Truth Trail

The major media outlets have now been reporting that the momentum for Obama's Healthcare Reform has been decreasing. This is true. But, if you do not ask the question why, then it is a very misleading truth.

The media has been showing town halls from across the United States. These town halls do not reflect the thinking points of the American people, but rather the talking points of the republican operatives. These operatives have bussed volunteers into the town hall meetings with a packet containing the talking points, including tips on how to disrupt a meeting and prevent the speaker from even getting started. These points are all lies: Obama will create "death panels," the government is going make decisions about our health care, you will be bogged down in government paperwork, etc. This was designed to change the thinking of the American people to withdraw any support they might have had for President Obama's healthcare reform. But this new thinking was based on the LIES they see and hear on their T.V.!

We cannot allow the lies of the republican party to mislead the American public into believing that Obama's health care plan would "kill" seniors, or come between you and your doctor. How absurd!

The common shout out at these town hall meetings "Keep the government out of my Medicare!" demonstrates how little the health care opponents actually know. Just in case, I will state here that Medicare is a public option for seniors. They get excellent care! Seniors get the care they need to continue living, even if their quality of life has deteriorated. I have seen it in my own family. Care was never, ever denied to our grandmother even though she had no quality of life. Medicare is not a profit driven company. It is designed to take care of our citizens who have retired and have no private health insurance. And, by the way, there is no paperwork!

Do you know who is killing people? Do you know who comes between you and your doctor? The private health care companies!! Currently, THEY decide, NOT YOUR DOCTOR, what care you should have, what care is critical or life threatening. The CEO's of private national health care companies, making billions of dollars, keep their profits high by withholding health care wherever possible. The more claims they deny, the more money in the pockets of these billionaires. Health Care is a profit driven business.

Now, who do you trust? The private companies? Remember, their only concern is profit! Or the United States government, who is taking criminal action against those companies for denying coverage that are causing people to die or loose everything.

These lies have started with Betsy McCoy, who is a part of the Hudson Institute. They are the source of ResistNet.com. These are the people organizing and bussing people to the town halls. This website posts death threats to President Obama and compares Obama to Hitler. We cannot allow these fringe groups to control the national dialog on health care. They are trying to scare you into

It is not uncommon that a right leaning blogger would leave comments on a left wing blog, but frequently, the writer would use ignorant rhetoric, sighting Obama as a Muslim, or other lies that have been clearly disproved.

Now it appears that McCain's rallies are pulling crowds thick and rich with angry citizens, scared of Barack Obama because of either their own ignorance, or by simply believing in the slanderous ads that McCain has been putting out. The mainstream, more informed republicans seemed to have abandoned him, or at least are no longer attending his rallies.

Be careful, Senator McCain, because you might just get what you wish for.

His crowds have become so militant that people from all sides of the political spectrum are concerned that his rallies are becoming a springboard for riotous behavior. We have heard his supporters calling out "Kill him," "He's a terrorist," "Bomb Obama," and other similar provocations of violence.

So let us talk about militants for a moment. There appear to be some at McCain's rallies today, yesterday, and last week and there is William Ayers, who participated in riotous behavior years ago, while Barack Obama was eight years old.

But wait, there is another militant group that is still active today. It is called the Alaskan Independence Party, also know as the "AIP."

So who is the AIP? Is it just another independence party, like Joe Lieberman? Not by a long shot.

The founder of the AIP was a man named Joe Vogler. Like Ayers, Vogler preached armed insurrection against the United States of America. Vogler was know for saying,

"when the [federal] bureaucrats come after me, I suggest they wear red coats. They make better targets. In the federal government are the biggest liars in the United States, and I hate them with a passion. They think they own [Alaska]. There comes a time when people will choose to die with honor rather than live with dishonor. That time may be coming here." Vogler continues, "I hope we dont' have to take human life, but if they go on tramping on our property rights, look out, we're ready to die."

This is the same ideology that produced people like Timothy McVeigh, who was convicted and later put to death for the Bombing of Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. There was Waco, Texas, where the "Branch Davidians" leader, David Koresh taught that the U.S. government was the enemy of the Davidians, and that they would have to defend themselves.

Voglar made an appearance before the United Nations to denounce United States' "tryanny," and in front of the entire world, demanded Alaska's freedom.Now here is the kicker. He actually persuaded the government of Iran to sponsor his anti-American cause.

Sarah Palin was not 8 years old. She was the Governor of Alaska, addressing the Alaskan Independence Party's convention herself just six months ago. She told them in her speech to "Keep up the good work" asking for God to bless them. She wished the party luck on what she called its “inspiring convention.”

This is here and now and Sarah and Todd Palin show a deep involvement with this domestic terrorist organization. And we now see the buds of this kind of ideology at McCain's rallies just this week!

At another town hall meeting on Friday, McCain gave the lady a microphone. She said she was afraid if Barack Obama would become president, because she said he was an Arab. The embarrassed McCain had no choice but to then defend Obama and say the truth, lest he be caught in a televised lie in the making. The crowd booed McCain, but the sad thing is that this lady should be fearing the presidency of John McCain. I fear that the climate of this country could become more like McCain's rallies. I would fear for this country if John McCain was elected president.

John McCain pulls out the worst in people while Barack Obama continues to talk about hope and change.

www.TruthinPoliticsNOW.org

There is a serious problem with people choosing a president based solely on impressions. More serious yet are the misperceptions that the mainstream media do not attempt to correct. Everytime a newscaster says the words “McCain is more prepared to deal with a foreign policy crises than Obama,” the perception is deepened, as if this were true. For example, you may hear

“50% of the American people believe that McCain is more prepared to deal with a foreign policy crises than Obama.”

“Obama needs to change the perception that McCain is more prepared to deal with a foreign policy crises.”

“McCain is a decorated war hero and it is going to be difficult for Obama to convince the American people that he, Obama, is more prepared to deal with a foreign policy crises.

“McCain said today that he is more prepared to deal with a foreign policy crises. Obama is on vacation”

The press bombards us with these statements on a frequent and regular basis, and yet, if you listen carefully, there is nothing that offers new information that tells us that McCain is better prepared to be our next Commander-in-chief.

Dana Bash, the CNN reporter following the McCain campaign actually said that McCain’s new proposal, made in a July 15 speech, to send more troops to Afghanistan was “proof” that McCain knows how to win wars. Proof? Objective reporting? True? Not a chance.

Later that day, on his campaign bus, McCain clarified his speech by saying that we would need to take troops out of Iraq to put them into Afghanistan. Why that is odd, since this was Obama’s proposal. After all, the McCain proposal which Bash says offers proof that McCain knows how to win wars was actually Obama’s proposal! So, Ms. Bash, you need to revise your statement to say that it was actually Obama that offered proof that he knows how to win wars.

The results of all of these statements is the continued perception that McCain is actually better to deal with a foreign policy crises than Obama. The press should do their job and look more closely at the things McCain says. They should report the full and true stories regarding the candidates and their foreign policy credentials, for both candidates. It would become quite apparent that, in fact, the perception had been wrong all along and would clearly demonstrate that, in fact, McCain has shown some profound weaknesses in dealing with foreign policy. The American people would then see that Barack Obama has a far better toolbox for dealing with these most critical national security and foreign relations and policy.

Let’s take a look at some news items that have been buried, but are critical to understanding which candidate is the strongest in foreign policy.

Do you remember McCain’s advisor Charlie Black? He was the one saying that it would be helpful to McCain if there was another terrorist attack in the U.S. before the election. This remark was outrageous and the judgement to keep Black around for even a moment after this statement is one very serious error in judgment. It doesn’t just send a bad message, it sends a dangerous message. There is no room for these kinds of mistakes when it comes to foreign policy.

McCain’s pre-war predictions for Iraq were made clear as he stood by President Bush and his declaration that the “mission accomplished” banner meant that major combat was over.

Recall a more recent gaffe where he disclosed his complete lack of understanding for the relationship between Al Qaeda and Iran. Iran does not support Al Qaeda. The only Al Qaeda operatives that are in Iran are prisoners! He then continued to confuse the sunni and shiite, which is a most revealing error. Major conflict in Iraq is the violence between the sunnis (the sect of Saddam Hussein) and the shiite, which is the group friendly to Iran. If you had any profound understanding of a conflict you are purporting to be ready to command, you couldn’t possibly mess that up!

Despite those McCain campaign ads attempting to strut his foreign policy qualifications, telling us that he is ready to be commander-in-chief, you see live footage of McCain showing us that he is not ready. Let’s try to explain why McCain makes such errors.

He was tired.

He forgot.

He was confused.

He is just not as sharp as he used to be.

If John McCain had to answer the phone at 3 a.m., I imagine he would be tired, forgetful, confused or all of the above. Could he make the wrong call? “Take out those Shiite outposts” or “Take out those Sunni outposts.” Order given but which one is right? He is alone at 3 am. Joe (Sen. Lieberman) is not there to help him. Whoa!

Obama met with many foreign leaders last month, and the press just pounded out words like “He thinks he’s a celebraty.” Of course, Obama has never said “gee, I’m a celebrity” but the press uses this as a distraction so that the American public will not notice the intellegent manor with which Obama conducted himself. There were no gaffes reported, and during the public press conferences with the various leaders, it can be clearly seen that Obama has gained the trust of these leaders. But all the press wants to talk about is the big crowd in Berlin, as if that was a bad thing. How does that crowd indicate that Obama is not ready to be commander-in-chief. It actually tells me that he has a strong influence on our allied nations, which is the strongest argument yet for saying that Obama is the stronger foreign policy candidate.

I must admit, I am quite concerned about the fact that I personally know two or three women that are progressive, intelligent Hillary Clinton supporters who want to either vote for a third party candidate, stay home or write-in Hillary Clinton.

Of course any of those actions would give John McCain a significant advantage that could put him in the White House.

One argument I have heard is that the Obama campaign was sexist and they do not want to “reward” such behavior with their vote. I certainly understand that sexism is alive and well in this country and I was appalled by some of the rhetoric used during this primary season. I should also mention that I was equally appalled with the racist rhetoric I had been hearing. The reality is, McCain would actually legislate sexism. We cannot afford this step backward.

Withholding our vote from Barack Obama would put McCain in office. On sexism, McCain is no talk and all action!

Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America said, “He voted against family planning, he voted against the freedom of access to clinic entrances — that was about violence against women in clinics,” Keenan says, adding, “He voted against funding for teen pregnancy-prevention programs, and making sure that abstinence only was medically accurate. This is very, very extreme.”

In addition, McCain has long held radical positions on reproductive issues, having consistently voted :

• AGAINST Ensuring women’s access to birth control
• AGAINST Providing educational information for teens on birth control
• AGAINST Requiring health insurance companies to cover birth control

The bill that McCain voted for that which denies coverage for birth control actually mandates coverage for Viagra! When he was confronted with this, he went into a long, long pause looking like a deer in headlights. His actual response was that he didn’t want to talk about it, he doesn’t remember his vote and he doesn’t know what his opinion is on this.

McCain has stated that Roe vs. Wade “must be overturned.” His position is that abortion should be not legal even in cases of rape, incest or life threatening conditions for the mother.

And there’s more!

John McCain has opposed the Fair Pay Act - a bill that would guarantee women equal pay for equal work. To make matters worse, McCain insulted women by saying that the solution to employment discrimination was for women to get more “education and training.”

Now, think about this. When you watch the polls and you see McCain so close to overtaking Obama, do you ever actually imagine that this man, John McCain, could be our president? Does that trouble you in any way?

If so, than you know the only decision you can make, for woman’s sake, is to pull that lever for Barack Obama.Do you dislike him so much that you would be willing to give the presidency to an institutionalized sexist?

I had no choice but to put a quick post up for those of you who have seen the group from Diane Mantouvalos called "Just Say No Deal."

They are spewing lies about Obama's religion and backround and I cannot let it go unchecked. Again, check with www.snopes.com. It is unbelivable what nonsense some women will believe when their emotions are raw.

One thing we know for sure: These particular Hillary Clinton (PUMA's and Just-Say-no-deal) supporters are very angry and emotional. I don't think anyone can make clear judgement in this state of mind.

The more I know, the more angry I feel. I am talking about PUMAs and other pro-Hillary/anti-Women independents. Did I say anti-women? I sure did, because that is what these groups are.

They are smart, and they know that everything they are doing, saying, blogging and protesting will help McCain win the White House. If you have read my posts entitled What can you learn from John McCain’s sense of humor or Women voters: Help keep McCain out of the White House, you could clearly see that McCain is not a pro-women candidate.

But I am starting to hear a new, common theme coming from Diane Mantouvalos: that she doesn’t trust Obama, or she thinks he doesn’t have enough experience.

Let us talk first about trust. There have been so many lies floating around on the internet about Obama, that even the media has reported it. For more details, go to Snopes.com and search on “Obama.” On Fox news, they actually report these lies as fact, where other media outlets report it with only some level of skepticism. The point is, once you hear these lies, blatant lies, that is all you hear, and the level of doubt, however small, can linger in the back of your mind.

Another common concern amongst the PUMA’s and other similar groups stem from allegations that there was voter fraud during the Caucasus in Texas. I would be very angry if this were true, and I would find it very hard to believe, in any case, that Obama knew about and approved these tactics. I can tell you that Hillary Clinton’s campaign has also been sited in a suit alleging voter suppression of black voters in North Carolina. For more details, Visit Facing South, A New Voice for a Changing SouthWouldn’t you be willing to say that Clinton had no knowledge of these allegations?

Now to the issue of experience. Bill Clinton did not have a lot of experience when he ran for office, and he did phenomenal job as president. Barack Obama has had great experience working with the people, in the trenches of Chicago to writing and passing legislation in the Illinois State Senate that was strong on crime, while reducing the number of false imprisonments. Thinking out of the box, his idea was to make it mandatory to put video surveillance in the cars of the police while they were on the beat. Unpopular at first, yet very successful legislation that has reduced police brutality, false arrest and imprisonment, while increasing the number of convictions. Obama achieved more than most for the short amount of time he spent in the Illinois and United States Senate.

President Bush had 8 years of experience. Would you vote for him because he has the experience? Experience means nothing in the wrong hands.

His ads, his townhall meetings, his gaffes of confusion and his policies are strong evidence that John McCain would truly be 4 or 8 more years of President Bush’s policies, I can only believe that the PUMA’s are reacting emotionally to the fact that Hillary lost the nomination. Maybe because she could have beat McCain easier than Obama, but then, if you are really concerned about beating McCain, why would you blog about your dislike for Barack Obama?

Maybe you feel that the nomination was stolen from her, but whatever the case, Clinton and Obama’s policies are just about the same and miles apart from John McCain.

You say you are mad, so we all have to suffer 4 more years of Bush policies?

McCain had to move to the right, on war, on taxes, on oil drilling, you name it, because that is where his republican base is now.

You say McCain is a maverick? Maybe he was. But now, he is running for president on the Republican ticket: maverick no more.

So ladies, you need to let it go. Sure, you will have proved your point, but at what cost? A new draft? More war? A good economy for the upper 10% of the population?

Be wise, not mad. Don’t vote against your own best interest. For the health, safety and economic security of my family, please, please vote for Barack Obama.

Would you ever tell a joke that would insult a person you love and respect? By insult, I mean finding humor in anything that would hurt them.

I have a little "check" I do when I hear a joke that I find offensive. Recounting the same joke in my head, I replace the demographic or the situation at the "receiving end" of the joke, with my own. For example, a joke about women, I replace with a joke about me, or a woman I love and respect. If the joke offends me after hearing it in a way that made it personal, than I seriously question the judgement, ethics and beliefs of that joke teller.

Let's have a look at the those jokes that John McCain finds funny. I find them highly offensive and revealing, but you should see for yourself.

Here are some of John McCains most offensive jokes:

• Back in 1986, during his initial run for the Senate, John McCain allegedly told a crude joke about rape involving a woman's affection for an ape.

  “Did you hear the one about the woman who is attacked on the street by a gorilla, beaten senseless, raped repeatedly and left to die? When she finally regains consciousness and tries to speak, her doctor leans over to hear her sigh contently and to feebly ask, ‘Where is that marvelous ape?’”

  Try telling the joke this way:

  Did you hear the one about when you were attacked on the street by a gorilla, beaten senseless, raped repeatedly and left to die? When you finally regained consciousness and tried to speak, your doctor leaned over to hear you sigh contently and feebly ask, ‘Where is that marvelous ape?’

  Use your wife, your mother, or the name of any woman you respect. Appalling!

  I am seething from the thought that this man could be president, making the most important decisions of the entire world, many of them affecting women. In fact, in my earlier post, you can see the kind of sexist decisions he has made in the past by his voting record.

• Senior national correspondent Jake Tapper, of ABC News asked McCain why he did not choose Nevada's Republican Governor Jim Gibbons for for his state campaign chair. This is the traditional choice when the governor is of the same party. McCain explained that he had a longstanding relationship with the state's lieutenant governor. Governor Gibbons has low approval ratings which prompted the reporter to ask if this was the reason he passed over the governor. McCain defended his choice by saying laughingly, "And I stopped beating my wife just a couple of weeks ago."

  This could only have been in reference to that fact that Gibbons was going through a high-profile divorce, with multiple charges of infidelity. Did he also know that a cocktail waitress had accused Gibbons of grabbing and threatening her with sexual assault in a parking garage?

  Replace "my wife" with your name. Not so funny, is it? Only a sexist could say something this awful.

• McCains wife commented that his hair was getting a little thin. McCain's temper kicked in, and refering to Chelsea Clinton, age 18, he said "At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollup, you c*nt!"

  First of all, this man called his wife a "cunt!" As if this is not bad enough, he makes a predatory attack on a defenseless girl by a public figure to further his political goal. Reprehensible and discusting.

• McCain was speaking at a GOP fundraiser in Washington, D.C. in 1998. He came up with this joke: "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because Janet Reno is her father." Again, attacking a defensless young girl, Janet Reno and the Clinton family all in a two line joke. Put your or your daughters name in place of Chelsea, do the same for Janet Reno.

  Not so funny.

• When asked in late January of 2008 if McCain had pressured Florida Governor Charlie Crist for his endorsement, McCain added, "It was just waterboarding."

  This kind of remark is bad enough, but he also shows himself as a hypocrite by previously sharply criticizing Rudy Guiliani similar remarks.

  A short month later, the New Yorker reported McCain using this joke again. He was referencing the staff that left his campaign until he started winning. He said he submitted them to "a short period of waterboarding to find out what they did in their absence."

• It is worth noting here that when the Bush administration attempted to pass a law to allow waterboarding, McCain, having been a victim of torture himself, was against this law. Later, when he was running for president, he changed and voted for the the law. Flip flop, yes, but does this man have any moral or ethical convictions?

• Jon Stewart's hit series had invited McCain as his guest. When he came out, McCain joked that he'd brought Stewart an improvised explosive device as a gift from Iraq.

  This remark drew sharp criticism from the press and other for being “inappropriate and insensitive.” These devices, known as IEDs is the cause of over 1/3 of all American casualties since the 2003 invasion.

  The world is so delicate today, leaders all over the world are on edge. We cannot afford a president who might offend a world leader with his consistently offensive sense of humor.

  If he had made a joke saying he had brought Jon Stewart a gift of one of our own weapons, he may have gotten away with it. His gift was the weapon that killed our soldiers.

• While fox news was interviewing John McCain, he took a shot at one of our allies "You know," he said, "the French remind me a little bit of an aging actress of the 1940s who is still trying to dine out on her looks but doesn't have the face for it."

  France is heavily involved in the Afghan conflict and making these kinds of jokes about an extremely important ally created a stir from both sides of the Atlantic. This off color remark drew sharp criticism and raised doubt about the Senator’s skills as a diplomat.

• We may have all heard his rendition of the Beach Boys tune "Barbara Ann" as "Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran."
  Another strike out as a skilled diplomat. He can start a war with his insensitive attempt at humor. It's scary.

• This August, McCain was addressing a biker rally at the annual Sturgis Rally at Buffalo Chip campground in South Dakota.

  Referring to a traditional beauty pageant, a debauchery of topless women on parade awaiting judgement of their beauty, McCain said to a cheering public

  “I encouraged Cindy to compete,” he continued, “I told her with a little luck she could be the only woman ever to serve as first lady and Miss Buffalo Chip.”

  These kinds of remarks are so consistant you cannot even say, "So, one off color remark, c'mon, so what?

  At this point, I truely believe we are getting an unusual look straight into the heart and soul of the man and I don't like what I see.