I hear a bucket of water works well...

Well, apparently the Wicked Witch is still alive and thriving in Grosse Point Farms, Michigan. She must have hitched a ride back when the "Great OZ" took off in his hot air balloon...maybe clinging to the underside of the basket with her nose?

Anyway, the newest incarnation of the Wicked Witch goes by the alias of Shirley Nagel. Ms. Nagel declared herself on the most appropriate of days - Halloween. Apparently, she realized that the holiday has become too much about the children and not enough about the mean and nasty, and she made a vow to fix that. So, she tried her hardest in a one-witch campaign.

Ms. Witch decided that the only children she would give Halloween treats to would be the children of those people who voted/will be voting for John McCain and Sarah Palin. Apparently there was a quiz before the treating, and unfortunately, many children failed and ended up tricked instead. She posted a sign outside her house that read "No handouts for Obama supporters, liars, tricksters or kids of supporters.". Her reasoning? That Obama is "scary". Her reaction when asked about the children turned away crying? "Oh well. Everybody has a choice."

She's right - sort of. The PARENTS have a choice. But she effectively took away any choice those children had. And everyone has a right to choose whether or not they will hand out candy and to whom. However, having said that - it is completely unfair to those children. The majority of trick-or-treaters tend to be the younger children who have little or no concept of the election or who their parents may be voting for. Nor will they understand why other kids got candy, but not them. What are their parents supposed to say to that? "I'm sorry sweetie - it's all my fault because I'm voting for the person I believe would run our country the best...but I'll change that so you can have some candy!".

I have no problem with people choosing who to vote for, and that is a huge part of this country as it stands. But when grown adults start acting like bullies and picking on children so that they can make a point or take a stand - then I have to wonder about not only those people, but those they are voting for. I'm hearing way too many stories of McCain/Palin supporters showing their true natures - nooses, picking on children, cries of "kill" at McCain/Palin rallies...the same things that the conservative, racist bigots said were going to happen with the Obama supporters. Their fears brought to life when they looked in the mirror...

Would it make me kin to the witch to hope that she got some lovely "treats" visited upon her? Maybe someone could free all her flying monkeys...

How's your health?

I'm a sexist terrorist!

All this attention paid to Palin's little spending spree has the McCain camp up in arms, crying out to anyone who will listen that it's "sexism". Um, excuse me, but I beg to differ. Is it sexism to question why and how a candidate would spend that much money in two days on clothes, makeup and hair? Is it sexism to wonder why a stylist would get paid more than a top foreign policy advisor? Or is it just being a good ("real") American, to ask why these things are necessary and where the funding came from?

I seem to remember a few flaps regarding hair cuts in the past - and they were with men. I heard no cries of sexism on those...but then again, it was the Republican party pointing fingers last time. So apparently, what's good for the goose is NOT good for the gander. Putting it another way- it's ok for the Republican party to spend loads of money (substantially more than the aforementioned haircuts), but heaven help anyone else who may consider wasting their taxpayer's dollars in the same fashion.

McCain and Palin both seem to have entitlement issues, regardless of the fallout for the people they are sworn to serve. And if anyone has the gall to question their decisions, then they are said to be "un-American"...and may I go so far as to say they might even be labelled a "terrorist". These two aren't interested in helping the American people - they are interested in absolute rule.

God save the King.

Hello? 911? Can I order a pizza?

So by now, I'm assuming you've heard about the brouhaha regarding John McCain's brother Joe. But, just in case you haven't, here's the lowdown...Joe called 911 when he was stuck in traffic to complain and see what the holdup was. When the 911 operator asked him if he was calling 911 to complain about traffic, Joe's eloquent reply was "&%@# you" as he hung up...he apparently has his brother's amazing speaking skills...

Anyway, as required, the 911 operator called 'ole Joe back, got his voicemail, and left a message to the effect that it is against the law to call 911 for anything not emergency-related. Joe, being the efficient man that he apparently is, got his message within a relatively short period of time and was none too happy. So what does he decide to do? That's right...he called 911 *back* to complain that "somebody just gave me this riot act about the violation of police". Seriously. How stupid does one have to be here?!

Now, I realize it's not Joe running for President. I do. However, I do have a couple of beefs about this. First - McCain (John) has always been accused of having anger-management issues, and this certainly does not help his case. This is exactly the sort of thing that people would expect from him. Not only that, but what kind of brother is that big of a jack-ass as to pull something like that? Is the McCain family trait popping up? Apple not falling far from the tree and all that?

But here's my biggest peeve about the whole thing - I was a radioman in the CG for a little over 7 years. There is absolutely nothing like having some idiot calling "mayday" over nothing, or doing it as a prank. It wastes valuable time and potentially blocks a line someone else in REAL trouble may be trying to get through on. It is no different for a 911 operator. These people are there to help save lives, not deal with some asshole with entitlement issues. Alexandria is a very large, very busy place. What if there was a mother who was trying to get help for a choking child? A wife whose husband was having a heart attack? A man who had been shot and needed assistance? Any one of those situations could be happening at any time of day, and what happens if the phone line is busy? Because traffic is too slow and we have someone who thinks they're above the law? As far as I'm concerned, he should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law...and his license should be suspended for some amount of time. See how worried about traffic you are when you're on public transportation, buddy!

It just amazes me how stupid people can be. This is certainly not limited to politicians, but it seems to show up more with them. I saw a great sticker the other day...it said:

Elect Obama and Biden - two brains are better than none.

That's what we'll get with McCain and Palin...no brains and a religious agenda. Maybe they should dress up as the scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz? Or Palin could be the scarecrow and McCain could be the tin man. Can't you just see them skipping into the white house, singing about their yellow brick road?

God help us all.

Pray for knees all across America

I am so...depressed. I just learned that I am not a REAL American. All this time, worrying about the state of my country and the plight of the people within it, and I find out that my concern was wrong and unnecessary. I feel so...betrayed...by my naivete, my bleeding-heart status, my misplaced tears.

Apparently, REAL Americans live only in small towns, and only in certain portions of the country. Here is how you can tell the true patriots from...um...the rest of us:

*They do not believe in a woman's right to choose. They *do* believe in forcing a woman who has survived rape and/or incest to bear and birth a child from that terrible act.

*They do not believe in allowing gays to marry or to have the same rights as other humans. They *do* believe that gays can be "cured" by slapping them with enough religion to fell an angel.

*They do not profess to be racists or bigots. They *do* believe that anyone of Muslim descent is to be feared and hated...and that the wife of the African-American (oops. Better remove the "American"...) Presidential candidate should be "lynched" and "tracked down". But only if it's proven "100%" that she believes "that America is a bad country or a flawed nation"... (BTW - name just one country that isn't in some way flawed. I dare you.).

So basically, the rest of us are unnecessary and unwanted. If we have even a glimmer of hope that we might one day be considered real Americans, then we must hasten to do at least one of these things (Sort of like an initiation. But that would be Un-American.):

1. Pray for the eternally damned souls of women who have had abortions, regardless the circumstances.

2. Pray for the eternally damned souls of gays.

3. Pray for the eternally damned souls of Muslims (and anyone else who is not white-bread, "Christian" American).

4. Pray for the eternally damned souls of anyone who questions church and/or state.

And for those of you who thought you were grandfathered into the "real American" category simply because you or a loved one has served this country in the Armed Forces - guess again. Here's why - there are Muslims who have died for our country. Blacks have died for our country. But if they didn't, or wouldn't have, supported a McCain/Palin White House, then they were *not* REAL AMERICANS. So while you're praying, better pray for their eternally damned souls as well.

Better get some knee-pads.

McCain lost his pants!

So, today we have McCain "needing" to know the "full extent of" Obama's relationship with William Ayers. Though the full extent of that relationship has been explained repeatedly, the Republican party is feeling a bit desperate and is falling back on their old tactic: fear-mongering. You know - the idea that they are the only ones adequate to protect this country against radicals from the 60's. A specific radical who has served on a couple of non-profit boards (BTW - those generally are *not* the kind of place where terrorism plans are created.) and happens to live in the same neighborhood as Obama. Or, let me put it this way: I know a few jackasses, a couple of whom live in my neighborhood. Does that make me a jackass too?

However, I don't hear a single outcry from McCain and his cronies about Palin's dealings. Let's see...she is in the middle of an investigation regarding inappropriate use (abuse) of power. In this investigation ("Troopergate"), she promised to cooperate fully with the bi-partisan committee (Yep. You read that right. This was no democratic crap-shoot. This came from both parties, fully committed to examining Palin's potential abuse of the Governor's Office.). Up until she was tapped for the VP nomination, that is. Suddenly, the investigation is too political? Politically motivated? Please. This investigation was ongoing long before McCain even thought of Palin as a partner. Now, state employees are afraid to testify, she's denying everything, and using McCain's lawyers to fight it all. What happened to full cooperation? Oh, wait. Those running for the White House are no longer required to follow the same rules as us regular mortals. They are now above the law - including refusing subpeonas. Talk about jackasses.


Then there's the newest issue. Palin is getting ready to become involved in another investigation as to whether her claim for $17,000 in per diem is legitimate, and whether or not she should have paid taxes on that money. See, Palin claimed that while she was home in Wasilla (her workplace is considered Juneau), she should get per diem since "a governor is on call around the clock". Which might technically be true...However, the state will, when requested, consider changing the work area when so much time is spent in another place. Palin never requested this. Instead, she just took the Alaskan taxpayers for $17,000 in "free" money. Could this be yet another reason her tax records were released early? On a day when most people are not paying attention to the news? "Middle-Class Soccer Mom" with an income of $170,000 also claims another $17,000 in per diem as non-income, which the taxpayers of her state are now responsible for. Hm. I'd have issues with that. Can you imagine the fun she would have in the White House? Lord, they'd have to fasten the furnishings down, and keep the vaults under guard when she was around! Her Secret Service name could be "Sticky Fingers"...

Then you have McCain. The big corporations must love that man. When McCain passed around his version of the homeowner bailout, it specifically said that the government would be allowed to buy these bad mortgages at discounted rates (Housing version of Costco?). This would show the declining value, and allow the homeowners to keep their homes. Sounded great - he even included a line that said, "Lenders in these cases must recognize the loss that they’ve already suffered.” (Can you see the glow from his halo?). Here's the problem. When McCain actually submitted his proposal, he took out the part about helping the homeowners. So now, his proposal suggests that the government will buy the mortgages at *face value* rather than the discounted price. If the housing market does not recover, then the homeowners stand to lose even more than if things were just left alone (Oops. So much for that halo.). Even many *conservatives* were upset by this glaring omission (that seems less like an accident than an attempt to deceive). Chalk one up for the idiotic banks that got us into this mess in the first place, and screw you to the homeowners who face losing everything.

So, we have a man who professes to live for this country and the people in it. Who says he's gonna be the man we all want. Who claims to be a "maverick". A man who is once again helping the corporations and not the people. Who may be the cause of many more people losing their homes. A man who picked, as his VP running-mate, a woman who is being investigated for abuse of power. The same woman who is now under suspicion for what amounts to stealing from her own constituents.

And McCain is worrying/preaching fear about someone knowing someone who did something somewhere in the vicinity of 40 years ago? There's a verse in that Bible that Sarah Palin likes to thump: "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" (Book of Matthew).

In other words, McCain - When you've lost your pants, it's kind of a waste of energy to be laughing at someone who only has holes in his.

New word of the day!

gall1 /gɔl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[gawl] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun

1.	impudence; effrontery.

2.	bile, esp. that of an animal.

3.	something bitter or severe.

4.	bitterness of spirit; rancor.

For today's recipe, boys and girls, we are going to mix a pound of impudence and effrontery with a cup of bitterness of spirit, fold in something bitter and finish off with a sprinkling of bile. Half-bake, and voila! You have Sarah Palin's latest rally in California.

It's finally happened - Palin pulled the sex card. Though come to think of it, she's been dancing around it for some time - next time she *winks* at the camera, I'm going to leap through the television screen and strangle her. Anyway...As Palin tells it, if you are female and you don't "support" her bid for VP (and of course, by association, McCain for President), then there is "a place in hell" just awaitin' for ya! I kid you not.

After she was introduced at the rally, Palin announced (as if it were a sign from the heavens meant just for her) that as she was reading her Starbuck's mocha cup, she saw a quote from Madeleine Albright (former Secretary of State, UN Ambassador, and someone who most certainly does not seem to take any crap from anyone). The quote, as Palin said it, was "There's a place in hell reserved for women who don't support other women". By inference, of course, those of us who are female who believe she's not suitable for sitting in the White House are on our way to a lovely burnin'! I'm wondering - does that include women who believe in God? Does Sarah Palin have an inside line to the Head Honcho that only she knows about?

However, Palin got a smackdown regarding her quote (which was not correct in the first place) from a far more esteemed personage than myself - Ms. Albright herself took exception to the misappropriation of her line. First of all, it should read "There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women.". Second, that quote as said by Ms. Albright, had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with politics. But, I'll let Ms. Albright speak for herself:

"Though I am flattered that Governor Palin has chosen to cite me as a source of wisdom, what I said had nothing to do with politics. This is yet another example of McCain and Palin distorting the truth, and all the more reason to remember that this campaign is not about gender, it is about which candidate has an agenda that will improve the lives of all Americans, including women. The truth is, if you care about the status of women in our society and in our troubled economy, the best choice by far is Obama-Biden."

-Madeleine Albright (From Huffington Post)

See? Gall! If you're going to quote someone, there are a few things to remember:

1. Get it right.
2. Make sure it is context.
3. Make sure it's not going to be turned back around against you!

Maybe the next word of the day should be hubris....

How does McCain exercise his judgement?

It's a little long, but it's very interesting - and something that many of my generation are really not that aware of. McCain/Palin have been hammering Obama's judgement, honesty, and trustworthiness. This seems, to me, to be a case of not throwing rocks when you're standing in a glass house...

Excelled?!?

See, I knew it. It was all a nefarious plot by McCain. I can see it now..."You know what? You can play dumb! I mean, sure...you'll get some serious crap for it. But you'll be on SNL! That's good, right? And then you can come out and really wow 'em because they'll all be expecting a slaughter! That's a great idea!". And it worked.

I have literally seen one CNN correspondent (a woman, no less) who gave Palin an A+. "The plus is for wildly exceeding expectations.". Um. So? The grade shouldn't be on how bad she was expected to do, but on how she actually did!!

I'm not arguing that she did well. I will, very grudgingly, allow that she was able to pretty much hold her own. However - someone please tell me they saw how many times Palin did NOT answer the question presented to her, but instead moved on (or back, depending) to another question? If she didn't like it or didn't know it - by golly, she wasn't gonna go there. If it wasn't on her script, then it must not be an issue.

And the winking. Good grief, what was with the winking?!? I was, as a woman, very offended by that. I'm sorry, but I have a brain in my head. A fairly decent one, I've been told. I do not need to follow my points in a conversation by *winking*. Talk about stereotypical! "I'm not sure about how to answer this because we didn't cover this during 'Camp Cramming on Cliff Notes Hill'*...can I get back to you? *wink*".

How does any of this equate with an A+ performance? Never having actually seen Palin or Biden speak at length (I tend to be more of a newpaper gal), I went into this very curious. Biden ruled. He kept to the time. He answered the questions, and he answered them well. He did not talk down to Palin, nor did he make any major errors. He spoke well. He did not circle back when asked a question he didn't know how to answer ("environment" anyone?). THAT, my friends, was an A performance.

Palin kept to the time. She answered about half the questions in any way that actually gave an answer to the question. She got snarky about raising kids (though Biden held his own there). She made several errors (can someone tell me who the general is again please?!?). She circled back frequently (environment again?). It was as if she was given a list that she needed to make sure she checked off all her items: Environment? Check. Education? Check. Iraq? Check. What was that question again? Oh, don't know it....Environment? Check.

I'm disgusted by how low our expectations are of a Vice Presidential nominee (who happens to be a woman) to be able to answer questions about topics that she should know. She spoke fairly well, but that does NOT make a VP. Unless, of course, you live in America. Where dreams are high and reality is low.

*Thanks to georgia10 on DailyKos for that terrific label regarding Palin's disappearance to McCain's hideaway.

OK, that's it. I'm making plans to rob a bank, and then I'm going into politics. Because apparently, if you're rich and/or a politician, you are exempt from the rules and ways of life that everyone else must live by.

For example - McCain has attacked Biden's assertion that the wealthy should pay more taxes and do their part for their country. Now, of course that's ridiculous! Why in the world should the people who have more have to pay more!? Let those who weren't born with a silver spoon take on the added burden of the nation's debt of several trillion dollars. Serves 'em right for not working harder to make more money, what with the plethora of jobs available and the reasonable cost of living! Lazy ingrates.

As for politicians, well...that's obvious! If I become a "public servant", then I no longer have to abide by the law and the rules that the rest of the country must observe. I can hire and fire at will, regardless of just cause. I can use government money (remember, the middle class will pay the debt anyway) to fund ridiculous projects - and then keep the money when those projects peter out (with full deniability, of course). And if, by some strange chance, someone should actually call me out and attempt to investigate my actions - I don't have to participate, and might be able to stall for so long that nothing EVER happens! I can ignore subpoenas, and instruct others to do so as well. I can make sure that any potential big-mouths are so concerned about their jobs that they will bow to my superior wisdom. If I play my cards just right, I might even have a chance of being elected to one of the highest offices in the land - where I can go virtually unchecked! I tell you - what a wonderful land we live in.

So there you have it. My reasons for deciding to rob a bank (I mean, isn't that what the government essentially does these days?) and go into politics. Maybe next election, Palin and I can run together! Imagine the fun we could have...My slogan will be something along the lines of what has been happening the last 8 years:

"Work with me to make the rich richer and let the middle-class pay the debt!"

Demon in Disguise

I don't understand the direction this election has taken. For example, I have a very close friend who has been a democrat for as long as I've known her. She believes very strongly in environmental causes. She believes in women's rights. She does not believe in NCLB and its related garbage. So why is she planning on voting for McCain?

Here's the problem - many people, my friend included, believe that Obama simply hasn't provided enough concrete examples of what "change" means to him. That means that they also don't understand how it would affect the country as a whole were he to be elected President. And as human beings, we tend to prefer the known (even if it clashes with our entire belief system) than to trust in the unknown.

So, while McCain successfully keeps all attention on his running mate and not on the important issues at hand, Obama flounders and looks for a way to fix it. While McCain and Palin both lie and distort the truth repeatedly, neither of them is addressing the important issues: education, the environment and the economy being a few of them. While Roe vs. Wade looks into the abyss, the "news" agencies gossip about Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter.

Until Obama can rally and begin to point out the crap for what it is, and begins to give solid examples of what "change" we Americans could expect, liberal white women will continue to flock to McCain and his VP candidate. Like a horse being led to slaughter, they will walk blindly into the trap that McCain and his GOP pals have laid, and will hand over any hope this country has of righting itself from the last 8 years. And then, only after the noose has tightened, will it become apparent that sometimes the known element really is the demon in disguise.

Are You Kidding Me?!?

Whoever this woman is, let me just take a moment to be grateful she's not on the PTA of any school my children might ever attend.

*Moment of silence*

Ok, carry on. How ridiculous is this? Listen, I'm not a huge fan of McCain, but this would hold true regardless of political party - a responsible parent does not sacrifice their children's education for politics. And the notion that someone "famous" or "well-off" can lift up an entire school just by enrolling their children? Absurd.

Face facts, folks. The only way our schools are going to have a chance is if we stop muddying up the waters with BS like this. Does it matter where Obama, McCain, Biden or Palin send their children? Not unless they are enrolling them in "Bombmaking 101". Does it matter that our educational system is failing across the board? That as parents, we count ourselves "lucky" if we live close to a good public school instead of expecting them *all* to be that way? That we can spend billions upon billions of dollars fighting a war that has nothing to do with us but cannot manage to find the funds to make sure our children have the knowledge to compete in an increasingly global world?! Hell, yes it does!

Where a candidate sends their children for an education means nothing. What a candidate can do about our failing educational system means everything.