The peace sign

turns fifty today. It was first used for a march on a nuclear weapons facility. For a story about it with links to a newspaper article go to our friend Ted’s Page.

I remain confused. They all talk about change but without really saying what the changes will be how do we know we would be better off if any of them were elected?

Tip o’ my hat to Skippy the Bush Kangaroo

Only 366 more days until George Walker Bush leaves the Whitehouse. This is a leap year so we have that extra day of his bullshit but it is an exciting year anyway. January 20, 2009 can’t come soon enough.

We will have another president at that time and hopefully the American people will have a real chance to have their voices heard. Maybe the voting machines will be fixed and not miscount the votes like they did in New Hampshire last week. Maybe “undesirable” voters wont be banned from the polls. Maybe Bushco wont steal the election this time. Maybe this time we will actually get the lesser of two evils and a thinking person will be the puppeteer.

Since W has been the president with record setting vacation days I’m sure a few more of them are in his plans for this year. Probably the longest will be in November and December. Sure those days will be filled with the duties of every lame duck. Pardons, commutations and favors to cronies but thats par for the offices course. They all do it.

I am still apprehensive about who the electoral college will place in there. I am not convinced that any of the frontrunners aren’t already in the war machine’s pockets. Barring the religio-nuts and 9/11 Gulliani I think we will be better off in the long run. Maybe we will have a minority for the first time. Maybe just another white man who fits the rich politician norm. Whoever, it’s time for a real change.

Almost anyone would be better than The Evil Bushman and his cronies.

If you have been watching any of the presidential primary coverage you have heard or read the word change in every candidates promises. Speeches promise change. Signs and placards waving behind the candidates proclaim change is needed. That one word is prominent but the big thing lacking is defining what change they propose. Do the American people want the change they promise or are we just so fed up with what we have that any promise of change will do?

The biggest issue of change is the war in Iraq in my opinion. While there are huge issues such as healthcare, education and social security reform I don’t think they can be addressed if America’s money in being sunk into the sand of Iraq. It is bad enough to send our money there but to deprive our citizens of basic care to blow up some other country then that makes it the main issue.

None of the current candidates have much of a different view from the current administration on the of keeping our troops there except Kucinich and Paul. I like Dennis but am terrified of Ron. Neither have much of a chance of being elected president but their “bring our troops home” policies have the first step in the direction we need to be going.

When we get our soldiers out of there the other issues would have a chance of being dealt with. We would be able to spend money on things like making sure there truly are no children left behind. In education as well as medical care. Now the cost of the war prohibits real change on other real issues.

Not to mention the many lives saved.

While they rushed ballots to the polling places that were running out. While every news channel was predicting a double digit lead for Obama over everyone. While the pundits babbled insipidly about who would win if Bill Clinton were running. While everyone in the media were predicting a neck and neck between McCain and Romney, I slept.

Crying myself into a nap I knew how my life is going to be spent the next few months. Watching the chances of a positive campaign crumble while the sniping and backstabbing grows. Through the rain of mudballs being hurled by the candidates, and some of their spouses, we will have the problem of trying to see which one of them will really bring change and who would lead us down the road to hell we are speeding down so quickly already. Although the mud doesn’t seem to be sticking yet I am sure it will get thicker and nastier as the year runs on.

Hillary’s slim victory over Obama today in New Hampshire is being touted as a major victory. On the Democratic side both Edwards and Richardson have vowed to continue fighting. McCain and Romney have clinched the top 2 while Huckabee, the strong leader in Iowa was pushed down to the Ron Paul level. I was really refreshed to wake and see how lousy the numbers were for 9/11 Gulianni and Thompson. Paul fanatics will actually cause more damage to his cause than the good their money did so I’m not worrying much about his ultra right wing libertarian ass winning anything any more. Dodds poor showing will probably result in him withdrawing from the race along with the other candidates who polled less than 2% in todays primary.

My states governor has decided to concentrate on the western states where he is better known. While others are campaigning in S. Carolina Richardson will be wooing Nevadans and Californians. He still has strong support here in New Mexico because the people have benefitted  from his leadership. There are those he needs to court still but I think he will do better out west than he has in Iowa or N.H.. I’m really excited to see how people all over the nation whose states are being invaded by the big news agencies and herds of supporters will react to this circus tour.

It was good to see that no one got the “coronation” the media had been trying to put on Barack all week. I really think that those other Demo candidates need to get a lot more airtime in before the people are forced to go with the top runner. There are more choices than Obama and Clinton so they need to be heard.

I’m glad to see New Hampshire over with. I’m also glad it wasn’t the decider and we still have until November to choose who will be our next president.

If they actually let the people decide this time.

 With so many people disgusted with politics as usual everyone is grasping at straws to see radical change this November. Many conservatives ar reaching out to Ron Paul as a savior. No matter how much change he promises a quick look at his record will show that he’s just more of the same. I found this article from  Political Wire and thought it important to pass it along.

Tip o’ the hat to  radicalfanitical

Google Ron Paul?
December 17, 2007, 4:12 pm
Filed under: 2008 Election, Conservatives, Economics, Environment, Faith, Government, House, Immigration, International, Race, Rights | Tags: 2008, Abortion, Campaigns, Candidates, Corporate Power, Elections, Environment, Immigration, Reactionaries, Reproductive Choice, Republicans, Ron Paul, The Oil Industry, United Nation
Recently, Ron Paul broke the one-day fundraising record for a Republican Presidential candidate, raking in approximately $5.2 million dollars. Political Wire has more:

“Most of the donations were made over the Internet in what the supporters called a “money bomb” timed to coincide with the 234th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. The last fund-raising blitz, which took in 40,000 donations, was timed to coincide with Guy Fawkes Day, which commemorates a British mercenary who tried unsuccessfully to kill King James I on Nov. 5, 1605.” The record take means Paul will likely lead his rivals for money raised during the fourth quarter.

Paul’s supporters will tell you to “Google Ron Paul;” in light of his recent fundriaising success, let’s give that a shot and see what he actually stands for–Orcinus has the definitive account, and it’s nothing less than appalling:

Ron Paul wants to deny women control of their own reproductive systems–despite calling himself a libertarian, he doesn’t seem to mind government intrusion when it comes to abortion. (H.R.1095 H.R.777 H.R.1548 H.AMDT.1003 (A024) H.AMDT.380 (A022) H.AMDT.312 (A011) H.R.4984). Not only that, but Paul wants to eliminate the legal distinction between a zygote and a person (H.R.2597 H.R.1094 H.R.776 H.R.392).
Paul wants to prevent the federal courts–or even federal precedent–for being used by those who have been discriminated against due to religious beliefs or sexual orientation. His bills would also prevent cross-state recognition of gay marriage (H.R.300 H.R.4379 H.R.5739 H.R.3893 H.R.1547 H.R.4922 H.R.5078). He also wants to limit the court system’s ability to hear abortion cases (H.R.1545 H.R.1546 H.R.2875 H.R.3400 H.R.3691 H.R.15169).
Despite claiming to be a libertarian, Paul opposes allowing people to express their freedom of speech by burning the American flag (H.J.RES.80 H.J.RES.82).
Ron Paul wants to repeal workplace safety and health legislation, including the Occupational Health and Safety Act (H.R.2310 H.R.13264). And so much for giving power to the people–he wants to make it easier to decertify labor unions (H.R.694). In addition, Paul also opposes the minimum wage (H.R.2962) and wants to destroy Social Security (H.R.2030 H.R.4604).
Paul opposes pro-democracy voting reforms, even after the disastrous 2000 election (H.CON.RES.48 H.CON.RES.443). He also opposes the motor voter laws, which make it easier for people–particularly poorer people–to register to vote (H.R.2139).
Ron Paul wants to gut anti-trust and anti-monopoly legislation (H.R.1247 H.R.1789) and eliminate corporate oversight (H.R.1204). For someone who seems to support giving power to the people, the only people he wants to help are the already-powerful.
Paul wants to repeal anti-discimination laws (H.R.3863 H.R.5842 H.R.4982), as well as eliminating birthright citizenship (H.J.RES.46 H.J.RES.42), which is in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.
Ron Paul wants to repeal or severely weaken environmental protection legislation (H.J.RES.104 H.R.3735 H.R.4423 H.R.2504 H.R.7079 H.R.724), as well as promoting offshore oil drilling, building more oil refineries and mining for coal on federal land (H.R.2415 H.R.4004 H.R.393 H.R.4639 H.R.5293 H.R.6936).
Paul, who portrays himself as pro-peace, opposes dismantling ICBM silos in the United States (H.R.1665 H.R.3769) and supports keeping the U.S. out of the International Criminal Court (H.R.1154 H.AMDT.480 (A010) H.R.4169 H.CON.RES.23 H.RES.416). He has also tried to limit the impact of international law on the United States (H.J.RES.1028 H.J.RES.492 H.CON.RES.49 H.R.4118 H.R.1658), going as far as trying to withdraw America from the U.N. (H.R.1146 H.R.1146 H.AMDT.285 (A038) H.R.1146 H.AMDT.190 (A024) H.AMDT.191 (A025) H.R.1146 H.AMDT.306 (A006) H.R.1146 H.AMDT.138 (A010) H.R.1146 H.R.3890 H.R.3891 H.R.6358 H.R.14788). In addition, Paul supports withdrawing the U.S. from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (H.J.RES.566) and wants to re-establish U.S. ’sovereignty’ over the Panama Canal (H.CON.RES.231 H.RES.1410 H.R.2522).
Paul wants to weaken our education system by using federal power to interfere with state efforts to improve standards for teachers (H.R.966 H.R.1706 H.R.4653).
Once again pandering to the powerful, Paul wants to reduce the tax burden of the wealthiest Americans, including those who inherited their fortunes. In addition, he wants to disproportionately burden the poor and working clas by imposing a flat tax (H.J.RES.23 H.J.RES.14 H.J.RES.15 H.J.RES.45 H.J.RES.81 H.J.RES.116 H.R.5484 H.R.2137 H.R.1664 H.J.RES.23 H.R.6352 H.R.4569 H.R.15619). Paul also wants to force us to pay our income tax every month, eliminating withholding (H.R.1364 H.R.4855).
Paul also wants to abandon the dollar, creating 50 state currencies instead (H.R.2779 H.R.3931).