DNC Rules Committee May 31st Meeting Video Clip Series

This is a great May 31st 2008 DNC Rules Committee video series created by sallj2007 on YouTube. The ultimate result of these deliberations was that the delegates from both Florida and Michigan were seated with one-half of the vote for each delegate. The new delegate total is 2,118, with Senator Obama now at 2,052, needing 66 to win, and Senator Clinton at 1,877.5 delegates, 240.5 short of the number needed to win.

Here's the series:

Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:



Part 4:



Part 5



Part 6



Part 7



Part 8



Part 9



Part 10 - Reporter Summary of Events



Part 11 - Chuck Todd Summary

Donna Brazile Tells Jim Blanchard You Gotta Play By The Rules At DNC Rules Committee Meeting

CNN Contributor and undeclared Democratic Superdelegate Donna Brazile tells Clinton supporter and former Governor Jim Blanchard that her "mama told her you gotta play by the rules" in response to his speech on seating delegates in a way that favors Senator Clinton.

It was long believed that Brazile favored Hillary Clinton but any movement by Brazile in Clinton's favor was destroyed long ago by the antics of Clinton supporters sending nasty emails to the Dem power-broker regarding an assumed pro-Obama stance. Moreover, Brazile has not been pleased with some of the racially charged campaigning by Clinton and her staff.

Given the mic, Brazile reminded us all that the reason this meeting of the DNC Rules Committee was called is that both Florida and Michigan did not play by the rules set for by the DNC Rules Committee last year.

DNC Rules Committee May 31, 2008 Video By Firedoglake

In this video Walter Shapiro, Joe Sudbay are asked by Jane Hamsher "What are we doing here" as they're at today's DNC Rules Committee (May 31, 2008)

Rep. Robert Wexler at DNC Rules Committee Testifies on Unseated FL Delegates

Rep. Robert Wexler

This video presents the rousing speech gave by Florida Rep. Robert Wexler, an Obama supporter, and regarding the seating of Florida delegates. Wexler's impassioned plea for unity and his expressed support for "The Ausman Petition" has won him new fans around America, some calling for him to be considered for Vice President.

DNC Rules Committee Membership Chairs and Membersi

DNC Rules Committee Membership

This is the DNC Rules Committee for 2008:

Chairs:

Sunita Leeds
Mary Rose Oakar
David Walters

Party Leaders and Elected
Officials:

Carol Alvarado
Joe Carmichael
Michael Coleman, Mayor
Kevin Conlon
Rev. Luis Cortes
Donald Dunn
Irma Esparza
Bishop David Evans
Joe Garcia
Deborah Groene
Cinda Hughes
Kate Hughes
Sandi Jackson, Alderman
Sheila Johnson
Evan Low, Council Member
Claire Lucas
David Mack, State Representative
Bishop Vashti McKenzie
Regina Montoya
Roy Neel
Don Roman
Bren Simon
Art Terrazas
Wilma Webb
Sam Yoon, City Councilor

Bios (From DNC pdf file linked to above):

Governor Dean’s 2008 Convention Standing Committee Nominations
Brief Biographical Information* – Rules Committee

* Biographical sketches are based on information collected from public sources.

CHAIRS

Sunita Leeds
Sunita Leeds has been involved in Democratic politics for years. A software developer by training, she is now deeply involved with progressive non-profit causes particularly focused on education, is on three advisory boards related to education, and Co-
Chairs The Enfranchisement Foundation, which funds charities that act as catalysts in breaking the cycle poverty and ignorance, and charities that specialize in women's issues. As Chair of the DNC Indo-American Leadership Council Advisory Board, Ms. Leeds coordinates a network of Indian-American activists, community leaders, elected officials, and
celebrities to support the fundraising and outreach work of the Council.

Mary Rose Oakar
Mary Rose Oakar is President of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the largest Arab-American
grassroots civil rights organization in the country. Oakar represented western Cleveland, Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977 to 1993. While in Congress, she worked on several pieces of legislation related to peace and justice in the Middle East and for those of Middle East ancestry. During the last 1980s, she served as secretary of the House Democratic Caucus. Her political career began when she served on the Cleveland City Council from 1974 to
1976. After leaving Congress, Representative Oakar was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives. She was named President of the ADC in 2003.

David Walters
David Walters is president of Walters Power International, which specializes in electrical generation equipment. He
served as governor of Oklahoma from 1990 to 1994. As Governor, he made education a top priority and increased
education funding by 30 percent and invested heavily in construction and renovation at state colleges. Gov. Walters’ prior professional experience includes university and medical center administration, commercial real estate
development, power project development. Gov. Walters received an engineering degree from the University of Oklahoma and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

PARTY LEADERS AND
ELECTED OFFICIALS

Carol Alvarado
Carol Alvarado served as a member of the Houston City Council from 2001- 2007. Prior to her election to the
Houston city council, Ms. Alvarado worked as senior executive assistant to Houston Mayor Lee Brown. She has also served as legislative assistant to Cong. Gene Green and as a consultant in economic and community development in Houston. Ms.
Alvarado received a BA in political science from the University of Houston.

Joe Carmichael
Joe Carmichael is an attorney with the Springfield, MO law firm of Carmichael & Neal, P.C. Mr. Carmichael's primary
areas of practice include tax law, business planning and transactions as well as commercial litigation. Mr.
Carmichael served as the Missouri State Democratic Party Chair and as a member of the Democratic National
Committee from 1994 to March 2003. He was elected President of the Association of State Democratic Chairs in February 2001, and served that position until March 2003.

Michael Coleman
Mayor Coleman has served as the Mayor of Columbus, Ohio since January 2000. Mayor Coleman was
the first African American in Ohio history to be elected mayor of the capital city. As mayor, he has worked
to revitalize the downtown district, improve city services, and promote volunteer and mentorship programs in
the city. Prior to becoming mayor, Coleman served as President of the Columbus City Council from 1997 to
1999, and as a Council member from 1992 to 1999. Mayor Coleman graduated from the University of
Cincinnati in 1977 with a degree in Political Science. He earned his law degree from the University of Dayton
Law School in 1980.

Kevin Conlon
Kevin Conlon is the founder and president of Conlon Public Strategies, a public affairs consulting firm. He has been involved in numerous political campaigns, including serving as Illinois State Chairman for Gov. Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign. Mr. Conlon was appointed by President Clinton to serve on the Presidential Advisory Committee on Expanding Training Opportunities. He is a lecturer at the Harris School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago. Mr. Conlon holds degrees from Illinois State University, the University of Illinois and Loyola University of Chicago School of Law.

Luis Cortes
Reverend Luis Cortes is the president and CEO of Esperanza USA, the largest Hispanic faith-based community-development corporation in the country. In January 2005, he was featured as one of Time magazine's "25 Most Influential Evangelicals." Rev.
Cortes has worked to support Hispanic faith-based service organizations, strengthen Hispanic marriages and families, and respond to the needs of troubled youth throughout the country. He has served on the Pennsylvania Minority Business Development Authority and the City's Workforce Investment Board. Rev. Cortes is also the founder and Executive Director of
the Hispanic Clergy of Philadelphia and is one of the founders of United Bank, the first African American owned
commercial bank in Pennsylvania.

Donald Dunn
Mr. Dunn is a former chair of the Utah Democratic Party and held a variety of positions in the Clinton White House

Irma Esparza
Irma Esparza is Chief of Staff to D.C. Council member Kwame Brown. She previously served as political action
representative for AFSCME and has worked on various political campaigns, including Gov. Howard Dean’s primary
campaign in Arizona and Jim McGreevey’s 2001 gubernatorial campaign in New Jersey. Prior to joining AFSCME, Ms. Esparza worked at the U.S. Department of Commerce in the Office of Secretary William Daley. Ms. Esparza has a degree in
political science from Catholic University and an MPA from American University.


David Evans
Bishop David Evans is the pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Lindenwold, NJ. With more than 27,000 members,
Bethany Baptist Church has implemented ministry outreaches that are impacting the country. Bishop Evans created Generations, Inc., a nonprofit community development corporation that to address the needs of southern New Jersey residents
through economic development and serves as chairman of the board of directors. Bishop Evans was ordained as bishop and presiding officer of the Abundant Harvest Fellowship of Churches, an international fellowship with more than 100 churches in the United States, Africa, and India. Bishop Evans graduated from Lincoln University in with degrees in economics and education.

Joe Garcia
Joe Garcia is president of the National Congress of American Indians, the country’s oldest and largest Native
advocacy organization. He is a former governor of the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo and, at the end of his third term as governor, was elected chairman of the All Indian Pueblo Council. An electrical engineer by profession, Mr. Garcia retired in 2003 from Los
Alamos National Laboratory after 25 years service. He has also taught numerous courses in computers, electronics, lasers and math at the Northern New Mexico Community College since 1979.

Deborah Groene
Debbie Groene currently serves as Business Manager/Secretary Treasurer of District Council 81 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT). District Council 81 represents Iowa, Nebraska, and Western Illinois. Prior to this position,
Ms. Groene served as Business Representative for District Council 81. Ms. Groene obtained B.A. from Simpson College and a J.D. from Drake University School of Law.

Cinda Hughes
Cinda Hughes, a descendant of the Cherokee Nation and member of the Kiowa tribe, was raised in the small
rural community of Anadarko, Oklahoma. Ms. Hughes went on to be appointed by then Governor David
Boren to serve on the Bureau of Indian Affair's Advisory Committee on Exceptional Children. Ms. Hughes
served on the Board of Directors for ACLU-Oklahoma, as well as on the Advisory Board for the Oklahoma Office of Handicapped Concerns. In 2000 and 2004, she served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Ms. Hughes is currently employed as a Legislative Associate at the National Congress of American Indians There, she advocates on behalf of tribes with federal agencies and Congress. Ms. Hughes has traveled throughout country to talk about disability issues and was Ms. Wheelchair America 2004.

Kate Hughes
Kate Hughes serves on the National Finance Board of the DNC and WLF as well as the boards and advisory councils of three universities, a private foundation and an orchestra. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey and New York City.

Sandi Jackson
Sandi Jackson, who was elected Chicago City Alderman in 2007, has been actively involved in Democratic Party politics for more than 18 years. A veteran of five presidential campaigns for the White House, Aldmerman Jackson served as a presidential appointee in the Clinton Administration as vice president of Congressional and external affairs for the Export-Import Bank of the United States. She also served as the director of VIP relations for the Presidential Inaugural Committee. She served as the national outreach coordinator for the Clinton/Gore 96 Campaign, organizing African American activities and serving as a
liaison with the leaders in politics, women’s organizations, veterans groups and U.S. business leaders. Alderman Jackson received her bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University, and received her JD from the University of Illinois School of Law.

Sheila Johnson
Sheila Johnson is the Team President, Managing Partner and Gvernor of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics. She is the first African American woman to be an owner or partner in three professional sports franchises, also having a piece of the Washington
Capitals and Washington Wizards. Ms. Johnson is currently president and CEO of Salamander Hospitality and a
partner in Lincoln Holdings, LLC. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Sorensen Institute for
Political Leadership at the University of Virginia, Chair of the Board of Governors at Parsons The New School for Design, a violinist, philanthropist and community leader.

Evan Low
At the age of 23, Evan Low was elected to the City Council in Campbell, California. Councilman Low
has worked to be a voice for youth, Asian Americans and GLBT Americans through his community involvement and public service. In addition to his service as City Council member, Councilman Low has served on a commission for senior care,
directed a local volunteer center, and has been involved in education and the arts in his community. He was
awarded the Asian American Hero award by Santa Clara County for community involvement and civic
activism, and has been honored by the mayor of San Francisco for his community leadership. Councilman
Low holds an associate’s degree from De Anza College and a bachelor’s degree in political science from San Jose State University.

Claire Lucas
Claire Lucas is the Chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council. Ms.
Lucas is a long time Party activist and donor. In addition, she currently serves on the Board of the National
Stonewall Democrats and is Co-Chair of its Political Action Committee. Previously, she worked at the World
Bank for several years in a variety of roles, and now is an independent investor.

David Mack
David Mack has represented Charleston County in the South Carolina Legislature since 1997 and is
a former chair of the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus. Representative Mack is a member of the Board of Directors of the S.C. Coalition for Black Voter Participation, co-chair of the Progressive Network and a member of the Charleston
Chapter of Rainbow PUSH. A graduate of Howard University, he is a businessman, health care consultant and radio talk show host.

Vashti McKenzie
Bishop Vashti McKenzie received her first ordination in 1984 when she was made an itinerant deacon and appointed pastor of a small church in Chesapeake City, Maryland. She later served as Pastor of Payne Memorial AME Church in Baltimore. While
serving at Payne Memorial AME, Bishop McKenzie was elected bishop of the AME church, becoming the first woman to serve as bishop in any predominantly African American Methodist denomination in America. In 2005,Bishop McKenzie made history
again by becoming the first female president of the Council of Bishops of the AME Church. Bishop McKenzie received a BA in journalism from the University of Maryland, a master of divinity from Howard University and a doctor of divinity from United
Theological Seminary.

Regina Montoya
Regina Montoya is the chief executive office of New American Alliance where her responsibilities include the development of strategic and tactical plans to fulfill NAA’s mission of promoting the advancement of the Latino community with a focus on
economic and political empowerment. Prior to joining NAA, Ms. Montoya was founder and president of WORKRules,
a Texas-based workforce training and media and community relations company. Ms. Montoya has been honored by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the country. She earned her BA from Wellesley College and her JD from Harvard Law School.

Roy Neel
Roy Neel served as Chief of Staff for Vice President Al Gore in the White House and continues to serve in the that capacity today. He was also Deputy Chief of Staff for President Bill Clinton, where he was responsible for coordinating all policy and
communications for the President. In 2004, Mr Neel served as the Campaign Manager for Gov. Dean’s presidential campaign. He also served as president and CEO of the U.S. Telecom Association, a trade group representing the regional Bell companies. He is an adjunct professor of political science at Vanderbilt University, where he teaches courses in Presidential Transitions and
Presidential Leadership. Mr. Neel is a graduate of Vanderbilt and has an MPA from Harvard University.

Don Roman
Don Roman, an attorney, is a Senior Financial Advisor for Met Life in Atlanta. Mr. Roman has been active in Georgia Democratic politics for many years. Mr. Roman is also active in 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc., an organization that works to empower
Atlanta’s challenged communities. He is a graduate of Yale and received a JD from Harvard.

Bren Simon
Bren Simon is the owner of Corporate Design Associates, Inc., and president of Gambit Capital Management, MBS Associates, Inc., LLC, Property Management Company, and Bren Marine Inc. Active in business, she also contributes significantly to a wide
variety of organizations and projects. Along with husband, she founded and serves as a director of the Mel and Bren Simon Charitable Trust and the Max Simon Charitable Trust. In Indianapolis, she co-founded the Family Support Centre, serves on the
board of the Coalition from Homelessness Intervention and Prevention, and on the boards of advisors of the Indiana Children’s Wish Fund, the Heartland Film Festival and Dance Kaleidoscope. Through the Charitable Trust, she supports many cultural and civic organizations, including the Indianapolis Zoo.

Art Terraza
Art Terrazas is the Deputy Executive Director for the Anthony-Berino Economic Development Corporation in his hometown of Anthony New Mexico. Mr. Terrazas also serves as the Vice- Chair for the county Democratic Party. He discovered politics during the American Legion’s Boy’s State program and volunteered for various local Democratic races in Doña Ana County Mr. Terrezas was an intern in the office U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman, and went to join the field staff for John Kerry’s Presidential campaign. He served as the southern New Mexico field coordinator during the primary election and served as the Hispanic
outreach coordinator to help secure the endorsement of the Utah State Democratic Hispanic caucus. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from New Mexico State University in 2003, Mr. Terrazas was asked to serve as the Southern New Mexico Regional Field coordinator for the Kerry-Edwards presidential campaign. Mr. Terrazas was named as the local Director for Communities United, a new non-profit, issue advocacy group for Albuquerque’s middle-class families.

Wilma Webb
Wilma Webb was elected to the Colorado State Legislature in 1980 where she sponsored dozens of bills including school reform and equality initiatives. One of her most noteworthy efforts was legislation that adopted Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday as a Colorado state holiday prior to it becoming a national holiday. Ms. Webb has been recognized by several
organizations, including the National Education Association and the Association for Retarded Citizens. Ms. Webb is married to former Denver mayor Wellington Webb.

Sam Yoon
Sam Yoon was sworn in to the Boston City Council in January 2006 as a Councilor-At-Large and serves as chairperson of the Housing and Human Services committees on the City Council. Born in Seoul, Korea, Councilor Yoon was the first Asian American to be elected to any public office in Boston. Prior to his election to the City Council, he worked with
numerous community-based nonprofits, including The Community Builders, the nation’s largest non-profit developer of affordable housing. In addition to his work for non-profits, Councilor Yoon is a founding member and core steering committee member for the New Majority, a coalition of African Americans, Latinos and Asians who work to advance a common
agenda for communities of color in Boston. He received a BA degree in philosophy from Princeton and a
masters in public policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

The Jon Ausman Petition Re: Florida Delegates - By DNC Member Jon Ausman

The Jon Ausman Petition

In the matter of today's DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee, there was a mention of something called the "Ausman Petition" which was accepted by the Obama campaign and Robert Wexler's saying on MSNBC, also by the Clinton camp. Now that's just the delegate petition, but not the Superdelegate Ausman Petition. Below is the letter by DNC Member John Ausman which presents his petition:

The staff of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) have completed and submitted their review of the two appeals seeking to have 23 superdelegates and 92 pledged delegates award to Florida .

The first appeal notes the DNC Charter states Democratic US Senators, Democratic US House Members, former DNC Chairs and DNC Members “shall” be delegates to the Democratic National Convention. This “bill of rights” given to 23 Floridians cannot be taken away by a subordinate body created by the DNC since that subordinate body does not have the authority to do so.

The second appeal states the penalty for violating the “timing rule” “shall be” a fifty percent (50%) reduction in the pledged delegates and the loss of the three (3) unpledged add-on delegates. This means Florida should have at least 92 pledged delegates.

The remaining 93 pledged delegates and three (3) unpledged add-on delegates I hope to win at a later time if not on this appeal itself.

Review by Co-Chairs, Rules and Presidential Politics

The two Co-Chairs of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee (RBC) have been reviewing the staff comments and recommendations since 31 March 2008. While the 2008 Delegate Selection Rules provide a strict timeline in many areas when an appeal is made it is silent on how long the Co-Chairs can review the appeals and the staff review.

For those who suggest the Co-Chairs are stalling, or planning to delay hearings until June, I say lets give them a reasonable amount of time to review the documents. If the staff has two weeks to review and write a report then lets give the Co-Chairs the same two week period of time.

This means the Co-Chairs should make a statement on Monday, 14 April 2008, at the latest.

The Co-Chairs can say one or both appeals are meritorious and grant the sought for remedies, they can deny one or both appeals (which will allow me to appeal such a denial within five days to the DNC RBC, or they can call for a DNC RBC Committee to here argument on the appeals.

I believe we are going before the full DNC RBC and I would like to be there no later than Saturday, 10 May 2008.

Unfortunately, these two appeals involve more than the consideration of what the written rules governing the DNC say. Rather than interpret the rules as written consideration is now being given to what the two Presidential campaigns want (what they want, of course, is what benefits them the most).

I believe one campaign is very interested in allowing the DNC RBC decide the matter while the other is stalling in order to preserve their position.

One would think both parties would see the tremendous advantage of resolving this matter early as it would help improve fundraising for both campaigns in Florida (not to mention DNC and FDP fundraising) as well as allow our attention to focus on getting ready to be Senator McCain, but short-term views are prevailing over the long-term benefits of ending this running sore.

With respect, I am,

Jon M. Ausman, Member
Democratic National Committee
Florida

RBC / DNC Rules Committee Broadcast Online - Part One

Today's the day and the RBC / DNC Rules Committee Broadcast can be seen now, online, as of this writing.

I'm watching the event now, and its frankly pretty raucous and contentious. It's clear to me that Senator Clinton's desire to "win at any cost" is tearing the Democratic Party apart, even as there are those here trying to bring it together.

Rep. Robert Wexler's doing a great job in representing Senator Obama. It seems, the Florida delegates will be seated at 1/2 vote, but there's not yet consensus on the Superdelegates there. According to The Huffington Post, Senator Clinton gains 19 delegates, but only with a half vote. But MSNBC's Chuck Todd is wrong -- Senator Clinton does not pick up the popular vote because that's not part of the negotiation terms. Todd forgets that the Florida matter came up based on a rules violation so the total votes were never considered valid. And even then, you can't hand her the entire vote, you have to split it with Obama -- and in accordance with the delegate vote split of one-half -- who still maintains his lead.

Next now, is the Michigan delegation 128 69 tp 59 percent split Clinton / Obama respectively. This compromise conclusion is being presented by Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer as I write this.

Mayhill Fowler Was To Be Banned From "Bittergate" Fund-Raiser

Earlier this May 30th evening I had the pleasure of attending a fund-raiser for the Obama for America campaign featuring the appearance of possible Obama VP running mate Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius at the home of Wendy Holcombe and Carl Kawaja in San Francisco's Pacific Heights. It was by far not my first Obama money-party or event. I've lost count of the number of times I've attended these things.

But this one was such that I did not bring my trusty camcorder and it was out of respect for the campaign and for the feeling that after Huffington Post contributor Mayhill Fowler's "Bittergate" performance where she recorded Senator Obama's advice to volunteers on working in the rural areas of Pennsylvania, the campaign may be a bit paranoid and "under attack" in feeling.

While such was not the case, I did think to ask if I could bring the camcorder before I did it. But the main party Obama host told me that it wasn't necessary to do as it was not wanted. The campaign felt kind of "burned" by Mayhill Fowler and that's not the last we will hear of the matter.

What makes things more interesting is to learn that Mayhill wasn't even supposed to be allowed into the very event where the "Bittergate" comments occured. First, such events are closed to the press, but second, Mayhill had already developed a reputation for being hostile to the campaign, and so wasn't welcome on top of the standard restriction.

I got this news from a campaign official who I will not name and does not want to be identified. The point is that what the campaign would have preferred was a photo of Mayhill posted at the check-in table with the words "Do Not Admit This Person." Such did not exist, so Mayhill kind of "slipped in through the cracks," one could say.

I am way not kidding.

I can't think of a time when one media person has so upset so many people connected with an elected official either during a campaign run or in office. Mayhill's constant attempts at discrediting Obama for America's events and actions in the San Francisco Bay Area were the stuff of office gossip between Northern California Obama staffers and volunteers, more specifically people like me. As I've written before, Mayhill started off by just talking to people and not taking notes, then having to deal with reports that she misquoted someone in the process of trashing some aspect of campaign activity, and that was frequently and never under a consistent tune. And those charges were often considering the number of negative or at least not favorable articles she wrote and about every nit-picky thing one could think of.

Well, it's all over now, and for the future. Mayhill's been officially excluded from attending any Obama for America fundraising function on the scale of a house party and saying she's part of the media and is under the freedom of information act gives few any real comfort. It's not that Mayhill has the information, it's her diabolical media practices seemingly targeted to consistently harm Barack Obama's campaign that bother Obama for America.

SHAME ON CNN FOR FORCING JESSICA YELLIN TO CHANGE HER STORY

DID YOU SEE THIS:

CNN's Jessica Yellin's turnabout statement taking the blame off her former employer, which was thought in this space to be ABC News and Yellin says was MSNBC. At any rate, here's her new statement:

J

essica Yellin
Congressional Correspondent

I find myself in an interesting position. Today the blogs lit up with comments I made last night on AC360° and suddenly I’m being reported on.

It’s not the most comfortable position for a reporter.

So let me clarify what I said and what I experienced.

First, this involved my time on MSNBC where I worked during the lead up to war. I worked as a segment producer, overnight anchor, field reporter, and briefly covered the White House, the Pentagon, and general Washington stories.

Also, let me say: No, senior corporate leadership never asked me to take out a line in a script or re-write an anchor intro. I did not mean to leave the impression that corporate executives were interfering in my daily work; my interaction was with senior producers. What was clear to me is that many people running the broadcasts wanted coverage that was consistent with the patriotic fever in the country at the time. It was clear to me they wanted their coverage to reflect the mood of the country.

And now I’m going back to work covering the Puerto Rico primary from San Juan.

All I can say is SHAME ON CNN for having Yellin make this statement. I seriously doubt she did this on her own. But now the cat's out of the bag and the emperor wears no clothes at all. It's sad to see CNN try to restore it's reputation. Good luck there.

Young Hillary Clinton Video Shows What America Thinks Of Hillary

This is a totally funny video staring starring Jerry O'Connell and Brandon Johnson, and starring Laci Kay as Young Hillary Clinton. It reminds me of Reece Witherspoon's performance as Tracy Flick in the movie "Election" where she was a "do anything to win" high school kid.

Well, Laci Kay portrays a young Hillary Clinton who's totally power-hungry and manuevering. But what's interesting is that this video reflects how people see Senator Clinton and it's not good for her political future at all.

Father Michael Pfleger Is NOT Obama's Pastor or A Trinity Pastor; He's At Saint Sabina Roman Catholic Church!!

What Father Michael Pfleger said about Senator Hillary Clinton is on MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News (of course) but each of these mainstream media cable networks is telling a huge lie:

Father Michael Pfleger is not -- I repeat -- not a pastor of Trinity Church. He's also catholic, whereas Trinity is methodist. Father Michael Flager is the white pastor of predominantly black Saint Sabina Roman Catholic Church on Chicago's South Side.

So now, I guess the media's going to set up camera's over at Saint Sabina Roman Catholic Church? Oh brother!

But the biggest problem is the ever-lowering credibility of CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. Thank God for Scott McClellan.

Did George Bush "Out" Valerie Wilson?

The question of the day: did Did George Bush "Out" Valerie Wilson ? Kpete certainly thinks so. In Democratic Underground, Kpete observes

During the (Today's Show) interview, Scottie revealed the two things that really pissed him off with the Bush Administration. First, being set up to lie by Karl Rove and Scooter Libby. And second, learning that Bush had--himself--authorized the selective leaking of the NIE.

The "NIE" is a National Intelligence Estimate, and according to Wikipedia,

are United States federal government documents that are the authoritative assessment of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) on intelligence related to a particular national security issue. NIEs are produced by the National Intelligence Council and express the coordinated judgments of the United States Intelligence Community, the group of 16 U.S. intelligence agencies. NIEs are classified documents prepared for policymakers.

This NIE was the document that in this case contained Valerie's identity. Even though Scott McClellan has tried to protect the President and even fingered Vice President Dick Cheney, it seems that the more Scott talks, the more likely the President may be in some trouble. The reason is that while it's not clear that President Bush did do what Kpete asserts, and there's no direct smoking gun, it seems that McClellan may be giving more ammo for people to try and connect disparate dots. Stay tuned.

NYC Crane Collapses And Falls Killing Two - Why?

Ok. We've got to ask what's going on when we hear about yet another crane collapsing in New York City. These things are supposed to be reliable both for crew and the public below. What's going on?

I'm wondering if, overall there's a kind of "crisis of competence" in America, which could be the result of a terrible and poorly funded education system and low wage pay relative to the cost of living. What ever the case, something is clearly wrong. It kind of violates the overall faith we have that "things will work" -- you know?

¡VIVA OBAMA!

El Latino principal calcula en un vídeo español maravilloso que apoya la campaña de Barack Obama -- cambíenos puede creer adentro. Podemos Con Obama. Siga este acoplamiento para ver el vídeo.

"Este es en hombre que nos entiende y que nos va a respetar."

~Governor Bill Richardson

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Next Democratic Battleground: DNC Rules Cmte meeting 5/31/08

Tomorrow may be a strange day at the Marriott Wardman Park in NW Washington D.C.

UPDATE: DNC Rules Committee Online As of this writing.

While the Clinton campaign denies organizing a scene to influence the decision of the Democratic National Committee's Rules & Bylaws Committee, reports persist that they've been actively urging supporters to pressure the DNC to fix the game Hillary's Way - in marked contrast to messages to Obama's supporters. On a conference call with reporters, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe appeared to distance the Obama campaign's intentions from Clinton supporters' planned protests outside Saturday's meeting. "We are NOT encouraging our people to gather and protest on Saturday," he said.

Meanwhile, according to Carl Hulse in the NY Times, the two top Democrats in Congress were pressing superdelegates who had yet to declare a preference in the race to make their choice public by the middle of next week.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid reportedly have been contacting uncommitted superdelegates, encouraging them to prepare to go public and resolve any last question about the contest between Senators Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York. "By this time next week, it will all be over, give or take a day," Mr. Reid said in a Thursday appearance at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco.

And Senator Obama does seem to be enhancing his delegate count with the support of Boyd and Betty Richie, two of the few uncommitted superdelegates from Texas. "I believe Senator Obama is the candidate who can best provide the leadership and change Texans desire," said Boyd Richie in a statement issued by the party. "Senator Obama has the skill and ability to unite Americans from all walks of life and put our country back on the right track."

Of course neither candidate can control what goes on outside the Wardmann Park hotel; even if they have generally good control over their own campaigns the passions are running high among volunteers and supporters - and one cannot totally ignore the potential that provocateurs might be inserted by parties interested in seeing the situation spin into a conflict which is then splashed all over the Sunday morning talk shows in pursuit of ratings.

What will Saturday foreshadow? The Denver nominating convention will be a lively affair, and the turnout in November's general election should reflect a highly energized desire to seat a Democrat in the Oval Office atop record numbers of first-time voters which increasingly looks like a mandate for change.

read more at Huffington Post | digg story

Zennie's Zeitgeist Blog Credentialed For 2008 Democratic Convention

I just saw the news in a weird way: checking our blog traffic, which I do regularly. In looking at a link from the blog "Demconwatch" it took me to a story on blogs approved for the historic 2008 Democratic Convention, and to the DNC Page itself. To cut to this chase, this blog is on the list! Yippee!

In other words we're going to be brings you both live and video blog coverage from the floor of the 2008 Democratic Convention. It also means a milestone in the assent of our blogs as a business unit of Sports Business Simulations and is major proof that I made the right bet in 2003 when I determined to establish a writer's group called SBS Personalities and in 2005 when I first started this blog network.

All I can say is thanks to Drew at the DNC, and thanks to the DNC. We -- Ashley, Tom, Dave, and myself -- are excited!

CNN's Jessica Yellin Blames ABC News Execs For "Fixing" President Bush Coverage

One major casualty of the release of the book by former White House Press Secretary Scott McCllellan was the White House Press Corp and ABC News (so far).

CNN's Jessica Yellin, who was employed by CNN during the initial years of the Iraq War, dropped a bomb of her own on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, when she revealed that her news was "fixed" -- my term -- by ABC News execs, who killed negative Bush stories and generally made her feel pressured to make positive stories about President Bush while his approval ratings were high.

Yellin says so in this video:



Charlie Gibson, the host of Good Morning America, essentially but unknowingly confirmed Yellin when he said this:

I think the questions were asked. I respectfully disagree with the gentle lady from the Columbia Broadcasting System [group giggles]. I think the questions were asked. . . . I can remember getting in trouble with administration officials for asking questions they didn't feel comfortable with.
It was just a drumbeat of support from the administration. And it is not our job to debate them; it's our job to ask the questions.

This bit of a revelation is damaging to the overall credibility of the mainstream media and calls into question the state of American Media. It may very well be that we've been the victims of fixed news coverage all along and are entering a new era of telling the actual story via new media. But for the present I think Yellin's revelations are stunning and I'm not sure what the fallout will be, but I do think the FCC should look into this ASAP. It seems Noam Chomsky was right after all.

Emily Gould Attacks Gawker and "Henry" But Give Her A Break

Emily, originally uploaded by m_d_portela.

Emily Gould was invited to write a first-person essay which appeared in the NY Times Magazine with a cool photo of Emily on its cover. No big deal to me, but it's caused a firestorm of criticism mostly aimed at the NYTimes itself for being, well, capitalist in trying to gain commenters for its new blog system.

But I think what's missing here are two things. First, is what I will call the struggle of mainstream media to have some influence and say in the blogsphere. Second, there's Emily's very revealing attack on Gawker.





I just read her entire post -- it's long; perhaps 20,000 words or so -- and what I came away with was that, 1) she broke the heart of her now-ex boyfriend Henry who she made read like someone who's afraid of success and was good for nothing except growing out of, and 2) that she essentially jumped into a relationship with a guy -- Gawker blogger Josh Stein -- who she worked with who didn't really "get" her like Henry did, but was able to convince her to spread her legs on cue, 3), she totally hated the Gawker Culture (but not its people) but worked her way into it because she was slowly becoming like Julia Allison, who's attention seeking personality Gould claims to dislike, but only because it's really the completion of what Emily was becoming (and since they're friends, arguably has become - see photo), and 4) Emily needs a new Mac as the one she's using is really old. I think about five years old at least.





Of course, getting wrapped up in all that totally causes one to miss the bird's eye view of things. In this case, from the air there are a lot of people really pissed off about what Jezebel blogger "Moe" -- who's a friend of Emily's -- called a "masterbatory" blog.

It was. Writing the line "Josh and I sat together on the couch, and I put my head on his shoulder in a completely friendly, professional way" made Moe and me LOL, because there's no fucking way that one could even think of such an action as either just friendly or professional. But I'm sure it gave Emily much quasi-sexual pleasure to write that. But what's not a feel-good moment is the reaction to Gould's work.

Rachel Skalar at the Huffington Post just plain unloads on Emily , taking her to the woodshed for being so, well, self-revealing. Rachel ties together every negative blog and article on Emily's "Exposed" Times work, and leaves no whipping lash unused. Rachel's point -- again -- is that there are more interesting topics than the musings of a self-absorbed blogger with boyfriend problems.

What I find totally facinating about all of the crying and whining about Emily's NYTimes blog is that people are complaining that people are reading about this; Let's face it, no one's forcing us to do so. Rachel read it -- so did thousands of others. People don't seem to get that they like to read about other people. We're voyeurs. Period. Bravo that the NY Times and NYTimes Mag Editor Gerry Marzorati recognizes that -- I guess. Of course, it could have been the happy accident of some editor there -- perhaps Gerry Marzorati -- who thinks Emily's hot. I was about to write we'll never know, but in this "new revealling media" society, I take that back. We'll find out at some point in time.

Do we care? Yes. The simple proof of this shows up in the numbers. Not just for Emily, but on a smaller scale for what -- for example -- I wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle. A revealing article on a defense mechanism I used to deal with subtle racism I call my "Iron Man" suit. In writing it I discovered I gave a voice to many people who felt like me. And let's face it, we like feedback and appreciation; it's a drug that has all of us under its spell.

So what?

I think we're seeing the seeds of why some people don't succeed in new media on a personal level. One does have to be comfortable with a certain degree -- a high level -- of self-revelation. Either by the person or someone else.

What's funny is that no one is free from this, and choosing not to blog is no escape -- just ask Henry. I'm sure somewhere, he's hating every word of Emily's article as he plays a major part in it, and just because of his former association with her.

Welcome to the 21st Century. Eventually, therapists will have to properly sooth clients who's lives were exposed by some wayward blogger working for or starting their own media company. It's more the norm than you think.





And if that's scary to you, I'm glad to get your attention because this new, revealing world of masterbatory blogging also has a sibling called "masterbatory video-blogging" both draw eyeballs, but there's something baserly attractive about seeing a video of someone talking about themselves or doing something either completely stupid or sexy or interesting. Plus, we have videos of people being caught doing something completely stupid or sexy or interesting, and its those works that get the most attention -- and that leads to money.

The eyeball economy meets "Masterbating Emily" - film at 11, Emily in metallic bikini.

SEX AND THE CITY LOOK A LIKE CONTEST in NY - WINNERS ON FRIDAY

Just in time to capitalize on the "Sex And The City" craze we have this "Sex In The City" look-alike contest. Here are the details of this event to take place in Port Washington, NY, on Long Island, NY:

SEX AND THE CITY LOOK A LIKE CONTEST
Winners to be announced at Long Island at Press Conference

One of the hottest TV shows in history to open, brings millions to box office
with Fab Four LOOK A LIKES

Port Washington, NY Town of North Hempstead officials and a local radio station will join with LOOK A LIKES of the popular of Sex and the City television program. The LOOK A LIKES that recently won a contest in which 4 local Long Island women were chosen from thousands of residents from the tri-state area. The LOOK A LIKES winners will be announced in a ceremony and a press conference on Friday May 30th, 2008 at 11:30am at Harbor Links club at 1 Fairway Drive off West Shore Road in Port Washington.

The 4 women that resemble Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda will be treated like royalty with free designer shoes, manicures, cosmos etc. The blockbuster opens the same day and is expected to be one of the most popular movie openings in recent history. These women have gotten instant fame and now because of the movie are becoming rockstars.

SEX AND THE CITY LOOK A LIKE CONTEST in NY - WINNERS ON FRIDAY

Just in time to capitalize on the "Sex And The City" craze we have this "Sex In The City" look-alike contest. Here are the details of this event to take place in Port Washington, NY, on Long Island, NY:

SEX AND THE CITY LOOK A LIKE CONTEST
Winners to be announced at Long Island at Press Conference

One of the hottest TV shows in history to open, brings millions to box office
with Fab Four LOOK A LIKES

Port Washington, NY Town of North Hempstead officials and a local radio station will join with LOOK A LIKES of the popular of Sex and the City television program. The LOOK A LIKES that recently won a contest in which 4 local Long Island women were chosen from thousands of residents from the tri-state area. The LOOK A LIKES winners will be announced in a ceremony and a press conference on Friday May 30th, 2008 at 11:30am at Harbor Links club at 1 Fairway Drive off West Shore Road in Port Washington.

The 4 women that resemble Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda will be treated like royalty with free designer shoes, manicures, cosmos etc. The blockbuster opens the same day and is expected to be one of the most popular movie openings in recent history. These women have gotten instant fame and now because of the movie are becoming rockstars.

Obama Rocks Minneapolis May 31st

click to enlarge

Trocadero's at 107 3rd Ave N in Minneapolis
will be ROCKIN' on
Saturday night, May 31^st starting at 7pm.

Proceeds will support the
Obama for America campaign.

If you can't be there,
please donate now through
Obama's secure server.

Tickets are $50/guest, $100/host, and $250 to be an event sponsor.

Tickets are still available online.

It's The Honey Dogs
&
The Big Wu
&
Roma di Luna!

Hillary Clinton's Facial Expression Of Anger

Hillary Goes Hulk, originally uploaded by herbsao.

Writing of "intensity" we have Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton really looking like she's letting loose on some person she was talking to. All I can write is "yikes" she needs to get her temper in check, lest be be matched with the tempermental Senator John McCain. Whatever, that's a really frightening photo, in all honesty.

Chelsea Clinton's Other-Worldly Eyes

APTOPIX Clinton 2008, originally uploaded by 2103770879.

In all of the talk and debate about Barack v. Hillary, it's easy to forget we're talking about people -- passionate people.

That passion comes through in Chelsea Clinton's intense yet happy stare as she talks to supporters at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008, during a campaign event for her mother, Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

Scott McClellan Goes Nuclear On Bush White House

Oh, No: Bad Day At The White House, originally uploaded by NAVROC Command.

Scott McClellan Goes Nuclear On Bush White House

That headline says it all. Former White House Spokesperson Scott McCllellan released a new book called..
What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception

.. that blasts President George Bush, accuses him of creating the "lie" of the existence of Weapons Of Mass Destruction", operating the Adminstration in "campaign mode" with constant propaganda messages, and in the process throwing the Administrations' entire Iraq War and foreign policy rationale into damage control mode, while simutaneously harming Senators John McCain, and Hillary Clinton, and the mainstream media. Only Senator Barack Obama benefited from McClellan's PR Nuclear Bomb, as McCain's strength -- foreign policy -- was just turned into a weakness.

This story dominated the news offline and on. Here's what one Flickr member NAVROC Command wrote:

FORMER WHITE HOUSE Press Spokesman Scott McClellan blasts the Bush White House, the Vice President, the deception leading up to the Iraq War, the Valerie Plume debacle - - Well, the list goes on and on. It's all in his current book: What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception.

White House aides appear stunned by the scathing tone of the book. Press secretary Dana Perino's statement: "Scott, we now know, is disgruntled about his experience at the White House. For those of us who fully supported him, before, during and after he was press secretary, we are puzzled. It is sad - this is not the Scott we knew."

Perino says POTUS is not expected to comment: "He has more pressing matters than to spend time commenting on books by former staffers."

Click to Read: Washington Post: Scott McClellan

Click to Read: Wall Street Journal Extracts

Click to Watch: NBC Tim Russert


White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan and President Bush announce that Mr. McClellan is resigning his position on the South Lawn Wednesday, April 19, 2006. "One of these days he and I are going to be rocking on chairs in Texas, talking about the good old days and his time as the Press Secretary," said the President. "And I can assure you I will feel the same way then that I feel now, that I can say to Scott, job well done."

May 2008 - White House photo by Eric Draper.

But the words don't stop there. On MSNBC's Hardball, CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, and other cable shows, members of the White House Press Corp found themselves attacking Scott McClellan and thus on the same side as the Bush Administration! Scott McClellan accused the press of not digging enough to ask hard questions about the Iraq War, and CNN's Jessica Yellen labeled her old employer ABC News as pressuring her to favor stories that backed the Bush Administration's view of the Iraq War and the Mid East. (Yellen did not name ABC, but said her "former employer')

As to how the general public is receiving the story, take a look at these Amazon.com comments on the book:

wake up call, May 28, 2008
By roland (Idaho) - See all my reviews
McClellan has finally come forward, as many other people from the Bush administration have over the past few years, to tell the truth about the most corrupt and deceiving administration in our history. While many people are waking up to reality, reflected in our presidents all time record low approval rating, this book advances the much overdue debunking of Bush and his evil lying crooks in his administration. Being the former spokesperson for this administration gives McClellan's book a special poignancy and undeniable puissance. As if we needed more convincing, this country is in need of change more than at anytime in our past. Its the facts in books like this that have brought me to change parties and to reject the disgusting mess the GOP has become. The republican party deserves all the losses they have been experiencing, and will surely deserve being defeated this November. Bush is a war criminal no doubt about it. The fear mongering and manipulation of us American citizens will not work this time around. McClellan deserves to be commended for his honesty and the timeliness of this books release.
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141 of 212 people found the following review helpful:
Finally....., May 28, 2008
By T. E. Zsolt "Tom From Toronto" (Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

Great read, concise and well written. Finally someone with credibility confirms what we all knew was true. Too bad our press couldn't have called this out when it was apparent, a lot could have been avoided.
TEZ
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130 of 200 people found the following review helpful:
A True Texan: McClellan Stands Up for the Truth, May 28, 2008
By Straight Shooter "Texan" (Texas) - See all my reviews
Takes a real Texan to stand up and tell the truth about this failed administration. McClellan even admits his faults but he tells the story like a historian not a political hack. The unfair attacks now coming at him so how pitiful this administration has become. Bush should stand up and apologize to America and to McClellan.

We'll have more on this bombshell story.

New Orleans supports Obama

NOLA is a microcosm of the USA, ethnically diverse and culturally rich. Folks there see reason to GET OUT THE VOTE and participate in our democracy, and many also celebrate Barack Obama's candidacy for the Democratic nomination. Check out the smiling faces, and no matter who you support make sure everybody votes!

read more | digg story

A Presidency which promises to make the USA bright and beautiful again.

"As human beings seeking a better world, we recognise a gifted leader when we see one," and this article from John Hay lays out what it looks like from Australia."The only colour I see in Barack Obama, is the colour of the future! It is a hue which promises to make the world a better place."

Citing sound policy positions, diplomatic skills, political and people/management skills, personal ethics, temperament when considering the challenges involved in managing "the most demanding job in the world," in his response to an Obama supporter's concerns, Hay also adds:

"Around the globe people are beginning to feel more safe, more connected and more positive about the future at the prospect of an Obama Presidency. Ask anyone in any country, anywhere. Polls are confirming it. People of all age, race, colour, creed and religion have joined together as one, to work and volunteer, most for the first time, to help bring positive change. The ripple effect of this positive momentum is building like a tsunami as it reaches out and begins to touch the lives of people everywhere. It feels like an election for a world President!"

A great article, with some stirring video by Akin Salawu (known at YouTube as AkinScribe5) from earlier in the campaign season.

"A dreamer is one who can
only find his way by moonlight,
and his punishment is
that he sees the dawn."

read more | digg story

WALL•E Trailer Includes Homage To Star Trek Original TV Series

If you watch this trailer for the upcoming -- as of this writing -- Pixar movie called "Wall-E" to the end, you will see our hero shooting himself through space using a fire hydrant and humming a tune. That tune is from Star Trek, The Original Series, second season eipsodes, and was featured in "The Doomsday Machine" as well as "The Ultimate Computer.

It goes DA-DA-DA-DAA DA-DA-DA-DE-DA, or something like that.

So there's a trivial bit of information you can wow your friends with.

Here's a video of re-mixed scenes from "The Ultimate Computer" where the music plays at 2:20 and various points, even though the clip jumps so much it's hard to get the full tune, but you can pick it up if you listen:

Teacher Sex Scandal Again - Man Had Sex 20 Times With 18-Year-Old Student

Generally, publicly-reported Teacher / Student sex scandals involved women instructors and young boys. Not this time. Even though the girl is 18, this story involves a male teacher at Travis High School and not in Florida, but in Austin, Texas. The teacher, Allen James Cole, faces a charge of "an improper relationship between educator and student", and is a 2nd degree felony.

KXAN in Austin, Texas reports:

AUSTIN, TEXAS (KXAN)-- Austin police arrested government teacher Allen James Cole on the charge of having "an improper relationship" with an 18-year-old Travis High School student.

Another teacher notified police about the inappropriate relationship between Cole and the student. According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by KXAN.com, the student told police she had met Cole, 34, several times at his apartment between May 6 and May 10. The student told police she had sex with Cole more than 20 times over that 5-day period.

The girl was able to describe the furnishings in the apartment's living room and bedroom. A search warrant confirmed the details the girl identified.

The charge, an improper relationship between educator and student, is a 2nd degree felony.

The Austin Independent School District could not be reached for comment.

But it makes you wonder with all of these accounts posted on Internet websites, in some cases places like Badjocks.com and the "TeacherTrash" blog that cover only these stories or related tales, how many actual relationships like this are out there but not known!

This video explains why -- in that case -- women teachers would decide to wreck their careers for sex with a student.

John McCain Credibility Damaged By Lobbyist Ties

According to many sources, but the best being Josh Marshall in "Talking Points Memo", Senator and Presidential Canidate John McCain is in some PR trouble regarding his loobyist ties, particularly with former Senator and Texan Phil Gramm, who as a lobbyist was representing the bank USB, a swiss bank connected with the mortgage crisis, at the same time he was advising McCain on matters associated with sub-prime lending, which caused the mortgage crisis.

Get it?

Any time you see that kind of circuitous connection with a politician, it's not good ethically. McCain has several ties of this kind, with Charlie Black, and other lobbyists. But the main point is the person who's bragged that he's not influenced by Federal lobbyists or has "cozy relationships", seems to be surrounded by them.

Bishop Desmond Tutu Speech At SF Olympic Torch Protest

While this happened over a month ago, the Olympics have not thus making this news still relevant. And even if the Olympics had past, this would still be memorable because of the comfortable power of Bishop Desmond Tutu as expressed in this speech. Of all of the speakers, including Richard Gere, Tutu was the most powerful one.

DO GO TO MAY 31ST DNC MEETING; DAILY KOS POST IS BULLSHIT

There's a DailyKos posting going around - this one -- that warns for Obama supporters not to protest at the May 31st meeting of the DNC Rules Committee, which will determine how to seat Florida and Michigan Delegates, and could put Senator Obama over the top in the number of total delegates he needs to be the Democratic Presidential Nominee.

That posting is complete bullshit. Unless you've gotten an email directly from the Obama campaign, go to the meeting.

Antioch Woman's Claim Of Being Robbed Of $25,000 Ring False and Tells Economic Story

A woman in Antioch, California filed what turned out to be an allegedly false police report regarding her being robbed of a $25,000 ring. She was caught by police after an investigation and got out of jail after posting $25,000 bail, which means she had to come up with $2,500.

What is of interest is that with many in this economy underemployed or just without a job and with the economy in recession and locally people being robbed in areas like Lake Merritt where robberies didn't occur in the past with as much frequency, is just how many more fake reports of this kind will surface?

The good news is that home prices are coming down, but will it be reflected in monthly payments? No. Will rents fall accordingly? One can only hope so. But the situation as a whole does not look good at all.

Fox News should get the Pink Slip

Dear Zennie,

I just read your comments posted on BuzzFlash. I think it WOULD be expedient (and savvy!) to start a letter writing campaign to Fox and the FCC in response to this outrageous remark to remove Fox's license, as you have suggested, or at the very least have them heavily fined. We The People can write letters to editors of our news outlets as well as the FCC to discredit Fox News. We are in fact obligated to make a very large noise.

I complained a couple of years ago about having Fox blasted through our local grocery store here in Amherst, MA, and wrote the local newspapers as well as calling and writing the store CEO and PR manager. It started an avalanche of letters and calls and they finally had to remove the channel from their regular viewing. So it works. Fox has been off the channel for two years in that public place.

Here is the FCC complaint form: http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm

And to call the FCC: Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET to answer your questions and assist you in filing a complaint. Call toll-free at 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL- FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY.

Here are the emails to write to Fox to blast them: americasnewsroom@foxnews.com, beltway@foxnews.com, yourwordlive@foxnews.com, Forbes@foxnews.com, Feedback@foxnews.com, Fncspecials@foxnews.com, Newswatch@foxnews.com, Foxreport@foxnews.com, JER@foxnews.com

To call, write or Fax Fox "News" here is the contact info:
Fox News Channel
1211 Ave. of the Americas
New York, NY 10036
Phone: (212) 301-3000
Fax: (212) 301-4229

My letter is below to Fox if you want a little inspiration:

"Dear Fox 'News',

Liz Trotta should be fired and you should loose your broadcasting license. Liz Trotta could be implicated in a major felony if her suggestion was ever acted upon.

We The People are petitioning the FCC to have you heavily fined and/or your license removed. Your corporate news ethics are non-existent -- more often lies and scum -- and this latest trick is so low, it has no category. The people who listen to your lies and scum are not the educated people who have influence but useless degenerates of America -- which is exceedingly dangerous.

You shame everything that has meaning for the institutions of journalism."

We can make a BIG noise!

Thanks for all that you do make this a better America,

emily elizabeth

McCain Position On G.I. Bill Could Cost Him Election

Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican Nominee for President of the United States, could have just swift-boated himself into a huge election loss on the matter of his position on the G.I. Bill crafted by Democratic Virginia Senator Jim Webb and backed by many lawmakers, including Republican Virginia Senator John Warner, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Senator Barack Obama, just 49 delegates from becoming McCain's challenger for the prize of POTUS, has smartly used the issue to box McCain into a corner such that McCain has to defend his position against the bill or be forced to come onto Obama's side, which would be seen as an Obama win. Plus, McCain's on the same side as President Bush, who as of this writing has a 27 percent approval rating -- an all time low for Presidents of the United States (that's POTUS).

What the proposed legislation does is simply give more access to money for college for war veterans. That's it. Senator Barack Obama, who's just 49 delegates away from becoming the presumptive Democratic Nominee for President of the United States has come out in favor of the bill. McCain opposes it because he says it would cause people to leave military service.

My question is "What's wrong with that?" I didn't know it was supposed to be forever. Neither did VoteVets.org. They've went so far as to make this ad, which appears on YouTube:



VoteVets.org asks if Senator McCain really supports the troups. That's a hard blow to John McCain's clams that he does and it makes him seem as if he's supporting war but not the people who wage it for America.

Ethical bling? A golden opportunity

According to campaigners for "ethical bling", the wedding rings exchanged in the UK alone in a single year are produced using three-quarters of a million tonnes of poisons, mainly cyanide and mercury. "I didn't really know about some of the things that happen in the jewelery trade. People buy without thinking."

THINK. ACT. NOW.

In addition to the environmental damage and risk to health caused by such practices, thousands of the world's poorest people have been forced from their homes to make way for mines.

THINK. ACT. NOW.

Vivien Johnston, who is setting up the British Ethical Jewellery Association, said jewellers were flocking to the cause, with close to 300 asking to become members. "There's quite a demand for membership. We haven't even been actively looking for any," she said. "I don't know what the response will be like when we really advertise."

Ms Johnston runs her own jewellery business, Fifi Bijoux, in Glasgow, sourcing her gold directly from mines run by collectives such as Ora Verde in Colombia and Eco Andina in Argentina. She has seen sales triple since 2006.

read more | digg story

How George W. Bush converted a conservative into an Ex-Con

What made a lifelong Republican voter take a step back and re-evaluate? Well as anyone who has a child can tell you, this makes you look at the world very differently than before. Politics took a new meaning when the author considered effects for his own daughter.

So, after years of casual following of politics, he finally sat down and spent some time researching presidential candidates for ‘08 with what he describes as a "truly open mind, for the first time." This led to further soul-searching and research into all manner of political information, including the current state of affairs as a nation.

The conclusion?

"I am no longer a conservative. I am now an ex-conservative. An ExCon, if you will. Join me and let’s try to make a difference."

The reality:

"At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter if you are at war or at peace - the federal government must be fiscally responsible. Sure, if we are under imminent threat of being destroyed, then maybe caution goes to the wind, but, otherwise we must keep some level of restraint. While certainly a strong military & strong national security are vitally important, a strong economic & financial situation is at least equally important, perhaps even more important for a superpower. Just ask the U.S.S.R."

Digg the story || read more!

Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush Mobbed By 13 Year Olds From A Bar Mitzvah

(From a source that does not want to be attributed)

Socialite Kim Kardashian was saved from stampede of 13 year olds before Hamptons club appearance.

Socialite Kim Kardashian leaving the 5 star Garden City Hotel on Long Island, NY to head to her appearance at Whitehouse nightclub in the Hamptons was in the lobby of the hotel and was spotted by a hundreds of 13 year olds from a Bar Mitzvah party that just ended.

The young fans started to chase after her and boyfriend, the former USC Running Back and now New Orleans Saints NFL Star Reggie Bush.

NYC Nightclub owner John Englebert aka JE of Suzie Wong saki lounge and Prime nightclub saw the stampede and reacted quickly by escorting her through a side door. John Englebert met Kim at a Playboy mansion party about a year ago in Los Angeles. Although Kim wanted to stay she would have missed her appearance.

TJ Scott a representative for the club that booked Kim was staying at the hotel and said not even Kim’s man NFL Star Reggie Bush could have saved her. However Kim did miss her early morning AM flight due to a night of partying in the Hamptons.

The source did not comment that if the kids didn't get her, the booze from the partying did.

Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush Mobbed By Bar Mitzvah Kids

(From a source that does not want to be attributed)

Socialite Kim Kardashian was saved from stampede of 13 year olds before Hamptons club appearance.

Socialite Kim Kardashian leaving the 5 star Garden City Hotel on Long Island, NY to head to her appearance at Whitehouse nightclub in the Hamptons was in the lobby of the hotel and was spotted by a hundreds of 13 year olds from a Bar Mitzvah party that just ended.

The young fans started to chase after her and boyfriend, the former USC Running Back and now New Orleans Saints NFL Star Reggie Bush.

NYC Nightclub owner John Englebert aka JE of Suzie Wong saki lounge and Prime nightclub saw the stampede and reacted quickly by escorting her through a side door. John Englebert met Kim at a Playboy mansion party about a year ago in Los Angeles. Although Kim wanted to stay she would have missed her appearance.

TJ Scott a representative for the club that booked Kim was staying at the hotel and said not even Kim’s man NFL Star Reggie Bush could have saved her. However Kim did miss her early morning AM flight due to a night of partying in the Hamptons.

The source did not comment that if the kids didn't get her, the booze from the partying did.

Last known Surviving WWI Vet Honored on Memorial Day

A neat story for those honoring Memorial Day.

Brian Charlton, Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Frank Woodruff Buckles, the last known living American-born veteran of World War I, was honored Sunday at the Liberty Memorial during Memorial Day weekend celebrations.

"I had a feeling of longevity and that I might be among those who survived, but I didn't know I'd be the No. 1," the 107-year-old veteran said at a ceremony to unveil his portrait.

His photograph was hung in the main hallway of the National World War I Museum, which he toured for the first time, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States presented him with a gold medal of merit.

On Monday, he will be presented the American flag flying outside the memorial.

Buckles, who now lives in Charles Town, W.Va., has been an invited guest at the Pentagon, met with President Bush in Washington, D.C., and rode in the annual Armed Forces Day Parade in his home state since his status as one of the last living from the "Great War" was discovered nearly two years ago.

Federal officials have also arranged for his burial at Arlington National Cemetery.

Born in Missouri in 1901 and raised in Oklahoma, Buckles visited a string of military recruiters after the United States entered the "war to end all wars" in April 1917.

He was rejected by the Marines and the Navy, but eventually persuaded an Army captain he was 18 and enlisted, convincing him Missouri didn't keep public records of birth.

Buckles sailed for England in 1917 on the Carpathia, which is known for its rescue of Titanic survivors, and spent his tour of duty working mainly as a driver and a warehouse clerk in Germany and France. He rose to the rank of corporal and after Armistice Day he helped return prisoners of war to Germany.

Buckles later traveled the world working for the shipping company White Star Line and was in the Philippines in 1940 when the Japanese invaded. He became a prisoner of war for nearly three years.

Buckles gained notoriety when he attended a Veteran's Day ceremony at the Arlington grave of Gen. John "Black Jack" Pershing, who led U.S. forces in World War I, said his daughter, Susannah Flanagan.

He ended up on the podium and became a featured guest at the event, and the VIP invites and media interview requests came rolling in shortly afterward.

"This has been such a great surprise," Flanagan said. "You wouldn't think there would be this much interest in World War I. But the timing in history has been such and it's been unreal."

Buckles spent much of his museum tour Sunday looking at mementos of Pershing, whom he admired. He posed for pictures in front of a flag that used to be in Pershing's office and retold stories about meeting the famous general.

While Pershing claims most of the fame, Buckles now has a featured place at the museum.

"This is such an extraordinary occasion that we here at the museum decided that the photo of Mr. Buckles should be permanently installed in the main hallway here" said Brian Alexander, the museum's president and chief executive.