2008-09-27

Chris Rock reminds Bill Clinton: "HILLARY LOST!"

Dave Letterman interviewed Senator Hillary Clinton supporter -- former U.S. President Bill Clinton -- last week on the David Letterman show. The interview lasted a few segments roughly 35 minutes. Throughout the interview Bill Clinton raved about Hillary Clinton, Bill respectfully acknowledged John McCain's contributions, and even touted John McCain's decision to choose Sarah (duh) Palin, stating the McCain's choice of VP energized both Republican and Democratic Party. What is missing from this scenario? Well comedian Chris Rock followed Bill Clinton on the Letterman show. Chris expressed admiration for Bill's intelligent delivery and knowledge of domestic and international affairs. However when Chris Rock critiqued Bill Clinton about his take on the Presidential race, Chris' eyes lit up and fire spewed out of his mouth (picture right). Chris boldly stated to Letterman that throughout the Bill Clinton interview, Bill never mentioned Senator Barack Obama. Chris then looked at the camera, as if he was looking and talking directly to Bill Clinton, sarcastically shouting: "Hey Bill Clinton: HILLARY LOST! She lost Bill! She flat out lost and is no longer in the Presidential race." Is Bill Clinton still a part of the Democratic Party? How about this: Is Bill another Joe Lieberman?

Bill Clinton appeared on other talk shows that week to promote his annual Clinton Foundation major fund-raising event --"The Clinton Global Initiative." John McCain was one of Bill's guest and I am sure that John and wife Cindy are big contributors. John spoke of the Clinton Global Initiative event being his last 'campaign stop' before to deal with the 'urgent' (and I mean urgent) financial crisis in Washington DC. On last Sunday's Meet the Press (meaning Sunday 9-28-08 - a blog update), Bill Clinton tells Tom Brokaw about his "great admiration and affection for McCain" and further "respects his resilience to continue to serve when most would have been broken by McCain's P.O.W. experience. Bill mentioned about Hillary's respect for McCain's skills telling Bill -- prior to a 'McCain fund-raiser' -- that "John has unlimited potential and Bill should go to the McCain fund-raiser and help John." This is the repoire that the Clintons have with Republican John McCain. Bill Clinton also had a great deal of respect for segregationist from Arkansas the late and former Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright, whom Bill campaigned and worked for in Washington DC during his early "adult" days ---- but that' another story explained in a previous blog, here is the link http://kirktanter.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html.

The previous weekend Bill Clinton goes on the Larry King show to promote the "Clinton Global Initiative" and again we witness Bill's glowingly admiration about McCain. On the Larry King show, Bill felt the need to school Senator Obama by "suggesting" that Obama resist negative campaigning against Bill's friend John. Bill said Obama would be better off first complimenting McCain before stating their differences. Huh? Didn't we just witness Bill Clinton venomously campaigning negatively against Obama for more than a year on behalf of Hillary? Wasn't it Bill's negative yet controversial statements the reason why African-Americans shifted from Hillary to Obama?

The Democratic primary season of 2008 was one of the most negative campaigns in the history of Democratic primaries. And the Clintons as the main culprits. The Hillary campaign race-baited time and time again. We do recall Bill trivializing Obama's landslide South Carolina victory by claiming that "Rev. Jesse Jackson (a Black man & Pro-Black Civil Rights leader) won that primary too." Bill may have forgotten that Rev. Jesse Jackson was born in South Carolina, kind of a hometown favorite. Hillary spoke a few times about the June death of Robert Kennedy as the reason why she stayed in the race when statistically Hillary had already lost. I do not see how the Clinton could not see how they may be interpreted as Senator Obama may be dead by June, and she would then be the nominee. Some went as far to say that Hillary's statement about Kennedy's June on 1968 death, as a possible call out to hit Obama. During the New Hampshire campaign, Bill called the Obama campaign a 'fairy tale'. Hillary 'marginalized' Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sacrificial work in getting the Civil Rights bill signed. I do not think anyone would think that these few examples, amongst many, was a positive campaign. And you think that Senator Obama and his wife should be comfortable with Hilary as Vice President? Hell - to the - NO! Expecting the Clintons support is unlikely. Now is the time to get much needed support now that the voter registration deadline is amongst us, and since June when Obama clinched no mass support has been given to Senator Obama by either of the Clintons. Have you seen the Clintons on 60 minutes, NBC Nightly News, CNN, Fox News, and other major news networks and programs highly touting Senator Obama since June when Obama clinched the Democratic Nomination? Hell no! Let's move on without the Clintons today, and give them the ample time (like a year) to figure out why they LOST.

Short as this blog is for me, I conclude that the Obama campaign needs to bypass dreaming of the "active support PROMISED" by Bill and Hillary Clinton. The Clintons shunning the Obama campaign is clear as the big nose on Bill Clinton's face. Bill nor his wife Hillary have proven by their actions from June through the fast approaching Voter Registration deadlines, that they cannot be trusted by the Obama for America Presidential campaign http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLhuv-kLj_I&feature=related. The Clintons and 'feminists for Hillary', refuse to acknowledge the African-American US Senator from Illinois as their Democratic nominee...period! The Clintons cannot face it. The Clintons and their 'Hillary-only' supporters need to MOVE! Get out the way...get out the way...get out the way! MOVE! Get out the way...get out the way....get out the way! Now! And take Geraldine Ferraro with you.

Geraldine is now a political analyst for Fox News. Yes, FOX-TV 'right-wing' NEWS! Fox TV News knows an allie when they see one. Ferraro recently stated on Fox News that she "only supports the Obama-Biden ticket because Senator Obama selected Joe Biden for VP". Hey Geraldine, Obama is running for President not Joe Biden. If you do not support Senator Obama Geraldine then please MOVE....get out the way! Hillary-supporter Geraldine Ferraro you may recall made the infamous statement during the 2008 Democratic Primary, that "Obama is winning because he is Black". Yeah Geraldine, America wants any ol' Black man for President. I believe these luke-warm Obama campaigners (Bill, Hillary, Geraldine, and Hillary-feminists) have a problem with a Black man as their leader. I would love for a reporter to question the Clintons by opening a question with: "Bill (or Hillary), since Barack Obama is now the leader of your party.....?.

Secondly, neither the Clintons nor Ferraro are worthy of any political legacy-status that the Roosevelts and Kennedys earned. The legacied Obama for America campaign should not expect anything but fake lukewarm support from the Clintons and Geraldine. The danger even lingers of a Clinton-sabotage of the Obama campaign. If Senator Barack Obama wins, then the Illinois Senator changes the country around for the better, Hillary will be too old by 2016 to run for President after Obama's rewarded two terms. Let's face it: the Clintons have much to think about at their age. Obama for America campaign managers should give them a year or so to do just that --- think about it. But please do not allow the Clintons to ponder their legacy fate during this rare shot for an Obama Presidency. Senator Obama, do not trust the Clintons. The Clintons, Joe Lieberman, and Geraldine Ferraro all speak more highly of Arizona's "Republican" Senator John McCain than their own beloved African-American Presidential candidate, the same Obama that outmaneuvered Hillary to win the 2008 Democratic nomination, officially accepting the nomination in front of 90,000 people with 40-million people watching on television.

Staunch Feminists that supported Hillary also have a fate-dilemma to face: Whether to support the African-American that beat Hillary fair and square. In fact, the Clintons do not want their strong feminist support to turn their heads away from them, to go over to the Obama camp. Bill and Hillary have to fear that their feminist supporters may never come back. You know that old Arkansas saying: "Once you go black...you'll never go back".

The Clintons further consider Republican candidate John McCain their friend. The same John McCain that voted against the Martin Luther King holiday in McCain's home State of Arizona http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39DJqI8puV0&feature=related. But the Clintons see that McCain vote as much too trivial a feat, not to compliment their friend John McCain. African-Americans though do not forget, nor respect McCain for that vote against Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. No tour of apology is accepted.

If you read between the dirty lines, Cindy McCain funnels money through the Clinton foundation and then John McCain promotes the Clinton foundation to every American and people around the world. Early this week we heard John suspend his campaign -- for a few days -- after the annual Clinton foundation fundraiser. Put two and two together people. Even the Republicans do not respect McCain's grand-standing, but the $Clintons$ do. How can the Clintons say anything negative about Cindy and John McCain? The Clintons bend over backwards to have you fully respect John McCain and his candidacy, while not speaking of Obama in the same (David Letterman) interview.

Readers, do not be lullabied to sleep by the Clintons, Ferraro, Joe Lieberman, Feminists for Hillary-only, nor anyone else, to keep you from the polls. They all know that a light turn out means that Obama loses, opening the way for a likely Hillary for President win in 2012. If Obama loses, he will not have a favorable shot until 2016. Lots can happen in 8 years.

Get registered by the October 3rd deadline for most states. Promote the vote and register all of your email/text associates and family. On November 4th, make sure you vote (without an Obama shirt or pin on) http://www.voteforchange.com/index_obama.php?source=091008emailR.

2008-09-18

Motown Mega-Producer Norman Whitfield dies Sept. 16th. 2008

Norman Whitfield


Whitfield's bio:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Whitfield

LOS ANGELES TIMES -- Norman Whitfield, who co-wrote a string of Motown classics including "War" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," has died. He was 67.

A spokeswoman at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center says Whitfield died there Tuesday. He suffered from complications of diabetes and had recently emerged from a coma, The Detroit Free Press reported.

Whitfield was a longtime Motown producer who during the 1960s and '70s injected rock and psychedelic touches into the label's soul music. Many of his biggest hits were co-written with Barrett Strong, with whom he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004.

The two won the Grammy in 1972 for best R&B song for the Temptations' "Papa Was a Rolling Stone." Whitfield won another Grammy in 1976 for best original TV or motion picture score for "Car Wash."

He's wrote and produced over 125 gold and platinum records.

2008-09-13

Senator Barack Obama's Acceptance Speech -- August 28th, 2008

Barack Obama addresses the 2008 Democratic Convention
To Chairman Dean and my great friend Dick Durbin; and to all my fellow citizens of this great nation; With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States.

Let me express my thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me on this journey, and especially the one who travelled the farthest - a champion for working Americans and an inspiration to my daughters and to yours - Hillary Rodham Clinton. To President Clinton, who last night made the case for change as only he can make it; to Ted Kennedy, who embodies the spirit of service; and to the next Vice-President of the United States, Joe Biden, I thank you. I am grateful to finish this journey with one of the finest statesmen of our time, a man at ease with everyone from world leaders to the conductors on the Amtrak train he still takes home every night.

To the love of my life, our next First Lady, Michelle Obama, and to Sasha and Malia - I love you so much, and I'm so proud of all of you.


Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story - of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.
It is that promise that has always set this country apart - that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.

That's why I stand here tonight. Because for 232 years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women - students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors -- found the courage to keep it alive.

America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this
We meet at one of those defining moments - a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more.

Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit card bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach.

These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W Bush.
America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.


This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work. This country is more generous than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment he's worked on for 20 years and watch it shipped off to China, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news. We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty; that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes.

Tonight, I say to the American people, to Democrats and Republicans and independents across this great land - enough! This moment - this election - is our chance to keep, in the 21st Century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight. On 4 November, we must stand up and say: "Eight is enough."


Now let there be no doubt. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and respect. And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need. But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90% of the time. Senator McCain likes to talk about judgement, but really, what does it say about your judgement when you think George Bush has been right more than 90% of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a 10% chance on change. The truth is, on issue after issue that would make a difference in your lives - on health care and education and the economy - Senator McCain has been anything but independent. He said that our economy has made "great progress" under this president. He said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. And when one of his chief advisers - the man who wrote his economic plan - was talking about the anxiety Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a "mental recession", and that we've become, and I quote, "a nation of whiners". A nation of whiners? Tell that to the proud auto workers at a Michigan plant who, after they found out it was closing, kept showing up every day and working as hard as ever, because they knew there were people who counted on the brakes that they made. Tell that to the military families who shoulder their burdens silently as they watch their loved ones leave for their third or fourth or fifth tour of duty. These are not whiners. They work hard and give back and keep going without complaint. These are the Americans that I know.

Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans. I just think he doesn't know. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under $5m a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than 100 million Americans? How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people's benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatise social security and gamble your retirement? It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it. For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy - give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is - you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. No health care? The market will fix it. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps - even if you don't have boots. You're on your own.

Well it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America.
Paying the mortgage. You see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country. We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma. We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was president - when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of down $2,000 like it has under George Bush.
I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree. We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job - an economy that honours the dignity of work.

The fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great - a promise that is the only reason I am standing here tonight. Because in the faces of those young veterans who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I see my grandfather, who signed up after Pearl Harbor, marched in Patton's army, and was rewarded by a grateful nation with the chance to go to college on the GI Bill.
In the face of that young student who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree; who once turned to food stamps but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country with the help of student loans and scholarships.

When I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed. And when I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman. She's the one who taught me about hard work. She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight, and that tonight is her night as well. I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine. These are my heroes. Theirs are the stories that shaped me. And it is on their behalf that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as President of the United States.

It's a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect.

It's a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs, look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road.

Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves - protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology.

Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work. That's the promise of America - the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper.That's the promise we need to keep. That's the change we need right now. So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am president.

Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it. Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America. I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow. Washington's been talking about our oil addiction for the last 30 years, and John McCain has been there for 26 of them. I will cut taxes - cut taxes - for 95% of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class.

And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as president: in 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.
Washington's been talking about our oil addiction for the last 30 years, and John McCain has been there for 26 of them. In that time, he's said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. And today, we import triple the amount of oil as the day that Senator McCain took office. Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close.

As president, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I'll help our auto companies retool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. And I'll invest $150bn over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy - wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and five million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced.
America, now is not the time for small plans.

Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy. Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don't have that chance. I'll invest in early childhood education. I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support. And in exchange, I'll ask for higher standards and more accountability. And we will keep our promise to every young American - if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.

Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American. If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves. And as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most. Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for a sick child or ailing parent.

Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses; and the time to protect social security for future generations. And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work, because I want my daughters to have exactly the same opportunities as your sons.

Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime - by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow. But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less - because we cannot meet 21st Century challenges with a 20th Century bureaucracy.

And Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America's promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F Kennedy called our "intellectual and moral strength". Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient. Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programmes alone can't replace parents; that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need. Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility - that's the essence of America's promise.

And just as we keep our promise to the next generation here at home, so must we keep America's promise abroad. If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next commander-in-chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have.

John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell - but he won't even go to the cave where he lives. For while Senator McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats we face. When John McCain said we could just "muddle through" in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell - but he won't even go to the cave where he lives.

And today, as my call for a timeframe to remove our troops from Iraq has been echoed by the Iraqi government and even the Bush administration, even after we learned that Iraq has a $79bn surplus while we're wallowing in deficits, John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war.

That's not the judgement we need. That won't keep America safe. We need a president who can face the threats of the future, not keep grasping at the ideas of the past. You don't defeat a terrorist network that operates in 80 countries by occupying Iraq. You don't protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington. You can't truly stand up for Georgia when you've strained our oldest alliances. If John McCain wants to follow George Bush with more tough talk and bad strategy, that is his choice - but it is not the change we need.
We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans -- Democrats and Republicans - have built, and we are here to restore that legacy.

As commander-in-chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.
I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al-Qaeda and the Taleban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st Century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.

These are the policies I will pursue. And in the weeks ahead, I look forward to debating them with John McCain. But what I will not do is suggest that the senator takes his positions for political purposes. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism. The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America - they have served the United States of America.


So I've got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first. We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country.


America, our work will not be easy. The challenges we face require tough choices, and Democrats as well as Republicans will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past. For part of what has been lost these past eight years can't just be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits. What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose - our sense of higher purpose. And that's what we have to restore.

We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. Passions fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers. This too is part of America's promise - the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.

I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan Horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values. And that's to be expected. Because if you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare the voters. If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.
You make a big election about small things.


And you know what - it's worked before. Because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government. When Washington doesn't work, all its promises seem empty. If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it's best to stop hoping, and settle for what you already know.
I get it. I realise that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don't fit the typical pedigree, and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington.

But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the nay-sayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. It's been about you.
For 18 long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us - that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it - because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.
America, this is one of those moments.

I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming. Because I've seen it. Because I've lived it. I've seen it in Illinois, when we provided health care to more children and moved more families from welfare to work. I've seen it in Washington, when we worked across party lines to open up government and hold lobbyists more accountable, to give better care for our veterans and keep nuclear weapons out of terrorist hands. And I've seen it in this campaign. In the young people who voted for the first time, and in those who got involved again after a very long time. In the Republicans who never thought they'd pick up a Democratic ballot, but did. I've seen it in the workers who would rather cut their hours back a day than see their friends lose their jobs, in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb, in the good neighbours who take a stranger in when a hurricane strikes and the floodwaters rise.

This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores. 'We cannot walk alone,' the preacher cried. Instead, it is that American spirit - that American promise - that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend. That promise is our greatest inheritance. It's a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours - a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot. And it is that promise that 45 years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream. The men and women who gathered there could've heard many things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred. But what the people heard instead - people of every creed and colour, from every walk of life - is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one. "We cannot walk alone," the preacher cried. "And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back."
America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise - that American promise - and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.



Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

2008-09-12

The King is Dead: Don LaFontaine

A sad day in Broadcasting as the leading voiceover talent in the country has passed on. Don LaFontaine was his name. Mr. LaFontaine has been the voice of over 5000 movie trailers and hundreds of thousands commercials, network promotions, and video games. Hear for yourself the mastery of his work as told by Don LaFontaine, and admiring voiceover talents: http://www.knx1070.com/Don-LaFontaine-Dies-at-Age-68/2887320


Bio of the late voiceover king - Don LaFontaine: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_LaFontaine

Women against Sarah Palin


Friends, compatriots, fellow-lamenters:


We are writing to you because of the fury and dread we have felt since the announcement of Sarah Palin as the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Republican Party. We believe that this terrible decision has surpassed mere partisanship, and that it is a dangerous farce on the part of a pandering and rudderless Presidential candidate that has a real possibility of becoming fact. Perhaps like us, as American women, you share the fear of what Ms. Palin and her professed beliefs and proven record could lead to for ourselves and for our present or future daughters.


To date, she is against sex education, birth control, the pro-choice platform, environmental protection, alternative energy development, freedom of speech (as mayor she wanted to ban books and attempted to fire the librarian who stood against her), gun control, the separation of church and state, and polar bears. To say nothing of her complete lack of real preparation to become the second-most-powerful person on the planet.


We want to clarify that we are not against Sarah Palin as a woman, a mother, or, for that matter a parent of a pregnant teenager, but solely as a rash, incompetent, and all together devastating choice for Vice President. Ms. Palin's political views are in every way a slap in the face to the accomplishments that our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers so fiercely fought for, and that we've so demonstrably benefited from.


First and foremost, Ms. Palin does not represent us. She does not demonstrate or uphold our interests as American women. It is presumed that the inclusion of a woman on the Republican ticket could win over women voters. We want to disagree, publicly.


Therefore, we invite you to reply here with a short, succinct message about why you, as a woman living in this country, do not support this candidate as second-in-command for our nation. Please include your name (last initial is fine), age, and place of residence. We will post your responses on a blog called 'Women Against Sarah Palin,' which we intend to publicize as widely as possible.


Please send us your reply at your earliest convenience--the greater the volume of responses we receive, the stronger our message will be. Thank you for your time and action.



Sincerely,




Quinn Latimer and Lyra Kilston

New York , NY

2008-09-04

Record viewership for the Democratic & Republican Conventions

Americans interest in Presidential Politics has never been greater, as evident by the Democratic and Republican Convention television and internet ratings numbers. The American people are listening intently to the two candidates, desiphering which direction that America and the free world will go over the next four years. Will it be McCain with the Republican platform, or will it be Obama and the Democratic platform. The acceptance speeches of both Senator McCain and Senator Obama, gave a glimpse into what to expect from the two candidates and their respective parties. We expect to hear more specifics from both Presidential candidates about their policies for America and American families in the three upcoming head-to-head debates prior to the November 4th Presidential election.

VOTE: In each State, Voter Registration deadlines average out to be 30 days prior to the Presidential Election. Make sure you are registered and "promote the vote" to your associates.


AMERICANS COME TOGETHER FOR CHANGE IN RECORD NUMBERS THROUGH MULTIPLE MEDIUMS DURING DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION


DemConvention.com Receives 2.6 Billion Hits, 3.2 Million Visits During Convention Week

Topping Olympic Ratings, More Than 38 Million Television Viewers Tune in for Obama’s Speech

DENVER – Demonstrating that Americans came together for change – both in Denver and across the country -- in record numbers during the 2008 Democratic National Convention, the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) today announced that the Convention's official Web site, DemConvention.com, received more than 3.2 million visits totaling more than 2.6 billion hits during Convention week. More than 350,000 hours of video were watched by DemConvention.com visitors as the DNCC offered live gavel-to-gavel coverage in High-Definition (HD) in both English and Spanish for the first time in Convention history.

"We made a commitment early on to provide people with multiple ways to participate in this historic Convention," said Aaron Myers, Director of Online Communications for the DNCC. "These statistics show that our efforts paid off. We succeeded in welcoming more people to the Democratic Convention experience and bringing more people into the electoral process than ever before."

The most popular areas of the site were the homepage, the video gallery, the Convention schedule and the main index of Convention speeches. By week's end, the average Web video viewer had watched 80.4 minutes of coverage. More than 300 Convention video clips continue to be available for on-demand HD viewing at DemConvention.com. The DNCC's Convention podcast remained the most popular offering on Apple's iTunes service as late as the evening of Tuesday, September 2 - after the start of the Republican National Convention.

In addition to the more than 85,000 people in attendance at INVESCO Field at Mile High, Barack Obama's acceptance speech drew a total of 38.4 million television viewers, compared to the 34.2 million Americans that watched the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, according to Nielsen Media Research. On average, the four-day event was watched by 30.2 million television viewers, while the Olympic games averaged 27.7 million.

The figures are the highest for a Convention since Nielsen began tracking viewership in 1960. The ratings represent a 57 percent increase over the 24.4 million who watched the final night of the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.