Stop praying for McCain/Palin or the Revolutionary Prophecy as told to Joe Bob Godlymann

Joe Bob Godlymann is one of those unknown, unsung prophets of the biblical word. CEO of the Contrarian School, Godlymann has decided it is time to speak god's prophetic word to a world desperately in need of the truth. Godlymann has a special relationship with god, and god has spoken directly to Godlymann several times.

For example, one time Godlymann was on his knees in prayer at the Contrarian chapel, when he saw an angelic-like vision appear on the wall behind the altar. The vision spoke, saying "Be awake, Joe Bob, be alert, I shall soon return with a word from god. She is not happy!"

Another time, and this was when he got instructions where he would receive his main vision, Godlymann was waiting on the 18th tee box at Pebble Beach, thoroughly pissed as he'd previously dumped a dozen balls into the Pacific, when he heard a voice speaking in his golf bag. Startled, he grabbed the bag, turned it upside down, dumping his clubs on the ground. Unfortunately, a side pocket was open and all of his tees and his Rolex watch fell into a muddy patch.

"Dadgummit!" said Godlymann (who seldom curses). Then the voice said, "Hey, get over it, Godlymann, I'm trying to talk to you."

"Jesus!" exclaimed Godlymann.

"No," said the voice. "Jesus is a myth. I'm real. I'm the god you pray to all the time, and I've got a message for you to share with the world. If you recall, the angel you saw told you I was pissed off. Well, I am! So listen carefully."

Godlymann's foursome included a priest of the Greek Orthodox persuasion, an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, and a Roman Catholic bishop. They watched as Godlymann bent his ear to his empty golf bag.

"What the hell is he doing?" asked the bishop.

"He's always been a little weird," said the priest.

"I think he's praying," suggested the rabbi.

Godlymann stood up straight. "I heard you guys," he said. "And you're all wrong. But I've got to go now." And Godlymann, leaving his clubs strewn next to his empty bag, forgetting even the Rolex, ran toward the clubhouse. The three clergymen would not see him for several months.


The Contrarian School is based upon the book of Revolution. The book of Revolution was supposed to be in the New Testament, but certain sneaky Christians paid off the "orthodox" bishops in the 4th century to dump Revolution in favor of The Revelation of John. The bishops then systematically destroyed all copies of the book of Revolution. Except one.

The one they missed was hidden in a cave near Masada and it was discovered a few years ago by a Israeli model on a photo shoot who hid in the cave to change her bikini. Esther Zivni threw it in her big tote and took it to Tel Aviv where she locked it away in her bank safety deposit box. It was there for several months. By that time, of course, the model had lost her looks and had to go to work for the Israeli army as a recruiting officer. Then, she remembered the book and after retrieving it from the bank, she began to read it. She was astounded.

What to do? It was obviously god's word. But no one knew about it. No one had even heard of it. Then she remembered an American she'd had an affair with about a year previously. She smiled. That was a Mount Ararat experience! Esther called her former lover whose name was Joe Bob Godlymann. She had met Joe Bob on the Mount of Olives when he was on a pilgrimmage to Israel. She was, he said, his Israeli surprise.


Joe Bob laughed at first. A book called Revolution? Finally, still believing Esther had lost her mind, Joe Bob said to send it to him.

That's where it began. Joe Bob read Revolution. Out of that came the Contrarian school. Today, the Contrarian school consists of three professors and 42 students. Most of the students are refugees from neo-Pentecostalism. They arrived in great psychological torment, severely damaged, but after months of counseling, they gradually returned to their senses.

Just because the Contrarian school is small does not mean that what it teaches is wrong. The name was taken from Revolution 1:36: "Contrary to the teachings of the Christians in Rome and contrary to the Emporer Constantine, I, God, did not require a Jewish person named Jesus to be sacrificed for the forgiveness of sins. On the contrary, I do not require anything. All people are my sons and daughters and I love them and forgive them unconditionally. What I have said, at least since the age of the prophets, is that in return for that unconditional love, my children should treat each other with mercy, justice and yes, even love."

The name of the book of Revolution derives from Revolution 15:1: "The message of mercy, justice and love has always been revolutionary. The Lord calls upon all of her followers to join the revolution and help restore creation to what she originally intended."

For several years now, the Contrarian school has been studying the book of Revolution. It's main thrust is to train scholars in the book of Revolution to carry the message of God to all people. One man and two women graduated recently to enter the world with this message of mercy, justice and love, but they made a terrible mistake. They hired on as writers for the McCain political campaign. All returned to the Contrarian school terribly shaken and discouraged. Their message was not welcomed and they were scorned and disparaged at every turn.

That's when Joe Bob Godlymann received his third vision. The first vision was the angel in the chapel. The second was a speaking golf ball in the bottom of his bag at Pebble Beach, during which he was instructed to hurry to the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles in France. Two and half days later, dragging from the long flight and time change, he tagged alongside a bunch of Japanese tourists all taking pictures, into the Hall of Mirrors.

"Psst," a voice said behind a golden pedestal. Joe Bob grunted, shook his head, and went to the golden pedestal. This time he saw no figure, just a golden glow, but a voice gave him a prophetic message to share with the world. Joe Bob, stunned and fully awake now, promised he would do his best, but asked, "Why the hell did I have to fly all the way over here to Versailles and meet you in the Hall of Mirrors?" The glow seemed to glow brighter. "I don't know. I just love this place, don't you?" and the glow slowly disappeared.

That reminded Joe Bob of Revolution 33:9, where it says the Lord's ways are mostly inscrutable to mere humans.


But Joe Bob wasted no time. Upon arriving home, he sat down at his computer and began to write his now famous "Revolutionary Prophecy" e-mail. It would go to 250,000 people because Joe Bob had purchased a client list from a mole he had planted at the Republican National Committee.

The Revolutionary Prophecy:

This is a vision from the God of Revolution:

Do not waste your time praying. I don't listen to most of your whining, anyway. And stop with the anti-abortion and anti-gay stuff. I love all people unconditionally. I understand why some people might choose to have an abortion. Homosexuality is not a choice. It's part of the way things are.

There are a lot of things to do in the world and you need to get busy. Stop that damn war in Iraq, which really isn't a war anyway. That's what I call a sin. All that death and misery! And some of you claim to be my friends. Not so!

Take care of each other. That's what you're supposed to do. Take care of your young and your old. Set up an educational program that works and health care for everyone. And figure out how to feed the hungry! If any one single person is hurting, I'm hurting.

You'd better do something about the environment, too. You really messed up that one! Give up the fossil fuels. Stop with the "Drill, drill, drill." Sheesh! What? Are you a bunch of idiots? There isn't going to be enough oil for the next generation anyway! Don't you care about your children and grandchildren?

Stop, too, with the socialism stuff. I don't give a hoot about your economic systems, so long as they work and provide benefit for everyone and not just those rich SOBs who are on my shit-list anyway.

Figure out a way to talk to each other when you disagree. Bombing isn't the answer. And you must not fight about religious stuff. I don't care about any of that.

What's with the witches? Have some of you lost your minds? The only witches are the ones you conjure up with your crazy beliefs! Same with demons and devils. They only exist inside your brain. I'm sick to death of all the prayers about occultists and other crap. It's all nonsense and nothing more than the attempt of so-called spiritual leaders to gain control over huge numbers of people. I reject all of it!

I want mercy, justice and love. Is that so damn hard to understand?

Oh, one last thing. I usually don't get involved in elections in any country, but this one is pretty important. Stop with the nastiness about Obama. He's going to win and he's going to need the help of everyone. And he's a Christian, for Christ's sake!

Mercy, justice and love. Can you remember those things? And stop praying for McCain/Palin. It ain't gonna happen, and I'm really tired of listening to all that hatred and bigotry been spewed out in my name.

Let the revolution happen!

God.

The secession of the blue states

From my good friend, Bob Poris.

Dear Red States:

If you manage to steal this election too, we’ve decided we’re leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we’re taking the other Blue States with us.

In case you aren’t aware, that includes California , Hawaii , Oregon , Washington , Minnesota , Wisconsin , Michigan , Illinois and all the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California.

To sum up briefly:

You get Texas , Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood. We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom. We get Harvard. You get Ole’ Miss. We get 85% of America ’s venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama . We get two-thirds of the tax revenue. You get to make the red states pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22% lower than the Christian Coalition’s, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.

Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we’re going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they’re apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don’t care if you don’t show pictures of their childrens' caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq , and hope that the WMDs turn up, but we’re not willing to spend our resources in Bush’s Quagmire.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80% of the country’s fresh water, more than 90% of the pineapple and lettuce, 92% of the nation’s fresh fruit, 95% of America’s quality wines, 90% of all cheese, 90% of the high tech industry, 95% of the corn and soybeans (thanks Iowa!), most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Stanford , Cal Tech and MIT.

With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92% of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.

We get Hollywood and Yosemite too, thank you.

Additionally, 38% of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we’re discussing the war, the death penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53% that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61% of you believe you are people with higher morals than we lefties.

Finally, we’re taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico .

Peace out,
Blue States

Insane Christians pray for Palin/McCain

[Photo of Dutch Sheets]


I use the words, "Insane Christians" advisedly. "Insane" is the only word that accurately describes them! They would fit nicely back in the Dark Ages or even in Puritan New England. In the 21st century, they are simply insane!


This from neo-Pentecostal leader Dutch Sheets, who is calling for spiritual warfare to win the election for Palin/McCain:

"In 2000 we actually lost the popular vote and won the election -- talk about grace! Please pray for this grace to be released again...

"...In August of this year I predicted that September would mark a shift in momentum for these elections. This happened with the appointment of Sarah Palin as the Vice Presidential nominee (who is a true Esther in our generation), but when the economy began its meltdown and the media ramped up their unprecedented attacks on Palin, that momentum wasn't sustained.

"Please understand what I am saying: if we engage in this battle and do what I am asking--in mass--(sic) we will win; if we do not, we will lose. I, for one, don't intend to allow the latter. I am in Washington, D.C. now (October 20-22) with Lou Engle and a team of prayer leaders from around the nation to war for this election. Join us! Lose some sleep, miss some meals--pray! Pray like never before for these elections. And as you do, involve yourself not only in petitioning prayer but also in spiritual warfare. Use your God- given authority over the plans and strategies of satan's kingdom. Bind all witchcraft that is working to control the outcome, including occultic powers that are suppressing truth. Release Christ's Kingdom rule in every way the Holy Spirit leads you."

[Dutch Sheets is the Senior Pastor of the Freedom Church or the Springs Harvest Fellowship in Colorado Springs, Colorado (naturally -- all the crazies seem to come from Colorado Springs!). His Website touts him thusly: "He has served on the faculty of Christ for the Nations Institute, now serves as an instructor for Destiny Bible School and is a guest lecturer for Wagner Leadership Institute." Sheets is part and parcel of the apocalyptic, prophetic Pentecostal insanity to which Palin adheres.]


Steve Foss is another of these insane Christians. Back in 2000, Foss got an e-mail from god. Well, maybe not an e-mail, but a message nonetheless. God told Foss that George Bush would have a tough first term and there would be a financial collapse at the end of his second term.

Now Foss wants to let the world in on what we should expect next:

"God spoke to me that after George W. Bush, America would elect its most ungodly president ever."

It's not too late, though, if enough folks vote for God's candidate.

"...I had a vision earlier this year. I saw Barack Obama in this vision. He was speaking to a large crowd and being broadcast on television. He was speaking incredible words of unity, peace, and bringing all sides together; the words were elegant, the words were comforting, and the words were inspiring.

"But while he was speaking I saw all (sic) a powerful spirit of violence coming out of his spirit feeding into the spirits of those who were hearing him. That spirit of violence was directed at anybody who opposed what he was saying. Those who heard his words and received it had a spirit of violence being implanted inside of them. It was a rage like I have not seen before.

"It was the rage that would be unleashed against those who oppose and stand in the way of Barack Obama's agenda. We are already seeing the beginnings of this spirit manifested here in America. The vicious attacks against Sarah Palin have been unlike anything we have ever seen before. The sheer hate for this woman from people who knew nothing about her, and who claim to stand up and protect the little people, and women, has been shocking. ...

"These people who are under the influence of this demon spirit of rage desire to completely destroy this man [Joe, the plumber] because he dared to question Barack Obama ..."


Jesus' General has more. Obama has witchcraft on his side:

"Bree Keyton went and visited Obama's tribal people...

"She said Obama's grandmother sacrificed a black and a white checken to the 'goddess of the river' so both whites and blacks will vote for Obama...

"The occultists are 'weaving lazy 8's around McCain's mind to make him look confused and like an idiot.' Bree K. said we need to break these curses off of him that are being send from Kenya."


Fortunately, we have Sarah Palin, god's Wonder Woman!

"Just a few minutes ago Eleanor Roehl, a powerful Eskimo intercessor and prophet, called me to say she senses an imminent attack against our nation...

"She received the scripture Gen. 50:3, 'A period of NATIONAL MOURNING.' She then saw Sarah Palin standing alone and she was mantled with the American flag. The flag was upside down because things are inverted (upside down) right now. I knew she was stepping into an office that she was mantled for."


If you're wondering about Bree Keyton, she was once shot in the head. Maybe that explains it. You can learn more of Eleanor Roehl and the crazy loons she associates with here. There's more background on Christian insanity here. And here you can learn exactly who some of the other nutcases are.


All of this, is, in the words of Dutch, sheeeeit!

Reagan and Reaganite for Obama

[Photo of Ron Reagan via Webshots]


The move of Ronald Reagan's chief of staff to Obama is "old" news, but still important for it illuminates the tragic poverty of John McCain's ideas and John McCain's campaign.

Ronald Reagan has become the icon of the frenetic kooks on the right. Thus, the "conversion" of his former chief of staff from McCain-iac to Obama-ite, is a powerful symbol of the devastation of the Bush years and the desire by such as Kenneth Duberstein to distance themselves from that wreckage. Duberstein, in announcing he would be voting for Senator Barack Obama, noted he was influenced, to some extent, by Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama.

But, like almost all the Republicans who have jumped on the Obama bandwagon, Duberstein also referred to McCain's choice for vice president. "What most Americans, I think, realize," he said, "is that you don't offer a job, let alone the vice presidency, to a person after one job interview. Even at McDonald's, you're interviewed three times before you're given a job."

In other words, McCain's first "executive" decision was an unmitigated disaster! Not a good sign!


October 31. Ron Reagan, the son of the fabled "B" movie actor and screen warrior of the right, has endorsed Barack Obama for president.

In a September interview with Worldnetdaily, Ron said he doubted that his father would have supported Sarah Palin; that he would be opposed to most of what she stands for; and implied that his father would have considered her "foreign policy" experience inadequate.


Me hopes the old man is spinning in his grave!

McCain back to the POW thing

John McCain likes to tell people he doesn't like to talk about his POW experience, then he proceeds to tell them, again, all about it.

At the beginning of McCain's struggle for the White House - god, so long ago - and especially since the Republican National Convention, most of what we heard from John McCain and friends, was related to his time in Vietnam in a prisoner of war camp. Everytime he opened his mouth, he was yammering about how he spent five long years away from home, and blah, blah, blah...as if that experience, in some magic way, qualified him to lead the most powerful nation on earth.

He neglected to tell folks that one of the reasons he sat in that camp (and he was not tortured for five years, no matter what Fred Thompson says!) in Vietnam was because, once again, he ignored Naval regulations and was flying 1000 feet lower than he should have been, thus giving the North Vietnamese a better target, which resulted in his being shot down.


For awhile, the POW thing went away. We heard about it occasionally, but not all the time. Well, John must feel he's up against the wall, 'cause the POW thing is back. In Columbus, Ohio, joined by that great Prussian intellectual, Arnie Schwarzenegger, the POW thing again reared its "patriotic" head.

Arnie, bulging his muscles, told the faithful assembled: "John McCain has served his country longer in a POW camp than his opponent has in the United States Senate. I only play an action hero in the movies, John McCain is a real action hero."

Sound good? Well, it's bullshit! Hell, McCain probably sat in that camp longer than Arnie's been governor! What does that have to do with anything? Furthermore, just how did he serve his country while a POW? He told the North Vietnamese everything they wanted to know in order to get treatment in a hospital. I'm not criticizing him for that as few people can withstand mental or physical torture for very long. But that's not heroic. Hundreds of other prisoners were treated as badly or worse than McCain and did not give more than their name, rank and serial number.

This POW, "heroic" stuff has long been part of the carefully cultivated narrative of one John McCain - perhaps the lousiest Navy pilot since the birth of Naval aviation. It's the stuff of legend, and most of it is just that - legend.

McCain, who doesn't like to talk about his POW experience, told the rally in Columbus:

"I've served my country since I was 17 years old. And spent five years longing for her shores. I came home dedicated to a cause greater than my own."

"...longing for her shores"??? Who wrote that sentimental claptrap? He was a crazy sailor, for god's sake. Can you imagine McCain sitting in his little cell saying, "Oh, I long for my country's shores"? He'd be much more like to say, "Goddamn, I can't wait to get out of this hellhole and set my ass down on the California sand, chase up a little poontang and get shitfaced!"

But even the press buys this crap (always has!). The AP article describing this rally relates almost breathlessly how McCain "was shot down, held and tortured for more than five years..."

Finally, the cause greater than his own must have been Charles Keating's savings & loan operations. Or maybe McCain is refering to all the lobbyists and friends and donors he's done favors for over the years.


The whole POW thing reeks of desperation.

No Christian can vote for Obama says Xtian right extremist

[Photo of the "godly" Ms. Porter]


Janet Porter is intimately acquainted with god. Or so she thinks.

And god has told her, through his "word," that one cannot be a Christian and vote for Senator Barack Obama.

In an October 28th article at Worldnetdaily.com, Ms. Porter, erstwhile defender of the deity, said:

"To all those who name the name of Christ who plan to willfully disobey Him by voting for Obama, take warning. Not only is our nation in grave danger, according to the Word of God, so are you."

Uh, oh! Watch out! God's gonna get ya!


Why would Ms. Porter say this about a fellow Christian believer?

It's all about abortion, naturally. If that bad man, Obama, is elected, he will sign the Freedom of Choice Act and that will signify the end of the world so far as Ms. Porter is concerned! Now this is soooooo serious that Ms. Porter offers up "God's voter guide" which you absolutely must read before you go to the polls. Here it is:

"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life [her emphasis], that both you and your descendants may live (Deuteronomy 30:19)."

I'm always amused by the way fundy Christians take the Bible and bend it to support their particular viewpoints. The passage she cites has absolutely NOTHING to do with abortion. This kind of biblical manipulation is essentially disrespectful of the book she pretends to hold so dear.

Then she quotes Exodus 20:13 - You shall not murder.

And John 14:15 - If you love me, keep My commandments.

Barack, she says, may claim to be Christian, but it is obvious from reading Isaiah 29:13, that he is not.

So, says Porter: "Obama-Biden are pro-death. McCain-Palin are pro-life.

"Now choose life that you and your children may live."


Oh, yes, "...this election is not about race. It's not about the economy. It's about obeying God."

Jeez, I didn't know that! Wow. Thanks, Janet, for setting me straight. And the liars and character-assassinators, McCain and Palin, are God's favorites! Holy crap!


Ms. Porter isn't done, though. "Obama," she says, "will use your tax dollars to kill innocent children, and then he'll take your paycheck and use it to 'spread the wealth around.' ...

"Be forewarned: If you willfully disobey God on life and marriage because of race or false hope for the economy, you will usher in the kind of change that brought the Soviet Union to collapse."

I didn't know that, either! What kind of change was that? Ms. Porter doesn't say. Perhaps she's not sure. She should check with Ms. Palin who can see Russia from Alaska. Is Ms. Porter saying that Obama's a commie? Sounds kinda that way.

For certain, though, according to Ms. Porter, voting for Obama will bring the nation crashing down!

Her final word:

"If the word of God matters more to you than your perception of personal gain ... "Then obey Him in the voting booth and out of it. If not, do us all a favor and quit calling yourself a Christian."


Nothing like a little godly hate to start or end your day!

If you want to punish yourself, you can read her entire article here.

McCain's health care plan - oops!

This from Joe Sudbay at Americablog three days ago:

On CNNMoney.com, McCain's top economic adviser said:

"Younger, healthier workers likely wouldn't abandon their company-sponsored plans," said Douglas Holtz-Eakin.

"Why would they leave?" asked McCain's senior economic policy adviser. "What they're getting from their employer is way better than what they could get with the credit."


Hmmm. The wheels really are coming off the straight-talk express.

The Obama campaign responded thusly:

"'This morning, the McCain campaign's top economic policy advisor unleashed an October Surprise of straight talk when he finally admitted that the health insurance people currently get from their employer is 'way better' than the health care they would get if John McCain becomes President. Independent studies have shown that under John McCain's health care plan, at least 20 million Americans will lose the insurance they rely on and be forced to buy health care coverage on the individual market that costs more than $12,000 with a tax credit of just $5,000. Senator McCain has been trying to cover this up for months, but his advisor's brutal honesty today is certainly better late than never, and it should give every American pause about electing a candidate who has proposed such radical and dangerous changes to our health care system,' said Obama-Biden Spokesman Bill Burton."


Yup!

The desperation of John McCain

It's almost over for poor ol' John, the man who sold his soul to become president of the United States; the man who will go down in history as one of those sad characters who never lived up to what he imagined himself to be; the man who caved when it counted; the man who traded integrity and responsibility for opportunity and bigotry.

But, in these waning moments of his long battle against his own demons, John McCain, desperate now, continues to operate in a discredited attack mode, and from the shadows of his campaign, throws darts of derision at his opponent, which, as has happened more often than not, boomerang to strike and illuminate the inner core of the man he is.


John's latest and newest television ad, is essentially the same as his first and oldest television ad. It aired two days ago. You may have seen it. Here's what it said:

The narrator: "Behind the fancy speeches, grand promises and TV special lies the truth. With crises at home and abroad, Barack Obama lacks the experience America needs. And it shows. His response to our economic crisis is to spend and tax our economy deeper into recession. The fact is, Barack Obama's not ready yet."


Notice the note of jealousy in the first sentence. It must drive the old man up the wall to learn that over 23 million people tuned in to Barack's "infomercial," and that thousands upon thousands of people, some of which come from far distances, show up to hear Barack Obama describe his message of hope with concrete proposals for change. It must drive the old man further up the wall when Obama fails to even mention his name, as if he doesn't count, as if it's all over, as if McCain's candidacy is of so little value that it does rate so much as a sneer.

It must further drive the old man up the wall when leaders of the Republican Party, his own Party, denounce his character attacks on Senator Obama; when they express full-throated disdain with regard to his vice presidential pick; when they say that he's the one who's not ready; when they quote statistics that show that it's McCain's economic proposals which are likely to deepend the recession; when they reject McCain's response to our economic crisis and our crises abroad. He's the "warrior," for Christ's sake!


We've previously mentioned two Obama rallies at which some 100 thousand people showed up. Other rallies have been almost as impressive, with 75,000 in attendance at one in Missouri. In Pennsylvania, Obama had the "gall" to stand in the rain and present his message to thousands of supporters who came and huddled under umbrellas, while McCain cancelled his rally due to "inclement" weather! (Better inclement weather than lack of interest!).

Then, on Wednesday night, in Kissimmee, Florida: People began lining up early in the morning for an event that wouldn't begin until 11:00 P.M. By the time Barack Obama and Bill Clinton made their way to the stage, some 35,000 to 40,000 people crowded around to listen to their messages of hope. Some people had been waiting for 14-15 hours!

Compare that to another McCain rally which boasted 6,000 in attendance. That was mediocre in itself, but became embarrassing when we learned that 4,000 of those were school children who were brought to McCain's rally in school buses.


It appears quite likely that McCain's desperation and McCain's pain (Palin?) will be over on Tuesday night.

Palin and the Spiritual Warfare Network

The following is from Talk2Action.


Palin's Churches and the Third Wave Series

Sarah Palin thanked prayer warriors across the nation with her interview last week with James Dobson. She has been publicly annointed by Thomas Muthee, an international leader in spiritual warfare. Muthee starred in the Transformation videos, teaching tools for spiritual mapping and spiritual warfare viewed worldwide.

Apostles of the Spiritual Warfare Network, now called the United States Global Apostolic Prayer Network, have claimed Palin as one of their own. Next week she could possibly become the Vice President Elect of the United States. What is spiritual mapping and spiritual warfare, and who are these prayer warriors of the US Global Apostolic Prayer Network and the Transformation videos?

What is the impact of spiritual warfare for those who do not belong to this movement. The researchers who worked on the articles in the series Palin's Churches and the Third Wave, have compiled a report to answer these questions, including who and what the prayer warriors are fighting against, and how they are using the ideas of the Transformation videos to bring this fight to your community. The report is titled "Spiritual Mapping and Spiritual Warfare - Muthee and the Transformations Franchise," and includes more than one hundred links to sources.

To read the report, click here.


And why isn't the MSM all over this? The Rev. Jeremiah Wright is a piker compared to these clowns!

Michelle Bachmann - Minnesota moron without morals

Michelle Bachmann, the moronic U.S. Rep from Minnesota is a "born-again" Christian, and a "true" follower of Jesus. Just ask her.

She is also a moron without morals. Just listen to her speak.

Somehow the connection between her legendary Jesus and the truth got disconnected. Or, what's more likely is that the truth never mattered to Michelle. She may be simply one more representative of those Republican "Christians" for whom the ends justify the means. If you believe your views are god's views, then anything goes.

Michelle the moron said some nasty things awhile back. She suggested that Barack Obama might be "anti-American," and that he palled around with "anti-Americans." That was stupid enough, but she went on to suggest that some members of Congress were "anti-American," and should be investigated for disloyalty to our country. She wasn't able to name any "anti-Americans" in Congress, however.


Since that time, her opponent in Minnesota, Ed Tinklenberg, has raised $1.8 million from donors all over the country to help him defeat the Minnesota Moron. Jane Hamsher at Firedoglake says "That's more in one quarter than any House candidate has raised in any race this year."

The Minnesota Moron is worried. So, like all "good" Republicans, she attacked the character of her opponent. She said that when Tinklenberg "ran" the Minnesota Department of Transportation, "officials called up their cronies and offered them contracts, unbid contracts." In one of her ads she claims that "The Star Trib said he broke the law. And federal authorities called it 'tainted.'"

Ms. Hamsher notes that "MnDot officials hired outside consultants without required approval from the Department of Administration. They also violated a requirement to have project funding in place before signing a contract. But the stories did not claim Tinklenberg broke the law" as per the claim by Moron.

Additionally, says Ms. Hamsher, the Office of the Legislative Auditor checked out the contract and in a 2003 report criticized MnDot but also five other state agencies "for not always following state statutes, guidelines or effective management principles."

"But," Ms. Hamsher notes, "the report did not suggest any crimes were committed, and Tinklenberg's name was never mentioned."

Minnesota Moron lied again!


One of the nice things about being a Minnesota Moron is you can say pretty much whatever your little mind comes up with and actually believe you are making sense.

Again, from Jane Hamsher: "Bachmann is also taking credit for falling gas prices."

Here's what the Minnesota Moron with the small brain said:

"Gas was $2.04 a gallon today and that was my goal when I started out earlier this year. My goal was to have us get to $2 ... today in the district it's $2.04 so we're almost there."


Yup. Michelle Bachmann, the Minnesota Moron, brought down the price of gasoline in her Minnesota district.

Wow!

Barack Obama - HOPE IS IN THE AIR!

Tonight, in an absolutely superb documentary, Senator Barack Obama held up before the American people and the world, not merely his agenda as president, but hope for a country clutched in the grip of despair.

This intelligent, articulate, educated gentleman provided us a closer look at what it is that makes him so special.

In the video there were no slurs or smears against John McCain or Sarah Palin. While he did refer to the past eight deplorable years, he didn't attack the character of George W. Bush. In place of smears, he showed us what he is made of, what his priorities are, and specifically how he planned to put those priorities into actions that will benefit, not just the wealthiest among us or the global corporations, but all of us -- the American people -- in particular, the middle-class.

Senator Obama showed us that he understands what we, as regular folks, are going through. His background and his struggle to overcome the many obstacles in his way to manhood, to an education, to a career, is different from most of us, not in substance, but merely in specifics. Senator Obama is one of us in a very real sense; born, not to wealth or position, but a child of the heartland; reared in the values of his faith by people of conscience who loved and served their country.

The contrast between the Obama/Biden ticket and the McCain/Palin ticket could not have been drawn any sharper. For months, we have heard nothing but slanderous lies from both John McCain and Sarah Palin. In almost every speech by each of them, they have spuriously attacked the character of Barack Obama. As for policy proposals, we've heard "Drill, baby, drill!" and "Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran," and not a whole lot else.


There is no doubt that George W. Bush will go down in history as one of the worst, if not the worst, presidents in our history. The past eight years have been a time of darkness, of deceit, of concealment, of constitutional derailment, of judicial calamity, of financial catastrophe and of human despair. We've lived with a government that has governed in the shadows, has shredded our constitution, has preemptively invaded a sovereign country under false pretenses, and has spilled the blood of literally millions of people for no good reason.


Tonight Senator Barack Obama showed us a way back to the light, a way to dissipate the darkness. It was glorious! It was splendiforous!

HOPE IS IN THE AIR!

Sarah Palin should withdraw from the McCain ticket

No one represents the Republican "culture of corruption" in Alaska more than the reprehensible Senator Ted Stevens.

Sarah Palin has long been a friend and supporter of Ted Stevens.

Contrary to the portrait Palin paints of herself, she has also been very much part of Alaska's "culture of corruption." As National Affairs says, Palin "...not only owes her governorship to Stevens' throaty endorsement, but as recently as 2005 served as the director of 'Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service' 527 group.

The Anchorage Daily News has a video which includes a "last-minute 2006 campaign commercial in which Stevens passes the baton to Palin's 'new generation' of leadership, asking his fellow Alaskans to 'help Sarah become governor, which we all want to see.'"

Another later segment of the video includes Steven's saying "Hell, I don't know if you know it but when Frank Murkowski was first elected, this lady and I ... traveled around the state for two weeks. We've know each other a long time. Worked together a long time."

Further along yet, Palin says "I have great respect for the senator.... His voice, his experience, his passion needs to be heard across America. So that Alaska can contribute more. So that we can be producers. So that we can help lead the rest of the U.S. ..."


Fast-forward to late October 2008.

Palin is calling upon Stevens to resign his Senate seat. "After being found guilty on seven felony counts, I had hoped Senator Stevens would take the opportunity to do the statesmen-like thing and erase the cloud that is covering his Senate seat. He has not done so."

She went on to say that even if the voters re-elect him next week, he should "step aside to allow a special election to give Alaskans a real choice of who will serve them in Congress."


Well, now. Stevens was convicted of lying about gifts and services he received from VECO, an Alaskan oil services company. Palin had the gall to say that the company's influence "was part of the culture of corruption that I was elected to fight." Hmm. Seems to me that Palin herself, along with her cronies, have accepted money from VECO in the past.

Not only so, but Palin has just been judged to have abused her power as the governor of Alaska, and she is currently under investigation for additional, similar charges. She is known to have extended the so-called "culture of corruption" by hiring friends and cronies for state office in spite of the fact they were not qualified for the positions involved.


It is therefore obvious that, Sarah Palin, who pals around with convicted felons, and is herself convicted of abuse of power, ought to resign the McCain ticket so that Republicans, at least, will have a "real choice" as to who they want as a vice presidential candidate!

Palin's propensity for lying continues

The "Christian" governor of Alaska, placed in that office with the help of prayers by an African pentecostal witch doctor, just cannot stop lying about her political opponent, Barack Obama.

In State College, Pennsylvania, she dropped the "palling around with terrorists" bit to take up a new lie. She told her adoring crowd that in 2001 Obama said that the Supreme Court's "failure to take up the redistribution of wealth" was "a great tragedy."

That is not true!


Here's the real story:

Between 1998 and 2002, Obama made three appearances on a talk show called Odyssey, produced by Chicago Public Radio. According to Kris Broughton at Open Salon, the producer of the show, Josh Andrews, said that "Obama participated in discussions on the evolution of the right to vote, the politics of electoral redistricting, and the uneasy relationship between slavery and the constitution in early America."

Palin's reference derives from excerpts of a discussion on January 18, 2001. Here's what Obama actually said:

"You know, if you look at the victories and failures of the civil rights movement and its litigation strategy in the court, I think where it succeeded was to invest formal rights in previously dispossessed peoples, so that I would now have the right to vote, I would now be able to sit at a lunch counter and order - as long as I could pay for it I'd be okay.

"But the Supreme Court never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth and sort of more basic issues of political and economic justice in this society. And to that extent, as radical as I think people try to characterize the Warren Court, it wasn't that radical.

"It didn't break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers and the Constitution, at least as it has been interpreted, and the Warren Court interpreted it in the same way, that generally the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties, says what the states can't do to you, says what the federal government can't do to you, but it doesn't say what the federal government or the state government must do on your behalf.

"And that hasn't shifted, and one of the, I think, the tragedies of the civil rights movement was because the civil rights movement became so court focused. I think that there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributive change, and in some ways we still suffer from that."

There is much more to this interview which you can read here.


What is immediately obvious and significant is that, in fact, Obama does NOT say that the Supreme Court's failure to consider the redistribution of wealth is a tragedy. In other words, to repeat myself, PALIN IS LYING!

Now, it's possible she read that interview and couldn't understand it. She's not the brightest bulb in the chandelier. The interview in question shows Obama to be a careful and nuanced thinker who has actually thought through some of the important questions of our time. It has become quite obvious that Palin doesn't even know what those questions are!

But I think she's just reading stuff the McCain nasties have written for her. She's the attack dog, remember. McCain uses her so he doesn't have to get his hands quite so dirty.

Palin the prevaricator

Sarah Palin, the Christian theocrat who believes God has ordained her to be not only the governor of Alaska, but the president of the United States in these "end-times," has, as we have noted numerous times before, no ethical core.

In other words, she knows not the truth, nor does she care about the truth. She is one of those so-called "Christians" for whom the end justifies the means. If her god fails to respond to the "prayer warriors" pleading for her victory, and is unable to put her a heartbeat away from the Oval Office, she will just have to help out her god.

Thus, on Sunday, she repeated for the third time the lie that Senator Barack Obama has rented a stadium in which to hold a victory celebration following the election.

"...the stadium that he's already rented out for what he would hope to be his victory party that he's planned," cried Palin to the crowd which responded with boos.


There's nothing wrong with renting out a stadium, of course. But that's not what Palin was about. When you have no program or proposals to attract voters, you're left with only one possible road to victory - the low road - which Palin walks with ease: You attack the character of your opponent.

Thus, Palin repeats this lie in an attempt to portray Obama, in the words of Scott Conroy of CBS News, as "arrogant and presumptuous."


Palin knows, however, that she is telling a lie. Obama never rented out a stadium. He intends to hold a post-election celebration in Chicago, at Hutchinson Field at the south end of Grant Park.

Palin is a prevaricator.

John McCain fighting - but going down!

[Photo of McCain supporters waiting to be roused]









From telegraph.co.uk news:

"In heated exchanges the Republican presidential candidate made clear that he will not tolerate the blame game that some of his aides have engaged in over the last week as Barack Obama retains a comfortable lead in national and swing state polls.

"Mr. McCain's aides have been labelled 'incontinent' for leaks last week that revealed failing morale in his inner circle and mutual recrimination about his lacklustre campaign. Mr. McCain has now rolled out a defiant new stump speech in Colorado, where he roused a 5,000 strong crowd with a call to arms, making clear that if he to to go down, he will go down fighting."


Several things:

How can you run anything BUT a lacklustre campaign when you have a lacklustre candidate? The only people really excited about John McCain seem to be the racists and haters, the anti-gays and super-Christians who see McCain, not as a viable candidate, but the only one to stop the "Muslim terrorist" Obama who, they fear, will bring an end to the American way of life [read "white rule"].

It is never good to blame the people (many of which are volunteers) when things go wrong. McCain should shoulder the blame himself and express sympathy for those who have worked all these months to see it all go up in flames.

Obama, without any recruiting, attracted 100,000 people to a rally in Denver, and seemed almost stunned by the turnout. McCain, the lacklustre candidate, "roused a 5,000 strong crowd" -- soporific, no doubt, from reading McCain campaign literature.

I really don't care how McCain goes down -- sleeping, scratching, clawing, crying, fighting -- just so long as he goes down!

The Wall Street Bailout Fallout

The following comes from an article by Amey Stone, titled "Eight Ways the Wall Street bailout is adding insult to injury."

1) It is estimated that $70 billion of the $700 billion bailout will go as bonuses to bankers this year. Ms. Stone says "the goal was to provide funds to shore up banks' capital bases so they would start lending again. It wasn't to help them fund the bonus pool." Oops.

2) The person in charge of dispersing this pile of bailout moola is "Neel Kashkari, a 35-year old former Goldman Sachs whiz kid who believes in free markets." Isn't that sort of like hiring an awfully young fox to guard the chicken coop?

3) AIG received an $85 billion line of credit. Soon thereafter, the company held a $440,000 retreat at the St. Regis resort in Monarch Beach, California. Another retreat was planned, but cancelled when the project was leaked to the press.

4) How about ex-bankers getting bonuses to stay at the banks "that acquired their divisions in bankruptcy proceedings?" Yup. Some Lehman ex-bankers getting money to keep their jobs.

5) A number of CEOs of firms that failed got fired, but...they got a few million buckeroos to help them over the rough spots.

6) Pity the poor CEOs who screwed up, like Leman's ex-boss, Richard Fuld, who's lying awake at nights wondering what he did wrong. And poor Alan Greenspan. Pity poor Alan, who "made a mistake." About 8 gazillion people are suffering from Greenspan's mistake...how 'bout a little pity and a few mil for them?

7) If you thought the banks had to use the largess they received in the bailout to help the economy, think again. They can do any damn thing they want with it, like "buying other banks -- not adding it to the lending pool so they can make more loans and end the credit squeeze."

8) And guess who really wins - the lawyers!


Read all of Ms. Stone's article here - and weep!

Is Sarah Palin a socialist?

[Drawing of the Alaska State House in Juneau]

That may sound like a silly question. Of course, Sarah Palin is no socialist! She is a capitalist from Nome to Rome (Georgia, that is!).

Or maybe she doesn't know the difference.


Lately, we've heard Ms. Palin take off on Senator Barack Obama for his off-hand statement to Sam the Plumber (who hasn't paid his taxes!) about "sharing the wealth." Obama's comment was perfectly legitimate as it was in reference to the place of taxes in a democratic society, but it has been mutiliated beyond recognition by the McCain campaign in another attempt to slur Obama and paint him as a "socialist" who would take money from your pocket to give to the lazy and undeserving poor.

Palin's rallying cry of late has including mocking Obama for wanting to "spread the wealth." She curls her lip and sneers about "Barack the wealth spreader."


Steve Benen at the Washington Monthly says these attacks are filled with irony, for as noted by Ryan Powers:

"Just last month, in an interview with Philip Gourevitch of the New Yorker, Palin explained the windfall profits tax that she imposed on the oil industry in Alaska as a mechanism for ensuring that Alaskans 'share in the wealth' generated by oil companies. [...]

"In fact, Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share (ACES) program, which manages the redistribution of oil wealth in Alaska, brings in so much money that the state needs no income or sales tax. In addition, this year ACES will provide every Alaska with a check for an estimated $3,200."


Back to Benen: "I realize that even McCain, Palin, and Fox News don't take this 'socialism' nonsense seriously, and that this is just rhetoric borne of desperation. McCain has always struggled with new ideas and a changing world, so it stands to reason he'd rely on a red scare as his closing argument.

"But the truth is, Sarah Palin's Alaska is about as close to socialism as America gets. ..."

The threat of violence and the McCain campaign

August 13, 2008. A gunman shot dead Bill Gwatney, the Democratic Party chairman, in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Later in August, Federal authorities arrested three people in Colorado with a weapons cache. At least one of these clowns said the weapons were part of a plot to assassinate Barack Obama. The feds, incredibly, said this "plot" was never a credible threat to the Senator.

Ryan Powers, at Think Progress, tells how, last Friday, "two staffers for Judy Feder, the Democratic nominee for Virginia's 10th congressional district, were assaulted by two individuals accompanying Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA). Feder's staffers were trying to ask Wolf about his support for Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) proposed $5,000 health care tax credit. Wolf stood idly by as the assault took place. Lowell Feld at Raising Kaine described the encounter:

"The first Feder staffer was hit with a cane and then punched. The second staffer ... was pinned to a wall and forcibly held there. All of this took place in the presence of Congressman Wolf, who stood by and did nothing to intervene."

Yesterday, October 26, ATF agents halted another neo-Nazi skinhead project which included shooting and/or decapitating 102 black people in Tennessee, a national killing spree, and the assassination of Senator Obama.


Perhaps we should not be surprised. At McCain/Palin rallies around the country, some of their supporters, when Obama's name was mentioned, yelled "Kill him!," "terrorist," "Obama bin Laden," and other slurs, one Minnesota woman telling McCain that Obama was "an Arab."

McCain and Palin have continually and falsely accused Obama of "palling around with terrorists." Palin, in particular, has expanded on that, claiming that Obama does not believe in America, that he doesn't care about "real" Americans, that he wants to talk to our enemies instead of bombing them into oblivion. Palin has over and over again called into question Obama's patriotism.


In his book, Constantine's Sword, James Carroll notes how, "In 1998, a young gay man, Matthew Shepard, was murdered in Wyoming. His killers had tortured him and, in effect, crucified him by hanging him on a fence. They smashed his skull. This incident occurred amid heated anti-gay campaigns, some conducted by Christian groups.

The question poses itself: What is the relationship between violent attacks on homosexuals and open contempt for homosexuals expressed by respectable people and organizations?" [My emphasis]

Let's revise the question: What is the relationship between violent attacks (or plots to exercise violence) on a political candidate and open contempt for that candidate expressed by respectable people and organizations?

Carroll quotes Frank Rich, a columnist for The New York Times: "It's a story as old as history. Once any group [liberals? Democrats? Blacks? Jews? Arabs? Muslims?] is successfully scapegoated as a subhuman threat to 'normal' values by a propaganda machine, emboldened thugs take over."


Unfortunately, I don't think the McCain people give a damn, but they ought, at least, to consider the potential liaison between their rhetoric and the unnerving of a nation as well as the unleashing of those with a propensity for violence as a means of resolving conflict.

McCain's falsehood about founder of eBay

From Satyam Khanna at Think Progress.


We have all heard McCain brag about one of his "economic" advisers, eBay CEO Meg Whitman. McCain has even suggested that he might chose her to be Secretary of the Treasury.

We have all heard McCain speak of Ms. Whitman as the "founder" of eBay.

We have come to realize that much of the time, McCain doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.

In fact, as reported by the Huffington Post: "Whitman joined eBay as CEO in 1998, three years after it was founded by Pierre Omidyar, a Barack Obama supporter."

Mine has nothing to do with King Solomon

Biblical scholars and archaeologists have known for a number of years that archaeology cannot and does not confirm any ancient biblical records. Archaeology cannot "confirm" a world-wide flood, the existence of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob or any of the colorful biblical characters.

Archaeology cannot confirm Jews in Egypt. There is absolutely no evidence of an "exodus." The evidence actually points in another direction - that the "exodus" is a folk tale based on theological needs, not historical events. The Egyptians kept detailed records and nowhere do we read of a large body of Jews in Egypt. If the biblical stories of Joseph and Moses were "historical," surely the Egyptians would have their own version. If there were a series of plagues, or a parting of the Sea of Reeds, the Egyptians would have noted both, if for no other reason than their remarkability. In fact, at the time of the Exodus, the Egyptians had police stations throughout the Sinai Peninsula all the way up to Palestine. Hundreds of thousands of Israelites wandering through the desert would have hardly escaped Egyptian notice.

More relative to our discussion is the fact that absolutely no evidence of any kind has been found to confirm that Israel was a large, powerful kingdom under one King Solomon in the 10th century BCE. Again, if anything, the evidence points to the contrary.


Nevertheless, fundamentalist Christians and others cling to their desires in hopes they are true. If the bible is the "word" of God, how could it be any different? If there is no evidence for the patriarchs or for the kingly and wise Solomon, it isn't that there is no evidence, it's that evidence has not yet been found.

That's why, when an archaeological discovery is made which has even the most tenuous connections with a biblical story, it is trumpeted in the religious and secular press as something much more than it really is.


Here's today's contribution to that lingering hope.

"Researchers led by Thomas Levy of the University of California, San Diego, and Mohammad Najjar of Jordan's Friends of Archaeology, discovered a copper-producing center in southern Jordan that dates to the 10th century B.C., the time of Solomon's reign. ... Located south of the Dead Sea, the region was known in the Old Testament as Edom."

This site has been dug for years, and 20 or 30 years ago researchers uncovered evidence that metalworking at taken place there in the 7th BCE, some 300 years after the legendary King Solomon is said to have reigned.

Now, Levy and Najjar, after further digging, have found seeds and sticks dating to the 10th century BCE.

This leads Levy to announce, "We can't believe everything ancient writings tells us. But this research represents a confluence between the archaeological and scientific data and the Bible."


Oh, if it were only so. Actually, it does nothing of the kind. His sticks and seeds provide no connection whatsoever to the fictional King Solomon, nor does it tell us anything of Israel or the Israelites in the 10th century BCE, or anything else biblical.

Mr. Levy is wrong. Archaeologists have found sticks and seeds from the 10th century BCE, and some Egyptian artifacts. That's it. To claim this confirms the existence of King Solomon, or Israel as a world powerhouse, or anything from biblical folklore is merely wishful thinking.

Defending the indefensible - Sarah Palin

On yesterday's talk shows, Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham "defended" the indefensible Sarah Palin.

John McCain on "Meet the Press" with Tom Brokaw, said, among other things:

Sarah Palin has already returned a third of the clothes bought for her by the RNC. (Wait, Sarah said most of them were still on the plane! And to where did she return them? Needless to say, Brokaw, who thinks McCain's the "best," did not ask those questions.)

Sarah Palin lives a "frugal" life, said McCain. She and her family are not wealthy. (Remember, now, that wealthy to John McCain means you make $5 million a year!)

"I don't defend her, I praise her," said McCain. "She is a role model to millions and millions and millions of Americans." (McCain did not elaborate on what kind of role model she was.)


Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), was even more fawning that McCain. But then, Graham is a bit...you know...fawning himself. Actually, it appears that Graham is living in some alternative reality. On ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," he said that Palin has actually benefited the GOP ticket! "Sarah," said Graham, has "energized our base better than anybody we could have picked, and we needed that."


Oh hum.

Let's see how Palin is energizing the base ("base" being a euphemism for "mad dogs"). Sam Stein, writing at the Huffington Post put it this way:

"Sarah Palin had a few memorable moments during her campaign stop in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday. But the most eye-opening of them all came, it would appear, when the Alaska Governor somehow drew a connection between Barack Obama's tax policy and an encroaching, nightmarish, communist government. The Illinois Democrat, she hysterically suggested, would, through his proposals, create a country 'where the people are not free.'"

Here's part of Palin's speech:

"See, under a big government, more tax agenda, what you thought was yours would really start belonging to somebody else, to everybody else. If you thought your income, your property, your inventory, youir investments were, were yours, they would really collectively belong to everybody. Obama, Barack Obama has an ideological commitment to higher taxes, and I say this based on his record ... Higher taxes, more government, misuing the power to tax leads to government moving into the role of some believing that government then has to take care of us. And government kind of moving into the role as the other half of our family, making decisions for us. Now, they do this in other countries where the people are not free. Let us fight for what is right. John McCain and I, we will put out trust in you."



I'm not sure if Mr. Stein is aware that these are the talking points of the extremist Christian right. This is the crap (and it is all CRAP!) that comes right out of the James Dobson camp. Sarah Palin is simply mimicking what her mentors want her to say, those mentors who believe God is helping them put Sarah Palin in the White House (eventually) to preside over the "end-times" when Jesus comes back to kill all the infidels and establish a righteous government.


Mr. Stein points out how ignorant Palin really is. The McCain/Palin ticket supports a progressive tax system..."In fact, back in 2000, the Arizona Republican said rich people paid more in taxes because they could affort to do so.

"'I think the first people who deserve a tax cut are working Americans with children that need to educate their children, and they're the ones that I would support tax cuts for first."

Hmmm. Maybe McCain's changed his mind. While he still supports a progressive tax system, it shouldn't be too "progressive." He has vowed to extend the Bush tax package which brings relief to the rich on the backs of the poor and middle class.


In the end, though, you have to jump through a lot of insane hoops to defend Sarah Palin. It would be hard to find a vice presidential candidate within recent memory who is as sullenly and stubbornly ignorant and hateful and deceitful as she is. Even Dan Quayle doesn't come close.

Barack went to Denver...

Senator Barack Obama went to Denver, Colorado...to Denver's Civic Center Park.

ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND people showed up to see him and hear him speak about hope and politics without fear, and the kinds of changes which will provide "real" Americans -- that's all of us -- the opportunity to once again live in peace upon the land and share in the American dream.


Meanwhile, John McCain, in a TV interview with his dear friend and defender, Tom Brokaw, said the McCain/Palin ticket was going to win this election. McCain was serious. I think. It's hard to tell, because those hard, black eyes keep blinking and twitching and staring into space, and his face goes through myriads of contortions...

Then, right after the interview with Brokaw, McCain stepped outside to be greeted by a throng of two and a half, quite rumpled, people. They held up little tin cups. McCain shoved past them, knocking them to the ground, got into his limousine and drove away.

Nah...I made that last part up. Just funnin' folks. You know, like a real Amurrican.

But it could have happened that way.

The Intelligentsia v. McCain/Palin

This from PZ Myers at Pharyngula.


"Elitism is not a four-letter word. ...

"Dear friends, In these times, with extremely serious, complicated crises confronting us both economically and internationally, we need to have intelligent, educated people as president & vice president."

Education Background:


Barack Obama:

Columbia University - B.A. (Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.)

Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude. Editor of the Harvard Law Review.


Joseph Biden:

University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.

Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)


vs.


John McCain:

United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899


Sarah Palin:

Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuksa-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

Barack's "inaugural" address

The McCain campaign and its supporters in the media are becoming more frantic and more frenetic in these last days - or, as Ms. Palin might say, "the end-times."

It may have started with Palin, but I don't think so. A McCainiac would have had to spoon-feed her the information. Or maybe it started with McCain. The New York Times jumped on the bandwagon along with CBS News and then yesterday, late, AOL News came out with a bitter and caustic piece about it.

"It" is the faux inaugural address that Barack Obama is supposed to have written already, showing, of course, that he so presumptive, is such an elitist, is so anxious to usurp power, that, indeed, he is so power hungry, that, as McCain said before, he's already measuring the drapes in the White House! How dare he?


Well, "It" is all bullshit! The NYT, which may be the place all this BS started, reported that "Mr. [John] Podesta has been mapping out the transition so systematically that he has already written a draft Inaugural Address for Mr. Obama, which he published this summer in a book called The Power of Progress."

Palin, in a very recent speech, said something to the effect that for Mr. Obama to write an inaugural speech before the actual election was highly presumptive, the implication being, again, that there's something wrong with his character.

McCain said, "There's ten days left in this election, maybe Barack Obama will even have his first State of the Union address ready before you head to the polls. I guess I'm a little old fashioned about these things. I'd prefer to let the voters weigh in before presuming the outcome."

What a crock! McCain's "old-fashioned" all right, but only about things that really matter, like taxes, war, health care, lobbyists, and deregulation of the financial institutions.


THE CHARGE THAT OBAMA HAS WRITTEN HIS INAUGURAL ADDRESS IS FALSE!!!!!

This so-called inaugural address was written by Mr. Podesta for a hypothetical "progressive" candidate, and is, in the words of Matt Yglesias, a "literary conceit." Yglesias also says that "The book was in the works for over a year, and the 'inaugural address' section was submitted to the publisher in March before Obama was the nominee and when, indeed, Podesta was supporting Hillary Clinton's campaign."


But, when you think about it, why wouldn't you want your president to be prepared, especially in light of the fact that the polls indicate he's going to blow the old man and his ignorant sidekick out of the water?

Do you think those actors who win Oscars and run up on stage to accept write their acceptance speeches on the trek from chair to podium? If there was a chance you might be elected as mayor of a little itsy-bitsy town in the wilds of Alaska, don't you think you'd want to write down a possible acceptance speech so you don't stand up in front of your family and friends and sound like a total idiot. [I guess that so far as one Alaskan mayor goes, you wait until you're standing in front of the whole world -- then you prove to everyone that, indeed, you are a total idiot.]

So, I hope that Obama's working on his speech. He should be. It will be an important speech. It represents the beginning of a new American dream after the Republican Party completely destroyed the old one!


What we have here is John McCain and Sarah Palin making another false charge against Obama, attacking his character. It isn't true. But even if their "charge" was true, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being prepared for the future. That, contrary to what McCain/Palin snidely suggest, is a plus for Barack Obama.

The Creation Museum - a monument to ignorance & superstition

A few days ago, I wrote a "mocking" little post on that monument to ignorance and superstition, the Creation Museum, located just south of Cincinnati, in the great state of Kentucky.

A small number of Xtian fundys got their hackles raised and started whining about my lack of biblical understanding and how I needed Jesus and they would keep praying for me so that I would find Jesus (I didn't know he was lost!) and have my sins taken away and live forever in the heavenly realm (wherever that is) with their skygod.

Lest anyone is even a tad confused that the Creation Museum and/or what is oxymoronically called "creation science" is anything more than a scam perpetrated by Xtian fundamentalists who believe they are called to force this nonsense down the throats of our "innocent" little school children, I'm including a link to a post on PZ Myer's blog, Pharyngula, which provides a wealth of information dealing with the Creation Museum and the crap it promotes as science. Myers is an associate professor at the University of Minnesota.

Myers wrote this post on May 27, 2007. His introductory comments follow:

"This week, the creationist Ken Ham and his organization, Answers in Genesis, are practicing the Big Lie. They have spent tens of millions of dollars to create a glossy simulacrum of a museum, a slick imitation of a scientific enterprise veneered over long disproved religious fables, and they are gathering crowds and world-wide attention to the grand opening of their edifice of deceit. You can now take a photographic tour of the exhibits and see for yourself--it's not science at all, but merely a series of Bible stories dolled up in dioramas.

"The blogosphere is also giving them some attention -- almost none of it favorable. What I've done here is collect recent reactions from all over to the Creation Museum, and compile[d] them down into a link and a short and (I hope) representative extract. Browse through this long, long list, and when you find some quote that tickles your interest, follow the link to find the complete article. The National Center for Science Education has also compiled reactions from journalists, educators, scientists, and scientific organizations for yet more reading on the subject."


There are many links in Myers' post. If, however, you've been fooled by this pseudo-scientific, religious hokum, you should seriously consider reading through at least some of the material that is available.

One last thing: One gentleman asked if I had visited the Creation Museum, as if that would make a difference in my outlook. No, I have not. For one thing, I have not felt the need, as I've studied carefully material made available by the museum and have no interest in looking at what Myers calls "Bible stories dolled up in dioramas." Pictures of these dioramas are enough, thank you.

The other reason I won't soon visit the Creation Museum is the same reason I quit reading Mickey Mouse comic books years ago. I have no need for such fantasies as a grown-up adult.

You will find Myers' blog post here.

P.S. I "borrowed" the above photo from Pharyngula.

Freedom - GOP Style

[Reince Priebus photo, by Jon Massie, 2004]

The chairman of the Wisconsin Repugnican Party has, according to The Chicago Tribune, "accused the Racine school district of bolstering Obama's campaign by selecting a book that includes excerpts from the Democrat's 1995 autobiography 'Dreams from My Father' and his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention."

Reince Priebus, the GOP fanatic who believes he has the right to censor public school textbooks, said "These are [impressionable] kids. Using taxpayers' dollars to promote one candidate over the other is an abuse of power."


Hmm. Let's see, if Mr. Priebus is correct, then all textbooks that contain mention of or writings by John McCain would have to be excised. Or take it back to the primaries: All textbooks who so much as mention the numerous Republican wannabees or the Clintons or the other Democratic aspirants, would also have to be excised.

Mr. Priebus also forgot to mention how his own Repugnican Party has striven mightily to censor textbook selections in states like Florida, Texas and California. The Repugnicans targeted those states because of their size and because as they go so goes most of the other school districts in the country.

Unfortunately, in Wisconsin, this Priebus moron got his way and the publisher of the book in question, Houghton Mifflin, caved.

Christine Bowman, writing at Buzzflash chastises the moron:

"Whether you like it or not, Mr. Priebus, Barack Obama is a significant figure in American history. Like it or not, Mr. Priebus, the keynote address Obama delivered in 2004 was historic and merits study. Like it or not, Mr. Priebus, your job as Republican party chair for Wisconsin does not call for intimidation of school districts and book publishers.

"As for Houghton Mifflin? Their knee-jerk cave-in is ridiculous.

Bowman also notes, via The Chicago Tribune, that the excerpt under scrutiny is "in an optional chapter in a unit about diversity. In it, he writes about feeling out of place in his Hawaiian classroom because he didn't look like his classmates.

"Publisher Houghton Mifflin Co. has said the excerpt was chosen in 2005, before Obama announced his White House bid..."


Priebus, like so many Repugs, think they have some mandate from god and can reorder the universe to conform to their deranged minds. Pretty soon, if these clowns have their way, we'll have to excise all reference to FDR in our public school textbooks because it was under his administration that the New Deal started and you know how awful that has turned out what with giving help and aid to the poor and needy. Can't have that, can we, Repugs?

And Houghton Miffllin should hang its corporate head in shame!

The McCain Campaign unravels and Palin's a "rogue"

A "rogue" is an "unprincipled person; a scoundrel."

One of McCain's campaign aides called Sarah Palin a rogue or said she was "going rogue." Same difference.

Those who work in the McCain camp are turning on each other. Some of McCain's campaign workers, seeing the writing on the wall, have sent their resumes off to other, more attractive enterprises.

According to a report by AOL News (written by CNN reporters Dana Bash, Peter Hamby, Ed Hornick and John King), McCain's people are "frustrated" because Palin "has gone off message several times," e.g., on McCain's decision to pull out of Michigan, and on robo calls. There is some concern that she may have decided this campaign is over, and she's prepping herself for a future run at the White House.

One McCain "source" said: "She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone. She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else."

Whew! That's heady stuff.

Palin's associates disagree, naturally, and say that Palin feels she was "mismanaged" from the beginning and she's merely trying to take control of "her message." But why should "her message" be different from McCain's message?

According to the CNN people who wrote the article, this kind of infighting is not new and they cite several campaigns in recent memory where similar things happened.

That does, not, however, mitigate the fact that the McCain campaign is a mess. Or as one "senior adviser" told CNN: "This is what happens with a campaign that's behind, it brings out the worst in people fingerpointing and scapegoating."

It does? This is inevitable? I don't think so. I think it shows McCain's choice of Palin was disastrous. It think it shows McCain's own people have lost faith in him. I think it shows their loyalty may not have been all that strong to begin with. McCain has always gathered people around him because of what he could do for them, e.g., lobbyists - and his campaign is stacked with lobbyists!

It appears McCain's going to lose this election big-time. McCain will not longer represent a means to the Federal treasury. Their source of goodies is going down the tubes, and the rats are deserting the sinking ship, blaming one another for the looming disaster.

Sure is fun to see, though.