Clinton on Differences and Who Dems Should Support

~ click image to go to video ~
Sen. Hillary Clinton spoke to The Indianapolis Star Editorial Board on Tuesday.

...Clinton said Tuesday it would be "the height of political foolishness" for Democrats to back a Republican, or not vote at all, if they're disappointed by the outcome of the long-running nomination battle between her and Barack Obama.

"Anyone, anyone, who voted for either of us should be absolutely committed to voting for the other" in the general election, Clinton said during an hourlong meeting with The Indianapolis Star Editorial Board. "I'm going to shout that from the mountaintops and the valleys and everywhere I can, no matter what the outcome of the nominating process is."

NC Gov. Easley Endorses Hillary

It was a good day for the Senator. Governor Mike Easley of North Carolina endorses Hillary Clinton to be the next President.

What Does Wright Have Against Obama?

Speaking at the National Press Club, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright seemed to be doing more damage than good for his friend Sen. Barack Obama. It might lead some to ask: "What does Wright have against Obama?"

Clinton Leads McCain

The Associated Press is reporting that in a new head-to-head matchup, Sen. Clinton leads Sen. McCain 50 to 41 precent. This makes Clinton the front runner for the White House. Sen. Obama is ahead of McCain 46 to 44 percent, which is within the margin of error.

Hillary Rodham Clinton now leads John McCain by 9 points in a head-to-head presidential matchup, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll that bolsters her argument that she is more electable than Democratic rival Barack Obama.

Obama and Republican McCain are running about even.

The survey released Monday gives the New York senator and former first lady a fresh talking point as she works to raise much-needed campaign cash and persuade pivotal undecided superdelegates to side with her in the drawn-out Democratic primary fight.

Helped by independents, young people and seniors, Clinton gained ground this month in a hypothetical match with Sen. McCain, the GOP nominee-in-waiting. She now leads McCain, 50 percent to 41 percent, while Obama remains virtually tied with McCain, 46 percent to 44 percent.

Both Democrats were roughly even with McCain in the previous poll about three weeks ago.

Go, Hillary!

Hillary on NAFTA

Job creation is certainly a key issue for my family and friends living in Indiana. And I think Sen. Clinton is the best person to fix the mess left by Bush & Co.

Much has been written about Sen. Clinton's position on NAFTA, and Taylor Marsh hopes this will put the issue to rest.

From Sally Bedell Smith's book on the Clintons I excised two short snippets. Now, Ms. Smith is not pro-Clinton. As far as I know she's not anti-Clinton. She also did a tough biography and Jack and Jackie Kennedy's marriage. One thing she does have is access, which produced nuggets that dismantle the Obama team's drivel that Hillary was ever pro NAFTA. Sally Bedell Smith is rough enough on the Clintons in her book that you can take these two sections, which reveal the heart of Hillary's antipathy towards NAFTA, to the bank.

... The economic team and other key advisors, including Mack McLarty, Mickey Kantor, and David Gergen, were likewise urging Bil to use his momentum to push for congressional ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). ...had been negotiated by the Bush administration and was slated to expire if not ratified by January 1, 1994. Liberal Democrats, including Hillary, opposed it primarily because it could take jobs away from American workers. But as an advocate of global economic cooperation, Bill was drawn to its free-trade philosophy. ... ..

For Love of Politics, by Sally Bedell Smith (pg. 117)

Opponents of Clinton, including Senator Obama and his Obama bloggers, like to point to NAFTA saying that Hillary was for it when her husband was pushing for ratification in January 1994. When was the last time a first lady openly opposed an important policy of her president husband? This, evidently, is what Hillary Clinton was expected to do. It's nonsense.

... ..Another evending, the Jordans arranged a dinner at a restaurant with Paul Allaire, the chairman of Xerox, and his wife, Kay. "Clinton really wanted to talk to Paul about NAFTA, to get the view of business," recalled Kay Allaire. "Hillary made clear that she opposed NAFTA. The President was curious, asking lots of questions, listening carefully. Hillary remained aloof and said little. ..."

For Love of Politics, by Sally Bedell Smith (pg. 120)

Clear enough for you?

MoveOn Thinks FOX News Got the Best of Obama

Some of us have been saying for a while now that we don't think Sen. Barack Obama is ready for prime time. Now it seems MoveOn might agree. Here's what Adam Greene, a spokesperson for MoveOn, had to say:

It was a mistake for Obama to go on FOX’s Sunday show and treat the experience as if it was a real news interview. Democratic politicians need to understand that FOX is a Republican mouthpiece masquerading as a news outlet. [...] And that's why Democratic politicians should never treat FOX like a real news outlet - including FOX's Sunday show.

Barack Obama's campaign made a promise before this weekend's appearance. They said he would "take FOX on" [...]

The interview began with a question about Obama's race – implying that white people won’t vote for him. Instead of “taking FOX on” and saying FOX’s questions are premised on Republican talking points, Obama simply answered. So, Wallace kept going – asking more than 10 straight race-related questions, all skewed against Obama. ... One of these rigged questions [about Rev. Wright] got Obama to say, "The fact that he is my former pastor I think makes it a legitimate political issue" – resulting in John McCain quoting Obama hours later, hinting to right-wing allies that Rev. Wright is fair game.

FOX also asked a bunch of questions aimed at getting Obama to distance himself from Democrats and progressives. Because Obama didn't "take on" the Republican framing of these questions, Obama was cornered into saying things like, "I think there are a whole host of areas where Republicans in some cases may have a better idea [than Democrats]" ... .

Face it folks, Obama is simply NOT ready for prime time!

Shall We Prey ...

Fundamentalist leaders like James Dobson might take umbrage at my use of the word "prey" instead of "pray" ... but hey, isn't this exactly what the Religious Right is doing? Frederick Clarkson has a post up about the National Day of Prayer.

Our Official National Day of Religious Supremacism

Every year, there are controversies over the "National Day of Prayer," which has somehow become the exclusive province of the Dobson empire. This year it is being held on May first -- and the fireworks have already started.

But lest you think that this is an obscure bit of Bush administration taxpayer financed pandering -- note that even Democratic governors in blue states -- such as the Democratic governor of my state, Massachussetts, Deval Patrick -- are issuing proclamations as drafted by Focus on the Family. See for yourself here.

The Interfaith Alliance, Jews on First!, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, (and probably others) are calling them out on this discriminatory, Christian nationalist vanity project that comes with the Congressionally mandated imprimatur of the people of the United States.

Above right, from May 2007, Bush marks National Day of Prayer in Washington,DC with James and Shirley Dobson.

For Lynne

For our bloggy Flock pal Lynne, who's suffered some very hard losses lately. Many people don't know much about poet John Donne, whose verse is often quoted. He was always a man of faith, having been educated by Jesuits as a child. He wrote secular poetry for the first part of his career, but he later entered the ministry and spent the rest of life writing religious works.

This is one of his best, and I dedicate it--especially the last two lines--to you, Lynne.

"Death Be Not Proud" by John Donne (1572-1631)

Death be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,

For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,

Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,

Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,

And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,

Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.

Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,

And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,

And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,

And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then;

One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,

And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.

The new birding place pays off!

I told you about the rail tunnel/trail area last week, and how I thought it might yield some good birding, right? So I woke up early and went there yesterday morning with a novice birder named Gretchen, and we had a great time exploring the place -- such a great time that I took exactly ZERO photos. So this post will be pure narrative; sorry!

I admit we got there a little late (8am); we should've been there by 6:30 but we had some trouble getting going, what with my allergies/cold thing that is hanging on. Still--the first bird we saw was a lifer for us both: a Hooded Warbler, flitting among the bushes at ground level, so from the elevated path it was a great view--no warbler neck! I was so busy pointing it out to Gretchen, explaining the field marks and handing the binocs back and forth that I just didn't even think to get the camera. This would be the trend for the entire trip.

There were birds everywhere, and the pines around the rail tunnel were filled with Ruby-Crowned Kinglets and Northern Parulas! One RC Kinglet was flashing his little red crown so openly that it was obvious he was out for some serious mating. What a stud.

Here's a list from this area:
Hooded Warbler (Lifer/FOY)
Northern Parula (FOY)
Wood Thrush (FOY)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker (FOY)
Northern Flicker (FOY)
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Ovenbird (FOY)
Brown Thrasher
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Grackle
Am Crow
Northern Cardinal
Canada Goose
Mallard
Turkey Vulture
Am Robin
Black-capped Chickadee
Mourning Dove

After Gretchen and I left the tunnel trail, we took this road that was deceptively named the Sieglerville-Milheim Pike. Some "pike" -- after about a 100 yards, the pavement ended and it was all winding cinder road for 16 miles! Off-roading in a 2001 Honda Civic is not exactly big fun, but we made it through and had breakfast at the locally (and supposedly world-) famous Honey Creek Inn, which serves some amazingly good French toast. Yum!

En route along the "pike," we caught a Broad-winged Hawk finishing off a small bird (possibly Tufted Titmouse, judging from the feathers) right next to the road. We had time to observe field marks both on the ground and in flight, as he was not eager to leave his kill. I wished Susan could've been there to appreciate the wild hawk action.

Later, we drove to a small woodlot on Indian Road to see whether the Red-headed Woodpecker was still there. Sure enough, he made an appearance within ten minutes of our stopping there, making it three straight years I've seen him there. It was like seeing an old friend.

The day turned a little chilly, but we spent it all outside either birding or just hanging out on the Adirondack chairs and watching the marsh. No doubt about it: spring is really here!

Oooh--this morning, one of the State College Bird Club bigwigs emailed me to ask if I would lead a field trip to this spot on Mother's Day weekend--wow! I don't know what all that entails, other than pointing out the spots where I saw birds last time and just generally being helpful. I hope it's not much more than that, as you know I'm a little shy.

Sunday Funnies

Debates With a New Twist

Sen. Obama has made it pretty clear -- no more debates! It seems he's done debating Sen. Clinton. He's done being in a situation where he has to answer questions about some of his personal decisions. He's done with debates that don't address important issues of the day until 45 minutes into a debate. Sen. Obama is done.

But what if there were no moderators? What if the two candidates could simply talk about important issues of the day, and how they propose to solve the myriad of problems being left behind by George W. Bush? What if each of them could speak for say, two or three minutes, and then the other one would talk. Now that sounds like a good idea. I only wish I'd thought of it myself! ha

Sen. Barack Obama says he's done debating, but he's facing a double team effort to force him into another one-on-one session with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The New York Senator again challenged him to a debate in Indiana, but with a new twist: no moderators.

"Just the two of us going for 90 minutes asking and answering questions," Clinton said to a crowd of several thousand at a rally held at a minor-league baseball stadium here. "We'll set whatever rules seem fair."

Gee, Sen. Clinton really does offer solutions!

Why I Love Helen Thomas

Check out the look on White House Press Secretary Dana Perino's face as she calls on Helen Thomas. Perino looks like she is about to throw up ... as she should.


This post is very after-the-fact, but I just watched the above video and HAD to put it up for a couple of reasons. First: I love Helen Thomas. She may be the ONLY investigative journalist left in this country. And second: This is yet another example of how blatantly this administration has lied to us.

Listen to the exchange, particularly this section near the end:

THOMAS: "You are denying in this room that we torture, that we have tortured?"

PERINO: "I am denying that."

One has to wonder how Perino can say that with a straight face considering the evidence.

... this is the first time sources have disclosed that a handful of the most senior advisers in the White House explicitly approved the details of the program. According to multiple sources, it was members of the Principals Committee that not only discussed specific plans and specific interrogation methods, but approved them. [...]

At the time, the Principals Committee included Vice President Cheney, former National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell, as well as CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General John Ashcroft.

I must agree with Ms. Thomas, who appears at the end to be asking the other reporters in the room to step up to the plate: "where is everybody ... for God sakes"

I'd like to know that, too!

Scalia on Bush v. Gore 2000: "Get Over It"

(sorry about the advertising ... geezz)

Scalia repeated his earlier statement that people should “get over” the court’s ruling in 2000 that halted Florida’s vote recount, giving the presidential election to Republican Bush over Democrat Al Gore.



“I say nonsense,” Scalia said, when asked about critics who say the 5-4 ruling was based on politics and not justice. “Get over it. It’s so old by now.” (more)

I agree with Petulant at Shakesville who said: "We'll Get Over It When Conservatives "get over" Roe v. Wade."

No Justice for Sean Bell

Sean Bell was celebrating with friends the night before he was to be married. It was a bachelor party turned tragic when in the wee hours of the morning -- on his wedding day -- Bell was killed as police officers fired 50 shots at the unarmed man.

The three officers on trial for the shooting were acquitted of all charges today. This simply cannot be justice.

Three detectives were acquitted of all charges Friday in the 50-shot killing of an unarmed groom-to-be on his wedding day, a case that put the NYPD at the center of another dispute involving allegations of excessive firepower.

Justice Arthur Cooperman delivered the verdict in a Queens courtroom packed with spectators, including victim Sean Bell's fiancee and parents, as at least 200 people gathered outside the building. [...]

The officers, complaining that pretrial publicity had unfairly painted them as cold-blooded killers, opted to have the judge decide the case rather than a jury.

Officers Michael Oliver, 36, and Gescard Isnora, 29, stood trial for manslaughter while Officer Marc Cooper, 40, was charged only with reckless endangerment. Two other shooters weren't charged. Oliver squeezed off 31 shots; Isnora fired 11 rounds; and Cooper shot four times.

A conviction on manslaughter could have brought up to 25 years in prison; the penalty for reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor, is a year behind bars.

The case brought back painful memories of other NYPD shootings, such as the 1999 shooting of Amadou Diallo — an African immigrant who was gunned down in a hail of 41 bullets by police officers who mistook his wallet for a gun. The acquittal of the officers in that case created a storm of protest, with hundreds arrested after taking to the streets in demonstration.

Pictured above is Sean Bell with his fiancee Nicole Paultre and their daughter.


Previously:
Coast to Coast Racism
November 26, 2006

Obama Waffles

This is so true!!

I was just doing a little blog surfing when I came across this by Lambert at Corrente:

Somebody needs to tell Obama's supporters...

… that when you’re in a fight, complaining how tired you are isn’t the best way to win it.

That’s all I hear today* from the “creative class” [cough] and the pundits and the OFB:

I’m t-i-i-i-r-e-d!

Well, you’re going to be a lot more tired pretty soon. Like the PA trucker said: “That woman has thirty hours in her day.”

This is soooooo true!! I was invited to be on a call with Sen. Clinton today, and she had just come from a rally in downtown Indianapolis -- a city where I once lived and worked. Her enthusiasm was amazing. She talked about last night's primary win, and about her experience at the rally today.

She shared a touching story about the young mother of three who had introduced her at the rally. Like much of the country, times are tough in Indiana -- so this woman researched each candidate to decide who would best serve HER interests if elected. The candidate she picked was Sen. Clinton. So she sent the Senator a $25 donation.

As the weeks progress, and it became apparent the contest would continue, the woman decided to up her contribution to $25 a month -- which given her budget is a lot. Feeling that still wasn't enough, the woman has been spending her lunch hours at Clinton headquarters making phone calls! Sen. Clinton could relate to this woman as a mother who wants the best for her children.

This young woman used to be a Republican, but thinks her party abandoned her ... and she is now supporting a Democrat.

I'm from Indiana, and while I lived there the state was mostly Democratic. It broke my heart to see it swing into the "red" state column -- but with economic times as tough as they are, this could be the year it swings back!

I'm not sure where Sen. Clinton is at this moment, but I do know she spend at least a few hours today in Washington, DC. She came back for the vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

Like the PA trucker said: “That woman has thirty hours in her day.”

Why We Need 60

It's the magic number -- 60. You need 60 votes in the Senate to stop a filibuster. You need 60 votes to override a presidential veto. You need 60 votes to GET ANYTHING DONE in the Senate. The Democrats don't have 60 votes. So what we have is the most obstructionist Senate in history.

The National Women's Law Center reports:

On Wednesday, the Senate voted on a motion to advance the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a key bill that would have a major impact on the lives of women who’ve been subject to pay discrimination. While we didn’t get the 60 votes necessary to move to the next big step — scheduling a debate and vote on the bill itself — the fight isn’t over. Tell your Senators the bill deserves fair consideration on the Senate floor.

Women in the United States are still paid only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. For women of color, the numbers are even worse - African American women earn 63 cents and Latinas earn 52 cents for every dollar paid to white men.

Equal Pay Day - the point in 2008 when the average woman's wages finally catch up with what the average man earned in 2007 - was Tuesday, April 22. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act would have given all employees a better shot at a fair workplace, making it easier to ensure justice for those who have been discriminated against based on sex, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, and age.

The New York Times wrote:

...[T]he bill would re-establish that the deadline for making a charge of pay discrimination under Title VII runs from when a worker receives unequal pay, not from the day a company first decided to discriminate, as the Supreme Court wrongly insisted.

Many employers keep salaries and raises confidential, as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg aptly noted in her dissent in the Ledbetter case. By making it clear that the 180-day clock restarts with each discriminatory paycheck, the act avoids rewarding employers that obscure lower raises given on the basis of such considerations as gender or race.

Far from eliminating the current statute of limitations for filing pay discrimination claims, as some opponents claim, it merely restores a reasonable notion of when the clock starts running. The House approved the same measure in July, but it remains to be seen whether enough Republican votes can be mustered to overcome a filibuster threat in the Senate.

The act’s defeat would please the Bush White House and the United States Chamber of Commerce. It would be a significant civil rights setback.

Take a look at how the Senate voted, and you will see why we need more Democrats in Congress. If you are not working on a campaign, sign up to do so TODAY.

$10 Million in Less Than 24 Hours

In less than 24 hours, Sen. Clinton has raised $10 million dollars online. $10 million from 60,000 NEW contributors. How exciting is that!

You can be part of the excitement, too! Simply go to HillaryClinton.com and contribute. You know you want to!

Isn't it Moronic

h/t to FranIam

Let's Party!

Clinton 55% ..... Obama 45%

The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on

The mostly male pundits on talking-head TV just don't get it. It appears Sen. Clinton is going to win Pennsylvania by 10 points.

Before the polls closed they all said if she didn't win she should quit. Then, as the results starting coming in, they said if she didn't win by more than 7 points she should quit. Then, when she was ahead by 8 points they said if she didn't win by double digits she should quit.

When are they going to 'get it' ... that the PEOPLE don't want Sen. Clinton to quit.

Clearly Democrats are not ready for this contest to end.

Sen. Obama outspent Sen. Clinton at least 3 to 1, running literally THOUSANDS of television ads. Hey, I worked in advertising for a decade. I was sure his ad budget alone would make this a very close contest, if not tip the scale in his direction. I was wrong.

Sen. Clinton is connecting with working Americans. Blue collar voters who are concerned about the economy are voting for Clinton. They see her as someone who can fix the problems created by Bush & Co. Clearly they don't have that same opinion of Obama. This is the audience Democrats MUST have to win in November.

I certainly hope superdelegates are paying attention.

Neither candidate can secure enough pledged delegates to win the election, so it's going to be up to superdelegates. I hope they recognize that Clinton has won all the key states Democrats must win to wrap up the November election. I hope they recognize that core Democrats have consistently supported Clinton from the start. I hope they recognize that it's going to take a fighter to win against John McCain, and Obama has consistently demonstrated that when the going gets tough he folds.

As I write this the talking heads are still talking. They are desperately trying to give Sen. Obama hints about what he needs to do to win.

In the meantime, Sen. Clinton is rolling up her sleeves and getting ready for Indiana and North Carolina. I think she honestly believes she can make the lives of everyday Americans better. If you think so, too, and you haven't yet contributed to her campaign, it's time to pull out your wallet and send her a few bucks.

I'm not asking you to do anything I haven't already done myself. My $100 is part of the more than $2.5 million she has raised since the networks called PA for Clinton.

You know you want to .... DONATE NOW!

Clinton Wins Pennsylvania

Keith Olbermann just broke down in tears.

Russert went running from the building.

Chris Matthews can't feel his legs.


DONATE

UPDATE: Olbermann, Russert and Matthews are still stammering. They just don't know what to say, because it's so clear their guy simply can't close the deal. This is actually fun to watch! ha

Stolen, with gratitude, from Taylor Marsh!

Better late than never ...

Sending best wishes to Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein

Impeach the mutha, already!

For Tengrain at Mock, Paper, Scissors.

h/t to Space Cowboy at Shakesville

Seeds of a new progressive blogosphere

Feminist bloggers, tired of the sexism and misogyny on the so-called 'progressive' blogosphere, are speaking out. It's the 2008 version of "Network" -- we're mad as hell, and we're not going to take it any longer.

A list is taking shape of those political bloggers who are either pro-Hillary or at least fair in their coverage of the candidates — in other words, bloggers who aren’t raving Clinton-hating Obamabots.

DONATE
We can make it happen!

Campaigning is tough ...

Sen. Barack Obama, with Sen. Bob Casey, takes a break for breakfast at the Glider Diner, while campaigning in Scranton on Monday. And he must have been pretty hungry!

"Why can't I just eat my waffle?" he said, when asked a foreign policy question by a reporter at the diner.

I'm sure campaigns can be grueling, but hey ... you asked for it! ha

Border wall project still going strong

Despite the idiocy of building a border wall to try to keep out illegal immigrants, the federal government is still going full speed ahead to get the wall built. DCBirdingBlog has a great piece on the environmental impact such a wall will have on the area, and you can always visit the No Border Wall blog for more updates and information on the unconstitutional tactics the Bush Administration is using to ram the project through.

I hope there will be some attention paid to this issue during the RGV birding festival in November.

Obama Not Ready for Prime Time

Once again Sen. Obama has demonstrated why he is clearly not ready for prime time, and why he would be such an easy target for Republicans should he become the Dem nominee.

Take a look at this video from the Democratic Party on YouTube. It clearly presents a strategy all Dems should embrace -- that John McCain would be Bush 3.



Democrats would be crazy NOT to tie McCain to Bush, since George W. Bush has been such a disaster. But look what Taylor Marsh has up this morning:

Last week was miserable for Barack Obama. But now he's making matters worse for us all by scuttling Democratic efforts to equate a McCain presidency with a third term for George W. Bush. Just take a look at the above video, which is an official video from the Democratic Party on YouTube. Oh, and it's by no means the only video like this from the DNC. We need this like a whole in the head.

"You have a real choice in this election. Either Democrat would be better than John McCain," Obama said to cheers from a rowdy crowd in central Pennsylvania. Then he said: "And all three of us would be better than George Bush."
Obama says McCain would be better than Bush

Hillary Clinton has also compared McCain's "lifetime of experience," and come up with some parallels that don't include Obama, which is illustrated in this video. But her arguments make the case why McCain is a formidable opponent in the general election, not why McCain would be a better president than Bush. It's a huge difference. (more)

Obama is clearly not ready for prime time. Let's hope voters realize this, before it's too late.

Danica Patrick Breaks Another Glass Ceiling

Anyone following her career knew it was just a matter of time before Danica Patrick would break the glass ceiling of IndyCar racing -- and that day has arrived!

Danica Patrick became the first female winner in IndyCar history Sunday, taking the Indy Japan 300 after the top contenders were forced to pit for fuel in the final laps.

Patrick finished 5.8594 seconds ahead of pole-sitter Helio Castroneves on the 1.5-mile Twin Ring Motegi oval after leader Scott Dixon pitted with five laps left and Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan came in a lap later.

"It's a long time coming. Finally," Patrick said. "It was a fuel strategy race, but my team called it perfectly for me. I knew I was on the same strategy as Helio and when I passed him for the lead, I couldn't believe it. This is fabulous."

The 26-year-old Patrick won in her 50th career IndyCar start, taking the lead from Castroneves on the 198th lap in the 200-lap race.

"I think Danica is such a fantastic person and I'm thrilled for her that the monkey is finally off of her back," said Michael Andretti, co-owner of Andretti Green Racing. "We have all believed in her and she proved today that she is a winner. Frankly, I think this is the first of many." [...]

At the 2005 Indy 500, she nearly won the pole and became the first female driver to lead the race en route to a fourth-place finish. It was the best finish by a woman at Indy, and helped her take rookie of the year honors.

Now, it's on to Indianapolis, and let's win there!

Sunday Funnies

The Hillary factor

h/t to Tennessee Guerilla Women

Saturday Morning Music Break

Friday Night Fun!

No Comment

h/t to Wonkette

Bringing Sexy Back

No, this is not a doggie blog, but ... Bella did go to a new pet salon and is now sporting quite a sexy set of eyebrows. Check 'em out!


She's walking around the house now like she owns the place.

Bart was impressed, but a little jealous of her spa day. To make it up to him, he got a bath last night. Not sure it was exactly what he had in mind, but there are now two clean puppies in the Yikes household.

Obama Finger-gate: Oh, no he didn't!

Tell me that Obama didn't just give Sen. Clinton the finger. Wow, nice way to stay classy, Barry. Geezz

Check out what others are saying at Tennessee Guerilla Women.


UPDATE: The first video posted has been removed from You Tube, so I've added another version. I am also including here a link to what appears to be the same speech, delivered to a different audience. (Notice the different people sitting behind the Senator.) In it, Obama pauses at the same spot, and gives the same finger gesture. Coincidence, or planned? You decide.

Blog for Fair Pay for Women

There are questions that keep coming up year after year. Like why do women STILL earn less than men? Currently 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man. And why, when women climb the corporate ladder, is the percentage earned on the dollar even worse? The last time I checked it was around 44 cents for every dollar earned by a man.

A short sighted, but obvious, reason for the discrepancy in pay is because people who profit under this system want it to continue. And those people are, for the most part, affluent, white, presumed to be heterosexual men.

These guys have been making money off the backs of women and people of color since the creation of our “more perfect union.” Which suggests we need to do a lot more work to make that promise a reality.

When women earn less than men everyone suffers.

The single woman, who doesn’t get a break on her rent or grocery bill because she earns less.

The single mother, trying to provide a home for her children, who doesn’t get a break on the cost of school clothes or books.

The wife, or partner, who is only able to contribute 77% (compared to her husband/partners 100%) to the household income, because she earns less.

And PLEASE don’t try and tell me it’s because women don’t WANT to earn more. We (women) have heard that lame argument for decades – and it simply is not true.

The 77% is based on women who work full time. They are women, like me, who MUST work to either provide for themselves or contribute to their household income. Face it, the men running this country have really fucked things up to the point where everyone living in a household NEEDS to work to survive. We barely have a middle class any longer.

I’ve been trying to get my two dogs to get a paper route or something, but so far neither one is biting. And maybe that’s a good thing, because who wants a dog that bites.

The point here is that EVERYONE needs to be advocating for pay equity, and one way you can DO that is by contacting your Senators and urging them to PASS the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

It only takes a few seconds to make a difference that could last a lifetime!

"I Shot the Sheriff" Comes to Mind

This is not the first, nor I fear the last news report we hear about law a enforcement official sexually assaulting women in their custody. This latest incident occurred in Oklahoma.

Authorities have charged Sheriff Mike Burgess with "coercing and bribing female inmates so he could use them in a sex-slave operation run out of his jail."

[S]tate prosecutors filed 35 felony charges against him, including 14 counts of second-degree rape, seven counts of forcible oral sodomy and five counts of bribery by a public official. [...]

Among other things, Burgess is accused of having sex with a female drug court participant who was in his custody. The crimes are to have occurred between October 2005 and April 2007.

A federal lawsuit filed in October claims Burgess told one drug court participant he would have her sent to prison if she didn't comply with his sexual demands. [...]

Burgess also faces two counts each of sexual battery, rape by instrumentation and subornation of perjury, and one count each of engaging in a pattern of criminal offenses, indecent exposure and kidnapping.

He could be sentenced to 467 years in prison if convicted on all counts, special prosecutor James Boring said, though a lesser sentence would be more likely.

The topic of violence against women came up at dinner last night. My friend shared a story about a conversation she had with a group of men who were trying to convince her that violence against women, and particularly rape, is a result of how men have evolved. Now I must confess I'm not precisely sure how they made this case, and I am sure it's not because they are "anti-evolution" since I know some of the men and we are all activists who engage others in support for the theory of evolution.

My friend's response to them was something like (not sure this is a completely accurate quote): "Then maybe the answer is that every time a man is convicted of raping a woman his punishment is to have his penis cut off -- and then chopped up into a thousand little pieces in front of him. Maybe THAT would inspire men to evolve in a new direction."

It's an interesting thought.

People who know a lot more about this subject than I do have often told me that men who commit this type of violence rarely do it just once. For that reason they cringe when they hear the term "serial rapist" used to describe some men, because to them EVERY rapist is a serial rapist.

We have heard about the sexual violence taking place in our military, against our own female soldiers. There are countless stories of women being used as weapons of war, with the action usually involving rape and other forms of torture. We know that sexism is ingrained in our culture, and contributes to a sense of entitlement some men feel towards women. My question is when, as a nation, are we ever going to address this?

I can hear the comments now ... your post is titled "I Shot the Sheriff" ... you've talked about chopping off a man's penis ... doesn't this contribute to the whole issue of violence? Maybe it's the way some women have evolved.

Kareem hears a sexist

I haven't seen the film "Horton Hears a Who" but find the following message telling about our culture. Basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar might seem at first glance an unlikely source of insight on the issue of sexism, but he has clearly demonstrated why stereotyping is not only wrong, but dangerous.

In his post "Horton hears a racist" -- Abdul-Jabbar's take on the "Horton" film -- the star athlete asks: "How can a beloved Dr. Seuss story do so much harm?"

This isn’t a review of the movie, it’s a review of how Hollywood sometimes contributes to the divisiveness within the country. Ironically, Horton Hears a Who has done more damage to our society than the recent slate of politically motivated movies about the war in Iraq (Rendition, Stop-Loss, Lambs for Lions, Redacted, In the Valley of Elah, etc.) has done good. For one thing, more people saw Horton than saw all the other movies combined.

How can a beloved Dr. Seuss story do so much harm? Well, the original book by Dr. Seuss is just fine, a timeless tale that has been delighting children since it was first published in 1954. The story of the brave elephant that is willing to endure the harshest condemnation from his friends and community in order to protect those in need is a wonderful lesson for children.

But then along comes the movie. To make the story long enough for a full-length movie, a sub-plot was added about the mayor of Whoville who has 96 cheerful daughters and one brooding son. This is where things take a nasty turn. Basically, the mayor ignores his 96 daughters in order to groom his uninterested son to become mayor. Why doesn’t he groom one of his much more enthusiastic daughters? And, of course, it is the brooding son who, in the end, saves the entire world of Whoville. The daughters? They get to cheer from the sidelines. While it’s true that in the book a “very small shirker named Jo-Jo” does add his tiny voice to the din and thus saves Whoville, but that promotes the idea that we all have our part to play in our community, not that sons are smarter than daughters.

“Hey, it’s just a cartoon,” you might say. But this particular cartoon will be seen by millions of children around the world. And they will come away with a clear impression that a single son is worth more than 96 daughters. Those boys are inherently more valuable than girls, and more likely to be successful (in this case, in saving the world) than girls.

What’s especially insidious here isn’t just that the subplot was written and approved and filmed, but that since the movie has come out, there hasn’t been a popular outcry about it. That we don’t even ask why, in the years it took to make the movie, no one along the line said, “This isn’t a good message to send to our kids.” Is it because sexism is so ingrained in our society that we don’t even flinch at it when it’s shoved in our faces?

So where is the outcry?

If you read the comment thread following the post you will discover that tragically, sexism is so ingrained in our culture that even when it's so clearly pointed out to them many still fail to see it.

Clinton: The Woman vs The Person and Feminism vs Humanism

Whew ... the title alone might be enough to either draw you in, or turn you away completely, depending on your perspective. I love Melissa McEwan's writing, and the title of this post combines two of her recent entries at Shakesville that I think are must read posts:

Clinton the Woman vs. Clinton the Person
posted by Melissa McEwan at Shakesville

"... a commenter said (with regard to the "when he hears the senator's voice, he's overcome by an urge to punch her in the face" quote highlighted in my Feminism and Humanism piece): "I want to punch Clinton the person, not Clinton the woman."

"These are not separable identities. [...]

"I see this notion everywhere—that some violent urge toward Hillary Clinton isn't aimed at "Clinton the woman," but at some other magical version of her where her sex and gender have been erased, presumably along with the entire cultural context of womanhood. The semantic contortions invoked to extricate "Hillary Clinton the person" from "Hillary Clinton the woman" are an attempt to do an end-run around that context, to create a space outside of reality, where Hillary Clinton exists in some sexless, genderless limbo and people can talk about wanting to injure that non-woman without all the icky negative images injuring actual women conjures for most decent people. [...]

"Here's the thing: Hillary Clinton can't escape the context of womanhood by wishing it away, and you can't wish it away, either. She can't wave a magic wand and erase it to her benefit, and you can't declare it irrelevant while discussing how you want to pummel her. She doesn't get to say, "I'm not running for president as a woman; I'm running for president as a person," because being a woman still matters in this culture; womanhood still precludes full personhood. You don't get to pretend that's not the reality in which we live to declare you're punching "Hillary Clinton the person," not "Hillary Clinton the woman."

This provides additional context for the previous comments.

Feminism 101: Feminism and Humanism
posted by Melissa McEwan at Shakesville

Why feminism (where "feminism" means sex equality) cannot be subsumed by humanism (where "humanism" means equality for all humans): Because the majority of humans still don't understand why calling Hillary Clinton a cunt and a whore is sexist.

That's the short version. But since I am never succinct when verbosity will do...

From Rebecca Traister's Hey, Obama boys: Back off already! (emphasis and bracketed edit mine):

One of my closest girlfriends, an Obama voter, told me of a drink she'd had with a politically [faux]gressive man who made a series of legitimate complaints about Clinton's policies before adding that when he hears the senator's voice, he's overcome by an urge to punch her in the face.

That's a visceral and violent reaction to something that is specifically feminine.* And as long as there are men, who would ostensibly be part of the "humanist" movement, yet retain a visceral and violent reaction to the feminine, there is no foundation for a sexless, "humanist" movement.

Exciting birding in new places

Yesterday I took the scenic route home with the intent of checking out a new birding place that my work pal Hillel told me about: an old rail tunnel near a little burg called Coburn, through which Penns Creek flows. There's a trail where the train tracks used to be, and Hillel thinks it might be a good place to see woodcocks. As I've never seen a woodcock, I wanted to swing through there and maybe catch some early evening peenting and displaying.

No such luck on the woodcocks, but while on the scenic route over Brush Mountain, I saw a lifebird: a ruffed grouse, the PA state bird! He was right up on the edge of the little road, looking around. If I'd had my camera out and ready, I would've gotten a great shot, as I was maybe ten feet away from him. But he moved into the brushy cover too quickly for me; I waited to see if I could spot him again, but it was impossible. He mixed in too well. Still--a lifer!

So I drove on to the old rail tunnel, parked, and started looking around. Here are some shots of the old tunnel, hewn directly into the rocks many moons ago:

The moss had grown onto the rock around the entrance to the tunnel:
Here, you can see that while they prettied up the entrance with cut stone, the actual tunnel walls themselves were left natural:

I love seeing moss growing like this; it's so soft and green and alive, with water flowing out of the rocks:

Sigh. So beautiful. While I was looking at the tunnel, I heard a bird sound--a single "chock" that resonated through the woods. I thought it might be a some sort of grouse or a turkey, but I've listened to a lot of those sounds (owls, gamebirds, etc.) and just can't find it. It was a warbly but sharp "chock" sound. Does anyone have any other guesses?

I also saw a first-of-year Eastern wood-pewee; here are my best shots of him:

I thought it might be a phoebe, but the beak and the size were wrong; I'm pretty sure it's a wood-pewee, but if you disagree, please let me know!

I also saw a northern harrier, several brown thrashers, and the usual flurry of American robins, grackles, red-winged blackbirds, European starlings, and American crows.

I can't wait to go there super-early one morning, to see what migrants might pass through. I'm hoping for some good birding there as the migration gets into gear.

For John: Obama's Jedi Mind Tricks

John, the minute I saw this I thought of you -- and keep reading, there's more!

But first, I want to take a moment to tell egalia, at Tennessee Guerilla Women, that I think you are terrific!! TGW has posted a list of pro-Hillary blogs. I'm including them here, so that John will have even more blog sites to visit.

John, it's not that I haven't enjoyed the back and forth ... I would simply like others to have the opportunity to have spirited exchanges with you as well!

So here you go ... and thanks to TGW for the list!

Tom Watson
Taylor Marsh
Corrente
James Wolcott
Big Tent Democrat
Jeralyn Merritt
Lance Mannion
Blue Girl
Riverdaughter
Shakespeare's Sister
John Amato at Crooks and Liars
Fred Wilson
Joe Gandelman
Jeff Jarvis
Jon Swift? (The rare righty who doesn't hate Hillary)
Jane Hamsher
Jessica Valenti
Digby
Tina Brown
eRiposte
Jeff Dinelli
Jerome Armstrong
Todd Beeton
Tennessee Guerilla Women
Pamela Leavey
No Quarter
Lane Hudson
Perez Hilton
Susie Madrak
Daily Howler
Hillary's Bloggers
Anglachel
The Redstar Perspective
NYC Weboy
The Hillary 1000
Blue Lyon
The Reclusive Leftist
Mojave Wolf
Adorable Girlfriend
Republic of Dogs
Bartcop
Donna Darko
MOMocrats
Delilah Boyd
Sugar N Spice
I Have an Opinion
West and Divided
Democratic Wings
Progressive Involvement
Feministe
Dave Johnson
No Blood for Hubris
Men for Hillary
Political Discontent

Birthday Cake for Everyone!!

We are celebrating three birthday's today!!

Dr. Zaius (who gets 2 pieces!)
the Pope
and ME!

UPDATE: We need to add Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to our birthday list!

I'm Still Standing

Happy Tax Day

Florida woman clarifies "bitter" vs "clings to"

Someone who might have a reason to be bitter is this Florida woman, whose vote may not count.


h/t to Lambert at Corrente

Did Chicago have television in the 90's?

One has to wonder, the way Sen. Obama tries to lump Pres. Clinton's administration in with the Reagan/Bush and Bush years. Or does Obama think we simply can't see through his transparency? If he puts his hand over his eyes, do we disappear? One has to wonder.

Larry Johnson is basically asking the same question -- only he's wondering if Obama was kidnapped during Bill Clinton's term as president. I encourage you to read the laundry list of reasons why Johnson is asking this basic question. Here is a little of what's listed there, to get you started:

EXPANDING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL

• Unemployment Down to 4.1%: The unemployment rate in Pennsylvania has declined from 7.3% to 4.1% since 1993.


• 503,600 New Jobs: 503,600 new jobs have been created in Pennsylvania since 1993 — an average of 71,096 jobs per year. In contrast, an average of 500 jobs were lost each year under the previous administration.


• 486,300 New Private Sector Jobs: Since 1993, 486,300 new private sector jobs have been created—an average of 68,654 jobs per year, compared to an average loss of 2,325 private sector jobs per year in the previous administration.


• 43,600 New Construction Jobs: 43,600 construction jobs have been created in Pennsylvania since 1993 — an average of 6,155 jobs per year. In contrast, an average of 8,775 construction jobs were lost each year during the previous administration.


• Poverty Has Fallen: Nationally, the poverty rate has fallen from 15.1% in 1993 to 12.7% in 1998. In Pennsylvania, the poverty rate has fallen from 13.2% in 1993 to 11.2% in 1998 –down 2.0% under President Clinton. [Census Bureau]

(more)

Flower Roll Call

Marigolds! (from two years ago!)

Started by Monkey von Monkerstein with irises.

Update!

Cap'n Dyke with Alstroemeria!

Splotchy with Daffodils!

Fran with Clematis!

Politits with Peach Blossoms!

Bubs with Scilla!

Quote of the day

"Creationists make it sound as though a 'theory' is something you dreamt up after being drunk all night."

-- Isaac Asimov

h/t to The Church of Lost Souls

Blog in Solidarity: Congo Rape Epidemic

I cannot improve on what Melissa McEwan has written at Shakesville, so I won't try. I do encourage you to visit her blog and read this important post. The war on women must be stopped, and you CAN help make a difference.

Inspired in large part by Lisa Jackson's film, The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo, which is airing this month on HBO, SheCodes at Black Women Vote (via Elle, Marcella, and Anxious Black Woman) exhorted other bloggers to participate in a blogswarm "to raise awareness by blogging about this issue on April 13th."

The prevalence of rape in the Congo has been described as the worst in the world:

The prevalence and intensity of sexual violence against women in eastern Congo are "almost unimaginable," the top U.N. humanitarian official said Saturday after visiting the country's most fragile region, where militia groups have preyed on the civilian population for years.

John Holmes, who coordinates U.N. emergency relief operations, said 4,500 cases of sexual violence have been reported in just one eastern province since January, though the actual number is surely much higher. Rape has become "almost a cultural phenomenon," he said.

"Violence and rape at the hands of these armed groups has become all too common," said Holmes, who spent four days in eastern Congo. "The intensity and frequency is worse than anywhere else in the world."

Hundreds of thousands of women have reportedly been raped in the Congo, with sexual violence "so widespread that the medical aid charity, Médecins sans Frontières, [said in November] that 75% of all the rape cases it deals with worldwide are in eastern Congo." (more)