Another place and time....

I am saddened. I knew this day would have to come; and it came way too soon.
I have chosen to remain a Democrat and withhold my vote in the Presidential election this year. I will be writing in Senator Clinton's name but it will be counted as a no-vote in my state. Given the shenanigans fomented by the DNC regarding this season's primaries, I cannot, at this moment, cast my vote for Senator Obama with a clear conscience. I believe I have stated my case for this on my blog several times over.
Having said that, I will not jump aboard the Republican bandwagon.. This nation has suffered eight years of sheer hell under the leadership of Republicans. Millions have lost their livelihoods; their homes; and in many cases, their lives, due to lack of medical care. The Constitution has been trashed; thousands of militia and civilians have lost their lives in a corporate instigated war; our country is in debt to foreign nations; medical research is stymied; GLBT issues are still political footballs; the cost of everyday basic living is over the top and electing another Republican to take the helm of a Republican constructed ship is inviting the fox into the hen house. There is no evidence in recent history to believe otherwise.
We have been pushed up to the edge of economic free fall in this country and the threat of another middle-east war has been jokingly serenaded by the erstwhile Republican candidate. I found it as offensive and shameful and disrespectful as the sexism schism on the other side and just as tolerated by the media.
Hence the reasons I have chosen not to stay and debate over at bitterpolicz. Since the convention, I had ventured to make some comments mildly critical of the Republican nominee and some others, in their enthusiasm, attacked my intelligence and my motivations. I loved my time with these people and I am not about to argue with them because, like me, their minds are pretty much made up. So now I choose to fade away. It took me several tries to say goodbye for which I also took some grief. It was very hard and is sad for me. I kept thinking about the movie Ole Yeller, but I couldn't really pull that off. So I leave them at peace with one another and maybe in four years we'll meet up again.
That is my story. And hearts......

Ask not what your party can do for your country...

Years ago, I recall the inaugural speech of John F. Kennedy where he declared the torch had been passed to a new generation of Americans. Over the last several nights, I have borne witness to the extinguishing of that torch by the children of that generation. Indeed change has manifested itself but hope left the building along with the presidential aspirations of Hillary Clinton. This carefully scripted television event was laughingly called the Democratic Convention. In a moment of rare courage, Hillary accepted her fate and gently gave the wink and nod to the group which perpetuated this fraudulent travesty upon the American public and more especially the well intentioned Democratic primary voters. Make no mistake, Obama did not defeat Senator Clinton; she was done in by slick politicos in a carefully planned coup to take over the Democratic party and turn it into nothing more than a slick money making machine for it's hierarchy. The current leadership of the DNC and Barack Obama have taken no real steps in the last two years to enact the programs they now promise. They have been too busy indulging in this power play; the result of which is this trumped up extravaganza to crown their selected One. I see little there for the blue-collar guy. Now I am bitter and I can't see that I can do much about it, but believe that miracles do happen. Because if we ever needed a miracle; now is the time. It's dark without that torch to guide the way.

Just sayin' part II

I have been overwhelmed by the level of hate speech by Obama supporters; the intensity of which parses every act McCain does as evil or stupid or, God forbid, old. They rank on his wife and his lifestyle and even question his service to country. I despise this demonetization of McCain as much as I did that of Hillary. Then a funny thing happened. I noticed Hillary supporters doing the same to Obama and thought; it's okay; good for the goose, good for the gander. But this sudden outpouring of adulation for a right-wing hack like McCain and the repetition of Republican talking points disturbs me. People are quoting Fox asshats like Hannity and O'Reilly as if they were suddenly Gandhi. But those pundits wisdom equates only to their dislike and hatred of Barack Obama and the Democratic party, something my comrades have adopted. Again I cautioned my peers to familiarize themselves with the true character and record of their new love. I cautioned them to cast their vote at they will, but make sure you know how deep the shit is before you step in. Many of them believe that it is cut and dry and that not voting for one or the other is a no vote for the vanquished. I maintain my no vote is a good and honorable choice.
I cannot indulge the hysterics or manic drama some parlay in. I refuse to throw the baby out with the bath water by voting for John McCain. It's like telling me to decide between drinking a glass of bleach or a glass of lye because it's a matter of life or death. Duh! Some attempt to guilt me into voting by declaring I won't have a say in the coming years. That's just BS. Otherwise those who didn't vote for Bush have no say about what he has done. The logic is that simple.

Here is my previous post on this subject.


I noted this morning good people who believe in the same principles of democracy I do are donating money to John McCain's campaign. I would have no problem with that after the conventions are held. But why right now? The Denver Group needs money, Hillary's debt still needs to be retired, down ticket Democrats could use some dough.
I see people extolling Republican talking points and I know these are caring passionate people but in their fervor to defeat Obama, some of them, if not crossing, are stepping all over a line that I will not go past.
Why does it bother me? Because I want us to reclaim our party, the Democratic party, the party of choice, privacy, TLC, compassion, equality, sharing - you know, the right party, not the right-wing party.
If you must vote for McCain, I have no problem and you can do that in November. Right now, I am focusing on choosing a Democratic candidate

Man in the Mirror

I have observed a new meme over the course of the past few weeks. Barrack Obama is not arrogant. Barrack Obama is a black man and there apparently is no such thing as an arrogant black man. The reasoning behind this dictum,I have learned, is that arrogant is code for uppity and uppity is racist.

Fortunately, Webster's doesn't color code it's definitions, and according
to that source uppity means taking liberties or assuming airs beyond one's station; presumptuous; disposed to exaggerate one's own worth or importance often by an overbearing manner. I don't have an overwhelming desire to be labeled racist, yet I am inclined to be a truth seeker and truth requires examination in order to see if the shoe fits.

Does a man who boasts about himself while claiming other's accomplishments, who declares himself as an icon for his nation and has a official quasi-presidential seal constructed suggest hubris at all? Is a man, who sat in a church pew for 20 years listening to hate filled rhetoric from his self-proclaimed mentor, so haughty he believes a simple denial of that would suffice to a ignorant public whose intellect he eagerly insults? Does positing that his supporters probably wouldn't vote for Senator Clinton while hers would most certainly vote for him smack of self-confidence or of ego? How about the casual tagging of voters as bitter and spiritually needy? Is elitism uppity or is it racist? "Typical white person" anyone?

Perhaps a clue lies with his surrogates and supporters? Those of us who
unfortunately received those profane rambling emails from an angry impatient Donna Brazile definitely got a whiff of self importance. She certainly let us know how important she is by her suggestion that her one vote would make up for the the delegate votes she and the rules committee stole from the citizens of MI and FL. Indeed, Ms. Brazile informed many of us that our vote was neither desired nor required. Michelle Obama declared that this will be our only chance at sending her precious husband to the White House after she finally decided she is proud of her nation at the age of 44. The brazen Ms. Pelosi's arrogant declarations on a wide range of subjects including dismissing a dream team early on and minimizing sexism were cavalier statements especially galling coming from a woman in her position which is supposed to represent the electorate. Even the media horned in on the uppity act. We watched a self righteous Keith Olbermann "forgive" Senator Clinton for her so-called misdeeds in one of his self proclaimed special comments. Dear Dr. Dean had to hop aboard this arrogance train as well with his trivializing of rampant misogyny with his too precious for prime time words "I don't watch cable TV" rationale for failure to do his job to ensure a fair and equitable primary process. Who set the tone for this deluge of arrogance? Who made arrogance palatable?

Does Obama actually consider himself a new savior born to inherit the world? Is there any hidden humility he is able to expose? Certainly he had done nothing to discourage the image by giving that speech in Berlin; the Invesco Field staging; the new snappiness with the press; having his name and image plastered about the landscape like a Western Mao. All speak to a hyper-indulged ego with too many willing acolytes eager and able to keep it fed.

To paraphrase poet Jorge Luis Borges, has Barack Obama replaced the image of the Lord with a mirror? Has he gone beyond arrogance? I think the answer is clear.

Just sayin'

I have been overwhelmed by the level of hate speech by Obama supporters; the intensity of which parses every act McCain does as evil or stupid or, God forbid, old. They rank on his wife and his lifestyle and even question his service to country. I despise this demonetization of McCain as much as I did that of Hillary. Then a funny thing happened. I noticed Hillary supporters doing the same to Obama and thought; it's okay; good for the goose, good for the gander. But this sudden outpouring of adulation for a right-wing hack like McCain and the repetition of Republican talking points disturbs me. People are quoting Fox asshats like Hannity and O'Reilly as if they were suddenly Gandhi. But those pundits wisdom equates only to their dislike and hatred of Barack Obama and the Democratic party, something my comrades have adopted. Again I cautioned my peers to familiarize themselves with the true character and record of their new love. I cautioned them to cast their vote at they will, but make sure you know how deep the shit is before you step in. Many of them believe that it is cut and dry and that not voting for one or the other is a no vote for the vanquished. I maintain my no vote is a good and honorable choice.
I cannot indulge the hysterics or manic drama some parlay in. I refuse to throw the baby out with the bath water by voting for John McCain. It's like telling me to decide between drinking a glass of bleach or a glass of lye because it's a matter of life or death. Duh! Some attempt to guilt me into voting by declaring I won't have a say in the coming years. That's just BS. Otherwise those who didn't vote for Bush have no say about what he has done. The logic is that simple.
Here is my previous post on this subject.


I noted this morning good people who believe in the same principles of democracy I do are donating money to John McCain's campaign. I would have no problem with that after the conventions are held. But why right now? The Denver Group needs money, Hillary's debt still needs to be retired, down ticket Democrats could use some dough.
I see people extolling Republican talking points and I know these are caring passionate people but in their fervor to defeat Obama, some of them, if not crossing, are stepping all over a line that I will not go past.
Why does it bother me? Because I want us to reclaim our party, the Democratic party, the party of choice, privacy, TLC, compassion, equality, sharing - you know, the right party, not the right-wing party.
If you must vote for McCain, I have no problem and you can do that in November. Right now, I am focusing on choosing a Democratic candidate.