John Kerry Rally in Columbus, Ohio

A picture of John Kerry speaking tonight at his rally on the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. It is not the greatest picture, I'm actually surprised that my camera was able to capture this good of an image.

This is the first real rally that I have ever attended (unless you count a primary speech given by Jerry Brown at UC-Davis during my graduate school days). It was an interesting experience. This tends to be the program of a rally.

1. Loud anthemic rock song - Twisted Sister's, "We're Not Going to Take It"
2. Yelling local politician who no one knows.
3. Yelling local politician who no one knows.
4. Loud anthemic rock song - Bon Jovi, "It's My Life"
5. Loud anthemic rock song (oldies) - Queen, "We Will Rock You"
6. Audience participation song - "Hang on Sloopy" (for you non-Ohio types, it is the official State of Ohio rock song---I kid you not)
7. Yelling statewide politician who some people might know. (Candidate for U.S. Senate Eric Fingerhut). The man had the crowd chanting with him, "Finger.....Hut, Finger......Hut, Finger....Hut." And politicians wonder why we have trouble taking them seriously.
8. Loud anthemic rock song - U2, "Elevation"
9. Hour long pause of silence for crowd to get restless.
10. Loud anthemic rock song - Van Halen, "Right Here, Right Now"
11. Yelling local mayor-Mayor Michael Coleman.
12. Subdued former important politician/person - John Glenn. He gave a good short speech, until he gave a corny introduction of Bruce Springsteen by using Springsteen song titles to make a comparison of John Kerry and Bruce Springsteen. I wonder if before this evening if Glenn had even heard a Springsteen song.
13. Celebrity who large portion of the crowd is there to see-Bruce Springsteen. Sang two lesser known songs acoustically, "Promised Land" and "No Surrender". He gave a great performance that actually sounded very good for a last minute outdoor show.
14. Celebrity introduces the candidate, John Kerry.
15. Crowd cheers and yells.
16. Candidate speaks and crowd cheers in response. Repeat several dozen times.

Overall it was an interesting night, but I don't think I am any more energized about the election than I have been before tonight. It was good to be in a crowd of 40,000 plus Kerry supporters, because sometimes I am worried that right-wing wackos have taken control of Ohio. Well at least for one night I didn't have to think that.

Crowd in Columbus, Ohio for John Kerry Rally

A view of the crowd at the John Kerry for president rally that was held in Columbus, Ohio this evening. At the very least it was the perfect fall evening to be outdoors!

The times they are a changing! 

A short history of Bush's lies and exaggerations!

Why do we have to put up with his lies (and all the lies of the people around him)? Hopefully we won't have to after next Tuesday!

Eminem's "Mosh": Finally a great protest song about 2004

I hope this song and its fantastic video gets some decent airplay before the election. I don't want to ruin the video for anyone who hasn't seen it. I will sum it up by saying it is an excellent example of anger constructively channeled. If I was John Kerry or Moveon.org or one of the other anti-Bush 527's, I would pay to run this video several times a day, instead of running anymore thoughtless and annoying commercials.

This may be the first great protest song of 2004!

Way to go Eminem!

WolfpacksforTruth.org: The Real Story on George Bush's "Wolves" Commercial

WolfpacksforTruth.org: The Real Story on George Bush's "Wolves" Commercial

This is funny stuff!

What should we discuss?

A great discussion has started on the Red Roach Blog about the power the media holds over our thoughts and the issues that we discuss. Red Roach makes a great point reminding us that we all have the power to decide what issues are worthy of our thoughts and energy. This started in reaction to a entry at Attacking The Demi-Puppets.

I posed the following question in my reply:
So my question to you is this, what are three to five issues/topics that you think need our attention as citizens, zinesters, bloggers, humans?

I open this question up to all of you reading out there. What issues are being ignored that shouldn't be? Make us care!

Here is my full reply to Red Roach:

Turtle said...

The media certain does influence us into debating and thinking about issues that really don't matter. Just look at how much time has been wasted discussing the Vietnam War---does it really matter at this point? Both Democrats and Republicans are to blame for the amount of energy wasted discussing that non-topic.

So my question to you is this, what are three to five issues/topics that you think need our attention as citizens, zinesters, bloggers, humans? Here are my five (actually six) in no particular order:

1. Pedestrian/Bicyclist equality: I think we need to pay more attention to sidewalks in this country. Sure it might seem silly to you, but how often do you drive your car somewhere just because it isn't safe (or even possible) to walk or bicycle somewhere.

2. Urban sprawl. Very related to my first issue. Think of the waste that urban sprawl causes. Do we really need a McDonald's every mile (actually I can name a few places where it is even closer than that)?

3. Public libraries. I think it is probably one of the best government creations of the last century. An almost unlimited amount of free ideas and information to do with as you wish. Could they be better? Yes, but what in this world couldn't be? I sure some foolish people think libraries aren't necessary because of all the information available on the internet---but its just not the same.

4. Work week and mandatory vacation. Why does our country have the longest work hours and the shortest amount of vacation time? Everyone talks about the unemployment problem---why not just reduce the hours of work in a week by 5% If companies want to keep up productivity they will have to hire more workers. Make overtime ridiculously expensive for employers so that they stop using it as a crutch.

5. Travel. I think every American should be forced to leave the country at least once a decade so that they can realize how cushy and good we have it here.

6. Reduce the effects of our two-party system of government. Instant Runoff Voting? Establish parlimentary system? Eliminate the electoral college? Have our representatives picked at random in a yearly lottery?

If you asked me again tomorrow....I would probably give you five different topics. But those are the ones on my mind tonight.

Thanks also for the link for "Attacking the Demi-Puppets". It is always great to add a new blog to my reading list.

Amen!

Excellent editiorial in the Washington Post about keeping faith and religion out of politics----written by Tom Beaudoin, a Christian theologian.

Why Kerry will win in November

Lots of good and varied reasons why we should expect a Kerry win in November. I still wish I felt more secure personally about the outcome---we just never know what sort of sneaky trick the Republicans might pull out of their pockets in these last few days.

THE BRAD BLOG: "White House Website Scrubbing Continues!"

Yikes! What can one really say about this----Is Bush trying to replace Nixon as our country's most sneaky, underhanded, dishonest ex-president?

It seems as if the White House shouldn't be the ones to decide what press and audio clips remain on its web page----it should remain public for all of us. Aren't they basically destroying public records (or at the very least restricting access to the records?)

Military Service: Democrats vs. Republicans

An interesting comparison of which politicians participated in military service versus which ones avoided service.

Wasn't Jesus a Liberal?

Any interesting piece by Gary Vance that I think should be required reading for all right-wing conservative Christians.

Florida 2000:Will the Supreme Court again decide who our next president will be?

An interesting article by Richard Hasen in Slate about the numerous ways that this upcoming election could once again wind up in the Supreme Court.

Why am I thinking that the ugliness of this election and its aftermath will make 2000 seem like nothing?

Stop Sinclair Broadcasting

If you are upset with the way Sinclair Broadcasting has behaving this year (refusing to air Nightline, canceling scheduled shows to air anti-Kerry propaganda) then follow this link and take a stand.

Platoon defies orders in Iraq - Is the military really behind Bush?

Its hard to believe this story isn't getting more coverage. We have a major problem in Iraq if the soldiers on the ground have decided they would rather risk a court-martial than follow orders. I personally don't blame any of these soldiers for not wanting to die. Can anyone really tell us for what they are risking their lives?

Why do people vote at all?

Red Roach Blog: The wrong question: "No sir, the question is why do people vote at all."

After reading one of Joe's recent posts I felt it necessary to reply. I vote because I still hope things can improve in this country (or at least slow down how quickly they go downhill).

I'm a cynical optimist. I believe we (both humanity and America) can do better (even though we rarely do). I have seen first hand how things have changed in our country since 2000----and there are very few changes that have been good ones. These are some of the negative changes that I have seen that I blame Bush for:

1. As a teacher I have seen an increase in wasteful, pointless testing. If you though school was stifling to creativity when you were a child, you should check things out now. We are creating a nation of programmed robots.

2. Lack of jobs. I've been looking for jobs in libraries and schools for over a year---they aren't out there. Why? Bush has trashed the economy creating shortfalls for federal, state, and local governments.

3. Corporate scandals. You think the Enron mess just affected a few greedy executives in Texas? Think again. My mother worked for a manufacturing company that produced electrical transformers. When Enron went belly up because of their greed, it sucked money away from almost every single electrical utility in the United States. Electrical utilities had to stop buying new equipment (including transformers) which caused work to slow down at my mom's employer, which caused them to lay off (permanently) over 400 workers. Oh, and also remember the massive blackout in the United States last year---also a result of electric utilities trying to short cut repairs and maintence to make up for budget shortfalls.

4. Big brother watching over your back. The FBI tried to seize the library records of a patron at my local library branch. They didn't even bother to get a subpoena before attempting this-they certainly wouldn't want to leave a paper trail of their actions. I personally enjoy being able to read and write what I want.

5. Medical care. I've seen the cost of my medical care skyrocket (insurance and prescriptions), while the quality of care has definitely gone down. At one point last year I was paying over $300.00 a month between insurance and prescriptions. These rising costs have not improved my care one little bit. The insurance industry is a complete mess. Today I actually recieved a bill in the mail for a chest x-ray that I've never had from a doctor I've never seen in a state where I haven't been in over a year. The system is screwed up. It is screwed up to the point where I had to change doctors because my last doctor refused to accept any insurance anymore. I truthfully don't blame the doctor---what the hell does paperwork have to do with medical care? Can I blame that directly on Bush? Probably not, but I can blame it on the Republicans for refusing any sort of reform or change in our medical system.

I'm sure I could think of some more examples...but all this is going to do is get me all excited and pissed off.

My point is, I vote because I know we can do better. Is John Kerry the perfect candidate? No he isn't---but he is a lot better than the alternative of Bush.

I'm sure some of you are saying, if you don't think Kerry is the best candidate why don't you vote for Nader or some other 3rd party candidate. Its not the way our political system works---the founding fathers rigged it to work as a 2 party system. I could see voting for a 3rd party candidate if I truly believe both major candidates are the same (and it didn't matter which of the two were elected)---but they clearly aren't the same. And that is why I will be voting for John Kerry in November.

One good reason not to trust polling data

I hope this is good news for Kerry, but there really is no way of knowing is there?

America's Robot Outsourcing Problem

Which candidate will address this important problem first?

Update about the Indymedia seizures

Its good to see that the mainstream press is starting to pick up on this story, and speak out against it. Interesting how the FBI is trying to blame other countries for its actions though.

More information can be found here:
www.indymedia.org

Bush's Debate Notes

Some humor for to get the week started!

Is Bush Wired?

A whole blog devoted to whether or not Bush is wired.....you have to love this stuff. Its like a really bad sci-fi horror movie!

Salon.com News | Bush's mystery bulge

Could this election season get any more bizarre? It should make tonight's debate extra interesting...how many cameras will be on his back tonight?? hmmmmm

The full salon.com story is available if you choose a free day pass.

FBI raids indymedia.org

This is very interesting, but I doubt we will ever learn what is really happening. Shouldn't we be very scared when the FBI is raiding the media without any explanation. I know some of you are saying well its some little no-name left wing group, but at what point will someone tell the FBI that they have gone too far with their Patriot Act? By time people start speaking up it will be too late. This is a story that every major television network and all of the major papers should be covering....but they won't. Why because its all about the money for the big companies...not the principles!

Check out www.indymedia.org while you still can!!

More about Cheney's debate screw-up

I still contend that Cheney is trying to blow the election. Keep checking www.factcheck.com for more reasons not to vote for Bush or Cheney.

Cheney tells viewers not to re-elect Bush during debate via secret message on www.factcheck.com

washingtonpost.com - Vice Presidential Debate Between Vice President Cheney and Sen. John Edwards: "CHENEY: Well, the reason they keep mentioning Halliburton is because they're trying to throw up a smokescreen. They know the charges are false.
They know that if you go, for example, to factcheck.com (sic), an independent Web site sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania, you can get the specific details with respect to Halliburton. "

So follow Cheney's advice, type www.factcheck.com into your browser and read the message for yourself!

Sure the Bush/Cheney people are going to tell us they made a little mistake. But I don't think so, maybe Cheney is ready to go back to Wyoming? Maybe Cheney is just as scared of Bush as the rest of the world? Who knows?

Newsweek Poll: Bush's lead is gone

Keep up the good work Kerry, we knew you had it in you!

So when does Bush pull out his October surprise? Isn't it very interesting that the day after Bush tanks in the debate that another Al Queda warning comes out? Hmmmmm, just something to think about.

Faces of Frustration

Check out the faces of frustration video---hard to believe that this guy is actually president. Hilarious stuff!