THE LAW OF THE JUNGLE
Trade, within a society and between countries, is the exchange of goods and services produced by human beings. The owners of the means of production appropriate the profits. As a class, they are the leaders of the capitalist state and they boast of fostering development and social wellbeing through market. This they worship as an infallible God.
In every country there is competition between the strongest and the weakest; the ones with more physical energy and better fed, those who learned how to read and write, who attended school and have more experience accumulated; the ones with more extensive social relations and more resources, and those within society who fail to have these advantages.
Now, as far as the countries is concerned, there are differences between those with a better climate and more arable land, more water and more natural resources in the area where they are located, when there are no more territories to conquer; the ones mastering technology, having greater development and handling unlimited media resources and those who, on the contrary, do not enjoy any of these prerogatives. These are the sometimes enormous differences between the rich and the poor nations.
It’s the law of the jungle.
There are no differences between ethnic groups, however, when it comes to the mental faculties of the human being. This has been thoroughly proven by science. The present society is not the natural way in which human life evolved, but rather a creation of the mentally developed man without which his life would be inconceivable. Therefore, what is at stake is whether the human being will be able to survive the privilege of having a creative mind.
The developed capitalist system, epitomized by the country with a privileged nature where the European white man brought his ideas, dreams and ambitions, is today in a crisis. But, it is not the usual crisis happening once in a number of years; not even the traumatic crisis of the 1930s but the worst of all crises since the world started to pursue this growth and development model.
The current crisis of the developed capitalist system is taking place when the empire is about to change leadership in the elections to be held in twenty-five days; it was all that was left to see.
The candidate of the two main parties that will say the last word in these elections are trying to persuade the bewildered voters –many of whom have never cared to cast a vote— that as candidates to the presidency they can secure the wellbeing and consumerism of what they describe as a people of middle class only, even though they are not planning to introduce any real changes to what they consider the most perfect economic system the world has ever known. The same world that, in their respective minds, is less important than the happiness of over three hundred million people who account for less than five percent of the world population. The fate of the remaining ninety-five percent of human beings, peace and war, the fit or unfit-for-breathing air, will highly depend on the decisions of the administrative leader of the empire, whether or not that constitutional position has any power at a time of nuclear weapons and space shields moved by computers in circumstances where every second counts and when ethical principles keep loosing their value. Still, the more or less nefarious role of the President of that country cannot be overlooked.
Racism is deeply-rooted in the United States where the mind of millions of people can hardly reconcile with the notion that a black man, with his wife and children could live in the White House, which is precisely called White.
It’s a miracle that the Democratic candidate has not met the same destiny as Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and others who only a few decades ago dreamed of justice and equality. He is in the habit of looking at his adversary with serenity and of smiling at the dialectic predicament of an opponent gazing into space.
The Republican candidate, on the other hand, who likes to enhance his reputation as a belligerent man, was one of the worst students in his class at West Point. He has confessed that he did not know any Mathematics; it can thus be assumed that he knew less of the complicated economic science.
The truth is his adversary surpasses him in cleverness and composure.
Something McCain has aplenty is age, and his health condition is not safe.
I am bringing up these data to indicate that eventually –if anything went wrong with the candidate’s health, in case he is elected— the lady of the riffle, the inexperienced former governor of Alaska could become President of the United States. It can be noticed that she does not know a thing.
Meditating on the current US public debt –$10,266 trillions— that President Bush is laying on the shoulders of the new generations in that country, I took to calculating how long it would take a man to count the debt that he has doubled in eight years.
A man working eight hours a day, without missing a second, and counting one hundred one-dollar bills per minute, during 300 days in the year, would need 710 billion years to count that amount of money.
I could not find a more graphic way to describe the volume of money that is practically mentioned every day now.
In order to avoid a general state of panic, the US administration has declared that it will secure deposits that do not exceed 250 thousand dollars. It will be managing banks and such funds as Lenin would never have thought of counting with an abacus.
We might be wondering about the contribution of Bush’s administration to Socialism. But, let’s not entertain any illusions. Once the banking operations go back to normal, the imperialists will return the banks to the private business as some other countries in this hemisphere have already done. The peoples always foot the bill.
Capitalism tends to reproduce itself under any social system because it is based on selfishness and on man’s instincts.
The only choice left to human society is to overcome this contradiction; otherwise it would not be able to survive.
At this time, the ocean of money being poured into the world finances by the central banks of the developed capitalist countries is dealing a hard blow to the Stock Exchanges of the countries which resort to these institutions in an effort to beat their economic underdevelopment. Cuba has no Stock Exchange. We shall certainly find more rational and more socialist ways of financing our development.
The current crisis and the brutal measures of the US administration to save itself will bring more inflation, more devaluation of the national currencies, more painful losses in the markets, lower prices for basic export commodities and more unequal exchange. But, they will also bring to the peoples a better understanding of the truth, a greater conscience, more rebelliousness and more revolutions.
We shall see how the crisis develops and what happens in the United States in twenty-five days.
Fidel Castro Ruz
October 11, 2008 6:15 p.m.
Tag Archives: McCain
Can Palin be impeached before election day?

Sarah Palin found guilty of abuse of power in Troopergate. Could she face impeachment as governor of Alaska before the November election?
IT’S OFFICIAL: THE GOP IS THE NEW NAZI PARTY!
Is the McCain campaign deliberately trying to get some unhinged supporter to assassinate Obama?
Secret Service investigating Republican assassination threats against Obama at McCain rallies. [Sounds like terrorism, to me!
Trying to distance himself from the ugly hatred he himself has incited, McCain told a crowd they should respect Obama, but the crowd of fascists turned on him, and almost booed him off the stage. But, they’re your Nazis, John! You created them!
New York county sends out absentee ballots printed with “Barack Osama“.
Cindy McCain stayed in business with Chas. Keating for a decade after Keating 5 scandal that almost ruined John McCain’s career.
Legacy of appeasement. When is a country that sponsors terror not a country that sponsors terror? When the administration is desperately trying to find something — anything — positive to claim it accomplished during the last 8 years.
A special place in Hell, just for Sally. Kern (Terrorist Party) said gays are the biggest threat to the USA, and have killed more than 9/11, more than 100,000!
Criminal religion. Sarah Palin using taxpayers’ money to promote her own religious beliefs.
Poll: Obama now ahead by 11 points, and that’s before the ruling on Troopergate was revealed.
Not a good omen for the Republicans.
Top GOP strategist says “It’s over, McCain lost. It will be a landslide.” [video]
Excerpts from Thomas McCullock’s Oct 10 notes, thomasmc.com.
Troopergate Verdict and Depression sink McCain down to his knees
Obama has covered himself by being even more aggressive towards Iran than the Bush-McCain Klan are. That is meant to deflect the October Surprise if Bush and Israel decide to attack Iran before the US presidential election. Meanwhile, Troopergate and the Economic Crash have put a stake into the heart of The Old Vampire, John McCain.
Obama opens double-digit lead as Palin under fire The Northern states’ business community is about to take back direct control of the White House away from the Southern states’ business community once again.
America’s business community as a whole remains quite split which has kept it somewhat close in the polls for McCain. But this time around, they are not about to let the Southerners stalk off with a marginal ‘victory’ once again. There is just too much at stake as European business support for the US has become seriously loosened by the Bush Administration belligerence and unilateralism. America’s leadership at the pack of world wolves is slipping fast, and the less rabid amongst the business community know that.
An attack though in the next weeks on Iran would throw all calculations into a swirl. Would it still be able to work to McCain’s favor? We cannot truly know for sure, but it actually at this point, might just appear to be way too obvious an election ploy to work well? We shall see….?
Obamanos to the cleaners
Some among the media are already predicting an Obama landslide. You’d almost think they believe their liberal bias. Are you convinced? I’m not.

How can the news outlets, owned by the corporate kleptocracy, be other than GOP double agents? I think their Obamaglee is to lull Dems into overconfidence, but most of all, to alarm White Bread America, that it’s time to defend that voting booth from the colored interloper. Countless times every day, Media Matters of America records misrepresentations of Barack Obama coming from all persuasion of the Fourth Estate. Why, if the media was sympathetic? Why are John McCain and henchwench Palin let to rile up their lynch mob supporters with less than a raised eyebrow? And why are government agencies still colluding to rig the November vote, if a McCain victory is a lost cause?
McCain is a Member of a Terrorist Organization: the GOP!

Some “rescue.” Stock Market continues to plummet, the DOW has lost 25% of it’s value since the bailout was passed, less than a week ago.
Bill Gates no longer the richest person in America.
McCain doesn’t give a damn about the economy. Why should he? He’s filthy rich.
Why does John McCain hate veterans?
McCain linked to Iran Contra scandal.
Insane McCain, not fit to be president!
GOP isn’t even pretending they are a separate entity from unAmerican Murdoch’s Fox News & Propaganda, now releasing Fox transcripts verbatim as RNC press releases.
Jewish pogrom in Israel Palestine. Israeli Jews are making German Nazis look like boy scouts.
More Nazi Jews riot in Palestine, Israeli Foreign Minister tells Palestinians: “Do not defend yourselves!”
I think McCain is going to lose for the same reason that Hillary lost: that arrogant, elitist attitude that it’s “his [or her] turn” to be president. Because nothing will piss off a voter faster than telling him he doesn’t have a choice. Then again, the only vote that counts in November is Diebold’s, and the Democrats haven’t done a damned thing about that in the last two years they’ve been in charge of Congress. Maybe that’s why McCain’s so confident.
If they succeed in fixing this election, I hope the backlash makes the French Revolution look like a love in.
Opposing eternal war for corporate profit now classifies you as a “terrorist.”
Lock your doors, the Republicans are coming.
Former Republican governor of Michigan withdraws endorsement of McCain.
Sarah Palin throws husband under bus.
Proof that the GOP is now offically the American Nazi Party. [more]
Excerpts from Thomas McCullock’s Oct 9 notes, thomasmc.com.
Republican rout is now in the making- The Republican Swan Song by Conjunto God is Dead
Obama is way out in the lead and pulling away from McCain fast! See RealClearPolitics for summary of multiple polls that show this. Saying this in no way implies that the Republicans will be routed out of the Deep South and Sunbelt/ Farm belt rural areas of the country.
Take another look at RealClear’s electoral map of the race McCain is now out of the running in Pennsylvania and without that state, even winning in all the battleground states still would not be enough to put him over the top. With the economy crashing, his support will be slipping further in places like Colorado, Ohio, Florida, Indiana, and Missouri, all of which are places he absolutely has to win.
People blame the Republicans much more than they do the Democrats for the economic mess. I find that to be a rather doubtful conclusion on their part, but still… it will work against McCain and will work to keep in check temporarily the racism of many so-called White ‘Independents’.
Time is running out to initiate a dirty trick October Surprise by the Bush-Cheney gang. They, it turns out, are actually the victims of the October Surprise this election. The 2008 October Surprise is the world wide Economic Depression just now getting under way. It seems that the economic fall just could not hold itself back until after the American elections. God just was not on the Republican side this time around. Satan was…
And now for some music for and from the losers here…
The Republican Song
Democrats and Liberals, shame on you,
don’t punish us all just to please a few,
Your holdin people back while we’re pickin up the slack,
and that’s why we can’t vote for a Democrat.
Oh no, a no, no, no, no, no, no…
Oh no, a no, no, no, no, no, nooo…
Yeah, your holding people back, while we’re pickin up the tax,
Oh no, no please don’t vote for a Democrat.
Now we’re trying to win a war and wipe out the terrorists,
We’re not fightin for oil we got plenty if we drill it.
But the liberals and the media are spreading their lies,
Get the hell out of our way and let our soldiers fight.
Please Don’t Vote for a Democrat! Pretty stupid song, ay? But funny as Hell! Kind of a ‘Folky going to Turkey’ sort of update on that ancient Merle Haggard hit.
Does this presidential race look close?
Tuesday’s presidential debate left me feeling nothing but awkward. Barack Obama sat half leaning in his chair, while his opponent shuffled toward whoever held the microphone like Neko the mouse-chasing screen saver kitten, except McCain flapped his arms like a penguin, and had about that much to say.
Actually, did either candidate say much? McCain repeated his incoherent assurances, and Obama’s tack seemed deliberately to be not to outshine McCain. Spectators would probably delight in watching a best man win, but it seems Obama’s strategy is not to clobber the Bush poster boy, because Americans can’t help themselves from feeling for the underdog. Especially if he’s the Last White Hope.
John McCain could fly a Navy jet through the IQ gap between the two candidates. But McCain’s flight record shows he couldn’t even navigate that without clipping a power line and leaving all of us in the dark. McCain is that unsuited for the job, any job except influence peddling and whoring in Rio. That’s not an exaggeration. He is that vacuous, that soulless, that traitorous, that cowardly, and that lacking in judgment. It does trouble me immensely that cohorts like Biden can’t help but temper their public criticism of McCain with reminders of how much they like him. It reminds me of Bush as drinking buddy.
With his record of failure in his every endeavor, school, flying, captivity, corruption, infidelity, war-mongering, belonging to the GOP, being tainted by Bush, where does John McCain find traction with the American populace?
How the hell is this contest anticipated to be close, except the issue of Americans resisting the idea of a black president?
Here’s an explanation getting passed around the web:
HOW RACISM WORKS:
What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said ‘I do’ to?
What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?
What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard and Princeton?
What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5?
What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?
Time to use the word DEPRESSION again
One of the most ridiculous of the utterly false and phony positive thinking talking points used by the US’s Right Wing corporate daily press and the talking heads of their TV stations is their constant babble about whether we have entered into a ‘recession’ or not? The correct word to be used is depression, it ‘s an ECONOMIC DEPRESSION we have been entered into worldwide, and there is nothing left to debate about it either. It’s here. End of discussion. Go take a hike, Clowns@!
Today, stocks fell almost 7% and that now is a drop of about 25% from the DOW all time high just 2 years ago. That is a depression. Further, this Friday morning Japanese stocks have already fallen 11% of their value in just a few minutes of trading. That is an economic depression.
Let’s cut to the quick on this. Bush and his clown clones are through. They are out of here. This presidential election will turn out to be a rout of McCain/ Palin, because they are more of the same, and The Same just flushed itself down the toilet via a whole shitload of corruption finally coming home to roost. But there is yet more here than the rout of the neocon corruptionists that will occur. If we in America are fed up with this crew, the rest of the world is even more so.
Yes, the rest of the world is going down the drain with us and our stupid economy where thieves rule the rest of us. They are going to hate the US for the misery we have delivered them into. In fact, they already do. Afghanistan to Iraq to Somalia to Pakistan and flush, flush, flush. They can put it together, even if your dumb Republican neighbors can’t.
It’s time to use the word depression once again, because we alhough we all thought the thought that ‘communism’ self destructs, we had all but forgotten that capitalism does just that in an even much worse way. We have been entered into a worldwide economic depression by all those that fed us the total line of crap that it was all running so very smoothly. Pompous stupid, arrogant twits they were, and now the world has once again had its eyes opened to the dangers that capitalism constantly puts the human race into. The unemployment to come will soon see to that.
The rich everywhere will say that The Treasury has no money to stop it. You can bet your 401K retirement funds on it! And the whole world will correctly blame the US government, AND the stupid American people themselves, for what is being done to them. Get used to really being hated, My Friends. And we will be hated rightly so, for playing stupid so long.
Good luck, Democratic Party. Just because everybody holds the Republican Party to be hugely responsible for this mess, don’t think that they won’t also begin to see you as the Republican’s cohorts. Hell! That’s what you have always claimed to be actually, isn’t it? People played stupid though and didn’t take you people at your own word. You are now in a BIG, BIG, BIG… BIPARTISAN MESS. We got it. You earned it!
Yes, it’s time to once again use the word DEPRESSION once again. It will be hard on us all (save the Capitalist rich who always profit off human misery).
Vote McCain, Creepiest Man in America!
Is there anything on this planet creepier than when John McCain says, “My friends…”?
Who’s connected to Wm. Ayers? Why, John McCain, of course! Straight from the horse’s ass, himself.
Unamerican McCain sells his vote to Taiwan.
Zionist traitor Joe Lieberman worries that Obama wouldn’t bomb Iran for Israel.
Even the NY Times says the McCain/Palin campaign is the slimiest, ever!
The McCain/Palin campaign has turned the GOP into the American Nazi Party.
Fascism, thy name is Republican: Store bans customer for life, for wearing an Obama t-shirt, AND, Man shot for wearing Obama t-shirt.
Who lost in last night’s presidential debate? Why, the American people, of course.
Excerpts from Thomas McCullock’s Oct 8 notes, thomasmc.com.
Who is losing in the debates? We are.
FOX NEWS claims McCain is winning. MSNBC seems to be making an un-characteristic Obama gambit. Who’s losing the presidential debates? We are. And I’m not even talking about the exclusion of third party voices like Nader or McKinney. The Dems are winning, this last by “that one” but so is an escalation in Afghanistan, an attack on Pakistan, backing Israel in war-making against Iran, military intervention in Sudan, and the corporate profit replenishment bailout.
Lost in the concern about the Palin versus Biden match-up was Biden’s straight-up militancy. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Sudan. The Dems plan some kind of deceleration in Iraq, but more troops everywhere else. American voters haven’t become energized because they favor Dems over Repugs. They are against war! The American people prevailed eventually against the Vietnam War and they find themselves three decades later having to rise again to stop their government from waging war against the world in the name of the so-called GWOT.
Meanwhile the Democratic Party has co-opted that energy by posing as antiwar, and as the only social justice voice in Washington. Work within the system they say. But then you come against a hawkish leader like Joe Biden. What now. Are energized Dems cheering Biden’s war cries?
An audience member in last night’s debate advocated killing Bin Laden no matter where he’s hiding. Forget arguing whose borders must be respected. And the candidates seem to jostle for who is more eager to get Osama. I’d like to ask that woman if we should call in an air strike if it turns out Osama’s hiding in HER house? Should the US DoD violate American public’s territorial integrity?
Is this what American justice has become? Air strikes in lieu of day in court, rule of law, innocent until proven guilty? Do Dems and Republicans form just a blood-thirsty mob out to buttress their standard of living at any cost?
I caught some of the call-ins on C-SPAN after the debate. A number of the callers were for neither candidate and wanted to discuss the issues and candidates being cut out of the presidential debates. C-SPAN hung up on those.
Is Bush sending tanks from Ukraine to Kenya to South Sudan to foment civil war there?
Hijacked tanks ‘for South Sudan’ Who paid for these tanks? The US government?
South Sudan doesn’t have that much cash on hand at all. One should ask these questions especially with Barack Obama just having called in the debate tonight for US military intervention against the Sudanese government. Whoa there! Bush has got the Democrat beat on the punch and we can all rest assured in our nice little American homes that our government is going to once again initiate yet more genocide in Africa! …in the name of preventing it, no doubt. Poor Obama, he just can’t quite seem to outflank Bush’s and McCain’s militarism to the Right no matter how hard he tries. And he does try hard!
McCain won’t need on the job training, he’s almost dead in this election
The funniest part of the debate was McCain saying that he won’t need any on the job training for being President unlike how Obama supposedly would. That’s right, John, clones of Bush/ Reagan do not need any on the job training at all. However, neither do clones of Clinton.
But how stupid could McCain get with using this line? People aren’t comparing Obama’s ‘experience’ as a political hack with that of Old Fart John, they are comparing Obama’s experience with that of Sarah Palin since they figure that such a decrepit tottering old fool probably won’t last his 4 year term. In fact, McCain looked so bad health wise in tonight’s debate that many folk will have trouble thinking that he could make it through even another year!
As to substance? Well there was little. Neither candidate had anything to say about the effects of deficit spending for the military plunging (that’s today’s Wall Street word) the world economy into the deep, yet they blabbed on about it for most of their time. And to the military and what wars to fight, Obama outflanked General McCain to the far right, saying that we must go aggressively into Pakistan and Afghanistan yet more than has already been done! He wants to invade Sudan, too, it seemingly appears. McCain says that Obama speaks big, but carries a small stick, where as with Viagra McCain it is the other way around. Hey, that’s differences for you!
Obama seemed to score a point or two on the theme of health care, simply because McCain’s approach was to say let the poor die in the streets and don’t bother business folk with such picayune affairs. Obama replied that he was not so eager to napalm the American public.
Who won the debate in this debate of losers? Why Obama did. McCain is too cloned from a one letter President who is sinking faster than Wall Street stocks. It’s the economy, W. Look for the gap between McCain and Obama to grow wider with John’s weak punches. The Republican campaign is now on life support and needs Cheney to start a nuclear war to possibly rally the flag waving public back into their camp of Fantasy. We’re on to new fantasies instead! Clintonism just turned Blacker! Oh joy!
Welcome to the Kleptocracy!
“Lowest Common Denominator” media hits rock bottom. NBC Today Show host introduced Robert F. Kennedy Jr, by asking him “how’s your dad?”
Cindy Sheehan to launch new national political party after November election.
Will Sarah Palin be indicted for tax fraud? She should be. [more]
Is McCain the 21st Century Hitler? Yes. Yes, he is.
It is now officially impossible to see any distinction between the US military and the German Nazi Army.
Government report: data mining does NOT work. Not that the fascists have ever let reality get in their way.
Hurricane Bush doing to the US world economy what Katrina did to New Orleans.
Bush administration published plan to suspend Constitution — not just before 9/11 — but the day before the inaguration.
New Office Pool: On what day will president Bush cancel the November election?
Excerpts from Thomas McCullock’s Oct 7 notes, thomasmc.com.
Sarah Palin had sex with Saddam Hussein!
Sarah Palin declares that troops and veterans are unqualified to vote!
Well duh. Conservative Peggy Noonan says Sarah Palin’s candidacy is built on class warfare.
Sarah Palin admits there is a place in Hell reserved for Sarah Palin.
Sarah Palin had sex with Saddam Hussein!
John McCain was on the board of a racist (and antiZionist) group called the U.S. Council for World Freedom.
McCain wrecks everything he touches. As a pilot, he wrecked 5 planes, and ended up getting himself captured in Vietnam. In the Senate, he deregulated the US gov’t causing most of the crises we now face. This country could not survive him being president.
Stock market continues in free fall, as world realizes that $850B the Democrats gave to Bush won’t do a damn thing to help our economy, it was just a gift to the filthy-rich, who won’t use it to help anyone but themselves. Duh.
AIG execs living it up like kings on taxpayer bailout money.
Excerpts from Thomas McCullock’s Oct 6 notes, thomasmc.com.
The crazed cowgirl wildly firing shotgun blanks
Palin blew it for the increasingly desperate McCain team with her remarks that Obama cavorts with terrorists, and now has succeeded in making the Republican candidates just look desperate as the economy goes down the drain. Analysis: Palin’s words may backfire on McCain
As the European economy continues to crumble this next week, the American economy with the big give away plan now passed will be hit hard, too. The majority of Americans blame the Republicans more than the Republicans and that will help to sink the McCain-Palin ship. Firing away with blank shots like the Obama terrorist nonsense will only turn more Americans away in disgust from casting a vote for these clowns. Clown Group Two (the Democrats) is headed to the White House unless Cheney-Bush can unfold the October Surprise real soon?
Aish HaTorah, Israeli based Zionist organization, spread their racist hate message against Arabs across America via their ‘Obsession’
The news at last is coming out that it is Israeli money that paid and promoted the hate campaign against Muslims and Arabs that was contained in the dvd ‘Obsession’. This dvd was spread throughout all the states with competitive presidential votes coming up on behalf of the Palin-McCain crowd and the Republican Party. The distributors of his dvd called themselves the Clarion Fund and just seemed to appear out of thin air, but they stupidly used the same address as Aish Haorah and gave themselves away! What racist clowns they are! See NEO-CONS, ISRAELI HARDLINERS BEHIND GIVEAWAY OF ISLAMOPHOBIC DVD for the story.
A cursory map of electoral polling sites show where the McCain base of support comes from. It comes from the historically White racist Southern states. However, these days it is unacceptable to run a directly and openly anti-Black racist message so Arabs and Muslims became the (dis)honored Stand Ins for the Right Wing racist Christian Klan crowd, by way of money from Israeli Jews! A giant conspiracy by Muslim elements is alleged in this dvd, ‘Obsession’, and American corporate newspapers obliged and distributed this genocide loaded message, without any pause except for only an exception or two. (Good for you, St Louis!)
We can only hope that Americans learn about this news and that this sordid campaign backfires against Aish HaTorah and the Israelis for entering into the election activities of our country? If any other country’s people had pulled a stunt like this, they would probably correctly have earned the full force of government prosecution used against them. Instead, the US Bush Administration is complicit with this electoral interference in US politics by Israel. This is absolutely shameful for a government that has itself targeted Muslim charities and Muslim countries alike for murder and mayhem. For the Zionist Aish Hatorah, the profit was in trying to stampede Americans into further supporting the Jewish Israeli government’s stealing away of more Palestinian lands and properties. The world watches and ultimately learns of these shenanigans though, and the racist campaign they started hopefully will back fire and stall.
Check out wikipedia’s entry about this group, Aish Hatorah, for some good information given about their activities and connection with ‘Obsession’.
McCain Palin declare Class War
The GOP has been waging class warfare even as it cries foul of every populist attempt the fight back. Now Sarah Palin and John McCain have seized the standard for the middle class, pretending to want to lead the attack on Washington, all the while presiding over the continued evisceration of America’s common wealth. Sarah Palin is a Trojan horse to thrill the hillbillies, but filled with icky Blackwater paramilitary foot soldiers.
From the 13TH: Just when you thought all the humor has left the U.S. election, along comes Que Sarah Sarah! With experience in snowjobs and folk lore, she’s definitely the creme of the crop circle.
Obama not to change a thing
Obama is not going to change a thing and that is not me saying it, but one of Obama’s chief aides, or at least so thinks the Wall Street Journal. OCTOBER 3, 2008 Obama Adviser Doesn’t Expect Defense Cuts
Isn’t that just nice? Here we have all the people screaming before about Bush’s War, and now they are almost all planning to vote for a guy who’s going to keep the War Budget right where it’s at! Why? Well they are Democrats, aren’t they?
This gets even worse when one thinks about what the bloated military budget and the deficit spending keeping it afloat is doing to the American and world economies. Where is Mr. Change here? He is for sinking the US people and the US dollar straight down into the gutter. He is for draining the country of its wealth and putting it into the private hands of a very few. He is for a bloated military. He is for permanent war.
What strikes one about the ruling classes servants, McCain and Obama, is how much alike they really are in their political programs of give away to the super rich. It is no accident that neither had the slightest difference in how they came out to support Bush’s Federal Giveaway program for the looters from the US Treasury. Neither said that they had alternative programs for America that $700,000,000,000 could better be spent upon. Not a whisper of difference between the two. They’re both with the Big Boys.
If you are looking for a move away from US militarism under Obama, then look again. Both the Republicans and Democrats are completely controlled by the military suppliers;companies like Lockheed, Boeing , Northrop, etc. ‘Scrubbing’ them my ass! The only scrubbing that will get done by Obama and his sidekicks will be the American general public and not the military suppliers. I don’t believe he’ll touch them in the least, do you?
Capitalism has failed. It is time to try something else

America is Lost. The Senate of the Damned (2/3 of which is not up for reelection, so they can ignore the will of the voters) passed an $800B givaway for the filthy-rich on Wall St, nothing for Americans losing their homes. They actually added $100B in bribes to the already rejected extortion package.
Will Congress succeed in throwing a magic TARP over our eyes, and let Wall St. abscond with another $Trillion of taxpayer money? If ever there was a time for a second American Revolution, this is it.
Never mention the greed. Nutcase Conservatives again try to scapegoat minorities for Wall St. meltdown. Just like Hitler blamed the Jews for Germany’s economic collapse.
In taped interview, McCain proves what an asshole and liar he really is. I hear his handlers are worried about him going postal before the election.
Another huge success for McCain’s surge. Dozens killed in Baghdad bombings this morning.
Muslim clerics issue fatwa against new Pakistani president, for flirting with the slutty tramp Sarah Palin.
I’m going to the store to buy some popcorn, tonight is when Sarah Palin makes a complete fool of herself debating Biden, and tomorrow the Republicans will have to hide their faces in shame at the thought of having to vote for her. But hey, a contract is a contract, even with the Devil himself.
Excerpts from Thomas McCullock’s Oct 2nd notes, thomasmc.com.
For houses with McCain-Palin lawn signs
A topical greeting card to leave where you see McCain/Palin lawn signs:

Finally a chance to do more than throw watermelon rinds at their lawns signs on the drive to school. Tonight’s tentatively calamitous main event offers a chance to elevate neighborly political discourse. Before tonight’s Sarah Palin debate appearance, hand deliver a greeting card to neighbors on your block who have McCAIN or NOBAMA signs on their property. Whether they’re selfish, bigoted, uninformed, or just idiots, make them feel the transparency of their Republican affiliation.
Senators give Paulson keys to treasury
The Senate has signed Paulson’s blank check for the Wall Street ransom payment. Band of Thieves, Murder of Crows, Goddamn Jerk of Senators!

Overheard on the radio about Obama/McCain: “It’s amazing such similar solutions for the economic crisis can be coming from such vastly different candidates.” Not so amazing if you consider you’ve only assumed the red and blue are opposites. Both candidates colluding with the Banking oligarchs could be a tipoff that both parties represent the same interests. Time to wonder how the American people’s interest might have been represented by an alternative third [sic] party?
How well are you reconciling Barack Obama’s theme of “change” as he stumped for the Wall Street money grab. Obama likened the crisis to your neighbor’s house being on fire. Besides the implication that no one would want to be uncharitable, you might also deign to pitch in for the selfish motive of keeping your neighbor’s fire from spreading to your house. That was Obama’s clever pitch, but is that what the failing investments represent? The bankers’ homes? Hardly. I can’t even think of an analogy to represent what the jeopardized assets represent to the hierarchy of needs of the super wealthy.
Assuming they are your neighbors. Would it be their twelfth snow-machine that’s on fire? Their son’s floozy’s uncle’s twelfth snowmobile on fire and threatening your house. You need to what, pay him to buy another so that the burning one can be safely drenched without pissing him off, since the thrill he gets from that snowmobile is to keep it ablaze for the thrill of endangering you and your family.
Try that one on us Obama.
UPDATE FROM MICHAEL MOORE:
Tonight, the Senate passed an even worse “bailout” bill than the one the House defeated on Monday night. Only 25 Senators (and most of them for the wrong reasons) voted “No.” It now moves to the House for a vote, possibly on Friday. Why did Obama and Biden vote for it? I think we all know the answer. Let’s keep our eye on the ball of removing the Republicans from the White House, but let tonight be our first reminder that our work is not finished on November 4th when Obama wins. The struggle between what is best for the people and what is best in order to line the pockets of Wall Street will continue. 150 million Americans combined can’t even match the wealth of the richest 400 Americans. All we have is our vote. And there will always be more of us than them. We will all need to become more politically active if we are going to get our democracy back.
Singin’ the Bail-out blues…
..except nothing that ugly could possibly be put to music..
There’s a massive effort from the Far Right to blame the Liberals, blame the Working poor (whispered rumors are that it’s those MINORITIES) when the evidence has been staring us right in the face for all this time.
Infomercials on how to Get Rich Without Trying filled the late-night, early morning TeeVee…
The loans that were defaulted, turns out that not only most but the Vast Majority of them were to people who were speculating.
Not people who were buying homes to actually, you know, LIVE in them.
The “Flip that house” show is still on HGTV…
Buy a house at a flexible rate, wait while the real estate value goes up, then sell it at a profit.
The Infomercials promised that you could do this with “little or even NO money down! How could you possibly lose?”
Buy a house with no money, sell it a week later, pay off the balance of your mortgage and use the rest as paper collateral, “Cash Instrument” on another loan, preferably two, and do the same thing over again.
“How could you possibly lose?”
ummm… maybe by following the instructions, yeah, that’s a fast way to lose.
NOW, How Much Would You Pay? BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!
these “Cash Instruments” essentially a post-dated check backed by an extremely ætherial government guarantee of payment…
then get used as collateral for secondary and tertiary levels of loans.
Now, the Republican-controlled Congress, (until January 07), top heavy with Harvard MBAs and even Doctorates in Economics, and of course the Investment Banks and the Brokerage Houses, for some reason now they’re saying they’re the victims, that none of them had the experience or the intellect to spot a Pyramid Scam in the works.
Especially not when given a 15 year head start on spotting it.
They say they were forced to give loans to Poor Risk (meaning: underpaid Minorities) customers, but neglect to mention that most of those owner-occupant houses didn’t default.
They also weren’t “required by Federal Law” to push the bank guarantees off onto the Speculators, in fact, they seem to be complicit in those crimes.
And all these Financial Experts, especially those in Congress, like McCain, have had their Corporate Sponsors spend Large Money telling us how vigilant they were over our economy…
WELL, DUH!!
So the most they can claim is Not Guilty By Reason of Massive Incompetence.
But they come, not hat in hand, not humbly, but Arrogantly, demanding that we pay their bills, with no questions and no oversight.
Because, so they say, they’re the only ones who have the competence and experience to do it.
my yass.
We’ve just experienced the full measure of their “Competence”
Then there’s the little matter of that Federal Insurance on the mortgages.
It wasn’t there. Why was that insurance not there?
Two Words: Eye Rack.
Seems Mr Bush, whose Grandpoppy, Poppy and brothers are all Bankers, has had a little Fancy Finance Finagling going on to “pay” the bills on that mess.
It makes the Treasonous Actions of Reagan, North, Poindexter Bush Sr Secord and Casey look like a trial run.
Which essentially it was.
This time instead of funding the Cuba Libre, the Contras, the Medellin Cartel, the Taliban, Hizbollah and al Qa’eda, it goes directly into the American Taliban in other words BlackWater, Halliburton and other more highly organized Terrorist Groups.
But they’re going to blame the entire collapse on a relative handful of low-budget homeowners.
Eat the Rich.
Stop the Senate of would-be thieves!
Call your Band of Thieving Senators now to tell them you don’t want to give $700 Billion –more honestly likely to be $5 Trillion– to the robber bankers of Wall Street! Telephone Colorado Senators Ken Salazar at 202.224.5852 and Wayne Allard at 202.224.5941 NOW. Why not call OBAMA too! (phone: 202-224-2854) Tell them you want them to consult with at least ONE economist of repute! At least one analyst not on the corporate payroll. As he promised yesterday, Michael Moore suggests a 10 PART PLAN, only IF pressure can be brought to bear right now to stop the Senate bill.
Friends,
The richest 400 Americans — that’s right, just four hundred people — own MORE than the bottom 150 million Americans combined. 400 rich Americans have got more stashed away than half the entire country! Their combined net worth is $1.6 trillion. During the eight years of the Bush Administration, their wealth has increased by nearly $700 billion — the same amount that they are now demanding we give to them for the “bailout.” Why don’t they just spend the money they made under Bush to bail themselves out? They’d still have nearly a trillion dollars left over to spread amongst themselves!
Of course, they are not going to do that — at least not voluntarily. George W. Bush was handed a $127 billion surplus when Bill Clinton left office. Because that money was OUR money and not his, he did what the rich prefer to do — spend it and never look back. Now we have a $9.5 trillion debt. Why on earth would we even think of giving these robber barons any more of our money?
I would like to propose my own bailout plan. My suggestions, listed below, are predicated on the singular and simple belief that the rich must pull themselves up by their own platinum bootstraps. Sorry, fellows, but you drilled it into our heads one too many times: There… is… no… free… lunch. And thank you for encouraging us to hate people on welfare! So, there will be no handouts from us to you. The Senate, tonight, is going to try to rush their version of a “bailout” bill to a vote. They must be stopped. We did it on Monday with the House, and we can do it again today with the Senate.
It is clear, though, that we cannot simply keep protesting without proposing exactly what it is we think Congress should do. So, after consulting with a number of people smarter than Phil Gramm, here is my proposal, now known as “Mike’s Rescue Plan.” It has 10 simple, straightforward points. They are:
1. APPOINT A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR TO CRIMINALLY INDICT ANYONE ON WALL STREET WHO KNOWINGLY CONTRIBUTED TO THIS COLLAPSE. Before any new money is expended, Congress must commit, by resolution, to criminally prosecute anyone who had anything to do with the attempted sacking of our economy. This means that anyone who committed insider trading, securities fraud or any action that helped bring about this collapse must go to jail. This Congress must call for a Special Prosecutor who will vigorously go after everyone who created the mess, and anyone else who attempts to scam the public in the future.
2. THE RICH MUST PAY FOR THEIR OWN BAILOUT. They may have to live in 5 houses instead of 7. They may have to drive 9 cars instead of 13. The chef for their mini-terriers may have to be reassigned. But there is no way in hell, after forcing family incomes to go down more than $2,000 dollars during the Bush years, that working people and the middle class are going to fork over one dime to underwrite the next yacht purchase.
If they truly need the $700 billion they say they need, well, here is an easy way they can raise it:
a) Every couple who makes over a million dollars a year and every single taxpayer who makes over $500,000 a year will pay a 10% surcharge tax for five years. (It’s the Senator Sanders plan. He’s like Colonel Sanders, only he’s out to fry the right chickens.) That means the rich will still be paying less income tax than when Carter was president. This will raise a total of $300 billion.
b) Like nearly every other democracy, charge a 0.25% tax on every stock transaction. This will raise more than $200 billion in a year.
c) Because every stockholder is a patriotic American, stockholders will forgo receiving a dividend check for one quarter and instead this money will go the treasury to help pay for the bailout.
d) 25% of major U.S. corporations currently pay NO federal income tax. Federal corporate tax revenues currently amount to 1.7% of the GDP compared to 5% in the 1950s. If we raise the corporate income tax back to the level of the 1950s, that gives us an extra $500 billion.
All of this combined should be enough to end the calamity. The rich will get to keep their mansions and their servants, and our United States government (“COUNTRY FIRST!”) will have a little leftover to repair some roads, bridges and schools.
3. BAIL OUT THE PEOPLE LOSING THEIR HOMES, NOT THE PEOPLE WHO WILL BUILD AN EIGHTH HOME. There are 1.3 million homes in foreclosure right now. That is what is at the heart of this problem. So instead of giving the money to the banks as a gift, pay down each of these mortgages by $100,000. Force the banks to renegotiate the mortgage so the homeowner can pay on its current value. To insure that this help does no go to speculators and those who have tried to make money by flipping houses, this bailout is only for people’s primary residence. And in return for the $100K paydown on the existing mortgage, the government gets to share in the holding of the mortgage so that it can get some of its money back. Thus, the total initial cost of fixing the mortgage crisis at its roots (instead of with the greedy lenders) is $150 billion, not $700 billion.
And let’s set the record straight. People who have defaulted on their mortgages are not “bad risks.” They are our fellow Americans, and all they wanted was what we all want and most of us still get: a home to call their own. But during the Bush years, millions of them lost the decent paying jobs they had. Six million fell into poverty. Seven million lost their health insurance. And every one of them saw their real wages go down by $2,000. Those who dare to look down on these Americans who got hit with one bad break after another should be ashamed. We are a better, stronger, safer and happier society when all of our citizens can afford to live in a home that they own.
4. IF YOUR BANK OR COMPANY GETS ANY OF OUR MONEY IN A “BAILOUT,” THEN WE OWN YOU. Sorry, that’s how it’s done. If the bank gives me money so I can buy a house, the bank “owns” that house until I pay it all back — with interest. Same deal for Wall Street. Whatever money you need to stay afloat, if our government considers you a safe risk — and necessary for the good of the country — then you can get a loan, but we will own you. If you default, we will sell you. This is how the Swedish government did it and it worked.
5. ALL REGULATIONS MUST BE RESTORED. THE REAGAN REVOLUTION IS DEAD. This catastrophe happened because we let the fox have the keys to the henhouse. In 1999, Phil Gramm authored a bill to remove all the regulations that governed Wall Street and our banking system. The bill passed and Clinton signed it. Here’s what Sen. Phil Gramm, McCain’s chief economic advisor, said at the bill signing:
“In the 1930s … it was believed that government was the answer. It was believed that stability and growth came from government overriding the functioning of free markets.
“We are here today to repeal [that] because we have learned that government is not the answer. We have learned that freedom and competition are the answers. We have learned that we promote economic growth and we promote stability by having competition and freedom.
“I am proud to be here because this is an important bill; it is a deregulatory bill. I believe that that is the wave of the future, and I am awfully proud to have been a part of making it a reality.”
This bill must be repealed. Bill Clinton can help by leading the effort for the repeal of the Gramm bill and the reinstating of even tougher regulations regarding our financial institutions. And when they’re done with that, they can restore the regulations for the airlines, the inspection of our food, the oil industry, OSHA, and every other entity that affects our daily lives. All oversight provisions for any “bailout” must have enforcement monies attached to them and criminal penalties for all offenders.
6. IF IT’S TOO BIG TO FAIL, THEN THAT MEANS IT’S TOO BIG TO EXIST. Allowing the creation of these mega-mergers and not enforcing the monopoly and anti-trust laws has allowed a number of financial institutions and corporations to become so large, the very thought of their collapse means an even bigger collapse across the entire economy. No one or two companies should have this kind of power. The so-called “economic Pearl Harbor” can’t happen when you have hundreds — thousands — of institutions where people have their money. When you have a dozen auto companies, if one goes belly-up, we don’t face a national disaster. If you have three separately-owned daily newspapers in your town, then one media company can’t call all the shots (I know… What am I thinking?! Who reads a paper anymore? Sure glad all those mergers and buyouts left us with a strong and free press!). Laws must be enacted to prevent companies from being so large and dominant that with one slingshot to the eye, the giant falls and dies. And no institution should be allowed to set up money schemes that no one can understand. If you can’t explain it in two sentences, you shouldn’t be taking anyone’s money.
7. NO EXECUTIVE SHOULD BE PAID MORE THAN 40 TIMES THEIR AVERAGE EMPLOYEE, AND NO EXECUTIVE SHOULD RECEIVE ANY KIND OF “PARACHUTE” OTHER THAN THE VERY GENEROUS SALARY HE OR SHE MADE WHILE WORKING FOR THE COMPANY. In 1980, the average American CEO made 45 times what their employees made. By 2003, they were making 254 times what their workers made. After 8 years of Bush, they now make over 400 times what their average employee makes. How this can happen at publicly held companies is beyond reason. In Britain, the average CEO makes 28 times what their average employee makes. In Japan, it’s only 17 times! The last I heard, the CEO of Toyota was living the high life in Tokyo. How does he do it on so little money? Seriously, this is an outrage. We have created the mess we’re in by letting the people at the top become bloated beyond belief with millions of dollars. This has to stop. Not only should no executive who receives help out of this mess profit from it, but any executive who was in charge of running his company into the ground should be fired before the company receives any help.
8. STRENGTHEN THE FDIC AND MAKE IT A MODEL FOR PROTECTING NOT ONLY PEOPLE’S SAVINGS, BUT ALSO THEIR PENSIONS AND THEIR HOMES. Obama was correct yesterday to propose expanding FDIC protection of people’s savings in their banks to $250,000. But this same sort of government insurance must be given to our nation’s pension funds. People should never have to worry about whether or not the money they’ve put away for their old age will be there. This will mean strict government oversight of companies who manage their employees’ funds — or perhaps it means that the companies will have to turn over those funds and their management to the government. People’s private retirement funds must also be protected, but perhaps it’s time to consider not having one’s retirement invested in the casino known as the stock market. Our government should have a solemn duty to guarantee that no one who grows old in this country has to worry about ending up destitute.
9. EVERYBODY NEEDS TO TAKE A DEEP BREATH, CALM DOWN, AND NOT LET FEAR RULE THE DAY. Turn off the TV! We are not in the Second Great Depression. The sky is not falling. Pundits and politicians are lying to us so fast and furious it’s hard not to be affected by all the fear mongering. Even I, yesterday, wrote to you and repeated what I heard on the news, that the Dow had the biggest one day drop in its history. Well, that’s true in terms of points, but its 7% drop came nowhere close to Black Monday in 1987 when the stock market in one day lost 23% of its value. In the ’80s, 3,000 banks closed, but America didn’t go out of business. These institutions have always had their ups and downs and eventually it works out. It has to, because the rich do not like their wealth being disrupted! They have a vested interest in calming things down and getting back into the Jacuzzi.
As crazy as things are right now, tens of thousands of people got a car loan this week. Thousands went to the bank and got a mortgage to buy a home. Students just back to college found banks more than happy to put them into hock for the next 15 years with a student loan. Life has gone on. Not a single person has lost any of their money if it’s in a bank or a treasury note or a CD. And the most amazing thing is that the American public hasn’t bought the scare campaign. The citizens didn’t blink, and instead told Congress to take that bailout and shove it. THAT was impressive. Why didn’t the population succumb to the fright-filled warnings from their president and his cronies? Well, you can only say ‘Saddam has da bomb’ so many times before the people realize you’re a lying sack of shite. After eight long years, the nation is worn out and simply can’t take it any longer.
10. CREATE A NATIONAL BANK, A “PEOPLE’S BANK.” If we really are itching to print up a trillion dollars, instead of giving it to a few rich people, why don’t we give it to ourselves? Now that we own Freddie and Fannie, why not set up a people’s bank? One that can provide low-interest loans for all sorts of people who want to own a home, start a small business, go to school, come up with the cure for cancer or create the next great invention. And now that we own AIG, the country’s largest insurance company, let’s take the next step and provide health insurance for everyone. Medicare for all. It will save us so much money in the long run. And we won’t be 12th on the life expectancy list. We’ll be able to have a longer life, enjoying our government-protected pension, and living to see the day when the corporate criminals who caused so much misery are let out of prison so that we can help reaclimate them to civilian life — a life with one nice home and a gas-free car that was invented with help from the People’s Bank.
Yours,
Michael MooreP.S. Call your Senators now. Here’s a backup link in case we crash that site again. They are going to attempt their own version of the Looting of America tonight. And let your reps know if you agree with my 10-point plan.
Palin gets natural lip gloss from NPR

We may all be eagerly awaiting the Thursday VP debate trainwreck, with finally a sense that sanity cannot but otherwise prevail on coverage of the Sarah Palin dunce cap corner. But Americans don’t have to look far to see that media bemusement with Palin is not unanimous, in fact NPR is still fawning. Nina Totenberg’s recent profile of Palin was as facetious as Palin herself. And the NPR website transcript suggest the staff don’t want to leave a record of Totenberg’s unbending endorsement. Morning Edition listeners get propaganda, websurfers get something more palatable than pure barf.
Totenberg knew she could not ignore the public’s growing repudiation of Palin, fueled by Palin’s self-immolation on ABC and lampooned by MSNBC, SNL and everyone in between. In her Morning Edition report, Totenberg began by paying lip service to her uphill task, putting the proverbial –you’d think a little too cliche at the moment– lipstick on a pig, paraphrased as sugarcoating. And then laying on the sugar anyway. In the excerpt below, the words in bold are actually Totenberg’s emphasis, not mine!
There’s no way to sugarcoat this. After a BRILLIANT debut at the Republican Convention and a speech that ELECTRIFIED the delegates and the country, Sarah Palin is STRUGGLING in her second act — as a candidate seeking to persuade uncommitted voters that she’s prepared to be vice president of the United States.
She draws HUGE crowds, though not as huge as G.O.P. staffers would like you to believe, still, by most standards, they’re ENORMOUS — five, ten, fifteen, even twenty thousand! People, particularly women, are thrilled to see someone SO like themselves up there and SUCCEEDING. And she remains a SPUNKY speaker.
Let’s see. Nina Totenberg concedes that sugarcoating will be impossible, then piles it on: “brilliant,” “electrified,” “huge crowds,” “enormous.” Not as huge as someone would have you believe, but ENORMOUS? Did you know huge was less than enormous? And then: “someone so like themselves,” “succeeding.” Now would either of those descriptions fit the Sarah Palin you’ve seen? She’s SO like you? She’s succeeding? Of course Totenberg doesn’t say she thinks so, nor that YOU think so, but simply that people do. Particularly women. Really Nina?
Then there’s a sample of Palin’s “spunky” speech:
[PALIN:] “Okay Pennsylvania. Over the next forty days, John McCain and I, we’ re gonna take our message and our mission of reform to voters of every background, in every party, or no party at all, and with your vote, we’re going to Washington to shake things up.”
Now I think it’s one thing to clean up Palin’s English, maybe even to prettify the grammar, but quite another to add or delete words. Compare the above semi-corrected transcript of Palin’s eruditeness to NPR’s.
Further on, Totenberg covers Palin’s energy policy expertise, playing a portion of Palin’s speech where she takes credit for a natural gas pipeline. Totenberg debunks, sort of:
News reports DO INDEED give her credit for the pipeline agreement, but suggest that Palin has left so many financial and land-rights problems unresolved that the pipeline might never be built.”
Totenberg sites “News reports” to substantiate Palin’s claims, the NPR website transcript changes this to “Media reports,” but isn’t this the same as arguing “Some People Say” to back up a statement without having to validate or invalidate it yourself?
(I recall NPR confronting Senator McCain about his ad accusing Barack Obama about advocating sex-ed for preschoolers. NPR cited Factcheck.org for contradicting McCain’s charge, to which the GOP candidate merely countered that the so-called “Factcheck.org” was entitled to their different view of the facts. Never did NPR feel compelled to provide investigation of its own into the facts. Do we need a news program to be so objective that it can be detached from reporting what is fact or what is misrepresentation?)
Also highlighted in the speech is her son, in Iraq, her Down Syndrome baby boy, and on the stage when we were with her, two of her three daughters, who with their mother worked the rope line for a few minutes afterwards. And then there’s Palin’s husband Todd, affectionately known as “The First Dude,” who’s a commercial fisherman, oil field worker, union member and close adviser to his wife.
[PALIN:] “He is the four time winner of the Iron Dog, the world’s longest snow machine race, two thousand miles! And the more John McCain hears about that Iron Dog Race, the more often he says Todd’s crazy.
Did you know Todd Palin’s moniker was coined out of “affection?” Whose? On the radio broadcast, it was just “The First Dude” which mirrors recent national news photo captions, usually sarcastic. However the NPR website transcript specifies “Alaska’s First Dude,” which might have made Totenberg’s suggestion more credible. I don’t know, we’d have to consult Palin’s Alaskan constituents.
Here is part of NPR’s written version of Nina Totenberg’s report, submitted for comparison. Palin Tries For Second Act On The Road. Perhaps NPR is not submitting such as being a literal transcript. Indeed even some of their quotes of Sarah Palin are not the words she actually spoke. By the way, the original web transcript did not include the disingenuous preface “There is no way to sugarcoat this.” This was added a day later. The transcript also omits Palin’s extra embellishments about her husband. In effect NPR listeners heard a vastly aggrandizing report than NPR has decided to put on record.
Morning Edition, September 30, 2008 · There is no way to sugarcoat this. After a brilliant debut at the Republican National Convention and a speech that electrified the delegates and the country, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is struggling in her second act — as a candidate trying to persuade uncommitted voters that she is prepared to be vice president of the United States.
Palin draws huge crowds. They aren’t as huge as GOP staffers would like you to believe, but they’re still enormous by most standards — 5,000, 10,000, 15,000, even 20,000 supporters. Many people, particularly women, are thrilled to see someone like themselves on stage, and Palin is a spunky speaker, especially when she promised that she and McCain would go to Washington to shake things up.
“John McCain and I are going to take our message and our mission of reform to voters of every background, in every party or no party at all,” she said at a recent campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
…
Media reports give her credit for the pipeline agreement, but suggest that Palin has left so many financial and land-rights problems unresolved that the pipeline might never be built.
Palin also spoke of her eldest son, who is serving in Iraq, and her infant son, who has Down syndrome. And she introduced her two young daughters, Willow and Piper, who joined her on stage and later helped her work the rope line, as well as her husband, Todd. Affectionately known as “Alaska’s First Dude,” Todd Palin is a commercial fisherman, oil field worker, union member and close adviser to his wife.
The family introductions took at least a couple of minutes in an 18-20 minute speech that was nearly identical to the one she gave at the Republican National Convention.
