Op Ed: Force of Facts
Destroys Neo-con
Myths and Fallacies

40 Years of Disastrous Political “WIN by ANY Means"

Image: freestudents.blogspot.com

(EUGENE, Ore.) - Driven by their inscrutable and immovable reliance on what they conceive as “the direct Word of God”, the nation’s “neo-conservative” remnant has amassed the world’s worst record of UN-realistic action on massive problems caused by those very policies.

Far Right-inclined religious partisans, “captured” in recent years, have only added their misplaced influence to that already-determined immutable characteristic for this hard-scrabble radical remnant.

This bedraggled sorry remnant is now identified by continuing faith in force-applied anywhere in the world, for any purpose, in pursuit of their proven-perverted perception of honest and open U.S. “strategic interests.”

Never has that been better displayed, demonstrated and non-”openly discussed” than in the nationally televised “candidate conversations”, purporting to “reveal” both Presidential candidates --so carefully arranged AND ecclesiastic-”supervised”.

What it really reveals is precisely how public information responsibilities at the networks are now “serviced” these days.

You will understand that term easily if you suffered through this perverted offering.

That non-working “Code of silence” that non-surrounded Sen. McCain just prior to the “blessed encounter” sharply reminds one of the Reagan-staff steal of Jimmy Carter’s debate-briefing book.

National perceptions --thus purposely-shaped and intentionally distorted--only add to the continuing and growing confusion of many citizens.

Millions are being misinformed --thus misled-- on the most crucial decisions they must make in this truly crucial/turning-point election.

“WIN by ANY means!” long ago became both the beginning and the end to each and every one of the very large opportunities long offered the then-”conservatively honest” Republican Party.

Until the neo-con takeover, the Grand Old Party had a record for strong dialog and action rationally-compromised via democratic process, for reasonable reliance on “the conversations of democracy.”

But the sorry record-since has written much more malign conviction, intent for action, and overwhelmingly distressing consequences on our historical record.

That has occurred ever since the GOP was first seduced, then sabotaged; to be left writhing in this neo-con/remnant record of economic, social and cultural failures and disasters.

The devastating losses of freedoms in this nation, ever since and still-continuing (Remember FISA!) are the most obvious consequences of actions taken.

They were seen as inevitable to make sure of the impacts demanded from many neo-con distortions, perversions and suppressions now so widely evident.

It was in the radical realities of the ‘60s/70s counter culture that some few “left”-liberals began that insidious slip-to-the-Right that became the neo-consequential “heavy damage to democracy” we are now encountering.

Famously, E.J. Dionne has described that descent as “the notion that liberalism” had failed and “no longer knew what it was talking about.” (See R/N citation.)

Today we must point out that “the most dangerous and damaging neo-con partisans” simply “do not know WHO they WERE, where they came FROM, or WHY they are headed as they have been.”

That relates to millions who, thus really UNknowing, and often against their own evident self-interests, still support this radical remnant revealed for what they truly have been, for the past three or four decades.

That portends even more confusion, given the public record of the past forty-or-so years!

Unless we AGAIN capture the wit, wisdom and will of the informed American public, “made restless and more aware by what they FEEL happening to ‘the American Dream.’”

It also should sound alarms for any of us when now referred, by Internet convenience, to neo-con/remnant sources --as if for reliable, factual information, true and trustworthy for citizen guidance.

The leading once-conservative publications and journals --”now become ‘neo-con’ simply to survive”-- have become less-than-reliable sources for any citizen looking for straight, factual, honest, open and “discussable” information.

What one gets these days --from a sample set just visited “to see with own eyes” -- is a wildly exaggerated balderdash of faith-based declaration and deeply-distorted statement of myth and fancy.

Substituted for checkable fact, these myths and fancies are then laid on so thickly that intent is obvious and demonstrated clearly:

To distort, deceive, defy and defeat any other point of view --AT ANY COST in reasonable dialog --or inevitable consequences to the commonweal.

Publications from their “think-tanks”, often then repeated in their standard publications, now also neo-con/distorted, tend to present highly questionable “scholarship” with confirming reference to academic degree-and-specialty.

Conspicuously missing is the usual societal test of appearance in number and repeated depth in nationally recognized general-interest magazines; OR special-interest and association publications demonstrating real professional credibilities.

Any hint whatsoever of the more-normal peer-review process we’ve come to expect from “the real thing”, not only in the sciences but also in the humanities, is always also completely missing.

Readers will recall our recent publication of a scathing statement from OCPP’s nationally-recognized leader Charles Sheketoff, revealing distortion and then publication of perverted results, from one such source.

Others at national and state level are readily available via the Internet, per sample-cited earlier.

But that’s certainly no surprise --even Far Right billionaires “demand useful ‘product’ for what they continue to pay”, to such eager providers!!

No rational, reasonable person will challenge the right of any individual to choose-to-believe, and in all good faith (no pun !) be guided in political application by ANY religiously-shaped set of values.

That’s encouraged by our fundamental separation of church and-state, as one foundation of our First Amendment --surely still the “root concept” of our Constitution.

But the danger here is unavoidable when sensible human rights choices are diverted, distorted, finally perverted --thus most thoroughly manipulated-- by those who perpetrate-where-possible --but always deny it was done.

They have achieved dismaying, damaging consequence in depth, ever since the early Reagan years --justifying “ANY WIN, ANY WAY!” under any religious color they can manipulate.

Even more highly mischievous tactics and techniques have become political brand-names --as in the Nixon “Southern strategy” --with its coded-language slyly appealing to racism and its economic fears.

Those distorted/perverted values are then put into broad and very damaging “public opinion” use by neo-cons whose intent is not to worship, learn, grow and live the life shaped by those beliefs, but to “WIN by ANY means!”.

Properly-dedicated followers for those values then become nothing more than seduced, manipulated peons, held in mental captivity by the very values worshipped.

That manipulative relationship has been publicly-declared neo-con policy and practice for decades, enunciated by leaders and followed -- so slavishly it is impossible to miss --in political maneuvers at every level, state to national AND Congressional. That’s the realistic WHY of constant repetition and complete dedication to “jamming the threads” on some open channels now under increasingly serious neo-con attack --with Far Right billionaire-supported “think-tank” funding, some strongly contend.

OR could it possibly be further manipulation of taxpayer dollars?

A part of what’s already been discovered and nailed-down via similar Pentagon disclosures recently?

IF General Officers will so stoop to deliberate distortion and disruption, why not expect that easy Internet attack-technique from others also-paid?

Knowing this background --and remembering the deliberate lies that took us, deceived and manipulated, into Iraq --why ever again trust either any neo-con OR their references to “supporting documentation”?

------------ Reader’s Notes:

Neo-conservative impacts on politics and public policies has been a longtime interest, with extensive files starting in the late ‘70s. For this Op Ed, other reliable references included: 1. E.J. Dionne; Why Americans Hate Politics; p.61; ISBN 0-671-77877-3. Chapter 6 summarizes neo-conservative history and early major influences. 2. Wikipedia re “Conservatives”; “Neo-Conservatives; easily available, comprehensive, reliable. 3. “How Anti-Intellectualism Is Destroying America”; T. McNally; www.alternet.org.story/95109 4. “Politics of stupidity makes headway”; Paul Krugman; NY Times; R-G/Eugene/8/11. 5. “Put some trust in campaign”; David Broder;WPost; R-G/Eugene/8/11. 6. “Medicare: Poison Pill”; James Ridgway; Mother Jones, Sept./Oct. ’08; Exit Strategy Report, pp. 38/87.

(4,5 so-cited to show national publication of same concepts via two respected columnists simultaneously. Mother Jones Report includes NINE articles, each dealing with failed neo-con/managed major policies.)

Quotes are from complete verbatim record available with ID to Editor; shortened, excerpted, or summarized for space requirements.

***********************************

Henry Clay Ruark is the one of, if not the most experienced, working reporter in the state of Oregon, and possibly the entire Northwest. Hank has been at it since the 1930's, working as a newspaper staff writer, reporter and photographer for organizations on the east coast like the Bangor Maine Daily News.
Today he writes Op-Ed's for Salem-News.com with words that deliver his message with much consideration for the youngest, underprivileged and otherwise unrepresented people.

Reports From Iraq

Salem-News.com Top Stories
Daschle Will be Next Secretary of Health and Human Services

---

Virtual Reality Vs. Cannabis Therapy Continued

---

Governor and Legislature Should Solve Revenue Shortfalls With Revenue Solutions

---

FBI Increases Reward for 'Operation Backfire' Fugitives

---

A Furry Friendly Holiday

---

I don't recall staff members taking over Ron Eachus' office at the PUC. He was treated with respect. The same respect he didn't show the President of the U of O. Ron Eachus was part of a hysterical movement. Many liberal thinkers did not go the extent Ayers and Eachus went to. Speaking of the grasping of power - at any cost - using any method. And NO TRANSPARENCY in their actions. Ayers should be prosecuted and Eachus is still preaching about harboring - criminal illegals. They never learn.

When the federal government is involved in regulation and bailouts, it eliminates the notion of risk. It's risk that causes responsibility. Today, Senator McCain said we need more regulation. No, Senator, with all due respect, we need accountability for a change. Ditto for Sen. Obama, who really is way out there when it come to knowing anything about the economy. His lack of experiece really come through in this area. Our current financial crisis was caused by too much government regulation, not too little. Banks were forced to give mortgages to deadbeats who couldn't afford them, under the assumption that government would bail them out. This is not a free market anymore, and central planning does not work. Where is the special prosecutor? Why is it we know Ken Lay's name but not the names of all the people involved in this scandal? I'll tell you why. Because the names of people involved in this scandal are names like Chris Dodd, Franklin Raines, Jim Johnson and Henry Waxman. We need a comprehensive review, not a partisan approach, for we need to develop solutions, not cast more dispersions by partisan hacks and shills who have no idea what they are talking about, other than quoting sources that also provide partisan angles that are so absurd.

Joe S. et al: Unfortunately time prevents my check on your links, so this simply to make sure those who check 'em also use own mind to evaluate on self-balanced basis. If as you describe they will surely demand precisely that responsible treatment. That's what you pay huge fees to the media producer to build; also why tv-channels love the industry. One small change in Oregon time-available recently ran up toll $500 per shot for one station. Standard source for checkout on campaign claims is FactChecker website, which posts summary/analysis of most ads daily or more frequently.

Here's a link tracking and debunking McCain's and Palin's campaign of lies, one lie at a time. http://www. mccainpedia. org/index. php/Count_the_Lies And McCain and Palin go right on telling the same lies, even after being repeatedly call on it: http://online. wsj. com/article/SB122143893857134389. html Here's a terrific new Obama ad hammering the point home: http://link. brightcove. com/services/link/bcpid1185304443/bctid1786848892

To all: For absolutely devastating view of realities re the disaster overtaking real estate in this nation now, "see with own eyes" 16-pp. feature article in Harpers Oct. 08 issue. Titled " Bleak Houses", by Paul Reyes, it visits a series of situations demonstrating the desperate damages already done and those yet to come from the deregulation of the financial system controlling them. That deregulation was created by McCain economic adviser, now still active although demoted publicly, via special deal he set up --for Enron, no less !!--while serving under oath as a U.S. Senator. See previous post here for late details of these impacts on Wall Street today and into the future. Lay aside fun-and-games re political confrontations here, for once, and learn what's on the record for neocon attack, via those now seeking to keep control by remedying what they themselves have caused. Read the article; then allow untrammelled cogitation to occur, as it undoubtedly will.

To all: Forgive me: "You read it here first !" --as matter of fact, several times-reported: Published on Monday, September 15, 2008 by Mother Jones McCain Blasts Wall Street Failure, Neglects To Mention His Adviser Helped Cause It by David Corn As the news broke of the Lehman Brothers meltdown [1] and the rest of the latest financial crisis, John McCain, speaking at a campaign rally in Florida on Monday, angrily declared he and his V/P Palin would set things straight in Wall Street. And in a statement released by his campaign, McCain called for greater "transparency and accountability" on Wall Street. If McCain wants to hold someone accountable for the failure in transparency and accountability that led to the current calamity, he should turn to his good friend and adviser, Phil Gramm. As Mother Jones reported [2] in June, eight years ago, Gramm, then a Republican senator chairing the Senate banking committee, slipped a 262-page bill into a gargantuan, must-pass spending measure. Gramm's legislation, written with the help of financial industry lobbyists, essentially removed newfangled financial products called swaps from any regulation. Credit default swaps are basically insurance policies that cover the losses on investments, and they have been at the heart of the subprime meltdown because they have enabled large financial institutions to turn risky loans into risky securities that could be packaged and sold to other institutions. Lehman's collapse threatens the financial markets because of swaps. From Bloomberg [3]: Bond-default risk soared worldwide as the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. sparked concern than the $62 trillion credit-derivatives market will unravel.... Lehman, the fourth-largest securities firm until last week, has been one of the 10 largest counterparties in the market for credit-default swaps, according to a 2007 report by Fitch Ratings. The market, which is unregulated and has no central exchange where prices are disclosed, has been the fastest-growing type of so-called over-the-counter derivative, according to the Bank for International Settlements. "The immediate problem is the derivative default swaps market, in which a plethora of institutional accounts and dealer accounts are at risk,'' Bill Gross, manager of the world's largest bond fund at Pacific Investment Management Co. in Newport Beach, California, said in an interview with Bloomberg Radio yesterday. "It induces a tremendous amount of volatility and uncertainty.'' Barclays Capital analysts have estimated that if a financial institution with $2 trillion in credit-default swap trades were to fail, it might trigger between $36 billion and $47 billion in losses for institutions that traded with the firm. So the Lehman fiasco--caused in part by the use of unregulated swaps--could lead to ruin elsewhere in the economy.

Might as well get used to these since more are sure to arrive, for a short time at least. After that we may not need them anyhow: Breaking News Alert The New York Times Sept. 15, 2008 -- 4:08 PM ET News Alert: Dow Closes Down More Than 500 Points The Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 500 points on Monday in the first day of investor reaction to some of the most dramatic developments in the history of high finance. Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na

Henry et al-- the ongoing attacks, coupled with distortions on Governor Palin end up just illuminating the fact that the demo presidential candidate has absolutly no qualifying domestic executive experience, and other than violating the Logan Act, no foreign experience. Do not forget that Governor Palin went to Kuwait and over the border in Iraq to visit soldiers under "her" command. She later went to visit wounded Americans at a military hospital in Germany.

Hopefully we as a nation someday will stop using taxpayer funds to bail out these organizations who have failed to act in a wise and deliberate business manner. FYI Lehman Bros., Fannie May, Freddie Mac, and Wall Street personnel in general have made Obama the biggest receiver of their political donation largess as per the FEC. What's up with that?! Also consider who has been controlling the purse strings in congress for the last two years? Who heads up all these financial (Banking, etc.) Senate and House committees? Also how about Senator's Dodd (Banking Com. Chairman!) and Dorgan receiving sweetheart deals on their home mortgages? Where's the oversight? Where's the outrage? The biggest threat we have in all this mismanagement people, is that it allows more and more control by a rapidly expanding government over private enterprise, which is anathema to what our Founding Fathers established and what we must avoid. My guess is when oil costs drop, the economy will rebound quite nicely. There are many safeguards in place to keep our economy from collapsing. Just please be aware that it is election season and with that comes fear-mongering coupled with distortion. If the unemployment rate goes over 15% then I would be concerned, but our unemployment rate is the lowest in the industrialized world, and our economy grew by 3.3% the last quarter. We are a strong people, we will as Americans, overcome any problem.

To all: Since citing E.E. Dionne numerous times here for years,because he wrote the best book re neocon collapse, must now offer "see with own eyes" from him re Palin: www.wpost.com 8/14/08 Will Palin Get the Same Scrutiny Hillary Got? By E.E. Dionne So now we learn that Sarah Palin did not go to visit troops in Iraq, as the McCain-Palin campaign originally claimed, nor did she visit Ireland, as a spokesman claimed – she went through Ireland only for a refueling stop. Good reporting by the Boston Globe got to the truth of the matter. The McCain- Palin campaign was forced to concede the facts, but only after being pressed. There’s a pattern here, two patterns actually. The first is that the McCain campaign is willing to peddle all sorts of untrue and half-true claims. The second is that the McCain campaign is clearly so uneasy about Palin’s patent lack of engagement with foreign policy that it has felt the need to greatly exaggerate what small bits of engagement she has had. (When ABC News' Charlie Gibson asked her how Alaska's proximity to Russia gave her insight into that country, Palin replied: “They're our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.” That’s reassuring, isn’t it? The Gibson interview also revealed the thinness Palin's knowledge of domestic policy, particularly on the budget.) There is also a question here for the media. When Hillary Clinton claimed last March that she had to evade sniper fire during a landing in Bosnia in 1996, the media came down on her hard. It was a huge story. But at least Clinton actually visited Bosnia. Will the media focus the same attention on the false and exaggerated claims about Palin? Journalists gave Al Gore endless grief about supposed exaggerations and even suggested he said things (about inventing the Internet) that he actually didn't say. Aren't Palin's claims about opposing earmarks, when she actually tried to get them, and about saying "no thanks" to the bridge to nowhere, when she initially supported it, part of a larger narrative of deception? ------------ Intriguing further detail, so go-see, then use own mind to evaluate factual content delivered by one of nation's top-rated, respected writers.

To all: Most deadly comment-ever re Palin, even if inadvertent, comes from --Michael Reagan !: "Governor Palin is the next Reagan." That should surely snatch the rag right off the Bush-return.

To all: Maybe citizen shareholders finally waking up, becoming "non-apathetic" !! : Breaking News Alert The New York Times Monday, September 15, 2008 -- 9:47 AM ET ----- Dow Falls 300 Points Within Minutes of Opening The Dow Jones industrials fell more than 300 points shortly after the open as the markets reacted to turmoil at major Wall Street investment banks. Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na --------- Also check preceding Op Ed titled with keyword now proving completely correct: "Unsustainable". Anyone wishing to supply any explanation simply ID self to Editor and send along own Op Ed, with solid-source proof, please !!

To all: Here's "see with own eyes" solid-source summary re Palin policy per taxpayer dollars when opportunity offered: McCain and Palin Are Trying to Take Political Lying to the Next Dimension By Robert Parry, Consortium September 15, 2008, http://www.alternet.org/story/98764/ Despite all the chatter about how "historic" Campaign 2008 has been, it is the McCain-Palin ticket that it is truly testing the limits, not of race or gender politics, but whether the United States is ready to enter into a new dimension of political lying. Until two weeks ago, it would have been hard to believe that any political figure would have had the audacity to step into the national spotlight by telling the bald-faced lies that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has. Yet, many Americans have embraced her enthusiastically and don't want to hear anything negative about her. Palin's most obvious lie is one that she has repeated over and over: "I told Congress, 'thanks but no thanks' about that Bridge to Nowhere." Now, however, anyone who has bothered to fact-check this claim knows that Palin supported the bridge until Congress removed the earmark and then she kept the money to use on other state projects." -------------- Any questions ? Address 'em to Parry, famed reporter.but first check rest of details in this revealing link to truth. My momma done taught me very early right name for those who kept money taken from others. Stock exchange news today is making same case strongly with same answer by those who have broken the system: Steal some more from the taxpayers, they will never notice since so apathetic. So do you really believe we should trust those who broke it to repair massive damages done to once-strong system ?? Public record shows dereg of finance felons accomplished by McCain's longtime pal and his economics adviser, now forced out by own behavior recently. McCain had him set to become Secretary of the Treasury !! Woulda been Right-handy post, don't you agree ?

To all: Here's "see with own eyes" Flash-Bulletin from NYTimes, proving up solid truth of Op Ed via further event. IF any one of several major players quits game of economic pretense, whole stack of cards will collapse: Breaking News Alert The New York Times Sunday, September 14, 2008 -- 1:05 PM ET ----- Barclays Walks Away From Talks With Lehman Barclays, the British bank that had emerged as the leading suitor for Lehman Brothers, said Sunday afternoon that it had pulled out of discussions to acquire the beleaguered investment bank. Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na ----- Nex step might be China's sale of F/May/FMac holdings, or Russ-similar with $50 billions, enough to force the economic collapse either needs for inevitable attack on U.S. interests.

It's amusing that so many of the below posters are directing so much energy re: Governor Palin's experience. There is ample evidence that she has far more experience than an Alinsky-type community organizer that according to Hillary Clinton failed to vote on over 120 issues while a state legislator and other than speeches has no national experience, and whose own VP pick Sen. Biden called him too inexperienced to be a president (note Biden got less national votes than Governor Palins' town's population where she was mayor) and that the presidency was no place for "on the job training." Also the governor of Illinois, a democrat, stated the other day that Governor Palin was "well qualified to be vice president, even president"(obviously). So what say some of you about that very high level democratic endorsement from Obama's home state? The election has turned a corner, the voters are now evaluating the candidates on their own, rather then allowing the media (or the Hollywood super-rich, etc.) to dictate who they should vote for. I would be absolutely shocked if Obama gets more than 15 electoral votes. Checkmate.

To all: Backlash just now beginning as this "see with own eyes" surely demonstrates...see the 42 Comments when you check to evaluate with own mind: (Conclusion-only here to avoid any persuasive impact by me.) Palin Gets the Facts Wrong in ABC Interview Posted by Staff, Think Progress at 9:33 AM on September 12, 2008. Good Morning America 42 COMMENTS "A number of the claims that Palin made were false. She has never issued an order to the Alaska National Guard and every vice president “over the last 30 years had met a foreign head of state before being elected.” In addition to saying that she hasn’t “really focused much on the war in Iraq” in March 2007, Palin also called for “an exit plan” from Iraq. Although she can see Russia from some parts of Alaska, Palin has never actually traveled there." ----------- Check out OpEd and the preceding one, still running above,for which this is surely relevant. Beats b-b/feeling/fallacies some have posted to confuse and misinform and manipulate for malign political purposes. Makes one remember that film-famous line from Harpo: "WHO you gonna believe, me...or your own eyes ?"

To all: Here's "see with own eyes" excerp from David Broder's WPost column today. He concludes thus about voters: "They will search carefully for clues that can give them a degree of confidence that they are making the right choice. Those clues may come in displays of character, in policy promises, or in the endorsement of trusted sources. Informal conversations among friends and family will be as important as the TV ads or the candidates' speeches. Multiply these factors by the political geography of this 51-part election, with nearly a dozen plausible tossup states, and the uncertainty of the outcome is overwhelming. My hunch is that we may go well into October and still not know who will be succeeding George W. Bush. Some find this unsettling and unacceptable, and they give full license to their emotions of joy or despair. I find it wonderful, even inspiring. This has been — and remains — the election of a lifetime." ------ I.E., he's saying "oven just gtting hot, bread only just begun to bake, will be crusty when done" --don't you agree ? Prematurity, unreliability of polls, naivete in assuming they have any real meaning this early, is body of his prescient, experienced words. S0 see for yourself, and evaluate with OWN MIND, not mine nor anyone else's --that is YOUR freedom AND your voter responsibility, too.

To all: "WIN By ANY MEANS" is now bringing national kickback against McCain campaign. "See with own eyes" here, evaluate with own mind, lead story today in NY Times: McCain Barbs Stirring Outcry as Distortions By MICHAEL COOPER and JIM RUTENBERG 9/13/06 www.nytimes.com "Harsh advertisements and negative attacks are a staple of presidential campaigns, but Senator John McCain has drawn an avalanche of criticism this week from Democrats, independent groups and even some Republicans for regularly stretching the truth in attacking Senator Barack Obama’s record and positions. "Mr. Obama has also been accused of distortions, but this week Mr. McCain has found himself under particularly heavy fire for a pair of headline-grabbing attacks. "First the McCain campaign twisted Mr. Obama’s words to suggest that he had compared Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, to a pig after Mr. Obama said, in questioning Mr. McCain’s claim to be the change agent in the race, “You can put lipstick on a pig; it’s still a pig.” (Mr. McCain once used the same expression to describe Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s health plan.) "Then he falsely claimed that Mr. Obama supported “comprehensive sex education” for kindergartners (he supported teaching them to be alert for inappropriate advances from adults). "Those attacks followed weeks in which Mr. McCain repeatedly, and incorrectly, asserted that Mr. Obama would raise taxes on the middle class, even though analysts say he would cut taxes on the middle class more than Mr. McCain would, and misrepresented Mr. Obama’s positions on energy and health care. "A McCain advertisement called “Fact Check” was itself found to be “less than honest” by FactCheck.org, a nonpartisan group. "The group complained that the McCain campaign had cited its work debunking various Internet rumors about Ms. Palin and implied in the advertisement that the rumors had originated with Mr. Obama. "In an interview Friday on the NY1 cable news channel, a McCain supporter, Senator Orrin G. Hatch of Utah, called “ridiculous” the implication that Mr. Obama’s “lipstick on a pig” comment was a reference to Ms. Palin, whom he also defended as coming under unfair attack." ------ Lead-story picture shows McCain being accused of two "lying"ads on national TV interview. Please note both Op Eds in this two-parter ran just prior to this debacle for McCain. We stand by every statement made, and further campaign fury will prove up every point.

D. et al: Like bread, polls go stale very rapidly. Those who make them do not trust them for more than 24 hours --basic principle taught in all Polls 101, apparently unknown to you et al. Oven just now gettin' hot for last-bake/shot, and bread sure to be real crusty...wait and see ! If you have spare dollars, know fine place to lay heavy bet. Wanta participate ? If so ID to Editor for direct...you can set up that very-delayed Op Ed same-time !!

"Everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people's idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back, that is an outrage." ---Sir Winston Churchill, House of Commons, Oct. 13, 1943.

Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the roar of its many waters. --Frederick Douglas

My guess is Nancy Pelosi and Henry Reid will be unhappy with the recent Gallup analysis. Expect two things: 1(possibly) offshore drilling will be made more practical by congress; and 2(for sure) things are going to get real nasty. "Gallup:Battle for Congress Suddenly Looks Competitive (GOP "could regain control of U.S. House,Senate ...") Gallup ^ | September 12, 2008 | by Lydia Saad PRINCETON, NJ -- A potential shift in fortunes for the Republicans in Congress is seen in the latest USA Today/Gallup survey, with the Democrats now leading the Republicans by just 3 percentage points, 48% to 45%, in voters' "generic ballot" preferences for Congress. This is down from consistent double-digit Democratic leads seen on this measure over the past year. The positive impact of the GOP convention on polling indicators of Republican strength is further seen in the operation of Gallup's "likely voter" model in this survey. Republicans, who are now much more enthused about the 2008 election than they were prior to the convention, show heightened interest in voting, and thus outscore Democrats in apparent likelihood to vote in November. As a result, Republican candidates now lead Democratic candidates among likely voters by 5 percentage points, 50% to 45%. If these numbers are sustained through Election Day -- Republicans could be expected to regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives."

C-son: Your naiveta surpassed only by yur failure in judgment, sir. If you believe Palin --or anyone in same circumstance-- speaks publicly without prior guidance (read "canned") you might like to invest in a bridge I have for sale, now that Alaska has been forced to cancel it... Re non-glibness, that often indicates thought prior to untested statement --but how would you know ? Yours, for me, reflects lack of self-understanding of real motivation, deeply hidden via denial, and consonant with other statements you've made here. Might add that rapid short-form content analysis shows same symptomatic record.

I just finished watching the ABC Palin/Gibson interview, and I liked how she handled the “Bush Doctrine” question. She correctly asked which one. That took Gibson back, probably thinking she had a “canned” answer ready. She’s showing that she can think on her feet and answer any question. Plus there were no ah's, umms, or any other delaying sounds one hears when glibbness has failed for some... If you notice, after her answer, Gibson referred to a “specific” part of the “Bush Doctrine”. It’s like she took Gibson off his script. I expect that in the next interviews she’ll look more presidential. I loved her answers, and the fact that she does not have “canned” statements. She showed me, beyond any doubt, that she has a far superior grasp on world and domestic affairs than her inexperienced challengers. Please note that already misleading headlines are being put out about her advocating war with Russia. She was just describing the NATO protocols.

Sorry re incomplete comment on stock-holdings. Point was to alert all to the coming collapse and forced govt. buyout of Lehman Bros., whose stock is commonly held by pension funds serving many Americans, thus of very painful interest to many. See WP or NYT websites for further details. This surely of much stronger import to all than passing strange remarkes re relatively small matter of "earmarks", whose total in U.S. budget runs at miniscule percentage, and is common fault of every working Rep. or Senator, who must face results of "What did you do for US ?" on every return-home. McCain reversed self several times on stand-here, dependent on what political interest demanded. But so far he has not made angry demand to "kill 'em all" which some others have in relation to those we face with troops abroad now.

To all: Check out C-son comments elsewhere to see values and his level of sensitive and sober and wise judgment demonstrated all too clearly. Right (no pun !) or wrong, this one merely more minor smear-tactic and distraction, demonstrating neocon tool of turning truth on its head while remonstrating re others doing so.

When it comes to reforming and change it appears as per a bi-partisan group, Citizens Against Waste, they have some bad news for Sen.'s Obama and Biden, along with their supporters who are trying to distract voters away from the real facts. In a recent survey of 35 votes on "earmarks", Obama voted to pass them at a 90% clip, Biden at a 100% clip and Sen. McCain voted against all for 0%. Reminds me of the saying: "You shouldn't throw stones when you live in a glass house." To see who the real porkers are go to http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer I have noticed some of the media is acting more like grief counselors than as reporters of news. Well Hillary Clinton will be the replacement VP pick pretty soon. Will not change the dynamic.

To all:
Not every American home account holds stocks or other similar assets --but far too many do count on pensions to come from employers, with the pension accounts far too deep invested in stocks.

To all:
Here's "see with own eyes" re who has closer ties to lobbist crowd and owes most to K St. in D.C.:
Published on Thursday, September 11, 2008 by www.Politico.com
McCain Staffers Have Marched To K Street

by Jen DiMascio and Samuel Loewenberg

WASHINGTON - John McCain has pledged that, if elected president, he would end the revolving-door practice of administration officials leaving office for lucrative lobbying jobs.

In an interview with Politico, the Republican senator from Arizona called lobbyists "birds of prey." But, until recently, the revolving door in his Senate office has spun steadily.

At least 16 of McCain's former Senate staffers have gone on to careers in the influence trade, according to an analysis of federal lobbying records. In many cases, they went to work for clients whose issues the staffers dealt with in the Senate.

"Actions speak louder than words," Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, said, explaining that the senator has opened himself up to charges of hypocrisy by putting himself out front on ethics issues.

Both McCain and his Democratic rival for the White House, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, are trying to be "more ethical than thou" on lobbying, Krumholz said.

Obama has also pledged to stop the revolving door if elected. He has also declined to take donations from lobbyists; McCain has not.

An analysis of records did not find any former Obama Senate aides lobbying, though he's still in his first term. McCain is in his fourth, after two terms in the House.

McCain announced his plan to stop the revolving door after the media spotlight fell on some controversial clients - including Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Georgia and Philip Morris USA - that a few of his senior campaign aides had represented as lobbyists. Several of those aides have since left the campaign.
----------
Picture accompanied article with this caption:
[ Randy Scheunemann, right, and Nicolle Wallace, advisers to Republican ... AP Wed Aug 13, 5:51 PM ET Randy Scheunemann, right, and Nicolle Wallace, advisers to Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., listen as McCain speaks to reporters during a news conference Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2008 in Birmingham, Mich. Scheunemann worked as a lobbyist for the government of Georgia, while advising McCain on foreign policy. For the duration of the campaign, Scheunemann is taking a leave of absence from the firm. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)]
-----
Scheunemann signed on to Projectg for the New American Century, original plan for preemptive assault on Iraq; he has also signed on to other materials authorizing assassination as a political weapon for the U.S.
Any moral question involved here for Christians ?
Any one else disturbed by obvious implications of ultra lobby effort for such regimes listed ?
"OK-by-you" for such actions taken in your name, as U.S. citizen ?
Simple questions --but may cause some small and perturbing cogitation, which is why they appear here, now.

To all: MUST add this excerpt from NATION editor K. Pollitt, since so very timely and to-the-point on Palin --and also because the NATION was founded to fight racism and slavery. SO "see with own eyes" these very pertinent questions for Palin and her cohorts; or the shills we've been hearing from recently: § Suppose your 14-year-old daughter Willow is brutally raped in her bedroom by an intruder. She becomes pregnant and wants an abortion. Could you tell the parents of America why you think your child and their children should be forced by law to have their rapists' babies? § You say you don't believe global warming is man-made. Could you tell us what scientists you've spoken with or read who have led you to that conclusion? What do you think the 2,500 scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are getting wrong? § If you didn't try to fire Wasilla librarian Mary Ellen Baker over her refusal to consider censoring books, why did you try to fire her? § What is the European Union, and how does it function? § Forty-seven million Americans lack health insurance. John Goodman, who has advised McCain on healthcare, has proposed redefining them as covered because, he says, anyone can get care at an ER. Do you agree with him? § What is the function of the Federal Reserve? § Cindy and John McCain say you have experience in foreign affairs because Alaska is next to Russia. When did you last speak with Prime Minister Putin, and what did you talk about? § Approximately how old is the earth? Five thousand years? 10,000? 5 billion? § You are a big fan of President Bush, so why didn't you mention him even once in your convention speech? § McCain says cutting earmarks and waste will make up for revenues lost by making the tax cuts permanent. Experts say that won't wash. Balancing the Bush tax cuts plus new ones proposed by McCain would most likely mean cutting Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security. Which would you cut? § You're suing the federal government to have polar bears removed from the endangered species list, even as Alaska's northern coastal ice is melting and falling into the sea. Can you explain the science behind your decision? § You've suggested that God approves of the Iraq War and the Alaska pipeline. How do you know ? ----------- About Katha Pollitt: Pollitt's writing has appeared in many publications, including The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, Ms. and the New York Times. her most recent collection of Nation columns is "Virginity or Death!." Her volume of personal essays, Learning to Drive and Other Life Stories, has just been published.

Regarding the "earmark" that was directed towards the so-called bridge to nowhere, that has been explained and put into perspective by many media sources, which establishes it as simply a political distraction; also was voted "aye" to pass by both Obama and Biden. So what's with that? Obviously the political season is starting to heat up, and that's when we get a chance to see how the candidates stand up to a little pressure. I have noticed over many election cycles that the real leaders get stronger under pressure, while the others buckle and start using diversions/distractions and insults, for example look what Obama said the other night on Letterman: Obama: "Palin is just another pretty face, not A Pig." Obama really is pretty clueless. Instead of hinting that Governor Sarah Palin is a pig with lipstick, he goes on Letterman and calls her just another pretty face - insinuating she has no brains, views or any leadership qualities. I expect that there goes another significant percentage of the vote to the McCain/Palin ticket. I can appreciate some trash talking, but the behavior for some is getting over the top. Two weeks ago Rasmussen gave Obama a 62.8% chance of winning, now McCain has a 52.6% chance of winning. The battleground states have been very dynamic, trending away from Obama. Americans do not like the tactics he and his surrogates (paid and unpaid shills) have been using. I imagine it will get worse, and there will be many October surprises, but the trend will not change in my opinion. The issue of energy independence will be very important and I assume the democratic leadership will change their blocking tactics, but they have already been tagged with obstructionist behavior, as well as the fact they have controlled the purse strings for two years and the economy has been aversely impacted during this time. Reform is best done by those who have executive experience and the voters know who has that experience.

-----------------------------------------------------------UPDATE-------------------------------------------------------------

 Editor: The individual submitting this comment seemed familiar, so I checked the log on his/her IP and discovered that he or she has used a number of different names in recent months in an apparent effort to make it appear that his/her points, generally racist and intolerant in nature, are supported.  This is the list of names:

Dylan Duke, JB Stallworth, Deb Myerson, War Veteran, Rich Millison, WV, Percy, Delaware, Del, Carlson, Real Democrat, Retired Military, Sourced, LH, Going Broke, Len Hannoford, Oregon Veteran, Telford, Humos, Eternal Optimist, Scazry Times, Capitalist, Ronan, Brian, Wonder, Steve, Gomer, Casse, Ben Jammin', Jason Burbach, Kevin, JB, Kilroy, Carol Ann, Sgt. Rock, Abdul Farqua, Wally, Change, Micro/Macro, Booker T Washington, Stewart, Kyle, Pragmatic, Teacher Veteran, ex-government employee, Ayers Weatherman, Fido, Real Combat Vet, Mary Stennis, Proud Schwab Investor, Bullfrog, Hopefully, Update, Fed Up

 I almost feel like I should apologize for this going on so long, and now those of us who spend time around  here know that the number of people who voice extreme positions regarding right wing politics on Salem-News.com are not as strong in number as they appear.  This individual who uses male and female names to launch frequently ridiculous attacks on myself, Henry Ruark, Professor Stephen Zunes, Dr. Phillip Leveque, etc., is nothing more than a disturbed poser who writes comments, then writes back to herself or himself, representing several people instead of just one.  I would write off anything ever posted here under those names, or by anyone who resembles the ramblings left by this individual.

To all: Myth, fantasy, fraudulent claims and perverted-fact tv-ads now rule McCain-Palin campaign, for sure. Here's "see with own eyes" excerpt from major NYTimes special report re Palin boast she subdued Big Oil. But truth is she must now bow or bow out on pipeline, which is still a promise-only at this point: "The pipeline exists only on paper. The first section has yet to be laid, federal approvals are years away and the pipeline will not be completed for at least a decade. "In fact, although it is the centerpiece of Ms. Palin’s relatively brief record as governor, the pipeline might never be built, and under a worst-case scenario, the state could lose up to $500 million it committed to defray regulatory and other costs. "Contributing to the project’s uncertainty is Ms. Palin’s antagonistic relationship with the major oil companies that control Alaska’s untapped gas reserves. "Ms. Palin won the governor’s office in part by capitalizing on populist distaste for the political establishment’s coziness with Big Oil, and her pipeline strategy was intended to blunt its power over the process. "Her willingness to take on the oil companies has allowed the McCain campaign to portray her as a scourge of special interests. "Now, though, she will need the industry’s cooperation if her plan is to succeed, and just this week, her office said she intended to reach out to the North Slope oil companies." -------- That $500 million was the cost for "subduing" Big Oil, represents state dollars to cover costs of preparation and permits prior to ANY ground- break, with Big Oil free to quit and withdraw entirely if they so choose. Did you really believe any such deal could be perpetrated in any other way than usual ? See "rest of story" at: NYT website for full-depth explanation. Excerpt here only to make point fantasy, myth still used by this bunch to abuse citizen right to know full details, truthfully told. What ELSE, after lying to build preemptive attack on Iraq, now at cost-level well over THREE TRILLION, AND STILL GROWING ! Which is point of both this Op Ed, and preceding one, too. SO pay your nickel, "read all about it" --then check via "see with own eyes" and THEN STILL use own mind to evaluate what WE show or ANYone else claims.

To all: Now cometh E.E.Dionne, W.P award-winning columnist: Does the Truth Matter Anymore? E.E. Dionne, Washington Post www.washingtonpost.com 9/10/08 "This is not false naivete: I am genuinely surprised that John McCain and his campaign keep throwing out false charges and making false claims without any qualms. "They keep talking about Sarah Palin’s opposition to the Bridge to Nowhere without any embarrassment over the fact that she once supported it. "They keep saying that Barack Obama will raise taxes, suggesting he’d raise them on everybody, when Obama’s plan, according to the Tax Policy Institute, would cut taxes for “about 80 percent of households” while “only about 10 percent would owe more.” "And as Sebastian Mallaby pointed out in his recent column, Obama would cut taxes for middle-income taxpayers “more aggressively” than McCain would." (Then he details other extremely embarrassing similar situations shaming McCain.) ---------- For more McCain-revealing information, see rest of this column, dealing with elaborate false-front McCain-stand re sex education in schools, in lying ad widely distributed. Dionne is author of classic study "Why Americans Hate Politics" in '90s, even then showing duplicity, distortion and perversion in the ranks of "conservatives" just turning neocon. "It's history, folks !!" ..and undeniable...that D.C. is for sure now "broken". SO simple question MUST be "WHO can fix it right ?" --and answer surely: "NOT those who BROKE IT !!" Did "they" break it ? You've been here allatime; what did you experience ? Start with Reagan and the unions whose strength made our middle class possible --and he killed, immediately. Check out who held up and delayed energy development; McCain nixed it eight times, once when he was in his office at the Senate, and had only to walk across to the Senate floor. Include check on minimum wage, corporate deregulation, privatization of S/Security; you can see who-did-what and when. The list goes on and on; the consequences are spelled out in Op Ed here and first one preceding, still running. "See with own eyes" and evaluate with own mind.

To all: SO let's get right to the heart of the matter: The ruin now facing our economy, and the middle class so dependent on it for month-to-month and, for some, day-to-day survival, is real, rough, and raging; and bound to get worse, rapidly. More Bushenomics: Why McCain's Plans Would Only Add to Americans' Economic Pain By Nomi Prins, AlterNet Posted on September 9, 2008 http://www.alternet.org/story/98060/ Somewhere between box-office hit and policy wonk mentality is the real world. Here, "Country First" should represent more than military prowess; it should mean economic stability. A country can't be strong if the personal economies of its citizens are weak. Yet, under McCain's economic strategy, individual financial security is under attack. Grandiose notions of combat don't pay for adjustable mortgages, sneaky credit card fees and rate hikes, health care premiums, tuition, gas or food. They don't regulate a banking system gone mad that has already commandeered billions of dollars of bailouts (from Bear Stearns to the cost of "effectively nationalizing" Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac). McCain's main economic promises are cutting taxes, creating jobs and balancing the budget (aka removing pork). All commendable, except when you consider the details. His policies would result in a higher deficit, a lower dollar, more jobs leaving the country, and a reduction in Social Security, Medicare, education and other entitlement programs. ------------------ From that straight-fact start this one then takes on each of McCain's policies and demonstrates clearly why they are WRONG, NOW for the nation. These are key issues; this is factual, demonstrable and entirely checkable via other sources.(On request to Editor with ID, via PDF's held for other writing work.) SO D. and C., let's see how you rebut each and every point here --should be good for at least another fat check-add/on from your political paymaster. IF you are NOT paid shills, the Op Ed invitation, with ID to Editor, still stands, with no response !! Any citizen unafraid of his ID-information could and should respond, given that opportunity. Generalities, smears, name-calling and inconsquentials fall away when Op Ed-detail and documentation becomes demanded for credibility.

D et al One of your key phrases is:"...the last vestiges of Christian morality and pride in the America that existed before the cultural revolutions of the 1960s." Mumbo-jumbo, but believe you wish to state that such values have disappeared from our current national character. That simply demonstrates your completely out-of-touch and plainly woefully ignorant understandings of changes thus caused, now recognized as leading us strongly into the 21st Century. The mass revolts and even flaming destruction in our major cities then was very strong motivation for both positive change and political over-reaction shaping our national life with massive consequences then-and-now. Obviously, for anyone still able to look around in any community and understand the societal activities plainly visible, that statement is as outmoded as the times you name. You are living with both eyes trained on rear-vision mirror, sir... Any ongoing chronicle of cultural and societal change and development, open to any interested via public channels and the ubiquitours public libraries, will clearly show how wrong --and ignorant--you demonstrate yourself to be for that consequential statement. FYI, it was precisely that over-reaction to long overdue social developments which then brought on the Nixon and Reagan maladministrations, now clearly recognized as the root of the consuming neocon rot now decimating and damaging our democracy. Which, forgive me, is well laid out for all to check and evaluate with own mind in the current Op Ed, and preceding one, too --to which you et al have yet to make any relevant objection. Political palaver is fun and games, per demo here; but time now demands we seek solid common sense to guide us in pivotal elective decision. Inconsequential flyspeck nonentities mean nothing in such essential consideration. So ask key question: Are you and your family now better off than you were 8 years ago ? and then IF our system is broken (AND it surely IS !), do we trust those who broke it to try again to fix ANY PART of it ?

To all:
Oregon's Rep.DeFazio reports on Palin support for "Bridge to Nowhere":
OR-4: DeFazio sets record straight on Palin’s support of Alaskan bridge
By Britten Chase
editor@politickeror.com

The rest of the country can argue over what vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said about her support for Alaska’s “Bridge to Nowhere,” but U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Springfield) set the record straight on Tuesday.

"Sarah Palin seems to have forgotten that she joined U.S. Representative Don Young and U.S. Senator Ted Stevens in advocating for the Bridge to Nowhere project,” DeFazio said in a statement.
“Apparently, what she stood for as a candidate in her state, is different than what she now stands for as a national candidate."

DeFazio, who is chairman of the House Transportation Subcommittee on Highways and Transport, would know. That project ended in September 2007, shortly after he took the reins of that committee.

But since Palin took credit for ending the Bridge to Nowhere in her acceptance speech, and then on the campaign trail, DeFazio says that each time she brings up the project, she is only hurting her credibility as a candidate.

"As we can see from her record as Governor, Sarah Palin is not the reformer that John McCain is trying to present her as," DeFazio continued. "It's not reform to say no, then keep the dough."
--------
That one is NOT by any means inconsequential; most persons will see that public-record report as solid character test extremely consequential to anyone purporting to be ready for V-P responsibilities in our national government.
Anyone wish to call DeFazio a liar ? Anyone wish to defy nd deny Congressional record of the hearing(s) on which he reports, as chair ?
Any further questions ? if any, suggest you re-read the Op Ed and the preceding Op Ed still current on S-N.

To All: Can't have our two very-busy flyspeck-industrious friends without shill-work to charge-for...so here's "see with own eyes" with EIGHT MORE major points re Palin, to add to the TEN already supplied and UNanswered ! 8 More Stories About Palin the Public Needs to Know By AlterNet Staff, AlterNet Posted on September 10, 2008, http://www.alternet.org/story/98228/ It takes most politicians years to rack up the kinds of scandals, hypocrisies, and inconsistencies that have plagued Sarah Palin's candidacy in the week and a half since she catapulted to national attention. But the disturbing revelations about Palin's record as mayor and governor, and her positions on the issues, inexplicably just keep coming. AlterNet has compiled a list of the 8 most recent revelations about McCain's VP pick that the public needs to know. 1. Palin paid herself to stay at home. ----- Other NINE right out there on public record, open to any suit-for-damages, by national channel highly praised by all media reviewers for public service via honest, open reporting. Surely rational, reasonable honest, open reporting beats non-ID inconsequencials from flyspeck observers with very obvious political manipulation in mind --and NO RELEVANT COMMENT YET re Op Ed itself. THAT, too, should tell you something essential about the Op Ed, second in series, with moretocome. We've offered each of these two access for OWN Op Ed, wih full opportunity for open, honest presentation with open, honest documentation from nonpartisan sources --but that requires ID to Editor which they dare not risk. IF they NOT paid shills, ID to Editor is only cost to show fact to all concerned here. SO ? Why wait ? Why NOT ID and do Op Ed ? Common sense (and content analysis) tells reason to any thinking person.

To All: You want more-of-same ? It's already on the way: Breaking News Alert The New York Times Wednesday, September 10, 2008 -- 7:55 AM ET ----- Lehman Sees $3.9 Billion Loss and Plans to Shed Assets The struggling investment bank Lehman Brothers said that it would report a $3.9 billion loss for the third quarter and would sell a majority stake in its investment management unit as it struggles to stay afloat. Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na --------- For full explanation in real depth re reasons and why we must fix "broken system", see ref. above: "War for Wealth". Meanwhile be amused by fly-speck inconsequentials now cited in desperation by those who dare not face realities.

As reported below Obama is on record (video on www) calling Gov. Palin a pig! Now is that not presidential!? Also the tabloid US magazine has been bleeding subscriptions by the thousands because of an insulting article on Palin. In fact that magazine to lure their readers back have offered them the first 5 magazines for free. What this is showing is that as the mud-slinging continues so will the backlash. This Gov. Palin is a real decent leader and highly competent, so the radicals can only handle it one way, and that is essentially a fascist methodology. I am no fan of McCain, but he and Palin offer us something far better than the alternative. This behavior below is so typical of the trash-talking mentality. Real leaders do not behave in this way: September 09, 2008 6:10 PM LEBANON, Va. -- "That's not change," Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said of what Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is offering. "You know, you can put lipstick on a pig," Obama said, "but it's still a pig." The crowd rose and applauded, some of them no doubt thinking he may have been alluding to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's ad lib during her vice presidential nomination acceptance speech last week, "What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick."

Henry et al. The poll done on 11/04/08 will be the only poll that means anything. Also I have no problem with congress impeaching Bush, as long as it is for lawful reasons and not for political diversion, which may mean that they will begin the impeachment process when it becomes clear that Obama has fallen too far behind. What I would like to see is a RICCO investigation on a number of people/organizations out of Chicago. One of Obama's buddies, a big time supporter of Black Muslims (going back to Elijah Mohammed), will be sentenced for multiple felony convictions next month. Are you familiar with the voter fraud arrests for employees of ACORN? Did you know that they use the Alinsky model for community organizing? Guess who their legal advisor out of Chicago was? That's right. Will be on 527's next month. There have been some amazing changes going on with the internal measurements of various polls. Checkmate. Note that I will always back up my statements with "primary sources."

To all: For any reader interested beyond political maladroitism, one ref. just found supports Op Eds in depth, detail and as documentation. Seldom one finds a single book winning high praise from Kissinger, Kuttner, Talbott and Alter; if you are serious you know those names. Here it is: The War for Wealth: The True Story of Globalization, or Why the Flat World is Broken; Gabor Steingart;McGraw/Hill 2008; ISBN 978-0-07-154596-9. Author is longtime Senior Correspondent for Der Spiegel, and is an internationally respected authority on trade, headquartered in Washington. Here you will find solid fact responsibly presented in intelligible, readable terms, and illuminating last two Op Eds in full and honest detail beyond election-year attack.

C.,D. et al:
Would not want you to lack for more points to distort and pervert...so here's new source via Ten Points from respected national source, for all to see while you compile further distraction from ONLY main point: "WHO can best deal with demanded remedies for broken system ?":
Conservative Failures

The Politics

More than half of Americans currently hold an unfavorable opinion of the Republican Party. [Polling Report] They are angry about conservative politicians’ abuse of power, their mismanagement of the economy, and the impact conservative failures have had on their everyday lives. Progressives can’t allow conservatives to continue downplaying their mistakes and attempting to cover them up with promises of reform. Making Sense has assembled a top ten list of the worst conservative failures of the Bush years; now it’s time to hold them accountable for each and every one.

The Facts: ("See with own eyes" at www.thefuture.org.
----------------
(Hey, guys, hope this adds to your check via prolonging assignment...HCR)

YESTERDAY'S Gallup poll had John McCain ahead of Barack Obama by an astonishing 10 points among likely voters. A Washington Post poll had that lead at only two points, but clearly showed a McCain surge - especially among women. This wasn't what Democrats were expecting when they left Denver - yet they have nobody to blame but themselves. Obama's toughest challenge has always been to connect with working-class swing voters. So attacking the poster child for small-town values, Sarah Palin, was a bad strategy. No, Obama didn't engage in the mass sneering at Palin - but he did fall into the trap of disrespecting her. When McCain chose her, the Obama campaign's first response was to ridicule the size of her town. Then the candidate himself began referring to her as a "former mayor" when she is in fact a sitting governor. When she retaliated (justifiably) by mocking his stint as a organizer, the Obama camp was clearly rattled. Obama himself actually began arguing about the importance of community organizing. His supporters amplified this cry - claiming Palin's attack was a racist slur and passing around e-mails titled "Jesus was a community organizer, Pontius Pilate was a governor." Meanwhile, the rest of the country is probably wondering what being a community organizer has to do with being president.

C.,D.et al: Thank you both for insighful points. Rapid content analysis shows with high certainty that they did NOT come from whomever wrote the preceding ones. Which, you will recall, has been my main point, re full bore attacks on open channel here, by those specially motivated for that purpose. Despite that, these points DO require deep and thoughtful dialog, and I recommend each reader seek out your links and your sources and then make sure to consider, very carefully, with own mind, without persuasive words from any one of us, what the facts are, and what the consequences are sure to be, if we continue with the policy and programs in place for the past forty years. (Except for Clinton regime, ending with huge U.S. budget surplus, now again all squandered.) THAT is the real and ONLY issue here. We KNOW NOW what we will get via continuance. We ALSO know now what even the GOPicons admit: The system is broken, and MUST be democratically restored, with due regard to further safety for Constitutional areas under deliberate neocon attack --including education. (See next Op Ed, now current, for that one.) WHO can best fix it ? Those who broke it, or others hampered, delayed, defied and too often defeated in last eight years ? NOT ALWAYS by honest, open, commonweal decision, sometimes by fully intentional lie and perversion of data AND "intelligence" ! ALL ELSE falls into the round-can. SO I agree, strong dialog cannot but help Americans use their native wit, wisdom and WILL to make the right choice. I can live with that choice, for whatever time I have left. YOU et al must do so, oprobably for much longer !! Remains to be seen whether you can, or NOT; change later will be that much harder, more costly, more demanding, and far less-possible than NOW. Meantime key question still open with no answer from you: Impeachment NOW, or LATER, or NEVER ? Also must offer you both, again, full Op Ed opportunity here via ID to Editor, to send your complete and DOCUMENTED answer to all of us re the two Op Eds which set off this set of dialog-points --precisely as intended, in this open, honest,democratic S-N channel. Proof is positive on that point by the very fact of your responses, with this two/fer Op Ed series reaching a near record, surely of solid worth to the readership. Thank you both for your good participation, sincerely AND richly appreciated.

Heny et al. To clear rumors please avail yourself to the below: Many falsely "Sliming Palin" (FactCheck.org debunks Palin smears) http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/sliming_palin.html ^ | September 8, 2008 Summary: Palin did not cut funding for special needs education in Alaska by 62 percent. She didn’t cut it at all. In fact, she tripled per-pupil funding over just three years. * She did not demand that books be banned from the Wasilla library. Some of the books on a widely circulated list were not even in print at the time. The librarian has said Palin asked a "What if?" question, but the librarian continued in her job through most of Palin's first term. * She was never a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, a group that wants Alaskans to vote on whether they wish to secede from the United States. She’s been registered as a Republican since May 1982. * Palin never endorsed or supported Pat Buchanan for president. She once wore a Buchanan button as a "courtesty" when he visited Wasilla, but shortly afterward she was appointed to co-chair of the campaign of Steve Forbes in the state. (Excerpt) Read more at factcheck.org ...

To all: "In moments of crisis, it is possible to speak hard truths with great force and clarity. But when the truth has gone silent, lies, boldly told, work almost as well." ---Naomi Klein That's purpose of Op Ed above and those preceding and following. Does anyone really believe we are NOT in that "crisis pattern" NOW, in this nation ? If you do, I have a fine, new, "bridge to Nowhere" in which you may wish to invest; and it is NOT the Alaska-one causing such unconscionable controversy.

The fact that Palin struck a chord with millions is a positive sign. It is healthy that millions of Americans still respond to evocations of small town life and the frontier, rather than evocations of victimization and shame in our past. It is healthy that millions of Americans revel in mockery of a corrupt and effete elite, an elite that wishes to erase the last vestiges of Christian morality and pride in the America that existed before the cultural revolutions of the 1960s. And it is healthy that millions of Americans recoiled from the type of attack launched on Palin by the media and capitalized on by the Obama campaign. Why should she have interviews with those media outlets that have been involved in fraud and fabrication when she can talk directly to the American people. I hope she just does Q and A's in a townhall format, afterall the future VP Palin works for us, not the MSM and their curious agenda. Many have been talking about whether Gov. Palin could take over if President McCain becomes incapacitated. Compare her with not just Obama, but how about Nancy Pelosi (3rd in line), whose baggage includes a 9% approval rating. I am perfectly comfortable with governor Palin compared to those with no experience other than talk, and nothing else but talk to fall back on. Game, set, match.

Henry et al. In the interest of full disclosure here is an update re: The bridge to nowhere as per the Democratic Party of Alaska (you just can't make this stuff up): Article by Alaska Democrats crediting Palin with killing Bridge to Nowhere Mysteriously disappears! www.retireted.com The Alaska Democratic Party pulled this page from their site, but luckily Google has it cached - it states "the State of Alaska officially abandoned" the "Bridge to Nowhere, basically crediting Sarah Palin with killing it! Funny how the page just happened to disappear! http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:szpJxaSZwiMJ:www.retireted.com/real-estate/gravina-bridge/ted-earmarked-funds-for-bridge-that-goes-nowhere/+http://www.retireted.com/real-estate/gravina-bridge/ted-earmarked-funds-for-bridge-that-goes-nowhere/andhl=enandct=clnkandcd=1andgl=us the actual news was originally reported here, http://senateconservatives.com/2008/09/04/alaska-democrats-credit-palin-with-killing-bridge-to-nowhere/

Henry et al. You have been talking about "earmarks" as associated with Gov. Palin (Note: earmarks are created by congress "not" state governors!), well et al, below is a NY Times article regarding Obama and his nearly $one millions dollars a day request for earmarks. What say you? Obama Lists His Earmarks, Asking Clinton for Hers [NYT March, 2008] new york times ^ | March 14, 2008 | CHRISTOPHER DREW and JO BECKER Senator Barack Obama on Thursday released a list of $740 million in earmarked spending requests that he had made over the last three years, and his campaign challenged Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to do the same. The list included $1 million for a hospital where Mr. Obama’s wife works, money for several projects linked to campaign donors and support for more than 200 towns, civic institutions and universities in Illinois. But as the Senate debated a bill to restrict the controversial method of paying for home-state projects — a measure defeated Thursday evening — Mr. Obama’s presidential campaign also said that only about $220 million worth of his requests had been approved by Congress. And among those that had been killed were his request in 2006 for $1 million for an expansion of the University of Chicago Medical Center, where Mr. Obama’s wife, Michelle, is a vice president.

Henry et al. Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama had a change of heart yesterday about one of his major campaign issues; the Bush Tax Cuts. The Associated Press quotes Obama as now saying that “he would delay rescinding President Bush's tax cuts on wealthy Americans if he becomes the next president and the economy is in a recession (the economy grew 3.3% last qtr. Largest increase in industrialized world, plus we also have lowest unemployment rate!), suggesting such an increase would further hurt the economy.” Two things struck me about this comment. First; he uses the term increase. This is the first time I’ve heard him admit that rescinding the Bush cuts would in reality be a tax increase. Second; he admits that an increase would hurt the economy. For about as long as he has been running for president, which seems like forever, Obama has been preaching the woes of the Bush Tax Cuts. The bloom is off the rose. The American people are too savvy to be fooled for very long. Obama is losing appeal and is getting desperate. Why else would he embrace one of Bush’s ideas?

To all: This "see with own eyes" contains strong language; be prepared. BUT it cometh from disabled vet, so makes demanded further illumination for Op Ed really relevant. Also puts final hiatus on fly-speckers leaving their usual detritus here for malign political purposes, reflecting precisely the attitude towards reality expressed here by Steinberg. SO here it is ! - Intro only to intrigue you and without further comment from me: OpEdNews Original Content at http://www.opednews.com/articles/COUNTRY-FIRST-MY-ASS-by-Stuart-Steinberg-080906-386.html September 7, 2008 Country First, My Butt By Stuart Steinberg "I was totally revulsed over the last three nights by the main theme of the Republican convention: “Country First.” Tonight, while John McCain gives his acceptance speech, my revulsion continues unabated. The Republicans are the true patriots and the rest of us, apparently, are against our country and what it is supposed to stand for. I told my wife that I should not watch this get-together of hate-spewing, sanctimonious, nattering nabobs of negativism—my, God, I’m quoting Spiro Agnew—because I knew I would want to heave my guts at the screen. Yet, somehow, I have been compelled to watch. It was like having to watch the new “Rambo” movie, arguably the worst movie ever made, because it was so bad you had to keep watching to make sure it was really that bad."

To all: Time to return to real issues here, substantiating Op Ed or NOT: So here's "see with own eyes" re Palin's demonstrated real beliefs and values, done by Alternet staff, noted for realistic reporting based on checkable fact: Sarah Palin's 9 Most Disturbing Beliefs By AlterNet Staff, AlterNet Posted on September 8, 2008 Let's forget for a moment that Sarah Palin likes to kill moose, has lots of children and was once voted the second-prettiest lady in Alaska; that's all part of the gusher of sensationalist, but not particularly substantive, news that has dominated coverage of the Alaska governor's addition to the Republican ticket. Before the next news cycle brings the shocking information that Palin was actually impregnated by Bigfoot, we need to shift the discussion to what really matters about her in the context of the White House: her dangerous views. AlterNet has compiled a list of Palin's most shocking beliefs, ranging from her positions on the economy to her views on reproductive rights. This list has nothing to do with her personal life, her looks or her gender. It's the stuff that voters need to know: what Sarah Palin really believes. -------- Please note I give you ONLY lead-in, NO comment re content but only link to evaluate with own mind...that's honest, open, democratic dialog vs fly-speck nonentity with no ID to characterize source. Mine is on public view via Staff section. Do you want depth-analyis of values and stands on issues, or more tv/series sensational censoring of key essentials t your citizen-responsibility decisions in this pivotal election ? You pays your nickel, and then takes your choice. Better make it the kind you can support for yourselves in the mirror come malign morning review, later on...

To all: Theme of GOPcon-St. Paul was "Change NOW !" They had no other choice, after eight-year Bush debacle. SO this "see with own eyes" entirely relevant to OP Ed and offsets attacks seeking to divert attention from truth. Note I have withheld any lead-in comment, to allow you to really evaluate with own mind free of any persuasive words from me: Rather than Vetting Palin, McCain Will Orchestrate a Cover-Up of Her Abuse of Power By Emptywheel, Firedoglake Posted on September 8, 2008, http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/http://www.firedoglake.com//97943/ "I make [decisions] as quickly as I can, quicker than the other fellow, if I can. Often my haste is a mistake, but I live with the consequences without complaint." -- John McCain It's bad enough that a presidential ticket claiming to run on reform is now orchestrating a cover-up of an apparent abuse of power. What's really stunning is that they're conducting this cover-up in lieu of actually vetting Sarah Palin." ----- Check out intriguing full detail for yourselves !! Will add only this: Hell of a way to sit with finger on that Red Button, don't you agree ? Esp. for one whose "towering rages" are matter of public record, and at age 72 is oldest-ever P-candidate, with sure signs of inevitable aging-process loss of powers and possible onset of malignant maladies. Familar with that since wife died after 6 yr. battle with Altheimer's, so this comment factual, NOT solely b/b/based.

To all: Re cognitive science advances reflecting on D's attitudes towards any understandings of how mind works, was going to send "see with own eyes" ref., but found 15 solid texts on shelf...so will offer, to anyone really interested, complete list with ISBN-ID for each. Request to Editor with ID, and will share. Time we ended this Neanderthal return to pre-Enlightenment emphasis on self-diagnosis of all problems esp. those involving the mind, surely at stake here. Fact is that these advances are essentials for learning methods (and media !) and so reflected for decades in every preparatory process for most teachers and educational administration -where my interest began at OSU (M.Ed.) and Indiana U. (Ed.D/abd). Process is reflected in the upcoming Op Ed re national testing to replace essential local control of education.

To all: Here's "see with own eyes" re the preemptive attacks on dissenters at GOPicon convention: consortiumnews.com Storm Troopers at the RNC By Ray McGovern September 8, 2008 "Ten days ago, as the nation focused attention on the hurricane nearing the Mississippi delta, another storm was brewing far upstream in St. Paul, Minnesota — a storm far more dangerous, it turned out, but one by and large overlooked by the Fawning Corporate Media (FCM). "When I flew into St. Paul on the evening of Aug. 30, I encountered a din in local media about “preemptive strikes” on those already congregating there to demonstrate against the Iraq war and injustice against the poor in our country. "St. Paul’s Pioneer Press expressed surprise that “despite preemptive police searches” and arrests, a group calling itself “the RNC Welcoming Committee” was still intent on “disrupting the convention.” "A headline screamed, “Preemptive Arrests of Protesters in Twin Cities.” But it was the article’s lead that hit home: “Borrowing from the Bush administration’s ‘preemptive war’ playbook, police agencies in the Twin Cities have made ‘preemptive strikes’ against organizations planning to protest at the Republican National Convention.” "In the following days I was to see, up close and personal, a massive and totally unnecessary display of ruthlessness. "What struck a bell was that this domestic application of the doctrine of “preemption” was totally predictable — indeed, predicted by those courageous enough to speak out before the U.S. “preemptive” attack on Iraq." ------ Please note McGovern was longterm skilled analyston Iraq intel, now working with religious/vet group; here he cited what he found in St.Paul, as reported by the major daily there. SO use own mind to evaluate event-and-report, with solid information on source -beats fly-on-wall no-ID b/b "stuff". UNless, of course, political brainwashing has already had its inevitable consequences.

D. et al: In politics, since early days of Federalist Papers, one can find anything one wants, stated by one vs t'tother. Recall how one Founder died, in duel ? He had termed the opponent "a dangerous man". SO what's new ? Have we not YET learned to seek out stand on issues, to examine and probe on policies, and to live up to Constitution re equality ? Your approach makes us that much more vulnerable to the vagaries of b/b-feeling, thus denying us all the lessons we've learned over all those decades --and from previous wasting wars-- while we continue to bleed to national death via both real blood and real national treasure, too. OR do you, like others, seek Armgeddon gladly ??!!

Just what do we know about Obama? Well the first thing we know is that his VP pick, Sen. Biden, said he was not prepared to be president and that the presidency was not the type of position for an OJT rookie. Those are paraphrased words from Sen. Biden, and on video. Want a link, or are you familiar with the video? Pretty confident more info/insight will be coming down the pike on Sens. Obama and Biden. Also Governor Palin will be doing bukoo media interviews starting later this week. Already there are biographical programs running on her now, along with Obama. The latter bio produces more questions than it answers.

Here's another "see with own eyes" checkpoint. Why hide lady if she making such a big hit ? Only PR-reason, understood by anyone with experience, is that blownback can only get worse via more exposure: September 7, 2008 It's Sunday - So Where's Sarah? By steve young The Lord of Loud are at the ready. Rush, Sean, BillO, Glenn, et al. They will be front and center to answer all the questions you have about Sarah Palin and they will explain in no uncertain detail (i.e. RNC talking points) how she has all the knowhow necessary to do a wiz-bang job of handling the vice-presidency. And for that, I thank them. Because if they didn't, who would? Certainly not Sarah. The RNC has gone into full Suppress-Sarah mode. No Sunday morning talk shows. No print interview with Time magazine. No talk to anyone who has an opportunity for a credible followup, like, "Governor, I know you're the one wearing lipstick, but that doesn't answer the question I asked." That's right. The woman who would be Cheney-redux; the woman who is should be ready on day one to handle the second most powerful job on the planet and- just in case - prepared to take the over reigns from her boss, is not ready yet to answer questions from Tom Brokaw. The lady has better things to do. Then again, why do we need to ask her anything? She's already told you what Bush's speechwriter wrote she should tell you. And she was able to get it all out in a little over 30 minutes. And from that we now know what we need to know about her readiness. Right?: ------ SO check out rest for rundown on realities of 18 months learning about Obama, and only days re Palin, yet they now hide her from regular press-exposure usually sought by any means possible !!

To all: Further inescapable proof for Op Ed facts-and-conclusions now provided, very timely, in this "see with own eyes" report: September 8, 2008 U.S. Unveils Takeover of Two Mortgage Giants By EDMUND L. ANDREWS WASHINGTON -- The Treasury Department seized control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the nation’s giant quasi-public mortgage finance companies, and announced a four-part rescue plan that includes an open-ended guarantee from the Treasury Department to provide as much capital as they need to stave off insolvency. At a news conference on Sunday morning, Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. also announced that he had dismissed the chief executives of both companies and replaced them with two long-time financial executives. Herbert M. Allison, currently chairman of TIAA-CREF, the huge pension fund for teachers, will take over Fannie Mae and replace the chief executive, Daniel Mudd. David M. Moffett, currently a senior adviser at the Carlyle Group, one of the country’s biggest private equity firms, will replace Richard Syron as chief executive of Freddie Mac. “Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are so large and so interwoven in our financial system that a failure of either of them would cause great turmoil in our financial markets here at home and around the globe,” Mr. Paulson said. “This turmoil would directly and negatively impact household wealth: from family budgets, to home values, to savings for college and retirement. A failure would affect the ability of Americans to get home loans, auto loans and other consumer credit and business finance. And a failure would be harmful to economic growth and job creation.” Mr. Paulson refused to say how much capital the government might eventually have to provide, or what the ultimate cost to taxpayers might be." ------ For me, that surely beates fly-on-wall nonentity feelings...check it out, evaluate with own mind vs what Op Ed reports.

C-son: Your key phrase here is: "Note: Strange that these so called polls are not being used by Obama's paid and unpaid staffers." For any thinking person, that should indicate how small this particular point really is in relation to others. Fact is many in service today are there seeking refuge from impossible economic force and reflect what was shown in my still-lost poll-results. EMac has disgorged most of lost 6k-word article, but fear these three PDFs re service response gone into hyperspace. Seeking to retrace via my original source-notes, but those so far turn up note "Page Not Found"...moresoon if I do find what I originally had, and reported honestly. Meamwhile your participation now widely appreciated by our readers. Us starving free-lancers can donate only so much time to back-check for participants.

To all: Here's another "see with own eyes", use own mind report, right on the money with Op Ed: Published 9/6 by The Nation GOP Mocks Public Service by Peter Dreier and John Atlas "For the first time in American history, a major political party devoted a substantial portion of its national convention to attacking grassroots organizing. "Speaking Wednesday at the Republican National Convention, former New York Governor George Pataki sneered, "[Barack Obama] was a community organizer. What in God's name is a community organizer? I don't even know if that's a job." "Then former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani delivered his own snickering hit job. "He worked as a community organizer. What? Maybe this is the first problem on the résumé," mocked Giuliani." Then he said, "This is not a personal attack. It's a statement of fact. Barack Obama has never led anything. Nothing. Nada." "A few minutes later, in her acceptance speech for the GOP vice presidential nomination, Sarah Palin declared, "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities." "The party of Ronald Reagan was touting government experience over civic engagement. "At a convention whose theme was "service," GOP leaders ridiculed organizing, a vital kind of public service that involves leadership, tough decisions, and taking responsibility for the well-being of people often ignored by government. "But the controversy surrounding these snide remarks may have backfired. Within hours, Obama sent an e-mail to his supporters, challenging the Republicans who "mocked, dismissed, and actually laughed out loud at Americans who engage in community service and organizing" and soliciting funds for his campaign. His campaign manager David Plouffe sent another fundraising e-mail, saying, "Let's clarify something for them right now. Community organizing is how ordinary people respond to out-of-touch politicians and their failed policies." "Palin, Giuliani and Pataki denigrated not only the tens of thousands of community organizers who help everyday citizens to participate in shaping their society and the millions of Americans who volunteer as community activists but also a long American tradition of collective self-help that goes back to the Boston Tea Party." ------- Actually Obama worked with the world-famed Alinski-led group chiefly responsible for multiple fine developments in Chicago, some of which I visited, with kids I helped train working for college funding at Time/Life Books and their families. So this one echoes my own personal experience with what the Obama-led activists were able to accomplish vs the Daley machine. I know, I saw, I experienced personally and professionally, then;which is why I share now. See original for further intriguing details of what was honestly-done/then via his demonstrated leadership.

Henry et al. You seem to be spending considerable time on a lame duck president. As far as "impeachment", I say let congress go for it if they have the evidence. Fine with me, afterall they have the resources and information that those of us in fly-over country do not have (I cannot stand Bush anyway!). My feeling is that many democratic senators do not want their video-taped speeches from the 1990's (when Clinton was president) opining that Saddam Hussein had WMD's, plus a lot more. Frankly as the McCain/Palin ticket increases their lead over Obama/Biden I believe Pelosi (9% approval rating!) will possibly inniate Impeachment proceedings for diversionary purposes. I also would not be surprised if some issues come up for Biden that causes him to pull out and Obama will select a women for VP, but it will be too late, even if Hillary. As far as the economy goes, there was a 3.3% growth rate during the last quarter. My prayers are that the economy improves and more jobs can be created. The price of oil/energy will have a lot to do with future job creation. As per Dept. of Labor, unemployment rate 12/06 was 4.4%. Pelosi and Reid took over purse strings the next month and oil and unemployment rate started going up. Coincidence? It should be noted that Governor Palin's approval rating (Alaska voters) is in the 80's, so that pulls in democrats, republicans, independents and others. More on her competency will be made available by the media, but remember she is not a single Mom, she has a husband who is part of that family team. They are very capable of multi-tasking as their record clearly shows. I think it's great that we have both an African-American and a women running for national office at the same time. Hopefully the facts about both will be objectively made available to the voters and the election is about issues, not distortion and character assasination. Though you have those radicals out there on both sides who will not stop with the misinformation, they cannot help themselves.

C-son et al: From my notes on articles in IN THESE TIMES Sept/08. One article: Feeding the Beast; Christopher Moraff; states "...to weaken the federal agencies, the Bush administration has expanded them to the point of collapse" and is full of documenting statements and critical numbers. Second article: "Class NOT Dismissed";Jean Forst; covers in detail striking changes underway in city education across the nation, relating to damage-done and "teachers' struggles against the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind (NCLB)." Both serve to document upcoming Op Ed re national testing standards, which is first step, intentional with NCLB forcing-failures in many states, towards fascistic educational system, part of neocon cabal intentions for many years. (Bckgrnd to threat usually part of Curric/101 in Ed.D. work). If you cannot find magazine, let me know and I will scan and send pages as PDF...fair enough ? Can you reciprocate with PDF of yours ?? Nothing like working files when needed for any reason, albeit now clearing mine from 50 years... Nothing like "seeing with own eyes",too, as proven here vs some "stuff" we continue to receive vs links we provide.

Henry et al you state below that there are 15 million federal employees. That is a real interesting total you provided. Could you give a source for that number? Maybe it's with those polls you have regarding Obama being the preferred candidate by active military and veterans? Note: Strange that these so called polls are not being used by Obama's paid and unpaid staffers. As it is my take on Governor Palin's responsibility and experience is that it dwarfs that of the other candidates, but most certainly Obama's, for he has none. Do you have some source that provides examples that he does? Maybe it's with those poll numbers? To be able to provide links/sources would lend credibility to your below posts. Thanks a bunch. "To all: Then there's poppycock: def. (as in "stuff") n. : senseless talk; "don't give me that stuff" As in "15,000 employees" in Alaska statewide employ. There are 15 MILLION in more than 150 U.S. agencies and sub-agencies."

This one was so pertinent here had to share it !: Elegy for a Maverick By E. J. Dionne Jr. www.washingtonpost.com Friday, September 5, 2008 ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Once upon a time, John McCain promised to be a different kind of politician and a different kind of Republican. He was about straight talk, reform and nonpartisanship, a resolute foe of the slashing politics of the slaughterhouse. McCain tried to get voters to remember that man in his acceptance speech last night, the one who "worked with members of both parties to fix the problems that need to be fixed." But that man has disappeared. The stage in the middle of the cavernous Xcel Energy Center was rearranged so McCain could conjure the feel of the town hall meetings he loves as he laced into "partisan rancor" and "the Washington crowd." Yet a set change could not disguise the fact that this convention -- including the big speech Wednesday by his running mate, Sarah Palin -- dripped with divisive ridicule as speaker after speaker worked to aggravate the country's cultural schisms and replay worn-out harangues against weak liberals. The Republican crowd here has gleefully played into the worst stereotypes of their party as a privileged class resistant to change. When Rudy Giuliani referred to Barack Obama's past as a "community organizer" Wednesday, the crowd broke into ugly, patronizing laughter. These, presumably, are people who never needed a neighborhood advocate. Imagine if Democrats ever reacted that way to someone who worked as an entrepreneur or a church leader." -------- For complete background on whole neocon era destructing the honest-conservatives, see his classic "Why Americans Hate Politics", used here as basic ref. for many Op Eds. "Informed opinion" makes sense only when done via real authoritative references, with b/b feeling left in the closet, as any professional soon learns, taught by tough, honest editors who risk own reputation every time they publish...

To all: Here's 3rd "see with own eyes", use own mind, done in less than an hour. Shows how easy it is to be informed for opinion, beats rubbing b/button, relaying feelings resulting... !! NYT September 6, 2008 Running From Reality By BOB HERBERT If there was one pre-eminent characteristic of the Republican convention this week, it was the quality of deception. Words completely lost their meaning. Reality was turned upside down. From the faux populist gibberish mouthed by speaker after speaker, you would never have known that the Republicans have been in power over the past several years and used that titanic power to lead the country to its present sorry state. In his acceptance speech on Thursday night, Senator John McCain did his best Sam Cooke imitation (“A Change is Gonna Come”) and vowed to put the country “back on the road to prosperity and peace.” Mr. McCain spoke at the end of a day in which stock market indexes plunged. The next morning the Labor Department gave us the grim news that another 84,000 jobs had been lost in August, and that the official unemployment rate had climbed to 6.1 percent — the highest in five years." --------- Reality overwhelms fantasy and whimsy any day, when heat and hate is on, and serious decisions leading to dire consequences if wrong must be made. So pay your nickel, take your shot, and look in mirror after-the-vote --which in truth is all that counts !!! It's YOUR VOTE --so do not waste it; might be last time you are permitted to cast it.

To all: Here's another "see with own eyes", then evaluate with own mind: Is McCain Campaign Interfering In Alaska Troopergate Investigation of Palin? by Rob Kall www.opednews.com "It looks like supporters of John McCain are taking aggressive actions to kill an investigation of his running mate Sarah Palin, to prevent an October Surprise-- adverse findings that would cast a negative light on her character and leadership. "Discussing a Newsweek article, Josh Marshall reports that the McCain camp is moving to shut down the troopergate investigation., "Within days of Palin's selection, at least seven of her aides and associates, who had previously agreed to cooperate with the trooper-gate investigation, informed investigator Steve Branchflower that they were now no longer willing to be deposed. "Note too that this was immediately after the McCain team deployed what George Stephanopoulos reported was a "rapid response team of about ten operatives that includes lawyers" to the state." "Troopergate is a widely reported investigation of Governor Sarah Palin's purported abuse of power-- she involved the office of the governor in a nasty family feud. "She first denied her attempts to get her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper. Newsweek reported." --------- OpEdNews is now winning national fame for its work, and note here quotes from some famous other journalists, too.

To all: Some few prefer feeling a la b/b, but we give you "see with own eyes" from solid sources. Here's one now: Only in America Could a Two-Faced Creature Like McCain Attain Such Media Status By Rory O'Connor, AlterNet Posted on September 5, 2008, Printed on September 6, 2008 http://www.alternet.org/story/97766/ Only in America could a man who has been in office for decades run as an "outsider" against the entrenched interests in Washington. Only in America could a man who is a longtime Republican stalwart run against his own party, which has governed while controlling most of the institutional levers of power -- the presidency, the Supreme Court and the Congress -- for much of the past eight years. And only in America could a man who has called the corporatized, in-the-tank, mainstream media his "base" -- the media that made him its darling and hailed him for his supposed "straight talk" -- run against that very same media, bashing it figuratively while "peace officers" were doing so quite literally to journalists in the streets of St. Paul, in a manner unseen since the '60s and the Chicago days of Richard Daley and the subsequent Nixonian "nattering nabobs of negativity" era." --------- Please note timely reference to Chicago/Daley era and Nixon regime, which surely makes my ref. to impeachment directly relevant here !!

C-son: By your own action re closet storage, you define yourself and motivations. No more needed... D-V: "Community organizer" here UNvague for any who understand situation in Chicago then. It happens connects with both Daley and Alinski, reflecting their head-on struggle for some decades, with Obama one of few able to bring about anything positive, such as public housing finally accomplished. He worked diligently and successfully with families and kids there. I knew some of the kids, helped train 'em for their college-fund/jobs they sought at T/L Books. We led nation in sales and service... SO again question you as UNinformed or MISinformed; or simply Malign Manipulation, still without ID for any real credibilities. Mutual ongoing attack here, always on inconsequentials, still further proof of shill behavior...easily dispelled via ID to Editor and direct for full dialog, with failure to do so best possible proof of reality here: Continuing attempts to trivialize and divert reader attention from major issues such as continuation of neocon policies into TWELVE full years of disastrous policy debacle and entirely "unsustainable" wasting-war economic treason, intended to prove point re government as always-failure once and for all. (Documentation when you ID and come-direct !!) Key question remains: "How do you stand on impeachment ? NOW, Later, OR NEVER ?" Readers--do NOT hold breath waiting. Until that answered, or you ID, you're simply flies on wall, doing with flies always do... and about as meaningful for any thinking reader. Responses here take about as much effort as with any other fly-situation, but must admit kinda fun-and-games, since you play so neatly into situations set up by own behaviors...

Speaking of those killed in Irag (below post), it has been reported that in Chicago (where Sen. Obama did his work as a community organizer), that so far this summer over 150 have been killed/murdered, that is over twice as many who have been killed in the Iraqi war during the same time period. My preliminary conclusion on that data is that Chicago's gun control policy (like Washington DC's) is/our a complete failure. As far as what has been benefical about community organizing in this city? Running a state requires important decisions be made constantly. Alaska is doing pretty good under the current administration. Comparing a community organizer from Chicago with a governor is really unfair for so many reasons, but continue to do so if you like. I see a below poster said Governor Palin never won "more than 600 votes." That math calculus explains a lot. Also I guess all those elected (and non-elected) women out there who have families should just resign your leadership positions. When you compare qualification of the two presidential and two VP candidates, who comes in a very distant 4th place? This is an easy objective measurement to make. Please note we have had many former governors elected to national office, some senators and some military leaders, but no small community organizers that started running almost immediately after entering the senate. Recall what Sen. Biden said earlier about Obama and his experience? It has already been out there in commercials and is available on the net. I imagine it will get plenty of play before 11/4/08. It will be in Biden's own words.

-----------------------------------------------------------UPDATE-------------------------------------------------------------

 Editor: The individual submitting this comment seemed familiar, so I checked the log on his/her IP and discovered that he or she has used a number of different names in recent months in an apparent effort to make it appear that his/her points, generally racist and intolerant in nature, are supported.  This is the list of names:

Dylan Duke, JB Stallworth, Deb Myerson, War Veteran, Rich Millison, WV, Percy, Delaware, Del, Carlson, Real Democrat, Retired Military, Sourced, LH, Going Broke, Len Hannoford, Oregon Veteran, Telford, Humos, Eternal Optimist, Scazry Times, Capitalist, Ronan, Brian, Wonder, Steve, Gomer, Casse, Ben Jammin', Jason Burbach, Kevin, JB, Kilroy, Carol Ann, Sgt. Rock, Abdul Farqua, Wally, Change, Micro/Macro, Booker T Washington, Stewart, Kyle, Pragmatic, Teacher Veteran, ex-government employee, Ayers Weatherman, Fido, Real Combat Vet, Mary Stennis, Proud Schwab Investor, Bullfrog, Hopefully, Update, Fed Up

 I almost feel like I should apologize for this going on so long, and now those of us who spend time around  here know that the number of people who voice extreme positions regarding right wing politics on Salem-News.com are not as strong in number as they appear.  This individual who uses male and female names to launch frequently ridiculous attacks on myself, Henry Ruark, Professor Stephen Zunes, Dr. Phillip Leveque, etc., is nothing more than a disturbed poser who writes comments, then writes back to herself or himself, representing several people instead of just one.  I would write off anything ever posted here under those names, or by anyone who resembles the ramblings left by this individual.

John Kerry received 3 Purple Hearts during his approximate 4 months service in Vietnam, which was 8 months less than the normal 12 month tour for U.S. Navy personnel at that time. None of his very minor wounds required hospitalization and each little scratch was covered by a bandaid. John Kerry had promised that he was going to release his military records on the WWW, he has not. Combat veterans do not expect him to post those records for obvious reasons. Sen. Kerry made false claims against Vietnam veterans and has belittled those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The vast majority of veterans have utter contempt for this individual and passing out purple bandaids to mock this individual was a rightous thing to do. I keep three of them framed in a utility closet. HOORAH

To all: YOU can use Fact-Checker at anytime to keep straight on what's true and what is still distorted --either side !. Here's sample "see with own eyes" Summary: FactChecking McCain September 5, 2008 He made some flubs in accepting the nomination. Summary We checked the accuracy of McCain’s speech accepting the Republican nomination and noted the following: • McCain claimed that Obama’s health care plan would "force small businesses to cut jobs" and would put "a bureaucrat ... between you and your doctor." In fact, the plan exempts small businesses, and those who have insurance now could keep the coverage they have. • McCain attacked Obama for voting for "corporate welfare" for oil companies. In fact, the bill Obama voted for raised taxes on oil companies by $300 million over 11 years while providing $5.8 billion in subsidies for renewable energy, energy efficiency and alternative fuels. • McCain said oil imports send "$700 billion a year to countries that don't like us very much." But the U.S. is on track to import a total of only $536 billion worth of oil at current prices, and close to a third of that comes from Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom. • He promised to increase use of "wind, tide [and] solar" energy, though his actual energy plan contains no new money for renewable energy. He has said elsewhere that renewable sources won’t produce as much as people think. • He called for "reducing government spending and getting rid of failed programs," but as in the past failed to cite a single program that he would eliminate or reduce. • He said Obama would "close" markets to trade. In fact, Obama, though he once said he wanted to "renegotiate" the North American Free Trade Agreement, now says he simply wants to try to strengthen environmental and labor provisions in it. Note: This is a summary only. The full article with analysis, images and citations may be viewed on our Web site.

To all: Then there's poppycock: def. (as in "stuff") n. : senseless talk; "don't give me that stuff" As in "15,000 employees" in Alaska statewide employ. There are 15 MILLION in more than 150 U.S. agencies and sub-agencies. Even the most qualified CEO of the largest corporation might well blanche at such a multiplication of demands, pressures, and potential for destructive and costly damage via even the smallest misstep. Too much for a "hockey