As I speak to my friends or read the news, many people have expressed this concern:
“Really, what is the difference between the two? It does not matter who I vote for.”
It does matter. Republicans hate Hilary. THEY REALLY HATE Hilary.
Who is going to win against McCain? Who has a better chance?
The answer is Obama.
Dont believe me? Read this article.
-Ala
Posted in Election 2008
Democratic Delegate Count:
Obama - 861
Clinton - 855
(super delegates not added)
Republicans:
Romney drops out after Super Tuesday
McCain is apparent front runner (even Rove has maxed out his political donation amount)
Mike Huckabee does well in the South and is still in the race…
Posted in Briefs
If you know anything about Mexican American History, you should know Tijerina.
If Ceasar Chavez is the Mexican American version of Martin Luther King Jr, than Reies Tijerina is the Mexican American version of Malcolm X. (except more mother fucking crazy).
Tijerina, started his own relgious cult and community by buying property and digging holes and living under car hoods in the desert.
During his religious separation, his people and community suffered a malay of “random” attacks, floods, plane crashes, violence, and destruction.
Thanks to a vision, Tijerina refocused his efforts on Mexican Land Grants, and regaining rights after the Mexican-American war.
While the man was determined, again he was attacked by a variety of mysterious events, out right attacks, and destruction.
Tijerina was so crazy, he took over a National Park, arrested the rangers, and claimed it as part of his people’s land. His people also staged an attacked on a county courthouse. This was not the wild west friends, this was in 1967.
This man was actually deported OUT OF MEXICO.
Please read the Wikipedia entry. His autobiography is enough to make you believe in government conspiracies and the evil power of the man! Plus it is wildly entertaining.
-Ala
Posted in Things You Should Know
I just wanted to post this story from the Guardian in the UK because someone asked me the other day if I knew what was going on with some battle on scientologists….
Posted in Headlines, The North Star
I couldn’t have scripted this any better in my own head. This game is what every football fan (unless you are a New England one) was hoping it would be. The then 18-0 Patriots were up by 4 points (14-10) on the New York Giants towards the end of the 4th quarter until, with 29 seconds left in the game, Eli Manning completed a touchdown pass to Almani Toomer. Brady failed to complete a pass, getting sacked for 10 yards to shatter the Patriots’ dream of going undefeated and capturing football’s biggest prize…the Super Bowl Championship.
* It was exactly what I predicted…all that shit talking on Eli this year for what? I’ll be honest…FUCK THE PATRIOTS! I have been waiting for this moment for most of this decade, yeah I’ll say it…they clown too fucking much. What’s Tom Brady doing in an ESPN skit about the Brady Bunch the week before the Super Bowl? All that coverage of his hurt poor shoulder on TMZ, the Bud Light commercial dick-jockying the Patriots as a dynasty…they should have focused on the game. In the end, the Patriots did not want it and DID NOT DESERVE IT! Thats right…the cheating ass Patriots finally got what they so awfully deserved. How sweet it is….they have terrorized my teams for a decade, lets see where all this “dynasty” talk is when all the media will be able to talk about is how Eli Manning pulled off one of the greatest defeats in NFL history (now on the same level as his brother); and how the Patriots, sitting on a perfect record, managed to have what would have made them the greatest football team in history, snatched from their very grasps. This was by far better than an asterisk!
Oh and for the golf fan: Tiger won Dubai today for his 4th straight…
Posted in FOCI? NO, FUCK YOU!, Headlines, Sports, The North Star
Lots of star power in this one:
Vote, bitches.
Posted in Election 2008, Entertainment, The North Star
Man, I always wondered why Americans hated/bad-mouthed Canadians so much….now I see its the same old shit, hating Black people. Yes people, ‘Canadian’ is now a substitute word for ‘Nigger’….
Another point to this argument is: Does crucifying racists in our society (i.e. an Imus or a Michael Richardson) and over reacting to these remarks only drive true racists further underground? Does this not have the effect of continuing ignorant beliefs by driving them further underground, rather than confronting them and educating them? Wouldn’t solving the problem of racism by examining the factors that create it be more effective? It was a classic debate I remember having as a tenth grader….
Don’t believe me, read it yourself…
Posted in Domestic (U.S.), Minority Issues, The North Star
Posted in Society/Culture, The North Star
Domestic:
McCain beats out Romney in Florida in the Republican primary that took place on Tuesday, January 29th. The media has almost unanimously prescribed this close contest in Florida to be a grudge match of sorts. McCain took the vote over Romney 36% to 31%; Guiliani looked on from a distance at 14% in a state he had staked the hopes of his presidential run upon. Former New York Mayor Guiliani has since dropped out of the race, endorsing Senator McCain. McCain carried this momentum though the preceding days and should also pick up the key endorsement of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Romney and McCain spiced things up in their debate on Wednesday in California, in a contest where both candidates aimed to draw contrast between them. They both questioned and scrutinized each other’s record and by the end of the night Romney and his people were claiming McCain was using “dirty tricks” to lie about his position on Iraq. McCain’s people brushed it off, nevertheless, Romney’s insistence on the issue has led many to paint him as a copycat candidate. There were reports of him using Clinton dividing tactics earlier in the election, he has increasingly framed his campaign message to that of Barack Obama’s, and again last night tried to appeal voters by lifting the plot right out of the democratic primary and make it his own story. To be frank, he sometimes borrows from the Clinton’s (his campaigning behavior in S.C. then subsequent accusal of McCain of dirty tricks) and then also from Obama (his appeal to voters, the way Obama did last week in S.C. by saying his record was being lied about). McCain seems to be the front runner in the Republican party right now, but with super Tuesday approaching there is sure to be more going on in the news cycle this week.
On the Democrat side, Senator Clinton won the Florida primary on Tuesday however the victory did not matter at all - yet. Florida, like Michigan, was stripped of its delegates because it broke party rules to hold their state primary early. All Democratic Party candidates agreed not to campaign in both states during the primary; so on a technicality, Clinton visited Florida last night after polls closed to contrive a victory after being routed in S.C. by Obama. There, she vowed to the voters in Florida that she would do everything she could to get them seated, also making a similar plea for Michigan. She then began to make her case by invoking horrific memories of 2000, reminding voters that Florida is a key swing state in the general elections that Democrats need to carry. The tactics of each campaign are becoming more apparent in differences approaching Feb. 5th as the campaigns begin to embrace the reality of the race moving beyond Super Tuesday onto other state primaries. Clinton is obviously trying to squeeze every last voter she can to get the nomination; if this already tight race does move on past the 5th, the race could come right down to the convention. This is important because Hillary could win the nomination merely based on seating the delegates of Florida and Michigan (if she can actually get that to happen). Another point to contemplate is the fact that because none of the candidates were able to campaign in those states, most voters were going on name recognition and familiarity (Clinton being the biggest name in both Party’s election). The outcome in these states, would have no doubt been different had voters been enabled with opportunities to know the candidates and their issues better. The Florida primary means zero as of now because no delegates were awarded. If Hillary does get her way….there will be a whole different discussion…
Obama handled this by raising $32 M in just the month of January and visiting states whom delegates will actually be reflected in the convention; Edwards dropped out of the Presidential race after his second attempt to capture the nomination. There has been a lot of speculation on who he will support or what that will mean, but nothing as of now is concrete. Once again, these issues will be dominating the cycle for a few days.
Posted in Briefs, Domestic News, Election 2008
On a night where President George W. Bush should have taken the spotlight in the news for his State of the Union address; pundits and viewers alike were searching for something more. Bush’s address this year had around nine or ten parts of his oratory that were recycled soundbites of past addresses. One of the only things he mentioned that seemed new was his plea to stop earmarks in congress (something his republican congress was largely guilty of). The current President’s State of the Union tonight illustrated the juxtaposition from which this new wave towards of a new type of politics, or a politics of hope rather than fear can be expounded.
Ted Kennedy, in his own address to students at American University earlier today, presented a contrasting message that delineated the political future of the country with its past; harmoniously drawing allegory of the time of 1960 with the present.
“I know what America can achieve; I’ve seen it, I’ve lived it, with Barack Obama we can do it again! And I know - I know he is ready to be President on day one. And when he raises his hand on inauguration day; that very moment, we will lift up the spirit in our nation…and begin to restore our standing in the world…”
Senator Kennedy also delivered, from his perch of unequivocal experience, an outright defense of Obama’s record. He covered all bases from Obama’s call to end the Iraq War, ethics reform, work on the education systems, and praised his help in forging a bi-partisan immigration reform bill. Kennedy even proclaimed Senator Obama a champion of justice for the people. Ted artfully colored his elocution with comparisons of Obama to the likes of his brothers John and Robert, as well as FDR. It was clear form his endorsement, and the endorsement of all of his other family members that they are trying to bring about a change of the guard by instilling the vision that Obama represents what the Democratic party used to be - the party of optimism, hope, and ideals.
With this endorsement in his pocket, Barack Obama was able use the State of the Union event as a forum to paint his candidacy as the sunset on the ways of the past and the current administration - being sunrise on a new day. With all of this momentum going into Super Tuesday, the only question is who will Al Gore give his support to? If you thought the Ted and Caroline news was big, wait and see what will happen if Al Gore endorses Obama…
Kennedy’s Endorsement Speech:
Posted in Domestic News, Election 2008, The North Star
Just a few hours after picking up the endorsement of FOCI, Obama went on to collect the endorsement of Caroline Kennedy (JFK’s daughter) and trounce Hillary in South Carolina.
| Democrats | Polls | County Results | |||
| Candidate | Votes | % of votes | Delegates won |
| Obama | 295,091 | 55% | 25 |
| Clinton | 141,128 | 27% | 12 |
| Edwards | 93,552 | 18% | 8 |
| Kucinich | 551 | 0% | 0 |
Obama came out with a prodigious win over the Clinton campaign today in South Carolina winning the state primary by over double the votes. Obama was successfully able to emerge the candidate of unity, getting a large majority of the black vote and splitting the white vote pretty much evenly amongst white voters. He was able to crystallize the focus and direction of his candidacy in what had to be one of the best speeches I have ever heard - past or present.
“The choice in this election is not about regions or religions or genders,” Obama boldly stated at his victory rally. “It’s not about rich versus poor, young versus old and it’s not about black versus white. It’s about the past versus the future.”
This performance seemed intertwine the vision of the Obama campaign moving forward into Super Tuesday with the delicate and balanced words echoed in Ms. Kennedy’s op ed in the New York Times. A president that is ready to unite and lead this country, a leader with new and pragmatic ideas on how to solve the tough challenges that face us…A president like her father:
“I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them,” she wrote, “But for the first time, I believe I have found a man who could be that president — and not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.”
The people of South Carolina proved that like the great generation who needed a John F. Kennedy, this new and equally great generation needs a Barack Obama. He definitely proved a lot tonight, he most definitely is riding high on this monumental push he has received from this victory…lets just hope, for Obama’s campaign, that latino and white voters all over the country have seen the type of transformational leader Obama has proven to be coming out of South Carolina.
The Speech of A Generation:
Oh yeah, the Clinton campaign had nothing to say about getting crushed tonight. I can’t blame them, I wouldn’t want to follow that speech….
More from the Economist…
Posted in Domestic News, Election 2008, Headlines, The North Star
Iraqi Civilian Deaths -
Opinion Research Business (ORB) poll conducted August 12-19, 2007 estimated 1,220,580 violent deaths due to the Iraq War. A nationally representative sample of 1,499 Iraqi adults answered whether any members of their household (living under their roof) were killed due to the Iraq War. 22% of the respondents had lost one or more household members. ORB reported that “48% died from a gunshot wound, 20% from the impact of a car bomb, 9% from aerial bombardment, 6% as a result of an accident and 6% from another blast/ordnance.”
U.S. Armed Forces - 3,921 dead. 8,691 wounded - medical air transport required. 19,970 wounded - no medical air transport required. Of all the wounded 12,912 were unable to return to duty within 72 hours. Medical air transport was required for an additional 7,963 for non-hostile injuries, and for 22,222 for diseases or other medical conditions. Totals as listed at source pages on 10 January 2008.
Coalition Armed Forces (other countries) - 307 total deaths. Breakdown: Australia 2. Bulgaria 13. Czech Republic 1. Denmark 7. El Salvador 5. Estonia 2. Georgia 1. Hungary 1. Italy 33. Kazakhstan 1. Latvia 3. Netherlands 2. Poland 23. Romania 3. Slovakia 4. South Korea 1. Spain 11. Thailand 2. Ukraine 18. United Kingdom 174. Totals as listed at source pages on 10 January 2008.
Contractors - At least 933 deaths between March 2003 and July 3, 2007. 224 of those are from the USA. Contractors are “Americans, Iraqis and workers from more than three dozen other countries.” 10,569 wounded or injured. Contractors “cook meals, do laundry, repair infrastructure, translate documents, analyze intelligence, guard prisoners, protect military convoys, deliver water in the heavily fortified Green Zone and stand sentry at buildings - often highly dangerous duties almost identical to those performed by many U.S. troops.” 182,000 employees of U.S.-government-funded contractors and subcontractors (118,000 Iraqi, 43,000 Other, 21,000 U.S.).
Insurgents (Anti-Coalition Forces) -
In addition as of January 21, 2008 approximately 1,406 suicide-bombers have also been reported killed, see full list.
Grand total: 15,819-21,648 insurgent dead
Refugees - As of November 4, 2006, the U.N. High Commissioner on Refugees estimated that 1.8 million Iraqis had been displaced to neighboring countries, and 1.6 million were displaced internally, with nearly 100,000 Iraqis fleeing to Syria and Jordan each month.
TOTAL HUMAN BODY COUNT: ~ 121,000 people dead.
* All units measured in humans
** Sources: Wikipedia, IBC, DOD
Posted in Body Count, Iraq
I guess it was in Nevada on January 19th, where I first began to realize that having a strong female leader and an equally strong, charming, multi-ethnic male candidate could actually end up tearing the Democratic Party apart. It was there that I learned that the real and immediate challenges that faced us as Americans were not terrorist attacks from foreign sponsored fundamentalist groups - No, it is not Islam. It is not that Americans have no hope, or that we are hopeless…that the last decade of choices that we have made do not make us evil, do not make us irreparable. Rather, what I witnessed in Nevada and have witnessed ever since is that the largest threat to America approaching the future is itself and the direction it chooses to move forward after this dark period in its short and tumultuous history.
I believe this argument has had no better characterization nor example than that of the political race for the Democratic Party’s nomination for President of the United States of America. I had an awesome and unique experience to work on both political campaigns last week in Nevada. I also was allowed to observe several caucuses going on inside of Las Vegas (Clark County) to see how the caucus process worked in our democracy. I was a poli sci student at one of the top universities in the world and I thought I knew what a caucus was…all of my years of studying the process did nothing to really prepare me for what I saw up close and personal.
I was in Southwest Las Vegas at one of the many caucus sites there to observe the political process. I had actually been in Clark County for three days working with the Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton campaigns. On the day of the caucuses, I was assigned to one of the libraries in Las Vegas to observe two separate caucuses going on in one room.
The differences in the campaign drew sharp contrast not only in the way that the caucus process was handled by each side, but it was obvious just by there mere look of the supporters. When voters walked up they were greeted by young, vibrant, and energetic Obama supporters across all color lines and backgrounds. The Obama greeters had a young African-American man, a young White man, an Asian mother from New York with an adorable multi-racial daughter who was passing out stickers - not to mention another Latino young man. The Hillary side had an old white male in his late 60’s and two other white women in their 60’s. The demeanor of the Hillary greeters was far less energetic and what I think now could be described as a sense of business or war. For example; a middle aged couple walked up to the greeters, the man asked for a sticker because he was voting for Obama but also stated that his wife would be voting for Hillary. The Obama greeters wished them both a wonderful morning and assisted them with finding their precinct’s caucus room - the Hillary supporters called the man a “traitor” when he passed them. While observing, I did not really understand this method of campaigning. The three Hillary supporters that were out in front greeting people went in early to take their positions inside, while the Obama supporters were outside directing people to their caucus rooms, running around trying to get voters registered up until the last second. The impression I was getting right up until the caucuses started was that the Obama campaigners were out working, out hustling, and quite frankly outshining the Hillary campaign at the polls. When the caucus doors opened and the process began I started to see why the Hillary campaign was not concerned with charming voters or trying to be helpful. They had a strategy based on knowing the political process of the caucuses and took full advantage of it.
First of all, when I walked in the door to observe the two caucuses I was swarmed by seven Hillary supporters who were taking control of the voter registration lines and entrance into the room. There were about three Obama supporters who were in the room helping facilitate the process of the caucus that morning. There was a woman, who by the rules of the Democratic Party, was allowed to vote at that particular caucus and every Hillary voter registration worker told me and her that she could not vote (this woman wanted to vote Obama). Luckily, earlier that morning I had given a temp chair for the caucus a ride to that location earlier that morning because her car battery died. It turns out that she was the temp chair in one of the caucuses I was observing although she was supporting Hillary (older white woman in her 70’s), she was not wearing Hillary gear advocating for either side. This woman was the only person I could get a truthful answer out of as far as how the process was supposed to go and who could register. I witnessed a Hillary supporter tell an independent and a republican voter that it was “too late” for them to re-register and vote democrat (when obviously their job was to re-register people to vote that morning). I don’t have to mention who benefits in votes from independent and republicans switching to participate in the democratic caucus.
I also witnessed the seven Hillary supporters at the door try to lock people out of the caucus room at 11:30, when the cut off was 12pm. I experienced this personally when I was almost kicked out of the room because I re-entered through another door - I literally had to yell at the Clinton intern that she had just seen me in the room and the cut off was clearly 12…so stop harassing me. Even then it was only because I was an observer that I got to stay without being further accosted. I also do not have to tell you who it favors in votes when people whom have to normally work during the days on weekends and have to take time off of work to vote, or come on their lunch break (mostly minorities and middle class voters) cannot enter the room to vote (leaving a large, white, upper-class voting population to make up the caucus).
I witnessed the Hillary supporters try to manhandle and pull undecided voters to their side to be falsely counted. The temp chair at the larger caucus I was observing was decked out in Hillary gear and gave no explanation of the caucus rules at the beginning. When she saw Obama supporters leaving to go to work after already being counted; she neither told them that they were doing another count after that one or that if they left, their first vote would not be counted.
With all of these things going on, I found it interesting what I could still decipher from the Nevada, and what I suppose would be the Democratic Party electorate on a whole. Inside of the room, as well, the same contrast I was able to draw between each campaign from the greeters was more evident. In the larger caucus I observed, Obama supporters were people of all ages, background, and color lines. I could see that he had a strong African-American and most of the Latino support. He had the support of most white-middle class voters from 18-35 with even some old white voters over 60. The Hillary supporters had a lot of the upper-middle class voters, most of the white voters over 40, and people who seem to have grown up as baby-boomers who seemed politically seasoned because of the events that have shaped their lives. I saw one African-American voter and one Latino voter on Hillary’s side. When the supporters of Edwards and Kucinich were asked to realign to either Hillary or Obama’s side; eight out of nine of them went to Obama’s side and the one person left chose not to realign. This really showed me first hand the true generational battle going on with in the democratic party.
The outcome of the two caucuses I was watching was even more telling given the circumstances and the politics surrounding them. In a room where all sorts of rule bending and voter intimidation practices were being attempted by Clinton supporters who had come ready to use some of the voters’ political ignorance against them - for the most part the process allowed for a fair outcome. I can think of so many instances where if observers were not there to let voters really know the rules or work to find out information for them; if it weren’t for the three people in the room on the Obama side helping out that really knew their stuff…the out come of these caucuses would have been skewed very differently. In the smaller caucus I watched, it ended up being a 43-43 person tie Hillary-Obama. The way they broke the tie to see who got the extra delegate was to draw the high-card out of a deck of cards - the Obama side had a little boy choose an ace, the woman for Hillary drew a four. Obama won that caucus 3-2; the larger caucus split the delegates 5-5 with Obama winning the count 67-61.
I was completely blown away by the whole process of a caucus and even more so by some of the tactics that I saw by the Hillary camp at the polls. On the ride to the Southwest Las Vegas HQ for Obama I started to wonder how Hillary was going to get away with the methods of intimidation she employed at the caucuses. This question was especially prevalent when I went to talk to the Precinct Captains and volunteers for the Obama campaign and they had horror stories fifty times worse than anything I had encountered. One example was that an Obama precinct captain had to get a lawyer from the democratic party on the phone and was two seconds away from arresting an old lady because she chained the door to the caucus room closed at 11:30am (keep in mind the doors only opened at 11am). In fact, I witnessed over 130 taped testimonies of voter fraud and intimidation by the Clinton campaign that was to be investigated by the Nevada state party. In many cases, the individuals making these claims had actual physical proof of manuals for Hillary temp chairs and other publications…Hillary campaigners who had admittedly taken voter registration forms and hid them so that people supporting Obama could not register/re-register…the list goes on. The question once again rang out in my head - How the hell do they plan on getting away with this??? The answer, my friends…. was brilliant.
I had not been watching the news much because I was out working on the campaign, but that night when I got back to California I saw what the Clinton’s had done to get away with stealing the Nevada vote. Before they executed the flawless plan they had set in place at the actual caucus, they had Bill Clinton telegraph exactly what they were going to do, but they were going to blame it on Obama first. You really have to appreciate the plan for its genius. Bill Clinton leading up to the NV caucuses attacks Obama and states that he and his daughter witnessed a union organizer intimidating a union worker saying he wanted to vote for Clinton. This was important because Obama had picked up the endorsement of the Culinary Workers Union and the Service Employees Union (SEIU) which had a considerable amount of the African-American and Latino vote. This had become an increasingly large problem for the Clinton’s because they had tried to get a court injunction to stop these workers form being able to vote from their work (casino hotels) because they would not be allowed to vote other wise. The injunction failed and these people were allowed to participate in the caucuses. This really put the Clinton campaign on its heels because black and latino voters make up a considerable portion of the democratic party and if Obama had both groups not only would he win Nevada, but he would show that he is the candidate of unity for the party and have that momentum going into South Carolina (where he would naturally win) and then into Super Tuesday.
What the Clinton’s did was divide the minority vote while simultaneously making sure there white baby-boomers (her core supporters) had a strong lock on the caucus process. Bill Clinton was effectively able to divide the black and latino vote by breaking up the union by making it seem like Barack Obama, a black man, was trying to take away many latinos’ right to vote for whom they choose. This naturally pit two communities, divided by racial lines, who have historical tension against each other. Clinton knew that because of a large black electorate in South Carolina she would be sure to lose to Obama there anyways, so she split the minority vote so that she could have a sure win Super Tuesday. She and Bill knew that painting Obama as the “black candidate” would kill him among latino voters, and even some white voters would be turned off…effectively killing his chances in states like California, Arizona, New Mexico (keep in mind the reason Obama is so big is because he is the candidate of unity…not just the black candidate).
They also had the perfect cover for what they did in the caucuses in Nevada. By accusing Obama of voter intimidation it made it so that when Obama cried fowl, at best it would just seem like both candidates did the same thing - the same ol’ thing politicians always do. The funny thing is that to this date, and this was even on Meet the Press with Tim Russert, there has been no evidence of Obama union workers intimidating people and no official complaint made to the DNC…AT ALL on behalf of the Clinton’s! There are, on the other hand, hundreds of official complaints to the DNC of what happened in NV. It’s just odd that when the media does its fact checking they leave that part out most of the time. Nevada was a very strange place to learn politics and the statewide results were very muddled. I mean for evidence that something wasn’t right you can look to the facts…Clinton supposedly won in popular vote, yet Obama still came away with more delegates (13-12) and it is the amount of delegates you have at the convention that counts.
I must admit, I knew the Clinton’s were great at politics…but I had no idea they were that good. Something about this did not sit right with me. I came away feeling that if Hillary won the nomination we as Democrats were doomed; that while she had won in Nevada and maybe in other large states in the future by what she has done, she does not care about how the victory is won. It made me think that the change that would come about from having our first female President…wouldn’t really be change at all.
While witnessing one of the most brilliant political moves any of us has ever seen in our day, I felt sickened that this is what the Democratic Party could be represented by. To me this political battle between Hillary and Obama had been so great because for once in a very very long time, Americans were actually thinking about how we can substantively change the mistakes that have haunted us for almost a decade. With out even looking at the Republican field for now, the Democratic nominees were enough to get this change started just on the promise the two candidates brought; now that seems to be a shadow of what it once was. The move I saw by Hillary was largely generational and I think it can explain why she is still doing well in the polls so far. Hillary embodies that old baby boomer generation who had to battle civil rights, Reaganomics, the Vietnam War, etc. - people whom have always had a long and difficult fight to get things done especially against their generational counter-parts on the Republican side. They aren’t used to a win coming along very often, and when it does it normally costs big. Maybe this is why most people of this generation see the same old type of politics as socially acceptable or in some way makes Hillary strong for using them. They are used to this way of dishonest and round-about way of politics so that when weighed against a new and fresh way of doing things it does not really make a difference anymore. The bright-eyed ideals that they once had are now lost upon that generation, and maybe the promise seen in Obama stir up a stinging nostalgia for a belief in “better days”. Maybe Democrats of that generation are so used to losing that they will take a win at any cost.
While on the campaign trail, I have seen only one candidate that can honestly unite America. I just don’t logically see how someone who is willing to tear her party apart for a win in a caucus or possible a party nomination, won’t tear the rest of the country apart to get a win in the national election. These actions have weakened the Democratic candidates, and the party as a whole are divided. I understand Obama must respond or else he runs the risk of becoming complacent like John Kerry or Al Gore…getting run out of town by the Clinton’s. Yet, I can also realize that even the most dedicated member of the Democratic Party is being torn apart by the campaigns now. MSNBC reported yesterday that some Democrats are saying that if Hillary wins the nomination they are either staying at home for the general election or voting republican. After what I witnessed in the NV caucuses…I honestly feel the same way.
I just wanted to state publicly for the record that being as FOCI considers itself the tip of the sword in American and Californian culture:
We would like to make a strong point of endorsing Barack Obama for President of the United States of America.
The reason for this endorsement comes for the reason his candidacy even exists…He is the only one who can unite America and bring about the real change needed to restore this country to its place in the world. The Atlantic pointed it out effectively when they stated that just his face brings about change for this country. If a multi-racial, world educated young man by the name of Barack Hussein Obama were the President…imagine would that would do to Islamic fundamentalists wishing to depict America as a false prophet of dreams. We would actually have the American dream as our poster boy. Our soft power would increase and our ability to work effectively would start on day one of his presidency.
Ever since Obama has began to run for office I have seen more people become engaged in the political process than ever before. I have seen people become active leaders in their communities instead of just watching TV and being a spectator. I have seen the supporters, staff, and volunteers of Barack Obama’s campaign get out the vote more, engage people in their communities, and flat out worked harder to try and get their candidate elected than any other campaign I can recall in the last 25 years. The last time I checked, Barack Obama was leading every candidate in both parties as far as getting new people to register to vote by 55%. I think that it is stupid for the Clinton’s or anyone else to spin this to make it seem bad that republicans and independents are on board with the ideals of a new kind of politics - the politics of inclusion, the politics of real hope. Ever since Obama has campaigned I have watched Hillary steal or copy every original idea that has come from him. I think people do want change, but Hillary represents the same means to the same end. The same dirty tricks, politics as usual…I think people are missing the point.
Americans really do want to stop characterizing their neighbors, co-workers, and countrymen as the enemy and really work to set our course right. I have really seen the impact of Barack Obama and his politics of hope has had on my generation and the impact it can have for the future if this country. This election is one of the most important in America’s history. For all of those people who consider experience to still be the biggest issue in this race, I say experience is important…but not by far the largest or most important issue. Hillary has a lot of experience - doing things the same way we have been operating as a country politically. The same way George W. Bush has a lot of experience in these issues. But to me, and most Americans the biggest issue is moving forward as a country, in unity, to conquer the obstacles that face us in these trying times. Just by looking at the way in which the campaigns are ran, the differences in the type of presidency and country it would be with each candidate is more than apparent.
In the organization of Obama’s campaign, supporters and volunteers are intimately made apart of the campaign team; they are allowed access to lists and tools that aren’t even made available to some Clinton intern staffers. Obama’s number one message is that he cannot bring about the kind of tangible change the country needs by him alone…he depends on every single last person to bring about that change, we rely on each other and we are in it together.
An Obama presidency, I believe, is truly a presidency whose foundation is built on the back of all Americans. I endorse Barack Obama because he embodies everything I wish America was, all of the things America claims to be, and all of the things anyone who loves this country hopes it to be. However audacious that is to want…I don’t care…like most Americans I know that the same old thing just won’t work this time around….
Posted in Election 2008, Op Eds, The North Star
I was at a Bowling Alley on a Friday Night. The Bowling Alley was located in the industrial area of town. I showed up with about 20 bicycle riders. Our goal was to drink at the bar and sing Karaoke.
But little did we know, the place was packed and ghetto as fuck.
I say ghetto only because two police officers worked at the bowling alley.
When we rolled up on our bicycles, the officer immediately asked me: “What are you all doing here?”
“We are going to bowl.”
“ALL OF YOU? Where are you going to lock your bikes?”
“Yes, all of us, we will find a place.”
And the Officer walked away.
The Bowling Alley bar was amazing. It was a mix of people of all cultures and all ages. Old white guys trying to shake their bootys with larger latina women made me laugh all night. I thought it was amazing. I had never seen a bar like this! Many of my friends were not amused.
The general crowd appeared to be friendly, but I just found it odd and eerie that the police officers were working at a bowling alley. The officers went behind the bar and got coffee. The officers checked people’s IDs, the officers walked around outside.
These were not Rent-A-Cops. These were official San Jose Police Officers working at a bowling alley.
I can only imagine what has happened at this bowling alley to bring two officers.
At 1 am, the 5 of us who were left, decided to leave the bar.
As we are unlocking our bicycles, a drunk African American man was being kicked out of the bar and then yelling at the Police Officers. The Officers were telling him to go home. “Do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?”
The drunk man’s friend came outside and was practically holding the drunk away from the Police. The drunk man was threatening to attack the police. He was both physically aggressive in his movements and aggressive in his words.
The police did not remove the man from the bar, they just told him to go home. (They were not the source of his anger)
I did not see it, but my roommate informed me that the police maced the drunk man. The drunk man then walked home with his friend, still violently yelling at the officers.
Now to me, I was actually impressed by the police officers.
I have read, heard, and seen nothing but horrible abuse of power and violence when the Police are involved.
I was shocked because I expected the police to arrest the man, I expected to see him in handcuffs and thrown against a car JUST FOR VERBAL THREATENING, let alone being physically held back by his friend.
But to my roommate, who is from a rich suburb of Boston, thought that the macing was a horrible act. She thought they acted inappropriately. “The friend was taking care of the guy, they did not need to do that.”
And that made me think of our expectations and the idea of relativity.
Because I think so poorly of the police, their actions were fine.
Because my roommate thinks higher of the police, their actions were horrible.
And why does this matter?
How many other people in my community, in positions of power, in government, in society, act so badly on a regular basis that we are impressed with their mediocrity?
-Ala
Posted in Law & Order, Society/Culture
A man at my work committed suicide.
He hung from a noose for almost a month before we found him.
The only reason we knew something was wrong was because of the smell.
A man who always paid his rent on time, did not pay his rent.
And the smell.
He left his heater on.
His last phone call and last email were almost a month old.
His face so so decomposed, no one could identify him.
He died alone. And no one noticed for a month.
Do me a favor, say hello to your lonely neighbor. Say hello to the world. You never know who is alone and hurting.
Posted in Body Count, Society/Culture
I feel like the lastest heading/title should not be Fuck anyone.
So here is an update, without really saying anything.
Why havent I posted?
Well, for the first time Esme and I are 500 miles apart. There are no late night phone calls or late night drives talking. Its just silence.
And, its not that we are not the same critical thinkers and I am not the same angry person, its just we have not had time to write.
Soon dear lost readers, soon the magic will be back.
Posted in Ala
Actually I have nothing against the Jews, or the kid who got tasered, I just wanted to get your attention. The problem I have is when white, upper middle class people struggle or are abused the SAME WAY many others are abused there is a huge public outcry. This disportionate outcry makes me literally angry at the abused.
Where were YOU when these same things were happening to blacks, to Hispanics, to Muslims, to the poor, to the down trodden? Fuck you for only seeing problems when they happen to you.
Let me give you two examples.
Ann Coulter, the woman we all love to hate, has wrote/spoke all too many horrific things. ALL TOO MANY HORRIFIC racists, sexists, ridiculous things.
Here are some quotes:
“My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building.“
“We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity.”
“I think the government should be spying on all Arabs, engaging in torture as a televised spectator sport, dropping daisy cutters wantonly throughout the Middle East and sending liberals to Guantanamo.”
“I think [women] should be armed but should not vote…women have no capacity to understand how money is earned. They have a lot of ideas on how to spend it…it’s always more money on education, more money on child care, more money on day care.”
“No, we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say. … That’s what Christianity is.”
So which one of these got the media’s attention?
Which one was so bad that someone in the mainstream news actually said, she has to stop? The last quote.
Granted, the news article is ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. But what took so long? Why was that quote the final straw? Because people in power were insulted?
Its not fair.
Example 2
The college boy who got tasered.
Poor little college boy on ampus. He runs into the middle of a speech, makes an ass out of himself, refuses to leave, refuses to cooperate with the police, makes more of an ass of himself. He gets tasered. It happens to be all over youtube. Esme linked it.
Granted it was horrible. He should not be been taseredd. You can read Esme arguements.
My problem is how many other people have been tasered and ignored?
More than70 people have died since 2000 because of Taser Guns.
Look at this site http://stoptasers.org/ and there are horror story after horror story of Taser Gun abuse across the nation.
What made this boy so special? Because he appeals to the sentiments of middle class parents with asshole children? That could be my kid!!
That has been half the nation’s kids, uncles, fathers, grandfathers, and grandchildren for the last 10 years. Just no one noticed until now.
-Ala
Posted in Ala, Op Eds, What the News Missed...
At least someone out there in the government actually cares about the Constitution….
On September 17th, a University of Florida student was tazered by campus police at a John Kerry speech after questioning the ex-presidential candidate about his relationship with G.W.Bush through the Skull and Bones organization at Yale….
This video has been heavily circulated on all media outlets:
My Two-Cents:
1. Freedom of Speech and First Amendment Protection - Now according to reports, this guy may have been obnoxious with his questioning and overall personality, but that does not give ANYONE the right to place their hands on an individual while/because they are contributing to an educational discussion. The whole reason we even have the 1st Amendment is so that shit like this does not happen. If someone goes over the allotted time for questioning then you can ask him to leave, but there was no reason for physical escalation - let alone tazering a student.
If he were honestly badgering or slandering Kerry and refused to leave and began to act violently himself, that to me would warrant the kind of response that the police gave. Yet, none of those elements were brought to the situation by the student. I firmly believe any individual has the right ask any question they want in a town hall forum or educational environment; I thought that is how ignorance is drawn out and people learn. I really don’t know what the world is coming to when you cannot question nor gain access to the truths behind a “public servant”….
2. Excessive Force by the Police - You would have thought that law enforcement, especially that of campus police, have learned their lesson on excessive force considering the backlash a few months ago in a similar case at UCLA (watch video). The issue I have with campus police is that they are pretty much worthless cops who really do not do anything to solve crime nor help the general public. Think about it: at any University or college campus, the college has their own campus security, Residential Security Officers, and Community Services Officers already provided. So that leaves one vital question - What the fuck do the University PD do? The answer in most cases is: not a damn thing.
Because there really is not a whole lot of crime that generally happens on a college campus (most colleges are not in South Central L.A. like USC ; my alma mater of UCSD happens to be located in La Jolla, for example) when officers get the opportunity to finally get something to do 9/10 times they end up going overboard. But I guess I would be understating the problem if I just said campus police use excessive force or go too far because they are bored. Correction, it is also because campus police are the lower tier officers who either do not want the action of real city policeman, or those who simply are not fit for that kind of duty.
What results are sub-par officers responding to a situation which they hardly ever encounter and lack the adequate skills as a police officer to assess the situation and respond responsibly. This is why I believe these cases of students being unnecessarily tasered have occurred. When unprepared and untrained, the first response to a serious situation is panic and it is obvious that was the case here.
In the future, campus police either need to establish better criteria for when it is and when it is NOT appropriate to use that kind of force on a student, or get quality officers who know what the fuck they are doing! So in closing today ladies and gents: FUCK THE POLICE…you know, just out of pure principle.
Posted in Domestic News, Law & Order, Our Rights Under Attack!
