The five biggest lies in the health care debate

1. You'll have no choice in what health benefits you receive.
2. No chemo for older Medicare patients.
3. Illegal immigrants will get free health insurance.
4. Death Panels will decide who lives.
5. The government will set doctors' wages.

LIES! ALL LIES! Newsweek breaks them down this week, with actual facts from the proposed laws. (This is a follow-up to an earlier article with Seven Falsehoods about Health Care, where they try to debunk even more ridiculous claims.)

Here's the actual bill, where folks should go to verify or disprove any wacko claims they might hear- especially before they repeat them or shout them out at town halls.

If the last month is any indication, more wacko claims will be forthcoming.

Crazies come out for Rep. Palone's meeting

This is frightening. And pathetic. "Nobody's listening to the facts."

I am ashamed of the residents of Central New Jersey. When they shout down and heckle the disabled woman, I no longer want to proudly proclaim my citizenship of Our Fair state. Just as pathetic is the wingnuts parroting the lies, without even knowing or caring what they mean.

Can there be any room for a centrist at a health care reform town hall meeting

Back to school!

This seemed perfect for library school. From Brad Veley, found via the Funny Times.

Solar panels on the utility poles?

Works for us! It will make Our Fair State the second largest generator of solar power behind California.

Go Solar!

Our Fair State is the number one producer of cranberries. And New Jersey Transit rules. Why do people forget the good things?

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Hey, C'Mon That's Not ... Why Would You ...Whoa!
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Joke of the Day

Gotta love Our Fair State

Jay Lassiter gets it right, again.

Still here

but quiet.

Challenged Books: or, what to read now

gayinpublic's recent post commenting on a Wisconsin "Christian Civil Liberties" groups desire and lawsuit to win the right to burn a library book reminded me about this list from the ALA. Every year, the American Library Association compiles a list of books that are challenged in libraries; meaning, books that someone has requested be removed from the library collection. (That's a nice way of saying 'books that someone wanted banned.') The ALA top ten most frequently challenged books of 2008 are:

1. "And Tango Makes Three," by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
Reasons: Anti-Ethnic, Anti-Family, Homosexuality, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group
2. "His Dark Materials Trilogy" (Series), Philip Pullman
Reasons: Political Viewpoint, Religious Viewpoint, Violence
3. "TTYL"; "TTFN"; "L8R, G8R" (Series), Lauren Myracle
Reasons: Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group
4. "Scary Stories" (Series), Alvin Schwartz
Reasons: Occult/Satanism, Religious Viewpoint, Violence
5. "Bless Me, Ultima," by Rudolfo Anaya
Reasons: Occult/Satanism, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Sexually Explicit, Violence
6. "The Perks of Being A Wallflower," by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: Drugs, Homosexuality, Nudity, Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Suicide, Unsuited to Age Group
7. "Gossip Girl" (Series), by Cecily von Ziegesar
Reasons: Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group
8. "Uncle Bobby's Wedding," by Sarah S. Brannen
Reasons: Homosexuality, Unsuited to Age Group
9. "The Kite Runner," by Khaled Hosseini
Reasons: Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group
10. "Flashcards of My Life," by Charise Mericle Harper
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group

I expect that Baby Be-bop will make an appearance next year, what with all the press it's getting in Wisconsin. (Do these book burners know it's part of a series they might want to burn? I doubt it. These don't sound like folk who bother with a lot of "research.")

So there you have it- the books folks most want banned. Don't wait for Banned Books Week to get started on them. It sounds like a summer reading list to me!*

*All except His Dark Materials, which I've pointed out before- but it bears repeating- was just plain disappointingly awful.

Solar spring

It's been a bad spring for solar, mostly. Usually this is the season of the $2 electric bills, where I bank a lot of energy against the summer when the air conditioning is running. Unfortunately, with the rotten weather, even when it's not raining it's been overcast- no good for solar!

The good news, however, is that the SREC (Solar Renewable Energy Certificate program) is up to about $675 each- so I just got a big ol' boost in my repayment schedule. I'm on track to get this completely paid off (through energy savings) this summer. After that- FREE ENERGY!

That is, if the sun returns to Central NJ.

New Central Jersey Farmers Market

Hightstown is starting its own Farmers Market, Fridays through the summer from 3-7, by Peddie Lake. (That's the corner of Morrison and Main Streets, aka the corner of Rt. 33 and Rt. 539, aka the park by the library.) They're starting small but hopefully more farmers will join in soon. Come out and get what's fresh!


(cross-posted to sfoodblog)

Vote!

Today is Primary Day in Our Fair State. Polls are open NOW until 8 P.M. Are you registered to vote?

There is more than just the Governor's race on the line today- many Assembly, county and local offices have contested primaries. So, find out about the issues in your local races, and GO VOTE!

Make your voice heard.

ROTFLMAO

Funniest thing I've seen in quite a while. Enjoy.

The best news of all

388 of Our Fair State's National Guardsmen came home yesterday.

Not that far to the left

Times of Trenton columnist George Amick begs to differ with the old NY Times assessment that Our Fair State is as progressive as it gets:

For example, national polls show a growing willingness to allow homosexuals to marry, especially among younger voters. Same-sex marriage is going to be commonplace in a few years. But it won't be because New Jersey showed the way.
...
New York is on the brink of repealing its draconian Rockefeller-era drug laws, which robbed judges of discretion in sentencing and filled the prisons with nonviolent offenders, a disproportionate number of whom were black or Hispanic. But New Jersey clings to its law establishing no-drug zones in the vicinity of public schools, which has had the same result. Senate President Dick Codey, D-West Orange, has hinted that he might allow a proposed modification to come to a vote this spring, but so far there has been no sign of it.
Medical marijuana? Thirteen other states, including Sarah Palin's Alaska, have legalized the use of pot for medical purposes under tight restrictions. Their laws suddenly became significant rather than merely symbolic when the Obama administration announced that federal drug officials henceforth would honor those laws, rather than override them, as happened under President George W. Bush.

So, what happened to Our Fair State's liberal bent? Five other states allow everyone to marry, but not here; we stuck with separate-but-unequal civil unions. Massachusetts has near-universal health care. California is studying whether or not they should legalize and tax marijuana.

Here? We're re-electing Chris Smith. How's that fit in to "progressive leadership"?

Amick is right; New Jersey is no longer a progressive leader in many issues. How sad.

Bad to the Bone release

Didja see that cool widget to the right there, that says Jeri Smith-Ready's Bad to the Bone will be released on May 19, 2009?

Didja realize that it's only two days away?

Didja order your copy yet?

Finished

I finished my iPod project yesterday. I have now officially listened to every song on my iPod in alphabetical order.

Some things I've learned:

• iTunes capitalizes numbers at the end, after letters, which is the opposite of how we do it in the library.
• There are lots of songs that start with "I" and "You".
• I really gotta clean up my library- there's tons of stuff on there I don't need to have, particularly stuff I got free from iTunes.
• Time for some new music! I have a couple of CDs I haven't ripped yet, and at least two songs I want to buy.

It was a neat project, and took a lot longer than I thought- close to a year. Granted, I only listen to my iPod when I'm walking by myself or gardening, but also I don't have that many songs on it.

Now, I'm going to listen to a book for a change.

Someday, the fans will get over it.

Betrayed, say the fans- where is the wooden acting and pontificating?


Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'

Greenwashing with bottled water?

Seen on the back of a Poland Spring .5 L bottle:

Smaller Labels = More Trees

We could write more on a bigger label, but saving trees is important. By keeping it short, we've saved almost 10 million lbs. of paper per year in the U. S. - that's about 30,000 trees.
Be Green.

Never mind that the product is essentially tap water in a non-biodegradable petrolium-based container that's been transported in deisel-chugging trucks across the country! What's important is that they use fewer trees!

More on protests

From today's editorial, the Times of Trenton, about the protests: (emphasis mine)

Shared by most of the country, their concerns are genuine.
The "tea parties," though, were not so authentic. Ignited by Fox News announcers and talk-radio pundits, the protests were less a popular uprising for fiscal reform than a platform for Rush Limbaugh and his ilk.
In an Associated Press report, neoconservative and president of Americans for Tax Reform Grover Norquist said as much: "All you have to be is a mildly awake Republican candidate for office to get in front of that parade."
Amid all the machinations and the bellowing, though, we're left with the stunning illogic of it all. The majority of those who joined in the protests Wednesday will realize a tax cut under President Barack Obama's plan. It's all those howling conservative commentators who will be hit with a tax increase.
Secondly, the effects of the enormously expensive but hugely needed stimulus plan will soon be evident. A Times' investigation has identified $40.8 million so far in federal stimulus funding headed our way, $23 million of which is designated for Mercer County road projects. Add to that federal stipends for housing repairs and
energy conservation, and the sum total will be a lot of jobs and a bracing
infusion into the local economy.

Do remember that- it's those howling conservative talk-show blowholes who make enough money to get any kind of tax increase, but they got their followers to protest for them. How nice.

How sad.

Margulies on tax protesters

Right on target, by Jimmy Marguiles. Hat tip Blue Jersey.

Teabagging and the modern conservative sheep

Better than I could've said it: Gary Stein of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

You want to complain about taxes and bailouts and how the government spends your money, terrific. That's legitimate frustration. Activism and protest is great, and necessary. But do it because you want to, not because you are following orders from egomaniacal talk show hosts.

And, spend a minute or two to learn why a cute reference to a landmark historical event turns your manufactured "protests" into an even bigger joke.

National Library Workers Day

That's right! Today is National Library Workers Day, "a day for library staff, users, administrators and Friends groups to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers."

So, thank a library staffer today for all the work they do for you. Just remember to say it quietly.

Senator Franken?

Al Franken is one step closer to being a senator. There's still another legal challenge that could go, however.

Who would've thought something like this would have taken this long to figure out? Besides Al Gore, I mean.

The Governor answers our questions

Governor Corzine stopped by BlueJersey yesterday to answer some questions. Go check out his answers and post a few more if you have 'em.

Lazy Sunday

While I get some work done for school, the children are in the next room watching The Chronicles of Narnia. I just can't focus- I have this song just running through my head...

Being asked to give less, not more

...in which I must disagree with Carla Katz. Ms. Katz, former high-profile union leader, comes out strongly against furloughs on PolitickerNJ:

The fight over furloughs has been characterized by the press in a variety of ways. The Governor's "tough times budget" spin-the state is in an economic meltdown, everyone must share the pain, and 14 unpaid days and a wage freeze is better than layoffs. The unions' collective message-a contract is a contract and furloughs (AKA pay cuts) and demands for givebacks of negotiated wages undermine the collective bargaining process and unfairly penalize middle class working families who have already made massive concessions and cannot afford to give more in this troubled economy any more than their neighbors can.

My neighbors? They gave their jobs. In the last three months I've had several friends laid off and unable to find new jobs. These are parents, homeowners, spouses. They have NO JOBS. I must disagree, Ms. Katz; asking state workers to give up 12 paid days of work is a heckuva lot less than these guys have had to give up.

I'd rather take that cut in pay and we all get to keep our jobs.

Ms. Katz makes a great case later in her commentary about class distinction; how the AIG executives got their contractually-guaranteed bonuses but we may not keep our contractually-guaranteed wages. Sure it's a good point, but it's not like Our Fair State's government is the one giving away these AIG bonuses.

I understand contracts and collective bargaining.* I'm not saying furloughs are the best or only answer. I'm just saying that this arguement against the f-word isn't the way to go.

*I've said it before, but just in case, here's my full disclosure: I am both a public employee and a union member.

Libraries are the places to be

Hat tip: Librarian.net

Mercer County Electronics Recycling and Chemical Disposal

This Saturday, March 28th, Mercer County is holding its Household Chemical Waste Disposal and Electronics Recycling day!

8AM-2PM at the Dempster Fire School, Baker's Basin Rd, Lawrence Twp. Full details are here.

Double-dippers in Mercer County

Politicker NJ has a great story on pension abuse in Mercer County. Seems that Sheriff Kevin Larkin is receiving an $85,000 per year pension- for a job he's still doing, and getting paid $129K a year to do.

That's insane. That's unconscionable. Especially when Mercer County may have to layoff up to 125 people this year*.

And, apparently, the Hamilton Township administrator has been pulling a similar stunt- receiving a public pension and a salary for a public job.

Even if it is legal- and it sure sounds like it is- the wise move is to forgo the pension while you're still drawing from the public funds. Better still, make it illegal to do so.

*Including, possibly, yours truly or her coworkers. Full disclosure: I'm a county employee.

In which Fox News discovers that, with effort, they can sink even lower!

The crew over at Fox Newz has essentially made up a story about Vice President Joe Biden, by splicing a six-month-old campaign video where he was ridiculing John McCain's position. They used it in a montage of "recent interviews this week" about the condition of the economy.

Their mommas must hang their heads in shame every day. I'm sure they tried to teach their kids good manners, such as not to make stuff up and to keep their mouths shut if they had nothing to say.

Cooper

When we first got Cooper, the very first night, he was just a young kitten and was a little nervous about exploring. After a while of sitting on the couch with us, he got brave and wandered around a little bit. He made his way down the hallway and into a dark room. After a few minutes, I heard a very loud "Meow!" from down the hall. I went to check on him.

"What?" I said.

"Meow meow meow!" he said.

"Ok.' I said.

He promptly ran into the other bedroom. He was fine- he'd just wanted to tell me what he found. And from that day on, he always talked to me. He would "meow" and tell me what the problem was, what was going on, and that he wanted food. He always wanted more food.

After years of health problems, he finally turned the corner. We knew it was time when he didn't want to eat any more. We made the painful decision, and he went to the vet last night for the final time. He would have been sixteen in May.

Bad to the Bone

Jeri Smith-Ready's next book, Bad to the Bone, will be out on May 19th! There's a lovely picture of the cover over there on the sidebar.

Pre-order is available now at Mysterious Galaxy, Amazon.com, or Barnes and Noble.

Jon Stewart v. Jim Cramer

Jon Stewart wins. Big time.

This is the whole episode, and fully worth your time to watch it all.

AC grabs the sun

The Atlantic City Convention and Visitor's Authority has installed the largest single-roof solar panel array in the U.S.:

The 13,321 photovoltaic panels will produce an average of 26 percent of the convention center's energy, according to consultants. The panels cover most of the roof's usable space, leaving room for walkways and other equipment.
"We estimate that we are going to save $4.4 million over the 20 years of the contract [with the solar provider]," said Jeff Vasser, president of the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority.
In greener terms, authorities estimate the solar panels will avoid the release of 2,349 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere -- equivalent to removing 390 passenger vehicles from the road or reducing oil consumption by 4,956 barrels per year.
"This is something we started thinking about when Gov. [Jon] Corzine came out with his energy master plan," Vasser said. "We thought, looking at our roof, that we would have a perfect opportunity to take the lead for New Jersey."

They saw an opportunity to lead and took it. That's the American way.

Thank you, Atlantic City convention center!

Better than I could've said it: Hypocricy in the 12th edition

Jason Springer nails Declan O'Scanlon for his fair-weather property tax rebate stances.

Drug Law Revisions

For some reason, the Times of Trenton has not seen fit to post yesterday's column by George Amick* about the bills in Our Fair State's legislature about revising our drug laws. Here's what he said:

Imagine that New Jersey had a law that resulted in the imprisonment of thousands of nonviolent offenders - most of them minorities- at a high cost in taxpayer dollars and wasted lives, had no measurable effect on crime, robbed judges of the discretion that is that sole reason we have judges at all and was opposed by prosecutors throughout the state. Wouldn't the Legislature repeal it as quickly as it could assemble a quorum?
You'd think so. But our legislature has a selective sense of urgency.

(What a great line- a selective sense of urgency.)

New Jersey has had such a law for more than two decades and the law has produced all the toxic effects described above. A bill that would moderate some of these effects has been introduced in the Senate, where a majority is thought to favor the reform, but no one seems to be in a big hurry to advance it.

Mr. Amick goes on to describe the lost wages that those incarcerated could have produced as opposed to spending the money to incarcerate them, the unfair Drug Free School Zone laws that increase sentences whether there were children around or not and how dense urban areas fall entirely into these areas, and how the laws have shown to have no benefit whatsoever.

The bills our esteemed Mr. Amick mentions to eliminate the unreasonable drug laws is A 2762 and S 1866, sponsored by Assm. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Sen. Ray Lesniak, respectively. They should be furthered, debated and made into law. Ours is a failed drug policy that isn't helping keep our kids or our streets safe and is costing us a fortune in the process. It's time to revise it.

*Amick isn't listed as one of the Times of Trenton's columnists anymore, either. Since I'm looking at a paper from yesterday where his "Capital Talk" column is printed, I know he is- or was, as of yesterday? What's going on?

Bobby Jindal and Baconaise through the eyes of Jon Stewart

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Bobby Jindal's Republican Response

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Funny Political News
Joke of the Day

None too surprising

Ann Coulter insults TCNJ students, calls liberals (expletive)

Yeah, that's what we all expected. No riots, either. The protests went off as expected, without violence.

Many of the dissidents wanted to draw attention to the nearly $24,000 price tag her attendance garnished from TCNJ’s student finance board, which is funded in large part by fees included in the semester’s tuition, according to the TCNJ chapter of the College Republicans.
“Coulter has said things in the past that are extremely offensive and racist, and I don’t think that my tuition should go towards hateful speech,” said a soggy Marlowe Boettcher, a political science major, as he clutched his protest sign.
The hype behind Coulter’s appearance has been months in the making. She was supposed to present in January but was forced to postpone because of a broken jaw, according to her Web site.
Sophmore Dena Lago said that the injury was “poetic justice.”

You said it, Dena.

Skinny bleach blonde evil at TCNJ

Professional hatemonger Ann Coulter was expected to finally make an appearance at TCNJ tonight. From the Times of Trenton:

Coulter, whose latest book, "Guilty: Liberal 'Victims' and Their Assault on America," was released Jan. 6, has been booed, jeered and even hit by pies during past speaking dates, but members of the TCNJ community insist they expect no such antics.
"I'll put nothing past liberals, but I think generally speaking, with the way the event has been planned and the security we have in place, we have planned an informative, entertaining lecture and we don't expect there to be any problems," (president of the College Republicans Brian) Hackett said.

He'd put nothing past liberals? What does he expect? The riots predicted by comedian Rush Limbaugh to finally happen? Luckily for our wingnut "patriots," there's extra security against those horrible left-wingers!

Ah, but what protest do our crafty liberals have in store?

Protesters clad in black with white armbands plan to quietly walk out of the auditorium at a certain juncture during the lecture, at which point they will gather at the student center to hold a discussion on topics such as halting prejudice, ending the Iraq War and the impact of the recent presidential election. (junior Matt) Hoke says protesters will also be handing out pamphlets before Coulter's talk that will attempt to persuade audience members to join the walkout.

A peaceful walkout during a biased, hate-filled speech.

I have hope for this world yet.

(I was unable to find an updated news report or a fresh blog post about the event. I'll post something tomorrow if I can.)

The iPod Project, or, Too much of a good thing?

At the library where I work, a patron who came in regularly would chat with me about my iPod. At the time, I had a small iPod (that they don't even make anymore) and my husband had the larger one that held up to 20,000 songs. My patron couldn't wrap his head around this.

"How will he ever listen to 20,000 songs?" he'd ask.

Now, neither my nor my husband's iPod was full (even though he had a lot more than I did on his), but it was an interesting question- how will I ever listen to all the music I have on my iPod? So I decided to find out. I will listen to every song I have - just songs, mind you, not podcasts or tracks of audiobooks - in alphabetical order. I guessed it would take maybe a few months.

It's been 8, so far, and I'm only on the Ss.

I only listen to my iPod while walking by myself or doing yardwork. I walk 2-3 hours a week and yardwork is seasonal, but that gives an idea of how long this is taking me. Folks who listen in their cars on long commutes or other places would take much less time to pull this off. But it's been an enlightening exercise for me.

I have songs I forgot I had. Stuff I got free from iTunes and never deleted. Things I can't imagine why I put on there. Old albums I didn't even remember having on CD. Audiobooks I forgot to delete when I finished listening to them that come up in rotation.

Mind you, my new iPod is nowhere near full- and I have pictures eating up memory, too.

This project has been a lot of fun- it makes for some great segues. I have a CD of Yo-Y0 Ma's cello performances that are titled with the composer's name- Bach. After listening to a whole CD's worth of lyrical music, the next song alphabetically was AC-DC's Back in Black. Sometimes Gorillaz finishes and a Sandra Boynton song comes on. Gotta love it.

So my patron is right about one thing- it's difficult to remember what's there. But I can't say it's too much of a good thing to have that much memory; after all, I can still add more pictures, and I've been building up podcasts I haven't listened to yet. In theory I could add movies, if I wanted to watch on a tiny little screen. The capacity of the device may not be used up, but I'm having a lot of fun with it anyway.

It's warm out today. Maybe I'll take the dogs for a walk, and see if I can get to the letter T.

(Originally posted on my Info Tech class blog)

Come home safe, and soon

Our Fair State's National Guard 1150th Assault Helicopter Battalion is being deployed, first for training, then for Iraq. For many this is their second tour overseas.

I wonder what the aliens thought

Pictures of the Inauguration- from space- at Stephen Shankland's Underexposed.

He spoke to me

In speaking about terrorism, President Obama* spoke about me. Didja hear him? Listen:

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.
We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth.

Catch that one word? "Nonbelievers."

He included me.

I'm not used to that. For once, those of us who don't believe in religion were included when talking about Our Fair Country. I heard some pundit on the radio today saying it was the first time that nonbelievers had been mentioned in any major presidential address- I'm unsure of the accuracy of that statement, but it certainly is exceedingly rare.

I cried along with everyone else when I watch the inauguration. I shook with anticipation for where our country can, and will, go. I beamed with pride and made sure the children saw the speech. But I never expected to be included in it in any way; I expected the usual "With God's help" and "God Bless America" only. Of course that was there, because President Obama is a man of faith and most of Our Fair Country has some measure of belief or religious identification.- but he acknowledged that I'm part of America, too.

Our country is truly a more inclusive place today.

* I don't know if I'll ever tire of this phrase. President Obama, President Obama, President Barack Hussein Obama.

"Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred."

CNN ran the film of Dr. King's I Have A Dream speech today at noon. The whole family sat down to watch it together. (One of those teaching moments that you can't miss when they come.) Youngest asked if there were white people there that day- apparently, even though the crowd shots clearly showed faces of all colors, it's hard to tell the difference in B&W.

I kinda hope that we can see past the color differences in other ways, too.

"When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!""

Flashback: January 17, 2001: The Onion

Remember the last time we got a new president? Let's walk down memory lane, Onion-style.

"Bush: Our Long National Nightmare of Peace and Prosperity is Over"

... Bush swore to do "everything in [his] power" to undo the damage wrought by Clinton's two terms in office, including selling off the national parks to developers, going into massive debt to develop expensive and impractical weapons technologies, and passing sweeping budget cuts that drive the mentally ill out of hospitals and onto the street.
During the 40-minute speech, Bush also promised to bring an end to the severe war drought that plagued the nation under Clinton, assuring citizens that the U.S. will engage in at least one Gulf War-level armed conflict in the next four years.
"You better believe we're going to mix it up with somebody at some point during my administration," said Bush, who plans a 250 percent boost in military spending. "Unlike my predecessor, I am fully committed to putting soldiers in battle situations. Otherwise, what is the point of even having a military?"
On the economic side, Bush vowed to bring back economic stagnation by implementing substantial tax cuts, which would lead to a recession, which would necessitate a tax hike, which would lead to a drop in consumer spending, which would lead to layoffs, which would deepen the recession even further.
...
Continued Bush: "John Ashcroft will be invaluable in healing the terrible wedge President Clinton drove between church and state."
...
"After eight years of relatively sane fiscal policy under the Democrats, we have reached a point where, just a few weeks ago, President Clinton said that the national debt could be paid off by as early as 2012," Rahway, NJ, machinist and father of three Bud Crandall said. "That's not the kind of world I want my children to grow up in."

Last night, at a gathering of friends, someone remembered this Onion article and read it out loud for us. We definitely laughed, but by the end, we were silent, knowing how it all turned out. The foresight of the Onion's editorial staff- and many Americans, by the way- was pretty impressive.

It's so time for a new day in America.

Added a widget

I just added the Goodreads widget on the sidebar. If you're on Goodreads, let me know and we'll hook up there.

I'm also on Shelfari, but folks don't seem to be updating that one as much- however, drop me a note if you want to compare notes there, instead.

We need our libraries more than ever

Folks are flocking to the library, a cozy place to find a job:

A few years ago, public libraries were being written off as goners. The Internet had made them irrelevant, the argument went. But libraries across the country are reporting jumps in attendance of as much as 65% over the past year, as newly unemployed people flock to branches to fill out résumés and scan ads for job listings.
Other recession-weary patrons are turning to libraries for cheap entertainment -- killing time with the free computers, video rentals and, of course, books.

Free internet. Free/cheap DVD borrowing. Free book borrowing. Free help from librarians who really want to help. What's not to love?

One step forward, one step back

In less than two weeks, the country- the whole world- will witness the inauguration of the first non-white president of these United States. This historic event is a huge step forward.

Here, in Our Fair State, we took one step back recently:

A Gloucester County mayor who reported death threats and racist vandalism during his two years in office has declined to serve another year.
Charles Tyson will remain on the South Harrison Township council, which chooses a mayor each year. But Tyson said he doesn't want to put his family through more threats.
The 66-year-old retired computer technician says he received a dozen threatening calls and several e-mails calling him a 'dead man' and using a racist epithet. His tires were also slashed and "KKK" was written on a campaign sign on his lawn.

We mentioned his story a while back. It's horrible that someone fears for his family because of their race. Especially in this day and age.

Especially on this day.

Another year over, A new one just begun

Happy New Year from The Center of NJ

10 memorable political moments in NJ

Long time Jersey political blogger Jay Lassiter put this together. Take ten minutes to review the Top 10 for Our Fair State for 2008. Enjoy.

Green eyed lady, lovely lady

Gypsy, in her younger days.

Our oldest cat, Gypsy, left us rather suddenly in the early morning hours of Christmas Eve.

If she loved you, she loved you completely. If she didn't, you thought she was pure evil. Which is the way she wanted it to be. Proud and beautiful was our Gypsy.

She loved us, and we loved her. We will miss you, Green Eyed Lady Lovely Lady.

Me, Here, Now

Rob tagged me for this particular meme. I read his post while at work, but could not take the pic until I got home; so as soon as I got home, I dropped my coat and found the camera.

This is me, here, "now" (actually about 40 minutes ago- I had to read to Oldest before bedtime, so the post is delayed.)

Now for the rules:
1) Take a picture of yourself right NOW!
2) DON'T change your clothes, DON'T fix your hair... Just take a picture.
3) Post that picture with NO editing.
4) Post these instruction with your picture.
5)Tag 10 people to do this..

I don't think I can come up with ten who would both read this and bother to do it. But just in case, here we go: Andrew, VeeganMD, Tami (who has more important things on her mind just now but may find this later), jayananda, SciFi Pie, Greg (Oh!! Wait- Greg already did it. Never mind.) Janet, and the next four people who show up here via Google- please leave me comments so I know you were here.

Some good news

But we can't get complacent.

Donations and emergency aid keeps food banks operating

A heartwarming collection of simple acts of charity coupled with a $45,000 infusion of emergency state funds are making the holiday season more nourishing for residents caught in the unrelenting economic spiral.
And it could not have come at a better time.
The Trenton Area Soup Kitchen reports an 8 percent increase in food demands, but a devastating 60 percent drop in contributions of children's toys, warm coats, gloves and hats for the wintry season.

So, in other words, we're stepping up- but we have to keep going.

We Can't Let This Bank Fail

The Community Food Bank of New Jersey needs our help this holiday season. Everyone's help.

Some facts about the Community Food Bank of NJ: It annually assists charities serving approximately 500,000 people in need in 18 of Our Fair State's 21 counties. CFBNJ has distributed more than 300 million pounds of food and groceries valued at more than half-a-billion dollars. Today, the FoodBank distributes over 21 million pounds of food and groceries a year, ultimately serving nearly 1,700 non-profits including 436 programs served by its Partner Distribution Organizations (PDOs). If you don't know where the food pantries are in your part of the state, the Statewide Emergency Food and Anti-Hunger Network has helpfully provided a list by county.

At the Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), requests for food have gone up 30 percent, but donations are down by 25 percent. Warehouse shelves that are typically stocked with food are bare and supplies have gotten so low that, for the first time in its 25 year history, the food bank is developing a rationing mechanism.

Did you get that? They have to ration out food. That's how low the stocks are. That's a horrible situation.

Check with your local food pantry as to their needs. Also, I bet your library/workplace/school/house of worship/fire department/municipality/scout troop/etc. is having a food drive right now- give generously. I will, too.

I've said it before- Our Fair State is a collection of the wealthiest, best educated people ever assembled in the history of the planet. In this great place, in this level of prosperity, no kid should ever have to go to bed hungry.

We can help. We must help. This bank simply can't fail.

The 100 participating blogs in Our Fair State:

JerseyBites.com
RedBankGreen.com
Jersey Girl Cooks
Simply Sable
John and Lisa are eating in South Jersey
Padma's Kitchen
Chefdruck
Life Lightly Salted
My Italian Grandmother
Cook Appeal
Crotchety Old Man Yells at Cars
Mommy Vents
This Full House
Paper Bridges
Motherhood Avenue
The Kamienski Chronicles
Down the Shore with Jen
Fits and Giggles
House Hubbies Home Cooking
Nourish Ourselves
Partybluprints.com
Tommyeats.com
Off the broiler
Mrs. Mo’s New Jersey Baby
IamNotaChef.com
SimplyBeer.com
HistoryGeek.com
Savy Source Newark
Momlogic New Jersey
SurvivingNJ.com/blog
SurvivingNJ.blogspot.com
JerseyGirlGuide.com
Best of Roxy
Citizen Mom.net
Lynetteradio.com
Jersey Beat
Pop Vulture Phil
JerseySmarts.com
LongBeachIslandSummers.com
WildwoodSummers.com
Mike Halfacres Blog
Somerset08873
Family, Friends and Food
KateSpot.com
NewJerseyMomsBlog.com
JCRigister.com
New Jersey Real Estate Report
Riverviewobserver.com
More Monmouth Musings
Man of Infirmity
Another Delco Guy in South Jersey
SweetNicks.com
Average Noone
Cleary’s Notebook
Welcome to my Planet
The Center of New Jersey Life
Sharon’s Food Blog
Morristown, Chatham, Summit, and Madison NJ Real Estate
Midtown Direct Real Estate News
New Jersey Real Estate
BlowUpRadio.com
LazlosDen.com
The Ridgewood Blog
Book a Week with Jen
Banannie
Cartoongoddess.com
Matawan Advocate
Take Back the Kitchen
The Joy of Toast
Route 55
Montclair Kids.com
SaveJersey
Stompbox
Joe the Blogger
Environmental Republican
Stacey Snacks
Subversive Garden
New Jersey Pathfinder
Cooking With Friends Blog
Triple Venti
Read All About It
Rich Lee on Media
Likelihood of Success
Cape Cuisine
The Business At Hand
NewJerseyTaxRevolution
Figmentations
MiddletownMike
Caviar and Codfish
A Day in the Life
Mack’s Journey Through Life
Alice’s Restaurant
Tiger Hawk
Politics Patrol, The Bob Ingle Blog
The Food Chain
Henson’s Hell
Cranbury Conservative
Baristanet
New Jersey: Politics Unusual
Jersey Shore Blog

Blogging Out Hunger

Tomorrow is the big start date for the Blogging Out Hunger campaign!

More important than reading about it, however, is doing something about it. Get some food ready for donation, and get some time set aside to help out.

People need help this winter. Right now.

Prop 8: The Musical

Marc Shaiman's all-star musical tribute to hate rearing its ugly head in California.

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

After Thanksgiving, it's time for some tough love

Joel Stein has some news for Americans: We're disgusting pigs.

Sure, there probably was some giving of thanks, but that's not what anyone remembers. What we remember is the ugly, vicious, annual Thanksgiving eating contests between me and my cousins. The kind that taught me, and perhaps now the scientific community, that if you consume enough calories, you will actually black out just like you're drunk. Drunk on pie.

We are a nation with a massive pie hangover, waking up after three decades of overconsumption. The great problems facing us -- the economy and obesity -- have the same cause: lack of self-control. We're eating more calories than we burn and spending more money than we earn. Only instead of doing it to impress our cousins, we're doing it in the hopes of getting a reality show on Bravo.

Our Long National Pie Hangover

The Foo Fighters are going to be on Top Chef!

The Foo Fighters are going to be on Top Chef! The Foo Fighters are going to be on Top Chef! The Foo Fighters are going to be on Top Chef!

Celebrating Thanksgiving, no less!

It's the convergence of my entertainment universe!

The Foo Fighters are going to be on Top Chef! The Foo Fighters are going to be on Top Chef! The Foo Fighters are going to be on Top Chef!

The Need Season- 2008

(This is an update of a post I did a few years ago. It seems appropriate to re-run it now. -Sharon GR)

I ran into a neighbor in the grocery recently. She asked, "Thanksgiving shopping?" and commented about how it was better to get this all out of the way now because the stores are packed close to the holiday. I agreed; yes, I was shopping for Thanksgiving, but not for me. I met her in the canned veggies isle. I was stocking up for donations.

Now, we all know times are tough. Gas and oil prices shot way up, the economy tanked and jobs were lost left and right. But somehow, my "tough times" rarely include making a decision of whether to feed my kids or pay the heat bill, which means it ain't so tough for me after all. If I can afford high-speed internet to sit here and talk to you nice people, I can certainly afford to buy extra cans of food for the local food bank. There are kids whose parents do have to make that decision, and they need a bit of help. More this year than ever, even.

It's also good for my kids to help us do this. I ask them to carry the bags in, put cans in the donation boxes, and stock the shelves at the food pantry. I want them to grow up knowing that helping others is a regular part of life. So, the food banks get cans of soup and beans, and I get a nice little parenting moment out of it. We're both winners there.

New Jersey is the best state in the Union. By far. We are one of the richest, most educated groups of people ever assembled. We should also be one of the most generous.

So, I've got a few cans and jars of food in the car to take to the library's food drive. I'm realizing that I need to buy a couple more. Or, more accurately, that someone else needs me to.

"It's the difference between thinking of oneself as an accumulator of objects and material wealth, and imagining oneself as part of the fabric of problems and solutions." - Tata from Poor Impulse Control.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Don't believe everything you read

Sarah Palin not knowing Africa is a continent? No one knows who from the McCain campaign leaked this anecdote, but we do know it's not Martin Eisenstadt.

Because he doesn't exist.

It's remarkably easy to fall for false authority. Even the news "professionals" do it sometimes, let alone regular people looking for info.

In a class I'm taking, we recently had to analyze and discuss two elaborate web sites: the Dihidrogen Monoxide Research Division, and RYT Hospital Dwayne Medical Center. Follow the links- they're both pretty cool. Each brings up an about important point about information literacy: one pitches absolutely true information with a wicked slant, and one is a slick, elaborate hoax/digital art project that may take even trained observers a few minutes to catch on to.

In the class we discussed several different methods for evaluating web page information, but it all boils down to two things: WHO is telling you this, and WHY.

Because you really shouldn't believe everything you read. As the police captain said to Nick Nolte in 48 Hours, "Just 'cause you say it with authority doesn't mean sh!t to me!"

Local Libraries spared the ax

The Trenton library board has agreed to stagger hours and keep all its branches open. Jamesburg residents recently voted in support of keeping their small library, by a ratio of nearly 2 to 1.

Good news, that. In these economic times, people need their local libraries- for books, yes, but also for computer access, resume help, job searching help, computer classes, homework help, no-cost children's programs, free (or cheap) DVD borrowing... the list goes on and on. When economic times are tough, folks rely on their libraries even more than in good times.

Not everyone is so lucky. In Philadelphia, for example, Mayor Nutter has proposed cutting 11 branches of the Free Public Library- and people are protesting.

Now is when we need our public libraries the most. As Philadelphia resident A.J. Thomson noted, "In our community this is the only way to get computer use. We should never close a place where kids choose to go."

Happy Veterans Day

Happy Homecoming for Marine Reservists

A Day to Honor Local Veterans

Never let us forget that the only reason we are the land of the free is that we are the home of the brave.

Thank you.

Here's wishing everyone comes home safe, sound, and soon.

The big question that all of America is wondering

What kind of puppy are Sasha and Malia getting?

Greyhound racing to be banned in Mass.

The ban takes effect in 2010.

New Jersey 2008 Local Election Results

Our Fair State's election results, by county:

Atlantic
Bergen
Burlington
Camden
Cape May
Cumberland
Essex
Gloucester
Hudson
Hunterdon
Mercer
Middlesex
Monmouth
Morris
Ocean
Passiac
Salem
Somerset
Sussex
Union
Warren

NOT EVERY ONE WILL UPDATE TONIGHT. Some are links to newspaper sites where county election results aren't posted. The polls closed at 8 PM, so some counties may start updating soon.

Keep your fingers crossed!

Every one counts

I voted. #202 at my polling place, before 10AM today.

Did you vote?

It's snowing

I mean, really snowing. It's starting to accumulate a little on raised tables and decks. Ugly, big fat wet flakes of snow.

Anyone dreaming of a white Halloween?

This year's ballot questions

Someone asked me the other day if there were any ballot questions this year. There are two, but they've gotten rather little publicity. Here's the info from the League of Women Voters.

Also, the Times of Trenton today had an editorial titled Yes and yes. Looking over their reasons for their endorsement, I agree- yes and yes.

REGISTER TO VOTE TODAY!

Today is the LAST DAY to register to vote in Our Fair State in order to be eligible to vote in the presidential election.

Not sure how? Check here for How to register to vote in NJ.

Need a flu shot?

The National Lung Association has a Flu Clinic Locator. Just type in your zip code and find out where there are flu shot clinics in your area! How cool!

All bow down and pray

To Saturday Night Live.

Debate night in New Jersey

Lautenberg and Zimmer have agreed to debate once, in front of the cameras.

Nov. 1st, 8PM, NJN.

It's late for voters to make up their minds; only a couple of days before the election. There may be other debates. We wait and see.

It's not cute.

It's not folksy. It doesn't appeal to middle America. It doesn't make Joe Six-Pack and his wife Hockey Mom like you more.

It makes you look uneducated. Dare I say, a little dumb. Willfully ignorant.

The word is not "nuculur", it's nuclear. If you can't pronounce it, you have no business being anywhere near the launch codes.

"If that doesn't scare the hell out of you, it should."

"There's no excuse for that. She's supposed to know a little bit of this."

hat tip Rob S.

Banned Books Week

It's Banned Books Week!

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year. Observed since 1982, this annual ALA event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted. This year, 2008, marks BBW's 27th anniversary (September 27 through October 4).
BBW celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met.

How to celebrate Banned Books Week? Suggestions from the American Library Association include:

• Stay Informed
  
• Organize a Banned Books Read-Out! at your library
  
• Exercise your rights- checkout and read a banned book
  
• Encourage your book club to read a favorite banned book
  

(My added suggestion is: Don't accept Sarah Palin trying to ban books.)

We only have true freedom of speech and freedom of the press when everyone has access. In the words of Evelyn Beatrice Hall, characterizing Voltaire: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

Can't even hear her talk

McCain camp tries to to keep reporters out of Palin meetings

For Sarah's very first meeting with a foreign leader, the press was allowed to take pictures, but not listen. CNN refused to air pictures if they couldn't be in the room, so they were let in for a few seconds. Palin and Hamid Karzai talked about kids, which is the only thing they could possibly have in common.

After 29 seconds observing the meeting, CNN and other photographers covering the meeting were escorted out of the room.
Later, McCain-Palin press representatives chalked up the restrictions to a “mix-up, a miscommunication among staff.” The full pool — a print and wires reporter, along with a television producer — was then allowed in to observe Palin’s meeting with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe for 15-20 seconds.

29 seconds and then 20 more- almost a full minute, and she didn't (audibly) screw up once!

Focus

My Guinea pigs' favorite food is dandelion greens. On nice days like this when we are home, we put them outside in a little pen so they can eat all the grass and greens they want. (I don't spray chemicals on my lawn, so it's safe to put them out there.) We go out and move the pen every so often so they get a nice fresh supply of weeds and grass to forage. Yup, they just love their dandelions.


Why, yes, I do have a paper I'm supposed to be writing. How could you tell?

Break's over

Maureen O'Dowd envisions the meeting between Senator Obama and President Bartlett.

BARTLET: GET ANGRIER! Call them liars, because that’s what they are. Sarah Palin didn’t say “thanks but no thanks” to the Bridge to Nowhere. She just said “Thanks.” You were raised by a single mother on food stamps — where does a guy with eight houses who was legacied into Annapolis get off calling you an elitist? And by the way, if you do nothing else, take that word back. Elite is a good word, it means well above average. I’d ask them what their problem is with excellence. While you’re at it, I want the word “patriot” back. McCain can say that the transcendent issue of our time is the spread of Islamic fanaticism or he can choose a running mate who doesn’t know the Bush doctrine from the Monroe Doctrine, but he can’t do both at the same time and call it patriotic. They have to lie — the truth isn’t their friend right now. Get angry. Mock them mercilessly; they’ve earned it. McCain decried agents of intolerance, then chose a running mate who had to ask if she was allowed to ban books from a public library. It’s not bad enough she thinks the planet Earth was created in six days 6,000 years ago complete with a man, a woman and a talking snake, she wants schools to teach the rest of our kids to deny geology, anthropology, archaeology and common sense too? It’s not bad enough she’s forcing her own daughter into a loveless marriage to a teenage hood, she wants the rest of us to guide our daughters in that direction too? It’s not enough that a woman shouldn’t have the right to choose, it should be the law of the land that she has to carry and deliver her rapist’s baby too? I don’t know whether or not Governor Palin has the tenacity of a pit bull, but I know for sure she’s got the qualifications of one. And you’re worried about seeming angry? You could eat their lunch, make them cry and tell their mamas about it and God himself would call it restrained. There are times when you are simply required to be impolite. There are times when condescension is called for!

Hat tip Jayananda

Am I registered to vote in nj?

You can find out if you're registered by contacting the Commissioner of Registration for your county. The state has helpfully listed them all here.

"Am I registered to vote in nj" is one of the biggest Google search terms that leads people to The Center of NJ Life. I hope this information helps.

Register to vote NOW

Oct. 14 is the last day to register to vote in Our Fair State for this year's election. The Division of Elections has a lovely new website with links to each county's clerk and forms to get you started.

You can apply for an absentee ballot in writing until seven days before the election (and in person until 3 P.M. the day before!) You can get an absentee ballot here.

New Jersey's FAQ for elections is here. If you need info about the election, try NJ Voter Info.

Toll increases on the Turnpike- better than a doughnut

AP writer Angela Delli Santi has a Q&A with Kris Kolluri, our Transportation Commissioner, about the proposed turnpike toll increases.

Q: You have been using a doughnut analogy to put the proposed increases in perspective?
A: At Dunkin' Donuts, one strawberry doughnut costs $1.06. We're saying if people are willing to pay $1.06 for one doughnut, they should also be willing to pay 50 cents more over 15 years to make sure roads and bridges are safe.

I don't need another doughnut. Neither do you. I do need transportation upgrades like bridge repairs, and we all need the THE tunnel.

Yes, I drive the turnpike- I'd rather go without the doughtnut and drive on safer roads.

Why is this not on the front page?

Why is it instead on page B2 of my Times of Trenton? And why can't we call it "lying", when that's what it is?

McCain's Claims Skirt Facts - AP, By Charles Babbington

Republican presidential nominee John McCain, a self-proclaimed tell-it-like-it-is maverick, keeps saying his running mate, Sarah Palin, killed the federally funded Bridge to Nowhere when, in fact, she pulled her support only after the project became a political embarrassment. He said Friday that Palin never asked for money for lawmakers' pet projects as Alaska governor, even though she has sought nearly $200 million in earmarks this year. He says Obama would raise nearly everyone's taxes, when independent groups say 80 percent of families would get tax cuts instead.
Even in a political culture accustomed to truth-stretching, McCain's skirting of facts has stood out this week. It has infuriated and flustered Obama's campaign, and campaign pros are watching to see how much voters disregard news reports noting factual holes in the claims.

Well, at least he was against dishonesty before he was for it:

McCain's persistence in pushing dubious claims is all the more notable because many political insiders consider him one of the greatest living victims of underhanded campaigning. Locked in a tight race with George W. Bush for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000, McCain was rocked in South Carolina by a whisper campaign claiming he had fathered an illegitimate black child and was mentally unstable.
Shaken by the experience, McCain denounced less-than-truthful campaigning. Vowing to live up to his "straight talk" motto, he apologized for his reluctance to criticize the flying of the Confederate flag at South Carolina's state Capitol in a bid forvotes. When the so-called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth attacked the military record of Democrat and fellow Navy officer John Kerry in 2004, McCain called the ads "dishonest and dishonorable."
Now, top aides to McCain include Steve Schmidt, who has close ties to Karl Rove, Bush's premier political adviser in 2000.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, I guess? How sad. How far the mighty have fallen.

Stop stealing the signs

Open letter to to the Mercer County Sheriff's Election sign thief/thieves:

Everyone has the right of free speech, even if they disagree with you. Stop it. It's petty and pathetic to steal campaign signs.

A new low for the McCain campaign

Rob S. has a good analysis of the latest low in the McCain campaign: an attack ad against Obama.

It's a shameful ad. It's pathetic. It's desperate. It's horrifying to me that people may believe it. But, as the Republicans have shown so many times, if you repeat something enough times everyone begins to believe it, regardless of how stupid it may be.

Even worse: with two months to go, this will not be the lowest they will sink this campaign season. Of that I'm sure.

World without end?

I have a friend who is convinced that the world is ending. Not in some religious cataclysm, but in a black hole to be created on the France-Switzerland border in a couple of days. Normally, I ignore the doomday predictions of most people; however, the last time this same guy had a paranoid episode that something terrible was going to happen was on Sept. 10, 2001. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt here- this grants a little more attention than the usual.

If you need to relieve some anxiety about it all, check out The end of the world is nigh.. or is it nay?

In two days, we'll know if he was right to be paranoid. I expect, he's overreacting.

I hope so, at least.

Did they vet her at all?

A lot of folks have questions not just about how thoroughly the McCain campaign researched their VP choice, but if they even bothered to at all.

By Richard Mauer, Lisa Demer and Sean Cockerham for the Anchorage Daily News:

Questions surround Palin's background check

McCain's presidential campaign spent the day trying to assure fellow Republicans and the nation that Palin's background was thoroughly vetted. The pregnancy of Bristol Palin, 17, came as no surprise to them, they said.
But in Alaska, it was hard to find anyone who had been contacted by McCain's campaign.
Thomas Van Flein, the Anchorage lawyer representing Palin and her office in the legislature's investigation into the firing of former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, said he spoke to several representatives from McCain before Palin's selection was announced Friday.
But Van Flein appears to be in a small minority in the vetting of Palin.
The former U.S. attorney for Alaska, Wev Shea, who enthusiastically recommended Palin back in March, said he was never contacted with any follow-up questions.
...
Republican Gail Phillips, a former speaker of the Alaska House, said Friday that she was shocked by McCain's selection of Palin and told her husband, Walt, "This can't be happening because his advance team didn't come to Alaska to check her out." She said she would've heard had someone been poking around.
"We're not a very big state," Phillips said. "People I talk to would've heard
something."
Monegan, fired by Palin in July, said that no one from the McCain campaign contacted him, either. His firing is now the subject of a special legislative investigation into whether Palin or members of her administration improperly interfered with the running of his department by pushing for dismissal of a state trooper involved in a divorce and custody battle with Palin's sister.
Alaska Senate President Lyda Green, R-Wasilla, told The New York Times, "They didn't speak to anyone in the Legislature, they didn't speak to anyone in the business community."

Better still, the campaign is acting like they did do a thorough vetting job and not telling the truth about it:

On Sunday, The Washington Post quoted McCain campaign manager Rick Davis as saying the FBI conducted a background check of Palin.
But Monday, the FBI told the Atlantic Monthly no such check took place.
"In general, we do not do vetting for political campaigns except as it might regard investigations needed for security clearances," the magazine's Web site quoted John Miller, the chief FBI spokesman. If the agency had conducted a security check of Palin, it wouldn't have shared it with the campaign, the magazine said.

Do we really want a president who barely met or even researched the person whom he wants to be his replacement, if needed? Someone who then tries to backtrack to pretend that he did check her out?

Why Palin bothers me so much

I don't mind about any (possible, hopefully NOT) vice president having an pregnant teen daughter. These things happen, even to politicians. I wish only good things for Bristol and the baby. They have tough times ahead but will be fine with guidance and love.

I also don't care if the president gets a blow job, or the first lady killed someone in a car accident, or the vice president has a gay daughter. Your personal life is your own business, as far as I'm concerned. I vote based not on family or personal proclivities, but on ability to do the job how I hope it will be done.

What concerns me here is how obviously little the McCain campaign bothered to vet this unquailified pretty face before tapping her. This choice was intended to:
1. Rally the conservatives with an NRA anti-women's-rights beauty queen, and
2. Garner support from former Hillary swing-vote supporters, who obviously vote based on the vagina content of their candidates.
Her ability to do the job doesn't appear to be part of the question; she has close to none. The mayor of East Windsor, NJ, has more executive experience than this pin-up.

Please.

This country does not need another Republican sell-out who panders to voters and rushes headlong into stupid, uninformed choices because his handlers told him it would be a good idea.

Obama says the exact right thing, once again

From MSNBC: Children are off limits

"I've heard some of the news. I've said before I think families are off limits, children limits. It has no relevance," Obama said. "I would strongly urge people to back off these kinds of stories. My mom had me when she was 18. And how families deal with issues of children shouldn't be part of our politics. "
Regarding to the accusation from the McCain camp that rumors of Bristol Palin were being spread by liberal bloggers, some with connections to the Obama campaign, the Illinois senator replied: "I am offended by that statement. There is no evidence at all that any of this involved us. I hope I'm as clear as we can be. We don't go after people's families. Our people were not involved in any way. And if I thought anyone in my campaign they'd be fired."

Wonder what the conservative base thinks of this one

Teen daughter of GOP VP pick is pregnant

The McCain campaign says they knew this before they picked Palin. (And if anyone, anywhere, seriously, can believe that, there's a bridge in Brooklyn on sale that the CoNJL would like to show you.)

Such a well-vetted, carefully thought-out choice, this unknown and unqualified yet female Governor Palin!!