Well, this is a transcript of our REACTION to the debate (mostly Joe-Henry's; my comments are in italics), as reported live on Twitter:
JH: "it's weird that they shake hands when they don't like each other"
JH, after Obama got to go first: "it's nice that Obama gets to go first, so that John McCain can learn from him."
John McCain's tie is freaking out my tv screen. Stripes man - you've been around awhile, don't you know they mess with people's screens?
JH: "Mom, do you think John McCain is as mean as (Oregon Republican) Gordon Smith?" Clearly we're getting tired of campaign commercials
I love that Jim Lehrer is MAKING THEM talk to each other. I did that to kids on the playground today.
JH: "Oh, that was an EASY question."
JH: "He (John McCain) sounds like Gopher in the Winnie-the-Pooh movie"
Obama looks directly at McCain while speaking, while McCain will not look at him. Like he'll burst into flames if he does.
JH: "Why is McCain smiling?" Me: "Because he's uncomfortable".
JH: "John McCain needs to stop laughing. This is serious, isn't it, Mom?"
JH: "the prisoners get tortured? Don't torture the prisoners!"
(what I didn't tweet, because I was listening to the debate and wanted to hear what they said, was that he also added "that's not very good sportsmanship."
gogogogogoBAMA!
JH: "John McCain isn't teaching his opponent anything at all!"
Ohhhhhh, nice comeback Barack! Well done.
JH: "you wouldn't have to wear the boy's bracelet if you didn't make the war."
John McCain is a bitch..
Oh, Barack, I love how you stay so cool.
you can just feel the audience desire to clap for Barack's statement
John, your creepy smile is, well, creeping me out.
JH: "John McCain doesn't think Obama understands anything."
JH: "I love you Barack Obama. He's a sweet dude!"
Barack, you are so classy.
And finally, at bedtime, this was Joe-Henry's summary of the entire debate:
JH: "Mom, you know what I like about Barack Obama? He stood up and said in firm language 'that's not true about me. If John McCain used...
...his two minutes to tell the truth, maybe more people might vote for him."
Friday, September 26, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
When You Feel Like Crying....
....Because Sarah Palin gave you shingles and it hurts now to sit down, because not only are they on your back, your hip, your stomach, but also, um, elsewhere....
....what you really need is a good laugh. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you:
Also, I am officially adding John Oliver to my list. You know, THAT list.
For when I no longer have burning blisters all over my lower half.
Hey, if you don't laugh, you'll end up in tears.
....what you really need is a good laugh. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you:
Also, I am officially adding John Oliver to my list. You know, THAT list.
For when I no longer have burning blisters all over my lower half.
Hey, if you don't laugh, you'll end up in tears.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Joe-Henry for President
"He doesn't say anything about what he's going to do, and he doesn't sound very confident in his words."
Joe-Henry, age 7
in response to President Bush's address to the American People regarding the proposed $7 billion bailout of the major financial institutions.
Joe-Henry for President
Joe-Henry, age 7
in response to President Bush's address to the American People regarding the proposed $7 billion bailout of the major financial institutions.
Joe-Henry for President
Sarah Palin Gave Me Shingles.
Oh, my dears. What a week we've been having! Lots of fun at school for JH, Charley's plugging away at the Genius Bar. He got some new socks at Sock Dreams, so he's a total fashion plate. I started doing reading groups. I have four kids in my group and one of them... well, let's just say I have a newfound respect for teachers who deal with an entire roomful by themselves.
Oh, and I went to the doctor this week because I've been having this strange pain for about a week and a half. It hurts when my son puts his arms around my waist to hug me, and it hurts to sit, and it hurts to wear clothes, and ....
It's shingles. Apparently, it can be brought on by stress, but I say to that: What stress? You can also catch it from someone who has chickenpox (or shingles), which sounds more likely, since I work in a hotbed of germ-infested tinys who continually pick their noses and then wipe it on tables, so that seems more likely. (Not that that, in and of itself, is not stressful).
But wait! Now that I think about it, it could be the stress caused by Sarah Palin. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. Not her, per se, but the fact that 50% of responders to an NPR poll think she's qualified to serve as Vice President of the United States. (Would you please, please go take this poll so that we can tip the balance?)
Or it could be the fact that Barack Obama has disappeared from the airwaves, and is now just Twittering away to let us know he's doing town hall meetings. (He's not even mentioning in his Tweets that Sarah Palin gave me shingles.)
Could it be that this upcoming November Election, an election that will bring an end to the absolute cluster-fuck that has been the Bush Administration, might be won by McCain/Palin? Because there are plenty of signs that it might just swing that way. Which means, friends, that we will be going from bad to worse. Well, for some of us, anyway. Except for those that will be taken up in the rapture.
Could it be that my shingles are a sign of pestilence, one foretold in the Bible, along with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Some sure believe it.
But I don't.
Oh, and I went to the doctor this week because I've been having this strange pain for about a week and a half. It hurts when my son puts his arms around my waist to hug me, and it hurts to sit, and it hurts to wear clothes, and ....
It's shingles. Apparently, it can be brought on by stress, but I say to that: What stress? You can also catch it from someone who has chickenpox (or shingles), which sounds more likely, since I work in a hotbed of germ-infested tinys who continually pick their noses and then wipe it on tables, so that seems more likely. (Not that that, in and of itself, is not stressful).
But wait! Now that I think about it, it could be the stress caused by Sarah Palin. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. Not her, per se, but the fact that 50% of responders to an NPR poll think she's qualified to serve as Vice President of the United States. (Would you please, please go take this poll so that we can tip the balance?)
Or it could be the fact that Barack Obama has disappeared from the airwaves, and is now just Twittering away to let us know he's doing town hall meetings. (He's not even mentioning in his Tweets that Sarah Palin gave me shingles.)
Could it be that this upcoming November Election, an election that will bring an end to the absolute cluster-fuck that has been the Bush Administration, might be won by McCain/Palin? Because there are plenty of signs that it might just swing that way. Which means, friends, that we will be going from bad to worse. Well, for some of us, anyway. Except for those that will be taken up in the rapture.
Could it be that my shingles are a sign of pestilence, one foretold in the Bible, along with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Some sure believe it.
But I don't.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Shakin' it up
I was never called into the Principal's office when I was a kid, so I had nothing to compare the feeling to when the Principal at my school asked me to step into his office. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble", he teased.
I was still nervous.
It turns out that, because our enrollment for our class was down, and because I am the low woman on the totem pole, it was my turn to be put out of the SCC class. However, the good news is, I will still be in the building, doing patrols (and yes, wearing a safety vest - luckily orange and green are SO my colors), monitoring recess and doing reading with K-3 kiddos. I'm really excited about that last part. But the BEST news is, because we have staff leaving in January, I will be back in the classroom I started in at some point.
When I started working in that classroom, I had very little knowledge of autism, but a huge desire to learn and work with these amazing kids. It can be hugely challenging, and some days I come home in need of a beer and an icepack for my back, but the rewards.... the rewards are breathtaking. And the staff - they are some of my favorite people on the planet. Patient, funny and whipsmart, and they always, always have your back.
So, while I'm truly honored that they wanted me to stay in the school, and I SO look forward to working with the adorable kids that I see in the hallway everyday, my heart will always be missing "my kiddos". Luckily for me, I'll still see them and most especially HEAR them in the hallways!
I was still nervous.
It turns out that, because our enrollment for our class was down, and because I am the low woman on the totem pole, it was my turn to be put out of the SCC class. However, the good news is, I will still be in the building, doing patrols (and yes, wearing a safety vest - luckily orange and green are SO my colors), monitoring recess and doing reading with K-3 kiddos. I'm really excited about that last part. But the BEST news is, because we have staff leaving in January, I will be back in the classroom I started in at some point.
When I started working in that classroom, I had very little knowledge of autism, but a huge desire to learn and work with these amazing kids. It can be hugely challenging, and some days I come home in need of a beer and an icepack for my back, but the rewards.... the rewards are breathtaking. And the staff - they are some of my favorite people on the planet. Patient, funny and whipsmart, and they always, always have your back.
So, while I'm truly honored that they wanted me to stay in the school, and I SO look forward to working with the adorable kids that I see in the hallway everyday, my heart will always be missing "my kiddos". Luckily for me, I'll still see them and most especially HEAR them in the hallways!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
This Old Man
Our Pould left us this morning. We woke to find he wasn't on our bed. He and Charley would have lovin' every morning, so we knew something was up. We found him under the futon in Charley's office. He was in the corner, and couldn't walk.
He was such a grand old man. We will miss him so much. I'm turning the rest of the blog over to Joe-Henry to tell you what he loves about our Pouldie.
"I love how he goes around my toys, and sometimes knocks them down. And I'm like 'Pouldie'! I love how he sits in shoe boxes when I get new shoes, I love when he tries to crawl in the grocery bags and wiggles his head in it. He's just a really good cat."
We'll miss you so much, sweet old boy.
He was such a grand old man. We will miss him so much. I'm turning the rest of the blog over to Joe-Henry to tell you what he loves about our Pouldie.
"I love how he goes around my toys, and sometimes knocks them down. And I'm like 'Pouldie'! I love how he sits in shoe boxes when I get new shoes, I love when he tries to crawl in the grocery bags and wiggles his head in it. He's just a really good cat."
We'll miss you so much, sweet old boy.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Ugly
I don't care what side of the aisle you sit on, really how can you read the following and not feel outraged at the new lows the GOP has sunk to in trying to Shanghai this race.
You know, I think at this point in our history, we can all agree that a bit of mudslinging is what makes it politics. It's all a dog and pony show, and yes, I think the Republicans play dirty, but I also think the Democrats need to learn how to throw an elbow and show some spit. Give us a good show at election time.
But GodDAMN it, the vote is sacred. It is NOT a joke, and they are making a mockery of the citizens of this country. I read this today and the bile rose in my throat. When I think of the people who have served this country honorably, and think that THIS is what they fought and died for, I feel literally sick. My dad served in WWII, and thank God he didn't live to see this, because it would kill him for sure.
If Obama doesn't jump on this one and take them on, I will be sadly disappointed.
Read it and weep. Here's the link to send it to friends, but the full text is below. Thanks to Kirsten at Living In A Girl's World for the heads up on this one.
From The Michigan Messenger, 9/10/2008
Lose Your House, Lose Your Vote
By Eartha Jane Melzer
Michigan Republicans plan to foreclose African-American voters
The chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County, Michigan, a key swing county in a key swing state, is planning to use a list of foreclosed homes to block people from voting in the upcoming election as part of the state GOP’s effort to challenge some voters on Election Day.
“We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure people aren’t voting from those addresses,” party chairman James Carabelli told Michigan Messenger in a telephone interview earlier this week. He said the local party wanted to make sure that proper electoral procedures were followed.
State election rules allow parties to assign “election challengers” to polls to monitor the election. In addition to observing the poll workers, these volunteers can challenge the eligibility of any voter provided they “have a good reason to believe” that the person is not eligible to vote. One allowable reason is that the person is not a “true resident of the city or township.”
The Michigan Republicans’ planned use of foreclosure lists is apparently an attempt to challenge ineligible voters as not being “true residents.”
One expert questioned the legality of the tactic.
“You can’t challenge people without a factual basis for doing so,” said J. Gerald Hebert, a former voting rights litigator for the U.S. Justice Department who now runs the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington D.C.-based public-interest law firm. “I don’t think a foreclosure notice is sufficient basis for a challenge, because people often remain in their homes after foreclosure begins and sometimes are able to negotiate and refinance.”
As for the practice of challenging the right to vote of foreclosed property owners, Hebert called it, “mean-spirited.”
GOP ties to state’s largest foreclosure law firm
The Macomb GOP’s plans are another indication of how John McCain’s campaign stands to benefit from the burgeoning number of foreclosures in the state. McCain’s regional headquarters are housed in the office building of foreclosure specialists Trott & Trott. The firm’s founder, David A. Trott, has raised between $100,000 and $250,000 for the Republican nominee.
The Macomb County party’s plans to challenge voters who have defaulted on their house payments is likely to disproportionately affect African-Americans who are overwhelmingly Democratic voters. More than 60 percent of all sub-prime loans — the most likely kind of loan to go into default — were made to African-Americans in Michigan, according to a report issued last year by the state’s Department of Labor and Economic Growth.
Challenges to would-be voters
Statewide, the Republican Party is gearing up for a comprehensive voter challenge campaign, according to Denise Graves, party chair for Republicans in Genessee County, which encompasses Flint. The party is creating a spreadsheet of election challenger volunteers and expects to coordinate a training with the regional McCain campaign, Graves said in an interview with Michigan Messenger.
Whether the Republicans will challenge voters with foreclosed homes elsewhere in the state is not known.
Kelly Harrigan, deputy director of the GOP’s voter programs, confirmed that she is coordinating the group’s “election integrity” program. Harrigan said the effort includes putting in place a legal team, as well as training election challengers. She said the challenges to voters were procedural rather than personal. She referred inquiries about the vote challenge program to communications director Bill Nowling, who promised information but did not return calls.
Party chairman Carabelli said that the Republican Party is training election challengers to “make sure that [voters] are who they say who they are.”
When asked for further details on how Republicans are compiling challenge lists, he said, “I would rather not tell you all the things we are doing.”
Vote suppression: Not an isolated effort
Carabelli is not the only Republican Party official to suggest the targeting of foreclosed voters. In Ohio, Doug Preisse, director of elections in Franklin County (around the city of Columbus) and the chair of the local GOP, told The Columbus Dispatch that he has not ruled out challenging voters before the election due to foreclosure-related address issues.
Hebert, the voting-rights lawyer, sees a connection between Priesse’s remarks and Carabelli’s plans.
“At a minimum what you are seeing is a fairly comprehensive effort by the Republican Party, a systematic broad-based effort to put up obstacles for people to vote,” he said. “Nobody is contending that these people are not legally registered to vote.
“When you are comprehensively challenging people to vote,” Hebert went on, “your goals are two-fold: One is you are trying to knock people out from casting ballots; the other is to create a slowdown that will discourage others,” who see a long line and realize they can’t afford to stay and wait.
Challenging all voters registered to foreclosed homes could disrupt some polling places, especially in the Detroit metropolitan area. According to the real estate Web site RealtyTrac, one in every 176 households in Wayne County, metropolitan Detroit, received a foreclosure filing during the month of July. In Macomb County, the figure was one household in every 285, meaning that 1,834 homeowners received the bad news in just one month. The Macomb County foreclosure rate puts it in the top three percent of all U.S. counties in the number of distressed homeowners.
Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Kent and Genessee counties were — in that order — the counties with the most homeowners facing foreclosure, according to RealtyTrac. As of July, there were more than 62,000 foreclosure filings in the entire state.
Joe Rozell, director of elections for Oakland County in suburban Detroit, acknowledged that challenges such as those described by Carabelli are allowed by law but said they have the potential to create long lines and disrupt the voting process. With 890,000 potential voters closely divided between Democratic and Republican, Oakland County is a key swing county of this swing state.
According to voter challenge directives handed down by Republican Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, voter challenges need only be “based on information obtained through a reliable source or means.”
“But poll workers are not allowed to ask the reason” for the challenges, Rozell said. In other words, Republican vote challengers are free to use foreclosure lists as a basis for disqualifying otherwise eligible voters.
David Lagstein, head organizer with the Michigan Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), described the plans of the Macomb GOP as “crazy.”
“You would think they would think, ‘This is going to look too heartless,’” said Lagstein, whose group has registered 200,000 new voters statewide this year and also runs a foreclosure avoidance program. “The Republican-led state Senate has not moved on the anti-predatory lending bill for over a year and yet [Republicans] have time to prey on those who have fallen victim to foreclosure to suppress the vote.”
You know, I think at this point in our history, we can all agree that a bit of mudslinging is what makes it politics. It's all a dog and pony show, and yes, I think the Republicans play dirty, but I also think the Democrats need to learn how to throw an elbow and show some spit. Give us a good show at election time.
But GodDAMN it, the vote is sacred. It is NOT a joke, and they are making a mockery of the citizens of this country. I read this today and the bile rose in my throat. When I think of the people who have served this country honorably, and think that THIS is what they fought and died for, I feel literally sick. My dad served in WWII, and thank God he didn't live to see this, because it would kill him for sure.
If Obama doesn't jump on this one and take them on, I will be sadly disappointed.
Read it and weep. Here's the link to send it to friends, but the full text is below. Thanks to Kirsten at Living In A Girl's World for the heads up on this one.
From The Michigan Messenger, 9/10/2008
Lose Your House, Lose Your Vote
By Eartha Jane Melzer
Michigan Republicans plan to foreclose African-American voters
The chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County, Michigan, a key swing county in a key swing state, is planning to use a list of foreclosed homes to block people from voting in the upcoming election as part of the state GOP’s effort to challenge some voters on Election Day.
“We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure people aren’t voting from those addresses,” party chairman James Carabelli told Michigan Messenger in a telephone interview earlier this week. He said the local party wanted to make sure that proper electoral procedures were followed.
State election rules allow parties to assign “election challengers” to polls to monitor the election. In addition to observing the poll workers, these volunteers can challenge the eligibility of any voter provided they “have a good reason to believe” that the person is not eligible to vote. One allowable reason is that the person is not a “true resident of the city or township.”
The Michigan Republicans’ planned use of foreclosure lists is apparently an attempt to challenge ineligible voters as not being “true residents.”
One expert questioned the legality of the tactic.
“You can’t challenge people without a factual basis for doing so,” said J. Gerald Hebert, a former voting rights litigator for the U.S. Justice Department who now runs the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington D.C.-based public-interest law firm. “I don’t think a foreclosure notice is sufficient basis for a challenge, because people often remain in their homes after foreclosure begins and sometimes are able to negotiate and refinance.”
As for the practice of challenging the right to vote of foreclosed property owners, Hebert called it, “mean-spirited.”
GOP ties to state’s largest foreclosure law firm
The Macomb GOP’s plans are another indication of how John McCain’s campaign stands to benefit from the burgeoning number of foreclosures in the state. McCain’s regional headquarters are housed in the office building of foreclosure specialists Trott & Trott. The firm’s founder, David A. Trott, has raised between $100,000 and $250,000 for the Republican nominee.
The Macomb County party’s plans to challenge voters who have defaulted on their house payments is likely to disproportionately affect African-Americans who are overwhelmingly Democratic voters. More than 60 percent of all sub-prime loans — the most likely kind of loan to go into default — were made to African-Americans in Michigan, according to a report issued last year by the state’s Department of Labor and Economic Growth.
Challenges to would-be voters
Statewide, the Republican Party is gearing up for a comprehensive voter challenge campaign, according to Denise Graves, party chair for Republicans in Genessee County, which encompasses Flint. The party is creating a spreadsheet of election challenger volunteers and expects to coordinate a training with the regional McCain campaign, Graves said in an interview with Michigan Messenger.
Whether the Republicans will challenge voters with foreclosed homes elsewhere in the state is not known.
Kelly Harrigan, deputy director of the GOP’s voter programs, confirmed that she is coordinating the group’s “election integrity” program. Harrigan said the effort includes putting in place a legal team, as well as training election challengers. She said the challenges to voters were procedural rather than personal. She referred inquiries about the vote challenge program to communications director Bill Nowling, who promised information but did not return calls.
Party chairman Carabelli said that the Republican Party is training election challengers to “make sure that [voters] are who they say who they are.”
When asked for further details on how Republicans are compiling challenge lists, he said, “I would rather not tell you all the things we are doing.”
Vote suppression: Not an isolated effort
Carabelli is not the only Republican Party official to suggest the targeting of foreclosed voters. In Ohio, Doug Preisse, director of elections in Franklin County (around the city of Columbus) and the chair of the local GOP, told The Columbus Dispatch that he has not ruled out challenging voters before the election due to foreclosure-related address issues.
Hebert, the voting-rights lawyer, sees a connection between Priesse’s remarks and Carabelli’s plans.
“At a minimum what you are seeing is a fairly comprehensive effort by the Republican Party, a systematic broad-based effort to put up obstacles for people to vote,” he said. “Nobody is contending that these people are not legally registered to vote.
“When you are comprehensively challenging people to vote,” Hebert went on, “your goals are two-fold: One is you are trying to knock people out from casting ballots; the other is to create a slowdown that will discourage others,” who see a long line and realize they can’t afford to stay and wait.
Challenging all voters registered to foreclosed homes could disrupt some polling places, especially in the Detroit metropolitan area. According to the real estate Web site RealtyTrac, one in every 176 households in Wayne County, metropolitan Detroit, received a foreclosure filing during the month of July. In Macomb County, the figure was one household in every 285, meaning that 1,834 homeowners received the bad news in just one month. The Macomb County foreclosure rate puts it in the top three percent of all U.S. counties in the number of distressed homeowners.
Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Kent and Genessee counties were — in that order — the counties with the most homeowners facing foreclosure, according to RealtyTrac. As of July, there were more than 62,000 foreclosure filings in the entire state.
Joe Rozell, director of elections for Oakland County in suburban Detroit, acknowledged that challenges such as those described by Carabelli are allowed by law but said they have the potential to create long lines and disrupt the voting process. With 890,000 potential voters closely divided between Democratic and Republican, Oakland County is a key swing county of this swing state.
According to voter challenge directives handed down by Republican Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, voter challenges need only be “based on information obtained through a reliable source or means.”
“But poll workers are not allowed to ask the reason” for the challenges, Rozell said. In other words, Republican vote challengers are free to use foreclosure lists as a basis for disqualifying otherwise eligible voters.
David Lagstein, head organizer with the Michigan Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), described the plans of the Macomb GOP as “crazy.”
“You would think they would think, ‘This is going to look too heartless,’” said Lagstein, whose group has registered 200,000 new voters statewide this year and also runs a foreclosure avoidance program. “The Republican-led state Senate has not moved on the anti-predatory lending bill for over a year and yet [Republicans] have time to prey on those who have fallen victim to foreclosure to suppress the vote.”
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