Happy Halloween!! Squirrel Nut Zippers..Hell..in the afterlife music video..

Let's BOOGIE!!



love the rhytm and the windinstruments..let's boogie ya'll!!

"The Front Fell Of"..australian senator interview

John Clarke and Brian Dore performing a political spoof pretending to be Senator Collins (Australia) and an interviewer..it's hilarious. (I figured it was a spoof some people seem to think it's 'real') 'drole' if you ask me!

I need comedy to keep things light. I know the torchbearers out there are remaining vigilant and political..I just have other things going on. I just found out one of the kids has a sinus infection (at least he's getting treated and no more worries and sleepless nights for me) and the 'other one' keeps crawling into our bed, disturbing the peace.. sigh.. family!

Republicans for Obama and "Wisdom of the Ages"

"Wisdom of the Ages" by Barbara Gordon is featured on the website 'Republicans for Obama'. As usual, it's always interesting to hear opinions coming from 'opposing counsel', especially when they have not necessarily changed, but have been tempered with the ability to be flexible in making important political choices. That is why I am and always will be, an Independent. I do not fit any particular party ideal and as a typical European, am too beholden to nuances that I cannot possibly just tow any party line for the sake of 'unity'. My opinions are my own and as your (stereo)typical Dutch person, I want to be able to "agree to disagree". It's not defection, or being a traitor or being (pffff) 'anti-American' (dimwits)..it's just having another opinion.

So here is an excerpt from Barbara's "Wisdom of the Ages"'

"I was thinking about leaders today, and about how we decide which guys would make good elected officials. When you set aside platform, I think we all pretty much agree on what kinds of characteristics make for ideal leaders. In fact, it seems like the characters we value in our leaders today are probably the same ones that have been highly regarded throughout the ages. So, to test my theory I decided to go back. Way back. I pulled up the quotes of ancient sages King Solomon (tenth century, BCE) and Confucius (fifth century, BCE) to see if either one had any wisdom on the virtues required of leaders. This is what I found:
"For a lack of guidance a nation fails, but victory is won through many advisers." -- Solomon

One of the complaints many have had about the Bush administration is that he and Cheney have been sort of Lone Ranger executives. Sure they have advisers, and sometimes they even let the advisers advise, but rumor has it that the two of them listen politely before going ahead with whatever their plan was to begin with, regardless of any concerns raised. Colin Powell says he cautioned President Bush about the long-term implications and complications involved in invading Iraq. He says he did everything in his power to dissuade Bush from invading, but Bush insisted. Now, six years later, I think most of us wish Bush had heeded wise counsel. And indeed many of us now value a leader's willingness to accept counsel so much that we've watched both McCain and Obama closely to try to get a sense of how they interact with their campaign advisers.
"A ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order." -- Solomon
Clearly we still value both discernment and knowledge. A majority of voters polled now say that Palin makes them less likely to trust McCain with the presidency. Why? Because they say that Palin lacks the requisite knowledge for the vice presidency, and the fact that she does makes them question McCain's discernment."

Check out the site Republicans for Obama and if possible, leave a comment to say thanks for putting country first and let's work towards a bipartisan next four years!

Plus..check out the long list of republicans and conservatives who've endorsed Obama and their reasons as to why; Republicans and conservatives endorsing Obama

Babies 'know' Obama ("This message was approved by "Babies for America")

Part 2




When I showed my husband the pictures of yesterday's post, it dawned on my why Obama is appealing to so many people; he's a modern man. A guy who most likely (cannot say for sure of course unless I get it from the 'campaigns' mouth)changed his little girls' diapers, stayed up when they cried as babies, had sleepless nights like other tag teaming dads out there. And it shows. He knows how to hold a baby. His feelings show as he's been there done that. That is why these pics are so appealing, to me anyway. It's not just an awkward photo op, it's a comfortable, familiar pose.







technically not a baby but this is like 'little dude' embracing 'big dude'

Babies 'know' Obama (this message was approved by "Babies for America")

(Part 1)


So who do you want to answer that 'call' at 3am in the morning when you say, help! I'm manning the fort alone, husband is out of town and one of my kids need to go to the ER, can you come over and babysit? Ok..weird analogy I guess but the core notion of this '3am ad' is "who do you trust"?













10 out of 10 babies trust Obama..man those Obama girls are lucky to have him as a dad. Pictures speak a 1000 words and Obama is as genuine as it gets, inspite of babies always being 'photo-ops'.. enjoy and see the difference between Bush and McCain.. (ok, wee cheap shots but still, I cannot see them as being warm but just as men who want to be in charge and feeling 'powerful'!)

Some Comic Relief..The Best of Craigslist tag..

Ok..I need to do something other than 'politics'. Once and while, even for this poli sci major, politics gets on my nerve big time. So I need to do/read/write something completely different. This morning, inspiration struck and I thought, what the hey, I can start my own 'tagging'..

I know some intense political bloggers who are veritable citizen journalists/activists and who keep theirs' and our flames of political passion glowing. In the light of the last tense weeks of our neverending election (so it seems).. I think they and I need a 'wee' break.

So darlings..this is the deal. Post at least one of your favourite 'best of craigslist'. There are some great ones out there and we're all in need of a good laugh. Seriously, WE are! I'll post one of my favourites, then tag a few people (what the hey, make up your own number just don't go past the 8 or 10 mark) who you think need a little 'time off'..a little belly laugh, a little health boost as it were. And as the tagging goes, tag back to whom tagged whom. You know the drill.

Here is one of my faves and after that, check to see if I am trying to give you a 'day off'..

Simon Ellinas: Caricaturist and cartoonist blog

Nemesis required. 6-month project with possibilty to extend

I've been trying to think of ways to spice up my life. I'm 35 years old, happily married with two kids and I have a good job in insurance. But somethings missing. I feel like I'm old before my time. I need to inject some excitement into my daily routine through my arm before its too late. I need a challenge, something to get the adrenaline pumping again. An addiction would be nice, but, in short, I need a nemesis. I'm willing to pay $350 up front for you services as an arch enemy over the next six months. Nothing crazy. Steal my parking space, knock my coffee over, trip me when Im running to catch the BART and occasionaly whisper in my ear, "Ahha, we meet again". That kind of thing. Just keep me on my toes. Complacency will be the death of me. You need to have an evil streak and be blessed with innate guile and cunning. You should also be adept at inconsicuous pursuit. Evil laugh preferred. Send me a photo and a brief explanation why you would be a good nemesis.

British accent preferred.

OK lovelies (imagine the British accent, whichever one at that), your turn;

Christopher. Talk about intense! Does he ever get a foot rub or neck massage?? Those neck muscles are intense dude..your turn to POST!!

Robster. Robbie or RJ to some but hey, we go back a few years and in blogosphere time, that counts at least multiplied by... Robster has his latino passion for all things politics and sports. One hell of a combination, I can only imagine what the tv has to endure when he watches a game..ehem (blink blink)..Robbie...darlin' muchacho..por favor..gimme somethin' good. I know you can appreciate some good humour when you read it and of course, no censorship allowed!!

Jim! The intensity seems to be all with the men I think. No worries, some women to follow. Jim Jim Jim.. the end is nigh and still he exorts us by telling us to all schtick together and hope for the best. Sigh, seeing the end of times is heavy duty stuff and nothing alleviates the burden of Jim the Atlas by getting him to post a little comedy so Jim...take a load of your feet, unburden your heart and your mind.. give us something good! (the best of craigslist to me is for the most part pre-tty funny).. POST!

Utah Savage. Her name says it all...yikes. But with a bipolar disorder that most of us are not burdened with, her fortunate outlet, among other things, is her blog. She's an amazing writer but still, her latest post being 'Poo Pie'...hmmm, me thinks she's in dire need for some 'best of craigslist'! Com'on Utah S...I'm expecting something hilarious and raunchy out of that stack! You're IT!

Enigma..she's my personal red phone nurse on call but really, everyone's caretaker with sage advice of all kinds, personal, emotional, health wise and all around, probably the female arch type of the first true Atlas. I mean really, did the first man really carry the weight of the world on his shoulders? That, my friends, was probably a woman and a mother to boot because those mommy genes realize that there's nothing to be gotten with war and everything to be gained by sharing what the world has and keeping the peace between us all. (Palinotologists excepted). So dear Enigma mine..stop the countdown for just a minute and post something that makes you laugh. No holds barred and as I said before, NO (SELF)CENSORSHIP!!

Helenwheels..this LA self-described hippie chick must be channeling MAD TV "Bullshit" and even though she's got plenty of reasons like the rest of us to be appalled, dismayed, pissed off etc at the mainstream media..who's going to keep you sane through all of this?? Yes, THANK YOU.. ME! Time for a little 'pottymouth' break missy of the craigslist variety. Come on. I know you can do it. (the pottier the better, go wild)

That's it! Kindly link back to me and do let me know if you participated. It's all in good fun and hell, after 8yrs plus being condensed in these last months..man alive..we need it. All! Have fun.

It bears repeating; this is for all American Muslims

Mash and I visiting at his place.


My friend Mash, whom I met in July with my family, is a very, very smart and articulate man. He's also the son of Bangladeshi diplomats, educated and oh yeah, Muslim. Further on in this post I will show you his reaction, so well articulated, to Colin Powell's endorsment of Obama. Colin Powell did not jus endorse Obama, he denounced the GOP's bigotry of going after Obama as if he's Muslim, AS IF that is a crime. As if by virtue of being Muslim one must be associated with 'terrorists'. Colin Powell, stood up for American Muslims like my friend Mash by saying this; (took this from Mash's post..he won't mind)

"I’m also troubled by, not what Sen. McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he’s a Christian. He’s always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer’s no, that’s not America. Is there something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, "He’s a Muslim,and he might be associated with terrorists." This is not the way we should be doing it in America."






Elsheba Khan at the grave of her son, Specialist Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan

"I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington cemetery, and she had her head on the headstone of her son’s grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards — Purple Heart, Bronze Star — showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death. He was 20 years old. And then, at the very top of the headstone, it didn’t have a Christian cross, it didn’t have the Star of David, it had crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, and he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he can go serve his country, and he gave his life. Now, we have got to stop polarizing ourself in this way. And John McCain is as nondiscriminatory as anyone I know. But I’m troubled about the fact that, within the party, we have these kinds of expressions."

Thank you Colin Powell. This is what should be focussed on. There is an idiot woman in Congress who wants to "investigate" members for being anti-American (does she get paid to say this I mean really), there is a hatred towards Muslims and clearly anyone not 'white' that the McCain campaign has stoked and not doused by any measure. Well, this is how Mash felt about Colin Powell's endorsement, and I have no doubt, other Muslims echo his sentiment;

"I - a Muslim American - have been a rhetorical punching bag for the McCain campaign. Too cowardly to openly declare the racism that is the underpinning of his campaign, the McCain campaign has instead been using the "Obama is a Muslim" smear as a proxy for "Obama is Black". Obama has been forced to defend against the false charge. No one has been able to defend my faith. It is just not done in American politics - post 9/11.

Until now.

General Powell was perhaps the only American leader with the stature necessary to effectively push back on the anti-Muslim hatred coming from the McCain campaign. He did it by invoking the sacrifice of a brave young American - a Muslim American - who rests in Arlington National Cemetery under a headstone adorned with a crescent. It was an important moment in American politics and for American society."

Read the rest (although I admittedly copied a lot but hey, we're friends and what can I say "he's my brother, he ain't heavy".. are we one nation or what??

The Austin-American Statesman endorses Obama

Darron Cummings, photo
Sen. Barack Obama represents what we all profess to love about our country: an intelligent youngster who grew beyond his family's modest circumstances to earn an Ivy League education and eventually win a seat in the U.S. Senate and from there launch a bid for the presidency.

Wow..anything coming from Texas is great! I don't know the current tally of newspapers who have endorsed Obama and which one have endorsed McCain, see Editor and Publisher, a journal that covers the newspaper industry (hat tip Enigma);

And apparently anything coming from Texas is considered a 'shocker';

Shocker from Texas: Houston and Austin Papers--Former Bush Backers--Endorse Obama

"NEW YORK As chronicled by E&P in recent days, a, overwhelming trend from big city newspapers in editorial endorsements has favored Barack Obama with several papers that backed George W. Bush in 2004 switching over to the Democrat this year. But few expected that would happen deep in the heart of Texas.

Now it has, with the Houston Chronicle and Austin American Statesman coming out for Obama today.

Obama in Austin, veeery early on in the campaign


That brings to at least 17 the number of papers that have made the switch. The Dallas Morning News and San Antonio Express-News did stick with the GOP candidate John McCain but he has lost papers all over the country, from the Chicago Tribune to the San Bernardino Sun to the New York Daily News."

This is from my local newspaper, the Austin American Statesman;

"Each of the two major presidential candidates fill the air with different words that all say "change," but only Sen. Barack Obama defines change clearly and positively.

It is a time of peril, both at home and abroad, and the nation needs the focused, energetic leadership Obama has projected and delivered since he announced his presidential candidacy in early 2007." [snip] "
In the third and final debate last week, John McCain, the Republican senator from Arizona, tried to bait him into the gutter, but Obama refused to get down there. Political wisdom dictates that candidates who are attacked return double the fire directed at them. Obama responded calmly, defending himself but declining to respond in kind.

Now that's change."

This is what the Houston Chronicle had to say;

"After carefully observing the Democratic and Republican nominees in drawn-out primary struggles as well as in the general campaign, including three debates, the Chronicle strongly believes that the ticket of Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden offers the best choice to lead the United States on a new course into the second decade of the 21st century.

Obama appears to possess the tools to confront our myriad and daunting problems. He's thoughtful and analytical. He has met his opponents' attacks with calm and reasoned responses. Viewers of the debates saw a poised, well-prepared plausible president with well-articulated positions on the bread-and-butter issues that poll after poll indicate are the true concerns of voters. While Arizona Sen. John McCain and his running mate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin have struck an increasingly personal and negative tone in their speeches, Obama has continued to talk about issues of substance."

Here is OFF THE GRID witht their tally; Texas’ Seven Largest Newspapers Endorse Obama, check 'm out.

What can I say..YEEEHAWW!!

Saturday Hodgepodge of Songs

I'm in funky restless mood so here is a hodgepodge of songs..anthems to rock to mellow stuff..take your pick at whatever's your pleasure..

The Dutch National Anthem - Het Wilhelmus(read the history). It's very 'anthem-y' but the song has english subtitles AND some great Dutch images..



And sorry..but this has GOT to be my favourite anthem of all time (ok, it's not the official one)..I like this version and dedicate this to our venerable aussie blogger buddy and blogosphere resident poet Lindsay Lobe;
Waltzing Matilda , this version by Rod Stewart;



Van Halen from Balance, the Seventh Seal. Boy, in '95 I drove a red taurus with this song blasting like mad. ahem..live it never sounds as good but hey, it's still VAN HALEN.. note the intro by a much younger Jon Stewart! Here's Van Halen with the 'other blond woman' hehe..



The Rolling Stones - Undercover of the Night , I always liked this song 'though I'm not a big RS fan. Like it happens so often,the songs I do like do not become the big hits.. anyhoo..here it is, very 80s (as in, story but no 'movement'to the beat in the vid);



And speaking of '80s style music videos..here are the Stray Cats with 'Strut'..love that gitarrr..reow!



Earth Wind and Fire's Fantasy.. I really cannot palate the live versions out there so here's nothin much to look at but just listen..it's awesome..I love the windinstruments in this one




Joe Dessin - L'ete Indien ( Indian Summer ) Poor guy died of a heart attack at the age of 41. This probably was filmed in the 70s (looks like it) but his voice was great. Too bad he died so young. To think I'm 44..I better remember to be good and take my lipitor!!

My good friend Mash hates plumbers. Know why?

I'd call it "plumber-envy"..

This is why.

LA Times Endorses Obama for President

It's starting to come (hattipHelenwheels); the LA Times is following suit (or whomever started first, I really don't know);

"...We need a leader who demonstrates thoughtful calm and grace under pressure, one not prone to volatile gesture or capricious pronouncement. We need a leader well-grounded in the intellectual and legal foundations of American freedom. Yet we ask that the same person also possess the spark and passion to inspire the best within us: creativity, generosity and a fierce defense of justice and liberty.

The Times without hesitation endorses Barack Obama for president."

Read the Rest.

Hanky time...this is why I'd want a dog...An Airforce Man returns from Iraq after 14 months

Coming to you via Respectful Insolence and then via Gruntdoc ...sniff...

Watergate Summer: Obama Roasting McCain& Palin at the Alfred E. Smith Dinner Last Night....

Major Top of the Hat to ya Enigma lass!!
As the brits would call this; bloody brilliant..go see.


Watergate Summer: Obama Roasting McCain& Palin at the Alfred E. Smith Dinner Last Night....

Washington Post endorses Barack Obama as President

Let them come and follow suit. This is what the 'Washington Post' reasons for their endorsement;

(Yet)it is without ambivalence that we endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president.

The choice is made easy in part by Mr. McCain's disappointing campaign, above all his irresponsible selection of a running mate who is not ready to be president. It is made easy in larger part, though, because of our admiration for Mr. Obama and the impressive qualities he has shown during this long race. Yes, we have reservations and concerns, almost inevitably, given Mr. Obama's relatively brief experience in national politics. But we also have enormous hopes.

Mr. Obama is a man of supple intelligence, with a nuanced grasp of complex issues and evident skill at conciliation and consensus-building. At home, we believe, he would respond to the economic crisis with a healthy respect for markets tempered by justified dismay over rising inequality and an understanding of the need for focused regulation. Abroad, the best evidence suggests that he would seek to maintain U.S. leadership and engagement, continue the fight against terrorists, and wage vigorous diplomacy on behalf of U.S. values and interests. Mr. Obama has the potential to become a great president. Given the enormous problems he would confront from his first day in office, and the damage wrought over the past eight years, we would settle for very good.

Yes..imagine the concept; consensus building. Not setting one group of the population up against another. No 'divide and conquer' or 'zero-sum' bullshit politics. As my mother in the Netherlands calls it; "finally an American politician who's actually civilized"! (in Holland they frown on all that mudslinging advertising, as they consider it not only a sign of weakness, but big time immaturity and it does not belong in politics but on the playground)

McCain's Republican attack strategy works no more..

Jonathan Freedland puts it so well in his The end of attack politics

"John McCain went into this third debate needing a "game changer". The trouble for him is that the game has changed.

In the lead-up to the 2008 campaign, Democratic sages were lining up to warn whoever won the party's nomination that there was one lesson of past defeats they had to learn: if attacked, they had to hit back hard.

Political consultants such as Drew Westen, author of The Political Brain, warned that John Kerry, Al Gore and Michael Dukakis had all gone down because they had let their Republican opponents punch them and punch them again. Kerry had been "Swift-boated", refusing to dignify vicious attacks against him by responding to them - and had lost an election in the process.

Yet in this debate, Barack Obama plainly ignored that advice. McCain kept coming at him - attacking him for his relationship with an "old washed-up terrorist", accusing him of "class warfare", branding him an "extremist" on abortion - but Obama did not do what the conventional wisdom of campaigns past said he should. Sure, he politely tried to set the record straight, but only gently. And not once did he throw a punch back. When asked whether Sarah Palin was qualified to be president, he said it was up to the American people – and then praised her energy as a campaigner.

In the past, that would have had Republicans licking their chops, predicting that their muscular method of warfare would put away yet another meek Democrat. But not this time.

David Fitzimmons


True, McCain succeeded in putting Obama on the defensive from beginning to end, forcing him constantly to deal with criticism from the Republican first and setting out his own agenda second. True, too, that McCain had his best debate performance so far (including a firm declaration that "I am not President Bush").

And yet none of this seemed to trouble either Obama or the Democratic surrogates who spun for him straight afterwards. Emboldened by a New York Times poll that showed voters disapproving of McCain for fighting too negative a campaign, they concluded that every time McCain threw a punch, the person he hurt was himself. By contrast, the Democrats reckoned that every time Obama remained cool and unruffled, bringing the subject back to jobs or healthcare, he looked presidential - and conveyed that he cared about the voters above all."

[bold and emph, underlined, added by yours truly]

Amen! Need we say more?

Vote on the PBS poll; Sarah Palin is unequivically not qualified!

Steve Sack





I received this email from a neighbour down the street;

PBS has an online poll posted asking if Sarah Palin is
qualified. Apparently
the right wing knew about this in advance and are flooding
the voting with
YES votes. The poll will be reported on PBS and picked up
by mainstream
media. It can influence undecided voters in swing states.
Please do two
things -- takes 20 seconds.
1) Click on link and vote yourself. Here's the link:
http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html
2) Then send this to every single Obama-Biden voter you
know, and urge them
to vote and pass it on. The last thing we need is PBS
saying their viewers
think Sarah Palin is qualified

And this is from this lady from Wasilla who apparently has known 'Sarah' all her life:

"Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000 (at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about 670,000 residents. During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had given rise to a recall campaign.

Mike Luckovich





Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6 years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over 33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation (1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they benefited residents.

David Horsey










The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece of property that the City didn’t even have clear title to, that was still in litigation 7 yrs later–to the delight of the lawyers involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing."

Read more why Sarah Palin does not have the education and work background to be qualified to be Vice-President..she's definitely qualified as a Rove dog attacker though.

William F. Engeldahl: "Financial Tsunami:The Ende of the World as We Knew It"

Financial Tsunami:
The Ende of the World as We Knew It : William F. Engeldahl




Andy Davey



This bail-out and global financial crisis has left ordinary people bewildered and in many cases, down on their luck as a lot of them were/are close to retirement, having lost their financial security for their golden age. We have lost big time as well. We're not the only ones who wondered how and why, and why them?

Read this;

"The actions of Treasury Secretary Paulson since the first outbreak of the Financial Tsunami in August of 2007 have been directed with one apparent guiding aim―to save the obscene gains of his Wall Street and banking cronies. In the process he has taken steps which suggest more than a mild possible conflict of interest. Paulson, who had been chairman of Goldman Sachs from the time of the 1999 Glass-Steagall repeal to his appointment in 2006 as Treasury head, had been one of the most involved Wall Street players in the new securitization revolution of Greenspan.




Under Paulson, according to City of London financial sources familiar with it, Goldman Sachs drove the securitization revolution with an endless rollout of new products. As one London banker put it in an off-record remark to this author, “Paulson’s really the guilty one in this securitization mess but no one brings it up because of the extraordinary influence Goldmans seems to have, a bit like the Knights Templar order of old.’ Naming Goldman chairman Henry Paulson to head the Government agency now responsible for cleaning up the mess left by Wall Street greed and stupidity was tantamount to putting the wolf in charge of guarding the hen house as some see it."

[snip]
Nouriel Roubini

"As respected economist, Nouriel Roubini pointed out, in almost every case of recent banking crises in which emergency action was needed to save the financial system, the most economical (to taxpayers) method was to have the Government, as in Sweden or Finland in the early 1990’s, nationalize the troubled banks, take over their management and assets, and inject public capital to recapitalize the banks to allow them to continue doing business, lending to normal clients. In the Swedish case, the Government held the assets, mostly real estate, for several years until the economy again improved at which point they could sell them onto the market and the banks could gradually buy the state ownership shares back into private hands. In the Swedish case the end cost to taxpayers was estimated to have been almost nil. The state never did as Paulson proposed, to buy the toxic waste of the banks, leaving them to get off free from their follies of securitization and speculation abuses.3

Paulson’s plan, the one essentially rejected on September 29 by the House of Representatives, would have done nothing to recapitalize the troubled banks. That recapitalization could cost an added hundreds of billions on top of the $700 billion toxic waste disposal.

Serious bankers I know who went through the Scandinavian crisis of the 1990’s are scratching their head trying to imagine how crass the Paulson TARP scheme is. That politically obvious bailout of Wall Street by the taxpayers, what some refer to as ‘Bankers’ Socialism―socialize the costs of failure onto the public, and privatize the profits to the bankers―is a major factor behind the defeat of the TARP compromise version. Under Paulson’s scheme, which seems likely to get very little alteration by Congress in coming days, the Treasury Secretary, initially Paulson, would have sole discretion, with minimal oversight, to use a $700 billion check book, courtesy of taxpayer generosity, to buy various Asset Backed Securities held not only by Federal Reserve regulated banks like JP Morgan Chase or Citicorp, or Goldman Sachs, but also by hedge funds, by insurance companies and whomever he decides needs a boost.

‘The Paulson plan is unworkable,’ noted Stephen Lewis, chief economist with the London-based Monument Securities. ‘No one has an idea how to set a price on these toxic securities held by the banks, and in the present market a lot of them likely would be marked to zero.’ Lewis like many others who have examined the example of the temporary Swedish bank nationalization, called Securum, during their real estate collapse in the early 1990’s, stresses that ultimately only a similar solution would be able to resolve the crisis with a minimum of taxpayer cost. ‘The US authorities know very well the Swedish model, but it seems in the US nationalization is a dirty word.’"

(underlines, italics, bold added by yours truly..)

Well, so is Banker's Socialism...socialism is for society, not for 'high society'. But then of course it becomes a 'dirty word'. Click on the title (in the post) for the whole article. It has an interesting background story on Phil Gramm, remember Mr. We're a country of whiners?? Psha!

McCain Gets a 'D' from Vets Group

"Sen. John McCain may be the combat veteran and son and grandson of admirals, but he rates only a D when it comes to supporting veterans issues, according to the "Congressional Report Card" just issued by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Sen. Barack Obama is no veteran, but his votes in the U.S, Senate over the past year earned him a B, says IAVA executive director Paul Rieckhoff"

Read the rest

Btw..."McCain was one of only four senators to make the D list. The others are Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Michael Enzi of Wyoming and Jim DeMint of South Carolina."

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America's Congressional Report Card.
2008 Congressional Report Card by Citizens for Global Solutions.

I'm looking for..

the rendition of Summertime by Jose Feliciano. I googled everywhichway imaginable..but cannot find it. Have you ever heard it? It's really a great swinging, scatting kinda sound..loooved it. I heard it over 10, perhaps 15yrs ago..don't quite remember.

Anyhow..anyone have any leads?

Lewis Black on what the US isn't...

I've posted this before but in light of the Republicans' attitude..it bears repeating. That said, I wished Obama would not act like this is the greatest country on earth because that is plain pandering..there's no such utopia..I know. I've lived in a few places...

The Presidential Debate's theme; disrespect and hardly contained disdain for Obama by McCain

Hat tip Robster..



'That One' which is going through the blogosphere like a virus being dissected and looked over again and again is just 'one' of the many ways McCain cannot help show his disrespect and disdain for Obama. He will be an extremely sore loser and as for civilized conduct..he has definitely not the markings of a respectable person ready for a very high office in government.

The white supremacists must be having a field day...will they finally be allowed to 'come out' and be allowed to 'play'?

Europeans long for peace..hope for Obama..

The Telegraph conducted a research during the week of May 23-29th. I wonder how it would look now..

Barack Obama beats John McCain in European vote: US election 2008

"Senator Barack Obama emerged as Europe's favourite candidate for America’s presidency today when a poll conducted for Telegraph.co.uk gave him 52 per cent support across five of the world’s richest nations, including Britain.

John McCain, the presumed Republican nominee, received only 15 per cent of the vote in unprecedented survey covering Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Russia."

Check out the poll research.

How would you contribute to the political process if..

you had limitless amount of money?

My choice would be to start a national newspaper with independent editorials, reporting on issues or critiquing issues them and politicians who'd normally would not get touched by the MSM. I would need no advertising as I would have of course, unlimited funds. However, in the event I did win the lottery, I would add some advertising and also add a national and regional component of highlighting good news development, focus on the good work of non profits and have the journalists engage in actual 'journalism'. Details at this point do not matter of course since I do not have any mula [g].

So what would you do?

The Osterley Times: Conservative newspaper endorses a Democrat for president for the first time since 1936.

Kel, one of my favourite brit bloggers somehow seems to know where to 'find them'..hallelujah let's hope more conservatives (and yes Kathleen, real ones that take a stand and say no to the neocons, not 'con-ser-va-ti-sm..) wake up.. wake up already dangit!

The Osterley Times: Conservative newspaper endorses a Democrat for president for the first time since 1936.

The Marketing of Sarah Palin

R.J. Matson


Thank you thank you and well said Sarah Wildman (Guardian);

"In the hours since Thursday's vice-presidential debate, the punditry class has filled the airwaves and web, parsing Sarah Palin's failure to fail. But what is perhaps most striking is what Palin failed to actually say. Amid all the "doggone"s and "there ya go"s and "Oh, yeah, it's so obvious I'm a Washington outsider"s, Palin neglected to articulate any difference between the McCain-Palin ticket and the current team in the White house.

Joe Biden, even if restrained at the outset, made a strong, forceful case for how the Obama-Biden ticket would be different - far better than Barack Obama himself did in his first debate against McCain. Palin, on the other hand, had all the spontaneity of a grown-up version of Small Wonder, that 1980s robot girl from Saturday night television. In the end, Biden looked like a president. And while both candidates (rightly, I think) shied away from answering the macabre "in the event of the death of your running mate" question, only Biden looked like he would actually be able to assume the job of president in such an awful scenario.

Part of the problem is that Palin isn't being marketed as, nor is she expected to be, a politician. That's all well and good for PTA president, or mayor, or maybe even governor in a state without a huge number of people. But when we're talking about the highest executive office, there need to be a few criteria in place beyond relateability." (emph and underlining added by yours truly)

More in; Will the Real Sarah Palin please stand up?


Walt Handelsman

Kathleen Parker steps out of the Republican fold..

and see what happens? None of us on the outside are surprised..

Speak correctly, or build a big bunker

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am a traitor and an idiot. Also, my mother should have aborted me and left me in a Dumpster, but since she didn't, I should "off" myself.

Those are just a few nuggets randomly selected from thousands of e-mails written in response to my column suggesting that Sarah Palin is out of her league and should step down.

Who says public discourse hasn't deteriorated?

The fierce reaction to my column has been both bracing and enlightening. After 20 years of column writing, I'm familiar with angry mail. But the past few days have produced responses of a different order. Not just angry, but vicious and threatening."

Well Kathleen, perhaps you belonged to the wrong 'flock'! Republicans are not exactly pro-women, let alone strong women who disagree! The hate mail she received was based on this;

"Palin's recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.

No one hates saying that more than I do. Like so many women, I've been pulling for Palin, wishing her the best, hoping she will perform brilliantly. I've also noticed that I watch her interviews with the held breath of an anxious parent, my finger poised over the mute button in case it gets too painful. Unfortunately, it often does. My cringe reflex is exhausted.

Palin filibusters. She repeats words, filling space with deadwood. Cut the verbiage and there's not much content there. Here's but one example of many from her interview with Hannity:"

(read the rest)

Yes, back to Kathleen's reaction;

"...extreme partisanship has a crippling effect on government, which may be desirable at times, but not now. More important in the long term is the less-tangible effect of stifling free speech. My mail paints an ugly picture and a bleak future if we do not soon correct ourselves.

The picture is this: Anyone who dares express an opinion that runs counter to the party line will be silenced. That doesn't sound American to me, but Stalin would approve. Readers have every right to reject my opinion. But when we decide that a person is a traitor and should die for having an opinion different than one's own, then we cross into territory that puts all freedoms at risk. (I hear you, Dixie Chicks.)"

Well Kathster, that's what 'we' have been saying for the last 8yrs. I'm sure this epiphany is a little too late for the Dixie Chicks too. Welcome to 'our fold'.

McCain's Keating Five ad surfaces..bad news for McCain

Helenwheels asked for this to be kept 'viral' and I cannot but oblige. This comes to you courtesy of Public Campaign Action Fund (clean money clean elections)




This was the email Helen received;

Dear HelenWheels,

I just received some news I had to share with you: The ad we showed you yesterday — the one that breaks the silence on John McCain and the Keating Five scandal — has hit the big time and is getting plenty of attention in the press.

Today, The New York Times said our ad "dredges up a scandal that Mr. McCain would rather forget, particularly as Americans are struggling to accept the government's proposed $700 billion bailout of financial institutions."

We need your help to keep holding John McCain accountable. Please take a minute to forward the ad -- which can be found at

http://www.campaignmoney.org/keating


-- to everyone you know.

Thanks,
David Miller

Well..and surprise surprise;
Lobbyist Hired by Freddie Mac to Work on McCain Is Now Senator's Aide:

When mortgage giant Freddie Mac feared several years ago that Sen. John McCain was too outspoken on the issue of executive pay, it pinpointed a lobbyist known for his closeness to McCain and hired him to work with the senator.

Mark Buse, a longtime McCain adviser who had been staff director of the Senate commerce committee, signed on as a Freddie Mac lobbyist, and his firm, ML Strategies, earned $460,000 in lobbying fees in late 2003 and 2004, according to lobbying disclosures. Buse is now chief of staff at McCain's Senate office.