Saturday, November 08, 2008

improper?

no. improper is swearing in front of children. improper is being too lazy to get out of the pool to pee. improper is yelling out 'whipping post' at a diana ross concert. improper is clipping your nails at work.

what da liebs did was NOT improper. it was despicable. it was nasty. it was vile. it was low and dirty. it was vicious. it was unforgivable.

he all but called president elect barack obama a traitorous evil terroist israel hater.

harry reid GROW A SET AND KICK DA LIEB'S ASS TO THE CURB NOW!

Reid: Lieberman did something 'improper'

(CNN)Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made clear Friday he's not happy with Joe Lieberman over the onetime Democrat's avid support of John McCain's White House bid, but told CNN the Connecticut independent has a strong record of voting with the Democrats.

"Joe Lieberman has done something that I think was improper, wrong, and I'd like if we weren't on television, I'd use a stronger word of describing what he did," Reid told CNN's John King. "But Joe Lieberman votes with me a lot more than a lot of my senators. He didn't support us on military stuff and he didn't support us on Iraq stuff. You look at his record, it's pretty good."..........



Lieberman and Reid at a Standoff?


Joe Lieberman Resists Call to Take Lesser Role Among Democrats, Sources Say


By JONATHAN KARL
By all accounts, the meeting today between Joseph Lieberman, the independent senator from Connecticut, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., was a cordial, even friendly, one. But Lieberman made a hard push to remain chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, suggesting he may leave the Democratic caucus if he is demoted, ABC News has learned. For Democrats, this is payback time. They want to punish Lieberman for his high-profile support of John McCain's failed presidential bid, observers say. Democrats were especially infuriated by Lieberman's attacks on Barack Obama during his primetime speech at the Republican National Convention in September........

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

i've been thinking about this song for days now

it's just been on my mind. i can't think of any song more fitting. it was written for a purpose. it was written for a purpose back then, but it's the SAME purpose right now.

i haven't stopped crying since i left the voting booth yesterday morning. i had the foresight to ask to work from home yesterday, but like the giant dope i am, i did NOT have the foresight to ask to work from home today as well. people kept asking me (at work) if i was all right. they asked because i had not spoken a single word (unusual. VERY unusual). if they approached me and i looked at them, i just started crying again. i can't stop.i've never felt like this before. something is bubbling up from the very depths of my soul. hope? is that what it is?

my sister tells me her middle child 'k' who is in her early 20s was kick ass for obama. it's sort of shocking. only in that i never thought of her as political in any way shape or form. she made her boyfriend register to vote AND vote. he's considerably older than she AND he has never registered to vote or voted before. she made her older sister vote and she made her younger brother vote.i'm wellin' with pride about that. if you knew her you'd be just as blown away as i am. really









and just in case you didn't know why sam cooke wrote and sang this song ......

Sam Cooke's Swan Song of Protest

yes we did

President-elect Barack Obama's remarks in Chicago

Text of Democrat Barack Obama's speech in Chicago after winning the presidential election, as transcribed by CQ Transcriptions:

___

OBAMA: Hello, Chicago.

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.

A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain.

Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.

I congratulate him; I congratulate Governor Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton ... and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years ... the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady ... Michelle Obama.

Sasha and Malia ... I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us ...to the new White House.

And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them.

And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe ... the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best — the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.

To my chief strategist David Axelrod ... who's been a partner with me every step of the way.

To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics ... you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.

It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy ... who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.

It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.

This is your victory.

And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me.

You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime — two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.

There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.

There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.

I promise you, we as a people will get there.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can!

OBAMA: There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem.

But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years — block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.

This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.

It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.

Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.

In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.

Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.

Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

To those — to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons — because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America — the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that We Shall Overcome. Yes we can.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.

Yes we can.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves — if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.

This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

you know i almost didn't vote

for or against the constitutional convention. it was at the top of the ballot and didn't really stand out. i remembered it was supposed to be on the ballot at the last minute and i checked "NO" i didn't want the convention. we don't NEED it

if you don't wish to marry someone of the same sex DON'T. no one is forcing you. same sex couples are NOT going to turn YOU gay. you're either gay or not (i guess there are one or two people in the entire universe who are neither or both). same sex couples are NOT going to prevent hetero couples from marrying. they are NOT a threat to anyone. to this day, i just don't understand the negativity, the fear, the prejudice. i just don't


No Convention, Say Constitution State Voters


There will not be a Constitutional Convention in Connecticut, at least until 2028.

Voters in Connecticut have decided against holding a convention to amend the state's constitution, dealing a major blow to opponents of same-sex marriage.

The Associated Press reports, with 45 precincts counted, the question failed 61 percent to 39 percent.

Proponents of a convention had viewed it as the easiest path toward overturning last month's state Supreme Court ruling that found banning gay marriage unconstitutional...........




State To Allow Same-Sex Weddings Beginning Nov. 12

|The Hartford Courant
There will be a moment in her wedding that Geraldine Artis has looked forward to for many years.

"Suzanne is planning to sing to me. She sings so beautifully," said Artis, 39, of her partner, Suzanne Artis, 37, after learning Monday that same-sex couples would be able to get married in Connecticut beginning Nov. 12.

On that day, the state Supreme Court's Oct. 10 decision legalizing same-sex marriage will officially become effective. That same day, the plaintiffs in Kerrigan et al v. Commissioner of Public Health et al, and their attorneys from Boston-based Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, will return to Superior Court in New Haven, the state court where the legal case began four years ago.

During that hearing, Judge Jonathan Silbert is expected to enter final judgment in the case ordering the state to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, according to the Boston group. Couples from throughout the state will then be able to get marriage licenses at town clerks' offices statewide and from public health departments in Bridgeport, New Haven and Middletown................

yes WE DID


President Elect Barack Obama. (Photo: AP)

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

i just voted

and babies, IT'S A MESS OUT THERE


i have never seen it SO crowded at 6 am. it took me 36 minutes total. i have NEVER been more than the 3rd person to vote. EVER. until today that is

you know what you have to do today

DO IT

Monday, November 03, 2008

a little bit of

unusual connecticut history.


When vampire panic struck Jewett City

By Megan Bard

GRISWOLD, Conn.—In May of 1854, the Ray family of Jewett City was frantic.

The large farming family was dying from a devastating disease that caused strong young adults to waste away. Consumption, now known as tuberculosis, was spreading through its ranks with a vengeance.

The family had exhausted traditional means of prevention and were left with one recourse: exhume the bodies of two sons who died from the disease and burn them "on the spot," as a local newspaper recounted some eight years after the event.

The Rays believed they needed to kill the dead to keep them from feeding on the living.

Last Thursday, state Archaeologist Nicholas Bellantoni and municipal historian Mary Deveau were to take visitors on a walk through history and discuss the plight of the Ray family and what are now known as the Jewett City vampires. The walk was the final stroll sponsored by The Last Green Valley's Walktober celebration.

"People were frightened. It was a final effort to save the living," Bellantoni said of the practice.

Griswold and Bellantoni both hold prominent places in what folklorists describe as the New England vampire belief................


i thought people knew what tuberculosis was by the 1850s. perhaps not in outlaying counties?