"I didn't want to witness history alone"

Last night I joined my fellow citizens in the ballroom of a local caterer to watch history unfold. The event was being shown on a movie screen streaming live from the laptop.

Like most communities, there were two entrenched camps. The usual activitists, early Obama and HRC supporters were present. There was at least 100 people in attendance on a cool summer night. I was pleasantly surprised.

One older white lady with tears in her eyes utttered to no one in particular, "I didn't want to witness history alone."

I stood along the wall and just absorbed the crowd and waited patiently for the main event to begin. The excitement and the moment were pallitable.

I am not one for public tears unless there is a dead body involved. Being raised in a male dominated culture it was simply not cool. However, as the light dimmed and they panned the volume of people in Mile High Stadium I was generally moved to tears. I was surprised at my reaction.

I was raised to believe that with hard work anything was possible. BUT, being the President of the United States of America was not in the relm of possibilities. He is one election victory away from being the leader of the free world. My daughter, nieces or nephews can aspire to be President.

Barak Obama ran an successful primary and he won the most votes. Iowa shocked the world, shocked me and probably shocked Obama by handing him a victory. I really did not think white America would vote for a black man. How glad I am to have been so wrong. The Founding Fathers wrote an awesome business plan on how to govern a country but a few valuable resources were left behind.

My generation has stood on the shoulders of our predecessors who bled for our rights that we take for granted. Their sacrifices made this moment in history possible.

On numerous occasions my neighbors were on their feet cheering throughout the speech. I suppose none of us wanted to witness history alone.

What a country!

Bad toys

Wouldn't you rather buy less more expensive toys that wouldn't poison your kid? I was one of those parents whose kid's room looked like a toy store outlet. Most of the time she played with a $3 bunny she named Amy.

When products are manufactured overseas by countries that don't have the minimum safety requirements in place this in the end result.

How about we have China outsource those jobs to us?

Sicko spurs action

After seeing clips of Sicko, Suburban Guerrilla said this movie "is going to start a revolution. Its the one issue that affects everyone."

I wasn't so sure. When maybe 25% of the population bothers to vote, you have to wonder.

After seeing cinemablend's site, this is one time I hope Susie's right.

Presidential Scholars send message to POTUS

I suppose the First Lady read the note to Shrub. There is hope for our future.

Citizen's take on Cheney

Krugman: Guiliani, Nice Resume Pal

I am not the only who thinks Guiliani is a fraud:

"But he’s spent the years since then cashing in on terrorism, and his decisions about Giuliani Partners’ personnel and clients raise real questions about his seriousness. His partners, as The Washington Post pointed out, included “a former police commissioner later convicted of corruption, a former F.B.I. executive who admitted taking artifacts from ground zero and a former Roman Catholic priest accused of covering up sexual abuse in the church.”

In this election, the voters need to identify who will be a representative voice in DC. We need to spend as much time assessing the candidates as we do the Sopranos.

We really don't need another documented failure in the White House.

Impeachment remains the only option

Bob Burnett has seen the light.........

Newt Gingrich, Sensitivity Playbook

I was listening to NPR on my way to my afternoon "greeting" duties. The feature story was Fredo and Andy Card's hospital visit John Ashcroft.

Ashcroft was in his sixth day of intensive care when this dynamic duo showed up to get him to sigh off on the domestic spying crap. According to James Comey, Ashcroft struggled to lift his head to refuse their request. Like the criminals they are, this pair slithered into the night. As you know, it passed without his signature.

The gang of bullies will stop at nothing to further their fucked up agenda.

What is it with the need to deliver information to a hospital bed. This is pulled out of the Newt Gingrich sensitivity playbook. Ashcroft's wife should have called the police.

I guess Andy Card has to be added to the list of war criminals.

Shrub has finally sunk lower than Nixon. Unbelievable. They stole the first election. Lack of voter turnout, ensured the second term. The French had 80% voter turnout. The lack of citizen participation leads to hmmmm this administration.

If you don't think voting matters, read the transcripts.

Polls close at 8.

Election Day Blues

The mayorial race in Philly turned real ugly as the primary campaign came to a close. No one is surprised. Unfortunately, for my BF she is caught right smack in the middle of the drama. I hope her guy wins because he has made his money, so there will not be need for him to use the office to make more. This will be good for the city and suburbia. I guess. I hope. Unless he fires everybody, the lifers employed by the city may just make his life miserable. The other candidates have done very little to serve the residents of Philadelphia.

I took the day off to "work the polls." For my first shift, I was stationed at the local library. The follow of traffic was awesome...for "story time." The folks of voting age simply did not want to be bothered. During my three hour shift, I counted fifteen voters. Four actually took Democratic literature. In my neck of the woods, this is news. One resident returned to vote and brought me a vegetarian sandwich. Both gestures made me happy.

Those who arrived to actually vote were seniors against referendum on income tax. They weren't sure why but it had to be bad because it is a tax. These were some of the same folks who were upset because it took so long to clear the down trees after a recent storm. Sigh. They want an infrastructure but don't want to pay for it. In this community, the tax will not affect our lives.

It's a primary for local offices so I expected the turnout to be low but not this low. Our area had record turnout last November.

My afternoon shift is at the local skilled nursing facility, I wonder if the the flow of traffic will pick up.

If you have an today, take a few minutes to vote. What happens at the local level has a direct impact on your daily life.

Vote.

Hoyer's staffer hangs up on Citizen

Members of Congress really need to understand, they were not put into office to generate meaningless non-binding resolutions. While Shrub is history, these folks need to understand to whom they report.

For a staffer to hang up on a polite caller is unacceptable.

Boycott Circuit City

There comes a time when we have to relinquish our role as consumers and embrace our citizen obligations.

The time is now. We should join Stu Bykofsky's call to boycott Circuit City.

It is disgraceful that they are tossing the seasoned loyal field staff with inexperienced rookies. All for the purpose of improving corporate bonuses. What these "replacements" don't realize is that if they manage to stay, they will find themselves in the same position.

These discarded folks are your neighbors. Think about it.

I am shopping for a new TV. I will not buy it from Circuit City.

From the radical state Wisconsin

Go Tell it on the Mountain, BooMan

I couldn't agree more with Booman. Not only is the soul of the party at stake, the soul of the country of hangs in the balance.

There must be a change in the activities of those we have elected to represent us. It would be really nice if they actually put our interests in front of those who donate lots of money. I really don't want to see Hillary in the White House.

In the meantime, those in the netroots community need to check their egos and put their country first...

McCain, Clinton, Dodd, Biden, Obama

Hey band of presidential candidates, how about taking your backsides back to D.C.. Instead of wasting a ton of time bickering, you do have CURRENT jobs. No more superficial non-binding resolutions.

The country has a few pressing issues. Let's start with revoking the Military Commission Act.

Hilliary's wrong answer

Hilliary reminds me of the smartest girl in the class who actually got a wrong answer on a test. First she is stunned by the test results. Then she questions the professor. Finally she appeals the grade.

Hey Hilliary, you voted wrong. I hope that a citizen asks her about this issue at every stop.

Get over yourself.

Offseason for politics

I love sports and politics. Both have a lot in common, the bad boys/girls, competition, the fans and the intense media scrutiny.

Both used to have an offseason. During this period, preparation for the next season, draft picks/candidates are scouted; managers switch teams, choices are analyzed and the fans/voters can breathe.

I want my political offseason back. We had, what a whole hour after the 2006 election before the first candidate for the 2008 election?

The states are jockeying for position to be first in the primaries. God only knows how that is going to shake out.

They are anticipating at least 1 billion to be spent on the 2008 presidential campaign. Most of the money is earmarked for TV ads. Who is benefiting from this? The owners of the TV stations.

How about the stations run the ads for nothing and they can be given a corporate tax deduction? Or no TV ads and candidates actually have to face the electorate?

We don't know who we are actually selecting, only a packaged version. Doesn't homemade macaroni and cheese taste better than a boxed pre-packaged version?

My friend said there is a leadership vacuum. She is so right. No one is willing to state the truth or say what they mean because their consultant's brains will explode. Straight talk express? That train derailed long time ago.

Like our athletes, maybe we as voters don't want our politicians to tell us the truth. Maybe we want to be told what we want want to hear. Maybe we are simply not ready to hear that the dry cleaner didn't shrink our clothes. We are facing real problems, we need leaders who are willing to tell us the harsh realities. We as an electorate have to be prepared to hear it.

I want my leadership to made mistakes and learned from them. I hope that I am not alone.

Good for the Chicks

In 2003, the Dixie Chicks were flambeed for exercising their first amendment rights. The beginning of the demise of all of our constitutional rights. If you are professional entertainer you do not check your basic liberties at the stage door. For them to be told by the far right to "shut up and sing" is outrageous.

I guess when we are imposing a Jeffersonian democracy in the Middle East we are supposed to suspend our rights at home.

The fact that they won five grammys speaks to the sea change in the attitude of the country.

Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund

Richard T. Santullii, a builder from NY saw a need for our soldiers severely injured in the Bush War. Instead of asking for a government contract, he asked the military and our government to simply stay out of his way. Through private donations he put together a foundation and raised enough money to build the state of art rehab facility in about fourteen months. 50 million big ones.

The ribbon cutting was this morning. Our Gal Hill and her drinking buddy McCain were there. Free press time. Standing in the shadows was Richard T, a true Hero Citizen.

If you haven't picked a charity to sponsor this year, this a great way of supporting the troops who literally gave body parts serving their country.

Those who are not running for President......

Meet the Press is the alternative to the internet to announce running for the Presidency. The latest to throw his hat into the ring is former Governor Mike Huckabee. A frequent visitor to the Imus in the morning show, he is best known for losing the equivalent weight of a small person.

The field is growing and it is still January.

Those who are not running for President, please remain off of the Sunday shows.

Middle America Speaks Out Against the War