Obama's Secret Weapon

As soon as the first debate between Obama and McCain ended and the wives came onstage everyone where I was watching the debate stood up and started talking. Damn, I missed the best part. I missed John McCain’s discomfort as he shook Obama’s hand not even wanting to look him in the face (which I heard about later on the radio). Plus, I missed catching a view of our potential first ladies.

While we Obama fans felt happy and confident that he had won, an excellent thing since the foreign policy debate was a "have to win" for McCain. At best all they can possibly claim is a tie. On the Huffington Post relationship experts Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks write, The Obama Relationship: A Major Benefit Nobody’s Talking About, and suggest that Obama has an asset that we’ve been neglecting.

“For example, Michelle and Barack do something we've never seen before in a presidential couple: they actually look directly at each other when they're speaking to each other. They also laugh at each other's humor, and they allow their sexual attraction for each other to be visible. Contrast that with other presidential marriages, in which the sexual attraction to each other was not visible but their sexual attraction to others became highly visible. Michelle and Barack talk openly about their feelings for each other. They're real.”

Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks

More great photos: The Black Snob

Hasta Siempre ~ Che Guevara

Recent events involving the economy remind me that Che Guevara once said he envied the revolutionary youth of America because we lived in the belly of the beast.

Why is it that we have trillions of dollars for Wall Street and we have trillions of dollars for war but we have nothing for health care, education or housing?

Here is beautiful Nathalie Cardone singing the Cuban song honoring Che Guevara, Hasta Siempre, Until Always.

Nathalie Cardone - Hasta Siempre

Polar Bears For Obama

Keep those polar bears on

the endangered species list or I'll shoot!

Here I am in the great north. I nearly forgot I was a gun totin' Alaskan woman myself at one time. I spent the summer of 1980 in Alaska working in the Salmon Industry. Not to worry, its not a real gun. The picture was taken in the Anchorage Woolworth's on my first day in Alaska. Honest, I did not kill the wolf whose skin is hanging on the side of that cabin.

Polar Bears For Obama Buttons Now Available from Cafe Press

A Poem For the First Day of Autumn

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

AUTUMN.

The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I'll put a trinket on.

A Musical Observation of Autumn Equinox

Eva Cassidy's Autumn Leaves, is melancholy but lovely. It does not exactly reflect the feeling of welcome relief I feel when the hot weather and tourists dissipate and crisp days of fresh fruit and bright leaves arrive. Yet I welcome her poignant song of remembering love and loss as another year swirls past me like leaf on the air.

Eve Cassidy ~ Autumn Leaves

Live at Blues Alley

The Obama CD

The Obama Campaign has Just Released a CD

It is available to purchase or download
from the Obama website store.

"artists supporting Barack Obama teamed up to create a new CD that taps into the campaign’s universal themes of hope, unity and change. The disc, titled Yes We Can: Voices of a Grassroots Movement, includes a collection of artists from across genres, including such renowned performers as Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Adam Levine from Maroon 5 and John Legend. Through their musical contributions, the artists seek to mobilize voters in the final stretch before the November election. Many of the artists involved will also be volunteering their time to promote voter registration."

1. Eternity - Lionel Richie
2. Signed Sealed Delivered - Stevie Wonder
3. Waiting On The World To Change - John Mayer
4. American Prayer - Dave Stewart
5. Battle Cry - Shontelle
6. Make It Better - Los Lonely Boys
7. Pride In The Name Of Love - John Legend
8. I Have A Dream - BeBe Winans
9. Am I All Alone - Suai
10. One Is The Magic # - Jill Scott
11. Love & Hope - Ozomatli
12. Looking East - Jackson Browne
13. Out of Our heads - Sheryl Crow
14. Promised Land - Malik Yusef with Kanye West and Adam Levine of Maroon 5
15. Hold On - Yolanda Adams
16. America The Beautiful - Keb' Mo'
17. America - Ken Stacey
18. Wide River - Buddy Miller

Keb' Mo America The Beautiful

Keb' Mo appearing in the last episode of West Wing

Barack Obama is Already President!

Here is a positive approach from Dr. Susan Corso as found of Huffington Post. I've never been very good at doing anything at a regular time every day but I think she has a point. OK everybody take a deep breath and resist giving in to fear.

Barack Obama is Already President!

This election is not about the woman who could be president, it's about the man who will be president. It's time to put down the fear.

At various times of crisis in the history of this country, people have gathered in spiritual agreement to help make a particular desire become a reality. Here's my vision:

It's January 21, 2009. High noon. The capitol of our nation is breathtakingly cold, but pristine clear. Blue skies. Not a cloud in sight. Those gathered are humming with joyful energy.

The 44th President of the United States of America is about to be sworn in. The stunning Michelle Obama stands proudly holding the Bible. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, stands to administer the Oath of Office. Right hand raised, left hand on the Bible, the 44th President says:

"I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God."

At 9/11, during Hurricane Katrina and the California wildfires, Americans were of one heart and miracles happened.

If you want this particular man to be No. 44, from now on gather nightly between 10 and 11 PM and join with the rest of us who want the same thing to see the change we wish to make real in our world. ~ Dr. Susan Corso

John McCain ~ Johnny Rotten

John McCain ~ AP photo

But enough about Sarah Palin it is John McCain we need to defeat. Years ago I thought that if we got stuck with John McCain at least he might stop torture. Alas, he has voted along with George Bush on using torture. When I really lost all respect for John McCain was when I heard the speech he made in support of George W. Bush at the Republican Convention in 2004. He licked Bush's shoelaces. It was disgusting.

John McCain

Alaskan Women Against Palin

Smart Alaskan Woman

I know, I know, I said I was going to stop blogging about Sarah Palin but this is too good. The women of Alaska came out enforce in Anchorage Saturday (in what turned out to be possibly the largest protest in the history of Alaska) to show that Sarah Palin does NOT speak for them.

Alaska Women Reject Palin Rally

And She Calls Herself "Pro-Life"?

I'm going to have to quit blogging about Sarah Palin before a have an apoplectic fit but before I do here is just one last tid-bit from the Defenders of Wildlife. This shows her real commitment to Life and the living.

Defenders of Wildlife: Brutal

Plus Palin does not believe in global warming and is suing to get Polar Bears off the Endangered Species List.

abc news photo

Women Against Palin

I just joined Women Against Palin. Some say that Americans like Palin because they identify with her. They feel like she is "one of us". When they say that do they mean she is "like us" because she is white? or because she is a liar? a Jesus freak? against women's rights?

To Join go to: Women Against Palin

September 11 ~ New York New York

New York, New York ~ Frank Sinatra
with Gene Kelly and Jules Munchin

To commemorate September 11, 2001 here is a song among the 166 songs that radio conglomerate Clear Channel asked its stations NOT to play after September 11, 2001. Click here for other relevant but banned songs arranged as a playlist: September 11 ~ The Rock Opera.

Or Did They Mean This Version?
New York, New York ~ Frank Sinatra

Lipstick on a Pig

Obama "Lipstick on a Pig"

Following the above remark, the McCain campaign demanded Senator Obama apologise for calling Palin a pig. Obviously, as she herself claims, she is not a pig, she is a pit bull. Obama responded, "Enough," he said, "I don't care what they say about me. But I love this country too much to let them take over another election with lies, phony outrage and swiftboat politics." Senator McCain himself used the phrase "Lipstick on a pig" to describe Hillary Clinton's health care plan.

The Fabulous Miss Piggy

Young Turks Direct From The Death Star

Cenk Uygur Wraps Up RNC

The Press has been scaring me lately by pretending that everything is normal and OK at the republican convention. The only real commentary seemed to come from Peggy Noonan when she thought the mic was off. She said, regarding the choice of Palin for VP, "The most qualified? No! I think they went for this -- excuse me-- political bullshit about narratives --" and Chuck Todd said, "This is cynical, and as you called it, gimmicky". We can only wish the press would be as frank on the air as the Young Turk's Cenk Uygur.

Heart Attack!

HEART ~ BARRACUDA

When I heard the Heart song 'Barracuda' played at the Republican Convention after Sarah Palin's speech I could not imagine that Seattle's own Anne & Nancy Wilson had given the McCain/Palin campaign their permission to use the song. Sure enough, I was right. Thursday afternoon the rockin' women of Heart sent an email, "The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission, We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music. We hope our wishes will be honored." But, the Repuplicans played it again after McCain's speech when Sarah "Barracuda" Palin came out just like it was still her theme song.

Here is what Anne & Nancy Wilson have to say, "Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. We ask that our song 'Barracuda' no longer be used to promote her image. The song 'Barracuda' was written in the late 70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women. (The 'barracuda' represented the business.) While Heart did not and would not authorize the use of their song at the RNC, there's irony in Republican strategists' choice to make use of it there." A cease and desist notification has been sent to the McCain/Palin campaign. Said Nancy Wilson of Heart, "I feel completely fucked over."

Cops Go Nuts in St Paul

St. Paul Cops in Cloud of Tear Gas

Protests continue in St Paul the site of the Republican National Convention. Protesters marching toward the convention are being met by tear gas and cops in riot gear. According to CNN about 2,000 people participated in an anti-poverty march today. The police also used pepper spray to control the crowd.

Yesterday houses were surrounded and activists were arrested "pre-emptively". According to Amy Goodman over 10,000 protesters including many Veterans for Peace marched peacefully. A small group of anarchists broke off causing property damage. Journalist Amy Goodman and her producers from Democracy Now! were arrested. Even the Permibus was pulled over and impounded leaving its occupants on the side of the road.

Police Seize Sustainable Living Bus

How Abstinence-only Sex Education Works

Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston

As far as 17-year old Bristol Palin’s pregnancy goes, I might agree with Senator Obama that children of candidates are off the table for discussion except that both Governor Palin and Senator McCain have opposed funding sex education in schools and both favor teaching abstinence-only as the way for young people to avoid pregnancy. I could not resist pointing out just how well this method works.

Freedom of the Press Under Fire

Excerpt From Statement by Democracy Now!

Amy Goodman

Democracy Now! stands by Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar and condemns this action by Twin Cities law enforcement as a clear violation of the freedom of the press and the First Amendment rights of these journalists.

During the demonstration in which they were arrested law enforcement officers used pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion grenades and excessive force. Several dozen others were also arrested during this action.

Amy Goodman is one of the most well-known and well-respected journalists in the United States. She has received journalism’s top honors for her reporting and has a distinguished reputation of bravery and courage. The arrest of Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar is a transparent attempt to intimidate journalists from the nation’s leading independent news outlet.


from Democracy Now!

Amy Goodman Arrested!!!

Journalist Amy Goodman Arrested in St Paul.

If Barack Obama’s Speech in the Denver stadium was reminiscent of the recent Olympic games in Beijing the Republican Convention in St. Paul also reminds us of the Chinese big event with a crackdown on the independent press and brutal intolerance of protest.

Allison Kilkenny reporting on the Huffington Post "Goodman was arrested along with Democracy Now producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. As of 9:15 PM EST, the Ramsey County jail has charged Goodman with "conspiracy to riot" and released her, but is still detaining Kouddous and Salazar. No charges have been pressed against them."

On Salon.com Glenn Greenwald reports, "Beginning last night, St. Paul was the most militarized I have ever seen an American city be, even more so than Manhattan in the week of 9/11 -- with troops of federal, state and local law enforcement agents marching around with riot gear, machine guns, and tear gas cannisters, shouting military chants and marching in military formations. Humvees and law enforcement officers with rifles were posted on various buildings and balconies. Numerous protesters and observers were tear gassed and injured."

"Perhaps most extraordinarily, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now -- the radio and TV broadcaster who has been a working journalist for close to 20 years -- was arrested on the street and charged with "conspiracy to riot."