Kevin Is Not The Father OF Bristol Palin's Kid..Or???

Last Tuesday I issued a video which broke a promise I made that I would not cover Governor Palin's family. But "Kevin", who claimed to be the real father of Bristol Palin's still unborn child, had a story I felt should see the light of day, even if it was proved wrong. Kevin wrote to me and others that he had evidence to support his claim and that he would present it on September 11th.

Well, he did not.

Instead Kevin created a video on that Friday which essentially said it was all a joke. So, I hold two views: 1) Kevin should be charged for defamation of character because he points the finger at the Palin family and implies they have racist intentions, and 2) he may have been paid to squash the whole claim, indeed, Kevin wrote that he was offered money for his original story. It may have been worth it for a third party to match or beat that offer, just to keep the whole matter quiet. Regardless, Kevin started a fine mess; I can't help but think he got paid in some kind of way.

"Obama Works" partners with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity

Founded in 1976, Habitat for Humanity is dedicated to the simple idea that shelter from rain, wind and sun is a basic human need. Obama Works is a national grassroots organization comprised of volunteers dedicated to implementing Senator Barack Obama's message of positive change through public service.

This is what COMMUNITY ORGANIZING is all about!

On September 13th, 2008, the Obama Works Twin Cities group partnered with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity to apply some elbow grease to two projects in Minneapolis. Hearty volunteers under the guidance of Master Gardeners who volunteer with HFHI helped a family beautify their home, and neighborhood. They may not be entirely comfortable with operating the lawnmower, but they've got curb appeal.

Read the full story at Actualizers, and please pass along this example of how Obama's history inspires acts of community service.

Pictures and video amplify the story of volunteers beautifying a Habitat Home in south Minneapolis on behalf the the new homeowners, immigrants from Somalia who have only been in the house since mid-summer. A cool, rainy September day, but the result was sunshine in the Twin Cities.

I'm not going to suggest McCain volunteers can't or won't do such selfless work; I'm absolutely certain some of them do even though I don't see much evidence of it. I'd rather read about how working together we can make a difference in our community than hear more dishonorable old-school attack politics out of the McCain~Palin~Rove campaign. Until the mainstream media has the spine showed by the ladies hosting "The View" we obviously can't let them dictate the narrative of this election - it's just too important to continue tolerating their conflicts of interest. From taxes and the economy to health care, they're letting lies stand unchallenged - and such uncritical, lazy "reporting" is not good professional journalism.

Senator Barack Obama's example might not have come to the attention of so many of us if he'd not become a candidate for president -- but community service is ALWAYS a postive action.

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Twitter Plus Digg Makes Dwigger, and it Tastes Great!

It’s name is Dwigger. And while it doesn’t quite roll of the tongue, it is for sure an interesting bit of kit. Twitter feeds plus threaded replies plus voting. It’s Twitter, Diggnified. You can paste a pre-published Twitter message URL and submit it to Dwigger, to be voted and commented on. You can also write a fresh post directly within Dwigger.

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McCain/Palin - Unstable and Unable

That slogan "McCain/Palin - Unstable and Unable" came from this sign at the Anchorage, Alaska rally of women against Sarah Palin as Vice President; an event that drew over 1,400 people.

T.O.: McNabb made me a better WR; I made him a better QB

Terrell Owens -- wearing one of his custom T-shirts that said "iLove" on the front and "Me some me" on the back -- spoke in the Cowboys' locker room Thursday, often about Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb and the reasons for their failed relationship.

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Brigham Young blowout of UCLA is one for the books

Just about everything that can go wrong for the Bruins does as BYU quarterback Max Hall passes for seven touchdowns in UCLA's worst loss since 1929.The last time UCLA took such a beating, Herbert Hoover was president.

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Apple Now Sixth Among Worldwide PC Manufacturers

Riding the wave of good news about Apple's explosive growth over the past years, market research firm Gartner now says that Apple is the sixth largest PC manufacturer in the world.

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MITT ROMNEY NUKES JOHN MCCAIN - SAYS McCAIN WRONG, REPREHENSIBLE !! VIDEO

With a mic and a camera to him, former Governor Mitt Romney, who perhaps is feeling the sting of not being picked as McCain's Number Two, and thus able to see with clarity the dishonest presidential campaign Senator McCain is running, went nuclear on Senator McCain in this video from the Republican Debates:

Record rains drench Chicagoland; Ike sending more

After the rainiest day in recorded Chicago history, residents across the area faced more storms, closed roads and flooded basements Sunday as the remnants of Hurricane Ike were expected to arrive. Saturday's rainfall, as measured at O'Hare Int'l Airport, was at least 6.63 inches, breaking the city calendar-day record of 6.49 on Aug. 14, 1987

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Barack Obama - Concord, New Hampshire - Here's What Change Really Means

If you've been looking for something to get you fired up, here it is: Barack Obama earlier today in Concord, New Hampshire, laying out the foundations of what change really means -- from energy to education to foreign policy to the economy.

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Hyperinflation Here We Come:Last Gasp of a Doomed Currency

Rather than solving the problems, the government’s bailouts merely confirm my worst fears, and increase the chances for a hyper-inflationary outcome. By nationalizing Freddie and Fannie, the government has merely delayed the crisis. The borrowed time will cost us dearly, as the day of reckoning will now likely involve much steeper losses.

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Anti-Palin Rally Draws 1,483 in Alaska - USA Today

As the nation learns more about Palin and how she is like George Bush, more people chant for Barack Obama as the real agent of change. Alaska Women lead the charge at this rally:

ANCHORAGE (AP) — 1,483 people protesting the policies of Republican vice presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin lined a busy street on Saturday, waving signs and chanting "Obama!"
The protest came about two hours after Palin delivered a rousing speech at Anchorage's new convention center before leaving the state to return to the campaign trail. Palin was named John McCain's running mate on Aug. 29. This was her first return since then to her home state.

The protesters, including supporters of presidential candidate Barack Obama and those who don't agree with Palin's positions on abortion, polar bears, Iraq and other issues, lined one side of the street near Anchorage's main library building.

A much smaller number of mostly pro-Palin supporters were on the other side of the street, chanting "Sarah! Sarah!"

Police were at the scene, but there were no immediate reports of clashes.

Angie Doroff, 46, helped organize the rally. The wildlife biologist, yoga teacher and artist said she was pleased and surprised at how many people showed up.

"We're not alone. A lot of people are worried about the nomination of Sarah Palin," Doroff said, as cars drove by honking their horns in support.

Barbara Norton, a 56-year-old midwife, stood near a sign that read, "Alaskan Women for Choice."

"I think America does not understand how absolutely extreme her positions are — even to the right of George Bush and John McCain," Norton said. "She is frightening."

Obama Has A Plan To Reduce Oil Prices And Manage Our Oil Reserve

In the face of still high oil prices Senator Barack Obama has a plan to reduce them and via the use of a "swap" of components of our Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The Wall Street Journal covers this idea:

Obama Has A Plan To Manage Our Oil Reserve

By JOHN D. SHAGES
September 8, 2008; Page A17
Energy is playing a pivotal role in this year's presidential election. And a crucial aspect of America's energy security not widely discussed is how to best use America's Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).

Sen. Barack Obama is proposing a simple maneuver -- called an exchange, or swap -- that will help lower the price of oil for consumers, increase the amount of oil in the SPR, increase energy security, and leave taxpayers better off by about $1 billion. His proposal deserves to be adopted.

In 1975, after the Arab oil embargo, the U.S. created the SPR to protect against oil supply disruptions. That reserve now consists of 706 million barrels of crude oil, the largest stockpile in the world.

As the steward of that stockpile, the Department of Energy plays an important role in oil markets. Merely announcing oil acquisitions or sales from the SPR moves oil prices. The SPR's drawdown capability of 4.4 million barrels of oil per day surpasses the daily production capacity of Iran, Iraq or Venezuela.

The authority to sell oil from the SPR is contingent on a presidential finding of a "severe energy supply interruption." In the past 33 years, there have only been two sales from the SPR: in 1991 to support Operation Desert Storm, criticized for being too late; and a widely applauded 2005 post-Katrina sale.

There is also another, little understood statutory authority that allows the Energy secretary to "exchange" oil from the SPR. This authority was created to allow the secretary to periodically change the SPR's composition to ensure that it remains useful to refiners and consumers.

The Clinton administration used this authority in 2000, exchanging crude for heating oil. Later that year, facing a possible heating-oil shortage, the administration loaned 30 million barrels of oil to the market, which was repaid with interest in the form of additional oil at a later date.

This met two objectives. The swap added oil to the SPR at no cost to taxpayers and it put downward pressure on prices.

The Bush administration has used the exchange option extensively. As a matter of policy, however, it has used this option only for minor supply disruptions, and not to intervene in markets due to high prices.

Today, with historically high oil prices, it is time to debate using the SPR. Some argue that the reserve should only be used in emergencies. Others say that we should use all the tools at our disposal to help consumers.

Fortunately, we do not have to resolve these philosophical differences. Instead, we can improve the management of the SPR and maximize its value to the taxpayer. The oil in the reserve now is all light crude, which is easier and cheaper to refine into gasoline, a reflection of refining capability at the time the SPR was created. Over the past three decades, however, U.S. refining capacity has become increasingly sophisticated and complex, because the world's oil is increasingly heavy and harder to refine. Today, about 40% of our refining capacity is configured to handle heavier crude oil.

We now confront a mismatch between U.S. refining capacity and the oil mix in the SPR. In a 2007 report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that in an emergency this mismatch could reduce U.S. refinery capacity by 5% or over 735,000 barrels per day in total as some refineries scale back production to accommodate the SPR oil. The GAO recommended that the Energy Department change the reserve's oil mix to at least 10% heavy oil, roughly 70 million barrels.

This could be accomplished through a swap. From a policy perspective, this would enhance the utility of the reserve, aligning its oil with U.S. refining capacity, while also putting short-term downward pressure on oil prices. From a business perspective, the DOE could craft an exchange to either increase the oil in the reserve, yield a cash bonus, or both. Light crude is more valuable than heavy crude (by about $12 to $18 a barrel), so swapping one for the other could bring in about $1 billion at today's prices.

The House and Senate are considering legislation to mandate such a swap, and Mr. Obama has adopted the concept as part of his energy plan. The public benefits are compelling. Swaps that help energy security, refiners and consumers should be a routine part of managing the SPR.

Mr. Shages is a former deputy assistant secretary for petroleum reserves at the Department of Energy.