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Psst_Im_Not_Here's Journal
Posted by Psst_Im_Not_Here in General Discussion: Presidential (Through Nov 2009)
Tue Oct 14th 2008, 02:17 PM Colorado: Quinnipac/WSJ/Wp Obama 52 McCain 43 AND Udall 54 Shaffer 40
On another note: went to the store today, I live about 1 mile from the Focus on the Family compound (to give you an idea of the redness!) saw 3 Obama signs (1 new one down the street!) and 3 Obama bumper stickers and 0 McCain anything. That is amazing around here! Posted by Psst_Im_Not_Here in General Discussion: Presidential (Through Nov 2009)
Thu Oct 09th 2008, 01:17 PM The story is here (rate it up):
You can also Digg it Report: Voter purges in 6 states may violate law http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081009/ap_on_... ;_ylt=Agu4eY.B1xWcZQvohGXBOcdsnwcF And Buzz it here (It's at 342 and counting): http://buzz.yahoo.com/article/1:y_news:485... Posted by Psst_Im_Not_Here in General Discussion: Presidential (Through Nov 2009)
Sun Oct 05th 2008, 05:36 PM So, my sis-in-law texts me yesterday "You aren't going to believe this!" And I must say my jaw dropped. Here's her story:
In Indiana: Sis-in-law and sis-in-law (Her partner) are going to have poker party/bonfire on Saturday night. They go to the place where one of them works to get some firewood. While loading the wood into their car, the boss lady comes out to help and notices the Obama sticker (I gave her a few when I was there this past summer)on the back window of the car. Boss lady: You aren't supporting Obama are you?! He's for letting babies die if they are born alive during abortions!! Sis-in-law: (knowing there's no inroads with that argument)Says, there are more important issues than abortion in this election. Boss lady: Like what? Sis-in-law: Like foreign policy, the economy. Boss lady: Like you care about foreign policy! Sis-in-law just let it drop, it is her partners boss after all, not to mention a losing battle. But, noticed as she was leaving the parking lot, that her Obama sticker had been peeled off! So, I have a request. In Indiana, it's very difficult to get anything Obama. It's been going out faster than they can get it! So, if any of you have any extra Obama stuff laying around, can we get it to her? She'd love to go all out now for Obama and she really likes the GLBT logo. Anyone have anything to donate? Thanks! Psst Posted by Psst_Im_Not_Here in General Discussion: Presidential (Through Nov 2009)
Fri Oct 03rd 2008, 02:31 PM My sister emailed me this, this morning. It's got some great information, pass it on!
http://www.acedmagazine.com/content/view/1... / Professors Critique McCain's Health Insurance Reform Plan Written by Kait Silva Thursday, 02 October 2008 In response to presidential hopeful John McCain’s health insurance reform plan, Thomas Buchmueller of the University of Michigan, Sherry Glied of Columbia University, Katherine Swartz of the Harvard School of Public Health, and Anne Royalty of Indiana University published a comprehensive critique. In their paper entitled Cost and Coverage Implications of the McCain Plan to Restructure Health Insurance, the professors concluded that McCain’s reform package “would eliminate the current tax exclusion of employer payments for health coverage, replace the exclusion with a refundable tax credit for those who purchase coverage, and encourage Americans to move to a national market for non-group insurance.” The researchers focused on what they believed to be the three main facets of McCain’s health insurance reform plan. Results of the change will “tend to raise costs, reduce the generosity of benefits, and leave people with fewer consumer protections,” they said. Part one would do away with a tax exclusion that gives subsidies to employees who get health insurance through their employers. Studies have suggested that this subsidy encourages employers to offer broader health insurance coverage to their employees. Currently, employees are eligible for the subsidy if their company is in line with the IRS non-discrimination policy, which states that health benefits must be similar for all workers despite their salary differences. More at link. It's sourced as well. Posted by Psst_Im_Not_Here in General Discussion: Presidential (Through Nov 2009)
Thu Sep 18th 2008, 04:22 PM A New McCain on the Campaign Trail
SNIP>>Mr. McCain’s once easy-going if irreverent campaign presence — endearing to crowds, though often the kind of undisciplined excursions that landed him in the gaffe doghouse — has been put out to pasture. He takes far fewer chances, meaning there are fewer risqué jokes, zingers at a familiar face in the crowd, provocative observations on policy or politics, or exercises in self-derogatory humor. By every appearance, this Mr. McCain is, or at least is struggling to be, disciplined and on message in a way befitting of American politics today, if not quite befitting of the McCain of yesterday. There may be a price for all this. After Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, his running-mate, riveted the overflow crowd at an airplane hangar here for 16 minutes, it was Mr. McCain’s turn, and people in his audience began murmuring and drifting away midway through a 14-minute speech that was flat and cheerless. When Mr. McCain made his first appearance without Ms. Palin, on Monday morning in Jacksonville, Fla., he faced an arena that was one-quarter full. NYT:A New McCain on the Campaign Trail [br /> Posted by Psst_Im_Not_Here in General Discussion: Presidential (Through Nov 2009)
Tue Sep 16th 2008, 12:29 PM Went to the Pueblo Rally yesterday! I took 4 teenagers (2 mine, 2 friends) with me for an unofficial field trip. We had a blast. Luckily one of the teens is 6'3" and was able to take these for me. Being 5'3" isn't helpful in a crowd like this! Pueblo is fired up and ready to go!
A "Mardi Gras" type band entertained the crowds outside who were waiting to get in. It took us an hour and half to get in and many didn't get in.  A guy on stilts in the band.  A couple of shots of the crowd.   A girl in front of us  And yes we were really close  Posted by Psst_Im_Not_Here in General Discussion: Presidential (Through Nov 2009)
Thu Sep 11th 2008, 11:23 AM I posted this in my blog as well as on Obama's new group on MySpace to get more people active. What do you think?
Lipstick on a Pig, Jerry Springer Politics and What It's Really All About We're living in a Jerry Springer world. While we have vital issues to address on where this country is headed, we have a media going crazy over whether or not Barack Obama called Sarah Palin a pig in a recent speech. Is this really what you care about? Is this really what you'll base your decision on? It is a distraction, pure and simple, and it's working. Do you really care that Palin's daughter is pregnant or if she's had an affair? Do you really care that McCain's wife had a drug problem? Do you really care if Obama once wore traditional Kenyan garb when he visited Africa or that he didn't wear a flag pin once? Is that really what you'll base your vote upon? "Look over there, there's another really shiny thing!" says the media. And we all go Ooooooo! I'm just as guilty as the rest of us. It's fascinating watching all the gooey details of other people's lives. It makes us feel normal. It makes us feel superior. BUT, it also distracts us from our own best interests. It distracts us from the real issues of this election. We need to stop, before we make another mistake, like George W. Bush. We got duped the past few elections and bought into the fact that the election was about Gay marriage, abortion and swiftboats. We dropped the ball in our fascination with all things "Jerry Springer". Kerry "looked French", Gore was "stuffy" and George Bush was "someone you'd want to have a beer with". I don't know about you, but, there are a lot of people I'd like to have a beer with, but I wouldn't want them as president. I want the smartest guys out there. I want someone who actually has a different path in mind and a way to get us there. For some reason, intelligent and educated became a bad thing in a leader. Perhaps that's one of the reasons our children are falling so hopelessly behind in education, compared with the rest of the world. One of my online friends said, "I want the smartest MF-ers in the room!" And I agree. But, how do we go about changing that? Fight the media? Good luck with that. They are focused on the bottom line and that bottom line tells them that we LOVE our Jerry Springer world. And we do. The only way we are going to change the dialog in this country is one on one. Friend to friend; family to family; neighbor to neighbor; colleague to colleague. So, how do you go about that? By being educated. Knowing what Obama's plans are and subtly introducing the issues and stances into our everyday conversations with our friends, family, neighbors and colleagues. You don't win friends or debates with "you're stupid if you believe…." When your neighbor says, "Man, I just filled up my car and it cost…" You say, "Did you know that Obama wants to invest $150 billion over the next 10 years for renewable energy and the jobs it will create?" or " Did you know Obama wants to give every family a $1000 energy tax credit to offset those costs until his solution kicks in?" When a friend asks a question about Obama or makes a statement like "He doesn't have a plan." Tell them that he does have a plan and either tell the plan or find out for them. It's fairly easy to find all of Obama's positions. It's all on his website: www.barackobama.com Don't let it slide. When someone you know asks you what you think about "lipstickgate" or whatever the latest juicy dirt is, call it what it is, a distraction. Say what you think about the latest dirt, then turn it around back to the issues. I'll give you an example: Anne Fellowworker says, "What do you think about lipstickgate?" You: "It's a common phrase that many republicans have used over and over without being accused of sexism. But, it's really a distraction isn't it? I mean with 62,000 jobs lost last month and the stock market plunging and so many people losing their homes, shouldn't we be talking about that? Obama wants to invest in renewable energy thereby creating 5 million NEW jobs!" The only way that we will get the change that so many people in this country want is to change the way we talk to people. We must be the change. So, here's an offer from me, since I know most of you don't have the time or the desire to be a political junkie like me, anything you want information on. Any issue that you want to know about, or need information on, ask. I will do my best to give you the information, or find it for you. I will do my best to get you the best sources of information. All I ask for in return is that you change that dialog with your friends and family. And that when you hear of the next juicy thing, you call it what it is…distraction from the McCain/Palin record and their lack of solutions. Don't prove the McCain campaign right in stating that this election isn't about issues. "This election is not about issues. This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates.", Rick Davis, campaign manager for John McCain. Because in the end, it's the changes that need to be made in this country that's the real issue and that's really what it's all about, right? Posted by Psst_Im_Not_Here in General Discussion: Presidential (Through Nov 2009)
Fri Sep 05th 2008, 09:49 AM Whipped this up this morning to use as a bumper sticker on MySpace. Thought some of you might enjoy hitting 'em with it, over and over.
 Posted by Psst_Im_Not_Here in General Discussion: Presidential (Through Nov 2009)
Thu Sep 04th 2008, 06:08 PM The letter about her insider view of Palin is now featured in the Opinion section of The Nation and is featured on Yahoo! news. Here's the link from Yahoo!, let's rate it up.
The Word from Wasilla Posted by Psst_Im_Not_Here in General Discussion: Presidential (Through Nov 2009)
Tue Sep 02nd 2008, 12:14 PM Whipped this baby up for a MySpace bumper sticker. Use as you will!
 Posted by Psst_Im_Not_Here in General Discussion: Presidential (Through Nov 2009)
Fri Aug 15th 2008, 07:59 AM Hey gang! I stumbled upon this website that has some really original Obama T-shirts and buttons. Thought I'd share the link:
Zazzle Posted by Psst_Im_Not_Here in General Discussion: Presidential (Through Nov 2009)
Mon Jun 23rd 2008, 06:42 PM Are You Experienced? Why a U.S. senator might not trump a state legislator By Alan Ehrenhalt | Special Guest Columnist Jun 23, 2008 | Updated: 10:51 a.m. ET Jun 23, 2008 We are in the opening days of a presidential campaign that pits youth against age, the virtues of experience against the freshness and riskiness of the new arrival. I'm not here to refute all of that: John McCain is 25 years older than Barack Obama, and he always will be. But here's something I bet you didn't know: If Obama becomes president, he will have spent more time serving as a state legislator (eight years) than anyone who has occupied the White House since Abraham Lincoln. You're thinking that's kind of irrelevant. John McCain has been a member of the U.S. Senate since 1986; do I really mean to suggest that Obama's eight years in the Illinois Senate (not the most august deliberative body, as anyone who has seen it will attest) provide the same preparation for the presidency? Well, not exactly. But looking back on quite a few years covering Congress, and an almost equal number of years following legislatures, I'm drawn to some slightly curmudgeonly comments about what it is that U.S. senators do, and what it is that state legislators do. Twenty-first century U.S. senators are, virtually by the nature of the job, gadflies. They flit from one issue to another, generally developing little expertise on any of them; devote a large portion of their day to press conferences and other publicity opportunities; follow a daily schedule printed on a 3x5 card that a member of their staff has prepared; depend even more heavily on staff for detailed and time-consuming legislative negotiation that they are too busy to attend; and develop few close relationships with colleagues, nearly all of whom are as busy as they are. There are exceptions, of course—senators who beat the odds and develop an encyclopedic knowledge of topics that interest them—but they are the minority. I don't doubt McCain's instinct for global strategy, but a few months ago, when he had to be corrected on his statement that Iran was training Al Qaeda operatives, I wasn't surprised at all. I'm surprised this doesn't happen to senators more often. More at link: Newsweek-"Are You Experienced? Why a U.S. senator might not trump a state legislator" Posted by Psst_Im_Not_Here in General Discussion (1/22-2007 thru 12/14/2010)
Mon Jun 23rd 2008, 06:25 PM It's Isolation Stupid! Why Pre-Election Plans to Attack Iran Will Only Backfire Nathan Gonzalez Mon Jun 23, 12:59 PM ET This week, Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard insinuated that President Bush might launch an attack against Iran should Barack Obama be poised to win the presidency. Said Kristol: "I mean, what is, what signal goes to Ahmadinejad if Obama wins on a platform of unconditional negotiations and with an obvious reluctance to even talk about using military force?" What neoconservatives fail to understand is this: The problem with the Islamic Republic of Iran is not its nuclear potential; or its already vast missile arsenal, or its support for anti-Israeli terrorist groups. Those are all symptoms of a greater ill. The real problem with the Islamic Republic is its isolation. And that is something that we, as Americans, have the power to change virtually overnight. Sure, Iran's current isolation is of its own making. With the Iranian Revolution that ended in 1979, Iran declared itself to be "neither East nor West," a testament to the non-aligned status the people of Iran had fought for during popular movements a century and a half in the making. The Iranian Revolution was a disappointment to most, with its non-democratic outcome, the suppression of women's and minority rights, and the rampant mismanagement of the economy and the country's defenses. But one thing came from the Iranian Revolution that mattered a lot to a 2,500-year-old country: its complete and unconditional political independence. Iran, a country that hasn't answered to a super power since 1979, achieved the kind of non-alignment that most citizens of the Middle East can only dream about. When there were sanctions, Iran found a way around them; or better still, it pushed the envelope of its domestic industrial base when no alternative was available. When visiting Iran, a man surprised me by saying, "Thank you for the sanctions." He meant it. Iran's independence was often its biggest strength. More at link:Huffpost via yahoo Posted by Psst_Im_Not_Here in General Discussion (1/22-2007 thru 12/14/2010)
Thu Jan 17th 2008, 06:58 PM Signed up to see the comments, blogs etc. Hey, I'm a curious sort! Holy smokes the left point of view is sorely missing! Anyone else been there? It is an interesting concept. News from all over with commentary, etc. the Clinton haters and "librul" haters are in full force. Just curious to see if we can't get some of us to get a little more balance in there, you know make it all of America, and what you all think of this site.
Here's the link: America Talks Back On December 1, 2007 my life changed dramatically. You know, one of those times when your life is going along okay, day in and day out, just cruising along and then FLIP, life takes an unforeseen turn into chaos and the unknown. It's a time where you can either look for the lesson or embrace the darkness. We all have them, although some may not be as life altering as our little flip.
Some friends of ours were having a going away party that night, as they were moving away at the end of the month. Tom and I had worked all day and had to work the next morning but felt that we needed to go and say our goodbyes to these wonderful people. My oldest son was staying the night at a friends and my youngest son who's 12 would be home alone. We would go to the party, make an appearance and be back home in about 2 hours. We went over all "At Home Alone Rules" with our son and 911 emergency procedures, what constitutes a 911 emergency, yadda, yadda, yadda. Our 12 year did the "I know, I know" thing that teen-aged kids do. Little did any of us know that he would be using those parental reminders 30 minutes after we left. 5 minutes after our arrival to the party we get a call on our cells, "This is the Colorado Springs Fire Department, you need to come back to your home, unfortunately we've had a fire. Your son is safe." FLIP That was the longest drive I've ever had in my life. What happened? How bad is it? Are our pets okay? What do we do? We were on our cells making calls, work, friends anybody we could think of calling. I kept telling Tom to talk to me because then I could concentrate on something other than the horrible scenarios that were running through my thoughts. As we got closer and closer to my house, the racing of my heart and mind kept getting more intense. Outside of our neighborhood, I could see the river of muddy water running down the streets and said, "That's from our house." We pulled into our neighborhood and saw the flashing emergency lights from about 10 fire trucks and emergency vehicles. We parked as closely as we could and ran up to our street to see all the chaos. All I wanted was to get to my son, to hold him and protect him. The tears started to flow as they lead me to him. He was wrapped in a blanket at a neighbor's house, looking so much smaller than he had looked when we left. My heart was aching for him. I held him and tried to be strong for him. The tears however flowed slowly and I wiped them away quickly so he wouldn't see. I don't think I was successful in that. His hair smelled of smoke as I held him tightly. He was strangely calm. Our puppies were safe, our kitties were safe, the neighbors had them. We were handed business cards of the fire crews, the investigators, the red cross, neighbors cards. They were all there watching in disbelief as we were. They all were offering whatever assistance they could offer. We were in a daze, looking upon what used to be our home. What do you do? Who do you call? Would our lives ever be the same? Where do we go? It was all such a blur. So surreal. Over the course of the next few days, we told the story of that evening over and over again, to fire investigators, friends, family, insurance agents, red cross representatives, and even news crews. It was still surreal in every telling. I kept feeling that this was yet another nightmare and it would end soon. I'd been having dreams about our house burning down for about 2 months and couldn't shake the gnawing premonition. So much so, that I had sat on the floor and examined every bulb, of every string of Christmas lights before using them, every bulb. But, it was real this time. The fire had started in the garage. It burned hot and fast and had traveled up the insulation into our bedroom and up into the roof. The garage was completely gutted, our bedroom was totaled and the roof had gaping holes in it. But, we had each other. We were all safe. My youngest son did everything right. He smelled the smoke, he saw the flames, he tried to call 911 but, the phone lines and electrical lines ran through the garage, there was no phone service. He got out and yelled for help until a neighbor came out and called 911. Smart kid. A heroic dog loving neighbor managed to coral our puppies, not an easy task, believe me and had even suffered some smoke inhalation to do it. Another neighbor volunteered to keep our dogs for as long as we needed, not an easy task considering they are BIG and eat A LOT. And this brings me to the point of all of this, even though we've lost a lot of things, they are just things and pale in comparison to what we gained…a knowledge that we are truly blessed and everything that I've always believed about humanity and our world, near and far, was true. My naïve (as some have called it) belief that most people in the world are inherently good and kind. That was confirmed to me. Our wonderful friends, our fabulous families, and perfect strangers worked together to make this far less traumatic than it should have been. And this is what I'm here to testify about. Our closest family friend was there as soon as he could be to do whatever we needed him to do. He tracked down our oldest and drove with us to retrieve him. He offered up his apartment to us for as long as we needed and kept us from losing our minds. The Red Cross was there immediately to offer whatever assistance we would require. They were gentle, kind and respectful as they offered us money to get whatever we might need until the insurance people could get to us. They offered a warm place to sit and told us what the next steps were. The next day our friends came en masse to offer whatever assistance they could. They went to the house with my husband to gather what things they could, mostly clothes. They spent many hours at a local Laundromat, washing the smoke-smell out all of our clothes and were just there for us. Still in a daze the following day, I went to the grocery store, the one I always go to as anything "normal" was what I needed. We needed, well, everything. As I walked the aisles picking up shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, underwear, socks, the basics that we never think about, I was amazed at how much we took for granted. I made my way to the check out and told the cashier that this would be a tax exempt red cross purchase. She looked at me quizzically. I told her that we were the people that were on the news, the ones whose house had burned down. We were THOSE people. This woman, whom I'd never met before formally, just seen many times in my visits to her store, came around the check stand and hugged me. She then issued me a giftcard on behalf of King Soopers. I held back my tears until I got to my car and then sobbed in sheer gratitude. This is what life is about…gratitude… Part 2 coming soon… |
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