Open Issue (Singular)

To quote Tamarika at Mining Nuggets ... "She will not get my vote."

When Hillary Clinton says that Obama is running only on one speech to be Commander in Chief, she not only insults Barack Obama, those words insult me personally, as an Obama supporter.

This is a blatant attempt on the part of Mrs. Clinton to restrict the entire Presidential campaign to one issue. An issue that she is campaigning on the merits of McCain's experience not even her own.

Excerpted from

Clinton: I've crossed commander-in-chief threshold

“I think that since we now know Sen. (John) McCain will be the nominee for the Republican Party, national security will be front and center in this election. We all know that. And I think it’s imperative that each of us be able to demonstrate we can cross the commander-in-chief threshold,” the New York senator told reporters crowded into an infant’s bedroom-sized hotel conference room in Washington.
. . .
Calling McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee a good friend and a “distinguished man with a great history of service to our country,” Clinton said, “Both of us will be on that stage having crossed that threshold. That is a critical criterion for the next Democratic nominee to deal with.”

Mrs. Clinton is attempting to diminish all other issues in deference to the "Don't you agree that being a Hawk is the most important issue in this campaign?" game. This is a classic case of subverting the concerns of the populous for the political gain of one (or two, if you include McCain) candidate(s).

[Edited 3/9/8: Removed "Monster" references. My apologies to Mrs. Clinton. If I were in a position of responsibility I would seriously consider resigning.]

Open _and_ Honest

Open Humor [of freedom]

From La Russophobe ...

One East German Stasi policeman to another:
“What do you think of our régime?”
“The same as you.”
“Oh dear, then it’s my duty to arrest you”.

* * *

Which is the most neutral country in the world?
– Czechoslovakia. It doesn’t even interfere in its own internal affairs.

* * *

Will there be theft under communism?
– No. There’ll be nothing left over after socialism.

* * *

An Englishman, a Frenchman, and a Russian are discussing what in their views real happiness is.
“I feel truly happy,” say the Englishman, “when after a day’s hunting in winter, I get back home and sit down in front of the fire with a good brandy.”

“For me,” says the Frenchman, “happiness is to be in a good restaurant with a beautiful woman, eating fine food and drinking fine wine, knowing that a night of passion awaits.”

“You don’t even begin to understand,” says the Russian. “When, after an exhausting shift at the factory, I get back to my room in the communal flat where my wife, two children, and mother-in-law are already sleeping, and, just before dropping off to sleep myself, there’s a knock at the door and I open it to find 2 men who ask me threateningly “Are you citizen Paramonov?” and can answer “No, next door down” – now that’s true happiness.

Open Recall

In a previous post

Open Abstention

I made the assertion that we should not elect McCain the "lesser evil"...

To Joe Average I say, "Do not vote!" Let your abstention eloquently give voice to your personal opinion. Let your abstention speak the truth clearly instead of the lie of voting for the "lesser evil."

Protect your rights and privileges by voting the truth of your heart. If you cannot endorse any of the candidates do not cast a "lying" vote - tell the truth, your truth by abstaining.

Please, do not help to elect the "lesser evil".

Today I feel compelled to assert that should Hillary Clinton acquire the Democratic nomination then all Americans should seriously consider not voting. Please do not give either Clinton or McCain the mandate of a "lying" vote.

Protect your rights and privileges by voting the truth of your heart. If you cannot endorse any of the candidates do not cast a "lying" vote - tell the truth, your truth by abstaining.

---

(Now forming...the committee to not re-elect Presidents Clinton)
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open Greatness

Is America worthy of a great leader?

The simple, knee-jerk dismissive answer is "We Americans always deserve the very best of everything, fool!"

Why then have we settled for so little for so long? Why as a nation have we been willing to accept mediocre? We have collectively thrown up our hands exclaiming "What can I do about it?" We have offered that exasperating sigh, lowered our eyes and kicked the dirt at our feet.

A great society deserves a great leader.

We are afraid of a great leader. A great leader would ask us to be great.

In our greatness we would lose our anonymity. In our greatness we would accept responsibility. In our greatness we would willingly sacrifice our self interests for the greater good. In our greatness we would learn to take care of ourselves. In our greatness we would be able to truly help others.

In the coming election we must vote for greatness.

America should be worthy of a great leader.

Open accounting

Obama wins Texas!(?)

Oh yeah!!!!

Election 2008

Obama Ahead in Texas Caucuses

by Robert Siegel and Wade Goodwyn

Listen Now [3 min 49 sec] add to playlist

All Things Considered, March 6, 2008 · New York Sen. Hillary Clinton has claimed victory in the Texas primary — but her rival, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, may walk away with a greater share of the state's delegates.

That's because the Texas contests are actually both a primary and a caucus.

Clinton won the primary with 51 percent of the popular vote to Obama's 47 percent, according to the Associated Press. Those results earned her 65 delegates to Obama's 61 delegates.

But allocating delegates in the Lone Star State takes a "Texas two-step." After the polls closed, more than 1 million Texans also attended caucuses, the results of which determine how about one-third of the state's delegates get awarded.

The state Democratic Party estimates that Obama will come out ahead: 37 pledged delegated to Clinton's 30 delegates. But the official tally of the Texas caucus won't be ready for months.

Open Math

Excerpted from David Plouffe, BarackObama.com to William

William --

Our projections show the most likely outcome of yesterday's elections will be that Hillary Clinton gained 187 delegates, and we gained 183.

That's a net gain of 4 delegates out of more than 370 delegates available from all the states that voted.

For comparison, that's less than half our net gain of 9 delegates from the District of Columbia alone. It's also less than our net gain of 8 from Nebraska, or 12 from Washington State. And it's considerably less than our net gain of 33 delegates from Georgia.

The task for the Clinton campaign yesterday was clear. In order to have a plausible path to the nomination, they needed to score huge delegate victories and cut into our lead.

They failed.

It's clear, though, that Senator Clinton wants to continue an increasingly desperate, increasingly negative -- and increasingly expensive -- campaign to tear us down.

That's her decision. But it's not stopping John McCain, who clinched the Republican nomination last night, from going on the offensive. He's already made news attacking Barack, and that will only become more frequent in the coming days.

Right now, it's essential for every single supporter of Barack Obama to step up and help fight this two-front battle. In the face of attacks from Hillary Clinton and John McCain, we need to be ready to take them on.

Open [Sad] Truth

Doc said it, I read it, it must be...

...
It’s only gonna get uglier as the Democratic convention approaches. For all of Obama’s high-road smarts and strategizing, there is no overstating the ability of the Democrats to shoot themselves in their feet, and settle on a doomed candidate come convention time. The ghosts of McGovern, Mondale, Dukakis, Kerry — and even Gore and Carter — loom large. Obama can win, mostly because he has so many positives and he isn’t hated by Republicans. Hillary can’t.

So then the only question that remains is who McCain will choose as his VP candidate. Because, as of this morning, McCain and that guy (it won’t be a woman) will likely be our next two presidents.

Emphasis mine. Thanks Doc for telling the truth.

Open Opportunity

Reported in the New York Times ...

“Who would you hire to turn the economy around?” Mrs. Clinton asked a crowd of a couple thousand people at a rally in Akron on Sunday evening. “Who would you hire to make sure we have quality affordable health care for every American? Who would you hire to make college affordable for hard-working middle-class families? And who would you hire to end the war in Iraq and take care of our veterans?”

We are not hiring a President!

We are electing a leader.

I believe that we need to elect a leader who will empower the people of this great nation to achieve great things. We, the American people, will turn the economy around. We will develop a system of affordable health care. America as a nation will insure that hard working middle-class families can afford higher education. Americans will end the war in Iraq and Americans will take very good care of our Veterans.

Open Doors

Hu Qianci, China’s youngest political prisoner


Two long posts reminding us about the real cost of freedom...

China: Hack into Freedom City

China: Hu Jia’s family become human “state secrets”

Open Change

You must be the change you want to see in the world.
- Mahatma Gandhi

Open Spin

Recently we have heard that the war in Iraq is "better" due to the surge.

This is the American Political Experience (A.P.E.) at its very worst. By 'spinning' this story political operatives have somehow tried to legitimized something that less than two months ago was (and still is) an abhorrence.

It is not OK that George Bush sent our troops into harms way for his personal and political ambitions.

It is not OK that we accept any form of a "better" war.

Open and free from fear

"We have nothing to fear but fear itself."
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt

FDR made two assertions.

1. We have nothing to fear.
2. We should fear fear itself.

America as the most powerful, wealthy, healthy country on the planet has nothing to fear. Our existing military industrial complex stands in the face of any threat. The strength of our economy is still the foundation of world economy. Our ability to maintain our high social standard continues to make us the desired destination of people seeking freedom and prosperity around the world.

Today, this very minute the people of the United States of America have nothing to fear. We have nothing to fear.

Very soon our nation will be thrown into a political melee. The only issue that will be brought to the American people will be the specter of fear. We will be told that the most powerful, wealthy, healthy country on the planet should live in fear. We will be told that the only way to combat that fear is to keep to the old tried and true ways. We will be told to be very afraid of any deviation from the old ways, any change from the current status quo. We will be told to be very afraid.

Fear is the last bastion of the power monger.

We have nothing to fear.

Unscrupulous politicians will use fear itself as a tool to subjugate us. Fear will be used to indenture our servitude. Fear will be the chains to enslave us.

"We have nothing to fear but fear itself."
- FDR