Month: October 2012

Sports fans in the Washington DC area love their professional football team.  Partly that’s because their baseball teams have been so bad and so poorly supported that they’ve had to flee west to find enthusiastic fans and postseason success.  Partly it’s because the Baltimore Bullets-Washington Bullets-Washington Wizards have had more success establishing an identity than they have winning basketball games.

Whatever the reasons (and they are legion), Washington sports fans care so desperately about their football team that they’ve been willing to overlook a multitude of sins by the club and its owners—including George P. Marshall whose segregationist practices accomplished the utterly implausible by making Boston Red Sox owner Thomas Yawkey look (comparatively speaking) like a racial progressive.

And then there’s the team name.  It’s a name the club cares so deeply about that it’s recently gone to court to protect its right to use the nickname.

So kudos to the Washington City Paper for its cheerful mockery of the Washington professional football club and its nickname—and for its principled stand against casual usage of a racial slur that fits all too comfortably in the same category as Kikes, Niggers, Spics, Micks, and scores of other slurs aimed at denigrating whole classes of human beings.

As the Kansas City Star’s public editor wrote recently in defense of his own paper’s longstanding editorial policy against using the Washington team’s nickname, “I find it inconceivable that the NFL still allows such a patently offensive name and mascot to represent the league in 2012….(and) I see no compelling reason for any publisher to reprint an egregiously offensive term as a casual matter of course.”

Crossposted at: http://masscommons.wordpress.com/

I call on Mitt Romney to demand the immediate resignation of Rep. Darrell Issa from his chairmanship of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. And I call on Rep. Darrell Issa to immediately resign from Congress in disgrace. To stand for reelection after endangering the lives of Libyans working in cooperation with the United States or seeking our assistance would be an insult to our country. If he doesn’t resign, he should be treated exactly as Julian Assange has been treated. Doing indiscriminate document dumps of sensitive government records is a crime, and when a chairman of a government committee does such a thing in a nakedly partisan attempt to influence an election, they should no longer serve in Congress.

http://www.slideshare.net/aquariusmoonduhart/early-voting-2012-revised-2

Just like to share this with everyone. Yes, a few dates have passed, but some are starting, and everyone needs this info.

I’ve been a fan of early voting since the 2008 Democratic primary. When I voted both in the primary and the General, I was able to enjoy shorter lines and to not sit around wondering if the votes would really be counted or not due to some last-minute snafu.

I voted in the 2008 General on Columbus Day. I went to the Board of Elections and had my choice of booth-no line, even though they had a steady stream of people all day. I then was able to go have a dinner out(it was my birthday) and feel relaxed because I didn’t have to obsess over results that night. I also was pretty certain about who I voted for because I had the time to actually read the ballot.

I worked the polls in 2004, and I saw the difference that early voting has made in organization and in getting votes counted. I spent 2004 Election Day knocking on the doors trying to get last minute voters. I remember working one inner city neighborhood trying to get people to vote at the last minute. We and ACT (Americans Coming Together) had nothing-no list of people, not even a list of existing addresses-or even a guide to what neighborhoods were more productive. Yet we had to try to get last minute voters that we had never contacted to actually vote. We didn’t even know if the people we contacted were Republican or Democrat or even registered to vote. And because it was all so rushed, we didn’t even have time to make sure they actually did vote.

Early voting has taken care of a lot of the disorganization and uncertainty. We know who we are contacting and if they are going to support Obama or not, and the only consideration is whether or not those people have already voted. Just get them to the polls on time.

Another fan of early voting is probably the Election Board people themselves. If a hefty number of people have already voted, then Election Day nights have to be shorter by far because of a shorter last-minute rush to the polls that create long lines and more hassles to verify registration. There are fewer aggravated voters finding out at the last minute they aren’t registered with no time to correct that. An early voter finds out in time to correct mistakes and cast a valid ballot, which makes for a happier voter.

Hello again painting fans.

This week I will be continuing with the painting of Bell Rock in Sedona, Arizona.  The photo that I’m using is seen directly below.

I’m using my usual acrylic paints on a 9×12 inch gallery-wrapped (frameless) canvas..

When last seen, the painting appeared as it does in the photo directly below.

Since that time I have continued to work on the painting.

I finally started the green area at the foot of Bell Rock and on the other side of the trail.  Yes, it looks a bit like the cemetery at Boot Hill right now.  I had some difficulty getting things to look right.  I had to reverse a bit and paint those blue areas.  These will provide a base upon which I will attempt, once again, to build the junipers seen in the photo.  There is much left to do and I’m not particularly happy with this piece right now.  I’ll hope (and try) for the best.

The current of the painting is seen in the photo directly below.

I’ll have more progress to show you next week.  See you then.

Earlier paintings in this series can be seen here.

The Mormon, Mitt Romney, held his convention in Tampa, Florida and supposedly saved his candidacy with a great debate performance in Denver, Colorado. Yet, Barack Obama just received endorsements from the editorial boards of The Salt Lake Tribune, the Tampa Bay Times, and the Denver Post.

Here’s how Utah’s paper explains their reasoning:

In considering which candidate to endorse, The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board had hoped that Romney would exhibit the same talents for organization, pragmatic problem solving and inspired leadership that he displayed here more than a decade ago [for the 2002 Winter Olympics]. Instead, we have watched him morph into a friend of the far right, then tack toward the center with breathtaking aplomb. Through a pair of presidential debates, Romney’s domestic agenda remains bereft of detail and worthy of mistrust.

Therefore, our endorsement must go to the incumbent, a competent leader who, against tough odds, has guided the country through catastrophe and set a course that, while rocky, is pointing toward a brighter day. The president has earned a second term. Romney, in whatever guise, does not deserve a first.

Those who know Romney best still don’t know him well enough or like him well enough to endorse him.

In a televised interview with CNN, Saad Hariri spoke from his hometown Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Specifically asked who had the capability in Lebanon to organize such a carbomb attack, Saad did not give an answer. Later in the program a Lebanese did answer the question and quickly named five political (militant) organizations.

Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan have provided safe havens for foreign militants crossing the border with arms, munition and anti-tank grenades. When there were many ugly and devastating car bomb attacks in Damascus and Aleppo, the US ambassador to the UN blocked an attempt to discuss a resolution condemning these acts. The region is on fire and the western powers including and especially the US have exacerbated the violence by advocating a violent overthrow of the Assad regime. Two permanent members of the Security Council have been clear a regime change by military action was not acceptable. Turkey, France, U.S. and GCC nations are responsible for this policy and led to the failure of the UN mission by Kofi Annan. There are 32,000 deaths (militants, civilians and Assad forces) and as I understand 28,000 persons have gone missing according to Syrian activists group Avaaz. The region is on fire. Turkey may be inclined to support a temporary cease-fire during the Eid al-Adha next week. Let’s hope wisdom and humanity prevails after 19 months of destruction.

• A revenge for the Assef Shawkat assassination?
• Lebanese cabinet in emergency talks after Beirut bomb

Hillary Clinton policy speech on Syria – August 2011

The Asad government has now been condemned by countries in all parts of the world and can look only to Iran for support for its brutal and unjust crackdown.

This morning, President Obama called on Asad to step aside and announced the strongest set of sanctions to date targeting the Syrian Government. These sanctions include the energy sector to increase pressure on the regime. The transition to democracy in Syria has begun, and it’s time for Asad to get out of the way.

As President Obama said this morning, no outside power can or should impose on this transition. It is up to the Syrian people to choose their own leaders in a democratic system based on the rule of law and dedicated to protecting the rights of all citizens, regardless of ethnicity, religion, sect, or gender.

We understand the strong desire of the Syrian people that no foreign country should intervene in their struggle, and we respect their wishes. At the same time, we will do our part to support their aspirations for a Syria that is democratic, just, and inclusive. And we will stand up for their universal rights and dignity by pressuring the regime and Asad personally to get out of the way of this transition.

Western policy to silence dissident voices in time of war by targeting correspondents in the field reporting their story. From Belgrade to Kabul to Baghdad to Iraq to Damascus. Silence through assassination. More below the fold …

Bush proposed U.S. bombing raid on Al Jazeera HQ in the Qatari capital Doha

The Al Jazeera bombing memo is an unpublished memorandum made within the British government which purports to be the minutes of a discussion between United States President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair. The Daily Mirror published a story on its front page on 22 November 2005 claiming that the memo quotes Bush speculating about a U.S. bombing raid on Al Jazeera world headquarters in the Qatari capital Doha and other locations. The story claims that Blair persuaded Bush to take no action.

Press TV correspondent Maya Naser killed by sniper in Damascus, Syria

(Huffington Post) Sept. 26, 2012 – Maya Naser, a correspondent for Iran’s Press TV network, was killed while reporting on-air in Syria, the network reported.

Al Jazeera reported that Naser was shot through the neck by snipers when he and Hossein Mortada, Press TV’s Damascus bureau chief, were covering recent explosions at the army’s headquarters in Umayyad Square. Mortada, who is wounded, was shot in the leg.

A statement from Press TV said that “armed terrorists” drove up in cars, while additional snipers shot at the square from the roofs of surrounding buildings. The network spoke out about the tragedy, promising action against Naser’s killers.

Speaking on-air, news director Hamid Reza Emadi said that Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar were “responsible for the killing of Maya” because they “provide militants weapons to kill civilians, military personnel and journalists.”

Reaction by Iran’s Press TV

• Russian journalists condemn assassination of Press TV correspondent

Well at least it wasn’t bullets this time, not that I would find a great deal of comfort in that if I worked or volunteered at the Conifer, Colorado Obama office.

Vandals struck an Obama campaign office in Conifer overnight, spray-painting swastikas onto the side of the building. […]

A photo on 9News’s website, which first reported the vandalism, shows at least one window with swastikas painted on it. […]

This is the second high-profile incident at an Obama campaign office in a week. Last Friday, police believe somebody fired a shot at an Obama campaign field office in Denver. Denver police spokesman John White said officers recovered a bullet from inside the campaign office, but he said he did not have any update on the investigation.

I suppose that conservatives will say this is just another harmless joke us dumb liberals just don’t get because we are all so snooty and elitist. Yeah, right, how hilarious. On a more serious note, maybe, Obama’s campaign should start investing in surveillance cameras or at least saying that they will do so. Before someone’s little prank goes too far and we end up with a dead or injured person whose only crime was their support for the President.

What are you doing this weekend? I want to see this new Ben Affleck film.

You need to know the symptoms so that you can avoid catching Romnesia:

“We’ve got to name this condition that he’s going through,” Obama said, referring to Mitt Romney’s attempt to undergo a last-minute transformation from a severe conservative to a severe moderate. “I think it’s called Romnesia. That’s what it’s called. I think that’s what he’s going through.”
“Now,” he continued, “I’m not a medical doctor, but i do want to go over the symptoms with you—because i want to make sure nobody else catches it.”

And what might those symptoms be? Here’s one example: “You know if you say if you’re for equal pay, but you can’t say if you’ll sign a bill for equal pay, you might have Romnesia.” And: “If you say you think women should have access to contraceptive care, but you support legislation that would let employers deny contraceptive care, you might have Romnesia.” And another: “If you say you you’ll protect a woman’s right to choose, but you stand up in a primary debate and say you’d be delighted to ban abortion in all cases, then you definitely have Romnesia.”

But you don’t need to worry, said the President. “If you have Romnesia, here’s the good news—Obamacare covers preexisting conditions. We can fix you! We can make you well.”

We probably can have some fun with this. I’m betting we could write a 500,000 word blog post using examples of Mitt Romney flip-flopping on the issues or simply contradicting himself. And it can all be set out in true Jeff Foxworthy style.

Kind of true:

“Trying to run a national campaign out of Boston if you’re not a Democrat is idiotic,” is how one GOP mandarin put it. “You’re surrounded by the enemy. It’s like going to Moscow to negotiate a peace treaty.”

What are you seeing as far a ground games in your neck of the woods?