Candidate Forum Hosted by H-R Domestic Violence Task Force

For more information, contact Anne Marie Mauldin at (540) 433-1830.

Harrisonburg, VA

In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month this October, the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Domestic Violence Task Force is sponsoring a forum on domestic violence for federal, state, and local political candidates.

The forum will be
Friday, October 3^rd
at 6:00 PM
in the Board of Supervisors meeting room
in the Rockingham County Administration Center
located at 20 East Gay Street in Harrisonburg.

Confirmed participants include:

Janice Allen (I), and Sam Rasoul (D)
who are running for United States House of Representatives,

and

Roger Baker (I), Richard Baugh (D), Tracy Evans (R), and David Wiens (D),
who are running for Harrisonburg City Council.

The forum is open to the public and, following questions from a moderator, there will be an opportunity for audience members to ask questions of the candidates. Refreshments will be provided.

According to Anne Marie Mauldin, president of the Domestic Violence Task Force, “Domestic violence exists in every community. The difference is how each community responds to it. As October is Domestic Violence awareness month, please show our community’s strong response in seeking answers to this complex issue by attending the political forum on domestic violence.”

The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Domestic Violence Task Force is a diverse group of professionals and concerned citizens from the Harrisonburg and Rockingham communities who work to address the problem of domestic violence.

Everyone is welcome to attend the regularly scheduled meetings, which are on the last the Wednesday of every month at 1:30 in the 2^nd floor conference room of the Public Safety Building at 101 N. Main Street in Harrisonburg.

For more information, contact Anne Marie Mauldin at (540) 433-1830.

Palin writes SNL Script

Rockdem thanks Sarah Palin for making a comedy of the government. Apparently the Saturday Night Live writers agree - they couldn't come up with a funnier script than Palin's own words.

Thank You Republicans, for making a Comedy of the Government of the United States of America

Thanks to you, Republicans, the world thinks of our country as being peopled by mentally challenged citizens, or much worse. The following videos comprise a window to the view the rest of the world has of us, the citizens of the United States of America.

This breaks my heart. But sadly, this is the ever growing impression the rest of the world has for people who vote in the United States. And I must wonder also... Comedy is merely a societal reflection to which people can relate and find common perspective. No one would find this humorous, if it didn't hit so close to the truth. Something for everyone to think about here is that the comedic interpretations in these videos reworded very little of what was actually presented in the published versions of the events being parodied.

Goodbye Paul Newman...

You have given us so much...

Paul Newman, the Oscar-winning superstar who personified cool as the anti-hero of such films as "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Color of Money" -- followed by a second act as an activist, race car driver and popcorn impresario -- has died. He was 83.

Read the story

Palin Choice Betrays Republicans

I am so tired of the direction Republicans have taken on issue after issue. Now the party's presidential candidate is being shown over and over to be simply a fourth down desperation play decision maker. He's not a maverick, not in any good sense of the term, instead he makes me think of a compulsive gambler, which by many accounts he reportedly is. His pick for vice president was one of the most important decisions he will ever make, especially given his age and his health issues, and he ran a fourth and long hail Mary play by choosing Sarah Palin. His choice, his cynical willingness to gamble away the future of the nation, is the final straw for me. All anyone has to do is watch the Couric/Palin interview to understand just how bad a gamble this was. The Republican party's vice presidential candidate is so obviously deficient for the task that it makes me despair at the thought of McCaine/Palin winning in November. Now we even have conservative commentators and pundits calling for her to be taken off the ticket. When we had such candidates as Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney to choose from, this choice has thrown John McCain's ability to make sound judgment into serious question for many, and out the window for me.

Watch the video. We report, You decide.






Update: Why this choice was so important.







One Last Update for this post:

John McCain - Grumpy Old Man

Hey granddad, you lied about Barack Obama's tax plan again; Obama's tax plan promises cuts for middle-income taxpayers and would increase rates only for persons with family incomes above $250,000 or with individual incomes above $200,000. But beyond that, would it hurt to you to look your opponent in the eye? And what's with all that twitchy sneering? You're no Ronald Reagan there grampy?

Obama moving into electoral lead

As reported on "The Shenandoah Valley Progress Report:"

From the Politico:

State by state, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill). is showing signs of breaking open a presidential race that looked deadlocked through much of September.

A new wave of polls released Wednesday showed decisive leads for Obama in the critical states of Colorado, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

That follows noticeable progress in polls in Virginia, which had looked safe for Sen. John McCain, and Florida, which had looked promising for McCain.

This is the first time that one of the candidates has dominated state polls in the most closely contested battlegrounds.


read more

University Reacts to Effigy of Obama Found Hanging

by Noelle Crombie, The Oregonian

Wednesday September 24, 2008, 3:10 PM

The president of George Fox University this morning denounced the hanging of a likeness of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama on campus along with graffiti aimed at minority recipients of a scholarship program.

President Robin Baker discussed the incident today during the twice-weekly campus service, which was packed. With dozens of Act 6 students and student leaders in front of the stage, he urged students to show that the display, found Tuesday, has no place in Christian ideals.

"We absolutely cannot hate those around us and say we love God," he said. "It is not possible."

"Yesterday was not a good example of what it means to follow Jesus," he said.

Read the Story

Obama Accepts Bush Invitation to Meet

Bush took the unusual step Wednesday night of calling Democratic Sen. Barack Obama directly to invite him to the meeting, White House press secretary Dana Perino said. An Obama spokesman said the senator would attend.

Read the Story

Pasted below is the Obama-McCain Joint Statement

The American people are facing a moment of economic crisis. No matter how this began, we all have a responsibility to work through it and restore confidence in our economy. The jobs, savings, and prosperity of the American people are at stake.

"Now is a time to come together - Democrats and Republicans - in a spirit of cooperation for the sake of the American people. The plan that has been submitted to Congress by the Bush Administration is flawed, but the effort to protect the American economy must not fail. This is a time to rise above politics for the good of the country. We cannot risk an economic catastrophe. Now is our chance to come together to prove that Washington is once again capable of leading this country

."Speaking for himself, Senator Obama outlined the following principles that he calls on Senator McCain to support:


I believe that several core principles should guide this legislation. First, there must be oversight. We should not hand over a blank check to the discretion of one man.
We support an independent, bipartisan board to ensure accountability and complete transparency.

Second, we need to protect taxpayers. There should be a path for taxpayers to recover their money, and to turn a profit if Wall Street prospers.

Third, no Wall Street executive should profit from taxpayer dollars. This plan cannot be a welfare program for CEOs whose greed and irresponsibility has contributed to this crisis.

Fourth, we must help families who are struggling to stay in their homes. We cannot bail out Wall Street without helping millions of families facing foreclosure on Main Street.

Fifth, we both agree that this financial rescue package should move on its own without any earmarks or other measures. We have different views about the need for other action, but this must be a clean bill.This is a time to rise above politics for the good of the country. We cannot risk an economic catastrophe.

This is not a Democratic problem or a Republican problem - this is an American problem. Now, we must find an American solution.

McCain Freaks Out

Shouldn't a president be able to deal with more than one thing at a time?

More on Polls

Polling Data From Real Clear Politics

Poll	Date	Sample	Obama (D)	McCain (R)	Spread
RCP Average	09/17 - 09/23	--	48.1	44.9	Obama +3.2
Rasmussen Tracking	09/21 - 09/23	3000 LV	49	47	Obama +2
Hotline/FD Tracking	09/21 - 09/23	903 RV	48	42	Obama +6
ABC News/Wash Post	09/19 - 09/22	780 LV	52	43	Obama +9
Ipsos-McClatchy	09/18 - 09/22	923 RV	44	43	Obama +1
Battleground Tracking	09/17 - 09/23	800 LV	46	48	McCain +2
Gallup Tracking	09/20 - 09/22	2740 RV	47	44	Obama +3
CNN/Opinion Research	09/19 - 09/21	697 LV	51	47	Obama +4

Economy Boosts Obama

By Dan Balz and Jon Cohen
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, September 24, 2008; A01

Turmoil in the financial industry and growing pessimism about the economy have altered the shape of the presidential race, giving Democratic nominee Barack Obama the first clear lead of the general-election campaign over Republican John McCain, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News national poll.

Just 9 percent of those surveyed rated the economy as good or excellent, the first time that number has been in single digits since the days just before the 1992 election. Just 14 percent said the country is heading in the right direction, equaling the record low on that question in polls dating back to 1973.

More voters trust Obama to deal with the economy, and he currently has a big edge as the candidate who is more in tune with the economic problems Americans now face. He also has a double-digit advantage on handling the current problems on Wall Street, and as a result, there has been a rise in his overall support. The poll found that, among likely voters, Obama now leads McCain by 52 percent to 43 percent. Two weeks ago, in the days immediately following the Republican National Convention, the race was essentially even, with McCain at 49 percent and Obama at 47 percent.

As a point of comparison, neither of the last two Democratic nominees -- John F. Kerry in 2004 or Al Gore in 2000 -- recorded support above 50 percent in a pre-election poll by the Post and ABC News.

Read the Story

Here is a Neat Website for those Interested in Tracking Donations to the Presidential Candidates

You can track by State, amount, sector, month, party and even by some so-called "independent" groups.

Finance Tracker

Bush to take a Conciliatory Tone at his Last UN Address

What BUSH SHOULD say in his last UN General Assembly address:

I'm sorry that:

I attacked and took over 2 countries.

I set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously take to the streets to protest me (15 million people), shattering the record for protest against any person in the history of mankind.

I dissolved more international treaties than any president in US history.

I am the first president in US history to order a US attack AND military occupation of a sovereign nation, and I did so against the will of the United Nations and the vast majority of the international community.

I am the first president in US history to compel the United Nations remove the US from the Human Rights Commission.

I am the first president in US history to have the United Nations remove the US from the Elections Monitoring Board.

I rendered the entire United Nations irrelevant and I withdrew from the World Court of Law.

I refused to allow inspectors access to US prisoners of war and by default no longer abide by the Geneva Conventions.

I am the first president in US history to refuse United Nations election inspectors access during the 2002 US elections.

I am the first US president in history to have a majority of the people of Europe (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and stability.

that my party's presidential hopeful, John McCain, will continue the same arrogant disregard of world opinion and cooperation.

Good Luck.

Regards,
GEORGE W. BUSH

Fools Rush In -or- Just in Time?

Dodd: Congress Must Be Careful With Financial Mess

Monday, September 22, 2008 11:23:30 AM

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER

Sen. Christopher Dodd says it's just as important to act responsibly as it is to move hastily on legislation aimed at stabilizing the country's troubled financial markets.

Read the Story


Markets Were 500 Trades From a Meltdown

By MICHAEL GRAY

Last updated: 6:20 am

September 21, 2008

Posted: 4:16 am
September 21, 2008

The market was 500 trades away from Armageddon on Thursday, traders inside two large custodial banks tell The Post.

Had the Treasury and Fed not quickly stepped into the fray that morning with a quick $105 billion injection of liquidity, the Dow could have collapsed to the 8,300-level - a 22 percent decline! - while the clang of the opening bell was still echoing around the cavernous exchange floor.

Read the Story

VA Makes the National News Again (and for a good reason this time).

Dems eye Va. as 2008 battleground

MECHANICSVILLE, Va. — Gordon Maddox, a retired career police officer in this southern Virginia town, ticked off his priorities when deciding who to vote for in a presidential race.
"Integrity." "Good moral character." "Christian leadership."

These qualities rarely appear in national polls asking voters to list their priorities this election. But they come up often in southern Virginia, home to numerous military schools and evangelical universities.

Largely on the strength of this region, Republicans have been taking Virginia in presidential elections for decades. The last time a Democrat won here was in 1964 when Lyndon Johnson defeated U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater.

But Democrats believe the political stars may be aligned to turn the Old Dominion their way......


Yet another reason why we have to get out the vote!! as if the Bush/McCain legacies weren't enough...

Exclusive: New Doubts Over Palin's Troopergate Claims

Internal Government Document Contradicts Sarah Palin, Campaign



"An internal government document obtained by ABC News appears to contradict Sarah Palin's most recent explanation for why she fired her public safety chief, the move which prompted the now-contested state probe into "Troopergate."

Good Ol' Girl Sarah is turning out to be quite the witch...

Sara Palin's Creationism Will Rape the Environment

The Bush admin has been a nightmare for the environment -- and the nomination of Palin is an insurance policy taken out on its continuation.

Given the republican record on this issue, it certainly comes as no surprise.

Read more..

"The Death of Fiscal Conservatism"

Says who? Michelle Malkin, rightwing pundit and conservative pin-up girl. Attacking the "mother of all bailouts", a planned $1 trillion plus financial plan to rescue the United States financial system, Malkin declared "the death of fiscal conservatism" in a September 19th commentary (no I won't link to her, scoop your own poop). And she was very blunt in her critcism:

"This is your Bush legacy — not Pelosi's, not Reid's, not Obama's," Malkin wrote, naming the leaders of the House and Senate and the Democratic presidential nominee. "Fiscal conservatism has been on life support for quite some time. Bush/Paulson pulled the plug permanently today."

So where is John McCain, "The Deregulator"? After opposing the bailout of insurance giant AIG on Wednesday of last week, he was for the bailout on Thursday, and is now on board saying that he will support George Bush's bailout plan (maintaining his 100% support of Bush-o-nomics!). Then in breaking news over the weekend, McCain tells us in the October issue of the health insurance trade journal (American Academy of Actuaries), that he would bring the miracle of his bank deregulation to American Healthcare!

Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation.

McCain, He. Just. Doesn't. Get. It.

Barack Obama:

As anyone who has health care knows, the one thing we don’t need to do is give insurance companies an even freer hand over what they charge, who they cover, and what they’ll cover,” Obama said, according to prepared remarks.

The radical idea that government has no role to play in protecting ordinary Americans has wreaked havoc on our economy. And we cannot let this dangerous philosophy spread to health care.

Ron Paul: This Bailout Won't Be the Last

U.S. News and World Report

September 19, 2008 05:35 PM ET | Luke Mullins

I recently chatted with Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) about the gigantic financial bailout that the government is preparing to undertake.

Some excerpts from the interview:

What's your take on this huge financial bailout?
"It's more of the same. More debt and more inflation and more pressure on the dollar. Ultimately, although the markets are responding very favorably at the moment, I think it is going to be devastating to the dollar and to our financial situation in this country."

Read the Story...

McCain and the Bushes, Deja vu all over again

Update: Bush Bailout May Exceed $700 Billion

Update 2: Wants U.S. TREASURY to Include FOREIGN BANKS!

From Wikipedia:

Lincoln Savings and Loan

The Lincoln Savings led to the Keating Five political scandal, in which five U.S. senators were implicated in an influence-peddling scheme. It was named for Charles Keating, who headed Lincoln Savings and made $300,000 as political contributions to them in the 1980s. Three of those senators – Alan Cranston (D-CA), Don Riegle (D-MI), and Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ) – found their political careers cut short as a result. Two others – John Glenn (D-OH) and John McCain (R-AZ) – were rebuked by the Senate Ethics Committee for exercising "poor judgment" for intervening with the federal regulators on behalf of Keating.^[9]

Silverado Savings and Loan

Silverado Savings and Loan collapsed in 1988, costing taxpayers $1.3 billion. Neil Bush, son of then Vice President of the United States George H. W. Bush, was Director of Silverado at the time. Neil Bush was accused of giving himself a loan from Silverado, but he denied all wrongdoing.[2]

The US Office of Thrift Supervision investigated Silverado's failure and determined that Neil Bush had engaged in numerous "breaches of his fiduciary duties involving multiple conflicts of interest." Although Bush was not indicted on criminal charges, a civil action was brought against him and the other Silverado directors by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; it was eventually settled out of court, with Bush paying $50,000 as part of the settlement, the Washington Post reported.^[10]

As a director of a failing thrift, Bush voted to approve $100 million in what were ultimately bad loans to two of his business partners. And in voting for the loans, he failed to inform fellow board members at Silverado Savings & Loan that the loan applicants were his business partners.^{[citation needed]}

Neil Bush paid a $50,000 fine and was banned from banking activities for his role in taking down Silverado, which cost taxpayers $1.3 billion. A Resolution Trust Corporation Suit against Bush and other officers of Silverado was settled in 1991 for $26.5 million.

What Palin Brings from Alaska

John McCain and the Republican Party want the United States to benefit from the wisdom, experience, and successes of Governor Sarah Palin in Alaska. Here are a few noteworthy characteristics of the 49th state.

Is this what you want for all of America?

Alaska ranks # 1 in the nation for men murdering women.

Alaska ranks # 1 in the nation in forcible rape.

Alaska has the nation’s highest suicide rate.

Alaska has 6 times the national average of reported child sexual assault.

Alaska leads the nation in the rates of Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, and has high rates of teen pregnancy.

Alaska ranks near the bottom for providing children’s health care.

Alaska ranks 43rd in the nation for percentage of children in preschool.

Alaska ranks 39th in the nation for high school graduates; 10 percent of high school students drop out.

Alaska ranks near the bottom of the nation for students completing college.

Alaska is one of only 11 states without a pay-equity law.

"She's really done a lot of work on oil and gas, but when it comes to violence against women and children. . . we haven't been on her radar as a priority," said Peggy Brown, executive director of the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.

Keep in mind that if McCain wins, Sarah Palin will be one heartbeat away from becoming President.

This isn't the kind of experience we need.

This kind of experience has put us where we are now!

Thanks for nothing, John McCain

Can your family trust John McCain?

Is Palin Qualified to be VP?

Take this PBS poll.

Pork Capitol of the United States of America

Alaska Leads Nation in Per Capita Federal Assistance

Fiscal year 2008 was the first year for which there was a complete listing of all earmarks contained in all appropriation bills. That information was loaded into several databases, including the one developed by Taxpayers for Common Sense.

According to that data, the average state got about $50 per person in earmarked funds in 2008.

Alaska got $506 per person, about 10 times the national average. Wasilla between 2000 and 2003 (While Sarah Palin was Mayor) was getting well over $1,000 per person, twice the Alaska state average in 2008.

This isn't the kind of change we need in Washington...

Absentee Voting in Virginia

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE VIRGINIA STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS PAGE FOR ABSENTEE VOTING INFORMATION

How to report violations of election laws & your Rights:

If you feel your voting rights have been violated or that you may have witnessed an election law being broken, contact the State Board of Elections at 1-800-552-9745, or via e-mail at info@sbe.virginia.gov.

Who May Vote Absentee?

Per § 24.2-700 of the Code of Virginia, the following registered voters may vote by absentee ballot in any election in which they are qualified to vote:

• Any person who, in the regular and orderly course of his business, profession, or occupation or while on personal business or vacation, will be absent from the county or city in which he is entitled to vote;

• Any person who is (i) a member of a uniformed service of the United States, as defined in 42 U.S.C. § 1973ff-6(7), on active duty, or (ii) a member of the merchant marine of the United States, or (iii) who temporarily resides outside of the United States, or (iv) the spouse or dependent residing with any person listed in (i), (ii), or (iii), and who will be absent on the day of the election from the county or city in which he is entitled to vote. See Absentee Voting Procedures for Overseas Personnel (Military & Non-Military)

• Any student attending a school or institution of learning, or his spouse, who will be absent on the day of election from the county or city in which he is entitled to vote;

• Any person who is unable to go in person to the polls on the day of election because of a disability, illness or pregnancy ;

• Any person who is confined while awaiting trial or for having been convicted of a misdemeanor, provided that the trial or release date is scheduled on or after the third day preceding the election. Any person who is awaiting trial and is a resident of the county or city where he is confined shall, on his request, be taken to the polls to vote on election day if his trial date is postponed and he did not have an opportunity to vote absentee;

• Any person who is a member of an electoral board, registrar, officer of election, or custodian of voting equipment;

• Any duly registered person who is unable to go in person to the polls on the day of the election because he is primarily and personally responsible for the care of an ill or disabled family member who is confined at home; or

• Any duly registered person who is unable to go in person to the polls on the day of the election because of an obligation occasioned by his religion.

• Any person who, in the regular and orderly course of his business, profession, or occupation, will be at his place of work and commuting to and from his home to his place of work for eleven or more hours of the thirteen that the polls are open (6:00 AM to 7:00 PM).
  

• Any registered and qualified voter may request a mail ballot for presidential and vice-presidential electors only by writing across the top of their absentee application "request ballot for presidential electors only." A voter who votes a "presidential only" ballot may not later decide to vote the rest of the ballot. The same procedures and deadlines apply as for other absentee applications and ballots.

New registrants who submitted their voter registration applications by mail must vote in person (either in-person absentee or at the polls on election day) unless the voter is a full time college student, absent active duty military, residing overseas, physically handicapped, age 65 or over (however, they must also list a qualifying reason for voting absentee, as age itself does not qualify a voter for an absentee ballot), or voting a "presidential only" ballot.

Any voter with a question about whether they qualify to vote absentee, or how to apply, should contact their local elections office.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE VIRGINIA STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS PAGE FOR ABSENTEE VOTING INFORMATION

Vetting Sarah Palin

Who says McCain hasn't thoroughly checked out his running Mate?

See for yourself...






Satisfied?

A Point a Day...

Will Keep the TheoCons Away!


Gallup Daily Tracking

We just need to keep working!

Polls Show Palin Is Starting to Drag Down McCain

The intense focus to reveal the truth about Sarah Palin's credentials has taken its toll on her numbers.

No one can doubt that McCain's choice of Palin rejuvenated a listless, dying campaign. She excited the Theocon Right and brought them home, and being a fresh new face with an interesting bio, she captivated the nation's attention. Her initial numbers were sky high, and she packed them in for McCain. Suddenly, what had been a large Obama post-DNCC bounce turned on a dime, and Palin delivered a huge surge for her ticket.


Bloggers and tradmed reporters took a hard look at Sarah Palin and began raking her over the coals for myriad transgressions. She is a liar with theocratic tendencies, sports an intellect that makes Bush look like a Mensa member, and features an obvious fondness for Cheney-style abuses of power. And that's not even the worst of it.

Read more...

Countdown Clock Until Bush is Out of Office!! The End of an Error!

Who Advises McCain?

Shouldn't Voters Know the Health and Stability of their Presidential Candidates?

Over 2,200 Doctors Agree: John McCain Should Release His Medical Records

"Since we launched John McCain's Health Records Must Be Released last Sunday, it's been viewed by nearly 300,000 people. Perhaps even remarkably, 47,000 people -- including over 2,200 medical doctors -- signed the open letter urging McCain to provide a full disclosure of his medical records."

What does he have to hide???

George "Macaca" Allen: GOP Minority Outreach Specialist?

Virginia GOP Planning Rally To Reach Out To Minorities -- Starring George Allen!

Finally -- real minority outreach from the GOP. The Virginia Republicans have a big rally coming up this Saturday that's designed to reach out to minority voters in Fairfax County.

Guess who is one of the featured speakers?

George Allen. Yes, that George Allen.

GOP, Loving Small Towns, to Death...

From the Wall Street Journal

For decades now we have been electing people like Sarah Palin who claimed to love and respect the folksy conservatism of small towns, and yet who have unfailingly enacted laws to aid the small town's mortal enemies.

Read the story...

Robert Kennedy Jr. on the issue

Obama Speaks to You on Economy

GOP group behind negative Obama poll

A Republican group is taking responsibility for a poll that has roiled the Jewish community by asking sharply negative questions about Senator Barack Obama.

The Republican Jewish Coalition, which is launching a campaign against Obama on behalf of Senator John McCain, sponsored the poll to "understand why Barack Obama continues to have a problem among Jewish voters," the group's executive director, Matt Brooks, told Politico.

read more...

Far Beyond Politics

Sometimes we must just simply help another.

Click poster for greater detail...


Here is the letter I received regarding the above event:

Lowell,

It was great to talk with you again last night. Your enthusiasm is quite infectious - don't ever lose that.

We talked about Steve Parks and his health issues and I have attached some a flyer detailing the fundraising concert we are holding for him. The concert will be start at 7PM on October 4 in the new Skyline Middle School auditorium on Linda Lane.

Steve is a local musician who has been making music, musical instruments and custom woodworking for many years. I'm part of a group of friends of Steve who have organized to raise money to help defray medical costs for his battle with cancer. Unfortunately, after many years of successful treatments, Steve's disease is out of remission and he is involved in a palliative care plan. At this time he is still active and is playing as much music as possible. The concert will feature friends of Steve and Steve's own band (Driver, Parks Knicely). The other performers include Glick & Phillips, Faster Than Walking and a host of local musicians for the grand finale.

Everyone knows the comedy/musical team of John Glick & Steve Phillips and they are headlining the show. Steve's band provides what they call "Progressive Medicine Show music- a lively mix of blues, swing and vintage country, gospel, old-time mountain music" - see http://www.steveparksmusic.com/parksdriver.html for more info. Faster Than Walking is a great old-time band with members from Harrisonburg (Dan Rublee) and Charlottesville. All of these folks have been making music together for years and that close community feel is sure to come through during the show.

The concert will be at the new Skyline Middle school on Linda Lane in Harrisonburg. Steve's wife Sandy is the media services/librarian there and John Glick's brother Joe is the principal of the school. Everyone there is excited about having this event kick off the public use of their beautiful new auditorium.

Tickets are available at many locations around Harrisonburg. Admission is only $10 for adults and $7 for children 12 and under. .

Additional information about Steve and the Parks Family Fund organization are available at http://www.parksfamilyfund.com/. See the blog for lots of info about his family.

Thanks so much for helping out with this!

Gene

Another McCain Supporter - Lost

Author Elizabeth Drew, who wrote the 2002 book Citizen McCain has an article in the right-leaning Politico today. The title: How John McCain Lost Me. It is a blunt, point by point discussion of McCain's failures and her slow walk back from the respect that led her to write a book about his life and values. She starts out with why she supported McCain:

I admired John McCain as a man of principle and honor. He had become emblematic of someone who spoke his mind, voted his conscience, and demonstrated courage in bucking his own party and fighting for what he believed in. He gained a well-deserved reputation as a maverick. He was seen as taking principled positions on such issues as tax equity (opposing the newly elected Bush’s tax cut), fighting political corruption, and, later, taking on the Bush administration on torture. He came off as a man of decency. He took political risks.

But in 2006 she began to see another John McCain:

When Bush, issued a “signing statement” in 2006 on McCain’s hard-fought legislation placing prohibitions on torture, saying he would interpret the measure as he chose, McCain barely uttered a peep. And then, in 2006, in one of his most disheartening acts, McCain supported a “compromise” with the administration on trials of Guantanamo detainees, yielding too much of what the administration wanted, and accepted provisions he had originally opposed on principle. Among other things, the bill sharply limited the rights of detainees in military trials, stripped habeas corpus rights from a broad swath of people “suspected” of cooperating with terrorists, and loosened restrictions on the administration’s use of torture.

She goes on to talk about McCain's odd perspective on war and foreign policy:

Similarly, in making a big issue of having backed the surge (and simplifying the reasons for its apparent success), he preempts debate on the very idea of the war. He has talked (and sung) loosely about attacking Iran. More recently, he oversimplified this summer’s events in Georgia and made intemperate remarks about Russia, about which he’s been more belligerent than the administration for some time. (He has his own set of neocons.)

More belligerent than Bush? She's just getting started, there's more:

By then I had already concluded that that there was a disturbingly erratic side of McCain’s nature. There’s a certain lack of seriousness in him. And he does not appear to be a reflective man, or very interested in domestic issues. One cannot imagine him ruminating late into the night about, say, how to educate and train Americans for the new global and technological challenges.

Elizabeth Drew, author of Citizen McCain concludes:

McCain’s recent conduct of his campaign – his willingness to lie repeatedly (including in his acceptance speech) and to play Russian roulette with the vice-presidency, in order to fulfill his long-held ambition – has reinforced my earlier, and growing, sense that John McCain is not a principled man.
In fact, it’s not clear who he is.

The entire article is worth a read. The fact that it appeared on Politico suggests that many more former McCain fans have decided John McCain is not worthy of the Whitehouse. That he is "not a principled man".

Alaska Women Reject Palin

The sisters up in Anchorage send us news of the biggest political rally in Alaskan history. The Alaska Women Reject Palin rally was significantly bigger than Palin's rally that got all the national media coverage!

"Reckless/Inexperienced" Heh!

The ladies up in Anchorage tell it like it is!

McCain Claims Sexism!

I think perhaps someone needs to explain what "Sexism" means to McCain.






sexism (discriminatory or abusive behavior towards members of the opposite sex)
Ummm, this was comparing Hillary Clinton to Sarah Palin Folks...
Republicans, Get a Sense of Humor!

Bush Bails When The Going Gets Tough

Bush suddenly scraps comments on financial markets

With little explanation, President Bush on Tuesday scrapped a statement he planned to give on the tumultuous financial markets, abandoning any press coverage of his meeting with key economic advisers as more developments roiled Wall Street.

As announced by the White House, Bush was scheduled to make comments to a pool of reporters after huddling with a key financial working group led by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. Its members include Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and other key government figures in the field of commerce.

Yet after the session began, the White House told the media to never mind.

Read the story...

Clinton and Palin together

This is a Hoot!






Funny no matter who you are!

"Maverick" or "Sidekick"?

"When a senator votes with the president 91 percent of the time, he’s not a maverick, he’s a sidekick." Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA)

Sold Out, or Soul Lost?

The New Ugly McCain

Following his loss to George W. Bush in the 2000 South Carolina primary, John McCain did something extraordinary: He confessed to lying about how he felt about the Confederate battle flag, which he actually abhorred. "I broke my promise to always tell the truth," McCain said. Now he has broken that promise so completely that the John McCain of old is unrecognizable. He has become the sort of politician he once despised.

Read the Story...

It is widely said that McCain of 2,000, wouldn't vote for the McCain of 2,008.

I agree....

What a shame.

Obama Forum (tonight): Faith, Family & Values.

Sen. Barack Obama’s Campaign for Change will host a stop on the Faith, Family & Values tour at the campaign headquarters in Harrisonburg tonight. The discussion will focus on how Obama’s faith has informed his judgment and shaped his perspective on the most urgent problems facing the nation.

Dr. Shaun Casey, Obama’s evangelical outreach coordinator, will lead the discussion and talk about Obama’s faith how it has shaped his plans to strengthen Virginia families. Casey is a former Associate Professor of Christian Ethics and Director of the National Capital Semester for Seminarians (NCSS) at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC., and is the author of The Making of a Catholic President: Kennedy v. Nixon 1960

Are you one of those people - still confused by Barack Obama's faith, and guiding light? Fire up the minivan and get yourself downtown at 7:00 P.M. Bring the kids.

(RSVP is appreciated)

Ever Wonder....?

Why working class and rural Americans (ofter referred to as Wal-Mart republicans) usually vote for pro-business Republicans (often called Wall Street republicans) when their economic interests would seem better served by Democratic policies?

Here's a good article written by physcholgists.

A Reminder as to why America Can't Afford 4 more years of Failed Bush Policies

Accomplishments: Changed pollution laws for power and oil companies and made Texas the most polluted state in the Union.

Replaced Los Angeles with Houston as the most smog ridden city in America.

Cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas government to the tune of billions in borrowed money.

Set record for most executions by any Governor in American history.

Became president after losing the popular vote by over 500,000 votes, with the help of his fathers appointments to the Supreme Court.

Attacked and took over two countries.

Spent the surplus and bankrupted the treasury.

Shattered record for biggest annual deficit in history.

Set economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12 month period.

Set all-time record for biggest drop in the history of the stock market.

First president in decades to execute a federal prisoner.

First president in US history to enter office with a criminal record.

First year in office set the all-time record for most days on vacation by any president in US history.

After taking the entire month of August off for vacation, presided over the worst security failure in US history.

Set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips than any other president in US history.

In his first two years in office over 2 million Americans lost their job.

Cut unemployment benefits for more out of work Americans than any president in US history.

Set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12 month period.

Appointed more convicted criminals to administration positions than any president in US history.

Set the record for the least amount of press conferences than any president since the advent of television.

Signed more laws and executive orders circumventing the Constitution than any president in US history.

Presided over the biggest energy crises in US history , created by his close friend Ken Lay, and refused to intervene when corruption was revealed.

Presided over the highest gasoline prices in US history and refused to use the national reserves as past presidents have.

Cut healthcare benefits for war veterans.

Has allowed OBL to go free, and the Taliban to regroup in Afghanistan, while fighting an unrelated war in Iraq.

Spent billions and billions of dollars on "the war on terror" yet most experts agree, we are not much safer now than we were shortly after 9/11.

Set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously take to the streets to protest him (15 million people), shattering the record for protest against any person in the history of mankind. (http://www.hyperreal.org/~dana/marches/)

Dissolved more international treaties than any president in US history.

His presidency is the most secretive and un-accountable of any in US history.

Members of his cabinet are the richest of any administration in US history. (the 'poorest' multi-millionaire, Condoleezza Rice has an Chevron oil tanker named after her).

Had more states to simultaneously go bankrupt than any president in the history of the United States.

Presided over the biggest corporate stock market fraud of any market in any country in the history of the world.

Created the largest government department bureaucracy in the history of the United States.

Set the all-time record for biggest annual budget spending increases, more than any president in US history.

First president in US history to have the United Nations remove the US from the human rights commission.

First president in US history to have the United Nations remove the US from the elections monitoring board.

Removed more checks and balances, and have the least amount of congressional oversight than any presidential administration in US history.

Rendered the entire United Nations irrelevant.

Withdrew from the World Court of Law.

Refused to allow inspectors access to US prisoners of war and by default no longer abide by the Geneva Conventions.

First president in US history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 US elections).

All-time US (and world) record holder for most corporate campaign donations.

His biggest life-time campaign contributor presided over one of the largest corporate bankruptcy frauds in world history (Kenneth Lay, former CEO of Enron Corporation).

Spent more money on polls and focus groups than any president in US history.

Presided over the largest mortgage collapse and bailout in US history, andespite his fondness for pre-emptive strikes, did nothing as his economic advisors warned him of the impending crisis.

Has repeatedly lobbied congress and the States to allow the sale of infrastructure, ports and companies vital to national security, to foreign countries and corporations.

Most recently, presided over the collapse one of the largest and oldest American financial institutions on Wall Street. Arguably the worst single collapse in Wall Street history and again, no pre-emptive strike.

Can we really afford to vote for John McSame?

Republicans for Obama!

It had to happen. Old Guard Republicans, the folks that battled segregated public schools in Virginia 45 years ago are mobilizing. Linwood Holton, and daughter Anne began campaigning for Barack Obama today in Southwest. Holton, a native of Big Stone Gap, in Wise County, Virginia is endorsing his first Democratic President.

Stand up Virginia. Fair and Just is the Hillbilly way!

Major Bank Fails, Stock Market Plunges, Mudtown Fiddles.

With a bankruptcy filing by Lehman Bros. Bank, America's 4 th largest bank has liquidated. That specter prompted the sale of Merrill Lynch & Co., and was followed today by the Dow plunging over 500 points. One of the largest falls in Stock Market history. The Secretary of the Treasury huddled over the weekend with the Federal Reserve and Wall Street big shots to prevent a collapse of the American financial sector.

John McCain today:

"Our economy, I think still -- the fundamentals of our economy are strong. But these are very, very difficult times."

So everything is fine, move along. Where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, from my grandfather.

"Economic depression cannot be cured by legislative action or executive pronouncement. Economic wounds must be healed by the action of the cells of the economic body - the producers and consumers themselves."
Herbert Hoover

Grandad lived through the Great Depression and was lifted by the "legislative action and executive pronouncements" of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The dollars that WPA workers earned flowed back into the economy through his general store and fed his family.

Yeah, these are rough days for the American economy and American citizens: Bank failures, wall street meltdown on top of record jobless numbers and a sharp decrease in manufacturing. Let's make sure our neighbors over in Mudtown, Virginia are doing OK, what with all this troubling news: Let's see how they're holding up...

"Was Barrack (sic) Hussein Obama Born a Muslim"....

"If Obama Befriended Charles Manson Would You..."

What the... looks like they're not paying attention.

Guess they just don't get it!

Funny How This Is....

To anyone thinking of voting republican because you've been told that the GOP is the party of Freedom, then you need to read this....


Prominent Democrats Who have Served in the Military
• Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) – served. awarded the Navy Cross,
the Silver Star Medal, two Bronze Star Medals, and two Purple Hearts.
• Representative Tim Walz, D-MN – served. 25 years.
• Representative Joe Sestak, D-PA - served. 31 years of
service in the Navy, rising to the rank of Vice Admiral.
• Representative Chris Carney, D-PA - served. LCDR USNR
• Representative Patrick Murphy, D-PA - served. USA.
• Representative Phil Hare, D-IL - served. USA-R.
• Representative Jack Murtha (D-PA) - served. Colonel USMC,
Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.
• Former House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt - served.
• Representative David Bonior - served.
• Former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle - served.
• Former Vice President Al Gore - served. Vietnam.
• Former Senator Bob Kerrey (D-NE)- Served. Medal of Honor,
Vietnam
• Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Served. Medal of Honor, World
War II
• Senator John Kerry (D-MA), served. Silver Star, Bronze Star
with Combat V, and three Purple Hearts
• Representative Charles Rangel, served. Bronze Star.
• Former Senator Max Cleland (D-GA), served. Silver Star &
Bronze Star.
• Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) - served.
• Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) - served.
• Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) - served.
• Former Senator Fritz Hollings (D-SC) -served. Bronze Star
and seven campaign ribbons.
• Representative Leonard Boswell (D-IA) - served. LTC USA,
two tours in Vietnam, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Bronze Stars,
and the Soldier's Medal.
• Former Representative "Pete" Peterson, served. USAF, POW,
Purple Heart, Silver Star and the Legion of Merit.
• Rep. Mike Thompson, D-CA: served. Purple Heart.
• Bill McBride, Democratic Candidate for Florida Governor -
served. Bronze Star with a combat "V."
• Gray Davis, former California Governor, served. Bronze
Star.
• Pete Stark, D-CA, served.
• Wesley Clark, Democratic Presidential Candidate - served. General. USA.
Supreme Allied Commander of NATO.


Prominent Republicans Who Served
• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY - did not
serve
• Senate Assistant Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-MI - avoided the
draft,did not serve.
• Senate Republican Conference Chairman Jon Kyl, R-AZ - did not
serve.
• National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair John Ensign, R-NV -
did not serve.
• House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-OH - did not serve.
• House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, R-MO - did not serve.
• House Republican Conference Chair Adam Putnam, R-FL - did not
serve.
• House Republican Policy Committee Thaddeus McCotter, R-MI - did not
serve.
• National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Tom Cole, R-OK -
did not serve.
• GOP Presidential Candidate and Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani -
did not serve.
• GOP Presidential Candidate and Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney -
did not serve
• GOP Presidential Candidate and Former Senator Fred Thompson - did
not serve.
• Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert - avoided the draft, did
not serve. •
Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey - avoided the draft, did not
serve.
• Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay - avoided the draft, did not
serve, Reason given? "So many minority youths had volunteered ... that there
was literally no room for patriotic folks like himself." •
Former House Majority Whip Roy Blunt - did not serve
• Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist - did not serve.
• Former Senator Rick Santorum, R-PA, - did not serve.
• Former Senator George Allen, R-VA, did not serve.
• GW Bush - AWOL Reserves,did not serve.
• VP Cheney - did not serve.
o Reason given? "had other priorities than military service"
• Former Att'y Gen. John Ashcroft - did not serve
• Jeb Bush, Florida Governor - did not serve.
• Karl Rove - did not serve
• Former Speaker Newt Gingrich - avoided the draft, did not serve

• "B-1" Bob Dornan – served.
• Phil Gramm - avoided the draft, did not serve.
• Former Senator Bob Dole - served. Bronze Star. Two purple hearts.
Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton in 1996
.
• Chuck Hagel – served. two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star,
Vietnam.
• Duke Cunningham – served. nominated for the Medal of Honor, received
the Navy Cross, two Silver Stars, fifteen Air Medals, the Purple Heart, and
several other decorations.•
Senator Jeff Sessions. served.
• Former Secretary of State Colin Powell.- served .General.
USA. Once said, “I am angry that so many of the sons of the powerful and
well- placed... managed to wrangle slots in Reserve and National Guard
units...")
Representative Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), served.
• Senator John McCain (R-AZ)-served. POW. Silver Star, Bronze Star,
Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross. Smeared by the
Bush campaign in 2000. Senators Cleland (D-GA), Kerry (D-MA), Kerrey (D-
NE), and Robb (D-VA) strongly defended him.


Funny how the people who never went to war want to fight ones, and those who fought (the True Heroes), know the wisdom of trying to avoid them.

It's Time to see Palin in the Proper Light

The following is the last installment in a 9 part series investigating Sarah Palin's far-right views...information all voters need to know.


9. Sarah Palin doesn't think much of community activism; she'd much rather play insider political games.

In her Republican convention speech, Palin slammed Barack Obama's early political work, saying, "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except you have actual responsibilities." Palin's put-down of grassroots workers, often unpaid or low-paid, demeaned an American tradition of neighbors helping neighbors, according to Deepak Bhargava, executive director of the Center for Community Change. But more revealing is Palin's apparent lack of experience in community change and local volunteer efforts, during her years in Alaska before becoming governor.

Scores of press accounts of her early years as mayor of Wasilla omit any mention of such work. Instead, they note as mayor, and in the intervening years before running for governor, Palin gravitated to those with power, money or influence. She worked to enlarge Wasilla's Wal-Mart and build a sports center (that went over budget in an eminent domain dispute), and she hired a Washington lobbyist, directed a political fundraising committee for the state's senior U.S. senator, Republican Ted Stevens, now under indictment for corruption, and steered $22 million in federal aid to her town. While some of her early community work was undoubtedly centered on her church, perhaps this comment by a blog reader best sums up Palin's political opportunism:


So community organizers (aren't) responsible? Or caring? Or doing anything important. What a terrible insult to the greatest community organizer of all time, Jesus Christ.

It's Time to see Palin in the Proper Light

The following is the eighth installment in a 9 part series investigating Sarah Palin's far-right views...information all voters need to know.

8. Sarah Palin loves oil and nuclear power.

Aside from her "drill here, drill there, drill everywhere" approach to our energy crisis, the only other things we know about Palin's energy policy, especially given her Bush-like love of avoiding the press, comes from her acceptance speech:


Starting in January, in a McCain-Palin administration, we're going to lay more pipelines, build more nuclear plants, create jobs with clean coal and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal and other alternative sources.
Nuclear power plants. Interesting. As folks look for alternative fuel sources (and again, Palin loves oil first and foremost so her commitment to any alternative energy source is suspect at best), nuclear power is enjoying a return to vogue. But here's the problem: Even the U.S. government's own nuclear agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, thinks an atomic renaissance is a bad idea:


Delivered by one of America's most notoriously docile agencies, the NRC's warning essentially says: that all cost estimates for new nuclear reactors -- and all licensing and construction schedules -- are completely up for grabs and have no reliable basis in fact. Thus any comparisons between future atomic reactors and renewable technologies are moot at best.
Not to mention /www.beyondnuclear.org/nuclearpower.html>all the other problems with nuclear energy, such as how to dispose of nuclear waste and the possibility of a catastrophic meltdown, to name a couple. Palin has no background with nuclear energy and shows no evidence of having looked into the science behind it or the dangers that come with it.

Also, it's time for Palin to drop another Bush-like tendency: Governor, the word is pronounced "new-clear."

It's Time to see Palin in the Proper Light

The following is the seventh installment in a 9 part series investigating Sarah Palin's far-right views...information all voters need to know.


7. Sarah Palin supports offshore drilling everywhere, even if it doesn't solve our energy problems.

If McCain was hoping to salvage any part of his credibility with environmentalists, he threw that chance out the window by adding Palin to his ticket. Palin is in favor of offshore drilling and drilling in the ecologically sensitive Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The Miami Herald reported:


The Alaska governor has said that she has tried to persuade McCain to agree with her on drilling in the wildlife refuge. She also has said that she was happy that he changed his position over the summer and now supports offshore oil drilling.

As if that weren't bad enough, in her speech this week at the Republican National Convention, she said, "Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America's energy problems -- as if we all didn't know that already." Huh. I guess drilling even when it won't help is better than working on renewable energy sources, as Palin also vetoed money for a wind energy project.

McCain lost his integrity; unfit to govern

McCain has demonstrated in the last two months that he does not have the character to be president of the United States. And that is why it is more important than ever to ensure that Barack Obama is the next president. The alternative is now unthinkable. And McCain - no one else - has proved it.

Conservative journalist and blogger Andrew Sullivan has a history of supporting John McCain. But, now he's had enough and in an article in The Atlantic, "McCain's Integrity," he concludes that McCain's horrendous decisions of the past few weeks illustrate in his quest for power shows he is unqualified to be president of this great nation.

Racism, A Family Value?

We seem to have almost a full deck of race cards being played...
By supposed "Christian" Republicans none the less...

Breaking...

A box of Obama Waffles is seen in Washington, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008. A vendor at a conservative political forum was selling boxes of waffle mix depicting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama as a racial stereotype on its front and wearing Arab-like headdress on its top flap. The product was meant as political satire, said Mark Whitlock and Bob DeMoss, two writers from Franklin, Tenn., who created the mix and sold it for $10 a box at the Values Voter Summit sponsored by the lobbying arm of the Family Research Council. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

This Event was sponsored by an affiliate of our own Valley Family Forum! Read the story...




I know that a few "local" bloggers have attempted to couch this type thing as "All in good fun.." but it truly shows what is in a person's soul. What you think is funny, and what you defend, says so very much about who you are... I have collected a few more of the images which Republican supporters have created to express their opinion and feelings regarding MY candidate for President of the United States and have pasted them below for your evaluation.

Preponderance of Evidence?...
Note: I won't even mention the search words I used to find some of these images.

You can click on the image for a clearer view of these people's "humor"...