The Great Election and The Democratic Value

Long post. Today, I have exercised a right that was given to me over time. A right that many of my ancestors left old Europe to provide, so that no religious ideology would limit their voices. A right that has been denied to many Americans over the past two hundred years, and a right that was taken from many in 2000. A right that both of my grandfathers protected in wars to protect American freedom for real (World War II and the Korean War). Tonight I voted my ballot for the 2004 General Election, what I see as the biggest election in my lifetime.

The ballot was very easy to understand. No butterfly ballot, no chads, no punching, or touch screens. I simply had to fill in a bubble next to the name of the candidate that I wanted to vote for. Anyone that has ever been in school and taken any standardized test could fill in the ballot easily.

Today I voted a straight Democratic ticket in order to secure the future of the nation, and hopefully the state of Iowa as well. For me the choice was clear, but for others maybe it is not. So, I present to you, why I voted Democrat, and why I believe Democrats have the best interest of all Americans in mind.

• I believe the role of the government is not to dicatate how some should live their lives, but should be there to provide support to those who are to weak or too powerless to have a voice for themselves. Therefore, I believe in government funded health care/medicare/prescription drugs. I believe in welfare and other programs that allow struggling Americans to have means to survive while they get back on their feet.
• I believe in a woman's right to choose what is best for her body. That includes her right to have an abortion.
• I believe that freedom means freedom for everyone. Civil Unions and Gay Marriage should be legalized. Gay Americans should be allowed to adopt children along the guidelines applied to heterosexual couples. Gay Americans should have all the legal rights with their spouses that heterosexuals have. I think the Dems have a ways to go on this issue, but they are more forward thinking than the Repubs.
• I believe that God is a loving, awesome, and tolerant God, not a God of anger, fear, or hate. I believe that the will of God is known only to God, and is not at the interpretation of those that would use teachings of God to condemn others.
• I believe that Americans can be safe and protected from outside terrorist threats without taking away civil liberties or personal privacies. I believe that the Patriot Act should be allowed to expire, and a fairer document should be created.
• I believe that affirmative action is essential in leveling the playing field for minorities in a society where institutionalized racism is still pervasive. I do not think it is playing favorites, or discriminating to minorities.
• I believe in education for every child from pre-school to post-graduate education. I believe that this is a right for every American. I do not think that any child should have to pay for pre-school, HeadStart, or early learning programs. I do not believe that private schools should receive public funding and I do not believe in vouchers for attending private school as it takes away the money and effectiveness of our public school system.
• I believe that we can provide support and entitlements to our citizens without exploding defecits and debts by balancing the budget every year. This also means fiscal conservatism and efficiency with our funds.
• I support the military. I support spending on the military in order to increase our technology that allows our military to respond effectively while sparing human casualities if possible. I am against pre-emptive war unless our security is directly threatened.
• I support the war in Afghanistan and the on-going hunt for Al Quada. I believe the current administration has lost sight of this struggle.
• I do not support the conflict in Iraq. It was a conflict that did not need to occur, and I believe that the administration botched it's planning, implementation, and follow through. The result of the process has been a diminished respect for the US world wide, a loss of resources in our fight against terrorism, and a loss of things that matter at home (money, soldiers, time, energy).
• I believe that the Democratic party, while deeply flawed, contains a large number of progressive candidates and politicians, which will allow it to begin to adapt to be more responsive to the progressive majority that is the United States electorate. I believe John Kerry will take a careful and thoughtful approach to governing, and will not resemble a TV cowboy in provoking our friends and enemies.
• I believe in the importance of a progressive and fair minded judiciary, and I believe that John Kerry will designate judges that will carefully and thoughtfully interpret law as it evolves in an ever changing world and populous.
• I do believe that another four years of the current administration will continue to take the progress of the US backwards, meaning we have to catch back up at some point.
• I believe in the medical use of stem cell technology to search for cures to disease and suffering. More stem cell lines are needed, and the current administration will never let that happen.
• I believe in an economy and tax structure that is heavy handed at the top, in order to ease the burden at the bottom. I also believe in the Clinton economy, when everyone did well, vs. the Bush economy, where only those at the top do well.
• I believe that religion should be taught in the homes and in the community, not in schools.
• I believe that the right has led the rural and farm communities of this nation in the wrong direction, and have actually implemented policies that hurt family farms and reward large corporate farming establishments. I believe that the right plays to the social and religous fears of rural voters, and then implements economic policies that hurt them, without ever actually tackling those social and religious issues.
• I believe in the rights of the worker and organized labor. The minute we turn our back on it, the minute the big corporations will take advantage of working conditions, salaries, beneifts, etc. This administration believes in outsourcing and the undermining of the American worker, and we will continue to hemmorrage job losses if there economic policies are allowed to continue.
• I believe that we are all in this together across the globe. We are part of a global community and it is reckless for us to dismiss the United Nations, NATO, and our allies to blindly follow our own egocentric path. We were wrong to not build a broader coalition in going to Iraq. We were wrong not to endorse the Kyoto Protocol for cleaner air and a safer environment.
• I believe that we should invest money in finding clean and cheap alternatives to fossil fuels. Hydrogen fuel cell technology should continue to be supported. This means shaking the restraints of big business and big oil, something Bush will never be able to do.
• We must protect our natural resources. That means avoiding drilling in ANWAR and not dumping nuclear waste on Yucca Mountain.
• I believe that no one needs assault weapons, flash suppressors, or other modifications that turn firearms into weapons. I believe in the 2nd Amendment, but that also means I believe in protective measures to make guns safe for everyone. I believe in trigger locks, background checks, and waiting periods.
• I do not believe that the way to lead millions of Americans is to rule them with fear. This fear is created by the Administration with their color coded warnings, non-descript threats, and the labeling of ethnic individuals as threats.
• Above all else, I believe that we should put people first in our society. Before corporations, before money, before war. That is what makes me a Democrat, and that is the biggest difference I see between the two parties.

Wow. That is a long list for sure and I am sure that I could keep going...maybe I will keep adding to this list as I think of other things. It feels good to actually reinforce why you support someone and why you support a party. I wish Savannah J could do it for me, because I am truly not seeing and rationale for why he is voting to give four more years to someone that has badly screwed up his first four years. Maybe this is what his list looks like:

Vote Republican Author Unknown

*Vote Republican to finally eliminate government so corporations can run America.
*Vote Republican to keep growing our budget deficit that has spent the entire Clinton surplus while passing more tax cuts in the spirit of trickle-down economics.
*Vote Republican to give tax breaks to the wealthy, leaving you to pay their part of the tax bill.
*Vote Republican so HMO's and insurance companies instead of your doctor can make all your healthcare decisions.
*Vote Republican so drug companies can profit from privatized prescription drug benefits that seniors, veterans and other needy citizens will have to pay for.
*Vote Republican so drug companies can rake in high profit margins from the rest of us.
*Vote Republican so private providers can make a profit from tax-dollar school vouchers without accountability and close down public schools.
*Vote Republican to privatize Social Security so Wall Street firms can profit from your retirement.
*Vote Republican to put your hard-earned savings and pension funds in the pockets of CEO's and investment firms.
*Vote Republican to make it harder for investors to sue those who rip them off.
*Vote Republican to help credit card companies collect on high interest debts by making it tougher to file for bankruptcy when 9 of 10 bankruptcies are the result of job loss, medical-bill payments or divorce, hitting women the hardest.
*Vote Republican to deregulate electric service so big users can bargain for lower rates, leaving residential users, especially in rural America, to fend for themselves.
*Vote Republican so factory farms and Big Ag can do all the farming as they replace family farms and destroy our rural communities through market manipulations.
*Vote Republican for more agriculture programs like the Freedom to Farm Bill.
*Vote Republican to weaken clean water and clean air regulations so your children can get used to pollution when they grow up.
*Vote Republican so we don't have to sign the Kyoto Protocol and be concerned about global warming - let other countries worry about that.
*Vote Republican so Wal-Mart and other big chains can use the tax laws to completely close down our Main Street businesses.
*Vote Republican if you think business first and people last.
*Vote Republican to take away workers rights and reduce their benefits and wages.
*Vote Republican to hold minimum wages below the poverty level for people coming off welfare.
*Vote Republican to oppose a living wage that would lift families out of poverty.
*Vote Republican for efficiency and profits at the expense of human beings, communities and the environment as promoted by MBA's trained in the Chicago School of Economics, the foundation for Reaganomics.
*Vote Republican to deregulate and privatize in a free market place so big businesses have little competition or accountability when setting the prices you pay.
*Vote Republican to deceive voters with phony sound bites like "Right to Work" that destroys workers' rights; "free trade" that is never fair; and "eliminate big government" so the biggest players in any market always set the rules without regulations.
*Vote Republican so you pay for tax incentives given to enterprises that bring cheap jobs to your community.
*Vote Republican for free trade to export good American jobs to Third World sweatshops.
*Vote Republican so religious extremists can tell you how to live your life.
*Vote Republican to keep sex education out of schools so our teenagers can figure out for themselves what causes pregnancies, AIDS and other STD's.
*Vote Republican to spy on your neighbors and lock up anyone that looks suspicious without a fair hearing.
*Vote Republican so only a handful of people can send us to war without public debate in Congress.
*Vote Republican so the Executive Branch of government can ignore the Constitution and continue to operate in secret.
*Vote Republican to increase the military budget for the benefit of defense contractors whether the Pentagon needs it or not.
*Vote Republican to build bigger, more powerful weapons to wipe out whole villages where some terrorists may be hiding.
*Vote Republican so we can set off another nuclear arms race by not renewing and ratifying treaties.
*Vote Republican so overloaded trucks loaded with lethal reactor cores in flimsy containers can drive through your community, even near your home.
*Vote Republican and send our corporations to the Bahamas to avoid paying taxes.
*Vote Republican to defeat any campaign finance reform that would limit the power of money in politics.

Maybe a little cheeky, but nonetheless has a lot of truth behind it. The debates are coming up tomorrow. Watch them. Listen closely to what is said, but more importantly what is not said. Don't vote on the past twenty years and Vietnam, vote for the past four years. Are you better off today? Is American better off today?

Crawford, TX Newspaper Endorses John Kerry

Hopefully this is the beginning of the newspaper endorsements! Even though it is small, it is symbolic.

Here is the article about Bushy's hometown paper endorsing John Kerry.

Iowa Absentee Ballot Battle

A good article from the NY Times about absentee balloting in Iowa. So far, 3 times as many Dems have requested absentee ballots than Republicans in Iowa. The Repubs say they are not worried because the doubt that the ability of the Democrats to turn out new voters for Kerry (their overconfidence will be their downfall!). My favorite part of the article is the quote by Iowa congressman Jim Leach:

The Iowa Democratic Party, Mr. Leach said, "has now become the single best
organized political party in the entire country."

Wow! I would like to take all of the credit, but the Iowawineguy is just one of many fighting the uphill battle here in Iowa! On Friday, I will have an update to let you know how many new registered voters we have signed up in my residence hall, and how many new absentee ballot requests I will be sending in for these students to make sure they do vote! Hopefully our get out the vote efforts will lead to a Kerry victory, a Chuck Grassley loss in the Senate, and the end of congressional terms for Jim Leach, Jim Nussle, and others that have signed on to the hate filled Republican Party Platform.

Youth Vote Issues #2: Judicial Nominees

Of all the issues in this election, the topic of judicial appointments is at the top of the list for me. In all likelihood, whoever is elected President will be appointing anywhere from 1-3 new Supreme Court justices, as well as a score of other lower court appointments.

This article talks about the role judicial appointments might play in the next four years.

I believe that judicial nominations are important, and a reason to vote for John Kerry. Here is why:

1. Abortion: No issue is more important to conservatives than overturning Roe v. Wade and making abortions illegal. I personally do not believe that it will ever happen (and if it does then we will return to a time of back alley abortions that endanger the lives of mothers). However, given the chance, Bushy will certainly appoint anti-choice candidates to the Supreme Court and allow abortion to be challenged.

2. Gay Marriage: A personal mission of mine. The more conservative judges that are appointed across the nation, the more likely that civil unions and other attempts to make everyone free will fail or be shot down by right wing "activist" judges. I do believe that everyone should be able to enter into a legal obligation with another consenting adult. Marriage is a religous term that cannot be used in law to restrict individuals.

3. Civil Rights: The Patriot Act has stripped away many of the personal freedoms that soldiers have died for to give to us. If more conservative judges are appointed then we will continue to loose valuable human and civil rights to the will of Big Brother (terrorism protection).

These are the big three reasons that I feel compel me to continue to vote Democratic. These are some pretty cherished rights that have been hard fought for. I would hate to see years of progress undone by the religiously radical right and their judicial nominees. Young folks should really think about the types of judges they would want representing their values before they cast a vote on Nov. 2.

Top Ten List

Here is a good article from The Nation on reasons to withdraw from Iraq. Good info to consider, but neither of the candidates will be advocating for withdrawl before the election.

Keep it up for Kerry! 35 days until regime change in America!

Personal Election Update

Today I received my 2004 General Election Ballot in the mail. Stay tuned this week as I disect the ballot and let you know how the Iowawineguy will vote, with justification and explanation.

This is my new favorite button and sums up my election feelings perfectly!!!! 

An Ode To A Life

Yesterday morning my great uncle David Coon died after spending three weeks in the hospital with a bleeding ulcer and complications. David was nearly 80, and David had Down's Syndrome. He lived much longer than folks with Downs normally do, part of that was due to when he was born, they did not have many services for Down's kids. Had he been born today he would have had many improved speech skills and other skills. As it was, David knew some sign language and little else in the way of verbal communication. He loved the Fighting Illini, the song God Bless America, and was the biggest patriot out there.

David is truly my first relative to die since I consider myself an adult. I had several great grandparents die early in my life, but I do not recall a whole lot about them. I remember David and the lessons he taught me and the impact he had on my life.

The biggest impact for me was having someone with a severe disability in my family. Growing up I was a kid with a retarded uncle and was able to see the impact it had on me. It certainly gave me an increased understanding of love and compassion and my role as a family member. David did not say much more than "Bah-Bah", but you could always tell when he was saying hello, or cheering on the Illini. He loved to tickle the kids in the family. He loved to color and he loved seeing the whole family together. He loved his parents and his brothers and sisters. When his dad Earl died (my great-grandfather), he moved in with his mom Olive (who was wheel chair bound) and both were taken care of by his sister, my Auntie Joanne. It is still inspiring to me that Joanne gave up her life as a teacher in the Chicago suburbs to move back to small town Illinois and take care of her mother and brother. For nearly twenty years she has done this, and I worry about her now that she no longer has either one to take care of. She and David taught me that taking care of your family should always be priority number one. In spite of yourself, giving to your family is wholly rewarding.

So tomorrow I will head home and celebrate David's life with my family. He would have wanted us to be happy for him. He is now reunited with his parents, and he is in a place where disabilities don't matter for any of them. In good fashion, the ceremonies have been planned around the Illini football game, David would have hated to miss it. My self and some of my cousins will be the pallbearers, the second time I have had to perform the duty for a relative, but an honor I cherish. To be able to bear a loved one, one last time, to a place of rest feels like the ultimate honor. I am sure a lot of happy and sad tears will be shed. The saddest part for me is knowing that this is really the beginning of a challenging time for me, when I will begin to lose relatives more frequently. I feel blessed to have been able to grow up with so many of my family elders around, and I only hope that my child will be here soon enough to experience the incredible bonds that my family has.

Not All Potted Plants

I have to admit it is most refreshing to see members of Bushy's party starting to speak out against him. Honestly, I don't know how people can sit there and listen to him tell direct lies about how Iraq is going. Hopefully in the debates someone will put him on the spot and make him answer questions about Iraq, rather than having him spin it into an answer about Kerry having no resolve.

Here is one GOP Senator that can't stomach voting for Bush.

I mean seriously, Bush and Cheney must be stupid if they think they can keep painting the Bob Ross picture of Iraq while beheadings and insurgency flair on the news. They are the kings of fantasy land. Unfortuanately, too many of my fellow Americans are potted plants...willing to just sit there and allow Bush to tell them how and what to think.

Not these three Republican Senators, they take issue with the quagmire in Iraq. My favorite part is Indiana Senator Lugar (R) calling the administration incompetent, yet they will still support Bush in a blind ideological path to destruction.

The best kicker today is this article, hypothisizing that Bush will pull our troops no matter what after the election. Steely resolve, until he gets reelected, then it will be time to find another country to invade. The neo-con dream of neo-imperialism!!!

Youth Vote Issues #1: Military Draft

Lately I have been noticing that the very group of people that I am working hard to register and get to vote are a touch misinformed, or they have chosen not to critically evaluate the candidates and are prepared to vote how they were brought up by their parents in rural Iowa. There are a number of issues that these students should be looking at in this election and so I am going to explore them a bit. Today's issue regards the military and the possibility of a draft.

This past weekend John Edwards proclaimed at a rally that the Kerry-Edwards ticket would not impose a military draft. I thought it was a great statement to make because Bushy will not be able to say it. The Bush administration has adopted and believes in a policy of pre-emptive military action to protect the national security needs of the country. We have invaded Afghanistan (in a just war, but where we did not finish the job) and we have invaded the nation of Iraq under the banner of dissarming them of their stockpiles of WMD's (which were not there). With this past history of protection, I find it likely that we will be forced to be pre-emptive again if we maintain Bushy's policies. Some other folks think so as well. So Iran and North Korea are boldly ignoring International policies regarding nuclear weapon development. Unlike Iraq, both of these nations have a very capable military establishment that could easily impact American influences, especially North Korea.

Let's say that we don't reach a resolution with North Korea and we decide they are an emminent threat to our National Security. We must pre-emptively attack them to stay consistent with our policies. Airstrikes happen in North Korea taking out nuclear weapon facilities. In response, North Korea and their nearly 1 million man army invade and overrun American forces in South Korea. Okay, that is the sunniest outlook, the most negative is that North Korea drops nuclear weapons on Seoul and other South Korean cities. At any rate the point is that we will then be committed in another military conflict and will need to send the troops.

Wait a tick, our troops are all committed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are already using 50-60% of our National Guard and Reserve troops to support these efforts at defeating terrorism. We need at least an army of 250,000 troops to stem the hemmorrage in South Korea. Where will we get those troops....how about a draft? The possibility is very real.

I support a shared sacrifice of military service, meaning that I support some type of draft initiative that means that our poorest citizens are not the only ones carrying the burden of service in the military. However, I do not support drafting soldiers for pre-emptive wars. North Korea may well be a legitimate threat that we need to deal with, and we have stimulated Iran into action with our colonial presence in the Middle East. Our policies have led us to the point where we may now have to be more pre-emptive, but we certainly do not have the resources. All of this at the same time that Osama Bin-Laden still draws breath, is still recruiting, and is working to attack us again. Think about the future of the military and your role in it when you cast your ballot. Selective Service is age 18-25, and with civil rights in place, a draft would include women as well.

The Economy is Personal

I heard from my dad last night. He is getting let go from his job along with three others as the close a branch office of his work. My dad is a funeral director. Folks, we have an issue with the economy when our funeral directors are having a hard time staying in business. Dad lives in Indy and he says that 6900 workers in Indy were laid off in the last month alone. The economy is personal to me because of my dad. He is over 50 and does not have a traditional "college degree". He is struggling to find and hold work in an economy that is still not in a hire mode. Don't let the Bush machine fool you, the recovery is not occurring.

By the way, has anyone else noticed that Iraq is a fucking mess....oh yeah, President Bush knew in July. Does anyone think Bush will do what is neccesary to save Iraq? That is flooding it with more troops, overrunning the insurgents, and recapturing the towns that they have taken over. I would like to say an International Force would help, but who is really going to dedicate to entering this mess? It is a huge mess, and lots of people are going to have to die to fix it. Bush is a miserable failure.

The Beginning of The End?

Much is being made recently about the decline of Kerry in key states that usually vote blue. He is also still "struggling" in national polls. Many dems are on the ledge, but I am just sitting back and smiling! The signs are starting to point toward Kerry's strategy, and I don't think things are dark at all, I think that the Dems want everyone to think it is dark so that this strategy plays out fully. Check it:

The alleged "Bush Bounce" is starting to fade from the convention already. Many of the polls that had him up have reeled him back in. So the election is just as close as it was before, except now all the national attention and pressure is on Bush to protect his new leads.

The numbers in key blue states are tightening up. However, what gives me hope are the articles this week that say that voter registration for 18-24 year old voters is at the highest levels since they were given the right to vote. These folks are not being polled because they have not been registered before. The New Voter Project in Wisconsin alone says it has registered 79,000 people that did not vote in 2000 (but were eligible). Since 18-24 year olds break 2 to 1 for Kerry, that is a good sign in a "battleground state". Of course, making sure these folks vote is the next challenge....make it happen Spoonchamp!

Bush is going to get hung on this debate thing. Two weeks until the first debate and he still has not agreed to any of them. Bush events are all exclusive, either "by invitation" or forcing you to sign a loyalty pledge to attend. If Bush is unwilling to debate and field questions from people that don't already agree with him, he is going to look more disingenuous than he already is. He can't hide until Nov. 2 and not answer these questions.

Finally, people are starting to notice the John Edwards factor, that is noticing that he has been suspiciously quiet and tucked away. John Kerry has been known as a closer in his elections. I should know, I was lulled into what I thought was going to be an easy Dean win in Iowa and then Kerry blindsided all of us. As things stay tight, Kerry is going to unleash the strategy. He is going to put Bush on the spot in the debates, he is going to broadside these policies, and he is going to unleash John Edwards like a heavy calvary charge on the weak side of the Bush campaign. We have been counting the days, and the time is almost here. Seeing Edwards will be fresh because he has not been on the news every night, and Kerry will hone his message. Bill Clinton will rise from the couch and will wield the moderate foe hammer.

October will be a triumph; right when everyone starts to really pay attention, the Dems will come out of the trees. Lighting fires to take out Bush. All of those new registered voters are going to make a difference. Get ready!

Fear, Politics, and Russia

I don't claim to be an expert on Russian politics, but some of the news out of the country today was somewhat troublesome for me, and should have direct impact on our election on November 2nd. We are all painfully aware of the tragedy in Beslan, where over 300 innocent lives, many of them children, were taken by a large band of terrorists most likely associated with the Chechan independence movement. President Putin of Russia is very frustrated over the attacks that have been occuring from these separatists. They are well planned and are hideously effective (mostly because Russians move in to quickly).

Today Putin announced some wide sweeping reforms in the Russian government in order to try and combat the terrorist threat:

At an emergency meeting Monday of his Cabinet, top security officials and
regional governors, Putin also announced a radical restructuring of Russia's
electoral system that would increase Kremlin control over every layer of
political life.
Under the plan, popularly elected governors would be replaced
by those nominated by the president, and voters would cast ballots for parties
instead of individual candidates -- ending the practice of legislators
representing specific districts.

Now this is another reaction of fear to terrorists, and it is completely the wrong reaction. Much like the Patriot Act and Iraqi invasion on the part of the US, Russia is trying to find a quick fix to a problem that has exsisted for hundreds of years. The method they choose to try and do this is to take away the freedoms of the Russian people. I mean c'mon, how much more despotic do you get than nominating all regional governors and taking away popular election of individuals. I guess it is a smart move when you want to stay in absolute power. Russia took a step back to the days of Communism today.

And the US is powerless to stop them. We have isolated our world neighbors by pursuing a go-it-alone philosophy in our own war on terror. It is our "Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead!" approach. We have lost our clout and credibility by turning our back on the world. Look at how powerful we are: our diplomatic efforts with North Korea and Iran have led to increased productions of nuclear weapons and programs (real ones, just not plans), our protection of the Saudi royals does not enable us to attack and root out many terrorists and their financial backings, we call Hussein an evil dictator for attacking his people but turn a blind eye to the genocide in the Sudan, and American political fascinations are despised the world over. How will we possibly be able to encourage Putin to put aside this power grab and return the will fo the people to the State Duma? We have no clout, we have a struggling economy, we have no plan except to withstand Hell in Iraq, and no one will mention the name Bin Laden. I don't understand how Bush can even still be in this election. Point to a success that makes a difference?

Using The Bible To Teach Hate

I had an interesting experience today, one that anyone who has gone to college can probably appreciate. I was meeting my staff at lunch time today to go over to the Union because today is the beginning of our campus Diversity Week. We were going over to check out music from Central and South America, as well as yummy eats from cultures across the globe. A real feel good fest, you know what I mean?

Well, we came around the corner to go to the festival and I lost my appetite. Staring me in the face was a gigantic sign reading the following: Sodomy is a ticket to hell, Adam and Eve(not Adam and Steve), and AIDS: Epidemic or Cure? I guess this guy comes to campus often with his minions. He was holding forth talking about college students as sinners and the road to hell through fornication, homosexuality, drinking, etc. Now, I consider myself the progressive change agent, but I just wanted to have some flatbread and Indian food. So instead of hitting him in the head with a brick, I walked up to him and politely told him that he was misinformed. I also told him that book he was waving around and pounding in his fist (the Bible) was actually a book about love, not a book about discrimination and hate. I think he was kind of surprised cuz I just kept walking. I then had a nice lunch of a sausage taco (chorizo), roasted ears of corn, and a spicy Indian potato dumpling. It was great, and my friend Wisconsin J loaned me the money to buy it since I forgot my money, but he is a liberal, so he appreciates the sharing of resources so that all may enjoy. College is one place you have to appreciate, to the music of an Andes band, professors in their 50's and 60's dance and laugh with each other....you just don't see it in other working environments.

After lunch Wisconsin J, my staff, and I went to listen to the preacher spew hate, which is what he read in the Bible. I told Wisconsin J that I could not sit there unless I had some sort of protest, so I took some notebook paper from Camelot J(one of my staff) and made a simple sign that read: Tolerance, Love, Peace. Once we started listening, the great thing happened, the reason I love college campuses. Several students started confronting what the man was saying in constructive ways. I got into a great dialogue about how the man was using hate and fear as a motivator for his vision of the Bible. The group of students took issue with his portrayal, saying that God and Jesus were of love, not hate or discrimination. It was a great session to see.

The saddest thing was that the man had several folks helping to pass out information to the students. 10-12 of them were children aged 7-15. That is child abuse in my opinion, to have children preaching hate. It was very sad to see. So when I left, I went up to one of the kids, probably 12, and gave him my sign. I told him, "here is something you should read and know that there are people that think this is beautiful".

I love being on campus, so much is going on! Next week we launch a huge voter registration and absentee ballot drive to get as many students to vote as possible. It is non-partisan and should be a great experience.

You Can Run, But You Cant Hide...

Man, my spirits are starting to lift! Kerry is starting to act like he has a spine, and he is starting to talk about some issues. This article on the Daily Kos is interesting. It seems Bush is starting to feel the tight pinch of the corner he worked himself into. Here is what he is running from:

Headlines blare the news that the death toll in Iraq has crossed the 1,000 milestone.
There are also big headlines about Bush's record $422 billion budget deficit and the multi-trillion-dollar deficit projections for the future.

Then there are all the stories about Vice President Cheney's jaw-dropping statement yesterday that a Kerry victory would result in more terrorist attacks. Even his own staff is qualifying it.

Bush's spotty National Guard record during the Vietnam War is turning into a full-fledged media conflagration, with more stories out today and "60 Minutes" weighing in tonight.

Plus, Sen.Bob Graham (D-Fla.) is all over the media charging Bush with covering up evidence that might have linked Saudi Arabia to the Sept. 11 hijackers.

And while the mainstream press is not putting stock in unauthorized biographer Kitty Kelley's hazily sourced allegations of past drug use by Bush, everybody -- at least everybody on the Internet -- seems to be talking about it

Ouch, when you put it like that, it has to hurt. Zogby and Gallup both have polls out today that show that Bush did get a great bounce out of the convention....in states he already led in...but that he may have had a negative impact in some key battleground states! Keep on the sunny side.

Patriotism

A great article on patriotism...a book I will have to add to my list.

Bush's Backfire....

The Swift Boat controversy flies back in Bush's face today.

Here is the article that says Bush's National Guard service was not fulfilled, as originally thought.

Also, a Texas based 527 group is getting ready to run ads from vets from the National Guard unit that Bush served in saying that they never saw him there, and it would have been hard to miss him. Yikes. Turnabout is fair play I guess...the Pres had this coming. However, it still fails to raise the level of debate about the future of the country.

Anyway else concerned that on Monday the Assault Weapons Ban expires? Gun companies are allegedly overwhelmed with advance orders that will put Tech-9's, AK-47's, and other semi-automatic guns in the hands of Americans. The NRA says they are used for hunting...shit, I wish people took some time to learn how to sight in and make one kill shot rather than filling a deer with 15 rounds from an AK. Bush says he supports the assault weapons ban, but no action has been taken and won't be until after the election. (Bush's father is the only president in the last 30 years not to support the assault weapons ban.) So, get ready for at least 2-3 months of automatic weapons being easily available to anyone who can read and get a firearms license.

I had typed a long post about Cheney saying that if Kerry is elected we will be at greater risk for a devastating terror attack. He is a cowardous traitor, but I ranted long about that. It just shows that this administration continues to scrape the bottom of the barrel to promote fear...this administration is un-American and needs to go.

A Prayer For The Dying...

Depending on what sources you look at, it has happened.

1000 Dead American Troops in Iraq.

By comparison, our allies in the coalition of the wiling: United Kingdom (65 dead), All Other Nations (64 dead). I support the troops, and I am a patriot...my brother in law is in the Army and is an Afghanistan and Iraqi war veteran. Dissent is patriotic, so allow me to do so...

New Zealand, Phillipines, Spain. Three countries from the coalition of the willing that have already pulled out of Iraq. Several nations are going to be leaving in the next 6 months. We are going it alone in a region of the world where we cannot possibly go it alone. I am so angry that Bush has used the spectre of 9/11 and the war on terror to continue to justify his invasion of Iraq. Now he does nothing as our troops die and the situation in Iraq does not improve. Bush has failed as a leader and has misled us all.

Pray for our troops, who Bush has betrayed.

Three Day Weekend

I love a three day weekend! It is a great time for me and Mrs. IWG to spend some time together. Originally we were planning on returning to my hometown, D-Town. However, we decided all we would do is sit around down there, so we stayed here to get some things done! Since I don't want to blog anything serious, here is what we did!

Friday:
Usually on Fridays we head out at about 4pm for drinks with friends. Most of our friends were busy for the weekend, so we decided that dinner at the Olive Garden was a good idea for the evening. It was a good idea...Never Ending Pasta Bowl, what a great invention.

We spent some time after dinner at Barnes and Noble reading books...look out, we tear it up on Friday nights. Mrs. IWG recommends "Belly Laughs", by Jenny McCarthy. I spent some time reading a book that my friend Spoonchamp had pointed out. It is called "What's The Matter With Kansas?" by Thomas Frank. I only got time to read about 20 pages, but it was fascinating the whole book talks about how the Republicans and right-wing conservatives have managed to get rural farmers and lower-class Americans to vote for the Republican party, even though the financial policies enacted by Repubs actually hurt those voters. It seems great, talking about how life long Dems left the party starting in the 60's because of perceived social chaos in the party. Now they vote for Republicans because of their conservative social values. However, Frank points out that once they have the vote, the Repubs usually don't do anything about social issues, but do change economic code aimed at helping the rich. Frank says that the Repubs are attacking all of the social programs developed during the last 100 years...programs designed to help farmers compete against corporate farmers, social welfare programs, and pretty much the entire New Deal. Okay, I want the book! My birthday is coming up, here is where you can order it! We came home and watched the movie Big Fish, which we both enjoyed.

Saturday:
We decided to visit an Iowa tradition we had yet to discover, The Amana Colonies. It was a great day! It is an old German settlement that has lots of cool shops, places to eat, and wineries and breweries. First things first, most of the wine is crap, unless you like rhubarb wine or cherry wine. The brewery was great though and I came back with a six pack of beer. We also visited a smokehouse where we got some cheese, brats, and summer sausage that is all very good. The great thing about Amana are the restaurants. They are all family style, which means whatever you order comes with heaping bowls of mashed potatos, gravy, veggies, rolls, etc. to pass around the table. It is not the healthiest eating in the world, but boy is it good.

Amana took up most of the day, but we came home, grabbed some Arby's, and watched Intolerable Cruelty on HBO (the only TV worth watching). We had seen it already, but it is a great film!

Sunday:
Big fun on Sunday! We lounged around and ate our coffee cake from Amana. We seriously contemplated attending a church in the area we are interested in learning more about. However, we buckled and decided to go to Target and register for our baby instead. I have to tell you it was a lot of fun going and scanning all of this baby stuff. I also have to tell you that having a baby costs a fortune! We were there for 2 hours and only managed to register for about half the stuff we had on our list. Of course we spent quite a bit of time trying our the strollers, cribs, and walkers! At any rate, we now have a large registry at Target that I am sure we will keep adding to until March 10.

Today is Monday and we have just been chilling today! Nothing too exciting to report! Hopefully I will get to write some this week on crazy topics that I love...fantasy football, UNI football (which took a loss to Iowa St. this weekend), and other things.

Where are the Signs of a Plane Crash?

I don't really buy into a lot of conspiracy theory stuff, but this video raises some interesting questions that I never even pondered. Check out this video on the Pentagon attack on Sept. 11th.

Not sure exactly what it could mean, but it is still part of that whole secrecy thing that this administration is shrouded in.

Update: After exploring the group connected to this video a little more in depth, they are out of their gourds, but the video still raises some valid points. So watch the link, and then you can explore more about how this group thinks September 11th was planned by the government with the backing of Zionist (Isreali) leaders. I also think that it is in part related to aliens and the second coming.....so there you go.

RHC: Day Four: "Yes, It's True That I Kick Ass!"

The moment we have all been waiting for. Bush II gives his pitch for re-election to a large viewing audience, except for South Florida, where apparently only one news station broadcast the speech. The rest were busy covering Hurrican Frances (batten down the hatches Savannah J and KP!)

Last night I prepared for the speech by opening a bottle of Brancott Vineyards 2002 Marlborough Reserve Pinot Noir. I must say it was a great wine for a convention speech. The wine was smooth and satisfying, with a lingering taste of vanilla that made me smile....exactly the opposite of Bush's speech. Before I get into that, I must say that Pinot Noir's are flying up my list of favorite wines, making an assault on Zinfandel! This wine from New Zealand last night was exceptional!

So, now to George W., or "Bushy", his pet name from Laura that we learned from Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum the other night. Bushy had a real nice entrance. As a theatre buff, I appreciated the entrance that was suttle into the nicely constructed stage in the middle of the room. However, this was the most exciting moment of the speech....and it was an hour long.

Normally Bushy has a very nice delivery and speaking style. Last night I thought it was terrible. The first half of the speech flowed like one word at a time was appearing on the teleprompter so that Bushy would not mispronounce the words. We got through the family kudos and all the other intro crap and finally after three days got into policy initiatives.....or so I thought.

The policy initiatives laid out by Bush were some of the blandest political double-speak that I have ever heard. No specifics, just exciting buzz words to get people talking. The best was "I will lead a bipartisan effort to reform and simplify the federal tax code." First of all, Bushy is unable to lead a bipartisan hot dog roast these days. And what exactly does reform and simplify the tax code mean? Does it mean that instead of 150o pages of rules that we might get it down to 1146 pages? WOW! Another great one, " we will make our country less dependent on foreign sources of energy". Great idea...how exactly? Maybe his idea of this plan is to keep invading countries that have rich oil reserves...then they wouldn't be foreign sources anymore!!!!! Bush also had a lot of Republican buzz words: Health Care Savings account, lawsuit reform, retirement savings accounts. Nice ideas, but totally unrealistic considering many of the costs associated with them.

What did I want to hear from Bush last night? Well here is a list of what I wanted to hear and did not hear: 1) An apology for sending our troops to Iraq under the pretense of a hunt for WMD...he kept trying to justify the invasion 2) An apology to the families of the soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for a lie....he came close, talking about tough choices he has to make...did he actually cry? 3) A specific plan for ensuring Iraqi security for the upcoming elections, how to get rid of the terrorists that are now in Iraq, and what we can do to begin a withdrawl plan 4) How he was going to reduce the defecit he created with tax cuts and wars 5) How compassionate conservatism works when you deny freedom to all citizens. He did actually speak out against gays, pro-choice folks, and used the worst line: activist judges. Side note: judges are supposed to be activist, they must interpret a document that was written 200 years ago and did not take into account modern times, to treat laws like they are 200 years old dooms us to irrelevancy.

So I thought most of the speech was pretty boring and pretty cut and dry Republican stuff. The end is what grabbed my attention, and this is what was supposed to grab the attention of all watching. This was Bushy trying to show his soft underbelly. This was the compassionate conservative plea....I didn't buy it. I respect the office of the President for the difficult decisions regarding life and death they have to make. Let's be realitic though, this President was hell bent on going into Iraq from the moment he took office. It has cost nearly 1000 American lives, and over 13,500 Iraqi lives. To use this as an emotional political plea to the populous, when you are unable to admit your mistake and apologize, that is the lowest insult I can imagine. Shame on you Bushy, shame on you. The soldiers you sent into harms way are the poorest of our citizens, the ones without power, without a voice. Yet they serve honorably, fighting for something that many of them do not have...liberty and justice. They entered the military because your fiscal policy is encouraging their potential jobs to move overseas. They enter for a paycheck, so that they can buy a home in a neighborhood where your No Child Left Behind legislation has not bankrupted the school district. They signed on to defend us from eminent threat, and you used them for politics. Shame, shame, shame. Will they ever trust us again?

Well, the convention is over and I have been feeling down because all the focus has been on the Republicans. Poll numbers are down for Kerry, because of this Swift Boat non-sense. It sounds like Bush may try and skip debates. Is it dark...no says this columnist, who encourages Democrats to hold their heads high. No matter what you think of the writer, some good points are made.

I am all pooped out from this week. Had lots of trouble sleeping because I am thinking too much. I am going to try and force myself to take a break...but I have a feeling I won't be able too. Leave a comment and tell me if you think I am a ranting raving lunatic, and have a good weekend! Less than two months to go for the election, seven months to go until Baby T and I have a Close Encounter of the Third Kind.

RNC: Day Three: "Fuck The World. We Are America."

Thoughts on night three of the convention. I originally thought I would call this night "The Return of The Conservative" in an omage to Star Wars and the speaking schedule. However, after listening to the speeches, there was only one fitting name. The whole evening seemed to be one big middle-finger to the rest of the world. The message was clear, we are America, how dare we be questioned, get the hell out of our way or fear our wrath. I love feeling like we are team players!! We are the Allen Iverson's of the world.

Zell "Zigzag" Miller: Wow. Wow. Wow. Anybody else think of Yosemite Sam? Please point to one place in his speech where he displayed a "quality or stance characteristic of someone in the Democratic party"? Could he have been any more of a negative stereotype of an angry Southern male? How will he and his angry rant appeal to independents? Was that the speech that soccer moms needed to hear...no, that was pure NASCAR dad. So hawkish, so confrontational....glad he is retiring and can go out with a bang by saying anything he wants. There are lots of places that need liberating..are we the ones that should be doing the liberating? What about countries that don't want to be liberated...doesn't that make us occupiers?

Dick Cheney: So arrogant, we are america, we are the best, no one cross us or get in the way. Kerry does not want a permission slip from the UN, but aren't all of us in this together on the planet? Talked about communism, but it was the coalition and containment with our allies that broke the Soviet block, not our pre-emptive invasion policy. Still nothing but defense, defense, defense....terror, terror, terror. He did mention the economy....getting strong with no new net jobs and a soaring defecit....how can the fiscal conservatives be behind this administration? The defecit has exploded and they have blaoted government spending and added programs (Homeland Security) while allowing prices on prescription drugs and health insurance to skyrocket. The tax cut....great if you make above $200,000, but not that effective for those making less....what can you do with an extra $600? Mortgage rates are low because Greenspan had to tank the interest rates to save the economy after you cut taxes before and after Sept. 11th. Egads. No one will confuse Dick Cheney with a compassionate conservative....he reminds me of that boarding school Latin teacher....he would beat your ass if you stepped out of line.

I was really frustrated last night. It makes me sad to hear so many Americans applaud that we should be the tough-guy on the block. Doing what we please without giving much thought to the rest of the people we share the planet with. God does not smile on the US, he smiles on the whole world. We are in a global partnership, but to hear the Repubs speaking you would think that Al Queida and their terrorist friends have a fleet of vessels, full of an Islamic army ready to storm and invade the US. This is not traditional war. Trident missles and AEGIS cruisers are not going to protect us. Missle defense systems are not going to stop a nuclear bomb packed in a shipping crate. Anyone see The Sum of All Fears?

Yikes. I will blogging live tonight hopefully. Posting my thoughts on Bush II's speech. Expect more terror, more Sept. 11th, more defense. Hopefully some policy initiatives. Oh, and here is some new information on Bush's valiant Vietnam era service. Wonder if they will call a little old lady a smear merchant and attach her for lying.

Kerry The Flip-Flopper

Big issue seems to be coming back to Kerry and his vote not to fund troops nine months after the Iraq conflict began. My biggest question is why did Bush send our troops into Iraq without the money and protection they needed in the first place???? OOps, didn't think we needed the armor for Humvees because the Iraqi's were supposed to throw roses, not bombs. However, Kerry did vote against the funding. He says he voted against it because Bush II missused the authority the Congress gave him to go to war. This is a lie, and this gets to the root of why Kerry won't "win" the election. Bear with me and we will get back to the vote in just a second.

Imagine back to 2002 if you will, a year after Sept. 11th happened. The Repubs had another great mid-term election, using their attack dogs to get rid of un-patriotic Senators like triple amputee and Vietnam Vet Max Cleeland, because he disagreed with the Patriot Act. President Bush was sky high in the opinion polls. It was time for the Democrats to start thinking about 2004 and fielding a candidate to compete with George Bush. "Shit", they said. "There is no way we can beat this guy...he is sky high in the polls, he has the nation behind him because of this terror thing". "If only Sept. 11th had not happened, we would have beaten him for sure, he is an idiot". With a collective sigh, the big time candidates decide that they should not run in this election for President, because they would get slaughterd. Joe Biden passes, Wesley Clark passes, Hillary Clinton passes. Now it is up to the long shots to run for the nomination...sure some good experienced politicians, but no one that is going to have a super easy shot at winning this thing. John Kerry decides to run...he is a veteran, a good start for a Dem. Things proceed accordingly.

Kerry and the others vote with Bush on issues because they do not want to seem out of touch or against this super popular guy...they are going to need to use it to stay close to him in the election, even though their chances are slim. Bush decides he wants to go into Iraq, a slight bump in his popularity, but hey, they have WMD's and maybe links to Al Queida, better jump on that ship. Senators all vote for the war....but hang on, a guy named Howard Dean says Iraq is a bad idea. Who cares. 3% in the polls and Martin Sheen has endorsed him....good luck. Off to war in Iraq we go. Month and a half later...hooray victory in Iraq! Pretty good work here, Bush approval up. Kerry and others looking good...Kerry is the favorite for the nomination. Yeah.

Boom. IED's. Rebellion. Terror. Attacks on American convoys. Hostages. Prisoners of war. Casualties. Oh no, it is not going to be as easy as we thought. Howard Dean says, I told you so. Crap, no WMD's. Crap. No Al Queida links. Howard Dean is at 15% in the polls....Kerry is slipping. Kerry starts to think shoot, this is my only shot.

Fast forward to the vote for funding the troops. Howard Dean is even or surpassing Kerry in many of the national polls. Bush's approval ratings are starting to slide. Iraq is starting to look like a mess. John Kerry is up shit creek cuz he voted for Iraq and Howard Dean is skyrocketing with the Democratic masses for his aggressive and brave stance. Dean is not sticking with the president, he is criticizing the war which looks like a mistake now. Kerry has to get back in this race...a vote is coming up for the funding of the troops. Kerry needs to look like Dean, so he casts a no vote, a vote he thinks is now being anti-war, but he already voted for the war.

Kerry was forced into that vote by what he saw as a neccessity for staying alive politically, which is the worst kind of vote to cast. He had to keep up with Dean. This is what has created a lot of the flip-flop Kerry issues. He voted with the president when it was popular to do so, as soon as public sentiment changed, Kerry did too so he could stay in the hunt for the nomination. He is a flip-flopper. But he is the best we could do as Democrats. The process of running starts to early that the big candidates were scared off by Bush's popularity. By the time it was heading south, it was too late for candidates to jump in and make a serious case for election (ie Wesley Clark).

Okay, I finally get to my point. Kerry cannot technically "win" because no one in this election is voting for Kerry. This election is a strict referendum on Bush II. When people enter the voting booth they are either voting for Bush or against Bush. They may mark the ballot for Kerry, but it is not an affirmation that Kerry is the best candidate for the job, it is an affirmation that Bush is unfit to continue in the job. Maybe it is a little on the sad side for Democrats, but how else can we explain the poor numbers for Kerry. He is not a great candidate. I worked at a fevered pitch for the Dean campaign and the arguments we used are still valid. No Senator running for President has been elected since JFK. Only 3 Senators in history have been President...why is that? Because as a Senator you have to compromise, change positions, and flip-flop on issues...plus you have to put a vote down on every issue. Kerry also voted with Bush on many initiatives...why would you vote for someone so similar to who is in office?

I am still pushing for Kerry, because tomorrow.....why George Bush cannot be re-elected.

RNC: Day Two: "Life In The Past"

Let me preface by saying that I did not actually see the speeches last night, I have been reading transcripts and follow-up today. It sounds like the same theme kept resonating last night....Sept. 11th and terrorism. What has been surprising to me is the moderate voices that have been trumpeting this message. The party is coming off very hawkish...and someone help me with this, yahoo for Bush going in and getting the job done in Iraq, they still have not detailed any plan for what they are doing now or what they will do in the future. Should we really be celebrating a President that can take pre-emptive measures but has no clue or plan what to do with a country once the major combat is over? Is it great to promote going on the offensive and taking over countries when it means we will have to play defense on additional fronts when we do it? Is it great to go it alone without allies? What are we going to do when Blair and Musharraf are gone...then we will truly be alone. I am still waiting for a vision or plan for the next four years, especially on domestic issues. Maybe this will come from Cheney and Bush...I hope so.

However, the whole campaign for both candidates so far has been decidingly lacking of vision, optimism, and plans for the next four years. Both candidates are to blame. Bush is trying to exploit the emotions of terror and fear that were caused by Sept. 11th. Kerry is trying to paint himself as a non-traditional Democrat by focusing on his war record from 30 years ago. Both of these men are looking to the past instead of inspiring us by reaching for the future. How about a real vision for the domestic future of the country that is broader than just protecting the homeland from terrorists, which is a worthy goal, but one that is destined to fail at some point.

How about a comment on Rudy's speech from Monday. He is getting lots of rave reviews for the speech...but not from me. I thought he really rambled and was much more hawkish and much more of an attack dog than I was expecting. He did bring home the Sept. 11th stuff, but I am tuning that out after 3 years of constant attention. I was expecting a great speech because Rudy is kind of a dynamic personality. He is, as others have told me, a RINO (Republican in Name Only). His moderate views set him apart from the majority of the GOP and I for one was hoping he would say something about his party's radical right wing platform. However, the speakers all seem to be towing the line. Is Rudy a realistic candidate for 2008? I really don't know, he is in the same ballpark as Pataki....pro-choice, pro-gay...and these are two stands you just don't take in the GOP. Does being mayor of NYC qualify one to run the country? If there is any city that can prepare someone, it would be NYC, but I would like to see him with some additional experiences...and no, a run for Senate does not make him more qualified...even if he serves the two years before running for President.

Finally, a note on the "big tent party". The Log Cabin Republicans, the gay wing of the GOP, has been lobbying and hoping that someone on the speaker's schedule this week would stand up with them and recognize that the platform is exluding a large portion of even GOP Americans. Based on census data, the LCRepubs say 1 million gay Americans voted for Bush in the last election...can he afford to lose those votes in the upcoming election? I say yes, because by taking a hardline stance on gay marriage and abortion, Rove and Bush are shooting for the nearly 4 million evangelical votes he did not get in 2000. So Bush does not need the votes, but the damage it will do to future Republican candidates (Rudy,etc.) if the Log Cabin endorses Kerry could be catastrophic...conservatives are on borrowed time with being able hold off governmental benefits for gay couples, they can't afford to lose a whole voting block. It is too bad both parties are trying to be all things to all people, just be honest. Dems should give up this ridiculous attempt to convince everyone we will be the tough on terror pre-emptive war fighters. Repubs should give up on this compassionate angle of the conservative approach...less people will be dissappointed after the election if we are up front now.

Tomorrow: why John Kerry can't win this election.