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    marye
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    Here and there in the forums people are expressing their enthusiasm for particular candidates in the upcoming U.S. elections, while others are saying Enough Already, We Don't Want To Hear About It. So, this is the right place to discuss your favorites (or non-favorites) and other matters relevant to the campaign. If you're not into it, skip this topic! And as for all you non-U.S. residents, if you want a similar topic for what's going on in your part of the world, speak up and I'll start it. Thanks!

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  • jerry_garcia71
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    GRTUD
    I'm sorry that I got you in such a tizzy! First I spoke about music and the Family being my passion but you must have misunderstood that. I have been enjoying this website for ten years as jerry_garcia71 but when I speak up to people that I care about how I feel, I am somehow deemed unworthy and under attack. It is terribly sad that you have no hope that nothing will ever change and you have no affect on the world. Let me share a little nugget with you about a Deadhead I met at RFK Stadium one summer at a show: He had hope, he thought that he could help the world. He was optimistic and wasn't ready to surrender. He was elected Vice President of the United States for 8 years and later won the popular vote to be our President. He has recently won the Nobel Peace Prize because he is currently engaging world environmental policy and trying to save the health of our planet. Yes, Al Gore is driving that train that you GRTUD are content to be a passenger on.
  • Steve-O
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    John Edwards
    If I had to vote right now, he would be my MAN. I'm not quite ready for a female president, sorry ladies. I don't feel that foreign leaders would respect a female president. I'm done with the whole republican leadership. TIME FOR A CHANGE!!!
  • GRTUD
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    ...Political Teen Spirit?
    There is an absolute difference between saying for whom someone would vote, in an election and an endorsement. Needless to say, when one hitches their wagon to a political pony, for whatever reason, that line is no longer blurred. In this instance, jerry_garcia71 seems to be here for the sole purpose of political advertisement. Furthermore, I feel the wording of the two posts I've read, by this person, insinuates by saying, "the Dead community..." that you speak for me, which you do not. Equally grating is the notion that you speak on behalf of Mr. Obama ("our support might earn us a wink and nod in the future!"). Comments such as these, won't earn any endearment from me. If you were to speak about music, ANY MUSIC, I'd at least feel some endearment to you regardless of political affiliation, which I do not. This fact, in no way makes me happy. If you really believe in your candidate as a person that will commit to changing the social stagnation, in this country, brought on by decades of partisan pissing contests and an "all you can take" buffet mentality by the duelopoly system of political sharing when it comes to tax money, why not come here and ask about the things that we care about, instead of grandstanding? I've seen my share of political climates in this country come and go, but what I haven't seen is a politician that will really listen to the working class. Tom Wolfe said he was never interested in covering American politics because no matter who gets elected, "The American political system is like a train - it stays on the same tracks, no matter who's driving." In other words, the real issues are never allowed to be talked about, in an open forum. That notion isn't complicity btw, it's reality and one needn't be an elected official to help start change along those lines, unless they haven't any other "day job". Eventually, no matter who wins an election, any election, reality will replace fantasy and then... "There's just the payment left and broken dreams."
  • Sunshine-daydr…
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    politicians
    They all say what they think you want to hear! Bob - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spanish Jam
  • TigerLilly
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    Oh Badger
    You made me smile at 7:30 this morning, while still groggy (am up because my son has a soccer tournament today). Has been a while since had a chuckle from reading one of your posts. Thanx!!!!!!!! ********************************** Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone, you will still exist, but you have ceased to live. Samuel Clemens
  • cosmicbadger
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    smells of socialism
    A few years ago I was sitting with my son in a diner having breakfast somewhere in N California. A dude from another table comes over. He is middle aged, pencil thin, black jeans, white shirt, bootlace tie 'Say you folks ain't from round here, what kind of accent is that?' 'We're from England' Pause 'You got socialists over there doncha?' 'Yep' 'You one of them?' 'I suppose I am' 'Huh. Well you folks take care now' ' Dude walks back to his table and just sits and stares continually and evilly at us. We pay the bill, run for the car and drive for the next 100 miles checking the mirrors regularly!
  • D00Dah
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    ???
    Living right across the Big River from that political hotbed of Iowa, I have already been bombarded with more TV ads and news in the local papers than I can shake a 'hanging chad' at. Wake me when it's over......On the other hand, I'm a regular dude. I work an avg of 65 hrs a week and I kick ass at a job that I enjoy more than I dread. My hard work this year made me more than I needed to make, but I am by NO means a rich guy. I'm not sure which candidate speaks to me. The righties are too preoccupied with religion for me to take seriously most of the time while the lefties want to create a system of wealth redistribution that punishes hard work and smells of socialism. This two party system leaves little room for choice. I'm into personal responsibility, good decision making and enjoying life, I'm not sure which party is for me. The funny thing is, if JFK were running for president in '08, he would probably be a republican. His job is to shed light, not to master...
  • GADEADHEAD
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    My thoughts on Iowa
    I am very pleased with last night’s results. I look forward to a time when I can not only stand to sit through a presidential speech, but I look forward to hearing some intellectually inspiring rhetoric. Now that I have had time to analyze what each candidate has to give, I feel kind of relieved. Hillary - Although I like Hillary overall, I have not been able to get past her abysmal voting record over the last couple of years. I am happy that if the nomination follows suit, the Republican witch hunt will be headed off before it begins. I still feel like her experience as first lady is invaluable. Her experience with healthcare reform was doomed to failure due to the short time line and unsupportive Republican Congress at the time. She has a ton of international diplomatic experience. Besides I get the warm and fuzzys when I think about Bill being back in the White House. Edwards – I like Edwards. He is the only candidate who has focused on the poor. As much as the media painted it the other way, I feel like he did an excellent job in the debates with Cheney in ’04. Obama – I have loved Obama since his speech at the Democratic Convention. He is definitely the face of change. He is black with a very young family. He is not corrupted by decades in politics. I am very curious who he would choose as his running mate should he win. Hillary is from a Blue state (No gain in votes), Edwards would be good but I don’t know if he would go second fiddle this time around, but my choice would be either Richardson or Biden or possibly a third party person like Bloomberg or McCain if he switched over (although he will probably die of old age soon) On a more serious note, a coleague at work wrote: " I was too young to vote for Jack Kennedy, but was for Bobby and was devastated when he was assassinated. When I heard Obama at the Democratic Convention, and have listened to him since then, I knew he was the right candidate at the right time. I’m pleased." This lead me to the following thoughts: "Knock on wood, Obama is inspirational enough to meet the same fate as Bobby, John and MLK. I hope I am wrong about that. Thankfully, I think we are in a different time now, although Bush and his cronies have tried their best to recreate the same tumultuous direction for our society. (I can’t help having an ominous feeling in my gut when I think of all the correlations – Vietnam – Iraq, Bush Crimes – Nixon Crimes, Assaults on our civil liberties, The speaking styles of MLK and Obama, the controlling of dissenting voices at the conventions [Free speech zones vs Miami Riots] The expiration of the assault weapons ban , etc, etc) I truly feel like the main reason there has not been civil disobedience this time around is the technology of today. People are able to express themselves and connect with other equally frustrated people enough through the internet that it is hard to let it bubble over in large gatherings where that is the only way to let your voice be heard. Anyway, I feel like our country has been in a state of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome with the war, 9/11 and the last two presidential elections. That is part of the reason I get so outspoken some times. I want to get it all out there now so I can get beyond it in November." Peace
  • Hal R
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    Keep at it jerry_garcia71
    Keep that spirit of positive change alive, don't let the complacent folks get to you. However I take issue with two things that you wrote. "we allowed the Bush Administration to slide into power" and "Nobody showed up to vote in 2004". Please no absolutes. I did not empower or allow the Bush Administration, I fought it and still do and I voted in 2004 just as I have every other year since I was 18. Peace. The future will be much brighter when these puppets of the the multinational corporations have been shown the back door to exit. If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. William Blake
  • jerry_garcia71
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    Thanks Marye!
    I appreciate the efforts of Marye at Dead.net to make a little room here for politics. As I was saying earlier, to me the Grateful Dead culture that I have loved being a part of for many years has historically been interested in politics and the environment. The music and the Family is my passion; but being politically active is protection of my freedom of expression. Freedom ain't free. I love to be carefree but folks we have to always keep one eye on The Man! I hear alot of negativity from Heads that choose to be complacent politically because "all politicians are crooked and nothings going to change anyway". But I feel complacency has made the world a worse place because we allowed the Bush Administration to slide into power. As Deadheads we were given a gift to make the world a better place. We spread joy. None of the candidates for president this year are perfect; but we must pick the lesser of two evils. Nobody showed up to vote in 2004 and the world is a much sadder place because of that. Turn on your love light this year and just vote for who you feel is best. Right now I feel Barack Obama is our best choice to make the world a better place. I often think about how I can help make the world a better place. I'm not pretending to know all the answers but I'm just doing my best. Last year I started an internet group "Deadheads for Obama" located at: DeadheadsForObama@groups.barackobama.com I'm trying to show Barack that the Dead Community is interested in peace, logic, and compassion like he is. Who knows, our support might earn us a wink and nod in the future! Thanks again and may you have a safe and happy new year.
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Here and there in the forums people are expressing their enthusiasm for particular candidates in the upcoming U.S. elections, while others are saying Enough Already, We Don't Want To Hear About It. So, this is the right place to discuss your favorites (or non-favorites) and other matters relevant to the campaign. If you're not into it, skip this topic! And as for all you non-U.S. residents, if you want a similar topic for what's going on in your part of the world, speak up and I'll start it. Thanks!
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TrifectaYes I guess you would call me a small gov't libertarian as opposed to the anarchist libertarian wing. II am not against taxation however it would be quite low as compared to now, did you read David Friedmans book The Machinery of Freedom ? Its Miltons son Remember that polluters etc would not get a free ride-as an example there would be no gov't subsidy of the nuclear industry etc. you know what I want? !. A return to the gold standard impossible to have a big bloated war machine like we have now 2.An end to corporate welfare. 3. A true social Security trust fund earmarked strictly for that. 4. An end to our interventionist foreign policy. 5. an end to the victimless crime laws 6 A new 10 dollar bill with Jerrys pic on it ! And the road goes on forever.... BobbaLee
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your last message looks like you were talking dutch:-)(-:
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I keep vascilating between Obama and Hillary. they both have pros & cons and unfortunately, I think it won't matter because I think most of the US will vote McCain in regardless of his promise to stay in a war, despite the recession, outrageous joblessness rates, soon to be larger homelessness rates, etc... I want to believe that Obama is true and not another dirty politician from Chicago, big city politics often breed that old boy's networking, despite his saying he isn't part of that. To get where they are, any politician had to have friends that put them there, it isn't entirely on merit or altruism. I don't think the US is voting for anyone who isn't a white male- which is unfortunate, I think Hillary or barack would and could do the job well. Our primary is next week on the 22nd- supposedly this'll be the make it or break it state and we'll see. I'm still undecided between the two, they each do something publicized each day that pisses me off. I want Hillary and then she acts a bit rude or unsportsmanlike, then Barack does....my husband's with Barack all the way, I may too. He is a good speaker for sure Ami
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Ami - These are for you, enjoy! I feel much the same way you do about the Presidential race. Photobucket Something (recent) about this one made me LMFAO! Photobucket "All energy flows according to the whims of the Great Magnet. What a fool I was to defy him."
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Good luck with your vote, Ami. The Democratic Leaders of Michigan went against the rules and now my vote does not count. And the Dems wonder why people vote Republican. I have to laugh at the Democrats and their stupidity and elitist attitude. McCain probably will win because of the stupid remarks like Obama's bashing of small town America--being bitter, gun toters and religious fanatics. That's us all right, just call us the Taliban. I voted for and support Hillary, I know what I get with her. Obama for whatever reason, I just do not trust. He reminds me of Kerry and his elitist attitude. Neither party understands what the middle class and lower income families are facing--the cost of gas is staggering, but what kills me is the cost of groceries with three teenagers. Now my daughter is starting driver's training and I wonder where the money is going to come from. But once again, our "leaders" are truly clueless. One more thing, if the Dems don't get it together by the convention we could be witnessing the end of the Democratic party.
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...with Pennsyl-tucky in the middle. between the 2 sides, Philly & Pittsburgh, there's a lot of Alabama. big time hunters, NRA, skinheads, religious right wingers... and I feel like McCain will take the state in the end. I'm still in limbo as to who to go with but know it won't be McCain. I've never voted republican in my life. Funny, i was invited to 2 different forums for Hillary & Barack for tonight! I'm a past union president for my teacher's union and I guess I'm on the democratic list...so I am going to meet Obama. I chose his rally because I'm more skeptical of him. His comments don't bother me, I think it's understandable for any politician who's campaigning 15 hours a day to be examined under a microscope- god knows I couldn't be analyzed so well after 15 minutes! I just think he's a good speaker talking the talk, but then what? Ami
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Looking forward to your report from the trenches. Conversation is always more interesting than recitation, so speak your mind and not someone else's.
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anyone who is not bought and paid for... ooops... those candidates were all ready marginalized. Obama is a fraud, Hillary is a snake, and McCain is angry. Personally the worse person out of the bunch is Obama, with the belief that he is anti war, when he wants to expand wars in central asia and replace the redeployed troops with private security forces. Shameful and dishonest.
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Made my vote count today. I went with experience, hope it's the right choice. I take a little bit of offense to the backwoods remark, but it'll be alright because I don't think McCain stands a snowball chance in hell of winning the Presidency. My humble opinion!!
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I got a bad case I can't shake off of meThe fevered walking round wondering how it ought to be You work in the system You see possibilities and your glistening Eyes show the hell you're gonna give 'em When they back off the mic for once and give it to a woman
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the PA primary gone and I voted for Hillary, my husband canceled me out and voted for Barack. It was back and forth with me for weeks. I got invited to a big to-do for Obama and went and left thinking that he is a great speaker, but didn't really have plans. Hillary spoke in plans of how she'd accomplish things VS Obama's saying we'll allocate the war money to cover this and that. I've been in politics myself and know that you can't keep allocating here and there- especially when the reserve is tapped. I also like Hillary's take on public education better, Barack is for merit pay/performance based pay in several cases, and that doesn't work and isn't fair to those in lower income districts or schools. My school houses all the spec. ed classes in the district and is the lower income school, so our test scores never hit those of the other schools in our district, let a lone the area. We'll see, I just hope my gut is wrong, but I still think McCain will win. Scary, but true. Ami

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http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/DeadheadsForObama Here are seven reasons Hillary's done. Pass 'em on. (1) Ohio Dem voters 65 and older: 14 percent. Pennsylvania: 27 percent. That's 27 percent! Pennsylvania is the second oldest state in the country. It does not look like America. In fact, viewed from this perspective, it's a miracle Obama held the margin to 10, which was the same as the Ohio margin. Putting that another way -- Obama's support grew substantially among all other groups, considering he weathered a doubling of old people without a scratch. (2) Hillary gained maybe a dozen delegates and roughly 210k votes. Not enough and not enough. Obama will still win the most pledged delegates, the most states and the most raw votes. Florida and Michigan don't count because that's what the rules were; Hillary's case that they should count is roughly as intellectually sound as an argument that she should be the nominee because her name comes first in alphabetical order. (3) Meanwhile, based on the Pennsylvania results, Obama will cruise past Hillary in North Carolina and beat her in Indiana. Sure, Indiana's as white and midwesty. But it's not nearly as old. And -- see above -- without a quarter of the vote having been old folks, Obama would have won Pennsylvania, which is the second oldest state in the country. (4) The pundits like drama before the vote and decisive outcomes after it. What I mean is that even if it's close, to hear the pundits tell it, one of the two candidates won 100 to 0. That happened last night for Hillary, just as it happened seven weeks ago for Hillary (after Ohio and Texas). Good for her, but it cuts both ways; when Obama wins Indiana and North Carolina on the same night May 6, the pundits will read the outcome as a 100 to 0 win for Obama, and they will write her campaign's obituary that night. (5) People are all nervous because of the Wright controversy and Bittergate. But most different kinds of voters came to *like Obama more* over these past seven weeks. The only ones who have been put off by Wright and Bittergate in large numbers are older voters -- and again, they don't matter on a national scale the way they do in Pennsylvania! (If you're wondering -- this, by the way, is how to reconcile Obama's 10-points-and-growing lead in the national polls with his 10-point loss last night. The difference is that more than a quarter of Pennsylvania is over 65, but not nearly as much of America is over 65.) (6) Hillary is broke, broke, broke. She can't continue past May 6. Really, Hillary? You raised $2.5 million last night? Really? Good for you. Now, if you do that for like four more nights in a row, you'll be OUT OF DEBT. This money thing is a reality of the race. I admire Hillary's supporters who are willing to work without pay, but she can't buy TV time or send mail to voters on credit. If Hillary had money, she could carry on regardless of her chances of winning. She doesn't, so she can't. (7) Most importantly -- because of #1 through #6 above -- everything is fine, we can all take a deep breath and we can STOP OURSELVES FROM GOING CRAZY NEGATIVE ON HILLARY LIKE HILLARY HAS ON US. I sense a lot of anger out there this morning. Simmer down, y'all. A little disappointment is okay, but this was a meaningless fourth quarter touchdown for Hillary. She can't win. No reason to lower ourselves or the campaign we're proud of. We are two weeks from wrapping up this victory. It would have been nice if it could have been sooner, but on May 6, it's still going to be awfully nice.
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I would love to hear Hillary --and the rest of them for that matter-- give me a good reason I should vote for them rather than simply tearing down the other candidate. Maybe I'm naive and deluded, but I think people are ready for something besides the fear-and-smear tactics the Bushies have used to their advantage these past way too many years.
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I'll be voting for Elmer Fudd if the Dems put him up. Can't take another 4 to 8 years of the Republicans..............
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i'm only 16, so i won't be able to vote by November anyway, but i always follow the campaigns. i have to say, i liked Barack for a long time, but now i feel that the longer this campaign lasts, the less i like either of them. i'm not really what you'd call in the fold of any mainstream american politics -- but i preferred Barack because he seemed more interested in having a positive effect on things than in power or in being a capital-P Politician. I was sad when Edwards dropped out -- he kept Hillary and Barack in check when they started bickering, and i liked his politics, i think, more than either of theirs. I didn't mind Hillary for a while -- she speaks intelligently and specifically about issues. and i hated how everything she said and did was looked at by the mainstream media in the context of her being female. but now it seems like everything she says is calculated to boost her ratings, or blowing some minor thing out of proportion to make Obama look bad. I've been disillusioned with American politics for a long time. this whole battle hasn't helped. i can no longer watch the news. everything CNN says just makes it worse. don't even get me started on the whole Jeremiah Wright thing. http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=167429&title=fest…
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OK, Barrak got the nomination.
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The Race Is On I feel tears welling up from down deep inside, Like my heart's got a big break And a stab of loneliness sharp and painful that I may never shake. You might think that I'm taking it hard since you broke me off with a call, You might wager that I'll hide in sorrow and I might lay right down and bawl. Now the race is on and here comes Obama up the back stretch, McCain a goin' to the inside, my tears are holding back, tryin' not to fall. My heart's our of the running, true love scratched for another's sake, The race is on and it looks like heartaches, and the winner loses all. One day I ventured in politics never once suspecting What the final result would be. Now I live in fear of waking up each morning, And finding that you're gonna be my president. There's an aching pain in my heart for the name of the one that I hated to face, Someone else came out to win Obama, andHillary came out in second place.
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cool Mom!! thankx. I wonder if Hillary, after saying 'Shame on you, Barak Obama, will be asked to be the vp??

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http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/DeadheadsForObama I think Hillary done burned that bridge! If she wasn't so nasty all the time like her "and the skys going to open up" speech, and just peddled her agenda instead of making personal attacks, she might have had a chance at VP. She really showcased her mood swings during the campaign; one minute civil, the next flying off the handle with inappropriate jabs. She can go from tears to laughing like a hyena in a matter of minutes. As a fan of the Clintons myself, I have to say that I lost a ton of respect for both Hillary and Bill this past year. There's many more responsible VP choices for Barack.
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Looks like Obama be the man. Can't take McSame as Bush.
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Now let's talk about some real issues...finally.Not only are the primaries over, the whole race is over, imo. Obama's the next No.1 and anyone that takes a few moments can easily see and understand the graffiti on the White House walls these daze and understand why oil is rocketing to new highs every week. The Greedheads are taking anything that isn't glued down and, at this point in Washington, D.C., it's looking like Saigon late April, 1975, to me. The class action lawyers are gearing up to crash the Presidential gates (and well they should, imo) and I suspect Big Oil is in their crosshairs, to pay for the effort. I just hope that they decide to take criminal actions as well, against Cheney and his cartel, before they make their way to Ken Lay's palace in Dubai. My idea is, after Obama takes the oath, to freeze all assets of these offshore behemoths (including the utility conglomerates, where they launder their ill gotten booty) until we can figure out how to proceed in a world without crude oil as the staple it has become, as the direct result of market rigging by these cry baby, 4th generation, industrialists. After that, we won't have to worry about terrorists spoon fed stereotypical hatred of the West, with OUR own money and get back to a relatively free society, we once enjoyed. What I wonder is who Obama will appoint as Attorney General because that's where the real action is going to take place, after the current plague disappears back into the wood work. Whoever gets that appointment better have balls the size of Texas (or the equivalent). The last guy capable of those actions was paid off in lead, just like his brother. My fear is we'll get another Pelosi along with so called "Universal Healthcare" instead (which would be great if it actually happens... without becoming ANOTHER government entitlement, "white elephant"). On the matter of the government running heath care, Jack Nicholson's character, Melvin Udall, said it best in the movie, "As Good As It Get's", "Go sell crazy somewhere else, we're all stocked up here."
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McSame is pro-life = anti abortion / anti pro-choice. I don't remember who is on the supreme court, or who thinks what over there, but sure as shootin, if McSame gets to appoint somebody,that Roe v. Wade (1973) might be changed. hopefully that issue will bring all of the Hillary folks over to Obama henceforth and post haste. I don't think Hillary will be chosen as Obama's VP, too much 'whitewater' under that burned bridge in my most humble of humbolt opinions. Choosing another woman as his running mate, I hope, will not be seen as a slap in Hillary's face or a snub against Hillary, but in the end, Obama's gotta pick somebody who can do the 'swing' with one or more key states to turn them blue. peace.
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there are bookies laying odds about who will be chosen as the running mates... McSame -- Romney Obama -- Nunn as far as Jimmy "The Fish" is concerned, Rommey and Nunn have the best chance of getting chosen as the vp. peace.
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You know, I'm reasonably cynical about politicians. I don't expect them to agree with me about everything, etc. But I am simply aghast to learn that after promising last year to join the filibuster against the FISA bill giving telecom companies immunity for their criminal behavior in helping the feds conduct warrantless wiretaps against their customers (for which our own Electronic Frontier Foundation is suing AT&T in court, among others), Barack is now saying that he'll vote for the current bill that lets the telcos off the hook instead of joining his filibustering colleagues. If we expect our soldiers to refuse unlawful orders, for which the penalty to them might be quite high, we should certainly expect the telcos to keep faith with their customers and demand the warrant the law and the constitution require. Indeed one of them, Qwest I believe, stood up to the feds and did just that. Kudos to Senator Feingold and the other spineful legislators prepared to filibuster this atrocity, and shame, shame, shame on Obama, who is showing himself to be yet another sleazeball willing to do and say anything to get power. I am reminded of all Bill Clinton's fine campaign promises to all the constituencies he sold out the minute he was in office. Don't ask, don't tell, anyone? (For that matter, shame on him for seizing the photo op and talking about how he supports the death penalty for child rapists in the face of the Supremes saying it's unconstitutional, too. Shades of effing Bill Clinton signing the death warrant for the Arkansas criminal who was so retarded he said he was saving the ice cream in his last meal for later.) I hate to see Barack degenerate into just another creepy opportunist, so I hope he straightens out. But I'm not all that hopeful, and wondering who I'll be writing in.
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NOW he says he'll call the DEA goons off the medical marijuana clinics in places where they're allowed by state law. What do you bet he finds some reason to renege on that one too?
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I'm thinking the same.
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Political discussions can ruffle feathers so I tread lightly. I will probably write in Alice Cooper. He ran in 73'. Don't like Obama. Too liberal in his views--no experience--wants to "talk" with Iran . .etc...etc. After having a daughter born premature at 27 weeks (the last age I think allowed to be "partially aborted" supported by Obama) has changed my views on this forever. You know of course that Alice Cooper & Gene Simmons generally support Bush and McCain. Go search it on-line. I believe Gene's mom was in a German concentration camp, and she was freed by allied troops. That had an impact on his political views.
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I'd really like to write in JPB's name, for U.S. President, but I'm fairly confident he's smart enough to know he can do much more for our country in another capacity. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is one of the most underrated organizations that has ever existed and every person in this country benefits from the work those folks do every day. "Thank you" to all involved in the real war on terror. Financial greed is becoming the new Gestapo of our age, imo, no matter what it hides itself behind. To think that we have to fight this battle without folks like Jerry, HST, Kurt Vonnegut and others means, at some point, we all have to fill those vacant shoes and I don't see anyone in the status quo giving up their place in the buffet line for the honor of doing what's necessary, in those terms. Hopefully Obama is merely doing the political fence dance and he returns to the correct spirit to achieve the political changes needed and promised. If Obama delivers anything less than what he's advertised so far, he'll be judged worse than those responsible for the current climate of fear, anger and hatred. "You know what the trouble about real life is? There's no danger music."
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this forum is becoming very interesting and educative to this befuddled outsider. Thanks and please keep on keeping on :-)
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I learn this morning that there is considerable ire about this in the Obama camp and that there is a new group on the Obama site dedicated to the issue: http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/SenatorObama-PleaseVoteAgainstFISA From what some posters have said, it's the fastest-growing group on the Obama site. fwiw and all. I've already posted MY screed there.
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Hope he is listening. We need candidates who listen and learn and are not afraid to rethink a (not thought through)position. Hope this fica goes against his every molecule of his being and he see's that he just needs to focus and see it.
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this is the first test of Obama's presidency and he's not doing so well. I hope he realizes his error before it's too late.
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I see in the news that Bob Barr has chosen Wayne Alan Root to be his running mate: Wayne lives in Las Vegas and has a TV show on Saturday's during football season where he offers gambling advice and picks to consider for placing wagers.... I won't touch this underdog. http://www.bobbarr2008.com/splash/video/?s0618 "...the bus came by and I got on, that's when it all began..."
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let's just say I am not Vegas Girl. I would hope Obama develops a spine and gets a clue. I certainly prefer The Audacity of Hope to Same S--- Different Day, which is what he's showing himself to be at the moment.
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In connection of our topic... Well, the housing market crisis is a major issue in the upcoming election. Both candidates are attempting to address the issue and differentiate their positions from one another. I found this head-to-head video from Clash/Presidential Candidates on the Housing Market. How do they compare? ______ :- )
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"If Obama delivers anything less than what he's advertised so far, he'll be judged worse than those responsible for the current climate of fear, anger and hatred." correct...and its a given ...drag ....but real now what? Keep on rockin in the free world

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http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/DeadheadsForObama Virginia Governer Tim Kaine is a stylin' choice for Obama's VP. Sometimes you don't have to micro-scrutinize a man to understand who he is. When I first heard Obama speak in December 2006, I started Deadheads for Obama two months later. When I saw Tim Kaine humbly jammin' with several different bluegrass bands and fluently speaking Spanish on youtube I knew that he was the man. A year or so ago I sure did want to see my Governer, Joe Manchin of West Virginia get the nod; but after attending the Democratic State Convention in Charleston this summer as an electoral delegate I realized that good ol' Joe is still pining for Hillary. You know Joe served us up some good fried chicken, soup beans, and corn bread (no lie) during the convention but he's not the one for the job. He is a great friend and Governer. Another great Appalachian, Governer Tim Kaine of Virginia is as real as they come. Dude loves his music, Family, and state. He will bring the rural and Latino vote for the Dems this fall. My neighbors in Ohio and Pennsylvania might warm up to Barack with Tim in his corner.
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"... I knew right away she was not like other girls....other girls'..."Our governor in Kansas, Kathleen Sebelius, is an attractive choice as well. Barack's mom and grandparents are from Kansas! Rock Chalk Barack!!
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I had this strange thought over the weekend. You know how a few months back, Obama's pastor gave this flaming sermon on not God Bless America, God Damn America if it behaves in this and that way. This caused a huge stir and one of Obama's earliest ditchings of his friends for political expediency. Before he caved on warrantless wiretaps and offshore oil drilling and lord knows what else. It occurred to me that the pastor in question was following in the admirable and well-established footsteps of, say, the prophet Jeremiah. The prophet Elijah. And a whole lot of other revered Old Testament types who called their authority figures on their shit and warned of divine retribution. In short, there was a fine Bible-belting rebuttal to the pastor's detractors, and Obama missed a hellacious opportunity to use it.
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regarding Palin's past as Mayor. Here is a list of books that Sarah Palin tried to have banned from the Wasilla Public Library, according to the official minutes of the Library Board. When she was unsuccessful at having these books banned, and she tried to have the librarian fired. Interesting selection of authors/books. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner Blubber by Judy Blume Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Carrie by Stephen King Catch-22 by Joseph Heller Christine by Stephen King Confessions by Jean-Jacques Rousseau Cujo by Stephen King Curses, Hexes, and Spells by Daniel Cohen Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Peck Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Decameron by Boccaccio East of Eden by John Steinbeck Fallen Angels by Walter Myers Fanny Hill (Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure) by John Cleland Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes Forever by Judy Blume Grendel by John Champlin Gardner Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling Have to Go by Robert Munsch Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou Impressions edited by Jack Booth In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak It's Okay if You Don't Love Me by Norma Klein James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman Little Red Riding Hood by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Lord of the Flies by William Golding Love is One of the Choices by Norma Klein Lysistrata by Aristophanes More Scary Stories in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier My House by Nikki Giovanni My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara Night Chills by Dean Koontz Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer One Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Ordinary People by Judith Guest Our Bodies, Ourselves by Boston Women's Health Collective Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones by Alvin Schwartz Scary Stories in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz Separate Peace by John Knowles Silas Marner by George Eliot Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain The Bastard by John Jakes The Catcher in the Rye b y J.D. Salinger The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier The Color Purple by Alice Walker The Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsyth The Figure in the Shadows by John Bellairs The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Snyder The Learning Tree by Gordon Parks The Living Bible by William C. Bower The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare The New Teenage Body Book by Kathy McCoy and Charles Wibbelsman The Pigman by Paul Zindel The Seduction of Peter S. by Lawrence Sanders The Shining by Stephen King The Witches by Roald Dahl The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Snyder Then Again, Maybe I Won't by Judy Blume To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary by the Merriam-Webster Editorial Staff Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts: The Story of the Halloween Symbols by Edna Barth Palin mainstream? Not in this neck of the woods. And I live in one of the reddest states around.
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she didn't go after "eletric kool aid" or gonzo's stuff... looks like she pasted over the cookoo's nest
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there are certainly books on that list that I cannot stand at any price, but, yeesh! this probably deserves wider circulation.
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No really, wow. Banning books seems the polar opposite of free thought. Free thought leads to a free exchange of ideas, which leads to better relations between all people, which leads to peace and a better world. Banning books leads to ignorance and the ability to circumnavigate the planet from the south pole to the north pole by ship for the first time in human existance. peace,pk
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of all persuasions are very threatened by free thought. Not a left-right thing, a control-freak vs. freedom thing.
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Freedom scares the stars out of some people, from both sides absolutly.Pretty sad. Like not watering the plants in your garden and wondering why it doesn't produce you a beautiful meal.
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As I sit here, I realize that I learn things and grow on a constant basis hearing the thoughts and discussions of the many folks here. When I sit back and look at it. It is a real gift to our consiousness that we have this avenue. Just wanted to say that it's not taken for granted and is a source of the constant yearning to learn and grow. Thanks to all involved. peace,pk