It's On You!

Okay folks, we are in the final stretch.

For those who will be voting on Tuesday, be forewarned that there will be long lines and frustration.

Persevere through all that - think about our forefathers and foremothers having to toil in the fields or walk from their villages to slave ships that pulled them away from their families and land. Think of your own children or whatever the heck inspires you. Just make sure your vote is counted!

Here are a few tips to help you be on your way:

• Take proper identification with you to the voting precinct, a driver's license or state issued ID in most cases. Don't have that? Call your elections office to find out what else will suffice.
• Take a book or a couple of magazines with you too, especially if you live in a swing state. Also bring a snack and some water... I'm not kidding about the long lines.
• And just in case you have problems casting your ballot - poll workers don't always know the rules - I'm providing a list of phone numbers for you to call in case you need help.

1. The Brennan Center for Justice, at the New York University School of Law, has a Web site to let people know their voting rights: www.brennancenter.org/studentvoting.
2. The Tom Joyner Morning Show and the NAACP National Voter Fund have partnered to launch 1-866- MYVOTE1, a voter alert line that allows people to find out where their polling places are located and report problems at the polls.
3. Election Protection, a coalition of legal and civil rights groups, recently announced a national voter protection initiative, including another hotline number (1-866-OUR-VOTE).

NO EXCUSES

Halloween Gone Too Far?

A conservative friend of mine sent me this video.

In his email, my friend complained, "So what do you think your reaction would be -- or others in today's media -- if this were Obama a the end of the rope?" He demanded to know. "As I said, when it comes to vileness and pure nasty behavior, The Dems (Libs) take the cake."

Check out the video and then read what comes after:

While I don't agree with my friend's assessment (there are vile people on both sides of the aisle, we just seem to be hearing more from the right than the left with assassination plots and women who lie about getting attacked by big, black Obama supporters).

I do have to acknowledge, however, that had this been Sen. Barack Obama instead of Sarah Palin, a lot of people would be mad as hell, and rightly so I would imagine.

Is it any less wrong for this guy to hang Republican Vice Presidential Nominee Sarah Palin from a noose than Barack Obama? What makes one funny, but the other a hate crime?

Police interrupt Skin-head plot to assassinate Obama

Forever Vigilant

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal agents have broken up a plot to assassinate Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and shoot or decapitate 102 black people in a Tennessee murder spree, the ATF said Monday.

In court records unsealed Monday, federal agents said they disrupted plans to rob a gun store and target a predominantly African-American high school by two neo-Nazi skinheads. Agents said the skinheads did not identify the school by name.

Jim Cavanaugh, special agent in charge of the Nashville field office for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the two men planned to shoot 88 black people and decapitate another 14. The numbers 88 and 14 are symbolic in the white supremacist community.

The men also sought to go on a national killing spree, with Obama as its final target, Cavanaugh told The Associated Press.

''They said that would be their last, final act -- that they would attempt to kill Sen. Obama,'' Cavanaugh said. ''They didn't believe they would be able to do it, but that they would get killed trying.''

An Obama spokeswoman traveling with the senator in Pennsylvania had no immediate comment.

The men, Daniel Cowart, 20, of Bells, Tenn., and Paul Schlesselman 18, of West Helena, Ark., are being held without bond. Agents seized a rifle, a sawed-off shotgun and three pistols from the men when they were arrested. Authorities alleged the two men were preparing to break into a gun shop to steal more.

Attorney Joe Byrd, who has been hired to represent Cowart, did not immediately return a call seeking comment Monday.

Cowart and Schlesselman are charged with possessing an unregistered firearm, conspiring to steal firearms from a federally licensed gun dealer, and threatening a candidate for president.

The investigation is continuing, and more charges are possible, Cavanaugh said.

Did anyone watch the new DL Hughley Show on CNN?

I have to admit, I didn't watch it. Actually, I never intend to.

DL Hughley just isn't that funny to me. And when he does manage to be funny, the material is often "borrowed" from another comedian who is... funny. I fell out with Hughley a long time ago when he used to do a lot of stand-up. But the final straw came when he agreed with Controversial Radio Host Dom Imus that members of the Rutgers Women's Basketball Team were a bunch of "nappy headed hoes."

I know we're supposed to support our own, but we have to draw the line somewhere. Wrong is wrong.

Finally, I have a problem with CNN, which is supposed to be a Cable News Network (hence its acronym) moving farther away from delivering news and resembling more of an entertainment company.

Time Warner - parent company of CNN - already competes with Comedy Central Network (which broadcasts The Daily Show as well as the Colbert Report). Time Warner owns HBO, so why not air DL after the the Bill Maher Show on Friday nights?

And if Time Warner/CNN really wants to do a better job competing with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, why not choose a comedian who is actually funny?

While I do not plan to support DL Hughley's new show, I would like to know what others think of it, especially in light of the fact that I haven't heard much talk about it other than Scott McClellan's endorsement of Barack Obama during the show's debut on CNN over the weekend.

So what do those who watched think about DL's new show? Is it worth me breaking my personal boycott or what?

Blame The Black Man...Again

UPDATE: It's official. Police are charging Ashley Todd with filing a false police report.
http://kdka.com/local/attack.McCain.Bloomfield.2.847628.html

By now you've heard about 20-year-old Ashley Todd, the young Republican volunteer who claims a black, male Obama supporter mugged her and carved a letter "B" on her face.

I immediately smelled another Susan Smith when I first heard about this story. Now police are starting to doubt it too. What gets me though is that even Michelle Malkin - conservative pundit/columnist/blogger/best-bud-of-Bill O'Reilly - says this woman's story doesn't pass the smell test.

On her blog, Malkin basically calls the woman a liar. This, from the same Michelle Malkin who lied before the Vice Presidential debate when she accused moderator Gwen Ifill of writing a book about Barack Obama?

For Malkin, calling a fellow Republican a liar had to be a difficult thing to do.

Get this though: What's even more striking is that Ashley Todd calls herself a liar on her very own Myspace page.

It is too sad to ponder, but if you want to read more about Ashley, go to Malkin's link above. You can also read http://www.wpxi.com/news/17789715/detail.html and the Drudge Report, which first cast this "incident" as a reverse hate crime and partisan attack (thumbs-down award goes to Drudge).

Do American elections seem to be bringing out the worst in people, or is it just me who thinks this way?

I think we need to be real honest with one another. There are those in America who do not want a black man - even a half-black one - inside the Oval Office. Eventhough it was black men who built the thing.

These people will go to extraordinary lengths to make sure Sen. Barack Obama doesn't make it past his inaugeration, and they are becoming increasingly desperate the closer we get to Election Day.

What is also clear to me is that we need to be ever vigilant in making sure all hell doesn't break loose in this country. No matter who wins the election.

No More Welfare for Sarah Palin

I love it when I hear conservatives bemoan public welfare.

The conversation usually starts off a little something like this. "Why should my money go to take care of people too lazy to get a damn job. That's not my responsibility. They've been on the welfare rolls too long, I shouldn't have to pay for their lifestyle."

Well, yesterday we learned that as Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin not only took state money that paid her to spend more than 300 nights at her own home instead of the already-paid for Governor's Mansion, she also spent another $43,490 of Alaskan taxpayer dollars on travel for her children and husband.

Then this morning I awoke to learn that in the last two months the Republican National Committee has paid $150,000 for Palin's clothing and make-up. That's $150,000 in a publicly financed campaign. (Remember McCain is taking public tax dollars to wage his campaign, while Sen. Barack Obama chose to raise his funds from private donors.)

One Hundred and fifty thousand dollars in just TWO months. Interestingly enough, The Huffington Post said that same amount would have provided health insurance for 15 people.

I digress.

One would think the RNC would want to spend that money on competing with Sen. Barack Obama in swing states where the McCain-Palin ticket is now shaky, places like Florida maybe. But hey, it's their cash and the RNC can spend it whatever way they want.

Instead of dropping $75,000 in one shopping spree at Neiman Marcus for clothes and accessories, Palin could have gotten hooked up at Macy's for far less? RNC spokespeople said Palin will donate the clothes after the election. Uh-huh, sure.

That said, it is far more concerning to me that Palin sees fit to take money from taxpayers pockets and use it to to cover travel costs for her husband and children.

Alaskans picked up the tab for Palin's children to travel with her, including to events where they were not invited, and later amended expense reports to specify that they were on official business, according to an investigation by the Associated Press.

The charges included costs for hotel and commercial flights for three daughters to join Palin to watch their father in a snowmobile race, and a trip to New York, where the governor attended a five-hour conference and stayed with 17-year-old Bristol for five days and four nights in a luxury hotel.

In all, the Associated Press found that Palin has charged the state $21,012 for her three daughters’ 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office in December 2006. In some other cases, she has charged the state for hotel rooms for the girls.

I'm not griping about Palin wanting to spend time with her family, but the public shouldn't have to pay for it.

As average parents we wouldn't be able to get away with this. In fact, if we wanted our children and/or spouse with us on a business trip, we'd have to pay for it ourselves, and we would still get the raised-eyebrow look from colleagues.

This amounts to nothing more than public welfare for Sarah Palin. And it is the stuff that voters need to know in order to make intelligent and informed decisions on Election Day.

I don't know about you, but it's obvious to me that Gov. Palin has champagne tastes and caviar dreams at the expense of other people who can barely afford to buy a jug of milk and put gas in the tank.

I hope Palin doesn't think she can waltz into the White House with us giving her a credit card with an unlimited balance. America is in the midst of a recession, we can't afford welfare for Sarah Palin.

What's Wrong With Being 'An Arab'?

Answer: Absolutely Nothing.

I thought most of you would be able to appreciate this. It is the beautiful photograph that Colin Powell referred to yesterday when talking about the mother of a Muslim American soldier killed while fighting in Iraq. Photo credit goes to the New Yorker.

Here's Powell's quote:

"Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer is no. That's not America. Is there something wrong with a seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing he or she could be president? Yet I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion that he is a Muslim and might have an association with terrorists. This is not the way we should be doing it in America.

I feel particularly strong about this because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay, was of a mother at Arlington Cemetery and she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone, and it gave his awards - Purple Heart, Bronze Star - showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death, he was 20 years old. And then at the very top of the head stone, it didn't have a Christian cross. It didn't have a Star of David. It has a crescent and star of the Islamic faith.

And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan. And he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was fourteen years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he could serve his country and he gave his life."

"Is there something wrong with being Muslim in America? No, that's not America," he said. "Now, we have got to stop polarizing ourselves in this way."

ACORN cheats voters but a Republican gets arrested?!?

Filed under, Say it ain't so Joe

GOP voter registration fraud case leads to arrest

Mark Jacoby, who was arrested in Ontario and owns a firm hired by the California Republican Party, violated state registration laws, authorities say.

By Evan Halper, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
2:38 PM PDT, October 19, 2008

SACRAMENTO -- The owner of a firm that the California Republican Party hired to register tens of thousands of voters this year was arrested in Ontario late last night on suspicion of voter registration fraud.

State and local investigators allege that Mark Jacoby fraudulently registered himself to vote at a childhood California address where he no longer lives so he would appear to meet the legal requirement that signature gatherers be eligible to vote in California.

Jacoby's arrest by state investigators and the Ontario Police Department comes after dozens of voters said they were duped into registering as Republicans by his firm, Young Political Majors, or YPM. The voters said YPM tricked them by saying they were signing a petition to toughen penalties against child molesters. The firm was paid $7 to $12 for every Californian it registered as a member of the GOP.

Several agencies had launched investigations into Jacoby's activities, including the Los Angeles County district attorney's office, which issued the warrant for his arrest earlier this month on felony charges of voter registration fraud and perjury.

Efforts to reach Jacoby were unsuccessful.

evan.halper@latimes.com

Colin Powell 2012?

I think he should have been, and here's why:

That said, why do you think the Republican Party didn't encourage Gen. Powell to run, especially with Sen. Obama on the Democratic ticket? And, should Powell run in 2012?

Forget Joe the Plumber, what about Shaniqua the Hairdresser?

I'm sick to death of hearing about Joe the Plumber, the guy who has become the cause de célèbre for Sen. John McCain and the Republican Party. He's become the symbol, for them, of the typical white man living in Middle America with a car and 2.2 kids.

Look Joe, your 15 minutes of fame are up, now it's time to talk about Shaniqua the Hairdresser.

She's middle class too. Shaniqua has a child, her own small salon, and student loans she's struggling to pay off. Shaniqua also has an SUV she bought before gas prices exploded and a home she purchased with her boyfriend before she had to put him out. Now sistah-girl is having to rob Peter to pay Paul just to keep up on the mortgage payments and other bills.

Back in the day, doing hair was considered a recession-proof business. Not anymore!

Because of the rising cost of food, gas, heat and electricity, Shaniqua is now having to buy boxed-perms to use on her clients' hair; well, for the clients who haven't resorted to doing their own perms at homes. Hey, they've got to save money too.

Instead of making money off of more profitable relaxers, Shaniqua is stuck doing less profitable wash-and-sets. Plus, with all the people who want to sport natural styles today, what's a sister to do?

I'm only half joking about Shaniqua, but I bet most of you, like me, can relate to Shaniqua a hell of a lot better than you can Joe Six-pack or whatever his name is this week.

The real facts behind Shaniqua reflect much of our own stories.

Many of our parents made sure we got an education so that we could either land good jobs or start our own businesses. Some of our parents weren't even able to save for their own retirement because they chose, instead, to help pay toward our education. Now we're having to help take care of them.

The black middle class in America is in trouble, more so than our white counter-parts actually.

The black middle class is in fact, disappearing, according to most experts. You see few of us have been able to replace the black dry-cleaners and grocery store owners that used to populate our neighborhoods. All we really have left are the hair dressers, funeral home directors, and the occasional restaurant owner. Now, even they are on the endangered list.

Contributing to our demise are incomes that have become stagnant over the years and manufacturing jobs that our parents held, but are now moving to other countries.

Sure, today's middle class African Americans have bigger houses than our parents and even have nicer cars. But let's be honest, we don't really own that stuff, the banks do. Plus, those big ticket items are more expensive and far out-strip the amount of money we earn each month.

Statistics paint a mixed picture. While blacks as a group still have lower incomes than white Americans, a report released last year by the Pew Charitable Trusts shows that median incomes have risen over the past 30 years for black Americans, from $27,100 annually between 1967 and 1971 to just $35,010 today.

Whites earn an average of $60,000 today versus $50,262 in the early 1970s, the report shows. Incomes for blacks haven't kept quite pace, the report states, largely due to declining income and employment of black men and depressed marriage rates among black Americans.

I wrote about the disappearing black middle class a few weeks ago. Maybe after you finish laughing at Joe the Clown... I mean Plumber, you will take time to check it out.

*Disclosure: The woman in the picture above is not Shaniqua. Both the name and Shaniqua's story are made up, just like much of what we originally heard about Joe the Plumber.*

Say It Aint So Joe!

You mean to tell me he's not a licensed plumber, and may not even be a registered voter?

Well surprise, surprise.

To be fair, the information the elections office has on Joe may not properly match what we know about Joe - maybe his name is misspelled. But we do know that he's a apparently a Republican, if the information on file is to be taken at face value.

From the Toledo Blade

"Joe the Plumber" isn’t a plumber — at least not a licensed one, or a registered one.

A check of state and local licensing agencies in Ohio and Michigan shows no plumbing licenses under Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher’s name, or even misspellings of his name.

Questions were raised Thursday morning whether Mr. Wurzelbacher is a registered voter.

Linda Howe, executive director of the Lucas County Board of Elections, said a Samuel Joseph Worzelbacher, whose address and age match Joe the Plumber’s, registered in Lucas County on Sept. 10, 1992. He voted in his first primary on March 4 of this year, registering as a Republican.

Ms. Howe said that the name may be misspelled in the database.

I wonder what else Joe isn't telling us?

Read more here:

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081016/NEWS09/810160418/-1/NEWS

McCain Must Apologize

If Barack Obama's supporters acted the fool like John McCain's followers are doing right now, media pundits and everyone else would demand Obama apologize.

Why don't I hear these thunderous demands for McCain. After all, it is McCain's minions who are yelling for Obama to be killed and slinging racist slurs at members of the media who happen to be black while his running mate fans racial flames by insinuating Obama is "not like us."

Damn skippy Obama isn't like those bigoted fools, Sarah Palin included.

When the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's appeared on televisions across America last year, Rush Limbaugh and crew were the first to demand that Obama apologize. Even after Obama came out against Wright, they kept whining, just like they're whining now.

If you ask me, what I've been seeing all week from McCain supporters is much worse.

McCain is well aware of what his supporters are doing, and even more aware of the divisions currently being exploited by Palin.

Let me say that I'm not surprised by the white-privileged among us who are angry and afraid that a half-black man has gotten this far in the electoral process, we all know racism is alive and well. What I find perplexing is that nobody has appeared on the airwaves wagging their fingers and tongues at McCain.

Wait, let me take that back. Like me, one columnist is calling for McCain to apologize but we need others to join the drumbeat. "Whenever a crowd gets whipped up to the point that they turn ugly and start hurling racist insults, it is common sense that the candidate moves to rein it in," writes Mary Mitchell in today's Chicago Sun-Times.

But McCain is so desperate to win, he's feeding off of those angry crowds.

McCain should put a stop to the hate-speech. It is his job to rise above the harsh calls for Obama's blood. He needs to apologize immediately. And while he's at it, he needs to apologize for putting Palin on the ticket.

Anything less from McCain shows me he's NOT the leader he claims to be; and certainly not one that I would want representing me.

Beware of the Purge2 - HIGH PRIORITY

Voter purges in 6 states may violate law

NEW YORK - Tens of thousands of eligible voters have been removed from rolls or blocked from registering in at least six swing states, and the voters' exclusion appears to violate federal law, according to a published report.

The New York Times based its findings on reviews of state records and Social Security data.

The Times said voters appear to have been purged by mistake and not because of any intentional violations by election officials or coordinated efforts by any party.

States have been trying to follow the Help America Vote Act of 2002 by removing the names of voters who should no longer be listed. But for every voter added to the rolls in the past two months in some states, election officials have removed two, a review of the records shows.

The newspaper said it identified apparent problems in Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina. It says some states are improperly using Social Security data to verify new voters' registration applications, and others may have broken rules that govern removing voters from the rolls within 90 days of a federal election.

Democrats have been more aggressive at registering new voters this year, according to state election officials, so any closer screening of new applications may affect their party's supporters disproportionately, the Times said.

The result is that on Election Day, voters who have been removed from the rolls could show up and be challenged by political party officials or election workers.

The six states seem to have violated federal law in two ways. Some are removing voters from the rolls within 90 days of a federal election, which is not allowed except when voters die, notify the authorities that they have moved out of state, or have been declared unfit to vote.

And some of the states are improperly using Social Security data to verify registration applications for new voters, the newspaper reported.

In three states — Colorado, Louisiana and Michigan — the number of people purged from the election rolls since Aug. 1 far exceeds the number who may have died or relocated during that period.

"Just as voting machines were the major issue that came out of the 2000 presidential election and provisional ballots were the big issue from 2004, voter registration and these statewide lists will be the top concern this year," said Daniel P. Tokaji, a law professor at Ohio State University.

Read entire story here.

Cindy McCain made a funny

Here's one for the "if that ain't calling the kettle black" files.

Before last night's debate Cindy McCain, wife of Republican presidential nominee John McCain for those who have been asleep, accused Sen. Barack Obama of running one of the dirtiest campaigns in history.

She said what?!?!

While making a campaign appearance at a children's hospital in Tennessee, Cindy McCain said her husband would correct Obama's distortions about her husband.

Hmm... well, I don't know that he did that Cindy.

Here's the quote:

Cindy McCain said today that she expects her husband to clear the record at tonight’s debate and let America know where he truly stands.

McCain, who stopped to visit a half-dozen children at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt today, said the presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama has "waged the dirtiest campaign in American history,” and her husband Sen. John McCain will use tonight’s debate to correct the distortions.

“What I have found is that it’s necessary to make sure the American people understand what we have to say, what we stand for as a husband and wife, and what we will do for the American people if we’re lucky enough to be elected,” Cindy McCain said.

For the record, both campaigns have been distorting one each other's record. But if I had to call it as I see it, McCain has gone further out on that limb than Obama.

Debate Take-away: McCain Never Really Talks About the Middle

For the second of only three presidential debates, Sen. John McCain didn't mention the middle class not once.

That should speak volumes to Americans, and to you.

This is significant in a time when wages are stagnant and people are losing their homes, their jobs and health insurance.

While Sen. Barack Obama dodged a few questions asked of him also, the one that stood out most to me is one posed to McCain: Is health care a commodity or a right. Obama answered it, McCain didn't.

Help for the middle class is what I wanted to hear more about tonight, and McCain failed yet again to address it.

What questions did you have before the debate, and did the candidates sufficiently answer them?

Big Dollar GOP Donors Not Impressed With Palin

Through all the spin, gripes, and fights that I've been watching over the 48-hour news cycle, here's is a passage of story that stood out to me most about Republican Vice Presidential pick Sarah Palin- she might be fooling the GOP masses but the more educated and monied seem to like her even less than Democrats.

From an Associated Press story that ran today:

The angry GOP vice presidential nominee even found a way to blame the market decline on the yet-to-be-enacted tax policies of the yet-to-be-elected Obama.

"If you turn on the news tonight when you get home, you're gonna see that, yah, this is another woeful day in the market, and the other side just doesn't understand -- no!" she said at an afternoon fundraiser at the home of mutual fund giant Jack Donahue. "Especially in a time like this, you don't propose to increase taxes. The phoniest claim in a campaign that's full of them is that Barack Obama is going to cut your taxes."

Of course, Obama never promised to cut taxes for people at $10,000-a-plate lunches in air-conditioned tents on waterfront compounds. And the crowd -- among them New York Jets owner Woody Johnson -- reacted without applause to Palin's Joe Six-Pack lines. After they didn't strike up the usual "Drill, baby, drill" or "USA" chants, Palin, rattled, read hurriedly through the rest of her speech.

Funny how the rhetoric and "cuteness" doesn't work on everyone. Somebody should have told Sarah Palin.

Maybe God helped cause this whole subprime mess

I'm web surfing, as I do on most Sunday mornings while watching the news shows, when I come across this article in Time Magazine.

It poses the question about whether God, or more accurately, Prosperity Gospel, helped cause the rash of foreclosures we're currently experiencing.

Here's an excerpt:

"Has the so-called Prosperity gospel turned its followers into some of the most willing participants — and hence, victims — of the current financial crisis? That's what a scholar of the fast-growing brand of Pentecostal Christianity believes. While researching a book on black televangelism, says Jonathan Walton, a religion professor at the University of California at Riverside, he realized that Prosperity's central promise — that God will "make a way" for poor people to enjoy the better things in life — had developed an additional, dangerous expression during the subprime-lending boom. Walton says that this encouraged congregants who got dicey mortgages to believe "God caused the bank to ignore my credit score and blessed me with my first house." The results, he says, "were disastrous, because they pretty much turned parishioners into prey for greedy brokers."

The article made me think about a church I attended when I lived in Dallas, Texas. Now I won't reveal the name of the church, but I will say the pastor there all too often preached about the accumulation of wealth and status.

His sermons centered around the notion that if only a person remained steadfast in God's word and to the church, then they could get that job, house or car they wanted. The pastor I'm familiar with would repeatedly say, "Don't hate the game, play your own game," before bragging about his newest luxury vehicle.

It disgusted me to see members who were unemployed and/or struggling from one paycheck to the next, sit there and listen to this man continuously talk about his expensive car. Needless to say, I stopped attending the church.

What do you think, does the author of this article make a valid point, or is his argument weak?

The Apocalypse

Did anyone see Swing Vote with Kevin Costner?

In the movie, Kevin Costner plays Bud Johnson, an apathetic, beer slinging loafer who is coasting through a life that has passed him by. But one day, Election Day, Bud Johnson goes from a nobody to becomes the voice for all of America when the world realizes that his vote, and his alone, will be the one that elects the next President of the United States. Politicians invade the small town of Texico, New Mexico and its unwitting inhabitants, waging war for Bud's vote.

They say art imitates life. No truer is this phrase than now.

I'm not saying that the election can come down to one vote, but it very well may come down to one or two congressional districts.

Let me explain:

Remember last week when Sen. John McCain pulled out of Michigan at the same time the U.S. Labor Department reported 159,000 job losses in the month of September? I honestly found myself wondering why he'd do such a thing, afterall pulling out of a state with the highest unemployment levels in the country speaks volumes about a candidate's priorities, right?

His own running mate, Sarah Palin, and political mastermind Karl Rove also questioned McCain's decision as an act of political erraticism.

Well, now we know the reason behind such a move.

McCain wants to use the money he was pouring into Michigan in Maine instead. Yes Maine, with its four electoral college votes. But under the McCain strategy, he only really needs two of them.

The reason, according to Newsweek Magazine. "The Pine Tree State (that would be Maine) awards two of its four electoral votes by congressional district--meaning that if Barack Obama adds Iowa, New Mexico and Colorado to John Kerry's 2004 states (which is likely), but loses New Hampshire (which is possible), a McCain victory in Maine's rugged, northern Second Congressional District could break a 269-269 Electoral College tie and propel the Arizona senator to the presidency. Now comes word that Team Obama has opened another field office in Nebraska--the only other state to divvy up its electors by district. If Obama wins Nebraska's Second (which includes Omaha, the site of his new office) and McCain wins Maine's Second, then the two regions will cancel each other out--and we'll be right back where we started, a 269-269 stalemate."

Political strategists are calling it "The Apocalypse," and say the likelihood of this happening is a very real possibility given the state of the current electoral map.

If a tie does result, guess who gets to decide the election?

The U.S. Supreme Court a la 2000? No, worse. The U.S. House of Representatives. Sure Democrats control the House, but that doesn't necessarily guarantee an Obama win.

It is all so complicated to explain.

Suffice it to say that while there are more than one member in the House to represent individual states, the U.S. Constitutions states that under such Apocalyptic circumstances, each state only gets one vote when it comes to deciding who will be President.

Members of the House will be under so much pressure from constituents back home to vote one way or another, that it could threaten, well, complete chaos.

Can you say sheer madness? Riots and hysteria would ensue, predicts Newsweek. Hence a declaration of Martial Law (big shout out to Marxist Rev. Richie).

Funny thing is, none of this would even be possible if it weren't for the Electoral College, the very creation of which is steeped in slavery and devised by this country's founders as a way to deal with, or not deal with, the issue of slavery.

Oh, it is all so complex and my head is already spinning. If you want to know more about the Electoral College and why it was created, go here, here and here (look under slavery).

Meanwhile, I'll pray that we can somehow avoid The Apocalypse.

Beware of the purge

Just a quick note to remind everyone that Saturday, Oct. 4th begins the last days of voter registration for the upcoming presidential election in many states.

Not only is it the last chance for new voters to register, it is also the final opportunity for making sure the information elections offices have on file about you is correct.

In recent years elections offices across the country, many with good intentions, have purged the names of millions of voters from election rolls. What this means, however, is that your name may erroneously have been removed.

To ensure your name was not mistakenly purged from county voter lists, please call your local elections office BEFORE registration ends in order to fix any and all inaccurate information.

When you call, and this is important:

• Be sure you are properly registered
• Be sure you go to the correct polling place
• Find out your options about convenient voting, such as obtaining an absentee ballot
• Find out if you are required to show identification

After you confirm all of this data with the election's office, ask for a sample ballot and review all information about candidates and issues

These steps are crucial in making sure your vote is counted in November.

DON'T SLEEP ON THIS!

OINK, OINK: BAILOUT LOADED WITH PORK

The latest version of the Bush Administration's bailout plan is yet another welfare program for the rich.

U.S. Senators quietly tucked away billions of earmarks in an already bloated bill. Who knows what the House will do.

Have you seen how many freebies, that have nothing to due with bailing out banks, are included in the package now being considered by the House of Representatives. In case you haven't seen it, let me share a few morsels of fat with you:

• $2 million tax benefit for makers of wooden arrows for children
• a $100 million tax break to benefit auto racetrack owners
• $192 million in rebates on excise taxes for the Puerto Rican and Virgin Islands rum industry
• $148 million in tax relief for U.S. wool fabric producers
• $49 million tax benefit for fishermen and other plaintiffs who sued over the 1989 tanker Exxon Valdez spill.

• Even Hollywood got something out of the Senate bill: renewal of a tax incentive worth nearly $48 million a year for film and TV producers who produce their work in the United States.

This is how Washington, DC works folks, aint life grand!

OINK, OINKl: BAILOUT LOADED WITH PORK

The latest version of the Bush Administration's bailout plan is yet another welfare program for the rich.

U.S. Senators quietly tucked away billions of earmarks in an already bloated bill. Who knows what the House will do.

Have you seen how many freebies, that have nothing to due with bailing out banks, are included in the package now being considered by the House of Representatives. In case you haven't seen it, let me share a few morsels of fat with you:

• $2 million tax benefit for makers of wooden arrows for children
• a $100 million tax break to benefit auto racetrack owners
• $192 million in rebates on excise taxes for the Puerto Rican and Virgin Islands rum industry
• $148 million in tax relief for U.S. wool fabric producers
• $49 million tax benefit for fishermen and other plaintiffs who sued over the 1989 tanker Exxon Valdez spill.

• Even Hollywood got something out of the Senate bill: renewal of a tax incentive worth nearly $48 million a year for film and TV producers who produce their work in the United States.

This is how Washington, DC works folks, aint life grand!

OINK, OINK: BAILOUT LOADED WITH PORK

The latest version of the Bush Administration's bailout plan is yet another welfare program for the rich.

U.S. Senators quietly tucked away billions of earmarks in an already bloated bill. Who knows what the House will do.

Have you seen how many freebies, that have nothing to due with bailing out banks, are included in the package now being considered by the House of Representatives. In case you haven't seen it, let me share a few morsels of fat with you:

• $2 million tax benefit for makers of wooden arrows for children
• a $100 million tax break to benefit auto racetrack owners
• $192 million in rebates on excise taxes for the Puerto Rican and Virgin Islands rum industry
• $148 million in tax relief for U.S. wool fabric producers
• $49 million tax benefit for fishermen and other plaintiffs who sued over the 1989 tanker Exxon Valdez spill.

• Even Hollywood got something out of the Senate bill: renewal of a tax incentive worth nearly $48 million a year for film and TV producers who produce their work in the United States.

This is how Washington, DC works folks, aint life grand!

How Long Before Rev. Wright Comes Back

I'm taking cyber bets...

Now that the Vice Presidential debate is over and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin appears to have learned to speak in half-way coherent sentences (though she didn't answer many of the questions asked of her).

And McCain-Palin has slipped in several, if not all, national polls.

And McCain-Palin has watched their lead in crucial battleground states shrink.

And realizing in all probability that they might lose the state in November, the McCain-Palin team has pulled out of Michigan.

And bad economic news proven to be a drag on McCain Palin approval ratings.

And as it becomes more apparent that McCain-Palin needs to change the subject,

How long do you think it will take for

McCain-Palin to bring back

the Rev. Jeremiah Wright?

McCain Gives Up On Michigan

No wonder he didn't want to speak to Sen. Barack Obama last night...

Now THIS is news!

John McCain is pulling the plug on Michigan, a severe blow to his strategy for taking the White House.

Campaign officials confirmed the decision Thursday to pull TV ads and people out of Michigan, as they scramble to shift resources to states like Ohio, Florida and Wisconsin.

http://www.mlive.com/grpress/news/index.ssf/2008/10/campaign_officials_confirm_joh.html

Seriously, what's wrong with John McCain?

I just don't get this at all:

[Obama] walked over to where McCain was chatting with Republican Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida and Independent Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut. And he stretched out his arm and offered his hand to McCain. McCain shook it, but with a "go away" look that no one could miss. He tried his best not to even look at Obama.

Finally, with a tight smile, McCain managed a greeting: "Good to see you."

Obama got the message. He shook hands with Martinez and Lieberman -- both of whom greeted him more warmly -- and quickly beat a retreat back to the Democratic side.

This was yesterday on the Senate floor, when the chamber voted on the bail-out bill. Ta-Nehisis Coates, of The Atlantic, writes that this is "pretty incredible when paired with McCain's inability to look at Obama during the debate. The only thing worse than a sore loser, is a person who's sore even before they lose."

I agree.

Sure, the polls have him trailing right now, but that can change in four weeks. And for a candidate and party who doesn't follow the polls, why should McCain care?

Seriously, what's wrong with him?

The Right's Newest Most Cynical Tactic

They hope it will undermine the moderator of tomorrow's debate and provide cover for the potential poor performance of Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin

On the eve of the Vice Presidential debate, conservative operatives and their minions are going into over-drive to undermine moderator Gwen Ifill.

Ifill, the only person of color to moderate debates during this high-profile election season, is the target of character assassination by the likes of conservative huckster Michelle Malkin. You can read Malkin's drivel here, but in a nutshell Malkin charges that Ifill "is in the tank" for Sen. Barack Obama and is encouraging other conservatives to place calls to the commission that selects moderators to complain about the "conflict of interest" Ifill presents as a moderator. Malkin also wants this to be the first thing Republican veep nominee Palin brings up during the broadcast of Thursday night's debate.

Yeah, I want to see Palin attack Ifill right out the box tomorrow, that will surely increase her approval ratings. Among some, yeah, but hopefully many more will see this coded racial behavior for what it really is.

Anyway, Malkin basis her claims of "conflict of interest" on the fact that Ifill wrote a cover story about the Obama family for Essence Magazine in August (of course Essence's primary readership are African American women for my bretheren and sisters who might not know). Malkin also cites an upcoming book Ifill wrote as proof that the highly respected journalist is somehow compromised and should not be allowed to moderate tomorrow's debate.

Malkin fails to tell her followers that the book isn't about Sen. Obama in so much as it is about the new era of race in politics, the decline of the Civil Rights Movement and the rise of new black power elites like Obama, Artur Davis of Alabama, Deval Patrick of Massachusetts and Corey Booker of Newark, NJ.

Of course, this very factual piece of information doesn't matter to Malkin and conservatives who agree with her. They just want to set-up a straw-man, or in this case a straw-woman, to take the blame in the likelihood that their beloved Sarah Palin falls on her face in the debate in much the same way she's fallen on her face in recent interviews with Katie Couric and Charlie Gibson.

Question is will such cynical tactics continue to work on the psyche of America's electorate, especially those ever-so-crucial independent voters?