I went to the Obama rally ...

... in Greensboro, N.C., yesterday and it was an awesome experience! For those of you all who live in areas where he will be coming in the next few weeks, make it your business to attend. Of course, I have pictures:

A little more than 12 hours after he and Sen. McCain had they much publicized debate in Mississippi, Sens. Obama and Biden flew 663 miles for a rally in what is being called the "new" Ohio. My fair state of North Carolina has become a battleground state in this election and given our current conditions, why wouldn't it be? We have some of the highest taxes in the Southeast. A large population of poor people confined to rural and depressed areas. And, the entire state has been brought to its knees with repeated closing of textile factories all across the state. To give you all a little background, I am from a very rural area of the state called Fairmont. Fairmont is located in Robeson County, the biggest county - in area, and the poorest county. Robeson County is probably the only place in the country where you can own acres upon acres of land and several houses and still be poor. I know of at least four textile factories in my hometown that have closed down. There are at least 20 more throughout the county that no longer exist because of jobs being sent overseas. Also keep in mind that my area relied a lot on the tobacco industry. Nearly a decade ago, Congress offered the tobacco farmers a buyout to stop growing so much tobacco in their effort to keep so many Americans from smoking and using other tobacco products. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with getting people to stop smoking, but I have a problem with taking away an industry without replacing it with another. Before I stand up on that soap box, I will say that Obama spoke to us about bringing back some of the industries that we've lost and putting more into education so that our next generation can get more out of it. I don't know about ya'll but I can get into that. I will be posting my commentary on the debate later on, I still haven't watched it all. I also have a few videos from yesterday that I will post later on.

Have ya heard?

The debate is back on! I knew it would be, I don't think Sen. McCain took too kindly to being called an old punk. Hell, we all know he's old, he doesn't have to be a punk too. I say, be one or the other and let's face it, one of them, he can't help. I just saw the picture of him and blonde Elvira boarding his plane. Hopefully, they are on their way to Mississippi. They only have a little more than seven hours before the debate is expected to begin. Seeing as how it took his 22 hours to get to Washington, D.C., from New York City, he's already a day behind. Anyway, I won't be able to comment during or immediately after the debate. But I will be posting tomorrow afternoon, hopefully with a surprise for you guys where you'll be able to read my delightful commentary on tonight's happenings.

Am I a hypocrite ...

... because I find this funny?

OK, I was totally offended by the Obama cover. But as we have gotten further along, I've started looking back on the journey and the foolishness that we are being inundated with at it relates to the Democratic presidential nominee and this wasn't that bad. Granted, it is offensive but it is not as dangerous as those fools in Denver riding around with the weapons talking about an assassination plot on Sen. Obama. It's not nearly as dangerous as the fool who was arrested near his home in Chicago. All of the tasteless jokes and sad attempts at satire now all seem so trivial because these fools are trying to jeopardize the safety of him and his family. Not to get off subject, I just think those two guys are h.i.larious!!! The difference in what they did and what the graphic artists and editors at the New Yorker did is Stewart and Colbert make their living spoofing all things news and political. The New Yorker is regarded as a reputable media outlet therefore there isn't much room left for satire, in my opinion. If anything, that should have been the cartoon in the Op-Ed section, not the cover. At any rate, I hope you guys love Colbert and Stewart as much as I.

Well, I'd say it's mighty damn convenient ...

... that Sen. John McCain wants to suspend his campaign to focus on this "historic" economic crisis our country is being faced with at this time. He plans to return to Washington, D.C., to help resolve the issue of whether or not to bail out these Wall Street companies that are really far in debt. CNN reported that he plans to suspend his campaign meaning he won't run commercials or participate in Friday's debate unless this thing has been resolved. **A-choo** You'll have to excuse me, I'm allergic to bullshit. Wouldn't you all say that it is mighty damn convenient that McCain all of a sudden wants to run to D.C.to resolve a problem 10 years in the making? Wouldn't you think that he's simply not ready for this debate because he knows he's going to get a bunch of questions like, "how come a Republican-run House and Senate didn't see this coming 10 years ago?" The funny thing is Democrats just became the majority two years ago so a lot of this they have inherited. Then again, they should have been trying to do something to prevent a fall out of this magnitude. At any rate, I can not be the only one who thinks McCain is just doing this to save some money and to have more time to prepare himself for this debate. Think about it, this week, he has a couple of points on Obama in the polls and he's had some problems maintaining his momentum in the past. Add to that the fact that Campbell Brown obliterated him and his cronies for their sexist treatment of her. I tell you that the man is a-skeerd! Shoot, wouldn't you be? He's debating Barack Freakin' Obama, who would want to be in opposition of that man when he's speaking? Ol' McSame ain't as senile as I initially thought. This was a skillful move - a very skillful and calculated move. You're a good politician Charlie Brown!

OK, I take it back ...

... Tina Fey is the best Sarah Palin.

I've figured it out ...

... Sarah Palin reminds me of the Vancome Lady from MAD TV, seriously. Take a look:

Is that not Palin? They have the same annoying voice and for whatever reason, I think Palin is just as offensive.

And now ...

... meet your other Presidential Candidates for this year's election. For so long, America has been known as a bi-partisan "democracy." We've always had Democrats and Republicans. Well, somewhere along the lines, folks started getting fed up with the foolishness that is this bi-party system and we now have Independents, Socialists, Constitutionalists, Libertarians, Prohibitionists and a partridge in a pear tree. OK, so I did throw in that last one, but you've gotta admit, that's a lot of political parties. I always wondered what the basis of them all are, and lucky for you, I've done the research for you. First up, you got the Independent American Party. Beliefs and Principles According to Wikipedia *ahem* they believe that freedom is founded upon faith in God and the existence of moral law and that our rights come from God, not government and the function of government is to protect those rights. They also believe that the Constitution of the United States is inspired by God. It is a compact between the peoples of the states of that union which the officers of government have a duty to obey. Everybody oughta be familiar with Ralph Nader. He's only been a candidate in the last five or six elections. He's never really had enough folks voting for him to make him viable, but he did have enough votes in 2000 that could have possibly swayed gotten former vice president Al Gore elected or President Bush elected fairly. The remaining candidates are Kelcey Wilson, Frank Moore, Alan Keyes, and Jackson Kirk Grimes. The only one I know of is Alan Keyes and that is because that is the black guy the GOP got to run against Sen. Barack Obama for the Illinois Senate seat in 2004. I'm surprised he's making a run at the White House since he's never even made it to Capitol Hill, but hey, to each his own, right? Next up is one Cynthia McKinney. If her name sounds familiar, it should. She's the state representative who punched a Capitol Hill police officer after he tried to stop her from entering the Longworth House Office Building without passing through the security check point. According to reports, she was not wearing her lapel pin that identifies her as a member of Congress. He went to retrieve her and she punched him. Anyway, the Green Party is apparently a fan of her right hook and extended her the invitation to be their nominee for President of the United States. Here's what I found on the party's Web site about their beliefs. "In the United States, the Green Party has been active as a third party since the 1980s. The party first gained widespread public attention during Ralph Nader's presidential runs in 1996 and 2000. Currently, the primary national Green Party organization in the U.S. is the Green Party of the United States, which has eclipsed the earlier Greens/Green Party USA. There are Green Parties in many nations, with total membership being about a million people. Greens emphasize environmentalism, non-hierarchical participatory democracy, social justice, respect for diversity, peace and nonviolence." Onto the Socialists, their candidate is Brian Moore. I have never heard of this guy. The Web site states that the party: "strives to establish a radical democracy that places people's lives under their own control -- a non-racist, classless, feminist socialist society where working people own and control the means of production and distribution through democratically-controlled public agencies; where full employment is realized for everyone who wants to work; where workers have the right to form unions freely, and to strike and engage in other forms of job actions; and where the production of society is used for the benefit of all humanity, not for the private profit of a few." I couldn't find a pic of him that was worth using so you'll have to click the link to get a look at him. Next up are the Constitutional and Liberatarian parties. All I know about the parties and candidates is what I got from Google and their sites. I lumped them together because both parties have managed to get candidates who look like pedophiles. The Constitutionalists have Chuck Baldwin. According to Wikipedia: "the Constitution Party is a paleoconservative United States political party. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers Party in 1992. The party's official name was changed to the Constitution Party in 1999; however, some state affiliate parties are known under different names. The Constitution Party advocates a Bible-based platform which it claims to reflect original intent of the U.S. Constitution and the principles of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.[3] The party seeks "to restore American jurisprudence to its original Biblical common-law foundations."[4]" The Libertarians have this guy, Bob Barr. Wikipedia says, "The Libertarian Party is an American political party founded on December 11, 1971. It is one of the largest continuing Third parties in the United States, claiming more than 200,000 registered voters and more than 600 people in public office,[2] including mayors, county executives, county-council members, school-board members and other local officials. It has more people in office than all other third parties combined.[3] The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects that group's particular brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, and non-interventionism in foreign policy that respects freedom of trade and travel to all foreign countries." All of that is fine and good, but they still look like pedophiles. New American Independent Party Frank McEnulty The New American Independent Party is a political party in the United States, founded by Michael Thompson in Wayne, Pennsylvania on election day in 2004. The New American Independent Party claims to seek a more sustainable, self-reliant America through a platform of both liberal and conservative views. The New American Independent Party focuses heavily on middle class issues and government reform. Party for Socialism & Liberation Gloria La Riva/Eugene Puryear The Party for Socialism and Liberation is a Marxist party in the United States founded to promote revolutionary change.[2] It was originally created as the result of a split within the ranks of the Workers World Party. The San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington, D.C. branches of WWP left almost in their entirety to form the PSL. The PSL has since established branches in several additional urban centers across the United States. Prohibition Party Gene Admondson/Leroy Pletten The Prohibition Party is a political party in the United States. The party advocates effective action concerning the use of beverages containing alcohol including dealing with the starter/gateway drug, tobacco Socialist Workers Party Róger Calero/Alyson Kennedy The Socialist Workers Party, or SWP, is a communist political party in the United States. The SWP claims that most of its members are industrial workers and trade union members. One of the SWP's main priorities is supporting Pathfinder Press, which publishes titles by past and present SWP leaders (James P. Cannon, Farrell Dobbs, Evelyn Reed and Jack Barnes) as well as by revolutionaries from Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky to Malcolm X and Che Guevara. Now, with all that said, who do you guys think will actually be on the ballot come November? The more important question is do you even care?

*Blowing whistle!!!!*

Hold up! Double dribble! Time out! Flag on the play! Personal foul! Let's all agree that Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sarah Palin belong to that self-righteous, hypocritical and outright lying sack a -ish political party and move on. While these two have certainly opened their mouths a few times too many, I say they can't help it. I'm not defending them, I'm just saying, when you live a sheltered life, you tend to think inside the proverbial box. We shouldn't expect them to up and all of a sudden open up their minds and abandon their beliefs just because they are wrong. OK, yes we can. In the event that the GOP wins the White House, ya'll do realize they're taking it all back, right? When I say all, I mean all. There won't be anymore right to choose whether or not you want to have an abortion. They're going to start teaching creationism in the schools. Everybody is going to have a gun. There won't be any jobs. On top of that, there won't be any sort of "assistance" in the form of Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Food Stamps - none of that. Granted, it will take some doing to get rid of all of that, but you think they're not going to try? We live in a capitalist society which means that there are the buyers and the sellers. Sadly, the sellers have basically got the buyers on a hook, forever. Forever ever, Forever eva! Now, with that said, buyers and sellers are the only two classes that exist under a Republican regime. Who of the two have the most money? Sellers. Why? Because they've got all your money. So, the question now is, what do you do when you've got ungodly amounts of money and you want to keep buying shit and dodging the taxes? You make sure politicians are in your pocket. See, politicians don't make any money. In fact, they don't make nearly enough for the crap they go through. That is precisely why they take money, trips and whatever other perks they can to take care of their wealthy friends because their wealthy friends take care of them. And, I even know a way to tell them from us. They all look alike - well, almost all of them. There's always an exception to the rule. Whether they are black, white, Asian, Hispanic or whatever, they all look the same. Think I'm lying, go to YouTube and pull up some clips form their convention. Everybody there wore the same blue, black, gray and pinstriped suit. They almost always wore a red or re and blue tie with a flag lapel pin. There was no diversity and when they did show people of color, it was the same 30 - 10 blacks, 10 Asians and 10 Hispanics. As a party, they lack diversity and depth. Think about, a group's representative, i.e. the candidate, reflects the party. Why wouldn't it be safe to assume that the whole of the GOP isn't a split group of honary, old people who growl when they talk who want to go to war with the world and a arrogant, self-righteous, allegedly racist overly religious nuts with annoying voices? I know, it's not right to box all Republicans into one group because of their political party but until they prove their diversity to me, I will continue to chant my late grandmother's mantra, "people judge you by the company you keep." So true, so true!

'Bout damn time!

In case ya hadn't heard, Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick resigned. Did you hear that? Detroit natives and residents everywhere just breathed a collective sigh of relief. The Hip Hop mayor pleaded guilty to felony charges for testi-lying under oath about his sexual relationship with his former chief of staff. He copped one of those Law & Order-type deals to keep himself out of jail for the long haul. With his deal, Kilpatrick has to serve four months in jail, five years of probation, and pay a $1 million fine over five years. Again I say, all that for some text messages and some booty. I think it is safe to say that we can put him in the same catergory with Kobe Bryant as dudes who will think twice about cheating on their wives again. And, against my better judgement and in spite of my ADD, I have been trying to watch the Republican National Convention. Last night, I happened to watch vice president nominee Sarah Palin speak last night. I wasn't impressed. I won't lie, she got a few zingers in about Obama and his being a community organizer. She even got in a couple about him being a celebrity and even paralleling him to Moses. What she didn't do was layout what needs to be done. I hope the GOP is happy, because she'll likely be the president in a couple months if those two are elected. I have enjoyed watching the pundits on Fox "News" contradict and make total asses of themselves when they discuss her. Apparently, the media and liberals are now being sexist toward her and her knocked up daughter. So the way I see it and the way the clips are playing back on The Daily Show is it was OK to launch a verbal assault on Hillary Clinton but not on Sarah Palin. Talk about a double standard. Oh well, I hope Palin knows what she's getting herself into, those folks in the GOP have been known to turn on ya like bad greens.

Been a minute ...

... since I last posted and so much has happened. First of all, Sen. Obama gave an awesome speech during the convention last week. I don't know about you guys but I was inspired. He is just a dynamic speaker who speaks to us like we're adults and ya gotta love that, right? Secondly, Sen. McCain has chosen his veep and she's a woman. Not just any woman, she's Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. I'm not going to rattle off her accomplishments because I'm sure you've been reading and watching the news. The main two things about her that are impacting the news right now is her involvement in "TrooperGate" and the fact that her 17-year-old daughter is preggors. TrooperGate is what the talking heads are calling the investigation into an allegation that she abused her power as governor to have her sister's ex-husband, who is a state trooper, fired. After he wasn't fired, she then fired his boss. Apparently, this man and her sister were involved in a heated custody battle over their children. The McCain/Palin spokespeople released a statement acknowledging the fact that Palin's teen daughter is pregnant during the height of the Hurricane Gustav coverage. Now, I don't' want to say that it was calculated but, uh, what does it look like to you? This may have been just the boost that Sen. Obama needed. I mean, she's got more revelations than a New Jersey governor. The bad part about this whole thing is, it is wrong to capitalize on anyone else's situation, but dayum, Obama could really blow this up if he wanted to do that. But, being the classy, cool brotha that he is, Obama stood up and said that families, especially children, are off limits. Now that was classy. Had it been the kid, umph, umph, umph, I can't say that I would just let it go. Politics are petty and so are politicians, so why not use it? Anyway, this doesn't really speak highly of her "abstinence only" approach to sex education. She's living in the dark ages thinking that these oversexed teenagers will be abstinent. That's another post for another day. I'm just amazed that we're just now getting over the fact that McCain picked a woman for the bottom half of the ticket who he'd only spoken to once. That seems a little strange to me. Anyway, the Republican National Convention is going on this week. I can't promise that I'll watch all the speeches in their entirety, but I'll do my best. I kinda have a low bullshit tolerance and I know I'll be sick if I watch too much of that stuff.