Sunday, January 27, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Barack Obama's SC victory speech
Text as prepared for delivery...
Over two weeks ago, we saw the people of Iowa proclaim that our time for change has come. But there were those who doubted this country’s desire for something new – who said Iowa was a fluke not to be repeated again.
Well, tonight, the cynics who believed that what began in the snows of Iowa was just an illusion were told a different story by the good people of South Carolina.
After four great contests in every corner of this country, we have the most votes, the most delegates, and the most diverse coalition of Americans we’ve seen in a long, long time.
They are young and old; rich and poor. They are black and white; Latino and Asian. They are Democrats from Des Moines and Independents from Concord; Republicans from rural Nevada and young people across this country who’ve never had a reason to participate until now. And in nine days, nearly half the nation will have the chance to join us in saying that we are tired of business-as-usual in Washington, we are hungry for change, and we are ready to believe again
But if there’s anything we’ve been reminded of since Iowa, it’s that the kind of change we seek will not come easy. Partly because we have fine candidates in the field – fierce competitors, worthy of respect. And as contentious as this campaign may get, we have to remember that this is a contest for the Democratic nomination, and that all of us share an abiding desire to end the disastrous policies of the current administration.
But there are real differences between the candidates. We are looking for more than just a change of party in the White House. We’re looking to fundamentally change the status quo in Washington – a status quo that extends beyond any particular party. And right now, that status quo is fighting back with everything it’s got; with the same old tactics that divide and distract us from solving the problems people face, whether those problems are health care they can’t afford or a mortgage they cannot pay.
So this will not be easy. Make no mistake about what we’re up against.
We are up against the belief that it’s ok for lobbyists to dominate our government – that they are just part of the system in Washington. But we know that the undue influence of lobbyists is part of the problem, and this election is our chance to say that we’re not going to let them stand in our way anymore.
We are up against the conventional thinking that says your ability to lead as President comes from longevity in Washington or proximity to the White House. But we know that real leadership is about candor, and judgment, and the ability to rally Americans from all walks of life around a common purpose – a higher purpose.
We are up against decades of bitter partisanship that cause politicians to demonize their opponents instead of coming together to make college affordable or energy cleaner; it’s the kind of partisanship where you’re not even allowed to say that a Republican had an idea – even if it’s one you never agreed with. That kind of politics is bad for our party, it’s bad for our country, and this is our chance to end it once and for all.
We are up against the idea that it’s acceptable to say anything and do anything to win an election. We know that this is exactly what’s wrong with our politics; this is why people don’t believe what their leaders say anymore; this is why they tune out. And this election is our chance to give the American people a reason to believe again.
And what we’ve seen in these last weeks is that we’re also up against forces that are not the fault of any one campaign, but feed the habits that prevent us from being who we want to be as a nation. It’s the politics that uses religion as a wedge, and patriotism as a bludgeon. A politics that tells us that we have to think, act, and even vote within the confines of the categories that supposedly define us. The assumption that young people are apathetic. The assumption that Republicans won’t cross over. The assumption that the wealthy care nothing for the poor, and that the poor don’t vote. The assumption that African-Americans can’t support the white candidate; whites can’t support the African-American candidate; blacks and Latinos can’t come together.
But we are here tonight to say that this is not the America we believe in. I did not travel around this state over the last year and see a white South Carolina or a black South Carolina. I saw South Carolina. I saw crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children. I saw shuttered mills and homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from all walks of life, and men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag. I saw what America is, and I believe in what this country can be.
That is the country I see. That is the country you see. But now it is up to us to help the entire nation embrace this vision. Because in the end, we are not just up against the ingrained and destructive habits of Washington, we are also struggling against our own doubts, our own fears, and our own cynicism. The change we seek has always required great struggle and sacrifice. And so this is a battle in our own hearts and minds about what kind of country we want and how hard we’re willing to work for it.
So let me remind you tonight that change will not be easy. That change will take time. There will be setbacks, and false starts, and sometimes we will make mistakes. But as hard as it may seem, we cannot lose hope. Because there are people all across this country who are counting us; who can’t afford another four years without health care or good schools or decent wages because our leaders couldn’t come together and get it done.
Theirs are the stories and voices we carry on from South Carolina.
The mother who can’t get Medicaid to cover all the needs of her sick child – she needs us to pass a health care plan that cuts costs and makes health care available and affordable for every single American.
The teacher who works another shift at Dunkin Donuts after school just to make ends meet – she needs us to reform our education system so that she gets better pay, and more support, and her students get the resources they need to achieve their dreams.
The Maytag worker who is now competing with his own teenager for a $7-an-hour job at Wal-Mart because the factory he gave his life to shut its doors – he needs us to stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship our jobs overseas and start putting them in the pockets of working Americans who deserve it. And struggling homeowners. And seniors who should retire with dignity and respect.
The woman who told me that she hasn’t been able to breathe since the day her nephew left for Iraq, or the soldier who doesn’t know his child because he’s on his third or fourth tour of duty – they need us to come together and put an end to a war that should’ve never been authorized and never been waged.
The choice in this election is not between regions or religions or genders. It’s not about rich versus poor; young versus old; and it is not about black versus white.
It’s about the past versus the future.
It’s about whether we settle for the same divisions and distractions and drama that passes for politics today, or whether we reach for a politics of common sense, and innovation – a shared sacrifice and shared prosperity.
There are those who will continue to tell us we cannot do this. That we cannot have what we long for. That we are peddling false hopes.
But here’s what I know. I know that when people say we can’t overcome all the big money and influence in Washington, I think of the elderly woman who sent me a contribution the other day – an envelope that had a money order for $3.01 along with a verse of scripture tucked inside. So don’t tell us change isn’t possible.
When I hear the cynical talk that blacks and whites and Latinos can’t join together and work together, I’m reminded of the Latino brothers and sisters I organized with, and stood with, and fought with side by side for jobs and justice on the streets of Chicago. So don’t tell us change can’t happen.
When I hear that we’ll never overcome the racial divide in our politics, I think about that Republican woman who used to work for Strom Thurmond, who’s now devoted to educating inner-city children and who went out onto the streets of South Carolina and knocked on doors for this campaign. Don’t tell me we can’t change.
Yes we can change.
Yes we can heal this nation.
Yes we can seize our future.
And as we leave this state with a new wind at our backs, and take this journey across the country we love with the message we’ve carried from the plains of Iowa to the hills of New Hampshire; from the Nevada desert to the South Carolina coast; the same message we had when we were up and when we were down – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope; and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people in three simple words:
Yes. We. Can.
Over two weeks ago, we saw the people of Iowa proclaim that our time for change has come. But there were those who doubted this country’s desire for something new – who said Iowa was a fluke not to be repeated again.
Well, tonight, the cynics who believed that what began in the snows of Iowa was just an illusion were told a different story by the good people of South Carolina.
After four great contests in every corner of this country, we have the most votes, the most delegates, and the most diverse coalition of Americans we’ve seen in a long, long time.
They are young and old; rich and poor. They are black and white; Latino and Asian. They are Democrats from Des Moines and Independents from Concord; Republicans from rural Nevada and young people across this country who’ve never had a reason to participate until now. And in nine days, nearly half the nation will have the chance to join us in saying that we are tired of business-as-usual in Washington, we are hungry for change, and we are ready to believe again
But if there’s anything we’ve been reminded of since Iowa, it’s that the kind of change we seek will not come easy. Partly because we have fine candidates in the field – fierce competitors, worthy of respect. And as contentious as this campaign may get, we have to remember that this is a contest for the Democratic nomination, and that all of us share an abiding desire to end the disastrous policies of the current administration.
But there are real differences between the candidates. We are looking for more than just a change of party in the White House. We’re looking to fundamentally change the status quo in Washington – a status quo that extends beyond any particular party. And right now, that status quo is fighting back with everything it’s got; with the same old tactics that divide and distract us from solving the problems people face, whether those problems are health care they can’t afford or a mortgage they cannot pay.
So this will not be easy. Make no mistake about what we’re up against.
We are up against the belief that it’s ok for lobbyists to dominate our government – that they are just part of the system in Washington. But we know that the undue influence of lobbyists is part of the problem, and this election is our chance to say that we’re not going to let them stand in our way anymore.
We are up against the conventional thinking that says your ability to lead as President comes from longevity in Washington or proximity to the White House. But we know that real leadership is about candor, and judgment, and the ability to rally Americans from all walks of life around a common purpose – a higher purpose.
We are up against decades of bitter partisanship that cause politicians to demonize their opponents instead of coming together to make college affordable or energy cleaner; it’s the kind of partisanship where you’re not even allowed to say that a Republican had an idea – even if it’s one you never agreed with. That kind of politics is bad for our party, it’s bad for our country, and this is our chance to end it once and for all.
We are up against the idea that it’s acceptable to say anything and do anything to win an election. We know that this is exactly what’s wrong with our politics; this is why people don’t believe what their leaders say anymore; this is why they tune out. And this election is our chance to give the American people a reason to believe again.
And what we’ve seen in these last weeks is that we’re also up against forces that are not the fault of any one campaign, but feed the habits that prevent us from being who we want to be as a nation. It’s the politics that uses religion as a wedge, and patriotism as a bludgeon. A politics that tells us that we have to think, act, and even vote within the confines of the categories that supposedly define us. The assumption that young people are apathetic. The assumption that Republicans won’t cross over. The assumption that the wealthy care nothing for the poor, and that the poor don’t vote. The assumption that African-Americans can’t support the white candidate; whites can’t support the African-American candidate; blacks and Latinos can’t come together.
But we are here tonight to say that this is not the America we believe in. I did not travel around this state over the last year and see a white South Carolina or a black South Carolina. I saw South Carolina. I saw crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children. I saw shuttered mills and homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from all walks of life, and men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag. I saw what America is, and I believe in what this country can be.
That is the country I see. That is the country you see. But now it is up to us to help the entire nation embrace this vision. Because in the end, we are not just up against the ingrained and destructive habits of Washington, we are also struggling against our own doubts, our own fears, and our own cynicism. The change we seek has always required great struggle and sacrifice. And so this is a battle in our own hearts and minds about what kind of country we want and how hard we’re willing to work for it.
So let me remind you tonight that change will not be easy. That change will take time. There will be setbacks, and false starts, and sometimes we will make mistakes. But as hard as it may seem, we cannot lose hope. Because there are people all across this country who are counting us; who can’t afford another four years without health care or good schools or decent wages because our leaders couldn’t come together and get it done.
Theirs are the stories and voices we carry on from South Carolina.
The mother who can’t get Medicaid to cover all the needs of her sick child – she needs us to pass a health care plan that cuts costs and makes health care available and affordable for every single American.
The teacher who works another shift at Dunkin Donuts after school just to make ends meet – she needs us to reform our education system so that she gets better pay, and more support, and her students get the resources they need to achieve their dreams.
The Maytag worker who is now competing with his own teenager for a $7-an-hour job at Wal-Mart because the factory he gave his life to shut its doors – he needs us to stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship our jobs overseas and start putting them in the pockets of working Americans who deserve it. And struggling homeowners. And seniors who should retire with dignity and respect.
The woman who told me that she hasn’t been able to breathe since the day her nephew left for Iraq, or the soldier who doesn’t know his child because he’s on his third or fourth tour of duty – they need us to come together and put an end to a war that should’ve never been authorized and never been waged.
The choice in this election is not between regions or religions or genders. It’s not about rich versus poor; young versus old; and it is not about black versus white.
It’s about the past versus the future.
It’s about whether we settle for the same divisions and distractions and drama that passes for politics today, or whether we reach for a politics of common sense, and innovation – a shared sacrifice and shared prosperity.
There are those who will continue to tell us we cannot do this. That we cannot have what we long for. That we are peddling false hopes.
But here’s what I know. I know that when people say we can’t overcome all the big money and influence in Washington, I think of the elderly woman who sent me a contribution the other day – an envelope that had a money order for $3.01 along with a verse of scripture tucked inside. So don’t tell us change isn’t possible.
When I hear the cynical talk that blacks and whites and Latinos can’t join together and work together, I’m reminded of the Latino brothers and sisters I organized with, and stood with, and fought with side by side for jobs and justice on the streets of Chicago. So don’t tell us change can’t happen.
When I hear that we’ll never overcome the racial divide in our politics, I think about that Republican woman who used to work for Strom Thurmond, who’s now devoted to educating inner-city children and who went out onto the streets of South Carolina and knocked on doors for this campaign. Don’t tell me we can’t change.
Yes we can change.
Yes we can heal this nation.
Yes we can seize our future.
And as we leave this state with a new wind at our backs, and take this journey across the country we love with the message we’ve carried from the plains of Iowa to the hills of New Hampshire; from the Nevada desert to the South Carolina coast; the same message we had when we were up and when we were down – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope; and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people in three simple words:
Yes. We. Can.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
THB: The first loss.
The Tar Heels lost to Maryland last night. Except for which team had the most points at the end of the game, the Heels' performance in this game was actually largely indistinguishable from the wins against Clemson and Georgia Tech. All three games were close. In all three games the Heels did not dominate (except in brief runs). What does this say about the soon-to-be-former #1 team?
- Bobby Frasor (out with a season-ending ACL injury) was a much more important part of this team than we appreciated while he was playing. One of the weak points is perimeter defense, too much is being put on defending the boards, and defending the boards has a large element of luck in it. The bounces off the rim and glass are not always going to go our way. On the perimeter, good defense is much more a consistent presence in the game overall. We have holes there.
- It is clear that everyone realizes that they way to take Tyler Hansbrough out of the offense is to cut off his passing lanes. He goes to the same places for the ball consistently, defenses are learning to attend to those lanes. That forces the ball to someone else, or it forces a stupd pass to Hansbrough, a reliable number of which will inevitably become turn-overs.
- The ACC is a very, very strong conference. Being in the middle of the pack in the ACC is equivalent to being a top 25 team. There are no easy ACC games.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
pray onto the fire
So I'm reviewing this "Joint Commission Continuous Readiness Resource Guide" sent to me by my corporate overlords and this typo just really caught my eye:
"The code word for the procedure to use the fire extinguisher is PASS:
"Pull the pin,
Aim at the base of the fire,
Squeeze the handle,
pray onto the fire."
Hallelujah brother!
Joint Commission refers to JCAHO, the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, a sort of credentialing organization for hospitals, clinics, agencies, etc. They survey regularly and part of the process is interviewing random employees about things like evacuation procedures, emergency procedures, fire estinguisher locations, etc.
"The code word for the procedure to use the fire extinguisher is PASS:
"Pull the pin,
Aim at the base of the fire,
Squeeze the handle,
pray onto the fire."
Hallelujah brother!
Joint Commission refers to JCAHO, the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, a sort of credentialing organization for hospitals, clinics, agencies, etc. They survey regularly and part of the process is interviewing random employees about things like evacuation procedures, emergency procedures, fire estinguisher locations, etc.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Punditry: Hillary [hearts] LBJ
Unlike most of you, I was alive when they passed the Civil Rights Act in 1964. I was young, but I was not asleep. I mainly experienced all of that on the receiving end of the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite.
Let's get some things right. HIllary is correct. LBJ spent a great deal of the political capital he had amassed over his career as a Southern political leader getting the Civil RIghts bill passed. He strong-armed people, made threats, made promises, and gave concessions he did not want to make in order to get it passed. He did so in part because he believed it was the right thing to do. He also did it in part because the movement that MLK was leading was putting real pressure on him.
The news media has set this up as some sort of zero sum game. Don't believe it. What HIllary said is true. LBJ was a necessary part of that process in order to get The Civil RIghts Act of 1964 done the way it got done. So, was MLK. It wouldn't have happened if southerners weren't watching their police sadistically abusing people on TV. They were both necessary.
The reaction to her statement is what is racist here, not what she said.
I live in Harlem, it is the most viciously racist community in which I have ever lived. I have not personally witnessed the kind of outright hatred spewed at me because I am white ever visited on black people in other communities in which I have lived. I've seen credible documentary evidence of it--video, film, interviews, etc., but I have never seen white teenagers spit at black people as they walk by, for example.
That happened to me about 20 minutes ago on 116th street.
So, the media and the public discourse all have it wrong. Some black people are so angry that they cannot concede LBJ's good will even 44 years later. That's what this is about. They want to believe that LBJ was dragged kicking and screaming to the table over civil rights by these all powerful black revolutionaries.
LBJ was a kind man who was born to unspeakable poverty. He understood oppression, he understood what happens to a governed people when their government forsakes them. He was no visionary when it came to racial justice, but once he saw what was happening, once he saw dogs, fire-hoses and clubs being used on people peaceably demonstrating, he didn't need to be pushed to do the right thing. He was being pushed, and perhaps he would have followed a different schedule if he wasn't being pushed, but he was not dragged kicking and screaming by some mandate out of his control. He made it happen. He spent his most precious resource, his political capital, to do it.
One must also appreciate that in it's hey-day the Civil Rights movement was populated by a tiny minority of the black people in this country. It was not as it is portrayed today: a huge, pure, singular voice speaking black truth to white power. There were large numbers of black people who thought it was wrong, dangerous, mis-directed, weak and too conciliatory. MLK did not enjoy the position of sainthood he does today. He was roundly criticized by most of the black population at the time.
His message was basically this--we all have to learn to live together as brothers and sisters or we all are going to perish together as fools. He was not a black nationalist, he was an American, he deeply, profoundly, sincerely believed in the ideals of this country, he believed that racism against white people was just as deluded and evil as that against blacks. His hero was Gandhi, not Marcus Garvey.
So, those who don't heed that view of the world, those who believe in reparations and black nationalism, those who promote the notion that Obama is not "black enough," are going to come out of the woodwork as Obama exposes their excuse for being miserable failures, i.e.;, that the white man somehow keeps them down, as so much self-hatred, denial and self-delusion.
I've lived in places in Texas where black people endeavored not to remain after dark as recently as 20 years ago. I now live in a place that many of the white people reading these words might fear to remain after dark, particularly if you've never been here.
I've never had to put my hand in front of my face in either place to know my skin color.
That's what MLK was against, that's why he's a hero of mine, and you'll never find me apologizing to anyone, no matter what their skin color, for claiming him as my people.
If MLK were alive today he would reminding everyone that the people who deserve credit for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 were the ones who marched over the bridge, who boycotted the buses, and went out and accepted violence in the name of ending it. Everyone else was no more than an obedient clerk, filing papers on their behalf.
Clerks deserve credit, too.
Let's get some things right. HIllary is correct. LBJ spent a great deal of the political capital he had amassed over his career as a Southern political leader getting the Civil RIghts bill passed. He strong-armed people, made threats, made promises, and gave concessions he did not want to make in order to get it passed. He did so in part because he believed it was the right thing to do. He also did it in part because the movement that MLK was leading was putting real pressure on him.
The news media has set this up as some sort of zero sum game. Don't believe it. What HIllary said is true. LBJ was a necessary part of that process in order to get The Civil RIghts Act of 1964 done the way it got done. So, was MLK. It wouldn't have happened if southerners weren't watching their police sadistically abusing people on TV. They were both necessary.
The reaction to her statement is what is racist here, not what she said.
I live in Harlem, it is the most viciously racist community in which I have ever lived. I have not personally witnessed the kind of outright hatred spewed at me because I am white ever visited on black people in other communities in which I have lived. I've seen credible documentary evidence of it--video, film, interviews, etc., but I have never seen white teenagers spit at black people as they walk by, for example.
That happened to me about 20 minutes ago on 116th street.
So, the media and the public discourse all have it wrong. Some black people are so angry that they cannot concede LBJ's good will even 44 years later. That's what this is about. They want to believe that LBJ was dragged kicking and screaming to the table over civil rights by these all powerful black revolutionaries.
LBJ was a kind man who was born to unspeakable poverty. He understood oppression, he understood what happens to a governed people when their government forsakes them. He was no visionary when it came to racial justice, but once he saw what was happening, once he saw dogs, fire-hoses and clubs being used on people peaceably demonstrating, he didn't need to be pushed to do the right thing. He was being pushed, and perhaps he would have followed a different schedule if he wasn't being pushed, but he was not dragged kicking and screaming by some mandate out of his control. He made it happen. He spent his most precious resource, his political capital, to do it.
One must also appreciate that in it's hey-day the Civil Rights movement was populated by a tiny minority of the black people in this country. It was not as it is portrayed today: a huge, pure, singular voice speaking black truth to white power. There were large numbers of black people who thought it was wrong, dangerous, mis-directed, weak and too conciliatory. MLK did not enjoy the position of sainthood he does today. He was roundly criticized by most of the black population at the time.
His message was basically this--we all have to learn to live together as brothers and sisters or we all are going to perish together as fools. He was not a black nationalist, he was an American, he deeply, profoundly, sincerely believed in the ideals of this country, he believed that racism against white people was just as deluded and evil as that against blacks. His hero was Gandhi, not Marcus Garvey.
So, those who don't heed that view of the world, those who believe in reparations and black nationalism, those who promote the notion that Obama is not "black enough," are going to come out of the woodwork as Obama exposes their excuse for being miserable failures, i.e.;, that the white man somehow keeps them down, as so much self-hatred, denial and self-delusion.
I've lived in places in Texas where black people endeavored not to remain after dark as recently as 20 years ago. I now live in a place that many of the white people reading these words might fear to remain after dark, particularly if you've never been here.
I've never had to put my hand in front of my face in either place to know my skin color.
That's what MLK was against, that's why he's a hero of mine, and you'll never find me apologizing to anyone, no matter what their skin color, for claiming him as my people.
If MLK were alive today he would reminding everyone that the people who deserve credit for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 were the ones who marched over the bridge, who boycotted the buses, and went out and accepted violence in the name of ending it. Everyone else was no more than an obedient clerk, filing papers on their behalf.
Clerks deserve credit, too.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Punditry: The Audacity of Genuine Communication
This was a powerful episode for Hillary. She had a huge turnout in NH of Democratic women of a certain age right after she masterfully managed a moment of genuine emotion in public. She did this while certainly physically exhausted and emotionally demoralized. Her campaign thought they were 10 points down.
What's been missed in this deplorable freak show of criticism around this moment of hers is that she is a human being. A regular person. The now famous photographer (in so many words) asked her how she was doing. It seemed to me that it may have been a long time since someone genuinely asked her that question--someone who was really interested in the answer.
She met that genuineness with her own genuineness. Weak people suppress tears. People who are so unfamiliar with their own emotional territory that they don't trust themselves to have the strength to maintain their composure while traversing it are the weak ones.
What Hillary did was manage a bit of genuine communication about her frustration and fatigue. Her eyes teared up. She did not cry. She did not deflect the pain with humor or stoic denial, she lived it, and she lived it with dignity and grace.
That is strength. That is what you want in a leader. They need 100% of themselves to be available for making judgments. They can't afford to corner off their sadness or doubt, they need the information it contains. Why? Because people are counting on them.
This is not an endorsement of Hillary Clinton, but it is a defense of her. Cut her, she bleeds.
To those for whom *seeing video* of someone they don't like who is genuinely communicating human frustration is so unnerving that it sends them into fits of sadistic ridicule and/or compels solemn declarations of disbelief, may you be well, may you be free from suffering, may you at peace.
To Hillary, I am proud to have voted for you to be my Senator.
What's been missed in this deplorable freak show of criticism around this moment of hers is that she is a human being. A regular person. The now famous photographer (in so many words) asked her how she was doing. It seemed to me that it may have been a long time since someone genuinely asked her that question--someone who was really interested in the answer.
She met that genuineness with her own genuineness. Weak people suppress tears. People who are so unfamiliar with their own emotional territory that they don't trust themselves to have the strength to maintain their composure while traversing it are the weak ones.
What Hillary did was manage a bit of genuine communication about her frustration and fatigue. Her eyes teared up. She did not cry. She did not deflect the pain with humor or stoic denial, she lived it, and she lived it with dignity and grace.
That is strength. That is what you want in a leader. They need 100% of themselves to be available for making judgments. They can't afford to corner off their sadness or doubt, they need the information it contains. Why? Because people are counting on them.
This is not an endorsement of Hillary Clinton, but it is a defense of her. Cut her, she bleeds.
To those for whom *seeing video* of someone they don't like who is genuinely communicating human frustration is so unnerving that it sends them into fits of sadistic ridicule and/or compels solemn declarations of disbelief, may you be well, may you be free from suffering, may you at peace.
To Hillary, I am proud to have voted for you to be my Senator.
Meet Rev. Jeremiah Wright
This will likely be Obama's swift-boating.
The political noise-machine of hatred will soon be descending upon Barak Obama. They've been laying off him because of "the enemies of our enemies are our friends" notion of solidarity as Obama has been "hurting" HIllary Clinton, one of their long-standing favorite targets. Now they may decide it is in their interests to divide the Democratic majority by applying the pressure of lies, smears, and character assassination to both candidates
They've already started with his Muslim connections via his father. There's no actual facts there, Obama is Presbyterian, so that's going to dry up pretty soon. I predict they will soon take aim at Obama's pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, a very prominent head of a megachurch in Chicago called Trinity United Church of Christ.
The church's website is already slashdotted (though I doubt it is slashdot that is the cause), even the google cache is slow to load.
Rev. Wright's motto is "Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian." He is known for strongly africa-centric rhetoric and writings, the kind of stuff that scares white people. The title of Obama's book, The Audacity of Hope, is taken from Rev. Wright's teachings.
The Wikipedia entry is still relatively okay as of this writing (here's the cache,) but I expect it to be hacked soon.
Oh boy, here we go again. Obama will have this opportunity to demonstrate whether or not he has the character to serve in a country where a large portion of what passes for the news media is actually an organ of polemic delusion and xenophobic ill-will much of the time.
The political noise-machine of hatred will soon be descending upon Barak Obama. They've been laying off him because of "the enemies of our enemies are our friends" notion of solidarity as Obama has been "hurting" HIllary Clinton, one of their long-standing favorite targets. Now they may decide it is in their interests to divide the Democratic majority by applying the pressure of lies, smears, and character assassination to both candidates
They've already started with his Muslim connections via his father. There's no actual facts there, Obama is Presbyterian, so that's going to dry up pretty soon. I predict they will soon take aim at Obama's pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, a very prominent head of a megachurch in Chicago called Trinity United Church of Christ.
The church's website is already slashdotted (though I doubt it is slashdot that is the cause), even the google cache is slow to load.
Rev. Wright's motto is "Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian." He is known for strongly africa-centric rhetoric and writings, the kind of stuff that scares white people. The title of Obama's book, The Audacity of Hope, is taken from Rev. Wright's teachings.
The Wikipedia entry is still relatively okay as of this writing (here's the cache,) but I expect it to be hacked soon.
Oh boy, here we go again. Obama will have this opportunity to demonstrate whether or not he has the character to serve in a country where a large portion of what passes for the news media is actually an organ of polemic delusion and xenophobic ill-will much of the time.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Note to Hillary: Get a grip.
"At some point the free ride ends." This is Hillary Clinton's recent sound-bite pointed at Obama and Edwards.
Hillary, you're counting 8 years as First Lady as experience in government. If you push this line of argument it will not turn out well for you. Go back to your strength, which is specific strategic policy plans. Chill. You can still do well on Feb 5 even if you don't win anyting until then if you just stay on this message--you have plans, you're ready.
Hillary, you're counting 8 years as First Lady as experience in government. If you push this line of argument it will not turn out well for you. Go back to your strength, which is specific strategic policy plans. Chill. You can still do well on Feb 5 even if you don't win anyting until then if you just stay on this message--you have plans, you're ready.
Monday, January 7, 2008
THB: Ok, it's on.
This post will start a new category, "THB," which stands for Tar Heel Basketball (to clarfiy, it is Men's Basketball to which I refer). These will not be posts about NCAA Basketball in general. These will not be objective, I am a fan.Last night the Heels played Clemson, at Clemson. One must appreciate that the Heels have so far cruised through a pretty cupcake schedule. On one hand, all the big programs have, but the Heels have been particularly lucky because the programs on their early schedule which should have challenging, i.e., Kentucky and Ohio State, are both sputtering, or they were when they played the Heels. Until last night, the Heels' most challenging contest thus far was it's first, against Davidson, a small school with a comparatively big basketball program.
Last night, ACC play commenced like an ice-cold shower. Clemson is under-rated at #19. The Heels beat them in overtime largely because of the fabulous clutch performance of 6-4 sophomore shooting guard Wayne Ellington, who not only had 36 points, but who also sank the put-away 3, taking the Heels from a one-point deficit to a two-point lead, with 0.4 seconds on the clock in over-time. It was one of those games that makes watching all the yawners worth the trouble.
What does this say about the team? Why does the number 1 team have so much trouble with number 19?
- We are really starting to see what losing Bobby Frasor, the 6-3 junior guard who blew out an ACL recently, is going to cost. Bobby was not a big scorer, he was a streaky outside threat, but he was a defensive presence. There's no one on the bench with his defensive skills, we're just going to have to make it up by taking a step up in other places.
- Our opponents have figured out that taking Tyler Hansbrough out of the game is a matter of cutting off the passing lanes. If Tyler can't get the ball, he can't hurt you. Both Valpo and Clemson did this well, largely neutralizing his offensive threat (except from the line), and while he still pulled a double-double last night, it was an uncharacteristic 12 & 14.
- Danny Green, the 6-4 Junior who comes off the bench to play both guard and forward, who is one candidate to fill-in for Frasor, is still streaky, he's just been on a long streak of having a hot hand, which ended last night.
- The lid just sometimes goes on the basket for the Heels. They do have periods where no one can get anything to drop.
- The Clemson Tigers are a lot better than #19. Oliver Purnell is a first-rate ACC coach.
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Sunday, January 6, 2008
Out the window
Sad, filthy, lumber stacked against a fence
Grieiving a project conceived but not nurtured.
Dead weeds stand defiantly against leafy dirt
As flags proclaim captured and conquered territory.
Dormant vines hover over the fence
Like bed-hair after a restless, sleepless night.
Winter waiting, waiting winter.
I notice the pause between breaths.
Grieiving a project conceived but not nurtured.
Dead weeds stand defiantly against leafy dirt
As flags proclaim captured and conquered territory.
Dormant vines hover over the fence
Like bed-hair after a restless, sleepless night.
Winter waiting, waiting winter.
I notice the pause between breaths.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Punditry: The 01/05/08 NH Debates.
I was with Obama, I watched football during the Republican half. You tell me how it turned out.
For the Republicans, that is. I know how the Redskins did.
HIll got shrill, but she also got piled on. Obama didn't do well, but he didn't stumble. Edwards make a nice showing but his combat and fight metaphors are tiresome. Richardson got to make his case, but he seemed to protest too much, and he really bordered on condescencion with the pedantic peacemaking.
The next impact will be after the Sunday morning news shows and the AM Op-eds.
For the Republicans, that is. I know how the Redskins did.
HIll got shrill, but she also got piled on. Obama didn't do well, but he didn't stumble. Edwards make a nice showing but his combat and fight metaphors are tiresome. Richardson got to make his case, but he seemed to protest too much, and he really bordered on condescencion with the pedantic peacemaking.
The next impact will be after the Sunday morning news shows and the AM Op-eds.
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