Maybe Barney is just a politically incorrect dog. Saw that hand of the Rueter Reporter that had so often given GWB, McCain or a Palin a nasty.......said I got to have a piece of this. Proceeded accordingly.
Not sure if it showing in Europe. But here in the US. Barney, the black snauser of the Bush family.....just inserted several teeth into the fingers of Rueter's reporter than was trying to pet him.
See what happens when you give the President of the United States some bad press! The reporter needs to thank his lucky stars it was a mop mutt, instead of a real dog.....like a pincher, or german shepard.
No stichtes were needed......but British blood fell on American soil one more time.
Hats off to Barney...... OK.........speaking for Americans everywhere......we are ashamed of Barney's bad behavior......he will not get any biscuits tonight as treats.
Have a great trip Zee. Kentucky mountians this time of year should be great! If you run into Daniel Boone up there, becareful....I hear he once wrestled a bear in those woods and won.
About 1500 hours in various small types of aircraft here. My dad was a corporate pilot for many years, has about 32,000 hours in everything from jets to piston.
I once took a date....soaring.....in a soarplane. Great date if you ever get a chance to do one. Was up one time, soaring in formation with an Eagle. Try that in some go fast aircraft.
Speed ain't everything, but control is.:-)
Pilots tend to be pretty responsible people. Thier training and dedication to flying safely....tends to carry over into other areas of thier lives.
Problem with flying these days....at least for the small guy.....is the cost of fuel and maintenance. Aviation fuel is more costly than your regular car gas. Though some aircraft makers are making planes with diezel and car gas engines now.
Also they have a new type of pilot license in the US now. Called the sports aircraft license. For small single and two seat aircraft...a person can get a sport aircraft license in about 2 week of training. Be flying low cost aircraft of this class in a very short time and with little investment.
As REP and Conservative Christian...I have to admit my disappointment in the results of the election. But have to give credit to Barak Obama and his staff in running a fine campaign. He, his staff and the DEM deserve congratulations.
It was a great night for him, his family and the DEM party.
Early in the day, I had sent a condolence email to the Obama campaign website regarding his grandmother's passing. Within 24 hours, I had a on point thank email from one his staff. They advise to send donation to any cancer organization of ones choices, instead of flowers.
Then watched the results in the evening. Once it hit 270, I went to bed. But still woke today.:-)
I have caught the sound clips of Senator Obama thrilling speech of victory and Senator McCain's gracious speech of defeat. Both had messages for the country and the world in thier remarks.
Barak Obama task in the next several months....is to unite the country behind him. There many ways for him to attempt to do this. I am not the one to advise on it. With elected power come the responsiblity of such decisions. Some 46% of the country supported his political opponet, their voice still needs to be heard within his government. I am sure he will find a place and manner for that.
For the 52% that did directly support him, comes the responsibilty of fully supporting him in both the good and bad times that may come in the future. For that is what the true value of a vote. Not that you have just desire for a change, but have the long term preservance and strength to make the change in facing all events.
Yesterday was victory for democracy. Anytime a peaceful change of power can occur, it shows the resolve of the people to live in a civil society. This for the world is perhaps the greatest lesson of the day.
God bless the new 44th President of the United State, Barak Obama, his family and the new administration of the American Government. God speed to retiring 43th President of the United State, George W. Bush, his family and his adminstration.
Both sides have played the 'game' here. DEMs by worring that miniorities will be disenfranchised and REP by worring about illegal voter fruad. Maybe time to call it a draw?
Most REP election officials that I know would never refuse or reject a ligit DEM voter registration or DEM ballot cast.
Have I turned some down to vote? Yep, when they failed to meet the identity and residency requirements. 2000 I have a couple drive from Miami to here to vote. Hispanic they told me that they had moved there, but had failed to register there in time. They wee orginally from my prencit. This is 15 minute to end of the day. I have a line of 10 other voter with name change and address changes and a phone that cannot call election headquarters because the lines are tied up.
Just that simple statement to me that they had moved....meant they were out of the county......and could not legaly vote.
I turned them away.....though they had made a 4 hour drive to vote. I had no choice not to. For all I knew they could have already voted in S. Florida. And they certianly not longer had residency here. They were honest about it. But there is lot people that will not be.
That is the kind of stuff we get into. Tricky stuff that State legislators have never considered in the election laws that they pass. It gets to be a judgement call.
Goes back to when they installed the electroral college as a means to coordinate an election (in the days prior to the computer). It is a Constitutional admiendment that takes 60% to change. Also the Constitution give teh State the full authory to run the election.
Is not a Federal gov't obligation to do so.
To change....Constitutional Congress would need to be called. Or a political party with with enough votes in Congress to change it.
Prencit Lines here in were only about 30 minutes. Not sure what the other states are.
Fallingman......we are just a given to kick shins, I can see.
Consider the 100s of REP Supervisors of Elections in counties around the country....that if they wanted to..... could have put up road blocks to Obama young voters registeration earlier this year. They could have easily said.....college dorms are not residency. Register in your home town. They did not. Why could they say that?
Same reason as the felon imprisonment. Dorms are most often state property. They are there as a guest of the state. Hence no residency. If the REP wanted to play such games with Obama or the DEMs, they easily could have.
But you don't get it Fallingman. See here is what all the studies have ever shown about historical voting patterns. That while a youth may start out as a liberal voter, by his/her mid 30s.....they go to the mid road and to being conservative voters. They want REP values then for the most part.
REP don't mind the young voter coming into the process. They know in a couple of elections.....they will likely be screaming for conservative canidates.....at the RNC. That in thier life time of voting, they will vote more times REP than DEM.
In my time as election official, I helped more DEM and IND get processed and to actually vote, than I did REP. It ain't about keeping any legal voter from voting, Fallingman. It is about keeping illegal voters from processing and from excercising the right of voting.
By the way...the United States election system is often monitored by foreign groups......read any reports from them....like you do of them on Russia? No. Fallingman, post this 2008 Presidential election.....those groups will give the country high marks for fairness and transperancy.
Anyways such independant reports that contradict your position likely dont get read by you and Dude. So guess we will just live with the disgrace and run our elections....but thanks for the advice.
The IKE factor? I am laughing now. Hurricane Ike cost the lives of 300. Was estimated to be a $9-10b hurricane.
Texas is so heavy McCain that Obama did not even campaign there.
As for Cuba ofering to help with hurricane relief.....I can offer to send you a Christmas card.....makes me sound all nice and fuzzy.....does not mean you are getting a Christman card.
Just checking the Texas poll.....to show you how far ahead McCain is there......when I noticed Yahoo new electroral poll......in three days.... McCain has gone from 169 to 196.......27 electroral pickup and 27 loses to Obama. Obama is down to 318.
If McCain gets a electroral win and Obama gets a public vote win.....you are going to be one angry Dane.
By the way...I have played around with this poll...it lets you create scenarios. The DEMs are saying that McCain needs a inside straight to win (e.g. only one path to win). I have at least 7 paths to getting the 270 for McCain. None were any kind of blow out......but each got him into the Presidency.
In Texas....McCain has a 23 point lead. That is your Ike factor. They just changed Florida......from a DEM state to battleground state. So even the pollsters are seeing Florida differently now.
For McCain to win....he needs 2 of 3......FL, OH, PA AND 2 of 3 of IN, MO, NC....tough to do, but not impossible. Any combination of those will get him near or over the 270. One guy had a scenario of a 269 to 269 electroral college tie. Obama wins then by the way.....goes to Congress for a tie breaker.
Honesty with 30million new voters.....all the pollster models are off. Morris explained it earlier why we are getting polls with such wide range of results.....they did not have any computer models from thedis new voters that came into the process. So even when they survey 3K...if the model is wrong.....you get wide ranges of numbers. I don't place much into the polls at this point. Tomorrow, we will know.
Anythings still goes on this one. Carl Rove....has kind of thrown in the hat by the way. He sees a Obama win. Morris is still seeing a possible McCain win.
Remember that it is the day of mass media? McCain is well known in the country....and though not having the $s for the ad campaign of Obama......did run very effective ads.....and has that REP grass roots of GWB 2004 win reengerized with Palin on the ticket.
Like I said....I would go to a Obama rally...to listen to Springstien.....does not mean I would vote for him.
Interesting way to put it Dude.....but even under Obama....Americans will not cocooned. Here it is simple for you to understand. If Obama wins......on Jan 20th.....he will say....."My Fellow Americans".......
As soon as he says that....the divisivion in the country can end.
If McCain wins and says it......"My Fellow Americans"........
again the division in the country can end.
So in one sense does it matter, who wins and who says it? The division of politics can end with those words on the Jan 20th.
Will it end? I am like Bill O'Reilly on this one. I doubt that it will. There is always some division in American politics.....some far left or far right that has some weird position that the media picks up on.
But basically Obama has moved to such a centrist position....that if he stays there.....most Americans will not have a problem with his Presidency. If he moves back to the far left...that is a different matter.
I have listened to several mid road REPs....when asked if they could support a Obama Presidency.....note the word 'support'....not 'serve'.... most all said yes.
Me? I am going to do a sit and wait for a while before I decide on it. I want to see if he is oging to stay a centrist or if he moves to the left. If I get the feeling he is moving that way......then I will oppose him again.
With McCain, I don't have to wait. I know where he is at. I can go ahead with projects and business.
The way I heard it, Fallingman....the Obama camp had asked people to call in sick tomorrow to vote. Also all the schools in Florida are shut down....So? People will have the time and the opportunity to vote if the have the will to do so.
When did your country run an election of.......140-150m voters? Let me see.......never. Just consider the logistics of that, Fallingman. In theory.....they need a ballot for 200m voters.....one for each voter in the country. Then they need the mechanisms to accumlate the data and tally the ballots. And you are not just talking about one race between the two Presidential canidates. On my ballot....there were 8 State of Florida issues......6 Judges, 4 Representivates, and 1/2 dozen local county races. There is simply no other country in the world that can do a massive election like the US.
So do me a favor......if you wish to compare the US to a 3rd world country......on its elections....support Obama some more. Open ballots is the way they often vote in 3rd world countries.
Here is where you are missing it, Fallingman. McCain split the DEMs again with the Palin VP selection. So even someone says on a exit polls....I am a DEM....does not mean they voted DEM or for Obama. The beuaty of the secret ballot.
The Sentinel title pages this morning had a State map......3/4 RED for McCain....1/4 Blue for Obama. Including the I-4 cooridoor.
Florida hinges on the I-4 cooridoor, I live in the I-4 cooridoor.....if it goes McCain.....Florida is his. The rest of the State balances out the Miami Dade Blue. Sorry fellows......just the way it is.
LOL...Dude.....University of Michigan is having it worst season in 40 years.....presently they are 2-6,...they still get 116,000 to a football game. Attending something does not mean you are going to vote for the person. Attending an Obama rally.....is like going to a free rock concert.
Lines are long because the turn out is heavy, Fallingman. That one library polling place where I voted in week of early voting had 7,000 voters.
They balance out the systems pretty well among the precints......depending of the size of the location and the number in the precint registries.
Where they are running into problems.....is where they set up only 1 early voting location in a county......mostly in OH. I suspect they did that because of the 1 day registery and 1 day vote program. They had some 4-6 hours waits there. Admittedly to long.
But they will keep the vote going till the last in the line has voted.... so to me was a pretty frilious lawsuit. Some of these prencits will not close till 9-10PM tomorrow.....there is always a late rush at about 6:30PM. Mostly of the Presidentials that I worked....never home before 12PM.
A large amount of our energy production is presently with emission coal plants.....so basically Obama is going to either close them down or going to force them to go to clean coal.
Since we are speaking of energy. Picked this little dittie up from the WSJ a few days ago. Remember I said much of the Pickens plan was impractical?
After he went public, Pickens got $2b in investor money. Today 3/4 have withdrawn thier investments. Pickens has been paying them back with cash. Presently he has between $400-$500m left from the earlier investments.
It did not seem to be caused by the financial meltdown....according to this article....rather people just began to ask a lot of questions and answers did not seem to match up.
And Palin???????????? A Comedian was able to Fool her by claiming he is Sarkozy!!!!!! Just imagine this person wiht the "Codes" Any Hillybillies will be able to Fool her and making her do stupied stuff which can lead toward real catasrophies for the entire country!
Considering that Palin had yahoo account hacked by the son of a DEM politician....then info placed on the internet.......including all thier family phone numbers.....I am surprised that only one fake phone call got thru.
Don't worry, Dude.....with the nuclear code football.....comes a high security phone line......I don't that even Sarkozy could get the number to it.
Five battleground states.....OH, FL, MO, PA, IN.......are either tied or have McCain with a slight lead. FOXX polling.
Early voter turn show a 48 Obama lead to 47 McCain. 40% of the vote has been in early voting. Estimate voter turn out to be some 140-150m Americans (65-70%) will vote in this Presidential election.
According to Newt Grinrich......much of the 40% early voter were second time voters.....meaning little of the new registration had turned out.
My county has about 160K registered voters. 41,000 voted early.
FL is a jumb ball at this point. Obama looks strong in the Miami Dade area. McCain controls the rest of the state.
One DEM law suit filed and then pulled. Was against the REP party for using poll watchers to challenge voters. State Sectretary set up a hot line to report such. Also the judge that case was filed in is staying up tomorrow to listen to any other such complaints.
Pretty frilious lawsuit. Law is anyone in line by 7PM on the 4th will vote. Either regular ballot or provisional. DEM were saying that the REP poll watcher would challenge a voter and slow the process up. But it doesnot fly with the 7PM law.
Going to be an interesting day and evening tomorrow.
Let us finish with geopolitic and internal politics.
Senator Obama in the IL Senate, abstained 130 times on state legistation and has written 1 piece of law since in the Senate. This is not a stellar. State legistlation is a no brainer...easy to figure a position on. Do you want a new state flag? That kind of thing. 130 times he abstained in two terms?
If person cannot make his mind on small things. Why expect him to make his mind on major things? If he cannot write major legislation, why expect new programs?
How can one expect the Senator Obama can regulate a government that he is taking earmarks from? He is number two on taking earmarks from from the Federal Government. Not a good sign.
How about his regulation of business? Well unless you get the cause of the melt down right......all the regulation in the world will not improve things much. First to fail were the Fannies, not Lehamn Brothers, AIG, Merill Lynch. Yet according to the DEMs, these were fine. Then why did they fail first?
With foreign relationship. You have heard it. Talk with forfeign parties unconditionally. Sit down with President A....Chavez....and Castro. In the case of Iran, we legimatize the gov't....that we severed relations with since the Embassy take over of the 1976. In the case Cuba, we isolate 1000s of Cuban Americans that were forced from the country. In the case of Venesula, we begin talking with a government that supports the FARCs of Columbia.
Russia? Well some tough characters are in power there. Medvedev and Putin are tough. Sending Obama to negotiate with these two, kind of reminds me of the JV football team playing the Varsity team. A Pres Obama.....may take that 3AM phone call from regarding these guys. He better hope the Joe Biden has a conference call set up on his house phone to share it. Getting those 300 foreign advisors to agree at 3AM is not likely.
China.....China is a both challenge and a opportunity. What a great marketplace for American business with new and innovative products. That a challenge in light of the Tibetian suppression. China is surely communistic and socialist. How does Barak Obama and his policies work with China? Consider a taxed American business....not able to export to this marketplace. Consider a Barak Obama that did not speak out on the Tibetian issue, to my knowledge.
There it is....except for my story of casting a vote this year. I already have voted....early voting in the local library. Was about a 40 minute wait....and they had changed some of procedures on fraud. FL voters are taking a sworn oath of identity and name.....prior to being issued a ballot. This will aid in prosecution of those with actual voter fraud. I will keep my ballot decision confidential.
After I voted....I decided to look thru the books. Standing at the book rack....I noticed two books had been flipped to showing thier front covers. I reach down and find the first to Michele Obama's book. The second is a book from Barak. I flip them back to show front covers. I wander over to the liberian....and ask her....were the two Obama books flipped because of the election?
Florida has a no advertise of a candidate within 100 feet of the polling place law. So I am think that this might have been ordered by the libary management. If such.....in my opinion was wrong.....these were the Obama's thoughts....not political materials. I would have complained to this to the library management. She says no...I said then well people are flipping them. She says she would watch for it. So likely was GWB sneaking down here to flip them.:-)
We have a strong love of freedom of in this country. The United States is big enough to have the thoughts of the Obamas freely shown in the country without restriction. We have fought to many wars for these freedoms to have them flipped for a mere political statement is wrong. So was the DEM flipping on supporting the country when it is at war.
To pay for the new enlarged military and to cut the DoDs budget. You have to cut new weapon programs. On the block according to Joe Biden is a new sub program, a new ICBM program, a new destroyer program and the F-22 Raptor program. Billions in new high technology weapons systems. Only is it sound to cut them when.....the Russian will soon have a new stealth aircraft, have upgraded thier Topol-M, the Chinese just launch a new Sub and finally high seas priracy is on the increase. Each of these cut programs match up with either international situations or what Russia and China is developing in weapon programs.
When Senator Obama was in Iraq, he met with General Betrais. At the end of the meeting, he explained how the Chain of Command would change with his Presidency. It would be micromanaged from the White House. For those of you that have heard those words in the past.....think LBJ and Vet Nam. Also Obama comprehensive plan for Pakistan.....again think LBJ and Vet Nam.....LBJ has 3 comprehensive plans for Vet Nam. None worked and micromanaged of the military was a diasater that cost 100s of American lives.
Vet Nam only occurs again, if we fight terrorism and future conflicts with the same concepts that it was fought with. We lost in Vet Nam. But we have not lost a major conflict since Vet Nam with the change to the 12 command system and lose command linkage to the White House. In going to micromanage of a conflict, the President becomes directly responsibile for events in the field, for abu Grail like scandles, and for the treatment of prisoners as in GITMO.
Senator McCain is supported by 2/3 of the military by polls and endorsed by 300 admirals and generals. These men and women have told us who they prefer to be their Commander in Chief and it is not Senator Obama.
Let us move the economy.
Well things have settled some. The stock market is still votiale but seems to be having good gains. There is a gov't program to support homeowner with failing mortgages. Unemployment moved to over 6% that first time, but also a indication of a recession. Gas and fuel prices has dropped. I was at a discount store today.....they were stocking for Christmas....the shelves were full. Food is still in the grocery store. And small business is still providing services and goods here in C. Florida.
I am not saying that losing your 401 or retirement, this last few months is not painful. It is. But there are some good signs to the economy recovering. But most are saying the that the key is confidence....of consumer, small business, and big business. How well does Senator Obama tax plan....empact confidence at these levels? Any small business over $250K get additional taxes. Big business and the top 5% (that already pay 70% of the income tax) are in for some tax increases. Under the Obama plan.....those that do our off shore drilling....get taxed....those that employ most Americans....get taxed.
Taxes are either passed on to the consumer or they restrict the growth of the company. One or the other.
Joe Biden says.....taxes are patriotic. Patriotic is a 4th of July with a cool one and some fireworks for most Americans. Paying taxes is sweat of the brow stuff, hard honest work. Barak Obama...say I will spread the wealth around. 40% of the country to get hand outs. 40% that pay less than 3% of the income tax. Well if not socialism, please do tell me what it is.
By the way, Senator.....if the teacher forced you to share that sandwhich in elementary school.....you would not be happy and you would call it unfair. That is Senator Obama's tax plan and share the wealth plan.....unequible and unfair.
for a simple reason. To bring you all here for my "Closing Arguement" on why Senator John McCain should be the 44th president of the United States. Reposting this in a number of threads is too time consuming. So I figured if I could bring most of the CSers interested in the American election to one post.
You are reading this....so I guess it worked.
I also figured if Senator Barak Obama could have a closing arguement, so could I. I got the idea to do this the other day prior to voting, a story in itself. When I looked closely at a McCain/Palin sign. Looked carefully at the star centered in it.
To know what I saw.....you have to know United Military Insiginia. It spoke volumes about who and what John McCain is. It shows how honest John McCain is.
Why do I say that? It is only a silver star.
Well if there is a man in this race that had a claim to place a gold star on his signage, it is John McCain. John McCain's father was a admiral....their rank is of gold stars. Also he is running for the Commander in Chief position. A elected position signified by again gold stars. Instead John McCain is so honest about his linage and present position, that uses only a silver star.
Senator McCain has every right to place a Silver Star on his signage. It is theatre award for his service in Vet Nam in the 60s-70s AND his highest ranking military award. The second highest in the country, only behind the Congressional Medal of Honor.
It is said that one way to determine if a person is honest, is if he/she is honest in the small matters. That Silver Star is a small matter, but shows how honest to even small issues that John McCain is. He only advertised what he was ENTITLED by law to. Where as Senator Obama has done vastly differently in my opinion.
Here we have a inexperienced canidate, placing himself in front of the White House columms for his DNC acceptance speech. We have in his closing arguement, in a fictious oval office. Extremely PRESUMPTIVE in my opinion. He had no legal entitlement to use those settings in his campaign. He simply took them. Just because he is running for the office, doesnot give him entitlement to them.....till the American public has spoken.
He does this to show himself "Presidential". How "Presidential" is he? Presidential to give $800,000 to a ACORN and disguise it as donation to a different group? Presidential, to sit in REV. Wright's church for 20 years and then tell us......'I never heard those things'? Even Oprah left this church. Presidential to dine with a with a PLO spokesman while anti Isreal comments are being made? These are not Presidential or even honest. They are much bigger and easier issues to be honest with than a Silver Star.
Ask reporters if they have had difficulties in vetting Senator Obama. Mostly all agree that they have many troubles in getting documents and facts on the man's life and activities. In the terms of background checkers, Senator Obama has been smoked and cleaned.
Let us move to military. Senator Obama says he would add front line 65K Soldiers and 25K Marine to our military. If you understand our military, for every 1 on the front line combat troop, 10 are in support. His growth of 90K front line combat soliders means....900,000 are added to our military's 4.5m. Yet we have Joe Biden saying, they will reduce the budget for DoD by 15%. How do you pay for 900,000 new military slots when you are going to reduce DoD's budget? And when in transferring the war to Afghanistan.......you will still spend the $10b a month, now spent in Iraq.
ttom500 Forum Posts (10,523)
OK.........speaking for Americans everywhere......we are ashamed of Barney's bad behavior......he will not get any biscuits tonight as treats.
Barney, GWB White House Dog.......Digest the Fingers of a Rueter Reporter
Barney has his own WMDs in those sharp little teeeth of his. Rueter reporter has been since been seen with bandages on his fingers.