My Kids Love "the YouTubes"

My kids have shown me some good ones before (how they find them is a testament to the series of tubes that is the Internets; maybe they use the Googles, who knows?) but, I have to admit, THIS is a good one. I love my country. I am proud of my country. And that is why I think we need to send this woman back to where her ancestors came from.

McCain's Palm Beach, Floridization of the Ohio Absentee Voters

[Because, yes, I do care if any voter is disenfranchised, even McCain voters. Sigh. We must win fair, square and handily.]

Ballot snafu endangers votes
By Jon Craig • jcraig@enquirer.com • September 11, 2008

About one-third of the absentee ballot applications received at the Hamilton County Board of Elections have been ruled invalid because Republican Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign printed a version of the form with an extra, unneeded box on it.
In a narrow interpretation of Ohio law, Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner says many of the McCain forms have not been completed properly. If the box stating the person is an eligible elector -- or qualified voter – is not checked, Brunner said, the application is no good.
Even though the box is unneeded, by not checking it voters are essentially admitting they’re not eligible, Brunner said.
“I have not seen a ruling that indirectly impacts voters to the enormity of this since I’ve been here,’’ Hamilton County Board of Elections Deputy Director John Williams said of his nearly five-year tenure at the board.More than 750 absentee ballot requests in Hamilton County have been invalidated because of Brunner’s ruling, Williams said. Absentee voting begins in 19 days, or on Sept. 30. If a registered Ohio voter’s application is rejected, Brunner said, “We said you have to notify them within 48 hours and we also suggest that (Board of Elections) send them a new application.”That means county Boards of Election must contact tens of thousands of voters and ask them to fill out a new, valid form in time to vote for the Nov. 4 election. The McCain campaign says it mailed out about 1 million of the faulty forms. "The form contains the necessary requirements and has been accepted in past elections, so this election should be no different,’’ Jon Seaton, McCain’s regional campaign manager,’ said today. "Qualified voters who request absentee ballots should receive them.’’
“If I were a voter, I wouldn’t be very happy,” Brunner said. “I’m stuck with the law. You shouldn’t have to check a box.”Brunner insists she would have ruled the same way if the absentee ballot applications were printed by Sen. Barack Obama’s Democratic campaign for president.Regardless, her ruling is likely to be challenged in court. Williams said he has asked a county prosecutor how to proceed. He said state law does not require a separate box on a form, only a printed statement that the voter is a qualified elector.“This has been a huge wrench in our operation,’’ Williams said. “There’s an enormous time and cost involved,’’ Williams said. “If that box was not there, but a four-leaf clover was there, what do you do with that? What if it was a circle that was next to that? What if it was an asterisk? Effectively what she is saying is it doesn’t need to be there, but if it’s there you need to check it.”Letters will be sent out to everyone whose absentee applications were rejected, with instructions on how to fill out the form properly. Williams wondered aloud what part of the faulty form should be returned to avoid new confusion, and not disenfranchise voters. Brunner was elected in 2006 on a campaign encouraging fewer restrictions on voters and more improvements in the election process to make the system easier and more transparent following two presidential elections in which Ohio was riddled with problems involving punch-card ballots, touchscreen machines, long lines and registration snafus. Brunner said state law does not require one standardized form to apply for an absentee ballot. While the Secretary of State prints its own application, the law says it need not be a particular form. A voter can merely send a letter with personal information that identifies him or her as a qualified elector to receive an absentee ballot, Brunner said.Some county Boards of Election have asked Brunner why they should pay to fix the application error. “The law is clear. The problem is with McCain’s form,’’ she said.But Brunner said she does not have the authority to order any campaign to reimburse counties for the new mailing costs to fix the problem.

WTF??

“The Bubba vote is there, and it’s very real, and it is everywhere... There’s an awful lot of people in America, bless their heart, who simply are not emotionally prepared to vote for a black man."--Dick Armey

♪♪♪I'm "proud" to be an American.♪♪♪


Also, and it pains me to link to this, but I think you should know this is still going on in new and "innovative" ways:

Obama’s Harvard Years: Questions Swirl
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 6:11 PM By: Kenneth R. Timmerman
How exactly did Barack Obama pay for his Harvard Law School education?
The way the Obama campaign has answered the question was simply hard work and student loans. But new questions have been raised about Obama’s student loans and Obama’s ties to a radical Muslim activist who reportedly was raising money for Obama’s Harvard studies during the years 1988 to 1991. [continued at above link]

"On Wednesday We Answer Readers' Mail"

Okay, it's not really "readers'" mail, more like writer's received email.
But today from the inbox:



This is serious, please read if you hven't already:

[from Feminist Majority] South Dakota voters may be deciding for the rest of us whether a state can ban abortion. Early voting began this week in South Dakota. We have not a moment to waste - we must act now. The sweeping abortion ban on the South Dakota ballot (Measure 11) would make it nearly impossible to obtain an abortion in South Dakota and threatens doctors with a felony charge carrying up to 10 years jail time. The ban's so-called exceptions recklessly endanger a woman's health and privacy. If this draconian ban passes, it could become the national test to reverse Roe v. Wade. We can't let this happen--contribute now to stop this draconian abortion ban. About half of your emergency contribution will go to the state-wide coalition -- Campaign for Healthy Families -- which is buying media ads to mobilize voters. The other half will go to support our campus campaign for organizers, vans to transport students to the polls, phone banks, signs, leaflets, and other campaign materials.Feminist Majority Foundation has two dozen paid student organizers and scores of volunteers working to mobilize students on South Dakota college campuses to register voters and to defeat this dangerous abortion ban. With our help, South Dakotans defeated a similar ban in 2006. But this year, the polls show the measure will be harder to defeat because of its more deceptive language. Remember: What happens in South Dakota in November could affect women nationwide. We must stop this drastic anti-abortion state ban in its tracks. Act now, we don't have a moment to waste.

♪Climb every mountain!♪

I ghost-wrote letters to the editor for the McCain campaign
By Margriet Oostveen
Sept. 24, 2008 "You can be whoever you want to be," says an inviting Phil Tuchman. "You can be a beggar or a millionaire. A mom or a husband. Whatever. You decide!" [continued here]

Word to the hockey mother:

Campbell Brown Rips McCain Camp's "Sexist" Treatment Of Palin
"Tonight I call on the McCain campaign to stop treating Sarah Palin like she is a delicate flower that will wilt at any moment," said Brown. "This woman is from Alaska for crying out loud. She is strong. She is tough. She is confident. And you claim she is ready to be one heart beat away form the presidency. If that is the case, then end this chauvinistic treatment of her now. Allow her to show her stuff. Allow her to face down those pesky reporters... Let her have a real news conference with real questions. By treating Sarah Palin different from the other candidates in this race, you are not showing her the respect she deserves. Free Sarah Palin. Free her from the chauvinistic chain you are binding her with. Sexism in this campaign must come to an end. Sarah Palin has just as much a right to be a real candidate in this race as the men do. So let her act like one."

BREAKING NEWS:

McCain will be suspending campaiging to return to D.C. to work on the bail-out and thinks the Friday debate should be suspended. A week into the issue, he decides to get involved in doing his job and thinks the debate should be suspended. Hmmmmmm... That cracks me the hell up for some reason.

From HarrisburgPAFreecycle:

[I cannot make this shit up.] "I have a half dozen pairs of Mens Briefs (tighty whities) in size 56". They are slightly soiled, most noticeable in the butt area. They have been washed, but still a bit
on the gray side.If you 'big' enough and need some draws, let me know."

Gucci Coochi:

Designer vagina trend 'worrying'
A leading urogynaecologist has spoken out against the growing popularity of cosmetic vaginal surgery. Professor Linda Cardozo, of King's College Hospital, London, says little evidence exists to advise women on the safety or effectiveness of procedures. These include operations to make the external appearance more "attractive" and reshaping the vagina to counter laxity after childbirth, for example. [continued at above link]

[More in "I cannot make this shit up" news]
Gives "Yummy Mummy" a WHOLE NEW meaning:

PETA Urges Ben & Jerry's To Use Human Milk
Group Says Move Would Help Humans, Cows
WATERBURY, Vt. -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, cofounders of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., urging them to replace cow's milk they use in their ice cream products with human breast milk, according to a statement recently released by a PETA spokeswoman. [continued at above link]

Whenever I agree with George, I throw up in my mouth a little, but hey: good article...

McCain Loses His Head
By George F. Will
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
"The queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. 'Off with his head!'
she said without even looking around." -- "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"
Under the pressure of the financial crisis, one presidential candidate is behaving like a flustered rookie playing in a league too high. It is not Barack Obama. [continued at above link]

Loves me some Barbara:

The Power of Negative Thinking
By BARBARA EHRENREICH
Published: September 23, 2008
GREED — and its crafty sibling, speculation — are the designated culprits for the financial crisis. But another, much admired, habit of mind should get its share of the blame: the delusional optimism of mainstream, all-American, positive thinking. [continued at above link]

I'm adding Shakesville to my blogroll, check them out if you get a chance.

Not much new in Kayly-land. Tomorrow night I am going to a PPAC fundraiser with my GF Tahnee. Get my drink on, yo. This quarter is almost over at work. Sunday I'll get my new lines. I think I'm a geek because I am excited about this.

Yuck it up with some old (young) Sarah. She my guh-rul, yo.

Contra-dick-tions

Yes, more. Hope you don't get bored, but this is as much for my "memory book" as it is for anyone to read.
Oh, Sweet Sarah...
#1

GIBSON: And you didn't say to yourself, "Am I experienced enough? Am I ready? Do I know enough about international affairs? Do I -- will I feel comfortable enough on the national stage to do this?"
PALIN: I didn't hesitate, no.

HANNITY: What was your family's reaction? Was there time to huddle and have a hockey team meeting?

PALIN: It was a time of asking the girls to vote on it, anyway. And they voted unanimously, yes. Didn't bother asking my son because, you know, he's going to be off doing his thing anyway, so he wouldn't be so impacted by, at least, the campaign period here.So asked the girls what they thought and they're like, absolutely. Let's do this, mom.

#2

“'Guys and gals, our regulatory system is outdated and needs a complete overhaul. Washington has ignored this. Washington has been asleep at the switch and ineffective and management on Wall Street has not run these institutions responsibly and has put companies and markets at risk,' Palin told the cheering crowd, 'They place their own interests first instead of their employees and the shareholders who actually own these companies.' 'We are going to reform the way Wall Street does business and stop multi-million dollar payouts and golden parachutes to CEOs who break the public trust.'”

PALIN: And you're right, our economy is weak right now and we've got to strengthen it, and government can play an appropriate role to strengthen the economy. Our 6.1 percent unemployment rate is unacceptable, also, across our nation. We need to put
government back on the side of the people and make sure that it is not government solely looked at for all the solutions, for one. Government has got to get out of the way, in some respects, of the private sector, being able to create the jobs that we need, jobs that are going to allow for the families to be able to afford health care, to be able to afford their mortgages, to be able to afford college tuition for their kids. That's got to be the principal here, reform government, recognize that it's not government to be looked at to solve all the problems.

#3

“And another thing near and dear to my heart, it's going to be helping families who have special needs and children with special needs. And we're going to be pushing for innovative cures for diseases.”

"To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters.I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House. "

As governor, Palin vetoed $275,000 in Special Olympics Alaska funds (Page 100, SB 221 with vetoes) and cut special ed funding in Alaska over three years. (See here, here and here.)

#4
Less of a contradiction, then it is a what the fuh?? They though this was a better explanation??

"The campaign says it can prove Monegan was fired in July because of insubordination on budget issues, and not because he refused to fire a state trooper who went through a nasty divorce from Palin's sister.To that end, the campaign released a series of e-mails detailing the frustration several Palin administration officials experienced in dealing with Monegan. The 'last straw,' the campaign said, was a trip Monegan planned to Washington in July to seek federal money for investigating and prosecuting sexual assault cases. In a July 7 e-mail, John Katz, the governor's special counsel, noted two problems with the trip: the governor hadn't agreed the money should be sought, and the request 'is out of sequence with our other appropriations requests and could put a strain on the evolving relationship between the Governor and Sen. Stevens.'"

And well it should have been the last straw!! Money to prevent sexual assault in a state where the crime is out of control? What a ri-fucking-diculous idea.

MORE: (from Standing Together Against Rape in Alaska )

• Alaska is the # 1 state in the country for Rape and has been for 23 out of the last 30 years (FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm).



• Alaska’s reported rate of rape per capita is 2.6 times the national average (FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm).



• Anchorage has the ninth highest sexual assault rate of any city in the United States, and Fairbanks is ranked first (FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm).



• Fairbanks’ rape rate is 4.7 times the national average (FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm).



• AK’s Child abuse rate is six times higher than the national average. (Department of Public Safety/ AK CDVSA Annual Report for FY 2006)



• Native American and Alaska Native women are 2-2.5 times more likely to be sexually assaulted than women of all other ethnicities in the US. (Amnesty International Report, 2007: www.amnestyusa.org; National survey of Violence Against Women 2006, http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/210346.pdf)

"Sarah, Sarah, storms are brewing in your eyes. Sarah, Sarah, no time is a good time. No-oh-oh-oh-oh oh. Sarah, why did it, why did it,why did it all fall apart?"--Jefferson Starship

Lastly, I don't CARE if it's a fake, it makes me chuckle, so suck it if it bothers you for some reason!

Random, Incoherent & Stolen Material

[Tried to post this MUCH earlier, but Blogger was screwed up for quite some time today.]

Today is International Lazy Blogger Day. (A randomly recurring holiday I just invented. Pass it on.)

Thanks to Ethan for passing on the tidbit re: Old Man Yells at Cloud. Apparently McCain thinks Spain is neither an ally nor a part of Europe.

Avast! Today, matey, is also International Talk Like a Pirate Day, arrrr. Ye best be gettin' yer yaps a’movin’.

I knew it!! They done gone and switched it up on us. Now she’s out there campaignin’ and talkin’, guys and gals, about bein’ the POTUS. Now she won’t have ANY time for huntin’ wolves from heli-cop-ters and choppin’ their legs off. She won’t have ANY time for killin’ and field-dressin’ moose. (What will she eat??) And she won’t have any time for raisin’ her daughter’s baby.



Oprah picked her new book. The book is a hefty “tome” (these are finger quotes, not unnecessary quotes): The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel . Proving my thesis that she picks books based on their pretentiousness rather than actual readability or literary worth. (Not that they don’t sometimes overlap. Accidentally, I’m sure.) This new pick was slow, overly-wrought, and ultimately a bore for me and many other readers at my library. I guess it’s good she has people reading, but how many of them actually read the book, do you think? I bet many of them carry the fat, pretentious books around like trophies for the course of the reading period, saying vague things about the book when asked how they like it.

Good news (almost) for parents of girl teens afraid of teen pregnancy. Now, if they would start protecting themselves against disease, and goddammit, ya just know the poor girls are mostly on the giving end of the whole oral thing. Hopefully their girlfriends and they, themselves, are taking care of their own needs.

Obama’s is pulling ahead again, even with white women and independents, and getting better.

HITLER CAT!!!???!!! ROTFLMAO!

Another fun Palin picture from Margaret Cho’s blog. Don’t know if it’s real or not. Don’t care.

Monday, the 22nd, is the Autumnal Equinox at 11:44 EDT. This is a great time to open all your windows, smudge, light a candle for your seasonal goals, needs and wants and meditating/praying for the same. If you have energy to do so, Equinox is a good day for a Big Clean. I'll skip that part this year, again.

Random Random Random

Still not sure for whom you're voting? (Like I know anyone who's not sure, lol.) Try the ABC News Match-o-Matic! If you happen to know any undecideds or McCain voters, forward to them--just in case.
Shout out to Israel in the hou-ouse! (Apparently as fascinated with Sarah's tanning habits as I am...)
Sarah Palin's Yahoo account was hacked this week, which I don't endorse or agree with, but I did wonder why the governor of a state and a VP candidate uses Yahoo for email... Apparently, I wasn't the only one.
Last night my husband (remember: a lifelong Lincoln/Roosevelt Republican recently, to his slight chagrin, registered Democratic Party and hasn't looked back since) hit his breaking point. After a Colbert Report and a recounting by me of the latest Palin fun facts (see previous post), Nathan actually uttered these words:

You know, I've gotten to the point that if the Republicans do win, I think I might want to move to another country, too.

Referencing my desire over the past eight years to move to Canada. Only now I have decided Denmark is more my style. (I would be a great dane! Ba-dum-bum!) Oddly today I received an email from International House inviting me to their next event: Discover the World Danish Students Reception.
Coincidence? Foreboding omen? We'll see...
Just saw a preview for a movie called The Lucky Ones. Looks good. Wonder why I haven't heard of it before what with all of the entertainment news I read...

Fun Facts with Sarah and Johnny

Fact #1:
McCain cannot use the Internet or email. Not because he's an idiot and oooooold to boot, but because--drum roll-his arm was injured when he was a POW. Whew! Good thing nobody told Stephen Hawking you need two working arms to work that newfangled doohickey.
Fact #2:
Sarah Palin had a tanning bed installed in the governor's mansion. Never minding that they cost anywhere from $2500 (used) to $30,000 (professional, new) and suggest a strange level of vanity for a serious person of any gender, but Palin supporters are now suggesting, "Hey, she's not vain. She has chronic depression." OOOOoooooooohhhh! Much better! McCain is moments away from his next melanoma, a cancer which he has never been "cured of" as his campaign suggests, otherwise, he WOULDN'T have had it repeatedly, even after the lymph nodes it had invaded were removed. He's had or has vertigo, an enlarged prostate, kidney/bladder stones, high cholesterol, degenerative arthritis which leaves him in chronic pain, high blood pressure, polyps and diverticulitis in his colon. He's 72. She is a heartbeat, literally, away from the Presidency if the dude is elected, and she has CHRONIC DEPRESSION?? OOoooooohhh, okay!! Much better!!
Fact #3:
Palin hired a high school friend to head Alaska's State Division of Agriculture because her friend liked cows.
Fact #4:
If it weren't for McCain, I wouldn't be blogging right now. Thanks, Johnny!
Fact #5:
"The fundamentals of the economy are strong." And by fundamentals I mean, uh... um... American workers?? Uh, yeah, American workers, that's what I meant.


Oh, facts! I love you silly old facts!

Feedjit has made me a narcissist.

Narcissism has been popping up in various reading of mine a lot lately, and I can pretty much safely say I am not (normally) narcissistic.
However...
Feedjit has me checking it like a Cindy McCain checking her Playboy bunny blonde hair in every reflective surface she passes. (You *know* she does. And hey, if I went from frumpy '00 Cindy to First Bunny in waiting in '08, maybe I would, too.)
So anyway, just wanted to say:
Hey-ey!! Budapest, Zurich and Finland in the HOU-OUSE!!

I read fashion magazines.

There, I said it.
To me fashion magazines are like porn for fashion lovers. You may not be able to tell by looking at me most of the time, but I loves me some good design. Right now I'm in lust with Thakoon, and then there are the old standbys: Calvin Klein, Armani, Marc Jacobs, Prada, Commes des Garcons. When I am wealthy, lol, my wardrobe will consist of these designers. I have a thing for girly mixed with tailored/classic mixed with avant garde. My shoes will all be Balenciaga. Assuming I never have to actually walk or stand. I love the finer things in life even though my budget and my conscience have a problem with this fact.
This is all a roundabout way of getting to Elle magazine. If Vogue and Bazaar are the Hustler of fashion rags, then Elle is the Playboy. The skin is a bit more modest and the articles are well-written and intriguingly intelligent. Elle also has a good book section which has pointed me to many great titles over the years. The book section also includes a Readers' Prize Panel for Elle readers who get to read three (FREE! PRE-pub many times!!) books following a theme and vote on them, sometimes having their reviews printed in the magazine. I have been selected for the January panel. Yay! January is a fiction month, and I would have preferred non-fiction, but I can't wait for my package to arrive. It's like Christmas and a reader's fantasy rolled into one little package. Hopefully, it's not a chick lit theme month, but they rarely have any chick lit in their pages, and even so, sometimes junk is fun reading.

I'm #1!!

New Google weirdness:
I'm number on Google for the search "things you wouldn't say to" and for some reason a Parisian and Copenhagen Dane searched these right in arow and arrived at my humble blog. Poor cultured people must have been sorely disappointed.

Forgot to mention a few things...

I am, for some reason, at the top of a lot of weird searches on Google. I know this from Feedjit. But, by far, my favorite is the Rolling Stones lyric "you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need" combined with the word economics. Check it out if you don't believe me!!
This is one of my upcoming favorites in blog land, I think.

For reals:

Ketchup.

Oh...where to start?

Family:
Holden started his drum lessons. So far he is liking them and practicing. We told him he couldn't buy his drum kit until he has stuck with the lessons for a month or two.

Both boys are back in school now. Holden is enjoying school and doing very well, despite his last minute jitters right before he started about going to SciTech. Ethan's school hired a new teacher, so he doesn't have the teacher he thought he'd have and is quite relieved and happy with the new teacher so far.

I got tickets for The View in the mail today. I don't remember requesting them and presume I did it around the time I had ECT. Ma vaguely remembers me asking her about going sometime around the ECT. So my grandma, Ma, and BFF Vicki are going to see The View and, hopefully, get some good free shit. But at the very least BFF and I will get to boo H-ASS-elbeck. Ma and Grandma and I will go up to Manhattan the night before for a "night on the town" since we have to be there early for the taping.

Health:
I finished my antibiotics for the possible Lyme disease last Friday, so if I don't feel better by appx. the 26th, then back to the drawing board regarding the neuropathy and exhaustion. So far all is pretty much the same. Hence the lack of posts lately, because if I am not working, I'm resting. Plus my allergies are out-of-fucking-control right now. I've decided to go ahead with immunotherapy for my allergies, despite the huge time commitment the damn shots will be. But I don't see my immunotherapist until around Thanksgiving. Eh, I'll muddle through, like I always do, I guess.

I've decided to try acupuncture for my pain, but the appt. has not been made yet. (Other things I have not set up yet: 1. Tuning of the piano for Ethan as he wants to take lessons. 2. Lessons for Ethan. 3. Taking my computer in to have the wireless fixed. [Out since my vacation in July...] 4. Setting up a pedicure date with my girlfriend Tahnee as promised. Okay, hold on, I'm going to make some phone calls...)

Politics:

1. Sarah Palin. 'Nuf said. Anything else and my blood pressure rises. But feel free to Google "Palin's lies" or "fact check Palin." Or for the latest gossip on the Palin family, check this out. Plus The Daily Show has been an excellent source for pointing out the McCain-Palin hypocrisies.
2. Love Olberman's "McCain in the Membrane" feature.
3. I'm "eh" so far on Maddow's new show, so far, although I, too, am "Gay for Rachel Maddow."

Dumb-Ass Crap you probably don't care about (even more so than usual, lol.):

I updated my "Books I've Read" list.----------> then scroll down

Some chick I work "with" (remember: it's all relative...) got fired and might get prosecuted. The details will bore you, especially if I already told them to you, lol. But the gossip was juicy to me, anyway.

New shows on the regular DVR-timer list:

1. True Blood
2. Privileged

Sad the season is over/almost over:

1. Swingtown
2. Weeds

Treasured old friends I'm glad to welcome back:

1. Bones
2. House
3. The New Adventures of Old Christine
4. How I Met Your Mother
5. The Office