tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71425390729917817062024-02-08T06:25:14.604-05:00liveLAUGHlove : a new perspective.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-21522404139548696912008-11-12T18:03:00.002-05:002008-11-12T18:04:24.597-05:00Keith Olbermann's Prop 8 Comment "The Human Heart"<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span id="ctl00_ctl00_cpMain_cpMain_BulletinRead_ltl_body"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JalfEfZVk_M&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JalfEfZVk_M&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span id="ctl00_ctl00_cpMain_cpMain_BulletinRead_ltl_body"></span></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span id="ctl00_ctl00_cpMain_cpMain_BulletinRead_ltl_body"><b><br />Finall<wbr>y tonig<wbr>ht as promi<wbr>sed, a Speci<wbr>al Comme<wbr>nt on the passa<wbr>ge, last week,<wbr> of Propo<wbr>sitio<wbr>n Eight<wbr> in Calif<wbr>ornia<wbr>, which<wbr> resci<wbr>nded the right<wbr> of same-<wbr>sex coupl<wbr>es to marry<wbr>, and tilte<wbr>d the balan<wbr>ce on this issue<wbr>, from coast<wbr> to coast<wbr>.<br /><br /><br />Some param<wbr>eters<wbr>, as prefa<wbr>ce. This isn'<wbr>t about<wbr> yelli<wbr>ng, and this isn'<wbr>t about<wbr> polit<wbr>ics, and this isn'<wbr>t reall<wbr>y just about<wbr> Prop-<wbr>8. And I don'<wbr>t have a perso<wbr>nal inves<wbr>tment<wbr> in this:<wbr> I'm not gay, I had to strai<wbr>n to think<wbr> of one membe<wbr>r of even my very exten<wbr>ded famil<wbr>y who is, I have no perso<wbr>nal stori<wbr>es of close<wbr> frien<wbr>ds or colle<wbr>agues<wbr> fight<wbr>ing the preju<wbr>dice that still<wbr> perva<wbr>des their<wbr> lives<wbr>.<br /><br /><br />And yet to me this vote is horri<wbr>ble. Horri<wbr>ble. Becau<wbr>se this isn'<wbr>t about<wbr> yelli<wbr>ng, and this isn'<wbr>t about<wbr> polit<wbr>ics.<br /><br />Story<wbr> conti<wbr>nues below<br /><br />This is about<wbr> the.<wbr>.. human<wbr> heart<wbr>, and if that sound<wbr>s corny<wbr>, so be it.<br /><br /><br />If you voted<wbr> for this Propo<wbr>sitio<wbr>n or suppo<wbr>rt those<wbr> who did or the senti<wbr>ment they expre<wbr>ssed,<wbr> I have some quest<wbr>ions,<wbr> becau<wbr>se, truly<wbr>, I do not.<wbr>.. under<wbr>stand<wbr>. Why does this matte<wbr>r to you? What is it to you? In a time of imper<wbr>manen<wbr>ce and fly-<wbr>by-<wbr>night<wbr> relat<wbr>ionsh<wbr>ips, these<wbr> peopl<wbr>e over here want the same chanc<wbr>e at perma<wbr>nence<wbr> and happi<wbr>ness that is your optio<wbr>n. They don'<wbr>t want to deny you yours<wbr>. They don'<wbr>t want to take anyth<wbr>ing away from you. They want what you want -- a chanc<wbr>e to be a littl<wbr>e less alone<wbr> in the world<wbr>.<br /><br /><br />Only now you are sayin<wbr>g to them -- no. You can'<wbr>t have it on these<wbr> terms<wbr>. Maybe<wbr> somet<wbr>hing simil<wbr>ar. If they behav<wbr>e. If they don'<wbr>t cause<wbr> too much troub<wbr>le. You'<wbr>ll even give them all the same legal<wbr> right<wbr>s -- even as you'<wbr>re takin<wbr>g away the legal<wbr> right<wbr>, which<wbr> they alrea<wbr>dy had. A world<wbr> aroun<wbr>d them,<wbr> still<wbr> ancho<wbr>red in love and marri<wbr>age, and you are sayin<wbr>g, no, you can'<wbr>t marry<wbr>.<br />What if someb<wbr>ody passe<wbr>d a law that said you could<wbr>n't marry<wbr>?<br /><br />I keep heari<wbr>ng this term "<wbr>re-<wbr>defin<wbr>ing" marri<wbr>age.<br /><br /><br />If this count<wbr>ry hadn'<wbr>t re-<wbr>defin<wbr>ed marri<wbr>age, black<wbr> peopl<wbr>e still<wbr> could<wbr>n't marry<wbr> white<wbr> peopl<wbr>e. Sixte<wbr>en state<wbr>s had laws on the books<wbr> which<wbr> made that illeg<wbr>al.<wbr>.. in 1967.<wbr> 1967.<br /><br /><br />The paren<wbr>ts of the Presi<wbr>dent-<wbr>Elect<wbr> of the Unite<wbr>d State<wbr>s could<wbr>n't have marri<wbr>ed in nearl<wbr>y one third<wbr> of the state<wbr>s of the count<wbr>ry their<wbr> son grew up to lead.<wbr> But it's worse<wbr> than that.<wbr> If this count<wbr>ry had not "<wbr>re-<wbr>defin<wbr>ed" marri<wbr>age, some black<wbr> peopl<wbr>e still<wbr> could<wbr>n't marry<wbr>.<wbr>.<wbr>.<wbr>black<wbr> peopl<wbr>e. It is one of the most overl<wbr>ooked<wbr> and cruel<wbr>est parts<wbr> of our sad story<wbr> of slave<wbr>ry. Marri<wbr>ages were not legal<wbr>ly recog<wbr>nized<wbr>, if the peopl<wbr>e were slave<wbr>s. Since<wbr> slave<wbr>s were prope<wbr>rty, they could<wbr> not legal<wbr>ly be husba<wbr>nd and wife,<wbr> or mothe<wbr>r and child<wbr>. Their<wbr> marri<wbr>age vows were diffe<wbr>rent:<wbr> not "<wbr>Until<wbr> Death<wbr>, Do You Part,<wbr>" but "<wbr>Until<wbr> Death<wbr> or Dista<wbr>nce, Do You Part.<wbr>" Marri<wbr>ages among<wbr> slave<wbr>s were not legal<wbr>ly recog<wbr>nized<wbr>.<br /><br /><br />You know,<wbr> just like marri<wbr>ages today<wbr> in Calif<wbr>ornia<wbr> are not legal<wbr>ly recog<wbr>nized<wbr>, if the peopl<wbr>e are.<wbr>.. gay.<br /><br /><br />And uncou<wbr>ntabl<wbr>e in our histo<wbr>ry are the numbe<wbr>r of men and women<wbr>, force<wbr>d by socie<wbr>ty into marry<wbr>ing the oppos<wbr>ite sex, in sham marri<wbr>ages,<wbr> or marri<wbr>ages of conve<wbr>nienc<wbr>e, or just marri<wbr>ages of not knowi<wbr>ng -- centu<wbr>ries of men and women<wbr> who have lived<wbr> their<wbr> lives<wbr> in shame<wbr> and unhap<wbr>pines<wbr>s, and who have,<wbr> throu<wbr>gh a lie to thems<wbr>elves<wbr> or other<wbr>s, broke<wbr>n count<wbr>less other<wbr> lives<wbr>, of spous<wbr>es and child<wbr>ren.<wbr>.. All becau<wbr>se we said a man could<wbr>n't marry<wbr> anoth<wbr>er man, or a woman<wbr> could<wbr>n't marry<wbr> anoth<wbr>er woman<wbr>. The sanct<wbr>ity of marri<wbr>age.<br />How many marri<wbr>ages like that have there<wbr> been and how on earth<wbr> do they incre<wbr>ase the "<wbr>sanct<wbr>ity" of marri<wbr>age rathe<wbr>r than rende<wbr>r the term,<wbr> meani<wbr>ngles<wbr>s?<br /><br />What is this,<wbr> to you? Nobod<wbr>y is askin<wbr>g you to embra<wbr>ce their<wbr> expre<wbr>ssion<wbr> of love.<wbr> But don'<wbr>t you, as human<wbr> being<wbr>s, have to embra<wbr>ce.<wbr>.. that love?<wbr> The world<wbr> is barre<wbr>n enoug<wbr>h.<br /><br /><br />It is stack<wbr>ed again<wbr>st love,<wbr> and again<wbr>st hope,<wbr> and again<wbr>st those<wbr> very few and preci<wbr>ous emoti<wbr>ons that enabl<wbr>e us to go forwa<wbr>rd. Your marri<wbr>age only stand<wbr>s a 50-<wbr>50 chanc<wbr>e of lasti<wbr>ng, no matte<wbr>r how much you feel and how hard you work.<br /><br /><br />And here are peopl<wbr>e overj<wbr>oyed at the prosp<wbr>ect of just that chanc<wbr>e, and that work,<wbr> just for the hope of havin<wbr>g that feeli<wbr>ng.<br />With so much hate in the world<wbr>, with so much meani<wbr>ngles<wbr>s divis<wbr>ion, and peopl<wbr>e pitte<wbr>d again<wbr>st peopl<wbr>e for no good reaso<wbr>n, this is what your relig<wbr>ion tells<wbr> you to do? With your exper<wbr>ience<wbr> of life and this world<wbr> and all its sadne<wbr>sses,<wbr> this is what your consc<wbr>ience<wbr> tells<wbr> you to do?<br /><br />With your knowl<wbr>edge that life,<wbr> with endle<wbr>ss vigor<wbr>, seems<wbr> to tilt the playi<wbr>ng field<wbr> on which<wbr> we all live,<wbr> in favor<wbr> of unhap<wbr>pines<wbr>s and hate.<wbr>.. this is what your heart<wbr> tells<wbr> you to do? You want to sanct<wbr>ify marri<wbr>age? You want to honor<wbr> your God and the unive<wbr>rsal love you belie<wbr>ve he repre<wbr>sents<wbr>? Then Sprea<wbr>d happi<wbr>ness -- this tiny,<wbr> symbo<wbr>lic, seman<wbr>tical<wbr> grain<wbr> of happi<wbr>ness -- share<wbr> it with all those<wbr> who seek it. Quote<wbr> me anyth<wbr>ing from your relig<wbr>ious leade<wbr>r or book of choic<wbr>e telli<wbr>ng you to stand<wbr> again<wbr>st this.<wbr> And then tell me how you can belie<wbr>ve both that state<wbr>ment and anoth<wbr>er state<wbr>ment,<wbr> anoth<wbr>er one which<wbr> reads<wbr> only "do unto other<wbr>s as you would<wbr> have them do unto you.<br />"<br /><br />---<br /><br />You are asked<wbr> now, by your count<wbr>ry, and perha<wbr>ps by your creat<wbr>or, to stand<wbr> on one side or anoth<wbr>er. You are asked<wbr> now to stand<wbr>, not on a quest<wbr>ion of polit<wbr>ics, not on a quest<wbr>ion of relig<wbr>ion, not on a quest<wbr>ion of gay or strai<wbr>ght. You are asked<wbr> now to stand<wbr>, on a quest<wbr>ion of.<wbr>.<wbr>.<wbr>love.<wbr> All you need do is stand<wbr>, and let the tiny ember<wbr> of love meet its own fate.<wbr> You don'<wbr>t have to help it, you don'<wbr>t have it appla<wbr>ud it, you don'<wbr>t have to fight<wbr> for it. Just don'<wbr>t put it out. Just don'<wbr>t extin<wbr>guish<wbr> it. Becau<wbr>se while<wbr> it may at first<wbr> look like that love is betwe<wbr>en two peopl<wbr>e you don'<wbr>t know and you don'<wbr>t under<wbr>stand<wbr> and maybe<wbr> you don'<wbr>t even want to know.<wbr>..It is, in fact,<wbr> the ember<wbr> of your love,<wbr> for your fello<wbr>w *<wbr>*<wbr>perso<wbr>n...<br /><br />Just becau<wbr>se this is the only world<wbr> we have.<wbr> And the other<wbr> guy count<wbr>s, too.<br /><br /><br />This is the secon<wbr>d time in ten days I find mysel<wbr>f concl<wbr>uding<wbr> by turni<wbr>ng to, of all thing<wbr>s, the closi<wbr>ng plea for mercy<wbr> by Clare<wbr>nce Darro<wbr>w in a murde<wbr>r trial<wbr>.<br /><br /><br />But what he said,<wbr> fits what is reall<wbr>y at the heart<wbr> of this:<br /><br />"I was readi<wbr>ng last night<wbr> of the aspir<wbr>ation<wbr> of the old Persi<wbr>an poet,<wbr> Omar-<wbr>Khayy<wbr>am," he told the judge<wbr>.<br /><br /><br />"It appea<wbr>led to me as the highe<wbr>st that I can visio<wbr>n.<br />I wish it was in my heart<wbr>, and I wish it was in the heart<wbr>s of all:<br /><br />"So I be writt<wbr>en in the Book of Love;<br /><br />"I do not care about<wbr> that Book above<wbr>.<br /><br /><br />"<wbr>Erase<wbr> my name,<wbr> or write<wbr> it as you will,<br /><br />"So I be writt<wbr>en in the Book of Love.<br />"<br /><br />---<br />Good night<wbr>, and good luck.</b></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-16275886173542927202008-11-12T09:28:00.002-05:002008-11-12T09:30:47.459-05:00<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flopyourvote.com/images/detail/Obamaflop_292.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 321px;" src="http://www.flopyourvote.com/images/detail/Obamaflop_292.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Okay seriously, how cute are these?<br />They're on <a href="http://www.flopyourvote.com/index.php">sale</a>, and is a really unique political souvenir.<br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-59594640881753175362008-11-11T10:22:00.004-05:002008-11-11T11:18:40.478-05:00sunbuggies.<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images-production.ideeli.com/attachments/762583/MichaelKors_206_0001_550x550.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 287px; height: 287px;" src="http://images-production.ideeli.com/attachments/762583/MichaelKors_206_0001_550x550.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>michael kors MODERN OVAL sunglasses.<br />Probably shouldn't do it right? Right. ... maybe.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images-production.ideeli.com/attachments/762283/MichaelKors_Black001_001_550x550.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 287px; height: 287px;" src="http://images-production.ideeli.com/attachments/762283/MichaelKors_Black001_001_550x550.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Black maybe?<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-19859677428566809802008-11-11T08:48:00.004-05:002008-11-11T09:07:03.041-05:00<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.opentable.com/img/promo/stimulus08_490x170.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 490px; height: 170px;" src="http://www.opentable.com/img/promo/stimulus08_490x170.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>It's like Restaurant Week all over again! Hopefully my faves are participating.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-71960019224525431932008-11-07T08:52:00.002-05:002008-11-07T08:52:31.101-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.tumblr.com/egKU8ok94fyh3kqdLqVpFLcEo1_500.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 480px; height: 600px;" src="http://media.tumblr.com/egKU8ok94fyh3kqdLqVpFLcEo1_500.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-59601187133288848922008-11-07T08:27:00.004-05:002008-11-07T08:53:52.972-05:00Free Obama Sticker.<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://pol.moveon.org/shepstickers/?id=15071-9495651-Fv4wnQx&t=1"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 389px; height: 513px;" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.moveon.org/images/shep_large.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>Click to photo to be taken to the site.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-56581115819588750912008-11-05T15:52:00.002-05:002008-11-05T16:10:28.767-05:00Remember, remember, the 4th of November ... 2008.A very important day in history. A day some thought they'd never live to see - some thought they'd never see in this lifetime. But it's happened, we've elected our 44th President of the United States. And that president just so happens to be African-American.<br /><br /><br />My president is Black.<br /><br /><br />Who would have thought it? Yes, we all wanted change and we all so desperately believed it would happen ... but for it to actually unfold right before our eyes? Mind boggling. I spent the better part of the evening watching the Election Night 2008 coverage at Bar 1331 in Washington DC. After discovering that my Polymers exam that was scheduled for the next day was canceled, I had to go out amongst like minded people. It's a cozy space, and they had themed food and refreshments (my favorite being the right wings and left wings, heh) with people mingling around on laptops, on cell phones - but all eyes kept going back to the big screens strategically placed around the bar.<br /><br />It was nerve wracking. The anxiety was electrifying, and when the polls started being tallied it just increased in fervor. When Obama was (un)officially declared the next president, it was all anti-climatic for me. Just like .. "oh, he won, yay." For such a big election I wanted them to drag it out ... make us suffer ... and then have a huge announcement at the end. But with the landslide victory with which he won I knew that wasn't going to happen. As the screen travelled over the seas of expectant, crying, overjoyed faces ... I wondered why I didn't feel that.<br /><br />I didn't feel that. There were no tears from me - until now. As I sit here and write this, the magnitude of what has transpired less than 24 hours ago has finally hit me. My president is Black. My president looks just like me. Barack Hussein Obama is the 44th president of the United States. The change we so eagerly wanted ... is the change we're going to get. The tears keep streaming down my face when I think of how different this nation will be. I was a part of a major moment in history - and when I tell my children they can be anything they want to be, they'll know it's the truth.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-80251963663185632862008-11-05T09:55:00.000-05:002008-11-05T10:14:28.378-05:00<div style="text-align: center;">isobamapresident.com at 9:46pm, November 4, 2008<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__oTR7rOz-Qc/SRGvUAKy16I/AAAAAAAAAQY/5hTr8KdXLdw/s1600-h/obamaalmost.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__oTR7rOz-Qc/SRGvUAKy16I/AAAAAAAAAQY/5hTr8KdXLdw/s320/obamaalmost.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265182197550340002" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">isobamapresident.com at 6:46am, November 5, 2008<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__oTR7rOz-Qc/SRGvUW1mbxI/AAAAAAAAAQg/kxlfr1TS9BY/s1600-h/obamayes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__oTR7rOz-Qc/SRGvUW1mbxI/AAAAAAAAAQg/kxlfr1TS9BY/s320/obamayes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265182203635461906" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-2133723352816982662008-11-05T09:51:00.002-05:002008-11-05T09:51:35.520-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://data.tumblr.com/sBNFhufdWfx1nc38xrNnkKuTo1_500.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 667px;" src="http://data.tumblr.com/sBNFhufdWfx1nc38xrNnkKuTo1_500.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-69367906454499597852008-11-05T09:29:00.005-05:002008-11-05T09:34:39.443-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.patrickmoberg.com/november-4-2008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 293px;" src="http://www.patrickmoberg.com/november-4-2008.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-69191044469169292392008-11-05T09:23:00.000-05:002008-11-05T09:26:26.348-05:00Sen. Barack Obama's Acceptance Speech in Chicago, Ill.<span style="font-size:+2;"><b>Sen. Barack Obama's Acceptance Speech in Chicago, Ill.</b></span><br /><p><span style="font-size:-1;"><em> CQ Transcripts Wire </em><br />Wednesday, November 5, 2008; 12:02 AM<br /></span></p><p> [*] OBAMA: Hello, Chicago.</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.</p><p>It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.</p><p>OBAMA: We are, and always will be, the United States of America.</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.</p><p>It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p> It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.</p><p>It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain.</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.</p><p>I congratulate him; I congratulate Governor Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>OBAMA: I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton...</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>... and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years...</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>... the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady...</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>... Michelle Obama.</p><p> (APPLAUSE)</p><p>Sasha and Malia...</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>... I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us...</p><p>(LAUGHTER)</p><p>... to the new White House.</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.</p><p>To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them.</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>OBAMA: And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe...</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>OBAMA: ... the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best -- the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>To my chief strategist David Axelrod...</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>... who's been a partner with me every step of the way.</p><p>To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics...</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>... you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.</p><p>But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you. </p><p> I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.</p><p>It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy...</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>... who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.</p><p>It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.</p><p>This is your victory.</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>OBAMA: And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me.</p><p>You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime -- two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.</p><p>Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.</p><p>There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education. </p><p> There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.</p><p>The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.</p><p>I promise you, we as a people will get there.</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>AUDIENCE: Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can!</p><p>OBAMA: There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem.</p><p>But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years -- block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.</p><p>What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.</p><p> OBAMA: This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.</p><p>It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.</p><p>So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.</p><p>Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.</p><p>In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.</p><p>Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.</p><p>Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. </p><p> And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>OBAMA: And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope. (APPLAUSE)</p><p>That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.</p><p>This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old. </p><p> (APPLAUSE) OBAMA: She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin. And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can. At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can. When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.</p><p>AUDIENCE: Yes we can. OBAMA: When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.</p><p>AUDIENCE: Yes we can. OBAMA: She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.</p><p>AUDIENCE: Yes we can. OBAMA: A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.</p><p>And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.</p><p>Yes we can.</p><p>AUDIENCE: Yes we can. OBAMA: America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves -- if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?</p><p>This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.</p><p>This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.</p><p>(APPLAUSE)</p><p>END</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-4112891267384280052008-11-04T23:21:00.002-05:002008-11-04T23:24:16.150-05:00My President is Black.<div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><u>Barack Hussein Obama II</u><br />44th President of the United States.<br /><br />1.20.2009<br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-19134552420403509032008-11-04T22:23:00.001-05:002008-11-04T22:24:59.126-05:00<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://isbushpresident.com/">http://isbushpresident.com/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://ispalinpresident.com/">http://ispalinpresident.com/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://ismccainpresident.com/">http://ismccainpresident.com/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://isobamapresident.com/">http://isobamapresident.com/</a><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-70381379998896226552008-11-04T20:22:00.002-05:002008-11-04T20:24:22.519-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.tumblr.com/zk2Z35IWTfwhw4ivOcOkFlyeo1_500.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 344px;" src="http://media.tumblr.com/zk2Z35IWTfwhw4ivOcOkFlyeo1_500.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">How I'm feeling at this exact moment. Obama wins MD and DC. VA too close to call.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-9813117433632081482008-11-04T19:45:00.008-05:002008-11-04T20:20:32.562-05:00Election Night 2008.<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.google.com/logos/electionday2008.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 110px;" src="http://www.google.com/logos/electionday2008.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">America will find out who their next President will be within the next couple of hours. It's kind of scary and nerve-wracking ... the uncertainty of it all. Honestly, it can go either way in my opinion. But whatever happens I am proud of my peers. Even if their reasons for going out to the polls today were wrong and misguided - I am glad that everyone went out and exercised their right; a right so many have worked so hard for and ultimately died for. We've finally gotten the point - only <span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">WE </span>can make a difference. We are the future and we are responsible for who we put in charge.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">I'm proud of America.</span></span><br /><br />Right now polls are closing around the nation one by one, and as I type I am watching the Election Night 2008 coverage on CNN. It's so mind boggling, it appears to be so conflicted with their projections and whatnot. Mostly I'm anxious to see what's happened in the battleground states ... my state being one of them. I'd like to feel my 6:15am vote in 42degree weather made an inkling of difference. Fingers crossed. We don't want a repeat of the 2004 election fiasco. Not at all. I predict riots if it does.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-86905789445107053622008-11-04T19:07:00.007-05:002008-11-04T19:40:01.495-05:00Give Thanks for John Legend.<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.wellmonttheatre.com/u/i/4/54100b00.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 336px; height: 504px;" src="http://www.wellmonttheatre.com/u/i/4/54100b00.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__oTR7rOz-Qc/SRDkBTT5MoI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/0kqid0vk9w0/s1600-h/johnlegendtix.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__oTR7rOz-Qc/SRDkBTT5MoI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/0kqid0vk9w0/s400/johnlegendtix.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264958675410825858" border="0" /></a>John Legend at the Wellmont in NJ, Thanksgiving Weekend.<br />Oh yes, we're SO there. <span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">Happy Birthday</span> slaggiekins. <img goomoji="35D" style="margin: 0pt 0.2ex; vertical-align: middle;" src="http://mail.google.com/mail/e/35D" /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-21091961645326724572008-11-04T18:38:00.003-05:002008-11-04T18:39:11.329-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://data.tumblr.com/bhKTvCKNAfvdx25g5bXuZJEVo1_500.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 340px; height: 254px;" src="http://data.tumblr.com/bhKTvCKNAfvdx25g5bXuZJEVo1_500.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-51980403765447381372008-11-04T18:35:00.000-05:002008-11-04T18:36:39.281-05:00Follow the Election.<blockquote><p>Excellent summary via <a href="http://toomuchnick.com/post/57849530/how-to-watch-the-election" mce_href="http://toomuchnick.com/post/57849530/how-to-watch-the-election">nickdouglas</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>BUSY? SKIP TO THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AT THE END.</p> <p>1. When the polls close:</p> <p><img src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/46566/original.jpg" mce_src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/46566/original.jpg" width="426" height="354" /><br />(map from <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/30/election-results-electora_n_139361.html" mce_href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/30/election-results-electora_n_139361.html">Huffington Post</a>)</p> <p>2. What states matter:</p> <p>According to <a href="http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/11/what-mccain-win-looks-like.html" mce_href="http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/11/what-mccain-win-looks-like.html">the prediction models at Fivethirtyeight.com</a>, McCain absolutely can’t win without <b>Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Indiana and Montana</b>. He has less chance of winning without taking both <b>Ohio and North Carolina</b> than you do of wearing a condom and getting HIV.</p> <p>3. What states matter in what order:</p> <p>I distilled this from <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/id/167186" mce_href="http://www.newsweek.com/id/167186">538’s Nate Silver</a>:</p> <p>At 6 PM EST, most of Indiana’s polls close. An early call for McCain means hold onto your butts (because it indicates unpredicted McCain support); an early call for Obama means pop the champagne (for the inverse reason).</p> <p>At 7, the rest of Indiana closes and a McCain win isn’t as meaningful. But at the same time Virginia, Georgia, and most of Florida close. If Virginia goes Obama, again, champagne. Same for Florida. If Obama wins his long-shot Georgia because of the record number of black early voters, then call a Republican and do your best Nelson “Ha ha!” because this whole map’s going blue.</p> <p>At 7:30, Ohio and North Carolina close. Bad voter turnout here actually helps Obama, thanks to his huge lead in early votes. Either way, by now McCain probably has to win both or…finally…champagne.</p> <p>At 8, Pennsylvania wraps up. But the projections may be off depending on which votes are counted first. Again, if you’re still holding onto your butts, keep a grip.</p> <p>At 9, if Obama is still struggling, he’d better win Colorado. But not much chance it’ll come down to this.</p> <p><br />EXECUTIVE SUMMARY<br />AT THIS TIME, IF OBAMA HASN’T SWEPT:<br />6 PM: McCain needs to not <i>already</i> lose Indiana.</p> <p>7 PM: McCain needs Florida and Virginia.</p> <p>7:30: McCain needs Ohio and North Carolina.</p> <p>8: McCain probably needs Pennsylvania.</p> <p>9: McCain needs Colorado.</p> </blockquote></blockquote> <p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-81543047366180875242008-10-31T12:44:00.001-04:002008-10-31T14:01:58.494-04:00The Anti-Halloweensters.<p style="text-align: center;" class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__oTR7rOz-Qc/SQs2FIKZmzI/AAAAAAAAAQA/xwwHLfFtKBw/s1600-h/%3D%3Futf-8%3FB%3FSU1HMDAxMDUuanBn%3F%3D-708765"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__oTR7rOz-Qc/SQs2FIKZmzI/AAAAAAAAAQA/xwwHLfFtKBw/s320/%3D%3Futf-8%3FB%3FSU1HMDAxMDUuanBn%3F%3D-708765" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263360051230907186" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;">Posted in the window of every business on K Street.<br /><br />Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-13679445064374168632008-10-31T11:35:00.002-04:002008-10-31T11:40:29.572-04:00<blockquote>New rules: I will stop calling George Bush a jackass when he stops calling me a terrorist: Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. I will stop calling John McCain an ass when he stops calling Barack Obama a socialist at every dog and pony show on the Straight Talk Express tour. I will stop calling Sarah Palin a bitch when she stops calling Obama a terrorist sympathizer. And I will stop calling Sarah Palin a bitch when she stops calling the parts of the country where I don’t live more Pro-American than the part of the country where I do live. And <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I will definitely stop calling Sarah Palin a bitch when she stops acting like a bitch</span>.</blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">LOL! Ohhhh snap. These little old ladies are pissed.<br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://margaretandhelen.wordpress.com/2008/10/28/what-was-i-thinking-when-i-called-sarah-palin-a-bitch/" mce_href="http://margaretandhelen.wordpress.com/2008/10/28/what-was-i-thinking-when-i-called-sarah-palin-a-bitch/">What was I thinking when I called Sarah Palin a bitch? « Margaret and Helen</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;">(via <a href="http://theoriginaljoefisher.tumblr.com/" mce_href="http://theoriginaljoefisher.tumblr.com/">theoriginaljoefisher</a>)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-28599828151059440892008-10-31T08:40:00.004-04:002008-10-31T08:43:34.728-04:00Today is Audrey Day, because I said so.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.tumblr.com/Wsmanmqq79e54f0fOiIzw4Ok_500.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 347px; height: 458px;" src="http://media.tumblr.com/Wsmanmqq79e54f0fOiIzw4Ok_500.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-55348196675287832172008-10-31T08:38:00.003-04:002008-10-31T08:39:37.582-04:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://data.tumblr.com/BqW1NiIh6dy9gm36Vm33uhg5o1_500.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 339px; height: 500px;" src="http://data.tumblr.com/BqW1NiIh6dy9gm36Vm33uhg5o1_500.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><p><a href="http://bebelestrange.tumblr.com/post/50414618" mce_href="http://bebelestrange.tumblr.com/post/50414618">bebelestrange</a>:</p> <blockquote>another one of Audrey Hepburn posing with ‘Ip’, 1958 (via <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/bobwilloughby" mce_href="http://flickr.com/photos/bobwilloughby">Bob Willoughby</a>)</blockquote> <p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-21167757149682087882008-10-31T08:36:00.002-04:002008-10-31T08:36:57.292-04:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://data.tumblr.com/paHWAHHO8fpn338v0Hbqcn7Ko1_500.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 654px;" src="http://data.tumblr.com/paHWAHHO8fpn338v0Hbqcn7Ko1_500.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-27577957717857129492008-10-30T10:15:00.002-04:002008-10-30T10:19:03.454-04:00<p style="text-align: center;" class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__oTR7rOz-Qc/SQnBlj3J2lI/AAAAAAAAAPg/rSUve7oG08I/s1600-h/%3D%3Futf-8%3FB%3FSU1HMDAwOTkuanBn%3F%3D-750308"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__oTR7rOz-Qc/SQnBlj3J2lI/AAAAAAAAAPg/rSUve7oG08I/s320/%3D%3Futf-8%3FB%3FSU1HMDAwOTkuanBn%3F%3D-750308" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262950490585029202" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;">Totally going to freeze my ass off. FUN.<br />Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142539072991781706.post-11806624863161841772008-10-30T08:28:00.002-04:002008-10-30T08:29:26.539-04:00<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://data.tumblr.com/BAxQAJRP8fgfyjwlOUG7b3Beo1_500.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 210px;" src="http://data.tumblr.com/BAxQAJRP8fgfyjwlOUG7b3Beo1_500.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>But sometimes it is the only thing we can say.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0