Open Numbers

Ripped directly from The Huffington Post ...

Iraq Casualties, Iraq Costs, Iraq Numbers

Below Is a detailed list of Iraq "by the numbers" released by Senator Harry Reid's office:

The Cost to Our Forces in Iraq

3,990: American troops who have died in Iraq since the start of the war. [icasualties.org, 3/17/08]

29,395: Number of U.S. service members that have been wounded in hostile action since the start of U.S. military operations in Iraq. [AP, 3/11/08]

60,000: Number of troops that have been subjected to controversial stop-loss measures--meaning those who have completed service commitments but are forbidden to leave the military until their units return from war. [US News and World Report, 2/25/08]

5: Number of times the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment has been sent to Iraq. They are the first Marine Corps unit to be sent to Iraq for a fifth time. [San Francisco Chronicle, 2/27/08]

2,100: Number of troops who tried to commit suicide or injure themselves increased from 350 in 2002 to 2,100 last year. [US News and World Report, 2/25/08]

11.9: Percent of noncommissioned Army officers who reported mental health problems during their first Iraq tour [Los Angeles Times, 3/7/08]

27.2: Percent of noncommissioned Army officers who reported mental health problems during their third or fourth Iraq tour [Los Angeles Times, 3/7/08]

The Cost to Our Military Readiness

88: Percent of current and former U.S. military officers surveyed in a recent independent study who believe that the demands of the war in Iraq have "stretched the U.S. military dangerously thin" [Foreign Policy/Center for New American Security, 2/19/08]

94: Percent of Army recruits who had high school diplomas in Fiscal Year 2003 [Larry Korb, The Guardian, 10/12/07]

79: Percent of Army recruits who had high school diplomas in Fiscal Year 2007 [Larry Korb, The Guardian, 10/12/07]

4,644: Number of new Army recruits who were granted moral waivers in Fiscal Year 2003. [Houston Chronicle, 10/14/07]

12,057: Number of new Army recruits who were granted moral waivers in Fiscal Year 2007. [Houston Chronicle, 10/14/07]

67: Percent of captains the Army managed to retain this year, short of its goal of 80 percent, and in spite of cash bonus incentives of up to $35,000 [Armed Services Committee Hearing, 2/26/08]

The Cost to Our National Security

1,188: Number of global terrorist incidents from January - September 11th, 2001. [American Security Project, "Are We Winning?," September 2007]

5,188: Number of global terrorist incidents in from January- September 11th, 2006. [American Security Project, "Are We Winning?," September 2007]

30: Percent increase in violence in Afghanistan from 2006 to 2007. [Reuters, 10/15/07]

21: Number of suicide bombings in Afghanistan in 2001. [Center for American Progress, "The Forgotten Front," 11/07]

139: Number of suicide bombings in Afghanistan in 2006, with an additional increase of 69 percent as of November 2007. [Center for American Progress, "The Forgotten Front," 11/07]

30: Percent of Afghanistan controlled by the Afghan Government according to DNI Mike McConnell. [Associated Press, 2/27/08]

2,380: Days since September 11th, 2001 that Osama Bin Laden has been at-large.

The Cost of Funding the War in Iraq

$50-60 Billion: Bush Administration's pre-war estimates of the cost of the war. [New York Times, 12/31/02]

$12 Billion: Direct cost per month of the Iraq War. [Washington Post, Bilmes and Stiglitz Op-Ed, 3/9/08]

$526 Billion: Amount of money already appropriated by Congress for the War in Iraq. [CRS, 2/22/08]

$3 Trillion: Total estimated cost of the Iraq War. [Washington Post, Bilmes and Stiglitz Op-Ed, 3/9/08]

$5 Trillion - $7 Trillion: Total cost of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan accounting for continued military operations, growing debt and interest payments and continuing health care and counseling costs for veterans. [McClatchy, 2/27/08]

160: Percent that the cost of the Iraq War has increased from 2004 to 2008. [CRS Report, 2/22/08]

The Cost to Iraqis and Journalists

8,000: Number of Iraqi military and police killed since June 2003. [Brookings Institute, Iraq Index, March 13, 2008]

82,000-89,000: Estimate of Iraqi civilians casualties from violence since the beginning of the Iraq War. [Iraq Body Count]

4.5 Million: Number of Iraqi refugees both inside and outside the country. [Washington Post, 3/17/08]

61: Percent of Iraqis that believe the U.S. military presence makes the security situation in Iraq worse. [Agence France-Presse, 3/17/08]

127: Number of journalists killed in Iraq since March 2003. [Committee to Protect Journalists]

Economic Costs of War in Iraq

$33.51: Cost of a barrel of oil in March 2003. [Energy Information Administration]

$105.68: Cost of a barrel of oil on March 17, 2008. [NYMEX]

U.S. Troops and Contractors in Iraq

132,000: Number of U.S. troops in Iraq in January 2007, before President Bush's escalation. [Brookings Institution, Iraq Index, 3/13/08]

155,000: Number of U.S. troops currently in Iraq. [Brookings Institution, Iraq Index, 3/13/08]

140,000: Number of U.S. troops projected to be in Iraq in July 2008. [Associated Press, 2/26/08]

35,000: Number of private security contractors operating in Iraq. [Human Rights First, Private Security Contractors at War]

180,000: Number of private contractors operating in Iraq. [Human Rights First, Private Security Contractors at War]

Progress Towards Political Reconciliation Made By Iraqis

3: Number out of 18 Bush Administration Benchmarks Met by Iraqi Government As of January 24, 2008. [Center for American Progress, 1/24/08]

18: Number of provinces President Bush said would be secured by Iraqis as of November 2007. [President Bush Speech, 1/10/07]

8: Number of provinces actually secured by Iraqis as of January 2008. [NPR, 1/7/08]

Bush-Republican Intransigence on Staying the Course in Iraq

8: Number of times a majority of the Senate has voted to change course in Iraq.

7: Number of times Bush Republicans in Congress have blocked changing course in Iraq.

1: Number of vetoes issued by the White House over changing course in Iraq.

Open City

The City of New Orleans
by Steve Goodman

Riding on the City of New Orleans,
Illinois Central Monday morning rail
Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders,
Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail.
All along the southbound odyssey
The train pulls out at Kankakee
Rolls along past houses, farms and fields.
Passin' trains that have no names,
Freight yards full of old black men
And the graveyards of the rusted automobiles.

CHORUS:
Good morning America how are you?
Don't you know me I'm your native son,
I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans,
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.

Dealin' card games with the old men in the club car.
Penny a point ain't no one keepin' score.
Pass the paper bag that holds the bottle
Feel the wheels rumblin' 'neath the floor.
And the sons of pullman porters
And the sons of engineers
Ride their father's magic carpets made of steel.
Mothers with their babes asleep,
Are rockin' to the gentle beat
And the rhythm of the rails is all they feel.

CHORUS

Nighttime on The City of New Orleans,
Changing cars in Memphis, Tennessee.
Half way home, we'll be there by morning
Through the Mississippi darkness
Rolling down to the sea.
And all the towns and people seem
To fade into a bad dream
And the steel rails still ain't heard the news.
The conductor sings his song again,
The passengers will please refrain
This train's got the disappearing railroad blues.

Good night, America, how are you?
Don't you know me I'm your native son,
I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans,
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.

©1970, 1971 EMI U Catalogue, Inc and Turnpike Tom Music (ASCAP)

Open Reason (Reposted)

This was true before he gave the speech ... it is true now that he has given the speech.

Barack Obama is slated to give a speech on race.

Will this help or hurt his campaign?

Barack Obama is the very embodiment of reason and common sense. He will state not only his position but the country's position on race. His will be a measured, even, equal and fair assessment of America's "race" situation. He will not make threats. He will not make undue claims.

Barack Obama will tell America the truth. Truth that America has been longing to hear since his opponent's husband occupied the oval office. Truth that will cut through the rhetoric of separation. Truth that will bring and promote healing in a nation ready to move on.

...and the truth will set us all free.

Open simple delight

Bread loaf

18×24 sm, oil on board, 2008 Love this typical brick loaf, one of the two forms of bread that were available at the store as far as I can remember myself. Well, not any more, you can get plenty of sponge like stuff these days, especially in “good” restaurants. This loaf looks so dearly real and natural to me; this and the baton (that I painted before a bit) but I did not get it’s close-up last night. While working on this loaf, I ate the other subject with some butter and jam.

[Disclaimer applies: I don't paint - I just like Olecho's work.]

Open Reason

Barack Obama is slated to give a speech on race.

Will this help or hurt his campaign?

Barack Obama is the very embodiment of reason and common sense. He will state not only his position but the country's position on race. His will be a measured, even, equal and fair assessment of America's "race" situation. He will not make threats. He will not make undue claims.

Barack Obama will tell America the truth. Truth that America has been longing to hear since his opponent's husband occupied the oval office. Truth that will cut through the rhetoric of separation. Truth that will bring and promote healing in a nation ready to move on.

...and the truth will set us all free.

Open Ticket?

Obama and Edwards?

Open Censure

China Pulls Plug On YouTube, Google News

By Jennifer Bosavage, ChannelWeb
2:39 PM EDT Mon. Mar. 17, 2008

Bejing has banned access within China to YouTube and to Google News, in an apparent attempt to block coverage of riots and demonstrations in Tibet, according to several published reports.

Open Differentiations

I "borrowed" the following post from An Englishman In Osaka... then I added the last picture at the bottom ...

spot the differentiations

At this time of year, there's no better way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon than poring over an interesting spot the difference puzzle or two.

So here's one I've created for people of a similar disposition.

Simply print off the two almost identical pictures - one of an American school bus, the other of a Japanese school bus.

Then, using your powers of observation, circle the 748 differences (625 if using a non-colour printer).

Good luck!



An American school bus.




A Japanese school bus - fun for children on the outside.

...perhaps children in other cultures do not have to be managed as though they were in a maximum minimum security facility... oh, wait, what am I saying?

Open logobama'08

I go Obama!

Open List: the Constitution (part 2)

Open Lists

the Constitution has been trashed and must be restored

Obama supporters ...

Obama Says Gitmo Facility Should Close

By ELIZABETH WHITE

The Associated Press
Sunday, June 24, 2007; 8:21 PM

...

"While we're at it," he said, "we're going to close Guantanamo. And we're going to restore habeas corpus. ... We're going to lead by example _ by not just word but by deed. That's our vision for the future."

Habeas corpus is a tenet of the Constitution that protects people from unlawful imprisonment.

Obama detractor ...

(I was unable to locate a specific criticism leveled against Obama's position to restore Habeas Corpus. Evidently it is one of the rights that even the most cynical critic cannot live freely without.)

Open List: the Constitution (part 1)

Open Lists

the Constitution has been trashed and must be restored

Obama supporters ...

Lawyers for Gitmo detainees endorse Obama

Email|Link|Comments (12) Posted by csavage January 28, 2008 05:57 PM

The attorneys said in a joint statement that they believed Obama was the best choice to roll back the Bush-Cheney administration's detention policies in the war on terrorism and thereby to "restore the rule of law, demonstrate our commitment to human rights, and repair our reputation in the world community." The attorneys are representing the detainees in habeas corpus lawsuits, which are efforts to get individual hearings before federal judges in order to challenge the basis for their indefinite imprisonment without trial.

The attorneys praised Obama for being a leader in an unsuccessful fight in the fall of 2006 to block Congress from enacting a law stripping courts of jurisdiction to hear Guantanamo detainee lawsuits. The constitutionality of that law, which was part of the Military Commissions Act, is now being challenged before the Supreme Court in one of the most closely-watched cases this term.

Obama detractor Cao (responding to the same Globe article) ...

I guess we can stop wondering about Barack Hussein Obama and his Islamic/muslim background, LOL.

One thing that I found interesting about the lawyers for the Gitmo terrorists…either they are working pro bono, or they are Saudi-funded. They can’t be both.

If Obama gets in, we should be watching for his taking the same approach to terrorism that his cousin Odinga in Kenya has…and sharia law in the US.

(She included this graphic [LINK] which I didn't think was appropriate to reproduce here or anywhere. -Papa)

Open: the Politics of Rhetoric of Politics

In a comment responding to my post entitled "Open Self Destruction" a group claiming to be Muslims Against Sharia turns out to be a "blogger" of indeterminate identity. When I followed the link to the blog and then clicked on the "Home" link I was shown the same website header served from a different domain - reformislam.org .

My initial feeling was one of concern founded on ignorance - I don't know the issues and I am therefore afraid of endorse or dispute any position put forth. I did how ever reread the comment to understand just that much of the situation.

Muslims Against Sharia said...

Muslims Against Sharia call on Senators McCain and Obama to cut all ties with their racist, Islamophobic, and anti-Semitic supporters.

My conclusion that a call for anyone to "...cut all ties with their racist, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic supporters" is perfectly legitimate.

To better appreciate the whole of this, for me, confusing circumstance I followed these links to try and better understand...

Muslims Against Sharia

By Jamie Glazov
FrontPageMagazine.com | Tuesday, November 13, 2007

and

Islamic Supreme Council (This site loaded very slowly for me, please be patient.)

For information on ISCA's current Activities and Goals, please view our brochure in PDF format. (Recommended.)

Open Quiz

(Click above...)

(91)

Sister Beth who-doesn't-blog, yet scored 97%... 12 out of 12 = 97th percentile!

Hmmmmm, 12 out of 12 doesn't equal 100% ... must be some sort of Republican math. (*Smirk*)

Open Nerdy

Open concern

I just watched John McCain offering his views on the most recent Senate vote ... and he spent half of his time - half of his time with his back to the camera. Is he not paying attention?

Open Political Revolution

I must admit that I sneered at the "elections" of South American dictators, communist puppet govenments and middle-eastern theocrats. All the while I tried to wrap myself in the warm comforter of USofA Democracy's one-person-one-vote. Even though I distanced myself from day-to-day political dealings I paid lip-service to the nobility of the American political process.

Then one day a candidate emerged on the American political scene that caught my attention. Stepping forward is an educated, erudite visionary who begins to speak to the heart of the American people. This candidate begins to evoke feelings that I once just paid lip-service to in describing our system of government. This candidate begins to show the American people that there can be an alternative to politics-as-usual. A candidate that understands that power does not come from the office but is mandated by the people. A candidate who is actively seeking just such a mandate. A candidate who is seeking the support of the people.

In contrast the politics-as-usual candidates, orating in first person presumptive tones, speak of the power of the office all the while evoking the fears of war. They play political brinkmanship with threats of boycotting the very process they are engaged in (and supposedly supporting as a political ideal). They further threaten to demand the return of monies if their party doesn't play the political game the way that they paid for. They insist on changing the rules of the game mid-play because they realize they are losing and must try every underhanded trick they can think of to salvage their failing position.

Should such politics-as-usual prevail then I will not be able to differentiate USofA politics from those of contemptable South American dictators, communist puppet govenments and middle-eastern theocrats.

Do not let the few dictate to the many what is ethical or right.

America, I call you to open political revolution.

Open Expression

Open observation

We are not going to elect Barack Obama's minister to any elected office.

We are not going to elect Barack Obama's foreign policy adviser to any elected office.

We are not going to elect Hillary Clinton's Head Fund Raiser to any elected office.

We are not going to elect Hillary Clinton to any elected office.

We are not going to elect John McCain to any elected office.

Please people, lets pay attention to who we are going to elect ... Barack Obama!

Open QOTD (4)

The difference between patriotism and nationalism is that the patriot is proud of his country for what it does, and the nationalist is proud of his country no matter what it does; the first attitude creates a feeling of responsibility, but the second a feeling of blind arrogance that leads to war.

- Sydney J. Harris

Submitted for your consideration by Sister Beth (who doesn't blog, yet!)

Open Payment

Borrowed from

Obama in 30 seconds

Open Tone

Barack Obama has set the tone of his leadership... firm and fair.

Publicly announcing that even his 6-year old daughter recognizes the situation of Michigan and Florida's "Do Over" as being unfair is a clear indication of how he will lead.

Obama - Firm and Fair!

Open Loathing (2)

After 7 hours and 25 minutes during the previous sessions I started again at 07:10 this morning. Today is loading userland software (e.g. Lotus Notes, ODBC drivers, Postgresql tools, Adobe, etc.)
Except for the "Morning Meeting" (07:30-08:00) I was at it until 10:45.

07:10-07:30 = 0:20 CTT: 7:45
08:00-10:45 = 2:45 CTT: 10:30

10 hours and 30 minutes to restore a Microsoft system to its operational state!

(As a point of reference: the last time I loaded an Ubuntu system it took approximately 25 minutes for the initial system prep and FULL OS and SOFTWARE load. After 10 minutes of configuration it took Ubuntu approximately 35 more minutes to download and install ALL patches and updates. Roughly 1 hour and 10 minutes.)

Open Lists

This is one list that really needs to be examined ... from TIME GOES BY

I have been waiting for this list. Thank you Crabby Old Lady. Ya done good!

Crabby would be heartened to hear Clinton and Obama (and McCain) say:

• the Constitution has been trashed and must be restored


• the U.S. has supported and committed torture and it must end


• the economy has been wrecked by the power elite in both government and corporate America and that greed will stop, regulations will be enforced


• the Iraq War has been a disaster and we need a way out while acknowledging that we bear responsibility for bombing that country back or Ur


• universal healthcare is a human right and we’ll find a way to provide it


• our infrastructure - bridges, roads, water, sewer systems - will be fixed


• No Child Left Behind will be canceled and we’ll figure out how to improve our schools


• unwarranted searches and surveillance of citizens will stop


• there will be no more fooling around about the environment


• a fair solution will be found for immigration


• government ethics legislation will have real teeth


• separation of church and state will be restored


• every last political hack (thousands of them) appointed by the Bush administration to government agencies will be fired, replaced with non-partisan competents


• earmarks will disappear entirely from legislation – let them be properly legislated


• the wealthy elite have had it their way long enough, reaping collective trillions of dollars on the backs of the middle and lower classes and now it is their turn to pay it back

Borrowed from The Huffington Post: Modern Feminism ...

The feminist issues facing us now are different from the ones that we faced a generation ago. From Moms Rising (www.momsrising.org):

* Three-quarters of American mothers are now in the labor force.
* A full quarter of U.S. families with children less than six years old live in poverty.
* Nine million children are without healthcare coverage and many more are under-insured.
* Fourteen million children are unsupervised after school. 40,000 of these are kindergartners due to a lack of affordable after school programs.
* The U.S. is one of only four nations without any form of paid leave for new mothers. (The others are Liberia, Swaziland, and Papua New Guinea.)
* Women without children make 90 cents to a man's dollar, but mothers make just 73 cents, and single mothers make even less -- about 60 cents to a man's dollar.
* Mothers are 79% less likely to be hired than equally qualified non-mothers.
* A recent study found that mothers were offered $11,000 lower starting pay than non-mothers with the same resume for highly paid jobs, while fathers were offered $6,000 more in starting pay.
* Of the twenty most competitive economies in the world, the U.S. is the only one that does not require employers to provide paid sick days.

Open Self Destruction

McCain's Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam

Washington Dispatch: Televangelist Rod Parsley, a key McCain ally in Ohio, has called for eradicating the "false religion." Will the GOP presidential candidate renounce him?

By David Corn

March 12, 2008

Senator John McCain hailed as a spiritual adviser an Ohio megachurch pastor who has called upon Christians to wage a "war" against the "false religion" of Islam with the aim of destroying it.

Open Loathing

Last week I decided to download and install one of Microsoft's "Express...2008" Development tools. When the smoke cleared I was no longer able to access the site that I require development tools to support. No amount of Add/Remove Programs would return my system to an operational state. My only recourse is to ... reload.

I started yesterday afternoon...about 14:30

By 16:15 I had Windows XP "loaded" as well as the proprietary drivers needed to access the network card and the video card. I was able to start the first "Windows Update" session before I had to leave.

Cumulative Time Total: 1:45

This morning at 07:00 I have returned to a rebooted system. Sending it off on the second manual "Windows Update" session promises 61 Updates. By 08:30 all 61 had been downloaded and installed. Mandatory reboot.

CTT: 2:15
In the mean time I have secured a copy of Windows XP Service Pack 2. Thankfully I am able to transfer it via my thumb drive. Saving myself a ~272 MB download. It is currently loading - finished at 09:30. Mandatory reboot.
CTT: 3:15
"Windows Update" session #3: 49 Updates. Mandatory reboot @ 10:00.
CTT: 3:45
"Windows Update" session #4: No Updates to install. Now it is time to start loading software.
MS-Office 2003: Completed @ 10:15
CTT: 4:00
"Windows Update" session #5: 6 Updates. Mandatory reboot at 11:00
CTT: 4:45
"Windows Update" session #6: 8 Updates. Wonder of wonders.... no reboot at 11:15
CTT: 5:00
Load FrontPage, Project, Visio, OneNote : Completed @ 11:30
CTT: 5:15
12:45 "Windows Update" session #7: 4 Updates, no reboot @ 13:30
CTT: 6:00
Loading VB2005 Express Edition, WebDev 2005 Express Edition @14:00
CTT: 6:30
15:15 "Windows Update" session #8: 9 Updates. Mandatory reboot @ 16:00
CTT: 7:15
"Windows Update" session #9 : No updates @ 16:10
CTT: 7:25

Tomorrow the userland software is loaded.

T. B. C...

Open Revelation

Hillary Clinton Sacrifices Career For Her Party

In what is being acknowledged as a great personal gesture Sen. Hillary Clinton is actively and aggressively sacrificing her political career for the good of her beloved Democratic Party. Under the guise of "running for the nomination" the Senator is actually keeping the fires of passion lit in the hearts of the party loyal as well as open minded independents and unfulfilled Republicans. Her carefully crafted posturing and prattling are designed to continue to keep the spot light shining brightly on the obvious Democratic heir apparent Barack Obama.

In a political environment that is played out entirely in the media Senator Obama is capturing almost every news cycle thanks in no small part to this selfless crusade that Hillary Clinton has mounted on his behalf. This priceless exposure in the press is the direct result of Mrs. Clinton's willingness to sacrifice any chance she has to attain her party's nomination. But in the end Hillary Rodham Clinton will be able to say that she, almost single-handedly, elected the next president of the United States of America - Barack Obama.

Open Politics...

...make strange bedfellows.

Spitzer Scandal Worries Clinton Camp

John Nichols | The governor of Hillary's adopted home state is in big, big trouble.

Open supporter

Please Ms Ferraro, please continue to support Mrs. Clinton... and speak up, we didn't hear you.


"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position," she continued. "And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept." Ferraro does not buy the notion of Obama as the great reconciler.

Geraldine Ferarro lets her emotions do the talking

By Jim Farber Staff Writer

Article Launched: 03/07/2008 07:52:09 AM PST

So you managed to play the race card and the gender card in the same paragraph. You are a professional. Keep up the good work.

Open Puppetry

Just two more talking heads...

THE BILL FACTOR

It’s Not Her. It’s That Marriage.

Ben Sklar / Getty Images

Wanting it Both Ways: Clinton wants to run and win as her own woman and she wants to offer her years as First Spouse as 'experience'

Open Trust (or the lack thereof...)

I do not trust Hillary Clinton.

For a long while now I have been trying to find the essence of my dislike for HRC.

Today as I read the Newsweek post ...

How can you win the nomination when the math looks so bleak for you?
It doesn't look bleak at all. I have a very close race with Senator Obama. There are elected delegates, caucus delegates and superdelegates, all for different reasons, and they're all equal in their ability to cast their vote for whomever they choose. Even elected and caucus delegates are not required to stay with whomever they are pledged to. This is a very carefully constructed process that goes back years, and we're going to follow the process.

I was left with the "this is the way we have run questionable politics in the past" feeling. Even the suggestion that "delegates are not required to stay with whomever they are pledged to" smacks of disenfranchisement! I would have expected this kind of elitist power mongering from WASP men 50 or 100 years ago but today???

I do not trust Hillary Clinton.

Open Gothic

I found it here ... Thanks Peter Brooks

Open Advice, good advice.

Seth Godin offers some good advice on brand "correction" ...

Sunk costs, quitting and the value of your brand

Here's the math as I see it for brand Hillary: The only chance she has to win is to burn down other brands, violate protocol, push harder than many think appropriate. She has to change her brand to achieve her goal. Not only that, but she has to risk the entire Party at the same time. If she does manage to win the nomination, she will be pilloried by the right (the very same Rush that endorsed her in Texas). They're just waiting for the chance.

The new brand, the one that it would take to succeed at this stage, almost guarantees she doesn't succeed at the next.

And the alternative?

The alternative is to quit. To become a statesman. A respected power broker.

The alternative is to be the trusted advisor, the person who gave up one dream to realize a bigger one, and to build a brand and a lifestyle with long-term leverage.

So lets review...

Mrs. Clinton could be Not-President
... or ...
Mrs. Clinton could become one of the most powerful political influences in the United States of America.

Hmmmmm ...

Mrs. Clinton please pay attention. Please take Seth's good advice.

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

Open Economy of Nutrition

I want to share some insights that have come to me about the economy of nutrition.

I am so affluent that I can eat three meals a day and snacks which equals roughly ...

2 eggs, 3 strips of bacon, hashbrowns, 2 slices of buttered toast, orange juice = 700+
1 cola = 240
1 Double McCheeseburger, Lg. Fries, 16oz Cola = 1160+
1 cola = 240
1 breast, 1 drumstick fried chicken, mashed potatoes w/ gravy, mac & cheese, green beans, 2 biscuits, 16oz cola = 1460+
4 oz Doritos, 2 beers = 860+

Total = 4660 calories

I am so affluent that I could...but I don't. If I did consume that much food (calories) I would have to burn that many calories (give or take a metabolic variable*) to keep from putting on weight. In view of this country's obesity epidemic I can assume that we as a society are so affluent that we can afford to consume many more calories than we burn.



The BMI calculator at
said that my 221 lbs on my 6'0" body = 30 = Obese. That was just before Thanksgiving, 2007.

Now, before I go any further this is not about a diet and how much weight I may or may not have lost. There are plenty of blog posts that extol the merits of every diet imaginable, somewhere else.

The insights that I want to share in this post are 'side effects' - lessons that I have learned along the way. Before elaborating I feel obliged to assert the following: YMMV - please consult a physician.

I limit my caloric intake to 1500-1750 calories per day. I can eat anything, anything I want. I just cannot eat as much as I might want.

Another important part of this experience is my Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

You use energy no matter what you're doing, even when sleeping. The BMR Calculator will calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR); the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day.

You have a BMR of 1939.95.

I take this to mean that if I consume 1500-1750 calories a day and burn 1939.95 then I am likely to lose weight. Additionally, since I get up and go to work most days I am likely to burn significantly more than just my 'BMR'. (Spoiler: It is working.)

1. When I started eating 1500-1750 calories per day - my chronic heartburn went away. I went from taking a maximum strength 'Acid Suppressor' and 4-6 antacids per day to zero, nada, none. This is a MAJOR achievement for me as I don't like taking as much as an aspirin - even if I do have a splitting headache.
   
2. I became reacquainted with fresh green vegetables and fresh fruits. To put the most delicate spin on the matter this had a cleansing affect on my alimentary system.
3. Once my internal plumbing system was cleaned out I quickly realized how BLOATED and uncomfortable I get when I do "enjoy" one of those caloric-expensive double McCheeseburgers.
4. Initially I was HUNGRY all the time. This was/is very frustrating. I am an affluent American, born to the land of plenty - Why, oh why must I feel hungry for even one minute?!? Why (whine) must I endure such 'agony' ... "I'm whiney hungry. I deserve to eat anything I want. I demand the right to satisfy my desires. I should get anything I whiney want!"
5. By paying attention and eating small amounts of good food to alleviate my desires I can manage my hunger. In fact, once I begin to understand the difference between my desires and what real hunger is... I have realized that I am not really hungry all the time...like I thought I felt.
6. Society, most specifically the media and its supporters in conjunction with the major food producers, contribute more than any other to America's problem of obesity. Sadly it is a simple matter of supply-and-demand profit driven economics. Put in its simplest terms... FAT is cheap. If I sell you FAT then I make more money. If I convince you that FAT tastes better than lean you will buy more FAT...and I will make more money. The more FAT you buy the FATTER you become. Ironically, our obesity is a direct result of our capitalism flourishing.
7. Which brings me to the real... economy of nutrition. This is the real lesson in all of this. It is true, I can eat anything I want. So I can eat one double McCheeseburger _or_ I can have 2 HUGE salads. The McCheeseburger leaves me feeling bloated and uncomfortable and HUNGRY 2 hours later ... 2 HUGE salads will satisfy my hunger for the entire day AND allow me to snack on healthy food throughout the day. By being nutritionally selective I get the benefit of food value and the volume that satisfies my socially driven desires.
   

(You see? I haven't just been obsessing about the Democratic primaries... I really do have a few other concerns in my life. :)

Open Values(?)

Clearly, American values are for sale ...

Sen. Clinton accepts donations from troubled firm

Posted on Friday, February 29, 2008 3:50 PM PT

Filed Under: Politics

By Lisa Myers and Jim Popkin, NBC News

Sen. Hillary Clinton has declined to return $170,000 in campaign contributions from individuals at a company accused of widespread sexual harassment, and whose CEO is a disbarred lawyer with a criminal record, federal campaign records show.

The federal government has accused the Illinois management consulting firm, International Profit Associates, or IPA, of a brazen pattern of sexual harassment including "sexual assaults,” “degrading anti-female language" and "obscene suggestions."

Long article located here -> LINK

---

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

Open Journalism

If you don't like the light reflected on you, stand in a different light.

On the Press Bus, Some Questions Over Favoritism

...
The most significant element of the coverage that has so rankled the Clinton campaign may be one that cannot responsibly be omitted: her recent win-loss record in nominating contests.

“My role model and mentor at The A.P. was Walter Mears, who recently retired, and he used to say that who wins is part of the story,” said Mike Glover, an Associated Press reporter, as he flew on Mrs. Clinton’s plane on Thursday from Hanging Rock, Ohio, to Houston. “We’re covering a candidate who’s lost 11 straight primaries. They’re covering a candidate who has won 11 straight primaries.”

Open QOTD (3)

Quote For The Day

from ChuckSigars.com by Chuck

“Now one of Clinton’s laws of politics is this: If one candidate’s trying to scare you and the other one’s trying to get you to think, if one candidate’s appealing to your fears and the other one’s appealing to your hopes, you better vote for the person who wants you to think and hope.”

—–Bill Clinton, 2004.

Good one - Thanks Chuck.

Bonus Link: YouTube video....(added 18:54)


Thanks to Beth-who-doesn't-blog,-yet!

Open Letter to Bill & Melinda Gates

Is this true?!?!? Is this the light that you wish to see you philanthropic efforts bathed in?!?!?

Quoted from Wiki.linux-delhi.org

Using NGOs to Push Agendas

The extent to which Microsoft can go in its efforts to get OOXML is interesting. Microsoft has "persuaded" several non-profit organizations to bombard the Indian IT Secretary and the Additional Director General of the Bureau of Indian Standards with letters supporting its OOXML proposal. A copy of the form letter they have been circulating to NGOs is given below. Somebody should interview these NGOs to see how much they really know about OOXML and open standards.

The sequence of events leading up to the spamming of GoI? is:

Letter from an NGO thanking Microsoft (name changed to protect their identity)

I'd like to thank you personally, and on behalf of XYZ, for Microsoft's invaluable contribution to the cause of XYZ in India. The grant will go a long way in enabling XYZ to enhance our productivity, efficiency and impact. Apart, of course, from permitting us to deploy the money saved to programmes. I do hope you can find the time soon to visit a XYZ-supported project to see your contribution in action.

Mail from Microsoft India's Corporate Social Responsibility group to the NGO

As per our discussion please find attached the draft letters -­ please cut/edit/ delete and change it any which way you find useful. Also attached is the list of NGOs who have sent the letters. And attached is also a document that details wht (sic) this debate is all about. Look forward to hear from you in this regard. In case you decide to send the letters, can you please send me a scan of the singed (sic) letters that you send out. Thanks this will help me track the process.

Thanks

Form letters on OOXML sent by Microsoft to NGOs

To

Mr. Jainder Singh, IAS
Secretary
Department of IT
Ministry of Communications & IT,
Electronics Niketan
CGO Complex
New Delhi - 110 003

Respected Sir

Please write a paragraph about your organization

Please paraphrase "We support OXML as a standard that encourages multiplicity of choice and interoperability giving us the ultimate consumer the choice. * recognizes that multiple standards are good for the economy and also for technical innovation and progress in the country, especially for smaller organizations like us, who require choice and innovation"

Please write about your work

Please paraphrase "*** also supports OXML as this does not have any financial implications thus releasing our resources for welfare and development of society."

Thanking You

Yours Faithfully

Name Designation

---

To

Mr. Rakesh Verma, IAS
Additional Director General
Bureau of Indian Standards
Manak Bhawan
BSZ Marg
New Delhi

Respected Sir

Please write a paragraph about your organization

Please paraphrase "We support OXML as a standard that encourages multiplicity of choice and interoperability giving us the ultimate consumer the choice. * recognizes that multiple standards are good for the economy and also for technical innovation and progress in the country, especially for smaller organizations like us, who require choice and innovation"

Please write about your work

Please paraphrase "*** also supports OXML as this does not have any financial implications thus releasing our resources for welfare and development of society."

Thanking You

Yours Faithfully

Name Designation

---

So some, if not all of these NGOs are beneficiaries of cash inputs from MS' Corporate Social Railroading^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H Responsibility arm. I'd really be interested in answers to these questions, anyone up to asking them?

• How many letters supporting OOXML has the Government of India received from NGOs in the recent past?
• How many of these NGOs have received cash inputs (directly or indirectly) from MS?
• How many of these NGOs can sit across a table and discuss OOXML?
• How many of these NGOs can enumerate the benefits of OOXML over, say, ODF for their own organisations?

When I consider the recent case in Sweden where MS actively offered ``Marketing Contributions'' to its business partners to vote for OOXML (http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136599-c,companynews/article.html), and look at the scenario in India, I'm tempted to draw unflattering (to MS) conclusions.

-- RajMathur - 27 Feb 2008

Open Request: Please help spread the word.

Dear Friend,

Voters in places like Atlanta, Brooklyn, St. Louis, and Inglewood have made clear their choice for president: Barack Obama. So why are some members of the Congressional Black Caucus threatening to use their power as "superdelegates" to undermine those votes and nominate Hillary Clinton?

Voters should decide elections--not politicians. And members of the Congressional Black Caucus should amplify the political voice of their constituents, not silence it. I've joined ColorOfChange.org in demanding that the CBC to listen to the voters; let's tell them to vote with the people, not against us:

http://www.colorofchange.org/superd/?id=1867-526328

Voters in almost all the districts represented by the CBC have chosen Obama, helping him win more delegates than Clinton. But only some delegates vote based on the results of primaries. A fifth of the delegates that will vote at the convention -- and decide the nomination -- are "superdelegates" that can technically vote however they like, regardless of what the voters say. These superdelegates are members of Congress, senators, governors and Democratic party insiders. In a contest this close, they have the power to overturn the will of voters, and decide the outcome.

In 2000 and 2004, CBC members stood up to defend the rights of Black voters that had been disenfranchised. It would be a disgrace for its members to now undermine the votes of Black people in their districts. Rarely have Black voters across the country been so unified behind a particular candidate; if CBC members vote against their constituents, it will diminish the power of Black voters in a historic election that could result in our country's first Black president.

It will take courage and conviction for CBC members to break with back-room politics and stand up for democracy. But we must demand it. Please join us:

http://www.colorofchange.org/superd/?id=1867-526328

Thanks.

Open Experienced

Drummer Buddy Miles, Hendrix Collaborator, Dies
eFluxMedia - 1 hour ago
By Jane Ivory Buddy Miles, the innovative drummer who played with musical legends like Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie and Carlos Santana, passed away Tuesday night at his home in Austin, TX.
Buddy Miles, 60; drummer with Hendrix, voice of California raisins Los Angeles Times

Open Blatent Power Mongering GRAB!

Under the thin guise of an 'informative' site the Clinton's campaign is trying to usurp the popular vote by swaying super delegates to vote for "the candidate they believe is best qualified to be president."

I urge everyone to review "Delegate Hub" ( Paid for by Hillary Clinton for President ) and see for yourself what a desperate ploy this is to undermine the democratic process.

This "site" was brought to my attention by the excellent article Senator Clinton's "Million Little Pieces" moment

[Excerpt]

Which brings us to Senator Clinton. Faced with fears that she may be planning to ignore our votes, she has gone public with what we might call the Washington defense: "Of course I'm planning to ignore you if you don't vote for me, because I want to win. That's how it works. If I get elected by seating the bogus Florida and Michigan delegates, and convincing party members to vote for me no matter what you want, well, what's the big deal? As long as the process selects a candidate, what does it matter if it isn't the one most of you want?"

---

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

Open Leadership

I encourage one and all to read the entire article... I just wanted to chronicle this one line.

Dave Winer

Obama as Told by George Lakoff

Posted February 27, 2008 | 04:07 PM (EST)

...

And there was the shift in thinking that came from last night's debate. We already have more leadership from this man who hasn't even won the Democratic nomination yet than we have from the actual President of the United States. Further, in the last two campaigns, I have exhorted the candidates to use the money they raise to solve important problems, and realize that Obama had done exactly that. He's uniting us as a country. There's nothing more important, once we remember that we're all Americans and that that means something, we can do so much more than when we're divided by the "wedge issues" of cynical political hacks. We always have had the option to take back our country, now we seem to be doing that.

When we put aside our differences, and I'm not talking about the heads of companies and lobbyists and government officials, but the people, they really can't stop us. We have the means to pass laws that they have to obey and we have police and military to enforce those laws. The founders of our country believed in this, and believed in us, we're not fools to agree with them, we're just using our power.

Open First Amendment

Barack Obama is being lambasted in political circles for not condemning Louis Farrakhan. In Tuesday's "Debate" (citing the NYT transcript)

MR. RUSSERT: Senator Obama, one of the things in a campaign is that you have to react to unexpected developments.

On Sunday, the headline in your hometown paper, Chicago Tribune: "Louis Farrakhan Backs Obama for President at Nation of Islam Convention in Chicago." Do you accept the support of Louis Farrakhan?

SEN. OBAMA: You know, I have been very clear in my denunciation of Minister Farrakhan's anti-Semitic comments. I think that they are unacceptable and reprehensible. I did not solicit this support. He expressed pride in an African-American who seems to be bringing the country together. I obviously can't censor him, but it is not support that I sought. And we're not doing anything, I assure you, formally or informally with Minister Farrakhan.

MR. RUSSERT: Do you reject his support?

SEN. OBAMA: Well, Tim, you know, I can't say to somebody that he can't say that he thinks I'm a good guy. (Laughter.) You know, I -- you know, I -- I have been very clear in my denunciations of him and his past statements, and I think that indicates to the American people what my stance is on those comments.

Emphasis mine for clarity of focus...

Translation: Senator Obama have you stopped associating with anti-semites?

(To understand this translation see my previous post: Open Truth)

Now, listen to the Truth of his answer ... I obviously can't censor him, but it is not support that I sought. Senator Obama is honoring the First Amendment rights of Louis Farrakhan and the "American Political Experience" (A.P.E.) culture is trying to bludgeon him with it. These are the same First Amendment rights that we insists are our unalienable rights.

"Well, Tim, you know, I can't say to somebody that he can't say that he thinks I'm a good guy."

Open Images

Ben Franklin, 2007
8.5 feet wide by 10.5 feet tall in three horizontal panels

Depicts 125,000 one-hundred dollar bills ($12.5 million), the amount our government spends every hour on the war in Iraq.


Partial zoom:


Detail at actual size:


Chris Jordan's Current Work Thanks to Beth-who-doesn't-blog-yet!

Open Footprint

I saw this at Goatless.org and wanted one of my own...

Open Question

How much are ISP's making in profits?

Before they decry the need for bandwidth limits and higher user fees perhaps they should show us the bottom line.

I suggest that ISP's are being very quiet about HUGE profit margins.

Open Returns

Not... many happy... (excerpted from)

Who Will Tell Hillary?

By Robert D. Novak

Monday, February 25, 2008; Page A15

Clinton's tipping point may have come when it was announced that her $5 million loan to her campaign came from a fund she shares with Bill Clinton. That puts into play for the general election business deals by the former president that transformed him from an indigent to a multimillionaire and might excite interest in their income tax returns, which the Clintons refuse to release. The prospect impels many Democratic insiders to pray for the clear Obama victories on March 4 that they hope will make it unnecessary for anybody to beg Hillary Clinton to end her failed campaign.

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

Open Parody

Open Polling

My interest here is not a conclusive prognostication but to highlight the current differences in the voiced opinions of the world population.



With 8608 votes counted...

Candidate US North Amer South Amer Eur Mid East Africa S/C Asia S/E Asia Aust Total Democrats Hillary Clinton 6.8% 10.8% 13.2% 12.1% 1.4% 10.4% 14.7% 13.6% 12.3% 6.5% Barack Obama 37.0% 52.4% 60.5% 60.4% 4.5% 77.9% 69.3% 70.7% 56.4% 33.2% Mike Gravel 10.6% 3.4% 0.0% 2.5% 1.1% 0.0% 2.7% 0.0% 5.4% 5.5% Republicans Mike Huckabee 17.1% 2.2% 0.0% 1.0% 0.4% 2.5% 2.7% 2.1% 1.0% 7.7% John McCain 6.2% 6.9% 15.8% 4.2% 1.8% 3.7% 4.0% 5.0% 5.4% 4.5% Mitt Romney 3.0% 1.3% 2.6% 1.3% 75.9% 2.5% 2.7% 1.4% 2.5% 25.3% Ron Paul 19.2% 23.1% 7.9% 18.6% 14.9% 3.1% 4.0% 7.1% 17.2% 17.3%

Total votes : 8608

Open Truth

What do these three questions have in common?

Have you stopped beating your wife?
Has your husband stopped sleeping around?
Have you stopped taking PAC money?

Each is a linguistic trap.

Responder: "Yes, I have stopped beating my wife."
Interrogator: "Then you freely admit that you have beat your wife."

Responder: "Yes, my husband has stopped sleeping around."
Interrogator: "Sigh"

Responder: "Yes, I have stopped taking PAC money."
Interrogator: "Sigh"

Each is designed to elicit a truthful response and at the same time condemn the responder. The particular 'feature' of these questions is that we as a culture use them to condemn the responder regardless of the truth of their answer.

Michelle Obama has had the unfortunate "American Political Experience" of having told the truth. She told the American public "... recently that she's really proud of her country for the first time in her adult life." (AP) Within seconds of that utterance political adversaries and pundits speculated that Michelle had not been proud of her country. (They even went to sanctimonious ends to suggest that they have always been proud of their country.)

Let me state this as clearly as I possibly can.

On occasions too numerous to mention I have not been proud of my country.
- William B. Meloney VII

Michelle Obama has fearlessly told the truth and we as an "A.P.E." culture have tried to bludgeon her with it. Shame on us!

Michelle Obama should be revered for stating clearly that 'the emperor is naked!' For the first time in many of our adult lives we truly have something of which we can be proud. For the first time in my adult life I am not subject to "politics as usual." In this political race there is a possibility that the election will not be stolen from the candidate with the populous mandate. For the first time in my adult life I feel that personal views are not only being heard but honored.