John wrote on Jun 14, 2008 1:47 AM:For Yvon, What difference does it make when Hillary and others want Florida and Michigan seated. As a Republican I love the petty bickering and laugh at what it calls itself the people's party disenfranchising two states because they did not follow wow-wow Dean's rules. And I thought we lived in the country that allows all its citizens to vote. I think the meaning of democracy addresses this issue.

Apostate wrote on Jun 14, 2008 4:28 AM:Rachel Rott is a typical Obama supporter. Knowing nothing about how the system works, she categorically states that Obama is now “officially” the Democratic nominee. Sorry, Rachel, he won’t officially be anything until the votes are cast at the convention in August.
Perhaps this is an example of how the Obamaniacs intend to change the system. As is their wont, they make sweeping declarations as absolute truths about issues as they “hope” they will turn out, not as they are.
A lot of things can happen in three months, Rachel.

Paul wrote on Jun 14, 2008 6:36 AM:I think each homeless person should be given a shopping cart of their own, painted over with a distinctive color from those owned by stores. No code enforcement or police should be allowed to take it away from them. Also I think the cities should set up small storage rooms, perhaps 2 feet by 4 feet that could hold homeless persons meager possessions and even their cart so they could walk around town without having to push their cart everywhere.
After all if we went to the extreme of giving every pair of spotted owl 10,000 acres in the woods, maybe it would not be too much to ask that the homeless people be allowed use of a 12 foot by 12 feet parcel of land in the woods somewhere near town to build a shack of their own.

Don wrote on Jun 14, 2008 7:09 AM:The city of Mountain View, California, worked on and then implemented a shopping cart ordnance in 2002 or early 2003 shortly before I moved down here. So I don’t know the follow up. People who are interested should find out how it worked out. I think the fine was more like $25 or maybe up to $100. Wal-Mart in that city installed a locking wheel on each cart that would be activated when one crossed over the boundary of the parking lot. (WINCO, a large grocery store in Temecula has or had them too). Another grocery store in Mountain View had courtesy clerks load your groceries into their cart. Then you were required to let the courtesy clerk (often a skinny little girl) push your cart out to your car and the courtesy clerk would help you unload into your car while retaining possession the cart and then return herself and the cart back to the store. I really did not like that, but maybe some pregnant or elderly or disabled shoppers liked that. I viewed it as an insult of my honesty that they would expect me to steal their cart, and an affront to my manhood that I could not push my own cart out to my car. I have no problem with them having courtesy clerks to retrieve the cars from the parking lots. I would not even care too much if the clerk just walked out with me while I was pushing my cart and walked along to bring it back. Actually disabled, elderly and weak persons can ask for that help at any full service grocery store. Most of the carts that some people complained about were parked around nearby apartment buildings located within walking distance of the grocery store. Those customers who had no car, or no second car, or had babies or small children were seriously impacted by not being able to take their things and babies home in the carts.
I think at that time the other grocery stores put signs on every cart that they were not to be removed from the parking lot and the person could be fined for removing it, or maybe charged with theft.

Oh Please wrote on Jun 14, 2008 7:31 AM:lTime to complain was when rule was made
Kinda late in your opinion> LOl. John is a hoot at 1:47 AM: is a hoot. John is a self proclaimed Republican so his opinion is as worthless as his party and the "compassionate conservative" who led hem

yadda yadda wrote on Jun 14, 2008 7:56 AM:Apostate[-] wrote on Jun 14, 2008 4:28 AM:
You are correct. Obama is the presumptive Democratic nominee just as McCain is the presumptive nominee is McCain. For your sake, you should pray that something does happen at your convention. Your opinion about the Dems is a hoot.

Ron wrote on Jun 14, 2008 7:57 AM:You see, here's the real deal with Democrats, especially liberal Democrats and voting. If the rules help them, then they are all for rules. However, if the rules hurt them, they go to court.
Yvon Dacayana is exactly right.
We all watched as Hillary first abided by the rules as long as she thought she would be coronated. When the rules began to hurt her, she fought to change the rules in mid-stream.
Now.. Who has done this before?
That's right, Al Gore.
In the Gore case, he sought to hold open the counting until he reached his thresh hold of votes, and he sought to change the method of counting votes, hoping he'd squeak out a win.
On top of that, he sought to have only those votes in highly Democratic counties recounted, and not a state-wide recount. He wanted to win, and he was willing to do anything to do it.
In this cycle, this was not the only time the Clinton's went to court. In the Nevada primary & caucases, after she found out the SEIU had endorsed Obama, the Clinton's then went to court to prevent the voting from taking place in casino's, when just a year prior they had agreed to the locations inside the casino's.

Ron wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:09 AM:Exactly right Ronald Ford! But unfortunately, the liberals in Congress, and their presidential candidate think that punishing the
oil companies will actually punish them.
It's because they don't understand how the market works, or maybe they do, and just don't give a "you know what."
I, personally, think it's the latter because how can you say your going to lower gas prices, when you have another gas tax waiting in the wings? The fact of the matter is, they don't care. They have their ideology, and that's all the matters.
They have this fantasy of an electric car plugged into your electric house with a minimum investment of $50,000, with no thought.. no concern... for the millions of low income workers who simply can not afford the new technology. Those people will continue to drive gasoline cars for the next 5-10 years. And with gas prices being so high, now they are placed into the position of choosing between eating or getting to work. Oh, that's right... ethanol has raised food prices, better start eating crackers. that would fit very well into Obama's campaign, afterall.. "Your eating too much."

SOLON wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:11 AM:= Lancelotti and Joe McCarthy are both throwbacks to a the dark period of the 1950’s. (See his letter today about Senate Bill 1322). Lancelotti does not reveal that this is the nefarious “Loyalty Oath” which requires teachers and state employees to affirm loyalty to the STATE, and allows for no freedom of conscience and thought, or dissent.

Just recently a long term teacher in Oakland, a peaceful Quaker, was fired from her job because refused to swear to this oath. A veteran public school math teacher who specializes in helping struggling students, Kearney-Brown, 50, had signed the oath before - but had modified it each time. Each time, when asked to "swear (or affirm)" that she would "support and defend" the U.S. and state Constitutions "against all enemies, foreign and domestic," Ms. Kearney-Brown inserted revisions: She wrote "nonviolently" in front of the word "support," crossed out "swear," and circled "affirm." All were to conform with her Quaker beliefs, she said.
“The school districts always accepted her modifications, Kearney-Brown said.
“But Cal State East Bay wouldn't, and she was fired back in March.

Unless we believe that Quakers are somehow America's biggest threat, this should be seen as a totally ridiculous and anachronistic injustice. The loyalty oath - sometimes called the "Levering Oath" after the Republican legislator who rammed it through the state legislature in 1949-50 - was a particularly pernicious and pointless instance of McCarthyite hysteria.

Letter writer Lancelotti has one thing right: QUOTE: A foreign ideology is creeping into our schools and government. END QUOTE. The only thing, this Communist ideology of requiring loyalty to the state crept into our state back in the 1950’s.

TO RACHEL wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:13 AM:How will Obama change things? Everytime we have a new anything it is change. I get tired of hearing "change" without substance! Tell me without him taking more of my money.

Nick wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:20 AM:Well put "To Rachel". Obama will take more of your money than GWB did. Then he's going to give it to those who make less than you and he's going to give more to the U.N. to hellp feed the world.
Aren't you glad he asked you how you felt about it?

Observation wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:21 AM:4 Marines die in Afghanistan; 870 inmates escape
The Associated Press - 1 hour ago

JAMES wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:26 AM:… to Apostate (4:28 AM). Your handle of ‘Apostate’ means someone who has renounced a doctrine or belief system. What is it that you renounce?

Observatin wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:27 AM:n Iraq, Bush brushed off criticism that a long-term security deal between the United States and Iraq was faltering.

"If I were a betting man, we'll reach an agreement with the Iraqis," Bush said. "Of course, we're there at their invitation. It's a sovereign nation ... We're going to work hard to accommodate their desires. It's their country."

yadda yadda wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:29 AM:Nick[-] wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:20 AM: GWB took less in taxes because he has financed the war on credit.

Ron wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:31 AM:The real deal here Frank Lancelotti is liberals really don't believe in diversity. They really don't. They apply the word diversity in one case, and one case only, when it is used in regards to "colorizing" student populations. That's it, really.
I mean.. they don't believe in homeschooling, they don't believe in vouchers, they don't believe in abstinence education, and the list is virutally endless. No, what they believe is a one-size fits all monopoly, and by the strength & size of that monopoly, they then use it to crush any other programs meant to "diversify" education. Eliminating choice in education is, quite frankly, what they do best.
As to why they hate homeschooling, well.. just let me say, any child that is not under their control, in their form of education.. It is obvious they believe those particular children are being indoctronated by their parent's, and we very well can't have that? Now, can we?
As to SB1322, allowing teachers to be "open" members of the Communist Party. Personally, I think more speech is better, and being a true believer in diversity, I think any teacher who wants to openly be a member of the Communist Party should be able to do so.
Why wouldn't you want this? Sure beats having them register as Democrats. And, I think many would frankly be surprised as they re-register as to how many are actually inside our school system.

LOYALTY OATH wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:40 AM:--- I adamantly oppose Lancelotti’s ‘Loyalty Oath’. Signing oaths takes us so far back that I am telling my age! Most people today do not remember what it was like in the MacArthur era and the tragic effect on Democracy, not communism, PLEASE. We already owe China, millions of dollars and are using our land as collateral. This is VERY frightening, especially for our learning institutions in which we must teach young people to keep their minds open to ideas, and not shut them down with loyalty to ‘Das dritten Reich’ or ‘der Fuehrer’, or any other form of STATE.

Go Frank Go wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:41 AM:Frank Lancelotti likes that kids can be home schooled and taught "right". I hope parents think hard about this decision. Taught in the Lancelotti curriculum, your kids will be clueless in many of the major fields of study and work in the world today. Your right, of course. Frank also frets over the legality of being a communist, in this land of free speech and thought. I don't recall seeing a letter from Frank complaining about the legality of joining the Ku Klux Klan or any of the White Supremicist or NeoNazi organizations. I guess those aren't a threat to America. Interesting how certain groups of ideas just seem to go together, isn't it?

to Observation wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:46 AM:When you read the content of the agreement Bush wants with Iraq, and then read the quote that you posted from Bush, you see what has been obvious to many of us since 2001: the man is a flat out liar and an arrogant bully. When he says they invite us, it's as a result of a deal they couldn't refuse. Invite us and we'll pay you a few billion dollars. Invite us or we'll bomb your cities. Invite us or we'll see to it that your children starve. Oh! Thanks for the invitation! Criminal. Immoral. Shameful. Evil.

Ron wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:47 AM:Isn't this the ultimate in liberal stupidity, Rod Wilson? I mean...
You have these stores who try to serve their customers by offering these shopping carts for the convenience of their patrons. You have this small group of theives who believe it is their right to take these carts, and then dump them around the city.
Exactly right! Punish those who steal em, not the stores. Stores are the victims of the crime.
At every turn, we see this very same thinking from the left in this country, punish the business, not the criminal.
We see it in guns, see see it in spraypaint, we see it in markers, you name it.. we see it.
Now, I know this is gonna seem a bit far-fetched, but I honestly believe this is going to happen.
Recenty we had a 14-year old girl accused of murdering her mother with a hammer. I fully expect to see the manufacturer of that particular hammer brought into court, and asked: "Why didn't you put a sticker on the hammer?"
"Don't hit Mother with Hammer."

Chuck wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:48 AM:>>>You see, here's the real deal with Democrats, especially liberal Democrats and voting. If the rules help them, then they are all for rules.>>> Outside of that, liberals are drooling to nominate someone with the name Hussein.

A simple comparison wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:52 AM:Let's take the public school curriculum and compare it to the curriculum that Frank Lancelotti would design for his home-schooled kids. A simple comparison. Which curriculum contains more variety and diversity of ideas? Which curriculum more broadly educates kids about the world, its history, its science? Frank's gum-flapping has nothing to do with diversity, of course. It's about one thing and one thing only: there are certain things that are taught in the public schools that Frank hates. Frank would merrily give up all the things of value that are taught in schools to save his kids from being exposed to those hateful things such as the science of biology, modern economics, or the existence of homosexuals. Because this is the USA, Frank and his followers are perfectly free to do this, of course. I wish them all the best of luck.

Apollo wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:55 AM:Re: John (1:47 a.m.)
Another uneducated self-confessed Republican criticizing Yvon Dacayana's letter when he can't even get his own "facts" straight. He ridicules "wow-wow Dean's rules" without even knowing that the rules were developed while Dean's predecessor, Terry McAuliffe, was DNC chair. McAuliffe famously told Senator Carl Levin (D-Michigan) that he would be watching the Democratic National Convention on TV.
Ironically, McAuliffe became the biggest critic of his own rules after becoming Hillary's campaign manager and when his rules ended up hurting her.
As for "disenfranchising two states," the states disenfranchised themselves. Just as felons lose the right to vote as a penalty for violating rules, the same thing can happen to parties, too. Still, Democratic love of voters' rights prevailed, and they did restore half the votes.
By the way, Republicans imposed the same sanctions, and I don't see our self-confessed Republican holding his own party to the same standard, but then, it is not surprising that people naturally expect higher standards from Democrats.

the Obama cult wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:59 AM:Aren't you impressed with how people who favor Obama are being labeled "followers" like members of some cult? This is just the latest ploy of the right trying to create negative associations for their opponent. You certainly don't hear anyone talking about "McCainiacs", but this is because even the Republicans can't muster any enthusiasm for their guy. Most of us who plan to vote for Obama are ordinary people who compare his character and ideas to McCain's and make our decision. Obama stood firm for the war against the Taliban that Bush abandoned, and firm against the bogus Iraq invasion. He seems not to have contempt for anyone who is not wealthy. He seems intelligent, principled, and articulate. That's not worship, that's just seeing it as it is. No brainer. Don't let the FoxNews crew get away with their desperate innuendos and slime tactics, folks. Look at the men, look at the state of the nation, look at the issues. Simple.

Hussein. wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:02 AM:Chuck[-] wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:48 AM:
I just love the name. LOL

yadda yadda wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:03 AM:Apollo[-] wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:55 AM: Its because the Democrats do have higher standards.

Ron wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:04 AM:You know, everytime I read something from an Obama supporter, I just sit back, and chuckle...
Which brings me to Rachel Rott today. LOL
Now, not that John McCain is the end at & be all, he certainly is not, in my book. But, in my own opinion, John McPain would be a lot less harmful to the majority of Americans than would Barack Obama.
But, surrounding the election of Barack Obama is this kind of cult of personality, that we have not seen since the 1930's. You know, something like: "the Messiah is coming.. the Messiah is coming!" Kind of stuff.
As if one man could possiblity change anything in your life. It is just puzzling, and quite frankly, disturbing.
I fully believe the decades of liberal institutionalism has had it's effect on many people, Rachel Rott being only one of them.
But she says a few thing here that puzzle me, because is is not reality.
She says: "I'm looking forward to volunteering for a campaign that is built by people who believe in it, not corporations who would like to run it."
There seems to be a kind of religious tenet here regarding corporations. It's almost as if, these corporations have commited a sin, and Barack as "The Pope" would be the one who would set them straight?
It's a total departure from the reality of Rachel's life, my life, and quite frankly, the American way of life.
Corporations provide for us all the things we need & want. They do it as cheaply as they can.
I can't help but think of the computer she may have written her letter today on? Or the electric company who brought the power to her house to run it. Or that she maybe drying a load of laundry while writing the letter. Or the car she will use later today to go buy groceries, and the fuel she uses to get to the store.
She wants Obama, as her surrogate, to punish these corporations who help her everday life. Now, why would you do that? Unless... you hate your own life?

Disenfranchising voters wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:05 AM:Speaking of disenfranchising voters, I hope someone invites the UN or some similar international agency to be watchdog of our November elections. I would station them all over the African-American neighborhoods in the major cities, to start with. I want to be sure those voting stations are adequately staffed, that the registration lists are accurate (no barring people who have similar names to felons, for example), that information about voting day and place are given accurately, and to randomly inspect the voting machines for accuracy. Who would object to such safeguards? It's sad to say, but we seem to need them.

OBAMACAN wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:11 AM:Letter-writer Dan Shapiro and numerous bloggers only show their own ignorance when they keep on asking what Obama has accomplished or what his policy positions are, since the information is readily available to anyone.
Just a few of highlights:
He is a professor of Constitutional Law, unlike McCain whose only qualification is surviving a bad experience after failing a mission. We badly need this perspective after eight years of undermining and eating away at our Constitutional rights.
He raised more money than anyone in the history of the primary elections, and did it all without lobbyist or PAC donations, all from small donors. He will be the first president since Lincoln (who had even less formal indoctrination into the ways of Washinton) whose sole loyalty will be to the general public, not special interests. This is truly revolutionary!
He smoothly managed a difficult primary campaign, without changing styles or staff, defeating one of the most powerful political machines of our time, against all early predictions and, again, without PAC, lobbyist or traditional donors.
He didn't have to change or apologize for his position on Iraq. On the key issue of our time, he got it right from the start. He has judgment.
And it is hard to have a Bentsen-Quayle moment when comparing him with Lincoln or Kennedy who also had judgment rather than experience (insider indoctrination). You can't say "I knew Jack Kennedy ... You're no Jack Kennedy" when it is Kennedy's own brother and daughter making the comparison.

Ron wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:11 AM:The reason the Obamaites have to talk about "all of the things the Obamassiah will accomplish if he becomes president...", is because of of his part accomplishments could be listed
on a dinner napkin. This is part of the "Obama mystique", his ability to say a lot of nice things, without the track record of actually doing things.
It is religious, and it is faith.

to John wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:27 AM:Funny how you Republicans can be obsessed with rules one day and laugh at them another. Michigan and Florida knowingly violated the rules and are being punished. Makes sense to me.

Ron wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:27 AM:Part of the problem, Charles Smith. Is that the public school is being used as a platform for "marriage diversity."
Today it is same-sex marriage, tomorrow... it'll be something else.
SB777 where each kid can choose which gender they will be today, and effectivly creating a schism between parents & schools driven by leftists.
I have a novel Idea! Let's allow parent's teach their own children!
And let's focus schools on teaching math, reading, and writing? Maybe, we could even throw in a little science too! I mean.. what the heck. We could really get creative here, if we did not have schools teaching kids how to run their own personal lives, and left that to the parents.
I think we have a problem when a kid who graduates knows how long a sex change operation takes, and has no clue to what trigonometry is. Some students have been asked that very question, and they think it's a sporting event that takes place in Hawaii.

yadda yadda wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:29 AM:the Obama cult[-] wrote on Jun 14, 2008 8:59 AM: You are correct. The Conservatives are constantly using their negative play book. They fooled the independents twice. "we won't get fooled again." This time, we elect a Democrat as President. "Yes we can!" Yes, we will. The Right were found wrong. There day is done.
The conservatives right just can not face the truth of all that pounding. You know the nails be driven into their coffin.

Watch em at work wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:30 AM:Sorry, but I can't help but remind readers to observe our usual right wing posters as they methodically and pathetically repeat propaganda in an effort to smear the Democratic candidate. Today's favorite is to try to make anyone who likes Obama into a religious fanatic and Obama into a Messiah. The second favorite is to portray him as a communist (or as Chuck said, a "pure" Communist). We can see that they know they have no candidate themselves, since their flip-flopper has settled on "stay the Bush course" as his big campaign promise. They can't go rah-rah over "let's stay in Iraq and leave the Taliban alone", "let's keep going on our economic policies", "let's keep the office of the President above the law", "let's continue ruining our reputation in the world", "let's make sure women lose the right to choose". So their only hope is to get people not to vote for Obama. Please, folks, don't fall for this nonsense. Just look at Obama's record, his speeches, his principles. I don't see anything remotely like a Messiah. I just see the better canidate, the guy I'd rather see as our next President. Simple.

Apostate wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:33 AM:My Party is about to nominate an inexperienced candidate who makes promises about changing the culture of Washington and uniting not dividing us. To see how that will turn out, one needs to look no further back than 2000, when the Republicans did the same thing in nominating GWB.
I ridiculed it then and I renounce it now. There were so many qualified Democrats that could have run and won easily against any Republican. That we as a Party had to choose between the two most divisive candidates we could’ve had after Iowa defies belief.
I thought sure that after the last 16 years we’d finally return some adult supervision to the Oval Office. Apparently not. It looks as though Obama will be the next President unless a video of him on a prayer rug kneeling towards the East shows up on YouTube.
Woe unto us, for we really do get the leaders we deserve.

to James wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:36 AM:Apostate apparently renounces common sense. Rachel Rott clearly meant that Obama is the "presumptive nominee". What kind of person would quibble and ridicule her about that?

Ron wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:37 AM:Quick thought for Terri Carroll. She says: "California is going downhill fast." I agree, the socialists in Sacramento are attempting to do a "Hoover." After the 1929 market crash, Herbert Hoover did some pretty stupid things.
One) He raised taxes, which sent the economy into a further tail spin.
We are all watching as the Democrats in Sacramento are attempting to do the exact same thing.
Two) He raised tariffs or taxes on imported goods. And once again, the Democrats in Sacramento are attempting to raise tariffs, excise taxes, and other fees on any imported good.
You know... being called a Hoover is probably the worst thing you could ever call a politician. But, if it raises taxes like a Hoover, and raises tariffs like a Hoover... it's a Hoover.

Dear Mr. Lancelotti wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:40 AM:Joseph Grant and Rocky Velgos are contemporaries, at least until Rocky died. I guess you could argue that homeschooling is diversity. But all this anti-gay indoctrination has been done by church and parents. Public schools have no religious motivation to damn gays as sinful. And Mr. Lancelotti, you do show your age by talking about the evils of "communism". I thought you weren't going to write any more letters to the NCT anyway? What happenned?

Ron wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:42 AM:Your not missing anything, Louis Haynes.
As you say: "Illegal immigration is breaking and entering. Aiding and abetting is also criminal activity."
Not to mention using a fake, or stolen American ID to work in this country. And the employers who do this should not be left off the hook, either.
I am simply astonished by those on the left, who on the one hand.. hate corporations. But, one the other hand.. are willing accomplices when it come to supplying them with illegal help.
But, it's like I always say... out of one side of their mouths they say "X", and without so much as a blink.. Out of the otherside of their mouths they will say "Y"." It's illogical, irrational, and yes... it's illegal.

Poor Frank wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:46 AM:Lancelotti's letter is so confused! Homosexuality, homeschooling, communists in our schools . . Thanks for Salon for the facts on SB 1322. Facts and logic are good.

McBush wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:47 AM:Apostate at 9:33 a.m. makes the ridiculous comparison between Bush and Obama lacking experience.
Bush was a governor of a large, diverse state.
Bush surrounded himself with Cheney, Rumsfeld and Powell - huge resevoirs of "experience."
Where did that "experience" get him (or us)?
How's that workin' out for y'all?
Bush himself is intellectually lazy, lacks curiosity, and everything he has is because of Daddy.
Obama has achieved all that he is because of a powerful intellect and keen judgment.
He is self-made and owes nothing to the special interests, only to the people.
Comparing Bush to Obama is a pathetic act of desperation.
By the way, what are McCain's qualifications to be President?
Years of entrenchment in insider Senate corruption, including Charles Keating - no executive experience.
No training or experience in the U.S. Constitution.
Wrong on Iraq, and too stubborn to change course and needs a former Democrat (Lieberman) to explain the difference between Sunni and Shia - which difference being the key to understanding Middle East policy.
Admits he knows nothing about the economy.
Wants to continue the failed policies of Bush.

Ron wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:49 AM:Personally, I'm wondering how many books $250,000 would have bought, instead of an etched glass panel?
But, sadly politicians do this all the time. In fact, I once took a trip back East, and had an opportunity to travel through parts of West Virginia.
The Name: "Robert Byrd" is etched all over that State, highway, bridge, library, government buildings. That's a lot of loot. And all for the memorializing of one man who stole it.

Apostate wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:49 AM:Tell us, Obamacan, just how did the Kennedy’s endorsement turn out? The people who know Teddy best, the good people of Massachusetts, rejected Obama by a fair sized margin in the primary there right after the endorsement.
And you say Caroline compares Obama to JFK so we should listen? Again, tell us Obamacan, just how old was Caroline when her father when killed? So now you’d have us elect a president on a comparison based on the memory of a six-year-old.
I knew Obama has some appeal to young people but that’s just ridiculous.

Focal Point wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:53 AM:Wow. Name calling? Republican strategy has been, for some time now, to divide us and prevent polite conversation and argument on our chosen direction. Pointing fingers should begin with the man in the mirror. None of us truly feels so compelled by a political candidate as to defend them against lies. What would Marx have said about your life? If ignorance is a crime, we shall all be imprisoned. If we allow further division of our union by any political party, we sign up for our own demise. Which is what the Bush's have been working towards. I wonder when we will become so diluted and uneducated that we do not know we have been enslaved? Worse? Yes it's going to get much worse. For some it's already there.

HOMESKOOLIN wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:57 AM:Why should parents need any kind of credential to educate their own children at home?
Why should parents need any kind of credential to perform surgery on their own children at home?

Apostate is right but wrote on Jun 14, 2008 9:57 AM:Apostate's comments at 9:33 are important and true. In the modern age, politics is all and only marketing. Are the goods we buy the most the finest, most perfectly crafted goods? Hardly. When your product needs to be designed for quick appeal and mass consumption, quality goes out the window. So in that sense we certainly do get what we deserve. Still, this doesn't make all candidates identical, so I will vote for Obama because McCain in that office would be terrible for America and the world. Even if you see Obama as only "less terrible", I'm afraid that's enough of a difference to matter a lot.

QUAYLE wrote on Jun 14, 2008 10:05 AM:Ok, Apostate at 9:49 a.m., I nominate YOU to be the one to tell Ted Kennedy or Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg to their faces: "I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Barack Obama is no Jack Kennedy."
Actually, Quayle was right when he said that he had more experience than JFK.
But his advisors warned him not to use the line because they knew that insider experience is not the most important factor.
Just ask Cheney, Rumsfeld and Powell.
And Lincoln, arguably our best president, was also the least experienced: one two-year term in the U.S. House of Representatives and no executive experience.
The reason the line worked on Dan Quayle was because Quayle was an idiot and everyone knew it.
Quayle was no Barack Obama.

To Nick wrote on Jun 14, 2008 10:08 AM:Nick, The UN does not feed the world, or do much else for that matter, It feeds the pockets of those in is care, and keeps the (world) pot stirred. It's called job security! Tear it down and ship it to Iran or Venezuela.

Ron wrote on Jun 14, 2008 10:32 AM:I love your rhetorical question "TO RACHEL" @8:13 AM. Of course, you already know the answer, just as I know the answer, just as the Obama supporters know the answer. I think Obama has been very matter of fact, and plain spoken about this. He will take money from "Rich" people, and give it to "less Rich" people. He is talking classic Marxism, and classic redistribution through government fiat.
I saw a headline saying he intended to tax all those making over $250K a year. You know, Bill Clinton said that exact same thing, and when it was all said an done, he has raised taxes on families who made $33,000 a year. How's that for taxing "the Rich?" LOL
But, this is the game. What is rich to me, is not rich to her, and certainly is not rich to Obama. Just because the guy NOW says he's looking at those over $250K, in no way, shape, or form, means it'll stay that way.
Again, my example of Bill Clinton. After the election, he then said he had to change his mind about raising taxes on poor people, then called them investments, and lowered the boom on poor people.
And I have to address this Tom-Foolerly again by my good buddy Wizzer in his post from the otherday. He keeps going back to the trough on this, and I need to put a stop to this. This phoney balancing of the budget & it's supposed surplus. You know, any fool can balance his monthly budget today, by refinancing his home mortgage and rolling his maxed out credit cards into the new mortgage. This correctly surmises what Bill Clinton & the Republicans did. They re-financed current obligations at lower rates, and thus eliminated the "monthly payment."
Now, of course, the mortgage as a whole is a whole lot higher, but that's way off in the future....
This in a nutshell is the shell game the Clinton's played on the budget. We still owe the money, it's just our children who will pay it.
And I think I've finally put my finger on why the liberal Democrats are so angry about how much the debt has been run up by Bush & the Republicans.
You know, it's not that the debt is high, or higher. And it's not that we will have to pay even higher interests rates on that money. No, what I've finally come to the conclusion about is this. They are angry because THEY didn't get to spend that money.
I mean.. think about it. When in the past have they even been about cutting spending, and balancing budgets? Never.
So they are mad as hell the debt is high, and maxed out, and they didn't get to spend it. And THAT really ticks them off. They've finally gotten back into power, and there's no money to spend.

hardtack wrote on Jun 14, 2008 10:37 AM:Nick, Thanks for bringing Campaign for Liberty to our attention yesterday. Last night, I read the articles on google. Exciting!
I tend to be an idealist, and a bit of a romantic – so I see Ron Paul as a latter day version of Patrick Henry – the firebrand of a modern American revolution.

"Should I keep back my opinions through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason toward my country and an act of disloyalty toward the majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings." – Patrick Henry

"...it does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds..." – Samuel Adams

"An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come." – Victor Hugo

Best regards. hardtack

Reardon wrote on Jun 14, 2008 10:41 AM:Ron: I don't know about you, but I refuse to use a company that I think treats me badly, Why those who hate Big Oil buy the stuff is a mystery -- they should all vow to use only solar powered cars, and solar homes without using ant oil powered electricity at night -- which means a huge battery capacity.

I agree with solar power -- intend to do it -- but I find no virtue in bashing those who currently provide me with power. (Which reminds me, does GreenEnergy have a solar home, and hybrid?)

I am not aware that the proponents of solar have such batteries, so they are ALL using FINITE FILTHY FOSSILE FUEL, bought from BIG OIL, while they lecture us and HURT THE POOR!

Floyd wrote on Jun 14, 2008 10:43 AM:Since the homeschoolers are winning competitions such as the spelling bee, and since the parents of homeschoolers are not credentialed, it is obvious that the credentials lead to a lower standard of educational attainment. When the public schools cannot find enough credentialed teachers, what do they do? They issue an "emergency credential", which is not a credential at all -- but it meets the regulatory requirement. In other words, the credentials aren't worth the paper they're printed on and are no guarantee of quality instruction. Eliminating the credentialing requirement entirely would eliminate an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.

for Ron and Chuck wrote on Jun 14, 2008 10:45 AM:Dudes. All your name calling and hate really makes me feel sorry for you. You both must be quite miserable individuals. If you have something intelligent to say, and to be taken seriously, I'd suggest you change the tones of your posts. What do you accomplish by insulting others? And no, I don't care for it when people call your candidate McBush (or any other name) any more than I care for it when you cast insults at Obama and his supporters. Chuck: Obama doesn't go by his middle name. Why does that even matter to anyone what his middle name is? If that is going to influence you or anyone elses view of him, you really are a racist. Be respectful of others, and you will in return earn respect for yourself.

Floyd wrote on Jun 14, 2008 10:47 AM:The rules are supposed to provide a level playing field. Reducing the results of the Florida and Michigan votes by half does not result in a level playing field. Instead, it disenfranchises the voters by 50% as if they were slaves or something.

Voting Obama wrote on Jun 14, 2008 10:49 AM:To those who ignorantly claim Obama has accomplished little, I offer a few of them for you here:

-His first law was passed with Republican Tom Coburn, a measure to rebuild trust in government by allowing every American to go online and see how and where every dime of their tax dollars is spent.

-Obama created the Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income working families in 2000 and successfully sponsored a measure to make the credit permanent in 2003. The law offered about $105 million in tax relief over three years.

-Obama joined forces with former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon (D-IL) to pass the toughest campaign finance law in Illinois history. The legislation banned the personal use of campaign money by Illinois legislators and banned gifts from lobbyists. Before the law was passed, one organization ranked Illinois worst among 50 states for its campaign finance regulations.

-As a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has fought to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised, while working to prepare the VA for the return of the thousands of veterans who will need care after Iraq and Afghanistan.

-He traveled to Russia with Republican Dick Lugar to begin a new generation of non-proliferation efforts designed to find and secure deadly weapons around the world.

-Obama has been a leading advocate for protecting the right to vote, helping to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act and leading the opposition against discriminatory barriers to voting.

- In the U.S. Senate, Obama introduced the STOP FRAUD Act to increase penalties for mortgage fraud and provide more protections for low-income homebuyers, well before the current subprime crisis began.

-Obama sponsored legislation to combat predatory payday loans, and he also was credited with lobbied the state to more closely regulate some of the most egregious predatory lending practices.

-Barack Obama introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 to provide a tax credit to companies that maintain or increase the number of full-time workers in America relative to those outside the US; maintain their corporate headquarters in America; pay decent wages; prepare workers for retirement; provide health insurance; and support employees who serve in the military.

-Obama worked to pass a number of laws in Illinois and Washington to improve the health of women. His accomplishments include creating a task force on cervical cancer, providing greater access to breast and cervical cancer screenings, and helping improve prenatal and premature birth services.

-Obama has introduced and helped pass bipartisan legislation to limit the abuse of no-bid federal contracts.

-Obama and Senator Feingold (D-WI) took on both parties and proposed ethics legislation that was described as the "gold standard" for reform. It was because of their leadership that ending subsidized corporate jet travel, mandating disclosure of lobbyists' bundling of contributions, and enacting strong new restrictions of lobbyist-sponsored trips became part of the final ethics bill that was signed into law.

Chuck wrote on Jun 14, 2008 10:51 AM:>>>If that is going to influence you or anyone elses view of him, you really are a racist.>>> LOL. Anytime a liberal disagrees with a post, they pull the race card almost as fast as they pull the same sex marriage car. I cant tell you how hurt I am that you call me a racist

sdraoul wrote on Jun 14, 2008 10:53 AM:Hey "yadda yadda," all American wars have been fought on credit since the American Revolution. Iraq is no different.

As for Obamacan's saintly candidate, he says he didn't take money from lobbyists but that is a lie. He took money form lobbyists in Illinois. Moreover, his biggest single contributor ($250,000) has just been convicted of 16 federal felonies. Then there are the unions contributing millions through phony committees.

That convict-to-be Rezko financed Obama's house purchase by buying (in his unemployed wife's name) the adjacent property with funny money that can only be considered a bribe to Obama to influ3ence him in his elective office. That connects the dots that will become clearer as the campaign moves forward.

Obamacan cannot name one Senatorial accomplishment that Obama can claim credit for, nor can Obama point to any accomplishment.

The only accomplishment Obama can point to is his personal torpedoing of Comprehensive Immigration Reform -- even though he says he is for it -- by voting for poison pill amendments offered by his union pals through Senator Dorgan. Obama helped kill immigration reform.

He is no friend of Mexican Americans. He only beat Clinton 50 to 49 percent in the Illinois primary, his own home. He barely carried that vote in Illinois.

On the other hand, McCain carried 70 percent of the Hispanic vote in his last run for the senate in 2008.

Chuck wrote on Jun 14, 2008 10:55 AM:>>>Since the homeschoolers are winning competitions such as the spelling bee>>

Some are interested in an education and other just want to know what their rights are under SB777, and how to properly fit a condom to a cucumber

HOMESKOOLIN wrote on Jun 14, 2008 10:56 AM:Floyd at 10:43 a.m. notes that many academic competitions are won by those who are home schooled.
And many of the parents of those winners do have teaching credentials and strong formal education.
If a credentialed surgeon operates on his own kids I'm sure he provides adequate care and attention.
With home schooling, you have more outlyers on the bell curve.
The best - the strongest credentialed with the most attention and enrichment - come out better and the worst come out the biggest losers.
It is the few outlyers at the top that win these awards.

DD Wiz wrote on Jun 14, 2008 11:07 AM:The posts from "Ron" (10:32am) and "Reardon" (10:41am) show that they are still mired in their sloppy posting habits.
"Ron" so completely misstates the record on Clinton's policies of taxation and balancing the budget, all entirely undocumented unlike my posting of government links, that there is absolutely nothing of substance to respond to. No, refinancing is not what creates a budget surplus, and that is not how Clinton/Gore reduced the size of government and made operations more efficient. For "Ron" to make such an absurd statement shows he is as ignorant (or dishonest) about accounting and economics as most of the other garbage that exudes from his keyboard.
And "Reardon" again demonstrates the all-or-nothing extremist thinking of conservatives. If one cannot immediately become 100% independent from the Big Oil Bullies then they should not do anything at all?
Tell ya what, "Reardon," I do have a solar house and a hybrid and am considering the best options for getting an electric car, and I still do use some non-renewable FINITE FILTHY FOSSIL FUELS because the energy companies have colluded to perpetuate that dependence.
Yes, I do use oil, but if everyone in the U.S. used the same amount I do, we would not be in the current mess in which an oilman in the White House ensures market conditions that enrich his cronies.
GM had a very successful electric car on the market, the EV1, with huge waiting lists they refused to service, and took it off the market and destroyed the product over the protests of outraged consumers.
The technology for clean energy has been around and viable for decades, but there are special interests who want to ensure it is obstructed (right, oil-stockholder "Ron"?).
Hmmm, electing a President who doesn't owe special interests -- what a concept!

Chris to John wrote on Jun 14, 2008 11:14 AM:The point is that the Democratic party told MIchigan and Florida what would happen if they held their primarys to early. Those two states fliped the bird to the party and should pay the price. Get over all this nonsese of these people being disenfranchised. If you can't do the time don't do the crime.

Apollo wrote on Jun 14, 2008 11:32 AM:Re: for Ron and Chuck (10:45 a.m.)
Ron and Chuck do the name-calling thing because they can't engage honestly on the level of issues.
Their inability to do so is the real reason no one respects either of them.
And while I understand what you're saying about the "McBush" thing, it is not the same. It is a way of calling attention to the cornerstone of McCain's strategy of representing Bush's third term. Calling attention to Obama's middle name has no relation to anything of substance. Reminding people of McCain's echoing of Bush on Iraq, economy and torture, is extremely relevant to substance.

Obsrvation wrote on Jun 14, 2008 11:38 AM:WASHINGTON (CNN) — Barack Obama holds a 4 point lead over John McCain, according to a compilation of the latest national surveys.

Forty seven percent of registered voters are backing the senator from Illinois in a new CNN Poll of Polls, released Friday, with 43 percent supporting the senator from Arizona. Ten percent of voters are unsure when it comes to their choice for president.

hardtack wrote on Jun 14, 2008 11:39 AM:As regards schooling (which is not a synonym for education): In 1940 the literacy figure for all states stood at 96 percent for whites. Eighty percent for blacks.
(Notice, for all the disadvantages blacks labored under in the late ‘30s, four of five were still literate.)
Six decades later, at the end of the 20th century, the National Adult Literacy Survey and the National Assessment of Educational Progress say 40 percent of blacks and 17 percent of whites can't read at all.
(Put another way, black illiteracy doubled, white illiteracy quadrupled, despite the fact that we spend three or four times as much (adjusted for inflation) on schooling as we did 60 years earlier.)

If medical statistics on surgical success showed a decline over 60 years similar to public schooling statistics, then perhaps parents should consider home surgery as well as home schooling – as one wiseacre suggests.

Oh Floyd wrote on Jun 14, 2008 11:50 AM:Your argument about home schooling reminds us all why your comments about anything logical or scientific have no credibility. Some home schoolers win some academic contests. This is proof that no curriculum is superior? Why aren't ALL home schooled kids winning all the competitions and taking the slots in the best colleges? LOL One thing about home schooling that some see as problematical is that the "teachers" can teach anything they like. I'm sure that there are some who are awesome, and, if their kids are bright, will have superior results. But for the whole population of them it's a real crapshoot. Better put on your white lab coat and rethink this issue for yourself, Floyd. (We do, BTW, see this reasoning a lot from those on the right. Our wealthiest people can afford the very best health care, and so many of the world's elite doctors are drawn to practice here. This is offered as "proof", much like Floyd's home-schoolers, that our health care system is the best in the world. Never mind the rest of the population, the uninsured, the underinsured, the overpriced medicines, the mortality rate, or any other data. Let's just compare our top 1% to your top 1% and settle it that way. No wonder these people oppose the teaching of science to our children. It intimidates them. Boneheaded.)

Floyds logic wrote on Jun 14, 2008 11:53 AM:So Floyd, to be consistent, what you're saying is that a credential is meaningless. Your evidence is that non-credentialed home-school teachers produce spelling bee champs. So then why are you complaining about the "emergency credentials"? If these people are in reality UN-credentialed, by your logic they should be BETTER teachers and the lucky kids that get them can look forward to blue ribbons! LOL

snerd wrote on Jun 14, 2008 12:20 PM:Do you ever notice that all Ron does is sit back and complain about the state of the world today. All complaints...no attempt at solutions based on any semblence of critcal thinking. Does he ever speak positively about who he might support for political office? No. Just attack, attack, lie, disemble and attack somemore. He is so like the guy he's in man-love with, Bush. You know Bush the guy who makes a complete idiot out of himself during a speach and then walks off the stage with that look on his face like "nailed it". Come on Ron, I know the Republican Party has pretty much destroyed itself and the rest of us for the last eight years, but surely once in a while in that mean old personality of yours you can find something positive to say about your side. I mean there must be something positive about Republicans somewhere.

snerd wrote on Jun 14, 2008 12:26 PM:Come on Reardon, you demean the education your received at a fairly decent college by coming up with these silly comments like those of us with a problem with Big Oil not using it. I assume you're educated enought to know that we are dealing with a world-wide monopoly. And so we are nearly helpless at this point. Even our government isn't powerful enough to effectively stand up to OPEC. I'd like to see you use that education that I paid for to offer some real solutions on this blog.

snerd wrote on Jun 14, 2008 12:29 PM:Homeschooling is also used by some parents to cover up abuse. What do we as a society do about that?

OBAMACAN wrote on Jun 14, 2008 12:54 PM:SDRaoul continues to be the local spokesperson for the Republican slime machine.
He notes that Obama has taken money from lobbyists in past campaigns.
As always, SDRaoul has to change the subject, bait and switch and offer a distorted response.
I made it clear I was referring to his current campaign.
SDRaoul: "Obamacan cannot name one Senatorial accomplishment that Obama can claim credit for, nor can Obama point to any accomplishment."
I noted that the information is readily available and those who can't find it prove their ignorance, and thank you for providing such an excellent example of exactly what I was saying.
The excellent post from "Voting Obama" at 10:49 a.m. easily provided the information you were not able to find. You really need to brush up on your research skills.
Oh, by the way, Raoul, why is it that you can only find hate speech (and dishonest at that) about the opponent, but can't find any qualification for you failed soldier, Charles Keating Kronie, who represents the failed policies of Bush on Iraq, the economy and (after his flip-flop) torture.
You can't defend McCain because Bush's third term is indefensible, so you have to CUT AND RUN.
Raoul, Reardon and Ron. The 3 R's of Republican Rightwing Ridicule.
The gifts that keep on giving.