Here is a look inside the "holding" facility here in denver during the Dem ConventionWatch the video after you go to the link   Read More »

Left? Right? Liberal? Conservative? Does anyone besides me see how broad the strokes are in this painting?

When I discuss politics with some of my Republican friends, they call me "left-wing" or "liberal". And you know what? There is NOTHING wrong with either term. And when I speak to some of my Democratic friends, they call me a "right-winger" or a "neo-con" or something. And today, I just stopped to ask myself why different people see me and my views so differently.

Am I a Democrat? Without a doubt. A dyed-in-the-wool Texas Yellow Dog Democrat!! A moniker that I have worn with pride my entire life. I love my party and it is THE party that best represents my views, feelings and that gives me the best answers to the problems of a VERY middle-class American that spent most of the last two years out of work. Luckily, that changed in April, and unlike many around the country, my job is extremely secure....and THAT is the kind of relaxing security that I wish for every American.

Am I a liberal or a conservative? That depends on which issue you are talking about I guess. Personally as I see the issues that really concern me, they are CATO'S issues.....not liberal OR conservative. It does appear, though, that using other peoples values to judge my own opinions, many of them would fall on one side of that fence or the other.

And that is the point of this post from me. I believe that the Democratic Party has ALWAYS been the party of INCLUSION! The BIG TENT Party, if you will. We do have some very conservative members, in some parts of the country. And some very liberal ones in other areas. When we have been successful in American politics, it has always been when we allowed ourselves to listen, study and discuss ALL sides of an issue and all OPINIONS of those discussions. We would fight, amongst ourselves, about platforms and candidates and which way the country should go on each and every issue. THIS is what has made the Democratic Party the biggest, most honest, and best prepared to lead the country into the future, and the world by example.

When we have chosen otherwise, the examples that come to mind relate to 1968 and the Chigago convention. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley wanted to strong arm the convention. Everything blew up from there on the inside. On the outside were protesters from both sides of the Vietnam War argument, and chaos became the lasting memory of a party disassembling itself, into a pile of carnage that lasted until 1992, for the most part.

AND for the most part, President Bill Clinton brought us together like no one since John F. Kennedy. Bobby Kennedy would have, but it was his assassination that was actually the opening for what insued in Chicago.

Political opinions are not only based on left and right. They are also based on geography. Take illegal immigration for instance. In many state that do not border Mexico to the south, the argument ranges from human rights to making it sound like border state Democrats are racists or are completely against "immigration". So much of the times, when they are arguing, the word "illegal" never comes up. Hey, my great-great-great grandparents were immigrants.

Without immigration, I would be neither an American or a Texan.....and just so you know....that would really suck!! But when you live like I do in Texas, you have to deal with the large amount of tax money we have to spend on, not just health care for the illegals, but having to place a specific percentage of "biligual" teachers in our schools so that we can accomidate people who really shouldn't be here at all. (OK, that is our take anyway).

On the other hand, I am a lifelong Southern Baptist who has a big brother and a son that are both Southern Baptist ministers. And although none of us actually favors abortion as a birth control method, we all agree that it is nothing that the government should get involved with. As a matter of fact, we believe that CHURCH, as well as home, is the PERFECT place to actually DISCUSS how to avoid abortions......not the State House or Washington. A woman's body is HER property. And no one has the right to tell her what she can or can't do with it. Not here where they want to REQUIRE abortions be stopped...or say China where they REQUIRE abortions in many instances to control population growth.

My point is that MOST of the really important issues facing America are nearly always the ones you can't label liberal or conservatives. They are simply....AMERICAN ISSUES! They are issues that require fairness...compassion...consideration for the least of us as well as the richest of us. And most of all those that require us as a nation, to realize that our government is supposed to be run BY THE PEOPLE! Not the corporations! Not the rich! Not the religious! Not the non-religious! But by the AMERICAN PEOPLE! And we need our representation in Washington D.C.......from ALL walks of life and all political persuations.....to start REPRESENTING and stop just proving to us just how STUPID they can really be! Listen to the people that put you there, or get the hell out of the way, and let REAL people take over and follow the lead of Our Founding Fathers.

The party of Thomas Jefferson and John F. Kennedy deserves nothing less than the best, truest, and most honorable representatives to walk the hallowed halls of the Capitol and The White House, for the purpose of doing the country's business. Not the business of special interests or even the party.

"Nothing can stop the man with right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." Thomas Jefferson

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This is very alarming. Reguardless of who you support or what you want. Anyone who has ever been involved in a civil rights demonstration sometimes you do not have to do anything wrong to be one of those who get hauled in with a group who was acting up. Correct me if I am wrong.... this has never happened before.
Here is the story those who are intrested in others thoughts please follow the link and read the comments below.   Read More »

(Proudly cross-posted at Clintonistas for Obama)

Sometimes, I still feel disappointed about this election. Sometimes, I keep asking myself "Where's Hillary?" Sometimes, I become frightened at the thought of Democrats losing. Sometimes, I still wish I could see Hillary back on the campaign trail again.

Sometimes, I wonder what the hell I'm doing now. But you know what? I just can't keep looking back. I can't let Hillary down now.

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http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2008/0807/spray_on_condom_0731.jpg

Spray-On Condoms: Still a Hard Sell Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2008 By CALLIE LEFEVRE Spray-on condoms Tyne News / WENN Edison had his lightbulb, Ford had his Model T, and Jan Vinzenz Krause has his spray-on condom. Inspired by the mechanics of a drive-through car wash, the German sexual-health educator designed a custom-fitting male contraceptive using liquid latex and some materials from a hardware store. "I felt a little like MacGyver," he says of building the contraption.   Read More »

LMAO ok sorry but yeah some of this was duh a given!!
#6 seems odd to me but whatever   Read More »

Oh yeah woohoo Finally green jobs will boom!!
Anyone know what exactly sort of field you need to have experiance in to get one of these jobs?   Read More »

Saw this on the local news website thought I would share. If you follow the link and read the comments it is not going over well. This will cut thru the heart of Downtown. link   Read More »

Intresting articl I found.

 

Some Clinton backers won't go quietly at convention

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 6 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Still sore from an epic primary battle, some of Hillary Rodham Clinton's supporters aren't buying the unity theme planned for the Democratic National Convention.

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By ANDREW DeMILLO, Associated Press Writer 5 minutes ago LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A man barged into the Arkansas Democratic headquarters and opened fire Wednesday, fatally shooting the state party chairman before speeding off in his pickup. Police later shot and killed the suspect after a 30-mile chase. Police said they don't know the motive for the 51-year-old suspect, whose name has not been released. However, they said moments after the shooting, he pointed a handgun at the building manager at the nearby the Arkansas Baptist headquarters. He told the manager "I lost my job," said Dan Jordan, a Baptist convention official. Chairman Bill Gwatney died four hour after the shooting. The 48-year-old former state senator had been planning to travel to the Democratic National Convention later this month as a Hillary Clinton superdelegate. Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, issued a statement calling Gwatney "not only a strong chairman of Arkansas' Democratic Party, but he is also a cherished friend and confidante." Witnesses said the gunman entered the party offices shortly before noon and said he wanted to see Gwatney. "He said he was interested in volunteering, but that was obviously a lie," said 17-year-old party volunteer Sam Higginbotham. He said the man then pushed past employees to reach the chairman's office, where he fired three times. After the suspect avoided spike strips and a roadblock along U.S. 167 near Sheridan, police rammed his car, spinning it, said Grant County Sheriff Lance Huey. He got out of his truck and began shooting, and state police and sheriff's deputies fired back, striking him several times, he said. The state Capitol was locked down for about an hour until police got word the gunman had been captured, said Arkansas State Capitol police Sgt. Charlie Brice. Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat who served with Gwatney in the state Senate, had been on a flight to Springdale in northwestern Arkansas. He returned to Little Rock and joined the vigil at University Hospital after what he called a "shocking and senseless attack." Gwatney had been Beebe's finance chairman during the governor's 2006 campaign. "Arkansas has lost a great son, and I have lost a great friend. There is deep pain in Arkansas tonight because of the sheer number of people who knew, respected and loved Bill Gwatney," Beebe said. State Rep. Janet Johnson started to cry when she talked about Gwatney. "This is like something you would see in New York or Pennsylvania or California, but not here," Johnson said. Karen Ray, executive director of the Republican Party of Arkansas, sent her workers home early "out of an abundance of caution." "Our hearts go out to everyone at the Democratic headquarters. What a tragedy," Ray said. "This is just a very upsetting, troubling and scary thing for our staff as well." An impromptu vigil at University Hospital drew Gov. Mike Beebe and a number of state legislators who had worked with Gwatney. House Majority Leader Steve Harrelson was at the state Capitol for a news conference on crime and that he didn't know of anyone who would want to harm Gwatney. "You never think of something like this happening here in Arkansas," Harrelson said. Sarah Lee, a sales clerk at a flower shop across street from the party headquarters, said that around noon Gwatney's secretary ran into the shop and asked someone to call 911. Lee said the secretary told her the man had come into the party's office and asked to speak with Gwatney. When the secretary said she wouldn't allow him to meet with Gwatney, the man went into his office and shot him, Lee said. Last November, a distraught man wearing what appeared to be a bomb walked into a Clinton campaign office in New Hampshire and demanded to speak to the candidate about access to mental health care. A hostage drama dragged on for nearly six hours until he peacefully surrendered. The confrontation brought Clinton's campaign to a standstill just five weeks before the New Hampshire primary. Security for her was increased as a precaution. She said she did not know the suspect.

Ok I am wondering if you could lay out the rules of PB and what standards you must hit to be banned. In the past it has always been a question as to what are the rules and what will and will not get someone banned. Vague statments like "anything used by the gop will not be tolerated" is not good enough. One could argue anyone who does not agree with Obama and his stance on lets pick.... um energy and they say they do not agree then that leaves them open for someone to say that is a gop thing. So please can you lay out some rules???

Oh and another question and I mean no harm but only asking. How many pro Obama people have been banned for their insults? Also what of those dems who have worked hard to elect dems in other areas of goverment.... are they no longer needed here?
Why can people be banned for speaking about Obama but other dems can be slammed?

Ya''at'eeh!
As you all know my dad was deployed last Sunday to Iraq at 2:00 a.m. in the morning, I want to thank all here who have kept him along with the other troops in harms way in their prayers.
Prayer really works. I am not at liberty to disclose where in Iraq my dad is, but one thing I can say is where he is at there is a lot going on. He called at one in the morning Pacific standard time on Wednesday.
His third day in the field of honor and he was grazed in trhe face by shrapnel durring skirmish with Iraqui insurgents. Was treated in the field and returned to the to his job standing.
I thank the Great Spirit Grandfather for having protected him from losing his life, being that things could have been worse. Others are not that lucky. I thank alll for your prayers.
He still has many months to go in Iraq and hopefully he will be returning home safe and well before again getting redeployed.
I will be starting a support group here on PB for all PB members who have a loved one in harms way in that God forsaken land.
Our troops are the best there is and we need to fully support them at all times.
Their sacrifice is for us and our homeland. It is hoped that people really appreciate their sacrifice