Democracy Has Prevailed.

October 31, 2004

The Boys Are Back! (But Not for Long)
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!


Candy for the Kids; Kerry Flyers for the Adults!


The Boys Have Returned (But Not for Long -- Say "Goodbye" on 11/2)


What's Halloween without a black cat...or a jack-o'-lantern?
But the best part about Halloween was that I got three people on my block to put up Kerry/Edward signs in their windows.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Now GOTV!!!

Ooops! Forgot to add a picture of one of the costumed trick-or-treaters:

(Note: No animals were harmed in the taking of this picture;
only humans suffered.)

Breaking!!! Zogby cell poll has Kerry over Bush 15 points!!!

Fram Daily Kos: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/10/31/123911/68

by MyName =Sun Oct 31st, 2004 at 16:39:11 GMT
Released: October 31, 2004

Young Mobile Voters Pick Kerry Over Bush, 55% to 40%, Rock the Vote/Zogby Poll Reveals: National Text-Message Poll Breaks New Ground

link here: http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=919

Polling firm Zogby International and partner Rock the Vote found Massachusetts Senator John Kerry leading President Bush 55% to 40% among 18-29 year-old likely voters in their first joint Rock the Vote Mobile political poll, conducted exclusively on mobile phones October 27 through 30, 2004. Independent Ralph Nader received 1.6%, while 4% remain undecided in the survey of 6,039 likely voters. The poll is centered on subscribers to the Rock the Vote Mobile (RTVMO) platform, a joint initiative of Rock the Vote and Motorola Inc. (for more information: http://www.rtvmo.com/). The poll has margin of error of +/-1.2 percentage points

Diaries :: MyName's diary ::

The poll also found that only 2.3% of 18-29 year-old respondents said they did not plan to vote, and another .5% who were not sure if they would. The results of the survey are weighted for region, gender, and political party.

The Rock the Vote Mobile political poll was conducted using a sample group from Rock the Vote Mobile's 120,000-subscriber base. Participants in the Rock the Vote Mobile (RTVMO) platform, a civic engagement initiative launched last March by Rock the Vote and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), responded to this poll between October 27 and October 30.

"The results of this text-message poll mirror what we're seeing in our more conventional polls," said John Zogby, CEO and president of Utica, N.Y.-based Zogby International. "Among 18-29 year-olds, Kerry leads the President by 14 points--55% to 41% in our current daily tracking poll--virtually identical to these results. Our text-message poll seems to have been validated by this experiment. All in all, I think we've broken some new ground in polling.

"A Little Gift"

"We want people to think 'terrorism' for the last four days," said a Bush-Cheney campaign official. "And anything that raises the issue in people's minds is good for us."

A senior GOP strategist added, "anything that makes people nervous about their personal safety helps Bush.

"He called it "a little gift," saying it helps the President but doesn't guarantee his reelection.

Yep, you heard that right -- the folks charged with protecting us from terrorists believe that the fact that the instigator of the 9/11 attacks on our country is alive and well enough to come on our televsions and into our living rooms to threaten us again is A LITTLE GIFT TO THE BUSH CAMPAIGN.

DESPICABLE!


October 29, 2004

The Bush Pledge

"I care about freedom and liberty.
I care about my family.
I care about my country.
Because I care, I promise to work
hard to re-elect, re-elect
George W. Bush as president
of the United States."

This is for real folks. This is what they're saying now at Bush Rallies.

Obviously the Kool-Aid is much stronger than we could have ever imagined.

Best Anti-Bush Ad Yet

The New Democrat Network has put out a very comprehensive case against Bush in the form of an ad with a catchy Salsa y Merengue tune, the chorus of which is "Ten cuidado del nombre Bush" (Be aware of the name Bush).

The ad also implores viewers to "Unete al Movimiento Democrata" (Join the Democratic Movement).

The ad has English subtitles and can be viewed here:


October 28, 2004

Vandals Rip Down My Display

Vandals ripped down my Halloween display the same day this article appeared about it:

http://web.ppc.edu/~stnews/halloweendecorations.html

I was in my living room at 10:00 PM and heard a big ripping noise (they were wired to the house).

I yelled "Hey!" and ran to the door.

I could hear a car peeling away but only caught a glimpse of the car at the corner before it was gone. Bush&Co were lying half in the gutter and half in the street (I believe that they were trying to haul them off with them).

I have had pretty elaborate (though nonpolitical) displays for years now and they've never been touched...

I've posted the "before" pictures before on this blog so I may as well post the "after" pictures:


Where they were.

One of the ripped wires

Where they are now.


I'm not certain if I'll put them back up (it wasn't that easy the first time). Any suggestions?






Odds & Ends

RALLY

As I mentioned before, I attended the Kerry Rally at Carnegie Mellon University. I had a gold ticket for the rally which basically permitted me to roam at will. I took along a cheap disposable camera. It was impossible for me to get a shot of the entire crowd as the terrain was flat, but here's my crowd shot taken from behind the stage:



I don't have any good pictures of Kerry (or Bon Jovi) as by the time they came out, I had moved to the side seating set up for staff. I did, however, get some snaps of the speakers before they appeared on stage. Enjoy:







HALLOWEEN AT MARIA'S

As I also have mentioned previously (HERE, HERE & HERE), I have some cool decorations this year for Halloween. A writer for the "Point Park University Globe" apparently agreed as she put them in the paper. And, yes, they got my first name wrong and, no, I never said Kerry favored gay marriage. My other quotes were also less than verbatim, but why quibble:

Globe Article


Actual Quotes!

I know you've probably seen it around the web for a while, but I had to post it here. In response to John Kerry's attack on his competence regarding the missing 380 tons of explosives in Iraq, George Bush (truly a man with out irony) said this:
A political candidate who jumps to conclusions without knowing the facts is not a person you want as your commander-in-chief.
I could not have said it better myself. Only I would add that Bush is talking about the wrong presidential candidate.

You may not have see this one, though. Rudy Giuliani blames the troops for losing track of the explosives. No joke. Here's what he said:
No matter how you try to blame it on the president the actual responsibility for it really would be for the troops that were there. Did they search carefully enough? Didn't they search carefully enough?
Check the clip.

Rudy and Georgie. One has no irony and the other no shame.

October 27, 2004

WWJD?
We Don't Think He'd Do This!

This is after he was saved and while he was Governor:


(Click on picture to view video)


Ever the little frat boy. . .

The Ultimate Chain Letter

Normally I think that people who pass along chain mail should be taken out and beaten, but this one is a goodie! Feel free to cut and paste and pass along to friends:

Dear Friends,

This chain letter was started in hopes of bringing relief to all the other tired and discouraged women out there. Unlike most chain letters, this one does not cost anything. Just send a copy of this letter to five of your friends who are equally tired and discontented.

Then bundle up the man in your life, send him to the woman whose name appears at the top of the following list, and then add your name to the bottom of the list.

When your turn comes, you will receive 15,625 men. One of them is bound to be better than the one you already have.

At the writing of this letter, a friend of mine had already received 184 men, of whom 1 may be well worth keeping. An unmarried woman living with her widowed mother was able to choose between a Chippendale dancer and an Olympic swimmer.

You can be lucky, too, but DO NOT BREAK THE CHAIN! One woman broke the chain and got her own husband back! So let's keep it going, ladies! Just add your name and address to the list below:


Laura Bush
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C.



October 25, 2004

Bush is Scary; Vote for Kerry!

As mentioned before HERE and HERE, I put up a somewhat elaborate politically-themed Halloween display this year. Well, here's the pictures:





It's created a bit of a stir -- all positive comments so far -- except for the thief who stole my Kerry lawn sign out of my planter. Creep!

The Puppies Are Coming! The Puppies Are Coming!

By now, if you're living in a battleground state, you've probably already seen the latest Bush ad entitled "Wolves." The ad is a takeoff on the '84 Reagan ad that featured a bear in the woods that was meant to represent the threat of the Soviet Union. This time around, the animals in question are meant to represent the terrorist threat (that liberals would make us too weak to defend, of course).



The problem with the ad is that it's 2004, not 1984 and the viewing public is far more sophisticated -- and armed with grassroots technology -- to ridicule these ads which many have noted feature canines who look more like German Shepherds than the Big Bad Wolf (Maybe a dingo ate your baby).



Oh, and besides that, as we've come to expect from the Bushies the ad contains misleading statements and factual errors.

And in this current rapid response political climate, the wolves have their own PR machine and the Democrats already have their own alternative Animal Kingdom ad.

October 23, 2004

Sinclair Chokes -- Freepers Pissed!

Yes, I watched Sinclair's "news special" (nothing really new or special). I watched it for the same reason that I watch FOX News: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

While overall I'd say it was more anti-Kerry than pro, it was in no way the total smear job that I had expected. They even showed a good 10 minutes from the pro-Kerry "Going Upriver" documentary and they had on people who disputed the lies in "Stolen Honor." Specifically, the pro-Kerry speakers made clear that Kerry was only recounting what others had testified to at the Winter Soldiers Hearings and that there is no proof that any of the witnesses at that hearing were not actual Vietnam Veterans.

There's an excellent synopsis of the program on daily KOS:
http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2004/10/22/21187/159/19#19

And you can find angry Freepers upset that the show had balance here:http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1253998/posts

I will add two thoughts to the comments found at the above links:

1. My God, the show had cheesy production values! Bad cable access time!

2. I either forgot to pay attention to the commercial breaks until halfway through or they didn't have many in the first half hour, but in the two commercial breaks in the last half hour, there was only one commercial from an outside sponsor( http://www.consumerfreedom.com/ -- a conservative group). All the ads I saw were basically station IDs/promoting the local channel's lineup. Even after the program had ended, there was no commercial -- it went directly to the next program.

Looks like no major sponsor would be caught dead advertising on this
show.

In other words: WE WON.

Repug recruits taught how to challenge mentally disabled voters

Challenging the mentally disabled at the polls is just one of the dirty tricks the Repugs have planned for November 2nd (of course they will be paying special attention to those pesky "urban' voters too). They've recruited thousands of volunteers to disrupt the election process in battleground states like Ohio. For full article:

But Do They Give Good Falafel?



(Click above for a wickedly good parody site)

October 21, 2004

ALERT: NYT gives rave review to "Stolen Honor" and Sinclair plans to air it several times over weekend

New York Times Gives "Stolen Honor" a rave review:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/21/arts/television/21stan.html?oref=login

The review starts:
"Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal," the highly contested anti-Kerry documentary, should not be shown by the Sinclair Broadcast Group. It should be shown in its entirety on all the networks, cable stations and on public television."

AND

Employee says that Sinclair may use this weekend to play the new "documentary" several time:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/10/21/151852/64

Letter from Sinclair employee: Press release just a ployby MeanBoneII Thu Oct 21st, 2004 at 19:18:52 GMT

A Sinclair employee sent the guy at www.boycottsbg.com a very interesting e-mail. The employee says that Sinclair may use this weekend to play the new "documentary" several times. He agrees that the last press release was just a ploy.

There is no reason to believe that they have come to their senses. They said what everyone wanted to hear, and now they are going to do what they wanted to do in the first place.

"The whole letter is posted at www.boycottsbg.com. The Sinclair employees are pissed, and the letter urges the boycott to intensify. Please recommend this.

Report from the Kerry Rally at Carnegie Mellon

First I have to say it is impossible for me to judge how many attended the Kerry Rally at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh as there was no way to get a view of the entire crowd. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported "thousands." Someone told me they heard that nine to ten thousand attended. Going by the crush at the gates and the long multiple lines threading in, I'd say it was FREAKIN' HUGE.

The entrance that I came in through necessitated going through one of the buildings there (Bakers Hall) which started the day off on a strange note for me as I hadn't been in that building since I dropped out from CMU some 25 years ago. Also strange was going to the rally alone as everyone I knew either had to work (gates opened at 3:00 PM) or was volunteering at the event -- once inside the gates, I did run into at least a dozen people I knew -- and there were many friendly people to talk to while standing in line.

This is the fourth Kerry rally that I've attended and I have to say it was definitely the most lively (not that any of the others lacked enthusiasm). The fevered pitch that the rally at Market Square reached when Kerry announced that John Edwards would be his running mate seemed to be maintained this time throughout Kerry's entire speech. The organizers provided tons of double-sized rally signs to the crowd (Mostly "Fighting for Us" as well as many "Women for Kerry") and the crowd waved them at every opportunity. It was an amazing sight to behold.

I was fortunate to receive a gold ticket for the event which put me in the "local celeb bullpen" (which was later opened up to everyone). I took many pictures including: Ted Danson, Joe Hoeffel, Dan Onorato, etc., which I hope to post here later.

When I came home that evening, There was a note and pen tucked inside my storm door. I've been getting nothing but positive comments on my elaborate (and very political) Halloween display. The life-sized Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld figures sport anti-Bush pins (my design -- shameless self-promoting plug -- available HERE). The note said:

Dear Sir or Mame,

I knocked, but you were probably at the rally.
I wanted a anti-bush pin. I traded you for
this Kerry pen. Hope you're not mad.

Go Kerry! 2004

Thanks
signed,
I hate bush


All in all, a very satisfying evening! :-)

October 19, 2004

Life During Wartime:
Volunteering in a Battleground State

(Monday, October 18, 2004)

6:00 am: Finish putting up Halloween decorations outside house. This year, in addition to life-size skeletons, giant bat, and dripping blood effect, add life-size replica's of Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld wearing Kerry buttons and holding sign saying "Four More Years? Now That's Scary!" "Bush is Scary. Vote for Kerry" signs in all windows facing street.

Never get around to eating breakfast.

8:30 am: Start work (FYI: I work from home)

9:00 am on: Notice Halloween display is literally stopping traffic. Continue working.

Noon: Receive call from PA Victory 04 asking me to call in to local radio show that's being visited by CNN and mention Kerry rally on Wednesday. Discuss phone banking done in my area over the weekend.

12:45 pm: Get on radio show after 30 minutes on hold. Mention website for Sinclair advertiser boycott and pickup locations for rally tickets.

1:00 pm: Receive call from WPA for Kerry requesting that I make signs for Sinclair protest. Continue working.

Never get around to eating lunch.

2:30 pm: Receive call from Hoeffel for Senate Campaign requesting that I work for them on election day -- inform them that I already am volunteering as Neighborhood Organizer for PA Victory 04.

3:00 pm to 3:45 pm: Make eight anti-Sinclair signs.

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm: Receive more calls about logistics of getting signs to demonstration (can't leave work to attend myself). Continue working.

5:30 pm: Signs are picked up. Continue working.

5:45 pm: Receive call from PA Victory 04 informing me they've set aside 10 VIP tickets to rally for myself and my volunteers.

7:00 pm Finish working for the day.

7:05 pm: Receive call from WPA for Kerry thanking me for signs and telling me to watch Channel 4 news as they zoomed in on my "Faux News 53" sign mocking station logo.

7:30 pm: Receive another call from PA Victory 04 about rally.

7:45 - 8:35 pm: Read blogs. Blog on another blog.

9:00 pm: Realize it's too late to make any precinct phone calls. Eat dinner.

9:45 pm: Sign "Bush" was holding has "run" in the rain (despite inkjet printout being covered with plastic). Replace with Kerry yard sign.

10:00 pm: Nod off

11:30 pm - 12:00 am: Wake up in time to watch news on Fox 53 and Channel 4 and see reports on Sinclair protest...and my signs (news delayed on both channels due to sports events)

1:30 am: Nod off again

4:00 am: Wake up. Read blogs. Blog!

TOMORROW: Repeat!

October 17, 2004

Get It?

Most of you probably remember the March 24th Television & Radio Correspondents Association Dinner where Bush presented a "funny" video of himself looking all over the Oval Office for those darn WMDs. The press lapped it up. Here is a video that demonstrates just how unfunny that "joke" was:

MUST READ profile of Bush

The Sunday New York Times Magazine has a must read profile of George Bush:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/17/magazine/17BUSH.html?pagewanted=1&oref=login

It's quite a long article written by Ron Suskind and entitled "Without a Doubt." Talk about a "think piece" -- it makes me think: Please let's get this messianic fool out of office! For those of you who won't plough through the whole thing, here's some selected passages:

- ''If Bush wins, there will be a civil war in the Republican Party starting on Nov. 3.''... ''Just in the past few months,'' Bartlett said, ''I think a light has gone off for people who've spent time up close to Bush: that this instinct he's always talking about is this sort of weird, Messianic idea of what he thinks God has told him to do.''

- The disdainful smirks and grimaces that many viewers were surprised to see in the first presidential debate are familiar expressions to those in the administration or in Congress who have simply asked the president to explain his positions.

- ''I don't know why you're talking about Sweden,'' Bush said. ''They're the neutral one. They don't have an army.'' Lantos paused, a little shocked, and offered a gentlemanly reply: ''Mr. President, you may have thought that I said Switzerland. They're the ones that are historically neutral, without an army.'' ...Bush held to his view. ''No, no, it's Sweden that has no army.'' The room went silent, until someone changed the subject.

- ''I've never lived around poor people,'' Wallis remembers Bush saying. ''I don't know what they think. I really don't know what they think. I'm a white Republican guy who doesn't get it. How do I get it?''

- A cluster of particularly vivid qualities was shaping George W. Bush's White House through the summer of 2001: a disdain for contemplation or deliberation, an embrace of decisiveness, a retreat from empiricism, a sometimes bullying impatience with doubters and even friendly questioners.

- 'Mr. President, if we don't devote our energy, our focus and our time on also overcoming global poverty and desperation, we will lose not only the war on poverty, but we'll lose the war on terrorism.''' Bush replied that that was why America needed the leadership of Wallis and other members of the clergy. ''No, Mr. President,'' Wallis says he told Bush, ''We need your leadership on this question, and all of us will then commit to support you. Unless we drain the swamp of injustice in which the mosquitoes of terrorism breed, we'll never defeat the threat of terrorism.'' Bush looked quizzically at the minister, Wallis recalls. They never spoke again after that.

- The [Bush] aide said that guys like me were ''in what we call the reality-based community,'' which he defined as people who ''believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.'' I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. ''That's not the way the world really works anymore,'' he continued. ''We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.''

- Every few months, a report surfaces of the president using strikingly Messianic language, only to be dismissed by the White House. Three months ago, for instance, in a private meeting with Amish farmers in Lancaster County, Pa., Bush was reported to have said, ''I trust God speaks through me.'' In this ongoing game of winks and nods, a White House spokesman denied the president had specifically spoken those words, but noted that ''his faith helps him in his service to people.''

- ''This issue,'' he says, of Bush's ''announcing that 'I carry the word of God' is the key to the election. The president wants to signal to the base with that message, but in the swing states he does not.''

- Remember, this is consent, informed by the heart and by the spirit. In the end, Bush doesn't have to say he's ordained by God. After a day of speeches by Hardy Billington and others, it goes without saying. ''To me, I just believe God controls everything, and God uses the president to keep evil down, to see the darkness and protect this nation,'' Billington told me, voicing an idea shared by millions of Bush supporters...''

- The president, listing priorities for his second term, placed near the top of his agenda the expansion of federal support for faith-based institutions. The president talked at length about giving the initiative the full measure of his devotion and said that questions about separation of church and state were not an issue.

- That very issue is what Jim Wallis wishes he could sit and talk about with George W. Bush. That's impossible now, he says. He is no longer invited to the White House. ''Faith can cut in so many ways,'' he said. ''If you're penitent and not triumphal, it can move us to repentance and accountability and help us reach for something higher than ourselves...But when it's designed to certify our righteousness -- that can be a dangerous thing. Then it pushes self-criticism aside. There's no reflection. ''Where people often get lost is on this very point,'' he said after a moment of thought. ''Real faith, you see, leads us to deeper reflection and not -- not ever -- to the thing we as humans so very much want.'' And what is that? ''Easy certainty.''


October 13, 2004

Nader Off the Ballot in PA

Hope They Tell Bush Before Tonight's Debate
(We know he doesn't read the papers himself)

From:
http://kyw.com/Local%20News/local_story_287155505.html

Nader Thrown Off PA Ballot

Oct 13, 2004 3:52 pm US/Eastern
HARRISBURG, PA (AP) A state court knocked Ralph Nader off Pennsylvania's presidential ballot Wednesday, citing legal problems with his nomination papers that left him thousands of signatures short of the number he needed.

Calling the petitions "rife with forgeries," Commonwealth Court President Judge James Garner Colins said that fewer than 19,000 of the more than 51,000 signatures that Nader's supporters submitted were valid. Nader needed at least 25,697 to be listed on the ballot as an independent candidate.

"I am compelled to emphasize that this signature-gathering process was the most deceitful and fraudulent exercise ever perpetrated upon this court," Colins said in a 15-page ruling that climaxed a two-week review in multiple courtrooms across the state.

MORE AT ABOVE LINK

Bush Campaign Going Limp in PA? Pulling Out? Premature Ending?

From:
http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/extra/archives/001039.html

Breaking news: Bush saying goodbye to Pa.?

Those of us here in Pennsylvania may not have George W. Bush to kick around anymore -- at least not in person. The New York Daily News -- which is traveling with the President in Arizona today -- says that no Pennsylvania TV markets were in Bush's top-ten spending list last month, and an aide has told the newspaper that no visits from W. to the Keystone State are in the works anytime soon.

If true, it would be a remarkable development considering that Bush has visited Pennsylvania as president some 39 times -- more than any other state. With 21 electoral votes, it's also the second biggest of the so-called battleground states after Florida. The Bush campaign, while acknowledging no trips are planned here as of today, said a pull-out is just "a rumor."

Recent polls have shown that Kerry may have pulled ahead here -- but not by a lot. While the Daily News' Keystone Poll shows the Democrat now up by 7 points, Kerry's lead in the recent Quinnipiac Poll is just 2 points, within the margin of error. But Al Gore did win Pa. by about 4 points in 2000, so it's possible that the GOP sees the writing on the wall in 2004.

Get Local!

What we know so far about Sinclair Broadcast Group:

1. Sinclair Broadcast Group also owns WPGH and WCWB in Pittsburgh.

2. In April of 2003, Sinclair Broadcasting fired much of of its new staff at Pittsburgh's WPGH in favor of feeds from a centralized newsroom in Baltimore.
http://www.post-gazette.com/tv/20030423owen5.asp

3. Pittsburghers are no fools: WPGH's news ratings began dropping after Sinclair debuted their new format which included weather-from-another-state and a newscast with a decidedly right-wing bent.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04232/363720.stm

4. Sinclair particpated in perpetuating a fraud against their viewers by airing a video news release touting the Bush administration's new Medicare prescription package, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as "news."
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04080/288764.stm

5. Sinclair ordered its seven ABC stations not to broadcast the April 2004 "Nightline" program that aired the names and photographs of the more than 500 U.S. troops killed (at that time) in the Iraq war.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/TV/04/29/abc.nightline

6. Sinclair now plans to air a documentary that accuses Sen. John Kerry of betraying American prisoners during the Vietnam War. Sinclair has ordered all 62 of its stations to air "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal" without commercials in prime-time. Sinclair is the owner of the largest group of television stations in the nation.
http://money.cnn.com/2004/10/11/news/newsmakers/sinclair_kerry/?cnn=yes

7. Commenting on the airing of "Stolon Honor" Mark Hyman who is the vice president for corporate relations for the Sinclair Broadcasting Group said on CNN:

"However, the accusations coming from Terry McAuliffe and others, is it because they are some elements of this that may reflect poorly on John Kerry? That it's somehow an in-kind contribution of George Bush?

If you use that logic and reasoning, that means every car bomb in Iraq would be an in-kind contribution to John Kerry. Weak job performance ratings that came out last month would have been an in- kind contribution to John Kerry. And that's just nonsense.

This is news. I can't change the fact that these people decided to come forward today. The networks had this opportunity over a month ago to speak with these people. They chose to suppress them. They chose to ignore them. They are acting like Holocaust deniers, pretending these men don't exist."
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0410/12/ltm.04.html



What You Can Do:

1. If you find Sinclair's obvious rightwing bias to be as troubling as I do, the best way to combat their agenda is to contact local advertisers who air commericals on thier stations and express your displeasure with Sinclairs's plans to air "Stolen Honor." A contact list of these advertisers can be found here:


http://www.boycottsbg.com/advertisers/default.aspx
(Click on the pull down menu at the top of the page and select "Pittsburgh.")


As suggested on the site above:

"Remember: Many of these people are ON OUR SIDE - don't be a jerk when you call or email them. Invite them to join in us in defending our democracy. If you don't know how to express yourself strongly without making threats then we do not need you help. Remember that there are real human beings on the receiving end of your letter, often a secretary - so don't take your anger with a right wing CEO out on some poor soul who makes $9/ hour answering phones - it just isn't right. "
2. Sign the Stop Sinclair Petition:


October 12, 2004

Disturbing Video Clip

I found a link to this video on Daily Kos. As described by "ChicagoBruce":

"This is the footage that started the story that first appeared in the Atlantic - George Bush from ten years ago - dramatically different than the Bush you're used to.

The big story - "a striking decline in his sentence-by-sentence speaking skills." The reason? One doctor says "presenile dementia" a catch-all term for earlier-than-normal cognitive declines (probably "dry-drunk syndrome"). This video intercuts footage from 10 years ago with recent footage - the difference is dramatic and disturbing. And obvious."
You can view the video for yourself here:

http://home.comcast.net/~blogitics/BushTenYrs4MB.mov

There's much discussion at Kos as to exactly what this video demonstrates -- various riffs on Korsakoff's syndrome, Alzheimer's, etc., as well as suggestions that Bush is on everything form coke to antidepressants now. Others suggest that the '94 clip just shows Bush on a good day while he was having a bad day during the debate.

I don't pretend to know how to account for the extreme disparity in the two performances, but anyone viewing the clips can see that it's like watching two entirely different people. I can't help but think that President Bush is suffering from something that has significantly decreased his mental capacity.

Just For Fun

Below are two patterns for jack-o-lanterns (they are the easiest to carve patterns that I could find). Resize them accordingly for you pumpkin/s.



If you've never used a pattern before: tape pattern to pumpkin; transfer pattern to pumpkin by punching through circles (cheap pen works well); take off pattern sheet and (referring to sheet) carve out the dark portions.

Be creative! For example, you can add horns to Bush, or have a gummy worm crawl out of his mouth, or use a marker to draw the international sign for 'no' over him, or simply place a clown or dunce hat on the carved pumpkin.

Those less artistically inclined may want to just vote on pcjackolantern's Pumpkin Poll (one of the few polls where Bush still has a good lead).

October 11, 2004

2 Political Junkies with a slight disagreement

Even though local stations get their marching orders from above, I disagree that it’s useless to voice your opinion with them.

Calling a station and saying for example, “I’m a fan of show X but I’m considering not watching it anymore and boycotting your sponsors” will make those stations pass along the ‘heat’ to their owners (even if they tell you "we have no choice").

Local Station Info (Again):
- WPGH Fox 53 www.wpgh53.com
- WCWB WB 22 www.wcwb22.com

750 Ivory Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15214

412-931-5300

NOTE:
I called the local number and said I wanted to make a complaint and was immediately given the corporate complaint line # (410-568-1780) even though they had no idea what my complaint was about (which means that they are getting lots of calls).

The corporate complaint line has a prerecorded message:
"We welcome your comments regarding the upcoming special news event
featuring the topic of Americans held as prisoners of war in Vietnam. The
program has not been videotaped and the exact format of this unscripted event
has not been finalized. Characterizations regarding the content are premature
and are based on ill-informed sources.

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry has been invited to participate. You can urge him to appear by calling his Washington, D.C. campaign headquarters at (202) 712-3000."
No, I'm not especially quick with taking dictation -- it's the same message found on their website (http://www.sbgi.net/).

Make sure you mention your local stations and the word "boycott" and "sponsors" in your comments. :-)

October 10, 2004

Sinclair Update

Via Daily Kos:

Seems that the local stations (like 53 and 22 here in The Burgh) have no say in airing the Anti-Kerry film.

Kos gives e-mail addresses to the three guys in charge of this decision:

Mark Hyman(host)
David Smith (president)
JoeDeFeo (news director)
Phone numbers, too!

Main telephone: 410.568.1500
Main Fax: 410.568.1533

Drop 'em a line! I will!

October 9, 2004

The Empire (maybe) Strikes Back

The LA Times is reporting that:
The conservative-leaning Sinclair Broadcast Group...is ordering its stations to preempt regular programming just days before the Nov. 2 election to air a film that attacks Sen. John F. Kerry's activism against the Vietnam War....
The LA Times goes on to say that:
Sinclair has told its stations — many of them in political swing states such as Ohio and Florida — to air "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal," sources said. The film, funded by Pennsylvania veterans and produced by a veteran and former Washington Times reporter, features former POWs accusing Kerry — a decorated Navy veteran turned war protester — of worsening their ordeal by prolonging the war. Sinclair will preempt regular prime-time programming from the networks to show the film, which may be classified as news programming, according to TV executives familiar with the plan.
You might ask yourself, what does this have to do with Pittsburgh? Well take a looksee at this. Turns out that there are TWO Television stations in Pittsburgh that are Sinclair Stations:

Sinclair lists its local "contact information" as:

750 Ivory Avenue
PittsburghPA
15214

(412)931-5300

Way back in April, when ABC's Nightline broadcast a program that contained the (then) complete list of the American Service men and women who have died in Iraq, Sinclair ordered seven of its stations not to air the program, deeming it, according to the LA Times again, a political statement disguised as news.

But now, they're putting an obvious Anti-Kerry program on just days before the election.

I will be e-mailing both stations and I will post here whatever comments/plans they have regarding this.

October 8, 2004

No Shame

I know it's been said before, but the Bush Administration has absolutely no shame. If you are still not convinced of this fact, you only need to read the admission by Bush Campaign aides in yesterday's Washington Post:

"The strategy is aimed at stoking public fears about terrorism, raising new concerns about Kerry's ability to protect Americans and reinforcing Bush's image as the steady anti-terrorism candidate, aides said."
The only question is: WHY WASN'T THAT THE FRIGGIN' HEADLINE OF THE ARTICLE (instead of mentioned in the 6th paragraph)???

The follow-through on this strategy appears in today's New York Times where we're told that:

"Education officials in six states were put on notice last month that a computer disc found in Iraq over the summer contained photos, floor plans and other information about schools in their districts, two U.S. government officials said.The downloaded data the U.S. military found in July -- all publicly available on the Internet -- included an Education Department report guiding schools on how to prepare and respond to a crisis, one official said Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity."
So I ask, Dear Reader, why does the Bush Administration have any FUCKING CREDIBILITY left?

Devastating Indictment

In a devastating indictment against the Bush Administration, Freshman Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio's 17th District (Akron & Youngstown) explains why some young people believe that the Administration has plans to re-institute a military draft despite repeated Republican denials (October 5, 2004):



Ryan is up for reelection in November. If after viewing the above video you'd like to help this clip air in Ohio, you can make a contribution HERE.

Ryan's Homepage

Apologies

One problem with being a real political junkie is that this year it's impossible not to actually get involved by volunteering for a campaign. Between that and my job responsibilities, it's been impossible to keep up with this blog this week.

October 4, 2004

FUN WITH VIDEO

For your viewing pleasure:


(You'll need Quicktime to view the above)


(Windows Media or Real Player)

October 2, 2004

This Is Why Bush Lost The Debate

Yes, Bush looked like he needed to either up or lower his meds. He acted like it was beneath him to have to answer for the "catastrophic success" of his administration. He only had 30 minutes of material for a 90 minute debate.

But most of all, Bush lost the debate because he repeated the BIG LIE of his administration during the debate. In the build up to the Iraq War, the Bush Administration never failed to mention 9/11 whenever they mentioned Saddam Hussein -- forever fusing the two in the public's mind while giving themselves plausible deniability for actually coming out and linking Saddam to the attacks on September 11th.

But on Thursday night, Bush first made the Freudian slip of saying "Saddam Hussein" when he meant to say "Osama bin Laden." Then, he actually said that Iraq attacked us on 9/11. Click below for the video.



October 1, 2004

FAUX NEWS

When I Say "Faux," you say "News!"

"Faux!"

"News!"

"Faux!"

"News!"


So if CBS is supposed to fire Dan Rather (and shut up and die) because it looks like they may have been duped into basing part of a story on likely forged documents, what should happen to Fox News when they entirely make up quotes by Kerry and publish them on their website?

Check out the story at Talking Points Memo.

Spinning the Spinners

...or what did we do before blogs?

After yesterday's debate, the GOP held a conference call with their Team Leaders -- a call that was infiltrated by Kerry supporters who were given the phone number and password from an anti-Bush blogger.

Read about it HERE.

Bush Debate Notes Revealed!!

How Sweet It Is!

I'm posting so late because I was at a pro-Kerry debate watching party tonight (50+ people). Of course I thought that Kerry won hands down on both substance and style, but as much as I enjoyed the good company of the people I was with, I was eager to get home to really watch the post-debate spin and to get some idea how people who weren't Kerry partisans felt.

Having now watched a couple of hours of MSNBC, CNN and Fox and checking out the many online polls, I have to say that I am now thrilled to pieces. Even Joe Scarborough said that Kerry had won as did the group of undecided voters shown in Ohio. Moreover, the pro-Kerry supporters in the crowd on MSNBC were animated and gleeful as opposed to the pro-Bush supporters in the background on Fox.

Kerry is also winning on all the online post-debate polls (unscientific as they may be). Funny thing, Faux News doesn't seem to have one on their website. Further proof that Bush choked and Kerry won.