Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Coping with the RNC

This - from one of my Bay Area for Kerry cohorts - is sound advice.

Hi everyone. As you know, you're going to hear a lot of things coming out of NYC. Here are some things to consider:

1) Don't sweat the polls. Bush will come out of this ahead in the horse race. He just will. But so what? The election isn't on Friday and it isn't a national election. Kerry was in single-digits just a few weeks before the Iowa Caucuses and then won. What's going on on the ground, and what the national media are reporting are 2 very different things.

2) Remember what this is all about. John Kerry is for a woman's right to choose. John Kerry will restore our alliances and our standing in the world. John Kerry will create jobs. John Kerry will ensure that health care is a right and not a privilege. John Kerry will protect the environment. John Kerry will protect the Constitution. John Kerry has a plan for Iraq. John Kerry will make sure that homeland security has the funding it needs. John Kerry will make the tax code fair, and take the burden off the middle-class. Oh, and there's more. Don't get sucked into thinking it doesn't matter. It might matter more than you can even think.

4) Don't believe the hype. The GOP will be in furious spin mode and will be incredibly negative. The Dems will try to call them on it. But it's our job to help.

See something that's wrong? Seriously, tell people about it. We can't let these lies go unchecked:
CNN ; FOX News ; MSNBC (and NBC) ; CBS ; ABC ; Newspapers

5) Go to a Kerry Event

6) Give some $ to the DNC to help them get the message out.

7) Talk to your friends and neighbors. Give them a call, write them a letter, ask them to get involved, or at least be sure to vote for John Kerry.

8) Be creative, but get the word out. This is our time. Let's get this done.
A Measure of Meanspiritedness

What is wrong with these people? Purple Heart bandaids.

Man, the battlelines are getting deeply drawn. This election campaign is going to be ugly. However, Kerry still could keep it from getting totally bloody. A major policy announcement, attached to an inspirational speech, for a start. Followed by a crushing mind-over-moron performance in the debates.

Meanwhile, I work harder.

Monday, August 30, 2004

Day 1 of the RNC.

Weren't Angie Harmon, Jason Sehorn & Darryl Worley great? And what can you say about ol Blue Eyes - he still looks like he could smack you a good one with his brass knuckles, if'n you don' clap. Loud.

Too bad there's no connection between 'The War On Terror' and The Iraq War. Too bad Bush went inexplicably off message, blurting out earlier today he didn't think he could win said 'War On Terror.' Too bad the nation has lost more jobs, the economy remains shaky, our civil rights have taken huge hits, during this administration. Too bad we're not any safer. Too bad they haven't accomplished anything except run up a massive deficit and alienated America in the league of nations.

Too bad Guliani doesn't know when he's babbling. Too bad John McCain needs to be loved by everyone and has squandered his bully pulpit. Too bad no one mentioned that over 50% of the surviving families petitioned the RNC not to do their '9/11 'memorial.'

Too bad 966 American soldiers and an uncounted tens of thousands of Iraqis have died. Too bad people are watching this crap and believing it's the American way.

Come on JFK; you've reported for duty. we're doing our bit for you, out in the precincts. Now it's time to take these clowns out.
Ben Barnes Video

Here's Ben Barnes, former Lt. Govenor of Texas, emphatically stating he helped dubya dodge active Vietnam service, by helping dubya get into the TX Air National Guard.

Thursday, August 26, 2004

No Bush

While browsing another blog this morning, I came across this clever signage. Make your own yard signs!

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

How much more Tucker can we take?

My contributions to our local PBS stations are definitely going to be rethought; perhaps terminated. I can't take, don't need, any more Tucker Carlson!

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

The Revolution Is Still Here

We remain a nation divided. The rift that formed in the 60s never went away. Like those of us who live in seismically active areas, the country – particularly the baby boomer generation – only acclimated to coexistence with the fault. Economic prosperity and career-building, the everyday world of rearing families, the new technologies that make our lives ever more comfy, all are nothing more than loosely composed landfill; hiding the geologically unstable foundation of our society. The divide remains. Has there ever been such an example of all-persuasive group denial? A socio-political Pompeii? Now, we – and the generations who came after us - are living with the consequences of a new and nasty swarm of seismic shocks.

Perhaps "The Revolution” of 35 years ago wasn’t The Big One. Maybe we’re in the midst of a tectonic realignment, which is still playing out over our lifetimes.

In a recent column, David Broder cited, of all people, Marilyn Quayle. He quoted her ’92 republican convention speech:

"Remember, not everyone joined in the counterculture. Not everyone demonstrated, dropped out, took drugs (aside by me: alcohol & cocaine are not drugs, eh Dubya?), joined in the sexual revolution or dodged the draft (aside by me: Cheney & Ahscroft got multiple deferments, Bush was MIA from his reservist duty, but none of that is dodging). Not everyone concluded that American society was so bad that it had to be radically remade by social revolution. . . . The majority of my generation lived by the credo our parents taught us: We believed in God, in hard work and personal discipline, in our nation's essential goodness, and in the opportunity it promised those willing to work for it. . . . Though we knew some changes needed to be made, we did not believe in destroying America to save it."

And there it is. Her words sit in plain sight, like a radically diverted stream bed on an otherwise benign landscape. Broder, back in ’92, predicted the baby boomers would be “leaning on your walkers and beating each other with your canes, because you still will not have settled the arguments from the Sixties."


He was right. There are two Americas.

The glorious experiment that was the 60s ended. The cultural icons, our leaders, were snuffed out, flamed out or assimilated. The conflict never resolved itself. Jimi Hendrix, just before he too stayed too long at one too many parties, saw the signs of full portent: “you’d better hope love is the answer, you’d better hope it comes before the summer.”

Is this election part of Hendrix’s apocalyptic vision? The battle lines are most definitely being redrawn. Swift Boat bitter vets, mustering for battle.
Paul Krugman speaks of The Rambo Coalition. Will it take a confrontation with the Rainbow Children (who have aged into the Rainbow People) to resolve this division once and for all?

An intervention clearly is in order. But who will provide the wisdom and decency needed, to prevail, over blood?

Monday, August 23, 2004

Another Olympic Moment

Can't you just tell the DJ, playing the samples in between points during the women's beach volleyball matches, thinks he is the master shit?

Objective?

As I continue to partake in a spirited debate on the Swiftian Ad, I do sometimes wonder about objectivity. I cannot deny my support for Kerry and utter disgust with the guy we currently have in the white house. But in a probably perverted allegiance to rationality and objectivity, I do wonder:

Is there any difference between Unfit for Command (and its associated swing state ad campaign) and Fahrenheit 9/11?

After all, both attack their respective targets’ cornerstones:
SBVFT -> Kerry’s Vietnam record.
F9/11 -> Bush’s 9/11 record.

Moore has been more upfront that the movie is clearly partisan. The Swifties dance around it, trying to cloak themselves in a mantle of righteous indignation. The later position is kind of stupid – all you need to do is follow the money and you see there’s more than objective fact-checking going on.

Moore at least attempts to use credible sources and cites evidence. So, the two methodologies are clearly different. However the ultimate effect seems to be the same: both are preaching to their respective choirs and providing fresh vitriol for the opposing sides. Neither seems to be speaking to the undecided; probably because there aren’t any, at this stage.

The Swifties used Bush-backers for their funding. Moore, well, I don’t know exactly where he got the money to make the film, but he was given a prominent seat at the convention.

Objectively, neither is purely objective.


All we can look at is which case is more compelling, based on fact. F9/11 has more fact-based rhetoric. Can the Swifties bring one shred of real evidence to their side? So far, they cannot.

I feel better now.


Sunday, August 22, 2004

Slippin' acres straw poll

Do you think it is appropriate to do phone-banking (calling people about the election) on 9/11? Just curious how my personal opinion lines up with others. thks.

Friday, August 20, 2004

Innovations in email, gmail and the real world

Impossible, at this late stage, you say? What could be new?

Well, there's this:
you've got gmail.
And please don't tell me your email is
@ papernapkin dot net.

And in somewhat related news (well, it's an innovation, sorta), remember a while back when I was wondering why there couldn't be an html 94210 tag, helping you locate something in the real world? Ans: because Google has another way - and their way makes money. Seems to work pretty good.

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Gotta

My swing-state voter outreach responsibilites have kicked into a higher gear. That's my excuse for not updating you as regularly, mio fedele blog. Be patient - only about 75 days left until the election. Yipes!

Monday, August 16, 2004

Olympic Moment

I'm not sure about synchronized diving.
Not Swift

(courtesy of MoveOn)

Last week, a group of far-right Bush allies released an ugly and outrageous swing-state ad which claims that John Kerry faked his injuries, betrayed his troops, and "dishonored his country" in Vietnam. The ad features people who falsely say they served with John Kerry and who make numerous provably false accusations about Kerry's war record.

The “Swift Boat” ad is so far beyond the pale that even Senator John McCain, a Bush supporter, spoke out about it, calling it "dishonest and dishonorable." Yet despite Senator McCain's request that President Bush "specifically condemn" the ad, Bush refuses to say anything about it.

MoveOn PAC is generating a petition, calling for President Bush to condemn this Kerry slander ad. The petition will be delivered to Bush on the campaign trail.

If you agree that Bush must repudiate and reject these smear tactics, sign the petition now HERE.

Also, here is the Kerry Fact Check, responding to the 'ad.'

Friday, August 13, 2004

Another Polling Site

Here's another great website, to help keep current with the latest polling results:
Real Clear Politics.

It provides the polling date, whether it's RV (registered voters) or LV (likely voters) and who is behind the polling (GOP v. DEM v. ind. group). If you're thinking about volunteering for voter outreach in any swing states, their battleground states polling data is must see reading!
Keep to the dharma, fool

Yesterday, I wrote about fighting fire with fire. Delusion and hatred achieved a (temporary) victory. Maybe someone else out there will also find reflective fodder, in these two pieces, from the buddhist peace fellowship:

What About the Elections? Reflections on the Upcoming Elections

An Invitation to Fulfill the Promise of Democracy. (To the delegates)

Thursday, August 12, 2004

Courtesy of The VoteMaster

OK, the funk of the previous post is vanquished. Here's a great tool to keep updated on the status of the race. By monitoring the most current polls, this site maps how the electoral vote would go, if the election was held today. The Current Electoral Vote Predictor.

As of today:
Kerry 307 Bush 231!
Smear Tactics Work

One of the lessons I'm learning, from doing volunteer voter registration and outreach in swing states, is Bush's smear campaign is effective. As much as I admire Kerry's call to keep his supporters on the high road, there is little doubt that the negative ads work.

I was doing some 'phone-banking' yesterday. A group of us got together at a Berkeley home, with our cell phones, to call undecided voters in Cincinnati, OH. We had a script to follow, where we basically tried to cull potential supporters from the chaff. If we found an undecided voter, we were supposed to ask them what issues they had, what aspects of the two major candidates' (and Nader too, if they wanted to discuss him) policies and campaign agendas were influencing their decision.

More often than not, in fact almost all of the undecideds, would mention Kerry as a 'flip-flopper,' or his 'personal wealth.' The later is another republican talking point - there's no way he could ever relate to the needs of the middle class. Huh? Pot calling the kettle black?

It did not register that Bush or Cheney have never known anything less than upper class lifestyles. It mattered not at all that their tax cuts are skewed disproportionately towards the top 1%, 1 Mill plus yearly income, elite. And I seriously doubt anyone in Ohio ever even knew anything about Kerry's voting record prior to the republican flip-flop spin. It is only a matter of time, I fear, before people will begin to believe the Swiftboat Vet lies.

Kerry's troops haven't been as effective at painting Bush for what he is. A flip-flopper par excellence; entirely disinterested in middle class needs and far more in favor of big business interests. It's all been said before, but not with the nastiness that the other side has perfected. Where the Swiftboat Vets get coverage with their nonsense, Bush's lack of any proof of what he was doing, when he should have been serving his time in the air reserve after we the taxpayers spent $250K to train him as a pilot, isn't news anymore. It goes on and on (Theresa's 'shove off' versus Cheney's 'fuck you,' is yet another example).

The dichotomy steels my resolve to continue doing what I can, but it does make me wonder whether taking the gloves off would make this a fairer fight. Given that several swing states are going full electric balloting, if this election is close and it appears that the vote count isn't unimpeachable, we may be in for a long, nasty, winter. I almost think I'd rather see a nasty pre-election season and get it out of everyone's system.

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

Political Action

Still looking for that one political action group you can get behind, or get a little behind from?

Then try FTheVote.com . These folks will have sex with any Republicans willing to withhold their Bush vote this election.

Hard Times.

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

Tonight, I make peace with the tube:

BEASTIE BOYS - David Letterman
NOFX -Conan O'Brien
USHER W/ LIL JOHN - Carson Daley


But first, MoveOn will be running a new series of ads, during the republican convention. Academy Award-winning documentary film director Errol Morris has been interviewing former Bush voters on camera, and he's cut seventeen ads that tell their stories. Help choose the ads that will best convince undecided and swing voters to vote for John Kerry. View and Vote here.

I really tried viewing as if I was an undecided voter. That hurt my head. I worked from my pet stereotype, that most swing types still hold to another old stereotypes: Republicans and Conservatives = fiscal responsibility and against 'handouts to the undeserving.' The guy least likely to mess with my stash - that's the guy to vote for.

Channeling this (self-absorbed? nah) attitude, I gave my highest votes to the ads featuring Sid Hasan "Risk" & Richard Dove "Conservation."
Results.gov

On March 13, 2004, Dan Merica googled “Bush Lies.” His inquiry yielded 2550 results. Not bad! But that was almost 5 months ago. How’s he doing now?

Tonight, “Bush Lies” yields 58,600 results. In less than half a year, the internet has increased it’s appreciation of “Bush Lies” by a factor of 23! I’ll need one more data point to extrapolate the possible (thankfully not probable!) result iffin’4 more years.

Monday, August 09, 2004

Spamming my own blog...for the cause

Here's a Yahoo Group with the goods. Everything you need to design a most genki anti-Bush website:

Visit Bush Busting Ammo.

Democratic Convention photos, 85 Campaign pics, cartoons, photoshops, posters, graphics.
1000 subject-organized bushbusting LINKS to articles, editorials, videos, websites, speeches.

Joe, Group moderator sez,
"Campaign photos are updated daily, LINKS added every 2-3 days. This has become the internet's largest archive of anti-bush images & Links, and we'd like YOU on board for the stretch run."

Thursday, August 05, 2004

Tell me baby, who do you trust?

Bruce S. contributes an op-ed piece to today's NY Times.

Apparently, I missed his TV appearance on last night's ABC's "Nightline." But I will try not to forget to watch Bill Clinton, on Monday's "Daily Show."

First TV Politic Haiku:
From the left today
From the other side tonight
Tell me what to think.

Second TV Politic Haiku:
More voted in the
last "American Idol"
than in 2000.

Third TV Politic Haiku:
Honey, what is on?
Oh I really like that guy.
Did he date Paris?

Fourth Estate Haiku:
The People are served
By our sponsors' agendas
What did Lennon know?



Wednesday, August 04, 2004

Book recommendation?

Here's one I almost don't want to read: Bush On The Couch.
Flip-flopping on terrorism.

I don't know why I vent like this. But I do. Sorry to bore you...


Kerry flip flops? What about Bush? Let's look at the Bush Flip Flops (BFFs) on his most vital issue - The War On Terror (WOT).

BFF #1: While campaigning last week, he said we are a 'safer nation' now. Yet this week he reversed himself and said we're still in danger. Ridge announces a new terrorist alert.

BFF #2: Bush & Cheney were against convening the 9/11 Commission. But he changed his tune. Now he says they've done 'good work' and is trying to take credit for their existence.

BFF #3: When the commission released their report, Bush and Condi said time was needed to review their recommendations. He said the administration wouldn't actually implement any changes until next year. As if no one would notice that will be after the election. But when Kerry pro-actively jumps out ahead, saying he'll implement all their suggestions, Bush flip flops again and decides to speed things up a bit. Remember, 'no politics' in such serious matters as the WOT?

BFF #4: Even then, instead of listening to the bi-partisan commissions' recommendations, which were carefully crafted after seriously studing the problems inherent in our intelligence community, Bush decides to recommend a toothless intelligence czar. Although he finally admitted they had done good work and he was looking forward to reading their recommendations, instead of listening to them, he goes with a quickly cobbled together, politically expedient (you think his current intelligence leaders are happy with losing some of their power to a new kid on the block?), counter-measure. There isn't even any explanation of why this counter-approach is better. Just do it my way, eh dear leader?

BFF #6, 7 & 8: So are we safer, or not? The threat level goes up, yet Bush allows the opening of the Statue of Liberty, sends his wife to campaign at one of the actual identified targets and puts both himself and Dick Cheney in harms way, out on the campaign trail. Politics, or keeping America safe from terrorism? I thought one of them was always supposed to go hide in an undisclosed location, anytime the terrorist threat was grave enough that one of them could get popped. Yet both are out there, making campaign speeches, at the same time. Or, is it that Bush knows this new terrorism threat is based on 9 month old information and not as grave as they are making it out to be? But shame on me - we all know these terrorists are serious, patient. Time means nothing to them. Still, if it is serious, the irony of discussing intelligence reform and this woeful 9 month time-lag is almost too painful to think about.

How can anyone say the Bush Administration is doing an effective job at countering terrorism, with all this flip-flopping going on? Finally, let's not forget the biggest flip-flop of all: moving the WOT from Afghanistan to Iraq. Or, if that wasn't a flip-flop, I guess that shows it truly was a planned-for inevitability.

Tuesday, August 03, 2004

It's all in the now

Experts

I don't like to take advantage of the potential perks of being married to an IT exec. After all, I could once do assembly language coding on Z-8s and 6502s! Load accumulator, he commanded. And the silicon responded. But our home computers' and network issues had reached ridiculous levels. I had to ask for...help.

And NOW, I am in awe. Everything works again. Better than ever.



Tuesday Walks

My tuesday hike took me down to Big Sur today. A serious workout (vertical, baby!), but with stunning payoff pacific vistas. With a very nice stand of redwoods in the back country. Offshore was what I will henceforth call "shit rock;" a rock islet with a crown of white sea bird crap completely covering it. The sea lions apparently love it. I saw a women essentially swoon when she reached the top of a lookout ridge, after a very long uphill climb. Her climbing buddies had arrived earlier and had laid out a spread of wine and cheese (tourists!) for her. I guess it was all too much. She bopped her head as she hit the ground and got a bloody nose. Hope the wine took the edge off the moment.

I also saw a most adorable grey fox yearling pup on the way down the mountain. I was upwind and above him on the trail, so he didn't notice me for enough time for me to get a good look. Had a little white spot on the end of his tail. Cuuuuute. Wild baby animals are the best.

By the way, did I mention we've had coveys of quail and a huge (almost 6 ft in length) gopher snake visiting slipping acres this past week?


Obligatory Socio-political statement

We have got to get it together, we have got to get it together NOW. That was originally sung 35 frickin years ago. And we still ain't got it.

So, question: How soon is NOW?
Ans: (I am the sun and the earth)?



Monday, August 02, 2004

Lovey dubbie, lovey dubbie all the thyme

Not that I'm trying to re-establish taste-making credentials, but watch for a new collaberation between Fat Boy Slim and Bootsy Collins. The tune? Are you sitting down?

Steve Miller's 'The Joker.'

It is worthy and shall move your pants.