Democratic Alli

Say It Ain't So Joe, Say It Ain't So

2006-08-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been putting up with it for two days now, and I have something to say. First of all, I want to say congratulations to Ned Lamont for winning the primary in Connecticut. I think it's great to see our political system working somewhat in a manner it was intended. But now, what I really want to do is comment on some of the junk I've been hearing about what this means, and how it will affect the democratic party.
Tony Snow came out and said that the defeat of Joe Lieberman suggests that democrats truly do not care about national security since we did not vote for someone who voted consistently with the Presidents wishes over the last six years. What I suggest is that democrats do care. We care about lies. We care about the fact that our President sent our troops to war on false premises and has continued to perpetuate the lie that got us into this terrible mess in the first place. We care about the human condition. The war in Iraq is costing American lives, and Iraqi lives. It has cost us our credibility in a region that desperately needs strong and positive democratic influences. It has limited what we can do to fight countries like Iran and North Korea, countries we know are working together to build nuclear weapons. It has cost us protection. While our armed forces should have been locating Osama Bin Laden and anyone else involved in the September 11th attack, they were forced to do a "death march" in Iraq, leaving time for Al Qaida to plan bigger attacks like the ones unearthed in the UK today. Not to mention the mental and emotional trauma inflicted on our troops, most of them youths, an entire generation of America who will carry scars for a lifetime. These things make us angry! And they are inexcusable. And if you call yourself one of us, you had better not try to be one of them. No kisses, no pardons and no excusing their stupidity. We will cast you out, and cast our votes for someone better.
So farewell Joe, I cannot wish you luck with your run as an independent. But I am glad.... and not just for Lamont. I think this is just the wake up call that dems need nationwide. We do not approve of this president, and our representatives and senators had better take note, or pack their bags.

Leaving Lebanon

2006-07-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, I tried to post on this yesterday, but I lost my post when I tried to spell check. That's what I get going for accuracy.
An estimated 25,000 American citizens are currently living in Lebanon, 8,000 of whom are trying to flee the country. Our government, in true and shameful Katrina like fashion has so far not done a great job of getting this accomplished. After most European countries had already evacuated their countrymen, Americans were still getting the run around at the Embassy, who was claiming it was not their job to organize evacuations. Finally, on Sunday we had managed to evacuate about 160 women and children. Yesterday, we had gotten those numbers increased and loaded about 1,000 Americans on a cruise ship, and we are hopefully getting even more out today. A few things have really distressed me about this situation. First, with 25,000 of our own living in Lebanon, I would have hoped our government would have done more to convince Israel to show restraint with their bombing raids to protect our won citizens. Instead our government has done nothing but defend Israel's attack against infrastructure in Lebanon. Second, reports abound of people being misdirected in their efforts to leave. Being told to call numbers where no one answers the phone, and instructed to show up at the wrong places for departure. Third and most disturbing to me, American citizens are being forced to sign promissary notes to reimburse the costs of evacuation to our government. I just think this is disgusting. Is our government saying that the lives and safety of our citizens are only worth saving if said citizens can pay for it? To force people with this kind of choice, after surviving the last week of bombing and war, it is shameful. It is wrong.

It's Been A Long While

2006-06-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time I started up this blog of mine to share my thoughts and perspectives with the world. I was inspired by my brother, Mark, and his own blogging attempts. And as much as I liked the idea of blogging it was difficult to make time to put my thoughts on page. Somewhere along the way I added to my family, and with the sleepless nights, and energy required to raise two small children, I put blogging aside completely.
My children are a year older now. My life once again has a feeling of routine. There are happenings in our lives today that I feel passionate about. So though it has been a long while, I hope to start sharing my thoughts with others out there again.
I'll leave you with a quick blurb, things that have been running through my mind today. I've been reading up on Haditha and the accusations that our military is facing. According to Drudge, the BBC has evidence of another slaying of eleven by our troops, and I read on Yahoo last night, that Marines in San Diego were charged with, amongst other things, murder and kidnapping of an Iraqi civilian in April. Our countrymen easily dismissed the horrors of Abu Graib and tried to justify what happened there as 21st century intelligence gathering, instead of torture. Our nation continues to ignore the injustices of Guantanamo Bay. But I am afraid we have just hit the beginning with Haditha. And I hope not to hear any American try to excuse the murder of civilians, women, children, babies as "war collateral", or " not any worse than what Saddam did to the Kurds." Both of which I saw on Malkins blog. When we begin to compare our actions to those of an evil tyrant, what have we in fact become?

Tag

2005-06-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

OK Moose, I hope you die of shock that I'm posting.
You know that we're competitive to a fault.

1. Favorite artist/bands
Billy Joel, Red Hot Chili Peppers

2. Hobbies/Interests
Reading, photography and scrapbooking

3. Things that scare you
Bugs, people who stand really close to you

4. Favorite Fiction Writers
John Irving

5. Celebrity Crushes
Brad Pitt, Jason Lee

6. Wearing right now
My work clothes... yuck!

7. What you want in a relationship
Mutual respect, laughter, comfort

8. Every day essentials
A hug from my son

9. Drug of choice
Tums... hey I'm pregnant!

Williams Settlement

2005-04-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

Here in California our public school system is about to undergo major scrutiny thanks to the ACLU. Statewide accessors will be going school to school making sure bathrooms are functional, ceilings are leak free and that every classroom has enough text books for each student. I had heard some things about the Williams settlement before and decided to do some reading up on the subject recently. I think that what it does is really important, but I also feel frustration. I came from a school where most of the students probably lived under or near poverty. I went into high school never having taken algebra and with very little science education. I don't blame my teachers, most of them had a true love of teaching (or at least projected one) and put effort into what they could teach us with thirty year old text books and limited materials. Luckily, I had educated parents who were able to fill in the blands that my grade school couldn't. Most children aren't so lucky. What frustrates me is that the state had to be sued to make such fundamental changes. Our future, our job market, our economy, our quality of life and everything else starts with our education. Why can't we provide a quality education for every child in the state, yes those living not just in the O.C. but also in Oakland, and East L.A. and Sanger and Woodville and every other small or poor or crime ridden community that gets ignored by our legislature? Why should any student have to suffer through mold ridden class rooms or broken bathrooms? How can you learn if you don't have a textbook? I'm grateful to the Williams settlement and will be staying on top of how effective it proves to be in our class rooms.

Kyoto Treaty

2005-02-20T11:23:00.000-08:00

I have been reading some posts about this issue recently and am also furious that our President hasn't included our nation in the protocol. We are by far the largest polluting nation in the world, even though our population is much smaller than countries like India and China. We have a responsibility to join and ensure the protection of our environment and our resources. I hope people are writing both the president and the EPA and asking when we are going to become world leaders in this issue!
What I actually wanted to say was, in reading about this issue, I have found a few companies that are going ahead with the requirement of the protocol even though our country hasn't joined. Now, I'm not saying that any of these countries deserve sainthood or even an award. But I do think they are doing the proper thing by recognizing the risk of doing nothing. Two major companies that have been ahead of the EPA for years, and are currently compliant with the Kyoto protocol are Dupont and Chevron. I found this out simply by using google news and reading a few articles. I hope that other companies follow their lead despite the ignorant example set by our President.

Show Me the Money Mr. Bush

2005-02-01T19:08:00.000-08:00

I was reading some articles today about the Presidents' new budget proposals. He has proposed a virtual spending freeze on anything not related to national security. While I do think it's about time he started acting responsibly about the deficit and the effect it will have on our economy, I also read about some of the programs that will suffer next year. One of these programs is called the millennium Challenge Account, or MCA. The MCA was created by this administration as a way to reward countries who make strides to attain democracy, freedom, human rights and governments who successfully help the poor, sick and disadvantaged in their country. If a government is shown to meet certain standards of improvement in these areas, we reward them with money to aid development and technology in that country. It sort of goes along with the UN and their millennium Goals to fight poverty and the spread of disease. When the Prez. created the fund, he promised initial funding of 6 billion dollars. As of today, over eleven countries have met the standards and should be receiving money. None of them have. Furthermore, as part of his FY06 budget, the President is actually granting the MCA less than 3 billion dollars, half of what he promised. I guess we shouldn't be surprised, after all this President loves to pass acts and create programs without planning on how to pay for them. On glaring example is No Child Left Behind. The really discouraging thing in this situation is in countries like Bolivia (one country that did meet the standards of improvement) 3 billion dollars can do so much! I guess this President didn't take his own inauguration speech to heart, maybe the words were too complicated or something.

Humanitarian Causes

2005-01-30T14:06:00.000-08:00

I was reading some articles about the upcoming G8 conference and ran across some info about a group called Global Call to Action Against Poverty. They have put up a website at www.whiteband.org, and if you are interested you should check it out. Basically, this group is participating in the world forum and world conferences to make sure that the G8, the UN and the wealthier nations of the world are doing their part to help end global poverty. It's worthwhile to look at their site, and they have a section that covers what they do and how to get involved if you're interested. Take a look!

Human rights and What the President Says

2005-01-24T17:58:00.000-08:00

Obviously there has been a lot in the news the past week or so about the President and his speech and what his words mean in the rest of the world. Actually, I was somewhat surprised to read that much of Europe was pleased with what he had to say about defending freedom and human rights throughout the world. I just feel like the promises are empty and meaningless. I still can't grasp the concept of forcing people to be free. You can't tell a society we have made you free, now protect it or else! Look at what a struggle it is in Iraq and Afghanistan. To tell a person that your idealogy is better than their own, and they need to accept it for their own benefit, it would be a difficult task anywhere. Well, I hope that if the President is truly interested in human rights issues, and making a better world, that he doesn't overlook the people who really need a voice. The people of Africa. Look at what is happening in the sudan, congo and all over Africa with the AIDS virus. If there is anyplace in the world where human rights, and quality of life need to be defended, this must be it. I hope our President doesn't just turn a blind eye like he has in the past.

I Wish I Lived in A Bubble Too!

2005-01-16T10:29:00.000-08:00

I was reading some of the content from an interview President Bush gave on AirForce one last week. Wow! Talk about interesting stuff. The President is surely feeling some confidence right now, coming up on his second inauguration. I'm sure he feels victorious and relieved. He must be to be saying the things he says, either that or he lives in a bubble with Dick Cheney and Condi Rice. First of all, he believes that Americans approve of his Iraq policy. I guess when he said he doesn't read the news, he wasn't lying (that in itself is a first). Otherwise he would know that most opinion polls show that Americans disagree with his Iraq policies and don't know think we should have gone there, knowing what we now know. How he could say this just days after the search for WMD was called off, I can't fathom.
He also said he won't pursue a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Oh, won't Ralph Reid be ticked off? All of those christian conservatives who like to deny people basic rights that went out to vote for the holiest candidate must be severely disappointed. Poor Ann Coulter, I'm sure she had to pop a whole bottle of pills after reading that one, assuming that she reads the news. I guess the Pres. and Karl Rove were just manipulating all those good christian coalition people to win the election, and it looks like it worked.
I know conservatives are still gleeful about winning the election. I know there is still a lot of talk about red states all over the map. I know the President won. But I also know that three percent isn't a slam dunk. I know that when you lie to people, when you send their kids to die in war and can't come up with a reason why, when you use their religion against them, you're setting yourself up for a backlash. And the republican party had better be afraid that this President is going to talk too much, and lose them the next few elections.

The WMD Search is Finally Over!

2005-01-12T19:35:00.000-08:00

I read in the news today that the search for WMDs in Iraq has been terminated "officially" today. Of course, David Kay could have told you that last year in January. I think most Americans shouldn't be surprised by the news that no major weapon stockpiles were found of any kind. As a person who has utmost respect for our armed forces, I don't want to be misunderstood. I hope that Americans are outraged that the President played so carelessly with human life for naught! Over 1100 American soldiers dead and thousands more wounded and maimed. Over 100,000 Iraqi civilians dead, women and children who had nothing to do with terrorism or any attack on our country ever. And people like Ann Coulter still feel justified spreading hate and fear over Muslim countries. I think King George should put on his crusade outfit and stop pretending that we invaded Iraq because they were a threat to our safety. Attacking innocent people is a threat to our country, and when our country engages in actions that make us more hated and feared in the world, that is a threat to our country, and how dare our President take such actions! I hope that you take the time to write a letter to him, and let him know that you are outraged, and you think he acted negligently if not criminally.

By the way, at politicalmoose.blogspot.com there is a great post about Ann Coulter. You should read it.

What Money Does Buy...

2005-01-10T17:41:00.000-08:00

It's amazing what 200,000 dollars can get you in Washington these days. Our President and his administration have been acting more like the mob making payouts and handing out pats on the backs to their goons than like honorable politicians, but is anyone truly surprised.
Earlier this week it was disclosed that a prominent Washington columnist was paid 240,000 dollars by the Bush administration to promote their No Child Left Behind Act. The department has defended itself for such actions, and the journalist, Armstrong Williams, has both apologized and been relieved of his job. He did not however, offer to return the money. Two disturbing points about this. One, that the President and his men don't have any qualms about buying the press to shift public opinion. Using the press as basically a propaganda machine to bamboozle the poor and uneducated, as well anyone who might have made the mistake of respecting Williams' opinion. Secondly, that this administration feels it is perfectly acceptable to use tax payers money to make this kind of pay off. This money came directly out of funding for No Child Left Behind. If you follow this sort of thing, you know that a major problem with this act is that it is being terribly underfunded. Apparently, there was just enough in the pot for bribes and pay offs.

Today Bush announced that he wants to appoint former college buddy, Al Hubbard to the post of NEC chairman. Hubbard is a business man from Indiana who was Deputy Chief of Staff under Dan Quayle and a former State GOP chair. He also, along with his spouse, has the esteemed title of "Ranger". A Ranger is someone who earned more than 200,000 dollars for Bush while he was campaigning. This evidently was not an exercise in futility. After all, chairman of the NEC is a prestigious job. This man will basically be shaping economic policies for the president and his administration. Number one priority on his list? Privatization of social security, and you already know how I feel about that.

I just feel disgusted by the actions of the leadership in our country. Our president doesn't even attempt to hide the bribery coming both in and out of his office. Our nation is for sale people, I hope you can afford a piece of it.

Leonard T. Bayard and the Mystery Jet

2005-01-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

I've been reading articles about this for the last few days. If you haven't heard of it, please take the time to read the article, or you can just google the name Leonard T. Bayard. Basically, the CIA is believed to own this jet, and be using it to spirit people suspected of terrorism to other countries for questioning(where international torture laws don't apply. I was fairly appalled and frightened about the direction of our country. Where do we draw the line in what is acceptable behavior of our federal government agencies? This link will take you to the article.

Social Security and the "Mess" that We're In.

2005-01-08T15:44:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to keep up with the Presidents push to "reform" Social Security. I'm not surprised that this administration would wish to privatize the program and let younger Americans invest some of their benefits into the stock market. Mr. Bush has accepted over the years millions of dollars from mutual fund companies to finance his and his associates campaigns. In fact, of his top ten political contributors (lifetime) half of them are mutual fund companies like Merryl Lynch. He certainly must feel that he owes his financial backers this golden opportunity. The problem I have with this particular idea is that it doesn't really solve anything. For one thing, I am already able to invest funds in the stock market for retirement if I wish. This is through something called a 401k. If I don't have a 401k offered through my employer, I can go to a bank and invest in an IRA. Most people know that they have these options available if they are worried about (and my generation, you should be worried) not having enough money for retirement. The second thing I worry about when I think about this plan is stock market crashes. What if I'm someone who participates in this plan, and I'm 67, freshly retired with a nice little nest egg of.... oh who knows, biomedical stocks? And suddenly the market crashes because who knows why, but we know these things happen! So, do I then have to go beg Wal-Mart for a job as a greeter making minimum wage, which will probably still be six dollars an hour? What I wanted to say when I started writing this, was I've been reading that the President is having a hard time getting support for his plan from within his own party. This makes me glad, I'm glad that congress is questioning the validity of his suggestions on both sides of the line. It gives me back a little faith in our political system....for now.

Welcome Back to the World According to Alli

2005-01-05T18:30:00.000-08:00

Well Bloggers, it's been awhile hasn't it. With so much going on in the world today, of course I had to come back and start blogging again. I read an interesting news piece a moment ago about my old pal Tucker Carlson. Tucker fans of the world, you will be heart broken to learn that his show Crossfire is going to be cancelled, and Tucker is not going to be offered other employment at CNN. Now, the head of programming at CNN wants to get away from argument based talking head shows and go back to more substantial news programming. I think that CNN deserves to be applauded here. They sent Cooper Anderson out to Tsunami torn regions this week to report from the scene and let us know what is going on first hand. Cooper is doing a great job too, if you've had a chance to see any of his reporting you know what I'm talking about, if you haven't had a chance, try to catch him. I hope that CNN continues in this new direction and allows some of the great reporters that they have to really use their talents. As an intelligent adult who cares about what is happening both in my own country and around the world, I appreciate being treated as more than a spectator at a chicken fight. I am more interested in what's happening to the dollar compared to the Euro, than what Nancy Pelosi said about Tom Daschle, got that Fox News?

The Desperate Parody

2004-11-20T16:36:00.000-08:00

Maybe you were in a coma this week if you missed all the hoople regarding ABC and their Monday night football promo that caught so much flack from Ann Coulter and her girl's group. Maybe you still haven't heard about it, or haven't tuned in to hear Pat Buchanan and his panel discuss in detail how outraged they were that a hot white woman might jump into the arms of a wealthy young athlete. Yeah, what was ABC thinking going down that line of complete fiction? I think that Americans have simply lost their sense of humor. Three years of being told to be afraid, to lose your trust, to duct tape your windows... I guess that you could lose your sense of humor. Three years of yellow alert with an occasion orange thrown in (gotta love those citrus colors) can put a person on the edge. Either way, this is how I feel about it. Lighten up! It was a parody, and a womans back. If you feel the need to shelter your kids from this, then wrap them up in duct tape and go hide in your bomb shelter. Be sure to tune in to FOX News while you're down there, and see you in 2008, when America wins again.

The Aftermath and Agony

2004-11-10T20:28:00.000-08:00

It only took a few days for democrats to start pointing the finger. You all know what I'm talking about. John Kerry didn't run an effective campaign, Democrats hate the church, or the church hates us, blah blah blah....
Look, this is a problem with the democratic party. Instead of gathering up what we've learned from this election (and the last election) we just blame each other and refuse to make progress. We need to unify and get organized. Young people didn't vote in this election, and we know that if they had, they would have voted overwhelmingly democratic. We need a strong person in charge of the DNC, someone who is energetic, who will use modern methods to mobilize people, and who people respect and admire. Howard Dean has let it be known that he wants the job, but I don't know if he's the person to put in charge. As a governor, his agenda wasn't the most progressive when it came to social aid and the financial sector. Yet, he's staunchly anti-war and well known by people. Not to mention how he effectively used blogs and the web to launch his own campaign for presidency. I'm not sure who the right person for DNC chair is, maybe we should go with the man who we trust in completely for everything else, you know, Bill Clinton.
Well, that's what I've been thinking about today. And probably what I'll be thinking about tomorrow.

Thank you Mr. Kerry

2004-11-03T15:58:00.000-08:00

It's a sad day for me and the rest of my democratic compatriots. And it's a sad day for John Kerry. I watched the election results come in with wariness and hope last night, and awoke this morning to indecision. When the Senator conceded at about 8:00 our time, I was sad to hear the news. I admire and respect John Kerry and wish him luck in the future. In the meantime, I plan on spending the next four years paying careful attention to what our President is up to in Washington. I will write letters to his office and to my congressmen and senators everytime I think they take a wrong step. I will continue to call for the end of the war in Iraq, and for aid for the Sudan. We have a responsibility that is greater than ever to make our country what it should be and I hope that every citizen who believes in a better America takes action daily. This was an election and not the end of the world. At the end of the day, as individuals little has changed. Yet, there is still a need for change and individually we can make things happen.
Thank you Mr. Kerry for the hope you gave us, I'm glad you're still a Senator and that your voice will still be heard in American politics.

The Buying of the Presidency

2004-10-30T19:17:00.000-07:00

I have been busy reading lately, a little book with the same title as my post here. Insightful to say the least. This book covered the corporate and private sponsorship of the President and his democratic challengers for this election. If you have time, and regardless of the outcome on Tuesday, democrats and republicans alike should read this eye opening book for the Center for Ethics and Integrity. Most suprising to me was the fact that our President's top financiers are none other than the pharmaceutical companies that are holding our elderly and poor hostage in enfermity in exchange for big government kickbacks and profits that go above and beyond. Just what they give to the presidential campaign could provide millions of people with the medication they desperately need to live and be healthy. All of you with elderly parents struggling to get by, start writing letters to your senators and assemblymen, this nonsense must end!
Curious about the privatization of Social Security? I'm not anymore. Not after seeing the many investment companies who have donated generously to W over they years. This isn't some progressive plan the pres. has people, it's called payback to Wall Street. And if you want to be able to retire before you die in this lifetime, you need to start fighting this now! We already have a privatized retirement option in America, it's called a 401K. Well, what else can I say? Read the book, find out where John Kerry and John Edwards got their money too.
Vote on Tuesday!

I Voted, I'm Superior

2004-10-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

That's right America, I voted! I got my absentee ballot yesterday and wasted no time in filling in all the circles I could find. And even though my vote is private, I'm not afraid to proclaim that I voted for Kerry/Edwards. If you are a registered voter I am again urging you to plan ahead, make time to vote on election day. It's only a few days away, and if you're not familiar with the issues, you still have time to educate yourself. This is a great opportunity we have, take advantage. I have a hope for our country that I haven't felt in a long while, and I think that something wonderful is in our grasps. So vote, vote, vote!

Tucker Carlson Needs a New Look

2004-10-22T23:38:00.000-07:00

I'm sure by now everyone in America knows about Jon and Tucker's little tiff on Crossfire last week. I just want to take a moment to thank Jon Stewart for saying the things he said on television. Our media has a responsibility to the public to accurately report what's going on in the world today. Too much time is spent on wether or not John Edwards should have mentioned Dick Cheney's gay daughter in the debate, and not enough time is spent on real issues. How many average Americans understand what is going on in the Sudan, or about the AIDS crisis in Africa and China? How many Americans even grasp how these issues will effect our own country in the future? Too many Americans can recite Bill O'Leilly's (thanks Franken) "talking points" and too few can name our Supreme Court Justices. Where is our media to educate us, lead us, direct us and tell us the truth? They are too busy infuriating us and driving us to partisan rage. Tune them out America, watch C-SPAN, read the PAPER!!!!!!!!! USE YOUR OWN BRAIN! FIGHT BACK! And thank Jon Stewart, he's going to be on 60 minutes this Sunday, you might need to hear what he has to say.

Corporate Sponsored America

2004-10-17T20:41:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that the United States of America is a country driven by greed and ambition. Personally, I don't think that ambition in itself is evil, but I do believe that ambition at the cost of others well-being is dangerous and frightening.
Specically, I'm talking about corporate and capitalist America. Our businesses have alienated the working class, stripped us of our abilities to raise our familes and grow old gracefully and lowered the standard of living nationwide. All in the name of the bottom dollar.
Corporate America is slowly buying everything that we love. Go to the movies? Now you get to watch commercials and previews, not to mention the thousands of carefully planned product placements throughout the film. Like sports? So does corporate America! You know, that big RadioShack logo you see behind home plate of every baseball game. Interested in politics? These companies will stop at nothing to make sure there candidate gets elected. Broadcasting moguls are putting their weight into the political process along with every rich money maker in the nation. We are in need of serious reform when national policy can be bought by the highest bidder.
Our president has welcomed these monies with fervor. And if you want to start to make a change in our nation, now is the time. Check out http://www.boycottbush.com for a list of his corporate sponsors. Right letters and stop giving them your money until they stop giving him theirs. Change begins with us! Every small effort counts (didn't you watch LOTR?)

Ode to Chris Matthews

2004-10-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

Maybe you noticed that I have a link to the Hardball site on my blog. That's because I love Chris Matthews. I even like the parody of him that they do on SNL. I like Matthews because I get the feeling that he's probably a liberal and because he's very good at putting people in their place. If you need an example of this I would suggest looking up the interview he did a few months ago with one Michelle Malkin, a mininon of the FOX News Network. That Michelle is a real piece of work, if you ever need a good laugh, look up her blog. I'm fairly sure that she and Ann Coulter went to the same girls school together. And Lynne Cheney was their room mother. But I digress...
So, if you have some spare time and access to MSNBC you should try to catch Hardball, it's usually on twice a day. On Fridays Chris devotes the show to Election 2004, and his panelist always offer a well rounded view of both campaigns.
In conclusion, watch Hardball and always know... Chris rules!

Election Day

2004-10-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

Three more weeks people! I hope you're making plans so that you won't miss your opportunity to vote. You know, practice that fundamental right our forefathers battled for so long ago. In some states, you can still register to vote if you haven't already. And in California, you still have a few days to get your absentee ballot request in. As Americans I believe it is our moral responsibility to get out and let our voices be heard! Even if you are dismayed with the electoral college and feel that your vote for president may not be effective, vote for your representatives and vote on the propositions. And if you don't vote, then keep your mouth shut, because not only do I not want to hear you, I don't care about anything you have to say. So, on November 2nd, be American, GO VOTE!
And Vote for Kerry!

The Final Debate

2004-10-13T11:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight we will witness history for sure. George W. and John Kerry facing off in Tempe, each with their own version of how our country has fared these last four years. Personally, I love the debates. I've watched both the presidential and the vice-presidential match-ups over the previous weeks, and have cheered and scoffed throughout both. If you don't know by now, I'm a Kerry fan, and am hoping whole heartedly that he wins this election. Yet, I truly believe that no matter what side of the political compass you inhabit, there is much to be learned by watching your candidate go "mano y mano" with his opponent. I was truly impressed by how calm and composed Kerry kept himself in comparision with the President's smirks and temper. Tonight, I look forward to (as Kerry would put it) "more of the same." I hope you're there too.

Things That Leave Me Outraged

2004-10-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

Here is my Top Ten List for things that leave me feeling outraged.

10. Parents that don't make their kids buckle up
9. Bad drivers
8. Car insurance
7. Service people who don't smile.
6. Political commercials
5. Fox News
4. People who don't read the newspaper
3. Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly AND Sean Hannity
2. People who didn't watch the debates because they thought the debates were "propaganda"
1. People who don't vote but still think their opinions should have any significance

In The Beginning

2004-10-10T14:35:00.000-07:00

Just a note to say Welcome to my blog. I'll have lots more to say in the future.