Cause we will believe anything John McCain

In a feeble attempt to regain any semblance of a true competition after the successful (to say the least) DNC, held in Denver this week, John McCain has pulled, what he obviously looks at, as his trump card. By choosing a female running mate, he believes he has made a brilliant chess move. I beg to differ. John McCain is transparent and simple. Not only have we seen this throughout his weak campaign, but now we see it highlighted in this aggressive and overtly insulting move. Are we small children? Do we not get his weak attempt at tossing us, the American public, a bone after seeing with his own eyes the power and stamina the Dems have touted this week?

This move brings to light 2 possibilities: On one hand, he believes he has made a brilliant choice, after years and years of not supporting women (fiscally, rights-wise, or otherwise), and we should believe that against everything he has stood for in the past, TODAY he is a new man, with a new outlook, and a new following? That his "good old boys" club needs a soft feminine face. A FACE EVEN YOUNGER THAN HIS COMPETITION WHICH HE HIMSELF HAS DESCRIBED AS LACKING EXPERIENCE. Obama is too young but his running mate is not? Rich! I guess the self-proclaimed hockey mom has built her defense strategies around what she's learned on the ice. How do the rest of the "good old boys" feel about that John?

or 2, he knows good and damn well he is trying to manipulate the American public, pull some disgruntled Hillary fans to his side and eeek by in an election he truly can't compete in. Now that's the John McCain I know.

Hey John, most of those Hillary followers were pro-choice, think they will overlook their beliefs to follow your running mate's anti-abortion campaign strategy? They are not as simple as you think.

I truly hope the American people see through the transparency of this pathetic attempt at collecting votes and see him for the fool he is.

By LIZ SIDOTI and BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writers 6 minutes ago

DAYTON, Ohio - John McCain has introduced Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a conservative who shares his maverick streak, as his vice presidential running mate in a startling selection on the eve of the Republican National Convention.
At a raucous rally Friday in the swing state of Ohio, McCain said he made his pick after looking for a political partner "who can best help me shake up Washington and make it start working again for the people who are counting on us."

McCain said that Palin was "Exactly who I need. She's exactly who this country needs to help us fight the same old Washington politics of me first and country second."

(Is this supposed to be a good thing? 8 IS ENOUGH FOOL!)

In an earlier announcement, McCain's campaign said that Palin, who has been governor less than two years, "has the record of reform and bipartisanship that others can only speak of.
"Her experience in shaking up the status quo is exactly what is needed in Washington today," the announcement said.

Palin has a strong anti-abortion record, and her selection was praised warmly by social conservatives whose support Mccain needs to prevail in the campaign for the White House.

GOOD FOR HER, BUT WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO ATTRACT...AND "WARMLY"...THAT'S USUALLY NOT A POWERFUL CATCH PHRASE USED DURING AN ELECTION. I'M JUST SAYIN'.

"It's an absolutely brilliant choice," said Mathew Staver, dean (AND IDIOT-SHEEP) of Liberty University school of Law. "This will absolutely energize Mccain's campaign and energize conservatives," he predicted.
With his pick, McCain passed over more prominent contenders like Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, as well as others such for former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, whose support for abortion rights might have sparked unrest at the convention that opens Monday in St. Paul, Minn.

The timing of McCain's selection appeared designed to limit any political gain Obama derives from his own convention, which ended Thursday night with his nominating acceptance speech before an estimated 84,000 in Invesco Field in Colorado.

Public opinion polls show a close race between Obama and McCain, and with scarcely two months remaining until the election, neither contender can allow the other to jump out to a big post-convention lead.

At 44, Palin is a generation younger than two of McCain's seven children. She also is considerably younger than Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, who is Barack Obama's running mate on the Democratic ticket.

She is three years Obama's junior, as well — and McCain has made much in recent weeks of Obama's relative lack of experience in foreign policy and defense matters.

AND NOW YOUNG IS GOOD - YOUNG AND FEMALE, EVEN BETTER, EH JOHN?

In its formal announcement, the campaign pointed to her powers as head of the Alaska National Guard and the mother of a soldier herself as evidence that she "understands what it takes to lead our nation..."
McCain has had months to consider his choice, and has made it clear to reporters that one of his overriding goals was to avoid a situation like 1988, when then-Sen. Dan Quayle was thrown into a national campaign with little preparation.

A self-styled hockey mom and political reformer, Pallin was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, population 6,500, until she became governor.
Palin flew overnight to an airport in Ohio near Dayton, and even as she awaited her formal introduction, some aides said they had believed she was at home in Alaska.
She is a former mayor of Wasilla who became governor of her state in December, 2006 after ousting a governor of her own party in a primary and then dispatching a former governor in the general election.

More recently, she has come under the scrutiny of an investigation by the Republican-controlled legislature into the possibility that she ordered the dismissal of Alaska's public safety commissioner because he would not fire her former brother-in-law as a state trooper.

Palin has a long history of run-ins with the Alaska GOP hierarchy, giving her genuine maverick status and reformer credentials that could complement McCain's image.

Two years ago, she ousted the state's Republican incumbent governor, Frank Murkowski in the primary, despite having little money and little establishment backing.

She has also distanced herself from two senior Republican office-holders, Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don young. Both men are under federal corruption investigations.

She had earned stripes — and enmity — after Murkowski made her head of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. From that post, she exposed ethical violations by the state GOP chairman, also a fellow commissioner.

Her husband, Todd Palin, is part Yup'ik Eskimo, and is a blue-collar North Slope oil worker who competes in the Iron Dog, a 1,900-mile snowmobile race. The couple lives in Wasilla. They have five children, the youngest of whom was born in April with Down syndrome.

A New Dream

I have watched this campaign with the nervousness of an immigrant in a new country who barely speaks the language and watches and waits and learns. I listened to the honest, loving voice of Michelle Obama on Monday. I tried to relate to Hillary Clinton on Tuesday. I wept at Beau and Joe Biden's story on Wednesday. Tonight I believe in the hope for change. I hung on every word of Barack Obama like a schoolgirl on the first day of university. I felt my heart change. I believe "We Can". I have been impressed by a man with a dream.
On the 45th anniversary of the famous Martin Luther King Jr "I have a Dream" speech, another dream has been spoken. The foundation has been laid, and as Obama stated "This presidential race is not about me, it is about you" - "you" directed at the Americans who have stood long enough for this abysmal state of affairs. We are tired, and fed up with this government. It's not good enough. We are better than this. We have a legacy to uphold.

At every step of the way I have held my breath and hoped and wondered if the home team would win. Not just win, but hit a home run out of the park. And out the park Senator Obama hit it. "8 is enough" and "Yes We Can", will be the new mantras for this generation of Americans who stand for change. We are tired of being told to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and "you're on your own", even when we have no boots. Obama hit the nail on the head as he tore apart the politics of the Republican party and stood up for what we stand for. This is what we have needed - someone to stand up for our country.

I am proud to be an American and proud to support a Presidential candidate who believes in the same things I do. It's time for a change so let's stop talking about it and be about it.
Stop talking about it and be about it.
STOP TALKING ABOUT IT AND BE ABOUT IT!

Roll Call

Today I had the pleasure of watching the National Roll Call, televised live on CNN, where Barack Obama was voted as the official presidential candidate for the Democratic Party. I will say, this is an emotional election year, but watching this group of delegates proudly cast their votes for the "next President of the United States" was truly inspiring.

I am sure I have learned something new about each state in the U.S. that I didn't know before today. ie Kansas is the birthplace of the grandparents of the next President of the United States.
The pride of each state beams through their representatives and really makes one proud to be American.
"Yes We Can"
I waited and waited patiently for one state to cast all their votes for Obama, and finally New Hampshire stepped up and cast all 30 votes for Senator Obama. Then New Jersey followed with all 127 votes. Unites We Stand!
Then the yield motions began.
New Mexico yields to Illinois. Illinois yields to New York. What the hell? I am unclear on why this happens until Hillary Clinton comes to the floor. Clinton moves to declare Obama the official candidate in the spirit of unity, and Obama is nominated by acclamation.

Exhibit Darfur, Denver

Last night I had the privilege of attending the opening evening of the Exhibit Darfur at the Ditto Gallery located at 12th and Speer, right here in Denver. I had no idea we had such brilliant activists right here in town...little ole' Denver.

I understand that this exhibit was put together in one month. Not just the exhibit, but the opening evening's reception, which included our Govenor speaking, and various other artists and activists, educating Denver on the atrocities occuring in Darfur right now.

The exhibit included the photographs of Mia Farrow, Brian Steidle, Izabela Lundberg, and Aaron Cohen, all true to the plight of Sudan as they shared the horror that exists within the country today.

The exhibit displays visually the tragic impact of war and genocide in Darfur by Steidle; the reality of slavery in the Sudan by Cohen; Sudanese culture and life in refugee camps by Farrow; and the hope of Darfur survivors in the U.S. by Lundberg. One of the most impactful sights was the drawings by small children of Sudan depicting bloody gunfire spattering into homes and innocent bystaders of Darfur. The concentration camps, or refugee camps as the government is calling them, are implied "safe areas", yet these camps are isolated in the middle of nowhere with no food or water resources.

gen·o·cide pronounced [jen- uh- sayhd]

–noun
the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group.

The Ditto Gallery did a fine job of hosting this informative and socially relevant event, and the groups which sponsored the event have made available a tremendous amount of information for the public. Please take the opportunity, pop into the gallery and check out the exhibit, it is an eye opening experience.

For more information, check out these resources:
http://www.savedarfur.org/page/group/DENVERCOALITIONTOSAVEDARFUR

http://www.beyondintractability.org/case_studies/Darfur.jsp?nid=5101

But whatever you do, Be Conscious, Be Aware!

DNC Denver 2008, sights, sounds and symptoms

Denver has been lucky enough to have the presence of the Democratic National Convention grace our fair city this summer. In an election year abuzz with media pressure, anxiety amidst a war, and at the very least, hope; here we are politicians - show us what you got.


Being from Missouri originally, I'm still a firm believer in "You've got to show me".


The city is bursting with energy. New faces are all over the downtown area. Judging our city. Taking in the beauty of Colorado; some for the very first time. Everyone with their badges proclaiming them great enough to walk the streets - our streets, for a cause. Do us proud Dems!

As I parked downtown, I looked up to see the solemn face of Barack Obama, Democratic Presidential candidate. Graced with the mountains of Colorado as his backdrop, a vision of hope for our state as well as for the country in the upcoming 4 years. Then as I walked along the streets of downtown, I saw his face everywhere, in storefronts, on T-shirts, on doggie sweaters, everywhere. I thought, people are really looking towards the convention as well as something new.


Barack Obama represents change in this country for many reasons, and seeing his face 10 stories high facing the Denver community speaks volumes. The DNC has opened it's minds, and hearts to the hope that Senator Obama has brought to the table this presidential election year. We welcome Obama, and we welcome the Convention to our city.

As with any major event in any major city, with the good also comes the negative. The protestors, the police with billie clubs, the raging lunatics; everyone comes out to be a part of the energy that brings people together. I must say I am rarely shocked, and some of the sights that I witnessed downtown were just plain shocking, and I realize that this is the point - to parlay their propoganda into a base, shock value to jar people out of their reality.
I have opted not to show the photos of the truly shocking because I am a firm believer that the media choosing to sensationalize tragic events is what pushes them to the forefront of society and actually allows them to gain momentum. I will say that the pro Life vs Pro Choice argument is a strong one and no matter where I stand personally, I would never step outside of my moral convictions as a Christian to try and manipulate people to stand on my side of the fence. I truly hope these good Christian, Pro-lifers who think it is morally correct to show pictures of bloody fetuses on the side of a 16 wheeler are prepared to stand in the light of the Lord on judgment day. My children, and the children of most of the city who happened to be downtown and were subjected to this horrific photographic display were terrified.
And it didn't change my viewpoint, only made me realize how sick these people are and pray for them.

I am an advocate for having a stance. Stand for something or STFU, is my mantra, so believe it - I have value for peaceful protestors who believe in what they stand for enough to get out there and share it with the world. This guy didn't try to shove propaganda in my face. He didn't try to scare my children, nor did he vilify my city with his viewpoint. I am proud to have him here as part of the DNC standing for something. Peacefully. Welcome Sir!

Summertime Travel

Today my horoscope read, "It's time, today, to add a little bit of breathing room to your schedule! You've been in a hurry lately, getting things done left and right. Your productivity is admirable, but it cannot be sustained. So go slow, today, and if you can put a few things off for another day, do it."

Generally speaking, I try not to put things off at all, because I feel like procrastination is the downfall of society. I was brought up to believe that you get your work done first and fast and then take time for yourself.
After a summer of full blown travel, I know I have taken time for myself in theory, but really these expeditions were for others as well. My brother's wedding was not a vacation. It was great to get to spend time with my family, but organizing travel for 5 people, arranging family meals for groups of 10-15, and driving all over the city of Los Angeles was work. After 2 trips to Vegas, a trip to LA, a weekender soccer tournement to Steamboat and an upcoming trip to D.C., I will admit, I'm beat. Just plain exhausted and none of these events was for the maxin' and relaxin' beach time I like to invest in for vacation.
When I woke up this morning, I thought to myself "self, what is on the agenda today? I am so tired, I can barely open my eyes, and the thought of driving kids to school, making lunches, breakfast and combing hair, is just not appealing to me right now." But, that's what you do when you have kids, you suck it up and get out of bed. Kids first, Mom second.
When I returned from walking my little one across the street to school, he's the last out of the house in the morning, with a late start of 8:30AM (that's a joke for you that don't get up at 5:30 to get 2-3 different shifts of people out of the house on time), I came in to read my horoscope.
This is generally how my day starts - 3 hours of family rise & shine'ing, then on to my day.
Meetings, client proposals, presentations, and then back in time for the 3p-5p pick ups. It never ends. Then who's responsible for dinner - oh, yeah that's me too.
So today I am spending a large portion of the day catching up with my writing. Then I will work on a pressing presentation, then I will take a nap. The first nap I have had in years.
Everything else, I will put off for tomorrow. Why?
Because I can.