So check out the video link below and you tell me "what is really going on???"

Black Women Dropped the Ball(Attitude,Weave and Disrespect) - The most popular videos are a click away

So what the problem is???
Is this young sista right???
Are "Black Women" dropping the ball on their "Black Men???"
So in the tradition of "Culturally Conscious" it is really important that we keep it real...
So culturally, we as a people must heal ourselves if we need healing...

"Did Black Women Drop the Ball???"

Obama mixes holiday and politics in Montana - Reuters

The Early Word- Pie in the Big Sky- - New York Times, United States

Today on the presidential campaign trail - The Associated Press

Barack Obama now wears his patriotism on his lapel - Los Angeles Times, CA

In Montana, Obama Tries to Rally Support on Iraq - New York Times, United States

In Montana on the Fourth, a Barometer of Obama's Chances - Washington Post, United States

Obama’s Independence Day - FoxNews

Obama Enjoying the Red and Blue of Montana - ABC News

Obama and family spend Fourth of July in Montana - The Associated Press

WE CAN'T KEEP DRIVING OUR SUVs AND EATN’ OUT AND SHOOTING OFF FIREWORKS:

We can't keep using up 99% of the worlds fireworks with only 5% of the world’s crackers in our country. We must be cognizant of the fact that the rest of the world does not have access to these fireworks because of Americans' greed. We must step into the twenty-first century and come along side our less fortunate societies that don't have a 4th of July on their calendar.

THIS TRADITION FORCED ON US BY WHITE EUROPEAN SUPREMACISTS HAS TO GO!

We cannot continue a tradition that is not shared by the rest of our world wide brothers. We cannot continue a celebration that encourages increasing our carbon footprint! We cannot carry on a tradition that is based on the maiming and killing just to start a new country. We cannot support a tradition that included torturing our worthy opponents. We cannot continue to support a tradition that is not celebrated by 95% of the world's population. We cannot support a tradition that was the beginning of the end for our polar bears in Alaska.

THAT IS WHY I AM PROPOSING A NEW CELEBRATION FOR THE LOSERS OF THE WORLD:

This new holiday will not be held on the 4th of July but on the 13th of July. The day that represents bad luck! The day that will go down in history as a day of rejoicing for losing a war, a country, a nation. A day for all of the losers to come out and shout, "Good Ridens, We didn't want you in our lives any way!" Yes losers everywhere, in every nation, of every race will be able to jump for joy and shout, "We don't care about you , we lost and you didn't!"

AND NO MORE SPARKERLERS, FIRECRACKERS, OR FIREWORKS:

Did you see Bush yesterday lighting those sparkerlers with those kids at the White House; we'll talk about that supremacist name later. He was all smiling and giddy like. He doesn't care that that sparkerler puts out carbon dioxide emissions. He doesn't care that that sparkerler may injure the child's retina. Those guys just don't care just like the men who started this whole waste of time phenomenon that is the blight of the world. We will never us fire to represent our country again; it is suppressive and sends the wrong message to our friends and our enemies. Well just last week I was talking with Osama, Ahmadinejad and Hugo, and they all said that "That firecracker thing has to go". They said that our celebration only leads to infuriating their anti-American sentiment and makes them angry enough to show us their fire.

WE WILL CELEBRATE BY WAVE WHITE FLAGS:

Yes waving white flags in the middle of the day will save energy, think of the polar bears; appease our enemies, no more fires or explosions; help us see our friendly neighbors face to face, instead of hiding in the night; and give the world a symbol for losers everywhere to unite and come together.

MICHELLE SAYS THAT SHE HAS NEVER BEEN PROUD OF THE 4TH OF JULY:

Yes folks if we can just move away from are addiction to carbon fueled celebrations then we can bring that sense of pride back to Michelle and the millions of disenfranchised losers out there who stay home and hunker down in the corner of their rooms during all of that god awful noise and fire. The losers will come out of their embarrassed shells and share their lives and stories with us as we wave our flags of white.

Let July 13th go down in history as

the day that American got her grove back!

The day that we quit acting like winners and embraced the loser within.

Goddess Bless America's Losers.

Barrack Obama July 4, 2008

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

God Bless America and the 4th of July!

Michelle Malkin's American 4th of July:

Lead Story

232 years of freedom

Hope you are all enjoying this Independence Day holiday. Just returned from the West Coast and am spending the day with family, counting our blessings and reflecting on all that this great country has given us.

Ray Charles' American 4th of July

]]> http://cnnpoliticalticker.wordpress.com/?p=8416 Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:00:11 +0000 edhornick http://cnnpoliticalticker.wordpress.com/?p=8416

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- CNN's Jennifer Mikell has this week's Trailmix, a countdown of the best moments from the presidential campaign.

Have you heard of the political exchange between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton?  Well, news states that Obama has agreed to pay HIllary’s several million dollar campaign bill in exchange that she supports and rides along with him to help him in his campaign against John McCain.  Wow, what news that is, huh?  I have to say it is good to see the Democrats sticking together to ensure they make it in the White House this years election.

Good for them.

Visit us at Smart Wealth today for your recession beater!!

These ain’t the “Primes,” these be the “Genrals!!!”

AssociatedPress

Two American Airlines aircraft were hijacked and crashed during the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack: Flight 77 (a Boeing 757) and Flight 11 (a Boeing 767). Although these flights were daily departures before and a month after September 11, 2001. Neither flight 11 nor 77 were scheduled on September 11, 2001. The records kept by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (www.bts.gov/gis/) do not list either flight that day.

This is a quote from the American Airlines Wikipedia page, as edited on April 25, 2006.

I'll warn you ahead of time, the BTS website is difficult to navigate, however you will find the claim of the article to be accurate. Neither flight was scheduled to fly on September 11, 2001. What does it mean? It's an unanswered question. Your 9/11 Commission forgot to mention the flights were not scheduled. They didn't address the issue, so we don't have an answer.

Wikipedia saves a history of every version of the page and records the IP address of the person performing the edit. A little digging shows the addition was made from the IP address 144.9.8.21.

Do a search  and you find the IP belongs to American Airlines, Incorporated at DFW.

Did American Airlines sanction this edit? Highly unlikely. All we can infer is someone with access to American Airlines computers wanted you to have this information.

For more fun facts, do some research. Start by googling phrases like "9/11 truth" and "wtc 7". Visit Scholars for 9/11 Truth & Justice and Pilots for 9/11 Truth. Then get off your butt and do something. Join your local We Are Change chapter, start your own, or just get out there and confront these people. Join the Campaign for Liberty. You own this country and you can take it back. This is the fourth of July and 132 years ago our founders put pen to paper and described the reasons they had the duty to overthrow tyrannical government. On this Independence Day, let us all take a few moments to read the Declaration of Independence once more and view the government of today through the eyes of the founders. I think we might be surprised how many "repeated injuries and usurpations" our government seems to have modelled after King George III.

Watch this video and see John McCain, Barack Obama, Hillary and Bill Clinton, David Rockefeller, and many more get confronted about their lies and crimes. Spread the word and get active.

Congratulations Alex on a great video. It is inspiring and informative, and will be a great tool in the information war. Go get this video on DVD, get a membership and download it, or get it from BitTorrent or Limewire. Do whatever you have to do to get the video, copy it, and spread the message. Get the people to demand answers to their questions and take this country back before another year goes by.

My dad’s big juicy Burgers on a charcoal grill.

Neighborhood kids getting their fill.

Lots O’ Watermelon dripping from my chin.

Spitting seeds to see who could win.

Fights in the backyard and Fun in the front.

Old Ms. Brumfield’s bowl full of nuts.

Aunt Jonnie says where have you been?

Watching TV in the Tayor’s den!

Girls in pigtails laughing at me.

Ricky Gomez falling from the Johnson’s tree.

Hitting a home run over the line.

Lost the ball, that’s Ok, it wasn’t mine.

Music and laughter abound the air.

And Danny chasing Suzie over there.

Getting ready for the big event.

My friends and I in our homemade tent.

Then we hear it that booming sound,

Everyone stops and gathers round.

There it is that first bright light,

Waves of color fill the night.

Better than any of my wildest dreams,

I love it when my sister screams.

More and more can it never end?

I next to Marty my best friend.

Booming and banging what a Big deal.

Louder and brighter and brighter still.

My friends and my family watching in awe,

My sister clutching the hand of our Pa’

My mother in tears as a flag she waves.

I jumping up to see over Dave.

Then with a crescendo the last of the night,

I guessed it was and I guessed right.

Now it was done, what next to do?

A box of sparkerlers and snakes too!

We make Whistlers into skyrockets.

I’ve got Firecrackers in my pockets.

Scaring the cat and my sister as well,

Back then it was ok, no worries of jail.

But then it is over and I am let down,

What’s this one more sparkerler left on the ground!

I light it fast I light with glee,

I give it to my sister instead of me.

The neighbors depart and give me a wink,

I am so tired I can’t even think.

I to my bed and my family to sleep,

My memories are many and mine to keep.

Please Add Your 4th of July Memories to the Comments

God Bless America

Neal Gabler, The Los Angeles Times, June 29, 2008

Oh, those crazy journalists. You know the ones I'm talking about. The one who described John Kerry as "French-looking" and made up some silly locution to show how out of touch he was -- "Who among us doesn't like NASCAR?" -- even though he never said it. Or the one who taunted Al Gore for claiming that he and his wife, Tipper, were the models for "Love Story" when Gore said no such thing. Or the one who described Bill Clinton as an "overweight band boy" and Hillary Rodham Clinton as "inauthentic." Or the one who tabbed Barack Obama "Obambi" and said that when visiting him at his office, she felt like Ingrid Bergman in "The Bells of St. Mary's," having to teach a bullied schoolboy how to box. Or the one who kept pressing Obama at a debate to fess up to his relationship with a 1960s terrorist.

Of course, what do you expect from right-wing nuts who will do and say anything to demonize Democrats? Except for one thing. All these examples -- and there are hundreds more -- were uttered not by Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, David Brooks or any of the other Republican mouthpieces in our newspapers and on our airwaves. They were all said or written by liberal journalists, and even in a few cases by onetime Democratic operatives turned journalists, such as Chris Matthews and George Stephanopoulos. Indeed, the worst offender by far, the "Ingrid Bergman" in the example above, has been the New York Times' liberal columnist Maureen Dowd, who has never met a Democrat she hasn't disparaged.

And that is the point. Democrats wading into this year's rough media surf don't really have to fear the right wing because the right has staked out its own beach with its own folks and not many Democratic voters go there. For instance, only 7% of regular Fox News watchers voted for Kerry for president in 2004, according to Democratic pollster Mark Mellman. What the Democrats generally and Obama specifically have to fear is what the liberal media -- pundits, TV commentators and even some reporters at reputedly leftish newspapers -- will wind up doing to them. That's because, far from delivering the kind of spirited to-the-death defense that even the widely unpopular President Bush gets from most right-wing commentators, the liberal media almost always eat their own.

It wasn't always this way. As recently as the 1970s, there were liberal columnists like Carl Rowan and Charles Bartlett who defended the liberal point of view, conservative columnists like James J. Kilpatrick and Roland Evans and Robert Novak who stood up for conservatives and their principles, and those like David Broder and James Reston who stayed in the middle -- and the right and the left were equally forceful. But as conservatism gained strength during the Nixon administration, it perpetrated a powerful idea that remains an article of its faith and that has served as one of its most effective political weapons: the idea that the media are really a liberal cabal. This was the essence of Richard Nixon's and Spiro Agnew's war against the media. How could Nixon possibly get a fair shake when the pointy-headed journalists in New York, Washington and Los Angeles were against him?

Liberals being liberals, it only took this nudge to lead to some soul-searching. As Rick Perlstein describes it in his book "Nixonland," Joseph Kraft, an old, unregenerate liberal close to the Kennedys, was among the first to wonder aloud if Nixon wasn't right.Maybe the news media had wandered too far from heartland American traditions and values of which Nixon presented himself as exemplar. Maybe journalists had become too insular, snooty and condescending. These kinds of ruminations tended to push the left-wing media toward the center as their way of proving that they were honest, objective and not beholden to anyone. This certainly accounted for the relentless bashing of Bill Clinton by the liberal press during his administration.

Read More Here

When, in the course of U. S. Presidential Elections, it becomes necessary for one portion of a political party to assume among the people of the nation a position different from that which they have previously occupied, but one to which the laws of nature and of their Constitution entitle them, a decent respect for the opinions of fellow citizens requires that they should declare the causes that impel them to such a course.

In agreement with generations who have gone before us, we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed at birth with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of those who suffer from it to refuse allegiance to it, and to insist upon the institution of a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form as to seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness.

Prudence will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for transient causes; and accordingly experience has shown that citizens are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the political structures to which they are accustomed. But political parties are not governments, and when a long train of abuses and usurpations evinces a design to reduce them under authoritarianism, it is their duty to throw off such a political party, and to provide different representation for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of many in the Democratic Party, and it is this suffering which compels them to now demand the representation to which they are entitled. The recent history of both parties is a history of repeated injuries on the part of elected officials against the electors, having in direct object the establishment of authoritarian power over them, for the purpose of profit. This has rendered the Democratic Party unrecognizable to ordinary citizens. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

Objections

The members of the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and By-Laws Committee violated The DNC charter on May 31, 2008 by meeting in private, in direct violation of the Sunshine Rules Provision of said Charter.

On that same day, the Democratic Party grossly violated ethical standards when it awarded four delegates to candidate Barack Obama based on actual votes for candidate Hillary Clinton, and in addition, awarded him delegates based on votes for “Uncommitted.”

Earlier in the campaign season, the Democratic Party violated its own Delegate Selection Rules by applying penalties to only two states who broke Section 11 calendar rules, even though five states broke those rules. In addition, Florida and Michigan were originally stripped of 100% of their delegates, even though the rules stipulated a 50% penalty.

The decisions of the RBC meeting mentioned above are evidence of sexism and authoritarianism within the ranks of the Democratic Party.

Caucuses are a violation of the one-person, one-vote and secret ballot principles that have been cornerstone Democratic values for more than a century. They produced a skewed and unfair result this primary season. Caucus states are also over-represented in the pledged delegate count, in violation of the one-person, one-vote principle.

Sexism was allowed to flourish as never before not only because of the behavior of the mainstream media, but also by the actions of many in the progressive online community, the stark silence of the Democratic Leadership and because ordinary Americans, male and female, engaged in it as long as it advanced their favored candidate.

Barack Obama and his campaign exploited racial issues in the primary campaign, which risks setting back the Civil Rights movement, and cynical Democratic leaders, as well as some ordinary Democrats, approved of this campaign tactic.

The voices of 18 million voters who supported Hillary Clinton have been illegitimately silenced, ridiculed, and subjected to outright fabrications on the part of the mainstream press and the Internet press.

The evidence is present, for anyone who wants to see it, that authoritarian tendencies fueled by greed are on the rise in the Democratic Party.

Now, in view of the dismissal of one-half the Democratic voters of this primary season, their social degradation, in view of the unjust actions above mentioned, and in view of the disenfranchisement of the voters in two states, and because we do feel ourselves aggrieved, oppressed, and fraudulently deprived of a free and fair primary election, we insist that the Democratic Party address our objections, or risk the loss of our votes come November.

In entering upon the work before us, we anticipate no small amount of misconception, misrepresentation, and ridicule; but we will use every instrumental within our power to affect our objectives. We will employ agents, circulate tracts and flyers, blog, advertise in all media, petition state and national Democratic leadership, and endeavor to enlist the press in our behalf.

Resolutions

Resolved, that the Democratic Party must seat the full Michigan and Florida delegation in adherence to the thoroughly Democratic principle of one-person, one-vote.

Resolved, that Michigan delegates must be awarded according to the actual votes cast, specifically that Hillary Clinton must be given 73 delegates and Barack Obama must be given 0 (zero).

Resolved, that Hillary Clinton’s name must be offered on the first roll call at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August of 2008, in accordance with tradition for 16 of the last 18 Democratic National Conventions.

Resolved, that caucuses should be abolished, and the Democratic Primary system in its entirety must be reformed to better reflect the one-person, one-vote principle, as well as the equal representation principle enshrined in the Constitution.

Resolved, that millions of women and men alike no longer think of the Democratic Party as the party for women’s issues, or for equality and fairness, or for the protection of abortion rights, and will no longer vote for them based on such criteria.

Resolved, that the cynical exploitation of cultural issues will not be rewarded with votes, and that it is part of the PUMA mission to educate the electorate about such abuses.

Resolved, that the PUMA movement is comprised of traditional and loyal Democrats who have carefully watched and recorded the events of the 2008 Primary campaign season.

Resolved, that 18 million Americans voted for Hillary Clinton, more than any other presidential primary candidate in history, and they have a right to help shape the agenda and processes of the Democratic Party.

~~

Call to Action

Like The Declaration of Independence and The Declaration of Sentiments, this document was originally authored by one author, and modified by others in agreement. The final document then is one of the community, and not the original author. When this document is posted tonight, it will be available for use without attribution. Claim it as your own, because it belongs to you, and you had a hand in shaping it.

And like the Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Sentiments, change doesn’t just happen in the presence of text. It’s what people do with that text, the life they give it, how it changes them, and the facts on the ground that creates lasting change. So take this document, copy and paste it to as many places online as you can find. Print it out and mail it to your local congressional critters. Mail or e-mail copies to the DNC and the Obama campaign. Somebody, for goodness sakes, please e-mail a copy to Hillary Clinton.

And late Sunday night, after the sun has gone down, take a page from Martin Luther’s play book and print it out, take it down to your local Democratic Party Headquarters or your local Obama Campaign Headquarters and TAPE IT TO THEIR DOOR. Make sure it is there for them as a wake up call when they arrive for work on Monday morning. Make your voices heard by getting out and getting involved. It’s your movement. How are you going to move it?

While listening to the O'Reilly Radio Factor this week, I came to realize patriotism will decide who wins this election.  Patriotism is a critical qualification one running for President must posess.  I may not agree with anything Hillary stands for politically, but when it comes to the love for her country, I cannot question that.  I firmly believe right or wrong, Hillary loves the United States of America, and wanted to make changes she believed would benefit the entire country.  I personally do not believe the propositions she made would move us in the right direction, but I would never question her intentions. 

Obama promises to make change.  Only in the past few days has he declared a love for this country.  Mr. Obama, it's gonna be awful hard to "change" a country you do not believe in.  What does this mean?  Well, it can only mean one thing....we could cease to exist as a country.  Our very own cultural diversity and religious "freedoms" are driving us into the very thing our forefathers struggled to alienate themselves from. 

Consider this:  Patriotism is that love for country in the hearts of the people which shall make that country strong to resist foreign opposition and domestic intrigue-which impresses each and every individual with a sense of the inalienable rights of others and prepares him to accept the responsibility of protecting those rights.    -American Tribune, March 7, 1890

The above passage was found in the A Beka Book/American Government pg. 12

To These Types of Events On A National Level:

LIBERALS ARE ALL ABOUT APPEASEMENT:

Swell: San Diego plans to declare “National Council of La Raza Day”

Well, they already gave their blessing to “Happy ACLU Day” despite the litigious group’s long-standing efforts to take down the Mount Soledad cross.

Might as well put their weight behind the ethnic supremacist group fighting against assimilation, funding reconquista schools, advocating speech suppressiong, and promoting lawlessness, too! (Michelle Malkin)

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

LIBERALS LIKE TO MAKE PROMISES THAT MAKE THEM LOOK GOOD

BUT ACTUALLY DON'T HELP AT ALL

Grim proving ground for Obama’s housing policy

The candidate endorsed subsidies for private entrepreneurs to build low-income units. But, while he garnered support from developers, many projects in his former district have fallen into disrepair.

By Binyamin Appelbaum Globe Staff / June 27, 2008

CHICAGO - The squat brick buildings of Grove Parc Plaza, in a dense neighborhood that Barack Obama represented for eight years as a state senator, hold 504 apartments subsidized by the federal government for people who can't afford to live anywhere else.

But it's not safe to live here.

About 99 of the units are vacant, many rendered uninhabitable by unfixed problems, such as collapsed roofs and fire damage. Mice scamper through the halls. Battered mailboxes hang open. Sewage backs up into kitchen sinks. In 2006, federal inspectors graded the condition of the complex an 11 on a 100-point scale - a score so bad the buildings now face demolition.

Among those tied to Obama politically, personally, or professionally are:

Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to Obama's presidential campaign and a member of his finance committee. Jarrett is the chief executive of Habitat Co., which managed Grove Parc Plaza from 2001 until this winter and co-managed an even larger subsidized complex in Chicago that was seized by the federal government in 2006, after city inspectors found widespread problems.

Allison Davis, a major fund-raiser for Obama's US Senate campaign and a former lead partner at Obama's former law firm. Davis, a developer, was involved in the creation of Grove Parc and has used government subsidies to rehabilitate more than 1,500 units in Chicago, including a North Side building cited by city inspectors last year after chronic plumbing failures resulted in raw sewage spilling into several apartments.

Antoin "Tony" Rezko, perhaps the most important fund-raiser for Obama's early political campaigns and a friend who helped the Obamas buy a home in 2005. Rezko's company used subsidies to rehabilitate more than 1,000 apartments, mostly in and around Obama's district, then refused to manage the units, leaving the buildings to decay to the point where many no longer were habitable.

Campaign finance records show that six prominent developers - including Jarrett, Davis, and Rezko - collectively contributed more than $175,000 to Obama's campaigns over the last decade and raised hundreds of thousands more from other donors. Rezko alone raised at least $200,000, by Obama's own accounting.

One of those contributors, Cecil Butler, controlled Lawndale Restoration, the largest subsidized complex in Chicago, which was seized by the government in 2006 after city inspectors found more than 1,800 code violations. (Chicago Globe)

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

THEY DON'T PRACTICE WHAT THEY PREACH

BUT THEY WILL MAKE SURE WE PRACTICE WHAT THEY PREACH

Hugh Hewitt:

Posted by: Donald Kochan at 6:38 PM Don't get me wrong, I am completely for salaries based on merit alone and think sex differentials should have zero, no difference. But these reports about the pay in Mr. "Equal Pay" Obama's offices seem interesting, especially as compared to McCain -- although as with most such studies I do not presume a causal relationship to evidence of discrimination. But since Obama, see here for example, does make such presumptions when there is a disparity in pay . . . .

Click here and here for the reports.

I think these reports provide a ridiculous critique, but equally ridiculous are most of the claims, like Obama's, for coercive equal pay requirements rather than allowing the market to set salaries based on merit.

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

THEY DISDAIN AMERICAN TRADITION

“Black national anthem”

stirs controversy for city

DENVER - Mayor John Hickenlooper's annual State of the City address may get more attention for what wasn't included than what was.

t the start of the event Tuesday morning, City Council President Michael Hancock introduced singer Rene Marie to perform the national anthem.

Instead, she performed the song "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," which is also known as the "black national anthem." (9News.com)

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

LIBERALS DON'T MAKE BUSINESS OR

COMMON PEOPLE'S PLEASURE A PRIORITY

Sonics leave Seattle for Okla. City

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Thursday, July 3rd 2008, 1:50 AM

SEATTLE - The SuperSonics will move to Oklahoma City for the 2008-09 season as part of a settlement with the city of Seattle, ending a contentious relationship that resulted in a trial in which the judge was due to issue her ruling Wednesday.

Updated: April 28, 2007, 1:18 AM ET

Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire has said she will not call the state Legislature into special session on an arena financing plan, and state House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, is resolutely opposed to taxpayer funding for an arena.

"They already have a place to play. It's nice. There are no potholes in the court there. Every player has health care. They all had the opportunity to go to college. Let's get real here," Chopp told the Seattle Times editorial board. "If they want to [build a new arena], we're not stopping them. They can pay for it themselves."

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

LIBERALS LOVE MASS ANYTHING;

PUTTING US ALL IN A BOX, MAKING US GO WHERE THEY WANT US TO.

BUT FINANCING, WE PAY OUT OF OUR NOISES.

Feds say they’ll keep closing gap in funding for light rail.

By Debbie Messina
The Virginian-Pilot
© April 21, 2008

NORFOLK

Federal officials announced on Monday that they will do all they can to make up for a shortfall in money previously pledged for the city's light rail starter line that is now under construction.

Federal Transit Administrator James S. Simpson awarded the city $18.9 million toward the $128 million the government promised for the project.

The FTA had budgeted a $57 million contribution to the project for fiscal year 2008, but Congress appropriated only $23 million. With Monday's announcement, this year's federal share is about $15 million less than anticipated.

Information on Eastside Link extension

This is Seattle's light rail system running from downtown to the airport. This line was originally designed to serve riders from the University District through to the airport, but the line was shortened after costs increased. Soon after voters approved Sound Transit, discussions began on extending the line to Northgate, which has a large regional bus transit center. Even future extensions to the Eastside or to Tacoma were proposed.

Then the problems began. Due to the unique topography of the Seattle area, as well as its urbanization, a significant portion of the line needed to be in a tunnel under Capitol Hill and the University District.. It turned out the tunneling would cost more than predicted due to difficult soils. Then, another large portion of the line was designed to run at street level through South Seattle. The community was upset by this, and demanded concessions. These issues led to years of delays...at a time when property values were just about doubling every year. Note that Sound Transit didn't own any of the right of way for the project.

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

WHEN IT COMES TO REAL PROBLEMS,

THEY CAN'T GET IT DONE!

BUT WHAT ARROGANCE THEY DEMONSTRATE

Gregoire: ‘Watch me” tear down the viaduct

Governor tells the city she won't let issue be pushed to back burner

By CHRIS McGANN
P-I CAPITOL CORRESPONDENT

OLYMPIA-- With or without Seattle's approval, the state will tear down the earthquake-damaged Alaskan Way Viaduct in 2012, Gov. Chris Gregoire said Thursday.

"It's coming down in 2012. I'm taking it down -- the middle," she said, referring to the elevated portion of the span that runs roughly from Battery Street Tunnel to Pioneer Square, which has been the most vexing and controversial piece of the transportation puzzle.

"That's the timeline. I'm not going to fudge on it. And if we don't have some alternative by then, boy are we going to have a mess on our hands because it's coming down."

Asked if she, as governor, could trump the state's largest city and county and unilaterally tear down a highway that carries more than 100,000 vehicles a day through the heart of Seattle, Gregoire said:

"Yeah, watch me."

"YEAH, WATCH ME"

Doesn't that just say it all, "YEAH, Watch Me!"

Isn't that their real motto, "YEAH, Watch Me!"

Arrogant, self-serving, self-righteous!

]]> http://bigmikescience.wordpress.com/?p=112 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:42:39 +0000 glabwrites http://bigmikescience.wordpress.com/?p=112 Imagine taking home a $1.4 million-dollar paycheck every two weeks. That's $2.8 million a month (and even more in those glorious months that contain three paydays.) I'd work one year and be done with it - no matter what it is. My biggest challenge would to to resist the urge to retire after working a single month. Sure as I'm sitting here typing nonsense into a blog for free, I could find a way to live the rest of my life comfortably on a nice $2.8 million nest egg.

Talk Is Cheap

What does one have to do to rake in such riches? Develop a cure for breast cancer? Convince Hezbollah and the Israeli Knesset to co-sponsor Woodstock III? Invent an automobile engine that runs on AAA batteries?

Apparently all one has to do is sit before a radio microphone and demonstrate to the nation what an asshole sounds like. Yup. Rush Hudson Limbaugh III has just signed a new eight year contract with Clear Channel Communications that will pay him a total of $400 million. The deal includes a $100 million up-front signing bonus. All this for a man who once referred to 13-year-old Chelsea Clinton as the White House dog.

I can be a mean prick too! Where are my millions?

Clear Channel probably made the deal figuring that Barack Obama will be elected president this fall. Can you imagine the orgy of bitterness, canard, prevarication, not-so-subtly coded racism, and hysteria his show will become? Oh, that's right - it is already! Right now, Limbaugh attracts some 20 million listeners a week to his daily syndicated three-hour show. I feel confident in guessing there are many more than 20 million lunkheads in this great nation whose penises will shrink upon realization that Obama has become their leader.

Remember when conservatives put this bumper sticker on their cars?

That was when Bill Clinton occupied the White House. You know, Bill Clinton, the centrist, the most moderate of the eight or so aspirants for the 1992 Democratic nomination for president. After his victory that year, the Limbaugh-led right branded him a dirty rotten liberal and helped transform the word into a pejorative.

What will Limbaugh gang say and do if Obama, who, while not exactly Che Guevara but at least more lefty than Bill, becomes the Commander in Chief? I'll bet the 20 million who listen to Rush every week now will grow to 30 or 40 million! What agit-prop will they display? This?

Sudan är ett av världens fattigaste länder. Ett land som är söndertrasat av interna konflikter, krig, etnisk rensning, folkmord, sjukdomar och svält. I detta land bestämde sig världens starkaste militärmakt för att de skulle bomba vad som visade sig vara landets största medicinfabrik och lager. Bl.a. stora mängder malariamedicin tillverkades här. USA har sedan hävdat att det inte ledde till några större mängder döda Sudaneser men många olika källor uppskattar att tusentals, kanske tiotusentals Sudaneser dog av sjukdomar som hade kunnat botas om de fick medicin. Låter rimligt att det var ganska många som dog tycker jag. Men det måste ju ha varit värt att ta tusentals Sudanesers liv för att eventuellt rädda amerikaners liv. Vi vet ju alla att människors lika värde är en vacker utopi men inget som går att ta hänsyn till i den potiska realiteten.

Sällan eller aldrig hör vi längre talas om detta brott mot mänskligheten (som det utan tvekan skulle kallas om utföraren inte var Europé eller amerikan). Inte på ett halvt decennium tror jag att har hört det nämnas i media i samma andetag som Bill Clinton. Den 20 augusti är det 10 år sedan sist. Lite lär skrivas om det. Men några veckor senare lär det bli ett jäkla tjat om 11e september. ja den 11e september som drabbade USA dvs. Inte den som drabbade Chile.

Två hus och några tusen döda amerikaner tillåts vi aldrig glömma men några tiotusen döda afrikaner glöms bort inom loppet av en halv generation.

Nu i dagarna har George Bush avskrivit Nelson Mandela från den så kallade terrorlistan så det finns en plats öppen, kanske ska vi skriva in en annan vithårig man där?

Läs mer om Al Shifa här, här, här och här

Fuel and food prices are rising daily. Wage deterioration and job losses are consistently highlighted on the tube. Energy conservation and constrictions, environmental issues and policies and safety and security strategies are, in essence, all tied together by the fact that we, as human beings, have only this one world, and it is not unlimited in resources, but it is boundless in the harm it can do to us, if we allow it.

We are also reminded of these matters by the presidential election of 2008. A race highlighted by the 1^st woman and 1^st African-American to realistically run for the highest office in the land.  A political race with a man known first as a 5 ½ year veteran of a Vietnam prison camp, then as the oldest man to contend for the 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue address.

As this takes place, in the distant backdrop comes the idea of sports. The way many escape their problems and woes of 8-6 workday, complaining spouses and children, overbearing bosses and unhelpful nosey neighbors, and the fact, this world is perceived as worse than the world of our childhood, or our father’s childhood. In verity, it is only the changing faces of leadership and altered ways to communicating that may be at the crux of this worsening outlook we perceive.

But even these sports have gone astray in our minds.

The athletes seem ever more jaded – with the moronic media and money made fueling their contempt for us, the fans – and their gloss and glimmer is faded before we ever get to know them. The scandals, gassed up by online sites, radio blowhards (Rush Limbaugh as a well-paid version of this group) and the Extremely Stupid Pundits of News (ESPN) who drive recklessly, all over the ‘free’ airways, bastardizing the concept of ‘a scandal’ while in search of some mythical creature called: The Truth.

Amoral ownerships require new branding of their stadiums, new revenue streams (from that branding) and shameless promotion of those well-paid jaded athletes that are endemically tied to those scandals aforementioned. These owners will threaten to ‘take their team and go elsewhere’ if they do not receive new stadium deals on the taxpayers’ dole. Hundreds of millions (or more) spent on luxury palaces where, if a typical fan making under $50,000 a year comes, they will be lucky to visit once in a decade. But that’s American Capitalism buttressed by socialistic bailouts for the wealthy. And the battle of the billionaires and millionaires wages on the breaking backs of cup-of-Joe America, who clocks in and out for dollars these men wouldn’t bend over to pick up.

There is no joy in Mudville.

A place where a mighty Casey would strike out, bearing the weight of all failures on his broad shoulders.

America once had broad shoulders – now wrecked by the frivolity of politics, backroom dealing and undermining the American Dream for a quick sawbuck – but she is now in the midst of a maelstrom of her own unfortunate making. The debt outweighs the equity built. The infrastructure of morality, decency, kindness and common sense has all but been eroded to the point of inoperable and unjustified existence. The ill designs of men have turned markedly adrift and astray from the altruisms and protestations of our forefathers.

Yet, we have seen this all before in various incarnations throughout history (going back most logically to the Roman Empire.) That a society reaches a point where to go forward it must throw off the shackles of injustice and inequality.

We should remember most vividly our Declaration of Independence.

Poetic our forefathers were.

Evincing a design of a new America is one that will require many, many millions to participate. To accomplish this feat of revamping our lives and securing our futures requires such sacrifice that has not been seen in several generations. This bold concept, using the innovative spirit of America, has to take hold sooner, not later. Time is not on our side.

We have to be the Americans of ideals and dreams, of sweat and blood, of clear vision and utter determination. We the people must take back the reins of destiny of this country. We must mold our future in the widening prospects seen in 1776, but leave behind constraints in ideas, justice and circumstances foisted in that time. We are a different world, for sure; but we are much the same, in operation.

But from the best ideas and hard work, we can be all that our forefathers hoped for in their writings.

We can be independent, secure, stable and fair-minded. We can lead a world that needs leadership in these dangerous and volatile times. We can provide the direction that is so often missing. And be the steadfast steward to the living concept that was founded on July 4, 1776 in the Declaration of Independence and enforced in the United States Constitution.

From those measures and methods, our enduring play and love of sport can continue to be a happy by-product of equal prosperity and unwavering social justice.

Happy 4^th!

July 1, 2008

BY Ralph Nader

The worst top management of giant corporations in American history is also by far the most hugely paid. That contradiction applies as well to the Boards of Directors of these global companies.

Consider these illustrations:

The bosses of General Motors (GM) have presided over the worst decline of GM shares in the last fifty years, the lowering of GM bonds to junk status, the largest money losses and layoffs of tens of thousands of workers. Yet these top executives are still in place and still receiving much more pay than their successful counterparts at Toyota.

GM’s stock valuation is under $7 billion dollars, while Toyota is valued at over $160 billion. Toyota, having passed GM in worldwide sales, is about to catch up with and pass GM in sales inside the United States itself!

GM’s executives stayed with their gas guzzling SUVs way beyond the warning signs. Their vehicles were uninspiring and technologically stagnant in various ways. They were completely unprepared for Toyota’s hybrid cars and for the upward spiral in gasoline prices. They’re cashing their lucrative monthly checks with the regular votes of confidence by their hand-picked Board of Directors.

About the same appraisal can be made of Ford Motor Co., which at least brought in new management to try to do something about that once famous company’s sinking status.

Then there are the financial companies. Top management on Wall Street has been beyond incompetent. Wild risk taking camouflaged for years by multi-tiered, complex, abstract financial instruments (generally called collateralized debt obligations) kept the joy ride going and going until the massive financial hot air balloon started plummeting. Finally told to leave their high posts, the CEOs of Merrill-Lynch and Citigroup took away tens of millions of severance pay while Wall Street turned into Layoff Street.

The banks, investment banks and brokerage firms have tanked to levels not seen since the 1929-30 collapse of the stock market. Citigroup, once valued at over $50 per share is now under $17 a share.

Washington Mutual – the nation’s largest savings bank chain was over $40 a share in 2007. Its reckless speculative binge has driven it down under $5 a share. Yet its CEO Kerry Killinger remains in charge, with the continuing support of his rubberstamp Board of Directors. A recent $8 billion infusion of private capital gave a sweetheart deal to these new investors at the excessive expense of the shareholders.

Countrywide, the infamous giant mortgage lender (subprime mortgages) is about to be taken over by Bank of America. Its CEO is taking away a reduced but still very generous compensation deal.

Meanwhile, all these banks and brokerage houses’ investment analysts are busy downgrading each others’ stock prospects.

Over at the multi-trillion dollar companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the shareholders have lost about 75 percent of their stock value in one year. Farcically regulated by the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs, Fannie and Freddie were run into the ground by taking on very shaky mortgages under the command of CEOs and their top executives who paid themselves enormous sums.

These two institutions were set up many years ago to provide liquidity in the housing and loan markets and thereby expand home ownership especially among lower income families. Instead, they turned themselves into casinos, taking advantage of an implied U.S. government guarantee.

The Fannie and Freddie bosses created another guarantee. They hired top appointees from both Republican and Democratic Administrations (such as Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick) and lathered them with tens of millions of dollars in executive compensation. In this way, they kept federal supervision at a minimum and held off efforts in Congress to toughen regulation. These executives are all gone now, enjoying their maharajan riches with impunity while pensions and mutual funds lose and lose and lose with no end in sight, short of a government-taxpayer bailout.

Over a year ago, leading financial analyst Henry Kaufman and very few others warned about “undisciplined” (read unregulated) and “mis-pricing” of lower quality assets. Mr. Kaufman wrote in the Wall Street Journal of August 15, 2007 that “If some institutions are really ‘too big to fail,’ then other means of discipline will have to be found.”

There are ways to prevent such crashes. In the nineteen thirties, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt chose stronger regulation, creating the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and several bank regulatory agencies. He saved the badly listing capitalist ship.

Today, there is no real momentum in a frozen Washington, D.C. to bring regulation up to date. To the contrary, in 1999, Congress led by Senator McCain’s Advisor, former Senator Phil Gramm and the Clinton Administration led by Robert Rubin, Secretary of the Treasury, and soon to join Citibank, de-regulated and ended the wall between investment banks and commercial banking known as the Glass-Steagall Act.

Clinton and Congress opened the floodgates to rampant speculation without even requiring necessary and timely disclosures for the benefit of institutional and individual investors.

Now the entire U.S. economy is at risk. The domino theory is getting less theoretical daily. Without investors obtaining more legal authority as owners over their out of control company officers and Boards of Directors, and without strong regulation, corporate capitalism cannot be saved from its toxic combination of endless greed and maximum power—without responsibility.

Uncle Sam, the deeply deficit ridden bailout man, may have another taxpayers-to-the-rescue operation for Wall Street. But don’t count on stretching the American dollar much more without devastating consequences to and from global financial markets in full panic.

Consider the U.S. dollar like an elastic band. You can keep stretching this rubber band but suddenly it BREAKS. Our country needs action NOW from Washington, D.C.

...

In keeping with the Independence theme, when are we going to realize that the unregulated free market functions more as a tool of oppression than freedom?