Obama 44th President of the United States of America

I have never been so proud of my country, and so disappointed in my state.

Palin Pranked!

Okay. I really didn't want to stoop to the level of everyone else and post this...but I cracked my ass up listening.

Obama 08, No on Prop 8.

Go Vote.

U.S. Missile Strike in Pakistan

From NPR.com 

Alleged U.S. Missile Targets Al-Qaida In Pakistan

Suspected U.S. missiles hit a house frequented by an Arab militant near the Afghan border Friday and killed 15 people, intelligence officials said, in the latest alleged American attack on targets inside Pakistan.

It was unclear if the Arab, identified as Abu Kasha Iraqi, was among those killed, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Suspected U.S. missile attacks have killed at least two senior al-Qaida commanders in Pakistan's wild border zone this year, putting some pressure on extremist groups accused of planning attacks in Afghanistan - and perhaps terror strikes in the West.

However, a marked uptick in their frequency over the last two months has badly strained America's seven-year alliance with Pakistan.

The strike Friday took place in Mir Ali village in North Waziristan, the officials said, citing reports from agents and informers in the area.

The United States rarely confirms or denies firing the missiles, which are launched from unnamed drones.


Okay. This is really starting to freak me out. Why isn't this making bigger news!? I don't know how many times I can say that. I mean, this is reminding me of the Cambodian invasion during Vietnam. When did the war in Iraq also become the war in Pakistan, and let's not forget about Syria. Our government is still refusing to acknowledge that we killed anyone there recently. BUT unlike the secret Cambodian invasion during Vietnam, this expansion of violence isn't a secret (at least some of it) and still, there are no protests. At least, not any that have been picked up by the news networks because we're constantly talking about this damn election. 

On a similar note, this little tidbit is from DemocracyNow.org. It's good to know where our tax dollars are going. 

A new government audit has found at least $6 billion in US taxpayer money has gone to private military and security companies operating in Iraq. The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction says that’s about 12 percent of the $50 billion in Iraq reconstruction money that has mostly flowed to American corporations. A recent internal report found the US has contracted at least 310 private security companies in Iraq. The most notorious of the companies, Blackwater Worldwide, has yet to face any charges for the September 2007 massacre of seventeen Iraqis in Baghdad’s Nissour Square.

One Final Week

Yes, it's coming down to the wire. It's to the point that there's a constant anxiety in the back of my head and I don't really realize what it's from until I stop for a second and remember that there's only a week left until this election. (I mean yes, it could be about the cost of my college education, or the economy, or my sadly empty refrigerator, or the unspeakable number of nuclear weapons floating around this planet....) but, one week and this additional drama will finally be over. I won't have to worry about our democracy being threatened by voter suppression, or the "accidental" acts of not mailing absentee ballots in swing states, or wondering if my absentee ballot will "accidentally" be lost in the mail. 

It seemed like some of my worst fears were confirmed today as two neo-Nazis were arrested in Tennessee for making plans to assassinate Obama. The more I talk to people about this election, the more this fear keeps rearing its ugly head. Hatred is still running rampant in this country and it isn't helped by the increasing economic disparities between us. A United Nations report just came out highlighting that there are levels of inequality in cities like New York, Washington, Atlanta and New Orleans that rival the inequality seen in cities in Africa. They report that the US has the highest inequality and poverty after Mexico and Turkey. I feel like I need to pause for just a second to let those statistics sink in. It's an abomination is what it is. How did we get to a place where it became alright waste all of our resources on preemptive wars in the Middle East while our own people are living in such unspeakable inequality with one another. 

As a follow up to my post yesterday about Syria, their Foreign Minister, Walid Al-Moualem, is accusing the US of terrorism and is warning of retaliation if the US continues to strike...and I continue to ask, why isn't this getting more press coverage? Shouldn't the headlines be shouting "Regional War in the Middle East?" But no, I had to scroll all the way to the bottom of the CNN home page to find a link to anything related to Syria.  

From DemocracyNow! -  

"US Threatens Iraq Over Status Forces Agreement"

In news from Iraq, the McClatchy Newspapers report the US military has warned Iraq that it will shut down military operations and other vital services throughout the country on Jan. 1 if the Iraqi government doesn’t agree to a new agreement on the status of US forces. Many Iraqi politicians said they view the move as akin to political blackmail. In addition to halting all military actions, US forces would cease activities that support Iraq’s economy, educational sector and other areas.

This is also being wildly under reported. This could potentially be the end of the war in Iraq. Unless I'm missing something...

And one more thing: Anyone else think it's just a little bit funny that a major Alaskan newspaper, the Anchorage Daily News, is endorsing Obama? 

US Attack On Syria

So I'm wondering...did they think that just because there are only 8 days until the election that we'd all be too preoccupied to notice that they're invading a new country?!

US helicopter-borne troops have carried out a raid inside Syria along the Iraqi border, killing eight people including four children, Syrian officials say.

The official Syrian news agency Sana said the raid took place in the Abu Kamal border area, in eastern Syria.

It said that American soldiers on four helicopters had stormed a building under construction on Sunday night.

The US says it is investigating. It has previously accused Syria of allowing foreign militants into Iraq.

Syria has summoned the US and Iraqi envoys in Damascus to protest at the raid.

"Syria condemns this aggressive act and holds American forces responsible for this aggression and all of its repercussions," a government official said.

If confirmed, the raid would be the first known attack by US forces inside Syrian territory, says BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus. - From BBC.com

So, the economy (not just our economy, the Global Economy) is collapsing, and it's not really making the news anymore, we're still in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it's really not making the news anymore...and now, we're attacking people in Syria? I mean I know it's important that the McCain campaign is paying Sarah Palin's makeup artist more than any one else on staff and that they spent $150,000 on her high school principal MILF outfits...if we have to talk about Palin at all, can't we talk about the fact that she's still under investigation in Alaska? 

But, can't we, for once, talk about the stuff that really matters? How about the fact that a "suspected US strike" killed 20 people in Pakistan. I mean we're picking off the sovereignty of these countries like cucumber sandwiches at a lobbyist party. Anyone notice the nice drop in gas prices lately? I've actually been seeing them for under $3.00 (Amazing.) but OPEC just threw an emergency meeting to make this decline end. Yep. 

I'm not really asking for a lot here...but sometimes getting anything of quality out of the media does seem like asking for snow in Southern California on Christmas. 

Republican Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama

The Final 2008 Election Presidential Debate

As I was sitting on the bus today, allowing myself a brief respite from my textbooks and listening to Democracy Now, I realized that this was the last Presidential debate that my friends and I can play a drinking game to until 2012. I don't even know where I'm going to be in 2012. I could be out of the country....well, I could be out of the country a lot sooner than that depending on what happens on November 4. Just kidding...mostly.

Actually, there's a side note that I want to address. I'm tired of hearing conservatives criticize liberals for being "anti-American" for looking critically at our society and our government. People who take the time to think about what's going on, and who are paying attention to our country (and the world) are patriotic. Yes, I sit here behind the security of my computer and I say some things about conservatives (and sometimes liberals -- if I haven't yet, don't worry, I will) that are less than flattering, but the people I find to be truly anti-American are those who refuse to educate themselves about how our democracy works and then don't exercise their right to vote out of ignorance. When people complain about how neither major party represents them and that they are therefore not going to vote, they seem to either be unaware or indifferent to the fact that there are other parties to choose from. On my ballot, I can vote for the Green party, the Independent party, the Peace and Freedom party, and the Libertarian party in addition to the Democratic and Republican parties. I, for one, would love to see more parties with powerful roles in this country. I would love to see more of a Parliamentary system where there is a representational government based on popular vote. Anyway, I completely digressed. What I wanted to say was that just because I question my country doesn't mean that I am not incredibly proud of our diversity and our freedoms, and it doesn't mean that I don't get a little choked up when I hear the national anthem -- see, that elementary school brainwashing is very effective.

Alright. The debate. I think that John McCain improved upon his last performances, at least at the beginning. Although, I think it may be a little late at this point in the game. But we'll see. I'm not going to read through the transcript like I did for the last debate, so this commentary is going to be a bit more general. 

There was a point, maybe about forty-five minutes in, where McCain seemed to get a little heated up over the negative campaigning and the subject of Bill Ayers. I've heard today, that he actually spent more time discussing this and other non-issues like ACORN than his economic policy. Correct me if I'm wrong.

It seems that every day McCain never fails to remind us that his campaign is running on fumes. The fumes of oil from offshore drilling that will take ten years to hit our markets. Or maybe he's running on nuclear waste? He may have made a point with his "zinger" that he is not George Bush (because if there was more than one GWB the earth would have probably already spun out of orbit and into the sun), but it's impossible to deny his voting record and his "don't bother me with the facts, I'm a gutsy from the heart maverick" attitude. If you were watching CNN last night, you probably noticed that most of the debate was broadcast with a split screen. For the first time, I was more captivated by the many facial expressions of John McCain that I was by that undecided Ohio voter opinion tracker. And yes, Obama had a few good ones too.

No matter how sincere McCain trained his voice to be, I think that his facial expressions really gave the game away. I have gotten a lot of amusement from the comparison between him and the neighborhood old scrooge who shuffles outside to get the newspaper and yells at the kids who walk on his lawn. Because really, McCain looked pretty incredulous during a good part of the debate, like he couldn't believe that Obama had the nerve to oppose him. This image, by the way, is really too good to pass up. Did anyone else catch this at the end of the debate? It was one of those moments when I wished that I had a Tivo hooked up, because I really wanted to hit rewind, multiple times.

That other star of last night's debate, Joe the Plumber, what about him? I'm now considering going into the plumbing industry since he must be making over $250,000 a year, because according to the Joe the Plumber story, he would be losing big with Obama's tax plan...and (I swear I've already been over this) with Obama's tax plan, if you're making under $250,000 a year, your taxes are not going up. So yes, my new vocation, plumber's school. Why waste my time with this whole University education thing? 

I'm sure there are a lot of other things to be commented on after last night's debate. But to be quite honest, I'm just about ready for this election to be over. I've cast my ballot, my vote is in, and I encourage all others to do the same, as soon as you can. And unlike McCain tonight at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, I wish both candidates luck. All I'm really asking for, is a fair election. 

I'll be back early next week for an update on national and international affairs. Enjoy the weekend!