Yes we did

Donating and volunteering, in addition to work, sleep, and petite have certainly kept me busy, but what a good busy it turned out to be.

Watching Obama give his acceptance speech, I had tears in my eyes. I was so tired, but it was like I was all coked up, couldn't sleep for squat.

Of all that we have lost over the last 8 years, it felt like we got one of those things back, respect from around the world.

Never will a child of any color in this country feel as if the highest office in the land is beyond their grasp.

Seeing the faces of the African Americans who walked alongside King (in body or in spirit), who never thought they would see this day. The tears of Jesse Jackson and John Lewis, the cracking voices of Eugene Robinson and Harold Ford. The faces of all the Obama supporters in the crowds at Grant Park, Time Square, Morehouse and Spellman. All realizing that this dream they have been having the last 21 months has come true.

John McCain gave an excellent speech as well. He seemed like the McCain that started this race and I hope he has indeed found that part of him again.

Ok, another lapse, but

These ladies rock and I had to tell you (especially you JoJo-you will LOVE them). I linked to this specific post, well cause it totally rocked my socks off!

Margaret and Helen - Best Friends for Sixty Years and Counting…

McCain's attacks fuel dangerous hatred

This is a wonderfully written op-ed to John McCain by lifelong Pub and someone who worked to get McCain elected in 2000.

McCain's attacks fuel dangerous hatred-Frank Schaeffer, Baltimore Sun

John McCain, you are no fool, and you understand the depths of hatred that surround the issue of race in this country. You also know that, post-9/11, to call someone a friend of a terrorist is a very serious matter. You also know we are a bitterly divided country on many other issues. You know that, sadly, in America, violence is always just a moment away. You know that there are plenty of crazy people out there.

Stop! Think! Your rallies are beginning to look, sound, feel and smell like lynch mobs.

John McCain, you're walking a perilous line. If you do not stand up for all that is good in America and declare that Senator Obama is a patriot, fit for office, and denounce your hate-filled supporters when they scream out "Terrorist" or "Kill him," history will hold you responsible for all that follows.

John McCain's Rage is a National Security Concern

He's a scary, scary, little man

McCain plans to cut Medicaid and Medicare

So, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that McCain plans to cut Medicaid and Medicare to help fund his health care plan.

McCain plans to cut Medicaid and Medicare

John McCain would pay for his health plan with major reductions to Medicare and Medicaid, a top aide said, in a move that independent analysts estimate could result in cuts of $1.3 trillion over 10 years to the government programs.

The Republican presidential nominee has said little about the proposed cuts, but they are needed to keep his health-care plan "budget neutral," as he has promised. The McCain campaign hasn't given a specific figure for the cuts, but didn't dispute the analysts' estimate.

In the months since Sen. McCain introduced his health plan, statements made by his campaign have implied that the new tax credits he is proposing to help Americans buy health insurance would be paid for with other tax increases.

But Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Sen. McCain's senior policy adviser, said Sunday that the campaign has always planned to fund the tax credits, in part, with savings from Medicare and Medicaid. Those government health-care programs serve seniors, poor families and the disabled. Medicare spending for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30 is estimated at $457.5 billion.

While it may not be a surprise, it is October

Keating Economics

Something to think about donchakneaux ;)

Flirting with voting for McCain

Well here's a must read for you:

Make Believe Maverick - The Real John McCain

John McCain's health records must be released

A crisis that could make the US election a cleaner contest by Johann Hari

It's not long and it is a must read. This article, IMO, tells one all they need to know to make their decision on November 4.

Ever heard of the Teapot Dome scandal? I'm banking that anyone reading this wasn't alive back then, and like me, might have been fuzzy on what exactly the Teapot Dome scandal entailed. Well, this article is a nice little refresher course as to what exactly this scandal was about.

A crisis that could make the US election a cleaner contest

Can the collapse of Lehman Brothers ram a rare taste of reality into the campaign? The facts are plain. John McCain enthusiastically backed every one of George Bush's moves to deregulate the banks and the mortgage industry that caused this collapse, while Barack Obama opposed them. This isn't just a credit crunch; it's a conservatism crunch. The right got their dream of a totally unregulated "shadow" banking sector –and it swiftly imploded, bringing the world economy down with it.

Yet McCain's indignant promises to "close this casino" are being reported straight, without even bothering to look at this record – or noticing that he is cashing cheques from Wall Street lobbyists as fast as they can be written. They know their man: McCain's mantra even after this collapse began was: "I am always for less regulation." Indeed, McCain's current adverts saying he will not let the "recklessness" that led to Lehman Brothers' demise happen again are in part funded by left-over donations from... Lehman Brothers.

McCain knows his stances on the economy and foreign policy are opposed by 80 percent of the population as barely-trimmed Bush. So he needs to toss up a confetti of distraction-issues instead – and Palin was the biggest distraction of all. This attempt to run down the clock was working with slick efficiency until the stock exchange's opening bell started to sound like a death-knell. He is gathering fistfuls more of confetti as we speak.

The best key to unlocking these tactics may lie in a story that might seem at first glance a yellowing old scandal, but it is actually as fresh as tomorrow's Google News. By 1920, the oil age had revved into first gear. Cars were being bought all over America, so the petrol price was at an all-time high. The bosses of Big Oil were desperate for new oilfields – and there was one in particular they coveted. In Wyoming, there was a vast oilfield called the Teapot Dome reserve, shaped like a teapot and containing more oil than the whole of California. But the oilmen were shut out: it had been set aside to supply the navy with oil if there was ever a national emergency.

So Big Oil thought of a solution. They decided to buy the presidency. A consortium led by Jake Hamon – a JR Ewing for the Jazz Age – started to buy the delegates to the 1920 Republican Convention with brown-envelope bribes, one by one. Once they owned a hefty block, they approached the initial front-runner – General Leonard Wood – and said they would make him the Republican nominee if in return he promised to make Hamon Secretary of the Interior – and therefore boss of Teapot Dome. Wood yelled: "I am an American soldier. I'll be damned if I'll betray my country! Get the hell out of here."

So Big Oil picked a different candidate instead: an obscure, bumbling Senator called Warren G Harding, who had been a 40-1 shot at the start of the convention. He had barely been out of Ohio and had only fuzzy ideas about politics – but he could be marketed as Mr Normal, the 1920s equivalent of a hockey mom. Big Oil lavishly funded a PR campaign selling him to ordinary Americans as One of You. He was pictured at baseball games eating hot dogs with his sweet family – while his opponent was presented as arid and "elitist".

good grief

If someone has truly made an informed decision and they honestly feel that McCain is the guy, these are not the people I'm speaking of. I may not understand your reason, like you don't understand mine, but I can certainly respect that like I would hope you would my choice.

Ya know, if someone uses Obama's skin color as their reason to not vote for him, I feel sad for them. Something as important as electing arguably one of the most, if not the most powerful person(s) in the world and they are letting petty insecurities get in their way of sitting down and truly taking a look at the issues, it is just incomprehensible to me. It says a lot about our nation as well. We place so much importance on fame, athletes, celebs, whatever instead of where that importance should be placed. Teachers, firefighters, policeman, military, nurses, doctors, and the list goes on- get far less of our attention as a whole. It is no wonder we (myself included) voted George Bush in for 2 terms and are now seriously considering voting for John McCain.

No wonder the rest of the world laughs at us and mocks us. We are chock full of idiots.

The web is full of articles from reputable sources. Instead of reading some fluff for 2 hours online, read something that informs for one of those hours.

Mavericks my ass

John McShame and Bush in lipstick - mavericks. HA

Anyone who believes that will also believe that Ed McMahon just knocked on my front door and is headed to their house.

What more is there to say

Jon Stewart, really, really, really phukin rocks


http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=184111

Jon Stewart - I love that man

I don't need to say a thing. The buffons that Jon is highlighting do it all

http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=184086

CNN Cafferty: Palin vetting?

hmmmmmmmmm

Former POW says McCain is

as it says at the end of the vid, psssssst, do something

Just freakin weird

Now yesterday, I was shocked. Today, while still shocked, my mind is in a complete whirl. Waiting for the punch line. My lack of trust in this current administration, McDuh included, makes me wonder what the ulterior motive is. I mean, they faked a letter to give them a reason to go to war in Iraq. Why wouldn't they do something like this. They've gotten away with every other damn thing. Or did McCain pull a maverick outta his hat and come up with this doozy on his own. If he did, it had to have been a last minute, knee-jerk reaction with absolutely ZERO thought. I mean, if reports are correct, he didn't even vet her!!!!! I can't find the link right now, but I'll find it and come back and post it.

makes the mind want to EXPLODE!

An Alaskan's view on Palin

John McCain is 72. While not a single one of us is guaranteed tomorrow, let's face it, it is a very real possibility that he will not be around to finish out his term if (God forbid) he is elected. He has a responsibility to the country to choose someone who can step in and lead. Many had the argument that Obama doesn't have enough experience, so he shored that up with Biden. There is no question that Biden would be able to step in and run this country if need be.

What is McCain thinking? One Alaskans Perspective

An excerpt regarding "TrooperGate"

Here it is…what we in Alaska call “TrooperGate”.
Sarah Palin’s sister Molly married a guy named Mike Wooten who is an Alaska State Trooper. Mike and Molly had a rocky marriage. When the marriage broke up, there was a bitter custody fight that is still ongoing. During the custody investigation, all sorts of things were brought up about Wooten including the fact that he had illegally shot a moose (yes folks this is Alaska), driven drunk, and used a taser (on the test setting, he reminds us) on his 11-year old stepson, who supposedly had asked to see what it felt like. While Wooten has turned out to be a less than stellar figure, the fact that Palin’s father accompanied him on the infamous moose hunt, and that many of the dozens of charges brought up by the Palin family happened long before they were ever reported smacked of desperate custody fight. Wooten’s story is that he was basically stalked by the family.

After all this, Wooten was investigated and disciplined on two counts and allowed to kept his position with the troopers. Enter Walt Monegan, Palin’s appointed new chief of the Department of Public Safety and head of the troopers. Monegan was beloved by the troopers, did a bang-up job with minimal funding and suddenly got axed. Palin was out of town and Monegan got “offered another job” (aka fired) with no explanation to Alaskans. Pressure was put on the governor to give details, because rumors started to swirl around the fact that the highly respected Monegan was fired because he refused to fire the aforementioned Mike Wooten. Palin vehemently denied ever talking to Monegan or pressuring Monegan in any way to fire Wooten, or that anyone on her staff did. Over the weeks it has come out that not only was pressure applied, there were literally dozens of conversations in which pressure was applied to fire him. Monegan has testified to this fact, spurring an ongoing investigation by the Alaska state legislature. But, before this investigation got underway, Palin sent the Alaska State Attorney General out to do some investigative work of his own so she could find out in advance what the real investigation was going to find. (No, I’m not making this up). The AG interviewed several people, unbeknownst to the actual appointed investigator or the Legislature! Palin’s investigation of herself uncovered a recorded phone call retained by the Alaska State Troopers from Frank Bailey, a Palin underling, putting pressure on a trooper about the Wooten non-firing. Todd Palin (governor’s husband) even talked to Monegan himself in Palin’s office while she was away. Bailey is now on paid administrative leave.

As if this weren’t enough, Monegan’s appointed replacement Chuck Kopp, turns out to have been the center of his own little scandal. He received a letter of reprimand and was reassigned after sexual harrassment allegations by a former coworker who didn’t like all the unwanted kissing and hugging in the office. Was he vetted? Obviously not. When he was questioned about all this, his comment was that no one had asked him and he thought they all knew. Kopp, defiant, still claimed to have done nothing wrong and said to the press that there was no way he was stepping down from his new position. Twenty four hours later, he stepped down. Later it was uncovered that he received a $10,000 severance package for his two weeks on the job from Palin. Monegan got nothing.

Beware my fellow Obama-Biden supporters

Scott Shrake has a good point people. We cannot take for granted that our country will pay enough attention to know this chick is not ready for this position. Complacency is the enemy 'my friends'

Palin '08 = Bush '00

Some time ago someone wrote this elegy for the last eight years (I'm paraphrasing): "Do you remember how you felt that first time you ever encountered George W. Bush, early in the 2000 campaign? Remember that feeling?"

I do. First, stunned. Then, my head cocked to one side, one eyebrow arched, I chuckle at the absurdity...

This can't be. THIS is who they're putting up to run? Have they heard him try to speak in public? It's so insulting to suggest that the country would elect this person.

Comparing the records of the presidential candidates and the one known VP

Alright, what's your issue? Compare the voting records of Obama, Biden, and McCain. All this information came from Project Vote Smart. All figures are interest group ratings from 2007, except when those figures were not available, in those cases the ratings are from 2006 or 2005-2006.

Look at records, don't vote blindly. Inform yourself so you make a smart choice.

Here are the links to Project Vote Smart:

Senator Obama

Senator Biden

Senator McCain







Abortion Issues.

In 2007 NARAL Pro-Choice America gave Senator Obama a grade of 100.

In 2007 NARAL Pro-Choice America gave Senator Biden a grade of 75.

In 2007 NARAL Pro-Choice America gave Senator McCain a grade of 0


Animal Welfare

Senator Obama supported the interests of the The Humane Society of the United States 75 percent in 2007.

Senator Biden supported the interests of the The Humane Society of the United States 75 percent in 2007.

Senator McCain supported the interests of the The Humane Society of the United States 25 percent in 2007.


Civil Rights and Human Rights Issues

2007 American Civil Liberties Union gave Senator Obama a grade of 80.

2007 American Civil Liberties Union gave Senator Biden a grade of 75.

2007 American Civil Liberties Union gave Senator McCain a grade of 50.


Senator Obama supported the interests of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights 85 percent in 2007

Senator Biden supported the interests of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights 85 percent in 2007.

Senator McCain supported the interests of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights 15 percent in 2007.

Senator Obama supported the interests of the Human Rights Campaign 89 percent in 2005-2006

Senator Biden supported the interests of the Human Rights Campaign 78 percent in 2005-2006.

Senator McCain supported the interests of the Human Rights Campaign 33 percent in 2005-2006

Conservative Issues

Senator Obama supported the interests of the American Conservative Union 7 percent in 2007

Senator Biden supported the interests of the American Conservative Union 0 percent in 2007.

Senator McCain supported the interests of the American Conservative Union 80 percent in 2007.


Education Issues

2007 National Education Association gave Senator Obama a grade of A.

In 2007 National Education Association gave Senator Biden a grade of A.

2997 National Education Association gave Senator McCain a grade of F.


Senator Obama supported the interests of the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) 100 percent in 2007

Senator Biden supported the interests of the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) 100 percent in 2007.

Senator McCain supported the interests of the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) 0 percent in 2007.


Energy Issues

Senator Obama supported the interests of the Campaign for America's Future 100 percent in 2005-2006 on energy legislation.

Senator Biden supported the interests of the Campaign for America's Future 83 percent in 2005-2006 on energy legislation.

Senator McCain supported the interests of the Campaign for America's Future 17 percent in 2005-2006 on energy legislation.


Environmental Issues

2007 Based on a point system, with points assigned for actions in support of or in opposition to League of Conservation Voters's position, Senator Obama received a rating of 67.

2007 Based on a point system, with points assigned for actions in support of or in opposition to League of Conservation Voters's position, Senator Biden received a rating of 67.

2007 Based on a point system, with points assigned for actions in support of or in opposition to League of Conservation Voters's position, Senator McCain received a rating of 0.


Family and Children Issues

2007 Based on a point system, with points assigned for actions in support of or in opposition to Children's Defense Fund's position, Senator Obama received a rating of 60.

2007 Based on a point system, with points assigned for actions in support of or in opposition to Children's Defense Fund's position, Senator Biden received a rating of 50.

2007 Based on a point system, with points assigned for actions in support of or in opposition to Children's Defense Fund's position, Senator McCain received a rating of 10.

(The Family Research Council is an extremely right-wing organization founded and lead by Dr. James Dobson)

In 2007 Family Research Council gave Senator Obama a grade of 0.

In 2007 Family Research Council gave Senator Biden a grade of 0.

In 2007 Family Research Council gave Senator McCain a grade of 42.


Foreign Aid and Policy Issues

Senator Obama supported the interests of the Council for a Livable World 81 percent in 2007

Senator Biden supported the interests of the Council for a Livable World 77 percent in 2007.

Senator McCain supported the interests of the Council for a Livable World 0 percent in 2007.

Senator Obama supported the interests of the Peace Action West 100 percent in 2007.

Senator Biden supported the interests of the Peace Action West 86 percent in 2007.

Senator McCain supported the interests of the Peace Action West 0 percent in 2007.

Senator Obama supported the interests of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation 83 percent in 2005-2006.

Senator Biden supported the interests of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation 75 percent in 2005-2006.

Senator McCain supported the interests of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation 25 percent in 2005-2006


Health Issues

Senator Obama supported the interests of the American Academy of Family Physicians 100 percent in 2007.

Senator Biden supported the interests of the American Academy of Family Physicians 100 percent in 2007.

Senator McCain supported the interests of the American Academy of Family Physicians 0 percent in 2007.

Senator Obama supported the interests of the American Nurses Association 100 percent in 2005-2006.

Senator Biden supported the interests of the American Nurses Association 100 percent in 2005-2006.

Senator McCain supported the interests of the American Nurses Association 20 percent in 2005-2006.


Labor

Senator Obama supported the interests of the AFL-CIO 100 percent in 2007.

Senator Biden supported the interests of the AFL-CIO 100 percent in 2007

Senator McCain supported the interests of the AFL-CIO 0 percent in 2007.


Senator Obama supported the interests of the Service Employees International Union 75 percent in 2007.

Senator Biden supported the interests of the Service Employees International Union 83 percent in 2007.

Senator McCain supported the interests of the Service Employees International Union 8 percent in 2007.


Liberal

Senator Obama supported the interests of the Americans for Democratic Action 75 percent in 2007

Senator Biden supported the interests of the Americans for Democratic Action 75 percent in 2007.

Senator McCain supported the interests of the Americans for Democratic Action 10 percent in 2007.


Senator Obama supported the interests of the National Journal - Composite Liberal Score 95.5 percent in 2007.

Senator Biden supported the interests of the National Journal - Composite Liberal Score 94.2 percent in 2007.

Senator McCain supported the interests of the National Journal - Liberal on Social Policy 40 percent in 2007


Veterans Issues

2006 Senator Obama supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 80 percent in 2006.

Senator Biden supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 75 percent in 2006.

2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 20 percent in 2006.

2006 In 2006 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Senator Obama a grade of B+.

In 2006 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Senator Biden a grade of B+.

2006 In 2006 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Senator McCain a grade of D.



Welfare and Poverty

"RESULTS is a nonprofit grassroots advocacy organization committed to creating the political will to end hunger and the worst aspects of poverty.”

Senator Obama supported the interests of the RESULTS 100 percent in 2005-2006

Senator Biden supported the interests of the RESULTS 100 percent in 2005-2006.

2Senator McCain supported the interests of the RESULTS 23 percent in 2005-2006



Women's Issues

Sen. Obama supported the interests of the National Organization for Women 91 percent in 2005-2006.

Senator Biden supported the interests of the National Organization for Women 91 percent in 2005-2006.

2005-2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the National Organization for Women 13 percent in 2005-2006

MONTANA GOV SCHWEITZER STEALS SHOW: Blasts Bush,

This is a really great speech. Montana, you done good electing this guy! I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for him in the near future

John McCain don't know so much

Since McBush loves humor in ads, he should love this one.

Yes Jo, I really do suck

But it's a good excuse. Between the election and the sexiest gentleman I know (not to mention quitting the job I didn't like, looking for a job, finding a job, and takin care of the kiddo....)



It's too early to get really deep, but maybe I'll get my shit in gear later today and pay homage with some musings. :)



Until then, a pic of the beeeeyoooootiful view I got to see everyday with said sexiest gentleman I know.

The front door (plus friend and sexy gentleman) of my friend's villa.

Lago Trasimeno (my friend, his wife, and the sexy gentleman)

John McCain on Gay Marriage

I do suck. I've been fairly busy and just haven't had much time for the innerwebs. There's a whole lotta pollytics going on!!!! I'm going to TRY to be much better about getting here.

So Obama announced his pick for VP yesterday. I'm quite thrilled personally. I've got a lot of respect and admiration for Joe Biden. Biden is the real straight-talk express. McBush just pretends to want to be. People are worried that Biden's mouth might get him in trouble. I don't know why. I mean, the main stream media has certainly allowed John McCain to say all sorts of stupid idiotic stuff and not call him on it. Seems he can't open his mouth without a lie falling out. Biden merely has to speak the truth about the horridness that will come with 4 years of McBush.

So, this vid speaks to McCain's "straight-talk". Hopefully I'll get a chance to post some McBush lies or double-speak daily.

I know, I know

I totally suck.

I still haven't finished posting about my trip.

Hoping to get back here tomorrow and do just that.

Jukebox John

What a great name that is for the presumptive Republican nom who flops about more than a fish out of water.

Jukebox John changes his tune every few minutes

Now for your reading pleasure, the official list of McCain Flip-Flops. An astounding 61 in total thus far.

National Security Policy

1. McCain thought Bush’s warrantless-wiretap program circumvented the law; now he believes the opposite.

2. McCain insisted that everyone, even “terrible killers,” “the worst kind of scum of humanity,” and detainees at Guantanamo Bay, “deserve to have some adjudication of their cases,” even if that means “releasing some of them.” McCain now believes the opposite.

3. He opposed indefinite detention of terrorist suspects. When the Supreme Court reached the same conclusion, he called it “one of the worst decisions in the history of this country.”

4. In February 2008, McCain reversed course on prohibiting waterboarding.

5. McCain was for closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay before he was against it.

6. When Barack Obama talked about going after terrorists in Pakistani mountains with predators, McCain criticized him for it. He’s since come to the opposite conclusion.

Foreign Policy

7. McCain was for kicking Russia out of the G8 before he was against it.

8. McCain supported moving “towards normalization of relations” with Cuba. Now he believes the opposite.

9. McCain believed the U.S. should engage in diplomacy with Hamas. Now he believes the opposite.

10. McCain believed the U.S. should engage in diplomacy with Syria. Now he believes the opposite.

11. McCain is both for and against a “rogue state rollback” as a focus of his foreign policy vision.

12. McCain used to champion the Law of the Sea convention, even volunteering to testify on the treaty’s behalf before a Senate committee. Now he opposes it.

13. McCain was against divestment from South Africa before he was for it.

Military Policy

14. McCain recently claimed that he was the “greatest critic” of Rumsfeld’s failed Iraq policy. In December 2003, McCain praised the same strategy as “a mission accomplished.” In March 2004, he said, “I’m confident we’re on the right course.” In December 2005, he said, “Overall, I think a year from now, we will have made a fair amount of progress if we stay the course.”

15. McCain has changed his mind about a long-term U.S. military presence in Iraq on multiple occasions, concluding, on multiple occasions, that a Korea-like presence is both a good and a bad idea.

16. McCain said before the war in Iraq, “We will win this conflict. We will win it easily.” Four years later, McCain said he knew all along that the war in Iraq war was “probably going to be long and hard and tough.”

17. McCain has repeatedly said it’s a dangerous mistake to tell the “enemy” when U.S. troops would be out of Iraq. In May, McCain announced that most American troops would be home from Iraq by 2013.

18. McCain was against expanding the GI Bill before he was for it.

Domestic Policy

19. McCain defended “privatizing” Social Security. Now he says he’s against privatization (though he actually still supports it.)

20. McCain wanted to change the Republican Party platform to protect abortion rights in cases of rape and incest. Now he doesn’t.

21. McCain supported storing spent nuclear fuel at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Now he believes the opposite.

22. He argued the NRA should not have a role in the Republican Party’s policy making. Now he believes the opposite.

23. In 1998, he championed raising cigarette taxes to fund programs to cut underage smoking, insisting that it would prevent illnesses and provide resources for public health programs. Now, McCain opposes a $0.61-per-pack tax increase, won’t commit to supporting a regulation bill he’s co-sponsoring, and has hired Philip Morris’ former lobbyist as his senior campaign adviser.

24. McCain is both for and against earmarks for Arizona.

25. McCain’s first mortgage plan was premised on the notion that homeowners facing foreclosure shouldn’t be “rewarded” for acting “irresponsibly.” His second mortgage plan took largely the opposite position.

26. McCain went from saying gay marriage should be allowed, to saying gay marriage shouldn’t be allowed.

27. McCain opposed a holiday to honor Martin Luther King, Jr., before he supported it.

28. McCain was anti-ethanol. Now he’s pro-ethanol.

29. McCain was both for and against state promotion of the Confederate flag.

30. In 2005, McCain endorsed intelligent design creationism, a year later he said the opposite, and a few months after that, he was both for and against creationism at the same time.

Economic Policy

31. McCain was against Bush’s tax cuts for the very wealthy before he was for them.

32. John McCain initially argued that economics is not an area of expertise for him, saying, “I’m going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues; I still need to be educated,” and “The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should.” He now falsely denies ever having made these remarks and insists that he has a “very strong” understanding of economics.

33. McCain vowed, if elected, to balance the federal budget by the end of his first term. Soon after, he decided he would no longer even try to reach that goal. And soon after that, McCain abandoned his second position and went back to his first.

34. McCain said in 2005 that he opposed the tax cuts because they were “too tilted to the wealthy.” By 2007, he denied ever having said this, and falsely argued that he opposed the cuts because of increased government spending.

35. McCain thought the estate tax was perfectly fair. Now he believes the opposite.

36. McCain pledged in February 2008 that he would not, under any circumstances, raise taxes. Specifically, McCain was asked if he is a “‘read my lips’ candidate, no new taxes, no matter what?” referring to George H.W. Bush’s 1988 pledge. “No new taxes,” McCain responded. Two weeks later, McCain said, “I’m not making a ‘read my lips’ statement, in that I will not raise taxes.”

37. McCain has changed his entire economic worldview on multiple occasions.

38. McCain believes Americans are both better and worse off economically than they were before Bush took office.

Energy Policy

39. McCain supported the moratorium on coastal drilling ; now he’s against it.

40. McCain recently announced his strong opposition to a windfall-tax on oil company profits. Three weeks earlier, he was perfectly comfortable with the idea.

41. McCain endorsed a cap-and-trade policy with a mandatory emissions cap. In mid-June, McCain announced he wants the caps to voluntary.

42. McCain explained his belief that a temporary suspension of the federal gas tax would provide an immediate economic stimulus. Shortly thereafter, he argued the exact opposite.

43. McCain supported the Lieberman/Warner legislation to combat global warming. Now he doesn’t.

Immigration Policy

44. McCain was a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act, which would grant legal status to illegal immigrants’ kids who graduate from high school. Now he’s against it.

45. On immigration policy in general, McCain announced in February 2008 that he would vote against his own bill.

46. In April, McCain promised voters that he would secure the borders “before proceeding to other reform measures.” Two months later, he abandoned his public pledge, pretended that he’d never made the promise in the first place, and vowed that a comprehensive immigration reform policy has always been, and would always be, his “top priority.”

Judicial Policy and the Rule of Law

47. McCain said he would “not impose a litmus test on any nominee.” He used to promise the opposite.

48. McCain believes the telecoms should be forced to explain their role in the administration’s warrantless surveillance program as a condition for retroactive immunity. He used to believe the opposite.

49. McCain went from saying he would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade to saying the exact opposite.

Campaign, Ethics, and Lobbying Reform

50. McCain supported his own lobbying-reform legislation from 1997. Now he doesn’t.

51. In 2006, McCain sponsored legislation to require grassroots lobbying coalitions to reveal their financial donors. In 2007, after receiving “feedback” on the proposal, McCain told far-right activist groups that he opposes his own measure.

52. McCain supported a campaign-finance bill, which bore his name, on strengthening the public-financing system. In June 2007, he abandoned his own legislation.

Politics and Associations

53. McCain wanted political support from radical televangelist John Hagee. Now he doesn’t. (He also believes his endorsement from Hagee was both a good and bad idea.)

54. McCain wanted political support from radical televangelist Rod Parsley. Now he doesn’t.

55. McCain says he considered and did not consider joining John Kerry’s Democratic ticket in 2004.

56. McCain is both for and against attacking Barack Obama over his former pastor at his former church.

57. McCain criticized TV preacher Jerry Falwell as “an agent of intolerance” in 2002, but then decided to cozy up to the man who said Americans “deserved” the 9/11 attacks.

58. In 2000, McCain accused Texas businessmen Sam and Charles Wyly of being corrupt, spending “dirty money” to help finance Bush’s presidential campaign. McCain not only filed a complaint against the Wylys for allegedly violating campaign finance law, he also lashed out at them publicly. In April, McCain reached out to the Wylys for support.

59. McCain was against presidential candidates campaigning at Bob Jones University before he was for it.

60. McCain decided in 2000 that he didn’t want anything to do with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, believing he “would taint the image of the ‘Straight Talk Express.’” Kissinger is now the Honorary Co-Chair for his presidential campaign in New York.

61. McCain believed powerful right-wing activist/lobbyist Grover Norquist was “corrupt, a shill for dictators, and (with just a dose of sarcasm) Jack Abramoff’s gay lover.” McCain now considers Norquist a key political ally.

And while I realize there are some who believe these constant flip-flops are irrelevant, I respectfully disagree.

A bit more about my trip

First, I have some ladies I need to call out.

I want to say, Pearl, JoJo, and Eque your voices are missed on hot topics. We are having a good time, but y'all are seriously missed.

Let's talk about food! This isn't in any order, I'm just gonna talk about the pictures as they posted.

Yes ladies and germs, those are truffles and that is my friend's hand. These truffles had not been processed in any way as yet. They were delivered about an hour before our visit took place. Lucky us because this enabled us to see what happened with them after the delivery.

A huge wheel of Parmesan. Now, I know not all of us can afford to have an ginormous wheel just hanging around, but for those in the industry or those at home who do have the ginormous wheel hanging about, we would take the cooked pasta and dump it into the Parmesan bowl, stir it about and then serve. Quite tasty.

This is the outdoor pizza oven. It's handmade, not pre-fab. It was like porn to my friend and I. This is Cristiano's station during the outdoor wedding stuff.

Now you get to meet Cristiano. Very nice guy. He said that somewhere on YouTube there is a video of him doing karaoke of Renato Zero. He spoke some English, more than we did Italian. He wanted to come back with us to the states. The girl is Cristina. Very nice, but very controlling. Either she thought our Italian speaking skills directly correlated to our cooking skills, or she was afraid she would get the blame if we screwed something up. Her name was constantly being screamed. Cristina where is...Cristina do... Very sweet girl though.

Here is Igor the chef with Cristiano. Igor spoke less English than did Cristiano, but it sure made for an interesting time. A whole lot of hand gestures and sounds, but a lot of trading as well. Come si dice and Come dite xxx in Italiano. He got more aggravated with my friend since my friend is used to hearing 'what do you want me to do now chef' so he is used to being the master, not the visitor.



This is something I will never understand. The region I was in had this odd affinity for hot dogs. Not with chili, cheese, mustard and onions (or however you make them). Nope, here you have some appetizers topped with hot dogs and olives. They also make pizza with hot dogs on them. To each his own. The guests liked them though, so that's all that matters.

This is Marco. Very sweet guy. He spoke the most English, so there was a lot of 'MARCO' going on. What was so funny, was the first time I heard them scream for him, being the smartass I am (and my friend-it was simultaneous) we hollered back 'POLO'. Apparently that is fairly universal as everyone in the kitchen had a laugh.



This is the fish counter at the local Conad store. Ok, my friend and I are totally juvenile because every time we drove past a Conad store, we giggled and said under our breath, gonads. Anyway, the fish counter was awesome. Actually, the fish counter at most of the markets we went to was awesome. Don't know if you can see it, but that's a whole freakin swordfish. SWEET

An action shot of my friend. He was manning the grill. A huge piece of Ahi tuna and then some mortadella. Now, he and I don't eat cooked tuna. If we do, it's been lightly seared. The people at this wedding, not so much. They were horrified at first. It killed him to cook it so much, but what ya gonna do.

This was at a supermarket. I forget the name of the market, but would you get a load of that hunk of mortadella. It was 12' long and weighed in at 2,300 pounds. It was quite tasty too.



Fresh pasta. Perhaps they have companies doing this in the US, but I don't personally know of any, so it was way cool to me. The restaurant has a fresh pasta supplier. The pasta was brought in a couple of hours before it was needed. They brought raviolis (various stuffings), spaghetti, rigatoni, farfalle, you name it, was was brought in. Too damned cool



Now, I don't have any pictures of the pizza, but it was certainly to die for. I don't usually like thin crust, at least not American style thin crust. This was wafer thin, crisp as could be, and of course, cooked in a huge pizza oven that was powered by wood. It's not the one in the picture above, this was inside the restaurant. It was probably 8 or 9 feet deep, if not more. Tomato sauce was used, but the pizza wasn't drowned in sauce like it is here. If pizza around here was like this, I'd actually eat pizza more than once in a blue moon.

Overall, this region goes for simplicity. You aren't hit smack in the face with basil, oregano, marjoram, garlic, onion, etc. The typical dish had either onion or garlic, but not both. A little chiffonade of basil and that was it, well, except for the salt and pepper. It was very different than I expected, but still wonderful.

Torte al testo. I can't say enough about this tasty little sandwich. It's kind of a thick flat bread, slice it to where you can stuff it, then shove prosciutto and cheese inside. Put on the griddle, flat top, skillet, or whatever and heat until the cheese is melty. Addicted is a good word. They did many other tortes. At a festival we went to one night, I had one that was stuffed with Italian sausage and collard greens. Bliss.

Semi-freddo made with Baci candy. Gelato made with Baci. Baci period. It's a creamy dark chocolate with a hazelnut center. YUMMMM. The word Baci means kiss.

Ok, so, I guess that's it for now. I'll post more in the coming days. After my trip though, I'm really having to force myself to be on the computer for more than 30 minutes or so. One can live without the computer for two weeks and live to tell the tale.

Took me long enough

Ok, I'm finally ready to blog.

My trip was fantastic. I've been home now since Friday night. Getting back into the groove here. It's taking a lot of my energy to do that. I know, it sounds silly, but I'm having a lot of internal fights with myself. After 2 weeks there, I know that is where I belong.

The natural beauty is just amazing. Coming back to my flatland just isn't the same. The history that surrounded me was so hard to wrap my brain around. I was staying in a place that is over 1000 years old. The wall surrounding the city was built before Christ walked the earth by the Etruscans. Walking the streets that St. Francis walked is chilling and calming at the same time. I was in a constant state of wow. Every morning, stepping outside and seeing this:

When I was ready for a cappuccino in the morning or a drink at night, I'd sit here, under the umbrellas. Half the town would congregate here. Having a gelato, caffe, panini, or drink.

Sitting in front of The Palazzetto Del Podesta where the coffee bar is located, we would be looking at San Crispolto church and the fountain. Our residence was located next door and to the left of San Crispolto church. San Crispolto (or Crispolito) is the Patron Saint of Bettona.



It was really interesting how so many would gather at the Palazzetto to sit and chat. Everyone would be there, discussing the days events. Sometimes there were other tourists there, you could hear them speaking in French or German, but the rarity was someone speaking English. Then one night sitting at the caffe, my companion had gone inside to get us another drink and this older gentleman commented to me 'lovely night we are having here'. It was a very thick Scottish brogue and a bit hard to understand, but after only hearing my companions voice in English, it was a wonderful sound. I wish I would have taken a picture of Mario. He was born in Bettona and full-blooded Italian, but for whatever reason, he moved to Scotland at a very young age. He was back in Bettona to visit his sister and brother-in-law. You could tell he was missing the English language as well. He loved to sit with us and chat. He was at least 80, walked with a cane, and had had a couple of strokes over the last few years.

As our day was over, this is the door we would go through to get to our apartment. The door is the front door of my friend's home. You may not be into that type of stuff, but the craftmanship was just beautiful. The two women are Ola on the left (our hostess) and her neighbor lady, never did catch her name.

The last thing we would see at night before bed (well, night is relative, it was typically early morning)

So, in the next few days, I'll post some more photos and tell about those.

While there, I really missed ice and A/C. Now that I'm home, ice and A/C really aren't that big of a deal.

Finally home

We returned home on July 4. We left June 19. To say I'm exhausted would be an understatement. I will be posting pics and talking about our trip, but it will likely be a couple of days. I head out in a few to get my daughter from camp and then I'll have all of her washing plus mine; not to mention recovering from the jet lag.

nice to be home, but wishing I was back in Italy.


Ok, I have to put up some pictures, so here is a teaser.

The beautiful view from the balcony of our apartment.

This view is from Cinque Cerre, a street in Bettona. It is about 1.5 miles further up the mountain our village is located on.

Brogal Vini vineyards. Absolutely gorgeous.

It's FINALLY here

Today is the day.

In 29 hours, I'll be landing in Rome. My plane leaves in 10 hours. I cannot wait. Land of espresso, art, Renaissance, and architecture, here I come.

I must finish packing, not much. Have to pack shampoo, toothpaste, etc, but not until I've had my shower this morning.

I'll return July 4 and will hopefully have a ton of photos to post.


ciao

He Said It First

Yeah, that's who I want running the country. Old news or not, it's still newsworthy to me.

Oil, Gas, and Futures

So, you wondering why it costs so much to fill-up lately?

Ice, Ice, Baby

This from page 1 of the Executive Summary of that Senate investigation, there is this one troubling line: "Today, U.S. oil inventories are at an eight-year high, and OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) oil inventories are at a 20-year high."

That’s odd because, in 2006, just like today, the media reporting covered the serious international shortage of oil and justified oil’s high price. Even more troubling is that the House of Representatives held a hearing this past December, ominously titled "Energy Speculation and Price Manipulation." How did it pass under the radar that both the Senate and the House studied the issue of price manipulation in our energy markets and both concluded that it was unregulated, massive trading in one futures market that was really driving up the price of oil and natural gas? And given that conclusion, why has Congress done nothing about it?

{snip}

A week ago Goldman Sachs issued a new investor note, suggesting that somewhere between six months to two years, the price of oil could go into a "super spike" and prices jump as high as $200 per barrel. It became the major story of the night. Ignored in the reporting frenzy was that many legitimate and well-respected oil analysts dismissed Goldman Sachs’ prediction as groundless.

Get ready for the next shock to your system. In the past month we have added 11.9 million barrels of oil into our stock reserves, giving us 32.3 million more barrels of oil than we had on hand January 1. On May 5, we found out that for the second time in as many years, Iran was storing its excess crude oil on tankers in the Persian Gulf, because it had run out of storage space in the desert and was awaiting buyers for its heavy crude. That same day Saudi Arabia cut the discount price for its Arabian Heavy crude to $7.45, hoping to entice more buyers for immediate delivery. We didn’t hear that news, either.

{snip}

It’s amazing how quickly we forget our recent history. Congressional hearings in 2001, blasting certain Wall Street executives for using the media to sell the public on stocks in order to bid up the price – so their firm could divest of its shares without taking a beating. Meanwhile, other trusted advisors pushed stocks that were fundamentally worthless, because their affiliated banks had large loan agreements with those companies.

The year before Enron had been caught manipulating the California energy market, even forcing rolling blackouts across the northern part of their state apparently just for effect – to support their claim that there just wasn’t enough electricity to go around. Again, we now know that claim was untrue. It was Enron shutting down certain power generation plants, while placing bets on their unregulated energy futures market. The net cost to California consumers was almost $8 billion.

Ice, Ice, Baby - The Conclusion

Record high prices without record low oil inventories, analysts saying that so much money flows into oil commodities that it gives the impression of shortages, when in fact no shortage exists. That mirrors the situation in the commodities market for food, as Bloomberg pointed out in its April 28 article, "Wall Street Grain Hoarding Brings Farmers, Consumers Near Ruin": "Commodity investors control more U.S. crops than ever before, competing with governments and consumers for dwindling food supplies." That’s right; food, oil and gasoline have become an "asset class." No longer are you fighting a neighbor at the supermarket over the last box of Cheerios®; now you’re fighting the futures traders, who are actually determining what you will pay for that cereal.

We started as a society that worships hard labor and the basic business ethic of building value into the goods you create. How’d we get from there to worshiping Wall Street’s billion-dollar boys — who create nothing, build nothing, own nothing and deliver no goods, and yet can throw so much money into products made by others that they determine what we consumers will pay for those goods?

It wasn’t always this way.

In the past, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission acted as the cop on the beat, ensuring that buyers in the market were not distorting or manipulating prices beyond what supply and demand normally dictate. Certainly, if a hard frost hit Florida and cost growers an orange crop, then bidding up the price of the remaining oranges was both a wise investment and allowed under the trading rules. Right now investors know that if they borrow and invest huge amounts in commodities futures, they can create a shortage on paper – which drives prices up just like an actual shortage of any given product would. What kept traders from cornering the market that way in the past were the government’s anti-manipulation rules.

{snip}

The late, infamous Enron head, Ken Lay, realized in the eighties that he could make more money bidding up energy in the futures market than by actually creating and selling energy. But, under then-current rules, how much you could make swapping paper was limited. Fortuitously, Lay had excellent Texas political connections; and in November of 1992, the head of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission moved to exempt energy-derivative contracts and related swaps from any government oversight.

A vote was hurriedly put together before the Clinton White House would take over, and so Lay could finally start "dark" – unregulated – futures trading. The head of the CFTC was Wendy Gramm, wife of Texas Senator Phil Gramm; five weeks after she left, she became a board member of Enron in Houston.

Fast-forward to late 2000 and H.R. 5660, the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000, sponsored by Republican Congressman Thomas Ewing of Illinois. That bill went nowhere, even though Tom Delay’s wife Christine was then working for a Washington lobbying firm, Alexander Strategies – which Enron had paid $200,000 to push through legislation for permanent energy deregulation in these "dark" markets.

Six months later came Senate Bill 3283, also named the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000. This time around the sponsor was Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, and now Phil Gramm was listed as one of the bill’s co-sponsors. Like it had in the House, this bill was destined to go nowhere until, late one night, it was attached as a rider to an 11,000-page appropriations bill – which was signed into law by President Clinton.

Now traders had an officially deregulated market for energy futures. Worse, that bill also deregulated many financial instruments – including the collateralized debt obligations that are at the center of today’s mortgage crisis, which may well cost us more than $1 trillion before it’s over.

John McCain Debates Himself on Supporting Bush

So Mr. McCain, do you happen to know which way is up?

Interesting site I stumbled across this morning

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/

I'm still checking it out, but it is quite interesting thus far.

First, 538 is the number of electors in the electoral college.

Now, from the site's FAQ:

How is this site different from other compilations of polls like Real Clear Politics?

There are several ways that the FiveThityEight methodology differs from other poll compilations. Firstly, we assign each poll a weighting based on that pollster's historical track record, the poll's sample size, and the recentness of the poll. More reliable polls are weighted more heavily in our averages. Secondly, we include a regression estimate based on the demograhics in each state among our 'polls', which helps to account for outlier polls and to stabilize the results. Thirdly, we simulate the election 10,000 times for each site update in order to provide a probabilistic assessment of electoral outcomes.

More interesting information on the man who wants to be president

McCain's Secret, Questionable Record

The New York Times' front-page story about McCain declining promotion to admiral lacks credibility for other reasons as well. For example, McCain had been promoted to captain on August 1, 1979, so he wouldn't have been due for another promotion by March of 1981.

Retired Admiral Peter Booth, who was promoted to rear admiral in 1981, flatly disputes Lehman's claim about McCain. "No, John McCain was not selected for flag rank, for admiral. With all due respect, I think I was selected that same year, and I have never heard anything even remotely like that. To begin with, John Lehman did not select Navy flag officers. That was done with a very august selection board headed by a four-star admiral. The Secretary of the Navy does not appoint. He is in the approval chain, but he is not on the committee.

"I have never heard a story, even remotely, that John McCain was going to be a flag officer. I was early selected for captain, in 1976, and I was regular selected for admiral in 1981. So it's probably five or six years, I guess. I've never heard of anybody being selected for flag rank within three or four years of making captain, ever."

{snip}

Is McCain now getting away with more by hiding his official history and by having his national security adviser inflate McCain's resume with a bogus promotion to admiral humbly declined? If so, McCain may be attempting to hide why the Navy was in fact slow to promote him upwards despite his suffering as a POW and his distinguished naval heritage.

One possible reason: After McCain had returned from Vietnam as a war hero and was physically rehabilitated, he was urged by his medical caretakers and military colleagues never to fly again. But McCain insisted on going up. As Carl Bernstein reported in Vanity Fair, he piloted an ultra-light, single propeller plane -- and crashed another time. His fifth loss of a plane has vanished from public records, but should be a subject of discussion in his Navy file. It wouldn't be surprising if his naval superiors worried that McCain was just too defiant, too reckless and too crash prone.

Regardless, McCain owes it to the country to release his complete naval records so that American voters can see his documented history and make an informed decision.

Interesting scenario

When McCain Drops Out

When the Republicans choose their candidate on September 4th, there is a very real chance that they could throw the election into an unexpected chaos as they pull a genuine September Surprise.

I think there is every reason to believe John McCain won't be the nominee. Ok, let me say that again. McCain will not be the Republican candidate in November.

{snip}

The reasons are simple. He can't win. Now that Obama is the presumptive Democratic nominee -- the polls all show that McCain's pro-war stance and Bush endorsement make him a lost cause in November. That combined with soft stand on litmus test conservative issues make him an unpopular candidate among the base. I know some Democrats that think the Republicans are planning to let McCain lose and 'sit this one out' so that they can hang the democrats with a bad economy and a war that is a morass. But that just isn't how they play. They play to win every hand -- think about 2000 with a popular Democratic president and good economy and a solid VP running for president. Why did they put up Bush? And why did they fight so hard? Because, you don't ever throw a game. And they're not going to throw this one.

I cannot believe it

First, I must say, rest in peace Tim Russert. You were one of the best, if not the best. I cannot imagine the run up to November without your input and insights. Your smile and obvious zest for life was infectious. The tributes from your colleagues have been touching and heart warming, giving those of us a look into your life and the Tim Russert we didn't know.





It's almost time. I leave for Italy in just 5 days and 6 hours. I don't really have a whole lot to say that isn't political or about Italy and this wasn't going to be a political post but I did want to do something since I've been so lack in blogging. So, here's some more pictures of places I will get to see.


















on this last one, that blue in the distance is the Adriatic Sea. I think that's the bluest blue I've ever seen when it comes to water. I cannot wait to step into that!!!!

John McCain... Electable?

Our nation and the world cannot deal with 4 years of McCain.

Watch this video. It's only 8 minutes long and it gives you some insight into McCain.

So you don't like Obama. Please look into Bob Barr, Ron Paul, or anyone but McCain.

McCain's YouTube Problem Just Became a Nightmare

Come on and climb aboard the straight talk express

a must read (and a good one too)

I wasn't a fan of the Clinton's the first go around, but outside of that, Chez Pazienza says it all for me.

The World I Knew: Why It's Time for Hillary Clinton To Go

The sad irony that in my eyes -- the eyes of someone for whom the Clintons once represented a stand against politics-as-usual -- Hillary Clinton has become the very thing she purported to stand against so many years ago certainly isn't lost on me. The fact that the Clintons' notorious narcissism and sense of entitlement has reached such a level of insurmountability that Mrs. Clinton can assail not simply her opponent but the Kennedy-esque legacy of hope she believes he represents is repugnant in ways I'm not sure I can properly express. I knew Hillary Clinton could be a political monster when she deemed it necessary; I had no idea she could allow herself to become Grendel -- forfeiting her principles so handily that those of us who once believed in her and her husband's future for the country are now left to wonder whether there were ever principles there at all.

WooHoo

Another piece of my trip has fallen into place. I was passportless. I had the tickets bought before getting a passport. I went last Wednesday, paid $160, and my passport arrived in the mail today.

I had asked my friend in Italy what types of clothing I should be bringing. OH, casual he said. Problem of course, casual to an Italian is totally different from casual to an American. I started reading online in regards to etiquette, etc, and I guess I need to go shopping. We are to meet some important people there and while he said casual, I just don't see tennis shoes, jeans, and a Hanes t-shirt after what I had read.

I hate to shop for clothes. I really do. If I'm not in need of anything, I will find all sorts of stuff to buy. However, if I'm on a mission, I'm not gonna find shit. I was really hoping to fit everything in one suitcase and have an empty one to fill up with stuff I purchase in Italy. Looks like I'll have to fit the stuff I buy in with the clothes I bring. :(

Nothing else really going on. Still can't stand my job and the hours, but, it's providing me with the money I'm gonna be spending, so what ya gonna do.

Tickets bought

One more step completed for the trip to Italia.

We purchased tickets today. So, here are some places I will be visiting:

Perugia



Assisi



Spoleto



Oriveto



Roma



To say I'm stoked is a complete understatement

Something important

Orphaned Work

Mark Simon:Mind Your Business

"Currently, you don't have to register your artwork to own the copyright. You own a copyright as soon as you create something. International law also supports this. Right now, registration allows you to sue for damages, in addition to fair value.

What makes me so MAD about this new legislation is that it legalizes THEFT! The only people who benefit from this are those who want to make use of our creative works without paying for them and large companies who will run the new private copyright registries.

These registries are companies that you would be forced to pay in order to register every single image, photo, sketch or creative work.

It is currently against international law to coerce people to register their work for copyright because there are so many inherent problems with it. But because big business can push through laws in the United States, our country is about to break with the rest of the world, again, and take your rights away.

With the tens of millions of photos and pieces of artwork created each year, the bounty for forcing everyone to pay a registration fee would be enormous. We lose our rights and our creations, and someone else makes money at our expense.

This includes every sketch, painting, photo, sculpture, drawing, video, song and every other type of creative endeavor. All of it is at risk!

If the Orphan Works legislation passes, you and I and all creatives will lose virtually all the rights to not only our future work but to everything we've created over the past 34 years, unless we register it with the new, untested and privately run (by the friends and cronies of the U.S. government) registries. Even then, there is no guarantee that someone wishing to steal your personal creations won't successfully call your work an orphan work, and then legally use it for free.

In short, if Congress passes this law, YOU WILL LOSE THE RIGHT TO MAKE MONEY FROM YOUR OWN CREATIONS!"

Do all of us a favor (by all of us, I'm talking about your children, your grandchildren, your future children and grandchildren, people you know, people you don't know) and let your representatives know this is a bunch of crap.

Online Petition

Assistance in creating a letter to your representatives

Government Site on Copyrights

how weird is this

For the last several days, I've not been able to log into blogspot. I try and it tells me that Java is disabled, but Java isn't disabled. Everything I tried failed. Today (night, morning, whatever it is), same thing, only this time by clicking on the little orange symbol thingy it let me in. Go freaking figure.

I've been annoyed by that and was surprised it allowed me in just now. I've got nothing to say though cause I really wasn't expecting it. Kind of like when you call someone and you always get their voicemail and they happen to answer and it throws you off and you give them a 'ohhh, I didn't expect you to answer' and they respond with a 'well why the phuk did ya call'.

So, I'll just say 44 days and counting down.

Dadgummit

I came here to post about something specific. I'm gonna end up posting about something totally different.

My niece stayed the night. For some reason, my sister left the dog too. Ordinarily this would not be a bad thing, as our dog loves to play with her dog. HOWEVER, my eldest is here recovering from surgery and along with her is her cat. It took some time for our dog and the cat to get along. Sister says before leaving, ohhh, my dog will be fine where the cat is concerned. WRONG. As soon as she was gone, her dog began chasing the cat, trying to EAT the cat. Poor kitty is going to need kitty tranquilizers.

When sister came to bring eldest niece, she of course brought her two youngest with her. The cat has gotten used to us, but kitty does not like little children. Their 3 hour long visit was about 2 hours, 59 minutes too long for poor kitty. Then to leave the dog too. I had to put kitty, kitty litter box, kitty water and food in one room and shut the door. I put both dogs out this morning and let kitty out. He was still so scared, he just sat in the doorway forever.

So, just now, I step outside to drink my coffee, listen to the birdies waking up, can't watch the squirrels running about as they are avoiding the yard with 2 dogs roaming about, and read the paper. Kitty jumps in the window to look out and sister's dog tries to eat kitty through the window. I could hear him hissing form the other side.

I cannot wait for this visit to end!!!!!

Greed Sucks

So there's a global food crisis and it boils down to this:

A commodities dealer named Christoph Eibl soberly concludes that financial managers just want to "benefit from the scarcity of these commodities."

So disgusting. People in the world are going hungry so people like hedge fund manager Dwight Anderson can get rich.

From the standpoint of these investors, poor harvests that drive up prices are only good for their portfolios. Many investors either don't care or are simply oblivious to the fact that by investing in the global casino, they could be gambling away the daily food supply of the world's poorest people.

You can read the article here and find links to more on the subject.

so there was the pink elephant

Nothing to do with pink elephants, I just didn't know what I wanted to title this post.

I'm trying to get back in the habit of posting a blog. I really have nothing to say other than I hope PA rocked the vote for Obama.

That and I'm freakin tired. Have I mentioned I don't like getting up at 3am?

that's all

Well, you coulda knocked me over

I've never much cared for Michael Moore, but his blog today is something I totally agree with.

Go figure. He supports Obama, but it isn't just that he supports Obama, it's what he has to say.

ugggghhhh

I really do NOT like waking at 3am. I much prefer going to bed at 3am.

So, tomorrow is the big day in PA for the Democrats. I'm still very much an Obamacan so you know how I hope the folks in PA lean. I'm really just ready for it to be over. Then we can begin concentrating on November.

I do not want McCain in there. I firmly believe that would be like Bush III.

Ack, I'm so freakin tired, I am having a difficult time formulating coherent thoughts that make it from my mind to my fingers to of course here. I want a nap, but if I took a nap, I'd never sleep tonight.

bitch, bitch, bitch, and bitch some more.

I'm done whining now.

If all goes as planned

I should be winging my way to Rome in about 2 months. My dear friends have extended the invitation to stay with them at their villa and the best part is my best friend in the entire world will be there with me.

Bettona

A view of Bettona



And here is another view of Bettona, sitting atop the hill:

Bettona is in the Perugia, Umbria. Umbria is in Central Italy and is a land locked area. It is known as 'The Green Heart of Italy". Perugia

Umbria-Wiki link
Welcome to Umbria

One great things about visiting is that I will be near my favorite olive oil, coffee, and porcelain. All located within this region and my dear friends are friends with these people. I have links to each of these here on my blog. Capoccetti Coffee, Cufrol Olive Oil, and porcelain in Deruta.

Another great thing is of course the historical aspect. I am such a history geek it is not EVEN funny. I know that when our plane lands in Roma, I will likely cry. Not boohoo sobbing, but tears that I am finally in the land I have wanted to be in for longer than I can remember. I could so picture myself calling my mom and telling her to go about procuring a passport for my youngest as I am not returning.

A third great thing is that we have both been invited to work with others in our industry and learn the true Italian way, not the Americanized version of Italian. I hope I'm not jinxing anything by posting, but I am so excited that I am finding it quite difficult to contain.

The villa I will be staying at in Bettona is over 1100 years old. To be able to touch, see, smell, history in this way, well, it is indescribable. I'm not Catholic, but to be RIGHTTHERE, the Vatican, St. Peters Square, the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps. The archaeologoical importance is mind boggling. Crap, I'm tearing up thinking about it all.

To be so close and be able to visit Pompeii, HOLYCRAP.

The markets, the restaurants, the pastries, the cheese, the truffles, the coffee-Ohhhhh the coffee, the meats.

I just cannot wait. I have always felt I was born in the wrong place and should have been born in Italia. But perhaps if I was born an Italian, I wouldn't have the appreciation I have for it, much like I probably do not have the true appreciation for where I live.

Just lil ol' me again

I'm trying to get back in the habit of coming here to post, even if it's just some stuff like this. I may not be grammatically correct, but you'll get over it.

These ramblings are coffee induced.

1. I'm going to miss visiting Gumbo YaYa daily.
2. What I'm really going to miss: The people that choose not to join up elsewhere.
3. The women who make me think through their own intelligence and wisdom, not to mention their humor. I'm not sure who else doesn't plan to make the move to our new digs, but JoJo, Pearl, and Sunshine - I'm really going to miss you ladies and I hope you each reconsider.
4. You've each made my life richer and I love you.
5. Those that are making the move to the new digs, I'm so glad. I would be lost without you all. There are certainly too many of you all to even name. But like those who aren't coming along for the ride, I love you all too.
6. Each and everyone of you are the sisters I have chosen.
7. JoJo, you know the political discussions are gonna get fun come August.
8. MWAH to you all!!!