On the subject of access to voting

I've never voted in an election in a big city until today. I lived in Garrett before, and before that I lived in a village of 80 people.

I didn't realize that one might have to wait for two and a half hours just to vote.

Can't something be done about this?

The Regular Reminder

YOU!

GO VOTE!

I DID!

EARLY!

Yep, She's Ready, All Right

From Daily Kos: Palin, interrupted

Wacky Sarah Palin plays "Constitutional Scholar" dress-up.

Palin told WMAL-AM that her criticism of Obama's associations, like those with 1960s radical Bill Ayers and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, should not be considered negative attacks. Rather, for reporters or columnists to suggest that it is going negative may constitute an attack that threatens a candidate's free speech rights under the Constitution, Palin said.

"If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations," Palin told host Chris Plante, "then I don't know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media."

From Amendment 1 to the U. S. Constitution:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

I want every idiot who screams "FREEDUM UV SPEACH!" anytime they're criticized (read: every wingnut) to read that, and read it again. Read those first five words in the context of every part of that quote. Read it again, and again, until you get it.

It's this level of abject stupidity that makes people like Palin so dangerous - they twist freedom into protection for themselves and themselves alone, and willingly misinterpret the law for their own purposes.

If this woman is allowed anywhere, ANYWHERE, near the White House, we are in grave danger.

Obama: American Citizen.

From the Washington Times: State Declares Obama Birth Certificate Genuine

Health Department Director Dr. Chiyome Fukino said Friday she and the registrar of vital statistics, Alvin Onaka, have personally verified that the health department holds Obama's original birth certificate.

Of course, all of us here in SANE LAND knew this already. Of course the argument will now be that Obama must have paid them off.

ABANDON SHIP, WE'RE GOING DOWN!

Stolen from the Daily Kos: Fmr. Reagan Chief-of-Staff endorses Obama, and slams McCain and Palin.




YEEEE-OUCH. The complete implosion of the Republican party continues.

And Knowing Is Half the Battle

So what's the other half, then?

What Buzzcut teaches us.

Right-wingers are disingenuous little trolls. Creating false strawmen to tear down.

BEHOLD THE PAINFUL STUPID.

Also, Buzz? The "Quotes" "Around" "My" "Handle" are stupid. It just makes you look even more like a pathetic tool.

My response to his inane dribble:

Wow. How ridiculous, I am a college educated man who works an average of 43 hours a week, I am also just BARELY making a living wage. Which was of course, my argument.

I claimed nothing about certain people not working enough hours. I claimed that there was a number of people working 40 or more hours, and still barely scraping by at best.

And I'll use your own evidence to prove it. 100% hours worked is what we're shooting for, which would fall between second and middle, an average income of the two classes being, about 26,000.

My argument is that 26,000 is just barely scraping by at best. The majority of those families are either, 2 parents one child, or one parent one child by your own charts.

http://www.livingwage.geog.psu.edu/results.php?location=10874

This is my own area. The living wage required for those groups fall between 23,000-26,000. As I said, barely scraping by with a living wage. That is the average, meaning there are going to be a number of those that fall bellow it. My argument is not only sound, but provable and now, proven.

Your argument is at least somewhat statistically accurate. However, you misrepresented my argument, and myself completely, to make it. I'd demand a retraction, but I'm certain you're too much of a coward, and insecure in your own beliefs, to ever accept someone who wasn't yourself being right. So I expect nothing of you, which is fitting, as it is what I think of you as well.

This Is What Conservatives Believe, Part 3

From Think Progress:Dennis Prager: Equality ‘Is A European Value, Not An American Value’

Right-wing radio host Dennis Prager spoke before an audience of 3,000 at Minneapolis’ Orchestra Hall, during which he attacked the “left” for constructing “a grand edifice of lies about America.” One of those lies, according to Prager, is that “equality” is an American value:

Equality, which is the primary value of the left, is a European value, not an American value. Let me tell you that right now. I know this sounds offensive to half of my fellow Americans, because they have been Europeanized in their values. The French Revolution is not the American Revolution. The French Revolution said Liberty, Fraternity, Equality. The American Revolution said Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. We have lost touch with what our distinctive American values are. We have distinctive American values. … We have a better value system, and this is being protected by one of the two parties: the Republican party.

It’s a good thing Prager was there to explain the ideals behind the American Revolution. Otherwise, Americans might have relied on “Europeanized” documents like the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…

Or if they had looked to the United States Constitution, they may have erroneously thought “equality” was an important American value:

No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Thankfully, Dennis Prager is here to protect and defend American inequality.

Yes, this is what the nutbars actually believe - that equality isn't American. That people should be divided into classes and given rights accordingly (so long as they're the ones on top).

These people are dangerous. They need to be stopped, NOW. This is why people need to get out and vote, and stop telling themselves the self-pitying and paranoid lies that make them stay home.

It's Not All That Good

I admit we've talked a lot about the presidential race and how well it's going for us. Problem with that is, it's about the only race that is.

In the governor race, Mitch "The Sell-Off" Daniels is looking to beat Jill Long Thompson soundly. And in the IN-3 House race, Mark "DFHs Can Go Die" Souder is still a touch ahead of Mike Montagano.

I'll feel better about an Obama presidency, but on the local level, I'm still stuck in the northernmost southern state. Still, at least they're having to fight for it.

SRSLY NAO??

Ron Paul will be on the Rachel Maddow show to talk about Gov. Palin's plans to run for Prez in 2012.

Well, if you want an expert on failed presidential runs, I guess you can't get much better than Paul.

Bye-Bye, Buzzy Beetle

Guess who's not over there in my sidebar anymore?

Yep, Buzzy's gone from LeftyBlogs. Turns out he was deleted from the list, then mistakenly restored from a backup. Problem solved.

So, how long before he starts claiming "censorship"?

The Obama Infomercial

Just saw the second half of it, since I'm an idiot and forgot it was on. What I saw, though, was powerful: A combination of Obama's background explaining why he believes what he believes, looks into the daily lives of people who will benefit from an Obama presidency, and a few minutes of the soon-to-be-President-elect at an event in Florida whre the place was absolutely PACKED, which is surprising considering it was in Florida. (Let's see McSame pull those kind of numbers down.)

I know there's going to be a lot of talk about this in the next couple days, and I know that there will be people for it, and people against it, and people who will bash it who didn't even see it, but I'm content in saying that I liked what I saw.

Damian is Right, Buzzcut is Wrong

And it also seems our little pal Buzzy Beetle is a racist, too.

This is what right-wingers are really like.

Lying for Fun and Profit

Lying punk Buzzhump is lying about me again. Must be tough getting all those facts wrong, eh, Buzzy Beetle?

Left-Wing Mailbag, "OUCH!" Edition

J-G Letters Page, 9/29/2008

Terrorists missed ‘real Americans’

I imagine the terrorists must be disappointed now that Sarah Palin and John McCain have revealed that only true Americans live in small towns. I guess the 3,000-plus people they murdered in New York and Washington weren’t real Americans, so I guess the war was about oil all along.

TONY RUMPEL Fort Wayne

I believe the kids these days say you should get them some ice for that one, 'cause that's a WICKED BURN.