A Fearless Leader

Who do you want to run your country? You want a statesmen running things, that's who. Everytime a Republican uses the word elite like its a bad word, I cringe. Why do we do that?

Elite (also spelled Élite) is taken originally from the Latin, eligere, "to elect". The position of an elite at the top of the social strata almost invariably puts it in a position of leadership. So you want the elite to run our country. By definition!!! Who else?

There are farmers. Sure, we need farmers. We need men that understand how things grow, the best pesticides to use, how genetically enhanced food will eventually start to effect our physical evolution, how to clean water, how to irrigate, how to make dry areas green, how to effectively fertilize without having any ill affects on local water systems. How to thoughtfully bring the grow areas closer to market so that we save on energy and travel costs. We need farmers. We need smart farmers. But we don't need them to run the country.

We need dentists and doctors . We need people who have spent their years learning to keep our bodies healthy and save lives. Dentists and doctors are essential to prevent the spread of massive disease and thereby head off all sorts of economic and environmental disasters. But we don't need one to run our country.

We need teachers. Someone must gather the mistakes of the past, and teach those lessons to us as children, so we can build on that information and offer a better life to our kids. We need teachers to give us basic skills like reading and math and language in order to function effectively in society. We need teachers to introduce us to imagination, art, and music. And at the very least, we need teachers to watch the kids for a few hours so as parents, you can have some sanity. But we don't need a teacher to run the country.

We need builders. Someone has to know how to make brick and mortar, how to create a home, how to make it safe, bring in plumbing and electricity, and construct a family's home base to return to generation after generation. But we don't need a builder to run our country.

We need sheriffs. Someone has to stop those with mad cow disease from killing, raping, stealing, and swindling the rest of us. But we don't need that sheriff to run the country. We need him to run the legal enforcement system.

We need generals. We need those who clearly see chess-like decisions 30 moves ahead and can instill bravery and duty in their men. But we don't need those generals, skilled in the art of war and destruction, to run our country.

We need soldiers. In a time of crisis, we need them to save and rescue. In a time of fear and intrusion and attack, we need those who will rise and defend us. We need those who will follow orders and trust in their commanders to see the bigger picture. But we don't need them to put down their weapons and lead the country.

Leaders should be leaders. Those who listen and engage those around them. Those who amalgamate and gather information. Those who surround themselves with uninterested parties. And if there are special interest people in our leader's inner circle, let them be the type of people who work for the greater good. A leader should be someone who can compromise and negotiate. Those who understand job creation. Someone who is compassionate. We need a leader who can analyze data. Someone who makes friends and allies. A leader should be able to keep the cost of living down. Our leaders should be those who choose peace and can and will build a framework to keep it. Although I am more spiritual than religious, I feel that those who are pious and moral would make the best leaders. Answering to a higher power is always a good motivation for making the best decisions. Leaders should be hopeful and undamaged. We need someone who is as whole emotionally as possible, not someone who could easily have been deeply affected by being kept in a hole.

Leaders should be leaders. Those who have peaceful homes and respect the constitution of family and marriage. Those who are engaging and endearing. Those without bloodlust. Those who do not wish to instigate (audio of McCain on wanting to be where the guns were firing to be inserted here), We need those who deliberate. Those who know its easier to say no, than to say yes, but still chose to say yes. We need problem solvers, peacekeepers, those who can hire well (Rick Davis et al data here). Those who are well informed and instill loyalty. That is to say, if they don't know something, those closest to our leader make sure they find it out, and quickly, almost before anyone else.

Leaders should be leaders. Those who value education above all. Not someone who puts down anyone with an education. A leader of this country should remember the tired, the helpless, the poor. Our leader should understand the incredibly valuable commodity that our country has to offer, opportunity. Our leaders should hold that opportunity dear and do all they can to keep it accessible, abundant, and contemporary. Our leaders should understand that upholding the availability of opportunity is the best export we have and that channeling that opportunity into the green job market would be for the good of our planet. Our leader should be someone who can get the world to join us in our efforts and maybe even recruit those allies to help us fund worldwide green research and implementation. Our leaders should walk the walk and drive a green car to be a good example for the nation. And when our economy is in trouble, we need someone who will sound the alarm, early on (see footage of Obama) and not try to lull the masses (see video of McCain).

Leaders should be leaders. Those who are willing to admit and point out when others are right. Those who can look you in the eye. We need someone you can innately trust. Those who get involved the minute there is a problem, and start working toward a solution (Bush continued to read to the kindergartners on 9/11, McCain stayed in NY two extra days when the economy crashed and did not participate in negotiations). Our leader should know basic geography. For instance, Spain is in Europe, not in Latin America, not in Mexico, and not in our hemisphere. Iraq doesn't border Pakistan.

Leaders should be born leaders. Those who can unite minorities and raise them up to the level of everyone else. The history of the United States is fraught with mistakes, massive slavery of a people, annihilations of the native Americans, persecution of the native Hawaiians, disregard for the native American Eskimos. This legacy must no longer be passed on.

If you look at all the living ex-Presidents, you will see that the 4 or 8 years really age them. They almost seem to age quicker than the rest of us. Maybe its the stress, the lack of sleep, or the critics, but each time the office seems to take its toll. We need someone who can take the ageing element out of being President, by starting out younger.

We need heroes. We do. We treasure them. We look up to them. We respect them. But in a leader, we need someone who will use their reach to gather solutions, not reach out to their minions and encourage them to "kill the other guy." (See different messages that went out from both campaigns. Barack asking for suggestions, McCain asking his camp to continue to slander and defame the other guy.)

Can you honestly say that McCain is this leader?

Our Friend
The Respectful Republican

John McCain - Naval Aviator
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-aviator6-2008oct06,0,7633315.story

John McCain - History of Regulation and Reform
http://www.keatingeconomics.com/

John McCain - Family Man
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jul/11/nation/na-divorce11

John McCain - A Steady Hand
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwTKM_u-7j4

John McCain - Former Chairman of Commerce Committee Which Oversees Economy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4egXbhSOhk

John McCain - A Case For Solid Change From Bush Adminsitration
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJThPjvscFs

John McCain - Fiscal Responsibity
http://www.keatingeconomics.com/

John McCain - Strong Record on Healthcare Reform
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/27057654#27057772

You Can Lead A Candidate To Oxford, But You Can't Make Him Think

A TALE OF TWO CITIES -- McCain called Letterman. "Can't make it 'ol Buddy, gotta save the world and gotta race back to D.C. to do it."

"No Problem." says Letterman, as disappointment and surprise began to wash over him. How bad must things actually be for the war hero to cancel? Wow.

Only McBeth didn't run back to Washington. He was at the same network's studio, shooting an interview with Katey Couric AT THAT EXACT MOMENT, and would be staying in NY for an additional 22 hours before he went anywhere near a plane! Dave, run that clip, will ya?

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XjkCrfylq-E

Spoiler Alert: I'm about to get metaphorical on his ass.

While the entire community was working hard to clean up spilled oil that had washed up on their local beaches, the owner of the faulty tanker, U.S.S. McCain, flew into town and drew a line in the dark and sticky sand.

Really? Johnny don't like the deal? You stopped everything you were doing to fly into town and say 6 sentences, sit down and not, in any way, be part of the solution???
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See Barack's address to the press about why the deal for economic stimulus stalled:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26893995#26893995
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To be honest, now I'm getting angry....

Hey, John!!! Why don't you get some gloves out and start scrubbing those birds leaking black stuff all around you???

We'll even allow you to make ONE constructive comment. Do you HAVE any constructive suggestions? Every major news outlet calls your parachuting into Washington D.C., an incredibly destructive, distracting, divisive, and dumb thing to do. People, please believe me when I tell you that he actually said, he being the Republican nominee for President formerly known as John, did not read the three (3) page proposal as put forth by Hank Paulson !!!!!!! he didn't even read it. (heavy sigh)

See for yourself: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#26894431

I'm going to sleep.

Section 8. Section 8?!?!?!

Does it totally go over everyone's heads that the incredibly insane idea of giving Paulson a get out of jail free card with which he could in no way be held responsible for his actions, would be called "Section 8?"

Section 8 (military), a kind of discharge from the United States military due to mental illness and/or problems ...

ALSO

Section 8 (bailout) is the part of the bailout plan put forth by the Bush Administration stating that in regards to oversight and review, "Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency."

P.S. for S.P.

Why we are so exhausted...Our Historic Two Weeks.

Its been going so fast and furious that many of us may not really know what it is that makes us feel so drained right now. Alot of us have fought in campaigns before, but this seems like more than the usual 4th quarter blues.

Well, I gave it some thought. Let's review.

I think it is safe to say that the Democratic party was generally happy and energized after their convention. Glowing, crying, hopeful.

Almost immediately after, Gustav was brewing out in the Caribbean and had already killed some people. The storm was bearing in on the coast of the U.S. and millions were evacuated. You couldn't be human, or part of the movement to elect Obama, if you didn't identify with all the unfortunate people that had to pack up, leave, and spend money just to find a space to sleep, find gas, etc.

Then, with that low lying anxiety, and with Ike on the way, Bush jumped out of the circle and ran to Texas as the Republican convention started to "oversee things from there." We were robbed of our ability to see the incumbent standing next to one of his biggest supporters, proving to everyone watching that McCain would be more of the same.

Instead, we got a surprise distraction and a rollercoaster ride. An unprecedented number of people started very actively arguing about politics. It wasn't a fair fight. They're shorter, so there were alot of low blows.

Then the nation watched as Ike began to bear down. Barack canceled what was to be his Saturday Night Live appearance. (Now that just wasn't fair! I was really looking forward to that). But it was o.k., we were doing the right thing. Ike was on its way and, in a rare natural metaphor, was the size of Texas. No matter where it hit the U.S., work was going to have to be done to help alot of people.

No details needed. Wipeout. Same time, Palin was doing her press junket, shaking hands, and making friends. Miraculously, the other team seemed to start to take the lead.

Last weekend was sleepless for alot of us. I don't know about you guys, but at this point I was glued to my computer, reassuring friends the polls were going to prove wrong, feeling it in my gut, which was also full of coffee and fast food.

Monday morning we woke to the news that Wall Street had lost two of its major brokerage firms. Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy after the government refused to bail it out, and Merrill Lynch employees bit their nails.

Barack had to swat some flies away (literally and figuratively), but the tables were turning.

Then, Bank of America bought Merril Lynch in a quickee deal and the stock market responded with a huge sell off, down 504 points for the day. There were fears about Washington Mutual, Morgan Stanley and other firms, so financial stocks tanked. Markets around the world took a beating. If you didn't know, trust me, we really wiped out everybody. Some of the markets weren't even able to reopen. AIG was on the precipice, looking out over the lemming Lehman's below, and they are huge in almost every world market, so this was going to be bad. If you watched the BBC, or any other major world news agency, THEY used the words 'earthquake, The Great Depression, Black Tuesday, and devastating emergency' to describe what was happening everywhere. I actually made the mistake of tivoing some shows from Fox News to get the other perspective and boy, there is no way for me to get those hours back.

But we rallied. We picked up. We really did folks. The more she spoke, the stupider she sounded. The more McCain spoke, the more he got things wrong in a pretty visible way. What went up, was starting to go down. Who had time for lipstick, when the house was on fire?

First, those who cared (wearing both red and blue) sat around a big table in Washington and someone said something, and someone else agreed, and someone took out a checkbook.

*The federal government jumped in Tuesday night and bailed out AIG to the tune of an $85 billion loan.
*The FCC put a ban on shortselling.
*The world's central banks took action, injecting $180 billion into the financial system to stem the losses.
*The market rallied, bounced, went back up.
*Even the government's #1 Deregulator was screaming for regulation!

So if you feel exhausted, it's not the election, it's not this fight we are in. Its all the unbelievable distractions, regrettable as they were, that hit the world the last two weeks.

Good news?

1. Their numbers are down, ours are up.

2. The judge in the Cheney lawsuit ordered Cheney to preserve a wide range of the records from his time as vice president. Oh, you didn't know he had a lawsuit against him? Well, the lawsuit alleges that the Bush administration's actions over the past 7 1/2 years raise questions over whether the White House will turn over records created by Cheney and his staff to the National Archives in January. And Cheney lost.

3. Alaska's state Senator Hollis French said the retired prosecutor hired by the Alaska Legislature to investigate Palin (aka Troopergate), Stephen Branchflower, will conclude his investigation by Oct. 10. So they aren't giving up. And it will be in time for the election.

4. The other team's lies are getting so transparent that incredible people like that female reporter on FOX, Carl Rove, and even Hardball has to call them out on it, daily.

Bottom line, this is where we stand,

COSTS OVER THIS LAST YEAR
Status: Inflation up 5.4%
Average Salaries: Down 3.3%
Gasoline: Up 35.6%
Household Energy costs: Up 17.3%
Food: Up 7.5%

Its bad, but not unfixable. We will have alot of work to do, but we'll have to do it from the Oval Office.

So, take a deep breath.... Right now. Breathe in, and then out.

Make a bubble bath, catch a rerun of The Daily Show from their website, catch a sunset, or see the funny short: 'Its time for some campaignin'

Funny no matter what side you are on.
http://www.peteyandpetunia.com/VoteHere/VoteHere.htm

Then remember why we're doing this. If you haven't already, see:
You Made Me Love You Obama!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW19otZgxY8

Get some yogurt to settle your stomach, splurge and let yourself have some chocolate, and take just a second to rejuvenate.

and then....LET'S GET OUT THERE AND GET 'EM.

We will do it by registering MORE voters! http://my.barackobama.com/vfc

We will do it by making the right points with our messages:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJThPjvscFs

We will do it by making people aware of Barack's actual financial plan: http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/economyplan

We will do it because WE CAN!

Carl Rove's Underwear is Showing aka Troopergate? What Troopergate?

If you've been following Troopergate although now it would appear Palin has swept it under the rug (no sexist housewife slur intended), then you might be interested in the dusty press release we found from 2006 sent out by Palin about Monegan (the guy she actually fired). Since we can't seem to get a straight answer as to why she "fired" him, at least we can see in her own words, why she "hired" him.

Palin Cabinet Begins to Take Shape
Governor-Elect Announces Commissioners of Natural Resources, Public Safety, Corrections

Anchorage – November 28, 2006 - Governor-Elect Sarah Palin today announced the first three members of her cabinet. Former Anchorage Police Chief Walt Monegan will serve as Department of Public Safety Commissioner, longtime corrections superintendent Joe Schmidt was named Commissioner of the Department of Corrections and former DNR Deputy Commissioner Marty Rutherfor d will take over the top job at the Department of Natur al Resources and will serve as interim Commissioner.

“I’m proud to count these Alaskans among my most trusted advisors,” said Palin. “Each one has a proven track record of success and an unwavering dedication to Alaska.”

This is verbatim. This is, as of this moment, still posted on Governor Palin's original campaign site from that time period:

http://web.archive.org/web/20070601040017/www.palinforgovernor.com/Articles.htm

What could I do?

I'm broke. Like alot of people out there. So I decided to do what I could from home. After all, I have a computer.

So I built my first website:

www.TheSarahPalinPortal.com
for All Things Palin. If you haven't filled your need yet for being IMPAILED, please come check it out, surf the links, see the videos, and maybe even leave a comment of your own. So far I've had hits from all over the world, so I'm pretty proud.

But that wasn't enough...

So I made my first YOU TUBE video:
"She's Bringing Sexy Back" which you can find at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTPdCbyazp0

But that wasn't quite enough...

So I made my second YOU TUBE video:
"You Made Me Love You" starring our favorite, BO. Its a gift to Mr. Obama. I hope y'all like it. You can check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW19otZgxY8

I hope whoever reads this blog checks out my site and the videos and really likes them.

I hope you see the one I made for Obama and you like it and maybe even Pass It On.

I hope these are helpful.

Basically, I'm full of hope.