Inspire Political Discourse

On Amendment 48, Measure 11, and Proposition 4

If you are pro-choice and live in California, Colorado or South Dakota, please help to defeat these ballot initiatives for they will eventually affect women nationwide.

The pro-life crowd may ever more frequently be heard saying "I'm pro-choice, but I believe that it should be decided by the states." Can you say "bait and switch" twice rapidly?  That is exactly what defines this statement, and here is why.

Local organizers have been busy at work pushing to get direct challenges to Roe Vs Wade on state ballots. Currently, three states have measures on their ballots which directly attack pro-choice.

Colorado is the most dangerous of the three as a challenge to Roe Vs Wade, and to the rights of women in the state of Colorado. Additionally, if Amendment 48 passes, women in Colorado may find it difficult to utilize certain types of contraception, fertility  and related treatments, thus affecting not only those who are pro-choice and wish to have an abortion, but affecting any woman who simply wishes to use contraception, etc., even the pro-life crowd.

The stewards of Measure 11 and Amendment 48 created these ballot initiatives in the knowledge that they will be challenged. They are gambling that when a challenge occurs, the Supreme Court will have enough conservative (via McCain selections) judges to overturn Roe Vs Wade.

1. California - Proposition 4 | would limit but not ban abortion by requiring parental notification for minors. ["Proposition 4 is endorsed by Americans United for Life, among others. This is an organization that has worked to slowly erode women's access to abortion care with bills that limit available abortion methods after 12 to 13 weeks of pregnancy; require waiting periods, biased counseling, and ultrasound viewings prior to an abortion; create burdensome and medically unnecessary regulations for abortion clinics; assert that fetuses feel pain during an abortion; and allow health care employees to refuse to counsel, refer, or treat patients for any service to which they object. In other words, Americans United for Life and its allies favor laws that make it exceptionally hard to get an abortion--through cost, distance, stigma, and delay--but do not explicitly ban abortion."  ........]
2. South Dakota - Measure 11 | would ban abortion except under very limited circumstances
3. Colorado - Amendment 48 | Would create a definition of a fertilized egg as a person, resulting in severe restrictions on access to abortion, fertility treatments, birth control, and stem cell research.

Videos after the jump. Cross-posted on Inspire Emotion.

Why I am voting for Barack Obama

The issues are important. And in almost all cases, I agree with Obama's policy statements on how specific issues should be addressed. Not that I would expect to agree with all of any one individual's ideas..

But, there are other reasons that I will vote for Obama that are not about specific issues, but are just as compelling, and perhaps more so. For in the end, it is the character and intellect of the man who holds the office that matters most.

More on the Al Qaeda Preference for McCain

The Endorsement From Hell

“From their perspective, a continuation of Bush policies is best for recruiting,” said Professor Nye, adding that Mr. McCain is far more likely to continue those policies.

An American president who keeps troops in Iraq indefinitely, fulminates about Islamic terrorism, inclines toward military solutions and antagonizes other nations is an excellent recruiting tool. In contrast, an African-American president with a Muslim grandfather and a penchant for building bridges rather than blowing them up would give Al Qaeda recruiters fits. [....]

Colin Powell Endorses Obama

More On That Colin Powell Endorsement

"I know both of these individuals very well now," Gen. Colin Powell (Ret.) said on Meet the Press this morning, saying that both Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and John McCain, R-Ariz., could be good presidents.

But that said, and despite his professed respect and admiration for McCain, and their friendship of 25 years, Powell this morning endorsed Obama.

"It isn't easy for me to disappoint Sen. McCain the way I have this morning," he said.

Support for Obama Worldwide

World Polls Show Wide Obama Support

CBNNews.com - LONDON - If the world beyond America's shores had a say, it seems clear that Barack Obama would win the presidential election by something approaching a landslide.

That is the key finding of a coordinated series of newspaper polls conducted in eight countries and published Friday in Britain's Guardian and other papers.

It is no surprise Obama, the Democratic nominee, is popular in Europe - that was clear when he drew tumultuous crowds to his open-air speech in Berlin this summer - but the scope of the lead suggested by the polls is startling.  [....]

Todd Palin Should Be Ineligible for a Security Clearance

Todd Palin's Past Political Associations A Likely Security Clearance Disqualifier

Although Sarah Palin smack talks Barack Obama for "palling around with terrorists," it turns out that the Palin family has its own history of palling around with Alaska's own unique brand of America-haters. Palin's husband Todd was once an actual member of the secessionist Alaskan Independence Party (AIP). Palin herself was not a member of AIP -- but many AIP luminaries claim her as a kindred spirit and "one of their own."

A charitable characterization of AIP might be "quirky down-home Alaska politics." However, the security processes that govern access to our defense and national security institutions might not look so kindly on Todd Palin's past political associations. Indeed, if Todd Palin were applying for a job in the US government or at a contractor that required access to sensitive classified information -- a security clearance -- he would very likely be ineligible.

What's so bad about the AIP? The party officially renounces violence and disloyalty to the United States

Read full article.

GOP Loses in Ohio Voting Dispute

Supreme Court's Ohio Decision Rejects GOP Voting Dispute

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court sided Friday with Ohio's top elections official in a dispute with the state Republican Party over voter registrations.

The justices overruled a federal appeals court that had ordered Ohio's top elections official to do more to help counties verify voter eligibility.

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat, faced a deadline of Friday to set up a system to provide local officials with names of newly registered voters whose driver's license numbers or Social

Read full article.

ACORN a Republican Set-Up?

Don’t Be Fooled: Republican Charges Against ACORN Are Bogus - AFL-CIO Blog

Magicians often talk about how they use diversion to trick audiences—keep them focused on something on the side while the real action they don’t want you to see is going on somewhere else. That’s what John McCain and the Republican Party are up to with their latest charges against the grassroots group ACORN.

Here are the facts:

• ACORN and Project Vote registered 1.3 million poor people, persons of color and young people, groups that generally vote for Democrats. To register this number of new voters, the groups hired 13,000 canvassers who went door to door in their neighborhoods. The Republicans especially don’t want these groups to vote in large numbers and are doing everything they can to suppress what could be a huge vote for the Democrats.
• ACORN has a tight system of checking voter registration forms. Staff call people

Read full article.

Joe the Plumber Not a Tax Expert

Joe The Plumber Is, It Seems, Not A Tax Expert

Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, a.k.a. "Joe the Plumber," is the topic of the day on the campaign trail, in part because he held an impromptu press conference Thursday morning in front of his house to discuss tax policy, his disdain for Social Security, and his critiques of Barack Obama.

Already, however, there is some dispute as to whether or not Wurzelbacher was being accurate with his critique of Obama. His business, as ABC reports, would almost certainly get a tax cut under Obama's plan, given that he does not expect to make anywhere close to $250,000 in profits.

Moreover, for someone worried about his taxes, Wurzelbacher doesn't -- it appears - always pay them. A filing with the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas shows that he has had state tax liens filed against him, meaning he was either delinquent or didn't fully cover taxes that he owed.

Read full article.

Palin Continues to Lie Re the Findings of the Troopergate Report - Does she think that we can't read?

Palin: ‘No Abuse Of Power There At All’ In Troopergate Report»

A report released last Friday by the bipartisan Alaska Legislative Council found that Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) “abused her power” and violated a statute of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act — an act, the report stressed, that “is not optional.”

Since the report’s release, the McCain-Palin campaign has been in full spin mode. Campaign manager Rick Davis falsely claimed “there was absolutely no wrongdoing found in the report.” And when asked by a reporter if she abused her power, Palin dodged, saying “there’s nothing unlawful or unethical about replacing a cabinet member” — referring to her dismissal of Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan.

But yesterday, during an interview with the local CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh, Palin stooped a little lower, stating flat out that the Legislative Council’s report had found that she did not abuse her power:  Full article here.

The Far Right War on Obama

The Republican War Against Senator Obama

Michelle Obama once called it "the ultimate fear bomb."

I'm writing, of course, about the paranoid, psychopathic behavior we've witnessed over the last two weeks from the Republican Party and its presidential candidates. Be it the fire-eyed rants from the cowardly shrieking eel named Sarah Palin, or the ignorant and naïve witch-hunters in line at various McCain rallies, or the sanctioned Republican Party conspiracy to turn Senator Obama into an Islamic terrorist, we've only begun to scratch the surface of what the far-right is capable of -- in broad daylight no less. Full article here.

Sarah Palin Excludes African Americans

How Sarah Palin Has Excluded African-Americans

On April 29, 2008, 14 leaders of Alaska's black community met with Gov. Sarah Palin to voice discontent with her minority hiring record. Palin's response, which was first reported by journalist Earl Ofari Hutchinson, only compounded her icy relationship with her African-American constituents.

Link to full article.

McCain Transition Chief Helped Saddam Hussein to Lobby US

McCain Transition Chief Aided Saddam In Lobbying Effort

William Timmons, the Washington lobbyist who John McCain has named to head his presidential transition team, aided an influence effort on behalf of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to ease international sanctions against his regime.

The two lobbyists who Timmons worked closely with over a five year period on the lobbying campaign later either pleaded guilty to or were convicted of federal criminal charges that they had acted as unregistered agents of Saddam Hussein's government.

During the same period beginning in 1992, Timmons worked closely with the two lobbyists, Samir Vincent and Tongsun Park, on a previously unreported prospective deal with the Iraqis.
Link to full article.

Michelle Obama Turns the Other Cheek

►Michelle Obama Dismisses Criticisms - The New York Times

Michelle Obama is turning the other cheek to the sharp attacks on her husband, Senator Barack Obama, from Senator John McCain, his wife, Cindy, and his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin.

In two televised interviews Wednesday night, Mrs. Obama expressed nothing but kindness toward the Republican ticket. She even offered praise for Ms. Palin, saying she provided “an excellent example” of how women can juggle work and family.

Continue reading here.

Petraeus Appears to Back Obama Positions

►Petraeus Talk Bolsters Obama - Washington Independent

Throughout Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign, the Republican nominee has wrapped himself in the mantle of U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, proclaiming himself the leading advocate of the former commanding general in Iraq who devised last year’s controversial troop surge. Yet during a talk Wednesday about Iraq at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington policy organization, Petraeus repeatedly made statements that bolstered the foreign-policy proposals of Sen. Barack Obama, McCain’s Democratic rival, or cut against McCain’s own lines.

Petraeus relinquished command in Iraq last month. He assumes responsibility for U.S. Central Command later this month, putting him in charge of U.S. forces in the Middle East and South Asia.

Continue reading here.

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Give Sarah Palin the Boot

►Sarah Palin Engendering Racial Hatred, Encouraging the Insanity on the Campaign Trail. She needs to go. Now.

Sarah Palin's recent attacks on Obama are without any real basis in fact, and Palin's supporters demean her, as Palin demeans all Americans. Encouraging, rather than condemning her supporters who yell horrific things such as " kill him" , "he is a traitor", "treason", "terrorist", and other things of that nature in reference to the Democratic nominee for President of the United States, Barack Obama, is beyond stupid, beyond politics, and bordering on insanity. Palin herself calls him "the best friend of a terrorist", a claim totally without basis in fact, and the Republican party has already acknowledged this. This woman needs to go. Quickly. Away.

Palin needs to recuse herself from this election and allow McCain to select another running mate, hopefully someone with intelligence,

Continue reading here.

AIG Throws $440k Party After Bailout at Taxpayer Expense

►AIG throws $440,000 party after bailout

WASHINGTON – Days after it got a federal bailout, American International Group Inc. (AIG) spent $440,000 on a posh California retreat for its executives, complete with spa treatments, banquets and golf outings, according to lawmakers investigating the company’s meltdown.

AIG sent its executives to the coastal St. Regis resort south of Los Angeles even as the company tapped into an $85-billion loan from the government it needed to stave off bankruptcy. The resort tab included $23,380 worth of spa treatments for AIG employees, according to invoices the resort turned over to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

The retreat didn’t include anyone from the financial products division that nearly drove AIG under, but lawmakers still were enraged over thousands of dollars spent on outing for executives of AIG’s main US life insurance subsidiary.

Continue reading here.

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McCain Mortgage Proposal Already Covered in Bailout Bill

►Long History for Proposal on Mortgages by McCain - The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Scrambling to repair his image on economic issues, Senator John McCain proposed during Tuesday night’s debate a $300 billion plan authorizing the treasury secretary to buy the mortgages of homeowners in financial trouble and replace them with more affordable loans.

The campaign of Senator Barack Obama quickly countered by saying that the financial rescue plan that President Bush signed into law last week already gave the treasury secretary such power. And, his advisers noted, Mr. Obama recommended such a step in a news conference nearly two weeks ago.

Continue reading here.

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Palin Derides Taxpayers

►Palin’s Kind of Patriotism - The New York Times

Criticizing Sarah Palin is truly shooting fish in a barrel. But given the huge attention she is getting, you can’t just ignore what she has to say. And there was one thing she said in the debate with Joe Biden that really sticks in my craw. It was when she turned to Biden and declared: “You said recently that higher taxes or asking for higher taxes or paying higher taxes is patriotic. In the middle class of America, which is where Todd and I have been all of our lives, that’s not patriotic.”

What an awful statement. Palin defended the government’s $700 billion rescue plan. She defended the surge in Iraq, where her own son is now serving. She defended sending more troops to Afghanistan. And yet, at the same time, she declared that Americans who pay their fair share of taxes to support all those government-led endeavors should not be considered patriotic.

Obama - McCain Clash on the Economy

►Obama and McCain Clash Over Economy - The New York Times

Senators John McCain and Barack Obama debated for 90 minutes on Tuesday night before a nation in economic crisis, each promising anxious Americans that he had the better plan and vision to lead the country through what both men said was the most dire financial situation since the Great Depression.

Continue reading here.

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