DNC Convention - United To Denver

I am standing at Oakland Airport gate seven and there is a delay
because they have to change the tire on the plane!

Yikes!

Just last night my Mom flew out on United 158 out of San Francisco to
Chicago and only eight minutes in the air the engine blew out.

I am lucky to have her here; what is up with United?

Arrived in Denver

I've arrived in Denver! I'm surprised that the airport is not more crowded. I understand from the wait staff at the Red Rocks Bar & BBQ that they really haven't been extraordinarily busy, either in the restaurant or in the airport. Though they are busier than they normally are at this time of year, they haven't been swamped. I imagine that will change as this day and weekend wear on, but so far, so good. The Denver Airport has folks, mostly retired looking, fanned out everywhere with "Questions? Ask Me!" blue signs. Arrival and baggage claim were very smooth, even on United. It seems that they're adequately prepared for the onslaught, at least so far. I'm waiting for Zennie to arrive later this afternoon, so I'll keep you posted if things get crazy!

Obama - Biden | Barack Obama Offers VP To Senator Job Biden

Pepsi Center Open House

I just got back from the Pepsi Center and will add pictures as soon as possible.

The transformation since I last saw inside of the arena is amazing.

debunking anti-Obama smears and propoganda

Here's a list of responses to e-smears (loosely indexed) mainly from snopes, the most
respected name in bunk control. Courtesy of Michael Martinson.

Partial Index:
Religion, Patriotism, Patriotic symbols (eg flag) - 1, 6, 7, 8 12, 14, 16, 19;
Citizenship - 2, 33;
Family background: 3,13, 16;
Plane 14;
Military 8;
Writings racist? 4
Foreign funding & campaign donations, 10, 20, 35;
Massive liar? 16;
Taxes 26, 34

Stand up for a new kind of Politics:

1. snopes.com: Who Is Barack Obama?
E-mail describes Illinois senator Barack Obama as a 'radical Muslim' who 'will not recite the Pledge of Allegiance.'
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp

2. snopes.com: Is Barack Obama a natural-born citizen of the U.S.?
Is Barack Obama a natural-born citizen of the U.S.?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/citizen.asp

3. snopes.com: Barack Obama and Kenya Connection
E-mail from missionary describes Barack Obama's connection to political events in Kenya.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/kenya.asp

4. snopes.com: Barack Obama's Mother
Biography of Barack Obama's mother?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/mother.asp

5. snopes.com: Barack Obama in His Own Words
E-mail lists racist passages taken from Barack Obama's books.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/ownwords.asp

6. snopes.com: Barack Obama and the National Anthem
Barack Obama does not place his hand over his heart when the U.S. national anthem is played?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/anthem.asp

7. snopes.com: Barack Obama - Trinity United Church of Christ
E-mail describes Illinois senator Barack Obama's church as having a racist, ;non-negotiable commitment to Africa.'
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/church.asp

8. snopes.com: Barack Obama in Afghanistan
Barack Obama 'blew off' U.S. soldiers during a July 2008 trip to Afghanistan?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/afghanistan.asp

9. snopes.com: Barack Obama Endorsed by the KKK
Illinois senator Barack Obama has been endorsed for President of the U.S. by the Ku Klux Klan?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/kkk.asp

10. snopes.com: Barack Obama Funded by Hugo Chavez?
Is Barack Obama's presidential campaign being funded by Hugo Ch?vez?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/chavez.asp

11. snopes.com: Barack Obama with Upside-Down Telephone
Photograph shows Barack Obama holding a telephone upside down?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/phone.asp

12. snopes.com: Is Barack Obama the Anti-Christ?
Does the Book of Revelation describe the anti-Christ as someone with characteristics matching those of Barack Obama?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/antichrist.asp

13. snopes.com: Barack Obama Family Photo
Photograph shows Barack Obama with various family members?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/familyphoto.asp

14. snopes.com: Barack Obama's Campaign Plane
During an overhaul of the Obama campaign jet, was an American flag image was removed from the plane's tail?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/airplane.asp

15. snopes.com: Say What, Barack?
Editorial criticizes anachronisms in Barack Obama's 2007 Selma speech.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/saywhat.asp

16. snopes.com: Obama's 50 Lies
E-mail lists fifty lies told by Barack Obama.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/50lies.asp

17. snopes.com: Obama Explains National Anthem Stance
E-mail reproduces Barack Obama's comments on the U.S. national anthem?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/stance.asp

18. snopes.com: Obama Heals Hundreds
Hundreds of people with physical ailments have reported being healed by a touch from Barack Obama?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/obamaheals.asp

19. snopes.com: Michelle Obama's Thesis
Has access to Michelle Obama's senior thesis been restricted until after the 2008 presidential election?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/thesis.asp

20. snopes.com: Obama's Troubling Internet Fund-Raising ???
Do the bulk of donations to the Obama campaign come from a handful of wealthy foreign
financiers?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/donations.asp

21. snopes.com: Wake Up, America! - Ken Blackwell
Editorial criticizes Barack Obama's political stances.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/blackwell.asp

22. snopes.com: Equitable Distribution
Did Barack Obama say 'a strong government hand is needed to assure that wealth is distributed more equitably'?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/distribute.asp

23. snopes.com: Greatest Nation
Did Barack Obama urge his supporters to join him in changing 'the greatest nation in the
history of the world'?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/change.asp

24. snopes.com: Chicken Votes for Colonel Sanders
Insurance broker posts 'A taxpayer voting for Barack Obama is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders' sign?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/budgregg.asp

25. snopes.com: Pat Buchanan on the Rev. Jeremiah Wright
E-mail reproduces Pat Buchanan's criticism of Barack Obama's remarks on racial discrimination in the U.S..
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/buchanan-wright.asp

26. snopes.com: Proposed Tax Changes
E-mail compares proposed changes in taxes after the 2008 presidential election.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/taxes.asp

Also here's a great response to McCain, who has become an Urban Legend creator on this issue himself! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGIqGaWZOo0

27. snopes.com: Thomas Sowell
Various Internet-circulated political items written by Thomas Sowell.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/sowell.asp

28. snopes.com: Robert F. Kennedy's 40-Year Prediction
Robert F. Kennedy said he believed a black man could become President of the United
States within forty years.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/kennedy.asp

29. snopes.com: A Canadian's View of U.S. Elections
E-mail reproduces an editorial from a Canadian newspaper about U.S. presidential candidates.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/canadianview.asp

30. snopes.com: Martha Raddatz/ABC News Interview ???
Did an ABC News report deliberately slant the presidential candidate preferences expressed by U.S. soldiers in Iraq?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/raddatz.asp

31. snopes.com: Big Oil
E-mail criticizes U.S. environmental regulations on the oil industry.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/gasoline/bigoil.asp

32. snopes.com: Beware Charismatic Men Who Preach 'Change' ??
Letter to the editor warns Americans to be wary of 'a young leader who promises change.'
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/castro.asp

From some other sites:

33. Email rumor claims that Barack Obama is ineligible to become president because according to the laws in effect at the time of his birth he is not a U.S. citizen...

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blxatoz.htm

34. Email flier compares tax changes purportedly advocated by 2008 presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama.

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/government/a/tax_changes.htm

35. Phony op-ed column attributed to New York Times writer Maureen Dowd claims Barack Obama has accepted campaign donations from foreign countries including Saudi Arabia and Iran.

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/barackobama/a/obama_funds.htm

Know the facts!

Dave Stewart's American Prayer: You know they're yearning to breathe free

Give me your tired, your poor and huddled masses…

"If you get to the top of the mountain, will you tell me what you see?
If you get to the top of the mountain, remember me."

From Minneapolis in the upper midwest to New Orleans where the mighty Mississippi empties into the gulf, from Portland in the north west to Greenville, South Carolina, Hope is alive and well in America, and Obama's candidacy has tapped into it. Now Dave Stewart's chronicled our hope.

read more | digg story

Stanley Kurtz, If Obama's With "Weather Underground", I Am Too

National Review Contributing Editor Stanley Kurtz either has little to do, or has taken something which caused his intelligence quotient to fly South for the Summer. He's trying to link Senator Barack Obama to the alledged terrorist group of 1960s Chicago called "The Weather Underground" through the fact that in 2002, Obama and William Ayers, one of its members, were on the same board of directors of a Chicago non-profit.

There's one problem. Barack Obama was a kid in the 60s and not even living in Chicago. But I was in Chicago in the 60s and was born there -- proudly. So to look at Kurtz logic, I'm as much if not more a real Weatherman than Obama. In fact, why not count every Black male and kid in Chicago at the time!

See how silly Kurtz' argument is? More proof that conservatives are fishing for anything that they think will stick to Senator Obama on his way toward the presidency, even if it's just totally stupid.

Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs-Jones Passes

This is purely shocking to happen to someone I saw on television so much I felt like I knew her. And this just days from the Democratic National Convention. She was a tireless supporter of Hillary Clinton for President, and even as I'd wished she was behind Senator Obama at the time, I always respected her drive and example for young women.

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) _ Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress, had a brain hemorrhage and was in critical condition with limited brain function, a doctor said Wednesday.


Tubbs Jones, 58, suffered the hemorrhage while driving her car in Cleveland Heights on Tuesday, said Dr. Gus Kious, president of Huron Hospital in East Cleveland. The congresswoman had been driving erratically and her vehicle crossed lanes of traffic before coming to a stop, police said.


Tubbs Jones "collapsed when she suffered a very serious brain hemorrhage caused by an aneurysm that burst in an inaccessible part of her brain," Kious said during a news conference. A team of doctors who evaluated her determined she has limited brain function.


A brain aneurysm is a bulge in an artery in the brain. It can leak or rupture, causing bleeding in the brain.

Outside Test

Here is another test

Sent from my iPhone

Register to vote via Xbox LIVE!

Rock the Vote has partnered with Microsoft Corp. in another fantastic technological innovation for this campaign season: facilitating voter registration via Xbox LIVE starting on Monday, August 25, the first day of the Democratic National Convention. Rock the Vote's target audience, the under-30 crowd, is the largest demographic in the 12 million strong Xbox LIVE community. Participants will not only be able to register to vote, but will be able to participate in pre-election polls, which could end up being more accurate than anything Zogby or Gallup could conjur.

DNC Convention Mobile Blogging Test One

This is the first test of the mobile blogging process where I use my
iPhone to send a blog post complete with text

I will do this many times during the day just to keep a kind of active
journal, you know?

Obama VP: Biden, Clinton, Bayh, Kerry or Clark? Who? - DNC Convention

Any day or moment Senator Barack Obama will pick his vice presidential running mate. But who should it be? Senator Joe Biden? Senator Hillary Clinton? Senator Evan Bayh? Senator John Kerry? Or General Wesley Clark? I talk about these possible choices and who I favor, which is an Obama Clinton ticket.

The reason I favor an Obama / Clinton ticket is that it would reform the party and unity would be the word. I still hold it's the most exciting and electrifying of all of the possible combinations before us that are realistic.

Evan Bayh is a popular two-term Senator who comes from Indiana royalty, but outside that state, where can he be most effective? He's just not exciting in my view.

Senator Joe Biden is a fighter and well-known around the World. I think he would bring a lot to the Obama brand, but I'm just not sure he can move the voters like Clinton could.

Then we come to Senator John Kerry, who's ran before and for President. Senator Kerry would bring a large email list and donor base but I think Obama / Kerry would be seen as a match of two elites.

General Wesley Clark certainly has a compelling story, and a war record that surpasses that of John McCain. Clark's been a powerful ally to Obama and would make a great choice to bring liberals solidly into the Obama tent. But can he draw votes? That's the question.

For my money Clinton's the best choice, even with the negative energy she seems to draw from others. But Clinton's not far and away the best selection and I could be swayed to someone else if I knew they would bring votes. Perhaps Kerry could best do that. We shall known soon.

Obama Campaign texting strategy

Last week, the Obama campaign sent supporters a message, via email and text, that they could "be one of the first to know" who he selects as VP if they would just text 62262 and get on the list. At the time, there was some discussion as to whether this was a smart (read this) or not very smart (read this) move. While it can certainly be argued, as Leonce Gaiter did over at HuffPo, that such a strategy cheapens the process, the true genius of this move won't really be seen until November.

The Obama campaign has been very smart in their use of technology. They announced on the web, made huge news for revolutionizing web based fundraising, and have employed text messaging to mobilize their volunteers. They also have a prominent presence on Twitter, FaceBook and MySpace. With the tease of getting a jump on the VP news, they surely signed up thousands more to their text messaging list. Come November, this should pay off when they text these folks to remind them to vote.

I texted 62262 to see what would happen. I received an acknowledgment text immediately. But here's more of that genius: a couple of days ago, I received a text asking for my zip code. Assuming that folks respond favorably and give the campaign their zips, the campaign has just built a new list of supporters to text not just for voting, but for volunteering, which is where one voter turns into 100.

We have yet to see what will actually happen when Obama selects his VP and sends out the news via text, but right now, the strategy looks like a good one for long term voter mobilization.

Saddleback blowback

Beyond any reasonable doubt the public knows that Senator McCain was not in the "cone of silence" in Warren's Green Room at Saddleback, despite his own dodging that question live in front of the pastor's assembled audience when he quipped that he'd been trying to listen through the wall. McCain - or his handlers - evidently lacked the confidence to approach the interview as advertised on a level playing field with Senator Obama, although by most estimates Warren is a friendly interviewer to the McCain campaign and those attending the event were receptive to McCain's candidacy.

Fine; politicians who have survived for decades in DC are likely to seek any advantage, but what does it say about McCain's character that during the interview intended to illuminate the candidates' character and values, conducted by a pastor, that a man who wants so desperately to be President would dance around the truth in front of a national TV audience as though... well, as though he was denying sexual relations with an intern?

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Katie Couric Digg's The DNC Convention

Katie Couric's discovered "Digg" for the DNC Convention. See her video-blog here:

Convention News from DemConWatch

- The opening gavel is only 7 days away. Convention related events start as early as Thursday with the Stonewall Democrats National Convention. You can find info on this and a lot more in the DemConWatch Convention Calendar

- Jon Meacham from Newsweek and Chris Cillizza from the Washington Post will be streaming live coverage 7 hours a day from the convention.

- Marc Ambinder of the Atlantic will also be streaming.

- Senator Norm "Teeth" Coleman wouldn't go to the Republican convention if it was held in Minneapolis.

- The DNCC posts a construction update. They need to be done by Friday for the Open House.

- Qwest has reached an agreement with its workers.

- We should find out who Obama's VP pick is sometime this week.

- Pay Equity Pioneer Lilly Ledbetter has been added to Tuesday's speaking schedule.

“We are honored that Lilly Ledbetter will address the Democratic Convention,” said Senator Barack Obama. “The fact that women are paid less than their male coworkers for doing the same job is unacceptable in the 21st century and counter to both the progress we've made and our shared values as Americans. Lilly Ledbetter's case before the Supreme Court has once again awakened the nation to this discrimination, and it's time we join together to right this wrong and pay women equal pay for equal work." - DNCC Press

- The Big Tent is taking shape

Christine Pelosi On Obama, Clinton, And The California Democratic Party's Denver Shindig Location

This is the first video kicking off our coverage of the Democratic National Convention and events leading up to it. This one was a $2,300 a plate fundraiser for Barack Obama at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, CA, Sunday August 17th, 2008.

As part of the event, an Obama Rally was held outside of the hotel. Two, perhaps three people with bullhorns were leading the crowd in "Obama" cheers, and one I recognized.

Christine Pelosi, daughter of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the author of the well-received book "Campaign Boot Camp" a guide to successful campaigning, as well as a California Superdelegate supporting Senator Barack Obama.

I asked Christine about having Hillary's name placed in nomination and she skillfully ducked the question as only she can do. Instead, she said she was looking forward to the voting process, and reminds us that she's been a delegate since 1996.

Then Christine informed me that the California Delegation will have its party Wednesday Night at the Denver Museum of Natural History. So, if you're coming to Denver and are a Californian with political connections, that's the place to be.

History favors McCain: Saddleback retrospective

McCain did talking points at the Saddleback forum, and he's been a known name since before becoming a household word during the Keating 5 scandal. Talking points worked for the Bush-Cheney campaign, so perhaps McCain did "win" the contest at Saddleback, as some pundits are espousing. And McCain has decades of name recognition going for him, clearly.

Obama relied on candid answers during his Saddleback appearance, which may impress people more now that we've seen the result of 8 years with a talking point president that put the economy in a tailspin (not just for today but for whoever ends up paying for Bush's war,) but obviously many find it easier to be comfortable with the talking points style of politics.

When Bush ran against Kerry, the talking point approach was reinforced by unabashed attack politics, albeit largely handled by surrogates. It worked. The term "swiftboated" as a way to describe the effect of the lies on Kerry's outcome on election day is as recognizable in the lexicon as the overuse of a "-gate" suffix for something that brings down a major figure.

So the question becomes:

Will those who prefer talking point prepared and vetted by a politician's handlers turn out to vote in larger numbers in November, or will those who prefer a President they can believe, and trust?

People knew, back when Bill Clinton ran, that they couldn't actually trust what he said, based on "didn't inhale." They understood it to be a socially acceptable answer, but not the unvarnished truth. In fact, we expect our leaders to conceal certain things from us in the name of national security, so it was curiously reassuring. That "didn't inhale" response may have been the pivotal point in electing a man with only state-level experience to the Oval Office. Then, late in his term, President Clinton began quibbling over what terms such as "sexual relations" and "is" meant... and we got George W. Bush as the country reacted to Clinton's disingenuous, political responses when the subject was personal.

So, will celebrity, attack politics and talking points win? Despite my own preferences, and hopes, it will take a lot of people showing up on election day and expressing their true desire for a candid, honest form of politics to make that happen - and like it or not, history favors McCain. Still, I'll advocate on behalf of the outsider, Obama, and vote for him in November.

I don't blame all Republicans for the state of the economy and the debt we're facing. I might've been suckered by the doctored intelligence reports, myself, when it came time to vote on various Iraq issues, and I surely believed Colin Powell, who soldiered on dutifully for his Commander In Chief in front of the United Nations and the world. We goofed, frankly -- yet this remains the one place I want to live and raise my family.

I just think under the leadership we've had since 2000 that we've gone down bad paths, and I'm ready for a pragmatic, candid, visionary leader to take the U.S.A. in a new direction.

That, my friends, is the audacity of hope.

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Rick Warren Admits Not Voting For An Adulterer (McCain? Edwards?)

It appears that Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren admits that he would not vote for an adulter. The question came up before the Saddleback Forum, where U.S. Senator and GOP Nominee for President John McCain did say that he regretted how he treated his first wife.

It's widely known in political circles that McCain cheated on his first wife with the woman we now know as Cindy McCain. CNN's Mary Snow asked her about the question, without success:



This liberal Christian group called Matthew25 also took issue with the McCain Adultery matter in this commercial:



This is the story:

In 1965 John McCain, a member of the US Navy, married an attractive model named Carol Shepp. In 1967 McCain was sent to Vietnam. It didn't take long before McCain was shot down and taken prisoner. Carol waited faithfully for McCain during his imprisonment. In 1969, Carol was in a terrible car crash. She was thrown through the windshield and suffered serious injuries. But Carol would not allow her POW husband to be notified of what had happened to her because she didn't want him to feel any additional stress. She stood by her man, alone, for the 5 years he was in prison.

McCain was released in 1973 and returned home to find that Carol's accident had "left her 4 inches shorter and on crutches, and she had gained a good deal of weight." [4] McCain no longer had a trophy wife he could feel proud of.

By the late 70's McCain had engaged in adulterous behaviors, as chronicled in the book "The Nightingale's Song" by Robert Timberg. Timberg wrote:

"Off duty, usually on routine cross-country flights to Yuma and El Centro, John started carousing and running around with women. To make matters worse, some of the women with whom he was linked by rumor were subordinates. At the time the rumors were so widespread that, true or not, they became part of McCain's persona, impossible not to take note of."

In 1979 John McCain met Cindy Lou Hensley at a military reception in Hawaii. [1] Cindy was a millionaire and very attractive. McCain was eighteen years older than the wealthy Hensley, but that didn't stop him from developing an adulterous relationship with her. [2]

McCain says of their first meeting, "She was lovely, intelligent and charming, 18 years my junior but poised and confident. I monopolized her attention the entire time, taking care to prevent anyone else from intruding on our conversation. When it came time to leave the party, I persuaded her to join me for drinks at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. By the evening's end, I was in love."

That's what happened. How the public will handle this as the campaign wears on is the unknown story.

Rep. John Murtha Thinks Hardball's Chris Matthews Should Be Senator

At an event U.S. Rep John Murtha said that he believed long-time political pundit MSNBC and former San Francisco Examiner Columnist Chris Matthews would make a great Senator

To me, that would mean the loss of a great political pundit.

Rick Warren Screws Up: Tickets To Saddleback Sold For $500 And Up

Say, what's Pastor Rick Warren up to, charging $500 and up for a ticket to the Saddleback Forum and not telling people on the website according to this YouTuber. Look, the errors regarding this debate are starting to add up. I have no objection to the Forum and I enjoyed it.

But I do have serious problems with the way Warren guided Senator McCain to address a Darfur issue McCain would not have mentioned on his own, and I don't like that Pastor Warren essentially let McCain give the kind of stump speeches that Senator Obama was told not to give.

That's not right and Pastor Warren owes the country an explaination for it.

Saddleback Forum - Obama Thoughtful | McCain WarMonger

My take on tonight's Saddleback Forum. I felt that Pastor Rick Warren set Obama up by first having him go before McCain, then telling him not to give stump speeches while having or allowing McCain to give stump speeches and not challenging him on it.

When I hear Senator McCain all I get is "war. war. war." When I hear Senator Obama, I get "talk. think. decide." That's a huge difference, indeed. For someone like CNN Contributor David Gergen to be massaged to sleep by the words of Senator McCain is totally criminal. And it really is, because we're not electing a story teller, we're electing a president.

MICHAEL PHELPS WINS EIGHTH GOLD MEDAL!!

U.S. Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps just won his record-breaking eighth Gold Medal tonight with his participation in the 4 x 100 relay. Congratulations, Michael for being a great Olympian and a "cool muthafukca."



Some of you have asked me why I used that term "cool muthafukca". I got it from the movie "Pulp Fiction" , where Samuel L. Jackson -- in a classic performance -- ask for his wallet, the one called "Bad Mother Fucker". Well, I didn't want to use that exact term so I altered it.

The point is that Phelps is a cool person in and out of the water. In the water, he cooly destroys the competition. Out of the water, he's a cool person to meet.

West Virginia Racism Shown In Video On Obama

I've seen a lot of crappy people in this election cycle, but this video shows a lot of them. It was made just before the West Virginia Primary and has whites just saying that they will not vote for Senator Obama as president because he's Black.

It's the kind of racism Hillary Clinton played on to gain votes. Will it reveal itself during the DNC Convention?

If you want to see how sick America -- or at least West Virginia -- can be, watch this video:



West Virginians should be ashamed of themselves for being racist. For just wanting to basically hurt themselves just to avoid voting for someone because they're Black. That's the ultimate in mental illness, which is what Racism is.

Sandy Allen - World's Tallest Woman - Passes Away At 53 (YouTube Videos)

Sandy Allen, the World's Tallest Woman at 7'7 inches, passed away Thursday at 53 years of age and after a decline in her health that started in January and due to kidney and blood infections.
http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
I always wonder what people like Sandy go through, and also having been a bit of an outcast myself in my youth, everytime I read or hear about a story like this, I am saddened and because of the way we treat people who may not be like whatever the "norm" is.

There's really no such thing as a norm; there are only individuals.

Anyway, here's a collection of videos about Sandy that I found on YouTube. I didn't include the ones that were insulting or sensational -- sorry.





Tribute Video:

Michael Phelps Scores Seven Gold Medals - Ties Spitz

Michael Phelps, who I met earlier this year and is in this video:



..scored his seventh Gold Medal last night in the 100 M Fly to tie Mark Spitz' three-decade-old record. He can beat it with one more win in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Clinton Should Not Be In Nomination: Ignore P.U.M.A

Hillary Clinton Should Not Be In Nomination: Ignore P.U.M.A

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's name should not be put in nomination for the Democratic Presidential Nominee at the DNC Convention for several reasons. But before I state them, let me explain that I have supported the idea of an Obama / Clinton ticket for some time. But these reasons have caused me to be less enthusiastic about that, and to reject the idea of her name in the nomination process.

1) Senator Clinton lost the primary. For reasons that have been explored in depth, Senator Clinton lost the primary delegate race to Senator Barack Obama, and Senator Obama gained more popular votes than Senator Clinton.

2) I did not like the way Senator Clinton conducted herself after the end of the primary. At first, she was working for party unity, but did not rein in some of her supporters and did not have her husband former President Clinton fall in line and support Senator Obama 100 percent.

It's as if they were really cool as long as they though they had a chance for Hillary to be Vice President, but fell off the wagon when it seemed that was not going to be the case.




3) Senator Clinton did not rein in her former campaign spokesperson Howard Wolfson, who incorrectly stated that she would have won the Iowa Primary if Senator John Edwards had revealed his affair with Rielle Hunter then, instead of last week. But the fact is that after Edwards dropped about 80 percent of his delegates went to Obama and his staff was pressuring him to back Obama, which he did.

There's an idea that the number of anti-Obama Hillary people out there is equal in number to the pro-Obama Hillary people. That's really not true at all. We not only saw that was the case during the votes at the DNC Rules Committee meeting, but in a deep look at organizations like "Party Unity My Ass" or "P.U.M.A".

First, P.U.M.A's founder Darragh Murphy (pictured) has been a supporter of Senator John McCain, giving him $500. It's clear that when she has the money, she will back a Republican candidate. Her claim of posting a lawn sign for Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick aside, because it's a lawn sign and not cash, Murphy only contributed $250 more for a Democratic Candidate, Hillary Clinton, than for McCain.




The other person who's aligned with the P.U.M.A people is Will Brewer, who has a tendency of aligning himself with questionable people who are also in P.U.M.A.

For ezample there's Andy Martin and Webster Tarpley. Martin is the person who started the "Obama is Muslim" smear campaign. Tarpley is not a Democrat at all, but a Lyndon LaRouche supporter.

And Martin said to be an alledged Antisemite according to David Weigel .

(A charge Martin says is false and defaming in the same blog account.)

Brewer is also aligned with Harriet Christian, who showed her racism for the World to see in the now famous video clip included in my video commentary.

P.U.M.A is painted to be larger than it is. It only has a $50,000 budget as Murphy has reported on Hardball, not several million, and there's no evidence to claim over 2 million supporters. A P.U.M.A conference held on August 8th, 9th, and 10th, showed that only about 40 people came (count the number of name tags on the table then consider the size of the table an the people standing who have name-tags), even though they planned to draw over 250 people. When they did not meet that mark, the conference was booted from the original Marriot hotel and had to be moved to the Country Inn near Dulles Airport. (P.U.M.A. conference photo below from Rumproast)



Why -- as small as they are -- do we hear from groups like P.U.M.A? Because the mainstream media: the newspapers and the big three tv news networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC), and CNN, Fox, and MSNBC, have a vested interest in making the political race look like it's not a "done deal" and thus get you to watch more often.

So, they give people from P.U.M.A a platform, but the reality is that they're a divisive group that's not even part of the Democratic Party and has no business at the DNC Convention. They are to be ignored so we can get on with the business of growing the Democratic Party to victory in November.

DNC Convention Video News From Zennie62 Coming

Starting on Sunday, August 17th, I will present the first of a daily video series I call "DNC Convention News" which will run from that point, through the DNC Convention. The videos will be posted here and at DemConWatchBlog, as well as in at playlist at the Zennie62 Youtube channel. Each video will be dated in the title.

The idea is to give a video roundup of what's being reported on the blogs and emails and listserves about the DNC Convention, and reports on the DNC Convention events and people. Each video will be not more than four or five minutes long at best.

Stay tuned.

Brandon Keating Sr: Sen. John Edwards & Mistress!

YouTuber Brandon Keating Sr: really takes Senator John Edwards to the woodshed!

HotForWords - Marina Orlova Explains "Lame Duck"

Marina Orlova is the very popular YouTube star of HotForWords and discusses word terms in her daily channel. This one's perfect for Zennie's Zeitgeist as it talks about the term "Lame Duck."

Steve Donziger Wants Billions From Chevron Not For Ecuador

Steve Donziger Wants Billions From Chevron Not For Ecuador

Steve Donziger, the lawyer representing Ecuador against Chevron in a $16 billion lawsuit, where Chevron is not the actual party at fault, stands to gain over $5 billion, making him one of the richest people in the World -- if he wins.

If the truth prevails, the company Donziger should be suing is Petroecuador, owned by the Country of Ecuador. That firm has been responsible for explosions and oil spills since 1990. If Donziger wins, Petroecudor litterally gets away with murder.

..More to come.

China's Fake Fireworks Olympics Ceremony: "Wag The Olympics"

http://zennie2005.blogspot.com -- Last Friday's Olympics Opening Ceremony in Beijing Olympics Stadium was without a doubt the greatest event of its kind in the history of the Olympic Games. It was China's "coming out" party, and the organizers $300 million was well-spent.

The results showed in China Olympian Li Ning's levitating speed-skater style "walk" around Olympic Stadium and his lighting of a giant torch, which in turn caused what had to be the largest fireworks display in the history of the Olympic Games, if not the World.

A spectacle that looked tremendous, and even animated, and that's because it was.

The organizers of the event admitted that computer graphics were used to "replace" the actual fireworks images because the fear was that the "haze" -- read: smog -- was so bad that a great camera shot of the pyrotechnics would have not been possible.

Still, it was controversial because it took away from the overall historic effort and also took the wind out of the sails of the China Olympics, and sadly.

I write that because regardless of that country's problems, we're all fans of the Olympics and want to see it go well. Period.

But what was done reminded me of the movie "Wag The Dog". That flick, which starred Robert De Nero and Dustin Hoffman, was about a war that was staged on a television set and never happened at all.

With China's actions, we're a massive step closer to that possible occurence. China not only faked the fireworks, but the singer employed in the Opening Ceremony.

Seven-year-old Yang Peiyi, "who was deemed not attractive enough to go on stage" according to the article, was replaced by nine-year-old Lin Miaoke. One thing's for sure, that will scar Yang Peiyi for life, the fact that her own China told her she was not attractive enough to be seen singing on the biggest stage in the World, even though they love her voice!

Toward Laws Preventing This In The Future

I think we need to craft a series of International Laws to prevent or at least discourage (which is the best we can do) the occurence of the use of digital technology in this way. It's far too dangerous a possibility to ignore, especially in the wake of the fake fireworks scandal.

Emily Silver Wins The Silver in The 2008 Beijing Olympics!

We hear alot about Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Natalie's a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley -- Cal!

But we don't hear alot about heroes like Emily Silver, Natalie's teammate , fellow Cal-grad, and friend. Emily planned and trained to race in the 100 free, 100 fly, 200 free, and 50 free, but because she broke two fingers, Emily qualified for the 4 by 100 relay, where she played a major role in the United States taking the silver medal in that category.

Congratulations Emily and GO BEARS!

Laure Manaudou v. Federica Pellegrini - Laure Manaudou Skips Finals

The latest twist in the Laure Manaudou v. Federica Pellegrini 2008 Olympics story is that Laure did not compete in the Wednesday finals of the 200 meter. It was kept in relative silence, but Manaudor had said she was thinking of quitting the day before.



Personally I feel sorry for Laure because she was in the perfect position to make a dramatic comeback on the World stage, and yet she gave up. Plus, in doing so, she allowed her nemesis Federica Pellegrini to win -- which she did -- and take the spotlight.

I hope we've not heard the last of Laure.

Click For Video Of The Story here.

Fake Fireworks China Olympics Ceremony: "Wag The Olympics"

http://zennie2005.blogspot.com -- Last Friday's Olympics Opening Ceremony in Beijing Olympics Stadium was without a doubt the greatest event of its kind in the history of the Olympic Games. It was China's "coming out" party, and the organizers $300 million was well-spent.

The results showed in China Olympian Li Ning's levitating speed-skater style "walk" around Olympic Stadium and his lighting of a giant torch, which in turn caused what had to be the largest fireworks display in the history of the Olympic Games, if not the World.

A spectacle that looked tremendous, and even animated, and that's because it was.

The organizers of the event admitted that computer graphics were used to "replace" the actual fireworks images because the fear was that the "haze" -- read: smog -- was so bad that a great camera shot of the pyrotechnics would have not been possible.

Still, it was controversial because it took away from the overall historic effort and also took the wind out of the sails of the China Olympics, and sadly.

I write that because regardless of that country's problems, we're all fans of the Olympics and want to see it go well. Period.

But what was done reminded me of the movie "Wag The Dog". That flick, which starred Robert De Nero and Dustin Hoffman, was about a war that was staged on a television set and never happened at all.

With China's actions, we're a massive step closer to that possible occurence. China not only faked the fireworks, but the singer employed in the Opening Ceremony.

Seven-year-old Yang Peiyi, "who was deemed not attractive enough to go on stage" according to the article, was replaced by nine-year-old Lin Miaoke. One thing's for sure, that will scar Yang Peiyi for life, the fact that her own China told her she was not attractive enough to be seen singing on the biggest stage in the World, even though they love her voice!

Toward Laws Preventing This In The Future

I think we need to craft a series of International Laws to prevent or at least discourage (which is the best we can do) the occurence of the use of digital technology in this way. It's far too dangerous a possibility to ignore, especially in the wake of the fake fireworks scandal.

Bill Gwatney, Arkansas Democratic Party Chairman Killed Before DNC Convention

In a totally sad story of the work of a sick mind, Arkansas Democratic Party Chairman Bill Gwatney was killed by an obviously mentally deranged Timothy Dale Johnson, who walked in a shot him for no apparent reason. other than Timothy Dale Johnson had lost his job.

Gwatney was to appear at the Democratic National Convention on August 23rd to August 29th. I did not have the pleasure of knowing Mr. Gwatney but am saddened by the loss as I very will could have met him at the DNC Convention. Moreover, it brings into sharp focus how dangerous our society has become, especially to those who represent a political party during a poor economy.

Olympics - Beijing National Stadium First Design

chinese-olympic-stadium_web, originally uploaded by sokkmonkey.

As breath-taking as the current "Bird's Nest" design of the Beijing National Stadium is, this one -- an onion -- was favored before it. But the enormity and scale of the design reflects just how much in resources China committed to these games.

The total cost of the China Olympics was $40 Billion. That's more than twice as great as the current cost of the London games, which is at $18 billion. The cost of the Beijing Opening Ceremony alone is about $300 million.

Convention News from DemConWatch

- There are 13 days left until the opening gavel.

- Coloradans will have their chance tomorrow to tape their questions or stories to be aired at the convention

AMERICA’S TOWN HALL ‘OPEN CALL’ TAPING
11:30 AM - 5:30 PM MT
16th Street Mall
Corner of 16th Street and California St
Denver, CO 80202

Info for the other Open Calls can be found here

- Watch The Big Tent Construction Cam. Live streaming video of an empty parking lot! Construction begins today



- Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will speak on Monday and Colorado Governor will speak on Thursday.

Mark Squier, the producer, said that bookending the convention with prominent Colorado Democrats was part of a larger strategy to showcase the party's rise in what has become a political battleground. - Denver Post

- The Brown Palace Hotel is ready for its second convention.

On Aug. 12, 1892, The Brown Palace Hotel opened its doors in the heart of downtown Denver. The hotel has remained open every minute of every day since opening.

Every U.S. president has visited The Brown Palace since Teddy Roosevelt (1905), with the exception of Calvin Coolidge.

Four of the hotel's suites are named for their famous residents: The Beatles Suite, Eisenhower Suite, Reagan Suite, and Roosevelt Suite.

Teddy Roosevelt was the first president to stop at The Brown Palace Hotel. He came to Colorado to hunt bear in the spring of 1905. During his trip, he spoke to a group of businessmen at an elaborate banquet at the hotel. Roosevelt preceded the trend for cigar smoking; 1,500 cigars were smoked during the event.

- Ohio Governor Ted Strickland will speak on Tuesday night

Gov. Ted Strickland has been given a prime speaking spot at the Democratic National Convention to talk about the economy. Strickland told reporters in a conference call that the Barack Obama campaign asked him to speak Tuesday evening at the convention. - PolitickerOH

- Focus on the Family has removed their video asking everybody to pray for rain at Invesco.

- The DNCC announces "Countdown to America's Future" daily webcasts.

In recognition of the growing power of the Internet and online video, now the primary source of news to millions of Americans, the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) announced today the launch of “Countdown to America’s Future,” a series of daily webcasts about the 2008 Democratic Convention, featuring campaign officials and Convention insiders who know what’s happening behind the scenes and the inside scoop to watch for during each night’s televised Convention program.

- Our friends at Georgia Politics Unfiltered interviewed one of the finalists in the DNCC's "Why Are You A Democrat in 2008" contest. You can see the other videos and vote here.

Did Senator McCain Lift Georgia Speech From Wikipedia?

In the wake of the Russia, Georgia conflict we have a new small scandal involving the speech Senator John McCain gave on Tuesday calling for Russia's withdrawl from the former part of the Soviet Union. According to Taegan Goddard that may be so. This is what he reports at CQ Politics:

A Wikipedia editor emailed Political Wire to point out some similarities between Sen. John McCain's speech today on the crisis in Georgia and the Wikipedia article on the country Georgia. Given the closeness of the words and sentence structure, most would consider parts of McCain's speech to be derived directly from Wikipedia.

First instance:

one of the first countries in the world to adopt Christianity as an official religion (Wikipedia)

vs.

one of the world's first nations to adopt Christianity as an official religion (McCain)

Second instance:

After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Georgia had a brief period of independence as a Democratic Republic (1918-1921), which was terminated by the Red Army invasion of Georgia. Georgia became part of the Soviet Union in 1922 and regained its independence in 1991. Early post-Soviet years was marked by a civil unrest and economic crisis. (Wikipedia)

vs.

After a brief period of independence following the Russian revolution, the Red Army forced Georgia to join the Soviet Union in 1922. As the Soviet Union crumbled at the end of the Cold War, Georgia regained its independence in 1991, but its early years were marked by instability, corruption, and economic crises. (McCain)

Third instance:

In 2003, Shevardnadze (who won reelection in 2000) was deposed by the Rose Revolution, after Georgian opposition and international monitors asserted that the 2 November parliamentary elections were marred by fraud. The revolution was led by Mikheil Saakashvili, Zurab Zhvania and Nino Burjanadze, former members and leaders of Shavarnadze's ruling party. Mikheil Saakashvili was elected as President of Georgia in 2004. Following the Rose Revolution, a series of reforms was launched to strengthen the country's military and economic capabilities. (Wikipedia)

vs.

Following fraudulent parliamentary elections in 2003, a peaceful, democratic revolution took place, led by the U.S.-educated lawyer Mikheil Saakashvili. The Rose Revolution changed things dramatically and, following his election, President Saakashvili embarked on a series of wide-ranging and successful reforms. (McCain)

Granted the third instance isn't as close as the first two, which seem quite obviously taken from Wikipedia.

It should be noted that Wikipedia material can be freely used but always requires attribution under its terms of use. Whether a presidential candidate should base policy speeches on material from Wikipedia is another question entirely.

Yikes. This isn't something commonly done. Having written speeches for a number of politicians from former Mayor Elihu Harris of Oakland to Jerry Brown, I can explain that seasoned speakers generally have talking points or bullets. Full text is saved for a major speech, but then the writer tries to capture the "voice" of the speaker. You can't do that using Wikepedia.

Another McCain mess.

Laure Manaudou v. Federica Pellegrini In Olympics (Nude?) Love Triangle Showdown

CLICK TO SEE VIDEO HERE

Female French Swimmer Laure Manaudou has had a hard go of it of late. Just on top of the swimming World two years ago and in love with Italian Swimmer Male Luca Martin, Laure Manaudou saw her life change rapidly.

After breaking up with Luca Martin, tossing the ring he gave her into the pool, nude photos of her surface on The Internet, embarrasing her in the process.



Fast Forward to Beijing. Luca Martin has taken up with another female swimmer, Federica Pellegrini. Beautiful, athletic, and stunning, Federica Pellegrini has Laure Manaudou's ex-boyfriend and her ex-coach.

Then on Sunday, Laure Manaudou suffers a total performance collapse, coming in last in the 400m Freestyle race. Then, to add insult to injury, Laure Manaudou's 2007 200m Freestyle record is broken by none other than Federica Pellegrini, who also turned her back on Laure on Sunday.

The only way Laure can prevail and salvage a wrecked career is to beat Federica Pellegrini in the finals on Wednesday.

I'm rooting for Laure Manaudou, as she's been through far too much and is too talented for the treatment she's gotten.

What's fascinating about this is the level of attention female swimmers are given in Europe; much more than in the United States. Swimmers like Laure and Federica appear on talk shows and in the front page of magazines, and are chased by photographers.

Olympic 4x100 Freestyle Relay USA Phelps GOLD #2

Well, it's just the National Anthem, but you've got to have some fun.

Howard Wolfson Thinks Clinton Would Have Won Iowa Withour Edwards - He's Wrong

In the Washington Post, former Hillary Clinton campaign spokesperson Howard Wolfson is under the mistaken impression Clinton would have won Iowa without Edwards.

That's nuts. Everyone knows that the Edwards people were more Obama folks than Clinton people. That why 80 percent of th Edwards delegates came over to the Obama side.

Using New Media At The DNC Convention - How Zennie62 Does It

This video presents the "production process" behind the planned use of New Media at the DNC Convention by Sports Business Simulations' SBS Media / Zennie Zeigeist blog.

New Media -- DNC Convention Broadcast

Objective: to quickly and cheaply bring text, audio, and visual information that generally tells a story to as many people as possible in as short amount of time as possible.

Instruments Hardware and Software

Hardware:

1. MacBook -- Has "iMovie" software built in that makes editing movies easy.
2. Sony Camcorder -- Used to make videos and feed to computer
3. iPhone -- used to take photos and also to make mobile blog posts which feed to Zennie's Zeitgeist remotely.

Software:

1. Blogger -- the online home of Zennies's Zeitgeist blog.
2. iMovie -- used to edit the videos uploaded from the camcorder
3. Google -- used to get information and articles on related subjects that then can be linked to in a blog post.
4. Twitter -- updates on Twitter post at the Zennie62 Twitter page, on the Zennie's Zeitgeist Blog, and on my Facebook page all at the same time.
5. Facebook -- Zennie's Facebook page has his blog posts from Zennie's Zeitgeist.
6. Widgets -- Zennie's Zeitgeist widgets are on other blogs in the SBS blog network, from the NFL Business Blog to Oakland Focus.
7. FriendFeed -- allows commentary on blog posts and videos that appear on Zennie62's FriendFeed page.
8. FeedBurner is the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) system used on Zennie's Zeitgeist for yet another way to distribute our blog news to people and as it appears on the blog, automatically.
9. YouTube -- the main home for Zennie62's videos, which are then embedded in the Zennie's Zeitgeist blog and also on Zennie's Facebook page and linked to on Twitter, which is also on Zennie's Facebook page.
10. iReport -- CNN's version of YouTube, where I will upload videos for daily use by CNN.
11. TubeMogul -- permits simultaneous upload of one videos to 15 different video distribution sites, from YouTube to Blip.tv, and Dailymotion, and others.