You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?

Patriotic Republicans - JOKE!

2009-10-04T11:02:00.003-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears, hypocritical Republicans who say they are patriotic.

Have you seen how many Repubs are happy, yes HAPPY that the U.S. did NOT win the Olympic bid for the games in 2016. Talk about UNPATRIOTIC, they should be ashamed and all of you who support them or voted for them.

This is NO loss by or from Obama, he went above and beyond to help. If George Bush had done that I would have been pleased. Point being this isn't about politics. This is about a country being proud and united that the games would be held here as they have been in many cities over the decades.

Republicans want to spin this decision as a massive loss for Obama and Democrats who have always been in control in Chicago.

Erick Erickson on the conservative "RedState" blog, wrote "Hahahahahaha", "I thought the world would love us more now that Bush was gone." See here

As far as the world loving us now that Bush is gone, that is true. However, the world has no bearing on the selection of the Olympics. The world is much happier without Bush or Sarah Palin in office.

I will admit as a Democrat I am not thrilled with Obama, however, he did inherit one hell of a mess left by 8 years of Republican debauchery, criminal activity of which the Bush administration should be held accountable for.

Back to the un-patriotism of the Repubs. What they call Obama's loss on the Olympic bid is a loss for US ALL! Any true red-blooded American who loves this country and it's flag raised while the national anthem is played with our athletes receiving gold should blast the Republicans for the excitement over our loss of the Olympic bid. Sorry Repubs that is extreme NON-Patriotism..... shame on you all for that too.

Congrats to Brazil as this will be the first Olympics ever held in the southern hemisphere of the Americas. I can bet that was one huge factor as well as the size of Rio and it's ability to handle this monumental task.

Of course Chicago would have done it grand style no doubt and thank you for all who worked so hard in the bid. Now we should all hope for the best in Brazil and of course support our wonderful and talented men and women who will shine there.

Palin "Death Panels Are Real"

2009-09-09T11:44:00.004-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? Sarah Palin, good grief this person is such a character but sadly so many follow her...... every word (that's scary) for a laugh I do but folks this gal is so clueless and so far right that she will say or do anything for publicity or to upset people which means to continually lie. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/09/palin-gets-tough-on-obamas-health-care-proposals/

They are false, NO DEATH PANELS! - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/health/policy/14panel.html

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090811/ap_on_go_co/us_health_care_end_of_life_q_a

This whole "Death Panel" bullshit is just that..... NO ONE is talking about doing such a thing. It just took one conservative congress member in Kansas or Oklahoma to start this death panel stuff and people like Sarah jump right on without any information or any knowledge of health care or reform or what has been drafted, debated and continually evolving.

Again folks NO death panels exist or will exist under any of the reform legislation in Congress. A number of notable Republicans have also clearly stated that so Palin and others talking this dividing BS need to stop and need to read and educate themselves and by all means join in debate on real issues. Death Panels are not as they do not and will not exist under any reform or change.

YOU ARE BEING LIED to by the RIGHT to scare you. That is what Hannity, O'Reilly, Beck, Rush and others get paid to do and they actually believe some of their own lies but that is what they are. Realize those folks have one agenda to get back to a Bush Administration with Republican control which will aid the wealthy and has been proven under every Republican administration and to hell with the middle and lower class. They are the most selfish of any other group by far. Giving to charity doesn't count as that is done mostly for tax write-offs.

Please go read about health care reform and I promise you won't see any death panel BS and you will be able to understand that as well by actually reading the ideas, proposals in the reform bill. Again I am not asking you to agree with it but read it to understand it and realize that no death panels will come from it. http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/health_care/

Obama Speech To Students

2009-09-08T08:47:00.002-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears, the hysteria over the president of the United States talking to students. I am so disgusted and saddened to see so many people and mostly conservatives and whites get loony over it.

No uproars though when Reagan (who did a politically charged speech to students in 1988), both the Bushes did speeches and they were not provided prior to the speech such as Obama's speech was put on the White House website and out to media on Monday for all to digest as well as realize that it is about staying in school and being educated. When Clinton spoke never any problems, but that may also be because he is white.

Any of you teachers, parents, school administrations not allowing the students to view or read the speech should be ashamed of yourselves. You are awful parents, teachers and administrators. What a way to deprive a child of education. It shows none of you have any faith in your own kids to have them listen, digest it and make their own informed decisions, for them to ask questions for them to want to learn more, discuss education and events with their families.

Sadly those who do not see it will be the losers for sure. It really is racism for the most part since it was never an issue when Reagan, Bush, Bush, Clinton spoke to kids but now a black president speaks and the whites and conservatives freak.... Shows how awful the "right" is. He is not the enemy, he is the president.

I have no use for that thing that was in the White House the last 8 years, a man who murdered 4,400 plus of our soldiers for a fake, false war made from revenge and greed and it has been proven time and again that the war was never needed! He created the debt this country had because of the war and bad policies that Obama inherited. I would let my kids listen to a speech by him as that is a historical event, it is a lesson in listening, comprehension and discussion in school and at home with the parents whether you are a conservative, a liberal or other......

As I said earlier it will be the ones who don't read it or view that are the ones who loose an educational opportunity and a chance for discussion.

UBS to Give 4,450 Names to U.S. IRS

2009-08-19T22:19:00.007-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? Uber wealthy people whom can afford taxes but don't want to pay them and try very intricate tricky loopholes to make sure they can get away with it. See here - UBS To Give 4,450 Names to U.S. and Names Deal Cracks Swiss Bank Secrecy

I applaud the Swiss and U.S. governments for making this happen. I pay my taxes, sure I don't want to like anyone else but it is part of life and it is for the good of our country and your fellow citizens. These wealthy folk whom have more than most, the top 1-5% of the population are the scumbags who try every scheme or loophole their attorney/tax account can find. Now to be fair the loopholes were there so why not as it's legal or so it may have been at one time.

In this case it is blatant tax evasion for people who could more then afford it. As is with many Americans it is people living beyond their means and so they figure I want to live a certain way so I will get away with all these tax breaks by hiding money or fake accounts etc. No more, you folks should have been paying and will now pay like the rest of us.

Come down a peg or two, sell one of your 5 homes or 20 cars and pay your taxes like the rest of us and in the end you'll be helping many others as those tax dollars support so many good programs that help so many here at home in your country.

I certainly do not feel sorry for any of them and I think all the names should be released that would be part of the punishment and well deserved to say the least. Pony up folks, it's about time you join the rest of tax payers!

I hope people like Limbaugh, Bush, Hannity, O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, Rupert Murdoch, Rove are all on the list! :) However, I bet our government will whimp out and just collect. Maybe they will prosecute and that should be public record, but they will have some special rule that it all be sealed..... We'll see over the coming months as they release the names in blocks of 500 at a time.

15,000 HOMELESS VETERAN'S IN ONE CITY!

2009-08-19T13:29:00.004-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? The American Government for NOT taking care of veteran's from the past 40 plus years up to the current day vets in growing numbers.

It is a shame and the current administration (although doing more than it's recent predecessors) needs to really step up ten fold. It is unacceptable that these men and women go fight for our country in a false war in the first place. That aside they go fight for OUR rights and freedoms and to try and instill our democracy on other cultures and governments.

Yet they come home alive fortunately (sadly the false war of George Bush has killed over 4,300 of them for no reason and that has been proven many times over. However, we are in it and must complete and or support the people of those foreign lands and many of these soldiers are doing 3, 4, 5 deployments which is unheard of in warfare. They go above and beyond for low pay and come back to have no jobs, no family in some cases and the Government deserts them as well.

That just makes my head spin..... WE AS A PEOPLE and OUR GOVERNMENT OWE these kids in many cases what we have in our freedoms, rights, and safety. Yet they come home and are tossed aside. To think that just one city (Los Angeles) in this country is home to some 15,000 homeless vets from all wars and growing numbers of Iraq and Afghan soldiers makes me sick. That is just one city and there have been other stories about this across the country but this is alarming even more.

IAVA has done allot to help but we need to do so much more for these people. Serving your country, sacrificing many things besides their lives yet we do little or provide little protection to them. They all deserve to have what every Congressman has in Washington, the best benefits and opportunities to improve and be good. We owe them that and if I had to pay more in taxes for that I would happy too.

Our service men and women deserve the best for all they have given for the rest of us to live as we do in this country and they should come home and be taken care of until they are back on their feet and be who they were before they went to war and lost most things in their lives. War changes you but you can be even better and some need more help than others so let's step up folks and help these men and women. Remember all they've done for us to have happy healthy lives here at home.

America, Obama and both sides of the aisle need to come together. It is sad and sickening that we haven't done enough for them the past 40 plus years and it still has only improved a little.

Bailed Out Banks Sought Foreign Workers for Jobs (for laid off U.S. workers)!

2009-02-02T16:47:00.005-05:00

The gears they are a grinding..... To think our great Wall Street firms and many others were applying for 21,000 plus worker visas to get foreign workers for jobs in this country although they were laying off 100,000's of employees here in the U.S.

Makes me sick and sick to think I have worked for some of these firms over the years. This is just a complete slap in the face to our own people. We are in such turmoil here but yet the almight corporation can just toss us aside saying the positions are elminated all the while they were just planning on filling them with workers from outside the U.S. and of course at a much lower cost.

Good ole American GREED is certainly alive and well!

See story here - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/01/bailed-out-banks-sought-f_n_162877.html

18.4 Billion For a Job Well Done?

2009-01-30T13:18:00.005-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears, GREED and SELFISHNESS!

Today in New York City, 20,000 New Yorkers (maybe more), most of them NYC school teachers, will be cut from New York City payrolls and left to fend for themselves and their families and forced to leave their students and schools.

It would be heartbreaking enough to watch the latest explosion of jobs without the accompanying news out of the very same area code; while teachers are being pink slipped Wall Streeters treated themselves to over $18 Billion in bonuses. Not base pay or salary, but bonuses for a job well done???

Twisted by the contagion of The Green, Wall Streeters are rewarding them selves with what totals $18 Billion dollars in Bonuses based on, get this, 'phantom' profits. Do you know what that means? Of course not because it’s complete bullshit. Bonuses are being paid out by firms who have so utterly failed that we have to bail them out with our tax dollars. So now we are paying for their delusions and the back end. We paid on the front end when they issued crap with other bullshit names, like Credit Default Swaps and Derivatives and phony money called “Securitized Mortgage Backed Instruments”.

President Obama has rightfully called these payouts 'shameful' and 'the height of irresponsibility'. Senator Chris Dodd has gone further, vowing to hunt down the bonuses and withdraw them. It makes for good copy, but the sad fact is once the cash is released, it’s hard to get back. New York City's current budget deficit, the reason so many people will end this Friday unemployed or by July is about $4 billion. Just a fraction of that bonus cash could keep all of those who will be terminated today gainfully employed and contributing to their city. In fact with that kind of cabbage, New York City could actually hire MORE teachers, MORE Police Officers MORE Firefighters and EMTs. But instead 18 Billion will get quietly spent at some Bentley Dealership in Miami or a jewelry store in Palm Springs.

We've heard a lot about 'stimulus' lately, but what really needs stimulating is any kind of sense of decency amongst the 'snake' class, players who gamble with our entire economy on a daily basis without a care or clue about what this does to our Nation in the end.

20 years ago, Oliver Stone created Gordon Gecko as a warning not an inspiration. When will we put these completely remorseless Type A's (as in Assholes) where they belong? I’m thinking Danbury Minimum Security Federal Prison, Rikers Island? Merrill’s John Thain ought to have been marched to a Super Max prison handcuffed to Bernie Madoff by now but instead they are both in their New York City Penthouses. Why?

There is nothing special about them, really. If we all turned off the chip in our brain that recognizes right from wrong, how rich do you think you could be?

Sick and sad and sicker are the Sean Hannity's, the Limbaugh's, Guiliani, Coulter, Glenn Beck, Kurlowe and so many others hoping and wanting Obama to fail even at the cost of our nation as a whole and the majority of its people. All because they want to live in a backwards traditional society of the 1700's. They view progression and freedom as a bad thing to be who we are and to be open and move forward. All I can say folks when you listen to the right wing nuts check their facts as they have been proven wrong some 90% of the time. They love to spin and sadly many sit there and eat it up without getting the facts, the truth. READ UP folks!

Oh and yes I do work for a Wall Street Investment Bank but I did NOT get a bonus and that's ok. I make a good salary as the bonus folks above do and can easily live fine without them. The only thing I will say in defence of the Swiss bank I work for is that it is one of the only instituitions to NOT take any government funding. They declined any help and we are fairing ok. Our losses are marginal compared to all of our peers. The entire board and all top executives did NOT take any bonuses. It went to the majority of the working class employees. Sure some well paid upper mgmt got good chunks but it is what it is. As you see that may change for any of the banks that your tax dollars are saving or helping. The 18.4 billion came primarily from the banks that rec'd government funding aka your tax dollars.

See story linked in headline - Mayor Bloomberg paints grim economic picture for New York City 2009 budget

Obama's Stimulas Package Passes the House

2009-01-29T14:42:00.004-05:00

You What Really Grinds My Gears, partisan politics and Republican selfishness.

Yesterday the U.S. House of Representatives took the first step on the road to economic recovery, by passing the largest injection of cash, tax cuts, loan guarantees and investment in America aimed at crumbling infrastructure and a new way to harness Energy to power this nation, in order to get our economy moving again.

Think of it as a small step away from the Dark Dank Days of another Depression that is bearing down on us with almost an irreversible force the likes of which we’ve never seen.

This stimulas package is the very first piece of legislation championed by Barack Obama written by David Obey (D-WI) and looked at by Economists of ALL political stripes passed last night WITHOUT ONE SINGLE REPUBLICAN VOTE.

Set aside that Economists and over 60% of Americans agree that the Economic Stimulus Package is a critically needed shot of adrenaline to the heart of our economy. Think of this stimulus as a crash cart brought into ICU with no time to waste. So what do the Republicans do? They get in between the patient and the doctor and and worry about themselves and the party rule.

The bill passed last night WITHOUT ONE SINGLE REPUBLICAN VOTE. Not one Republican was willing to reverse course, change the Bush Policies that got us into this fix. NOT ONE will even try to save this Economy. 11 Democrats from very heavy Republican areas also joined the NO vote, although it didn't stop it from passing.

Politics came first, governing dead last. You can starve, freeze or watch a sick child go without medicine for all they care. Their goal is to become a MAJORITY PARTY again, and nothing else matters.

We've been down this road before. In 1993 when Bill Clinton first came into office facing a terrible deficit and an economy that was deteriorating he moved for a Deficit Reduction Package. Not ONE Republican voted for it. In fact Al Gore had to be the tie breaking vote in The Senate. That bill put us on the path to the longest expansion of our economy in years, created 22 Million new jobs mostly at small businesses and caused the rich to get richer and the poor to get into the middle class. In the history books and numerous facts based articles we had the strongest economy in this countries history.

Newt Gingrich's crowd stood by and did nothing to help us clear the books of the Reagan/Bush era's Voo Doo economic junk and because of Democratic efforts the rest of the decade was spent in relative prosperity and left Bush with a generous budget surplus. But Newt did call Clinton a Tax and Spend Liberal (ha) and wrote a piece of crap called The Contract with America promising, Term Limits, Ethics Reform, Balanced Budgets etc and got 54 Republicans elected in 1994 just by being CONTRARY TO PROGRESS. Of course we all know that none of what Republicans promised they’d do with their power was delivered, and that what they DID do was a disaster, but leave it to The Republicans to root for the failure of another Democratic President who has to clean up after another Supply Sider Republican.

The same group of power hungry Republicans, some now for the first time in their careers in the Minority will do anything to gain back power. While Obama made a wonderful gesture by going up to The Hill to hear their thoughts, and even removed portions of the bill they objected to and added more expensive tax cuts to please them, Republicans had already made up their minds before they heard one word, that any chance they have to regain Majority status lies in saying NO to any Democratic idea, policy or strategy to help us create jobs and generate new economic activity.

ANY effort by anyone other than their fellow travelers is something to be feared and fought. Any idea that might work must be defeated, otherwise how will they WIN back THEIR POWER? In short, you must lose ALL of yours for them to get THEIRS BACK. Never forget that.

Petty politics even in these grimmest of grim times is their strategy. Every day thousands, no tens of thousands of us will lose our jobs, businesses remain in vaporlock, local and state governments are shutting down and cutting off even their elderly from Medicaid, bankruptcies are on the rise, foreclosures continue to mount, food banks are running on empty, and Americans are freezing to death in their own homes but that’s the Fierce Urgency of NOW. Republicans are thinking more of 2010.

Makes me sick, now is the time to come together and jsut get things going again, put the partisan bullshit aside. It such a typical Republican tactic, ME, ME, ME! Scumbags.

"Drunken Negro Face" Cookies

2009-01-23T15:30:00.002-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears, ignorance! The owner of The Lafayette French Pastry, a bakery in New York's Greenwich Village decided it would be funny to produce cookies in honor of President Obama.

Downright racist, rude and mean to anyone who is black. He has no clue as you can see by reading the story. He is obviouly not a supporter and most likely voted for McCain, however, to go this far over the line is unacceptable.

New York City by is one of the most open minded cities but this certainly crossed all lines of decency and common sense.

The other part that is scary is his more then once comment of "he get what's coming to him" like with President Lincoln.

Needless to say, don't go buy anything from this man or his bakery. As for it being made famous on Sex in the City, they should edit out the bakery from ALL the shows being produced on DVD or on re-run.

Shame on you pal for being a awful person whose personal humor went over the line and hurt many in the process.

See story here - http://gothamist.com/2009/01/23/greenwich_village_bakery_selling_dr.php

The bakery is located at 26 Greenwich Ave, NY, NY 10011, stop by and let them know how wrong they were and that you will NO longer buy from them.

Limbaugh is UN-AMERICAN!

2009-01-20T10:10:00.006-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?! Rush the dick Limbaugh, really what an awful human being. He is right up there with the Dick the Dark Lord Cheney.

He usually spouts off a bunch of crap like his peers Sean Hannity, Bill O, and Michelle Malkin but he went further than any of them would have publicly. In Limbaughs own words about Obama "I hope he fails". Talk about trying to divide a country and its people. Sadly he has one of the highest listened to radio programs in the country and people who listen to him take what he says to heart and usually roll with it, not good!

I didn't vote Gdubbya either time of course as I don't support most of the Republican morals and values as they are not mine. However, I did support the president of this country when he was elected to office, I didn't vote for him and didn't agree with allot he offered during his campaigns. Being he was the president of this country I wanted to give him a chance in the first go around in 2000 and hope that things would be ok. WOW we know it wasn't!

History has shown he is probably the worst president in our history. He destroyed this country from the 9/11 mess to the War based on lies and the death so far of 4,300 of plus of our men and women, Karina, the financial mess, a trillion dollars on his fake war, torture and simply going backwards instead of forwards. all of it proven over and over again, fact after fact of his mistakes, lies, and blunders and the majority of us are paying for it. He should be impeached and in prison for the things he has done and over seen.

When Bill Clinton got a blow job in the oval office the "right" went batty to impeached him for a quick BJ from his 19yr old intern. Was that wrong for him to do, 110% it was but impeach him, now that was ridiculous and of course didn't come to fruition, angering so many of Newt's cronies.

Bush is a murderer, our men and women of the armed forces never belonged there and they wouldn't be dead either all based on the Bush Administrations failures, greed, revenge, and plain selfishness to do what they wanted for 8yrs. Katrina, partially to blame for no oversight that caused this financial mess as I have already written about there but Rush needs to have things stuffed in his fat face and maybe he'll wake up.... No, no changing an UN-PATRIOTIC, UN-AMERICAN scumbag and that is a simple but true statement of the small minded nitwit who spews his crap on the radio and sadly many believe in him, pathetic.

Limbaugh you might want to reflect on all that your president Bush did WRONG, all the facts are published and historically written.... of course you like the Bushes have no worries, you are all wealthy white folks and all were spoon fed from youth and most of the the troubles in this country will never touch or hurt you in any way.

Thanks for being such a oppomistic asshole, you truly are a sad sick human being and shame on you for not supporting the president elected by the majority of the nation.

Like I did with Bush in 2000, give Obama a chance and if things go wrong, by all means talk about it, but to want someone to fail before they have begun is just rediculous and shows the kind of awaful man you really are. It shows how UNAMERICAN you are.

Cheney On Whether Iraq War Was Worth The 4,500 Americans Killed: 'I Think So'

2009-01-15T11:06:00.003-05:00

You Know Who and What Grinds My Gears More Then Most: DICK the Dark Lord Cheney!

He is such an awful human being, an awful American, you can't get much more UN-American then him.

In an interview that aired on PBS's News Hour last night (January 14, 2009), host Jim Lehrer asked Dick about the U.S. soldiers who have lost their lives in the Iraq War. Cheney the cold hearted death lord shows NO remose - Cheney: War Deaths Worth it, 'I think so'

Why does the scumbag think so:
CHENEY: Because I believed at the time what Saddam Hussein represented was, especially in the aftermath of 9/11, was a terror-sponsoring state so designated by the State Department. … He had produced and used weapons of mass destruction, chemical and biological agents. He’d had a nuclear program in the past. … And he did have a relationship with al Qaeda. And so I think given the track record of Saddam Hussein, I think we did exactly the right thing. I think the country is better off for it today.

Cheney’s comments mirror those of other conservatives, such as House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), who said that the lives lost in Iraq have been a “small price” to pay, and right-wing commentator Frank Gaffney, who declared that all these troops “did have to die” in Iraq.

The United States did not invade in Iraq because Saddam “had a nuclear program in the past,” nor did he have a relationship with al Qaeda. We went to war because Bush administration officials made everyone believes that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction at that time and an active relationship with al Qaeda. The Iraq war has decimated the readiness of the U.S. military, radicalized insurgents in the Middle East, and strengthened many of America’s enemies. As David Sanger of the New York Times notes, the war also “occupied so much of the attention and the resources of the top levels of the U.S. government that we ignored much bigger threats, short-term and long-term.”

The harsh reality is that this was not a noble undertaking done for good reasons. It was a criminal enterprise launched by madmen cheered on by a chorus of fools and cowards. And it’s seen as such by virtually everyone all around the world — including but by no means limited to the Arab world.

Evidently, all this was worth losing more than 4,500 Americans and more than 100,000 Iraqis.

FACT after FACT over the past 7 years has shown that IRAQ was NOT connected to Al Qaeda, NO CONNECTION to 9/11, lie after lie, NO WMD's good grief folks wake up. Bush and Cheney are criminals and murderers to say the very least. Yes, Saddam was an awful person but once again the U.S. steps in as the World Police and destroys a country and 100's of thousands of its people.

Iraq was one of the most progressive Arab countries in the world, one of the wealthiest and MOST educated of the Arab world and we went after a scumbag who did NOTHING to the U.S. and 4,500 of our men and women are dead for NO REASON at all. Thanks G. Dubbya and the Dark Lord Cheney for the murder and mayhem you have caused and think about how you have destroyed America by loosing those 4,500 good citizens and costing this country a trillion dollars for your blunders.... History will NOT be kind and it shouldn't be to you awful UN-American scumbags.

Ann Coulter and the Republican Spin on Bush's LAST WEEK in Office

2009-01-13T16:18:00.006-05:00

You What Really Grinds My Gears? Big mouths and liars and Ann is at the top of the charts on that, she truly is a marketing machine for the right but so much of her life is spent enjoying the liberal ways of the left.

The spinners are out in full force rearranging the deck chairs, denouncing the New Deal’s success, Obama’s plan for Reinvestment in our country all while the ranks of the unemployed swells to 11 Million and the Economy slowly sinks into the sunset.

Unable to talk about pocket book issues, it’s back to the social issues that drive in the wedge that divides us. Even in the midst of a deep recession that boarders on another Great Depression, some people are simply looking for someone and something to blame. Someone and something NOT REPUBLICAN that is.

About one third of this country is ever willing to forget that they skipped dinner and had fried bologna again for lunch and breakfast just as long as they get to blame “liberals” for it. True, Republicans planned it just this way, controlled it all and presided over the worst economy since Hoover. Republicans controlled all three branches of Government and just as they planned drowned America in a bathtub of Free Market fraud. The Justice Department behaved as their beck and call girl through it all, but still if you point to gays, single moms or “the poor” you can blame it all on Liberals and the lemmings will chew and swallow.

One appearance from the emaciated Ann Coulter can actually drive that conversation. Who would believe anything a woman who hasn’t eaten solid food since 1980 says? Why would you let HER of all people ram it down your throat? People who want to believe a lie, a fraud a scam instead of the truth only need the right pitchman and that’s Ann Coulter. A Connecticut elitist who lives like a liberal, and sells Conservatism is beyond fraud or hypocrisy at this point. Coulter is farce but it’s easier to swallow what she serves up than it is to digest the Shock Doctrine of Bush and company.

But facts are stubborn things.

In reality Coulter is a marketing device, an illusion. She’s no more real than the Geico Gecko. The truth is that Ann is quite the liberal party girl who prefers the gay club scene over country club mixers, the Upper East side bar scene over Gun Shows and the drink till you fall on your face and break your jaw lifestyle over the temperance mega church abstinence crowd. She’s a tool. A marketing tool for Connecticut Bush Family propaganda.

She's not a very good liberal, to be sure, but let's look at the facts. She's dated a Muslim, been engaged to a Jew, been seen on the arm of Spin magazine publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. the son of one of America’s heavyweight Porn publishers. She admits to close gay friends, hangs out in hip WeHo lesbian eateries and as far as I can tell never once shared a beer with a redneck in Tulsa.

It’s all marketing. There’s not a shred of passion in her slamming of the great and tolerant Left who she calls friends. Ann is a single, Northeastern, urban woman with zero prospects of ever becoming a mom, single or otherwise. Let’s not be distracted by the shrieking on The View about her hatred for single moms and her theory that it is this demographic that caused the United States to implode under the weight of massive borrowing and spending. All one needs to disarm her diatribe is to invoke two magic words “Bristol Palin” and her entire theory falls apart just like Ann at an after hours gay club on a Saturday night. She’s a puny house of cards.

Go ahead Ann, lambaste True Believer Mike Huckabee for once having come close to saying something marginally conciliatory about gays. You can sell it, but the only one buying it is the Heritage bulk book buying outfit and a few desperate NeoCons in Borders. It's an 'act' or more to the point a 'fraud'. And it’s played out just like Coulter herself. Add her to dustbin of HIS STORY along with so many other frauds and liars.

ONE MORE WEEK and the faux conservatism Ann peddles will be as worthless as a Credit Default Swap.

Ann is no conservative, but she does go down with them! The Connecticut Connection was powerful during the Bush Years but it’s time for the Midwest to rise up and burn that wild child’s poster.

Joe the Plumber

2009-01-12T15:43:00.003-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears: Joe the idiot plumber Wurzelbacher. What a bafoon, good grief he does more to embarras himself, his family and the Republican party as a supporter. I certainly wouldn't want a man of his shall we say just CLUELESS on almost any subject. I assume he a plumbing expert and he should stick to that.

Please read below Joe's words and his reports on the War going on in Gaza. My vote is to have MORE coverage, people in this country diserve to see the horrors of a war to see what is happening good or bad. In America we sensor what news does come from war zones and that shouldn't be allowed. People NEED to see what goes on, to see what the soldiers and innocent cilvilians go through. Sorry Joe, you are WRONG as usual and you really should get back to Ohio and get that $280K a year business running, but that's right you don't even have an Ohio plumbers license...... Funny though how you admitted that you would now be benefitting from Obama's tax cut in your current income range! Maybe with your tax cut savings you should apply for one!

Joe the Plumber: ‘I think media should be abolished’ from reporting on war.»
Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, aka “Joe the Plumber,” is currently in Israel covering the war for the conservative site PJTV.com. When asked what he has learned from his new experiences as a journalist, Wurzelbacher said that he believes the media shouldn’t be allowed to do “reporting” on wars:

I’ll be honest with you. I don’t think journalists should be anywhere allowed war. I mean, you guys report where our troops are at. You report what’s happening day to day. You make a big deal out of it. I think it’s asinine. You know, I liked back in World War I and World War II when you’d go to the theater and you’d see your troops on, you know, the screen and everyone would be real excited and happy for’em. Now everyone’s got an opinion and wants to downer–and down soldiers. You know, American soldiers or Israeli soldiers.

I think media should be abolished from, uh, you know, reporting. You know, war is hell. And if you’re gonna sit there and say, “Well look at this atrocity,” well you don’t know the whole story behind it half the time, so I think the media should have no business in it.

There you go folks Joe's words on WAr and world affairs.....
Asshole plain and simple!

Bush on Katrina: "Federal Response Was Not Slow" D'oh!

2009-01-12T15:16:00.003-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? George W. H. Bush and Karl Rove. These are two of the worst human beings on the planet, two of the worst American Citizens in our countries history. They both make me sick, G Dubbya should be so ashamed and he should be impeached. His lies, his criminal activity while trying to lead a nation of which he clearly did not the past 8 years. Fact after fact of his lies, his failures, his lack of taking responsibility until the facts come out and he has to admit to things being his or his administrations fault. Lastly the murder of over 4,200 of our men an women based on your lies, faulty intelligence, you are a true anti American, a true scumbag and Karl is right there with you where he belongs and lets NOT forget DICK the Dark Lord Chaney.

During his final press conference this morning, Bush defended his response to Katrina. He said he has “thought long and hard about Katrina” and admitted that “things could have been done better” but denied any problem with the federal response to the disaster:

BUSH: You know, people said that the federal response was slow. Don’t tell me the federal response was slow when there was 30,000 people pulled off roofs right after the storm passed. … 30,000 people were pulled off roofs right after the storm moved through. That’s a pretty quick response. Could things have been done better? Absolutely, absolutely. But when I hear people say the federal response was slow, then what are they gonna say to those chopper drivers? Or to the 30,000 that got pulled off the roofs?

The federal response to Katrina was nothing short of a disaster. A 2006 report compiled by House Republicans slammed what it called “a failure of leadership,” saying that the federal government’s “blinding lack of situational awareness and disjointed decision making needlessly compounded and prolonged Katrina’s horror.” The report specifically blamed Bush, noting that “earlier presidential involvement could have speeded the response” because the president alone could have cut through bureaucratic resistance.

There is no question that the federal response was slow — deadly slow. Katrina made landfall on Monday, Aug. 29, 2005, and the New Orleans levees were breached that morning. Despite the numerous warnings he had received about the storm’s severity, Bush spent that Monday traveling to Arizona and California to promote his Medicare drug bill. It was characteristic of the entire federal response:

– National Guard troops did not arrive in the area until two full days after the levees were breached.

– Bush did not leave his vacation home or assemble a task force until Wednesday, two days after the hurricane made landfall and the levees were breached.

– By Thursday, three days after landfall, FEMA had yet to set up a command and control center.
– FEMA Director Michael Brown said he had not heard about the more than 3,000 evacuees stranded in the convention center until Thursday. Many evacuees had been there since Tuesday morning.

– On Friday morning, Bush praised Brown: “Brownie, you’re doing a heckuva job.” He also said he was “satisfied with the response.”

– FEMA did not finalize its request for evacuation buses until Sunday, six days after Katrina hit. The buses “trickled into New Orleans, with only a dozen or so arriving the first day,” noted the Wall Street Journal.

– The Superdome was finally evacuated on Sunday, a full seven days after 30,000 evacuees had arrived there.

“Despite a FEMA official’s eyewitness accounts of breaches starting at 7 p.m. on Aug. 29,” the Bush administration “did not consider them confirmed” until 11 hours later. In fact, FEMA did not order the evacuation of New Orleans until 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 31, two full days after Katrina made landfall.

In one area, however, the Bush administration did move quickly: pinning the blame for Katrina on its political opponents.

Update Following today's press conference, Karl Rove appeared on Fox News to join in absolving the Bush administration of any blame regarding the Katrina response. "The federal government is in charge of writing checks. It's not in charge of the action itself," Rove said.

To Karl Rove: The job of the U.S. President is to lead, protect and serve the people not just writing a check. What a fucking idiot you are. You and Chaney the puppet masters are two real assholes and are truly unamerican in every capacity. Only looking out for yourselves and your own kind on the "right".

Toys For Tots

2008-12-16T10:47:00.000-05:00

THANK YOU MARINES for 60 years of providing toys to kids and it is great task that you take on and provide so many with something wonderful for Christmas/Holidays.

This year it is especially tough as they have more people in need and less donations. I know it's rough out there as I have seen people, friends and co-workers laid off just this past week.

Remember donating a toy is not that expensive and if you are out buying them for your own kids or relatives add one extra and drop it in a Toys For Tots bin near you. There are dozens upon dozens of inexpensive toys out there. They need all the help they can get and they only get it from us folks living in the great country.

I don't have any kids but I am certainly going to buy a few items and drop them in bins at my office which is one of hundreds here in NYC. Go to the website and you can enter your state, city and pull up locations. Of course NOT all towns and cities will be listed so choose one near you please. THANK YOU to all who can grab an extra toy or two and no need to wrap them, they do all of that before they are distributed. http://www.toysfortots.org/default.asp

Thank you again Marines for your great service and this additional activity that brings smiles and joy to tens of thousands of kids across the nation who have much less than so many of us.

NY CARES COAT DRIVE 08'

2008-12-07T09:51:00.000-05:00

NY CARES is doing there 20th annual coat drive of which is extremely successful every year and such a good thing as we all have coats we rarely wear or ever wear (Donations are limited to winter coats only and can be accepted up until Wednesday December 31st) . If you have a clean coat in decent condition drop one off. Many large firms, stores, and pharmacies have drop boxes in their lobbies, store fronts, receptions desks and near entrance and exits. See the link below to read about it and about the organization of which is very well known and you can do so many things to help others in a wide variety of ways. Take a look, go ahead, come on click it, it really isn't a bad thing, promise! ;) http://www.nycares.org/volunteer/annual_events/coat_drive/index.php

To anyone at 90 West Street or on the lower west side/Battery Park City, if you have a coat you want to give let me know as I would be happy to drop them off as I go by a few drop boxes on the way to the office as well as in the lobby of my office bldg. Just leave comments with contact info to the post here and we can figure out a time when we can meet in the bldg or stop by and just drop off at my apt. You would just have to bring them to 90 West Street the bldg next to the Marriott Financial Center at Albany Street and if you live in the bldg you probably know me and we can arrange a time to drop it off at my apt or in the lobby.

Thanks to all and to all a great holiday season!

Dog Beaten, Left For Dead In Atlanta Park

2008-12-03T10:07:00.003-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears, animal cruelty plain and simple and this dog may or may not be lucky to be alive, regardless of that he will be cared for and found a loving home once he recovers. Update - The scumbag that did this is now in Police custody!

Dog Beaten, Left For Dead In Atlanta Park; Arrest Made
Wednesday, December 3, 2008 – updated: 1:40 pm EST December 3, 2008
ATLANTA -- As Murphy the dog continues to recover in a DeKalb County animal hospital, authorities arrested a man they said beat the dog with a hammer and left him for dead in Murphy Candler Park.
DeKalb police spokeswoman Kiesha Williams said Joseph Waters, 48, was taken into custody Wednesday shortly after questioning and charged with one count of felony cruelty to animals.

I still want to use a hammer on him just a little so he has some idea of what he did and what it felt like, glad I am not there as I might be in jail for what I'd do to him.

Thank you to Atlanta resident Robert Kennedy for getting this dog immediate help by the local vet that was fortunately near by.

Thank you to Dr. Stephen Pope at the veterinary hospital for jumping right in and helping and saving the dog.

It will be a long road ahead for this dog now named Murphy after the park he was found almost dead after such a heinous attack with a hammer and certainly not able to fight back against it.

An account has been set up through Wachovia Bank you may go to any branch in the country to give money to help the dog and provide him with the care he needs and eventually a wonderful home to live in as he deserves. Thank you to all who can help and have helped!

The account has been established for the benefit of Murphy the Dog. Donations can be made at any Wachovia bank. The account number is 1010209642669.An account has been established for the benefit of Murphy the Dog. Donations can be made at any Wachovia bank. The account number is 1010209642669.

PLEASE see story here - http://www.wsbtv.com/news/18193619/detail.html

Pet Abandoment up with Foreclosures & Economic Turmoil

2008-11-25T08:25:00.003-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears! Anyone giving up their pet! I don't care how dire your situation unless you are dying and literally can't care for your pet. First you'd try to see if other family and friends could help, or the hundreds of organizations in EVERY state that are currently helping pet owners in trouble. One example here in Texas of the current situation with people just giving up animals they have had for YEARS.... sad really. http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/hill_country/Economy_down_pet_surrenders_up
Here's another from CNN - http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/11/21/pets.foreclosure/index.html

These animals like your children need, want and deserve the love and care you have been giving them and to go give them up without searching for help or ways to make it work is unacceptable. There are loads of options from giving up the smokes, the booze, dinners out to name just a few things a person or family could do. You wouldn't turn your kids in, well I guess in Nebraska you could, but that is another whole messed up situation.

I would live on the street with my dog as she is like my kid to me and to think of giving her up is just NOT an option unless I was dying and bed ridden, but I can tell you I would make sure she was with a person, family member or a family I know would continue to provide for her and she would NOT be in some shelter. What a awful thing to do to something that has looked to you for love and guidance and companionship and suddenly you say, sorry can't afford you, bye.... NICE.

YOU FIND A WAY, ask for help, look for help, it's out there..... Contact your local shelters to find out first about places that may subsidize food, medical care, foster care until you are back on your feet. Contact Dog Town in Utah, they probably have a load of contacts in most states and if not they are certainly a much better place if your last, last resort is to give up your beloved pet.

Here is an example of just one place in New York City that is helping many poor families and Wall Streeters too - Animal Care and Control - http://www.nycacc.org/ "Safety Net" program is in place to help people or families struggling with their pets. See video here - Making It Through: Low Cost Care for your Pets. I promise you there are many programs like it across the country but it may take you a few Internet searches or phone calls in your state, city, or local town. Please don't give up on them, they did nothing wrong and don't deserve to be deserted because of some economic downturn, they are your family too just like the kids.

I may be out of job the end of December, I can tell you the dog will be one of the things I care for the most and would NOT give her up because I was out of work or lost my home, wouldn't do it and would find a way to make it work no matter what I had t do.

The Big Three on Capitol Hill

2008-11-19T16:17:00.001-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears - Corporate pigs and well the "big three" certainly are that and more and should be ashamed and should not keep their jobs.

I do think we need to help those companies as 2.5-3 million mostly average middle class people work for those firms and all the suppliers, and it would be a crippling ripple effect if 2.5 million plus were out of work. It would crush the economy for sure.

Today the three wealthy good ole boys (GM's Richard Wagoner, Chrysler's Robert Nardelli, and Ford's Alan Mually). see the three men above with long faces while being grilled and hating every minute of it.

As with anyone they hate hearing the truth and well that is what being at the top is, you are RESPONSIBLE for your firm, the employees and yes the direction in which you take that firm.

As with all big corporate titans they saw dollars signs for their pockets and certainly filled them by selling big gas guzzling vehicles to us consumers.
I'll admit I am one of them; I love my SUV's.

Many other companies outside of the U.S. were/are making much more fuel efficient and much better quality and fewer repairs overall compared to ANY U.S. brand. Those foreign competitors had great hybrids of all types of vehicles long before the big three figured it out. Each currently has a couple of hybrids and they are NO match to the foreign competitors.

The big three are 30 years behind the others in what they should have been spending money on in developing better vehicles, we have NO excuse not to have the best cars in the world, and however, we aren't close. In saying that as it will make some angry especially you auto workers, but I have ALWAYS bought American made vehicles. I have NEVER owned or leased a foreign vehicle in my 20+ years of driving.

Testifying before the House Financial Services Committee, General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner insisted, “We’re all slashing back” on non-essential expenses, promising, “We’re going to be dramatically leaner.” The other executives echoed Wagoner’s pledge to be “leaner” in the future.

It really goes to showing how out of touch these men are as they said they are cutting expenses right and left, however, each flew in their own private company jets to Washington.

For example; Wagoner flew in GM’s $36 million luxury aircraft to tell members of Congress that the company is burning through cash, asking for $10-12 billion for GM alone. … Wagoner’s private jet trip to Washington cost his ailing company an estimated $20,000 round trip. In comparison, seats on Northwest Airlines flight 2364 from Detroit to Washington were going online for $288 coach and $837 first class.

Minutes after Wagoner claimed to be “slashing back” on expenses, Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) evoked their private jet travel, calling it a “delicious irony.” Ackerman said the CEOs’ profligacy made Congress “a little bit suspicious” of their austerity pledges:

There’s a delicious irony of seeing private luxury jets flying into DC, and people coming off of them with tin cups in their hands, saying that they’re going to be trimming down and streamlining their businesses. It’s almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high hat and tuxedo. Kind makes you a little bit suspicious as to whether or not…we’ve seen the future. There’s a message there. Couldn't you all have downgraded to first class or jet-pooled to get here? It would have at least sent the message that you do get it.

Later in the hearing, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) asked if any of the executives planned to sell their private jets; none raised his hand. Sherman was exasperated: “I don’t know how I go back to my constituents and say, ‘The auto industry has changed,’ if they own private jets which are not only expensive to own but expensive to operate and expensive to fly here rather than to have flown commercial.”

They make me sick, really, what a fucked mess they have helped to create over decades along with the financial services companies on Wall Street and we all have to bail the fuckers out. However, by not doing something we would all be in much worse shape and easily have a Depression of much greater proportions than we did in the 1930's.

I do believe with our tax dollars going to save and fix this mess that the people in charge are held accountable and are given strict rules/regulations and limited monies for salaries, bonuses etc. All of these firms we are helping must get back to profit but not at our expense any further beyond the bailout. If Paulson could manage it properly and stop dancing around the problems and not wanting to hold his old buddies accountable we might accomplish something.

Bush is going out as the lowest rated president ever and has the opportunity to actually do something. Instead of being the greedy selfish wealthy advocate he could actually do things to help this entire country and its people of whom he is responsible for as a leader. Put aside your selfish greed and help the rest of us.

Do something right for your people not just your golfing, Saudi, tycoons, wall street, oil buddies..... Good grief Gdubbya do one thing that might actually give you a strike in the positive column. Have you looked back yet at the gross negligence of your 8 years in office. Impeachment is just the least thing you deserve.....

Palin The Two Faced Liar

2008-11-13T12:13:00.000-05:00

Sarah, Sarah you just keep digging your hole in your own party and are ranking right up there on flip flopping as McSame did and many others have done and it's all captured on tape in articles and shows the REAL person you are.....

From Think Progress and AP News:

Since she and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) lost the election, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) has been going around blaming her problems on President Bush. Speaking to the Anchorage Daily News this past weekend, Palin said that the McCain-Palin ticket lost because of the Bush administration’s mistakes, including his “blunders” on national security:

Question.
Why do you think your campaign lost?

Answer.
I think the Republican ticket represented too much of the status quo, too much of what had gone on in these last eight years, that Americans were kind of shaking their heads like going, wait a minute, how did we run up a 10 trillion dollar debt in a Republican administration? How have there been blunders with war strategy under a Republican administration? If we’re talking change, we want to get far away from what it was that the present administration represented.

But today in her speech to the Republican Governors Association, Palin wholeheartedly embraced the President, making clear that she had been looking forward to a third Bush term:
PALIN: In politics, people sometimes go to great lengths to avoid stating the obvious, but I think it’s about time that we all remembered that the greatest measure of a president is whether he protected and defended this great country. America’s 43rd president took that foremost responsibility, that most important charge, seriously. He poured his life into it. He succeeded in keeping America safe from another attack.

I’m thankful he is my soldier son’s commander in chief and for that, I say God bless George W. Bush, and I thank you, Mr. President.

Talk about a back stabbing bitch, she takes the cake on that for sure..... What a scumbag she is and more and more of it comes out as she hits all the news shows. I saw one on CNN, another with Greta on Fox, another with Matt Lauer on NBC and was astonished at what an awful speaker she is and how simple she is and not very good at completing thoughts or sentences and showing her many inabilities to lead this nation had she been a VP or if she runs for president in 2012.

However, most of her peers at the governors meeting are distancing themselves from her as they don't want to be taken down with her as McCain was.

What's good is that she is continue to show her ignorance, arrogance, lack of knowledge, inabilities and qualities that make her NOT fit to a president and have to wonder how she could even be a governor.

Time and history will tell for Sarah as history is already showing Gdubbya (Bush the scumbag x's 10) as the worst president of the last 100 years with his 8 years of murder, lies and thievery of our nation, government and the people. Bush should have been impeached period, he has murdered 4,300 men and women all based on his lies, greed, and his public reputation. However, it all came back, KARMA..... There is an awful human being, he truly emulates that near the top of the list for sure. You can read his many blunders down a few posts, all facts that he can't change!

Palin says she'd be honored to help Obama

2008-11-12T17:47:00.000-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears - A wise ass unintelligent backwoods person with little knowledge about national and international affairs yet she spews more crap than some of the loud mouth talking heads on TV and Radio. See the bitch yak here, what a so called patriot she is, I would say two faced dope - http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/12/palin/index.html

Sarah Palin is just simply a scumbag, she deserves no respect for being such a two faced liar, law breaker, thief and she has the audacity to lie further by saying "she would be honored to help President-elect Barack Obama in his new administration if asked, even if he did once hang around with an "unrepentant domestic terrorist."

Once again the skank had to get a dig in and I can tell you that is NOT how you tell someone you want to be bipartisan and want to work with them. She couldn't be any more full of it if she tried.

Good grief people wake up she is one hell of a mess period and more then enough FACTS came out about who she really is over the past few months and further shows her backwards ways, ideals, thoughts and beliefs..... She sickens me to say the least, she is the new FEM BOT for the Republicans and if that is the best they have, wow, what a pathetic party they truly are.

Finally the country woke up and hence the vote showed that critical change was and is needed and with Obama we have a chance and I hope he can and think he will. Pathetic Palin was certainly not the way to go and certainly would not be the way to go in the future unless yawl want to return to less rights, less freedom and less rights for women, minorities, gays and anyone who isn't of the so called "traditional values" of 230 years ago.

Progress is what is needed and we are doing it albeit at a much slower rate than the rest of the globe! Now we have a chance at some serious progression and to begin the 21st century finally.

Sarah just stick with Alaska and since you continually go down in local and national polling, hopefully you will be voted out of office as well.

Obama, The Constitution, Conservatives, Traditonalists, Regan Revolution

2008-11-12T17:17:00.001-05:00

Ok so now we have to fix the economy, close GITMO and get rid of the lobbyists corrupting influence over our legislators.

And we need to find out just how much of The Constitution is left.

BUT we can laugh our asses off over all of this new Republican infighting! These are people who took a blood oath to never “speak outside the family”. Now they want cameras following them into their kitchens! If Sarah Palin leaves the bathroom door open I swear I’m going to vomit on myself. Republicans are clearly jealous of her ability to bamboozle ‘em with folksy bullshit and they are getting louder and finger pointing and there’s nothing “Conservative” about that! They’re pissed and they’re ready to rumble…against each other! It’s like the “Jets and the Sharks”! Like “Bloods and Crips” “The Traditionalists” vs. “The Reformers”!

“The Traditionalists” want to continue to use abortion, gay marriage and their screwed up family’s values to divide us, while “The Reformers” want to “get back to” being fiscal conservatives and smaller government types. Haha. Funny. I hope they at least get some “gang signs” or “uniforms”, otherwise it’s just a bunch of pasty White Guys in ugly ties and a “gal from Wasilla” in borrowed clothes and I can’t tell who is which.

Listen if your issues are privacy, equal protection under law and being able to take care of your family you are definitely NOT a Republican. If you are looking for a government that makes investments in jobs rather than giving Corporate Welfare to the biggest worst run Companies, you are Definitely NOT a Republican. If your issue is building infrastructure, health care for all and world class education (you know seeing that the 21st Century actually happens) and believe in streamlined efficient government you are definitely NOT a Republican.

I think they should just come to breakfast tomorrow morning, sit down and quietly say “ I have to tell you something. We’re Democrats. We’ve known it since 8th grade prom but we caved into peer pressure during that whole Regan Revolution. It’s not who I am and I have to live my life for me now”. Or they can go to Republican Rehab.

The GOP is a party that expanded government by 40% with no way to pay for it, started two wars with no plan to win either, and stole the freaking Treasury in the biggest bank heist in the history of the World! They are so unpopular they would be voted off Survivor, Dancing with the Stars and Top Chef in the first elimination! I can’t wait to see who is left to compete after the Big Governors Meeting today in Miami.

Rexburg Idaho

2008-11-12T16:55:00.001-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears - Stupid and foolish parents talking, saying or even teaching their young children hate. When I read about this little town in south eastern Idaho called Rexburg with a white population of 97.7% and classified as one of the "reddest places" in America I kind of see why.

This is not saying the entire town is this way of course or the people of Idaho. Yes, Idaho is one of the most conservative Republican strong holds in the entire nation which is fine just as New York is one of the most liberal strong holds in the country.

To think 2nd and 3rd graders would be chanting "Assassinate Obama" on a school bus is quite a scary thing to read, see story here - http://www.2news.tv/news/local/34274374.html

I can tell you if it were the other way around and the kids were chanting "assassinate McCain" it would be national coverage. Things like this need to covered and need to be immediately resolved.

I would not have been happy if McCain had won, however, I would not be thinking of assassination or teaching my kids that is how I felt or what I would want and obviously some parent or parents are quite disgruntled to say the least. Even if jokingly, although killing someone isn't a joke nor should that be spoken even in jest among your kids. Kids pick up everything whether they understand the meaning or not and may even be proud as they are now emulating their parents.

Whomever was talking, joking or teaching there litte innocent kids such hate and such an awful thing should be ashamed and should get counseling if they are that angry that Obama is the President. In four years you get to vote again whether you are for him, against him and better yet give him a chance.

I personally would have given McNasty a chance just to be fair as I would have had no choice and would have to watch and be active if I didn't like what he was doing. To you angry folks, speak up when you disagree. I can tell you I wrote letters, blog posts and joined many groups with my disgust of the failings of Bush policies for 8 years, I gave him a chance and he blew almost from the getgo as you all have seen, experienced and felt for the past 8 years. That is how you bring change, that is how you voice your concerns, disagreements, speak up, free speech, freedom to protest to make your points heard. Whether Repub or Dem, use your voice, tell your reps, congressman, local officials.

PLEASE stop the hate, we seem to have so much of it in this country and seeing this little town in southeast Idaho with so much hate is scary if that is what many of those children will learn growing up there.

Veteran's Day

2008-11-11T08:44:00.006-05:00

Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11th in honor of the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I - at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day on the eleventh month of 1918. (Click on the photo for more information)

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE SERVED AND SACRIFICED FOR OUR COUNTRY, OUR PEOPLE AND OUR FREEDOM.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND TO ALL WE HAVE LOST THANK YOU AND WISHING ONLY THE BEST TO THOSE FAMILIES WHO HAVE LOST A LOVED ONE SERVING IN ONE OF THE FIVE U.S. MILITARY BRANCHES.

THEY ARE ALWAYS REMEMBERED AND ALWAYS HONORED FOR THEIR SUPREME SACRIFICE.

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY MEN AND WOMEN OF THE U.S. ARMED FORCES!

SEMPER FI FELLOW MARINES & ALL BRANCHES

Obama's New Dog for the White House

2008-11-06T15:51:00.000-05:00

Hey, President Elect, first congrats to you and your family, well deserved indeed and all the power to you to get this mess of the past 8 years corrected!

As for getting your daughters a dog, PLEASE adopt one from a shelter or rescue organization. You'll be helping out some great organization that rescues and places pets. No need to go spend thousands of dollars buying some pedigree when so many animals are awaiting a home.

Growing up as well as my own adult life we always adopted dogs and cats from a shelter or rescue and they ALL were wonderful, loving, and lived very long lives, much longer then the norm for any of the various breeds we had.

Please get one/two from a shelter sir, please. A great place to view ones and a great show on the National Geographic Channel. Dog Town in Utah aka Best Friends Animal Society set on 33,000 acres.

OBAMA - YES WE CAN, YES WE DID!

2008-11-05T08:30:00.002-05:00

01/20/2009 will be the beginning of CHANGE in America.

THANK YOU one and all for getting out and being a part of history. I am optimistic and hopeful now at least. Obama has allot to deal with, allot to change so only time will tell. His speech was wonderful and now he must figure out how to put all that into play once he takes office January 20th, 2009.

As for McCain he gave a great concession speech but sadly his speech was marred by idiots booing in the crowd when he congratulated Obama, nice going Republican supporters. When Obama though thanked and gave McCain accolades for all he has done it didn't create any boos, it created applause from the swelling crowd in Grant Park.

I am disappointed though how divided this country still is, it was still a relatively close race in voting numbers. Sadly in the states of California, Arizona and Florida they amended their state constitutions that "marriage" is between one man and one woman.

Here are things to think about that if McCain would have been elected it would have been a continuation of the hell we have gone through for 8 years and McCain was there for it all and was part of it.

Remember the last 8 years. THAT was long and filled with charred bodies, ruined lives, endless frustration, occupation of an unarmed nation, suspended civil liberties, division, theft, disrespect for the Law, spitting on the Constitution and then we all went broke.

Just picture the main cast of characters in this psycho drama Bush, Cheney, Condi, Rummy, Ashcroft, FEMA, Rove, Alberto Gonzalez and VOTE! Just think of Bush sitting in a 2nd grade classroom with Cheney in charge.

Famous Bush/Cheney/McCain phrases “Let’s Roll.” “You’re either with us or against us” “The Axis of Evil”
The Patriot Act, Anthrax sent to the Senate.
Color coded Terror Alerts.
Colin Powell at the UN with useless drawings of mobile laboratories that had nothing in them and fake viles of anthrax.
Cheney working “In the shadows, on the dark side if you will”. Cheney’s man sized safe and undisclosed bunkers.
Chemical Belts around Baghdad
Abu Gharib
190,000 Contractors in Iraq, all on favors, greed, thieves, death of soldiers for shotty work and tens of millions of our tax dollars paid to them
The Viceroy L. Paul Bremer, 9 Billion “missing”
Don Rumsfeld “There is no looting in Baghdad”
The Great Terrifying Saddam caught hiding in a Spider Hole.
NO WMDs, Jokes about WMD
The Outing of Valerie Plame.
Tax Cuts in a time of War,
The Downing Street Memo,
Warrantless Wiretapping,
1 Million Dead Iraqis
KATRINA -
McCain gets his birthday cake from Bush while a city drowns
Condi goes shoe shopping and sees SpamALot
McCain becomes Bush voting for torture, endless occupation, Cost Plus Contracts for Defense Contractors
Extends tax cuts for the top 1% in a time of war
Votes to spend 12 Billion a month occupying Iraq without timelines
Votes against funding troops if there ARE timelines. Lies about it.
Hires Roves proteges, runs Rovian campaign, makes robo calls, runs racist ads, questions Obama’s “Americanism” and Patriotism based on a flag pin
Travels with a busload of lobbyists like Phil Gramm, Charlie Black, Randy Schuneman, and Rick Davis while trashing Lobbyists.Remember the last 8 years.

All I can say is the majority spoke, many of them realized the above things I have listed and realized that McCain would carry on all of it and just make 12 years of misery and further putting the country in a deeper hole here and around the world.

In any case we need our government to listen to us and we need them to all work together and work harder. I don't want to read that in 2009 they spent 100 days working and had 265 days of vacation as has happened several times in the past few years and that is on both dems and repubs. Earn your 165K plus perks as it's our tax dollars and our votes that keep you ALL living well, so its your turn to do for US as a UNITED country.

GET TO WORK all of us and lets help Obama and Congress make things better and improve as we sorely need it.

A young African American family will live in a White House, built by slaves. AMERICA – The 21st Century has begun.

Election Day 2008

2008-11-04T08:02:00.000-05:00

GET OUT AND VOTE PLEASE! Cast what your convictions are for whomever you believe in and believe will lead the country and help the majority as it should be what is best for us as a whole.

Obviously I am a "lefty" and I certainly believe Obama would be a great opportunity for change and a chance to get this country back on track as it was from 92-2000 under Clinton. Of course it was NOT perfect but at least the gaps between rich and poor were not accelerating at a ridiculous pace as it has under Bush and is typical of a Republican controlled government. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer and that has been proven over and over again.

The tax cuts put in place by Gdubbya have done so much more harm than good and of course the good mostly being to the top group and the trickle down theory certainly did not prove itself as they so hoped. Of course the war being the biggest drain and that to proven to be false and based on lies that cost 4,200 plus of our men and women not to mention a trillion of your tax dollars and hate from most of the world for being the lying bullies we have been.

Under McNasty and the idiot Palin it will be virtually the same and sadly we will loose even more of the freedoms then we already have under Bush. McNasty is already showing signs of old age with forgetting things, making mistakes, being angry and thinking of that Palin character as the president will set back women as well as the country a 100 years easily. We have had virtually 8 years of a very stupid individual in the White House and an awful administration of which many are in jail, or resigned because of breaking laws and further damaging this country.

I sit here often and I here some of the white men (I am white too) bitch about the increase in taxes. The funny thing is out of the 30+ people I work with maybe 2 of them come close to the $250K per year that might affect them and at that level you would pay around $800-$1,000 more per year in taxes while helping so many others much less fortunate. Giving opportunities that came to you that most would never have. At $250K minus an extra grand although I wouldn't like it I would be proud to do it and to help our country as a whole.

It amazes me how selfish people are in the country and how many of us live so far above out means. I make allot of money, under $250K but I would have no issue paying more in taxes if it will benefit us all. If Gdubbya did make the mistakes he made we wouldn't be in half the mess we are in now.

As for religion, to each is his, could care less when it comes to voting and it shouldn't be in politics anyway but of course the evangelical folks get out and vote Republican, although folks they appear have many more crooks and liars than the other side and many more being gay behind closed doors. It will be nice to one day not in my lifetime to actually let people be people and stop judging everyone or criticising because someone is different or doesn't follow the "book" (bible). Face it folks we aren't from Creationism, we are from Evolution, facts are true and iron clad.

As for this marriage mess, get a grip, marriage is between two people whom love one another and is NO big deal. Get over it and as time has shown it is slowly becoming a reality even though the religious folks are up in arms. I hope the CA law stays, we have seen other states move slowly and gainfully toward such laws and some now have Civil Unions of which is the pre-cursor to a marriage law.

I do hope Obama wins and I will feel some optimism at least that this country has a chance to get back to what we use to be and what we we stood for a "untied" country not the divided one we have been for 8 rough years. Let's all give a little and help each other and stop being so selfish and greedy.

McCain The Flip Flopper

2008-10-23T08:16:00.008-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears - McNasty's continuous LIES! Good grief he is caught daily with lies about so many things from his past record to current record to Obama and on and on. See below 44 FACTS on the Liar and his flips and flops!

Please just retire and go enjoy your life with your Stepford wife, you don;t have allot of time left but you have a financial fortune mostly thanks to her but go enjoy it stop the lies and being such a miserable old man. This is a long list below but the FACTS are listed by the reputable sources and it's scary that anyone can flip flop that much and on many serious issues. It is a long list but take a read and see this liar in action from 2000 through last month.

Is Obama perfect, of course not but he does NOT flip flop on the issues like McShame does and some very critical issues that affect us all and our country.

Make sure you vote November 4th and think long and hard about your decision if you are still on the fence between these two.

Even though I am an Obama supporter thinking of how awful McNasty/Palin have been during this campaign, his poor judgement in Palin just clueless on basically everything, she is setting women BACK and lives in a fantasy land, and McNasty's continuous bitterness and crankiness needs to stop.

To think a decorated war hero NOT helping our veterans and not wanting to help the middle class. McNasty is clearly for the wealthy and his/Bushs' tax policy benefits the top 5% and to bad for the rest of us. Sorry the "trickle down of Ronald Regan" was a different era and much different economic times and still the rich got richer and the poor got poorer even under that trickle down BS. It has been statistically proven under EACH Republican presidency that the gap increased between the wealthy and the poor!

John McCain’s 44 Flip-Flops

Social Security Privatization

McCain Flips:
In March 2008, the Wall Street Journal reported that in an interview McCain said he “still backs a system of private retirement accounts that President Bush pushed unsuccessfully.” The Journal also noted that “a centerpiece of a McCain presidential bid in 2000 was a plan to divert a portion of Social Security payroll taxes to fund private accounts.” [Wall Street Journal, 3/3/2008]

McCain Flops:
At a town hall meeting in Pemberton, NJ on June 13, 2008, McCain was asked about privatization and replied that “I am not for quote ‘privatization of Social Security.’ I never have been, never will be. That is a great buzzword for an attack.” However, he then added that “workers should have the right to put their own taxes, their own money into an account,” which is still privatization. [Nashua Telegraph, 6/13/08]

Detention Of Detainees

McCain Flips:
In 2003, McCain and Senator Lindsey Graham wrote a letter to then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld urging him to resolve the issue of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. The letter said that “a serious process must be established in the very near term either to formally treat and process the detainees as war criminals or to return them to their countries for appropriate judicial action.” In 2005, he told Tim Russert on Meet the Press that “I know that some of these guys are terrible, terrible killers and the worst kind of scum of humanity. But, one, they deserve to have some adjudication of their cases.” [Meet the Press, 6/19/05]

McCain Flops:
In 2008 the Supreme Court ruled that detainees at Guantanamo are required to receive habeas corpus rights. McCain called the Court’s ruling “one of the worst decisions in the history of this country.” “Senator Graham, and Senator Lieberman, and I…made it very clear that these are enemy combatants, these are people who are not citizens. They do not and never have been given the rights that citizens of this country have,” he said. [Newark Star-Ledger, 6/14/08]

Offshore Drilling

McCain Flips:
In May 2008, McCain said “with those resources, which would take years to develop, you would only postpone or temporarily relieve our dependency on fossil fuels,” when asked about offshore drilling. [Huffington Post, 6/18/08]

McCain Flops:
Three weeks later, McCain announced that “there are areas off our coasts that should be open to exploration and exploitation, and I hope we can take the first step by lifting the moratorium.” [Washington Post, 6/17/08]

Criticizing The Media

McCain Flips:
In an interview with Newsweek, McCain denied that he ever said “the media often overlooked how compassionately [Sen. Hillary Clinton] spoke to the concerns and dreams of millions of Americans.” McCain said in the interview that he “did not [say that] — that was in prepared remarks and I did not [say it]. I’m not in the business of commenting on the press and their coverage or not coverage.” [Newsweek, 6/7/08]

McCain Flops:
In a speech delivered on June 3, 2008, McCain did, in fact, deliver the line. [The Denver Post, 6/4/08]

21st Century GI Bill

McCain Flips:
McCain initially refused to co-sponsor Sen. Jim Webb’s 21st Century GI Bill of Rights, because of concerns that it did not have “incentives for people to stay in the military.” Instead of joining the other 56 co-sponsors and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans for America in pushing through Webb’s bill, McCain drafted his own bill which was “more focused on career officers, not the entire volunteer military force.” [The Hill, 4/22/08]

McCain Flops:
After a clause was added allowing service members to transfer their benefits to their family members, McCain supported Webb’s GI Bill. “[Transferal of benefits] has always been my primary concern with respect to the Webb bill, and it is essential that we continue to act decisively to encourage military service and ensure the well being of our All Volunteer Force,” McCain said in a statement. [ABC News, 6/19/08]

Illegal Wiretapping

McCain Flips:
In an interview with the Boston Globe in December 2007, McCain was asked if, as President, he would ever authorize illegal wiretapping. “I think that presidents have the obligation to obey and enforce laws that are passed by Congress and signed into law by the president, no matter what the situation is,” he said. “I don’t think the president has the right to disobey any law.” [Boston Globe, 12/20/07]

McCain Flops:
The New York Times reported that a letter from top McCain adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin said that McCain believes that the Constitution gave President Bush the authority to wiretap Americans “without warrants.” The letter says that “neither the Administration nor the telecoms need apologize for actions that most people, except for the ACLU and the trial lawyers, understand were Constitutional and appropriate in the wake of the attacks on September 11, 2001.” [New York Times, 6/6/08]

Taxpayer Funding For Contraception In Africa

McCain Flips:
McCain was asked whether he supports taxpayer funding for contraception in Africa, with the goal of preventing the spread of AIDS. McCain replied that he would rather fund abstinence education, but would provide contraception where abstinence “was not being followed.” [Salon, 4/11/08]

McCain Flops:
Moments later, McCain said “Let me think about it a little bit … I don’t know if I would use taxpayers’ money … I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out … I’m sure I have taken a position on it in the past … I have to find out my position on it … I am sure I am opposed to government funding. I am sure I support the president’s policy on it.” He then said that “I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it in the past. I have to find out what my position was,” and asked an aide “Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception?” [Salon, 4/11/08]

Abortion Exceptions

McCain Flips:
While campaigning for the 2000 Republican presidential nomination, McCain chastised George Bush for adhering to the Republican “pro-life plank,” which includes no exceptions for rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. At that time, McCain said that the plank should be changed. In 2007, McCain told ABC news that he still wanted to see a change in the Republican platform. [Washington Post, 1/31/00 & ABC News’ Political Radar, 4/16/07]

McCain Flops:
Since gaining the Republican presidential nomination, McCain has not changed the party’s abortion plank, and neither does his campaign website mention the abortion exceptions that he used to support. [CNS, 8/29/08]

Fairness Of The Estate Tax

McCain Flips:
In a June 2006 speech on the Senate floor, McCain expressed his belief in “the essential morality of the estate tax,” and explained that he has “consistently voted against repealing this tax because of the impact it would have on the deficit, as well as the possible chilling affect it could have on charitable giving in this country.” [Huffington Post, 6/10/08]

McCain Flops:
In June 2008, McCain delivered a speech before the National Federation of Independent Business in Washington in which he called the tax “one of the most unfair tax laws on the books.” [CNN Money, 6/10/08]

Nuclear Waste Storage At Yucca Mountain

McCain Flips:
In March 2007, McCain told the Utah Desert News that he is “for Yucca Mountain. I’m for storage facilities.” In May 2008, McCain advisor Douglas Holtz-Eakin told Reuters that “the political opposition to the Yucca Mountain storage facility is harmful to the U.S. interest and the facility should be completed, opened and utilized.” [Desert News, 3/3/07 & Reuters 5/6/08]

McCain Flops:
In a speech in Reno, NV, McCain announced that he would seek to establish an international repository for spent nuclear fuel that would “make it unnecessary to open the proposed spent nuclear fuel storage facility at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.” [Las Vegas Sun, 6/27/08]

Normalization Of Relations With Cuba

McCain Flips:
In 2000, McCain said in an interview on CNN’s Late Edition that he is “not in favor of sticking my finger in the eye of Fidel Castro. In fact, I would favor a road map towards normalization of relations such as we presented to the Vietnamese and led to a normalization of relations between our two countries.” [CNN Late Edition w/ Wolf Blitzer, 4/9/00]

McCain Flops:
On the campaign trail against Barack Obama, McCain told Cuban-Americans in Florida “that he would maintain the decades-old U.S. trade embargo on Cuba if he is elected president.” [Wall Street Journal, 5/21/08]

Defense Spending

McCain Flips:
Writing in Foreign Affairs in 2007, McCain explained that to promote national security the U.S. can “afford to spend more on national defense, which currently consumes less than four cents of every dollar that our economy generates — far less than what we spent during the Cold War.” [Foreign Affairs, November/December 2007]

McCain Flops:
In June 2008, Forbes noted that “McCain’s top economic adviser, Doug Holtz-Eakin, blithely supposes that cuts in defense spending could make up for reducing the corporate tax rate from 35% to 25% and the subsequent shrinkage in federal revenues.” [Forbes, 6/9/08]

Everglades Restoration

McCain Flips:
McCain explained in June 2008 that he is “in favor of doing whatever’s necessary to save the Everglades,” which he called “one of America’s greatest natural treasures.” [Herald Tribune, 6/5/08 & Miami Herald, 6/4/08]

McCain Flops:
As the Miami Herald reported, McCain voted against a 2007 bill that would provide 2 billion to Everglade restoration. He also “did not participate in the landmark debate over the state-federal partnership to preserve the Everglades in 2000,” and was “out of town” for the subsequent 85-1 vote in the Senate. [Miami Herald, 6/4/08]

Katrina Investigations

McCain Flips:
At a town hall meeting in Baton Rouge on June 3, 2008, McCain said regarding government failure in the aftermath of Katrina that he has “supported every investigation and ways of finding out what caused the tragedy.” [Think Progress, 6/4/08]

McCain Flops:
In September 2005, McCain joined conservatives in voting against “establishing a commission to investigate the levee failures” that occurred during hurricane Katrina. In 2006, McCain also opposed a commission to study the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. [Los Angeles Times, 6/25/08]

Torture

McCain Flips:
In 2005, McCain pushed President Bush to sign a bill that would, among other provisions, prohibit “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” of anyone in U.S. government custody. McCain authored the torture ban himself. “We’ve sent a message to the world that the United States is not like the terrorists,” McCain said. McCain was also against waterboarding, saying during presidential primary campaigning “all I can say is that it was used in the Spanish Inquisition, it was used in Pol Pot’s genocide in Cambodia, and there are reports that it is being used against Buddhist monks today…It is not a complicated procedure. It is torture.” [MSNBC, 12/15/05 & New York Times, 10/26/07]

McCain Flops:
In 2008, McCain voted against the Intelligence Authorization Bill, which requires the intelligence community to abide by the same standards as articulated in the Army Field Manual and bans waterboarding. [New York Times, 2/17/08]

Bush Tax Cuts

McCain Flips:
In 2001 and 2003 McCain opposed President Bush’s tax cuts, saying on the Senate floor that “I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us at the expense of middle-class Americans who need tax relief.” [Bloomberg, 6/6/08]

McCain Flops:
In 2006, McCain voted to extend the Bush tax cuts, in what the Washington Times called a “sharp departure from his anti-tax-cut posture.” In February 2008, McCain went even further, and called for the tax cuts to be made permanent. “Well, I think the worst thing we can do right now, Chris, is — we’ve got some shaky economic times — is to increase people’s taxes,” he said. “And I think that what we need is more tax cuts. We need to make the Bush tax cuts permanent.” [Washington Times, 2/27/06 & Fox News Sunday 2/3/08]

Ethanol

McCain Flips:
During the 2000 primaries, McCain said during a debate that “ethanol is not worth it. It does not help the consumer.” Three years later, he opined that “ethanol is a product that would not exist if Congress didn’t create an artificial market for it. No one would be willing to buy it.” [MSNBC debate, 12/14/99 & Fortune 10/31/06]

McCain Flops:
In an August 2006 speech in Grinnell, Iowa, McCain said “I support ethanol, and I think it is a vital alternative energy source not only because of our dependency on foreign oil but its greenhouse gas reduction effects.” [Fortune 8/15/06]

Job Losses In Michigan

McCain Flips:
In a January 2008 speech in Grand Rapids, McCain said “I’ve got to give you some straight talk: Some of the jobs that have left the state of Michigan are not coming back. They are not. And I am sorry to tell you that.”[Boston Globe, 1/10/08]

McCain Flops:
Six months later, Bloomberg news reported that McCain “is singing a different tune, striking a populist pose and saying ‘new jobs are coming’” to Michigan. [Bloomberg, 6/5/08]

Windfall Profits Tax

McCain Flips:
In a May 5, 2008 speech in North Carolina, McCain said that “I don’t like obscene profits being made anywhere–and I’d be glad to look not just at the windfall profits tax.” [CNN, 5/8/08]

McCain Flops:
In June 2008, McCain criticized Sen. Obama for supporting a windfall profits tax. “If the plan sounds familiar, it’s because that was President Jimmy Carter’s big idea, too, and a lot of good it did us,’’ McCain said, adding that such a tax would hinder domestic exploration. [New York Times, 6/17/08]

Balancing The Budget

McCain Flips:
Fortune reported in February that McCain “pledges to balance the budget by 2012, not by increasing taxes, but by vetoing all pork barrel spending, and curbing outlays for Social Security and Medicare.” [Fortune, 2/19/08]

McCain Flops:
The same day, it was reported that McCain’s economic adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin said “McCain’s overall goal is to balance the budget by the end of his second term,” or 2017. [Robert Samuelson, 2/19/08]

McCain Flips:
Two months later, Holtz-Eakin said at a symposium sponsored by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget that “I would like the next president not to talk about deficit reduction,” adding that “if the war and the personal and corporate tax cuts that Mr. McCain advocated added to the federal deficit and debt, so be it.” [New York Times, 4/14/08]

McCain Flops:
Finally, in June, the McCain campaign came back to its original pledge, with Holtz-Eakin saying that McCain’s economic plan, “when appropriately phased in, as it has always been intended to be, will bring the budget to balance by the end of his first term.” [Bloomberg, 6/6/08]

Divestment And Sanctions

McCain Flips:
During a June 2, 2008 speech before the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), McCain said “years ago, the moral clarity and conviction of civilized nations came together in a divestment campaign against South Africa, helping to rid that nation of the evil of apartheid. In our day, we must use that same power and moral conviction against the regime in Iran, and help to safeguard the people of Israel and the peace of the world.” [6/2/08]

McCain Flops:
In 1985 and 1986, McCain voted against sanctions and United States divestment from the apartheid regime in South Africa six times. [Think Progress, 6/4/08]

Negotiations With Hamas

McCain Flips:
During an interview in 2006 with Sky News’ James Rubin (now of the Washington Post), McCain was asked “Do you think that American diplomats should be operating the way they have in the past, working with the Palestinian government if Hamas is now in charge?” McCain answered that “they’re the government; sooner or later we are going to have to deal with them, one way or another, and I understand why this administration and previous administrations had such antipathy towards Hamas because of their dedication to violence and the things that they not only espouse but practice, but it’s a new reality in the Middle East.” [Washington Post, 5/16/08]

McCain Flops:
In 2008, McCain said that Senator Obama was showing “naiveté and inexperience and lack of judgment” because of his willingness to meet with U.S. foes. [Associated Press, 5/16/08]

Negotiations With Syria

McCain Flips:
In 2003, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell was heavily criticized for agreeing to visit Syria. McCain defended Powell, saying that “Colin Powell is going to look [President] Bashar Assad in the eye and say, look, you know. You better clean up your act here. It’s a new day in the Middle East. And I think it’s entirely appropriate to do that,” despite his admission that “I think they’re–they’re sponsoring and harboring terrorists.” [Hardball, 4/23/03 & Today Show, 4/18/03]

McCain Flops:
Yet again, in 2008, McCain said that Senator Obama was showing “naiveté and inexperience and lack of judgment” because of his willingness to meet with U.S. foes. [Associated Press, 5/16/08]

The NRA

McCain Flips:
In 2000, McCain said on CNN that “the NRA is entitled to their advocacy. I don’t think they help the Republican Party at all, and I don’t think they should in any way play a major role in the Republican Party’s policy making.” He was also labeled “one of the premier flag-carriers for enemies of the Second Amendment” by the NRA. [CNN, 5/12/00]

McCain Flops:
In 2008, McCain spoke before the NRA’s National Convention, and said that “President Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton would put the rights of ‘law-abiding’ gun owners at risk,” and announced that “I look forward to receiving [the NRA’s] endorsement.” [New York Times, 5/17/08 & Wall Street Journal, 5/16/08]

Tobacco Industry Regulations

McCain Flips:
In 1998, McCain pushed hard to pass a bill regulating the tobacco industry, saying “it is illegal for children to purchase tobacco in every state in the country. And in every state … tobacco companies have invested enormous sums of money and time to encourage widespread lawbreaking. Now is the time to put an end to it.” Among other provisions, the bill would have raised taxes on cigarettes by $1.10. McCain also told PBS that he would “never” give up trying to regulate the tobacco industry. [CNN’s All Politics, 5/18/98 & PBS Newshour, 4/21/98]

McCain Flops:
In August 2007, McCain voted against a bill that raised tobacco taxes by 61 cents in order to pay for an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Then, McCain agreed to cosponsor a bill allowing the FDA to regulate the tobacco industry, but said that he “won’t commit to voting for it until he sees the final legislation.” [Boston Globe, 3/26/08]

Lobbyists

McCain Flips:
In 1996 and 1997, McCain attempted to push through Congress a bill that would “ban a candidate or a candidate’s authorized committee from paying registered lobbyists.” “Registered lobbyists who work for campaigns as fundraisers clearly represent a conflict of interest,” he said. “When a campaign employs an individual who also lobbies that Member, the perception of undue and unfair influence is raised.” [Huffington Post, 5/20/08]

McCain Flops:
While running for President, McCain has had 159 lobbyists campaign or raise money for him. [Progressive Accountability]

Rogue State Rollback

McCain Flips:
In 2000, McCain proposed an aggressive foreign policy platform called “rogue state rollback” to deal with countries like Iraq, Libya, North Korea. “I’d institute a policy that I call ‘rogue state rollback,’” he said. “I would arm, train, equip, both from without and from within, forces that would eventually overthrow the governments and install free and democratically elected governments.” [CNN’s Larry King Live, 2/15/00]

McCain Flops:
In 2008, McCain attempted to soften the policy. “I wasn’t saying that we should go around and declare war,” he said. “I was saying that we nations of like values and principles and belief in democracy and freedom should make efforts to modify the behavior of other nations.” [ABC News, 4/15/08]

Long-Term Troop Presence In Iraq

McCain Flips:
In 2005, McCain was asked about a long term U.S. troop presence in Iraq. “I not only think we could get along without it, but I think one of our big problems has been the fact that many Iraqis resent American military presence,” he replied. “And I don‘t pretend to know exactly Iraqi public opinion. But as soon as we can reduce our visibility as much as possible, the better I think it is going to be.” [Hardball, 2/1/05]

McCain Flops:
At a town hall meeting in NH in January 2008, McCain said that it would be “fine” to keep troops in Iraq for a “hundred” years. “Make it a hundred. We’ve been in South Korea … we’ve been in Japan for 60 years. We’ve been in South Korea 50 years or so. That would be fine with me.” [Mother Jones Blog, 1/3/08]

Americans Live Better Under Bush

McCain Flips:
On April 17, 2008, McCain appeared on Bloomberg TV and faced the question “if Americans were asked, are you better off today than you were before George Bush took office more than seven years ago, what answer would they give?” He replied that “I think if you look at the overall record and millions of jobs have been created, et cetera, et cetera, you could make an argument that there’s been great progress economically over that period of time. But that’s no comfort.” [Bloomberg TV, 4/17/08]

Mccain Flops:
The next day, McCain again appeared on Bloomberg TV, and this time said unequivocally that “Americans are not better off than they were eight years ago.” [Bloomberg TV, 4/18/08]

Earmarks For Arizona

McCain Flips:
In a Fox News Presidential Forum, McCain claimed that “in 24 years as a member of Congress, I have never asked for nor received a single earmark or pork barrel project for my state.” [Fox News, 1/5/08]

McCain Flops:
In 2006, McCain funneled $10 million towards the University of Arizona for an academic center. In 2003, he also sent $14.3 million from a defense appropriations bill to Arizona’s Luke Air Force Base. [New York Times, 2/18/06 & Roll Call 11/6/03]

Law Of The Sea Convention

McCain Flips:
According to the Washington Times, “Mr. McCain’s support for the sea treaty stretched back to the 1990s, when he signed a letter with three other senators urging its passage, and continued through 2003, when he was scheduled to testify on its behalf before a Senate committee.” [Washington Times, 10/31/07]

McCain Flops:
In October 2007, McCain said of the treaty that “I would probably vote against it in its present form.” [Washington Times, 10/31/07]

The Dream Act

McCain Flips:
In 2005, McCain was a co-sponsor of S. 774, the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) which would have provided high-achieving high school students who are long-term illegal immigrants and who wish to serve in the armed forces or attend college the ability to gain conditional legal status. [S. 774]

McCain Flops:
In 2007, McCain skipped a vote on the DREAM Act, and said that “he would have opposed it on the Senate floor last week if he had stuck around for the vote.” [Huffington Post, 10/24/07 & Washington Times, 10/31/07]

Repealing Roe v. Wade

McCain Flips:
In 1999, McCain told the San Fransisco Chronicle that “certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade, which would then force X number of women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations.” [Washington Post, 8/24/99]

McCain Flops:
McCain’s campaign website now calls Roe v. Wade “a flawed decision that must be overturned.” [Site]

Gay Marriage Amendment

McCain Flips:
In 2004, McCain broke with conservative ranks and opposed the federal ban on gay marriage, saying “the constitutional amendment we’re debating today strikes me as antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans. It usurps from the states a fundamental authority they have always possessed and imposes a federal remedy for a problem that most states do not believe confronts them.” [CNN, 7/14/04]

McCain Flops:
Two years later, ABC News reported that McCain was cozying up Jerry Falwell, and that McCain “reconfirmed” to Falwell that he would support a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman if a federal court were to strike down state constitutional bans on gay marriage. [ABC News, 3/28/06]

The Confederate Flag

McCain Flips:
During the 2000 Presidential Primaries, McCain was asked about the Confederate flag and replied that “personally, I see the flag as a symbol of heritage.” [1/12/00]

McCain Flops:
McCain then called for the flag to be removed from the South Carolina statehouse, telling South Carolina, “I believe the flag should be removed from your Capitol, and I am encouraged that fair-minded people on both sides of the issue are working hard to define an honorable compromise.” He also admitted that his previous view was political pandering. “I feared that if I answered honestly, I could not win the South Carolina primary. So I chose to compromise my principles,” he said. [New York Times, 4/20/00]

Henry Kissinger

McCain Flips:
In 2000, McCain professed friendship with Kissinger, but McCain’s “handlers opted not to have the two appear publicly together, fearing the legendary obfuscator would taint the image of the ‘Straight Talk Express.’” [New York Magazine, 11/26/06]

McCain Flops:
Kissinger is now an honorary co-chair for McCain’s presidential campaign in New York. [The Hotline, 12/19/06]

Nuclear Reactors

McCain Flips:
The Los Angeles Times reported that “earlier in his congressional career, McCain was a consistent opponent of subsidies for nuclear power, voting five times in the 1990s against taxpayer aid for research on new-generation nuclear reactors. As recently as 2003, McCain opposed federal loan guarantees to help the nuclear industry finance new plants.” [Los Angeles Times, 7/1/08]

McCain Flops:
As a campaign policy pitch in 2008, McCain set a goal of building 45 new nuclear reactors by 2030, which would be aided by $3.7 billion in subsidies to the nuclear industry. [MSNBC, 6/18/08]

Teaching Intelligent Design

McCain Flips:
In a 2005 interview with the Arizona Star, McCain was for the teaching of intelligent design. “I think that there has to be all points of view presented,” he said. “I think there’s nothing wrong with teaching different schools of thought.” When asked specifically if it belonged in a science classroom, he replied, “there’s enough scientists that believe it does. I’m not a scientist. This is something that I think all points of view should be presented.” [Arizona Star, 8/28/05]

McCain Flops:
One year later, McCain decided that intelligent design was actually inappropriate for a science classroom. “I happen to believe in evolution,” he said. “I respect those who think the world was created in seven days. Should it be taught as a science class? Probably not.” However, that didn’t stop him from being the keynote speaker at a function for The Discovery Institute, the most prominent creationism advocacy group in the country. [The Aspen Times, 6/2/06, & Discovery Institute, 2/23/07]

Attacking Terrorists In Pakistan

McCain Flips:
During his victory speech following the Wisconsin primary, McCain claimed that by electing Sen. Obama “we risk the confused leadership of an inexperienced candidate who once suggested bombing our ally, Pakistan.” [USA Today, 2/21/08]

McCain Flops:
First, Obama actually said that “if we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won’t act, we will.” Then, President Bush took this exact course of action, unilaterally calling for a strike against terrorist cells in Pakistani territory. McCain has not commented on Bush “bombing our ally, Pakistan.” [Media Matters, 2/20/08 & Washington Post, 2/19/08]

The Wyly Brothers

McCain Flips:
When the Wyly brothers produced attack ads against McCain and in favor of George Bush in 2000, McCain asked “Are we going to allow two cronies of George W. Bush to hijack this election? Tell them to keep their dirty money in the state of Texas, my friends. Don’t spread it all over New England and America.” [ABC News, 4/23/06]

McCain Flops:
In 2006, Sam Wyly and his wife Cheryl gave McCain’s political action committee $10,000, and contributions from the two brothers eventually amounted to $20,000. McCain returned the money only when he “learned that the Wylys were under federal investigation for alleged tax evasion.” [The Hotline, 5/24/06]

Jerry Falwell And The Religious Right

McCain Flips:
During the 2000 Presidential primaries, McCain referred to Falwell and other Christian right leaders as “agents of intolerance.” [CNN, 2/28/00]

McCain Flops:
In 2006 McCain delivered the commencement address at Falwell’s Liberty University. Falwell “rolled out the red carpet for his old adversary, assembling about 150 church leaders from around the country for a Friday night reception and later hosting a small, private dinner for the senator.” [Washington Post, 5/14/06]

Donald Rumsfeld

McCain Flips:
In 2004, McCain told Fox News “I believe [Rumsfeld]’s done a fine job … He’s an honorable man.” [Fox News, 5/12/04]

McCain Flops:
During a primary debate in 2008, McCain claimed “I’m the only one that said that Rumsfeld had to go.” [Republican Presidential Debate, 1/30/08]

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

McCain Flips:
In June 2008, McCain said of his failed 2006 attempt at immigration reform, “I haven’t won on every issue. I didn’t win on immigration reform, but I’ll go back at it. And I’m glad I did it.” He has also called immigration reform a “top priority.” [Las Vesgas Sun, 6/26/08, New York Times, 5/22/08]

McCain Flops:
In a January 30 primary debate, McCain said that he would not vote for his own bill today, “because we know what the situation is today. The people want the borders secured first.” [1/30/08]

AIG Bailout

McCain Flips:
During an interview on NBC’s Today Show, McCain said “No, I do not believe that the American taxpayer should be on the hook for AIG and I’m glad that the Secretary Paulson has apparently taken the same line.” [NBC, 9/16/08]

McCain Flops:
The next day on ABC, McCain said “I didn’t want to do that. And I don’t think anybody I know wanted to do that. But there are literally millions of people whose retirement, whose investment, whose insurance were at risk here. They were going to have their lives destroyed because of the greed and excess and corruption.” [ABC, 9/17/08]

Tax Payers Money WASTED!

2008-10-22T10:57:00.002-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears - Government in many ways whether Democrat or Republican but especially Republican and the current administrations further use and waste of OUR tax dollars when we are in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. See just one example at the following link. http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/21/campbell.brown.portraits/index.html

This is just for freaking portraits of CRIMINALS, yes criminals, that entire administration should be impeached and jailed anyway. From the lies about a war that has murdered 4,300+ of our men and women, to the illegal activities approved by Bush on a variety of fronts, the firing or resignation of half the people he started out with. They are spending 6 figures of OUR tax money to create portraits of these thieves, they don't deserve ANY recognition of service being they served only themselves and President Bush.

What awful people we have in Washington, they are ALL (Dems & Repubs) suppose to be looking out for us and making things better for all, what a f--king joke! What an embarrassment our government is to us as the people of this nation and to all other nations around the globe.

Bear found dumped at WCU with Obama signs

2008-10-21T06:48:00.001-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears - Politics in general but this kind of sick, hate, cruelty and simply disturbed behavior is extremely worrisome in this country. To think we as a people are resorting to full blown violence and killing an innocent animal, and a bear cub no less. Link to story below.

Let me say this bluntly, what fucked up person or persons they are and a sad and sick political statement. I can't even imagine doing such an awful thing and to think clearly that it is ok to do that. It is sad as it shows how pathetic our country is becoming. We certainly aren't the proud, truthful and helpful nation we once were. We seem further divided as a country and people, there appears to be more hate as we had decades ago and this event in North Carolina is just one of dozens of awful events across this country in relation to political opinions or supporting a candidate.

I only hope that McShame and Putz Palin denounce it, however, she does love to kill animals so to her it means little anyway but in the name of fair politics killing of any kind on either side should be denounced.

Hopefully these scumbags will be caught as they obviously have some serious issues that require some sort of medical/mental attention from a professional. I don't care if they are McCain supporters and dislike Obama, well they obviously hate as they were and are willing to murder an innocent animal to get attn, to make the news, this is the beginning of a sick cycle most likely for these people who committed this heinous act.

I hope Western Carolina University (WCU) speaks out against this as well, this is a shame and if students were involved they should be expelled and imprisoned of course as the least of their punishment. That poor animal paid the price with its life for human hate, nice going America. Yes, it is America as it represents how low we continue to go as a nation. Yes, it is an isolated incident but the ramifications around the country and globe is a representation as a whole, this type of hate and violence must be stopped.

See story here - http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200881020067

Iraq Dog Ratchet Leaves Iraq For Home In Minnesota

2008-10-20T07:45:00.000-05:00

Some good news, Ratchet the dog adopted and raised in Iraq by a U.S. Soldier is going to her home in Minnesota thanks to all of you (thousands of you) who signed the petition and the tireless efforts of "Operation Bagdad Pups" for making it all happen and having the Army to what is right by the dog and the soldier. Being a dog owner I understand and understand the stability and sanity having that animal can provide to a soldier and I am glad so many are being rescued and loved and they appreciate it as much as we humans do!
See story here - http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/19/iraq.ratchet.the.dog/index.html

Puppy Stays in Iraq, U.S. Army Tells Soldier

2008-10-14T07:16:00.002-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears, complete bureaucracy bullshit..... We certainly have more than any country in the world and at the expense of people and animals lives.

As many of you have read or seen or heard many of our men and women serving in the false deadly war in Iraq are rescuing dogs, cats from certain death on the streets. The Arab culture in general has no use or respect for animals, they look at them as a nuisance and disease carrying, dirty creatures. Nothing against them as that is been part of their culture and beliefs for thousands of years.

I see it even here in NYC when I walk my own dog and I have seen Arab tourists whom are either scared or just disgusted by seeing a dog out in public around people. For that I say too bad and walk around me or go a different direction if you have such feelings or concerns.

So many of the dogs running around a destroyed Iraq, (Thanks G Dubbya and Cheney for such a f'd up mess based on all your lies that created this awful situation for humans and animals alike).

Soldiers have been bringing home the animals they have bonded with and rescued from certain death. One out of 50 that had come home already ended up with rabies that was contracted in Iraq. You can't just stop a program because of one animal and no one had been hurt by that animal and sadly it had to be euthanized.

They should TESTand IMMUNIZE THEM OVER THERE! With the donations and such all this could be done with these wonderful organizations that put out the money, the time and resources to saves the animals and in many cases save the soldier as that animals is a special part of them just a like a child in many ways. They deserve to be saved as we are suppose to be a humane species and the soldiers deserve it for risking their lives saving the animals and their fellow soldiers while be in that hell.

Please read the story here - http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/14/iraq.puppy.ap/index.html and please donate to this wonderful organization that helps the animals and the soldiers bring them from the horrors of Iraq to a better life here. In all cases these animals brought care, love and comfort to our great troops whom have been in harms way based on nothing but lies and over 4,200 have died because of G Dubbya and companies greed and power trip among many other things.

Read/Donate - http://www.baghdadpups.com/

LaBruzzo Wants To Pay Poor People $1,000 To Be Sterilized

2008-10-07T10:35:00.002-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears - Simple, stupid old style HATE from the wealthy Republican whites.... A congressional state Representative in Metairie, Louisiana takes the top prize for sure.

A heartbreaking scenario (of people displaced after natural disasters like Hurricane Gustav) inspired Louisiana Republican State Rep. John LaBruzzo to start thinking about ways to stem generational welfare, in which many welfare recipients have children who also end up dependent on government assistance, according to the representative

A month ago he proposed the idea of giving (paying) women a $1,000 to be sterilized and giving tax incentives for college-educated wealthy couples to have more children.

Let me say and take the kids away for a moment, FUCK YOU, you hateful wealthy educated white boy. By the way I am an educated well off white boy and I would say the majority of us disagree 100% with your awful idea and a sick one to say the least Johnny.

How dare you suggest such a sick thing and how dare you take away basic human rights of people to have a family and provide the best they can with what they have as people have done for 1,000's of years. Sadly this is geared primarily at the poor black folks who live in his district and his state. Read the original story - LaBruzzo: Sterilization Plan Fights Poverty

Enough people were outraged by his racially charged idea and reminiscent of Nazi Germany acts decades ago. Read the story from yesterday (link below) and he got only partially what he deserves. He best not be re-elected to office and hell while he 's at it, he should pay himself to be sterilized as this kind of hate needs to stop here. Sadly he will fill his families head with his hate filled ideas and promote white superiority. So sad that in 2008 we still have such people allowed to be elected to office and allowed to be such awful human beings. In saying that it is scary to think he was elected to office as that shows we have loads of hate filled people living in that area of Louisana. John LaBruzzo of Metairie Stripped of Post on the House Health Committee.

So folks write to him, let him know what an awful man he is, write to him at the following address:

John LaBruzzo
3331 Severn Ave, Ste. 204
Metairie, LA 70002
larep081@legis.state.la.us
Phone #: (504)833-7788
Fax #: (504)212-7644

Republicans 8 Years of Disaster

2008-09-18T15:37:00.001-05:00

I'll say it again, Republicans in Congress and the Administration just GRIND MY GEARS! Look at what has happened and the destuction that has been done in such a short time after they inheritted so many healthy things in our country from 8 years of Clinton. I could care less that he got a blowjob in the oval office, that is between him and his wife.

I hear this over and over again how Republicans are "Mavericks", Reformers", "Change Agents" but often you don't hear the word "Republican" so the current crop of Republican elects have a better chance of distancing themselves from Bush, that includes of course McShame/Palin.

Let's take a look over the last 8 years to see why they don't want to be called "Republicans".

Looking back over the past 8 years, you'll see it all. Republicans sacrificing their souls and your future at the Alter of POWER. The GOP run a muck. The craziness of war and greed, death and theft, Crony Capitalism and the K Street project.

A scheme of corruption and secrecy, back room deals and a REALLY REALLY OLD Boys Network screwing everything and everyone in sight with an Army of Republican Lobbyists descending on Capital Hill by the thousands.

DC lawmakers threatened with Lobbyist financed, hand picked opponents who run against you if you didn’t succumb to the Republican onlslaught on regulation and oversight obliterating any kind of accountability for crooks and liars. Hacks and hand picked “overseers” in the Justice Department so no one would ever be prosecuted on the back end. Examples made of those who talked. Skull and Bones loyalties to men who would do really bad things.

Crimes were committed, fraud perpetrated, wars begun and no one paid for any of it. The treasury bled dry, the banks bled dry, the investment banks bled dry, the American people left to fend for themselves because in the end it was the Republican screed “Every man for himself” posing as “good government”. Think Katrina as one of a dozen examples and even now Ike!

Well here we are at the bottom staring up at their desired result. Chaos everywhere. 401Ks empty, Pension Funds raped, banks either closing or merging until there will be just ONE left standing. And YOU had a front row seat at the Arena where the The American Dream was bludgeoned to death.

The deception continues even when we are writhing in agony. These bastards just stole a freight train and put it in YOUR pocket. The President is having another “Katrina” moment. You are on your own be very sure of it.

THIS is not OUR SHOW (Liberals). The 1990’s were OUR show!
When you compare the peace and prosperity we enjoyed throughout the 1990s to this Carnival of Carnage the contrast is stark and wholly unrecognizable as anything American. What we see here, today is FOREIGN to us.

Think about the Clinton years when the world stood in awe of our technical prowess, our expanding economy, humming on invention and creativity, when we paid our debts and ran a surplus, when we streamlined our government, when the rich got richer and the poor got richer, when we managed to bring terrorists to justice and not take the country to war, when we had nothing to bitch about so Republicans decided to Impeach the President because of his personal life. Peace and Prosperity? We’ll show you! AND THEY DID. They showed us dark days over eight grueling years. They showed us DEATH and DESTRUCTION. Bled us of our National Treasure. Left us alone in the dark while we drowned.

Now the Republicans who have to stand for election want to run away from their own choices, their own responsibilites, their own PARTY. It should make you GAG with sickness.
But they’re not quite finished off. They still have their Marketing Machine, their political operatives. IT’S TIME TO FIGHT FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM AGAIN. I promise you we have NO chance of that with McShame/Palin, 4 more Bush years, can you really imagine the horror of that, 12 full years of death and destruction of this great nation!!!

At least with Obama/Biden we will have opportunities and a much greater ability to change and get us back to prosperity, feeling good about ourselves and our counrty like we did in the 90's. See links below with current state information of our nation.

The Weath of the Nation DISAPPEARS
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26767130/

WHAT IS GOING ON?
http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1842123,00.htm

ELECTORAL MAP
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/maps/obama_vs_mccain/?map=10

New polls75% think McCain picked Palin for Political reasons rather than qualifications! 60% would be worried if Palin had to take overThe only group where McCain wins is White and over 65.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/us/politics/18poll.html?ref=todayspaper

OBAMA CALLS FOR RE REGULATION AND AN INFUSION OF CASH TO THE MIDDLE CLASS TO SHORE UP ECONOMYREAD HIS PLAN…JOHN MCCAIN DOESN’T HAVE ONE…http://obama.3cdn.net/6e85401e3caddd95cc_zecnmvshd.pdf

U.S. Economy Crisis

2008-09-18T06:57:00.001-05:00

The facts basically show that the current mess we are in has been a result of the policies of the last 8 years and the fact that Republicans changed the regulations allowing all the big financial firms to run a muck in greed and take advantage of the poor and middle class with these confusing mortgages and giving credit to people who shouldn't have qualified.

They changed the rules, they made billions and now look at this country as the greed won out and now thousands are without work, firms that have been around 150+ years are gone. Make me sick, so thanks to the Republican party for the majority of this mess. Let me say that of course it took the movers and shakers of Wall Street combined with the current administration and Republican controlled congress to create this mess.

McCain says he saw the collapse of the Stock Market.... NOT! See below for some Johnny's words.

"“The fundamentals of the economy are strong”. That the American Worker is THE FUNDAMENTAL? That doesn’t even make sense!! PLUS, John McCain has nothing but DISDAIN for AMERICAN WORKERS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpB9OoOU02 In the face of an dramatic and deep economic meltdown, he offers to form a GOVERNMENT COMMISSION to study the problem?

HEY MCCAIN WE KNOW HOW THIS HAPPENED!! GREED. WATCH http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/5050/story?id=5812268&page=1 The McCain campaign proudly declares, that they “have no plan for the Economy” They don’t need one?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/16/11125/0475/552/600505

So what about those FUNDAMENTALS?

Unemployment in 2000 4.1% NOW 6.1% and headed higher.

US Budget had a surplus of $287B (left for G-dubbya) now a Deficit of $357B and growing profusely!

US Debt 5.8 TRILLION NOW 9.7 TRILLION DOLLARS! WATCH http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26742718#2674421

They’re going to STUDY IT. C’mon. We KNOW what happened here. DEREGULATION and NO OVERSIGHT.

Obama has offered you what he plans to do -
As President re-regulate our Financial Institutions and end this greed. WATCH http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26740379#2673981

Obama laid out a plan for our Future INCLUDING the Economy, Health Care, and the Occupation of Iraq, Energy Independence, Job Creation, Infrastructure Tax Policy, Civil Rights, Education and our Veterans. McCain says he don’t need no stinking plan.

This is just in for fun as you know self admitting McShame is computer illiterate but he invented the Blackberry, although it was a Canadian company that did that.....
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/16/11125/0475/552/60050 because John McCain invented THE BLACKBERRY?

http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/09/do_voters_reall.html They are perfectly happy to PRIVATIZE PROFITS AND SOCIALIZE ALL THE LOSSES. LOOK AIG gets 85 Billion dollar GOVERNMENT BAIL OUT http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSHKG156772008091

PLEASE READ, look at the facts as I see daily the lies, the flip-flopping of McShame and company..... Get over this haze of how wonderful Palin is, she lies daily, she won't cooperate with an investigation and huge protests in her own state don't want her elected!
See here (http://thinkprogress.org/) for FACT after FACT of the McLies and the Palin Pulpit lying continuously..... Even CNN, ABC News, Time Magazine and many other media outlets have the facts folks!

Liberal

2008-09-17T08:15:00.001-05:00

As always the Republicans continue to grind my gears, always telling me I am un-American if I am liberal. NOT, by definition I am one who cares about others and wants all to be prosperous and not continue to separate the American people into very defined classes and let government deregulate everything for the large powerful corporations. Remember the current crisis was caused by Phil Gramm and other Republicans whom got laws passed to deregulate and thus create the mortgage crisis and all the greed on Wall Street and taking advantage of the less fortunate. Thank the Republicans for the majority of the current mess and the loss of some once great American financial institutions.

DEFEND AMERICA FIRE REPUBLICANS
"...if by a liberal they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people - their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties..if that is what they mean by a "liberal" then I am proud to be a liberal."

Palin Links 9/11 to Iraq

2008-09-12T07:28:00.000-05:00

My Gears continue to grind as this woman is wacko more than Jacko (Michael Jackson). Yesterday at her sons departure to Iraq with other National Guardsman she stated in her speech to them about how they are going to fight to defend the innocent against their enemies and who planned the 9/11 attacks..... SARAH WAKE UP..... Iraq had absolutely NO involvement in 9/11, something even G-dubbya (George Bush) has admitted too!

Stop all these lies Sarah and the usual Republican SCARE TACTIC of "Terror", "Terrorists", "9/11". Using 9/11 will make you out to be just like Rudy G and well you see where he is now...... LOSER!

Get a grip, go Govern Alaska and raise your kids and let them make their OWN choices instead of forcing all your beliefs and ideals on them.

See here of her so called patriotic yet very incorrect speech to the forces departing for Iraq.

MCCAIN'S 'FACT CHECK' AD

2008-09-10T15:38:00.000-05:00

You already know that McShame/Palin grind my gears big time and well as with most of the McShame ads he uses incorrect information AKA - LIES!

The McCain campaign is up with a new ad in "key states" called "Fact Check." It hits Obama for sending “a mini-army of 30 lawyer, investigators and opposition researchers” to Alaska to “dig dirt on” Palin.

The ad also claims that “attacks” on Palin “have been called ‘completely false’ … ‘misleading’” by FactCheck.org. The Ad has been removed from YouTube and so I can't post it but you can read so read on please.

But it’s worth noting that the McCain campaign air-dropped a mini-army of lawyers, investigators, opposition researchers and PR specialists into Alaska after McCain selected her. And news organizations, including NBC News, have “air-dropped” producers and correspondents into Alaska, as well. This is not uncommon in politics, especially regarding someone 99 percent of America didn't know until 10 days ago.

To the first point, the McCain campaign cites FactCheck.org’s reference to one post that is about "False Internet claims and rumors" -- that "many are completely false, or misleading" -- not mainstream criticisms of where Palin has potentially distorted her or Obama’s record.

In fact, an earlier FactCheck.org post found numerous factual errors in Palin's much-lauded VP acceptance speech on her record and on what she said about Obama's. That speech is heavily excerpted on the trail, where Palin takes no questions from reporters and does not stray off script. "Palin trips up on her facts...," Fact Check wrote. Her speech "may have shown she could play the role of attack dog, but it also showed her to be short on facts when it came to touting her own record and going after Obama’s."

Her record
1. Bridge to Nowhere"Palin may have said 'Thanks, but no thanks' on the Bridge to Nowhere, though not until Congress had pretty much killed it already," FactCheck.org writes. "But that was a sharp turnaround from the position she took during her gubernatorial campaign, and the town where she was mayor received lots of earmarks during her tenure." NBC's Lisa Myers also investigated Palin's claims on the bridge and found that despite her repeated line that she said, “Thanks, but no thanks” to the bridge, her exclamations are “not the whole story.” In fact, as Myers reported on Nightly News last night, "First, when Palin was running for governor in 2006, she actually supported the project." Additionally, another fact-check site, Politifact, titles its Bridge to Nowhere fact check, "A Bridge to Exaggeration."

2. Construction of an oil pipeline hasn't begunFactCheck.org also found that "construction hasn’t begun on the pipeline, and the project isn't quite a done deal" despite Palin proclaiming, "I fought to bring about the largest private-sector infrastructure project in North American history. And when that deal was struck, we began a nearly $40 billion natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence."

3. Stood up to Big Oil?"As for Palin having 'stood up to ... the Big Oil companies,' as she said in her speech,” FactCheck found that “she has on this issue, not on others. Oil is, after all, incredibly important to Alaska’s economy. About 80 percent of the state budget comes from oil and gas taxes and royalties. Palin is in favor of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and offshore areas, a position she shares with oil companies."

Palin's accusations of Obama in her speech
1. Not authored 'a single major law or reform'"Palin’s accusation that Obama hasn’t authored 'a single major law or even a reform' in the U.S. Senate or the Illinois Senate is simply not a fair assessment. Obama has helped push through major ethics reforms in both bodies, for example." The Alaska governor avoided some of McCain’s false claims about Obama’s tax program -- but her attacks still failed to give the whole story." ... "Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was a hit with the party faithful at the GOP convention, but some of her claims were amiss."

2. 'Against producing more energy,' etc."In attacking Obama, Palin reeled off a few statements that had a nice cadence, but were light on facts," FactCheck wrote, particularly on Obama being "against producing more energy;" on meeting with leaders of "terrorist states" when the Bush administration and Defense Secretary Gates have advocated more engagement of late; and her saying: "Al Qaida terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America, and he's worried that someone won't read them their rights."

Wake up America, having McShame.Palin will set us back much further than the current idiot in the White House...... If you want to go back to dictorship or king like rule vote for the crypt keeper and is pretty young hack. Read the facts about them both which are all over. Neither campaign should be allowed to lie on their ads and the McShame team have done it over and over and have brokern half a dozen copyright laws as well.

Iraq War a Task From GOD, Are You Kidding Me

2008-09-10T07:46:00.000-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears - is the continuous craziness coming from the "right" and I mean McShame-Palin..... "The Iraq War is a task from God"...... Am I taking CRAZY PILLS or am I actually reading it and hearing from various news outlets.....

I am not even a religious person compared to most but I can tell you I always recall from whether it was a church service as a kid, or elementary, middle and high school you learned that WAR is BAD, and that no GOD or "normal" human would want war.

Just another reason why I don't want wacky religious folk running the country..... Wake up folks..... this is getting scary and to think people are liking them is even more scary.

Realize under the McShame presidency you will loose more freedoms than you already have under the current idiot who should be impeached by the way. We will revert to the old ways of letting religion dictate policy, rules, laws. If you all might recall "separation of church and state" is really important. You have those two in, that will no longer apply and we will revert to almost dictatorship like leadership and continue with 98% of the failed policies of the past 8 years.

Obama is not my favorite by any means but I think we might have a real good chance for change and for the reason this country came about - FREEDOM to be who were are and to move about and have liberties this country was founded on. In the last 8 years much of that freedom and privacy has been eliminated and it further erode under McShame/Palin.

Look at the news, Palin is continuously putting out FALSE statements, lie after lie and even in some campaign ads..... That's unacceptable and I would say the same if were Obama.

Sarah needs to come clean as she is up to near 25 lies so far and facts are coming in right and left and videos of her complete reversals on various issues and her support of PORK BARREL spending right in her home state. She is G-dubbya in a skirt but even further to the "right"..... She'll be running the show, not gramps.

See here just one example and the culmination of 23 lies for good ole boy Sarah. Maverick my arse either one of them....

John McCain - Sarah Palin Facts = More of The SAME!

2008-09-05T14:36:00.002-05:00

The more I discover about McSame and Palin more it GRINDS MY GEARS! Some more factual information on McSame and Palin as they are true liars but that is widely known. This past week they had their glory and fortuantely most of the lies have already been fact checked and provided to you all.

See below for more facts on these two awful Bush like cronies! Vote for McSame/Palin get Bush Cheney all over again!

THE LYING - FACTS to show you below!

TAX PLANS HERE - http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/09/04/obamas-tax-plan-better-for-working-families-than-mccains

HERE’S A CALCULATOR. Put in your adjusted income and compare your tax savings under Obama and McCain - http://alchemytoday.com/obamataxcut/

FACT CHECK – MCCAIN ON TAX CUTS FOR THE RICHEST AMERICANS - http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/603/

One More Tax Lie New McCain ad keeps pounding the Lie Of The Year; Obama Will Raise Taxes On The Middle Class - http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/a_new_stitch_in_a_bad_pattern.html

HAVE WE MENTIONED IT'S THE ECONOMY?
Jobless Rate Hits 4 1/2 Year High61,000 Americans 'Changed' From Employed to Out Of Work. Believe it. - http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0439189920080905

The Fed 'Beige Book': Prolonged Economic DownturnInflation, Unemployment, Despair. McCain talks about empty words about change....pocket-change. - http://www.economyincrisis.org/articles/show/1738

SARAH’S SORDID PASTPalin attended 5 colleges over 6 years - http://www.mercurynews.com/hotjobs/ci_10382124

The National Enquirer Palin had an affair - http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/03/mccain_aide_rips_tabloid_repor.html

Republicans Blame the Liberals.......

2008-09-05T09:01:00.001-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears - Republicans and the many lies, yes I know there are lies from Democrats too, however, all I have heard is blame the liberals for our current strifes..... HELLO! Republicans controlled the White House the past 8 years and Congress for 14 years.....

Let's get some more FACTS straight on what the Republicans have accompished here and it is all SAD news but all FACTS are in so vote for John McCain and we will get the same for sure as his votes were 90% in line with GW the past 8 years.

FACTS! Allot of the facts below will set Rudy (mister 9/11, Terrorists, like GW he loves to spout that stuff to scare people) straight too while we are at it! He should be angry with his own party's shortcomings!

George W. Bush & a Republican Congress inherited a $128 Billion Dollar Budget Surplus When He Took Office. REPUBLICANS have posted a deficit every year since. 2009? A RECORD $482 Billion Dollar Shortfall. - http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/28/2009.deficit/

It was REPUBLICANS who sat in a secret briefing on August 6th, 2001 we’re told in detail that Osama bin Laden planned to strike the United States with hijacked airplanes. AND DID NOTHING. - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/03/AR2008090303210.html?hpid=artslot

It was REPUBLICAN ACTIVIST Supreme Court that somehow magically squeezed the termination of legal recount of votes in Florida out of the Fourteenth Amendment. - http://www.iefd.org/articles/rightwing_judicial_activism.php

A REPUBLICAN, not a liberal, has FAILED to kill or capture the man who was responsible for 9/11 - http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Bush-regrets-edict-to-get-Osama-dead-or-alive/323453/

It was REPUBLICANS who lusted for, planned, and executed the biggest military blunder in American history - http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1181629,00.html

...lied about the justification for war... - http://www.alternet.org/story/16274/

..helped themselves to tens of billions of taxpayer dollars... - http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/09/26/politics/main575356.shtml

..ordered our soldiers into harm's way disgustingly unprotected... - http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-03-26-body-armor_x.htm

..ignored the wounded who returned to squalid care... - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/17/AR2007021701172.html

..spent...over half a trillion dollars on this sad aventure....$2500...a second. - http://zfacts.com/p/447.html

Go ahead and vote McCain the man WHOM supported all the above decisions and all of that is fact as well! Don't sit there and say Obama is not tough or will not be concerned about security. any president will have that on their mind, however, once again I question McSame's judgement which has a pretty poor track record when looking at him, what he says, what he has stated and his extreme amount of flip-flop on many critical issues affecting this nation.

McCain Speech

2008-09-05T04:51:00.002-05:00

A man who voted with George W. Bush 90% of the time. A woman (Sarah Palin) who , like George W. Bush, believes God is a card-carrying Republican who can't possibly dissapprove of war and neglecting the poor.

Vote McSame and well you'll see this country further crumble than it has already. Now onto the speeches of the final night.

I was not impressed by Lindsey Graham, Tom Ridge whom spoke earlier in the evening. As for Cindy McCain well she was just there to promote her husband and his running mate Sarah. Cindy has a different stance on a few issues that I am sure boils the blood of the two running mates.

Like with Sarah's speech it was all rah, rah America, the whole theme like Rudy Giuliani loves to still use "9/11" and everyone cheers. Enough already as that whole scare tactic is really old but they utilized that style Wednesday and Thursday in the speeches and John McCain being the biggest of all.

McCains tired old military story does not make for him being a good president. I think it is awful what he went through some 40 years ago but that was then and this is now. If anything he should be retired not straining himself in his old age as he is doing. As for change, he is not this great Maverick in any capacity. Once again folks the FACTS and stats show he has supported George Bush 90%+ the past 8 years except in 2005 when that number was 77%. He still has the majority of conservative values Bush has and with Palin they want to take away even more of your freedoms of choice on many issues. Again they want to go backwards not forward with this country.

Read the next post and see where these two stand on some of the biggest concerns in this country and realize that 4 more years of McSame-Bush-Palin will put us deeper in trouble around the nation and the world. GW and company have done so much damage, yet they inherited so much prosperity from the 8 year Clinton White House.

Remember how George Bush Senior screwed things up (note he was a War hero, it didn't help him be a better president) and it took Democrats to fix it and provide the strongest economy in U.S. history and a SURPLUS for the first in years, yet Republicans were voted in (George dumb, bumb Bush Jr) and look at the hell this country has become! The wealthy white folk are doing just fine but the majority are in awful shape and the gap between rich, middle class, and poor has been getting much wider under the current administration.

As for 9/11 that is such a sorry excuse to continually scare us. It is a horrible thing, I know I was here and live right next to the pit. If the Bush admin would have listened to a young lady FBI agent out of Minnesota back in the summer of 2001, 9/11 may have been foiled, and that is only a maybe but researching all leads would have been the right course. Then to use 9/11 as a base to go start a war and destroy a country that had no WMD's, no chemical weapons is a further atrocity. Bush has basically killed 4,200 of our fellow citizens for a false war and left hundreds of thousands of Iraqi's dead and homeless.

There is NO Al-Qaeda in Iraq, never was but yet the "right" continues to try to scare us and say the the Democrats are weak on security. That is flat out wrong, we just don't shoot first and talk later as you see sadly the extreme cost that has come to our country with the loss of our soldiers, the tens of thousands maimed and the ridiculous debt our country is in, thanks to the Republican leadership.

You want change, and tough change it will be, VOTE OBAMA (he was not my favorite candidate, however, I'd much rather take a chance on good changes for the more common American verses the tired old McSame-Bush style of the past 8 years), I think he would be our best chance at some form of change and hopefully be able to get us back to a strong, prosperous nation we were just ten years ago.

McCain-Palin Policy Views We Can't Afford

2008-09-04T11:15:00.001-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears - How the current Republican nominees don't care about the majority yet they feel they have the right to things 46 million Americans don't! They have work, yet 500,000 plus have been laid off just since January 2008! Again her speech was all blah, blah, she never talked about what America needs to know, where they stand. Read on and see where they stand! They called Obama a celebrity, gee I would say Sarah is the new celebrity now!

I care about how their policy choices affect me, my family, and millions of other Americans! You all should be too!

Health insurance for McSame and Palin is paid for by the government (hers in Alaska and his in Washington). Yet they oppose giving the nearly 46 million uninsured Americans the same access to affordable health care!

McCain's kids don't have to worry about paying for college, as Mz. McCain has a few extra bucks.
Yet he has opposed every single education support program to help others.

McCain and Palin say they will stand up to oil companies. Yet the only energy policy they support gives millions of dollars in tax breaks to oil companies to do more drilling and he has opposed every piece of federal legislation to explore alternative fuel sources.

McCain and Palin say they will revamp how Washington does business. Yet his campaign is filled with lobbyists and she has cooperated with Sen. Ted Stevens in funneling federal money for useless projects in Alaska for years.

McCain and Palin have no solutions for Americans worrying about their jobs in a fragile economy.

They want us to leave their families alone!
Yet they want to make rules for our families by eliminating our right to make our own choices over abortion, eliminate our access to family planning education or domestic partner benefits, and our freedom from discrimination.

They want to control what our kids learn in school about sex and about science. In short, through the policies they promote and the judges they support, they want the government to have more control over our private lives than at any time in history.

McCain and Palin now say their campaign is about change, too. Yet the only real change they have proposed is a change from a suit to a skirt in the vice president's office and one man fighting a misplaced war for another in the Oval Office.

Remember it's not about just the individuals they are, but what do they represent as that will be what affects us most going forward!

This unconventional choice of a vice presidential nominee by John McCain won't result in a win in November, because McCain and Palin are the wrong choice for the country.

Sarah Palin's RNC Speech

2008-09-04T08:32:00.004-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears - The continuous rhetoric from these Republicans...... Pretty much this is what Sarah did, perfect example of what Republicans do over and over..... Watch both videos, one dipicts her, the new fem bot of the Republicans and the 2nd is Guilaini and the rest of the current idiots who love to use scare tactics.
Sarah Speech in Reality here
Typical Rudy "G" & Company here

We finally got to hear from Sarah McSame Palin last night. She spoke well and she energized the BASE mostly but her speech was all promotion about McSame, the tired story of his war hero and POW status some 35/40 years ago. She lied about some of the things she said about Obama's record, which is already coming out in various reports on the things she stated and what was correct and what was not.

Sarah and Hillary are complete opposites and Hillary could knock her ass under the table with all her experience. This comparison is simple OPPISITES on 99% of the issues and the women voters who may have been annoyed about Hillary not being chosen are NOT stupid and most have the values of Hillary. Giving them Sarah is a joke, an insult as they will NOT support someone so far off from Hillary's values, convictions, and stances. They know Hillary would have been progressive as will Obama in every way compared to McSame and Sarah.

We didn't learn much more about Sarah except for her attack dog style which will help McSame and prepare her for some tough debates going forward and further show her lack of experience. At the same time I saw a small town politician who has no idea what she is really getting into and how it will affect her and her family. To me family should be first, however, she will have to put McSame and country first which is not a good position to be put into after all the years of being Mom and small town Mayer and small population Governor.

The only thing I respect McSame for is his military service, however, enough already, that does not make you necessarily the best candidate to lead the nation as an old man who is very forgetful, easily agitated and a nasty old man, ask his wife through all her fake smiles.

As for Sarah, she is no way, no how ready to lead our nation and I would not want someone so far "Right" leading our nation backwards into the so called "traditional ways" of centuries past, yes, if they had their way we'd go back to all white power for sure and very religious to say the least and even further taking our freedoms away with a very, very conservative Supreme Court. That would be a very scary place to live in the 21st century.

Again vote how you feel about things and if the last 8 years were good for you and you want less freedom, less money, more misery, and further destruction of the environment, and our nation vote Republican and keep things the same.

Today we are a far more diverse nation and one that wants change or at least a better chance for some serious change of which we would get with Obama. McSame and Sarah McSame will be 90% of the same awful BS that we have endured for 8 long years. I don't care about your religious beliefs or your party affiliation, how can you want to continue another 4 years of hell! Unless you are a wealthy white person for the most part McSame will NOT benefit you in anyway and you will continue to see more and more people go into poverty while the rich get richer and our nation gets weaker.

Sorry Sarah I was not impressed with your rhetoric from the Bush speech writers, yes folks her speech was written by the same people that write G-dubbya's speeches. However, at least Sarah can speak well, Bush and McSame are awful speakers in public.

As for Sarah's kid and her daughters redneck boyfriend, well that is more of a family issue but I guess you could say it shows Sarah and her hubby aren't the greatest of parents and that can translate into poor judgement as well as lack of parenting which might show that she is not at all that capable of leading a nation and best at leading a small concentrated population such as her hometown or the sparsely populated state of Alaska. Otherwise leave the kids alone and talk about her judgement, decisions, affiliations, ethics, past discrepancies as she has quite a few as more and more is discovered about Sarah McSame Palin.

Obama Convention Speech

2008-08-29T08:45:00.002-05:00

No gears grinding on this story, McCAIN, NO WAY, NO HOW, AMEN to that! I am not a big political convention watcher as allot of it is fluff and BS regardless of your political party affiliation, we will hear allot of BS next week as well, but I will listen to McCain's speech. The main speakers of the conventions are the ones to listen too, to read into, to analyse and are the ones to provide, substance, inspiration, direction, excitement, and hope for change. Obama = change, McCain = Bush, 4 more years of the same, making 12 years of Americas downfall internally and around the globe.

Way to go Barack! Outstanding speech, lets make it all happen, allot of work ahead!!!
(Link below for more on Barack's convention speech)

To Michelle Obama, great speech, Hillary great speech, Bill Clinton simply outstanding as always, one of the best speaking men in the world as well as one who made 8 great years with a stupid thing he did with an intern, however, that was more a personal thing between him and Hillary and not the rest of the world. Anyhow, the speeches from the three above were uplifting, inspiring, exciting and provided with many of the things we need to do after the worst sitting president in modern history moves out.

I did not get to see Joe Biden's speech, however, I did read it and he said many great things and certainly has vast experience. As for Barack not having experience, he is more then ready to lead and it doesn't require 26 years in Congress either as the Crypt Keeper (McCain) loves to say. Barack will be a much better leader and brings us back to where we should be and with good direction and results. Not death and destruction as the Bush Administration has done with 95% of John McCain's support.

McCain is clearly and simply the same shit we have dealt with the past 8 for another 4. We as a country and as individuals can't afford that in any capacity. Barack made it very clear by his masterful speech the things we do need to change, the tough choices ahead and that it is all possible and fixable over time. Just like Clinton did from 92-2000, he fixed all the messes brought on by Reagan and Bush. Then G-dubbya comes in and destroys all the good Clinton did and destroys our nation in so many ways, murders our men and women in uniform with his false war, destroys the economy and keeps his wealthy pals and large corporations sitting pretty while the majority suffers. He falters from 9/11 through Katrina and through all of Iraq to name just a few of the Bush debacles and McCain will continue that. McCain will also unfairly tip the balance of the Supreme Court into a highly conservative court and set us back decades with many laws and rules that currently exist.

Thanks Barack for an inspiring speech and lets hope you can follow through will all your big ambitions as it will take a bipartisan congress to help achieve these goals that will benefit the country and the world. See here for more on Barack and his entire speech in two parts from Thursday evening in Denver.

As for this silly celebrity stuff from McCain and company, you're just jealous that you are not that popular, Barack like Bill Clinton is likable, not mean and miserable like we see you almost daily. Get a grip and go get tested for Dementia and Alzheimer's being you have a deep family history of it. I know first hand watching my Father start around age 65 and die 9 years later. You're 71 and already quite forgetful and cranky just like my Dad was when he slowly succumbed to the illnesses. McCAIN, NO WAY, NO HOW!

Lieberman Must Go

2008-08-21T09:11:00.001-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears - Turn coat scumbags like Joe Lieberman! What an embarrassment to the Democratic Party and is the "Benedict Arnold" of the 21st century.

This useless senator turned traitor should be abolished from the Democratic caucus as well as Congress. Here people accuse several others of flip flopping on things, here is a perfect example of one just as John "Bush" McCain" is. That man changes his tune everyday and contradicts himself daily.

Joe should not be allowed to sit on any committees since his sudden change in party affiliations. He does not vote fairly since he favors the wealthy, he favors big business and is a WAR monger and supporter of the WAR in IRAQ. Remember folks 4,200 of your fellow citizens, friends, family have been murdered because of this factually documented false war. They should all be alive and home and never have gone there but you can thank McCain and Lieberman and many other of our Congress folks whom sent them there, but especially Joe Lieberman and John McCain whom have given the Bush administration 95+ percent of their support on Iraq!

PLEASE go to the following link to sign a petition against the Democratic traitor Joe at "Joe Lieberman Must Go"

John McCain 2008

2008-08-19T09:07:00.013-05:00

THE CRYPT KEEPER McCAIN
You Know What Really Grinds My Gears, yes, Johnny BUSH McCain, why BUSH well come to find out although Johnny would tell you he differs greatly from G-Dubbya and company over the past 8 years, well he truly does not and that's a FACT! Click "REAL" to see the crypt keeper in action. Click here for more lies in his OWN words, more in his own words here about Iraq and differences in relation to Obama.

Let’s actually talk the facts here Johnny, since 2002 you have voted 90% with the Bush administration, more than any other member of Congress from 2000 until today. In the latest stats you are now at 95% support of the Bush administration. You can verify these facts via the Congressional Quarterly and via Nexis in a January 13th article.

My ole pal Bill O’Reilly tried to pass off some lies about the McCain voting record (see here) as he does 90% of the time on his bitch O’ Factor show. Bill O was upset over the Obama ad that talks about John McCain’s voting record in 2003 that shows he voted 90% of the time with the Bush administration and how that was then (5 years ago) not now. As shown above recently it is up to 95% McCain support for Bush! See chart below of actual support year over year with only 2005 falling down to 77%, otherwise he is the biggest supporter in all of Congress.

Year - McCain Presidential Support Score

2001 - 91%

2002 - 90%

2003 - 91%

2004 - 92%

2005 - 77%

2006 - 89%

2007 - 95%

Bill O you might want to have your interns as well as yourself do a little more research in order to be fair and balanced as you so proudly claim. However, every single day facts about the stories you cover the “Bill O” way are discovered and proven that show you tweaked a story or flat out lied. The O’Reilly Factor has many devoted fools that listen to his every whim sadly…..

WAKE up folks and read about the stories you hear on these talking head shows (I mean all of them, Chris Matthews, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Matt Drudge, O’Reilly, Hannity & Colmes, Fox & Friends, to name a few) so you can get the full story or verify its real validity. More and more these talking heads are twisting facts or not sharing the whole story or completing the whole picture.

Back to good ole Johnny Bush McCain the man who will bring you 4 more years of the current policies of which have destroyed this country if you haven’t noticed. The country is in dire straits and getting worse for the majority and all of it is thanks to the Bush Administration. Tax cuts for wealthy people and large firms and a false war all based on false information and the murdering of now some 4,200 of your friends, family, fellow citizens whom should have NEVER been sent there, John McCain was one of Bush’s biggest supporters on the current war and how it has been handled which in reality has been disastrous.

4,200 men and women would still be alive not to mention that 50,000 maimed and injured soldiers would be normal and healthy and a million or more Iraqi’s would be alive and thriving in what was once a wealthy, healthy country. Yes, I know Saddam was an awful man, but that should have been and would have been handled from within eventually, it was not our place to do what we did to that country.

A vote for McCain is just showing your support for the Bush Administrations failed policies, the wealthy, the corporations, foreign governments and continuing the murder of our people fighting in a country we destroyed for all the wrong reasons, lies and greed of the Bush Administration.

These facts of the lies brought before us by Colin Powell in 2003, the fact of NO; WMA's, no chemical weapons, no terrorists group and Saddam was NOT affiliated with any of them just to name a few of a 100 facts of why we should not have been there.

Thanks G-Dubbya, McCain and the many others in Congress whom voted with G-Dubbya on this needless war based on lie after lie. Impeachment should have been done long ago for Bush and company!

Wedding bells chime for California same-sex couples

2008-06-17T07:37:00.001-05:00

This CNN poll to the left is still going and I was very excited and pleased to see how now the majority are for it in all 50 states. It is all about the love between two people. If you want to add to the poll whether you agree or not go ahead and vote. It is right on the CNN home page middle right side of the page, see here

I am happy to report good news and a progressive step forward for our country! It is nice to read, hear, and see all the support from across the country for the rights of same sex couples to marry. As any two people whom love one another should be able to marry and have all that goes along with it in the good and bad of it all.

see story here, here, and here.

Bush: No Regrets Over Iraq Invasion

2008-06-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

I don't really know what to even say when I read the title and what the idiot (GW BUSH) is saying. He is the worst president of this country over the past 100+ years.

He has destroyed this nation with one failed policy after another. Wake up America, tax cuts for the wealthy, high gas prices, a failing economy all the lines go right back to the current administration.

To think the LIES he and his administration created on just Iraq alone. However, the FACTS over and over show all of the FALSE information that was provided to make you all believe we needed to go to war and to invade Iraq, 9/11 had no basis what so ever for the Iraq conflict.

Over and over no WMA's (Weapons of Mass Destruction), no chemical weapons and the old Chemical ones found dated back to 1991 and are ones that former President Ronald Regan sold to Saddam back in the 80's. We are the ones whom originally gave Saddam allot of his military weapons during Ron's presidency.

To think that almost 4,100 men and woman have been killed and tens of thousands maimed and injured and lastly a trillion dollars that should have been spent right here in our country. Yet, he had the balls to think we should be the world Police. The thing he has done yet he has not been held accountable and none of our congress has any balls to call him to the floor to answer on all of this, thanks executive privileges, what a scapegoat that is.

Proof has been provided over and over again about all the deceptions of our current president. Impeachment is the least of the punishments he and his administration should receive.

See story here on his "No Regrets", what a scumbag and folks McCain will be almost identical if he is elected. This country is in a severe state of disarray on many levels as is seen daily here and around the world all thanks to G. W. Bush and company.

Marines Disciplined Over Puppy-Tossing Video

2008-06-12T06:46:00.000-05:00

I am very ashamed to even say I was a Marine when I think of what these two men did with that poor innocent puppy that just wanted love and attention from us humans. See here

After what David Motari a soon to be former Marine which should be the least of his punishment. He should loose all benefits and rights he had as a Marine for such a sick, inhumane and awful thing he did.

That is obviously a man with some serious mental issues. In all reality you would know that was WRONG. Reasoning and the things you were taught from your family, from life and in the Marines that life is precious and killing is wrong.

Killing an animal or person out of self defense because your life is threatened is a reasonable and sad reality if and when it happens, which is vary rare for the majority of us in this country.

However, here was an extreme disregard for life and the extreme use of power since the puppy was defenseless and just a cowardly act of a scumbag.

I hope David Motari we never meet as I might toss you off a cliff and see what you think. Since I am a reasonable, humane guy I might just have a line on you as I am not a murderer such as you.

As for Sgt, Crismarvin Banez he should receive the same outcome. They are both deplorable humans and men whom DO NOT stand for what the Marines do or for what humanity is.

Philadelphia Police to Fire Four Over Beating Caught on Video

2008-05-20T09:14:00.000-05:00

An update to a story below from a couple weeks back about how Police stepped WAY over bounds on beating 3 UNARMED suspects who did NOT resist arrest when they were finally stopped after a police chase.

In any case 4 of them will be fired (they all should have been let go, everyone of them kicking and beating cuffed men laying face down while they all took advantage and beat them senseless), 4 discipline and a Sgt gets demoted.

These men may have deserved a beating for whatever they had done, meaning we all feel anger over things and often feel like beating someone. However, as adults we know the difference between right and wrong and as police that judgement call and ability to mange your own feelings is more important and scrutinized because of public exposure and it should be and well they were caught and called on it.

See story here

California Ban on Same-Sex Marriage Struck Down

2008-05-15T13:18:00.002-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears, this whole BS in this country and many states banning Gay Marriage. Get a grip folks, it's called progress and it isn't hurting anything or anyone, it's called EQUAL RIGHTS and TREATMENT. Many places around the world accepted this long ago and each year more cities and countries write laws to provide the same rights as everyone else in reference to marriage and benefits. Today CA has spoken and made a good decision, see here, here, here, and here

We pay taxes, we work and put into the system just like any person or married heterosexual couple so this is really just silly that we have to go to court to fight for equal rights in 2008. If it were 1960 I might see the struggles and unacceptability of it all being it was pre Civil Rights. However, it is 2008 and each year we make a few more steps in the right direction. Kudos to CA joining MA with legal marriages for ALL!

To all you folks that are so dead set against it, we have so many other serious problems in this country that need attention. PLEASE focus on helping people, helping the country get out the mess that the Republican rule has bestowed upon us.

If you don't want equal rights for all that would make me believe we still have allot of bigots from the 1960's pre the Civil Rights movement. That movement has helped pave the way for the continuing break down of walls put up by bigots, by fundamentalists and of course the religious right whom tell me we are infringing on them, not sure how, we are talking marriage between to people whom love one another and commit to one another whether man to man, woman to woman or man to woman, it is irrelevant.

New GI Bill Vote in Congress Passes House, Senate Votes Next Week

2008-05-15T07:44:00.006-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears, the length of time and still the struggle to get a new GI Bill signed for our troops. Absolutely NO excuse for delays or fighting to reduce what is in the new GI Bill. The big John McCain, a war veteran himself doesn't support it. What a scumbag and he should be ashamed, see McCain here and here. Other links at the end on the New GI Bill and Congress and the White House delaying it while our troops suffer.

Whether you are for or against the war is irrelevant. This is about our men and women who serve this country, that protect the freedom we all have and want. I would expect my tax dollars to go and support them, I would expect my government whether Republican or Democrat to support them without question.

With the false war that should have NEVER happened in the first place and has been factually proven time and again we had no reason to do what we have done and have just made the entire region worse than it was before.

As I have said in the past Saddam was an awful human of whom this country actually helped create, support, and even sold him chemical weapons all during the Reagan years, yes Sean Hannity and others whom adore the old pres of the 80's. Sean Hannity of Faux News adores ole Ronald Reagan and thinks he was our best president. HELLO! Yes, he did have one big bally who and that was ending the cold war with Russia and tearing down the Berlin Wall. See how the U.S. and Europe help build up Saddam and his country here, here, and here.

Saddam should have been dealt with in his own country and people, by the UN and his Arab neighbors. As usual and especially under Republican rule we think we have the right to be the world police and go use brute force and ask questions later. As you all see how poorly GW and company actions have murdered 4,000+ of our own men and women and 100,000's of Iraqi's.

Go here, here, here, and see White House threat here , sign the petition, click on the photo below.
UPDATE THE BILL PASSED IN THE HOUSE, see here, who voted for and against it, the ones who voted against it should be ASHAMED of themselves, what cheap rotten people to NOT support and help our troops, scumbags!
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Congress and Our Wasted Tax Dollars on Baseball and Football

2008-05-14T16:49:00.002-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears, Congress (Repubs & Dems). I am amazed that they are wasting time and millions of OUR tax dollars on the steroid BS of Major League Baseball and now the NFL for cheating. I am certainly against them doing any forms of drugs as it is not fair game play nor is cheating and that makes for bad roles models for sure.

However, that mess with baseball should have been handled by the baseball commissioner not the millions of dollars wasted and the weeks wasted by our Congress on it. Now a similar situation is developing and Congress wants to be involved. Note to Congress, WE elected you and put you there to deal with the mess that Bush and company have put us into. You have much more pressing issues to deal with and to use my tax dollars allot more intelligently and for the good of our country.

Today I see a story (see here) about the NFL and the video taping drama over the past 8+ years. Again I am not happy about as that is awful to think coaches and team members can spy on other teams. It is not fair game play and again it certainly deprives the young of proper role models as well as the action of cheating. This is NOT a government issue just like the baseball BS, this should be handled by the commissioner of the NFL.

Yes, in both cases they were trying to hide these problems, however, with our media word got out before Congress got involved and getting them involved has NOT solved anything. It has just wasted time and our money on some NON IMPORTANT issues facing this country.

I know sports are one of the most lucrative activities in this country but that does not matter, as people keep paying for tickets, sports memorabilia and so on. I must say none of them deserve the ridiculous salaries they receive the spectators just keep paying more so these men can have these salaries, do drugs and cheat. Not all of them but I bet many more then we'll ever know.

Back to the main issue that Congress has so much other tough work to do and my tax dollars should be helping the country, helping our soldiers helping the poor, helping the real things that matter not this sports crap. Congress get back to what you should be doing and using my tax dollars for real issues!

Polar bears will now be listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.

2008-05-14T16:21:00.002-05:00

You Know what Really Grinds My Gears, our current Bush administration and their lack of helping the environment, helping the things that we as a society have helped destroy with our greed and selfishness for fuels and other things while the environment and creatures here long before us pay for it.

After a long fight and tens of thousands of signatures, petitions and lawsuits our government for one of the extreme few times over the past 8 years actually did something "right", they actually realized what this world is doing to the environment and the creatures that inhabit it.

They acted correctly in trying to help and to protect Polar Bears for their own future and for generations of humans to enjoy and give them what they deserve, to live in their habitats and to not be destroyed any further.

Of course much more needs to be done to help curb global warming and other factors that have been killing these innocent, unique and beautiful animals. See here & here.

I see a story today (see here) how it is unfair to the oil companies whom need to drill in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge to help curb our dependence on foreign oil. Sorry, NO GOOD, we could have come up with ways decades ago to curb our dependence on oil period.

As always it came down to POLITICS, MONEY = GREED! Studies done have shown that it would take 20yrs to maybe obtain 1 million barrels of oil if they started drilling now in the National Wildlife Refuge/Denali National Park. Alaska is basically our last chance to NOT ruin one of the worlds last natural beauties. We have ruined so much already. To the oil companies start researching alternatives with your ten's of billions in profits and stop trying to drill for what little oil there maybe.

We should be concentrating on getting off oil period not drilling for more and destroying environments, animals and people too.

Philidelphia Police Beating

2008-05-08T09:20:00.001-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears - COPS, I use to have some respect for them or feel the desire to support them as their jobs certainly are not easy especially in urban areas. However, once again we see the more and more common attitude of "I am the police and I can do whatever I want". It makes me sick and continuously lessons my support of the men in blue. It used to be the old adage of "its just a few bad eggs". That is ever increasingly not true as we see it all too often of police all over this country stepping way out of bounds of the law, of civil and humane rights afforded to every person in the country.

I saw the video (read/video, see here, here, here, and here) and it amazed me when officials said, "lets wait until all the facts are in". Sorry folks, there were an large number of police chasing a car with 3-4 people in it and they stopped that car eventually and they dragged them out and they were NOT resisting as they were on the ground face down in seconds and could have been easily cuffed and off to jail they would have went. Watch the video, and see these rotten cops go all Rodney King on these men for NO apparent reason what so ever.

Those men had given up as they saw a dozen officers and they were face down on the street yet they were beaten and kicked like in some uncivilized country. Not to mention once again the suspects were black and the majority if not all of the police were white from what I can see.

My first issue regardless of the race is the unacceptable way the arrests were handled. Adding in the race issue makes it even worse and sad that this day and age we are still going through the whole race thing.

Everyone one of them should be terminated, the officials in charge need to start doing some serious punishment for police whom are suppose to protect and serve the public, not abuse and always be above the law as we see very often in everyday activities of the police. If those guys had been shooting at them, threatening their lives it makes sense to be more harsh and to protect yourself and others. Watch the video, read the stories at the links above and make your own decision but it seems very clear they went above and beyond but not in a good way that's for sure.

While I am at it, ALL TASERS should be banned, although I don't think they were used in this incident above, they are extremely dangerous and police all over this country are using them for just about any reason and thus 200+ people have died mostly for no reason as they should have never been tased in the first place. Once again we see the abuse of power and that the police can do what they want.

A taser is very much just like the officers gun and should only be used if their lives are threatened, not just give some kid a jolt because they are being smart mouthed and thus die for that, pretty sad folks but it is happening all across the good ole U.S.A.

It is similar to the abuse of power of the Bush Administration, all in the name of Homeland Security/Terror and doing whatever they want and continually eroding all the peoples civil liberties as the police/government have all the executive authority. Our forfathers would be rolling over in their graves if they ever saw what goes on in this country and what the Constitution they worked so hard to create for "We The People".

President Bush is The Most Unpopular President in Modern U.S. History

2008-05-02T13:01:00.002-05:00

The village idiot finally added one of the most definitive titles to the many he has so easily earned the past 8 years.

I couldn't agree more, he is by my view as well as many and the facts of all the destructive things he has done has earned him the "Worst President" in our history with the lowest level ever. It is something that should have been put on him long ago and it has amazed me that it has taken this country so long to see it and finally realize all the awful things he and his administration have done. This country is in the hell it's in because of his lies and poor choices. Over and over facts have proven that we should have never been in Iraq.

Yes, Saddam was one bad character but as is usually the case we have to be the world police and we lied to do it all. This has been proven time and again of no WMD or any other destructive weapon or force there just a wacky dictator who did awful things to his own people. That should have been dealt within his country not by us gun slinging our way in and killing hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi's as well as loosing nearly 4,100 of our own to date not to mention the tens of thousands permanently maimed all because of the fool residing in the White House.

He really has had over 4,000 of our soldiers murdered all for his own greed, revenge, errors, mistakes, and misjudgements over the years. The cost of the war has destroyed this country financially along with his tax cuts from several years back. It has all played into the awful mess and you can thank G dubbya for it all and thus garnering him the title of "
Worst President in Modern American History". See story here, here, here, and here

Sean Bell, Police NOT Guilty in Groom's Death

2008-04-25T09:47:00.001-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears, police getting away with murder. See here the verdict in a nationally known case and where clearly police over reacted and used extreme excessive force on an unarmed man and unarmed friends.

Yes, Sean Bell had been drinking on a bachelor's night out, however, he was not a threat to them and absolutely no excuse for a barrage of 50 bullets. As often is the case the police get to wiggle out of the bad things they have done and this can clearly be seen with all the facts in the case.

I think police serve a purpose and I do believe there are many good cops, however, time and time again we see all the awful ones, the poor judgement and excessive force get away with murder because they are cops of whom often think they are above the law and with verdicts like this that just cements that in their minds.

Just another reason for me to have much less respect for our legal system and the NYPD.
This verdict will certainly cause outrage with most, read about it, look at the facts and that's all I can say about this.

I will say I am very sorry to the fiance and to his family as he didn't deserve that and to the others who survived I feel for you as well.

Taser Deaths

2008-04-25T09:22:00.000-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears, Tasers. These things are BAD and proven time and again with over 200 deaths in the past year alone. When are the Police going to get the message that these things are dangerous and in 98% of the cases they did NOT require the use of that type of force against the people who died.

Once again it is the use of excessive force. I am all for the Police having to defend themselves in a life threatening situation, if they had to use it for that purpose or use their gun that is what those items are for and should only be used as that last resort. See the latest death here of a young man out with friends and there is no excuse for that officer to have done this but it is happening more and more often across the country.

I am glad that NJ currently has a law banning these types of devices. Hopefully the Attorney General in NJ will not allow it to go any further, as it is being discussed as a possible alternative for less lethal force by mostly the Republican assemblymen. Fortunately NJ is Democratically controlled and not lead by Republican impulses to tase first and ask questions later mentality.

As is seen almost weekly somewhere in this country about a death of someone by police using tasers and in the majority of cases it was NOT warranted. People are dead because of our police forces new found freedom to make judgements with their new toys. Tasers need to be treated like a gun and used only if in a life threatening situation.

I have read many reports across the nation of police forces buying large lots of tasers. This is sad and scary for the many who may be tased and killed mostly because of extreme poor judgement and excessive use of force.

ConEd Will Pay $100 Per Customer for 2006 Blackout

2008-04-24T14:07:00.000-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears, CON-ED, what scumbgs, how dare they propose such a cheap offer to thousands of people and businesses that lost allot more then $100 or $350 the offer proposes. See story here.

What nerve they had when they asked for a double digit increase and came away with approval for just under a 5% increase that goes in effect soon.

Once again it shows the large corporation at its best and thinking only of it's bottom line and too bad that tens of thousands of people and business that were without power for ten days.

If you are in the New York area you see the trucks that have their glowing "thumbs up" picture, well Con-ed you best sit on that thumb and spin. I hope that you get one hell of a backlash for the audacity of such a settlement.

Being I have the right I should switch power companies as I don't want my money supporting your evil ways.

Academic Freedom Bill Passes in the Florida Senate

2008-04-23T12:32:00.001-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears, this creationism crap, see here and here. Once again the religious right is trying to force the beliefs of a church or churches in the teachings of children. Religion should stay unto itself as the constitutional separation of church and state. Science has proven evolution over and over again on this planet.

What these senators should be focusing on is helping the people of the state of Florida, helping the poor, helping the disabled, the elderly, health care, putting some form of gun control back in place not wasting their constitutes donations and state tax dollars on personal beliefs and ideas that the majority do not support and again the fact of "separation of church and state", see here.

Get on to doing important things to help the people who live, work, pay taxes in the state of Florida, and not worry about your personal "pet" projects or crusades.

VA Stalling on Care for Returning Troops

2008-04-22T09:08:00.001-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears, the Vetran's Administration and Veterans Affairs Office, George W Bush and his useless administration. See story here on the VA hold up in court.

They should be ashamed and all removed from their positions and replaced with a new team and one that would actually fight for all they should have and not be in court wasting time and money while more suffer. Get these men and women the care they deserve, better yet the full rights they deserve. It's bad enough over 4,000 have been killed in Iraq but that number is just for those who have died there. They should add in the hundreds who have killed themselves once they return home with very little help if any offered or provided.

These men and women should have 100% coverage for life and I am more then adament about my tax dollars covering such a deserving cause. Get it together people and provide our veterans with everything they need as they gave us their all for a false war in the first place.

George Bush should be impeached for this mess, the facts over and over again are very clear at what he and his administrations did and have done. They are awful people and I can't believe more Americans haven't spoke up to have him, Chaney and company removed from office for all the awful things they have done, the lies, the murder of 4,000 plus troops all for the wrong reasons and for lies that have been proven over and over again..... What a country we have become under his awful leadership.

Pope Benedict XVI's first visit to the United States

2008-04-16T08:11:00.002-05:00

POPE GO HOME! We don't need you here, you're a huge hypocrite and an awful man in the many ways you show hate toward others who don't follow all your practices or what the bible dictates. The bible talks about loving everyone and everything yet you spew hate frequently against many people.

Don't come here and spew further hate with your UN speech. Take care of your crumbling church and stop your disciples of all the awful things they have done and are doing to children. Stick to helping the poor and less fortunate and stop injecting into politics as you always do.

Religion doesn't belong in politics nor do you belong at the UN giving a speech which is sure to single out the things you dislike or disagree with and that your beliefs and ways are the "right way", WRONG! Your bible says to love all and you may want to read it again and just stick to helping the poor and less fortunate, your church has the cash so stop living high on the hog and provide more for those folks whom are all over the world.

As for you readers who adore or are just in aw over him, I don't feel that way obviously and so to each his own and I have my own beliefs and spirituality I don't need someone like him to try to brainwash me into HIS beliefs or ways and sorry they are not all from the Bible either.

George Dubbya Bush, kissing up to the Pope won't help you out of HELL, the Devil is excited waiting for you and Chaney. Stop sucking up to the Pope, you look silly, but you do regularly anyway.

Apartment Ratings

2008-03-07T15:40:00.001-05:00

Apartmentratings.com
Is a website that covers the U.S. for rating apartments. You will see many large cities listed to begin a search for apartments, or you can enter city, state or zip codes to bring up existing lists or add new bldgs that you may have lived in over the years. If you do want to add a bldg, you will need the following:

Bldg address
Manager/Management/Owner
Telephone for the bldg to verify bldg and address
When you lived there, just the year(s)
If you have a photo(s) upload them as well

Very simple sign up, you will NOT be receiving spam or having your information shared anywhere as I have used this site for a few years and have never had a problem.

You rate/review where you live and you can post anonymously or you can post with your chosen name. You have nothing to lose but you can help others by either a recommendation or by not recommending renting in a particular building.

Lastly though let me say that regardless of the ratings/reviews it is still always best to go to a bldg you are interested in even if it has negative reviews as every ones perceptions and experiences are different. However, with the reviews you have an idea of possible problems whether with the bldg, the management or staff and you may have the upper hand by asking specific questions when shown an apt.

http://www.apartmentratings.com/

For those of you living here at 90 West Street use this link below to add your reviews (positive or negative) and be honest.

http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/NY-New-York-90-West-Street.html

FBI wants palm prints, eye scans, tattoo mapping

2008-02-04T16:41:00.000-05:00

You Know Really Grinds My Gears - Gov't waste of money of which this current Bush Administration takes the all time record of WASTE and MISUSE of our tax dollars.

Bush's pals at the FBI and the Republican scare tactic of "terrorists" danger from outside our countries borders routine. The FBI wants to waste a BILLION bucks on taking away what little we Americans have left our privacy, our civil liberties. Rings similar to the wire tapping (The FBI Wiretapped 27 Million Calls In One Year) (costs about 31 million of your tax dollars per year to keep wire tapping program going with virtually no critical results) and all the other invasions without cause.

I am all for people who need security clearances or other sensitive environments requiring much more personal info and the ability to definitively identify people that really need to be identified. For known criminals, sex offenders they should have more info on those people who may be of danger to the public but the majority are not and my Gov't doesn't need to know my every move, what I do, where I go, what I buy and create a file all about me and my habits of daily life.

Put the billion bucks of our tax dollars Bush/FBI and company to the critical things that you have left behind for the past 8 years. Katrina, healthcare, medicare, the poor, the jobless, the military men and woman that are mamed for life, and so on. Instaed of wasting it on this new cataloging of all residents of this country.

Most likely the firm that won the billion dollar contract has ties to someone in the White House or some other wealthy Republican family tied to the administration.

See story here

Bush's 3.1 Trillion Budget Taking from the Poor and Helping the Weathy as Usual

2008-02-04T12:42:00.000-05:00

GW the scumbag is in his usual smug form and doling out the cash to all his favorites and trying to take it from the elderly and the poor.

Shouldn't be a surprise as he has done that with all of his budgets during his two terms.

What a scumbag, no, he deserves no respect for the criminal he is along with his administration. See story here and here.

Naked-Man Ad Riles Catholics in Boston

2008-01-30T12:22:00.000-05:00

Religion it actually Grinds My Gears often, as they love to get involved in anything that might seem anti religion, disrespectful of religion yet they can spew anything they want. Religious folks and leaders can state what they want or denounce anyone or anything if it doesn't fit "their" traditional fundy ways. See storyhere the big who-ha they are bitching about.

Too bad, Equinox good for you, don't allow some religious sect to derail your ads or how you operate. It's quite simple if you don't like it, don't join equinox and move on. Believe me being Gay we are targeted quite often by ads, however, those ads over step most morals, values and are downright cruel quite often. In this case it is suppose to be humorous as well as state the obvious that you can attain a body like his if you join Equinox.

Catholic League, Archdiocese of Boston, and Catholic Action League spend your time helping the poor and doing the good things you are suppose to be doing or say you do and not worry too much about a small print ad for a fancy gym chain.

Rudy Giuliani to Drop Out of the Presidential Race

2008-01-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears - Rudy the BSer Giuliani. I am pleased to see him bowing out after a huge defeat. Bad choice of strategies Rudy, should have gone along with the rest of the Repub gang but he like Bush thinks very highly of himself and well that usually doesn't get you as far as you'd like in life.

Needless to say Rudy wasn't a good choice and although he did a few good things as Mayor of NYC he was no superstar as he loves to claim and his 9/11 credentials are not all that wonderful. Time and again that man made many blunders before during and after 9/11 so don't let him fool you.

Making his command center at the WTC site was one of the biggest mistakes. Not aligning the Police and Fire departments so they worked together, communicated to one another as well as provide the proper equipment. His multi million dollar command center was a waste and money that should have been spent on Police and Fire for the communications and equipment they needed a much better use of tax dollars and most likely many of the Police and Fire men/women who died in the 9/11 mess might be alive.

For him to outright state he was at the pile daily and working along side the men digging is a joke. what a scumbag to try to take that credit when he was at Yankees games not at ground zero digging with the rest of the police, fire and volunteers from across the country. See here and here

We don't need the fool who is very similar to Bush and since the majority of the country finally is seeing that the 8 years of hell that Bush has put this country through is enough and putting Rudy in there would just make is 12 years of hell.

Rudy go do your consulting work in the private sector, out of sight and out of mind would be much better for all of us. Some info on Rudy here and here

Bush's State Of The Union (SOTU) 2008

2008-01-29T08:40:00.000-05:00

You can pick up a calendar at ToppleBush.com

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears - George Dubbya and company, just a useless man, a puppet, an unintellegent man, a fool, a greedy and power hungry man no matter what cost to the American people. A man I have absolutely no respect for.

In his 8 years in command he has done more damage than any president of the past 100 years. Let me say if it were a Democratic president with a similar record I would feel the same way.

However, I highly doubt we would be in such a mess if it had been Al gore or John Kerry and I do not feel we would be any less safe. That is the usual Republican scare tactic that has been used for decades. Scare the public with terrorists and such.

It's been proven time and again with fact based reports that we are virtually NO safer today then we were pre 9/11. Yes, they have increased in some areas but we are still vunerable in many areas and nothing has changed even though the "Decider" GW says so.

I didn't watch the idiot speak last night as he is a awful speaker even wth a prepared speech and hard to watch as he is a very smug man, he should be ashamed of himself for all the damage he has done to America and around the world.

In any case I have ripped some of the information from his last SOTU reteric and provided his words and then the actual FACTS on the information from "Think Progress". You will see links to many sources providing the actual facts of the idiots spin on things below.

SOTU: Veterans Health Care Has Gotten Worse Under Bush

Bush said: “Over the past 7 years, we have increased funding for veterans by more than 95 percent. As we increase funding, we must also reform our veterans system to meet the needs of a new war and a new generation.”

FACT — 1.8 MILLION VETERANS LACK HEALTH INSURANCE: “The new study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, estimated that in 2004 nearly 1.8 million veterans were uninsured and unable to get care in veterans’ facilities.” [New York Times, 11/9/07]

FACT — NUMBER OF UNINSURED VETERANS INCREASED BETWEEN 2000 AND 2004: “Just under two million veterans (12.7 percent of non-elderly veterans) were uninsured in 2004, up 290,000 since 2000, the study published in the December, 2007 issue of the American Journal of Public Health found.” [Harvard Science, 10/30/07]

FACT — NEARLY 20 PERCENT OF VETERANS RETURNING FROM IRAQ HAVE MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES: “Screening efforts show 10% to 20% of Marines and soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq may have suffered this wound, according to the Army. The task force last May found that ‘major gaps’ in identifying and treating the injury ‘were created by a lack of coordination and policy-driven approaches.’” [USA Today, 1/18/08]

FACT — NUMBER OF PTSD CASES INCREASING DRAMATICALLY: “The number of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder from the Department of Veterans Affairs jumped by nearly 20,000 — almost 70% — in the 12 months ending June 30, VA records show.” [http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-10-18-veterans-stress_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip]

SOTU: Bush Continues To Seek Warrantless Wiretapping Power Without Any Oversight

Bush said: ” The Congress must pass liability protection for companies believed to have assisted in the efforts to defend America. We have had ample time for debate. The time to act is now.”

FACT — IMMUNITY ABSOLVES TELECOM COMPANIES OF VIOLATING THE LAW: Immunity “would wipe out a series of pending lawsuits alleging violations of privacy rights by telecommunications companies that provided telephone records, summaries of e-mail traffic and other information to the government after Sept. 11, 2001, without receiving court warrants.” [Washington Post 10/18/07]

FACT — WHITE HOUSE SUPPORTS WIRETAP LEGISLATION WITH PRIVACY VIOLATIONS: The Protect America Act gave “U.S. spy agencies expanded power to eavesdrop on foreign suspects without a court order” and “broadly expanded the government’s authority to eavesdrop on the international telephone calls and e-mail messages of American citizens without warrants,” “as long as the target of the government’s surveillance is ‘reasonably believed’ to be overseas.” [Washington Post 08/04/07, New York Times 08/06/07, Washington Post 01/24/08]

FACT — BUSH AND HIS CONSERVATIVE ALLIES ARE BLOCKING THE EXTENSION OF FISA REVISION: With the expiration of the temporary surveillance bill looming, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sought a temporary extension this week in order to avoid “political gamesmanship” while completing the bill, but Senate conservatives blocked it procedurally and Bush issued a veto threat. [The Hill 12/18/07, Politico RESTORE Act]

SOTU: Temporary FISA Extension Will Not Put Any Americans In Danger

Bush said: “One of the most important tools we can give them is the ability to monitor terrorist communications. To protect America, we need to know who the terrorists are talking to, what they are saying, and what they are planning. Last year, the Congress passed legislation to help us do that. Unfortunately, the Congress set the legislation to expire on February 1. This means that if you do not act by Friday, our ability to track terrorist threats would be weakened and our citizens will be in greater danger. The Congress must ensure the flow of vital intelligence is not disrupted.”

FACT — TEMPORARY EXTENSION WOULD ALLOW NEW WIRETAPS TO BE IMPLEMENTED: A temporary extension would prevent the Protect America Act revisions from expiring on February 1, meaning new authorizations for surveillance would continue be governed by the Protect America Act revisions. If the extension is not passed, the Act’s “transition procedures” would cause all new authorizations to be governed by the FISA statute as it existed prior to the Protect America Act revisions. [Protect America Act]

FACT — GOVERNMENT WILL STILL BE ABLE TO WIRETAP TERRORISTS IF PROTECT AMERICA ACT EXPIRES: “Kenneth L. Wainstein, assistant attorney general for national security, said in an interview that if the August bill was allowed to expire in 10 days, intelligence officials would still be able to continue eavesdropping on already approved targets for another year under the law.” [NY Times 01/23/08]

SOTU: Iraqi Security Forces May Not Be Ready For Another Decade

Bush said: “American troops are shifting from leading operations, to partnering with Iraqi forces, and, eventually, to a protective over watch mission.”

FACT — IRAQIS ANTICIPATE TAKING CONTROL OF SECURITY BY 2018:
Iraqi defense minister Abdul Qadir “that his nation would not be able to take full responsibility for its internal security until 2012, nor be able on its own to defend Iraq’s borders from external threat until at least 2018.” [New York Times, 1/15/08]

FACT — CORRUPTION AND SECTARIANISM PLAGUE SECURITY FORCES: “Rampant corruption and lingering sectarianism” within Iraqi security forces are “major hurdles that Iraqi defense and police leaders must overcome in order to take responsibility for Iraq’s security,” according to Gen. James Dubik, head of the Multi-National Security Transition Command in Iraq. “[S]hortages of key personnel, equipment, weaponry and logistical capabilities mean that Iraq’s security forces will probably require U.S. military support for as long as a decade.” [Washington Post, 1/18/08]

SOTU: Bush’s Surge Has Not Worked

Bush said: “While the enemy is still dangerous and more work remains, the American and Iraqi surges have achieved results few of us could have imagined just 1 year ago.”

FACT — VIOLENCE IS DOWN, BUT TROOPS ARE STILL DYING IN IRAQ: A roadside bomb killed five American soldiers today in Mosul, taking to “36 the number of soldiers killed in Iraq this month, up from 23 in December.” [Reuters, 1/28/08]

FACT — IRAQI GOVERNMENT HAS ONLY FULLY MET 3 OF 18 POLITICAL BENCHMARKS:The purpose of the surge was to provide the “breathing space” for political reconciliation to occur. But the Iraqi government has only met three of the 18 benchmarks laid out last year. [Center for American Progress, 1/24/08]

FACT — DE-BAATHIFICATION IS NOT TRUE POLITICAL RECONCILIATION: The de-Baathification law “could actually exclude more former Baathists than it lets back in,” and the “law could set off a new purge of ex-Baathists.” Barely 150 members of the 275-seat parliament attended the session. [NY Times, 1/14/08; Washington Post, 1/22/08; LA Times, 1/13/08]

FACT — VIOLENCE MAY INCREASE IF SADR REVOKES CEASE FIRE: “Influential members of Muqtada al-Sadr’s movement have urged the anti-U.S. Shiite cleric not to extend a cease-fire when it expires next month, officials said Monday, a move that could jeopardize recent security gains.” [AP, 1/28/08]

SOTU: Bush Has Neglected Hurricane Reconstruction

Bush said: “Tonight the armies of compassion continue the march to a new day in the Gulf Coast. America honors the strength and resilience of the people of this region. We reaffirm our pledge to help them build stronger and better than before. And tonight I am pleased to announce that in April we will host this year’s North American Summit of Canada, Mexico, and the United States in the great city of New Orleans.”

FACT — KATRINA HAS SLIPPED FROM BUSH’S RADAR: In the 2007 State of the Union, there wasn’t a single mention of Hurricane Katrina or the ongoing Gulf Coast reconstruction effort. [SOTU, 1/23/07]

FACT — GULF COAST STILL STRUGGLING TO RECOVER: “Almost 40% of the people displaced from New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina” lived “below the poverty line last year,” according to a Census Bureau survey. The survey also found that “nearly a third of those who fled the hurricane could not find jobs last year, and thousands more weren’t trying.” [USA Today, 10/8/07]

FACT — BUSH HAS SHORTCHANGED SCHOOL RECONSTRUCTION: The estimated cost of hurricane-related destruction in K-12 and higher education in Mississippi and Louisiana is $6.2 billion,” but “the federal government has provided only $1.2 billion.” Foreign governments contributed $131.5 million to recovery funding for Louisiana colleges, slightly less than the $135 million contributed by the U.S. government. [Southern Education Foundation, 8/29/06]

SOTU: Bush Has Repeatedly Blocked Global Climate Efforts

Bush said: “And let us complete an international agreement that has the potential to slow, stop, and eventually reverse the growth of greenhouse gases. This agreement will be effective only if it includes commitments by every major economy and gives none a free ride.”

FACT — BUSH BLOCKED GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE EFFORTS: The United States remains the only industrialized nation to refuse to sign the Kyoto Protocol. At the most recent global conference on climate change in Bali, the United States rejected mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions and was “principally responsible for obstructing progress.” [National Geographic, 12/3/07; BBC, 12/15/07; Reuters, 12/13/08]

FACT — ‘MAJOR EMITTERS’ MEETING UNDERMINES GLOBAL EFFORTS: This week, the United States will convene a “major emitters” meeting in Hawaii. By meeting outside of the U.N. framework and by likely agreeing only to “aspirational targets,” Bush’s ‘major emitters’ meetings undermines the efforts of the United Nations to draw up a global binding agreement. [Reuters, 1/27/08; NYT, 9/24/07; BBC, 12/13/07]

SOTU: Standard Deduction Will Increase Taxes While Leaving Millions Uninsured

Bush said: “We share a common goal: making health care more affordable and accessible for all Americans. The best way to achieve that goal is by expanding consumer choice, not government control. So I have proposed ending the bias in the tax code against those who do not get their health insurance through their employer. This one reform would put private coverage within reach for millions, and I call on the Congress to pass it this year.”

FACT — NUMBER OF UNINSURED AMERICANS HAS CONSISTENTLY INCREASED UNDER BUSH: “The number of uninsured Americans rose for the sixth consecutive year in 2006, to 47.0 million, and the number of uninsured children rose for the second straight year, to 8.7 million, according to Census data released on August 28.” [CBPP, 8/28/07]

FACT — STANDARD DEDUCTION WILL STILL LEAVE MILLIONS UNINSURED: Bush’s proposed 2007 deduction “would reduce the number of uninsured by 3 million to 5 million people,” which is low compared to the total number of uninsured. “Many uninsured still won’t be able to afford coverage even with the new deduction. [CNN, 1/23/07]

FACT — STANDARD DEDUCTION LIKELY TO INCREASE TAXES FOR MILLIONS OF AMERICANS: “Initially, only 20 percent of those who are covered through work will see a tax increase, according to White House estimates.” And the number will go up over time, meaning that “ten years after the proposal is in effect, 40 percent of plans will exceed the standard deduction, according to a preliminary analysis of the proposal by the Tax Policy Center.” [CNN, 1/23/07]

SOTU: Bush Wants To Make His Economic Program Permanent

Bush said: “Make the tax relief permanent.”
FACT — COST OF MAKING TAX CUTS PERMANENT IS $4.3 TRILLION OVER 10 YEARS: Making permanent the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts and AMT relief would have a total cost of $4.3 trillion over the next ten years. The President has not proposed any measures to pay for them. [CBPP, 1/28/08]

FACT — BUSH TAX CUTS WILL FURTHER EXACERBATE INCOME INEQUALITY: The tax cuts will increase the after-tax incomes of households with annual incomes above $1 million by an average of 7.5 percent, compared to a 2.3 percent increase for households in the middle of the income spectrum and a 0.5 percent increase for the lowest-income 20 percent of households. [CBPP, 3/19/07]

SOTU: State Of The Economy Is Failing For Americans Who Need It Most

Bush said: “In the long run, Americans can be confident about our economic growth.”

FACT — NUMBER OF AMERICANS LIVING IN POVERTY HAS INCREASED: In 2006, the latest year for which Census Bureau figures are available, 12.3 percent of Americans were living in poverty, compared with 11.7 percent in 2001, the year of the last recession. 36.5 million people were in poverty [Reuters, 1/23/08, Census]

FACT — HOURLY AND WEEKLY WAGES FELL IN 2007: Both hourly and weekly earnings fell in 2007, a sharp reversal from the gains in 2006. After growing by about 2% in 2006, both hourly and weekly earnings fell, after adjusting for inflation, by about 1% last year. [EPI, 1/16/08]

FACT — NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED IS RISING: Between December 2006 and December 2007, the national unemployment rate increased by 13.6 percent in seasonally adjusted terms, from 4.4 to 5.0 percent. The number of unemployed persons increased by 474,000 to 7.7 million in
December. [BLS]

SOTU: Economy Has Benefited Only The Rich

Bush said: “Wages are up, but so are prices for food and gas.”

FACT — HIGH-END INCOMES INCREASED ASTRONOMICALLY: Income inequality grew significantly in 2005, with the top 1 percent of Americans — those with incomes that year of more than $348,000 — receiving their largest share of national income since 1928. [NYT, 3/29/07]

FACT — LOW INCOME-EARNERS SAW MARGINAL WAGE GROWTH. “The increase in incomes of the top 1 percent of Americans from 2003 to 2005 exceeded the total income of the poorest 20 percent of Americans … On average, incomes for the top 1 percent of households rose by $465,700 each, or 42.6 percent after adjusting for inflation. The incomes of the poorest fifth rose by $200, or 1.3 percent, and the middle fifth increased by $2,400 or 4.3 percent.” [NYT, 12/15/07]

Heath Ledger Mocked by John Gibson

2008-01-24T10:27:00.000-05:00

Once again the FOX News gang at its best and in this case it is John Gibson (see to the left, scary), what a bunch of rotten folks at the Faux News Channel and Radio Shows. Rupert Murdoch has the best folks working for him they truly are like he is a ruthless pig always looking for power, money and to spit on the rest of us. Fox should be ashamed for allowing their gang of fools to spread further lies as is proven daily by a variety of sites that give the actual facts to the stories they spin daily.

John Gibson surely deserves to be at the top of what is called WORSE PERSON honors for joking/making fun of and commenting on Heath Ledger yesterday on his radio show. It is very sad when we as a society have to stoop to the lowest lows to get ratings, to get a laugh at the expense of others we don't even personally know or have ever met before. I hope his listeners weren't laughing and wrote or called in to criticize him for his way out of bounds comments/jokes. See here, here, here, and here

I didn't know Heath Ledger personally, I like some of his movies and he had a wide range of roles over the past 12 years of his movie/TV career and taking on Brokeback Mountain was a huge risk but he pulled it off flawlessly and learned allot about people and life as he has stated in several interviews about that role and that he takes roles on to test himself, to learn and grow as many actors do. To you Heath thanks for the enjoyable film roles and I am sure an intense "Joker" in the next Batman Movie do out this summer.

Regardless of how he died whether by accident, carelessness on his part we may never really know. They say in 10-14 days they will have further test results to get a conclusive answer. No matter what 28yrs old with a baby and many years ahead is simply to young! That goes for any young person who's life is cut short. So to mock someone you don't know, to be down right cruel in a public venue is just wrong Johnny Gibson. Your day will come scumbag as they say what goes around comes around and I hope for you sooner rather than later!

Bush Made False Statements on Iraq

2008-01-23T10:19:00.000-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears the Bush crime family. The village idiot once again a news story and rightly so. In just two years of fact checking 935 FALSE STATEMENTS were made. I am sure if we looked at the entire time from before the war until now it could easily be double or triple that number. In any case we are talking about 935 times in a two year period that lies/false hoods were stated by Bush and his criminal administration, see here and here and here

This awful human being and probably the worst president in history or at least the past 100 years lied and has literally murdered almost 4,000 men and women of the U.S. armed forces all for his/his administrations lies, greed and need for power. Yes, Saddam was an awful man but we had no right to go there this time as we did with world support and clear reasons in 1991 under Daddy Bush.

This time was revenge, was Bush Jr over stepping his bounds. Iraq was once one of the richest countries, one of the most highly educated societies and rich in history, culture and actually many of the people there liked the U.S. Saddam was a dictator but was of no threat proven time and again in the past 5 years. Instead we go and destroy him, his country, and divide his people as well as kill 4,000 of our own and tens of thousands permanently crippled and NOT getting the help they deserve at home. Let's not forget the 100,000's of Iraq citizens killed and crippled as well thanks to our invasion of FORCED democracy. Another disastrous blunder to show in the history books for the U.S. Lastly the TRILLION, yes "T" not "B" this war will cost us, that is yours and my tax money that could have been spent here where it should have been.

We as a country should be ashamed and most of all the man who calls himself the "Decider" the current fool of a President should be ashamed and impeached for all the wrong he has done. Yet I still hear many of his supporters say "he's a good man", "he tries, he has Christian values". Let me tell you none of that has done a thing for the U. S. or around the world except putting the U.S. further down the line of being hated and or finding friends in other parts of the world unless we buy them with money or goods. I could go on with all the horrible things Bush has done or not done, "Katrina", what a sick government when we can't/won't and wait for public opinion and news coverage to force Bush Administration into action to help those folks in the Gulf affected by that disaster, to see our own citizens dieing and our Government idle. This covers both political parties, I would feel the same way if it had been a Democratic president.

It will be a wonderful day once this whole group of scumbags (current administration) are gone from Washington and hopefully we can instill someone with some form of intelligence, morals, values and actual concern for the people of this country. As stated in the Constitution "We the People" so folks we the people need to get out and vote and speak up as only we as a society, a people, as a collective can elect change and make changes happen.

It is obvious I am not a Republican, however, let me state that the current Democratic controlled congress is NOT doing very well and have not spoken loud enough or hard enough or fought for the changes that the majority of this country want and need and often stated in national polls. So speak up, write, call your local congressional office, I have emailed mine and I often receive a response via email or in actual postal mail letters. See the U.S. Constitution and other documents of our history that all our government and people should read more often to keep themselves in check and why we have these great historical laws and documents and what it seems in many ways we as a nation have lost.

San Francisco Tiger attack victim was intoxicated, taunting

2008-01-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

You Know what Really Grinds Mt Gears, stupid people, and there is no excuse because they are teenagers. Common sense of which seems to be something more and more people are lacking these days. Sadly a boy was killed, the innocent tiger killed and the other victims whom are lucky to be alive were the cause of it all. The one victim has now admitted to taunting the animal. Once again alcohol and drugs in the hands of the young and we see the sad results with death and injury.

Yes, the Zoo did not have the proper height on the walls from another story (here)and that has sense been corrected and no other incidents had happened at any zoos with big cats because of wall height. In this case the animal was taunted and death occurred all because of stupidity. See story here

Bill O'Reilly Mocks Homeless Veteran's

2008-01-16T22:35:00.000-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears, the lack of care our veteran's receive. To have people like Bill O'Lielly on TV spewing his usual BS, providing most often incorrect or bias information on so many things and so often he is proven WRONG and once again the idiot on the fake news Fox does it again but really shows the enemy he is to the veteran's.

Last night, (Tues 1/15/08) Bill O'Reilly raised an important topic on his television show: the plight of homeless veterans.

Unfortunately, he got the facts wrong, which is often proven on many topics he attempts to cover.

O'Reilly: "They (homeless veterans) may be out there, but there's not many of them out there. Okay?...If you know where there is a veteran, sleeping under a bridge, you call me immediately, and we will make sure that man does not do it."

Despite O'Reilly's doubts, the facts are irrefutable. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, almost 200,000 veterans sleep on our nation's streets each night. And Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are joining those ranks at an alarming rate. This is one of the Bush Administration's most embarrassing statistic and one they should be very ashamed of.

With the current war going toward a trillion of our tax dollars when all is said and done. We can thank greed of the Bush crime family along with the lies of the administration that got us fully involved in the Iraq mess. The facts prove we should have never been there, no WMD's and I could go on. Now almost 4,000 men and women are dead for us, the U.S. always being the bully and forcing our foreign policies on other countries and cultures. Bush is probably the worst in history when it comes to foreign policy.

For about 2.6 billion per year the U.S. could provide full care for the 200,000 plus homeless veteran's and something our tax dollars would be much better spent on and not this awful mess the current idiot Bush got us into, makes me sick thinking about it all and those good men and woman killed and the tens of thousand wounded or cripled for life and they have a hard time getting help from our government.

See Bill run his big mouth and as usual not stick to what he said he would do. Bill you are already an awful human being but this takes you even lower, you make me sick. What a poor excuse for a U.S. Citizen you are Bill O'Lielly, you are UNAMERICAN pal all the way.
See here.

Port Authority Tries To Reduce Noise At WTC Site

2008-01-16T14:45:00.000-05:00

We all know that the PORT AUTHORITY grinds my gears to the max and so I am betting this is the latest outcome from the community meetings I have not been able to attend. See story here.

The PA says they are sympathetic to our concerns. What a crock, they have been making noise for months and months well over a year. The past few months being the worst of all, however, the fact that they agreed to a contract with very short completion dates was the biggest mistake and "we" the thousands of residents in the area affected by this mess have to endure.

This offer to put in soundproof windows sounds great but I wonder if anyone has checked with Peter/Lee at 90 West because I highly doubt they would allow that to be done to just tenants who wanted it or a select few. I would bet and I could be wrong that it would be all or none and at the PA's expense which would be astronomical to retro fit/replace all the windows at 90 West Street or any other large bldg affected by this unsympathetic organization.

Remember folks the PA has cart blanch to do whatever they need to as the noise laws DO NOT apply to the PA. Why do you think when you call 311 you get nothing. The PA has the right to do what they must in order to get work done and as always it comes down to dollars and the more time they are NOT working the quicker the huge fortune they must spend because they are behind schedule. I re-iterate we all pay the price so they don't have to. You know either way this will translate into fare increases due to there high cost overruns, lawsuits and out of court settlements, the PA has going on.

In any case, the best bet would be to just stop working by 11pm and not start until 7-8am weekdays and make it even stricter on weekends as none of us deserves to pay for their errors although many of us have and will continue to do so. Of course, the sound proofing windows sound great but I really bet they won't be able to deliver! Go ahead PA and 90 West prove me wrong!

Thanks PA for being so sympathetic, if you honestly were you would abide by the hours of work mentioned above on weekdays and weekends that would show true concern and working with the community. Many of us purposely moved back to re-invigorate the area after the 9/11 catastrophe made lower Manhattan the NO GO ZONE.

America's Giving Challenge will receive $50,000 for their cause

2008-01-10T11:18:00.000-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears – Killing animals, I know sadly in some cases we must because of the over abundance of so many animals. I hate to think about it and know that with the care and concern of so many we can help allot more of these animals find homes or sanctuaries to live there lives. Puppy mills across the country as well as just folks not spaying/neutering their pets is a large reason for the over population.

There are so many wonderful adoptable pets and all my life from when I was a child until now I have always picked out animals at shelters and have always had the most wonderful friendly, loving cats and dogs and it was so nice to save so many lives over the decades.

A key thing to always remember is that a pet is a huge responsibility and they take up time and care and love just like a child so know it will change your daily routines, travel and so on but to me it so worth it in every way.

Spaying/neutering really does make a difference and most people seem to follow this but more need to in order to help reduce the over population of dogs and cats. Many shelters offer that free of charge or at a much-reduced rate.

I am writing today to get some help with a small local organization in NJ that has grown but its funds have not and they are in a contest to get a $50,000 grant via the Kevin Bacon charity organization (Six Degrees) along with (Case Foundation) and (Parade on America's Giving Challenge). This is not about the amount of money but about the amount of people who contribute. It is a minimum of $10 but the key here is the more individuals the better, see photo of web page above and link here.

The Cruelty of Politics and The Current Presidential Pack of Meanies

2008-01-07T16:40:00.000-05:00

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears - Mean people, which pretty much describes the entire pack of Republican and Democratic Presidential candidates. This is not about my party affiliation this covers both sides and each should be ashamed of themselves for being down right cruel to one another.

I don't recall when I was young seeing or hearing such deplorable things being said about other people whether the opposing party or their own. It may have been that way but we didn't see or hear it as much, however, today with media coverage almost over bearing all in of itself we seem to get all the rotten politics and the worst side of what human beings are capable of. This time around we have a two new things we have never had before, race and gender. These two things have brought the stakes higher and the cruelty lower then low with nasty words, comments, lies. If you look back through history it has been filled with lies and incorrect information for both Repubs and Dems.

To all the candidates I say, stick to the issues and concerns we all have for ourselves, our people and the country and cut the personal attacks, grow up, this isn't high school boys and girls.

Port Authority Mismanagement of WTC Contruction

2008-01-02T11:13:00.000-05:00

The useless Port Authority has another blunder (see here)to bare and sadly thousands of us residents in the area are paying for their mistakes yet again. Back in November they made a terrible error that forced all of the residents of 90 West Street out of our apartments for 8 days and fending for ourselves for a few days until they marginally stepped up to the plate to claim responsibility.

Now myself with thousands of others must endure all night long construction and I mean LOUD noise whether windows are closed or not and maybe if you live on the inside of the bldg you are somewhat shielded but for the most part all residents in my bldg are not happy along with dozens of other apartment bldgs in the area dealing with all night high volume noise. Calling 311 is useless, a joke and with nasty operators to say the least.

What has happened is the Port in their usual mismanagement style are behind a deadline they agreed to and it is going to cost them between 9 and 13.5 billion, yes billion dollars for their progress. However, they are now scrambling with the construction company to complete it as quickly as possible as the expense of all who live near by and at quite high rents for the most part. Many of us moved to the area a few years back to help revitalize the area and support the business and community and it is a nice area. However, the quality of life has been well below acceptable for a long time now and no one seems to have any authority to step in and get them to stop the overnight work. I am tired along with thousands of others not getting much sleep and this includes weekends and weeknights. To you Port Authority I say shame on you! I will not support anything you want as now I see your strong arm tactics like with the damage you did to 90 West. Your "I don't care about anyone else except ME, the Port Authority organization and your own greedy goals".

To All A Happy, Healthy, Hearty & Safe 2008

2007-12-31T10:55:00.000-05:00

Above are the windows of my apartment that many have seen from far and wide in lower Manhattan, Battery Park City and even from Jersey City waterfront. Of course the Lazy fur "Lady" whom liked hanging around all the gifts too!

First off hoping everyone enjoyed Christmas as well as Hanukkah earlier in the month.

As always with Christmas for myself I go all out to decorate for myself and others to get into the spirit and try to give to many others in a variety of ways. I have been fortunate in life to usually have what I want for the most part. I grew up in a very average blue collar family but Mom and Dad always made the holidays grand even on the low to moderate income of my Father whom worked hard at the same power company for 45 years in New Jersey. Mom was home taking care of the home and all the boys.

I have tried and often accomplish giving much to others regardless of the cost although I can easily go overboard, however, that is part of who I am and I make do with what I have and what I can do for family, friends and others.

Give it a try, be nice to others, treat others as you want to be treated and even if they are not over friendly go ahead and be nice anyway.

Our country, NYC and the world need allot more of it as I see more bitterness and unfriendly folks all the time and it's a shame really. Get out there and give a hand a smile or help to others around you, it not only feels good it shows we all have some form of compassion for others and especially those of us less fortunate.

To all a very happy, healthy and safe New Year, make it a good one as 2007 was a bit rough in many ways for many of us, myself included!

Hate Crimes, Such a Sad Thing Really

2007-12-12T15:23:00.000-05:00

I love NYC and when I hear and read about things like this is makes me sad. I know how it is to be a minority and what it is like to be hated by others for not being the "society norm". Being different is a bad thing in some people's eyes.

Here were 4 men on the subway who happened to be Jewish and they were saying Happy Hanukkah. 10 people started beating them, most of them have been apprehended and 2 have a criminal record of past hate crimes. See story here.

Come on people we all can't like one another and that is fine but no need for violence and hate to be spewed about, just unacceptable behavior and fortunately in this case the criminals were caught.

Let's just get along and try to be nice to one another you'd be surprised how easy it really is.

Michael Vick - Deserved a Harsher Sentence!

2007-12-11T10:14:00.000-05:00

Here is Nathan and my kid - "Lady", some of you who live at 90 West and in Battery Park City know her well and she is a dog that loves to meet all people, all other dogs and cats and anything and everyone. We are very lucky to have rescued her before she was put to sleep a couple years ago. Anyone who knows her can't imagine that happening.

Onto this Vick character, what an awful person in my opinion.
I remember when this happened and how enraged I felt that anyone could be so inhumane, so cruel to any living creature. I know many people don't care much for or about animals and on the other hand many do. Yesterday's verdict and information on the Vick case here.

I did find it interesting with all the wealthy white far right men I work with most said, "it's only a dog", "he doesn't deserve to be cut from football or go to jail". I sat in amazement when I heard more than a dozen men I worked with. It also showed me things I had already suspected about them and how typical their line of thinking was with there peers all over the country. All of those men are football junkies who have betting pools and all that so it was a critical blow for all of that useless stuff.

I am glad he was given more than the recommended sentence, I of course would have made it longer. To me he is a total scumbag with no feelings, no heart, no concern for other living things just his own greed and need to feel the power of being a rich man who could do what he wants when he wants and not be questioned.

To think you could actually electrocute, drown, choke and beat to death a living animal that looks to us for the most part for care and love and a desire to be part of the family. For me my dog Lady (shown above) is my child and to think of anyone harming her in any capacity makes me angry. I can only imagine the horror those poor animals went through in fighting other dogs but the horror not being able to defend themselves against Vick and his co-Hort's. Makes me sick, so I hope he gets his ass kicked to say the least in prison and he should NEVER be allowed back in the NFL. He blew his chance, he came from nothing and made himself a star and he is and was an excellent football player. He destroyed that all on his own and he has a past record of many incidents with the law so he does not deserve another break or chance. He will just have to fend for himself, or he should. We know he will get our early and be back in the game and making millions in no time but he does not deserve to.

On the local news after discussing the Vick case they showed talked about local connections in NJ/NY and how dog fighting is not a common thing here as there are too many people and or chance of witnesses and other problems. See story and video and beware some content is not easy to view but fortunately all the puppies shown are ok and adoptable, see here.

Port Authority is a Shameless Organization

2007-12-10T15:44:00.000-05:00

This is a story about what happens when a corporate behemoth - Port Authority (PA) does something wrong and can walk all over the people it had displaced and really could give a dam about. Three days after the incident at 90 West Street, (see here) they suddenly stepped up and said, "We did it, we'll take care of you, your expenses, hardships as it was our fault". At first, I was surprised and felt maybe we will get the help we deserve, as our bldg mgmt did not have a plan in place for any form of disaster and sadly, I doubt very many residential apartment bldgs do have such a plan. This, however, was a wake up call to our bldg and any residential bldg in the event of any disaster. All corporate bldgs have disaster and evacuation plans in place, residential ones should as well. Our lease is a contract with the bldg and they are responsible for our safety on that property. I hope going forward the events of the fire (see here) at the Deutsche Bank Bldg directly behind 90 West Street and the Port Authorities’ careless work practices in the WTC construction site that caused this mess back on November 26th will not happen in the future, HOPEFULLY!

The Port stepped up and a meeting occurred with the OEM, PA, BCRE (Bldg Owners) and a few hundred displaced, stressed out, upset tenants. NY1 and NBC News 4 covered this meeting along with a few newspapers and City Councilman Gerson. The PA promised they would take care of things and many questions were asked to the bldg and the Port with very few answers. We were told information would be posted on the residents/bldg website from the bldg owners and the PA. Neither came about as promised and we as a large group had to call and email continuously asking for answers. We heard virtually nothing, much more communication was happening between us residents. With our communications, we demanded answers and had a second meeting three days after the initial meeting and still many issues left unanswered and no representation from the PA at the second meeting.

PA supposedly called the bldg owners prior to the meeting to say they will offer $750 per day per apartment to cover expenses, just some random number it appeared. Many apartments have families, married couples etc and it costs significantly more than $750 per day in Manhattan on the fly with this emergency. In any case, many people just accepted the offer. The PA was offering to pay by check as soon as you signed a form releasing them of all liability now and in the future. We residents have no way of knowing the possible effects from the two bacteria’s and other filth that contaminated the bldg on us, our families, or pets.

I am an average middle aged man and I make an ok living but not one where I can just go out and charge $3,000-$4,000 in 7 days on just hotels alone not to mention all the incidentals for pets and food and necessities. Worst of all was being forced out of our homes, stressed out, missing work (of which I am not paid for time off along with many others).

I went to the Port Authority Claims Center (Saturday December 8) that was being operated by a law firm and on the phone they were as sickening sweet as possible. I went there with a few fellow tenants and two of us were asking questions and no one would provide answers and eventually we were thrown out as you were only suppose to be there to sign the form and pick up your check and leave. You were not suppose to speak to your fellow tenants or ask the law firm questions or put on the form that I was signing under "extreme duress". They wanted to close the book on this for us little people and thought they were giving us a windfall with the ($750 per day x 8 = $6,000) per apartment they were offering.

They forced many to do this very quickly, as the entire situation was rushed on their end with vague communications, as was our bldg at times. The PA put out information that was mostly passed through Tenants a couple days ago that the last day to come claim a check in person was this past Saturday and after that all would be handled by mail. Many people like me showed up, as we needed the money to pay the high interest rate credit cards as well as our December rent (although we were not charged for the days we were not in the bldg).

For all the hardship, we incurred PA you should be very ashamed of yourselves and held further accountable, I am sure BCRE will reap millions in their losses and the expense of all repairs. PA’s awful treatment of the very people you displaced is unacceptable! You turned our lives upside down because of your carelessness on the job at the rebuilding site of the WTC. It just shows the real PA, it shows who you really are and that is a very sad. The PA is so eager to keep its image from being tarnished in the public eye but you failed miserably this time. Your continuous errors prove your incompetence in the things you do and show you have no real concern for people only your own greedy needs.

Remember PA you will have an additional 1,000 eyes watching you from 90 West so make sure you do the right things going forward.

As for BCRE, I personally feel they should have been more involved in this and communications were not great, I know I had to continuously push for information and or communicate things to the rest of the residents since the bldg often was not. We were fortunate it was not a big disaster as we had no hall or stair lighting the first day and half, which was inexcusable that those systems for emergency purposes were not up to spec as it endangered many of us. I hope BCRE you will put some sort of plans in place in case any other incidents happen. It would make all of us feel better knowing we are safe as can be in the event of future problems.
Lastly, I moved there as I loved the old bldg and I liked lower Manhattan and I was part of the original people to move in while the bldg was still being renovated. A time when it was a call from the city for people to return to lower Manhattan and help and I did and I have stayed by choice and hell my dog loves it down here too. However, the events that occurred should not happen again and if we have a Tenants Association, it will allow us to have a loud voice with the bldg as well as with the City and the Port Authority.

NY CARES COAT DRIVE

2007-12-06T08:30:00.000-05:00

NY CARES is doing there 19th annual coat drive of which is extremely successful every year and such a good thing as we all have coats we rarely wear or ever wear (Donations are limited to winter coats only and can be accepted up until Monday December 31st) . If you have a clean coat in decent condition drop one off. Many large firms, stores, and pharmacies have drop boxes in their lobbies, store fronts, receptions desks and near entrance and exits. See the link below to read about it and about the organization of which is very well known and you can do so many things to help others in a wide variety of ways. Take a look, go ahead, come on click it, it really isn't a bad thing, promise! ;) http://www.nycares.org/

To anyone at 90 West Street if you have a coat you want to give let me know as I would be happy to drop them off as I go by a few drop boxes on the way to the office as well as in the lobby of my office bldg. Just leave comments with contact info to the post here and we can figure out a time when we can meet in the bldg or stop by and just drop off at my apt.

Thanks to all and to all a great holiday season!

Community Board 1 Meeting (Covers all of Lower Manhattan) Peter Levenson Will be Speaking

2007-12-05T12:55:00.000-05:00

THERE WILL BE A COMMUNITY BOARD 1 MEETING TONIGHT TO DISCUSS 90 WEST, Financial District Committee.

DATE: Wednesday, December 5, 2007 TIME: 6:00 PM PLACE: Community Board #1 Office49-51 Chambers Street, Room 709.

Link to Google Maps for the exact location - http://maps.google.com/maps?tab=wl R/W or 4/5/6 trains to City Hall and very short walk to the bldg on the north side of City Hall Park.

Agenda: Update on 90 West Street by Peter Levenson, Partner, 90 West Street I received this information from Tom Goodkind, a member of the Community Board, and he would like the residents to be present for this meeting to get information on residents’ experiences, good and bad, so that the Community Board can work in assisting 90 West residents and put recommendations in place for the future. This also may address the NOISE that many of us at 90 West listen too all night long, like last night for example!

I know it is hard after all the things we have all been through and missing work, school and just our daily lives but the more who can attend and speak up the better. Myself I doubt I can get there but will attempt too for sure.

Was nice to see that the water has tested ok along with the other tests on their second pass.

I Returned to 90 West @ 7am 12/4/07

2007-12-04T08:38:00.000-05:00

It was nice to get into the bldg and apt. However, the lobby still stinks badly, Louis is as miserable, unfriendly and unhelpful as always (just my personal experience with him) and when I got into my apt the heaters were on in both my rooms, I wonder if they turned them on Sunday, yesterday etc and they closed my windows too. When you enter a tenants apt to do work or to test things it should be LEFT AS YOU FOUND IT, however, in that bldg it's never the case in all the years I have been there from my own experiences.

Anyhow being we are not suppose to drink or cook with the water I don't think we should be paying rent for today either as we can't completely live there as normal. I plugged the computers back in, let them all start to catch back up with all the downloads/updates they missed and set all the clocks, ran some hot water with soap for some dirty dishes and off to work I went. It is so nice out, yes I love the cold, wind, snow, my favorite and the dog too, she loves it! I know most of you are saying "What!" Yes, I am one of those folks who loves winter much more than summer!

I was also disappointed that they didn't have cases of bottled water downstairs for today so we have drinking water without having to schlep to the store. It would have been a really nice gesture and very helpful to us all.

Welcome home folks, kind of, at least we can get in there, it was very nice to walk into my apt and know I could stay. However, with the information the bldg provided with concerns of contamination of water, air for us all it makes me a bit nervous to go back as that means we have had this for a long time and it was only found out or made public becuase of the current mess.

As with anything time will tell and we must as a group keep up on this if we want to be heard and or to make sure things get corrected or addressed and not just forgotton as so often is the case.

Welcome Home 12/04/07 Starting at 7am

2007-12-03T14:57:00.000-05:00

Dear Residents,

Welcome Home!
We are pleased that we will reopen tomorrow (Tues 12/4 at 7am). We look forward to seeing you then.

90 West St Management

I'm sure it is too late for some of you to avoid additional charges for cancelling a hotel reservation but try to explain to the hotel the situation and maybe they will make an exception as the place I am staying is doing for me?

Now let's hope all goes well with the move back as well as the bldg and it's renovated systems as I don't want to loose power or have to move back out again, I know no one does of course.

Have a good day all and hope to meet and see more of you folks in the bldg!

Tentative Return to 90 West - 12/4/07

2007-12-03T10:25:00.000-05:00

As most or all of you know we are still suppose to be able to return home tomorrow (Tuesday December 4th). However, I have seen no new information on the 90 West Bldg website besides the afternoon "Construction Update" and the diligent work being done. I commend that and that is what should be done at the very least. However, we are still short on information in relation to the Port Authority of whom should have been at the Saturday meeting. Thus continued unanswered questions as a group, as usual we are told "if you have questions, call the Port Authority Hot Line", that is not acceptable personally.

To see the "Construction Update" log into the bldg website - http://www.90westresidents.com/default.asp

I know many of you have concerns about checking out tomorrow morning as many hotels require you advise them before noon today, we are approaching that time very quickly. I am fortunate in that my hotel said no problem just let us know when you know as they understood my situation. I know many may not receive that compassion or assistance at the Hampton Inn/Hilton has done for me.

When I am at work during the week I have virtually NO access to personal email and I cannot and would not use my work email as I am first off not an employee nor do I feel proper using that account for my personal issues although I would like to in the capacity of us all keeping together. I will re-iterate that as a larger group we have a loud voice and some clout to address issues with the current situation as well as going forward in the future.

I have lived in NYC on and off for many years and have been apart of other tenant associations. They are a good thing and it does NOT require allot of your time as you may think. If anything it is more of a place to voice concerns to the leadership of the association and to have our group and individual issues addressed, corrected, dealt with etc instead of "ok, we'll get to it, or we wrote it down, or yes, that is a concern" and than nothing is ever done.

Whether it be a gas leak, none of us ever heard of which was recently brought to our attention, whether the sewage smell, mold, smelly washing machine rooms and the water being used in those machines? I have been to many of the laundry rooms which are awful and I have had to wash clothes more than once to alleviate the problem.

Small and large issues can be addressed by a Tenant Association verses the individual with a small voice. That is why you have seen emails from the from a GMAIL account, check your junk mail as those emails had allot of information as well as a link to sign up for the Tenant Association.

As for the Port Authority's sudden settlement # of $750 a day per apartment, I am not sure that is proper and I will not fill out any forms or sign anything until I am at the very least back in my apartment and all is working as should be and as expected for the rents we pay and the reason we chose the bldg we live in and I have been there since they were reconstucting the bldg. I moved in when many apartments still were not even built or finished on floors above and below and on 21 where I have been since moving there.

It has been nice to have met a few of you in person and or talk to others I say hello to all the time but never knew you and to the many, many dog owners. I know my big furry girl "Lady" is anxious to return as she loves it there and of course over by the river of which is such a great place to take your animal as well as for us humans to enjoy the fresh air, the river, the beauty of a park in the midst of a concrete jungle.

I hope you all are ok and I hope we can all get back home on Tuesday!

90 West Saturday Meeting Results

2007-12-01T17:37:00.001-05:00

For those who did not make the meeting here is some basic information. Peter stated and I quote "We will be providing more information via the 90 West building website and the phone blasts via the cell phones and I will send updated info in case someone misses the once I see them or hear about them.

They are anticipating a Tuesday December 4th return to our apts, this in NOT guaranteed but the plan. This all depends on the electrical systems and testing and recertification, if not Tuesday they said Wednesday morning. Peter did say though that in house phone service may NOT be available for several days or more, if you have a cell phone you are fine. Verizon is not sure on the length of time, it may be right away but be prepared not to have land line service in your apartment. The gas lines have been re-certified and stoves have been hooked up and all should be working with the gas as of today.

The Port Authority has come up with a number for us all, a daily allowance of $750 for our daily expenses (lodging, food, taxi, train, car rentals etc), not this is just the general number per apartment, there will be some of you with special circumstances etc and Peter Levinson said you must contact the 800 hot line for the Port Authority or go direct to the office at the Ritz Carlton, rm 417 as they are there today and tomorrow from 7am-9pm. You must call and or go to the Port's claim office in order to sign papers and receive a check most likely by mail in a short period, none was really given but they say it could be by weeks end providing you have contacted them.

If we return Tuesday they would provide each apartment with a $750 daily allowance x's 8 days = $6,000 with NO RECEIPTS required, however, if special circumstances or your totals each day were more you must contact the Port folks. Questions arose about 2/3 bedroom apartments so that is question for the port folks Peter stated.

As for the bike room, Peter along with some of the bike owners need to approach the Port as that should be an expense above and beyond the $750 so Peter is suppose to go forward with telling them that all the bikes need to be cleaned, change parts as needed, re-lubed and tuned up at a local bike shop so they are like new. Maybe the Port will just replace them, so any bike owners should get together and talk with Peter/Lee and approach the Port as soon as possible. As for Car owners Peter said that is between, Icon, your personal auto policy and the Port.

Onto the rent for December, for the days we were NOT in the bldg we will be credited our daily rent, 8 days off the December rent bill and that should be in the billing we will receive after we have returned and got settled. Of course depending on your monthly rent will determine your end number, in my case for example it will be btwn 8-900 off for December.

If you are in dire need of funds immediately please contact them or go there and they should be able to help, if not you must contact Peter and Lee and let them know you have a hardship case and are not getting anywhere with the Port folks and they will assist as that is what they stated at the meeting today.

Anyhow hope all are faring well and it was good to hear we may be back in much sooner than originally expected.

Have a good evening,
Stuart Apt 21M

90 West Meeting Today 2pm 100 Trinity Place

2007-12-01T10:30:00.001-05:00

As you all are aware after many emails, phone calls yesterday to BCRE, Councilman's Office and many of you a meeting is happening. Today we should hopefully get allot of answers and have the majority on the same page with what is happening and how we are to handle things.

We are also forming an official Tenants Association for 90 West residents if you want to participate. A large majority do and I will be sending you an email as a group, it is a restricted email list so no ones email will be public or given away etc. I will manage the list and you may opt out by just replying and I will remove you. Remember the idea of such an association is about future protections for us and our homes and to hold the bldg accountable to hold up their end of the lease. If you read the lease, long it is but it states we have many entitlements. Again this was NOT the bldg or managements fault, however, we have rights and we should stand up together for them and 400-500-600 voices make a statement where one does very little as many of you have experienced in the past for various issues large and small. Again you will see an email at some point today and just reply if you would like to be removed.

Further information will be provided about the Tenant's Association after the meeting at 100 Trinity with the bldg mgmt. Jennifer, Joe and Pamela will be handing out further details.

Hope all of you are fairing well in these extraordinary circumstances.

Concerns Over 90 West Claims Ctr & The Sudden Lack of Involvement from the Port and BCRE

2007-11-30T09:14:00.000-05:00

I just sent an email to Peter/Lee requesting a full meeting to address us all on the claims processes, details, allowances etc so we all know what to do and what to expect. The more I read or hear about this individual contact and the possible intimidation that could come along the stronger I feel about a large group meeting with Legal/Port/BCRE/Councilmen Gerson and the news once again. That's how I feel and the actions I have taken in contacting Lee/Peter, whether they will set up a meeting, I have no idea but maybe more of you should send an email to lrosen@bcreusa.com. Hope all of you are making out ok and thanks to all who continue to comment with advice, opinions, and information. I have also emailed the NYC Councilman who is our rep for that part of the city and he was helpful at the meeting on Wednesday evening.
gerson@council.nyc.ny.us. We need to have this townhall meeting folks so please call or email them to make it happen this weekend. If you have noticed the updates at the 90 west website had stopped back on Wednesday and no other info besides the hotline has come out and many, many things were promised and spoken about that we were told would be in writing. In any case we need to hold all those accountable for what we need and to keep us all informed from one source or the three (Port Authority, BCRE, John Riddle Assocs). If we have a meeting and more should be able to attend on the weekend it would give us all the info in one place and then the many questions that we all may have could be answered at once verses tidbits here and there as seems to be happening through just us tenants. A tenants association needs to be formed folks for future issues. As a group we have some clout as individuals against the "machine" we have little leverage. Thanks to all and please write or call Lee/Peter and Alan Gerson to get this townhall meeting to happen. The emails are above as for phone - 90 West is 212-587-9090 and Alan Gerson's office is - (212) 788-7722