This is what is wrong with America

the fact that things like THIS happen:

Wal-Mart worker dies after being bulldozed by bargain-hunting Black Friday shopping stampede

By COLLEEN LONG , Associated Press

November 28, 2008

NEW YORK - A Wal-Mart worker was killed Friday when "out-of-control" shoppers desperate for bargains broke down the doors at a 5 a.m. sale. Other workers were trampled as they tried to rescue the man, and customers shouted angrily and kept shopping when store officials said they were closing because of the death, police and witnesses said.

At least four other people, including a woman who was eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for observation or minor injuries, and the store in Valley Stream on Long Island closed for several hours before reopening.

Shoppers stepped over the man on the ground and streamed into the store. When told to leave, they complained that they had been in line since Thursday morning.

Nassau police said about 2,000 people were gathered outside the store doors at the mall about 20 miles east of Manhattan. The impatient crowd knocked the man, identified by police as Jdimytai Damour of Queens, to the ground as he opened the doors, leaving a metal portion of the frame crumpled like an accordion.

"This crowd was out of control," said Nassau police spokesman Lt. Michael Fleming. He described the scene as "utter chaos."

Dozens of store employees trying to fight their way out to help Damour were also getting trampled by the crowd, Fleming said.

Items on sale at the store included a Samsung 50-inch Plasma HDTV for $798, a Bissel Compact Upright Vacuum for $28, a Samsung 10.2 megapixel digital camera for $69 and DVDs such as "The Incredible Hulk" for $9.

Damour, 34, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 6 a.m., police said. The exact cause of death has not been determined.

A 28-year-old pregnant woman was taken to a hospital, where she and the baby were reported to be OK, said police Sgt. Anthony Repalone.

Police said criminal charges were possible in the case, but Fleming said it would be difficult to identify individual shoppers. Authorities were reviewing surveillance video.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., based in Bentonville, Ark., called the incident a "tragic situation" and said the employee came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store.

"The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority," said Dan Fogleman, a company spokesman. "At this point, facts are still being assembled and we are working closely with the Nassau County Police as they investigate what occurred."

Kimberly Cribbs, who witnessed the stampede, said shoppers were acting like "savages."

"When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling 'I've been on line since yesterday morning,'" she said. "They kept shopping."

Shoppers around the country line up early outside stores on the day after Thanksgiving in the annual bargain-hunting ritual known as Black Friday. It got that name because it has historically been the day when stores broke into profitability for the full year.

___

Happy Thanksgiving!

Let's all give thanks that we now have a president as articulate as this:

http://abc.go.com/player/index?pn=index&show=158779&season=158778

Giving Thanks

Now, I thanked Sarah Palin on election night for different reasons than you will see on this ad. HOwever, on this week of Thanksgiving, I do thank Sarah Palin for being herself throughout the entire campaign... here's the ad:

sad, but true..

this is from www.borowitzreport.com/



Obama’s Use of Complete Sentences Stirs Controversy
Stunning Break with Last Eight Years

In the first two weeks since the election, President-elect Barack Obama has broken with a tradition established over the past eight years through his controversial use of complete sentences, political observers say.

Millions of Americans who watched Mr. Obama's appearance on CBS' "Sixty Minutes" on Sunday witnessed the president-elect's unorthodox verbal tic, which had Mr. Obama employing grammatically correct sentences virtually every time he opened his mouth.

But Mr. Obama's decision to use complete sentences in his public pronouncements carries with it certain risks, since after the last eight years many Americans may find his odd speaking style jarring.

According to presidential historian Davis Logsdon of the University of Minnesota, some Americans might find it "alienating" to have a President who speaks English as if it were his first language.

"Every time Obama opens his mouth, his subjects and verbs are in agreement," says Mr. Logsdon. "If he keeps it up, he is running the risk of sounding like an elitist."

The historian said that if Mr. Obama insists on using complete sentences in his speeches, the public may find itself saying, "Okay, subject, predicate, subject predicate - we get it, stop showing off."

The President-elect's stubborn insistence on using complete sentences has already attracted a rebuke from one of his harshest critics, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.

"Talking with complete sentences there and also too talking in a way that ordinary Americans like Joe the Plumber and Tito the Builder can't really do there, I think needing to do that isn't tapping into what Americans are needing also," she said.

creating jobs, now there's an idea!

hilarious, and a little pathetic

voters for jesus

from politico:


Hillary 234, Jesus 23

The Duval County, Florida write-in tally is in, and Hillary handily prevailed over Jesus and all other rivals.

234 HILARY CLINTON
174 RON PAUL
23 NONE OF THE ABOVE
23 JESUS
21 MIKE HUCKABEE
14 MITT ROMNEY
8 COLIN POWELL
6 GOD
4 OBAMA
4 RUDY GIULLIANI
4 STEVEN COLBERT
3 DONALD DUCK
3 DONALD FOY
3 MICKEY MOUSE
3 T. BOONE PICKENS
2 BILL COSBY
2 CHUCK NORRIS
2 CONDOLEEZA RICE
2 LOU DOBBS
2 PAGO POSSUM
2 SARAH PALIN
2 SEANATOR BROWNBACK

slowly but surely...

the cabinet is getting put together:

Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle has accepted President-elect Barack Obama's offer to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, Democratic officials said Wednesday.

The appointment has not been announced, but these officials said the job is Daschle's barring an unforeseen problem as Obama's team reviews the background of the South Dakota Democrat. One area of review will include the lobbying connections of his wife, Linda Hall Daschle, who has done representation mostly on behalf of airline-related companies over the years. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorize to discuss the matter publicly.

Daschle was a close adviser to Obama throughout the former Illinois senator's White House campaign. He recently wrote a book on his proposals to improve health care, and he is working with former Senate leaders on recommendations to improve the system.

Organizations seeking to expand health coverage were quick to praise the selection.

"Sen. Daschle has a deep commitment to securing high-quality, affordable health care for everyone in our nation," said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA. "His new leadership position confirms that the incoming Obama administration has made health care reform a top and early priority for action in 2009."

Obama also announced several transition working group leaders, including Daschle, who will oversee the health policy working group. They include former Environmental Protection Agency administrator Carol Browner on energy and environment and former Clinton White House adviser Jim Steinberg and Obama campaign senior foreign policy adviser Susan Rice on national security.
* * * * *

Health policy wonks and universal health care advocates celebrated the move. The American Prospect's Ezra Klein called Daschle's appointment "huge news, and the clearest evidence yet that Obama means to pursue comprehensive health reform."

You don't tap the former Senate Majority Leader to run your health care bureaucracy. That's not his skill set. You tap him to get your health care plan through Congress. You tap him because he understands the parliamentary tricks and has a deep knowledge of the ideologies and incentives of the relevant players. You tap him because you understand that health care reform runs through the Senate. And he accepts because he has been assured that you mean to attempt health care reform.


Compare the choice of Daschle to Clinton's decision to task Hillary Clinton and Ira Magaziner with health care reform. Neither Clinton nor Magaziner had any relevant experience in Washington, either with the health care bureaucracy or with the legislative branch. [...] The choice of Daschle suggests that the Obama team has learned those lessons well.

CHENEY INDICTED

Cheney, Gonzales indicted in South Texas county
By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer Christopher Sherman, Associated Press Writer Tue Nov 18, 10:18 pm ET

McALLEN, Texas – Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales have been indicted on state charges involving federal prisons in a South Texas county that has been a source of bizarre legal and political battles under the outgoing prosecutor.

The indictment returned Monday has not yet been signed by the presiding judge, and no action can be taken until that happens.

The seven indictments made public in Willacy County on Tuesday included one naming state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. and some targeting public officials connected to District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra's own legal battles.

Regarding the indictments targeting the public officials, Guerra said, "the grand jury is the one that made those decisions, not me."

Guerra himself was under indictment for more than a year and half until a judge dismissed the indictments last month. Guerra's tenure ends this year after nearly two decades in office. He lost convincingly in a Democratic primary in March.

Guerra said the prison-related charges against Cheney and Gonzales are a national issue and experts from across the country testified to the grand jury.

Cheney is charged with engaging in an organized criminal activity related to the vice president's investment in the Vanguard Group, which holds financial interests in the private prison companies running the federal detention centers. It accuses Cheney of a conflict of interest and "at least misdemeanor assaults" on detainees because of his link to the prison companies.

Megan Mitchell, a spokeswoman for Cheney, declined to comment on Tuesday, saying that the vice president had not yet received a copy of the indictment.

The indictment accuses Gonzales of using his position while in office to stop an investigation in 2006 into abuses at one of the privately-run prisons.

Gonzales' attorney, George Terwilliger III, said in a written statement, "This is obviously a bogus charge on its face, as any good prosecutor can recognize." He said he hoped Texas authorities would take steps to stop "this abuse of the criminal justice system."

Another indictment released Tuesday accuses Lucio of profiting from his public office by accepting honoraria from prison management companies. Guerra announced his intention to investigate Lucio's prison consulting early last year.

Lucio's attorney, Michael Cowen, released a scathing statement accusing Guerra of settling political scores in his final weeks in office.

"Senator Lucio is completely innocent and has done nothing wrong," Cowen said, adding that he would file a motion to quash the indictment this week.

Willacy County has become a prison hub with county, state and federal lockups. Guerra has gone after the prison-politician nexus before, extracting guilty pleas from three former Willacy and Webb county commissioners after investigating bribery related to federal prison contacts.

Last month, a Willacy County grand jury indicted The GEO Group, a Florida private prison company, on a murder charge in the death of a prisoner days before his release. The three-count indictment alleged The GEO Group allowed other inmates to beat Gregorio de la Rosa Jr. to death with padlocks stuffed into socks. The death happened in 2001 at the Raymondville facility.

In 2006, a jury ordered the company to pay de la Rosa's family $47.5 million in a civil judgment. The Cheney-Gonzales indictment makes reference to the de la Rosa case.

None of the indictments released Tuesday had been signed by Presiding Judge Manuel Banales of the Fifth Administrative Judicial Region.

Last month, Banales dismissed indictments that charged Guerra with extorting money from a bail bond company and using his office for personal business. An appeals court had earlier ruled that a special prosecutor was improperly appointed to investigate Guerra.

After Guerra's office was raided as part of the investigation early last year, he camped outside the courthouse in a borrowed camper with a horse, three goats and a rooster. He threatened to dismiss hundreds of cases because he believed local law enforcement had aided the investigation against him.

The indictments were first reported by KRGV-TV.

___

Associated Press writer Deb Riechmann in Washington contributed to this report.

this isnt related to politics but...

i am REJOICING with this news... this is from the LA times saying that REALITY TV IS DOWN IN RATINGS!!!!!!! AMERICANS ARE GETTING SMARTER NOT JUST IN POLITICS!!!!!


Is the recession driving viewers away from reality programming?

There has been so much chatter about politics and the economic meltdown on TV this fall that it's obscured another reality: Some of the networks' biggest unscripted series have been sinking in the ratings.

New York-based ad firm Horizon Media today delivered an analysis of Nielsen Media Research data for broadcast series during the first two months of the TV season, compared with the same period last year. The verdict? Established reality-competition and game shows, including "Dancing With the Stars," "Survivor" and "Deal or No Deal," are suffering a slump almost as bad as the larger economy's.

Hardest-hit is Fox's "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?," which has shed nearly half its share of the 18-to-49-year-old demographic since last year (from a 2.5 rating to a 1.3). Among all viewers, "5th Grader" is off 35%, to 5.5 million.

Almost as bad is NBC's "Deal," with the Wednesday edition plunging nearly 29%, to a mere 8 million viewers, compared with last year. The Friday airing has performed even worse, falling 38%. ABC's "Dancing" is down 9% — despite Cloris Leachman's unlikely tenure on this fall's edition — and CBS' "Survivor: Gabon" has dropped one-tenth compared with last fall's "Survivor: China." Even Fox's "Cops," which in March celebrates its 20th anniversary, has tumbled 17%.

Now, it could be argued that all of network TV is down. But virtually all of the series that have shown improvement this fall are scripted shows. Among them: NBC's "30 Rock" (up 23%), the CW's "Gossip Girl" (20%) and CBS' "Ghost Whisperer" (8%) and "How I Met Your Mother" (12%).

So, what's up?

Part of the explanation is TV's natural aging process. Many of the reality shows currently on network schedules are, not to put too fine a point on it, old. "Survivor" is in its 17th cycle, an eternity given that TV lifespans roughly approximate dog years. "Dancing" is winding down its 7th season, the time when most series begin to show signs of wear. And efforts to pump in new blood have not been successful: Take a look at ABC's "Opportunity Knocks," which got the hook after three airings this fall.

Overexposure is also a factor. "Deal or No Deal" at one time looked like a fairly durable game concept. But multiple weekly airings, plus a daytime syndicated version that launched this fall, have beaten the life out of the show. Stashing more money in those prize briefcases, as producers have done in a bid to woo viewers, probably won't help.

And what about that economy? Well, hard times may not have any direct effect on what people choose to watch. But there's little doubt that during times of upheaval, viewers' tastes can shift. For example, the deep recession of the early 1980s may have created a fertile environment for the success of nighttime soaps about the treacheries of the rich and infamous, such as "Dynasty" and "Dallas."

Thus, at the outset of what looks to be another deep recession, the sudden success of once-suffering comedies such as "30 Rock" and "Mother" is striking. As the Dow continues to spiral down and jobs dry up, viewers may have decided that their everyday lives already contain more reality than they can bear.

There is still hope for Al

This is from the Huffington Post:

Despite trailing his opponent by slightly more than two hundred votes, Democratic challenger Al Franken stands a strong chance of passing Sen. Norm Coleman during the upcoming recount, according to at least one prominent political scientist.

Professor Michael C. Herron of Dartmouth College, has put together a new study of the voting patterns in Minnesota, in the process determining that the majority of voters who cast unrecorded ballots in the Senate race were likely Franken supporters.

"If someone put a gun to my head and said, 'You have to bet,' I would bet Franken," Herron said, when reached by phone. "It won't be a wipe-out. Two hundred votes is effectively tied. We just know that, in this case, Democrats tend to [screw up their ballots] more often [than Republicans]." In Minnesota, the "intent" of the voter is considered during recounts.

According to Herron's analysis, of the 2.9 million people who went to the polls in Minnesota, there were approximately 34,000 residual voters in the Senate race. In other words, there were 34,000 more ballots cast than total number of recorded votes for all the Senate candidates.

Why the difference? A good portion of voters, Herron concludes, voted in the presidential election but deliberately did not vote for a Senate candidate. These people won't matter when it comes to a recount.

There is, however, a portion of the 34,000 who intended to vote for one of the Senate candidates but messed up. Voters were supposed to fill in the circle next to the name of the candidate they supported. Some, however, marked X's. Others circled the name itself or crossed out the names of candidates they didn't like.

This group is key to determining the Minnesota Senate victor.

In his study, Herron looked at the figures from the 2006 congressional election and the 2008 presidential election to determine which areas of the state have the most residual voters. By isolating these areas, Herron could determine which group was most likely to have wanted to vote one way but failed to cast their ballots properly.

He found that the majority of residual voters came from two, not necessarily distinct places: African American communities and traditionally Democratic communities. With the former, he theorized, there was likely a "turnout surge" -- many people went to the polls to support Barack Obama and no one else (or at least not Franken). The latter, however, contained voters who "almost certainly intended to cast a vote in the Senate race [and likely for Franken] but for some reason did not do so."
Story continues below

How big that group is, is crucial. And a way to figure it out is to first look at how Barack Obama and John McCain fared in the state.

According to Herron there was an approximately 0.34 percent residual vote rate in presidential race voting among Minnesotans. This means that of the 2.9 million votes cast for a presidential candidate, nearly 10,000 individuals wanted to vote but screwed up. There may have been people who wanted to vote in local and congressional contests, but not the presidential race. But this group is likely quite small.

In other words, there are probably somewhere between 8,000 and 10,000 Minnesota voters who had clear problems filling out a ballot and likely voted in the Senate race. Many of these individuals, moreover, hailed from Democratic communities.

"Ultimately, the anticipated recount may clarify the relative proportions of intentional versus unintentional residual voters," writes Herron. "At present, though, the data available suggest that the recount will uncover many of the former and that, of the latter, a majority will likely prove to be supportive of Franken."

All Franken needs is to win more than 207 votes from this group than Coleman, and he will take over the Senate seat.

The first interview

Watch CBS Videos Online

The Cabinet

Ok, tonight on 60 minutes, Barack confirmed that his cabinet will have some republicans. It took me 10 seconds longer to type that because i had to slow down. If I were speaking it, I would have stuttered. I support and trust Barack, so I hope he doesnt appoint anyone too drastic. He is meeting with McCain tomorrow, which scares the shit out of me, but Lincoln had some of his biggest rivals and enemies in his cabinet. So I am preparing myself. My suggestion for McCain's post: secretary of justice. Why? Because Justice was served when Barack beat him IN A LANDSLIDE. I know, I am petty, I know, I am immature. I know that appointment makes no sense, but I like it. This would be my cabinet if I were president:

Vice President - I think this would be someone I don't really like because I would not see them a lot as they would be in an undisclosed location. Perhaps I will do the whole world a favor and ask Paris Hilton.
Chief of Staff - My dear cousin, Katie O'Neill. No question. The white
wouldn't know what hit it.
* Department of Agriculture - my brother Tommy, he studied plant and soil science
in college and lives in Vermont.
* Department of Commerce - Steve Jobs, he knows how to make people buy things.
* Department of Defense - Wesley Clark. Because I like him, and I can't have ALL
of my cabinet just be people I know...
* Department of Education - Mrs Allen. She taught me how to write my name, tie
my shoes, sing "good morning to you, good morning to you, we're all in our places
with sunshiny faces, this is the way to start a new day" - who better to run the
country's education department!
* Department of Energy - Al Gore. because we need to use less energy, and he is the
man to promote that.
* Department of Health and Human Services - Adrian, my dear friend who is the
person I call at the first sign of any symptom, she would be perfect for this
job as she is no-nonsense.
* Department of Homeland Security - Javier Bardem, in character from No Country
for Old Men -no one would fuck with us if they saw him looming over the country.

eeeek! would YOU fuck with a country if you saw THAT waiting for you!?
* Department of Housing and Urban Development - Ty Pennington. He makes over
all of those houses in a week... that guy knows what he is doing when it comes
to housing and urban development. His assistant would be Bob Vila.
* Department of the Interior- Whoever is in charge of the Grand Canyon.
* Department of Justice - Denis Kucinich, because I like him and would like to
have him in my cabinet.
* Department of Labor - Kimberly Alicea - because she gave me a job when I
desperately needed one, and she, like me, believes everyone deserves to work.
* Department of State - Dumbledore. because I can do wahtever I want, I am the
president. He talks well to all, is well known, and lived to be well in his
100's. And I had to put a Harry Potter character in here... it's MY cabinet!
* Department of Transportation - Whoever would bring back the train as a valid,
economical way of travelling. I hate to fly, and I love taking the train, but
I am so limited for my train travelling! A
* Department of the Treasury - My dad! He does my taxes every year and is the only
person i trust with any of my financial questions.
* Department of Veterans Affairs - I don't know any veterans! So I guess I would
nominate the one veteran I love listening to every day: Randi Rhodes.

Of course, my advisors would be: the rest of my family I did not give a cabinet position to, and all of my other friends - Jess, Liz, etc..

Weekly address

From our PRESIDENT ELECT

blame it on the mormons...

November 15, 2008
Mormons Tipped Scale in Ban on Gay Marriage
By JESSE McKINLEY and KIRK JOHNSON

SACRAMENTO — Less than two weeks before Election Day, the chief strategist behind a ballot measure outlawing same-sex marriage in California called an emergency meeting here.

“We’re going to lose this campaign if we don’t get more money,” the strategist, Frank Schubert, recalled telling leaders of Protect Marriage, the main group behind the ban.

The campaign issued an urgent appeal, and in a matter of days, it raised more than $5 million, including a $1 million donation from Alan C. Ashton, the grandson of a former president of the Mormon Church. The money allowed the drive to intensify a sharp-elbowed advertising campaign, and support for the measure was catapulted ahead; it ultimately won with 52 percent of the vote.

As proponents of same-sex marriage across the country planned protests on Saturday against the ban, interviews with the main forces behind the ballot measure showed how close its backers believe it came to defeat — and the extraordinary role Mormons played in helping to pass it with money, institutional support and dedicated volunteers.

“We’ve spoken out on other issues, we’ve spoken out on abortion, we’ve spoken out on those other kinds of things,” said Michael R. Otterson, the managing director of public affairs for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the Mormons are formally called, in Salt Lake City. “But we don’t get involved to the degree we did on this.”

The California measure, Proposition 8, was to many Mormons a kind of firewall to be held at all costs.

“California is a huge state, often seen as a bellwether — this was seen as a very, very important test,” Mr. Otterson said.

First approached by the Roman Catholic archbishop of San Francisco a few weeks after the California Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in May, the Mormons were the last major religious group to join the campaign, and the final spice in an unusual stew that included Catholics, evangelical Christians, conservative black and Latino pastors, and myriad smaller ethnic groups with strong religious ties.

Shortly after receiving the invitation from the San Francisco Archdiocese, the Mormon leadership in Salt Lake City issued a four-paragraph decree to be read to congregations, saying “the formation of families is central to the Creator’s plan,” and urging members to become involved with the cause.

“And they sure did,” Mr. Schubert said.

Jeff Flint, another strategist with Protect Marriage, estimated that Mormons made up 80 percent to 90 percent of the early volunteers who walked door-to-door in election precincts.

The canvass work could be exacting and highly detailed. Many Mormon wards in California, not unlike Roman Catholic parishes, were assigned two ZIP codes to cover. Volunteers in one ward, according to training documents written by a Protect Marriage volunteer, obtained by people opposed to Proposition 8 and shown to The New York Times, had tasks ranging from “walkers,” assigned to knock on doors; to “sellers,” who would work with undecided voters later on; and to “closers,” who would get people to the polls on Election Day.

Suggested talking points were equally precise. If initial contact indicated a prospective voter believed God created marriage, the church volunteers were instructed to emphasize that Proposition 8 would restore the definition of marriage God intended.

But if a voter indicated human beings created marriage, Script B would roll instead, emphasizing that Proposition 8 was about marriage, not about attacking gay people, and about restoring into law an earlier ban struck down by the State Supreme Court in May.

“It is not our goal in this campaign to attack the homosexual lifestyle or to convince gays and lesbians that their behavior is wrong — the less we refer to homosexuality, the better,” one of the ward training documents said. “We are pro-marriage, not anti-gay.”

Leaders were also acutely conscious of not crossing the line from being a church-based volunteer effort to an actual political organization.

“No work will take place at the church, including no meeting there to hand out precinct walking assignments so as to not even give the appearance of politicking at the church,” one of the documents said.

By mid-October, most independent polls showed support for the proposition was growing, but it was still trailing. Opponents had brought on new media consultants in the face of the slipping poll numbers, but they were still effectively raising money, including $3.9 million at a star-studded fund-raiser held at the Beverly Hills home of Ron Burkle, the supermarket billionaire and longtime Democratic fund-raiser.

It was then that Mr. Schubert called his meeting in Sacramento. “I said, ‘As good as our stuff is, it can’t withstand that kind of funding,’ ” he recalled.

The response was a desperate e-mail message sent to 92,000 people who had registered at the group’s Web site declaring a “code blue” — an urgent plea for money to save traditional marriage from “cardiac arrest.” Mr. Schubert also sent an e-mail message to the three top religious members of his executive committee, representing Catholics, evangelicals and Mormons.

“I ask for your prayers that this e-mail will open the hearts and minds of the faithful to make a further sacrifice of their funds at this urgent moment so that God’s precious gift of marriage is preserved,” he wrote.

On Oct. 28, Mr. Ashton, the grandson of the former Mormon president David O. McKay, donated $1 million. Mr. Ashton, who made his fortune as co-founder of the WordPerfect Corporation, said he was following his personal beliefs and the direction of the church.

“I think it was just our realizing that we heard a number of stories about members of the church who had worked long hours and lobbied long and hard,” he said in a telephone interview from Orem, Utah.

In the end, Protect Marriage estimates, as much as half of the nearly $40 million raised on behalf of the measure was contributed by Mormons.

Even with the Mormons’ contributions and the strong support of other religious groups, Proposition 8 strategists said they had taken pains to distance themselves from what Mr. Flint called “more extreme elements” opposed to rights for gay men and lesbians.

To that end, the group that put the issue on the ballot rebuffed efforts by some groups to include a ban on domestic partnership rights, which are granted in California. Mr. Schubert cautioned his side not to stage protests and risk alienating voters when same-sex marriages began being performed in June.

“We could not have this as a battle between people of faith and the gays,” Mr. Schubert said. “That was a losing formula.”

But the “Yes” side also initially faced apathy from middle-of-the-road California voters who were largely unconcerned about same-sex marriage. The overall sense of the voters in the beginning of the campaign, Mr. Schubert said, was “Who cares? I’m not gay.”

To counter that, advertisements for the “Yes” campaign also used hypothetical consequences of same-sex marriage, painting the specter of churches’ losing tax exempt status or people “sued for personal beliefs” or objections to same-sex marriage, claims that were made with little explanation.

Another of the advertisements used video of an elementary school field trip to a teacher’s same-sex wedding in San Francisco to reinforce the idea that same-sex marriage would be taught to young children.

“We bet the campaign on education,” Mr. Schubert said.

The “Yes” campaign was denounced by opponents as dishonest and divisive, but the passage of Proposition 8 has led to second-guessing about the “No” campaign, too, as well as talk about a possible ballot measure to repeal the ban. Several legal challenges have been filed, and the question of the legality of the same-sex marriages performed from June to Election Day could also be settled in court.

For his part, Mr. Schubert said he is neither anti-gay — his sister is a lesbian — nor happy that some same-sex couples’ marriages are now in question. But, he said, he has no regrets about his campaign.

“They had a lot going for them,” Mr. Schubert said of his opponents. “And they couldn’t get it done.”

Mr. Otterson said it was too early to tell what the long-term implications might be for the church, but in any case, he added, none of that factored into the decision by church leaders to order a march into battle. “They felt there was only one way we could stand on such a fundamental moral issue, and they took that stand,” he said. “It was a matter of standing up for what the church believes is right.”

That said, the extent of the protests has taken many Mormons by surprise. On Friday, the church’s leadership took the unusual step of issuing a statement calling for “respect” and “civility” in the aftermath of the vote.

“Attacks on churches and intimidation of people of faith have no place in civil discourse over controversial issues,” the statement said. “People of faith have a democratic right to express their views in the public square without fear of reprisal.”

Mr. Ashton described the protests by same-sex marriage advocates as off-putting. “I think that shows colors,” Mr. Ashton said. “By their fruit, ye shall know them.”

Jesse McKinley reported from Sacramento, and Kirk Johnson from Salt Lake City.

i am NOT pro ABORTION i am PRO CHOICE

this infuriates me:



SC priest: No communion for Obama supporters
By MEG KINNARD, Associated Press Writer Meg Kinnard, Associated Press Writer Thu Nov 13, 6:33 pm ET

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A South Carolina Roman Catholic priest has told his parishioners that they should refrain from receiving Holy Communion if they voted for Barack Obama because the Democratic president-elect supports abortion, and supporting him "constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil."

The Rev. Jay Scott Newman said in a letter distributed Sunday to parishioners at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville that they are putting their souls at risk if they take Holy Communion before doing penance for their vote.

"Our nation has chosen for its chief executive the most radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve in the United States Senate or to run for president," Newman wrote, referring to Obama by his full name, including his middle name of Hussein.

"Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exists constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ's Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation."

During the 2008 presidential campaign, many bishops spoke out on abortion more boldly than four years earlier, telling Catholic politicians and voters that the issue should be the most important consideration in setting policy and deciding which candidate to back. A few church leaders said parishioners risked their immortal soul by voting for candidates who support abortion rights.

But bishops differ on whether Catholic lawmakers — and voters — should refrain from receiving Communion if they diverge from church teaching on abortion. Each bishop sets policy in his own diocese. In their annual fall meeting, the nation's Catholic bishops vowed Tuesday to forcefully confront the Obama administration over its support for abortion rights.

According to national exit polls, 54 percent of Catholics chose Obama, who is Protestant. In South Carolina, which McCain carried, voters in Greenville County — traditionally seen as among the state's most conservative areas — went 61 percent for the Republican, and 37 percent for Obama.

"It was not an attempt to make a partisan point," Newman said in a telephone interview Thursday. "In fact, in this election, for the sake of argument, if the Republican candidate had been pro-abortion, and the Democratic candidate had been pro-life, everything that I wrote would have been exactly the same."

Conservative Catholics criticized Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry in 2004 for supporting abortion rights, with a few Catholic bishops saying Kerry should refrain from receiving Holy Communion because his views were contrary to church teachings.

Sister Mary Ann Walsh, spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said she had not heard of other churches taking this position in reaction to Obama's win. A Boston-based group that supports Catholic Democrats questioned the move, saying it was too extreme.

"Father Newman is off base," said Steve Krueger, national director of Catholic Democrats. "He is acting beyond the authority of a parish priest to say what he did. ... Unfortunately, he is doing so in a manner that will be of great cost to those parishioners who did vote for Sens. Obama and Biden. There will be a spiritual cost to them for his words."

A man who has attended St. Mary's for 18 years said he welcomed Newman's message and anticipated it would inspire further discussion at the church.

"I don't understand anyone who would call themselves a Christian, let alone a Catholic, and could vote for someone who's a pro-abortion candidate," said Ted Kelly, 64, who volunteers his time as lector for the church. "You're talking about the murder of innocent beings."

___

On the Net:

St. Mary's Catholic Church: http://www.stmarysgvl.org/

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: http://www.usccb.org/

Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
Copyright © 2008 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.

* Questions or Comments
* Privacy Policy
* Terms of Service
* Copyright/IP Policy

from this afternoon...

deep breaths

this is from the huffington post. Once again, I find myself trying not to think about things so I dont get too excited...



There are numerous reports tonight that Hillary Clinton may be under consideration for Secretary of State in the Obama administration.

From the Washington Post:

There's increasing chatter in political circles that the Obama camp is not overly happy with the usual suspects for secretary of state these days and that the field might be expanding somewhat beyond Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Gov. Bill Richardson (D-N.M.), Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and maybe former Democratic senator Sam Nunn of Georgia.


There's talk, indeed, that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) may now be under consideration for the post. Her office referred any questions to the Obama transition; Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor declined to comment.

And NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports:

Two Obama advisers have told NBC News that Hillary Clinton is under consideration to be secretary of state. Would she be interested? Those who know Clinton say possibly. But her office says that any decisions about the transition are up to the president-elect and his team.


Clinton was seen taking a flight to Chicago today, but an adviser says it was on personal business. It is unknown whether she had any meeting or conversation with Obama while there.

According to CNN:

One source close to Hillary Clinton tells CNN that as of early yesterday, Senator Clinton had not been contacted by the transition team about a possible cabinet appointment. This same source tells CNN that Senator Clinton would not necessarily dismiss such an offer.


A spokesman for Hillary Clinton, Philippe Reines, tells CNN "Any speculation about cabinet or other administration appointments is really for President-Elect Obama's transition team to address."

On Monday night, while walking into an awards ceremony in New York, Senator Clinton was asked if she would consider taking a post in the Obama administration. She replied, "I am happy being a Senator from New York, I love this state and this city. I am looking at the long list of things I have to catch up on and do. But I want to be a good partner and I want to do everything I can to make sure his agenda is going to be successful."

And sources tell ABC News that discussions about Clinton being asked to accept the post are "very serious."

Thomas jefferson for gay rights!

i stole this from perez hilton:

"All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression."

- Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and one of the most influential Founding Fathers

this is my life

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

while we breathe, we hope

ok.

I have posted things since the victory, but not my reaction. I needed time. I have been walking around in a daze since Tuesday night. Oh. My. God. I still can't believe it.

I was at my friend Naila's, there were tons of people there, in the lounge of her apartment building. I had a few glasses of wine in me, and I was feeling good, but still, I knew with the voter fraud from the past, I couldn't get too cocky. The first states called were not surprises: Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut. Nothing surprising. At 9:20, someone at the party got a phone call from her brother saying that FOX NEWS was reporting Ohio went to Obama. We were all abuzz, I called Jess to see if she knew anything - she didn't. Then, MSNBC announced it. Ohio was Obama's. For the first time, I really truly thought "Oh my god, we can win." But still, in the back of my mind, I wasnt 100%. 2000 screwed me up forever, as did growing up a Red Sox fan - it took them 86 years, so maybe in the back of my head i was htinking it would take that long for the dems to win.

At one point, Chuck Todd did an analysis on what states McCain would have to win in order to be the next president. With his little fingers, he highlighted states red, and went West on the map. As he went along, he made states like Colorado red, saying "let's just SAY he gets Colorado..." and concluded "it doesnt look good, he would virtually have to win every state left.." I still didn't let myself get TOO excited. At 10:59, suddenly, at the bottom of the screen (at this point we were on CNN), we saw them flash the Virginia results (previously undeclared) with a check next to Obamas name. We started buzzing. They announced it, and i saw there was 52 seconds until the West coast polls closed. I said "oh my god. California. We are going to win. Oh my god." the countdown continued, and with 0 seconds, they flashed "breaking news" and the screen switched to Baracks face with "projected winner" next to his name. The room went crazy, i jumped out of my seat, screaming and crying. I immediately called my parents - and just started yelling my dad said "palin headquarters" but all i could say was "OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!" and screaming. My mom in the background was yelling. then we said goodbye, and i called Jess, again, screaming and crying. And, i was shaking. My hands were shaking, my heart was pounding, my legs were shaking. We won. After 8 years of frustration. We won. And not only did we win, but it was a black man who could do it. Everyone was crying. I then called Katie. But my call couldnt go through. I tried Adrian, same thing. The lines were jammed. Everyone was calling their families and friends. I was hugging people... it was amazing. I sent some texts because that was all i could do. A few minutes later the headline on the TV said "McCain calls Obama to concede." It was unbelievable. 11pm, and it was decided.
At first I said i would leave at 10, but then Ohio was called, so I couldnt. Then I said 11, but he won, so I couldnt. So i stayed for the speeches.

McCain was good. The best he has been for months. When he thanked Sarah Palin, I said "YES!!! THANK YOU SARAH!!!!!!!!!!!!" and everyone erupted in agreement. I felt bad for him, this was his only chance. But not bad enough.

Then came Barack's speech. First, he came onto the stage. I got weepy. Then he started speaking. I was sobbing. He goddamn won. We had our first black president. We have a liberal. We have someone who speaks from his heart, who thinks with his own brain. And the speech proved it. The puppy, talking about his grandmother, the 106 year old woman, the Lincoln references... Oh. My. God. I was a basket case. When he finished, his family came out again, along with the Bidens. Oh, Joe. I said "Joe! show us those pearly whites because we won't be seeing them for a long time once you go to your undisclosed location!"

We did it.

Yes, we did.

I took a cab home that night, and couldnt contain myself "IT"S A GOOD NIGHT FOR AMERICA!!!!!!!!" i said to my cabbie, a foreigner. He couldnt help himself, and smiled. We talked about it the whole ride. I gave him a $10 tip. He said "don't worry, everything will be ok, youre right, it is a wonderful night for america, don't lose hope, you are a beautiful person and soul."

Thanks, cabbie.

I walked into my apartment, still with this feeling of surreal, i walked into my room, and started laughing. hysterically. Just laughing. I have never had that feeling before, and I dont know if I ever will. It was a landslide.

I spent a little while longer online, updating this, writing a few messages on facebook, scouring CNN, watching Al Franken's race... and smiling.

I woke up yesterday morning and immediately put on the tv. I had to make sure it wasnt a dream, that it wasnt taken away in the middle of the night. It was real.
I only had 5.5 hours of sleep, but it didn't matter. I was wide awake. Walking on the streets of New York, the air seemed lighter, lifted. I tried to catch people's eye and share something with them, but New Yorkers hadn't changed THAT much overnight!

I talked to my mom in the morning, when I was a bit more subdued than the night before. She said she can't believe she remembers Blacks not being able to vote, JFK winning, and now, Barack. She said she was happy and excited when JFK won, but she was in Junior High, so it wasn't like this for her. Unbelievable.

Today I was watching the news and there was a photo of him with "president elect" next to the photo, and I started laughing. I dont know when this feeling will subside. I hope it never does.

Finally, after years of dread, years of worry, years of frustration, I have a feeling of hope, of peace, of happiness.

Yes, we can. Yes we did.

Thank you, America.

Now let's work on getting rights for gay couples. THe one true disappointment of the night.

A real elitist...

YES WE DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hometown pride:

hope has risen again

THANK YOU AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!

because no votes are in yet...

"they are throwing a lot of snowballs in hell today" - caller on Thom Hartman's show on Air America referring to all of the life long republicans voting for Obama today.

"I feel very good about what's going to happen today." - Hillary Rodham Clinton, after casting her vote

"it's like black friday, the day after thanksgiving, it's like the line at walmart." - southern woman on what the poll lines are like today.

YAHOO!!!!

JOE VOTES

Lever, flag, lever

I did it.

I woke up at 4:52, fell back asleep until 6, lay there until i heard Jenn get up, got up at 6:40, was home by 7:30.

While waiting in line, one of the poll workers came over and was talking to the lady in charge of the voting machine in my line, and asked her to help check people in. He said "This line is up the wazoo!" So everyone, get ready for wazoo lines.

I walked into my booth and promptly started tearing up. As I flagged "Barack Obama Joe Biden" I had a moment. Before I pulled the lever back, I kissed my hand, then kissed his name.

Now, we wait.

EVERYONE GO OUT AND VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ps as we were leaving, we passed this girl in a john mccain shirt (which you are not allowed to wear when you are voting) and she was pulling a suitcase, marching along the goddamn sidewalk like she owned it. I said to Jenn "THAT is exactly how I picture a McCain supporter"

my shirt for the day:

This is it..

So here I am, just about to fall asleep, or I should say, TRY to fall asleep the night before the election. Dixville Notch is 45 minutes away for casting the first ballots of the day. They think for the first time in years, a Decmocrat may be chosen there.
The campaigns are coming to an end, with each candidate having one last hurrah in battleground states. "Undecided" voters are frantically researching online to find out which candidate they are going to vote for. Riiiiiight.

This afternoon I called several voters in Florida and Wisconsin to remind them to vote, ask who they are voting for, and if they needed a reminder of where their polling location was. Some people didn't want to talk to me, others were excited, most I just left cheerful messages for. THe energy in the room was staggering. All of us hopeful for tomorrow. All of us fighting for the same cause, trying to do our bit. I made fast friends with everyone at my table, Most were over the age of 50, women who have volunteered for months. One woman had been volunteering for 2 years. All for Barack. When we parted ways before she went down to her train, she held my hand and squeezed it and said "let's hope."

I am hoping. I am hoping for the future of this country. For the country to regain it's esteem with other countries. For foreigners not to look at us and think "how stupid" but rather "good, they got it right." I am hoping for my niece and nephews, that they can say they kind of remember the first black president getting elected, they remember their auntie meg and nan were crazy passionate about it. I am hoping that anyone who is "undecided" werent swayed by Palin and McCain showing up on SNL tonight. I am hoping that Barack Obama's grandmother is up in heaven looking down on us, knowing that in 24 hours, her grandson will be the president elect. I am hoping that someone will actually kiss me when they see my "kiss me i am voting obama biden" shirt. I am hoping that people wait as long as it takes in line to get their vote counted. I hope that everyone's votes WILL count, that there is no fraud. That the electronic machines work. I am hoping that for the first time since I have been able to vote, my candidate wins. THat my faith in America is restored. That this country isnt basing their votes on religious beliefs and fear, but on the need for change and knowing what and who is right.

Tomorrow is the day.

I dont' know when we will know the results.

I don't know what those results will be.

I can only wait.

And Hope.

Yes we can.

i cant handle it.

if i cant handle it today, what the HELL am I going to be like TOMORROW!?

Good God.

i stare at the polls. I stare at the map. I read the articles.

And I still don't know what is going to happen.

I said to a friend yesterday: "I'm not nervous, but I'm not confident. I'm just waiting."

My boss emailed all of us and said that voting is more important than airfares, so take our time waiting to vote.

I will post a photo of my t-shirt for tomorrow tonight.

Oh my God. One more sleep.

I am at work and I just cannot concentrate.

Not.
At.
All.
I feel like i need a stiff drink in my hand from now until 11pm tomorrow.

one day.

This is when we, in NYC will find out the results of each state, as long as it isn't too close to call...

absolutely amazing

THIS WEEK.

Oh my God.

Two days.

I vowed to write every day the week before the election, but yesterday the lovely Jess was in town, and I did not have a chance to blog. The weekend of course, was filled with election talk. Yesterday, we went to the Museum of the City of New York, where there was a special presidential campaign exhibition. It was fascinating, from a display of hundreds of pins, to lincoln lanterns, to a washington flag, a Bobby Kennedy dress.. and the final spot of the exhibition - cardboard cutouts of Obama, McCain and Hillary. So we took photos - which, as soon as I get them (they are on Jess' camera) i will post.

Let's just say that when we were taking the McCain ones, a lady said "ohhh.. that's not nice..."

The polls are still changing. for good, i think. but who KNOWS.

McCain was on SNL last night. we watched him, it was fine. nothing spectacular, nothing awful. I dont think that it will give him anymore votes. Tomorrow night is the SNL election special - I am hoping for a cameo by Obama, and maybe by Al Franken! THAT would be awesome! But I am sure both of them are pretty busy-- hopefully not too busy to do a satellite cameo!

The anxiety dreams keep coming - I can only imagine what my nights sleep will be like tomorrow night.

We are winding down.