A reminder that we are all human...

As I scanned the headlines this morning two stuck out.

I am a mother. I am a human. It has made me so sad lately to see such division amoung Americans and people in general. We all share this Earth and we all share in the suffering that plagues this Earth. Mothers (and fathers) are being forced to abandone their children...all around the globe. Please, before you decide to hate your neighbor, remember that we suffer and celebrate together. Remember that in all wars humans lose. In all recessions children suffer.

Pakistan

"The mothers were sobbing as they tried to leave the children and the children were crying clinging to their mothers," Edhi said. "It was heart wrenching to watch."

Nebraska
More on Nebraska

There have been six 17-year-olds, two 16-year-olds, six 15-year-olds, three 14-year-olds, three 13-year-olds, three 12-year-olds, five 11-year-olds, one 9-year-old, one 8-year-old, one 7-year-old, one 6-year-old and one 1-year-old. Five were from out of state.

Libertarian = the new GOP?

Maybe not the new GOP but the new rival party to the Democrats. I think it would be a welcome change for all the moderates that just want, well, the following:

Preamble
As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others.

We believe that respect for individual rights is the essential precondition for a free and prosperous world, that force and fraud must be banished from human relationships, and that only through freedom can peace and prosperity be realized.

Consequently, we defend each person's right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest, and welcome the diversity that freedom brings. The world we seek to build is one where individuals are free to follow their own dreams in their own ways, without interference from government or any authoritarian power.

In the following pages we have set forth our basic principles and enumerated various policy stands derived from those principles.

These specific policies are not our goal, however. Our goal is nothing more nor less than a world set free in our lifetime, and it is to this end that we take these stands.

"Fiscally conservative and socially liberal"...now that sounds like a great America, maybe not a libertarian America but they seem pretty close.

Amen

This is a direct copy from Andrew Sullivan:


I've been a little taken aback by the news that gun sales have rocketed in red states since Obama was elected. Watching O'Reilly and reading Drudge lately has also been a bit of a revelation. A reader sums it up:

I can't tell whether the lack of serious attention given to the continued hysteria about our President-Elect still emerging from various corners of the Right is a good thing or bad thing. By hysteria I mean things like Congressman Jim Broun from Georgia equating Obama with Hitler and then his lame excuse of an apology. I also mean Sarah Palin using her 15 minutes to slime our President-Elect with Bill Ayers one more time, wink wink, and the 24/7 vitriol from demagogues like Hannity and priests who refuse to give Obama voters communion.

It's why as a 27-year-old voter, the Republican party has been off the table for me since I could vote in the 2000 election. No matter how much I like or identify with any of "conservative" ideas, I refuse to stand in any tent, now matter how big, with people like Sarah Palin, Jim Broun, and Sean Hannity.

And for all of those "non-kook" conservatives out there scratching their heads about why the country polls "center-right" but voted so strongly for Obama, there is your answer, especially in my generation.

Whether my generation becomes life-long Democrats because of President-Elect Obama remains to be seen. We have no undying loyalty to the Pelosis, Harry Reid's, and the baby boomers of the left (we know their faults as well). But we will be able to forgive them if they come up short in trying to get us a renewable energy plan, affordable healthcare, and a government that is as technically savvy as its population.

The questions is, how the hell could we ever forgive the Republicans for coming up short on all of that because they were too busy trying to make a boogeyman out of an honest President?

There you go GOP, there is the answer to how to "re-brand" your party. Quit with the hysterics, get back to reality and start being "conservative" again. Extreme is off putting on both sides of the spectrum.

Let em' hang!

I kinf of agree that the auto companies should not be bailed out. There is a point when you have to let failing businesses, you know, fail.

Yes it would be horrible to lose jobs but we are already losing them left and right and if it's the unemployed we want to protect then let's do that with the temporary extension of benefits. The problem is that we are letting institutions become "too big to fail" and that not only defies capitalism, it destroys the general idea of a free market. A free market needs a lot of businesses to function properly, small business with limited power, not gigantic corporations with government lobbyists and now government funding.

This article is a good one.

"Not so long ago, corporate giants with names like PanAm, ITT and Montgomery Ward roamed the earth. They faded and were replaced by new companies with names like Microsoft, Southwest Airlines and Target. The U.S. became famous for this pattern of decay and new growth. Over time, American government built a bigger safety net so workers could survive the vicissitudes of this creative destruction — with unemployment insurance and soon, one hopes, health care security. But the government has generally not interfered in the dynamic process itself, which is the source of the country’s prosperity."

Please let the new administration understand that we need to protect american people not big business. Big business can take care of, and destroy, themselves.

Is the bailout a contest?

Is it just me or is the bailout becoming some oversized-tax dollar-carrot dangling in front of politicians-lobbyists-CEO's as if they are horses in a big race.

"C'mon Dover!"

The auto industry, health care, California, banks, insurance agencies, Fannie/Freddie, Joe the Plumber, Amex, and more...who next? I hear Mervyn's is going out of business.

Quotes that made me think snarky thoughts...

Quote: "Our aim should not be more government," he told the business executives. "It should be smarter government." -The Decider

Snark: Did he just say something that makes sense? Wait, Smarter? [poof] Wish granted, delivery date - 1/20/09.

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Quote: "...And that's the will of the people. I'm not a dictator. I'm not going to yank anything out from under the will of the people." -Gov. Maverick

Snark: Well we know where she would stand on the legislation against Prop. 8 (but we already knew that one without the dictator comment).

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Off topic: Speaking of the legislation against Prop. 8, I don't think it's the best way to fight back because I think people just need help understanding what it really means. But I can't say it as well as Margaret and Helen can.

I also agree with Andrew Sullivan that we will win in the end, it's not right and somehow that seems to win eventually here in the good ol' USA.

Shh...they might be listening.

I found this article on Bush's "Terrorist Surveillance Program" to be quite interesting. It's terrifying that this all encompassing "terrorist" umbrella allows them to define "terrorist" and therefore redefine "terrorist" as they please to help push their evil (fighting?) agenda. I'll give you some examples of the new "terrorists":

1. My husband. One drunken night he yelled at a hotel clerk for not parking the car or something. Well, the hotel clerk called the police and they tried to charge Andy with "terrorism" (note he yelled but never touched the guy). Jerk? maybe. Terrorist? no.

2. Barack Obama. Well not a direct terrorist but the "pal" of one. I think based on that alone he probably falls under the category of "legally okay to spy on".

3. Me. I snuck more than 4 oz. of liquid through security and onto an airplane. It didn't blow up because it was shampoo but it is clearly against the rules.

"And one Justice Department attorney had his house raided and his children's computers seized as part of the FBI's probe into who leaked the warrant-less spying to The New York Times. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales even suggested the reporters could be prosecuted under antiquated treason statutes."

"If new whistle-blowers do emerge, Fredrickson hopes the additional information will spur Congress to form a new Church Committee -- the 1970s bipartisan committee that investigated and condemned the government's secret spying on peace activists, Martin Luther King, Jr., and other political figures."

Is it Jan. 20th yet?

President-elect Obama

INSTANT VIEW: World leaders' quotes on Obama election win

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama won an extraordinary two-year struggle for the White House Tuesday, beating Republican John McCain to become the first black president in U.S. history.

Following are quotes from world leaders:

NICOLAS SARKOZY, FRENCH PRESIDENT

"With the world in turmoil and doubt, the American people, faithful to the values that have always defined America's identity, have expressed with force their faith in progress and the future.

"At a time when we must face huge challenges together, your election has raised enormous hope in France, in Europe and beyond. France and Europe ... will find a new energy to work with America to persevere peace and world prosperity."

STEPHEN HARPER, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER

"I look forward to meeting with the President-elect so that we can continue to strengthen the special bond that exists between Canada and the United States.

"In the weeks and months ahead Canadian officials and diplomats will be working closely with members of President-elect Obama's transition team. Ministers in our government look forward to building a strong working relationship with their counterparts in a new Obama cabinet."

HELEN CLARK, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER

"The New Zealand Government very much looks forward to working with the new Obama administration.

"Senator Obama will be taking office at a critical juncture. There are many pressing challenges facing the international community, including the global financial crisis and global warming. We look forward to working closely with President-elect Obama and his team to address these challenges."

PAKISTANI EMBASSY IN WASHINGTON

"President (Asif Ali) Zardari expressed the hope that Pakistan-U.S. relations will be enhanced under the new American leadership that received a popular mandate in Tuesday's poll."

(For more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at http:/blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)

(Compiled by Asia Desk)

My final thoughts...

This election has been intense, passionate, horrifying, exciting and above all, promising.

I feel as if I am coming out of one of the most intense college semesters I have ever had. Yes, this election has made me feel like a student again. I hope anyone following the election closely has also felt like a student because there was so much to learn; about the candidates, about history, about policy, about what the vice president actually does, and about the American mood.

The American mood has been pretty somber these last eight years. We've watched our country be the target of a heart breaking attack, we've watched our country drop all notions of division, even if temporary, to unite against fundamental hatred. Then we went shopping. We watched our government lie to us and send our troops into an un-winnable war. We watched our president and vice president blur the lines of checks and balance, take a sharpie to the constitution and close the doors to government dealings shutting out the people. We have watched greed and risk take over our financial markets, exploding the housing market, credit market and stock market only to have the bubble burst. We have watched our national debt grow so large we ran out of zeros. We have seen national disasters wipe out communities with government response proving to be as big, if not a bigger disaster. We have witnessed an honorable man sell out his principals in a race for high office. We have watched divisive politics draw invisible lines and measures of what was "American" and was not.

But we have also watched something else. A movement. A peaceable assembly as diverse as our country. Young, old, black, white, Muslim, Jewish, men, women, conservatives, liberals, elite, rural, christian, atheist, gay, straight and even Collin Powell have all come out and endorsed positive change.

We have watched discussions take place that have been lurking in the shadows just waiting for the daylight to expose them. Most hateful thoughts lose their meaning when put out into the open. Race, religion, sexuality...a new civil rights movement. The days of oppressing one group to protect another are coming to an end. The days of acknowledging all groups as equally human are here.

I hope with all my heart that Barack Obama wins tomorrow but if he does not, it will not change the movement he has started. It will not erase the efforts of the millions of people that have campaigned for hope. No matter the outcome we have changed as a country. There are still battles to fight, division to overcome and friendships to mend. But the mood has changed and people are paying attention.

There has never been anything false about hope and there has never been progress without change.

Please vote tomorrow and no matter how you feel about this election please remember that the "other side" is made up of Americans that love their country too.

Shock!

No press conference and no medical records. The candidate for government transparency and accountability = one big stone wall.

What a Maverick.

Why?