Catching Up on my Election Countdown.

10 Days til the election.

The US (and, consequently, the Worldwide) Economy is continuing to choke and sink.

Our economy was at an all time high in the last Democratic administration. Under G.W.Bush, our economy has fallen deeper than many economists believed possible ever again. The world has lost faith in the US, both politically, and economically.

McCain’s hero, Reagan’s "trickle down economics" did not work in the 1980s, and they will not work now. Old Republican ideas simply are not working. It’s time for a change in Washington.

The New York TImes officially endorsed Senator Obama for president.

"The American financial system is the victim of decades of Republican deregulatory and anti-tax policies. Those ideas have been proved wrong at an unfathomable price, but Mr. McCain — a self-proclaimed “foot soldier in the Reagan revolution” — is still a believer.

Mr. Obama sees that far-reaching reforms will be needed to protect Americans and American business.

Mr. McCain talks about reform a lot, but his vision is pinched. His answer to any economic question is to eliminate pork-barrel spending — about $18 billion in a $3 trillion budget — cut taxes and wait for unfettered markets to solve the problem.

Mr. Obama is clear that the nation’s tax structure must be changed to make it fairer. That means the well-off Americans who have benefited disproportionately from Mr. Bush’s tax cuts will have to pay some more. Working Americans, who have seen their standard of living fall and their children’s options narrow, will benefit. Mr. Obama wants to raise the minimum wage and tie it to inflation, restore a climate in which workers are able to organize unions if they wish and expand educational opportunities.

Mr. McCain, who once opposed President Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy as fiscally irresponsible, now wants to make them permanent. And while he talks about keeping taxes low for everyone, his proposed cuts would overwhelmingly benefit the top 1 percent of Americans while digging the country into a deeper fiscal hole."

(view the rest of the article!)

I have already voted for Obama, and I hope the rest of the nation does likewise.

Large View?

Yes We Can.

On September 11th, 2001, the US was attacked by a guerilla organization, based in Afghanistan. George Bush used the attacks of September 11th to pull the greatest political scam in US history, and directed American Patriotic Anger not at the Al Quaeda in Afghanistan, who were responsible for the attacks….but at the nation of Iraq.

Senator Barack Obama has stood against the unjust war on Iraq since the beginning.

Now Senator John McCain is stirring up anger….and directing it at the neighboring nation…Iran.

Afghanistan continues to house the terrorists who attacked the US….and yet we’re directing our fire power elsewhere, and Republicans like John McCain would have us continue to ignore the terrorists within Afghanistan until we have used the full force of our indignation to remove ever Muslim country from the map.

Let me make this clear: I do not support a war on Iraq, Iran, North Korea, or Afghanistan. September 11th was the action of an independent, civilian terrorist organization, not any single nation or religious group. I do not believe that any war will bring back our dead. Causing more death is just a tragedy.

But I will not stand for politicians killing human beings, in the name of a justice falsely served on the wrong nation.

Senator Obama has never made any false promise that he absolutely will not wage war on Afghanistan. However he has vowed to meet with diplomatic leaders from any nation. And for making a promise to pursue diplomacy, he has taken criticism.

What sort of backward world do we live in, where we would rather wage a war than a conversation?

I believe that diplomacy begins with words and mutual respect, not with ammunition.

This is another reason I chose to vote for Barack Obama.

About the photo:

Five years ago, Lauren and I marched from Pioneer Square, in a rally against the war in Iraq. We joined a die-in. This is basically an organization where people pose dead on the street. The intention is to confront people with the realitities of the war. War in theory is only numbers. But in reality, it’s real people dying. Real children. Someone’s brother. Someone’s daughter. Someone’s father. Someone’s best friend. And if you see real people, and think of the world that would be left behind without them, it’s harder to make the sacrifice.

soo….

Today, Lauren and I again marched from Pioneer Square (accompanied by a woman I met this woman in a coffee shop).

Today’s march was a Zombie walk. Which is a bit more fun in purpose. Several thousand Zombies took over the city today.

Chanting:
What do we want?
Brains.
When do we want them? When do we want them?
Braaaaaaiins…..

I thought I could get some pretty provocative photos, that would accomplish the same shock confrontation as the die-in. It’s hard to be a zombie and hold a camera though. But my message still stands.

Vote NAKED.

I managed to get a day behind on my posting. Yesterday:

I Voted!!

All voting is by mail here. Which means that I can take the time to research all of the ballot measures, even if I’m not expecting them. And I can vote at my convenience.

But most important of all?

I get to vote Naked!

So you see me surrounded by the two official voting pamphlets, which are half an inch thick each and break issues into pros and cons. And the local liberal news’ endorsements. And a huge sheet with the official language of each ballot measures. And the internet, for added research support.

And I’m still not done voting. There are some measures I might just have to skip, but I have a few weeks left for added research.

Also? It should be noted that it took me about 5 minutes and 8 photos to completely fill in my little Obama bubble.

No One is Pro-Abortion.

I was up til 4am editing this, so I’m posting it here a day late.

12 Days til the election.

I love life. I love babies. I believe fetuses are babies, and drawing some arbitrary line will not magically distinguish life from cell.

And I am Pro Choice.

It took me a long time to come to terms with my views on abortion.

But what it comes down to is safety.

Safety of the mother. Safety of the child.

No matter what the legal situation, women will have abortions. Wealthy women will travel and spend money to acquire safe, sanitary abortions. Impoverished women who choose to terminate will rely on back alley abortions, with non-medically trained abortionists. Historically, women in this situation were prone to sexual assault, and other numerous traumas in addition to the painful loss of a child.

Women choose to terminate pregnancies for countless reasons, from their financial ability to take care of a child to their physical ability to carry a child to term.

Senator McCain smirks at women’s health, but until recently childbirth was the number one cause of death for women. I personally know several women who would like to bear children but will be risking their own lives to carry to term. It would absolutely devastate them to let the baby go, but if it comes to terminating the fetus or killing both mother and child, their decision is painful and clear.

Senator McCain is advocating that we restrict and terminate many social services that support impoverished familes and unwed mothers, and yet he has altered his position on abortion so as to outlaw abortion. He is demanding that women carry their children to term and raise them….yet he is taking away all support networks that might make a place in the world for those children.

There is a direct link between abortion and crime. Abortion cuts crime. Why? Because when abortion is legal, impoverished children are not being brought into the world, and forced to fend for themselves.

Barack Obama advocates that we address the root of the problem, and reduce unwanted pregnancies. Why not address the cause of the problem, rather than fighting over the kill switch?

Just one more reason I’m voting for Senator Obama.

Keep Marriage Gay.

Watch this.

Just a few short months after legalizing gay marriage, California has a new ballot measure out there to undermine the ruling, and permanently alter the California Constitution, to add in discrimination and hatred.

The reasons? Apparently allowing gay people to legally acknowledge their love and receive the 1000+ benefits of marriage will somehow unmarry all the straight homophobes out there. Apparently including homosexuality in safe sex discussions will turn children into buggers. Apparently allowing gay people to adopt children will catalyze the coming apocalypse. As it turns out, allowing gay people to be treated as equal citizens will take away straight people’s rights and turn the whole country into a slathering mass of hateful homos.

Think that’s bullshit? Think gay and lesbian couples should be able to marry?

Vote NO on California’s Proposition 8!

Vote Early, Vote Often!

The election is in two weeks.

According to The Charleston Gazette early voters are already experiencing voting fraud. Voters in Jackson County are reporting touch screen ballots literally flipping their votes from "Obama" to "McCain."

Please be pro-active about voting, and vote early. By voting early, you can help stop any machine "malfunctions" before the masses of voters arrive on November 4th. If you spot a machine malfunction, you can ask your poll workers to spend as much time as you need fixing the problem. You will not have the same luxury on November 4th!

Many voting machines will present a review of your selections when you have finished voting. Please review your summary carefully to assure that your votes went where you think they went.

In many areas, voters will be given the choice between a touch screen voting machine, and a paper ballot. Request a paper ballot!

A touch screen can be insensitive, miscallibrated, or tampered with electronically. You trust your own eyes, and you trust your own hands.

Vote early.

Vote on paper.

And vote carefully.

You can locate a place to vote early on voteforchange.com – look for the Early Vote link at the top of the screen.

Application to join the Evil League of Evil.

Joss Whedon is hosting a contest to join the Evil League of Evil. *

Go see my application.

I sing!

And my hair is an awesome mess and my makeup is amazing. Love me.

Leave comments on YouTube so I look popular!
And forward it to your friends (so I look popular)!

* If you don’t know anything about Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog, it is the guerrilla webcast brainchild of Joss Whedon [creator of Buffy and Firefly], starring Neil Patrick Harris [you know...the fellow who played Doogie Howser].

An Open Letter to Senators Biden and Obama.

As sent to the Obama-Biden campaign:

While I initially lauded Senator Biden’s equal rights approach to the issue of gay marriage, I was absolutely stunned to see that when backed into a corner, he spoke out against gay marriage, and represented Senator Obama as standing against gay marriage.

What is it about a group of intelligent, kind-hearted, well-educated, loving people that is so terrifying to America?

I have been a staunch supporter of Barack Obama since his 2004 race for senate, and have been a regular local volunteer for the campaign many months. However, as of tonight’s debate, I have been entirely alienated.

1 in 9 Americans is openly homosexual – and most gays in America vote Democrat. The gayest 10% of Americans may very well make up 20% of your 48% supporting demographic. An additional swarm of active liberals are passionate activists for equal rights to all Americans.

In a race this close, are you truly prepared to lose 10-20% of your supporters to a claim of discrimination and limitation? Is hatred of a non-malicious minority truly so important to you?

Senator Biden’s comments created an Us vs. Them dynamic that left me, along with millions of Americans, thoroughly in the ostracized “Them.”

While I understand that the moderates in America are the key votes at the moment, this is not the time to sell out your strong, liberal base.

If you are not prepared to say that you officially support gay marriage, there are ways to voice a moderated level of support. Why not simply acknowledge that it is a loaded issue over which passions fly. That the decision to support gay marriage goes beyond what lawmakers decide. That as a culture, we are still growing to understand and accept this fringe group.

Please revisit Senator Biden’s remarks and consider issuing a clarification that does not alienate many of your most adamant supporters.

Best wishes,
BP.

Register to Vote!!

With the election just over a month away, now is the time to get your voter registration in.

Even if you think you are already registered, if you are at all uncertain, you should re-register. If you have had a change of address, you should re-register. And if you did not get your primary ballot (Oregonians), or couldn’t seem to vote in the primary, you should re-register.

It’s not too late to request an absentee ballot. So if you are out of your home state, will miss the election, or would like to keep your registration in your homestate rather than your temporary home, you may still register absentee.

Here is an easy online tool that will get you registered in under three minutes.
It is maintained through Barack Obama’s campaign, however you can register there regardless of who you are voting for.

This picture is just here to get your attention in case you scrolled past. I bet it worked.

Register to Vote or to get your Absentee Ballot.

I Support Barack Obama (even though I’m a woman).

A friend sent me this shirt. Get yours! I Love it. I think it’s just jarring enough to start a conversation, and people should be talking. Not about Sarah Palin’s gender. But about her politics.

Women Against Sarah Palin. – a big collection of letters and ideas from women who see Palin as a political figure, not an example of womanity.

The American economy is crashing today.

Sarah Palin’s economic decisions of the past include a series of hedging decision in which she approved and revoked a series of immensely wasteful spending measures. She can’t make a decision on economic policy because she doesn’t understand the economy, government spending, or tax paying. What she does understand is payoffs, including paying Alaskan citizens thousands of dollars per person to accept her destructive drilling plan.

Sarah Palin is destroying the world around her -she supports drilling in the Alaskan Wilderness, which is killing off the local wildlife, destroying the home and resources of native tribes. She has fought hard, including suing the government to keep animals like the Polar Bear and Beluga Whale off the endangered species list. She beliefs in hunting Wolves – from the Air.

She claims to be pro-life, however Sarah Palin does not bat an eye at the Iraq war that has killed thousands of humans, and destroyed the lives of millions more. And though she doesn’t believe in abortion, she does not believe in a sex education program that would give teenagers the knowledge to prevent unwanted pregnancies (in fact McCain has voted against requiring abstinence educations to be scientifically accurate!)

Sarah Palin’s church is promoting a gay conversion conference: "Pray Away the Gay."

There are so many more issues I would like to discuss, but in the interest of brevity, I will only say that I hope everyone is thoroughly investigating the issues most important to them.

I will not vote for someone who is pro-war, anti-choice, anti-gay, anti-environment, and too short sited to make decisions that span beyond her lifetime. I will not vote for someone who believes the economy is healthy, simply because the wealthy are still wealthy. I will not vote for someone who vows to take away my rights in the interest of promoting her own religion.

I might be a woman, but I’m voting for my political peer, not my ovarian double.

Why I Will Not Vote for Sarah Palin.

Women Against Sarah Palin.

Women Against Sarah Palin is a project collecting letters and testimonials from American women, explaining why we are not supporting her candidacy. John McCain’s advisors seem to have told him that he will get “The Female Vote” by slipping a woman onto his ticket. The truth is, there is no elusive Female Vote. There are only female voters.

Feminism is not the translation of a male patriarchy to a female matriarchy. Feminism is a philosophy of equality. As such, it is inherently anti-feminist to vote for a woman because she is a woman. It is demeaning to vote for a woman based solely on her gender. The implication is that she cannot stand on politics and experience alone. The implication is that a woman can only survive in politics (or in the workplace in general, or in society at large), if she is granted special consideration. To support a female candidate based upon her gender is to define womanhood as a handicap.

I will no more vote for Sarah Palin because of her gender than I would defend Not voting for her on the basis of gender.

I am not a supporter of Sarah Palin because her politics are backward thinking, anti-progressive, destructive and demeaning.

Sarah Palin supports drilling in the Alaskan wilderness. She believes in the permanent destruction of the environment in order to eek out a few more years of consumption of a dying resource. It’s a fact. We will run out of oil. And there are alternative power sources available and in development. With more incentives to use alternative fuels, we can stretch the oil we do have, as we perfect the emerging technologies that will propel us into the future. There is no reason to permanently destroy the planet in order to prolong the inevitable movement to alternative fuels.

Sarah Palin is destructive to animals. She has fought to keep the Polar Bear from being protected as an endangered species. She is a hunter. She supports the practice of shooting large game from airplanes. Both humans and animals are harmed by blood lust as sport.

Sarah Palin believes in teaching Christian Creationism in science classrooms. Our constitution separates church from state in order to leave our citizens free to practice their own beliefs – the original reason for this separation was to protect puritanical Christians…but now that Christians feel less oppressed, they would like to reverse this core value in order to promote their own views. The goal of science is not to overturn religion, but to determine how the universe works. Science and religion are neither mutually exclusive, nor equitable forces. Contrary to common belief, Creationism is addressed in American public schools. In Literature, History, and Philisophy classes, where it belongs. It is a school of thought, not a branch of science. Parents are free to continue their child’s education outside of school, and delve more deeply into their own personal beliefs. What Sarah Palin is hoping to accomplish is the profession of her belief system as fact.

Sarah Palin is against homosexuality. Not only does she oppose gay marriage, and support bills to block partner rights; Sarah Palin attends a church that promotes the conversion of homosexuals into socially acceptable heteronormative people.

Sarah Palin believes in overturning Roe v. Wade and revoking a woman’s right to control her own body. Before abortion was legalized, abortions already took place. Upper Class women would travel overseas to a safe and legal abortion in another country. Middle Class women would travel to big cities for back alley abortions at a steep price – including permanent reproductive damage and rape by supposed “doctors.” Those who can find a way to have an abortion will always do it if they deem it necessary. Which means only the lowest income bracket are left unable. There is a direct corrolation between legalized abortion and crime statistics. In essence, 18 years after abortion became legalized, crime dropped in proportion to the number of abortions performed. …Rescending Roe v. Wade will mean tens of thousands of unwanted children born to women who can’t or won’t take care of them. Let’s respect the women who find themselves in situations in which abortion is the necessary and responsible decision – for themself, for their unborn baby, and for the wellbeing of the community into which the child would be born.

I respect Sarah Palin’s intelligence and success. I respect her integrity and her consistency. But I have no respect for her politics, and I absolutely do not support her candidacy.

I will not vote for John McCain, just because he has added a woman to his ticket. I would not vote for Sarah Palin if she were in the presidential slot. And my reasons for disavowing support for Sarah Palin are exactly the same as the reasons I don’t support John McCain. She is a bloodthirsty social conservative who would happilly brainwash the gay population and American children, revoke my reproductive rights, and physically destroy the world.

I say no to Sarah Palin, and I say no to John McCain.