Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Evidently...

Third time is a charm? You be the judge...

A consistent routine is key, so I hear.

Apparently I have some work to do.

I have been talking a big game about my work, time to start backing it up...

Friday, March 7, 2008

Wisconsin Democratic Primary 2008 (part II)



Bill Clinton has a way about him, smooth, regal, inspiring

As long as we are on topic of inspirational politicians
Enter: Barack Obama
~2,000 Wisconsinites showed up nearly SIX hours before Obama spoke his first words after winning nine straight Democratic Primaries
We'll call the guy with the sweater vest, Obama's Rally Manager...I don't think he sleeps much but somehow he finds the energy. He was on top of his game that day. There were close to 500 volunteers for the rally and he was able to organize and mobilize us all.


Wisconsin Democratic Primary 2008

I've been having some issues with posting my videos and pictures from the historical week that was the 2008 Wisconsin Democratic Primary. But here at last are the videos and pictures to prove that I was witness to one of the most groundbreaking and important elections of our young country's history.

In a span of five days back in mid February, I shook hands with and invited Barack Obama to dinner, gave a "hippie-handshake" to President Bill Clinton, Hi-Fived him, (twice!) and gawked at his daughter and potential Secretary of State (when I'm in the White House).

Hope you enjoy the sights and sounds of a week that I look forward to telling my grandchildren about.waiting for Chelsea to arrive at UW-Madison Memorial Union

she made it and it was great until she started talking about her mom...


Boring...but foxy, no?

on to her Father, President William Jefferson Clinton
too bad Hillary's campaign could not afford anywhere nicer than a barn to have her husband, and former President to speak



Thursday, March 6, 2008

Do your damn job!

How can the Presidential candidates expect to run for the highest position in their field if they aren't carrying out the responsibilities of their current job?

Maybe I'm biased, but these numbers don't lie, so notice how both Wisconsin Senators have not missed a vote.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Suggestion: End all Wars

Have heard about or read the New York Times story reporting that 1 in 100 American citizens is behind bars? If you don't live under a rock, of course you have.

Every talking head on TV has mentioned it, every blog I have come across has posted a least a link to the story, my professors are talking about it, even my boss mentioned it during the daily reminders meeting.

How astonishing! What a high number? I can't believe it.

Not really.

It is sad, yes. But it is not surprising.

What has been brushed under the rug are the truly sad statics that the story reported:

1 in 36 Hispanic adults is locked up.

1 in 15 Black adults; 1 in 9 Black male adults between the ages 20 and 34 is behind bars.

Since the declaration of the War on Drugs in the 1970's the incarceration rate of minorities has gone through the roof compared to that of whites...

In Dance County -- one of Wisconsin's 72 counties that contains the state capital, Madison and is also the home of the University of Wisconsin-- minorities are incarcerated on drug related charges at a rate of 97 to 1 compared with whites in the county.

How is the war on drugs working out? Just about as well as the war on terror? How about the war on poverty? Does our nation always need a War? Is it a matter of chest pounding? Or an issue of white supremacy? Since every war declared since 1960's has disproportionately disenfranchised persons of color. Is declaring war on something the only way politicians believe they can be elected?

Here is a response found on The D'Alliance, to the NY Times report that really brought home the main points of my observations, frustrations, and suggestions. I'll allow them to articulate them further.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Reality Check

Roger Clemens testifies in front of Congress and the entire world stops...

ESPN, CNN, MSNBC, and FOX are all there, streaming live.

No wonder we had a high school student who completely fabricated a signing day decision to attend school and play football for a University who had never even heard of him.

Our society's priorities are whack! Who sets those priorities? Policymakers? Media?

Is the United States still not heavily involved in a War? Has genocide in Sudan ceased? Has the Bush Administration been cleared of all accusations pertaining to torture? Isn't there something more important for supposed honorable members of Congress to be investigating?

Clearly Congress has a stake in steroid use in Baseball because, wait what is the reason?

The "news" media in the United States is a joke and more and more the mantra, "make a buck, make a buck" clearly has them under a trance.

I attended Chelsea Clinton's appearance at the Memorial Union on the campus of the University of Wisconsin. I also was witness to Barack Obama last night at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin (more to come on those experiences complete with videos and pictures in the coming days). Looked at in conjunction with one another, the take home message from the two event is that the 18-29 year old demographic cares. I know this is not a novel idea, but if the young vote actually gets to the polls in November, there is no chance in hell that a member of the GOP will be the next President of the United States.

When 18-29 year olds are talked to and shown that they matter, they listen. More importantly they act.

So I plead with producers of any and all news and other media outlets, please use your platform to add something positive to our society.

Stop covering celebrity melt downs. Stop building sports up to such a magnitude that 17 and 18 year old high school kids feel so down that they won't be playing football at the next level that they are compelled to generate a phony "singing day" press conference.

Instead run stories on grassroots efforts underway to fund community fine art programs in poverty stricken communities. Run stories that show how a group of youth were sponsored by local businesses to get funding for athletic equipment by volunteering around their community.

If you build it, they will come.

If these efforts, even on a small scale are exposed to society the efforts will snowball. All great social movements in the history of the United States have their roots with young people. It is time for the media and policymakers to regain some integrity. There is a large population that they can look to for that and they are ready and waiting.

Naive? No, just fed up, and motivated, energetic, and determined to see somethings done differently.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Madison....the city of Love

Talk about a woman with some connections...



I have a crush on Chelsea Clinton. She was about an hour late to the rally, but I would have waited longer.
















Call me crazy, but the first daughter has grown up...into a politically powerful fox!




















She came to Madison to talk about her Mom. She was pretty boring, with quite the monotone voice but I couldn't help but notice the bedroom eyes she kept shooting my way.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Superficial Tuesday

I take it that no one is happy with a tie.

Quite the let down after all the anticipation, the countdown, and the news coverage for Super Duper Tsunami Tuesday. But on Wednesday, all there is to talk about is that Hillary has few more delegates, Obama leads the nation in a CNN poll but Hillary leads in another and some idiots are still voting for John Edwards.

Super Tuesday was so uneventful that Heath Ledger and deadly tornadoes made it into the headlines this morning (that was a knock on the Media coverage and not intended to take a shot at the loss of precious human life. My deepest sympathies and condolences go out to those who have lost).

I ask you to consider these:

Is this race close because voters are deciding who the lesser of the two evils is, again? Or are the voters either less racist than they are sexist or less sexist than they are racist?

Remove yourself from the zooming shots of a field reporter, standing in studio at a podium incessantly calculating and surmising the most current and "most potential" delegate count for the candidates with a telestrator marker. Remove yourself from Chris Matthew's squawk that sounds like someone stepped on his tail or has given him a 'how's your father' with a cold hand every time co-anchor and funnyman Keith Olbermann adds his "politically humorized" two cents.

Just take a second, close your eyes. Say out loud, the name Hillary Clinton.

What is the first thought that comes into your mind?

Answer: She's a woman.

Take another second, please. Close your eyes and say out loud, the name Barack Obama.

Again, what is the first thought that comes into your mind?

Answer: He's Black.

This is important. Very important. I know that people may be tired of talking about race and gender. Talking heads on the news, peers, even myself at one time or another has suggested that we the voters need to be able to look past the superficial characteristics of the leading Democratic Presidential candidates.

But today, I refuse to be colorblind. I refuse to be genderblind.

Hillary struck a cord with me during her speech last night. She wanted to point out that her Mother, who was born before women were given the the right to vote, was in attendance and has had the chance to vote for her very own daughter for President of the United States of America.

Voters will or already have had a chance to vote for that woman also and in the very same election they have been given the chance to vote for a Black man, as well.

It should be perfectly clear that the Democratic Presidential nomination race is so close NOT because either candidate is the lesser of two evils. Nor is it coming down to a racist vs. non-racist and sexist vs. non-sexist ideal. Rather, the public demanded for stronger candidates and better leaders to represent them is finally being met.

Not only are they being met, they are being surpassed by both a Black man and a White woman! And a large amount, dare I say the majority, of the country are comfortable and incredibly excited by that.

I voted in my first Presidential election in November, 2004. I was 19 years old. I voted for the lesser of two evils in that election. My candidate, John Kerry (may his political career rest in peace) lost and the United States of America and the frankly, the world lost with him. I have been impatiently waiting (to put it lightly) for this election in the hope that our country could get it's act together.

I'm happy to say that it appears that the correct moves have been made to make that happen. Beginning with the Democratic Party and the exceptional leadership of two competent policy makers. But responsibility also rests with the citizens of the United States by taking the chance to be less bigoted and to recognize the differences in skin colors and genders and to be comfortable and accepting and appreciative of those differences enough to trust and put faith in the hands of a Black man and/or a White woman to get this country going in the right direction.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Janurary is no time for fire dancing in Illinois

So McCain takes Florida and chills run up my spine.

Are we looking at a potential third term of Republican leadership in the White House? Can or will McCain win the general election?

It is truly scary how possible that might be. With his win tonight of the Florida primary he has essentially sealed the GOP nomination.

Moving forward, he will have the Republican backing, he will have the moderate vote, he will have the racist/sexist vote (which ever one is needed).

As for the Democrats, Obama has it locked up right?

He cleaned up in South Carolina didn't he? He dominated the black vote, the young vote, the poor vote. That is correct, but here is the catch.

The South Carolina primary was held on a Saturday.

A critical detail that has been absent from the 24 hour a day clusterfuck media coverage.

Having a vote on a Saturday, when many citizens in the US don't work, allowed for voters who are typically disfranchised and struggle to get time off work to vote a chance to get out and do so. This could have only encouraged those citizens to vote for the "Candidate for Change" in such overwhelming numbers.

Please don't get me wrong. I'm excited that Obama kicked Hillary's ass in South Carolina. But I want people to get out and do it again on Super Tuesday and again in November. The fight is not over.

The momentum is building in Obama's favor, no doubt.

With endorsements from the royal family of the US--Ted and Caroline Kennedy-- Toni Morrison, and the Governor of Kansas who gave the Democratic response to Bush's riveting State of the Union Address, Kathleen Sebelius, and many others every time you turn around, Obama supporters should be stoked.

Stoked.

Obama's campaign fire should continue to be stoked but not danced around in celebration yet.

Hillary is a great politician. She and her spouse play the game well and one has to reasonably assume that she and he for that matter, have more tricks up the sleeve of her pants suit. Such as the one she pulled tonight by making a big deal out of the Florida primary victory that she and her fellow democrats agreed not to campaign for.

Who is she kidding?

I promised myself when I decided that I would fully support Barack Obama for President in 2008, that I would not bash Hillary. I can't stand political mug slinging. And honestly I believe that she would be just fine as President. This country and the world needs an intelligent, competent, and Democratic President of the United States. They would get that with either Obama or Clinton. But with the political charades displayed by our former President and his wife in the last few weeks it has been harder and harder for me to keep my promise.