What "BOMB" Will The Republicans Drop?

John McCain made it official:

"I'm the underdog in this race.... I'm behind. I've got to catch up and get ahead. And I expect to do that about 48 hours before the general election."

So, the only question is "how?" If the lead in the presidential race is going to change in a short 48 hours before the general election, what "bomb" does the Republican Party have planned? Will it be an actual bomb - an attack on U.S. soil; a military installation; a transportation hub; a sporting event; etc.? Will it be a financial bomb - the revelation of some imminent financial collapse; the immediate need for the government takeover of a major corporation? Will it be a social bomb - an outbreak of a plague-like disease; rioting in a major city; the "accidental" release of a dangerous chemical or biological agent? Or yet another "Lie Bomb" - another slanderous attack on Senator Obama's character that will come so late in the campaign that Senator Obama will have no time to respond? Whatever it is, we now know the timetable - 48 hours before the general election. You can't say they didn't warn us.

"COUNTRY FIRST" - Not for this American

Recently John McCain gave a speech to supporters in front of a large banner that said, "COUNTRY FIRST." I am certain that particular theme plays well for many people in the United States, but not for this citizen. For me, God and family are placed above "country." My "allegiance" to God and family will always trump my allegiance to country if ever those loyalties are opposed to one another. The Republican Party has repeatedly confused and substituted the term "government" for the term "country" making it even more difficult for me to profess my devotion to our country. My country - the United States of America - is NOT the government of the United States of America. It is disheartening that John McCain and so many other Republicans do not understand this. The territory of the United States and the people who live within its borders are this country. It is not the monstrous government and those who control it that define the term country.

What's more is that John McCain is from the party that supposedly wants "less government." Yet, the current Republican administration has reached deeper into our homes, our wallets, our churches, and virtually every other part of our lives than any other presidency in the history of this nation.

Recently, I had a very long, thoughtful, and friendly discussion with a friend of mine who happens to be a conservative southern Democrat. On practically every issue we agree - except one, the war in Iraq. Although we agree that we should never have gone into Iraq - unlike me, my friend believes that since we are there, we need to "finish the job." I have serious problems with his reasoning. Saying that we need to "finish the job" in Iraq, is like saying that a surgeon who has begun amputating the wrong limb should "finish the job." Of course, this is absurd. The surgeon should do his best to undo the damage he has done, and get out. That is exactly what we should do when it comes to Iraq. We should do our best to correct the damage we have done and get out. If the Iraqi people are not willing to fight for their liberty, then why should we? You can not "hand" democracy to a people and expect them to appreciate it. In every instance, where democracy has succeeded, it is because the people were willing to demand it and, in most cases, fight for it. This has not happened in Iraq.

My friend made an interesting statement during our discussion. He said, "You know, Lon, there are only two things that I am passionate about. The first one is my country - because country is 'home.' The second is my woman." I replied, "I would add God to the top of my list. Before country would be my wife and family - because they ARE my home, no matter where we live. If I am with them, I am at home." My friend smiled and said, "I respect that. I'll have to think about it. It makes sense."

Couric Continuing as Republican Mouthpiece

Katie Couric is continuing to help the Republican cause by her attacks (although well veiled) on Barack Obama and her support (not as well veiled) for John McCain. In recent interviews with both presidential candidates, Couric is very pointed in her attempts to get Senator Obama to admit that the "surge" in Iraq has worked, while basically ignoring the points he makes in why he did not support the surge. She completely ignores the other options - instead of sending more troops and money into Iraq - that were available to us at the time. Couric also does not challenge McCain at all in her questioning of him about the success of the "surge." For example, she could have asked:

• Senator McCain, isn't it possible that the success of the surge is only temporary?
• Senator McCain, do you believe that this increased presence of American troops in Iraq will have to be sustained for weeks, months, or years to come in order to keep the violence levels low?
• Senator McCain, is it not possible that the surge will create new resolve for those who have been the cause of violence against our soldiers in Iraq to fight even harder or find new opportunities to attack them?
• Senator McCain, are there better ways that the money being spent on the surge could have been spent to secure a peace in Iraq and help the citizens here in the United States?

However, these questions nor any like them were asked of Senator McCain. Cowardice and complicity - apparently that is all CBS expects from Couric.

If You Vote McCain - You Vote For More War

Report: U.S. 'preparing the battlefield' in Iran

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/06/29/us.iran/

The Bush/McCain Administration wants war with Iran (reference the above link). If John McCain wins, you can put your money on the U.S. attacking Iran during his administration. If that happens, you can also bet that there will be another draft. Being that my son is 17, that puts him at grave risk of being drafted. Therefore, if you vote for McCain, you are MY ENEMY. If Bush can make anyone who is not for his war on Iraq an "enemy of the State," I can certainly consider anyone who puts my son in harm's way for the sake of oil profits an enemy of mine. You are either for my family or against my family. A vote for McCain puts you squarely against my family. If you have the gull to tell me that you support McCain, prepare to hear my wrath. I will NOT remain silent. I am so adamant about this issue that my wife has decided that we will not visit Monticello to witness the Naturalization Ceremony taking place there on July 4th, at which President George W. Bush will be speaking. Although it would be a great civics lesson for our children, my wife believes that it would be too much of a civics lesson for my children to see their father arrested for protesting Bush's violation of the Constitution - the same Constitution which the new citizens will be asked to obey and support. Therefore, we will be finding other ways to spend Independence Day together - ways that embrace the principles on which this country was founded and which keep me out of handcuffs.

Where Have You Been the Last 2 Decades, McCain?

Johnny-Come-Lately McCain Proposes a $300 Million Prize for an advanced electric battery powered vehicle. It's 2008, McCain!!! Where have you been? Of course, he does not say exactly what this "battery pack" should be able to do to win the prize. It's just more rhetoric from the old guard to try to win independent and swing voters away from Obama. If the citizens of this country buy this bull, then we deserve all the crap that will come with it. McCain has no real interest in making the United States an energy independent nation. If he did, he would not have waited until this campaign to make such a proposal. I believe that John McCain will say whatever his "think tank" produces for him to read (poorly) from his teleprompter. Whatever the Rove-type advisors in his campaign tell him to say in order to pull ahead of Mr. Obama, John McCain will say it. Expect more surprising and "progressive sounding" proposals from Mr. McCain in coming weeks, but don't believe a word of it.

Tucker Bounds - Full of Chicken Dung

"...Obama is following John McCain's lead to close a Wall Street loophole..." - Tucker Bounds lying

The "Wall Street loophole" to which Bounds refers is one that protects some energy futures trading from oversight by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The fact is that McCain's economic advisor, Phil Gramm (whose wife sat on the board of Enron), slipped an Enron-backed provision into the Commodities Futures Modernization Act that exempted from regulation energy trading on electronic platforms. The spigot of lies continues to flow from the McCain Campaign. McCain would be as good a friend to Big Oil as father and son Bush have been.

Elections: A Delegate Situation

Our election system has many flaws, the most serious of them - in my opinion - being the lack of accountability and security in casting and counting votes. However, another problem that is almost as important is the use of delegates to send to a convention where the candidates for the major parties will be selected. I have just looked at the numbers from the Iowa Caucuses, and I find them to be quite disturbing. See if they make sense to you.

For reference, the population of Iowa is 2,926,324. The percentage of the population who cast a vote in this caucus: 4%

On the Republican side:

• Delegates at stake: 40 
• Super Delegates: 0
• Total Votes Cast for Republicans (with 96% of precincts reporting): 116,114
• Percentage of Total Population Casting Republican Votes: 3.96%

Candidate Numbers (with 96% of precincts reporting)

• Mike Huckabee - Votes Received: 39,814 (34%)  Delegates Received: 30 (75%)
• Mitt Romney - Votes Received: 29,405 (25%)  Delegates Received: 7 (17.5%)
• Fred Thompson - Votes Received: 15,521 (13%)  Delegates Received: 0 (0%)
• John McCain - Votes Received: 15,248 (13%)  Delegates Received: 0 (0%)
• Ron Paul - Votes Received: 11,598 (10%)  Delegates Received: 0 (0%)
• Rudy Giuliani - Votes Received: 4,013 (3%)  Delegates Received: 0 (0%)
• Duncan Hunter - Votes Received: 515 (0%)  Delegates Received: 0 (0%)

Percentage of Voters Ignored by Delegates: 46%

On the Democrat side:

• Delegates at stake: 57
• Super Delegates: 0
• Total Votes Cast for Democrats: 2,497
• Percentage of Total Population Casting Democrat Votes: 0.09%

Candidate Numbers (with all precincts reporting)

• Barack Obama - Votes Received: 940 (38%)  Delegates Received: 16 (28%)
• John Edwards - Votes Received: 744 (30%)  Delegates Received: 14 (24.5%)
• Hillary Clinton - Votes Received: 737 (30%)  Delegates Received: 15 (26%)
• Bill Richardson - Votes Received: 52 (2%)  Delegates Received: 0 (0%)
• Joe Biden - Votes Received: 23 (1%)  Delegates Received: 0 (0%)
• Chris Dodd - Votes Received: 1 (0%)  Delegates Received: 0 (0%)
• Mike Gravel - Votes Received: 0 (0%)  Delegates Received: 0 (0%)
• Dennis Kucinich - Votes Received: 0 (0%)  Delegates Received: 0 (0%)

Percentage of Voters Ignored by Delegates: 22.5%

This is screwed up! It's RIDICULOUS! Less than 8% of eligible voters went to the polls to vote in this Caucus. In the Democrat's Caucus only 2,497 total votes were cast to win a total of 57 delegates. That's insane!! Only 44 votes per delegate?! Why? hmmm.... let's see. Could it be that the voters believe that their vote will count for NOTHING?!? Thirty percent of all Iowans are registered as Independents. They are automatically shut out of the Caucuses. This is abhorrent, but I will save that discussion for another time. The huge majority of the remaining registered voters do not vote in the primaries, and it is no wonder. If I had voted in the Republican Caucus for Fred Thompson (who received 13% of the vote), my vote would have been for NOTHING! Mr. Thompson will not receive a delegate from this Caucus. If I had voted in the Democratic Caucus for Barack Obama, my vote may well have been one of the 26% of the votes for Mr. Obama that will not be represented by a delegate. Again, I would have voted for NOTHING!

Everyday, the federal government steals more and more of our wealth, our freedoms, and our country away from us. If want it to stop, you cannot keep your mouth shut and sit on your hands.