Michelle Obama's speech at the Democratic Convention last night not only dispelled the image of ambivalence that the Republicans tried to label her with, it showed her to be an intelligent and beautiful woman, a true American, and above all, a Mother.
She is an example of the American dream, a lady who came from a hard-scrabble background to rise to prominence as an attorney and soon, a First Lady with the same type of ideals as the mass of Americans.
Many in the crowd wept as Ms Obama spoke, the beauty of the speech and the emotion it conveyed were indeed overwhelming.
Michelle Obama is one of us, and that came through loud and clear at the Convention last night.
You can read the text of the speech here.
Part of the theme of the Democratic Convention is to highlight the gains women have made.
One has to admire the strength and determination of our nation's women, they raise our children and run our businesses and fight in our wars.
The future looks bleak if John McCain should be elected.
He has made no secret of his feelings about women, and his plans for women's rights.
Michelle Obama didn't discuss politics last night, she spoke from her heart, about family and love and compassion.
As her family took the stage and the unrehearsed interchange went on between Michelle, Barrack, and the charming little girls, one knew that this was the best face America could show to the world.
I felt proud of my country once again.
News and Opinion Based on Facts
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Michelle Obama, An Extraordinary American
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Talking Snakes and Air Conditioners in Heaven
What can you say about a country where torture is legal and marijuana isn't?
That's what Bill Maher asked on Larry King tonight.
Bill and Larry King discussed the election campaign, Maher quipped
"The media keeps saying McCain will pick someone younger..ya think?
Who could he pick that's older, Lauren Bacall or Abel?"
He brought up the question asked by Rick Warren at the "Faith" interview of last week,"What to do about evil, Obama gave a nuanced answer, you know, there is evil all over, not just OVER there.
Look at the prison system, look at the judicial system.
He lost the crowd.McCain just said two words , 'defeat it.'The crowd loved it because they believe evil is the devil, he pokes you in the ass and burns you if you are bad, the air conditioner if you're good.
Bill Maher asked rhetorically, "How can America continue to be a super power when we believe the story of Adam and Eve and the talking snake and the earth being 5000 years old?"
A few months ago, when it looked Like Senator Obama was going to be the Democratic nominee, Michelle Obama said, "This is the first time I've been proud of America."
She was viciously attacked, but you know, it was the first time I was proud of America.
At last it seemed that this country, founded on the enforced labor of men, women and children who were powerless and exploited, had finally stopped hating and decided that Black people were equal human beings, worthy of leading a United America.
Bill Maher expressed a fear that people would vote for McCain because to vote for Obama they'd have to read, and watch CNN and C-Span, he didn't think that was going to happen.
Mr Maher is releasing a movie entitled "Religiosity" which, he hopes, can get the 16% of Americans that don't believe in fairy tales to say so, instead of keeping quiet.
I've seen some outtakes, it looks like it will be hilarious.
Check it out.
It may open your eyes.
That's what Bill Maher asked on Larry King tonight.
Bill and Larry King discussed the election campaign, Maher quipped
"The media keeps saying McCain will pick someone younger..ya think?
Who could he pick that's older, Lauren Bacall or Abel?"
He brought up the question asked by Rick Warren at the "Faith" interview of last week,"What to do about evil, Obama gave a nuanced answer, you know, there is evil all over, not just OVER there.
Look at the prison system, look at the judicial system.
He lost the crowd.McCain just said two words , 'defeat it.'The crowd loved it because they believe evil is the devil, he pokes you in the ass and burns you if you are bad, the air conditioner if you're good.
Bill Maher asked rhetorically, "How can America continue to be a super power when we believe the story of Adam and Eve and the talking snake and the earth being 5000 years old?"
A few months ago, when it looked Like Senator Obama was going to be the Democratic nominee, Michelle Obama said, "This is the first time I've been proud of America."
She was viciously attacked, but you know, it was the first time I was proud of America.
At last it seemed that this country, founded on the enforced labor of men, women and children who were powerless and exploited, had finally stopped hating and decided that Black people were equal human beings, worthy of leading a United America.
Bill Maher expressed a fear that people would vote for McCain because to vote for Obama they'd have to read, and watch CNN and C-Span, he didn't think that was going to happen.
Mr Maher is releasing a movie entitled "Religiosity" which, he hopes, can get the 16% of Americans that don't believe in fairy tales to say so, instead of keeping quiet.
I've seen some outtakes, it looks like it will be hilarious.
Check it out.
It may open your eyes.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Rush Limbaugh, Drug Addict, Viagra Smuggler
He wedges his massive, drugged,
bulk behind the microphone and spews forth a new torrent of
abuse.
When he was caught faking prescriptions for drugs, or
smuggling Viagra into Thailand, many thought this hypocrite's
radio days were numbered.
No such luck.
He just doesn't condemn drug users or pedophiles anymore.
He does viciously attack anyone else that strikes his fancy, however.
The number of generally uneducated Americans that listen to his drivel insure that he will remain employed even though he is a drug addicted, flatulent, pedophile.
Some of the stupid things he has said are:
You are actually supporting Limbaugh."Why should Blacks be heard?
They're 12% of the population.
Who the hell
cares."
"I think this reason why girls
don't do well on multiple
choice
tests goes all the way back to
the Bible, all the way back to
Genesis,
Adam and Eve. God said, 'All
right, Eve, multiple choice or
multiple orgasms, what's it
going to be?'
We all know what was
chosen"
"And we have laws against
selling drugs, pushing drugs,
using drugs, importing drugs.
And the laws are good
because we know
what happens to
people in societies and
neighborhoods which become
consumed by them. And so if
people are violating the law by
doing
drugs, they ought
to be accused and they ought to
be convicted and
they ought to be sent up.""well ditto heads? I bet you
still love this drug
addicted,
law-breaking drug
freek. Ever hear of 'just
say no' or how by buying
drugs
you are supporting
Obama?)
Obama only used drugs recreationaly, as a youth.
“have you ever noticed how allThis guy is an idiot.
composite pictures of wanted
criminals
resemble Jesse
Jackson?”
Or, as Al Franken said, “A big fat lying idiot.”
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Is Honesty A disqualification?
Does the Democratic ticket have a chance if both of their choices are honest men?
It has been rumoured that Joe Biden may be Senator Obama's pick for VP.
Senator Biden has earned a reputation for honesty and straight talking, Obama has likewise been noteworthy for speaking the truth, not descending to the Republican Party hate and fear tactics.
The question, will the American people vote for candidates who tell them what they need to hear?
Biden is brilliant, an academician with the common touch.
He is brutally frank, however.
On a question regarding Iraq a while back he answered, “For G-d's sake, don't ask Rumsfield, he doesn't know squat about Iraq.”
True, but abrasive?
I must admit, as politicians go, I love Biden.
I also really like Joe Lieberman, who, if McCain's bosses have any brains at all, is their VP pick.
America is really becoming a mean country.
We have the world's largest prison population.
Many more Americans caged like animals than Chinese citizens locked up in China.
We also have an abundance of traditional Americans, like Oprah, Susan Sarandon, Willy Nelson and so on.
People who share Senator Obama's view that America is about helping others, not helping oneself to all one can grab.
Are their enough American voters left to make the dream of a compassionate and decent America a reality?
For the sake of my little children, I hope so.
Items On Joe Biden From Wikepedia
110th Congress
Biden serves on the following committees in the 110th U.S. Congress[10]
Committee on Foreign Relations (Chairman)
As Chairman of the full committee Biden is an ex officio member of each subcommittee.
Committee on the Judiciary
Subcommittee on Antitrust Competition Policy and Consumer Rights
Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, (Chairman)
Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law
Subcommittee on Immigration Border Security and Citizenship
Subcommittee on Technology Terrorism and Homeland Security
Caucus on International Narcotics Control (Co-Chairman)
For a comprehensive accounting of Biden's voting record see Project Vote Smart[11] and other material noted in the Reference section.
[edit] Judiciary Committee
Biden on Meet the Press
Biden is a long-time member of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, which he chaired from 1987 until 1995 and served as ranking minority member from 1981 until 1987 and again from 1995 until 1997. In this capacity, he dealt with issues related to drug policy, crime prevention, and civil liberties. While chairman, Biden presided over two of the most contentious U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings: Robert Bork in 1987 and Clarence Thomas in 1991.[12]
Biden has been involved in crafting many federal crime laws over the last decade, including the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, also known as the Biden Crime Law. He also authored the landmark Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA), which contains a broad array of measures to combat domestic violence and provides billions of dollars in federal funds to address gender-based crimes. Although part of this legislation later was struck down as unconstitutional, it was reauthorized in 2000 and 2005. In March 2004, Biden enlisted major American technology companies in diagnosing the problems of the Austin, Texas-based National Domestic Violence Hotline, and to donate equipment and expertise to it.[13][14][12]
As chairman of the International Narcotics Control Caucus, Biden wrote the laws that created the nation's "Drug Czar," who oversees and coordinates national drug control policy. In April 2003 he introduced the controversial Reducing Americans' Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act, also known as the RAVE Act. He continues to work to stop the spread of "date rape drugs" such as Rohypnol, and drugs such as Ecstasy and Ketamine. In 2004 he worked to pass a bill outlawing steroids like androstenedione, the drug used by many baseball players.[12]
Biden's legislation to promote college aid and loan programs allows families to deduct on their annual income tax returns up to $10,000 per year in higher education expenses. His "Kids 2000" legislation established a public/private partnership to provide computer centers, teachers, Internet access, and technical training to young people, particularly to low-income and at-risk youth.[15]
Throughout his career Biden has vehemently opposed tort reform, while continuously joining Senate Republicans to support stricter bankruptcy laws.[16]
[edit] Foreign Relations Committee
Biden gives his opening statement and questions to U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and General David H. Petraeus at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on Iraq; September 11, 2007
Biden is also a long-time member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. In 1997, he became the ranking minority member and chaired the committee from June 2001 through 2003. His efforts to combat hostilities in the Balkans in the 1990s brought national attention and influenced presidential policy: traveling repeatedly to the region, he made one meeting famous by calling Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic a "war criminal." He consistently argued for lifting the arms embargo, training Bosnian Muslims, investigating war crimes and administering NATO air strikes. Biden's subsequent "lift and strike" resolution was instrumental in convincing President Bill Clinton to use military force in the face of systematic human rights violations.[citation needed] Biden has also called on Libya to release political prisoner Fathi Eljahmi.[17]
Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Biden was supportive of the Bush administration's efforts, calling for additional ground troops in Afghanistan and agreeing with the administration's assertion that Saddam Hussein needed to be eliminated. The Bush administration rejected an effort Biden undertook with Senator Richard Lugar to pass a resolution authorizing military action only after the exhaustion of diplomatic efforts. In October 2002, Biden voted for the final resolution to support the war in Iraq. He has long supported the Bush administration's war effort and appropriations to pay for it, but has argued repeatedly that more soldiers are needed, the war should be internationalized, and the Bush administration should "level with the American people" about the cost and length of the conflict.[18]
In November 2006, Biden and Leslie Gelb, President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, released a comprehensive strategy to end sectarian violence in Iraq. Rather than continuing the present approach or withdrawing, the plan calls for "a third way": federalizing Iraq and giving Kurds, Shiites, and Sunnis "breathing room" in their own regions.[19]
110th Congress
Biden serves on the following committees in the 110th U.S. Congress[10]
Committee on Foreign Relations (Chairman)
As Chairman of the full committee Biden is an ex officio member of each subcommittee.
Committee on the Judiciary
Subcommittee on Antitrust Competition Policy and Consumer Rights
Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, (Chairman)
Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law
Subcommittee on Immigration Border Security and Citizenship
Subcommittee on Technology Terrorism and Homeland Security
Caucus on International Narcotics Control (Co-Chairman)
For a comprehensive accounting of Biden's voting record see Project Vote Smart[11] and other material noted in the Reference section.
[edit] Judiciary Committee
Biden on Meet the Press
Biden is a long-time member of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, which he chaired from 1987 until 1995 and served as ranking minority member from 1981 until 1987 and again from 1995 until 1997. In this capacity, he dealt with issues related to drug policy, crime prevention, and civil liberties. While chairman, Biden presided over two of the most contentious U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings: Robert Bork in 1987 and Clarence Thomas in 1991.[12]
Biden has been involved in crafting many federal crime laws over the last decade, including the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, also known as the Biden Crime Law. He also authored the landmark Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA), which contains a broad array of measures to combat domestic violence and provides billions of dollars in federal funds to address gender-based crimes. Although part of this legislation later was struck down as unconstitutional, it was reauthorized in 2000 and 2005. In March 2004, Biden enlisted major American technology companies in diagnosing the problems of the Austin, Texas-based National Domestic Violence Hotline, and to donate equipment and expertise to it.[13][14][12]
As chairman of the International Narcotics Control Caucus, Biden wrote the laws that created the nation's "Drug Czar," who oversees and coordinates national drug control policy. In April 2003 he introduced the controversial Reducing Americans' Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act, also known as the RAVE Act. He continues to work to stop the spread of "date rape drugs" such as Rohypnol, and drugs such as Ecstasy and Ketamine. In 2004 he worked to pass a bill outlawing steroids like androstenedione, the drug used by many baseball players.[12]
Biden's legislation to promote college aid and loan programs allows families to deduct on their annual income tax returns up to $10,000 per year in higher education expenses. His "Kids 2000" legislation established a public/private partnership to provide computer centers, teachers, Internet access, and technical training to young people, particularly to low-income and at-risk youth.[15]
Throughout his career Biden has vehemently opposed tort reform, while continuously joining Senate Republicans to support stricter bankruptcy laws.[16]
[edit] Foreign Relations Committee
Biden gives his opening statement and questions to U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and General David H. Petraeus at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on Iraq; September 11, 2007
Biden is also a long-time member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. In 1997, he became the ranking minority member and chaired the committee from June 2001 through 2003. His efforts to combat hostilities in the Balkans in the 1990s brought national attention and influenced presidential policy: traveling repeatedly to the region, he made one meeting famous by calling Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic a "war criminal." He consistently argued for lifting the arms embargo, training Bosnian Muslims, investigating war crimes and administering NATO air strikes. Biden's subsequent "lift and strike" resolution was instrumental in convincing President Bill Clinton to use military force in the face of systematic human rights violations.[citation needed] Biden has also called on Libya to release political prisoner Fathi Eljahmi.[17]
Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Biden was supportive of the Bush administration's efforts, calling for additional ground troops in Afghanistan and agreeing with the administration's assertion that Saddam Hussein needed to be eliminated. The Bush administration rejected an effort Biden undertook with Senator Richard Lugar to pass a resolution authorizing military action only after the exhaustion of diplomatic efforts. In October 2002, Biden voted for the final resolution to support the war in Iraq. He has long supported the Bush administration's war effort and appropriations to pay for it, but has argued repeatedly that more soldiers are needed, the war should be internationalized, and the Bush administration should "level with the American people" about the cost and length of the conflict.[18]
In November 2006, Biden and Leslie Gelb, President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, released a comprehensive strategy to end sectarian violence in Iraq. Rather than continuing the present approach or withdrawing, the plan calls for "a third way": federalizing Iraq and giving Kurds, Shiites, and Sunnis "breathing room" in their own regions.[19]
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