life is one step closer to being complete.  I think I might try a shawl next, after I finish my knitting for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

But now it's the weekend, and I don't have very much homework, so I think I'm going to just take it easy.  I'll probably do my laundry, some knitting, watch some t.v.  I'm going to read a real live book that's not assigned for class, hopefully.  It'll be good; just a nice laid back weekend.  And then a week from now I'll be on my way home for fall break!  Yay!  I can't wait to see everybody!  And more shopping!!  Sorry Mamiami, I know that's your favorite.  Just Savers, Bibelot, and Cub...oh and maybe Kohls.  A winter coat is in order.  It was FREEZING today and raining for most of the day.

Well that's all I've got for you this time.  Theatre Nerd signing off.

Solve the maze and help the FBI find the fraud!

Anyways, I've been watching you ever since, with your amazing lovely cities, and your beautiful natural landscapes.  Since 2000, I've even gotten into birding, and learned that Florida is a birding mecca.  Florida, you have a lot of culture and beauty to offer the rest of the United States, and I thank you for that.  I'm from the other corner of the country, Washington state.  I'm happy to say that other than being corner states, having tons of natural beauty, and ocean-lined states, we also have something new in common:  We're both blue!

I look at the daily polls several times a day, and check several sources.  I'm so happy to see the huge spike for Obama and Biden in the beautiful state of Florida.  Thank you!  Florida, you rock.

Sincerely,

Bell

The union brother explained that he had gone through the rolls at the hall to check on voter registration.  The up-coming presidential election is going to be important - especially for us regular folk.  This brother wanted to make sure that everyone in our local was registered on time.

I immediately filled out the form so he could get it into the registrar on time.  At this point I thought that it was some kind of glitch, that it was just me.

This week on the local news there has been a story about a group, ACORN, in Las Vegas that had fraudulently registered a large number of people using false social security numbers.  The investigation is ongoing, and a number of people have been arrested.  See:  Las Vegas Review Journal, October 8, 2008.

According to the local news here in Reno, there are now over 700,000 voters that "fell off" the rolls and are no longer registered to vote.  The local news stated that the Secretary of State said that this was due to "human error."  I tried to contact the news station for clarification, but I had to leave a voice mail.

This problem is now showing up in other states.  Where did ACORN get these social security numbers?  Did they make them up?  Is ACORN the real reason that over one-third of the entire population of the state of Nevada suddenly "fell off" the voting rolls??  Are these same numbers consistent in other states?

I wonder whether someone hacked into the data bank for the registrars of voters and manipulated the social security numbers?  I find it difficult to believe that a small group of people could just "make up" that many numbers.  What about other states?  Can anyone say for sure?  Will this investigation ever be completed?  How will we know?

Government offices and companies that have identifying numbers, such as social security numbers, in their  data banks should be held accountable for the security of their listings.  These data banks can be very large and contain many pieces of information.  For that matter, how much of this information is available to the public?  Is it any wonder that identity fraud is so prevalent?

I thank my union brother for bringing up this problem with me.  If he had not been checking the rolls for our local I would never have known that my social security number had "fallen off."  I am sad that this problem is only coming to light on the very last days of voter registration.  This issue poses so many questions.  I hope that I am not the only one who is concerned.

 http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/

They're accusing ACORN of perpetuating voter fraud in order to swing the election toward Democrats.  What are some of the ridiculous arguments conservatives are making?

"ACORN is filing duplicate voter registration forms--they even registered this one guy 72 times!"

But, see, it doesn’t matter how many times someone registers—people are only allowed to vote once. It doesn’t matter if you submit 7 or 70 or 700 applications—they only register you once. If you’re already registered then the registrar’s office looks you up, sees that you’re already registered with that information, and they (obviously) don’t register you again.

And on election day, when you show up to vote you give them your ID and they only let you cast one vote.

Now, it’s possible you could register with a bunch of different addresses and try to cast different votes in different precincts. But on voter registration forms you have to provide your Social Security Number, which kinda makes it hard for you do file a bunch of different forms with different information on them. At some point, someone notices.

Plus, when you show up to vote, they’re gonna ask you for ID with your address on it. ID that’s impossible for you to get for an address you don’t actually live at.

Is the GOP so tinfoil-hatted they think that, on November 4^th, roving bands of Democrats will travel from polling place to polling place with stacks of forged IDs, casting enough fraudulent votes to swing the election?

"But they’re also filing fake registration forms with fake names and addresses!!"

Again—when you show up to vote they’re going to ask you for ID, complete with your name and address on it.

So it doesn’t matter if you file voter registration forms for Donald Duck or John Wayne or John Hancock, living at address 123 Fake Street, Social Security Number 123-45-6789. If you’re a newly-registered voter, federal law mandates that you show ID at your polling place on election day. ID that, again, is impossible for you to get for an address you don’t actually live at or for a name that isn’t yours.

So, again, is the GOP so tinfoil-hatted they think Democrats are filing registration forms with fake names and addresses and intending to forge millions of IDs, so that on election day they can roam from precinct to precinct casting enough fraudulent votes to swing the election?

On its face this story sounds scandalous—duplicate registrations! Fake names!! But when you try to figure out how it’ll affect the election, well, it’s hard to see how this will make any difference.

But we all know why the right is in hysterics over ACORN—when the Republicans lose the election, this story will give them enough cover to cry that they didn’t actually lose, that it was big bad ACORN who stole the election!!

Of course, when we accused the Republicans of stealing an election back in 2004—when the CEO of the company that made the touch-screen voting machines promised "to [help] Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the President"—these same right-wingers couldn’t call us tinfoil-hatted conspiracy theorists fast enough. And now that they’re going to legitimately lose the election, they can’t point the finger and yell “stolen election” fast enough. But that's how it goes when you're dealing with Republicans.

Just be ready for a lot more of this garbage after the election, because the hysteria over ACORN is the first shot in the right’s first post-election anti-Obama offensive. Because come November 5th, Republicans are going to be on the TV 24-7 whining that ACORN stole the election and Barack Obama is an illegitimate President. You could bet your life on it.

UPDATE: Some good points:

- Fraudulent registration forms do not constitute voter fraud.

Voter fraud only occurs if someone tries to improperly cast a vote. “It’s not voter fraud unless someone shows up at the voting booth on election day and tries to pass himself off as ‘Tony Romo.’ And who would try to do that?” wrote Rep. Jesse Jackson (D-IL). The Brennan Center for Justice noted that “there are no reports that we have discovered of votes actually cast in the names of [false] registrants.”

- In many states, organizations like ACORN are required by law to turn in every registration card they receive.

As the Wall Street Journal reported, “New Mexico law requires Acorn to turn in all applications, no matter how suspicious-looking, within 48 hours. Elections officials do their own quality control on registrations.” In fact, “under most state laws, voter registration organizations are required to turn in all the forms they receive.” Furthermore, ACORN explained in a statement that “for the past 10 months, any time ACORN has identified a potentially fraudulent application, we turn that application into election officials separately and offer to provide election officials with the information they would need to pursue an investigation or prosecution of the individual.”

California voters have a lot to think about this November when it comes time to vote.  The presidential election is on the minds of everyone, but we have 12 more propositions to vote on.

Proposition 2 has to do with our farm raised food and requires calves raised for veal, egg-laying hens and pregnant pigs be confined only in ways that allow these animals to lie down, stand up, fully extend their limbs and turn

around freely.  Aside from the animal rights perspective, the concerns are for food safety, environmental impact and also helping smaller, family farmers be competitive as larger "factory" farms are more likely to practice these confined methods.

Proposition 3 is basically a bond measure which authorizes $980,000,000 in bonds, to be repaid from state’s General Fund, to fund the construction, expansion, remodeling, renovation, furnishing and equipping of children’s hospitals.  Proposition 6 is a criminal justice initiative for tougher punishment for gang crimes, drive-by shootings, meth distribution and victim intimidation.

Props 7 and 10  are two ballot initiatives focusing on alternative energy, Prop 10 on fuel and prop 10 on wind and solar which would  require California utilities to procure half of their power from renewable resources by 2025.  There are major concerns that the proposition as written will cause established, small renewable energy companies our of business, and that it is poorly written and so complicated that it could hurt the cause of renewable energy in the state.

Proposition 8 would eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in California. The California Supreme Court unequivocally held that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry under the California Constitution.

Proposition 11 is called the Voters First Act, it creates a citizen's commission  to make independent decisions leading to legislative boundaries based on fairness and the public good and not political aspirations.

Proposition 12, a Veterans Bond,  authorizes issuance of $900 million in bonds to create a fund that assist veterans who are purchasing farms, homes and mobile home properties.

A lot to think about and read about and become an informed voter.  Remember to vote, November 4th!

Technorati: vote, voting, elections, patriotic gifts, stamp box, night light, veterans, gay, same sex, ballot, propisitions, California propositions, animal rights, farmers gifts, farm animals, animal gifts, pill box, home, power, energy

While right-wingers, both those employed by FOX News and otherwise, have been pushing hard to pin this on Obama (big surprise), Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo has taken the audacious step of calmly walking us through what's up.

Here's the Cliff's Notes version: ACORN pays individuals to go out and register voters. But these folks don't always have the strongest work ethic (they may even be unemployed themselves) and so you end up with a lot of falsified voter-registration forms. The ones ACORN doesn't catch get turned in and voila: massive left-wing, Obama-lead voter-fraud conspiracy.

But the folks doing all the huffing and puffing haven't bothered to think through this. How could filling out voter registration forms with the names of cartoon characters, dead folks and the Dallas Cowboys actually lead to real voter fraud? Seriously, think about it. These applications will not make it past state screeners -- as we are finding out. And if they did, then what? You cannot just line up with your fellow election-stealers outside the polling place and have your way with the voting booths. There are actual safeguards in place that prevent this.

So this is not about vote-stealing. As far as methods of voter fraud goes, this is a dead-end. If Obama was trying to steal the election, you'd think he'd have a little better strategy than trying to sneak Terrell Owens and Tony Romo onto the rolls in Nevada.

Agreed -- this is inexcusable behavior and a phenomenal strain on public resources. Those responsible should be held accountable and punished within applicable legal guidelines. But why has the media narrative been about how Obama might be connected and whether our democracy is one step from the cliff's edge? Why won't anyone bother to apply, as Mr. Marshall did, a little common sense and critical thinking?

(And of all things, this? How about paperless electronic voting machines? Voter intimidation? Faulty equipment? Improper voter purges? Anyone?)

The future married couple who was planning on having this house built was just about to sign off when the wife said, "before I sign off on this design, I have one question". She pointed to a symbol on the floor plan and said, "my husband and I have both been wondering what this symbol means". The symbol she was pointing to was one of the most basic floor plan symbols used to communicate an important element of home design, it was the symbol representing a door. So, I quizzed them a bit and I started to realize that they didn't understand what many of the symbols on the floor plan meant but had been wasting many hours of their time and my time pretending they did and giving me written approval for this design.

At the time, I was a seasoned designer and had designed at least 100+ homes that were built. I began to wonder, how many times I had gone through this design process with people and they really didn't understand what I was showing them?

I sometimes wonder if that is not a big part of the problem that we as humans have. We are lead down a certain path of planning by well meaning people or not so well meaning people, we think we know what we are approving when we approve it but we do not. We do not really understand and although we are included in decision making through a democratic process, we really have no idea what we are getting, we don't even understand the basics but we are so opinionated about what we don't understand!

And the well meaning try to lead us but we foil their plans because we are so opinionated and because we can be so easily mislead by those who are not well meaning or who are only driven by their own self interest and; although you have elected them and paid them to represent you, they expertly misguide you and persuade you to make decisions that help them personally and may very well be against your best interests.

How is it possible for a well meaning leader to succeed in a situation like this that is so deeply rooted in our own human nature? Are we capable of planning our future in any kind of a meaningful way? I don't know the answer to this, I am curious what others like you might think.

Conservatives and political commentators would go apoplectic. So why isn't Sarah Palin's affiliation with the far right Alaskan Independence Party (AIP) a bigger deal?

Todd Palin was a member of the party from 1995 to 2002. Sarah attended the group's convention in 1994 and 2000 and sent a videotaped greeting for the AIP in 2008.

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters/353575/palin_s_secessionist_friends

If Sarah Palin wasn't a secessionist, then why was she palling around with them?

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-brooks4-2008sep04,0,5675222.column

http://www.jedreport.com/2008/10/sarah-palin-palling-around-wit.html

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/1/4231/18477/878/581881

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri (CNN) – Joe Biden Thursday night told Sarah Palin not to lecture him on patriotism, after weeks of attacks mocking him for his statement the wealthy should be patriotic and pay higher taxes because not enough has been asked of them.

"Sarah Palin had great fun saying Joe Biden thinks paying taxes is patriotic. Well, let me tell you what Joe Biden thinks," the Delaware senator said at an outdoor rally. "Joe Biden thinks that anybody who takes millions of dollars offshore to avoid paying their fair share is unpatriotic."

The Obama-Biden campaign has accused John McCain of saying publicly he would close offshore banking loopholes, but saying otherwise in private.

"That is not patriotic and it will stop, it will stop in an Obama-Biden administration! Enough! I've had it up to here! Don't lecture me on patriotism," shouted Biden, getting drowned out by the applause of his supporters. "I'm dead tired of being taken advantage of. I'm getting tired of it."

Full CNN Story

One of the scary elements of this election is the huge numbers of new voters, particularly young voters. As a member of this age group people always ask me why my cohorts would blindly and willingly follow Obama. My reasoning and answer comes from the strangest of places, Michelle Obama.

That is right, you read that last sentence correctly. Michelle Obama stated that “For the first time in my adult life I am really proud of America.” That right there is the problem!

Somewhere along the way a large portion of my generation missed their history classes. As Sean Hannity has pointed out that the United States of America has overcome, fascism, Nazism, communism, socialism, (lots of isms) and helped to protect the freedom of the world. How can a country that has done so much good be so bad. That is what Obama’s true message is. Everything wrong with the world is America’s fault. I could give numerous examples here but, anyone who listens to “the great one’s” speeches can clearly see this message (well those who are not brainwashed).

Bottom line the younger generation did not live through those tough times to see the destruction and corruption of the ‘evil isms.’ To help bridge the learning curve below are the definitions of these ‘evil isms.’

cap·i·tal·ism

• n. An economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned and development is proportionate to the accumulation and reinvestment of profits gained in a free market.

com·mu·nism

• 1. a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.

• 2. a system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party.

fas·cism

• 1. a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism

so·cial·ism

• 1. a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.

• 2. (in Marxist theory) the stage following capitalism in the transition of a society to communism, characterized by the imperfect implementation of collectivist principles.